This book is a slender, fully illustrated introduction to the Christianity and Christology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The ten issues are:

1)Are Latter-day Saints Christian?
2)What do Latter-day Saints believe about God?
3)Do latter-day Saints believe in the Bible and biblical Christianity?
4)Does God speak to his children in ways other than through the Bible?
5)Do Latter-day Saints believe that men and women can become Gods?
6)What do latter-day Saints mean when they say that God was once a man?
7)What do Latter-day Saints believe a person must do to be saved?
8)Do the doctrines and practices of the LDS Church change?
9)Ho do latter-day Saints believe they should live their lives?
10)Why do Latter-day Saints try to convert others?

I hope this gets your interest whetted. Robert L. Millet, the Dean of Religion at Brigham Young University-Provo and Dr. Noel Reynolds, an academic vice president at Brigham young University--Provo, are the editors, with several contributors from the Religious Faculty at BYU.

This booklet allows us to speak for ourselves, unfiltered and undistorted. It serves as a great introduction, a guide map if you will, for several points of doctrine and theology that are important for the Church of Jesus Christ. It is written at the high school level, and has beautiful eye-catching pictures. It is a booklet written for everyone.

I'm not a Mormon (Evangelical Christian, actually) and I think this is a great intro to LDS doctrine for Christians curious about Mormonism.

If you want to know the true LDS beliefs you should get them from a person who believes in Mormonism, not from a person who thinks Mormonism is a terrible cult. This book quickly cuts to the chase on some of the more controversial issues. This way you can make your own opinion, not get railroaded into a sensational one.

This is, for its size, an excellent little book that gives a solid, concise overview of Latter-day Saint belief on several issues that almost invariably come up when non-Mormons are asking questions about Mormonism. It's perfect for giving to curious neighbors, co-workers, etc. It makes no attempt to convert, but merely to explain. Very, very well done.

I adore this book. As a knitter, I'd been finding more and more patterns embellished with crochet details. I tried to teach myself but a lot of books were too wordy and not basic enough. I can't rave enough about the pictures in this book....they are very very clear...what the stitch should look like, where you put the hook, etc. True to the title, I was crocheting the same day I picked it up and had completed one project the first weekend.

I had signed up to take a crochet class before I bought this book. The class was so badly taught that a few of the students came over to me to share my copy of this book. By the end of the class the students using my book were crocheting! It is that good.

This book is so clear with it's instructions. I really learned how to crochet in one day (actually less than a day, I'd say a few hours at the most). This book is the next best thing to having someone actually show you how to crochet. The patterns are simple yet beautiful. This is a great book for anyone who wants to learn quickly.

This book is easy to follow with step by step instructions & illustrations on all the basics. It takes you thru each step with extreme detail and helpful hints. I bought several books to help me learn to crochet, but this was the only one I used!
I would highly recommend it for any beginner! I will also keep it as a "how to" reference.

I love this book because it presents a powerful message in a simple, unsentimental way. The illustrations are amazing -- I'm partial because my daughter and ex-husband were models for several of the illustrations that appear in the book! So thank you, Don Tate. You did a wonderful job, as did the author. A beautiful story about something most of us have a hard time doing: loving our enemies.

simply beautiful, both visually and linguistically...powerful meaning as well...I recommend it highly.

Katherine Grace Bond's talent shines through the deceptively simple prose of this heartfelt, authentic-feeling story. Other reviewers have already posted the general story line. I just want to add that many books in the Christian kids' market drip with saccharine and go for a forced sunny ending; this book is a refreshing exception that will help you open a healthy, substantive, character-building discussion with a pre-teen you love. The combined efforts of a white author and a black illustrator speak convincingly not merely to the issue of race, but also to the core issue of what happens when you love your enemies. A small gem of a book.

I had a wonderful time reading through this book and remembering the things my parents did for me. Now I almost always give this book to new parents. In this busy day and age it's easy to forget that the most simple tradition can mean a great deal.

Every family should own a copy of this book! From now on, I will give every new parent I know a copy of this one. I wish my parents had it when I was growing up. Worth every penny!

This is a great baby shower or new baby gift because parents can refer to it for years and years. The idea ares not crafts and cooking, but doable without alot of fuss and mess. I especially like the way the book is broken into timeframes--things you can do with your child in a minute or two, or five minutes,half-an-hour. I give it all the time. And if I know the new grandparents Igive them Little Things Mean A Lot.

In "Living Lent," Episcopalian priest Barbara Cawthorne Crafton draws texts from the Episcopal church hymnal, using them as the basis for a series of reflections around Lent. Although some of the reflections deal with somber topics, they are not depressing, rather they invite the reader to ponder, think about and work through serious issues. She also has a great sense of humor.

This is a great Lenten resource: rather than being self-focused, it broadened my perspective and helped me put my own sins and difficulties into context. The only thing is, now I am sad, because I have read all of her books! I hope she writes more soon.

Barbara Cawthorne Crafton has written this series of meditations based on Lenten hymns from the Episcopal Church Hymnal with a delicate touch and even a sense of whimsy. I enjoyed this book for the past two Lenten seasons and intend to continue using it for years to come.

Living Lent is a wonderful guide through the "forty days." Ms. Crafton uses personal stories, stories of parishioners, and of the world in a manner that ties the modern world to Christ. Her lessons are often subtle, but very powerful. I have bought this as a gift as well.

THIS IS A WONDERFUL BOOK. I TOO, WAS UPSET WHEN I COULD NOT FIND IT WHEN I WANTED IT FOR A GIFT TO A RECENT WIDOW. I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT WAS SO TO THE POINT AND EVERYTHING I WAS FEELING.
PLEASE BRING IT BACK

With the loss of my husband at age 44, I was devastated. This book was a gift and I read it everyday. I have never read anything that described my exact feelings as this book did. I vowed to give it to every new widow afterwards that I knew personally. I cannot believe it is out of print. This book need to be on the shelves for all widows..as the previous reviewer wrote, it is just enough daily reading for the troubled, confused mind. I love this book!

This book was incalculably helpful to me as I walked numbly through the first year after my husband's death. I received many books from well-intentioned friends, but couldn't find much enthusiasm for reading much at a sitting. This book is in a "daily meditation" format, presenting one idea per day, on one page. This was not too much for my grief-stunned attention span, and dealt with real issues in direct language. I appreciated it so much. Now, 6 years later, I want to purchase it for a friend, and am shocked and dismayed to find it's out of print! I sincerely hope that whoever is responsible for that will reconsider.... I heartily recommend this book for all widows who want to remember, and to gently help themselves heal.

This Calendar is Great...
The Witches Spells are at times, hilarious.
I'd heard most of them, as a child growing up in New Orleans, La.
A lot of the Spells, have probably been passed down to the reader as an 'old wives' tale'.
I read my daily Spell over Coffee, and always get a smile to take with me to my Workday.

The 2002 Herbal Almanac is probably a must for any witch who grows an herbal garden. I received a copy of this book last year, and found myself referencing it many times, as I worked on my garden this year. While it has been an experimental year for me, this book does contain many solid articles. This year's book features articles from Elizabeth Barrette, Eileen Holland, Sara Greer and many others. The topics covered range from composting to herbal honeys and honey candied herbs (a sweet treat article), herbal care for expecting moms and kids and handling business stress with flower essences. There are many other good articles in here, too numerous to mention, as well as moon charts, eclectic herb plants and seed sources, zone charts, even potpourri recipes. A good source of information and ideas, and a great gift for that herbalist at Yule.

I was new to herbs when I bought this, but now I am hooked! There are soooo many things that you can use in here, this really is essential for anyone who has interest in anything to do with herbs.

Such easy, interesting reading, this story of a Jewish lad growing into adulthood is so exciting that I have bought and given away no less than 50 copies. My brother Dewey responded, "I have not read a book through in 35 years." But on my urging, he promised to give me 15 minutes reading the book. His next response was, "Where can I get more? I want to give some to my friends!"

This pageturner reads like a novel, except it's TRUE. A biography that will bring you smiles and tears. Only someone who truly has had a life changing experience could write this story. You won't be able to put it down and then want to know what happened to Ron afterwards. Also read I JUST SHOW UP FOR WORK by Ron Levin. within he shares more.

Ron Levin's story about his journey through life starts out as a classic "success" story for a highly gifted, motivated person who "makes it" in the traditional business world. Equally true though, he takes the reader into the pits of despair & depression that so often is an actual part of what appears on the surface to be worldly success. What a pity it is that Ron had to reach a point of suicide at 60 years of age, seeing only emptiness & worthlessness in the trappings of success. But the best part of his story is the fact that at the point of such a waste of human life, Yeshua still saves us from eternal death and is in still in the business of performing miracles. What a living testimony Ron's life has been since that wonderful day when he met Jeshua face to face. God has been able to pick up that broken human being and refashion it into a vehicle of victory, just as He can for all of us that chose to accept Jesus as our Lord & Savior.I thoroughly recommend this book as a "life changing read" - I couldn't put it down once started until I had completed it from cover to cover.

We have been reading 'Lulu's Busy Day' since my daughter, Ruby was18 month old & she has requested that we read it over & over again. She loves the pictures & the simple story which relates to her world. Whenever we come to the page where Lulu is swinging in the park, she puts her foot up & tries step into the picture so that she too can swing with Lulu. She does the same with the picture of Lulu taking a bath in 'Hello, Lulu'. Caroline Uff's amazing illustrations are so vibrant that my little girl thinks she can step into the pictures & be in Lulu's world. Ruby is 2 now & 'Lulu' is still a firm favorite & whenever we go to the park she tells me she wants to "swing up high like Lulu"!

I personally know how hard it is to hold a 2 year old's attention. This book is something that can capture it. I originally discovered this book, as well as "Happy Birthday, Lulu" and "Hello, Lulu", in a group called Welcome Baby. This is a group that is part of our local hospital that gives out books to new parents, encouraging them to read to the youngest of children. They also have support groups that encourages reading to young children. This book keeps the kids entralled. My daughter was 6 months old when she first heard this book and crawled over to the book and just stared at the bright colorful pictures. The words are huge, as well as the pictures. The writing is simple. Caroline Uff really figured out how to capture the imaginations of the young. This book will not disappoint you or your children.

Katie Saylors English 385.05 Dr. Michelle Martin Critical Reflection #3 Uff, Catherine. Lulu's Busy Day. London: Orchard Books, 2000. Kupetz, Barbara N. and Elise Jepson Green. Sharing Books with Infants and Toddlers: Facing the Challenges. Young Children, 1997.

Lulu's Busy Day, written and illustrated by Caroline Uff, is an example of a didactic book. This picture book is a companion to Hello Lulu. While Hello Lulu introduces Lulu to her young audience, Lulu's Busy Day depicts this terrific toddler's daytime activities. Lulu starts her day with drawing beautiful pictures, then playing catch and journeying to the park where she meets her best friend to play on the swings. Soon she must return home to get out of the rain and eat dinner, build with building blocks, clean up, and finally get ready for bed. The story is told through a seemingly handwritten font relating the way a toddler may write, and the pages are full of color having an appealing look for any youngster interested in reading. A didactic book teaches a lesson, and Uff's new collection of Lulu books seem to teach etiquette for toddler's that may hear the story. Young children need materials and real experiences that support concepts they are learning. Pictures and short stories can stand for real things such as, brushing their teeth, putting away their toys, and obeying their parents (Kupetz). Children can make inferences from books and compare the stories to what really happens in their world. Lulu is pictured in large, bright, child-centered illustrations and no adult characters, such as parents, are present. The lack of superfluous detail will encourage the young audience to focus on each drawing, while helping them understand the story line. Examine the choice of character names. Lulu is simple to repeat and can be fun for a child to say. Uff's books about Lulu are written in easy-to-repeat text. Although no adult characters are present in Lulu's story, when a parent or teacher reads a didactic book like Lulu's Busy Day to a child, a special relationship between the child and parent can be understood mutually. Lulu knows to go home because it is raining outside, and she cleans up her blocks when she is finished building. All parents wish that their children would automatically obey like Lulu, and reading this picture book can help children learn to obey. Lulu spends her days doing exactly what any other toddler would do, which helps the audience realize the right things to do. Children can learn valuable lessons from Lulu. She cleans up her toys, eats her dinner, bathes herself, and brushes her teeth while remaining a well-behaved and happy little girl.

A book thorough in its presentation of Western art from the Gothic period on through the period of Neoclassicism, the authors of the chapters in it have given the reader a fine overview of the art techniques used in this time period. They also attempt to explain the various rationale and motivations of the artists themselves in creating the artforms that they did. These attempts will of course remain points of controversy, for it is difficult, and the authors cannot claim with certainty, any correlation between the artforms and the political, personal, and social philosophies of the time periods discussed. But the author's speculations on these reasons entice readers to form their own, and this enhances the didactic quality of the book.

In the discussion of the Gothic era, for example, the author (Robert Suckale) claims that the art of this period was to be contrasted with that of the Middle Ages, which exclusively produced works that protrayed life in the hereafter. A sharp boundary would be difficult to draw between the Gothic and Middle Ages though, so it should be concluded that his statement is one that could be characterized as dealing with "averages" over the works produced. Certainly some exceptions or deviations could be found in the works of the Gothic era as well as the Middle Ages. It might be perhaps more precise to classify time periods in art relative to the techniques used rather than the content, especially when comparing two points in history that are separated by a relatively short time scale. Therefore it is easier to accept that art at the end of the Gothic period was very different in content than the beginning of the Middle Ages, but as one shrinks the time scale separating these endpoints, the distinction becomes more difficult.

in addition, Suckale emphasizes the role of the artist as architect in the Gothic period, with geometrical considerations viewed as "natural" and therefore subject to the dynamism displayed by nature. This lead to complex mathematical configurations coupled with intricate non-geometric components. The "fresco" technique had its origin in this time period, and Suckale takes the reader through the process of how this was done, it requiring the artist to work very quickly. The ramifications of the Black Death on commerce at the time influenced art dramatically, Suckale argues, and resulted, interestingly, with an explosion of both religious and secular works of art. The survivors of the Black Death were those of the repentant and those who felt life was short and must be enjoyed to the fullest. Suckale also explains the switching by artists from the pattern book to the sketch book, resulting in more originality by the artists.

Manfred Wundram follows in the next article with a discussion of the early Renaissance period, which can be characterized he says by emphasis on portraiture and landscape painting. He claims that fine art is a means of expression of humankinds general cultural and intellectual history, and that religious and political conditions play a major role in shaping the art forms of a particular era. Art intepretation, he says, cannot happen without visual evidence. Any attempt to do so is mere speculation. These comments are to some extent convincing, but the interpretation of all art, regardless of the time period in which it was produced, should be left to the mind of the observer, in whatever framework such an observer chooses, be it a modern viewpoint or one that is actually attempting to relate the artwork to the time period in which it was produced. Pure speculation in the appreciation of art is thus permissible and is to be encouraged.

Wundrum continues his analysis in the next article on the Renaissance and Mannerism, in which he argues, painting reached an absolute zenith. Readers preferences may prohibit an agreement with this characterization of the Renaissance however. In the artworks displayed in this article, a good example being the Virgin and Child with St Anne and St John the Baptist, one can see what Wundrum describes as color modulation, as the gradual dissolving of outlines. Wundrum also discusses in detail the origins of the term Mannerism and its problematic use in describing some of the art in this time period, and as being a transition between Renaissance and Baroque. And interestingly from a modern perspective is the exaggeration and deformation of the ideal human figure which took place under the category of Mannerism, supposedly according to the author to make more of an expressive impact.

In the next article, Andreas Prater takes the reader through the Baroque period, the art in this period reflecting the ostentation and exuberance of the times. He argues that the art of this period is very difficult to define and characterize, and he summarizes the attempts to do so in detail. Illusionism and distortion of reality he says, are characteristics of the Baroque period. This is not readily apparent in the artworks displayed in this section however, unless one view angels, unicorns, etc as a distortion of reality, and not merely a flight of fancy on the part of the artist. In fact a certain degree of optimisim is present, a good example being "Seaport at Sunrise' by Claude Lorrain.

Hermann Bauer continues with the Baroque period but from the standpoint of the Netherlands in the next article. The paintings seem more naturalistic in this case, the landscapes more serene, with an overabundance of earth tones. The "Honeysuckle Bower" of Peter Paul Rubens has to rank as one of the most impressive studies in detail ever put on canvas. Rembrandt's "Slaughtered Ox" is characteristically post-Modern.

Eva-Gresine Baur ends the book with an article on Rococo and Neoclassicism. The use of pastels characterizes this period, argues Baur, and she describes these methods in detail. She characterizes the art of this period as a repression of fear, and without agreeing with this statement, the artworks listed do seem to exemplify a certain degree of escapism.

This is one of the best art books I have ever read, for serious art historian or novice. The production is beautiful, the writing simple and to the point. And the great thing is, once is not enough - you want to look at it and read it over and over again. A bargain at the price and a joy to handle and peruse.

This is a comprehensive, intelligent, beautifully produced work, covering the greatest paintings of Western Art in a way which appeals to the educated art lover as well as the novice. I thoroughly recommend it. One caveat: It's heavy!Carrying it can be a chore. But give it a good home and it will be a perpetual source of pleasure and instruction.