This book is great at giving the important details for a small child and leaving the rest open to each individual families differences. The child waiting for a baby could be a boy or a girl and same with the new baby. I especially liked the page with the mother nursing, it was realistic, but appropriate. We had the book memorized and it helped our child know what to expect.

This is the perfect book for the young child who is expecting a new brother or sister. The lyrical rhymes and lovely, realistic drawings delight, entertain, and help explain what it will be like when that new person arrives. Written from the perspective of a toddler, the book hits all the right notes.

W. Larimer Mellon, and his wife, Gwen Grant Mellon, the author of this book, were a wealthy (he was the nephew of Andrew Mellon) couple who read about, visited, espoused, and live (she is still alive-he is dead) the spirit of Albert Schweitzer...compassionate care for the poor of the third world. I have worked at their hospital, Hopital Albert Schweitzer, in extremely rural Haiti several times in a medical capacity. I have seen what a truly good spirit can do for others. I wish I, as well as all of us, had the spirit, the commitment, and the love of others given by these two special people. This is the story of their strange journey to Haiti...well written by a beautiful worman, now in her late 80's. Buy this book...you'll love it, Gwen, and Larry as I do.

The book has two distinct sections. The first 100 pages is a report on the Mellon family lifestyle, and how a rich maverick Mellon got to Haiti. The rest of the book details Dr. and Mrs. Mellon's founding of a hospital and civil engineering projects in central Haiti.
An important finding is that the Mellon's hospital was founded on the humanitarian premise, "Reverence for life." Taken from Dr. Sweitzer's work in Africa, life refers not only to human life, but also plant and animal. This little detail is critical to understanding the book. Many missions to Haiti are Christian, while Dr. Mellon's hospital is distinctly humanistic primarily as presented in the book.
As all books on Haiti fairly present, doing anything in Haiti is hard, and without American financial support, very little work done lasts. The hospital Dr. Mellon founded did well as long as he provided two of the four million dollars needed to run it. His civil engineering projects, in which he was much more interested than medicine (he actually only practiced medicine 3 years), all crumbled when turned over to the Haitians. Many other cottage industries met the same fate.
The book thus captures the Haitian dilemna, how to serve in Haiti and lift up the Haitians to be self sufficient. If Dr. Mellon's millions couldn't do it, how can any of us with less money at our disposal. Never the less, we go to Haiti because we cannot not go, nor can we not go back after going once.
An excellent book about how a real rich guy did his best to follow his heart, not his accountant's advice, and another book about how a strong wife really does the grunt work while her husband plays with big boy's toys.

The life of William Larimer Mellon is an example of the life Americans should dream for themselves and those they love dearly. For one who majored in biology and gave it up for 18 years in auditing the paralells to Mellon's change of career and motivations struck me deeply. On witnessing the WTC disaster personally (a few hundred yards away) man should strive for something in life and go for it. Barry Paris well written account of a life inspired by Dr. Schweitzer is highly recommended to all readers committed to God and American morals and values. If readers have a noble vision the price of this book is totally insiginificant to the highest rewards you will gather from reading it.

Song of Haiti is an absolutely awesome book! As a nurse who has done mission work in Haiti, I found this book authentic, a true inspiration, as well as a compelling, indepth view of the lives of many dedicated and compassionate people. Barry Paris' work describes the country and the people in beautiful and fullfilling language. Oftentimes, I felt as if I were in Haiti again experiencing the amazing, hard-working and loving people of the country. I've never before read a biography with such griping prose. I looked forward to my time to read because I became more and more interested in the life of every person described - be it Dr. Mellon and Gwen or Albert Schweitzer, or the nurses and doctors and friends with whom they shared their lives. I believe this is the way that biographical work should be written. Song of Haiti is thorough in that it covers the entirety of Dr. Mellon's life, touching on his downfalls as well as his high acheivements. I found that the realism with which the story is told is excellent and believable. The many everyday encounters and adventures are interesting and mesmerizing - it makes a person want to travel and experience the third world for all of the beauty and intensity it offers. I recommend this book to everyone, regardless of your interest in medicine, mission work, or biography. It is amazing.

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!. Some times, historical correspondance can be dry. However, these letter are not! They are very readable, offering a interesting insight into the real lives of people during the turbulent era of the Civil War. Charles Larimer has done excellent research and his annotations add to the context of when the letters were written. Highly recommended. I look forward to reading his Scottish Stories from Loch Ness.

I am not a reader of books nor a student of the civil war. However, I found this book to be fascinating. The horrors of war and the loneliness of soldiers are universal, and the insights into this particular war and historical era are compelling. It is very easy to read, and is both educational and entertaining. Please give me more by this writer!

As an amateur war historian, I find that all too rarely do we see the war on both sides. The hardships of everyday Americans during the Civil War were not only occurring on the battlefield, but in the homes left behind in the cornfields of Iowa. This unique perspective is presented in the heartfelt correspondence between Jacob and Emeline. A rare opportunity to behold the searching meditations of a man gripped by both love, and patriotism.

This actually is a pretty good book. There are a number of color photos for each car (it covers 2002's-e46 BMWs, even M models and the 8 series!) with text captions for problems to look for for each car. It lists the specifications for each model and provides a handy summary of repair costs and parts costs for items such as bumpers, fuel pumps, oil filters etc. I don't remember seeing a pricing guide for each car, but such information can easily be found in a bluebook or a website like edmunds.com.

This isn't a repair manual, but definatly gives a prospective buyer a number of things to think about and look for when shopping for a used BMW.

Fred Larimer's "BMW Buyer's Guide" is not only a truly
informative book for anyone contemplating buying an
used BMW but, in addition, it is a treasure for anyone
interested in the BMW in general. Specifically, it
provides beautiful pictures of various BMWs with a
comprehensive outline of potential problem areas prone
to the models illustrated. More importantly, it
provides an useful and meticulous outline of the steps
to be followed in testing an used BMW prior to the
actual purchase of an used BMW and, by extension, any
used vehicle.

Although it includes most of the information I found in Fodor's, it wasn't as detailed. It's as if the writer assumes the reader knows his way around Hanoi or other larger cities. Top sights to visit are blurred together. Maps were difficult to read.

While the Insight Guides do not provide the best info as far as hotels and restaurants, they give excellent background info and tourist info. A great resource.