It is difficult to put into words the complex beauty of this book. If you are not familiar with the poetry of E.E. Cummings, this book will make you a surefire fan. The verse is sensitive, gentle and intimate. Beautifully paired with the whimsical, delicate and ever-bright illustrations by Mary Claire Smith, this book will sing to you and your child's hearts.

There are very few stories about Christmas which capture the essence of what all the decorations and packages truly represent. This is one of those few. The illustrations bring us back to a time when family and friends, hand-made gifts and music together were what were truly valued. Where Christmas was a festival which celebrated warmth, light, life and love.

For those who are sensitive to the masses of trees which are erased from our earth each Christmas, please take a look at this book. I especially appreciate that the angel who takes the tree from the forest to the child carries the tree with roots intact and then, through Ms. Smith's illustrations, the tree is pictured potted. The tree in this book is a true symbol of Life.

This book is one our family will treaure for generations to come.

This book was wonderful ! The short chapters are easy to read for us busy-Mom's. The book made me feel like I'm not alone in raising a difficult child. The book was filled with real stories from the author. I recognized myself and my son in the everyday problems. Also, the author offers practical suggestions and short prayers to help ! The book recognizes the difficult parts of parenting an ADHD child, and at the same time offers hope & encouragement ! I'm going to read it again and I won't lend this book out (since it's invaluable to me). I wish she wrote a book on parenting teenagers ;)

One of a handful of childrens books I remember from my early years. I still remember when the three adventures spend the night atop the slide and cook what appear to be baked beans over a camp stove. A bizarre adventure only these three stuffed animals could undertake. Remember when Dolly gets sick and pukes off the ladder? It always looked like candy to me. Authors of childrens books have the power to shape minds. Every illustrated book I see I always compare to The Long slide. Long rainy days wishing for summer, my mom not letting me go outside until my hair was dry. This is what this book reminds me of.

This is a great book that helps children make sense of the sometimes frightful noises of the night and how they are made by things that really dont scare us at all. Its black and white illustrations are in tone with the theme of the book. My daughter has learned in a fun way that eventhough we sleep a lot of other living beings are up and are making noises that go along with their daily activities.

In today's society, obesity is becoming more and more of a problem for young and old alike.I believe that Mr. Platt's book, Losing Succesfully, is going to be a huge success because it covers anything and everything you need to know on how to lose weight. It furnishes the tools, and all we have to do is use them. It's kind of like talking to an old friend who's helping you step by step through the process of losing the excess weight. With so many book's on the market these day's, it is really overwhelming when you do go and try to choose one, which is why I am glad this is the book I chose for myself, and I feel quite certain a lot of other people will feel the same way given the chance to read it. I truly believe it will be a WINNER....
Dora M. Carper... Kingston, Ohio....

I have read other Sondra Ray books and this one is the best... My husband and I were ready to divorce, A friend suggested this book, by the time we finished reading it we had a better perspective on the things we were doing every day to damage our own relationship and were able to get back on track. I recomend this book for anyone because it can improve even the best relationship.

In 1964, Luke Karamazov (then known as Ralph Searl) killed 5 men in cold blood. He was arrested, confessed, tried, convicted and sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. In 1972, the Michigan Supreme Court reversed his sentence. While Ralph was awaiting retrial in Kalamazoo, 4 women were raped and murdered in the area -- and a few weeks later, Ralph's older brother, Tommy, was arrested for those crimes. Unlike Ralph, Tommy never confessed, but he too was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Ralph accepted a plea agreement to avoid retrial and was again sentenced to life; as part of the plea, he was allowed to change his name to Luke Karamazov.

Conrad Hilberry was a Professor of English at Kalamazoo College at the time of these crimes and the resulting trials, and became interested in the story of two brothers who were both convicted of serial murders. "I began to wonder who these men were and how they got that way. I wondered if I could talk with them." (25) Talk with them he did, as well as with Julie, the woman who was married first to Tommy (before his crimes) and then to Ralph (while in prison). This book is largely a record of those conversations, along with Hilberry's observations and attempts to make sense of their personalities. Hilberry gives us long extracts from his recorded conversations -- mostly with Ralph and Julie, less with Tommy -- and largely allows the events to be told by them, in retrospect. This is not an attempt to reconstruct the crimes or the circumstances of the Searls' childhood, but an effort to understand who they are now, in prison, and who they may have been when they killed. Because Hilberry allows the Searls to tell much of their story in their own words, we obtain a unique insight into their thought processes and feelings.

Hilberry is not an investigative reporter, nor is he a psychologist, criminologist or lawyer. Some people might conclude that he is not qualified to write this book. Hilberry is, however, a poet, and he brings a poet's close observation and insight to his comments on these men. I found his perspective unique and fascinating, and his efforts to understand the Searls in the larger context of the human project -- balancing the assertion of the individual ego against the desire for transcendence -- persuasive. Highly recommended.

....I particularly liked "A Miracle of Rare Device." 21 tales by the master of the imaginative.

As one not normally interested in the works of Jane Austen (I can hear the mob howling already), it took quite a lot of self-persuasion to open Ray Smith's book, 'The man Who Loved Jane Austen'. Of course I had become the owner of the book not by choice, but through the kindness of a very good friend. Despite my initial doubts, I very soon found myself being happily pulled along by a gripping story of greed and deception played out by the Hatchers. An old Montreal family of upper class, narrow-minded bigots, whose power and poison is aimed at Frank, the recently widowed son-in-law, father of their two grandchildren and the main protagonist.

From the beginning one can only feel frustrated with this honest, reliable, plodding, university lecturer, who clearly loved his wife and dotes on his children and who remains for much of the time frustratingly oblivious to the evil plotting and planning unfolding around him.
The story weaves its way through the stages of this tale of treachery, only occasionally bursting through the straight jacket of misguided principles and petite nationalism of the Hatchers and their cronies, to give the reader the odd
flicker of hope in this otherwise grey tale. Ray Smith describes beautifully the vacation Frank and the children made to Nova Scotia. A very evocative piece, reminding me of my own trips to the Scottish Highlands and of how I can easily remember the feeling of the pure air in your face and the decency of the people in the safety of their
remoteness. But then Frank had Aunt Al living there. A Nova Scotian lady of quite a different stamp altogether.

For someone who opened the pages of this book rather more under duress that desire, I can vouch for a really excellent, 'can't put the book down' read. For those who already enjoy the ubiquitous Jane Austen, this must be a very satisfying alternative.

Though I've not yet instructed managerial accounting with this text, I will be using it for next year's courses. The text provides excellent supplementary materials for the instructor as well as the student. The text has been in publication for several years (currently the 9th edition is in use) and the problems have been reviewed several times over for accuracy. Within the instructor's edition, are numerous examples from popular current events and for the average undergraduate student. Additionally, the text is suitable for a graduate course. Brilliant pictures, colorful asides, and practical, real-life examples enhance the readings. Managerial Accounting by Garrison/Noreen is an excellent resource for any practitioners collection.