These are the things that the little ones, like my 21 month old son, should appreciate in a book.
MWB is widely known for the books "Goodnight moon" and "The Runaway Bunny". I didn't even know about this book until I saw that my husband had picked it up at the bookstore. This book is illustrated by a different artist, Felicia Bond, and her work is sweet and uncomplicated. The story has that same rhythm and beat you follow when reading poetry, but it is also gives a peaceful feeling to it's readers(and the ones being read to).
It's a day in the life of kind of story about animals on a farm, while the children are gone. It is a perfect addition to any child's book shelf and makes for a perfect bedtime story with it's calming effect.
I highly recommend buying this for toddlers! If you already have any of Brown's other books, this one will be a welcome addition.

"Big Red Barn" is my son's, who is a year and a half, new favorite book.
He adored "good night, moon" which has gone amissing in our house. i didn't even know about this book, and my husband picked it up last week at the bookstore.
After reading and looking at "The Runaway Bunny", I was a little weary of Brown's books aside from "Goodnight, Moon", but this book has made me a fan once again. The illustration here is very good. It's simple and easy on the eyes of our little ones.
I love the way her books are written. She has the certain "beat" to the way the story is told. It's like reading a poem.
It is certainly a great last read of the day to help ease baby's eyes to a sleepy state.
My son loves animals, and recently has been to a farm, so this makes his love for this little story all the more enchanting.
This is good for children who love animals, and it helps them get to know those farm animals even more.
It's one of those books you have to read everyday to your child once you start reading it to them. Brown had the right prescription to help put little ones to sleep...
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz(night night little one)

For children just starting to read, this is a perfect book to help them on their journey to be excellent readers.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR ALL PARENTS OF TODDLERS AND OLDER CHILDREN!

Eileen Famiglietti

Goodnight Moon gets all the hype, but I like Big Red Barn even better. This is a simple story about all the animals who live on a farm and the things they do during the day. No humans are anywhere to be found in this tale. The illustrations are simple and sweet. My 8 month old daughter just loves this book! It's very soothing for bedtime, especially because at the end of the story, all the animals go to sleep in the barn. Wonderful!

"True Selves" is the first book to provide the reader with some sense of what it is to be transsexual. The book is written by Mildred Brown and Chloe Rounsley. Mrs. Brown is a therapist who has worked closely with transsexuals for many years. Her compassion and understanding of the problems and suffering of this small group of individuals fills a gap that has existed for many years. Mrs. Browm starts at the beginning and explains this little known condition for the reader. She starts by defining terms that are often times misused by a "ratings hungry" media. She explains the medical, socialogical and psychological foundations. She also povides some insights into the suffering and pain that transsexuals are faced with each and every day. Mrs. Brown accomplishes this all in a down to earth style that both the lay person and professional will appreciate. THe book provides resources for transsexuals and professional alike. As a transsexual myself I found the book to be quite heartwarming as I discovered it was about me! Previous titles about transsexualism such as "The Uninvited Dilema" by M.A. Stewart had been the text that many professionals referred their clients to. With the release of this book I believe that they will soon use this as a means of opening the eyes of the friends and familes of their transsexual clients.

I found this book to be an excellent overview of Transsexualism dealing with all aspects of gender change and the issues involved. I find the book a good reference for everyone. From the person identifying as a transsexual, to helping professionals, friends and family, to those just interested in the subject matter. I've read quite a few books on the subject matter and rate this the top one yet. And yes, I am a post-operative transsexual woman.

I have bought a copy for my parents, my friends and am now saving up to buy more copies. True Selves is the most sympathetic approach to transsexuality I have ever encountered. Without being accademic, this book gets to the grass roots of what it means to be Gender Dysphoric, while offering possitive and practical means by which friends and relatives of transsexuals might begin to understand and empathize with the issues facing them.

This is the first book about Transsexuals that has not made me cringe. Mildred has successfully separated gender from sexuality and portrays the feelings and desires of transsexuals in a genuine and honourable light.

Thankyou Mildred for your enormous contribution to the Transgendered Community.

This is by far the finest computer book I have ever read. I recommend this book to people wanting to install and use Samba because no other book, HOWTO, or online forum explains SAMBA so well. I also recommend this book to people just getting their feet wet with networking because it comprehensively examines both Linux and Windows networking issues in an extremely easy to read, step-by-step way.

This book has screen shots -- a lot of them. This book has examples -- a lot of them. This book has very easily followed writing that tells you how to set up your Linux and Windows machines and how to get Samba going. The book sits down with you, rolls up your sleeves, and shows you how to progress in a way that yeilds desired results -- Samba installs and works on your network! It blends instruction with just the right amount of background explanation without forcing you to read page after page of useless, smothering detail. A lot of authors would be well advised to achieve this kind of balance in computer books and darn few succeed. I had my Windows box talking to my Linux box via Samba in just a day. I spent about 2 weeks going over the book and studying my existing Windows network before making any software changes whatsoever.

This book offers a comprehensive networking fault tree people new to networking will find extremely useful. Follow this fault tree and you will be able to correct general networking problems as well as specific Samba problems. When I had networking problems back when I first got into Linux with Red Hat 6.0, I could have fixed them with this book's fault tree. It would have saved me hours of frustration to have worked through this book's fault tree.

I think everyone wanting to connect Linux boxes to Windows boxes should rush to order this book and then spend 2 weeks reading it cover to cover before messing with ANY network settings. You will be rewarded for your money and patience with results and a feeling of genuine accomplishment.

I've noticed a trend in Linux books where the authors like to waste space and reader's time with useless banner "warnings" and sometimes repetitive moralizing. Some writers print warnings every 2 pages and sound as bad as hoax emails. Well you won't find many warnings in Using Samba. They are worth reading when found.

As far as I can see, there are only 2 bad points about this book and you can't blame the authors for them: unless it is lovingly revised in a new edition, increasing rollouts of Windows 2000 will rapidly obsolete the excellent Samba advice you can get here. As of this writing (August 2000), Windows Millenium Edition will be available to consumers September 14, and depending on sales this may help obsolete the book also. The second bad point is that Samba has not gone into a new version which can deal with Windows 2000 and Millenium Edition yet. It is still stuck at 2.0.7. Hopefully the Samba team will release a new version in the near future covering Windows 2000. And I sure hope The Samba Book, as it is called, is revised to cover the new Windows products!

O'Reilly sets the standard by which all other technical publishers should aspire; their books are technical, dense, and personally, I love the pithy, no nonsense tone. I have never been disappointed with an O'Reilly book. This book continues the tradition of above par books and I can attest that hands down, this is the best book available on Samba.

Remarkably, the information inside is aging very well. While it doesn't cover the most current version of Samba, this book is by far the most informative and helpful on the subject available.

While the book is fortified with examples, screenshots, and an easy to read style, by far my favorite portion is on troubleshooting (complete with a "fault tree"). It is just a way of systematically approaching connectivity problems in relation to the samba server.

I mean, really, what exactly is "System error 53?" This book won't tell you outright, but it will help narrow down the problem to solvable proportions.

The included CDROM also includes a mirror to the official Samba FTP site, including sources, binaries, documentation, and utilities.

When I have Samba configuration problems, or questions pop up about Samba, this is the book I reach for. If pressed for time and pressed for answers by coworkers, I have been known to pull it off the shelf and lend it out.

This is THE book for samba configuration. No two ways about it. This book rules.

These guys really want you to succeed an not only working a half-decent smb.conf file to implement a file server or print server but REALLY work your servers by creating stable, secure configurations where you do know what the options mean so you are implmenting knoweldge rather than mimicking the actions of others: lending robustness to your servers. It also help when you need to troubleshoot that you understand what you've done. Listen to these guys and that's what you'll accomplish: understanding. There is also good documentation on configuring various windows clients (as well as some insightful opinions on windows and it's failings and foibles: eg. Windows XP home being almost useless in a domain environment)

Lots of really good knowledge here. Pick it up and read it NOW! And then read it again.

To top it off, it is also very well written and easy to read! You now have no excuse not too...:)

My fear developed slowly. After following several news stories a bit too close, and then having to do a (highly controled) emergency landing in a 747, I decided I couldn't fly until I did some research. Thus, this book. The best thing about this book is that it reconstruct people's misconcieved data about fying by replacing it with statitistics that prove that the most dangerous part of the flight is the drive to the airport. 11 million flights a year in the US and Canada alone! That right there helped a lot. Wierd noises, all explained. Weather, turbulence, engine loss, all covered. Honestly, after reading this, I swtiched my fear to the road. Buy this book if you have a flying phobia. It will help. (And for god's sake, stop following the news so closely!)

It has been 8 months since I purchased this book and I have flown 6 times since. I can honestly say that my flights were a pleasure thanks to this book! I have suffered for years from panic attacks that were almost crippling because of my fear of flight. What I found most helpful from this book were the breathing techniques (I thought I knew them all) but Dr. Brown's are most effective and all the knowledge that is given about planes and safety issues etc. I would recommend this book highly because I think the approach is effective for anxious people but also teaches the reality of how safe flying really is.

This book will help you if you are afraid to fly. Last year I checked in for my international flight, but suffered what could be called a panic attack because I was so fearful. I had to have my luggage taken off the plane and go back home and face telling family and friends that I was not able to get on the plane (even though I've flown many times). I've read this book and am preparing to take another flight in 2 months. I have to say that with the information in the book I was able to quell the fears I had and now feel confident about flying. If you have even the slightest fear I would tell you to read this book--after all, it can only help.

Here's a simple, enchanting tale. It's warm and funny and thoroughly unpredictable. It's published in a short and skinny book in large type and, assuming you can tear yourself away from the story, it can be read in small spurts.

The Herdmans are absolutely and without question the worst kids "in the entire history of the world." They are guilty of evey unmentionable childhood crime and have thought of more than a few original ones. When they take over the church Christmas pageant (although none of them has ever attended church, much less heard the Christmas story before), the first Christmas becomes new and real in some pretty surprising ways.

Nevermind that the publishers call this a children's story. It isn't. The vision it has to offer is hilarious yet deeply touching in a profound yet innocent way.

Stock up on copies for Christmas gifts to teachers and friends. I'd give one to the friend who wails that Christmas has become too commercial or to the harried mother of a lively brood or to someone who dreads the holiday. And keep one for yourself because it's almost as much fun each time you read it.

Merry Christmas!

The book by Barbara Robinson is a necessary book for all ages. This is so because it is a story about how people shouldn't judge an outcome before it happens. The Best Chrismas Pagent Ever is about six LOUD and mean kids called the Herdmans who took over the whole play. They even did things that were unexpected for example instead of bringing perfumes and oils for the baby Jesus in the play they brought ham instead. The whole town learned how to not judge these outcasts and ended up having the best christmas pagent ever. To find out how just pick up this halarious story and read!

I'm not sure who loves this book more, me or my kids. We read it together every Christmas, and I intend to continue this tradition even when they're not around. We have great fun wtih the dialogue, and we even invoke one-liners from the story all year 'round (the Herdmans were so mean they could have been Herod's relatives: "Herod Herdman"). Park's writing captures the natural flow and give-and-take wit of the best conversational humor. You practically feel like you're part of the dialogue and part of the experience as the Herdman's attempt sort out (or impose logic on) the Christmas story. After all, why in the world wouldn't someone give a pregnant woman a room?! This book helps anyone re-discover the spirit of Christmas right along with the characters in the story.

I have a love-hate relationship with this book. I love it because my son loves it. He is two and a half. He has loved it for a year--really loved it. Every time we go to the library he makes a bee-line for it. We sit and read it. More often than not we will attract other toddlers who will surround us and recite the text along with us. It casts some sort of spell on small children, I think. I do not own this book, however, because I HATE it. It is so repetitive that I wince as I read it. In fact, one does not read it so much as one chants it. The brown bear mantra. My son has the entire text memorized. We'll be in the grocery store or in the car and he'll start reciting it. Or I'll chant part of it and he'll chant the rest. Or we'll ad lib, inventing new animals with new colors: "Grey Mouse, Grey Mouse, What do you see?" I guess I don't really HATE this book; it's hard to hate something that gives you so much pleasure. But I'm not ready to own it yet. That said, I can't wait for my brother to have a child. He sent my son a noisy Thomas the Tank Engine book for Christmas. It beeped and whistled and hooted and basically drove me out of my mind. I intend to pay him back with "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See".

I remember loving this book as a child, and reading this to my six-month-old son brought back wonderful memories. Yes, there's a simplistic theme running through the pages, but a young child listens for the repetitive phrase and looks for the big, colorful images. My son gets very excited each time I read the book to him, reaching for each of the animals as the page turns; and as he gets older and can comprehend the pictures better, I'm sure he'll appreciate Martin and Carle's work as much as I did.

I highly recommend this delightful book.

I've had three children who fell in love with this book around age two. It does a wonderful job of teaching colors, animals and rhyme to toddlers.

Aided by Carle's unique illustrations, this book begs to be chanted by the parent who will be reading it for the umpteenth time. ("Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see? I see a red bird looking at me. Red bird, red bird, what do you see? I see a ....." etc., etc.) The cadence and rhythm of the words have fascinated my youngsters as they learn to identify different colored animals populating the pages of the book. Strictly a teaching tool, the book does not have a story per se, but it seems to be just right for the child who is just beginning to discover the larger world.

This story is about a young girl named Mandy who lived in an orphanage. She lived there as long as she could remember and had lots of friends who supported her. There was a wall behind the orphanage where no one has ever climbed over and no one knows what it's like behind it. One day, Mandy started getting curious if there was a whole new different world behind it so she climbed over the wall when no one was looking. When she got over, she found a small cottage that was deserted. Everyday she climbed over the fence and she would clean the cottage with tools that she borrowed from the orphanage. Then there was a stormy night and she fell ill and couldn't even move, but then a mysterious person rescues her and she returns back to her cottage.
I read this book because I read the summary behind the book and thought it was a good story because I like adventorous stories. This book was also recommended to me by my cousin. This was one of her favorite books and told me to read it becuase it was written by the famous Julie Edwards.
My favorite part in this story was when Mandy finds the deserted cottage and cleans it all by herself. She plants flowers and she decortates the house will shells and other things that she found in the forest, next to the cottage. Also when she gets saved by poeple who were vistiting and they care for her. The part when I didn't like was when she got very ill and no one was there to help her and no one could hear her because the storm was so loud.

Mandy

Mandy, by Julie Andrews Edwards, is a very well written and eventful book. It starts when Mandy, a young girl living in a nice orphanage, is satisfied with her life, but longs for a place of her own. One day, she goes venturing behind the orphanage wall and discovers a little, abandoned cottage. She decides to make it her own place and with a few "borrowed" things, she manages to turn it into a nice playhouse without anyone knowing what she was up to. However, one day, Mandy disobeys the orphanage owner and sneaks off to the cottage when she is very sick. In the cottage, she falls unconscious, and no one has a clue where she is.

In her story, Mandy is very nice, but when she starts spending much of her time at the cottage, she starts to ignore her friends. She is disobedient at some times, but she is still kind and good-hearted deep down. Her friend, Sue, really wants Mandy to be safe and is always very curious. From reading this book, I learned that you should never lie, you should never disobey your parents, and that your parents usually know what is best for you. The best part of the book was when Mandy discovers the cottage. The scene when Mandy falls unconscious was very detailed and suspenseful. There was not much that I didn't like, except that Mandy was not always nice to her friends. The ending is very satisfying and is a good conclusion to the story.

I enjoyed Julie Andrews' writing style in Mandy. I never got bored while I was reading and the beginning really grabbed my attention. Mandy had a good amount of details and descriptions: not too many that I got bored, but not too little that I couldn't imagine what was happening. The vocabulary was rather easy and simple because the book was written for and is appropriate for children ages eight or nine to age twelve or thirteen. I really enjoyed the way Mandy was written. I would recommend it to girls who like adventure and enjoy good books. I would give Mandy three to four stars out of four (*** to ****). It is just an all-around great book!

-KES

Julie Andrews' name is next to the word *TALENT* in the dictionary. She can sing better than *anyone* in the world, she is an absolutely pheunomenal, versatile actress (she won an Academy Award for Best Actress to prove it), an absobloominlutely AMAZING writer and has a personality to die for. Let me ask you, how is it possible to be all these things and then be EXTREMELY Beautiful???
I don't know how she does it! But I'm postively mesmerized by everything she's done.
Anyhoo, onto the book. Mandy is VERY VERY VERY well-written and as I've said previoulsly, its hard to believe that someone who cna sing and act as perfectly as Julie can write to wonderfull as well! Julie adds so much detail so you know every little thing thats going on in the story. You can almost SMELL the flowers and see the garden and feel the love! It's tremondous. I could read this book OVER and OVER until someone finally whacks me over the head and slaps me back into reality. If you love this book (I can't imagine anyone NOT loving this book) I HIGHLY recommened Julie Andrews Edwards' other children's novel "The Last Of The Really Great WHangdoodles", kinda sounds like something from the woman who put Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious into our vocabulary, doesn't it? 'Whandoodles' is so creative and so wonderful!!!
Bravo, Dame Julie!
BY THE WAY- further back in the comments someone said that Julie wrote this because she lost a bet to her daughter Emma Kate, she ACTUALLY lost a bet with her daughter *Jennifer*. The bet was that if Julie didn't stop swearing (or cursing) Jen would make her right a book....looks like Julie couldn't stop. :-)

GREAT BOOK, GREAT AUTHOR, GREAT FUN!

Mirror Image is the best book by Sandra Brown that I have ever read. I have read just about every one of her books, and this is the one that I simply could not put down and have highly recommended to all my friends. From the very beginning, you are spellbound. The total mystery of what is going on and the heroine's total inability to do anything about her situation urge you to keep reading. I could hardly put the book down until I reached the end and found out who, what, and when. If you like a story that keeps you guessing until the very end, this is the one you must read.

This was the best Sandra Brown book I have ever read--and I've read all her books. I have read, and re-read this book at least a dozen times and I think it just gets better every time. You really feel Avery's anguish and fustration--not to mention the love she has for Tate. I wish you could give a book more than five stars--I would probably give it twenty and still not think thats enough! I agree--this would make a GREAT movie!!!

I began reading Sandra Brown's more current books. When I exhausted those I bit my tongue and started reading her "older" writings, listed as romance novels. I am not a romance fan. But I got so hooked on Sandra Brown that I HAD to read more. I am never disappointed. Mirror Image has to be among the top few I've read. It has it all. Intrigue, mystery, great plot, and yes even romance. Keep them coming Sandra!

I read this book a little while before Claude Brown passed away. I loved this book. I also read his book, Children of the Ham, and I found this book in my closet. Truly a lost treasure. I loved this book. It was so real. It's like I could see him living his life just the way he described it. I suggest everybody- no matter whether you're black, white, purple, green -read this book. Youwill not be disappointed. Trust me.

This was without doubt the most important book I read as a teenager. I moved to NYC from California when I was twelve and was pretty naive in the workings of the city. Reading this book when I was 13 helped me immensely. It was a street-wise primer for survival at the time (we're talking 1964). But I would hold that the subject matter is just as relevant today. If you don't know about a "Jones" or what makes a three-card-monty mark want to come back for more, then I suggest you are just as vulnerable as I was. It's also one of the all-time cautionary tales (without being preachy) about drug addiction. I did a lot of drugs in the late 60's, early 70's, but never touched heroin, primarily from reading this book. The writing, while maybe not on the level of Richard Wright, surpasses Malcom X's and Eldridge Cleaver's memoirs, and that's saying something, as those were both powerful works as well.

Plain and simple... this is one of the best books I've ever read... This book reminds me of Down these means streets and the coldest winter ever... See This book talks about life on the streets from an African American... The Coldest Winter Ever talks about life on the streets from an African American Females perspective, and Down these mean Streets, talks about life on the streets from a Hispanic's perspective... Thats how they are all connected... Anyways... I couldn't keep my face out of this book... I am so inlove with this book. I recommend it to anyone... This book is bascially about the drug-fusion era... When drugs was first puton the streets. what it did, and the results...

For many years, I searched for the "ultimate" Bible. Being an avid New King James Version reader, we don't always have as many resources available as the King James or NIV people. My most useful Bible study tool is many, many cross-references, which I always looked for in NKJV Bibles that had the most. The Thompson Chain has much more than the standard cross-references. The chain references are just that: you go to the alphabetical index to find your subject, (which there are listed around 4,400 different topics) and you go to the first reference, and simply chain through the scripture references. In other words, they are cross-referenced in sequence order! The topics are as detailed as "blue" and as extensive as "God"; these more extensive subjects are then broken down into various sub- topics. Also, in the back of the Bible, the subjects are listed by title, then all the references are given, and the more main ones are chained throughout the scriptures, and some topics' scriptures are written out in the back also! There are also absolutely no commentaries, nor any conclusions drawn in this Bible! I would 100% recommend this Bible (in any version you use) for those of us who love many, many cross references, and believe first and foremost to compare scripture with scripture (1Cor. 2:13) in Bible studies. For those who like this, this Bible has everything!

I have owned one version or another of the Chain Reference Bible since I was a teenager in the seventies. My 'standard' Bible has been the large print KJV for many, many years and it remains the first Bible I pick up. I purchased the NIV Chain Reference, but just didn't like the translation, it just didn't 'read' right for me. I've enjoyed the NAS translation, but it is awfully dry reading when the heart desires poetry. So, I ended up purchasing the NKJV. It has been a real pleasure to read, combining the elegance of the KJV with a modern and accurate adaptation.

As for the chain reference system used by Thompson, it's such a part of my Bible reading and study that I'd have a really hard time switching to another system. Some of the illustrations and charts have been revised from my older KJV, but not to an extreme. The Thompson system remains, for me, the quickest and easiest way to study a topic through the Bible, or just through either the New or Old Testament. The Bible also includes an excellent concordance; for someone new to chain reference study they can start with the traditional concordance and work their way into the Thompson system. Also included are excellent maps, revised from the earlier versions, and a historical dictionary with photos of significant Biblical locations, with explanations.

I agree with another reviewer that Nelson Bibles are, in general, not made for people with serious intentions on daily Bible use. They are constructed down to a price, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, as these can provide a very inexpensive introduction to the Bible. However, when one is ready to use a Bible in a serious, daily way, a better Bible will easily pay for its higher price.

Though this Bible is well-made, it is NOT as well made as my older, large print KJV. My older Bible has whipstitching clearly seen in front and back, with pages secured as well today as when I bought it. This newer Bible appears to have pages that are glued in like cheaper ones. Additionally, the paper is comletely different than my older edition, and thinner. The older paper had almost an eggshell texture, whereas the newer paper is much slicker and thinner. In first use it's really quite difficult to get the pages apart. However, it's still a very well-made Bible, just not up to the standard of the older ones. That should in no way deter someone from buying it, though.

As a one-volume Biblical library, I haven't seen anything to beat the Thompson's. As another reviewer noted, it's also refreshingly free of editorial bias, which certainly can't be said of all its competitors. Most of all, each of us needs to find a Bible they can live with daily, and any Bible available is better than none at all! Thompson Bibles aren't inexpensive but they will last twice as long as cheaper Bibles, particularly if kept in a cover. Also, the supplemental atlases and historical additions might well save purchase of other books to accompany Biblical study. Highly recommended!

My old, marked-up Thompson Bible is the "Olde Reliable" that I keep coming back to. I have been using it for over thirty years and find it invaluable to "quick find" verses on nearly evey imaginable topic.

On the plus side, are the MANY chain referrences with marginal "PILOT" numbers and brief word discriptions which also serve as mini-commentary on the verses. While the chains may not contain all the referrences a particular denomination may wish to emphasize, it more than make up for it with an ABUNDANCE of referrences most scholars whould never even think to look up! The handy exhaustive indexes, concordance, cross-references and helps enable the user to find nearly every subject in the Bible.

On the minus side, 1.) the text is rather small and 2.) it would be benificial if the bold-face marginal headings were included in the OT as well as the New.

Overall rating:FIVE-STAR EXCELLENT!!! It is a lifetime of research and study marvelously condensed into a handy-sized volume for both home study and portibility. I heartily recommend it for new Christians as well as those who "think they know it all". As advertised, it is a Bible that will SURPRISE you. Get it!