I was glad to find this. I teach preschoolers and have been looking for it. I heard about it at a workshop. There is a computer program that goes with it. A great addition to a classroom library and a home library.

I read this book to my nephews, five and three yesterday afternoon. Of the two books I read at our secret story telling bridge this one was a real winner, the illustrations are wonderful and my nephews could not wait to see what happened as we turned over the pages.

After we finished the book my older nephew sat and looked through the pages by himself for ages. While the younger was enthralled by the idea of orange juice smelling like peanut butter and trash like candy.

I heartly recommend this book to any Uncle who enjoys reading to his young nephews!

I attended a workshop given by Mr. Mercer many years ago. His advise and his book remain one of the best resource tools I have. It has great advise and tools for communicating with co-worker, clients, board members and the butcher! The most valuable tools have to do with understanding your and the other person's communication style. One of the most common sources of frustration in dealing with people is not adapting or flexing your personal communication style to "understand" the messages being sent by the other person. And more importantly, people often want to receive information in a differnt manner than how they "give" information. Buy the book! It has been a must read for every person I have ever had the pleasure to train. Most are now senior staff members in their respective professions. I like to think Mr. Mercer and I had both had a hand in their success!

Dr. Mercer's book is very inspirational and practical. It has really open my eyes to a world of growth and career opportunities. Anyone wishing to advance in their careers should read this book.

P.S. To the reader who wrote that this book gives self-publishing a bad name...Prentice Hall is a real publisher.

M.Mercer's book offers practical and helpful tips for understanding 'people skills' for success. It certainly proved helpful to me and I got fabulous results. I highly recommend it, especially to people who are not savy in this area.

I found this book to be a little too much for my 4 year old. I did not like the fact that the book says 'it will not hurt' and shows a picture of a needle for novacaine shot. I realize the shots are probably inevitable, but telling a child it will not hurt is unrealistic. I should have read the content before I purchased the book.

Hi! My name is Monica and I was wondering if you liked going to the dentist? I love going to the dentist especially when I get my teeth cleaned it feels really cool. In the story " Just Going To The Dentist," Little Critter has to go to the dentist. He is so afraid to go. But is mama critter makes him go. So they go to the dentist. When they get there they go into the room and....Oppps!!! I guess you'll have to find out when you check out the book " Just Going To the Dentist," By Mercer Mayer. I really enjoyed this book. It was very adventurous and fun. It really applied to me when I was at a young age in life. Now that I go to the dentist all the time, I am so used to it that I'm not scared anymore. I hope you make great effort to check this book out, cause if I liked the book than I really think that you will like it.

Hey! My name is Monica and I was wondering if you liked to go to the dentist? I love going to the dentist because it feels nice and good when I am all finished getting my teeth cleaned. In the story " Just Going To The Dentist," Little Critter is the main character. Little Critter has an appointment to go to the dentist. Now Little Critter was so afraid to go to the dentist. He has to go though other wise he could be in big trouble. So Mama Critter and Little Critter go to the dentist. And guess what happens? Man I wish I could tell you but you'll have to find out when you check out the book " Just Going To The Dentist." I thought that this book was a really cute and adventurous story. This actually happens in reality to young kids. This story has very good content and is really easy to understand at a young age. The pictures in the book help a lot in being visual. Now the story would be hard to understand without pictures in it. Now do you agree with that? I would strongly recommend this story to kids that enjoy stories that are fun,interseting and cool all the way. To find out just how cool this story is, check it out and be ready for a fast and rough rollercoaster ride.

My two-and-a-half-year old son loves the Little Critter books, but his mom and dad aren't nearly so fond of them. The books are fairly short, simply written and cover day-to-day topics (like taking a bath, or sharing with a friend, or in this case, taking a shopping trip with mom) from the young child's perspective, which probably explains why my son enjoys hearing them. But after reading several of these books, my son began mimicking the bad behavior illustrated in them (presumably intended by the author to get the young reader to laugh at and learn from the miscreant). He quickly learned how to whine "I want [fill in the blank]" just like the obnoxious kid sister in this book, having never done it before. Sure, it's probably a phase he would have entered anyway, but the fact that he is quoting, verbatim, bratty dialogue from various Critter books makes me loathe to recommend them to other parents. As an aside, I find the books rather charmless and the illustrations -- bizarre snaggle-toothed characters dressed in 19th-century clothing but depicted in 20th-century America -- bizarre and sometimes unsettling.

Mercer Mayer writes wonderful books for beginning readers. My first grade daughter can read his books with relative easy, which helps her with her confidence. There are enough challenging words to keep her learning. She really enjoyed reading this book and pointing out to me how the sister was misbehaving. Rather than using the story as an excuse to misbehave, we use it as a learning tool. It is a story any parent can relate to!

Just Shopping With Mom Book Review

This story is about three little kids and their mom shopping and they keep asking her for everything. It is by Stan and Jan Berenstain. They can't stop and they keep asking and asking then their mom gets very angry and says to stop. Now the kids get mad and they want to pay for their food and they leave the store. I like the book because it is funny. If you like the Berenstain Bears, you will like it, too!

I immediately got into this book, a real page turner from the very first page with lots of interesting characters (just who is going to be the love interest -- for once it is not painfully obvious). The plot line itself unfortunately got more and more implausible as it was unraveled. But that didn't detract too much from the story.

It was wonderful to read about a woman who was of independent financial means and to learn how she got there. But would that it would be so easy to lose weight simply because you don't like the way you look and you decide not to eat so much! I didn't quite get that whole aspect of the plot and it seemed to get A LOT of unnecssary play. In addition, that strong independent woman is also portrayed as being rather unnattractive and socially isolated as well as being chunky. Such unfortunate and untrue stereotypes. How refreshing if that had been turned on its head.

Still, this is a definite add-to-the-beach-bag book. Don't expect anything deep or heavy -- think Die Hard with amnesia and you get the idea. Fast and easy reading!

I would give this 5 stars but it's not like it's Shakespeare or Poe...it's a very good novel, though.

I won't recount the story; I'm sure many, many reviewers already have. However, I must say that this is an exceptionally entertaining book. You will have a hard time putting it down, such is the story and it's wonderfully likable characters.

This book is the best of the Ariel Gold series of the three that I've read so far; "Double Take" was a too-long letdown and now that I'm reading "Split Image' I'm finding that I don't even care what happens in the story anymore...I get the feeling this was not intended to be a series.

Imagine waking up with partial amnesia (you know about most things, but not your personal history, who you used to know, or anything about what you do for a living). That's bad enough, but what if you think you are in the wrong body? To add a little excitement, your house has been turned upside down, and your shirt is covered with blood. To make matters even worse, you are soon forced into killing somebody. The situation goes downhill from there. This is one of the most exciting books I have read in a long time. It is the author's first novel. My wife and I couldn't put the book down. If you like mysteries and outstanding character development, this book is for you. In fact, the book was so good that I wrote a letter to the author, congratulating her. That is a first for me, and I am an avid reader!

I thought thisbook was good because of how the little boy in the story faced his fears and overcame his fears of monsters. When children read this book they'll learn to overcome their fear like the kid in the book.

And I love it too. My children have no concept of what a nightmare or a monster is and this has made the word "nightmare", nothing to be afraid of. She actually loves going to the closet to look for a "nightmare" to put in bed with her. And, as far as the concept of dealing with scary things....the little boy only says "I'm going to get you!", which is something that is said by our family a lot...while playing. It is sooo non-threatening! The child is only dressed in "little boy" dress up clothes! Don't let that keep you from this charming book! HBO even did an animated movie of it...its darling!

My three year old loves this book. He came home talking about a book that his teacher read in class. He was not yet three so when he started talking about nightmar"ers" and shooting the monster I had to ask his teacher about the book. She showed us the oversized version which was great for class and Tanner seemed to love this story. We bought the book and now that we have read it so much Tanner knows every word on each page and can finish each sentence or tell the whole story by himself. It's so cute and a great way to get children on the right path for reading.

This poorly titled book should be called "Goth Guide", as it is essentially a guide of what is what in the "goth" world.

It seems that the main issue with this movement, or subculture, or whatever, is exactly that--the difficulty, impossibility, and at times downright refusal by its own members to accept any form of ghettoization.

Which in many ways is good, since who needs more stereotypes and uniforms one must adopt in order to enjoy a Cure record. However, it is also doomed to be an obsolete term that will no longer really map itself to anything definitive.

To give a good example of what this guide really is, take the Bands section and look up The Sisters of Mercy. This section really just reviews the band website for bands considered "goth", or just bands that people who like bands considered "goth" also seem to like. Anyway, author Mick Mercer, credited on the back as the premier "historian" of the goth movement (er, right) completely rips the band, Andrew Eldritch, and the website because they no longer contribute to the "goth" movement that made them so popular.

And why? Well, do a little outside reading and you'll find that Eldritch doesn't speak with Mercer at all since The Sisters of Mercy have made a concerted effort to distance themselves from the Goth label. Therefore, they get lousy ratings.

Remember when a certain small college in the Northwest suddenly stopped talking to US News and World Report? Sure enough their rating dropped to the bottom the next year, simply because they didn't take part in the survey.

Who's going to blame Eldritch for no longer wanting to be associated with a "movement" (which sometimes resembles less a movement than a fashion stance and a continued imitation of a few bands from the 80s) that never really moved past a certain point and has become popularized to the point that mall stores dedicate fashion gear to it?

Mercer slames the band for not "contributing" to the scene in a long time. What does that mean exactly? I wouldn't exactly describe much of what The Sisters did after Floodland as gothic rock. Even today as they tour and present new material (slowly, that is) the sound is not The Sisters of old but a new incarnation with a more industrial tone. Whatever. The point is that the band was considered important, but now that they no longer want to wallow in some 80s notion of what gothic rock is they get discredited.

Back to the book, which I don't even own but flipped through in a bookstore one day. You'll find all the latest bands who are considered "goth", I think, as well as stores, clubs, web sites, etc. Mick Mercer has his own cottage publishing industry on the ever-difficult to pin down "movement" and will most likely continue to update this guide enough times to resell it over and over.

However, as a one-stop resource for bands and shops and clubs, it's well-assembled. Heck, this would be a perfect web site, but I doubt Mercer could get people to subscribe to it for money.

For those of you who are familiar with Mick Mercer's previous books covering goth culture I am sure you are aware of how important, influential and amusing they have been - this new book is no exception.
It is an invaluable and immensely entertaining resource for any gothically inclined person with access to an internet connection. The catalogue of sites are handily divided into sections (bands, businesses, clubs etc) most with short reviews and many with relevant pics. There are several interviews with people that Mick Mercer obviously felt had interesting perspectives to give and also some nice pictures of gothic vixens thrown in for good measure!
The thing that has become so evident in recent years is how little geographical locations matter anymore. With the internet at our fingertips we can visit Germany, Australia, California within the space of a few minutes and still be home in time for tea. Because of the transient nature of websites there will always be some sites that no longer exist, some links that don't work. But the beauty of this book is that this really doesn't matter. There are so many sites listed that you are bound to find what you were looking for and probably a whole lot of things that you never new you needed! 21st century Goth cannot help but bridge the gap between countries and bring gothic artists, musicians and businesses to a wider audience. This can only be a good thing.

If you are reading this then you are obviousely wasting valuable compulsive money spending time. And once again Mick Mercer (one of my fav. authors) brings Goth to the masses making the world a safe cuddly place for death rockers, cyber, old-school, fluffy, rivet head, and moody goths alike. For any self-respecting Goth this book is a must have, to give you info on the world of gothdom via the internet. It gives bands, people, clubs, fashion and locations from the America's, Europe, Brazil and Japan and more. This Gothic Web book has it all, in a directory for those who wish to have an immense amount of bookmarks saved on your favorites list. Also, listen to Mick give his 2 cents on those cramping our goth style!

An awesome read.

A very inspiring, staight to the point, excellently formatted, and easy to read and very uplifting book.

This book is filled with great advise and lots of excellent uplifting quotes.

This book contains much of the same information (but not nearly the same amount of information, or the broad area of topics) as you would find in Tony Robbins' Awaken The Giant Within, but in a very pithy, consise and easily readable format.

There are many awesome quotes throughout the book that are set apart from the main text that you can read during an overview/preview/review.

"Optimistic people have high degrees of self-responsibility."

Consise, pithy, poignant, easily readable and very practicle and relevent. This book is very enjoying to read.

One of the best books I have read. One of the best self-help books I have ever read. I's right up there with the very best of them, i.e. "Think and Grow Rich," "Awaken the Giant Within" and others.

This tape, and the authors' book, is one of the few self-help books I read that gives advise that is not fluff. It offers practical and unique ways to make your mood and life improved. I thank them both.

Sponteneous Optimism is a well-written inspiration. The authors of this book put together easy to do tips and techniques that has taken my life to a better place. I've recommended it alot.

To keep this short and sweet, Mercer denounces the Cure and the Banshees' influence on the genre ( although both bands are MUCH,
MUCH more than " goth " ), seems to be of the opinion that the current Valor version of Christian Death is indeed the same band
despite the fact it is now third rate metal ( and that the immortal Rozz, Gitane, David Glass, George Belenger, James McGerty and Rikk Agnew all are no longer in the equation ).
At least he has the good taste to like London After Midnight,
even though they, too, are far, far, more than a " goth " band.
And Corpus Delecti, another wonderful band. But Mercer's book in pretencious; sterotyping the genre, and the lack of info on the
subculture is unforgivable; given this egomaniac's know-it-all-attitude. Much of info here is out of date as well. ---Funeral Rites 2

i got this book last year and had looked forward to it's arrival for what seemed like an eternity. when it got here, i was let down. it's filled with snippits of information on various things, like bands, stores and whatnot. it's not actually a book to read. it's more of a reference guide. there is some info in there that is useful, but it's not what i thought it would be.

I purchased and read this book to answer a question: "What is the Goth subculture?" My question remains unanswered.

This book's format somewhat resembles "The Whole Earth Catalog -- Access To Tools" edited by Steward Brand in the late 1960's and early 1970's. That catalog contained detailed descriptions of tools, books, and organizations. The descriptions helped individuals achieve their "hippie" counterculture goals. The catalog preceded the Internet, but readers' reviews of listed or new items were published in subsequent catalog editions, a form of interaction. The catalog's wide topic range and detailed discussions formed a good composite picture of the hippie counterculture.

Mr. Mercer's book does not provide equivalent detail. A five-page introduction and a three-page postscript discusses the Goth subculture, but the author speaks in generalities. The book consists primarily of Goth band and fanzine listings with some Goth organization and shop listings. The book emphasizes the Goth subculture but contains some vampire, fetish, and pagan subculture listings.

The typical listing is brief. Often only a name plus a postal address, an e-mail address, or a fax number is given. As important as the Internet is today there are fewer Internet website addresses than I expected.

Mr. Mercer's book contains much interesting photography. The Goth, vampire, and pagan subcultures are very fashion- and fetish-oriented. The photography reflects those orientations. With the exception of the front and back covers the book's photography is black and white photography.

I believe that a "bible" should define its subject. This book's brief listings and photography do not answer my original question: "What is the Goth subculture?" The front cover's photograph itself raises a question that the book doesn't answer. Without answering these questions and providing more detailed discussions this book does not qualify as a bible. And by not stressing Internet websites and newsgroups the listings within the book have questionable currency.

I just read the "reviews" of this "book" and felt compelled to write. I happen to have first hand knowledge of what's true and what's not. I would just like to clarify a few things. First of all the book is greatly exaggerated and glamorized.(The only reason it got two stars,hats off Jeremy try some fiction). Secondly,despite what the previous reviewer "gang member" says I believe the sentence was fair and there is remorse.Finally,if this misguided interpretation of the facts can be published as true,why does'nt someone create a sequel.

Although I am greatful for having been introduced to the story, something false, almost comic hero/villain like rings to me. I can only point at the young first time writer Jeremy Mercer for this effect. He sensationalizes their life and crimes well. I would be interested to know the real story as to how things went down. Mr.Mercer fails to give us some truth about these young men. He waits 150+ pages in to tell us of the broken home Yves Belanger came from ( a lame portrait painted at that). I think this here is a case of a young writer who grew up a good boy, and is reveling in the mysterious, exciting criminal world of the boys from the other side of the tracks, the whole time wishing it could be him.

This was perhaps the most interesting book i have ever read. It's local element added greatly to it's appeal to me and my friends. Through this book I have develloped 4 new idols. I think I've read this book about 5 times cover to cover never losing interest. Hats off to Jeremy Mercer and the gang!