The Secret Garden (HarperClassics)

Amazon.com

Mistress Mary is quite contrary until she helps her garden grow. Along the way, she manages to cure her sickly cousin Colin, who is every bit as imperious as she. These two are sullen little peas in a pod, closed up in a gloomy old manor on the Yorkshire moors of England, until a locked-up garden captures their imaginations and puts the blush of a wild rose in their cheeks; "It was the sweetest, most mysterious-looking place any one could imagine. The high walls which shut it in were covered with the leafless stems of roses which were so thick, that they matted together.... 'No wonder it is still,' Mary whispered. 'I am the first person who has spoken here for ten years.'" As new life sprouts from the earth, Mary and Colin's sour natures begin to sweeten. For anyone who has ever felt afraid to live and love, The Secret Garden's portrayal of reawakening spirits will thrill and rejuvenate. Frances Hodgson Burnett creates characters so strong and distinct, young readers continue to identify with them even 85 years after they were conceived. (Ages 9 to 12)

Book Description

When orphaned Mary Lennox, lonely and sad, comes to live at her uncle's great house on the Yorkshire moors, she finds it full of secrets. At night, she hears the sound of crying down one of the long corridors. Outside, she meets Dickon, a magical boy who can charm and talk to animals. Then, one day, with the help of a friendly robin, Mary discovers the most mysterious wonder of all--a secret garden, walled and locked, which has been completely forgotten for years and years. Is everything in the graden dead, or can Mary bring it back to life?

Customer Reviews:

A classic for girls.......2007-09-22

The Secret Garden is a book about a spoiled girl who uncovers the mysteries of the house around her which include, but are not limited too, what is behind the wall, and why is it kept secret. It is a good classic, but girls will enjoy it much more than boys do.

Classic.......2007-08-06

Even if you are an adult you should reread this book. Helps you to see how fun it was to be a kid.

Seeds the child's imagination..........2007-07-29

This has always been one of my favorite books since childhood. When I read my first story in this book it gave me so much inspiration to use my imagination as a child should. A child's imagination is so real! This reality soon takes the form of abstract, which paves the road to anywhere he wants it to go - or not...

The Secret Garden.......2007-07-05

This edition is printed on really cheap, unappealing paper. I can't imagine anyone wanting to give this version of a children's classic as a gift, or even to read from it to a child yourself.

Spellbinding Book.......2007-07-03

This book is the best book I have ever read. It's a light, happy book that I will treasure for the rest of my life. Ilove the theme of hope in the book, that will convince readers about the Magic inside themselves...if they hope. If they believe something will happen, it will. That theme is so beautifully conveyed. I couldn't put it down, and it is most definitely my new favorite book. A MUST READ!!!!!!!!

I ALSO RECCOMEND THE FOLLOWING:
Arthur and the Invisibles, Artemis Fowl Series, The Book Without Words, The Kingdom Keepers, the Prophecy of the Stones, The Game of Sunken PLaces, Midnight Blue

Average customer rating:

A Remarkable Book
I've never written a review BUT...
Awesome
OK read
More disturbing than hot

My Secret Garden
Nancy Friday
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Accessories:

ASIN: 0671019872

Amazon.com

This book caused quite a ruckus when it was released 25 years ago because it directly quotes the sexual fantasies of dozens of women, ranging from the "very common" rape fantasy to lesbian affairs to unusually explicit scenarios that are unmentionable here. While author Nancy Friday maintains that My Secret Garden served to free millions of women from sexual oppression, there's still a need today to get rid of the guilt that millions more still feel when it comes to fantasizing, having orgasms, and making one's sexual wishes be known. "How could it be, you might ask," she writes, "that women today, at the turn of the century, would still think they were the only Bad Girls with erotic thoughts? What kind of prison is this that that women impose on themselves?"

My Secret Garden has the prurient appeal that made it one of the most passed-around books in high school study halls (it boasts chapters titled "Insatiability" and "The Thrill of the Forbidden"), but its premise, underneath the tales of lusty longings, is a serious one. Friday, also author of My Mother, My Self and Women on Top, is appalled at how parents, especially mothers, instill in their children a deep fear of sexual pleasure, and she advises how to do away with this stultifying force. While Friday can get a little histrionic at times ("Women's lust ... could bring down not only individuals, but society itself"), that doesn't make this book any less enthralling. --Erica Jorgensen

Book Description

When it first appeared, My Secret Garden created a storm of outrage and exhilaration. Women who read it were astonished to find in its pages the hidden content of their own sexual fantasies. More outspoken, graphic, and taboo-shattering than any book before its time, My Secret Garden quickly became the classic study of female sexuality. Today, millions of women have made Nancy Friday's groundbreaking bestseller a mainstay of feminist literature -- a liberating force that adds a sensational new dimension to their sexual fantasies and lives.

Customer Reviews:

A Remarkable Book.......2007-04-18

I first purchased a copy of My Secret Garden back in 1975. What most impressed me was the wide range of attitudes and ideas one possesses; the vastness of the human mind, as expressed in our sexual fantasies.

Some may cringe at some of the fantasies in this book, the bestial and sadomasochistic ones in particular. Readers will also have a variety of opinions on the commonality of bisexual and lesbian fantasies. However these are all part of human nature.

The updated version contains several more recent fantasies and a very interesting introduction which shows how both the study of sexuality and feminism have changed since the early '70s.

I've never written a review BUT..........2007-02-16

...ok, I simply have to say a few words about this book. I was a repressed teen. Had fantasies but felt shameful, dirty, weird. I don't even recall how it was that I found myself in a bookstore thumbing through this book, but I felt SO aroused and...more to the point, LIBERATED..and validated. I wasn't alone in my "weird" fantasies! . I left the store with red ears and a throbbing pulse. Took me many weeks ( maybe it even was months..I don't really remember now, as it was a lot of years ago!) to go back and shame-facedly purchase the book. I won't go into detail here, but suffice it to say, certain pages were dog eared..for many years. ( other pages were never even looked at twice) That one book was the key that opened me up to being a very sexually open and expressive woman. Bravo. Lisa in CT

Awesome.......2007-01-16

The introduction to the book is phenomenal. The author argues that women's lib intentionally left out sexual freedom to keep men as the enemy and to keep women sexually repressed, possibly to make them more controllable or angry (I don't fully understand the second point). As for the fantasies, I previously had never heard a woman express these thoughts. It's a very interesting read.

OK read.......2007-01-06

The book was ok, but not what I expected. It was alot of perception on the authors part.

More disturbing than hot.......2006-10-27

Another reviewer mentioned this already, but there is sex with animals. Most of the lesbian stories involved women being turned on by dogs or donkeys. I was pretty disappointed. I didn't give it 1 star, because I appreciated the work that went into collecting the stories. It was written in the 70s, so maybe that had something to do with the tone.

The Secret Garden (The Illus Children's Library)

Average customer rating:

The Secret Garden (The Illus Children's Library)
Frances Hodgson Burnett
Manufacturer: Gramercy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0517221152
Release Date: 2002-09-03

Book Description

What secrets lie behind the doors at Misselthwaite manor? Recently arrived at her uncle's estate, orphaned mary Lennox is spoiled, sickly, and certain she won't enjoy living there. Then she discovers the arched doorway into an overgrown garden, shut up since the death of her aunt ten years earlier. Mary soon begins transforming it into a thing of beauty--unaware that she is changing too.

But Missalthwaite hides another secret, as Mary discovers one night. High in a dark room, away from the rest of the house, lies her young cousin Colin, who believes he is an incurable invalid, destined to die young. His tantrums are so frightful, no one can reason with him. If only, Mary hopes, she can get Colin to love the secret garden as much as she does, its magic wil work wonders on him.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

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Guide to Flowering Plant Families
Great resource for a beginner
Guide to Flowering Plant Families by Wendy B. Zomlefer [Paperback]
Missing Families
Very handy reference to have around.

Guide to Flowering Plant Families
Wendy B. Zomlefer
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0807844705

Book Description

Understanding the flowering plants of any region begins with the recognition of families. This remarkable volume, created to serve students, professionals, and other plant enthusiasts, covers 130 temperate to tropical families common in North America with detailed illustrations and modern referenced commentaries. Each family discussion includes a diagnosis and summary of characteristics, distribution data, important economic members, and pollination ecology. The book's most striking feature is Zomlefer's 158 original pen-and-ink plates depicting intricate dissections of 312 species.

The content of the family discussions is geared to readers who have completed one introductory biology course. For readers less familiar with botanical terminology, Zomlefer provides an illustrated glossary of 551 terms with more than 300 drawings. Other important tutorial features are twenty-two detailed charts that compare pertinent characteristics of certain related plant groups and a general chart that summarizes the salient features of the families covered in the text. Both amateurs and professionals will particularly enjoy the chapter on examining, dissecting, and sketching live material.

Customer Reviews:

Guide to Flowering Plant Families.......2007-01-18

The book is just fine ... that's why I ordered it ... it's a good book.

However, I thought I was buying the book USED at a less-than-new price. The price I actually paid was the new price. And I did receive a new book, thank you.

My question: Why didn't I pay for and receive the USED book that I wanted? I wonder if there is something in the ordering process that I missed. This is the first book order from amazon.

Great resource for a beginner.......2007-01-10

I got this book because I needed to learn about plants and I needed a no nonsense, basic introduction to the plant families of the world--not just trees, not just herbs, and not just information from one part of the world. This book is all that and more. The descriptions of each family use botanical terminology, there are clear line drawings of the taxonomically informative characters, and economically important species are listed in each family. Because I am not an expert on plants, I can't comment on the accuracy of the information, but I can say that this book has been a great resource for me, as a novice botanist. My only complaint (and this is a minor one, because this is not supposed to be a field guide) is that I am unfamiliar with many of the families and color photos would really help me to learn to recognize the plants in nature. I highly recommend this book.

Guide to Flowering Plant Families by Wendy B. Zomlefer [Paperback] .......2005-07-04

This should be a five start rating but something happened when I wrote the review so I can't change the star rating. Suffice it to say that this is a very comprehensive book with wonderful black and white illustrations. A very useful guide for students of botanical art or for anyone interested in plants.

Missing Families.......2005-05-06

Many floras and the USDA Plant Database use Cronquist's classification system. Several families in that system are missing in Thorne's system as used in this book. I would suggest supplementing this book with James Payne Smith's "Vascular Plant Families."

Very handy reference to have around........2005-04-05

Occasionally I have to (try) and key out plants at work. Not having a botany background makes this difficult and when I get stumped on a particular term or piece of plant anatomy I call up this book to walk me through the terminology. It is particularly useful if you can key the plant out to family level. It's picture (line art) illustrations are very clear and help tremendously when trying to understand what it is the key is referring to. Well worth the 35 dollars if you deal with the anatomy of plants at all or need to know family characteristics.

Smart Soapmaking: The Simple Guide to Making Traditional Handmade Soap Quickly, Safely, and Reliably, or How to Make Luxurious Handcrafted Soaps for Family, Friends, and Yourself

Average customer rating:

Great Soap Book!
I LOVE This Book!
disappointed
Great things come in small packages!
smart soaping

Smart Soapmaking: The Simple Guide to Making Traditional Handmade Soap Quickly, Safely, and Reliably, or How to Make Luxurious Handcrafted Soaps for Family, Friends, and Yourself
Anne L. Watson
Manufacturer: Shepard Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0938497421
Release Date: 2007-01-01

Product Description

Maybe you've made melt-and-pour soap and want to move on to something more challenging and rewarding. Maybe traditional soapmaking appeals to you, but you figure it's too difficult or dangerous. Or maybe you're already doing it, but outmoded ideas and methods are complicating the process and slowing you down. No matter which of these fits you, you'll find Smart Soapmaking practical, helpful, and refreshing. Written by a former professional soapmaker, this book explodes the myths about soapmaking and shows you how to make luxurious soap with the least fuss and bother.

Customer Reviews:

Great Soap Book!.......2007-09-25

I purchased three books on soapmaking, and in my opinion, this one is by far the very best! The author's instructions are clear, concise, and the techniques are simplified and de-mystified over other soapmaking books. I made my first batch of "Anne's Shea Butter Supreme" today, and the soap turned out beautifully without a glitch. I also had a newbie question about a product I purchased, so I emailed the author. Anne responded back quickly and was very helpful, a fact that I greatly appreciated! I can't wait to use my soap and make more of the recipes from the book.

I LOVE This Book!.......2007-08-14

Anne makes soapmaking simple -- I'm a newbie and I'm still learning. This book gives just enough information to educate, without overwhelming. She challenges the "soap theology" of most of the other books, but it makes sense.

I highly recommend it!

disappointed.......2007-07-14

After reading all the great reviews I was expecting a lot more than this. The first disappointment was how thin the book was - just over a hundred pages. Then it's all questions and answers (the ones the author thinks are important) and a couple of recipes which aren't very great either. I don't recommend this book for beginners, it won't tell you how to make soap. And it's definitely not a book for experienced soapmakers who, like I, have been making soap for years. You won't find anything new in there.

I guess this book would be for the in-between soapmakers. You've made a couple of batches and have a few questions. Though, personally, I think you'd find those answers in most good soapmaking books.

Not worth the money.

Great things come in small packages!.......2007-07-09

This book has everything you need to start making soap. The instructions and illustrations for the cold-process of soap making are easy to follow, the recipes are simple and produce great soap every time. Anne's Shea Butter Soap is a very versatile recipe, and her references to other sources are invaluable. Would love to see the author produce a volume of soap recipes!

smart soaping.......2007-05-07

You can't go wrong with this book. If you get anybook on soaping this is the one you need.

Average customer rating:

Susannah's Garden
I really wanted to like this book but...
Just Okay
Very realistic
Relaxing reading

Susannah's Garden
Debbie Macomber
Manufacturer: Mira
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0778324443
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Book Description

It was the year that changed everything.

When Susannah Nelson turned eighteen, her parents sent her to school abroad. She said goodbye to her boyfriend, Jake -- and never saw him again. She never saw her brother again, either; Doug died in a car accident while she was away.

Now, at fifty, she finds herself regretting the paths not taken. Especially the chance to be with Jake . . . Long married, a mother and a teacher, she should be happy. But she feels there's something missing, although she doesn't know exactly what. Not only that, she's balancing the demands of an aging mother and a temperamental twenty-year-old daughter.

Because her mother, Vivian, a recent widow, is having difficulty coping and living alone, Susannah prepares to make some hard decisions. In returning to her hometown of Colville, Washington, to her parents' house, her girlhood friends and the garden she's always loved, she also returns to the past -- and the choices she made back then.

What she discovers is that things are not always as they once seemed. Some paths are dead ends. But some gardens remain beautiful . . .

Customer Reviews:

Susannah's Garden.......2007-09-10

This is a light and easy read by Debbie Macomber. It was relaxing and a feel good book.

I really wanted to like this book but..........2007-08-27

Susannah's Garden had so much potential. There was so much going on Susannah's dealing with the lingering issues with her father who died recently who was dictorial and distant who sent her away from home to get her away from her boyfriend Jake and wouldn't let her come home when her brother was killed in a car accident. Its also becoming clear that her mother Vivan is no longer able to care for herself and Susannah must deal with the painful decision to put her mother in assisted living and decide what to do with her childhood home and memories. Susannah's clearly having a midlife crisis has began dreaming about Jake and the "what ifs" despite the fact she's married with two almost grown children. Susannah decides to go home to Colville to deal with her mother. Her daughter Chrissie shows up and begins dating a boy Susannah doesn't approve off and Susannah finds herself in her father's position. It all had the set up to being really good as Susannah worked throught all of the issues but the author fails in the execution of dealing with the issues and ending the book. Spoilers follow. The extent that Susannah went to search for Jake without ever really considering the fact she was putting her own marriage at risk or what it might do to her husband or kids made it really difficult to be rooting for Susannah. Not that it really mattered because when Susannah's husband did find out Susannah hired a PI to hunt down her ex-boyfriend they have one small argument on the phone and...that's it. That's it? One argument on the phone? Susannah makes a comment later that they've worked everything out without to the reader how that happened. After all the build up to it and there's no fallout? No real showing Susannah of what her actions had done? I would have liked even just one scene where Susannah worried that she might have just cost herself her marriage. Then there's the learning of what really happened to Jake..and what really happened to her brother Doug. Jake was killed in the car accident instead of her brother Doug who assumed his identy and had been hiding out for decades from the police who wanted him for a federal crime he had return to Colville pretending to be someone else and dating her Susannah's friend. Instead of coming up with a way to either clear Doug of all the charges or some normal resoltion instead the author decides to not do any of these things but just keep Doug leaving under his assumed identy including not telling his mother that he's alive. Sure Vivan met him but has assumed in her altmizer's mind that he's the ghost of her dead husband. That's a solution? All I could think was how cruel what was? Never let the poor woman know her son is alive? What about Jake's father who doesn't even know his son is dead? It just seem all wrong to me. Not to mention the odds of dodging the government for the rest of his life. The same with Susannah's decision to pay off her daughter's boyfriend (like her father had done with Jake) to get him out of her life. Sure the boyfriend's a two timing lowlife who offered the deal to Susannah but...Susannah actually pays him? And this is the solution to get him out of Chrissie's life? How about Chrissie finding out her boyfriend's a lowlife? Maybe even learn something from the experience or realize she deserves a lot more from a boyfriend or the satasfication that comes from kicking the lowlife to the curb? Instead the author creates solutions for the problems that aren't solutions at all. That really's sad because it could have been a really good book.

Just Okay.......2007-07-20

This book is okay but nothing great. The characters lack depth. I figured out the main plot twist about halfway through. Susannah and her husband are annoying parents whose relationship with their daughter, Chrissie, makes no sense. Chrissie's parents are professionals, but their biggest dream for Chrissie seems to be that she become either a housewife or a housekeeper; I don't blame the kid for wanting to get away from them. There are some things about the ending that don't make sense, either, but I don't want to give anything away so I'll just leave those out.

Very realistic.......2007-07-17

I really enjoyed this book. I have been a fan of Debbie's for a very long time. For once, this story was based upon a 50 year old woman taking care of her elderly mother. I am currenly in the same situation and it was nice to read about realistic life issues. I read anything she publishes.

Relaxing reading.......2007-07-16

I enjoyed this book immensely. As a new Debbie Macomber fan, this was a wonderful introduction for me. I found it a very realistic book, as the condition of Susannah's aging Mom is similar to my own. I identified with lots of the story and loved the sweet way the book ends. I heartily recommend it.

Average customer rating:

Gardening Book
GREAT BOOK - GREAT AUTHOR
Nowork gardening, easy reading, lots of information!

The Ruth Stout No-Work Garden Book
Ruth Stout , and Richard Clemence
Manufacturer: Rodale Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0878570004

Customer Reviews:

Gardening Book.......2007-07-10

Great Book--I have actually tried this method for the last 8 months--I live in the desert close to Boise ID. It has cut my gardening work greatly--the mulching holds the moisture in the ground = LESS watering! and VERY FEW weeds!!!!

GREAT BOOK - GREAT AUTHOR.......2002-08-29

With arthritis, degenerative disk disease and spinal stenosis, I may very well be spending my last years in a wheelchair. With Ms. Stout's method of gardening, I will never go hungry. It is possible to plant a few plants (or harvest a few things) every day in the very early morning hours when I can stand to be outside. When my kids come see me, they lay a few bales of hay (or straw) around here and there so I can grab a handful and throw it on anything growing without permission. She was a wise old woman (with a great sense of humor)!!

Nowork gardening, easy reading, lots of information!.......1999-12-22

My mom gave me this book ages ago, which is why I have a copy (it's been out of print for a while). I finally decided to read it this winter, and have been enjoying it immensely. It's based on previously published articles, so you won't find all the information on asparagus all on one page. But her writing style is clear and easy, and so engaging and entertaining that you don't mind reading it from cover to cover. Also, there is a handy index in the back, so that you can always just go to the pages that have the useful info on any particular item. I liked the book so much that I decided to order Ruth's No Work Gardening for the Aging, Busy, and Indolent. It just arrived today and I can't wait to start reading it!

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The Chalk Box Kid
The Chalk Box Kid The Greatest Book Ever
The Wonderful Book!
The Chalk Box Kid
A Real Gem

Chalk Box Kid (Stepping Stone, paper)
Clyde Robert Bulla
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0394891023
Release Date: 1987-09-12

Book Description

Random House is proud to present the tenth anniversary edition of a book Publishers Weekly called "a gem of a book...a story that goes straight to the heart." When nine-year-old Gregory experiences several upsets in his life, he responds by creating a fantastic chalk garden on the charred walls of a burned-out factory behind his house. As his garden grows and flourishes, Gregory finds a voice through his art and, for the first time, is able to find his own place in the world. The Chalk Box Kid is sure to delight a new generation of children and their parents.

Customer Reviews:

The Chalk Box Kid.......2006-10-26

The Chalk box kid teaches you a lesson about how to deal with life when
you move. It shows you that you can make a place your own. It was a wonderful book.Gregory creats a chalk garden. As 3rd graders we give it 5
stars!

The Chalk Box Kid The Greatest Book Ever .......2006-01-24

This is my favorite book ever because it was about chalk and I like to write with chalk.

The Wonderful Book!.......2006-01-24

I like this book a lot because I like to write with chalk.I would also like to have a garden.

The Chalk Box Kid.......2006-01-19

When you read this book you will be amazed! This book is amazing
to me and probably to you to.I mean I love this book it's amazing I hope you will like this book very,very much if you want to find out more information you'll have to read it!!!!!

A Real Gem.......2005-01-27

Nine-year-old Gregory's going through a tough time: his dad lost his job recently, he just moved to a new neighborhood, he switched schools, he didn't get to celebrate his birthday this year, and the one bright spot of everything -- the bedroom his parents added on to the house just for him (Gregory's never had his own room before) -- he has to share with his 20-year-old slacker Uncle Max, who just moved in. To make things worse, the kids at school aren't exactly standing in line to be his friends and his family doesn't have a lot of time for him now.

Things start to look up when Gregory discovers an abandoned chalk factory next door. Under the rubble are boxes and boxes of leftover chalk and Gregory starts drawing on the walls. What he draws and what happens when others take notice is the story.

Discussion:
This is one of the best beginning chapter books I've read in a long time. There are no 50 cent words and the sentences are short but the paragraphs pull you along so you'd never notice it. What makes this book so unique are the topics it skids around.

Gregory is a very frustrated little boy. His parents both work and can't afford to give him the art supplies, clothes, garden space, etc that his friends have access to. His uncle is more of a spoiled new brother than an adult and neither he nor Gregory's parents take much interest in Gregory's concerns and activities. His new teacher is nice but he's having trouble fitting in at school. There is no place in his house that is private. Nothing horrible ever happens but little things build up and although he doesn't know how to say it, Gregory's pent-up frustrations need an outlet. (He's not the only child in this book with this problem: a classmate, Ivy, also has difficulty putting words what's bothering her.)

In a typical beginner reader book an adult would take notice and step in and find a way to make Gregory feel special. Instead the author has Gregory discover an unlimited supply of chalk and 3 walls of the chalk factory to draw on. Now that Gregory has a place that he can make his own, everything else is more bearable. When he finds that he's the only one in his class without a yard to grow a garden in, he simply draws one on the walls outside.

It doesn't take long before others catch on to what he's doing, but by then Gregory has a little more control over his feelings (he no longer feels like kicking things). Again, Bulla is realistic: Nothing fantastic happens but things work out anyway and the ending is more satisfying because of it.

Average customer rating:

Great for toddlers!
Wonderful Beautiful Lovely
This book is fabulous
bright colors,wonderful story for all ages

Flower Garden
Eve Bunting
Manufacturer: Voyager Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0152023720

Book Description

Follow the progress of a little girl and her father as they purchase "a garden," and board the bus to carry it home. The pansies, tulips, daffodils, geraniums, and daisies are lovingly planted in a window box, and the candles on the cake are lighted--just as Mom walks in the door to find her daughter, her husband, and her birthday surprise.

Customer Reviews:

Great for toddlers!.......2005-08-02

I borrowed this book from the public library for my 3 year old daughter and after I returned it, she kept asking for the "flower book." The illustrations are beautiful and the concept is really nice.

Wonderful Beautiful Lovely.......2004-02-12

We have a two-year-old daughter who picks this book out every day and every night to read. The illustrations are breathtaking. The story is simple but relevant; we follow every detail as the father and daughter walk the city street and ride the bus. We love to watch the daughter planting the flowers with her father; the mother coming home from school to see her birthday surprise. I have no doubt that this book will be with us for another generation or more (at least in our house). Thank you to the two wonderful artists who created such a special book.

This book is fabulous.......1998-10-17

I am a student teacher in a three year old preschool classroom. We recently planted mums outside our window, and afterwards read this story to the children. They loved the beautiful pictures and the contrast between the city flowerbox and our daycare garden.

bright colors,wonderful story for all ages.......1998-10-10

my pre-school class found the book to be very exciting and could'nt wait for me to turn the next page.the bright colors of the cover and pages were so liking a good childrens book,that we planted a garden like described in the book.i have had parents ask where can they get this wonderful book for their own child. we really enjoyed it!this book described a family so close and loving,you can't help but smell the flowers and feel the love in that household.

The Garden of Fertility: A Guide to Charting Your Fertility Signals to Prevent or Achieve Pregnancy--Naturally--and to Gauge Your Reproductive Health

Average customer rating:

Thought-provoking but not entirely accurate
The Garden of Fertility
comprehensive and easy to understand
Wise Guide to Reproductive Health
a must-read for every woman

The Garden of Fertility: A Guide to Charting Your Fertility Signals to Prevent or Achieve Pregnancy--Naturally--and to Gauge Your Reproductive Health
Katie Singer
Manufacturer: Avery
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Fertility | Reproductive & Sexual | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Medicine & Technology | Reproductive & Sexual | Medicine | Subjects | Books

Fertility | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1583331824
Release Date: 2004-04-22

Book Description

The Garden of Fertility is a guide to using fertility awareness-that is, reading fertility signals in order to prevent or achieve pregnancy. Certified fertility educator Katie Singer explains how to observe and chart fertility cycles to determine when a woman is most fertile to increase chances of conception, or to exercise birth control naturally-a method that, when followed precisely, is as effective as the Pill. Unlike other books on fertility awareness, The Garden of Fertility also describes how to use the charts to gauge gynecological health and offers nonmedical options for strengthening reproductive wellness. This book provides all the information women never learned in sex education class, but should have.

Customer Reviews:

Thought-provoking but not entirely accurate.......2006-12-26

Good points: While its coverage of fertility awareness is somewhat perfunctory compared to the other major books on the subject (by Toni Weschler and the Kippleys), it explains it in a new way. I particularly liked her comparison of vaginal sensation to sensation inside your nose - you can tell whether your nose is wet or dry just by paying attention to it, with no need to stick a finger in there. The same is possible with the vulva.

Singer takes fertility awareness beyond birth control or pregnancy acheivement. She gives examples and tools for readers to use the awareness aspect of FA to become aware of many other aspects of their lives, including both physical and psychological health. I found the presentation and explanation of Susan Weed's Six Steps of Healing particularly inspiring.

This is also the best presentation of fertility during breastfeeding that I have read (others I have read are "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" and "The Art of Natural Family Planning"). Though I have heard good things about "Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing" and it might be technically better, many might be turned off by its religious content.

Bad points: Singer mixes up theories for which there is strong scientific evidence and growing support (such as the dangers of phthalates), theories that have weak or no support in the scientific community (bras cause cancer), and statements that are outright false (pre-ejaculate contains viable sperm - the only three studies ever done found no such thing).

She mixes up sound nutritional advice (excess refined flour and sugar is unhealthy) with false nutritional advice (plant oils, which contain high levels of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fats, she says are unhealthy. She also says that no historical human community has long, healthy life with low levels of animal fats - ignoring the entire Meditteranean region.) and with advice that just doesn't make any sense (to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins in cod liver oil - remember, oil is a fat - she says you have to take it with butter.)

Some of her advice is just out-of-date. It was published before many of the studies exploring the huge number of benefits to including moderate amounts of tea, coffee, and chocolate (especially dark chocolate). She advices to completely avoid all these substances. She also goes on at length about how low temperatures are a definite sign of all sorts of problems - while a recent mouse study found that mice with lower temperatures live significantly longer than mice with "normal" temperatures.

She integrates Chinese medicine theories throughout the book. To me, this was worse than the religious theories in "The Art of NFP", because those are easily identifiable as dogma. The Chinese medicine in this book is presented as scientific fact, when its theories have actually never been tested in clinical trials.

I'm giving it three stars because its good points are pretty strong. But I would never recommend this book as a stand-alone reference for any of the subjects it covers, only as a supplement.

The Garden of Fertility.......2006-11-03

It goes well with Taking Charge of Your Fertility. I would advise reading TCOYF first and use this book as a supplement.

comprehensive and easy to understand.......2006-11-03

This is not the first time I learn about charting for menstrual cycle but it is the first time I understand the chart. It goes beyond the basic and has enough information about how to read the chart that I find it a very useful tool to empower all women to take charge of the health of their reproductive system.

Wise Guide to Reproductive Health .......2005-05-12

Fertility Awareness is more than a reliable, low-tech way to prevent or achieve pregnancy based on changes in body temperature and cervical mucus. It's a wise way for women to become aware of the rhythms of their own bodies and for their partners to share in this awareness. This essential first step will help solve America's epidemic of reproductive problems ranging from painful menstrual cycles to loss of sex drive to infertility. Singer profoundly understands the myriad ways that diet, lifestyle and environment affect reproductive health and provides an excellent discussion of the vital role that traditional animal products and healthy fats play in reproductive health and the risks of supposedly healthy low-fat products, soyfoods and other highly processed modern food products. As a Clinical Nutritionist, I have worked with many infertile female clients, many of whom were "health conscious" vegetarians or near vegetarians. Nearly all of these women regained their fertility, strengthened their overall reproductive health and just plain felt better after removing soy foods from their diets and adopting a varied, omnivorous diet rich in both protein and fat. Men also benefit from eliminating soy foods because the plant estrogens lower testosterone levels, diminish the libido and adversely affect both the quality and quantity of sperm. In short, if you value your sexuality and reproductive health, follow ALL the excellent advice in this book.

a must-read for every woman.......2004-10-26

Around the time I began using The Pill, a friend mentioned the fertility awareness method, FAM, to me. I wrote it off as the infamous "rhythm method." A year later, desperate to come off the Pill (not a good experience for me), I decided that FAM might be worth looking into.

So I went to the book store and bought The Garden of Fertility.
I have read it and re-read it. I've discovered that FAM is NOT the rhythm method. The rhythm method is based on average days of ovulation, which few women fit into. FAM is based on YOUR OWN CURRENT, RELIABLE SYMPTOMS TO KNOW YOUR FERTILE DAYS.

I thought at first that charting my temp would be a pain and that I'd be too squeamish to check cervical mucus. These things have turned out to be a breeze, and I have a comfort with my body that I've never know before. I LOVE to chart, it tells me so much other than when I am ovulating (the book will explain).

Not only is this book good for preventing pregnancy, but when it is time to make babies, we'll know the fertile days.

The book also has great information about improving your reproductive health (nutrition, night-lighting, etc.).

I wish I'd discovered this book earlier. It has changed my view of birth control in so many ways...

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