I do not know if Mr Banner's novel will eventually emerge as one of the finest works of fiction in the late 20th century. But it should. Its delights are in its details: no writer I know wields such an incredibly perceptive eye over American culture; Mr Banner shows an extraordinary, almost scary knowledge of all the wonderful and sad little things that make up the average American's everyday life. The Life I Lead is a great painting that's never been painted; a perfect film that's never been shot; a poem not yet set down. It captures so much that has yet to be properly articulated in American art, I can only hope that it someday receives the recognition it deserves.

Was it Flannery O'Conner who said "nothing human is alien to me?" In seeking to demystify (yet not forgive) pedophilia, Banner beautifully fulfills this most challenging of the fiction writer's credo. It took no small about of courage to write this novel. I applaud the writer and the publisher and find myself perhaps a bit sadder but also richer for having read Keith Banner's dramatic exploration.

Anyone looking for a sicko novel about a pervert should look elsewhere. Keith Banner has written a deeply perceptive novel that explores the baffling question of why a seemingly good man can be a pedophile. His characters are so vivid I found myself forgetting they didn't exist beyond the page. But the best reason for reading this book might be Banner's writing. The man can tell a tale, and he does it with a bone-edged poetry that at times had me catching my breath.

If I could, I would give this book 6+ stars. When I saw it at the bookstore I bought it from, I just wanted it right then. Well you know the saying-don't judge a book by it's cover, so I took a look at it. It was amazing. I bought it right away. This colorful book has tons of great ways to decorate your room. It also inspires you to go to thrift shops, garage sales, and even you garage to find things to decorate, even a cardboard box. I know a cardboard box sounds dumb, but you'll know what I mean when you see the idea. You take a quiz in the beginning of the book to see if you're a Sparkly Girl, a Nature Girl, a Sunny Girl, or a Bold Girl. The " " Girls are color coded so tou'll know which ideas are "you". Each style has tons of COOOOOOOOl ideas to refurnish you furniture and stuff. There are also many ways to decrate you room by just using cheap stuff you can buy at craft stores. You can mix and match the ideas in the book to get diffrent looks and all of these ideas are unique and fit your style. There are also many qustions and helpful hints that girls like you sent in about their rooms. You will absolutely love this book. I reccomend it for ages 6-teens.

I think this book is amazing. It has tons of decorating ideas! First you take a quiz to find out what your style is. Then you can choose from about 30 different decorating ideas for each style!It is so cool! I really enjoyed this book! It has helped me transform my room from boring to amazing!I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for new ideas for their room!

This is one of the best books I have read on redecorating your bedroom. (and I've read many!) This isn't one of those books where you find out you don't have all the materials you need for the project, then you have to rush to the nearest art or craft store and spend $. This book's projects are simple and don't require a lot of money, yet when you're done your room will look great! The way this book works is that you start off by taking a quiz to determine whether you are a sparkly girl, a nature girl, a sunny girl, or a bold girl. After you have found out what style you are, you turn to the chapter of your style and you'll find decorating tips to freshen your room up. Not only that, in the back of the book there is a "Room Doctor" chapter with advice for getting the room of your dreams without spending a lot of money, tips on making cleaning your room less boring and more fun, tips on redecorating if you share a room, and more. There is also a "Girl's Fix-It Guide" with tips from other girls if your room is too messy, crowded, blah and boring, or small. This is a fantastic book and I highly recommend it to all girls who need to redecorate their room. It has helped my room go from super-boring to super-cool!

I was given copies of this short book as gifts numerous times in my teen years and did not then realize nor value the book as I do now. I now hold this short book as one of the most important I have in my posession and hardly dare loan it out to anyone unless I have absule trust in having it returned. This is the last major message Patriot and LDS Church President and Prophet Ezra Taft Benson spoke on the subject of freedom. It is full of prophetic utterance that should be understood by all LDS people and liberty loving people everywhere, but it seems few have a clue. Indeed, the gadianton robbers "had seduced the more part of the righteous to come down to believe in their works and partake of their spoils."

Contemplate the great wisdom and divine influence that was exhibited by the noble Founders of the Republic. God inspired them, and Benson assures that God must make use of people in this generation who will be so inspired, so that our liberties might be maintained. Benson expresses his faith that liberty will be preserved. However he says, it "may cost us blood before we are through." Benson tells us what we must do if we desire to be among those who help save the Constitution from the brink of ruin, and frankly few there are who practice such principles or who have ever been made aware of them. That is why this book is so valuable as a teaching tool to help others get a greater understanding of correct eternal principles on which liberty is built. Ignorance of these principles permits socialism to run unrestrained, thus weakening our economy, destroying our rights or in essence violating our pursuit of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

As US Secretary of Agriculture under Eisenhower, Benson had been made to be host to Nikita Kruschev, leader of the USSR. He strongly opposed this state visitor and felt his visit a mistake, but nonetheless, he went ahead and hosted Kruschev for half a day at the Presidents request. During that half day in Washington, Kruschev arrogantly told Ezra Taft Benson that "you americans are naive" then proceeded to explain that Americans wouldn't accept communism outright, but would be fed small doses of socialism over time until one day America would awake and indeed be Communist. Benson said "It is happening, and they are ahead of schedule."

If you can get this book you should, and you should read it and share it with your friends.

I cannot give this book a high enough rating. I have delivered over a hundred copies of this book to friends. It is too bad that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has let this book go out of print.

This is the best book that has ever been written to inspire men an women in the United States of America to awaken to the message of the Constitution of this nation and to stand together to save this nation and our Constitution.

It is time to wake up. This book may be getting old, but its wake-up call is not.

The late Ezra Taft Benson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, gave this message at a BYU devotional and urged all members of the LDS Church to obtain a copy and read it.

I was in attendance when he gave the talk. When he stated that it is not the government's role to redistribute the wealth, I remember asking myself at the time, "Did he say that was good, or did he say it was bad?" I was confused. What would we do without Social Security, Welfare, Pell Grants, etc, etc. I was raised thinking these were an acceptible part of our society -- no problem. Frankly, I didn't even know what Socialism was and that the democratic party embodies many of the same principles.

As soon as President Beson was done with his address, I made a beeline for the BYU bookstore and immediately purchased the talk he had just given: "The Constitution: A Heavenly Banner."

My life has not been the same since. I was fired up with a spirit of freedom and patriotism that has not left me. Since that time I have writen books, ran for office, authored many studies on principles of government and freedom as they are found in the scriptures.

Our nation is in a time of great danger, having embraced many doctrines which are not in keeping with those principles of freedom set forth by the Founding Fathers. We are at war with the forces of evil that would seek to establish a world socialist government -- the New World Order.

Just this evening (11/4/98) when I went shopping, I saw a young adult wearing a T-shirt with the letters "NWO" for New World Order splashed across the front of it, giving me the chills.

The warnings of Ezra Taft Benson (among other great soldiers of freedom) are going unheeded. I would urge all men and women who value freedom to read this excellent pamphlet by Ezra Taft Benson, awake to a sense of our awful situation, and put on strength in the Lord to bring the final victory for freedom as we pass through dark and troublesome times.

"Truth will prevail," Ezra Taft Benson often said, "if pains are taken to bring it to light." May we do so; and may his pains not be in vain.

I haven't even seen the book for twenty years or more, but this morning I woke up with the idea that Popcorn, by Frank Asch, would be perfect for trick-or-treaters this Halloween. (I'm always looking for an alternative to candy.) Popcorn, with all of its costumed bears and the house that fills with popcorn, was my favorite book for years. You can ask my mother. I am so sorry to hear that it is out of print.

I bought this engaging book two years ago at a neighborhood garage sale for a mere ten cents and it immediately became one of my nearly three year old's favorite books. She has three older siblings and we have read this book to her at least a hundred times! I am sorry to hear it is out-of-print because any child anywhere would enjoy it. Hey, I love the book as well and I'm a jaded adult. The book teems with creativity and imagination and very young and impressionable kids will wonder if popcorn would really fill up an entire house! The pictures are adorable and fun to. Look for the little inquisitve mouse on each page and the cat as well. A wonderful book. Frank Asch has done it again. I'd put my book up for auction but I can't bear to part with it. Maybe in 10 years or so....

I like this book because it deals with something that kids will understand. his parents leave for a party so the kid bear has a party of his own. every guest brought popcorn and he decices to fix it all and it fills up the house with popcorn. They eat all the popcorn and clean the house so his perents never know what happened. his parents came home and they brought him some popcorn. This is a great story for kids around the halloween time

I too remember this book as a child in the 70s. My brother and I LOVED it. I didn't realize it was part of a series until I worked in a bookstore in London 3 years ago.

I bet a publisher could make some money bringing this book back into general circulation. I remember Ant & Bee and the Rainbow vividly as a little kid during the mid 1960s, so it's been around a while. While the particulars of the story have faded over 40 years, I do remember the colors and the humor and maybe even the suspense bringing me back to look this one over again and again as a 2-4 year-old. I would love to get my hands on it for my own young children. If anyone has any tips on getting a copy, let me know.

I got my first Ant and Bee book for my son on a recommendation from a nursery school teacher from the Bank Street School. My son is not quite two years old, and already follows the pictures and words in these classic books with glee. And because they are just his size, in bright colors, he especially likes to carry them with him when we travel. He likes pointing out characters like the Zoo Man and the Kind Dog, and of course, Ant and Bee. Most interesting about these books is that the text itself is fun for children to look at. Key words are highlighted with varying fonts and colors, and sections are sprinkled with minature versions of pictures from larger illustrations. Ant and Bee and the Rainbow is about colors. The intrepid insect friends like rainbows so much, they decide to make one of their own by painting half an old tire propped up on the ground. Each book has its own special twist with familiar objects. I recommend the entire series. It's too bad the! se are hard to find. They are wonderful. If Amazon can get them for you, it will be worth any wait!

I grew up with the Ant and Bee series (here in the US). I would love to see this series back in print. Is there anyway for Amazon to forward all the customers requests to the original published to bring them back. I now have children that I would like to share these books with. Christine Blumberg

My son loves this book and has for the last two years! It helped him learn the alphabet and now he has started to read it on his own. Why on earth would such a good series of books go out of print? I loved them when I was little and would like to be able to buy more for my four year old son.

These are the greatest little books. Perhaps enough great reviews will persuade Heinemann to reprint?

I have not yet read the book, but I too love the movie, although I keep missing the beginning. I just wanted to reassure the person posting the question that the book definitely precedes the film, and that yes they are the same story. You can doublecheck me by just looking at the books on zstores and auctions-- same author, same title, and one has a banner that says "now a Hollywood film!" The book was published in 1960, the movie came out in 1962.

After spending six months in Florene, Italy, I saw the movie Light in the Piazza on a late night television movie channel. I fell in love with the movie as it gave me great memories of Italy. I have never been able to find the movie on video as it has not been released. So instead I read the book. The story is a true romance between a naive mentally-challenged woman and an Italian man. Very quick, easy reading. A must for anyone going to or having been in Italy.

Unfortunately, you don't give a synopsis of Light in the Piazza and I want to know was it made into a movie -or was the title borrowed from the movie with Olivia de Havilland, Rossano Brassi, George Hamilton and Yvette Mimieux? Since I can't find a video of the movie I would like to read the book as I loved the movie.

As a kindergarten teacher, and a fan of the Ant and Bee series from the time I was a little girl, I highly recommend these stories. I have vivid memories of my grandmother reading me the stories, and now my kindergartners love them as well. They are quite new to my students, but they love the characters, drawings, vivid imagery and repetition. They often "read" them during our free choice time. Of course, they now want me to add to my collection, so I'm working on it!

I could hardly believe that the Ant & Bee books were still available. A neighbour lent my two young children some of her's which her (now) adult children had as toddlers. My children have become obsessed with reading them on a daily basis. They have been wonderful for building my five year old's confidence with her solo reading. I urge the publishers to consider reprinting the whole series. Believe me there is a new generation of readers itching to get their fingers on the Ant & Bee books!

Our first experience with Ant and Bee was in 1975 when my own grandmother bought Ant and Bee ABC for my daughter. It soon became a book that I read many times a day, in fact I have it memorized to this day. We have a favourite family story that we still laugh about today. My father came over to our house when our daughter was 18 months old. She sat in her grandfathers lap and of course wanted him to read her favourite book, "Ant and Bee ABC". As he began to read, our daughter suddenly took over and began saying the words to the book, word for word. My father jumped up and came running into the kitchen. "She can read!!" my father announced. "She is a genius!! We should put her on TV." We began to laugh so hard that we could barely speak. Our daughter had memorized this book word for word by the time she was 18 months old. You should have seen my father! It was a moment to remember forever. Thank you Ant and Bee books.

What starts out as a witty account of the origins of "The Star Spangled Banner" and the text to it, continues into repetitions and ends with endless reprints of Supreme Court decisions and congressional hearings. Points go to the author for reminding us of the half-forgotten war of 1812 and for giving us a good overview. Pity he could not stop in time.

Just to preface the review: I was sitting in a restaurant reading this book when the waitress asked me what I was reading. I explained the book, and she said who was on the cover. I said it was a picture of Francis Scott Key. She said, "Oh, the man they named the Florida Keys after."

For those Americans who don't know their history, particularly the often untold truths of the War of 1812 and the contentiousness over our national anthem, this book is a perfect place to start. It's short, informational and at times very humorous. Molotsky brings the reader history and current debate on topics such as flag burning and how to preserve that wonderful flag that flew over Fort McHenry.

I learned some new things in this book, and if the response from the waitress is any indication, this country is in need of a few more history lessons. This a short read but the value cannot be underscored.

As an author of a novel in its initial release that addresses, among other themes, the essence of what makes an American an American, I genuinely enjoyed Irvin Molotsky's THE FLAG, THE POET, & THE SONG. Mr. Molotsky, a semi-retired newspaperman, spins a wonderful tale about the history of our national anthem. This book is light. It is a popular history. It is amusing, yet it is most enlightening. Mr. Molotsky presents a history of the War of 1812, which led directly to Francis Scott Key's composing of the poem that became the song. He discusses the American invasion of Canada (yes, we did invade Canada) and the burning of Toronto (then York) that led to the British infamous torching of Washington (I bet that was in your history books). He also paints a portrait of Francis Scott Key (a distant relative of F. Scott Fitzgerald whose masterpiece THE GREAT GATSBY was briefly called UNDER THE RED, WHITE, & BLUE--which I used for the title of this review) who reluctantly joined the militia during the war. Mr. Molotsky additionally explains the compostion of the poem, its linkage to a British drinking song, and its evolution into the national anthem with the final two words "Play Ball!" THE FLAG, THE POET, & THE SONG is a informative book. It is well-written. I recommend it highly.

Wonderful first book!! This author provides the reader with a compelling story line that brings his own personal experiences to life and makes each reader feel like they are part of the story.

This was my first adventure novel and I throughly enjoyed it. The escapades of Jack Weston, the main character in the story, will give you a sense of thrill as if you are right beside him. The breathtaking Venzuela jungle is so visual in the story-line descriptions, you can almost feel the lush surroundings. I loved the characters and it left me longing for another adventure with Jack.

I loved this book! It was hard to put down, I felt drawn to the characters and involved in the story. It's obvious that the author draws on personal experience in the story line and action sequences. Bravo!!