A giant dog named Tiny washes away an afternoon of fun and mud in Tiny's Bath. This level 1 Easy-to-Read book is filled with brightly colored illustrations that capture the playful relationship between a boy and his dog while clearly emphasizing Tiny's enormous size. Although the sentences are occasionally awkward, they rarely contain more than five words and use sight words that are familiar to transitional readers. In addition, some sentences use a repetitive structure to make reading easier and to build confidence. Children will relate to the humorous plot and will eagerly look forward to finding out how the little boy gets his giant dog clean. This crisp, modern book lacks some of the old-fashioned charm of earlier Easy-to-Read books, but the action-filled tale of a loveable dog will be a delight to children who are eager to practice reading independently.

The illustrations are a delight and there is just enough text to keep "beginning beginners" going.Tiny and his owner have great adult as well as kid appeal. I haven't been this pleased about a book at this level in years, and I've seen a great many. (A kindergarten teacher in WA state.)

This was my first Lovesey/Diamond book. I'll be back for more.

Bath's head of the murder squad, Peter Diamond, is investigating two recent deaths. The first is that of a farmer, who apparently killed himself with a shotgun. The second case involves a suicide also. A woman took a nose dive off of the roof of a building. Everyone else in the department figures these are two obvious suicides, but Peter thinks otherwise. He feels someone has cleverly killed two people and set the deaths up to look like the victims had taken their own lives.

A third case surfaces when an amnesiac, dubbed Rose, is taken from the local homeless shelter by her sister. Ada Shaftsbury, a renowned thief, tells Peter that Rose was kidnapped. She nags him until he agrees to look into what appears to be a simple family matter. Soon, all three cases merge as Peter continues to investigate what may or may not be a crime wave in Bath.

Peter Lovesey is already acknowledged as one of the masters of the English police procedural. His latest novel, UPON A DARK NIGHT, will enhance that deserved reputation as it might be his best book to date. The story line is extremely complex, but in the hands of a master like Peter comes together in a brilliant tying of sub-plots. Peter is great because of all his flaws. Who else roots for homicides because he is bloody bored? This reviewer strongly recommends the entire Diamond series because they are all quite good, but this novel is simply incredible.

Harriet Klausner

This story has made a lasting impression on my three year old son. For the last six months my son points at every drain we see...at the YMCA, bathrooms, and places I never knew had drains, and says, "There is a drain. That's where the tub child went." I know I am probably planting seeds for my son's future therapist but regardless this really is a wonderful book.

This book was one of my favorites as a child. It has many different characters. That is one of the things that I enjoyed about it. I took a liking to the main character. In such a short story, it has its ups and downs. It took place where all little kids love to play....in the tub. Parts of the story made me worry, and parts made me really happy. There was also a little suspense added to it. I thought it was a great story. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good children's book.

My daughters, aged 14 and 6, LOVED this story. The oldest reread it to her sister many times when we had it from the library - they both asked me to find it and buy it for them. I'm getting each of them a copy. They both have played with their own Tub People for years and loved the thought that there were Tub People everywhere. You just have to reassure them at the scary part that their toys (and their bodies) can't fit down the drain at your house.

This book just missed on any number of levels. The Frankenstein references were tangential and never really wrapped into the story-line. The character (admittedly this is my first Diamond book, so I do not have a history) never quite hits curmudgeon or genius - two character profiles for which I think the author was aiming. The Times said this was an "unguessable" ending - I thought it was fairly obvious. I would go with Block, Crais or early Parker any time.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, previously unknown paintings by (maybe) William Blake, and bones discovered in a vault are just some of the ingredients in this diverting puzzler starring Lovesey's irascible detective, Peter Diamond. Lovesey does his usual neat job of tying together seemingly unrelated mysteries. Diverting, funny, and satisfying.

Peter Lovesey writes an excellent novel where he integrates several story lines into one complete and satisfying whole. In the English town of Bath, bones are found in a vault wall right under the Roman spas. DS Peter Diamond is sent to investigate what appears to be a cold case since the bones have been buried there for over two decades. He is not confident that he will be able to solve the mystery but he is going to try. Joe Dougan, an American English professor, is visiting Bath to fulfill his literary quest. He is so obsessed with literature that he is trying to track down the former home of author Mary Shelley where Frankenstein was supposed to be written. He is relentless in his quest and he attracts unwanted attention. Somebody has been hiding a secret for over twenty years and he is willing to kill in order to keep it a secret.

Lovesey knows how to entertain the reading by bringing in humorous characters that are acting some form of stereotype. The author also provides several red herrings that are meant to distract the police. When the story reaches its unexpected conclusion one can appreciate how well the author structure the plot by leaving no loose ends. Peter Lovesey's book was fun to read. It will not be my last.

For quality crafted full body pampering products, I haven't found a better resource. Janice Cox's informative instructions take the reader through all levels of natural cosmetics, from simple kitchen cookery recipes, to more complex fragrance crafting. If you've ever tried those "all natural" health food store cosmetics and wondered if you could make them yourself, with this book you probably can.

I was looking for a book that had items I already have in my kitchen and that is what I found. The recipes are easy. This is an excellent book if you are interested in making your own beauty products for yourself or as gifts. I love it!

This book is great for a beginner like me. The ingredients that are required are either already in the home or easy to find. It asks for things like olive oil, baking soda, liquid soap, rose water, glycerine, pine needles, lavendar flowers, etc. The recipes for beauty treatments are usually small in quantity. You can learn to make cold creams, night creams, facial masks, bath salts, lip balms, massage oils, plus other things. You can add essential oils or fragrances or make frangrance-free potions for sensitive skins. Some of the recipes are said to be very old. Lye soap recipes are included, if you want to go that route. I am anxious to make gift baskets of personalized beauty and bath potions for my friends and family. It is so simple.

No More Water In The Tub takes place in an apartment building. First, William's mom told him to not put much water in the tub. Second, the tub got filled with water and it overflowed. Then, William and Walter went sailing through the whole apartment building into other apartments. Finally, William was a hero because he made a fire go out in the bottom floor apartment with the water from the tub. This is a very funny book. I was laughing so hard.

No More Water in the Tub is a bathtub story. William and Walter accidentally screwed the knob off their tub and the tub broke loose because there was too much water. They went through apartments. William put out a fire and got a medal. This book is good for all ages. It's a funny story with amazing illustrations. I would give it five stars.

No More Water In The Tub takes place in a bathroom. First, in the bathroom on the top floor of a tall apartment building, William was getting ready for his bath. Second, Walter, his brother, reached for the tub faucet and it broke off. William went out the door floating through the halls of the apartment building. If you want to hear the end of the story get the book. I think No More Water In The Tub is so funny.

For the person who wishes to start making his or her own soap, this method of soapmkaing will be easiest (no lye involved!). Marie Browning's method is to purchase a "basic" bar of soap, melt it down, then add in your own ingredients to personalize the soap. I love the idea of personalizing soaps; however, I found that locating a natural, "basic" soap was impossible. Virtually every brand has fragrance and additives that will effect the result of your soap (i.e., if you use a bar of Ivory soap, a thousand drops of aromatic essential oils won't disguise the Ivory soap scent). Browning does not make any brand suggestions of "basic" soaps, but I suggest to try an organic food store. Browning's molding method is questionnable as well: the soap does not release from its mold by simply dousing the mold with Vaseline. I enjoyed the additional information, such as how to make bath salts, facial cleansers and how to package your products. Those tips are creative and fun. If you are frightened of dealing with lye and want a simple, quick method of soapmaking, this book will be enjoyable for you. Tip: purchase an encyclopedia of cosmetic ingredients. It will aid you in selecting quality ingredients to use in your soaps, because this information is not provided in Browning's book. Lastly, don't expect your soaps to look as beautiful as Browning's until you've truly got the hang of it. Once you've mastered this method you can advance to making your own soaps from scratch!

I found this book to be exactly what I wanted. I'm a working wife who dabbles in many crafts and hobbies. I wanted to try my hand at crafting a few bars of soap without all the fuss needed for lye soaps. I grated castille soap to make mine and I was very pleased with the results. I made the Pet Soap and it works well on my Westie. I disagree with other reviews below. I purposely bought this book because it tells you up front that it is not a "from scratch" recipe book. I was not mislead into thinking I was making true (from lye) soap. The pictures were well done and the instructions are clear. I found most ingredients available in a local store dealing in all natural products. I still purchase handmade soaps from true soapmakers...but it's also fun to make these soaps for my family and friends.

I absolutely loved this book. I've looked at many soapmaking books and this was the easiest to understand. I made soaps for my friends for Christmas last year. I didn't have to have a degree in chemistry to make my own soap!!!

The Dirty Little Boy is a children's story about a very dirty little boy who so very badly wants to get clean. He asks his dimwitted mother to bathe him but she's too busy doing laundry (scrubbing by hand, mind you!) and asks him to go watch the animals and learn how they clean themselves (can you imagine?!). The boy does as he's told and ends up getting dirtier and dirtier as the story advances.

My son was able to read this story easily and felt very proud doing so but tired about half way through and asked me to finish. Each page contains a large paragraph of text and it was slightly daunting for a brand new reader even though the words were very simple. He enjoyed the story and all of the little drawings on the bottom corner of each page and had a good laugh at the silly, not-too-bright boy. He laughed at the "big, round mother" whose, eh hmmm, rather large floral covered bottom is shown quite prominently. I was less than thrilled with this (and I'm 5'3, 110 lbs) but he's six and, of course, thought it was all quite hilarious. Maybe I've just lost my sense of humor.

The final page, showing a clean, proud unclothed little boy cracked up my son because he tends to make a big to-do once he's clean too and despite the overall dated feel of the story he did manage to relate to parts of it. Overall he mostly enjoyed "The Dirty Little Boy" but his attention drifted midway (as did mine) and we won't be adding this one to our personal library.

I read to children once a week at my public library.
The bright colors and art work contribute to this being one of their favorites.
Nice book.

My children love this book, especially the illustrations by Steven Salerno! The book is fun, easy for children to follow and the illustrations are so lively and warm - like a big hug!

Americans have the mistaken belief that stories _about_ children are necessarily _for_ children. This was good for Kaye Thompson, though, because the "Eloise" books were most-often bought by adults for children.

But they're hardly kiddy-lit. A sophisticated child might appreciate Eloise (I did), but for the average child, Eloise is little more than a bad role model.

She's spoiled, self-absorbed, bratty -- and gets away with it, because she knows what most children don't realize until they've become parents: the most-important thing you can do as a child is to disrupt the adult world. It doesn't matter that you're punished for it, if you've inflicted pain and confusion on grown-ups.

Eloise is _not_ the child hiding in every adult, but rather the child many adults wish they had been - doing whatever they like, then secretly snickering, because they know their parents aren't going to enact any _meaningful_ retribution. Unlike most children, Eloise isn't sufficiently intimidated by adults to be worried about the consequences of her acts.

I've been an Eloise fan "forever," so I eagerly anticipated "Eloise Takes a Bawth." Alas, it doesn't come close to the "originals." Once you know the hotel is throwing a grand Venetian ball, the title's import becomes all too clear. The book slogs its wholly predictable way to a completely foreseeable ending. Eloise might be full of surprises, but this story isn't.

The preceding books were about _attitude_, not _plot_. "Eloise Takes a Bawth" is almost all plot, and a poor one at that. Is it any wonder that Kaye Thompson suppressed it? It's a shame her family and publisher didn't respect her judgement.

Eloise "completists" will want "Eloise Takes a Bawth" for their collection, but they are warned -- ...

About a little girl(Eloise), who is forced into taking a bath, in order to be clean for the Grand Ball. She spends a lot of time in the bawth, pretending to be a boat racer, a skier, and a surfer. She keeps filling the water up, and ends up flooding the whole bathroom. Her room happend to be just above the Ball room. Everyone at the ball is wondering how water is getting all over the place. They all think that one of the hotel's pipes has sprung a leak. Her father, one of the people who are important at the ball, comes up to her room to get her, and realizes she was causing all the water to be in the ball room. First she is in trouble, but then her father looks at what has happend to the Ball Room. It is a pretty good story with an ironic ending.

I have been read Eloise since I was five years old and she never gets boring. This book is an excellent edition to the continious saga of Eloise. How can you do anything but love this precocious little girl? This is a great book for children, and adults will love it to.

This book has a curious idea, which is treated surprisingly well. It seems to me Miller really knew what he wanted to write about and also possesses the necessary talent. Unlike some other readers, I didn't feel that James Dyer's lack of feelings made him a despisable or repulsive character. I was quite impressed by the way Miller describes his silent self-assurity. I think this novel can be read in many ways. Maybe it tells about how the cruel world can break even the strongest of souls. Dyer didn't die a happy man. He was beaten and destroyed, a shadow of his former self. This is a sad but beautiful book.

James Dyer was born without the ability to feel either pain or emotion. As such, he lacks empathy, the epitome of all human qualities. What happens when James undergoes a radical transformation forms the central questions this novel poses--Is it pain that defines our humanity and lies at its heart? Does a surfeit of pain destroy humanity as effectively as does its absence? How do we achieve the necessary balance between empathy and self-destruction? Ingenious Pain encompasses a brilliantly original premise, almost faultlessly executed. Andrew Miller has created complex and believable characters of tremendous emotional depth in a setting true to its times. His extraordinary use of language paints a word picture that reaches both the depths of despair and the heights of hope, ending on a note of both tragedy and joy. The juxtaposition of the unfeeling Dyer against images of astounding richness creates metaphors of striking beauty and pain. The book's only fault lies in its lengthy backstory. Miller spends far too much time detailing Dyer's childhood, time that could have been better and more interestingly spent detailing Dyer, the man. (The sections with Gummer and Mr. Canning, in particular, seemed to serve no useful purpose and did nothing to enrich the book.) Although slightly less than perfect, Ingenious Pain is still astounding in its brilliance; a novel whose theme and symbolism will haunt you with questions for years to come.

I don't remember ever reading a first novel that captured my attention so completely while simultaneously challenging all of my standard expectations for fiction. Almost everything about this book was a pleasant surprise. Set in the Eighteenth Century, this somewhat picaresque tale follows the life of James Dyer, a man born without the ability to feel pain, from conception until his death. The book actually begins with Dyer's autopsy, a scene that is puzzling (since there is no exposition) and brutally ugly. I was tempted to put the book down, since for the first thirty or so pages scenes and characters appear with no context and I had very little idea of what anything meant. That would have been a mistake. As soon as the author leaps back to the day of Dyer's conception and the story begins to move forward I was hooked. Because James cannot feel pain he never develops empathy with others and grows to be a remarkably capable surgeon but a very cold man. The story of his awakening as a real human being, which occupies the last quarter of the novel, is very moving without the least traces of sentimentality.

The cast of characters that Andrew Miller has invented as supporting players are all interesting and complex. The stages of Dyer's life, from a childhood on a farm (where he was thought to be an idiot since he didn't speak), through a stint as a medicine show freak, then as a 'specimen' of human oddities by a wealthy collector of such, to a life at sea, the building of a successful practice as a surgeon, affairs, duels, flight, a dangerous journey to St. Petersburg and then the collapse of his sanity and his health resulting in a stint in London's notorious Bedlam hospital, are all told in a style that while borrowing from some conventions of eighteenth century writing never try to ape it. I loved the sound of Miller's words and the shape of the sentences. This is a book I could have enjoyed reading aloud.

This is a complex book on many levels, but not an inaccessable one. The story - once into it - is clear and the characters are cleanly drawn. There are enough ups and downs of fortune to keep even the most jaded fiction fan interested while at the same time the complexity of character, language and theme provide much for those who love to puzzle out the hidden meanings in literature.

This was a fascinating book and I was sorry to see it end. I really recommend it to anyone who wants something that can challenge the mind while satisfying all reader's love of a good story.