Both my sons really enjoy this book. It is a cute story about a frog that buys a house and discovers since it is on a hill only his friend goat can come up to the house. He sets out to build a road so the moving truck and all his friends can come to his new house. The book has great pictures, fold out pages and since it's easy to read it keeps their attention throughout the whole book.

I love these books! Toad is innovative and problem solves his way through. If you have any of these books pay attention to the yellow duck, it becomes a game to my son to find the duck!
This whole series is great for all children from 18 months to beginning reading. It rolls when reading to your children the art is whimsical and the stories have some plot and are focused on problem solving together. It is the phonics and the rhyming that you will love, and they are short enough to keep you and your childs attention.

if not just to look at the development of the corporate identity of various well known companies (and some that haven't changed!) then you surely need this book just for your retro-fixation... i know i did anyway.

In this age of computerized clip-art, the works housed in this collection may not be as impressive - or perhaps surprising - as they were at its 1988 publication. Still, the beauty of these trademarks and the cleverness of their design are both a pleasure to view and and a source of inspiration. By pulling these logos out of their sublimated context and displaying them front and center, they turn into works of art.

Baker and Blik have gathered together a wide range of logos, including some very familiar (The Pep Boys, Zig-Zag, Elsie the Cow), and many more hopelessly obscure - but no less fascinating. And by organizing around themes, the reader can get some ideas as to how themeatic elements came and went with the years.

A nice coffee-table or bathroom book that is also at home on a graphic designer's bookshelf.

i loved these three storys. it was great how harlequin developed the town of Tyler Wisconsin and then went back years later to share more stories of the children that are not children anymore. a must read romance collection!

Like the original series, all three stories are well worth reading but not all are equally excellent. My favorite Made For Each Other is about reluctantly reunited lovers. I did have a couple of minor complaints. My first is a disappointment in the reason provided for the pairs' initial falling out. A second, a quibble really lies in the fact that the cover says the break-up took place eight years ago, making Gina at that time much younger than the text states. The current conflict and reconciliation is a fun read.

I confess however I bought the book in hopes of finding out about the future of Tyler high school football player, Rick Travis and wonder of wonders, The Bride's Surprise, gives me just that. A nice write up of Rick's short-lived pro career and his subsequent life and loves culminating in his marriage to a long-time friend. The girl, a non-Tylerite asks him to be her 'man of honor,' - a nice twist - at her wedding which happily doesn't come off and the story takes off from there.

The third story suffers slightly only by way of comparison. Behind Closed Doors details the meeting between a millionaire businessman identified in a magazine as the sexiest man in America and the Tyler children's librarian. The story is slow moving, the women in it including unfortunately the librarian rather unpleasant in their pursuit of the visitor from out of town. I found it hard to accept that the pair falls in love after spending only a few hours talking about books while locked in a basement. And I am a librarian. The plot didn't require the fantasy ending it got for the story is a fantasy indeed.

All in all though there are many excellent secondary characters in the ten part Tyler series whose stories I would like to read. Here's hoping we get more of them. Overall I gave this book five stars because it was such a pleasure to revisit the younger Tyler characters.

This is an enjoyable, moving novel about a small town in Nova Scotia and three brothers who are raised by an incredibly anti-social, cynical mother after their father dies when they are very young.I thought that the author managed to make all the characters interesting and believable, even the ones I didn't like. I really enjoyed this novel, and look forward to Greer's next book.

D. Greer's novel takes a reader through the heart of Nova Scotia in a time period that reflects the struggles of the fishing towns up and down the south shore. This story is uplifting, yet real and closes leaving the reader with a mix of emotions.

Of all the erotica I've read so far, and I have read a lot, this is my favorite story about lesbians. When reading erotica I don't limit myself to M/F stories, I'll read anything. Ms. Tyler draws very steamy pictures for me, and the way she handles the "hush hush" topic of Dominance/Submission really appeals to me. She is explicit and exact in the details of her scenes, but she also gives the reader some idea of the thoughts and emotions of the characters in the scene. It's not about the pain, although that is certainly part of it. It's more about the power struggle between the characters and their coming to terms with what they really want in a relationship. I really like the way Ms. Tyler tells her stories, and I look forward to many more from her.

This delightful mix of sex and rock and roll play out to a fabulous end in this S&M novel about the romance between meek Veronica afraid of submitting and all that it would mean-and Cara the mistress with a heavy hand a big heart.If you like lesbian erotica and S&M-or just a plain good old book with a great story line to keep you up nights be sure to pick this one up-

This is a story of a man who creates his own world of loneliness and satisfaction. He feels happy if he does not have to go out or speak to strange and unknown people. His reactions are very passive and he is undecided about most of the things. Unfortunately, he does not realise and admit that his world could not give him all protection he would like to. He becomes more and more depressive and unable to live a real life. Even more, he gets lost in his own world! It seems that nobody can help him - mostly because he does not leave anybody in his vicinity. Only a woman, who is in many things very different - is young, talkative (too much, I think), full of energy, daring and also thoughtless - could maybe change him and even she must be almost aggressive. I like neither Macon nor Muriel. I think, the author a bit exaggerates in description of their characters. They both look quite unreal to me. But it is worth to read this book and if you take some things from Macon's and some from Muriel's character, you could get an interesting person. And some descriptions of Macon's thoughts are also well written.

Macon Leary writes city guides for business travelers who hate to travel. His books feature the "American" restaurants in cities like Paris. And Macon is sure to check the flush of the toilets in hotel rooms. "Bring a novel to read on the plane," he advises his readers, "to protect yourself against chatty strangers".

His own life is organized by all the little systems he devises to minimize the drudgery of everyday existence. It gets worse when his marriage disintegrates after the senseless death of Ethan, his twelve year old son who was executed during a holdup at a fast food joint. Macon showers while agitating his dirty laundry underfoot, he sleeps between two sheets which have been sewn together so he never has to make the bed, and he feeds Edward, Ethan's dog, in the basement of his Baltimore-area home by dumping kibble down the coal chute.

Macon meets Muriel, an awkward, pushy, self-reliant young woman, when Edward is turned away from the kennel because he's taken to biting. Macon leaves the dog at Muriel's clinic and, upon his return, she announces that Edward likes her and that she can train him to not bite. Muriel uses her role as Edward's tutor to worm her way into Macon's boring, reclusive life and, as he soon finds out, she has a few scars of her own that need healing. Muriel turns out to be the best thing that has happened to Macon, and vice versa, but you want to kick Macon for not seeing it right away, when his estranged wife tries to get back into his life.

The Accidental Tourist was the first novel written by Anne Tyler that I had read. I have since read many of her other novels, but this one remains my favorite. The characters are well-written, developed without being overexplained. Tyler allows some room for interpretation without coming off as sketchy. She allows readers to dislike her characters at first, but gradually allows the reader to piece together all the traits showing the characters to be real and honest.

Even with its upbeat(compared to some of her other novels)ending, The Accidental Tourist still has the power to elicit an emotional response to the grief and fear her characters feel. From Macon and Sarah, grieving and angry after the murder of their son, to Edward, the son's dog, who is both a a mourner, and, at times, a stand-in for the absent child, to frizzy Muriel, the characters are sympathetic, sometimes frustrating, but always appealing.

Anne Tyler is a talented writer who uses language to explain, develop, and create life and emotion. She is truly one of the most talented writers today.

This book is a great introduction to 2D programming and the basics of the video card (but only in mode 13h, 320X200). It covered numerous 2D topics such as scaling, rotating, translating, scrolling techniques, etc. But, I thought this book would go further into 3D game programming since that is more present in current games. He talkes about 3D programming in the 6th chapter and then never gets back to it. I didn't learn how to make a ray casting engine from this single chapter. It showed some mathematical functions explained some theorys, showed me the source code for a real, functioning ray caster and then got right back into 2D special effects! I didn't learn any 3D game programming techniques from this book and it left me searching for another book that focuses on 3D.

If you are a beginner and know nothing about 2D or 3D graphics, buy this book. But, if you know all you want to know about 2D graphics, go looking for another book that explains 3D graphics in depth like one of the OpenGL or Direct3D books.

Andre LaMothe does an excellent job at making complex concepts easy. In just first third of the book, he has taken the reader from a basic C programmer to someone skilled enough to make their own VGA DOS game. But that's the main problem with this book; if you had it in 1990, you could have become King of the game-programming world, but in 1998 you can't use many of the skills to do much more than write a fun game to impress your friends. Most professional games are now written for Windows 95, and absolutely none of them use a Wolfenstein-style ray-casting engine like the one to which half the book is dedicated. If you just want to have fun and make a computer game, it's perfect, but if you want to make money or further your career, you should find a more up-to-date Direct X book.

This book is great for beginners. Don't expect to create the next Quake because this book was written long before those quality/style of games. Andre does an excellent job of explaining his point(s) and this book helped me write a 3D game in 3 days with no prior game experience. Even though this book is old, it is still a good resource. Andre is my favorite game author to date, so if you're looking for more up to date information (i.e., DirectX game programming) I would recommend that you read some of Andre's more recent work (i.e., Windows Game Programming for Dummies). All of his writings have helped me become better and better. Keep up the good work Andre....

I bought this book to help sharpen my HTML skills for a web site project that I am currently working on for my Master's Degree. Luckily, I made a great choice, because this book has helped me further develop my understanding of HTML in a very short timespan. I use this book more than the textbooks that our instructor assigned to us. I highly recommed the book to anyone looking for a book that can teach them HTML in less than a month.

I found the book easy to read, full of great examples, and very well suited to use as a reference guide. You will find yourself quickly building web publishing skills starting with the very basics, then moving on to tougher subject like using frams, inserting multi-media, creating forms, and other useful topics. My own personal copy is rough around the edges because I have used it so much during my project.

If you are looking for an easy way to learn a lot about HTML, but don't have the time or money to spend on a class, I recommend that you purchase this book. It is money well spent for those looking to expand your web publishing skills.

This book wins kudos for honesty of title: I really believe you could work through it at a chapter a day, and teach yourself pretty much everything you needed to know about HTML and web site design. I started with some programming background, but absolutely no HTML, and using this book was able to design and implement two different web sites, granted both fairly simple, but not trivial, either, and entirely hand-coded.

The book covers the basics of just about every aspect of web design, with pointers to how to obtain more in-depth information on advanced topics (graphics, scripting...), if you need it. Probably most people will skip some chapters (I skipped Java and Java Script, for example), but they're there to go back to, if you need them later.

Best of all, the book is well written. The presentation is well organized, and the writing is clear and direct.

This book was recommended by a close friend who wanted me to learn HTML so I could do some work for his Web Publishing company. Well, I went through it in less than two weeks and was ready to go to work!

The book is written simple-to-understand, but gives enough technical information to keep you interested long after you've learned HTML.

As far as reference goes, you can't get much more complete. I keep this book close at hand to look up the various HTML commands and how to use them.

The book teaches cascading style sheets, tables, forms, javascript, and the new version even includes coverage on XHTML!

The main author, Laura Lemay, writes in a style that is not condescending, and her humor is not forced. It's almost as if your friend were teaching you this stuff.

I would definitely recommend this book, and once you learn HTML, pick up HTML Goodies next.

I found the title of this book to be misleading, as prior to purchase I believed it to be a guide to designing a home to better accommodate some of the unique challenges of living with animals. This is certainly not a guide; the writing is conversational and contains an abundance of pictures of well-known people, their pets and expensive, famous furniture. There is a resource section in the back of the book, but it is organized by chapter and page, not subject or solution. Specific information (product lines, etc.) is given, which is good (if you want to buy exactly that) and bad (information will become outdated). The most practical use I found were suggestions on fabric choices; I ended up buying an ultrasuede sofa in part because this book suggested it could withstand animals in good shape (it does).

I believe that the book is meant to show that living with animals in an accommodating way can be fashionable, and that the author had good intentions when writing the book. However, it seems dangerous to link animals to fashion, for what is fashionable can always become unfashionable. There are several instances in the book which discuss how well an animal is coordinated with a piece of furniture - that seems wrong to me.

The photography is very good and the layout attractive; if you like pets and fashion, the book may be a good match. If you are looking for a guide to pet proofing your home, you will be disappointed.

This is a thoughtful, beautiful and generous book. Animal House Style sets out to prove that you can have beautiful animals AND a beautiful house, and succeeds at this mission--illustrating in articulate words and gorgeous photographs a myriad of ways to make your pets, your guests and yourself comfortable without sacrificing style.

It is a joy to meet the animals who people this book, and their housemates. The author's love of animals, immense grasp of pet care information, and appreciation of stylish living shine through on every page. This is a book that every pet lover should own!

I adore this book and plan to give it to all the pet lovers on my christmas list. It is so respectful and not condescending to animals and their owners, who sometimes go to great lengths to make their pets happy and comfortable. Owning pets should be a way of life, and IS a way of life for anyone that does it seriously and well. This book shows how people have opened their homes and their hearts to their animals through beautiful, unforgettable pictures and profiles.

More of my favorites this time! Even though these are older novels, they are new to me and went on my favorites list the first read through. When I covered "The Accidental Tourist" by Anne Tyler, her other books were still unknown to me. Since then, I've read several, more than half, and am looking forward to the remaining titles, which I expect to love just as much. All are deeply moving and engrossing stories, but "A Patchwork Planet" keeps surfacing as this chapter unfolds, so that's where we'll go this week.

How do men create such delightful female characters, and women males? It's not as common as you might think, but a few do this remarkably well. Anne Tyler is a master at creating believable, faulty, lovable men, with all the blundering endearment you might recognize in a close friend or family member. With Macon Leary, her "tourist," she personified the quiet closed men we all know, but with remarkable insight. In "A Patchwork Planet " we meet very different man who is growing up in his 30's. Barnaby Gaitlan is a man complete with childhood demons and neurotic lapses of thought, but so rich with a simple honor, that he's unforgettable.

Barnaby is the younger of two sons, the "black sheep" of an industrially successful family living on the ends of an early fortune. In his teens, he found the same trouble to get into that many boys find, pilfering in their neighborhoods, but while his friends raided the liquor cabinets, Barnaby was irresistably drawn to the photo albums and personal momentos of strangers. Finally bearing the brunt of one such caper, Barnaby is sent to a private school for light reform, and guilt follows him for years after. From his continually harping mother to his own personal reparations, Barnaby pays for his deeds long past any reasonable amends. Working for a simple service oriented company that provides physical help for elderly people, he thrives in the mundane realism that everyday life brings.

From the depths of her heart, Tyler seems to pull the best of her characters through the muck of baggage we all have, and the result is as shiny and bright as the tin man's armor when he attends Ozma's birthday celebration.

No one can create quirky, beguiling, harmless misfits as well as Anne Tyler, and in A Patchwork Planet, Barnaby Gaitland steps onto the page. He's the black sheep of an affluent family, living in a rented basement studio, divorced, wanting to be a better father to his daughter, working for Rent-a-Back, a service company that does household jobs its elderly clients can no longer manage. Along comes 'an angel,' and his life seems to take a major turn for the better. But niggling in the background of this too-perfect arrangement are hints of Barnaby's dissatisfaction - and he can't quite put his finger on what's wrong with the relationship till he's accused of theft. Then his REAL angel is revealed...
Wonderful plot structure, wonderful characters, wonderful conclusion.

Anne Tyler's gift for characterization is never more in evidence than in the narrator of this novel. Barnaby Gaitlin is the black sheep of a wealthy Baltimore family, divorced, working a menial job, struggling to maintain a semblance of respectability and good relations with his ex-wife and nine-year-old daughter. A chance encounter on a train to Philadelphia brings him together with Sophia, a calm, competent woman with whom Barnaby finds love and a chance at happiness. But life is never as simple as it seems...

As with many of Tyler's books, what seems at first to be a collection of inconsequential and even trivial events gathers a surprising cumulative force, due to the profusion of funny and moving observations about life, death, love and family along the way. The strength and emotional power of Patchwork Planet lies as much in the incidental encounters with Barnaby's clientele (he works for a service called Rent-a-Back, performing odd jobs for elderly and disabled folk) as with those nominally closer to him. By the end the reader is totally wrapped up in Barnaby's emotional odyssey, rooting for him to win through to happiness, which at the last he seems on the verge of attaining, though not in the way one might have expected.

A Patchwork Planet will speak to anyone who has felt overwhelmed by the small daily battles of existence, unloved by loved ones, and insecure about his/her place and purpose in life; in other words, just about anyone.