I am 1. Almost 2. I love Beach Day and ask to read it first thing every morning and then again before I go to bed. During the day I like to sit in my chair and read it to my baby doll. The pictures are great to look at and I like to name all the objects on the inside front and inside back covers. Each page has more pictures full of things to look at and perfect for a toddler like me who is just learning the names of every thing in this very interesting world. Since we got this book at the library, it's been renewed. But my birthday is coming up, so I hope to get my very own copy soon. Enjoy reading this beautiful book!

I'll be honest with you - I bought this book for me! The rhyme and watercolors are truly a magical combination. What a great start for a first time author! The best part is that my two year old loves it just as much as I do!

We checked this book out from the library and my 19 month-old daughter LOVES it!! (So now I am buying it) She wants to read it again and again and referred to it when we went to the ocean recently! The illustrations are cheerful, multi-cultural and fun. The text is rhythmic and enjoyable to read aloud. (Also, I couldn't find it in the brick and mortar book stores) This book about a day at the beach is a fun read for toddlers!

Having never done any cycle touring, speaking very little Spanish and being a middle aged women travelling alone, I thought a few tips and hints and route advice would make my trip a little easier. I found it all and more in "Bicycling Cuba" by Wally and Barbara Smith. Their advice on what to take, where to go, where to stay, and gems to see was unsurpassed.

I had spent three weeks in Cuba previously and had used two guide books. The Smiths' advice, while not replacing a guide book, was the best: succinct, accurate and introduced me to friendly and helpful people. Their three main cycle tours, west, central and eastern Cuba cover the most scenic areas as well as the historic gems of this wonderful country. The route descriptions were accurate, easy to follow and contained good advice about difficulty, water availability, traffic problems and special sites.

The Smiths obviously love Cuba and this comes out in their writing. They include inserts about various social issues, economics and politics -- each fascinating.

I thoroughly recommend "Bicycling Cuba" with no reservations. My only wish is that the Smiths would produce some more books for other countries.

Bicycling Cuba turned out to be invaluable during our three-week trip to the western part of Cuba. The authors really know what they are writing about. Some of the most interesting and rewarding routes suggested in the book were not on the best maps available. The authors way of describing the routes kilometer by kilometer was of great help because very often roads were unmarked. At the intersections we had no problems in choosing the right road. The book also contains a lot of useful information, for example, on accomodation.

We warmly recommend Bicycling Cuba for independent cyclists planning a trip to Cuba.

We loved this book, comparing this book to other bicycling books we've used, this is by far the best, along with Cuba being one of the best places to cycle tour. Unless you want to spend an enormous amount of money on a stifling guided tour, pack light, buy this book, go and enjoy Cuba. This book has everything you need and is a great read on Cuba in addition to the touring information.

I love this book and my kids do too. The writing is perfect for young children and the illustrations are too adorable. This is sure to become a classic in many home libraries. I know it is in ours.

This book is an excellent book for teaching young children about hugging. It talks about a variety of people you might wish to hug. It gives a cute description about the hug. I think parents will find this book "a must have" particularly with young children.

I thought this was one of the best children's books I had seen in a long time. It emphasized the value of the family. That is am important quality in today's lifestyle. I loved the art work also.

Mary clearly writes from her experiences which is why this book is superb. An added bonus for me personally is that she comes from the high tech industry. For every roadblock and mindblock I have experienced each chapter of the book has an answer. Mary knows that when you're burned out you can't take having another 'to do' list so she has created a book that tackles one obstacle per chapter. Her personal experiences have provided her with the unique ability to know the order to approach each of the obstacles that need to be worked through. The chapters are short and action oriented. The book gets you moving quickly and easily onto a path of clearing the clutter and achieving what you really want. The beauty of this book is that the exercises apply to both your work and personal life. As a result I can't remember ever having felt as confident, happier and stronger than I do today. Results are quick!

My job was killing me, or so I thought. Like most professionals, I believed that the higher I went up in my career ladder, the more stress I needed to shoulder, and the less time I had to actually live life. I thought that giving 150% was the price for being successful, and that ulcers were a normal part of the rat race.

I was wrong - "the job" doesn't burn you out, your own mindset does! I learned how to stop being a slave to my email, voicemail, celphone and pager, and not only get all my work done, but of a higher caliber than before. This book walks you, step by step, through the process of taking control back and a being truly successful person - happy, healthy, and productive!

A must read for anyone who even suspects they may be burning out, in easy to handle chunks. I highly recommend it.

I have read this book and followed many of Ms. Lewis' suggestions. As a healthcare professional, I have suffered burnout, numerous times. I was told it came with the job.I love my work but didn't love the stress levels. Ms. Lewis' suggestions are very helpful! I don't overload my schedule nor do I volunter to be everything to everybody anymore. I chose those areas that are near and dear to my heart and stay with them. I am very happy. My stress level is VERY manageable.This book was very helpful and well written so even, I could understand.

Next time you take a transcontinental flight to a technical conference, skip the airline movie and just read this wonderful book cover to cover. I wish history class in high school had been this much fun. Naughton has written the definitive history of the Internet so far. For example, when the Pentagon asked AT&T to build an early prototype of the Internet for them, AT&T pooh-poohed packet switching as a worthless idea concocted by some young whippersnapper (Paul Baran of the Rand Corp.) who knew nothing about proper telephone engineering. The book is full of anecdotes and funny stories. Great reading for old fogies and young fogies alike.

What does the Internet mean for the future? An answer partially depends upon an analysis of the past, and John Naughton's Brief History of the Future is the first book to cover the entire history of the Internet's development, from those who first thought of it in the 1940s to the scientists and engineers who brought it to life. Anecdotes blend with history to provide an intriguing blend of personal and scientific observation.

Reads like a sci-fi novel while providing a solid understanding of how and why the Internet works. At times the detail is almost overdone but this only adds to the credibility of the author. I started with a Timex Sinclair computer and have lived through the period covered in this book without really understanding just what made the internet work. Now I know!

I'm a mission to purchase all the Carl books. I think it's a great way to show children how wonderful animals and pets can be. I especially like the board book format. It will allow my baby to enjoy it for a long time.

All of the Carl books are thoughtful and creative, though this one is my favorite so far. I love making up the words for each of the books. The format definitely encourages analysis and discussion in a fun way. Little ones must look carefully and closely at each picture and think about how they choose to interpret the events. This book would make a timely birthday gift as well.

The basic premise is that "Mom" sends Carl and the baby girl (now a toddler) next door for their naps so that she can prepare for Carl's surprise birthday party. Of course, mischievous Carl and the baby sneak back and get into everything before the party.

This story is full of sweet little details (Carl receives a toy sized Rottweiler which they can't seem to get rewrapped quite right. Carl takes a bite out the cake and disguises it with a carefully placed flower. Somehow, all the toys that Mom picked up end up back out and under the party table....what Mom can't relate to that one!)

But most of all, I appreciate the free spirited theme that underpins these books. For me, they are a reminder that all of the details that seem so critical are really just a means to a bigger end. In the end, it's the spirit and joy of childhood that is important, a spirit that Carl and that little girl epitomize without saying a single word.

If I had to choose a favorite Carl book (they're all favorites!), this would be it. The story line is so clever, and the whole book is so funny!

This book tell what life was like in Hiroshima in the four months before the atomic bomb. It is actually the first of a series on the effects of war and the atomic bomb on the lives of one family as seen through the eyes of a 6 year old boy, Gen Nakaoka. Based on the real-life experiences of the author, this volume opens in April 1945 and tells of the hardships of war on the people of Japan.

Gen's father is a craftsman in Hiroshima who makes wooden sandles to try to feed his five children and his pregnant wife. He is labelled a traitor by his neighbors because he is opposed to the war. We see the cruelties and hardships of their daily lives through the eyes of young Gen who can't understand why he and his family are despised. The close family values of his home life are in sharp contrast to the rabid patriotic chauvenism of his community. This volume ends with the events of August 6, the day of the atomic bomb. The story of how Gen survives is told in the subsequent volumes.

The work has been well translated from the Japanese original: Hadashi no Gen. It was originally published in serial form in 1972 and 1973 in Shukan Shonen Jampu, the largest weekly comic magazine in Japan, with a circulation of over two million. The drawings are all in black and white. This US edition was published as part of a movement to translate the book into other languages and spread around the world its message of the threat of nuclear war. It is a wonderful testimony to the strength of the human spirit and the horrors of nuclear war. There are a few introductory essays at the front of the book and a publisher's note at the end that help to put this book into perspective. It is a powerful and tragic story that I highly recommend for anyone interested in the topic.

Nakazawa Keiji's "Hadashi no Gen", or "Barefoot Gen" as we read it, is a stark portrayal of the artist's experience before and after the bombing of Hiroshima. In Japan, in most if not all junior high schools, manga and toys are banned even today as distractions from study. Yet, Barefoot Gen won the praise of Educators in Japan immediately after it was published. This is perhaps the only manga, or graphic novel, which can be consitantly found on the shelves of school libraries in Japan.

It is not an "oh, woe is me" tale of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but rather a sharp and critical statement about both nuclear war and the Japanese expansionist empire in the first part of this century. Packed with fine details of Japanese life which are still obvious today, simple illustrations and direct text hold nothing back. What many readers may find awkward humour rattled with panic is scattered through the story, but that is a very accurate depiction of the Japanese social response mechanism to impossible situations.

The book is also a unique pop-culture portrayal of Japanese attitudes to 'gaijin', or foreigners living in Japan at the time, particularly Korean. Koreans were left without assistance by Japanese who considered them third class, and this book is unique to include that aspect in a text for youth. It is also sharply critical of an Empire's treatment of her people, while this empire still shadows Japanese life today. A truly remarkable book which should find a space on the shelves of youth and community libraries everywhere.

The simple language and graphics also make this book an excellent source for ESL readers.

Do yourself and your teenagers a favour and find copies of Barefoot Gen and the other books by Nakazawa which have been translated in this series (search Amazon.com for "The Day After", "Out of the Ashes" and others), then share them.

Defying anyone who would call a graphic novel simply a comic book, the Barefoot Gen series is a great work of art at many levels. Together with "Maus," these series immortalize mistakes that can never again be allowed to be repeated.

This was one of the best children's books I have read, and I recommend it for children that are getting ready to move. This book was written by Stan and Jan Berenstain.
Moving day is about a family of bears, they are Papa bear, Mama bear, and brother bear. Before they moved to the valley, they lived in a cave. Mama had a vegetable garden, and Papa cut down trees and made furniture. Brother kept busy playing with his many friends, which were animals. Then Papa bear said that they they needed to move because the trees were getting farther and farther away and Mama bear agreed that they needed to move because the soil was getting too hard for her vegetable garden. Brother bear was very sad about moving because he would miss his friends. Mama bear said that he could write his old friends and make new friends when they moved into their new house. They moved into a treehouse that needed alot of work. As they looked at it and imagined how it would look after it was fixed up, the neighbors came over to say "hi". Now the bears had new friends and after they fixed up the treehouse it was just perfect!

This book is set before the bear family has moved into the tree house. It tells about why they are mvoing and how sad brother is but how he does have even more fun when they get to their new house.

If you have read any of the story books in this series you know how great of books they are. I suggest this book for any kids who loves great book!

In 1981 we moved cross coutry with our three year old son. This book helped "develop" the pictures of the process for him. Now I am in the "mentor" position for other young mothers facing long distance moves. This is my first gift choice for them and their three or four year olds to make the process understandable and FUN. Patricia Smith, RNS, MS

Just like most contemporary romances, you can predict the ending. But Catch of the Day did not have any slow dragging parts like some others in this category does. It was a great book...and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a "feel good" story. And I agree with BobbiSioux....I would love to see a sequel on this one!

I want to live in a coastal Maine town too!!! This was great summer easy reading. The setting was so detailed I fell in love with the town and the people. The only thing I wanted was for some of those people who snubbed Maggie to get their comeuppance! The book had the right amount of characters in it. The author does a great job of introducing each in their own light and so descriptively that you can never confuse one for the other. I have found other multi-character books can confuse the reader because of the lack in detail to distinguish each character, not this book. It was a great read.

I loved Catch of the Day!! It was well written and the characters were extremely likeable. I hope to see the side stories developed into other books, I will be be watching and waiting!!

Mark Sutton and Bruce Hennigan do a great job of explaining some of the many possible causes for depression as well as steps to take in overcoming it. I discovered that a person may battle depression on a daily basis, but it can be overcome. The Life Filters are great! Written from a compassionate viewpoint, this book will help you with depression if you are willing to work and apply its suggestions.

Thank you Mark and Bruce for putting together the book "Conquering Depression". I believe it to be the best and most practical book I have ever read on the subject. For once I have found a book outlining a workable program, that develops tangible skills, and that forges and sharpens mighty weapons to defeat and overcome depression. A book that addresses the tri-part nature of man: his spirit, his soul (mind, will and emotions) and his body. I am convinced that should people who suffer the dreadful effects of despair and depression follow the 30 day program outlined in your book, they will be empowered to overcome and defeat their depression. Again, well done !

As one who has suffered from clinical depression for many years I was skeptical about this "30 day plan" approach but after reading this book I am skeptical no more. Written by a medical doctor and a pastor, this is not a "pray it away" approach but rather a multidisciplinary approach that gives information from a medical and spiritual perspective as well as recommendations for treatment and tools to use on a day to day basis. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who lives with depression or even thinks they might have it.