This is a very nice story with wonderful pictures. My husband brought this book home for our three year old and I think he chose very well. It has a nice message...............

Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly, and Finklehopper Frog has gotta...jog! Finklehopper is so excited to join the jogging craze, he even buys himself a jazzy jogging suit. But Finklehopper's enthusiasm dwindles when some of the animals say he dresses funny and he doesn't jog right!

Our hero Finklehopper hurtles through this hilarious and heartwarming story of optimism and courage and wins our hearts as he discovers his own way to go (with a little help from his friends, of course).

Irene Livingston's rhyming narrative is fresh, original and respectful of her young audience:

"He hippied and he hoppied
and he sang a sweet ker-chog,
until he started wondering,
'is this the way to jog?'"

Brian Lies' illustrations are vibrant and rich in delightful detail. Readers are drawn into a world where snakes shop for sweatbands and somebody must live in the storm sewer, because there's a mailbox at the door.

This is a picture book that parents will be glad to read "again." It's sure to be a favourite for anyone who has ever wondered if they dare try something new. Don't miss this delicious and encouraging treat.

This is the best book written that I have read in a long time which lays out the problems of contemporary corporate society from the perspective of society's most vital worker, the engineer. The author, who has more than 100 patents to his name, and has been an engineering pioneer in many settings, sees the best friend the worker has, not in political acumen, nor in schmoozing up to the powers-that-be, but in the laws of nature. Just as Natural Law is the power and the policy for keeping order in the universe, states Livingston, so also does it apply to the workplace. Let the author's own words set the tone of this marvelous book. He sees the discovery of a breakthrough constellation concerning the individual since the Industrial Revolution. This "constellation marks the swing of the pendulum of power away from the impersonal corporation, where totalitarianism reigns supreme, to the individual and into the Skunkworks, where the real business of solving problems always takes place." Livingston's voice is the best kept secret I know of in the last decade. He is, as this book illustrates, a consummate problem-solver. He states, "So much of what we have been encouraged to believe about solving problems has turned out, instead, to be problem amplication...The stuff of problem-solving works like a charm, especially in the trenches where we labor, and the payoff is now." Engineers, in my experience, are brilliant problem-solvers but less than brilliant politicians in protecting their place and space. They have the power of their knowledge, but often lack the will and the way to translate this power into corporate influence. Livingston acknowledges this fact, and illustrates what an incredible cost it is to corporate survival and the security of workers because of it. He laments: "You are discouraged from thinking for yourself and you are persuaded to ignore complex matters rather than to face them ... While the increasingly complex world demands more understanding, we are encouraged to think less and less for ourselves." Again and again, he illustrates how the normal modus operandi is to "ready, fire, aim." Livingston identifies the power of Natural Law in the equation and puts it very simply: "Our problem-solving power draws from having the correct frames of reference." If you have ever been lost in the jungle of mixed messages, counterproductive activities, the installation of new systems which duplicate old problems, read this book. The author spells out the three basic all-encompassing dimensions of problem-solving: context, process and content. He doesn't do this with obtuse theoretical perspectives but practical illustrations that every engineer and technician has encountered more times than he or she would like to recall. The author also likes acronyms which tend to make an imprint on your brain, such as POSIWID (THE PURPOSE OF A SYSTEM IS WHAT IT DOES). Powerful! Concise! On target! If this book sounds like a diatribe against corporate society, it is not that, but rather a cry for competencies using FIRST PRINCIPLES and the technologies of their application. I mention this because I fear that technical executives may avoid this book because of the possible fear of taking its message personally. The focus is always on the problem, not on the people who are caught up in it. Livingston just wants this talented resource, engineering problem-solving manpower, to be fully utilized into solving problems from a common base frames of reference. Again, he laments, "Schools turn out graduates who have their brains already pre-shrunk to fit slender corporate 'silos.'" A bonus of this book is Livingston's growing understanding that in order for technical systems to work properly, there must be an equal understanding of social systems. My original training was in chemistry and chemical engineering. But most of my life has been spent in dealing in the arena of social systems, first as a corporate executive, then later as an academic and consulting social scientist. I mention this because I have learned a great deal from Livingston's model of the interdependent nature of these two systems from an engineer's perspective. Here are some examples of his insights: (1) "Most attempts apply control theory to human behavior and miss the point that behavior involves control"; (2) "Every human is a system, a system in control to produce consistent ends by variable means"; (3) "The group behaves as a system itself which must behave the way we see it behaving"; (4) "Group behavior vs individual behavior corresponds to the distinction between solving simple problems and complex ones"; (5) "In order to obtain good control, the system must be sensitive to off-specification situations ... Projects in trouble become insensitive to disturbance"; (6) "The key weapon in the arsenal for buffering disturbance is trust." The display of insight, thought, compassion, concern, and especially, rapport with the reader is illustrated by these random samples of the wit and wisdom of William L. Livingston. It is a book which remains in a special place in the library of my mind. Read it and you will see why.

This book is worh its price with the following revelation: "...the problem always has its act together." If your engineering management can not understand this concept, you are working for a sick organization. Boyce Griffith, PE, Oak Ridge, T

The Quilts of Gee;s Bend is much more than a beautiful coffee table book. It is that, too, of course. The book is filled with social history of this small place near Selma, Alabama. I've been lucky enough to visit Gee's Bend and see the quilt-making process. The Whitney Museum exhibit must have been wonderful. Sunday Morning on CBS did a story on the exhibit. The quilters traveled to New York for the opening and entertained the guests with their singing. That's what Gee's Bend is like: A rich yet poor stop on the road where women made the best of what they had and turned out great art in the process.

I have seen the exhibition of the Gee's Bend quilts at the Whitney museum three times. The quilts of Gee's Bend are simple, graphic, and stunning. Although I own the smaller of the Gee's Bend quilt books and the video about the quiltmakers, I find that I want to know and see much more. I have thumbed through this book at the museum and am delighted that it is full of lush photographs of so many more quilts. At the top of my holiday list of things I must have, is this, the larger of the Gee's Bend quilt books.

In this collection of books from Grace Livingston Hill one encounters a sister trying to reform a wayward brother in Because of Stephen. A young socialite decides to give kindness a try because of a handsome young minister in Lone Point and The Story of a Whim lets us look into the lives of a lonely bachelor and a group of girls out to civilize him. An Interrupted Night follows Marguerite as she must choose from a life without love to life with a married man.

Grace Livingston Hill has done it again. In this collection of stories one encounters a determined group of young heroes and heroines. In one story a egocentric and chauvenistic man seeks to trick the young heroine into running away with him but a special mentor helps the young girl discover his secret life. A sister tries to help reform her brother and finds her own values and ideals through their trials together. Another story deals with the story, Lone Point, where one sister finds her selfish attitude and beliefs changing thanks to the friendship of a young minister as her family vacations in a remote seaside resort. The final story in this collection involves a group of girls who befriend a stranger whom they believe is a girl like them. It turns out that the stranger is a young man who falls in love with one of the girls and must discover how he can win her heart.

Having read this book at least 25 times, I'm well qualified to review it! Our heroine quickly discovers that it is much more satisfying to help her suffering family (they lost their money, parents are in poor health, younger siblings need her to caretake) than to pursue the elevated social life into which she has been invited, thanks to a wealthy college friend. Enter our struggling hero, who as good as becomes one of the family. The hero and family members are appealing, and one wants to see them succeed. The heroine is beautiful, tired, and works all the time at home and the office--not much warmth or dimension. It's rather exhausting to read about her. A persistent, wealthy suiter, who provides some lightness in her life, leaves the heroine on the fence for awhile. One part of the plot is somewhat racy for GLH and the time in which it was written. Both main characters come to know God in the course of the story. So, this is a good family story, with romance, humor, suspense, spiritual content, and a plot twist. In the end, the moral is that by giving up selfish pursuits in place of duty, one in fact gains everything. It's also a love story that takes its time, with the hero and heroine getting to know each other as good friends long before there is any romance between them.

This is a wonderful book that touched my heart. It is not only tells of the love of two people, but also of the love God has for us.

I love this book, and I love owls. There's a wide variety of poems in here, from the silly to the haunting.

Any AgeI think this is a great book! Owls are a great subject for poetry! Like owls, the poems are so beautiful! Let me tell you, I love poetry, and I know great poetry when I see it!

This book is one of Grace Livingston Hill's best. I love the fact that Michael keeps his word about helping other "street kids" like himself. The romance eliment is subtle, but it's very powerful and touching.

This book was really powerful. I am not a crier, but I found my emotions touched by this beautiful story. One can almost see the author's love for humankind shining through. The main character was a wonderful man, suitable for being a hero to any little boy. I think the author truly must have been inspired to write such a magnificent piece of literature. This book was so good, I wish that everybody could truly appreciate it like I do. I have several friends who have also discovered the beauty in this long-forgotten book. I am hoping to read more of this author

If you are Grace Livingston Hill fan, be sure to read this book. Constance is a more complex heroine than most, and her conflicts and soul searching give this novel its special depth. Her spiritual wrestling is handled with sensitivity and honesty. The other characters are genuine and appealing. This is a moving and compelling book.

A wonderful book, gentle and spiritual. Constance slowly realizes her shallowness after she "unites with the church" just to get her grandmother's valuable pearl necklace. The stranger she meets at the church service ends up helping her through tragic circumstances and personal trials. A great ending too!

This book is written in a little bit different style than most of Hill's books. I enjoyed it tremendously. Miranda is an out-spoken and kind hearted woman who has been waiting for love it seems all her life. When she encounters a neighbor's son, he reminds her of his older half-brother, Alan. Because Miranda had loved Alan for years, she helps out his younger brother, especially since his father marries for the 3rd time!

Grace Livingston Hill is one of my guilty pleasures. Forgive me, but I find her to be one of the worst writers, ever and yet I am curiously drawn to her books. I have a rather large collection and am constantly looking to add to it.

Read Grace with an open mind. Read her biography and try to appreciate where she comes from. Ms. Hill is from not just an era gone by but possibly from one that never really existed. She wanted it to exist and I believe, was sincere in her attempts to convince us that it did.

She is deeply religious and devoted to reaching others with "the word." Women (the "good" ones, at least) were pure. The Men were "true blue." Children were "sweetly" innocent. Families were devoted. Christians were joyous.

Her style is amatuerish, at best. Her dialog is absurd. Her understanding of speech patterns is non-existant. Small children are heard to speak in her standard "childish lisp" ..."Oh, doody, doody,we do'in to da tountry" (read: Oh, goody,goody, we're going to the country). When you have read a few of her books, you start to see a pattern...all her plots contain the same eliments, she simply shifts which character gets to be which eliment. Situations which, experienced by a real human today, would call for no reaction at all, evoke a gripping fear and concern for the maintaining of propriety, of fearful proportion .

Through it all, I love her. I yearn for her innocence. I respect her decency. I crave her belief. I envy her peace

This text describes the history and progression of modern christian thought since the eighteenth-century Enlightenment. Highly readable without sacrificing an intelligent coverage of how christianity has evolved with other major historical movements. Highly recommended for those with particular interests in the history of christianity or historical interests in general.

If you are a student of theology, or just happen to be interested in theology, YOU MUST HAVE THIS BOOK! I own a number of books that offer introductions to modern theologians, but none of them are as good as this one.

First of all, it's readable. The articles, while thorough, help put very difficult and complex ideas in very simple forms.

Second, it's complete. The book covers every important modern theologian. It gives a brief biographical sketch, places the theologian in the context of particular movement/periods, lists their key works, summarizes their most important contributions to theology, and covers important critiques.

I consult this book constantly for a quick intro to a thinker I am not familiar with. For theology students, the book is a must have.