This Board Book is beautiful colour glossy photographs of busy penguins, doing what penguins do, like:

penguins splashing

penguins dashing

penguins sliding

penguins diving

penguins drooping

(and the anti - Freudian)

penguins pooping.

It's great fun in the Tundra for all ages! Reviewed by TundraVision, Amazon reviewer

This book was highly recommended to me by a clerk at a small children's bookstore who told me that for some reason toddlers seem to find it very captivating. I bought it for my daughter for her first birthday, and she loves it. The photographs are beautiful and there's something about the penguins that seems to really grab my daughter's attention. At 14 months she seeks out this book and will "read" it to herself. I agree with the reviewer below who said that the "penguins pooping" page is a real attention-grabber for the toilet training set, and though it could be gross, something about the fact that it's a penguin who's pooping is strangely charming and humorous (if you can stomach that type of thing!). Overall five stars for a book that my daughter and I both love - a great thing for a parent who has to read it over and over.

"Busy Penguins" is one of my 18-month-old daughter's favorite books. The photographs are incredible, and the text has a gentle rhythm that she finds engaging.

The color photos of many completed projects done decades ago still resonate as the top in English design. Lovely traditional chintzes coupled with good furniture and pictures are the usual ingredients yet seeing the old photos of Nancy Lancaster's and Roger Banks-Pye's designs, one is reminded that these rooms are timless. Clearly, Colefax and Fowler is the benchmark for English Decoration. The book does a fine job with both an overview and exploring specific areas (such as soft furnishings or the bedroom). A must for designers.

"And there you are!" says author Chester Jones. That's all you need to set eminent decorators, Colefax and Fowler to work. The "few good pictures" are preferably old masters and the "several nice pieces" should be priceless antiques, but if you aren't already blessed with such bounty, C&F will see to it.

This is a beautiful, delightful book! I bought it used, and it was pristine. There are 264 gorgeous color plates of excellent photography and the prose is a lively mix of C&F history (particularly John Fowler) and description, tips, and information about the homes/castles/estates decorated. There is a wonderful Glossary for those of us who are vernacular-challenged when it comes to elegant decorator terms. I for one was pleased to learn that a "fauteuil" is a "French salon armchair with carved decorations, sometimes gilt."

Put bluntly (which Mr. Jones wouldn't dream of doing), Ms. Colefax provided the money and contacts, and Mr. Fowler provided the inspiration and brains. And contacts were desperately needed for this venture. To achieve casual, elegant nonchalance required great outlays of money not to be had from your everyday man on the street. Colefax and Fowler became expert at the tactful handling of the temperamental, sometimes eccentric foibles of the very rich. If Mr. Jones is any example, I'm sure he would take it right in stride when I announced I'd like less "balance" on the mantel piece please, and I really didn't care much for massive curtains that puddled on the floor.

There are useful tips and diagrams that can be put to use in much more economical settings. For instance, a maxim of Mr. Fowler's was, scale of furniture should be relative to height, not width. In other words, a large low-ceilinged room would not call for big important pieces of furniture where a high-ceilinged room would.

This is a book of which you will never tire. The color schemes, the placements and the sheer beauty will call out to you again and again. A fine investment of your time and pleasure.
-sweetmolly-Amazon Reviewer

No one tops the eye of John Fowler for colour or design. In a world of designers trying desperately to jump English country style few get it right. The distinguished firm of Colefax and Fowler always got it right, as one known Italian-American aristocrat said "The English style is one that few truly comprehend as well as John Fowler did at Colefax and Fowler." Elegant, high style, not mistakenly frilly foolish as many others are, this book highlights the very best of what this regional genre is all about.

This book is the second volume in the Library of America set on American crime noir. I enjoyed the first volume so much that I decided to read the second one during Christmas break. Once again, the LOA has done a nice job of collecting a fine series of stories. These stories were written during the 1950's and 1960's. The book is nice to look at too; it's covered in red cloth with a cloth bookmark.

The first story is from the demented mind of Jim Thompson. This story, called The Killer Inside Me, is much better than The Grifters, a book by Thompson that I read some time ago. The Grifters seemed to be pretty one-dimensional with respect to its characters. This story is the exact opposite. A deputy sheriff in a Texas city has a terrible secret. He plays dumb on the outside, but inside he is a cunning sociopath. A long simmering resentment leads to a terrible revenge. Bodies quickly stack up as a result. This seems to be the story that Thompson is best known for and it's no surprise why. This is a dark, twisted tale with a grim ending.

Patricia Highsmith wrote a whole series of stories concerning Tom Ripley. The one included here is The Talented Mr. Ripley, probably better known due to the recent film with Matt Damon. This tale isn't as noir as I would have liked, but it still has enough twists and turns to keep anybody in suspense. Ripley is a low class conniver who ingratiates himself into a wealthy family who wants him to go to Italy and bring back their son. Ripley sees the potential for bucks and meets up with the kid and his lady friend. Of course, things take a turn for the worse and the bodies start stacking up. This story was probably my least favorite out of the entire collection.

The next story, Pick-Up, by Charles Willeford, is a depressing tale about two alcoholics who go bump in the night. The story follows the adventures of this alcoholic couple as they attempt suicide, check themselves into a mental hospital, and drink themselves into a stupor. After the female half of the couple dies in another suicide pact, the story switches to a prison tale. The end is somewhat of a twist, but really doesn't impact the story that much, in my opinion. Again, not really noir as noir can be, but still a fine story that can stand by itself.

Down There, by David Goodis, is a wild ride of a tale. Full of suspense and death, this is a great story that deserves to be included here. A family of ne'er-do-wells drags their talented piano-playing brother into their personal problems. The background information on Eddie, the piano player, is phenomenal. The tragedy that has struck him once is bound to repeat itself again. This story has great bit characters that really liven up the background.

The final story, by Chester Himes, is The Real Cool Killers. This is noir on acid: pornographic violence, massive doses of grim reality, and characters you're glad to see get killed. The story is set in Harlem and involves two tough cops named Grave Digger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson. Someone kills a white guy in Harlem and the cops try and track them down. This story contains one of the funniest descriptions of a person falling off a balcony that I've ever read (and I've read a few, disturbingly enough). The writing has enough similes and metaphors to give Raymond Chandler an apoplectic fit. A cool story that certainly deserves a place in this book.

If you like noir, read these two LOA novels. They are long (together they're almost 2000 pages) but it is definitely worth the effort. These kinds of stories are just a great way to while away some free time and relieve stress.

I gave it 5 stars based on the collection as a whole, rather than each story individually. I enjoyed all of the stories, in that they were a good representation of the genre as a whole, yet they were all stylistically different.

Individually, I would rate the stories in pretty much the order they appear in the book. "The Killer Inside Me" is the most powerful, in my opinion, and is a great indroduction to Jim Thompson if you haven't read his work previously. "The Talented Mr. Ripley" is also excellent, and is a must read for any fan of crime fiction. What I found more interesting was the contrast between the protagonists in the first two novels. Both are cold-hearted killers, but you couldn't find two more different voices. Its a tribute to both Mr. Thompson and Ms. Highsmith that you actually root for these people to get away with their crimes.

The other three novels are good, but they pale in comparison to the first two. "Pick-up" is a good study in a relationship between two alcoholics who know they are alcoholics and are okay with it. It takes awhile for the crime to be committed, but its an interesting journey. I didn't care for the twist ending, but that's just me. "Down There" was interesting to read, if only because it was the basis for a great movie. "The Real Cool Killers" was the only story of the five that I had trouble getting through. I think that was because I didn't really care (or even really believe) that A) a group of street punks would dress in the manner they were described in, or that B) a pair of street detectives would be as violent, feared, and given such free reign as the ones in this novel.

All in all, a good book to add to your collection, if only for the one-two punch of Thompson and Highsmith (by the way, that would be a great name for a law firm).

I usually don't like genre fiction, but this book is a great collection of "Noir" novels. Film buffs will be particularly interested in reading the novel on which "Shoot the Piano Player" was based, as well as the first "Mr. Ripley" novel (much nastier and darker than the recent film). Most highly recommended.

According to Bill Peets autobiography, this book was his favorite. He said that it reflected his own past, and he put a lot of his own personal memories in the book. The story of Chesters journey paralleles Peets journey to work for Disney studios as an animator in his younger days. Roscoe the clown as the master showman in the story, is in reality Bill's old boss Walt Disney. Walt was respected by Peet, even if they had their differences. If you like Bill Peets books, be sure to read his autobiography, and this book.

Quite simply, this is a must for both kids and adults. It is a wonderful story that teaches the importance of "just being you". After loving this book as a child, I bought a copy to read to my children some day. More parents should take another look at Bill Peet books.

I love Chester! I use this book to introduce a thematic unit in my classroom. Chester is a great character that the children identify with and they root for him throughout the book. When we discover exactly why Chester is the "worldly" pig, the students go crazy!! This story is an excellent springboard for geography and the seven continents!!

Employers and educators-parents, too-are befuddled by the younger generation. So, what's new? We've had that condition for generations. Ah, but this generation is quite different than anything we've encountered in history. Today's young people seem to be wired differently, making them more difficult to understand and work with. This book will lift the fog, increasing your insight, appreciation, and skill to more effectively tap this powerful resource.

The book is divided into three sections. In the first part of the book, Chester explains Generation Why's traits, values, and perspectives-the good, the bad, and the ugly. Readers will gain valuable insights into a generation that will have a tremendous impact on the workplace and on society. This section of the book is well-constructed as a sort of stream of consciousness that will hold your attention as your knowledge expands.

The second section is filled with information and advice for employers. You'll learn about recruiting, training, managing, appearance, fun, recognition and rewards, and retention in bite-size pieces. The design of this book is quite appropriate, as it fits the way your mind must work if you are to be successful in connecting with Gen Why. And that takes us to the third section-ways to connect...and disconnect...with these unique individuals.

Now the fine points. This book delivers useful information, but it also provides interpretation. You learn and you understand after reading each section. The consistent format aids in absorbing the volume of knowledge presented in these pages. Call-outs will help scanning readers grab the high points, but don't be surprised if they pull you into the text looking for more.

Reading a book with this much detail can be overwhelming. In these cases, I find myself wishing there were some kind of a summary or explanatory index at the end of the book. Bullet points would remind me of what I'd read and help me "get" the major concepts without wading through all the text again. Chester has done us all a big favor by presenting such an executive summary, chapter by chapter, at the end of the book. You can actually start at the end of the book to get an overview, then dig into the details.

This book is designed for efficient use, as well as an effective vehicle to deliver a considerable amount of information. There are no guarantees that you'll be totally successful working with Gen Whys after absorbing this book, but you'll be miles ahead of those who haven't read it yet.

Side note: as a consultant and speaker, I address generational issues in my work. Even with my prior knowledge, I gained quite a bit from Chester's work and will confidently recommend it to all my clients who might employ these young people. Come to think of it, that would be all my clients. Employers, teachers, parents, preachers-read this book!

If you manage "Generation Why" kids you can't manage without this book. It has some very valuable insights on how to employ, manage and motivate a very difficult generation of kids. I'm a Wendy's franchisee and this is my new bible. Thanks Eric for making my job so much easier.

Books about generational differences tend towards one of two poles: informative but not particularly interesting or interesting but marginally informative. Employing Generation Why is an exception. The author's insights into the real differences between Generation Why and those older is based on years of first-hand experience and research. This is not abstract, academic theory. But Chester does a great job of making his insights engaging and entertaining. His vivd illustrations are memorable, and he clarifies murky subject matter with easy-to-understand charts and graphics. Whether you're an employer who needs help managing a new generation at work, or simply a parent or concerned adult who wants to make more sense of what kids are dealing with today, this is a book well-worth reading.

A good book. If I have one critique, it is that the exercises can become boring to stick with. I had some fun with it by using my own stickings, and reading the syncopated parts underneath them with the bass drum.

Regardless of style, this book can help your set playing. New Breed provides a novel approach to developing four way coordination on the drum set, and it includes exercises that will improve your reading, execution and creativity. It is not meant to be breezed through, and unless you're remarkably coordinated, you won't breeze through it. It definitely breaks the direct "here are some beats for you to practice" approach. New Breed is a good tool for developing technique---especially limb independence, but it is also an excellent resource for developing creativity. Even though I am still in the early stages of using this book my bass drum creativity has taken off. I am also convinced this book also will help you to improve your time, if used correctly. Gary also provides great suggestions on how to approach playing, and practicing that I've not found anywhere else. Because I am totally self-taught, this part has been very helpful to me personally. If you are a beginner, it will probably be a bit too much for you, but intermediates and advanced drummers will be pleasantly challenged. If you don't read music, you'll need to learn in order to work this program.

When I am through with this book, my brain will be a little bit larger. Yeah, this book makes you think. It's hard but the challenges make you into a better drummer. I've only worked on the first of 39 sections in this book and everything I do around the drumset just become easier. It's my favorite drum book.

Although there may be a few minor details subject to scrutiny, this work meets an important need. Replete with color and B/W photos, the authors point out the differences between the various Ford N-models, and attempt to illustrate the important details to be considered when restoring these tractors. Paint details, variations in models and years, options, and anomalies are described in detail. As with many Motorbooks International publications, there is a tendancy to use oft-published photos, but this is not a major concern. A section on the popular Sherman auxiliary transmissions includes a table of various gear ratios and speed ranges. Original and aftermarket reproduction aprts are compared and the appendix includes a pretty thorough list of suppliers. While this book is not the final authority on the subject, it is by far the best thing yet to come out on this topic. Highly recommended.

I previously stated that the pictures used in this edition were previously published. This statement is in error. The confusion arose because many tractors included have been seen in other works. The author assures me that these pictures are all new issues.

this was a great buy. it has great info about the models, specs, restoation, and even funk and sherman stuff.

With an eye for negative influence on children, I submit the following criticism: An ending attitude of pride ("Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." Proverbs 16:18); I want my children to learn humble self-assurance, hence the "just misses the mark" rating. Please consider this and preview for yourself and your children. The positives: Pictures positively delightful and detailed. Chester initially reflects the characteristics of a loving shepherd. May help teach the days of the week. An inconsequential negative: I found myself leaving out "extra" words as I read.

This book is fantastic! The book is about a dog who has much love for his job and his family. One awful day he gets fired from his job at the farm. In search of work, he moves to the city and he finds that it is a very different lifestyle.

Chester, who is a herding dog (and obviously a Border Collie) moves from the country to the city and gets into a number of misadventures before he finds a job to keep him occupied.

Chester's attempts to find something to herd in the city are the funniest part of the book--the ending is a little cute.

And for anyone who is misled by the review citing Christian scripture, the book has nothing to do with religion, Christian or otherwise, unless you believe Border Collies are a religion in themselves. Sheeesh!!!!!

I found this very fun to read, and a very, very quick read it was. I would recommend it as it was very self-deprecating but very sweet and not bitter at all.

This is probably the best comic book I've ever read. In I Never Liked You, Chester Brown recounts his own adolescence. He doesn't rely on quirks, self-pity, overanalysis, or an edgy drawing style. His work is simple and understated, one incident flowing into another in an apparent anecdotal fashion which, by the end, reveals a large picture of Brown's seemingly hidden feelings. It is his relationship with his mentally unstable mother that fuels this book; Brown thoughtlessly antagonizes her (as teenagers do) and struggles with his inability to say "I love you"--at least to the right people at the right time. In his youth, Brown was best able to express himself through symbolic drawings which he infused with meanings he would later claim weren't there ("I never use symbolism.") This grown-up effort seems an extension of that, as a bittersweet memoir and perhaps explanation/closure for his emotional distance.

Chester Brown's seemingly simple graphic novel is actually a brilliantly written and drawn tale about adolesence that touches deep into your heart. Brown's ability to go deep into his past and dig up the things that haunt him most is simply incredible - it all seems so subtle, yet it's so personal and powerful. Like the recurring biscuit-eating scenes which might not mean anything but provoke so much feelings, of melancholy, loneliness, simple joy, etc.

Brown's art is as much a joy to look at as his writing. The freely (yet skillfully) drawn brush work, together with the loosely (yet cleverly) laid-out pages complement the story almost to perfection.

I have read and re-read the book a number of times on different occasions and personally I feel it's best when you read it in a quiet afternoon when you're all alone.

Together with 'It's A Good Life, If You Don't Weaken' by Seth, 'I Never Liked You' is one of those rare graphic novel that will let you feel as if you k! now the author personally after reading it.

While Jaime Hernandez, the writer, did somehow manage to avoid the laughable pretentions that derailed his brother ( a third-rater who must have believed the utterly ridiculous comparisons to Gabriel Marquez that his pseudosophisticated publishers promote him with), it is Jaime, the artist, who is the reason to buy this book. Jaime's stories are simple character-driven entertainments written at a sitcom or soap-opera level; unless you are a bored teenager or one of those comic book nerds who think this stuff (so blissfully free of any annoying big words or anything resembling an idea) is literature of some kind, the words in the balloons can usually be ignored with profit. Notice instead the crystalline qulity of the draughtsmanship, supreme in this field, and the ability to elegantly spot in areas of black that combined make Jaime's work wildly superior to 95 percent of the stuff that makes it into those "best of" illustration annuals (and at a fraction of the price). His only flaw is that his drawing is so robotically perfect that it is flat emotionally; if you've seen one of his books in his mature style, you've seen them all. Nevertheless, if you care about drawing you do need to see at least one, and this is as good as any. Just don't be put off by the insane manner in which Love and Rockets is promoted and miss this, or, even worse, believe the hype and expect this to be literature of any quality and be disappointed.

Chester Square is #13 in the complete Love and Rockets collection, and is written and illustrated by Jaime Hernandez. These L n' R collections are satisfying because they give you a significant chunk of our heroines' lives (and occasional dreams or fantasies). The stories are not always linear and not all the same, so there is no need to start with L and R #1. Los Bros Hernandez had not yet fully developed their voices with their first issues. In fact, I recommend you just grab a collection and start reading (this or "Wigwam Bam" are good places to start). If you like a character or storyline, you can continue to pursue it through some of the other trade paperbacks. Things are much easier to follow in book form than in the comic books.

In "Chester Square," star Hernandez Brother, Jaime, is in fine form and at the peak of his powers. These stories concern the realistic life of former punk-rock chica Maggie (aka Perlita, aka Perla, aka the Maggot, aka Margarita, etc) in her California home and some sketchy areas nearby. In Chester Square she clashes with locals, has a crushing realization of other's perceptions of her, and finds revenge isn't always what it's cracked up to be. She also spends some time with her tia (aunt) who was a pro wrestler and now is a respected wrestling coach. The wrestling stuff is cool, but it's not the main focus. Maggie's internal struggles are the true crux of the story.

Hernandez breathes life into everything in his comics in a way which is almost uncanny. With a few perfect illustrations, he creates a place, Chester Square, and suddenly new characters begin peering at us (and our heroine, Maggie) from dusty doorways. When Xaime draws a group of four women, each person has a perfectly rendered, individual body type. In Jaime's illustrations, all types can be beautiful, and they often are. He still amazes me when he captures a human look or body type I've never seen drawn before. As you read, you'll realize each of these characters has a fully formed personality, way of speaking and personal history. And you'll probably want to know more about all of them.

If you're like most readers, you'll care a lot about Maggie and Hopey. This book is from Maggie's perspective, and for the most part, you really get a chance to get inside her head. And who is usually there? Long time friend, and sometime lover, Hopey. Will they ever realize they should go to Canada and get married? I hope so. Everyone else does!

From the super-cool first splash page, where "Xaime" signs his name on the actual Chester Square motel sign (complete with missing letter) to the semi-resolved relief of the ending, this book is pure sequential literature of the highest quality.

Highly recommended.

It's been 4 yrs since Love & Rockets ended and I'm alomst over it. For the uninitiated Love & Rockets is the most fulfilling experience you'll ever have with paper. Over 15 yrs something amazing was created by the Hernandez Bros. and Chester Square wraps up one part, that which follows the lives and loves of probably the most endearing women in modern American fiction, Maggie and Hopey. Chester Square is an extremely satisfying experience which focusses on a confused Maggie as she tries life without Hopey. The end wraps everything up so beautifully that you'll weep tears of joy. Make sure you read the follow up series "Penny Century" as it just gets better.