Book Description
MAGIC MIGHT BE CLOSER THAN YOU THINK. For just beyond the world you see, there is another world where the air shimmers with pixie dust and the impossible happens every day.Far beyond the horizon, on the magical island of Never Land, there is a patch of forest called Pixie Hollow. Never fairies have lived in these enchanted woods for as long as anyone can remember, in a realm that is all their own.Here, butterfly-herding fairies guide their flocks to fields of flowers. Water fairies create symphonies from the tiniest trickles of water. Harvest fairies collect honeysuckle nectar by hand, and animal fairies chat with hummingbirds in their own language. For among the Never fairies, there is a talent for every task, and each thing the fairies do is touched with magic.Now you can step into Pixie Hollow and take a good look around, with this complete guide to the fascinating world of the Never fairies. Learn what fairies eat for dinner, where pixie dust comes from, how to cure the fairy flu, and much more. With loads of fairy facts, profiles of your favorite fairies, and beautiful illustrations on every page, this is the ultimate guide for anyone who believes in fairies.
Customer Reviews:
Good Reading.......2007-09-16
This book is very entertaining. It wasn't what I was hoping for, in regards to making fairys. Beautiful illustrated.
Here's everything that's in it.......2007-08-25
I loved this book! A beautiful hardback, it describes everything a girl (or woman) would want to know about the world of Disney Fairies -- where they come from, how they live, what their special talents are, what they do for fun. Scattered throughout the book are two-page spreads spotlighting particular fairies, including a list of her likes, dislikes and favorite foods, flowers and games. It's all very cute.
What makes it a must-buy, however, is its breathtaking artwork. Virtually every page has an intricate, colorful illustration. Most combine a watercolor background with a delicate foreground of fairies and animals. The art often rivals that of Disney's classic animated features, like "Pinocchio" and "Bambi."
The only drawback: there's no table of contents! Here is what is inside:
* Pixie Hollow: Where Never fairies live
* How to spot a Never fairy
* The ring of belief: How children believing in fairies keeps the little creatures alive
* How fairies come to be: From a baby's first laugh
* Arrival: What happens when a fairy arrives in Never Land
* Fairy manners
* The Home Tree
* Queen Clarion: Profile of the Never fairies' leader
* The Lobby: The main entrance to the Home Tree
* Talents
* Bedrooms
* Profile of Prilla
* Furnishings
* Found objects: How fairies put everything to use
* The Tearoom: Including a sample fairy menu
* The Kitchen
* Fairy Foods, including a recipe for Dulcie's Poppy-Puff Rolls
* The Library
* Leaf Lettering, including the fairy alphabet
* Workshops
* Profile of Tinker Bell
* The Sewing Room
* Fairy clothes
* The Laundry Room
* Bathing Branches: Where fairies take a bath
* Fairy hygiene
* Wing-washing fairies
* Beyond the Home Tree
* History of Pixie Hollow
* Profile of Mother Dove
* Animal-talent fairies
* Profile of Beck
* Animal-talent tunnels
* The Mill: Where dust-talent fairies grind Mother Dove's old feathers into pixie dust
* Profile of Terence
* Havendish Stream: Where fairies swim and play
* Water-talent fairies
* Profile of Rani
* The Meadows: Where fairies herd their caterpillars, butterflies and dairy mice
* The Orchard: Where fairies harvest food
* Profile of Vidia
* Garden-talent fairies
* Profile of Lily
* Pixie Hollow flora, including gardening journal pages
* Fairy remedies for fairy ailments
* Nursing-talent fairies
* Dangers to fairies: Including hawks, wasps, snakes and -- most famously -- disbelief
* Scouts: Fairies who look out for, and fight against, dangers
* Fairy amusements
* Art-talent fairies
* Profile of Bess
* Great Games Day: Fairy Olympics
* Music, including fairy song lyrics
* Pixie Hollow at night
* Light-talent fairies
* Profile of Fira
* The Molt: When Mother Dove sheds her magic feathers
* The Fairy dances
-- By Julie Neal, author of The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World.
Love it!.......2007-08-22
I buy this book for every little girl birthday party we are invited to. It's beautifully detailed letting the reader just fall into it's wonderfully imaginative fairy world. I have two boys and have been sad not having my own copy but I finally gave in and got our own so now my boys will be reading this with me.
I believe!.......2007-08-19
I'm 28 and I just could not resist this book, what a great book and stunning pictures too. It's a dream book for every young girl...ok, ok also for those girls who are a little older but still believe. Fantastic gift item for kids or friends who believe.
spectacular - stunning.......2007-05-26
This book is beautiful. The book is more of a reference guide for all things in Pixie Hollow. So it was a great way to be introduced to all the Disney fairies and how they live. But, the amazing thing about this book is the graphics. Each page is filled with beautiful images. The fairy world the Disney artists have created is stunning. This was well worth the price paid - a true keepsake.
Book Description
Children of Destiny . . .
Throughout the time of Krynn, one race has remained strong in its pride and beliefs. The minotaurs envision themselves as the children of destiny, the future masters of the world. Despite adversity, defeat, and enslavement, that belief has never wavered.
If there is a foe capable of destroying the minotaurs, it is their own arrogance. Here is told the tale of clan against clan, and of how the exiled champion Kaz must discover the terrible secret of the empire before he and his entire race suffer the disastrous consequences.
Land of the Minotaurs
The Lost Histories Series probes the historical roots and epic struggles of the heretofore little-known peoples of Krynn. Author Richard A. Knaak explores the land and history of the horned race of minotaurs.
Customer Reviews:
Solid story, but not a history of the minotaurs.......2004-01-21
If you want to read a history of the minotaur race in Krynn, this book will disappoint you. If you want to read a solid story about Kaz the Minotaur, set after his role in the Dragon War, you'll be pleased by this book.
In a series titled "Lost Histories," one might expect to find out about the origins, the differences among, and...well...the history of the minotaurs. But this book at best hints at a dark secret that has been behind the aggression of the minotaurs. The story mainly revolves around Kaz and his friends and family as they seek to stop an evil plot unfolding in their homeland.
The book is well written and it is a good story. It should appeal to Dragonlance fans, and especially to fans of the previous books about Kaz or about minotaurs. But again, reader beware, this is not an epic history about the race of minotaurs.
Great look into Minotaur Culture.......2003-10-24
The Land of the Minotaurs is a tightly crafted tale that picks up a few years after Kaz the Minotaur. In this book the reader gets to see the history and culture of the Minotaur people. Kaz, of course, is there to lead the way in this adventure. The Minotaur people find themselves in an amazing set of circumstances. The entire nation seems to be arming for war. The arena is as busy as it has ever been deciding matters of honor and justice. It is into this time and land of turmoil that Kaz finds himself pulled. Kaz merely wants to raise his family and live in peace, but circumstances draw him into action. There is something hidden and evil hiding among his people. Kaz makes a discovery that will shake his entire world forever. This is likely the best book of, what is now being called, " The Minotuar Trilogy." The plot twists and turns, and so captures the reader that it is hard to put down. These books are a lot of fun, and this one is a fantastic read. The unexpected ending in worth the entire novel series.
Kazaganthi: The Minotaur Hero.......2003-04-05
The third adventure of the minotaur warrior Kazaganthi De Orlig, who first came about in the classic "Legend of Huma" and whose story continued in "Kaz the Minotaur". Kaz has established a minotaur community that stands for freedom from the Circle (The Minotaur Government) and The Sons of Sargas (The High Clerics) much to their chagrin. When Kaz's Brother-in-law goes missing in the capital of the minotaur empire he embarks on a search and rescue mission that is more successful than he ever wanted. Accompanied by his kender companion and a strange human child, Kaz faces challenges that could decide the fate of the entire minotaur race. This story is an even further in-depth look at the society and culture of a usually forgotten but extremely interesting race and one of the best characters in the entire DragonLance world. It isn't necessary to have read the previous two books to enjoy this one but I highly recommend it.
Land of the Minotaurs.......2000-04-18
Great book for anyone who enjoys the dragonlance novels. I gives you a great look into the life and perspective of the Minotaurs.
this book is extremly borring exept of the last 5 chapters.......1999-05-26
this books keeps giving more and more unnececary information to a point where i was ready to give up the book. when the plot starts to roll it`s a good book! but to read 17 chapters -\+ for a good 5 it doesnt worth it . keep it to a really desperet times!!
Book Description
n the 1960s, Andre Norton's career took a fateful and important turn. Having written adventure science fiction for almost thirty years, she turned to something new, science-fantasy, with Witch World. This unique world of sorceresses and the many others who fight such adversaries as the Kolder, the Hounds of Alizon, and other threats, has proven to be Miss Norton's most beloved and popular creation. Three Against the Witch World, Warlock of the Witch World, and Sorceress of the Witch World, the fourth, fifth, and sixth novels in the series, have long been recognized as novels that along with the first three novels complete the core of the series. Today, almost four decades after their first publication, these novels of adventure, excitement, and daring remain as fresh and original as when they first appeared. For the first time they are now available in a single volume for new readers of all ages to discover, and for fans to rediscover in an attractive, durable new format with a special introduction by Mercedes Lackey written just for this volume.
Customer Reviews:
One of my favorite fantasy trilogies.......2005-01-13
"Lost Lands of the Witch World" is a reissue of the very fine Escore trilogy, featuring the adventures of Kemoc, Kyllan, and Kaththea, the three children of Earth-born warrior, Simon Tregarth and his witch-wife, Jaelithe. The three novels combined in this volume are "Three Against the Witch World"(1965), "Warlock of the Witch World" (1967), and "Sorceress of the Witch World" (1968).
Kaththea Tregarth, born one of three triplets, could link telepathically with her birth-brothers, Kyllan and Kemoc. At an early age, she was forcibly separated from her brothers and taken to the Place of Silence to be trained in magic by Wise Women of Estcarp.
In "Three Against the Witch World" narrated by Kyllan, the warrior brother, the triplets escape from witch-ruled Estcarp to the magical land of Escore. There, they accidentally destroy the false peace that had long abided between the great powers of Light and Dark. "Things awoke and gathered, and the land was troubled..." and the three learn that they must fight with the forces of Light, or be utterly annihilated by the Dark.
Unfortunately, in "Warlock of the Witch World" narrated by Kemoc, the wizard brother, Kaththea is wooed by the fair-seeming Dinzil, who is actually a creature of the Great Dark Ones.
Kemoc sets out to win allies against the Dark among the Krogan, who made their homes in the lakes, rivers, and waterways of Escore. When he returns from this failed mission, there are many other battles to be fought in the now-troubled land. During one such engagement, Kemoc is wounded and is almost captured by minions of the Dark, but is saved by the Krogan maid, Orsya. When Kemoc finally returns to the safety of the Valley of Green Silences, he discovers that his birth-sister Kaththea has ridden off to the stronghold of an apparent ally, Dinzil.
Off he goes on another quest into the magic-troubled land, where he meets with the gnarled Moss Wives, and Loskeetha of the Garden of Stones, Reader of Sands. Loskeetha shows Kemoc three separate futures--all which end in the death of his birth-sister, Kaththea, twice by his own hand!
Finally, she who was once a powerful witch is rescued by her brother, Kemoc, but because of her near-alliance with the Dark, Kaththea is stripped of her magic. No longer can she communicate mind-to-mind with her brothers, nor perform the simplest spell of healing.
A witch without her magic is a very dangerous thing to be in Escore: a vessel waiting to be filled by the Dark. In "Sorceress of the Witch World" narrated by Kaththea, the witch sister attempts to return over-mountain to Estcarp to seek help from the Wise Women, but is caught in an avalanche and then captured by a tribe of nomadic hunters.
Andre Norton is a scholar of Amerindian history and lore, and has incorporated her knowledge in many of her novels, e.g. "Sioux Spacemen" (1960), and "The Beast Master" (1959). The dog-sleds and temporary dwellings of the Vupsall, the people who capture Kaththea, are yet another example of Norton's borrowings from history and anthropology, although this particular Escorian tribe also works metal (maybe a touch of Finno-Ugric, rather than Amerindian).
At any rate, this author's careful attention to detail will bring to life the dimly-lit interior of Utta, the Wisewoman's tent where Kaththea begins to reacquire the magic that was her birthright.
The Dark receives a very satisfying thumping at the end of this fine fantasy trilogy, which does not suffer in comparison with Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea books. In fact, my own personal preference is for Norton's Witch World.
Book Description
This beguiling tale has everything: runaway orphans, kings, knights, an evil witch, and a lovable, table-high Snerg named Gorbo who leads children from one fantastic adventure to another. Tolkien called this forgotten classic a "sourcebook" for The Hobbit — and it's a must for any Rings fan. 51 black-and-white illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
Before there were Hobbits.......2007-07-20
It is easy to see why this 1928 novel was a favorite with J. R. R. Tolkien's young children, and that the short-statured, big-hearted Snergs might well have been in the back of his mind when he created his Hobbits. But aside from that connection, this is a delightful children's book. The avuncular narrator keeps insisting there will be a sound moral to the story coming up eventually, but finally admits there isn't any, except perhaps to be wary of ogres who claim to have reformed. Along the way there is a journey through a magical landscape, the Flying Dutchman and his crew, a cunning witch who gets her come-uppance (as the not-so-reformed ogre gets his), old hostilities that are settled, a dunderhead Snerg who becomes a better and wiser peson, and a good deal of humor.
The Marvellous Land of Snergs.......2004-03-31
This is a delightful book I read as a child at my after-school babysitter's - and searched for over a 30 year period! I could never remember the title, nor author. But I recalled the jist of the tale and the cover illustration - a knight atop a horse, looking down and to his left at a child. Every town or city I lived in or visited, I would haunt the libraries and used book stores. And even though I had a rough description of a land for "superfluous" -as another reviewer said- children,and the adventures of two of them in another Land ..... no one knew of the book. They were always trying to get me to settle on "Water Babies" (?) or "Flying Dutchmen" - that last one was real close! I cruised through children's sections, card catalogs, dusty shelves and cartons - looking for some hint of a name to open my memories.
It wasn't until an unplanned pre-Xmas stop at Powell's City of Books in Portland (OR){a landmark behemoth of a bookstore - ya gotta see it to believe it!} one evening that I DID stumble across it ! And I HAD to buy it: published 1928, hardcover, stamped on the inside cover with "Withdrawn - Cedar Mill Community Library" - all 220pgs with George Morrow's great illustrations. I think I paid about $10. for it. There it was, here in my adopted Pacific NW just like the book that captivated my imagination and fancy so many years before-far away on the Northeast coast of New England. Of course I read it again! - and was just as delighted. And only then - in my "adult body" - did I see the similarities with Hobbits and the Like. As an 8 yr old I had never heard of Bilbo or Frodo. It would be another 9 years before I was lost in Middle Earth! And may I ever stay the child-at-heart, blissfully lost in those hobbit hills. Highly recommend this early literary treasure trove Tolkien and his kids loved. And the forerunner of all things Hobbit-ish.
How much other literature has been forgotten?.......2001-09-27
The only reason, and it is indeed a sad reason, that this long forgotten novel has come back into print is because it has a (slight) connection with Tolkien, one of this centuryýs most popular writers. I say sad because it aptly displays how a fine writer of children stories can write a really good tale but remain obscure. Had Tolkien not read him, although it would have quite possibly change the course of modern literature because he would not think of the hobbits as halfings (well, he might, but he said this was their source) and create them as a viable race in Middle-earth.
As for the book itself? It is a fun, light read appropriate for children about ten or so. There is some violence in the end which may be rather frightening to young children, but nowadays they see worst on the television, and the violence is not real explicity. E. A. Wyke-Smith incorporates the Arthurian myth of the land across the river, which Tolkien did not like. Shame-facedly, my aquaintance with the Arthurian cycle lies much closer to dimly knowing as opposed to being an expert thereon.
One thing that marks this book is Wyke-Smithýs assimilation of various childrenýs traditions into a cohesiave whole. The Flying Dutchman, that mythical ghost ship, is here, and witches and an ogre are present as well. One interesting little facet are the children that are kept there (in a sort of schooling organization) are taken because they are superfluous children. I think it is for the regulation of superfluous children. I do not have my book with me, so I cannot say for sure. The most memorable character for was Golithos, an ogre who lived off poorly grown cabbage and was a ýreformedý ogre. His struggle with his reformation proves quite humourous and, for me, is one of the best moments that childrenýs literature has to offer.
As for itýs relation to Tolkien, this publication will only be of interested to Tolkien scholars and fans, and probably only they will search this book out because of itýs influence on THE HOBBIT. Itýs principle influence were the Snergs themselves, who were quite like Hobbits in height and social customs, although they do have a king. Itýs a real shame that the only reason this book will be read is because of Tolkien, for it is a quite good childrenýs book in and of itself.
The question remains, however: how other many worthwhile pieces of literature have escaped the popular canon and sank into the dusty obscurities of time? Who knows how long this will survive. It may interest you to know that Homer wrote a third book which was a comedy and Aristotle wrote a book about comedy and both are now lost. Very tragic. Don't let it happen to this book, because it's a charmer.
A fantasy skeptic no longer !.......2000-06-30
I received "The Marvellous Land of Snergs" as a gift and reluctantly read it. I postponed getting to the 'meat' of the story by reading the introduction, secretly hoping to be bored and providing an excuse to put it down. I was captured within minutes and couldn't wait to begin the adventure. The chapters are short and decoratively written providing the reader a minds view of the landscape and many personalities the main characters, Joe and Sylvia, encounter on their travels. Joe and Sylvia provided a link with traditional fiction that boosted my enthusiasm for devouring this book. A book I will read to my children!
Average customer rating:
|
Writing the New World: Imaginary Voyages and Utopias of the Great Southern Land (Utopianism and Communitarianism)
David John Fausett
Manufacturer: Syracuse Univ Pr (Sd)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Classics
| Comic
| Contemporary
| Literary
General
| Criticism & Theory
| History & Criticism
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Movements & Periods
| History & Criticism
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Arthurian Romance
| Beat Generation
| General
| Gothic Revival
| Medieval
| Modernism
| Postmodernism
| Renaissance
| Romanticism
| Surrealism
| Victorian
General
| Geography
| Earth Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0815625855 |
Book Description
In the tradition of the humorous classic Defense of Duffer's Drift, our hero's escape lies in completing a successful mission.
Customer Reviews:
A Great Book for the Heavy Infantry.......2005-05-06
Today no one thinks that they could fly a jet or command a ship. But everyone thinks that they could command troops in the field. This book shows its not as easy as it looks. You don't line your tracks and grunts up in a line & go get them. This small, slim book is a great primer for the people who are going into the Mechinized Infantry or if you are going into the NTC for fun in the Sun.
Altogether this is a great companion for the "Defense of Duffers Drift" and should be read and shared by the rough ,tough soldiery of the Green Machine.
Worth every penny.......2003-12-31
This allegory about LTC A. Tack Always having to serve his time in purgatory (the NTC) is an outstanding read. Having served 12 years in the Army as an Armor officer I found this book dead on about tactics and operational planning. This book is geared more toward someone who has some military knowledge, though. If you are a civilian with no military knowledge then this book might be a little hard to understand. Overall it is a great read.
Today's Tactical Primer for the Heavy Metal Army.......2003-07-23
If you are riding in a combat vehicle that weighs over 11 tons, and you have to read this book. It takes basic tenants from Duffer's drift and puts it into a mechanized framework. Read Duffer's drift first, then this book. It will change the way you look at terrain or I'll eat a box of MREs!
The best picture you can get of NTC without enlisting........2002-09-03
The Defense of Hill 781 is the clearest and most accurate depiction of what the National Training Center at Fort Irwin is all about. I've deployed there three times and still learned from this book.
I love these books.......2002-01-07
I love these books. It is a very easy to read book that I would recommend for people in the military and people not in the Military. "The Defense of Duffer's Drift" and "The Defense of Hill 781" belong on the same shelf together. They are both long enough to cover the topic, but short enough to actually read. BTW, If you are from a foreign country that is not friendly with the USA, you will not like this book. It will be of little use to you. 8-)
Average customer rating:
- The Port William Membership
- Berry's work consistently satisfying
- That Distant Way of Life
- Counter-culture at its best!
- Fine Collection of Stories
|
That Distant Land: The Collected Stories
Wendell Berry
Manufacturer: Shoemaker & Hoard
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Literary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
United States
| Short Stories
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Short Stories
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Berry, Wendell
| ( B )
| Authors, A-Z
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
A Place on Earth: A Novel
-
Hannah Coulter: A Novel
-
Three Short Novels
-
Jayber Crow
-
The Memory of Old Jack
ASIN: 1593760272 |
Book Description
That Distant Land includes twenty-three stories from Wendell Berry's Port William membership arranged in their fictional chronology. The book shines forth as a single sustained work, not simply an anthology. It reveals Wendell Berry as a literary master capable of imaginative integrity over decades of writing with a multitude of characters followed over several generations. Combining The Wild Birds (1985), Fidelity (1992), and Watch With Me (1994), and including four never-before-collected stories and a map and geneaology of Port William, this book offers rest for the weary, hope for the beleaguered, and strength for the rest of us.
Customer Reviews:
The Port William Membership.......2007-08-14
As surely as the Kentucky River runs through the fictional community of Port William, so the theme of "Membership" runs through these wonderful Port William stories by Wendell Berry. He writes of membership in family, in community, in human industry, in each others' lives, in the past, in the present.
This collection of short stories centers on those now-oldest residents of an up-to-mid-20th century Kentucky farming community who still are of an age to remember and of a bent to cherish ancestral roots, traditions, and habits, and by so doing have brought the past along with them to familiarize and to endear the present. These slices-of-life accounts lovingly highlight a community's stories that have, in their joyful retelling, become part of its lore. They laughingly reminisce over both the serious and silly everyday dilemmas of past-unintended folly. They record the ingrained farm-work ethic of a time now likely gone forever. They revel in relationships of ordinary people doing ordinary things with family and neighbors. And, yes, these stories even include occasions of deaths of and among loved ones of the "membership." It is not the events, themselves, however, that are exceptional; it is Berry's telling of them.
Having read Jayber Crow, Hannah Coulter, The Memory of Old Jack and now That Distant Land, I feel as if I have been poring through family albums that have been unearthed from Port William, KY. And from these I have come to know several generations of strong, gentle, principled people whose lives, by choice, have been pretty remote and mostly detached from the rest of a changing world. These are people of good heart who are intimately linked to each others' care and well-being. This carefully constructed fictional genealogy of the Port William membership comes from an author who, to say the very least, certainly has a way with words! Even if you have not read any of Wendell Berry's work, you will nevertheless be enchanted, I believe, and drawn into the sweetness and the cadence of these beautifully told tales of family, heritage, community, and, of course, membership.
Berry's work consistently satisfying.......2005-08-09
I have deeply loved all of Berry's fiction. That Distant Land is particularly satisfying for showing the unfolding of many of his characters in a linear historical progression. The wealth of inter-relations and the handy genealogical tree of the characters brings all the characters into a full richness.
That Distant Way of Life.......2005-08-06
As usual, Wendell Berry continues to prove his place in the American literary tradition; if only his place were more widely recognized. His prose flows onto the page as natural as flowers spring from the soil or rain falls from the sky. I think that is an apt comparison since many of his stories consider the relationship between man and nature. "That Distant Land" is a collection of twenty-three stories, many of which have been published previously. They are brought together marvelously, arranged in chronological order from the 1880s to the 1980s, flowing in and out of time with the neighboring stories.
Berry's fiction focuses on the invented town of Port William, a small farming community in Kentucky. For those who have read his novels, the characters and the town are familiar; for those who haven't, Berry's world is so infused with natural grace that one automatically feels at home in Port William and among its inhabitants. "That Distant Land" gathers together assorted stories about Port William's characters, some that are familiar and told from a different perspective, and some that might be unknown, but no less familiar.
I especially enjoyed the stories that told of Ptolemy Proudfoot and his wife, Miss Minnie Quinch. "A Consent", the story of their odd courtship, is a story that leaves your soul beaming at the simplicity and overwhelming power of love. The Proudfoot-Miss Minnie stories add a dimension of humor to this collection that is absent in other stories. Berry does not rush any of these stories along; some are short, light-hearted anecdotes - others are long, meandering wanders through time and memory. Perhaps the two most poignant stories in the collection are "Fidelity" and the title piece. Centering around Burley Coulter and Mat Feltner respectively, both are about the end of life, of the memories and people who shape our lives and the memories we will leave behind.
While telling his stories, working his way through the history of Port William, Berry affirms time and again a world alive with possibilities, to be what it is and also what it once was. A farmer in the oldest tradition, he is in love with the land and saddened by the 'advances' technology and urban growth have created. "That Distant Land" brings this home as it covers nearly a century of change in the world, and the decay that inevitably hits smalltown America, whose inhabitants feel that perhaps they have nothing left to offer their children that would entice them to stay and carry on their way of life. Berry, time and again, offers this hope, perhaps as a way of challenge.
Counter-culture at its best!.......2005-08-04
Saying that Berry is something like Faulkner feels like damning with faint praise, and that is not my intent. The comparison is inevitable, given that both men write stories about Southern characters, and that both authors ponder philosophy along with plot. But Berry is better than Faulkner, and better at all kinds of levels. He's a skillful writer; these stories are pleasurable to read. Plus, Berry has an idea of how the world has been, could be, and ought to be - but the doctrine is delivered painlessly and persuasively in these irresistable tales from Port William. A book that should be taught in college a century from now, if America survives.
Fine Collection of Stories.......2005-03-09
Wendell Berry has written twenty-three stories that he has considered worth publishing. They are all collected here. All but perhaps five have been published before in his collections Fidelity, The Wild Birds, and Watch With Me. This collection puts the stories in chronological order of occurrence, and its table of contents further puts Berry's seven novels into the chronology.
Every one of the stories is well-crafted, and, taken as a group, both their quality and their scope are little short of astonishing. From the tenderness of the stories about Wheeler Catlett and his law practice first collected in The Wild Birds to the boisterous, almost slapstick humor of the Ptolemy Proudfoot stories first collected in Watch With Me, Berry covers an impressive range of material.
He also confronts the reader with some difficult questions regarding the value of a way of life that had already, for the most part, vanished when he published the first of these stories. One need not agree with the answers that he suggests to admire and enjoy these stories.
Average customer rating:
- The Blue Munchkins of Oz: Meezie & Tweeze Birthday Adventure
- The concept works
- review of The Birthday Ban in Munchkin Land
|
The Birthday Ban in Munchkin Land (We Both Read)
Dev Ross
Manufacturer: Treasure Bay
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Action & Adventure
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic
| Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Non-religious
| Holidays & Festivals
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Early Reader
| Series
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
| A-Z Mysteries
| All Aboard Reading
| Amanda Pig
| Amelia Bedelia
| Andrew Lost
| Babar
| Berenstain Bears
| Bob Books
| Brand New Readers
| Clifford
| Dorling Kindersley Readers
| Dr. Seuss
| Early Step into Reading
| Elvis the Rooster
| Encyclopedia Brown
| Ernestine & Amanda
| Festival Readers
| First Stepping Stone Books
| Frances
| Frog and Toad
| George and Martha
| Green Light Readers
| Hello Reader
| High-Rise Private Eyes
| I Can Read Books
| I Spy
| Junie B. Jones
| Let's Read and Find Out Science
| Little Bill Books
| Little Critter
| Little Toot
| Magic Elements
| Magic School Bus
| Magic Tree House
| Marvin Redpost
| Max
| Minnie and Moo
| Nate the Great
| Puffin Easy-to-Read
| Ready For Chapters
| Real Kids Readers
| Rugrats
| Scooby Doo Readers
| Shredderman
| The Littles First Readers
| Viking Easy-to-Read
| Winnie-the-Pooh First Reader
| Young Cam Jansen Mysteries
General
| Ages 4-8
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 4-8
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Action & Adventure
| Literature
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Literature
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic
| Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror
| Literature
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Non-religious
| Holidays & Festivals
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
All 4-for-3 Deals
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Ben & Becky in the Haunted House (We Both Read)
-
About Space (We Both Read)
-
About the Rain Forest (We Both Read)
-
About the Ocean (We Both Read)
-
About Bugs (We Both Read)
ASIN: 1891327208 |
Book Description
Introducing the easiest and most enjoyable way for parents to encourage their children to read! Recently selected among the Most Outstanding Children's Books of 1998 by the Parent Council and one of the 100 Best Children's Products of 1998, We Both Read is the first series of books to invite parents and children to share the reading of a book by taking turns reading aloud. Parents read the more sophisticated text on the left-hand pages and the children read the right-hand pages, which have been written at one of three early reading levels. Developed with reading education specialists, this delightful new series brings parents and children together for a wonderful new reading experience and faster reading development! About this book: The Wicked Witch has banned birthdays in Munchkin Land! Two Munchkin children, Meezie and Tweeze, are forced to cancel their birthday celebration, but then decide to take matters into their own hands and challenge the Witch's ban. With the help of their friend, Windbag, they just might succeed and rid Munchkin Land of the Wicked With forever!
Customer Reviews:
The Blue Munchkins of Oz: Meezie & Tweeze Birthday Adventure.......2004-12-27
This was a really good book, and despite what another review says, this shows that youy don't have be a storm-blown house or a circus man in a balloon to defeat the Wicked Witch of the East - (I have still yet to find, order and get "How the Wizard Came to Oz"). The Wicked Witch of the East decrees that Birthdays are now a crime, and because this happens on the same day as Meezie & Tweeze's birthday, Glinda (who is NOT a Pre-teen, as she is described as a WOMAN in the story on most likely pg 5 of the story & not 10) helps them by taking them to her friend Old Tree, who then suggests the little Windbag. With him, a plan is then worked out to be-rid Oz of the Wicked Witch - and it works!! But then, something amazing happens and a miracle occurs . . . allowing Meezie and Tweeze to celebrate their birthday today.
One of the other reviews says that this story contradicts Baum's version; I say that we only see Oz through the Munchkins' view, as in "the Wonderful Wizard" we see it through Dorothy's point of view. But there are a few little things that are a tiny bit different, like the view of the landscape, Toto not being drawn and different Munchkins greeting Dorothy, but it doesn't really matter. The pictures by David Hohn look like that of Charles Santore, made from water-colouring (possibly both water-paint and/or water-pencil). The Munchkins' heads are slightly bigger than normal heads, and Dorothy looks like Charles Santore's version, but in a different dress, but I really like her house.
Even though the details of this book are in 44 pages, the Endpapers, Parent's Introduction, copyright and title pages don't count, so the story goes for 40 pages.
Someday, by 2010, hopefully when I have finally gotten into the Movie business, I would like to put this little story into the 'Oz-Prequel' I have planned.
Now, I would like to say that my review on "L. Frank Baum's the Wonderful Wizard of Oz with illustratiosn by Barry Moser" was cut short: the title was supposed to be "Barry Moser's (almost slightly) Gothic Oz", and I mentioend 2 sites where you could see 5 of his pictures and another site where you could read about "Forty-Seven Days to Oz", in which Barry Moser writes about how he made the illustrations for his 1986 Pennyroyal Press Edition, but Amazon.com cut them out. I also ordered "the Wonderful Wizard of Oz - Troll Illustrated Classics", but it was out-of-print so I couldn't get it, but I'll try on another site: Biblio-Quest.
Maybe next time then . . .
The concept works.......2004-03-22
The "We Both Read" series works magic in persuading kids to read because both the parent and the child participate. I did not like this story, but it matters not at all. My son who hates to read, loves to share the reading task with me. I am always looking for me books in this series.
review of The Birthday Ban in Munchkin Land.......2000-09-05
This is a very interesting idea that is called "We Both Read." Every opening contains a beautiful full-color painting by David Hohn, whose style is very attractive. The left-hand pages contain text for a parent to read to a child, and the right-hand pages contain cute verses for the child to read to the parent. All of the text is simple enough that the "parent" could as easily be an older friend or sibling. On the cover, it claims to be geared toward grades one and two. When I was seven, I was not a top reader, but I was enjoying far more sophisticated works than this. Still, it is a great learning aid for any child who loves Oz and has trouble reading.
The story takes place prior to Dorothy's first visit. The Witch of the East is still at large, and has made it illegal for the Munchkins to celebrate birthdays. This makes Meezie and Tweeze (two cute Munchkin twin children) very unhappy, as today is their birthday. So Meezie schemes with a breezy character named Windbag to overthrow the Witch by conjuring up a storm. It is obvious what happens next, but bear in mind the fact that, if you are reading this review, you probably are not five years old.
The plot is quite simplistic, but it is intended for very small children, so I can't hold that against it. On page ten, there is an illustration that looked at a glance to me like a little girl no older than nine. It turns out that this is supposed to be Glinda! Then I noticed the poppies on either side of her blonde head and realized that it is obviously Ozma. The author must have originally wrote about Ozma, got it illustrated, and then realized too late that Ozma would have been Tip at that time. So now Glinda is described with "golden hair" and depicted as a pre-teen. There is also an awkward conversation with Windbag in which he discloses the fact that he was responsible for bringing the Wicked Witch to Oz in the first place. He had blown her off course en route to France! And Dorothy's arrival contradicts Baum's version. Still, if one may theorize that Windbag was mistaken about the Witch's origin, and that Dorothy may have had an encounter with some different Munchkins after Tattypoo and the others left, this book is not too bad. And of course I can approve of anything that helps children learn to read. 2 stars.
Average customer rating:
- This is an intriguing 17th century imaginary voyage novel.
|
The Southern Land, Known (Utopianism and Communitarianism)
Gabriel De Foigny
Manufacturer: Syracuse University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Historical
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
French
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Fantasy
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
Essays & Travelogues
| Reference & Tips
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Travel
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Geography
| Earth Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0815625715 |
Customer Reviews:
This is an intriguing 17th century imaginary voyage novel........1998-08-12
The Frenchman Gabriel De Foigny wrote this imaginary voyage novel set in terra incognita (Australia) in the 1670's, fifty years before the appearance of "Gulliver's Travels". This early lost race/science fiction novel has many attractions. First and perhaps foremost, it is a rousing adventure yarn replete with perils among a strange race of semi-human hermaphrodites; daring escapes; fights with monstrous creatures; and well-realized battle scenes. Second, it is a brilliant philosophical and sociological work which envisions a very strange, proto-communistic culture that is brought intensly to life. De Foigny uses this race of hermaphrodites as a foil to examine 17th century Europe's concepts of sexuality and society. It is amazing that in the early days of the novel, with very few prototypes to turn to, De Foigny would attempt a work that succeeds as an adventure story, a delightful fantasy, a dark dystopia, and an examination of the philosophical and mor! al tenets of the era, but De Foigny's remarkable novel works on these levels and more. Briefly, the book's protagonist, Sadeur, is carried to the shores of terra incognita in the clutches of a huge, predatory, Roc-like bird of prey. He is rescued by a civilized race that vaguely resembles humans. The individuals are eight feet tall, of a reddish hue, are hermaphrodites, and many have a second set of arms. Their social framework is equally unfamiliar, being communal and socialistic. All things are owned in common, there are no personal possessions, and human emotions such as covetousness, competetiveness, and even love are held in contempt. These creatures also have a drug culture, and their own strange sciences, and they have acheived the art of creating living creatures, although these creatures have fatal flaws that allow them to live only for several days. From the beginning Sadeur is loathed for his unisexual nature and because he is suspected to be a member of the ! hated human race, and he only manages to survive through th! e patronage of a high minded and powerful sage. After an exposition of the strange society he finds himself among (this is a common feature of lost race novels, and would be a bit tedious if De Foigny's creation were not so fascinating), and a string of adventures including the incursion of "sea monsters" that turn out to be a convoy of European explorers that are massacred after a savage battle, Sadeur's patron dies and things become dicey for him. The hermaphrodites wage war against a tribe of humans on a neighboring island, and Sadeur is forced to fight against his own kind. His heart is not in it, and after rescuing one of the human women and hiding her, he is caught by several of the hermaphrodites engaging in a sexual dalliance with the woman. The level of disgust the hermaphrodites feel over this discovery can barely be expressed. After killing the woman, they imprison Sadeur and condemn him to a ritualistic death. Sadeur escapes from this predicament by! means of secretly taming one of the huge predatory birds, which carries him out of the country in the same manner in which he entered it. It is hoped that this thumbnail sketch successfully conveys some of the interest of this fascinating work. My review will be worthwhile if helps convince a few more readers to find their way to this obscure and unjustly neglected novel.
Average customer rating:
- A good find
- Imaginary Lands
- Great Author
|
Imaginary Lands
Robin McKinley ,
Patricia McKillip , and
Joan Vinge
Manufacturer: Ace Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
McKillip, Patricia A.
| ( M )
| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
McKinley, Robin
| ( M )
| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
McKinley, Robin
| ( M )
| Authors & Illustrators, A-Z
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Baby-3
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits
-
A Knot in the Grain and Other Stories
ASIN: 0441366945 |
Customer Reviews:
A good find.......2007-01-10
I have never seen this book in a store, and as a collector of Robin McKinley's many works, I had to have this anthology. It is a fairly quick read, as it keeps you turning pages. Of course, some of the stories are to be preferred above others, based on the tastes of the reader. McKinley's story in particular was haunting, much darker than her usual stories. I found this a great opportunity to find other fantasy and sci-fi authors to read.
Imaginary Lands.......2002-03-21
Imaginary Lands is a collection of Fantasy stories . I think that it was a dull book, the sentence fluency was choppy and some of the words used I couldn't understand at all. I only read three stories which were kind of interesting, the first one that I read was about a man named Arram who helps an old woman see the inner beauty in herself with magic. I thought it was a nice story but there was too much information that was a waste of time to read and had no relation to the story line. The next story was a little better, it was Evian Steel. Evian Steel was about a girl named Elaine who is sent to become a magic sword forger and is befriended by a girl named Veree who is about to make her first sword. Veree knows a secret about the sword that Elaine hasn't learned yet, Veree has to cut herself and make her vein bleed into a basin, the blood gives the sword its uniqueness. Will Veree be able to do it? The third story I enjoyed quite a bit, it was the curse of Igamor. The story starts with a legend of a horse who steels children and evil, greedy adults, like the lord of Aigues Mortes, his Chancellor, and constable. Is Igamor as mean as he sounds?
Great Author.......2000-04-05
This is one of the best books I have read. Robin McKinley paints such beautiful pictures with her words. I started reading her books for a book report, but now I read them every chance I get! If you need a book to keep you occupied, this is the one for you!
Books:
- Indigo Adults: Forerunners of the New Civilization
- Kingdom of Fear : Loathsome Secrets of a Star-Crossed Child in the Final Days of the American Century
- LIGHTING THE WAY: NINE WOMEN WHO CHANGED MODERN AMERICA
- LL Cool J's Platinum Workout: Sculpt Your Best Body Ever with Hollywood's Fittest Star
- Lotto How to Wheel a Fortune, Third Edition
- Macromedia Flash Professional 8 Game Development
- Magic Item Compendium (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying)
- Managing Ignatius: The Lunacy of Lucky Dogs and Life in New Orleans
- Mao's Last Dancer
- Masters of War (Mechwarrior: Dark Age, No. 25)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- LBJ: Architect of American Ambition
- Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself
- The Power of Form: African Art From the Horstmann Collection
- The Twenty-One Balloons
- The Undomestic Goddess
- Bioaerosols Handbook
- Applied Statistics and the SAS Programming Language
- The Olympic Rain Forest: An Ecological Web
- The Red Zone: Cars, Cows and Coaches : The Life and Good Times of a Texas Dealmaker
- The Politics of Pensions: A Comparative Analysis of Britain, Canada, and the United States, 1880-194
Secret Fairy Homes (Disney Fairies)
Disney Fairies: Learn to Draw the Fairies of Pixie Hollow (Disney Fairies)
Fira and the Full Moon (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))
Tales From Pixie Hollow 4 copy Box Set (Disney Fairies)(Trouble for Tink, Lily's Pesky Plant, Vidia and the Fairy Crown, Beck and the Great Berry Battle)
Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg
