Things don't change much in 50 years. This book still works with kids and adults. I like the new updates-just enough to make it contemporary. It would be a great gift for Little League friends and families.

Strike Three! offers great baseball action but, more importantly, it's a story about friendship, courage, and learning to extend our hands to others. Chip bridges the gap between the South and the West sides of Valley Falls with courage, faith, and friendship.

Strike Three was not published in 1990--but nearly 50 years ago.

Great story of values and friendships.

Buy the real Chip Hilton books.

This program exemplifies the potential quality audio has for complementing text. Soothing music introduces and links the stories and verses. Subtle sounds of nature immerse the listener in Pooh's world and provide a backdrop for Peter Dennis's enchanting performance. Dennis's ability to switch characters and moods allows him to accurately portray the range of characters in the stories. These talents shine prominently in the "When We Were Very Young" poems. All ages will enjoy this marvelous performance of Milne's words.

Pooh Corner, Not For Kids Only: ...Any adult or child who is captivated by Winnie-the-Pooh, Eeyore, Rabbit and all of A. A. Milne's creations - as he wrote them - will find magic in a new top-quality three volume set, The Classic Pooh Treasury" performed by British actor Peter Dennis.

Dennis has pleased critics and audiences around the world with his faithful treatment of Milne's stories and poems in live theater performances.

Peter Dennis brings to charming life each endearing character in these unabridged tales for the young and young at heart. LYNNE HEFFLEY, LOS ANGELES TIMES, AUGUST 11TH, 1996

These recordings of the Pooh stories are the BEST rendition I have ever heard. Peter Dennis' characterization of each character is perfect. The read-a-longs are great for the kids. I am a 50 year old "Classic" Pooh fan. I recommend these to everyone, whatever your age. They are pure joy .

Maddie begins a pen pal relationship with a stranger when she finds a balloon and a note attached; but quickly comes to believe her new friend is a ghost from the past. Pearl uses old-fashioned phrases and sends a photo decades old; but the real surprise comes when Maddie decides to track her down. Mystery, supernatural overtones, struggles with a new person in the family and a surprise ending make for a fast-paced, highly recommended story.

Write Me If You Dare! is a compelling story of Maddie, an endearing, fun-loving, courageous eleven-year-old who has lost her mother. A pen pal comes into her life just as her father begins dating a woman quite different from her mother. Maddie, her father, and grandfather and their relationships are exceptionally well-drawn and convincing as Maddie tries to accept her father's new friend. Interwoven throughout the book is a fascinating study of the family's bee-keeping enterprise. The story is told in a warm, reflective style, while Maddie herself is a bright, engaging youngster full of personality. I grew to love the characters. This story is meant for 8-12 year-olds, but I am a full-blown adult who laughed aloud, cried and felt every emotion in between as I read to the finish. I hope Emily Rhoads Johnson writes many more stories!

Maddie, the book's main character, is wonderful. She's bold and adventuresome, smart and fair, and best of all someone who knows how to stand up for herself. But she is also going through a tough time and feels lonely and abandoned--like many 12 year olds. She finds a mysterious letter telling her "Write me if you dare" and begins a correspondence that allows her to feel better for a while, and eventually helps her to grow up a bit. I won't reveal the great ending, but will mention that the book has the added attraction of teaching readers all about the beekeeping business, a family business that Maddie helps out with that gives her a sense of competence and being needed. It's a good book for any 10 to 13 year old but particularly for girls that age who may be struggling to adjust to life with just one parent (Maddie's mom has died) or to accept a parent's new partner.

Researchers constantly find that reading to children is valuable in a variety of ways, not least of which are instilling a love of reading and improved reading skills. With better parent-child bonding from reading, your child will also be more emotionally secure and able to relate better to others. Intellectual performance will expand as well. Spending time together watching television fails as a substitute.

To help other parents apply this advice, as a parent of four I consulted an expert, our youngest child, and asked her to share with me her favorite books that were read to her as a young child. Ant and Bee and the Secret was one of her picks.

I was surprised that she liked this book because it was the source of many critical discussions between us when she was younger. Let me explain. In the story, whenever the two friends, ant and bee, do something together, bee always does it better than bee at first. Bee then taunts ant by saying that ant is stupid. Ant gets angry and stalks off to a secret place. When ant returns, ant can outdo bee at whatever the activity is (such as drawing straight lines for hop scotch, jumping rope, and telling stories). My daughter and I both thought that was very rude of bee, and we didn't like that feature of the story.

After much discussion, we decided to change the story. Wherever it said 'stupid' we substituted 'silly' (my daughter's choice of word). And we both liked the book much better after that.

This book is a beginning reader, and there are five words printed in red in it (Ant, and, Bee, the, SECRET). As you and your child read the story together, your child reads the five words in red whenever they appear. It's a lot of fun (almost like singing a round) , and those words are quickly mastered.

The drawings are very cute, and having a mystery also helps sustain the child's interest. I won't tell you what the secret place is, but you'll like the answer.

Overcome your stalled thinking that children cannot rewrite stories to make them work better for them! Read and enjoy this fine book, and being with your rapidly-learning young reader!

One of the things I liked best about the story is that is indicates that you can improve if you work on it. Ant developed better skills, and bee developed better manners. Too often, young children can end up being discouraged if things don't go perfectly. Motor coordination skills develop differently from one child to the next, and we all should be encouraging and patient with that.

This book is exciting! It is a mystery. It is really fun. There is an ant and bee and kind dog. They are friends. They aren't always nice to each other. Bee learns how to be nice in the end.

This cookbook delightful to use and to peruse! It is a collection of 350 "small town" recipes from cast, friends and guest artists from the show. Trivia and snapshots are sprinkled throughout.

All the recipes I have tried in the cookbook have been very accurate. No missing ingredients. No temperatures wrong. The index is thorough: recipes by name and by major ingredient. The recipes are easy to follow and come out tasty too!

The names are unique: Remember Gomer telling Barney "Citizen's arrest!! Citizen's arrest!!" Well, "Citizen's Arrest Chocolate Cheesecake" would be worth a night in the slammer with Otis! It's that good!

Every recipe I have tried has become a favorite: "My Name Ain't Clem Applesauce Cake" "Wally's 7-Up(r) Pound cake" "Ellie's Apple Crisp"....

Delightful is right! For reading, cooking and eating!

I purchased this cookbook out of the fondness I held for the television show and thought it would make a novel conversation piece when guests linger in my kitchen. Aunt Bee's Delightful Deserts has become an essential desert cookbook not only for my dinners but family gatherings, cookouts, and parties. Lorranie's Fudge has become a Christmas tradition! The photos from the television show with kooky captions along with the recipes make cooking from this book as delightful as Mayberry itself. A must for any cook.

I was pleasantly surprised at the strength of character this and the whole series brought out. Paul Hutchens books captured my 10 year olds imagination. While these aren't huge novels, they are just the right size for a 10 year old's attention span and the central theme never gets lost. This is a great reinforcement for any parent trying to present the correct values in todays world.

As the first in the Sugar Greek Gang series, The Battle of the Bees sets a standard that the author never broke throughout the whole series. That standard is, in a nutshell, to: Give teens something that is wholesome, and good for Christian reading (as well as non-Christian readiing!).

These books not only include a great set of characters, but also good moral standards that would impress anybody.

This particular book is set in the mid-west of the USA in a little town called Sugar Greek (so named for the greek that flowed peacfully through it).

As the book opens, and the plot begins, you will notice that it doesn't sound like anything you ever read before; something most books after this genre fall short in. There is very little repetivness in the book, and the story plot flows smoothly along at a pace that isn't to fast. However it is not so slow that you get bored with the book.

Bill Collins (who the book is about) "tells" you the story, in that it sounds like like he is talkign to you, rather then you reading about him. This gives the reader a differant perspective on the story, and makes things very clear.

One thing that I personally really liked about the book was the fact that, unlike alot of Christian Teen novels, this perticular one had very little girl/boy relationship material in it. However, while it doesn't have that, it has a very exciting plot, plenty of action and adventure, and great kids. The author made every one in the Sugar Greek Gang a hero, and even the reader begins to feel that he or she may have been a hero along with them!

The only thing that I have against the book is the fact that it is to short. There really should be more. At least there is quite a long series here! I strongly recommend getting all of them! You will not be dissapointed in the least!

-Dan Van Nattan
Aka: Danazer

This book can only be descibed as a real joy to any true Bee Gees fan. It is down to earth and very informative. It shows the brothers for what they are, just three ordinary guys, doing what they enjoy most, creating beautiful music and sharing their wonderful gift of song with the world. I have heard tell that another book is to be relaeased in the year 2000, I hope this is in fact so, as Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb deserve more recognition for all they have given to the world over the past 35 plus years. May they continue writing wonderful music for many years to come. If you haven't got this book already and you get the chance to purchase it, don't turn away as you will never know what you have missed.

Being a lifetime fan of the Brothers Gibb, known throughout the world as the Bee Gees --- Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb --- I have bought just about every biography written, both authorized or not, and have found David Leaf's book to be the very best. He seriously details the history of this fabulous group, from the time they were youngsters singing "Bye-bye Blackbird" and "Lollipop", their struggle to make it big in Australia, to their discovery by Robert Stigwood in 1967. This fine book shows that the Bee Gees are more than just a Disco group, but a genuine phenomenon that has thrived since the 60's.

This book also has hundreds of great photographs and a listing of all their recordings. Truly a well-written tome that rises above the mere popcorn candy bios with nothing but cheesy information. However, since this book was written in the late 70's, I can only hope that it will be updated someday, to include their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and their recent successes, like their international hit album, STILL WATERS. The Bee Gees continue to prove themselves a powerhouse around the globe, and not showing any signs of slowing down, at least not in this millenium!!

David Leaf's book is a treasure to own! And you don't even have to be a Bee Gees fan, but it does help!!! The story of the brothers Gibb Stayin' Alive with the Fever!!!!

Oh my, what a delight. This little book is going off to all my friends in the field of sustainable development, including a small group who think apiculture is one way to peace. Thank you Mr. Scott for this gem.

Concisely written, fascinating facts about bee behavior. After each little nugget of information is a pithy moral to provoke thought on human behavior and how we might be better off emulating the bees. A great little book to include in a graduation gift.

Krebs has written a delightful book that brings to life a glowing glimpse of "The Beeman." Seen through the eyes of a grandchild, this book invokes a warm town as gentle bee-keeping facts are given. Her book is an excellent addition to a family library or a classroom's apiary unit. I can't wait to see her other books.

This warm, appealing picture book about bee-keeping (and grandparenting) is a delight from beginning to end. The text is spare and rhythmic, perfect for reading aloud, and the illustrations are full of bright colors and cheerfully inviting. Bees tend to fascinate young children, even if they frighten them; this book offers an insightful, reassuring look at the pleasures of bee-keeping for a little girl and her grandfather.

Anybody with a serious interest in bees -- and by that I don't mean just honey bees and beekeeping, but the thousands of other species that provide the fundamental service of pollination in both natural and agricultural ecosystems -- must seriously consider getting this book. It will be an invaluable resource for both those studying insects and those studying plants, for plant conservation is intimately wrapped up with the survival of their pollinators.

This is a magnum opus in both senses of the word. It is a big book, with over 900 pages, containing a wealth of information on bees. It is also a product of over half a century's research and learning by the world's foremost authority on bees, Charles Michener. His efforts, and those of the subsequent generations of researchers spawned from his lab at the University of Kansas, have been the foundation of our current state of bee knowledge.

At first glance, the book might appear intimidating: a heavy tome printed in a small font size, with black-and-white diagrams. The only respite seems to be a series of gorgeous color plates featuring the amazing photos of Edward S. Ross and Paul Westrich. A few minutes with it will quickly show you that it is a rich source of accurate information, and despite its technical content, well written and readable.

Broken into a series of sections, it provides complete coverage of bees and their biology. The first is a general discussion of bee biology (nesting, floral relationships, parasites, sociality, etc.); the second, explains the structure of bees and their origins; the third, bee taxonomy; and the fourth, (the bulk of the book) contains keys to identify bees and chapters on each family or subfamily with notes on each genera (distribution, floral preference, if any, etc.). This is accompanied by an extensive bibliography and reference list. This book will not only help you understand the ecological requirements of bees but also enable you to identify them to sub-genus level.

The price might deter you; it certainly gave me pause for thought. Having finally taken the plunge and purchased a copy I have no qualms at all about the expense. This is an astonishing work of scholarship. To have so much information gathered into one volume is invaluable. This is likely to remain the standard work of reference for many years.

Matthew Shepherd
Pollinator Program Director, The Xerces Society

If you work on bees, you will need to get a copy of Mich's Bees of the World. There is no way around it.

Some 16,000 bee species are places to genus, and the indentification guides (keys and illustrations) are the best yet.

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