Living in Dubai, I have found myself immersed in South Asian culture, and recently started studying carnatic music on the veena, simply because it was here. Lacking all knowledge of the contexts in which the veena is played, I found myself floundering in my studies. The first teachers I worked with here either haven't had enough English or enough music theory studies to explain the music. I searched on the Net for information about carnatic music, but found that most of the information was written by Indians for Indians, using terms that I don't understand or can't make sense of. What makes this book different is that it is written for Western audiences, and the Indian terms are fully explained. As a result, this book has been a tremendous resource for me in explaining the music theory that I was struggling with, as well as the context of the music in Indian society. I've never read an encyclopedia cover to cover before, but once I got started reading this one, I couldn't stop.

...If you haven't tried this game, it's a great deal at theedgeman price. The game is emminently playable, the artwork is mostlyexcellent, with only a few stinkers, and it's a very economical way to get into a great collectible card game, without that collector's pinch that many manufacturers put on you.

By the way, I have no affiliations with Edgeman, but I can say that...they are coming out with a new product called LORE which has all the same cards, same art, but according to ICE, much simplified rules. I didn't find the rules of Unlimited overcomplicated, though they are detailed. According to ICE, LORE will come in six large decks, and collecting all six will yield a complete set of cards, though the suggested retail price will be about 18-20 dollars per deck. They did say that the new game will be playable with the old cards, if the new card text is used in place of the old.

You are one of the five wizards, and it is your goal to either destroy the One Ring or to unite the people of Middle Earth to bring the evil Sauron down. Will it be you or your opponent who succeeds?

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this to my niece, who is now 5 years old. pssssst(I also keep a copy in my office)This book is entirely appealing. The stories will transport one to a different time and place. The pictures are simply gorgeous ...the size of the pages are perfect for reading to groups of children, the vibrant colors, the rhythmic language...If only the prints in the book were commercially available....

It has replaced Make Way for Duckling and Where the Wild Things Are as my favorite children's books. If things couldn't get any better, this book is a compilation of SEVERAL stories.

The lessons learned in this book are universal; hence, children of all ethnicities will appreciate them. This book DEMANDS to be read out loud; luckily, Ms. Aardema's flare for words can make a lyrical storyteller out of anyone.