I'll confess right here ... it's usually tough for me to get into the Christmas spirit. And most Christmas books for kids strike me as either lame attempts to rehash worn-out imagery... or stories which are really written for adults to recapture some "warm fuzzies" from their memory banks (never mind the kids, thank you).

This book must contain some powerful stuff ... if it can get a cynical crumudgeon like me to read it over and over to my son. Breathed begins his story with the moping, skeptical, don't-trust- anyone-too-much attitude which I immediately find familiar. But... then ... he magically weaves an unlikely tale which transforms that feeling into one of genuine hope. The "Santa" character is wonderfully (and appropriately) ambiguous. The reader,as well as the story's narrator, is not quite sure whether this guy is the real thing -- or yet another impostor. He doesn't fit the mold, that's for sure. But he does come through (at least it seems it was him) in the end. Oh sleighbells! Don't just take my word for it, read the gosh-darn thing, marvel at Breathed's quirky illustrations. And then feel the swell of hope, which is more than just wishing for nifty presents. A sure winner for children of all ages!

Every Christmas Eve my father would read "The Night Before Christmas" and bible story of Jesus's birth. I was a lovely family tradition, but it needed breath of fresh air.

I discovered "Red Ranger" in a book store long before I had children and bought it for myself. I read it to anyone who would listen and bought copies for friends and family with children.

It's such a magical story - and SO funny! The illustrations alone are hilarious works of art. The end really blew me away.

Now my four year old daughter can't wait until Christmas Eve to read it. We read it every night in December. And every night she believes a little bit more.

Berkeley Breathed's father told him a story of Christmas 1939, and this book is that (tall) story. In 1939, his young father was a great fan of Buck Tweed, the Red Ranger, protector of the 23rd century, and was known himself as the Red Ranger. For Christmas he wanted an official Buck Tweed Two-Speed Crime-Stopper Star-Hopper bicycle. But, it was the Depression, and such a gift was not likely to come. Hearing that Santa Claus had retired nearby, the Red Ranger set off to confront him, complete with death-ray/dart gun and red-stained pajama top. This is the story of that confrontation.

The story of this book is absolutely hilarious! (My son and I laughed mightily when the Red Ranger panicked and shot Santa in the forehead with his dart gun.) Also, the illustrations are masterfully done, and are at least as funny as the story itself. My seven-year-old son loved reading this book, which was perfectly written for one of his reading ability. As a matter of fact, the last picture has him wondering about the truth of this fantastic yarn!

Though this book might seem to have the lesson that one should believe in Santa Claus, its true lesson is one of caring about others and their feelings. This is a great book, and one that should be given to all families.

Macabre, enticing, and fantastic, Poe's stories reveal a first rate intellect and out of this world imagination. Poe was the first or one of the first authors of science fiction, when he wrote "Ligeia," which is a must read, underrated story of his. "The Devil in the Belfry" reveals Poe's comic talents, as does the delightful "X-ing a Paragrab." These two stories reveal the light, almost playful, side of Poe which is usually obscured by the dark side of his macabre horror stories and brooding poems. Speaking of which, his horror stories are some of the best ever written. I still feel the tension, reading them for the nth time in my life. Poe is also the originator of the detective story. Poe's intellect is evident in the story Mellonta Tauta, where he humorously explains the difference between the Aristotilean/deductive reasoning and Baconian (Hogian!)/ inductive reasoning. In his stories he also demonstrated some understanding of the theory of probability, foresaw the philosophical approach of perspectivalism, and raised the questions of sanity/normalcy that would become one of the major social questions of the 20th century, when power-hungry maniacal and clever madman came to power in some countries with the full intent of eventually ruling the world.

I consider Poe one of the most imaginative people who ever lived and one of the most insightful people of the 19th century. By today's standards, his life was short. But the legacy he left influenced and inspired so many people that he should be regarded as one of the greatest writers of short stories who ever lived, and as someone who belongs in the pantheon of many 19th century geniuses.

If you are into scary nights and guilty plaguing consciences, this is the collection of stories that will thrill you and incite you to the wee hours of the night. Edgar Allan Poe is a genius in writing and content. His vision into the depths of the guilty soul and to the murderous soul is unbelievably scarily seemingly truthful. His stories, like the Raven, Tell-Tale Heart, and The Black Cat will keep you engaged and will promote your brain to think if ever human nature is like that, if ever you could be like that. Poe is a desperately depressive man whose dark nature shins through in his superb writing style. I definitely recommend any of Poe's material. Read this if you dare to think.

Poe has been called the creator of the modern detective story and yet many people have no idea that the character of Sherlock Holmes was inspired by Dupin, the protagonist in "The Purloined Letter" and "The Murders in the Rue Morgue". This is not meant to detract from Doyle since I do credit him with mastering the genre. But Poe wrote with meticulous detail and such subtle nuances of logical distinction that he stands among the few truly great American writers.

Even Poe's shortest of stories, e.g. The Assignation, The Cask of Amontillado, pack far more visual imagery and intensity of emotion than contemporary pulp fiction authors can contrive in an entire novel stuffed full of crass language and sexual gimmicks. Poe needs no gimmicks to keep you turning the pages.

Perhaps Poe does assume a certain level of cultural literacy on the part of the reader that is absent in our modern television society. People actually read books for pleasure in those days. But !I don't believe he was writing for the elite for he was hardly of the upper class. And it is true some stories might contain one or two phrases of "non-politically correct" language (The Gold Bug, for example). So did Shakespeare, Melville, Twain, and Doyle. But evaluated in the context of his time one can not help but admire his work.

I don't want to address at too much length the experiences of many students who have had been force-fed Poe as part of an English literature class. The Merchant of Venice, Anna Karenina, Crime and Punishment, and Lord of the Flies are all books I will never read again due to my onerous experiences in school. However, if you are inclined to delve back into any of the classics in the English language, you can do far worse than to rediscover the tales of Edgar Allan Poe.

The third book of the Prydain Chronicles is excellent, but somehow a little awkward. It is reminiscent of the teenager that Taran has become by this time, as he learns to help an inept prince to become more of a man. It teaches excellent values that adults as well as children should have. Enjoy this book, but read it as the third, following "The Book of Three" and the "Black Cauldron" or else it may loose some of its majesty.

The Castle of Llyr mostly has events occuring on the island of Mona, not Prydain. This book has a different feel than the previous two. It deals with Eilonwy leaving Prydain to "act like a lady". Knowing her from the other books, she'd rather be doing what the guys are doing. Also Taran becomes aware of his feelings for her. Although they're usually arguing, I could see this sort of thing coming from a long way off. The main surprise is how someone(I'm not saying who)wants revenge and wants to exploit the unknown magical powers of Eilonwy to rule Prydain. The book, while simple like the others, gives great detail of how Mona is supposed to look like, and the actions of the heroes are easy to imagine. In this third book of the Prydain Chronicles, the main issues with Taran are jealousy and wanting what he seemingly can't have. If you read the first two Prydain books, this one won't be a disapointment.

I have heard complaints that this book is boring, lacking in action. Obviously, some people fail to appreciate the DEEP EMOTIONAL TURMOIL Taran endures on his quest to rescue his beloved princess (the greatest heroine in ALL of fiction, thank you very much) so that she can marry a bumbling idiot in prince's clothing. Oh, wailings of misery! as Gurgi would say. This is the best book of the series, and my personal all-time favorite. A word to adults: don't cheat yourself out of Prydain because the series is "for kids". I'm 20, and can fully enjoy the dark drama of Tolkein as well as the next fantasy-lover. But don't pass up the mini-wheats just because they're frosted! These books are ageless; these characters are as real as your own best friends. In fact, the fifth and final novel is dedicated to "all the boys who might have been Taran, and the girls who will always be Eilonwy." Thank you, Mr. Alexander; I am one of the latter (this explains my lack of brevity!). READ THEM.

If you are looking for a great mystery book, get this one. This book features great pictures and a mysterious plot. It all starts when an elephant turning 11 invites all his friends to come to his birthday party. He makes a fantastic banquet that everyone can eat only at a certain time-the eleventh hour. Horace, the elephant, play games all day long until the hour comes upon them. Then when the hour comes, the banquet is gone! Someone ate it all up. But, who was it?

The book's pictures has clues in them. Can you find them all, and find who ate the banquet? Keep your eyes peeled for clues. Oh, and can you find all the names of the 11 animals? Only you can decide. If you like mystery books, get this book. It's great!!

Horace the elephant throws a party for his 11th birthday and invites eleven guests. When it was time to feast upon the birthday banquet, Horace and the guests discovered that the food was gone. Like real life, everyone could be guilty. The Eleventh Hour is a picture book for people of all ages. It's told in poetry form and is a mystery you solve yourself. Not only are the pictures mesmerizing but the enigma is mind-boggling.

The Eleventh Hour is a great mystery story about Horace the Elephant. Horace is turning ll and decides to give himself a birthday party. He invites ll friends and makes up the invitations himself. He prepares all the yummiest foods for the party and all the guests come dressed in wonderful costumes. They were all so excited to see the delicious food that was made for them that they got really hungry. But Horace told them because of this being his llth birthday they would have to wait until "The Eleventh Hour" to eat all the goodies!

Everyone was dressed in wonderful costumes and were doing different things. Some guests played chess while others played Hid (a game of tag) or Snakes and Ladders (a board game) and other's played Tennis or Blind Man's Bluff. Everyone was having a really good time and getting more and more hungry! They were all happy when Horace called them in The Eleventh Hour to eat the birthday feast! Here is where the Mystery begins!

Everyone came into get some delicious treats and low and behold the table was empty! All the food had disappeared and no one knew who had taken the food away.

The reader has the job of solving this crime. The author gives a sheet of clues and the reader is off to solve the crime. This was really fun for me and I reccommend this book to any reader from the 3rd - 6th grade who loves to solve mysteries.

The pictures are really neat and there are lots of clues to look for in the pictures and there is information for the reader at the end of the book about clues from all the illustrations.

This Martin Goldsmith is a multitalented guy . I knew his voice as the host of NPR's Performance Today, and this memoir of his (Jewish) parents' struggles and love in Hitler's Germany shows where he got his classical music genes. It must have taken a lot of courage to write this book -- Goldsmith explains how the Nazi terror was a taboo subject growing up , so we readers are fortunate that he had the courage to tell this beautiful story, and to tell it in such a modest, uncluttered, and elegant way . The chapter about the abortive attempt at escape on the St. Louis is a real cliff-hanger, and his account of the forced march of the jews, including the authors father and uncle, is chilling. Don't miss this one.

Martin Goldsmith takes the reader on an incredible journey that gives a chilling glimpse of life in Nazi Germany and the power of love and the human spirit to survive. After listening to Goldsmith's wonderful voice and commentary for years on NPR's "Performance Today," I could actually hear his voice as I read the words of his poignant stories about his parents, grandparents, aunts and uncle. Everyone should read this book. It would also be a compelling classroom supplement for students of history and music. The story is unforgettable. After I finished reading the book, one line from the song by The Verve keeps popping into my mind: "It's a bittersweet symphony, this life..."

From the first few pages of Martin Goldsmith's brilliant novel, I could not put it down. This book is a highly detailed, fascinating account of a little known piece of history. Although everyone is familiar with the attrocities of the holocaust, the author offers up a haunting account of the events from a cultural perspective, a truly personal account revolving around his own parents lives and how they were able to survive Nazi Germany. I had studied the holocaust in history classes in high school, but none came close to Goldsmith's painstakingly thorough account of the rise of national Socialism in Germany in the 1920's and 30's. Written simply and in a matter-of-fact style, the author pulls no punches and offers the reader a truly engaging study of the events leading up to WWII. But at the same time, the reader is also drawn in by the powerful bond between his mother and father and their love for the beautiful music which they had grown up with. I'm no musician, but was certainly fascinated to learn of all the wonderful Jewish contributions to our world culture. And although I certainly am quite removed from all events of the holocaust, I have never been so emotionally moved by a story before. This is a beautiful book and a must read for everyone.

The Trixie Belden series, of which this book is the beginning, is something that I haul out every year and reread. I'm 48 years old--that's a lot of rereading, considering I read them the first time when I was 10! I still have my beat-up Whitman hardbacks of the first 6, with Mary Stevens' wonderful illustrations, and I guard them jealously! My daughter, who is grown now, read them with enjoyment, but the big surprise is that my son loved them even more than she did. Everyone who says that their daughters enjoy these books should introduce their sons to them--the male characters, Mart, Brian, and Jim, are great role-models and my son identified with them a great deal. My children and I all remember and quote parts of these books to each other from time to time. I learned a lot of vocabulary from them, and I think I developed my sense of humor directly from these books as well. I echo everyone here who has lamented the fact that they are out of print. Reissue them!

Trixie Belden is a sleuth who is impatient, spunky, and hates to do housework - I love her! Not quite 30 years old, I have loved this little-known teen detective since I "discovered" her on my sister's bookshelf when I was 8 years old. Since that time, I have read and re-read these wonderful books for the last two decades. Kids, if you want to read a book that is funny, smart, and has some spooky mysteries, this is a great series for you. Parents, if you want your kids not only to READ, but LOVE to read, get them hooked on these books. I am an English teacher, and I will swear up and down that these books, with their spunky characters and engaging plots, are not only a joy to read, but are informative. My vocabulary increased by trying to keep up with Mart Belden, Trixie's older brother, and as a child I didn't realize it, but I learned a ton from reading these great books. A voracious reader who adores authors from Shakespeare to Agatha Christie, Harper Lee to Elizabeth Peters, I still pull these charming mysteries off my bookshelf to go back to Crabapple Farm to solve mysteries with Trixie and Honey.

This book is a wonderful introduction to a great series of books for young girls. I read the first six when I was 10 years old, and I fell in love with Trixie and her friends. Those stories were written by Julie Campbell in the 1950's and republished in the 1960's. Kathryn Kenny took over with book seven in the late '60's. Readers will notice a change in Trixie's personality and in the focus of the stories. Kenny introduces more of the history of the Hudson River Valley, and includes more facts and less of the banter and teasing that made me so fond of the original books. However, the books which Kenny continued writing into the '70's and the '80's, which I bought for my daughter, are entertaining, if not quite as much fun as the original six. The Red Trailer Mystery, the sequal to the Secret of the Mansion, is also a must to read for anyone who wants to get the full story of how Jim came to be Honey's adopted brother, The Gatehouse Mystery explains the formation of the Bob White club, The Mysterious Visitor chronicles the advent of Diana Lynch into the group. Book five, The Mystery Off Glen Road is a personal favorite of mine, an absolutely hilarious book telling of Trixie's attempts to become a 'lady', not to impress Jim, but for such convoluted reasons that she has her entire family in an uproar. I hope that like the Nancy Drew mysteries, some publisher who knows a good thing when he sees it, will update the Trixie Belden books and republish them for the next generation. I would hate to see this series that has brought so much pleasure and happiness to so many girls be lost forever.

If you are a retailer or you want to understand retail, THIS IS THE BOOK !!!. I have worked with retailers for more than 20 years all around the world. Nobody understands best what or how is a retailer than Sam Walton. Everything is here. Read it and you will understand how to build a retail. You may end don't liking this life but it's the only way to be a winner on retail business, it's not a business is the way you will have or should live. Being a retailer is a 100% time job, all your family has to be a retailer with you, no question on this. Sam Walton is not an exeption.

Sam Walton is a legend in the retail business. Building on core values, he created a whole new business concept that grew to become the largest retailer-the largest company-in the world. How did it happen?

In Made in America, SamWalton and his writer, a FORTUNE senior editor, take the reader through a chronological adventure of how a man started with nothing and gradually built an empire. He based everything he did on particular values that really made sense, though they were radical for his time and his industry. Gaining an understanding of those values, their sources, and their impacts, helped me better grasp my own values and business management philosophy.

Sam came up with a lot of innovative ideas, but was unabashed in his drive to glean ideas from his competitors. He had a knack for snatching someone else's idea and growing it into something really significant. Reading about these adventures was fascinating. I couldn't put the book down . . . and I thought I knew something about Wal-Mart!

Particularly interesting was insight into the unique culture of Wal-Mart and how it was created and nurtured. Educational, inspirational, stimulating. A great read!

Mr. Sam's book is an excellent look into the dedication, leadership, and hard work that made Wal-Mart the most successful company in the history of the world. He teaches the reader about the basic values of money, hard work, and family. At the same time, he gives insight into some of the details about starting and running a retail enterprise. All throughout the book, he interjects little stories about getting caught with tape recorders in the competition's store, or flying around with his hunting dogs to look at potential Wal-Mart land sites. This book was not only a great series of lessons on entrepreneurship and management, but it was also very entertaining and at times funny. It was amazing to read about Mr. Sam's predictions when he wrote the book (10+ years ago) and to see how contemporary Wal-Mart has far surpassed even Mr. Sam's wildest dreams of success.

I recently visited the museum in Bentonville, AR. This book was an excellent supplement to that trip. Reading this book and visiting the Wal-Mart visitor's center in Bentonville are highly recommended for any Wal-Mart fan or any business fan as well.

I have had the book "Hand Hand Fingers Thumb" since I was about two. I must have read it 500 times. It was a regular bedtime story for me. It is a very easy book to read. The words aren't very big and they are repeated so that the young kids can learn the words easier. The book has very good flow and great pictures. All of the pictures have monkeys in them and you know every kid loves monkeys. The rhymes are very good such as; "Hello Jack. Hello Jake. Shake Hands Shake Hands Shake! Shake! Shake!" There isn't much of a plot to this story but I think it is a very good story anyways.

My 14 month old son loves this book. We can tell him "Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb" and he runs to his room, climbs on his chair and finds it on his dresser with all his other books. It is definitely his favorite. He loves the "dum ditty dum ditty dum dum dum" part. We like that it is short and fun to read. Would definitely recommend it!

One of the first books our daughter would sit through from the time she was four or five months old was another Al Perkins classic, "The Nose Book". She's also loved "The Ear Book" since right around the same time. I'd never heard of "Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb" until we saw it in the waiting room where my car was being serviced. Sierra LOVED it! We must have read it twenty times, and it really helped to pass the time. When we got to the page that read "dum ditty, dum ditty, whack whack whack!" she giggled out loud and brought smiles to every face in the place. Santa will definitely be bringing this one along in his sack!

Much as I hate to admit it, editors add more value than authors often appreciate. This book is a good example of missed potential for good editing.

The book contains almost 500 Absolut ads, and some of the rejects. What I did not realize until I looked at this book was how much bad Absolut advertising has appeared. Clearly, this volume would have been greatly improved by eliminating about 450 of the images in it. There is also a lot of text about how the ads are created, with a lot of pats on the back for the importers and agency involved. But there is relatively little about the creative process, and what works and what doesn't.

If you want to learn more interesting details about Absolut, I suggest that you acquire the newer book, Absolut, the History of the Bottle, instead.

Absolut advertising is all built around the formula of the word "Absolut" followed by some other word or words intending to say "Absolute X." While the lines are almost always good, the execution of how well the images fit with the text often leaves something or a lot to be desired. In other cases, the visuals are just plain ugly.

As the text suggests here, the idea was that "Absolut would be a product that could laugh at itself." That position is missed when the image is either almost irrelevant or unattractive. It just makes Absolut seem like it is a reflection of bad taste.

The mood for the ads was supposed to be light to " . . . add a dollop of humor so the 'We're the best' claim wouldn't be quite so boring or prententious." Well, you'll have to judge for yourself, but the ads seemed to have badly strayed from that standard.

Just so you won't think I dislike the campaign, here are my favorite ads in the book (I have eliminated "Absolut" from the titles to save space): Perfection, Joy, Peak, 19th, Harmony, L.A., Manhattan, Haring, and Appeal.

The other thought that bothered me was treating expensive vodka advertising as art. What's the social benefit here?

After you have finished considering the book, I suggest that you examine how you can add beauty to the world through your life and your work.

A votre sante!

"Absolut Book" covers the evolution of advertisements for Absolut Vodka and the people behind these ads. Most of the book is dedicated to the actual ads, broken up into groups, with captions detailing the ideas and providing additional information. Fascinating for its insight into the Absolut ads creation process. The book also includes some never published prints. An absolut must for collectors or anyone who enjoys print advertising.

This is an excellent book for anyone interested in photography , advertising and art in general. You get hundreds of beautifuly printed images for a good price. After reviewing the book , I also came to a conclusion that the Absolut ads "forte" was (is) the combination of photography and clever ideas. The fashion and painted art ads to me were repetitive and has little impact when compared to the clever product shots. It was great to see this collection in a book format though. lous@mail.idt.net

I am a teen who recently read the book Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul on Tough Stuff. I loved this book. I give it a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. It made me feel like I was the person with the problems. It taught me, if you see someone going through something like suicide or depression, be a friend to that person and help he or she through their problem. Some stories made me cry, some made me say, "WOW, I didn't know how hard it was to go through these things." Some statements were funny. This book really gave me a sense of what goes on in the real world. This book touched all my emotions. I have four of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books and this one has touched my heart the most.

I absolutly LOVED this book. Fianlly a book that foucus's on issues like suidcide and eating dissorder, mixed in with a dash of death and I pinch of friend/relationship. Its the perfect combination for the recipe of teenager. It was a great self help book and a great read all at the same time. I have to say that all the Chicken Soup for the Teen Soul books are great. I own them all but this one has really touched home and helped me to connect with the authors. I definetly recommend this book to anyone who is interested especially teens. I think that this book, being as it focus's more on the rougher aspects of being a teen, will help alot more teens. Just read the first story.... bet you can't put it down...

Just like all of the other amazing Chicken Soup books, this one is full of "feel-good" stories that will make your feel all warm inside, as if you were eating a hot bowl of chicken soup. The stories in this book are focused on the tough stuff that teenages go through, and I'm sure any teenager can relate to this book in one way or another. It gives young adults inspiration, and is a wonderful collection of stories that will touch your heart and warm your soul.