This is a great book for fans of the Nickelodeon series "Hey Dude". Faithful viewers will no doubt notice that the main plot of this story is derived from the 27th episode of the series, "Inmates Run The Asylum". There is also a reference to the very first episode, "Day One At The Bar None".

This book will be especially attractive to what I believe is its target audience, teenage girls. However, I think some boys might enjoy it as well. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys these characters on television. However, as someone who is extremely fond of the Bradley character, I would have liked more photos of her included in the book. That definitely would have made the book more appealing to guys.

A short but informative book that documents the grizzly bears' existance in west Texas.

I never would have come across this book on my own. I was lucky enough to be guided by a truly great reference book called _Great Books for Girls_ (Kathleen Odean). Ms. Odean suggests that the book would be good for 2-5 year olds. I thought it would be a bit much for my 2 1/2 yr old daughter, but it became an instant favorite.

From an adult point of view, this is a nice book, perhaps a bit stiff in the text. It is a historical story in the Red Riding Hood tradition about a little girl who is ready to be grown-up and brave in a Canadian pioneer village. What my daughter truly loved was the encounter with real bad guys: adult wool smugglers from mainland Canada, known to shear a sheep to steal it's wool, and even to slaughter the sheep for dinner. Ida is a responsible, thinking kid, who finds herself alone with a ewe and twin lambs just as the smugglers signal each other with a characteristic whistle from the cover of the woods.

Ida runs the sheep on her own (usually this is done with many people and a whole herd of sheep, much faster and less effort). She gets them corraled safely and still completes her delivery of bread to a family with a new baby. Her reward is to get to hold the baby while the infant's mother fixes her a snack. This was also a big deal to my daughter, who takes the handling of little babies very seriously. The dramatic tension was the real draw, though. Hard to find in books about a girl, written for very young girls.

I think a child as old as 8 still would enjoy this story if s/he was reading on his/her own. It is not an easy-reader, but some kids are ready for a challenge, and the age-appropriate material is a plus. I figure Ida for about 5 or 6 herself, but it is hard to read her age. An older kid could still identify with her, especially, as Ms. Odean says, a kid who longs to be older.

Boys will also find this book fun. It can be read by anyone, but girl readers will be harder-pressed to find a story like this starring a girl like them.

Great little book. I enjoyed every minute of it. The articulate and insightful accounts of daily life and struggles in a Northern California commune. Discussions on all kinds of topics: sexual identity struggles, raising children, firefighting, hog butchering, and more. I wanna go! Anyway, a great respite from my daily doldrums in the high-tech world. Did I say that I really like this book?

Josefina's Story collection is a very nicely done book. It is edged in gold, has a ribbon bookmark, and a transparent dust jacket. It contains all six of her stories. My only complaint? That all of the Peek into the Past sections have been removed except for the last one, the one from Changes For Josefina. If this were truly a keepsake edition, it would contain all of the Peek into the Past sections as well as the stories.

When you are from Texas, it is important to know the roots of your nation. Through the King Ranch Story, Mona Sizer has reached into a bag of mystery that surrounds the most famous ranch in the world, and portrayed a reality profile about the struggles and accomplishments of a tough group of friends and family during a tough era of life. The King Ranch Story reveals facts of tough times, tough characters, love, suspense, tragedy and victory; and this isn't even fiction! A tremendous amount of culture and economic growth has come from this south Texas ranch. It is required reading to understand the heritage of a significant and culturally diversified region.

This account (of a battle that everyone's heard of but nobody knows much about) drags a bit in its beginning and ending sections, but its middle(the actual description of the battle) is a well-paced, crystal-clear description of the battle action of both sides. Good depiction of how individual leaders and their strengths and weaknesses influence military actions. The attempts to place the battle in a much larger historical context sometimes were a stretch, but the book overall is a great read for Civil War history buffs.

Again, William Anderson (who would have to be considered one of the premier authorities on Laura Ingalls Wilder) outdoes himself with this unique collection. This features not only Laura's pre-Little House writings from the Missouri Ruralist and other publications, but a real treat for Ingalls fans - writings from the other Ingalls family members - poetry by young Laura, Carrie and Mary; young Grace's diary, and more. All of this is tied together by Mr. Anderson's editorial commentary and photos. Very nicely done and a good read!

The author takes the story of the movie "BABE" and puts it into Dr. Seuss rhyme format that just rolls off your tongue and makes you giggle. There is also a message for children: "...Chase every rainbow. Go down every stream. Follow your heart. Follow your dream..." It lets them know that they too change the world.

Little Puppy is a beautiful picture book for the young reader. The illustrations are wonderful, and the story is simple. I originally purchased this book for my 4 year old, who enjoys the pictures, but it is my 18 month old who loves this book. I feel the story is short enough to capture even the attention of a toddler. It would be a good book for the beginning reader. As mentioned before, it is really the illustrations that make this book stand out. Anyone who has owned a border collie will especially enjoy this book.