This book is a great jumping-off point for family vacations in the US or abroad. It will inspire you to travel AND read with your family!

Thirty international locales from books aimed at 3- to 13-year olds are described. Each descriptive chapter includes a few sentences summarizing the overarching experience (with location and age information); a one to two page summary of the book; several pages relating an actual visit by an adult(s) and child(ren); and, one to several pages detailing the specific location(s) involved, including names, addresses, phone numbers and web sites. Also included are a list of twenty-five other literary travel possibilities, including Call of the Wild and Peter Pan, and an index to titles.

The books and sites included are:

The Adventures of Pinocchio, Tuscany, Italy
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Hannibal, Missouri and environs
And Now Miguel, Taos, New Mexico
Anne of Green Gables, Prince Edward Island, Canada
A Bear Called Paddington, London, England
The Black Stallion, Belmont Park, Long Island, New York
Brighty of the Grand Canyon, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Child of the Owl, San Francisco, California
Eloise, New York City, New York
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, New York
Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates, Haarlem Amsterdam and environs
Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone, London, Windsor and Durham, England
Heidi, Graubunden, Switzerland
Hill of Fire, Paracutin Volcano, Michoacan, Mexico
Island of the Blue Dolphins, Channel Islands National Park, Ventura, California

Kidnapped, Isle of Mull, Scotland
Linnea in Monet's Garden, Paris and Giverny, France
Little House on the Prairie, De Smet, South Dakota
The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge, New York City
Little Women, Concord, Massachusetts
Madeline, Paris, France
Make Way for Ducklings, Boston, Massachusetts
Maybelle the Cable Car, San Francisco, California
Paddle-to-the-Sea, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
The Pied Piper of Hamelin, Hamelin, Germany
Ramona Quimby, Age 8, Portland, Oregon
Song of the Swallows, San Juan Capistrano, California
The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Lake District, England
The Watsons Go to Birmingham -- 1963, Birmingham, Alabama
Yolonda's Genius, Chicago, Illinois

You can tell moms wrote this book. It's entertaining AND practical. The material is fascinating, well written, and tells you everything you could want to know (except maybe where the bathrooms are located). The contact information makes this an invaluable resource. I hope the authors will continue to write more of these wonderful family travel guides.

Highest recommendation.

MY GRANDCHILDREN ARE JUST GETTING OLD ENOUGH TO TRAVEL, AND THIS BOOK GIVES ME A GUIDE TO MANY CHOICES OF WHERE WE CAN TAKE THEM (A FEW AT A TIME!) IT'S GREAT TO HAVE A PROJECT WHEN PLANNING A TRIP, AND IT WILL GIVE ME A SOURCE OF CONVERSATION WITH THEM AND A WAY OF DISCOVERING WHAT BOOKS THEY REALLY ENJOY. READING SOME OF THESE SUGGESTED BOOKS WITH THEM AND MAKING JOINT DECISIONS WILL ALSO BE FUN--THE BOOK IS SO WELL WRITTEN AND INFORMATIVE IT MAKES THE IDEA OF SEEKING OUT LOCATIONS OF BOOKS WHICH HAVE SET OUR IMAGINATIONS SOARING IN OUR CHILDHOODS, AND THEIRS, VERY SPECIAL. THE ITINERARIES ARE ALL THERE, AND TOURIST OFFICES,WEB SITES, RESERVATION NUMBERS---AND IT'S HONEST--NO FLOWERY DISCRIPTIONS OF EVERY LOCATION--I LOVED IT!!!!!!

I read this book 8 years ago on the advice of a friend, and it really is the gem that the other reviewers suggest. Most good books suck you into them so that you form a picture of the people and places involved, but no other book can make them so real as this. I can still walk around Evensford, hear the voices, and see the people. Read it between 17-25 or so when your emotions are learning & developing, and your experiences beggining, you won't be disapointed.

This book has one of the most accurate descriptions of wintertime that I have ever read. It's a beautiful book that should not be read quickly-- one should savor it rather, because every sentence is so elegantly crafted that you practically want to memorize it. It's one of the few books I always have with me.

HE Bates is one of the most under-rated authors of the Century and this book is his masterpiece. It is the story of the love of a young man for the beautiful Lydia, and how their love has painful and tragic consequences for them both and their friends. It is a story of warmth, love lost and love found, of growing up, of rejection and hope. HE Bates had a profound love for the countryside and it shines through in the detail of his narrative. A few books teach you more and more each time you read them: this is one of them.

A great book which changed the way we look at poetry produced by an oral tradition. Based on fieldwork by Milman Parry Lord shows the structure behind the improvisation and applies the theory to Serbo Croation epic tradition, Homer and French medieval poetry.

A groundbreaking book which redefined the way we look at oral tradition. Oral-formulaic theory developed on Milman Parry's fieldwork applied to Serbo-Croatian singing, Homeric poetry and medieval French epic. I used the book during research on scottish ballads. Now finally a second edition with a wonderful cd.

Like many graduate students in Classical Studies, I had to read _The Singer of Tales_ in a course on Homeric poetry. What I found in it completely altered my understanding of Homer and of epic, and even today it's almost impossible for me to read the _Iliad_ and _Odyssey_ as anything other than oral poems. I did a research paper on another book edited by Albert Lord (_The Wedding of Smailagic Meho_), an epic sung by a Yugoslav Muslim and recorded by Parry in the 1930s. The similarities, both in plot and in formulaic style, between this epic and Homer's are unmistakable. I highly recommend this book; it's much more accessible than Parry's collected papers.

Great read for brides to be. Author provides valuable lessons for those hard to make decisions when including your friends in your wedding plans.

Makes an excellent gift to your bridesmaids.

In the nerve-racking time of my wedding planning, this book helped me to deal with communication with my Bridesmaids. I gave each one a copy of the book and it helped us to be open and honest with each other...I truly believe it helped me to keep these friends and to enjoy our time togther insted of adding stress to the situation. Thank You Ms. Bates!!!

This book will help all Brides maintain their sanity during an otherwise stressful time. A must have for any woman planning a wedding. Mrs. Bates definelty knows weddings. I highly recommend this book.

MaryEllen Bates' Building & Running A Successful Research Business: A Guide For The Independent Information Professional is a step-by-step processing to creating and running one's own independent research firm. Individual chapters cogently address what independent information professionals do; how to structure a business; tips, tricks, and techniques for managing clients and money; marketing, online services; and much, much more. Deftly edited by Reva Basch, Building & Running A Successful Research Business is an absolute "must-read" for aspiring entrepreneurs with an eye for the dynamic, volatile, competitive, potentially profitable field of commercial research and product development.

Absolutely anyone who is thinking of becoming (or already is) an independent information professional will find this book the best investment they can make. Even if you aren't planning on being an information broker, but are interested in independently marketing your information professional skills in any way, this book provides both the perspectives and the nitty-gritty detail to get off to a healthy start. For those who aren't already familiar with Mary Ellen's reputation as a leading authority on this topic, a few minutes with this book will make clear why she has such a reputation. Her practical insights and extensive experience are conveyed in a clear and readable way and from the early planning of a venture to the actual delivery of quality services, no important topic is left unaddressed. You will be glad you bought this book.

Mary Ellen Bates has compiled a thorough handbook that gives readers a comprehensive understanding of the Information Business. If you are interested in starting such a business this book offers a great insight into the necessary steps you need to take to assure success in this field. Packed with information in 35 chapters, this book is also a must read for those who already consider themselves Information Professionals. The tips on marketing, setting fees, strategic planning, and professional development can be appreciated by anyone who knows the industry but needs help with developing their own business.

The information profession has always been a highly investigated self employment career, and it has been one of the most popular home business ideas for many years. But, as Mary Ellen explains, this industry is for those who want to take the time to do their homework, lay the groundwork, plan carefully, and be willing to make a candid self-assessment of your own personality, preferences, skills and experience before starting out on your own.

If you're serious about exploring the idea of working from home as an independent information professional then you want to read this book!

This is a fascinating book, and I concur with the other reviewers. It is erudite, authoratative, and written in an easy-to-read style. The pictures are a delight.
It would make a perfect gift for anyone who has been to China or wants to go there,

For many centuries that the dragon has been the symbol of China, and has been considered as immortal and omnipresent ever since ancient times. It has belonged to the people, and it has also been the symbol of monarchy and supreme power. The dragon was a mythical beast. It was a concept. But most Chinese people, indeed most Asian people, were convinced that it existed. There are many occasions when there were claims that it had been seen, even as recently as 1920. No other creature in the world could have produced such a far-reaching influence on the mind of man.

Unlike the European dragon, it was considered a beneficent beast, until the Buddhists introduced the concept of evil dragons. Yet the basic belief was always that it had noble spiritual qualities that were unconquerable.

This book has been written by an author who has lived for many years in China researching into its history. It is in an easy-to-read style and is dedicated to the dragon and its many offshoots and variations. The pictures are delightful. It gives details of what a dragon was, where it was used, and what it was called. The reader will become more acquainted with the dragon, and will gain a greater understanding of this magnificent beast. It will interest and please the serious student and the enthusiastic Chinaphile alike.

It would make a perfect Christmas present.

This book, though short, provides a remarkably detailed survey of the Chinese dragon as represented in the art of his native land. Beginning with an overview of early dragon representations and possible sources of inspiration, Mr. Bates' book goes to considerable effort to describe the many variant images and beliefs that may be found regarding dragons throughout China. I have a hard time finding the kind of information brought together here - dragons in architecture, dragons as represented on dragon robes, the beings and images popularly represented as sons of the dragon - anywhere other than highly specialized scholarly tomes. Finding as much as Mr. Bates has put forth in Chinese Dragons in such an accessible volume is a remarkably pleasant surprise. The twenty-four colour plates are just about worth the price of admission all by themselves. The author clearly knows and loves his subject.

Accompanied by an eye chart and a video tape, James Bellevue's Improve Your Eyesight is specifically intended for the non-specialist general reader seeking to use his or her eyes more efficiently and effectively for the simple purpose of seeing better. Bellevue points out that almost all seeing is self-taught, and as with any other motor skill, can be trained and developed to an optimal peak of performance. Improvement can actually be great enough to make contact lenses and vision defect corrective eyeglasses unnecessary. Through suggested skill building techniques, often dramatic improvements can be made for such conditions as nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, decreasing vision associated with advancing age, and more. Improve Your Eyesight basically updates the classic "Bates Method" with applications drawn from the latest and most up to date optical research. Four complete vision therapy programs are provided, plus guidelines to customizing a program for the individual reader's needs. The text is enhanced with on-screen exercises provided by the accompanying video tape. Improve Your Eyesight is a very welcome and uniquely original contribution to alternative health and medicine reference and resource materials.

Who would have thought this existed? This book was a quick, easy read. I bought it on a Friday and was already using it by Monday. The exercises take very little time and I'm already seeing results just a few weeks later. I would definitely give this book two thumbs up.

I am very happy I bought this book and video. My vision had been getting steadily worse. Every few years, I had to get stronger and stronger glasses. I was really beginning to worry about my ability to get around in my old age. This book has changed all that.

The book gives a clear and simple explanation of vision therapy, also known as the Bates Method. The video has sixteen different exercises, each of which is explained in detail in the book. I have seen other books on the subject, but nothing else has the graphics and exercises that this video contains. I think the price is fair, since I got a book and video.

There are several different training programs. There are also instructions for designing your own personalized training program. I did the six week program.

The results were incredible. I started seeing improvements in just three weeks. Now that I've finished the six week program, I'm seeing at about 20/30. I started out at about 20/200. I'm now designing my own training program, so I can get all the way to 20/20.

I think the book is well organized, and it was easy to understand. The book and video are bound together, so I never worried about misplacing them. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever worried about their eyesight.

I found the history to be very well presented. I was a little lost with the economic theory that was presented by Max Weber (?), but found the conclusions to be refreshingly honest, though sad.

I greatly enjoyed the book, and its treatment of the subject. Done with tact and fairness, while yet being open and honest. Interesting perspective provided by the son of the last church patriarch.

The Authors of Lost Legacy accomplish two feats: First, it tells the fascinating story of the men--lineal descendants of Hyrum Smith--who have held this office, and the interactions between those Smiths and the other leaders of the LDS Church. Second, it uses that story to illustrate the Weberian concept of institutional evolution within a religious organizational context. One comes away with an empathy for both sides of this awkward relationship--familial Patriarchs "born" to the position, and devoted Church leaders who moved up the ladder of the Church's "office" hierarchy. The office was created in 1833 and eliminated in 1979. However, the last Patriarch to the Church, Eldred G. Smith, continues fully to give Patriarchal blessings. In other words, when he was placed on "emeritus," the office was retured, de facto, and the Patriarch continues to this day to function. It resolved the sticky problem of succession. This book won the Mormon History Association's "Best Book" award in 1996. The book treats its subject and its subjects with candor yet with fairness and restraint.

Seventeen-year-old Becky Collier was hired under shady conditions to baby-sit a one-year-old boy (Devon Nelson) on Sebastian Island in Washington during the summer. She had hoped this would be a great opportunity to earn extra money for college, as well as get a great tan and relax. However, when she meets her young next-door neighbor, Cleve Davidson, and he starts asking her nosy questions about her job, her "aunt", etc., she realizes she doesn't have a good answer for alot of his questions, nor does she know exactly what's going on either. When she confronts Mrs. Nelson (her employer) about the persistent phone calls and her other dubious activities, Becky is shocked by what's really going on: Mrs. Nelson had recently escaped with her son from an abusive husband back in California. She had hoped to be able to hide away on Sebastian Island for awhile, but now Mrs. Nelson is afraid her husband has found them and wants his family back for good. But what will he do once he finds them? And what can Becky do to help protect Mrs. Nelson and Devon if he wants more than just custody of Devon? What if he wants to phsycially harm--possibly murder--all three of them?

"Mother's Helper" is a great, fast-paced teen thriller with several surprising twists and turns at the end. Recommended for readers 12 and up who enjoy Point thrillers.

In my own opinion, the book I read was a fairly good one. One reason I liked the book I read was because it had a good story theme. A girl works as a mother's helper to earn money for college. Another reason the book was good was that the author really got into each character. You were able to make your own opinion about each character based on what the author told you about them. A third reason the book was good was that the author really got you hooked on the the book. It made it hard to put down.
The best part of the book was when the Mother's Helper started getting really scared of all the strange things that were happening. She then goes to the mother and tells her she can't handle it anymore and tells her she wants to quit.
One story element that was vivid was the characters. Like I said earlier, the author really let you learn about the characters. Another vivid story element was the climax. During the climax, you find out that the mother lied about her husband. You soon learn after this, that the mother is out to get mother's helper and her neighbor.

I love this book, it was really cool. These kinda books can creep me out, cause it contains events that could really happen....they are ordinary people.

This book didn't exactly give me what I expected, but still delievered quite the page turner. The story mainly centers around a Hunter, who seems to have some unwanted assistance, but suprisingly the story continues to branch out in numerous ways switching perspectives to give a reader a full view of the entire story.

My main complaint with this book, was a problem that befalls most white-wolf books though. The characters seem to perfect, why are Thea and her workaholic room mate, both, apparently, so sexy? Infact most of the characters who are good guys, seem to all be made up as incredibly attractive. I don't think that's overly problematic, but it seems to be something that plagues many white-wolf books, and to those who are extremely picky it can seem rather silly.

I picked up this book as an impulse buy, so I wasn't expecting much from it. I had never read a World Of Darkness novel and I had no idea who, or what, Hunters were. This book knocked my socks off.

My only complaint is that I wish the back cover had been a little LESS descriptive. Knowing that the trilogy serves to introduce the M-words to the World Of Darkness universe dulled a bit of the impact the ending would have held.

This is the first volume outside of the Predator & Prey introductory series that deals with hunters, humans who have pierced the shroud of darkness around the Masquerade and are actively seeking to do away with creepy guys. I have honestly been less than enthusiastic about the P&P tales, but "Heralds of the Storm" turned out to be a very pleasant surprise.

Thea Ghandour is a member of the Van Helsing Brigade, a clan of monster hunters that works in and around Chicago. Her compatriots, Romeo, Parker, Jake, Dean, Carl, and Lilly, are young men and women with a strong sense of cause. Each has developed special talents that help in their battles and have kept them alive so far. They do not lack for courage, but frequently hide their fears behind anger and bickering.

The book opens with an attack on a vampire's lair near Chicago. Even as they infiltrate the site, they realize something isn't quite right. It goes too easily. Most of the guards are gone or are quickly handled. The guard watching the security is dead. After killing the Vampire with minimal injury, the entire lair is destroyed by explosives as they leave. Thea and the others suspect that someone was there before them, and that they are being set up.

When Thea gets a brief, anonymous phone call her fears are confirmed. But the gang has no clue on how to proceed. Before they can do much research, several brigade members are attacked and killed by zombies. Thea arrives in time to prevent things from being even worse and finds herself being helped by a stranger, who identifies himself as Maxwell Carpenter and pulls Thea and her unconscious friends from the building. Then he erases her memories and disappears.

Thea awakes in a hospital. When Romeo tells her she was pulled from the building by a super zombie who can pass for human she remembers what happened. Frantic research reveals that Carpenter was a 1920s gangster and was definitely dead. Many more phone calls and arguments later they finally meet with Carpenter. He asks them to help him get into the Temple of Akhenaton in downtown Chicago and gives them some time to consider their answer.

Carpenter has his own agenda, the complete destruction of the Sforza clan that caused his death years earlier. Thea and the Brigade find this out and are torn over whether they should cooperate with Carpenter or kill him for the monster he is. What they decide, and the horrific results of that decision fill the remainder of this volume and the next two novels of this promising and exciting trilogy.

This may be Andrew Bates first novel, but he shows considerable skill and talent. His characters have none of the stick figure quality which often troubles World of Darkness novels. Bates has a good sense of timing and a fine eye for detail as well. My only gripe is that the novel's designer decided to sacrifice page numbers for decoration. As a reviewer, I found this quite irritating. Otherwise this series looks like a winner from the folks at White Wolf.