Family Tree

Book Description

Dana Clarke has always longed for the stability of home and family—her own childhood was not an easy one. Now she has married a man she adores who is from a prominent New England family, and she is about to give birth to their first child. But what should be the happiest day of her life becomes the day her world falls apart. Her daughter is born beautiful and healthy, but no one can help noticing the African American traits in her appearance. Dana’s husband, to her great shock and dismay, begins to worry that people will think Dana has had an affair.
The only way to repair the damage done is for Dana to track down the father she never knew and to explore the possibility of African American lineage in his family history. Dana’s determination to discover the truth becomes a poignant journey back through her past and her husband’s heritage that unearths secrets rooted in prejudice and fear.
Barbara Delinsky’s Family Tree is an utterly unforgettable novel that asks penetrating questions about race, family, and the choices people make in times of crisis—choices that have profound consequences that can last for generations.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Read.......2007-08-31

I enjoyed reading this book. As a knitter the references about knitting kept me interested in the book.

Unlikeable Characters.......2007-08-28

To me the book seemed unrealistic. Good premise, but I had a hard time liking any of the characers. The knitting theme throughout the book drove me crazy. I was dissapointed.

Good read - A bit disappointing.......2007-08-23

I enjoyed Family Tree, but, unlike other recent Delinsky books, found the characters to be more "wooden" and less believable than usual. Someone else mentioned stereotypes, and I also found that many characters were very much stereotypes. I actually enjoyed the subplot of Hugh helping the single mother, Crystal, more than the main plot. This is a minor point, but sometimes things that just don't ring true distract me from the enjoyment of the story. When one chapter began by saying, "Strapped in a bouncer on the kitchen floor, Lizzie was contentedly full. She was so intrigued by the play of morning sun on her own hands that Dana decided the bath could wait." I thought for a moment that more time had passed than I'd realized in the plot line, but on the next page, Dana is telling someone on the phone that Lizzie is two and a half weeks old. Either Barbara Delinsky doesn't have children, or it has been so long ago that she doesn't remember that 2-1/2 weeks old is way too young to be strapped in a bouncer chair. And as for being fascinated by light on her hands, 2-1/2 weeks old seems a bit young for that also. Babies aren't even holding their heads up on their own at that age. It just didn't ring true and distracted me from the story.

Family Tree.......2007-08-23

Excellent story and could not put it down until finished. Shared with several people that also found it great. Would recomment it to anyone. It could happen to anyone....At least 5 stars

Do you know your origin or are you sure of it?.......2007-08-02

This book was an eye opener for me. I'm from the black race and I've never thought about how a white person feels if they found out they're mixed with black until this book. I must say this was a daring step the author took because it touches on so many details in life we keep hidden. We never dare think of others and how it may impact their future lives when we keep hidden secrets, but if you read this book it will challenge you to react differently. I've never, ever read a book so touching and compelling on racial issues and family situations, like this book. If there is a book to read and keep this is it,no dust will gather on this one. It's a great gift for all races. It's something one can pick up from time to time to reflect on the little intracies of life. We say we're one thing but if searched real carefully we'd surprised ourselves of what we'll find in our hearts and our family tree. Fear of the unknown holds us back from many things, but this book will make one search and dare to question the unknown. This is an excellent read, I truly enjoyed every minute of it.

Magic Tree House Boxed Set 1, Books 1-4: Dinosaurs Before Dark, The Knight at Dawn, Mummies in the Morning, and Pirates Past Noon

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Magic Tree House Boxed Set 1, Books 1-4: Dinosaurs Before Dark, The Knight at Dawn, Mummies in the Morning, and Pirates Past Noon
Mary Pope Osborne
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375813659
Release Date: 2001-05-29

Book Description

Get ready for a world of adventure with the first four titles in the beloved Magic Tree House series!

Jack and his little sister Annie are just two regular kids from Frog Creek, Pennsylvania. Then they discover a mysterious tree house packed with all sorts of books...and their lives are never the same! Soon they are traveling through time and space in the magic tree house and having amazing adventures. Whether it's watching baby dinosaurs hatch, finding a secret passage in a castle, helping a ghost queen in an Egyptian pyramid, or finding pirate treasure readers won't want to miss a single story!

Average customer rating:

great book
Great book
The Lorax
This sad tale is wonderfully creative
Graphic SF Reader

The Lorax (Classic Seuss)
Dr. Seuss , and Theodor Seuss Geisel
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0394823370
Release Date: 1971-08-12

Amazon.com

When Dr. Seuss gets serious, you know it must be important. Published in 1971, and perhaps inspired by the "save our planet" mindset of the 1960s, The Lorax is an ecological warning that still rings true today amidst the dangers of clear-cutting, pollution, and disregard for the earth's environment. In The Lorax, we find what we've come to expect from the illustrious doctor: brilliantly whimsical rhymes, delightfully original creatures, and weirdly undulating illustrations. But here there is also something more--a powerful message that Seuss implores both adults and children to heed.

The now remorseful Once-ler--our faceless, bodiless narrator--tells the story himself. Long ago this enterprising villain chances upon a place filled with wondrous Truffula Trees, Swomee-Swans, Brown Bar-ba- loots, and Humming-Fishes. Bewitched by the beauty of the Truffula Tree tufts, he greedily chops them down to produce and mass-market Thneeds. ("It's a shirt. It's a sock. It's a glove. It's a hat.") As the trees swiftly disappear and the denizens leave for greener pastures, the fuzzy yellow Lorax (who speaks for the trees "for the trees have no tongues") repeatedly warns the Once-ler, but his words of wisdom are for naught. Finally the Lorax extricates himself from the scorched earth (by the seat of his own furry pants), leaving only a rock engraved "UNLESS." Thus, with his own colorful version of a compelling morality play, Dr. Seuss teaches readers not to fool with Mother Nature. But as you might expect from Seuss, all hope is not lost--the Once-ler has saved a single Truffula Tree seed! Our fate now rests in the hands of a caring child, who becomes our last chance for a clean, green future. (Ages 4 to 8)

Book Description

"UNLESS someone like you...cares a whole awful lot...nothing is going to get better...It's not."

Long before saving the earth became a global concern, Dr. Seuss, speaking through his character the Lorax, warned against mindless progress and the danger it posed to the earth's natural beauty.

"The big, colorful pictures and the fun images, word plays and rhymes make this an amusing exposition of the ecology crisis."—School Library Journal. Illus. in full color.

Customer Reviews:

great book.......2007-10-07

everyone knows how great a book The Lorax is. We got it for our son's fourth birthday. He loves it.

Great book.......2007-10-07

What a great book for a child. In my picky opinion, the beginning is a bit slow, and the ending is a bit abrupt - but still, this is a classic. My child received this book as a gift - now I give it as a gift to other children.

The Lorax.......2007-10-02

An excellent childrens book! A great read for anyone who wants to promote conservation to childern.

This sad tale is wonderfully creative.......2007-09-20

Last week, in my Environmental Studies class, the teacher brought out this book and we had sotry time. Now, that is not normal in a University setting, but it was perfect. We'd read how Easter Island and other such places died out do to the over forestization of their small island. But nothing really gets the point across as well as Dr. Seuss can. We all giggled at first, but as the prose continued we all just listened. I have never seen a childrens book handle such a serious topic so well before. This is a fantastic book to educate youth on being environmentally concious, and I bet they'll remember the message into their adulthood decisions.

Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03

In amidst all the funny looking groovy trees and fuzzy creatures there is a message. In this case, it is about ecology, use of resources, and the environment.

Or, listen to what the Lorax says when you are chopping stuff down and damaging things to make a quick buck, for he is wise.

Average customer rating:

An Important Lesson About Giving
A Timeless Parable on Giving
Unconditional Love is not a license to abuse others
The Giving Tree
Beautiful, poignant and profound

The Giving Tree

Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0060256656

Amazon.com

To say that this particular apple tree is a "giving tree" is an understatement. In Shel Silverstein's popular tale of few words and simple line drawings, a tree starts out as a leafy playground, shade provider, and apple bearer for a rambunctious little boy. Making the boy happy makes the tree happy, but with time it becomes more challenging for the generous tree to meet his needs. When he asks for money, she suggests that he sell her apples. When he asks for a house, she offers her branches for lumber. When the boy is old, too old and sad to play in the tree, he asks the tree for a boat. She suggests that he cut her down to a stump so he can craft a boat out of her trunk. He unthinkingly does it. At this point in the story, the double-page spread shows a pathetic solitary stump, poignantly cut down to the heart the boy once carved into the tree as a child that said "M.E. + T." "And then the tree was happy... but not really." When there's nothing left of her, the boy returns again as an old man, needing a quiet place to sit and rest. The stump offers up her services, and he sits on it. "And the tree was happy." While the message of this book is unclear (Take and take and take? Give and give and give? Complete self-sacrifice is good? Complete self-sacrifice is infinitely sad?), Silverstein has perhaps deliberately left the book open to interpretation. (All ages) --Karin Snelson

Book Description

'Once there was a tree...and she loved a little boy.'

So begins a story of unforgettable perception, beautifully written and illustrated by the gifted and versatile Shel Silverstein.

Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her trunk...and the tree was happy. But as the boy grew older he began to want more from the tree, and the tree gave and gave and gave.

This is a tender story, touched with sadness, aglow with consolation. Shel Silverstein has created a moving parable for readers of all ages that offers an affecting interpretation of the gift of giving and a serene acceptance of another's capacity to love in return.

Ages 10+

Customer Reviews:

An Important Lesson About Giving.......2007-10-04

The book "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein is a classic children's tale that teaches a lesson about the importance of trees in our environment. A tree can be used for many things (provides food, shade, a place to play, etc).

The text is simplistic and sweet. It follows the life of a little boy through old age who feels a fondness for one tree that can always be counted on to have fun and provide help when needed.

Yes, the boy was selfish at times but this story is also surprisingly identifiable. Children do tend to take or ask more of us than we can give. However, the tree, much like a parent, doesn't abandon the boy or expect much from him. As long as the boy is there, the tree is happy. And we are treated with the message that as long as there's enough love in a relationship, it can withstand anything, even faults.

A Timeless Parable on Giving .......2007-10-03

While simple & short, this book is one of my all-time favorites. I have had a copy since I was a boy (decades ago). This story of a selfless tree and a self-centered boy/man has multiple deep implications or messages, which I would encourage readers to expound upon. I could write pages about the meaning(s) of this book, but will concisely say that I wish I were more like the tree and less like the boy. It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Unconditional Love is not a license to abuse others.......2007-10-03

There are many stories out there about unconditional love that doesn't involve a life long cycle of abuse and abandonment. This story describes an unhealthy relationship between a boy and a tree. The term "co-dependent" comes to mind. Is my child supposed to identify with the tree that is treated like a doormat it's entire life or the narcissistic child who takes and takes? Is this a social commentary on the giving nature of females (the tree is female) or the ruthless and thoughtless destruction by males in today's world?

I would not want my daughter to model herself after the tree, giving and giving in a destructive cycle, giving so much of herself in order to please others until there is nothing left and never receiving anything in return. I'd hate to think I taught her to be a doormat, or that I'd given her the impression that it's ok to be in a destructive relationship because "he says he loves me". If this were a marriage, I can just imagine the wife saying "I know he beats me, sleeps with other women, and drinks a lot, but it's ok because he still comes home to me on the weekends."

If I had a son, I would not want him to think that he can destroy the one that loves him to get what he wants. He does not even consider that his actions are destroying the tree until there is nothing left but a stump. Am I teaching that it is ok to take and never give back? To not think about the feelings of others?

There are better ways of teaching a child about love, giving and compassion than this book. I want more for my children and their relationships than that. Denying them any of their wants or expecting them to make their own way in the world doesn't mean that I don't love them unconditionally.

The Giving Tree.......2007-09-25

Book is hard to get out of the case, especially for little fingers of my little boy

Beautiful, poignant and profound.......2007-09-19

Once there was a tree ... and she loved a little boy." And the boy ate her apples and played in her boughs, and both were very happy. But the little boy grew up, and needed more than the loving tree could provide. What happens in a realtionship when one of the parties takes and takes, until the giver has nothing left to give? When is love codependent and unhealthy? Do we get our sense of value, our happiness, from the attention and approval of others? These are some of the questions raised in the beautiful but disturbing, The Giving Tree. It is an infinitely sad book, if seen as an expression of unconditional love that is taken advantage of until nothing is left. But it can be a profound message if considered from the standpoint that, as humans, we too often leave thoughts of our Creator behind in our hectic rush to accomplish, be, do. Finally, we realize that other people, indeed, the world, cannot satisfy us, and so we return to the things that matter - and are at peace.

The author leaves it up to each reader to figure out what the book means/ intends. However readers take it, The Giving Tree is an excellent springboard for discussing the meaning of love. The author's simple, effective illustrations enhance the story line.

Magic Tree House Boxed Set of 4, Books 9-12: Dolphins at Daybreak, Ghost Town at Sundown, Lions at Lunchtime, and Polar Bears Past Bedtime

Average customer rating:

Magic Tree House Box Set
Great Books for a young boy to read
Great books for little boys.........
Great Books
Great Gift

Magic Tree House Boxed Set of 4, Books 9-12: Dolphins at Daybreak, Ghost Town at Sundown, Lions at Lunchtime, and Polar Bears Past Bedtime
Mary Pope Osborne
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375825533
Release Date: 2003-05-27

Book Description

The Magic Tree House adventures continue in books 9—12. Morgan the magical librarian of Camelot challenges Jack and Annie to discover the answers to four riddles as they travel under the sea to the Wild West, the African plains, and the frozen Arctic. If they succeed, they will become Master Librarians! Books in this set include:Dolphins at Daybreak (#9)Ghost Town at Sundown (#10) Lions at Lunchtime (#11) Polar Bears past Bedtime (#12) Magic Tree House Books #9—12.

Customer Reviews:

Magic Tree House Box Set.......2007-10-09

What can I say about Magic Tree House Books? Wow! My eight year old son has been reading them for quite a while now. Our public library does a great job at keeping a variety but doesn't always have the one that he's just dying to read today. I hope that by giving him at least a few of his own favorites that are in this set to keep on hand at home will satisfy his very large reading appetite.

Great Books for a young boy to read.......2007-10-07

It takes a lot for me to get my son to read anything. But with these books he read them with euthusiam and read each one within a week.Magic Tree House Boxed Set 2, Books 5-8: Night of the Ninjas, Afternoon on the Amazon, Sunset of the Sabertooth, and Midnight on the Moon

Great books for little boys................2007-05-13

We read one or two chapters a night to my 5 1/2 yr. old son everynight. He loves all the topics that the books cover....dinosaurs, pirates, ninjas,etc. Great for any little boy!

Great Books.......2007-05-12

My 5 year old son loves the books. They are short enough to keep his attention, but long enough to challenge his imagination.

Great Gift.......2007-05-12

I bought these for my 6 year old grandson for his birthday. He was excited to get them, but they were laid aside for the even more exciting toys that he received. However, as the toys got boring, these books became more entertaining. Currently he is immensely enjoying reading them. They are excellent beginning readers.

The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization

Average customer rating:

What is globalization?
utterly vacuous...the case for globalization is made far better elsewhere
Excellent Globalization Primer
Mixed reviews
Well written but Friedman is completely ignorant of what Adam Smith's free trade position meant

The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization
Thomas L. Friedman
Manufacturer: Anchor
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Economic Conditions | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0385499345
Release Date: 2000-05-02

Amazon.com

One day in 1992, Thomas Friedman toured a Lexus factory in Japan and marveled at the robots that put the luxury cars together. That evening, as he ate sushi on a Japanese bullet train, he read a story about yet another Middle East squabble between Palestinians and Israelis. And it hit him: Half the world was lusting after those Lexuses, or at least the brilliant technology that made them possible, and the other half was fighting over who owned which olive tree.

Friedman, the well-traveled New York Times foreign-affairs columnist, peppers The Lexus and the Olive Tree with stories that illustrate his central theme: that globalization--the Lexus--is the central organizing principle of the post-cold war world, even though many individuals and nations resist by holding onto what has traditionally mattered to them--the olive tree.

Problem is, few of us understand what exactly globalization means. As Friedman sees it, the concept, at first glance, is all about American hegemony, about Disneyfication of all corners of the earth. But the reality, thank goodness, is far more complex than that, involving international relations, global markets, and the rise of the power of individuals (Bill Gates, Osama Bin Laden) relative to the power of nations.

No one knows how all this will shake out, but The Lexus and the Olive Tree is as good an overview of this sometimes brave, sometimes fearful new world as you'll find. --Lou Schuler

Book Description

From one of our most perceptive commentators and winner of the National Book Award, a comprehensive look at the new world of globalization, the international system that, more than anything else, is shaping world affairs today.

As the Foreign Affairs columnist for The New York Times, Thomas L. Friedman has traveled the globe, interviewing people from all walks of contemporary life: Brazilian peasants in the Amazon rain forest, new entrepreneurs in Indonesia, Islamic students in Teheran, and the financial wizards on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley.

Now Friedman has drawn on his years on the road to produce an engrossing and original look at globalization. Globalization, he argues, is not just a phenomenon and not just a passing trend. It is the international system that replaced the Cold War system; the new, well-greased, interconnected system: Globalization is the integration of capital, technology, and information across national borders, in a way that is creating a single global market and, to some degreee, a global village. Simply put, one can't possibly understand the morning news or one's own investments without some grasp of the system. Just one example: During the Cold War, we reached for the hot line between the White House and the Kremlin--a symbol that we were all divided but at least the two superpowers were in charge. In the era of globalization, we reach for the Internet--a symbol that we are all connected but nobody is totally in charge.

With vivid stories and a set of original terms and concepts, Friedman offers readers remarkable access to his unique understanding of this new world order, and shows us how to see this new system. He dramatizes the conflict of "the Lexus and the olive tree"--the tension between the globalization system and ancient forces of culture, geography, tradition, and community. He also details the powerful backlash that globalization produces among those who feel brutalized by it, and he spells out what we all need to do to keep the system in balance. Finding the proper balance between the Lexus and the olive tree is the great drama of he globalization era, and the ultimate theme of Friedman's challenging, provocative book--essential reading for all who care about how the world really works.

Customer Reviews:

What is globalization?.......2007-09-16

Just about everyone has a definition of globalization and a view as to whether it is 'good' or 'bad'. For most of us, relative 'goodness' or 'badness' will depend on how we perceive globalization to impact on us individually or on our local communities.

The case for globalization is not made in this book. The relative measurement of global benefits and disadvantages is not something readily accessible to most of us: what benefits me is likely to disadvantage you.

What makes this book worth reading, in my view, is that by using concrete examples (ownership of the olive tree, or desire for the Lexus)readers may come to see debates about globalization as not just being the realm of economists and governments. Whether we like it or not, globalization is part of the current world landscape. We need to consider what this means at an individual level.

This book does not provide answers. What it does provide is a starting point for identifying and thinking about some of the issues.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

utterly vacuous...the case for globalization is made far better elsewhere.......2007-08-21

I read this book years ago. While I realized then that the book was poor, only now after reading several other books on the same topic do I realize just how much. Friedman's only discernible talent seems to be filling pages with fact-like tripe and passing it off as, well, something worthy of attention. In the process of course he's swindling people who are actually interested enough in globalization to buy a book. Thomas Friedman isn't an economist, from what I can tell he's not an expert on much of anything, and his long-sustained role as some sort of eminently knowledgeable commentator on these topics bothers me to no end. People like this slow down the progress of all human kind.

Since I'm what you could characterize for lack of a better term as "pro-globalization", this book makes me doubly angry, as it manages to damage the cause it purportedly supports. He can't even preach to the choir properly, since the choir thinks he's an idiot.

Critics of globalization are laughed off in 20 pages, and even if he spent more time he doesnt have the expertise to make a remotely convincing case. This is done far better elsewhere, I'd recommend Martin Wolf's 'Why Globalization Works.' Its a much tougher read for an intro to globalization, but thats because, uh, Wolf actually knows what he's talking about. So if you're "anti-globalization" and want a book to challenge your perceptions, or are just someone generally interested in the topic, read that. But if you feel like having a laugh at a self-absorbed, self-appointed 'expert' and cheerleader for processes he cant possibly understand, then by all means read Friedman.

And just to reiterate for everyone who's read this already, if you think you learned something from this book about globalization, either for or against, you probably didn't.

Excellent Globalization Primer.......2007-07-25

Even though this book is seven years old, I still found it to be a highly adept examination of globalization and a good primer for anyone who, like myself, has not read every tome on the growing global economy. Friedman is obviously an accomplished journalist and author, and brings these talents to bear on much of the book. I found myself pausing quite often to reflect on some of the theories he presented, like Golden Straightjacket, DOScapital, or - my favorite - the Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention.

This last concept serves as a perfect example for the intellectual tone of the book, and some of the debatable concepts. While he was on one of his many globetrotting expeditions, Friedman formed this theory from the observation that no country capable of a sustaining a McDonald's franchise had ever gone to war with another of similar standing. The theory is that by the time the middle class of a country is large enough to support a McDonald's franchise, there is too much for it to loose in terms of global trade capital, to risk a protracted war with another McDeveloped state. Of course, this theory has its adversaries, who often point to the US intervention into Panama or NATO's bombing of Serbia, but that healthy intellectual debate is exactly what makes reading this book so fun and thought provoking.

I only failed to give Mr. Friedman's book 5 stars, because in the end, I thought he could have made his point more succinctly. For, if we truly live in a global world, where we compete against everyone else on the planet, who has time to read a book of over 500 pages?

Mixed reviews.......2007-07-23

I initially found this book pretty interesting. I watched Thomas Friedman's interview on Charlie Rose and found him to be an interesting speaker on timely issues related to globalization.

When I got the book and started reading it, I got pretty tired of reading the made-up terms he used, eg. electronic herd etc..

I found the book to be biased towards the benefits of globalization and dismissing the disadvantages.

What I did like about the book was some of the personal anecdotes he relates to the readers, ultimately giving you the feel that you're hearing the story from the man on the ground.

I found doomsdayer520's review of this book to be particularly helpful.

Well written but Friedman is completely ignorant of what Adam Smith's free trade position meant.......2007-07-03

T Friedman writes another interesting book that ultimately collapses intellectually because he never took the time to read what it was that Adam Smith concluded about free trade.The words " free Trade " appear on many pages of this book;unfortunately,Friedman doesn't understand what they mean in terms of Smith's system of thought.He appears to have substituted instead an " anything goes " libertarianism that is anathema to Smith.Free trade is merely the extension of the standard Smithian analysis about the process of wealth creation that starts with the specialization of labor(comparative advantage),division of labor,extension of the market,economic growth,and international trade(international comparative advantage).Smith pointed out that this process,at any level, has severe undepletable externality and spillover costs associated with it.He is very blunt:" Only government action can mitigate or reduce these costs".Any reader can simply turn to pp.734-735 of the Modern(Cannan)Library edition for confirmation.Friedman definitely needs to correct the present edition in the future

Magic Tree House CD Edition Books 17-24 (Magic Tree House Collection)

Average customer rating:

Magic treehouse 17-24
Magic Tree House CD Series
My daughter LOVES these!
Very Pleased
Magic Treehouse Books on CD - Great for long car rides

Magic Tree House CD Edition Books 17-24 (Magic Tree House Collection)

Manufacturer: Imagination Studio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 0307245268
Release Date: 2005-08-23

Book Description

BOOK #17: TONIGHT ON THE TITANIC: Jack and Annie are whisked away to the decks of the Titanic, where they must help two children find their way to a lifeboat - and are in danger of becoming victims of that tragic night themselves.

BOOK #18: BUFFALO BEFORE BREAKFAST: Jack and Annie travel to the Old West, where they roam the Great Plains with a Lakota boy.

BOOK #19: TIGERS AT TWILIGHT: While in India, Jack and Annie have adventures involving a tiger and other endangered jungle animals.

BOOK #20: DINGOES AT DINNERTIME: Jack and Annie are whisked Down Under to the land of Australia, where they save several animals from a raging wildfire.

BOOK #21: CIVIL WAR ON SUNDAY: Jack and Annie are transported to the time of the Civil War, where they meet Clara Barton.

BOOK #22: REVOLUTIONARY WAR ON WEDNESDAY: Jack and Annie travel back to the time of the American Revolution and help Gen. George Washington during his famous crossing of the Delaware River.

BOOK #23: TWISTER ON TUESDAY: Jack and Annie travel back to the Kansas prairie and gain an understanding of how hard life was for pioneers when they experience the terror of a tornado.

BOOK #24: EARTHQUAKE IN THE EARLY MORNING: The Magic Tree House takes Jack and Annie to San Francisco in 1906, in time for them to experience one of the biggest earthquakes the United States had ever known.

Customer Reviews:

Magic treehouse 17-24.......2007-09-24

My son (age 5.5 years of age) and I both enjoyed listening to the stories told by the authors about 2 fictional characters named jack and Annie. The story line is very imaginative and my sn learns quite a bit just from listening to what the kids did int he stories. The stories are very educational and really stimulate my son's young mind to think and imagine. I highly recommend the complete series.

Magic Tree House CD Series.......2007-09-16

These are a wonderful alternative for my son who struggles with reading because he is dyslexic. We have discovered this to be a HUGE solution for the struggle of reading, he follows along with the CD and truly enjoys the books. I wish that more books could offer this, it truly is a "God sent" for us.

My daughter LOVES these!.......2007-03-23

After she reads these books, she still loves to hear the audiobooks over and over. She listens to them on her stereo with her iDog while she's falling asleep at night - a great alternative to radio (too much adult-oriented humor from DJ's in my area for a little girl to be hearing). Wonderfully told and entertaining!

Very Pleased.......2007-01-25

I was pleased with the compacted CD Holder that keeps the CD's nice and neat without taking up a lot of space. My 7 & 8 year olds love the stories and we use them as a reward for when their work is through. Mary Pope Osborne has a talent of writing and telling stories that present history and make you feel as though you're really there. It's relaxing to me as well and nice to know that my kids are learning and being entertained at the same time.

Magic Treehouse Books on CD - Great for long car rides.......2007-01-05

This collection served us very well on our last car trip. We've read all the books already, but the kids are still enthralled.

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region (Eastern)

Average customer rating:

Great Guide that is ALMOST Perfect
helpful
Great Book
Information Packed
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region (Eastern)

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region (Eastern)
NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Turtleback

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0394507606
Release Date: 1980-05-12

Amazon.com

For the untrained observer, it can be quite a challenge to sort out the many trees that make up a stand of older forest in, say, New England or the Ozarks. This well-illustrated guidebook, covering 364 species, comes to the rescue with photographs organized in several ways: by, for example, the shape of the leaf or needle, by the fruit, by the flower or cone, and by autumn coloration. Following one visible characteristic or another, the reader can narrow the range of possibilities, then turn to an informative text that describes a tree's physical characteristics, habitat, and range. Many of the species covered are relatively rare, such as the "stinking cedar" of the Georgia-Florida border; others are locally abundant, such as the paper birch of the boreal forest, used to make ice-cream sticks; still others, such as the smooth sumac, are widespread. The guidebook also covers ornamentals introduced from other continents, such as the Chinese privet and Mahaleb cherry. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

Tree peepers everywhere will enjoy these two guides which explore the incredible environment of our country's forests-including seasonal features, habitat, range, and lore. Nearly 700 species of trees are detailed in photographs of leaf shape, bark, flowers, fruit, and fall leaves -- all can be quickly accessed making this the ideal field guide for any time of year.

Note: the Eastern Edition generally covers states east of the Rocky Mountains, while the Western Edition covers the Rocky Mountain range and all the states to the west of it.

Customer Reviews:

Great Guide that is ALMOST Perfect.......2007-08-18

I have always liked the Audubon Society Field Guides. This particular guide is great in the amount of color photos for sometimes easily identifying species in all seasons, whether from the fall leaves, bark, summer leaves, and the fruit it produces. Also the organization of the guide is very good. My cons below are NOT enough to prevent me from recommending this guide. Compared to other guides it's still the best.

CONS: The amount of information in the back is not always consistent. Also there still isn't always an easy way to differentiate some of the similar species (e.g. Oaks). In other words the pictures and/or the descriptions are not enough to distinguish like species.

helpful.......2007-07-03

Very much help for figuring out what trees we have and we have a lot. Pictures are very nice and cross reference if you aren't totally sure of what you are looking at. Very handy size too

Great Book.......2007-06-27

Every tree and every leaf that you can think of is in this book. Great clear pictures and the information is great. So glad I purchased this book for my husband. The equivalant to bird watching. Tree watching.

Information Packed.......2007-05-17

My new hobby is woodturning bowls so I bought this book to help me identify trees that supply my wood. Once I learned how to search the material, this book has been great fun and very useful. I take it with me when I walk my dog around the neighborhood to identify trees.

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region (Eastern).......2007-02-04

Product received in great condition and very useful.

The Magic Tree House: Books 1-8 (Osborne, Mary Pope. Magic Tree House Series (New York, N.Y.).)

Average customer rating:

Audio Books
Car trips are now exciting!
Wow! What else can I say?
We love Magic Tree House
Mesmerizing for kids

The Magic Tree House: Books 1-8 (Osborne, Mary Pope. Magic Tree House Series (New York, N.Y.).)

Manufacturer: Imagination Studio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Books on CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0807206121
Release Date: 2001-10-09

Book Description

Read by the author
5 hours, 40 mintues
5 CD's

Just in time for the holidays enjoy eight Magic Tree House chapter books in a special CD gift set. As an added bonus, listen to an interview with the author and reader, Mary Pope Osborne.

These eight stories, currently available as two retail volumes on cassette with a combines price of $36.00, are being offered now along with the interview in a 5-CD set at a special price of $30.00.

Customer Reviews:

Audio Books.......2007-08-23

Product was okay, and requested as a gift by my grandson...I was a little disappointed that books did not come with the cd's as read-a-long material.
I ended up buying the books sets separately for him.

Car trips are now exciting!.......2007-08-23

Car trips are now a pleasure with the kids eager to find out what happens next! No more listening to the wiggles!

Wow! What else can I say?.......2007-08-16

We discovered this through a Wendy's kids meal promo. Then I bought the set here at Amazon. It arrived in 2 days. What can I say? The narration is excellent! The story is simple, yet, well written to inspire your child to sit in his/her seat and use their imagination. It has given me "sanity" in my drives with the kids, with the treasured silence that has filled the air, as they listen to the cd. We've purchased the books as well, and it is great to have it to read along with. Listening to the author narrate also has made me a better story reader to my children.

My kids are 5 y.o. and 3 y.o. And they can follow the story really well. And I have a 9 month old baby, too...and the CD gets him sleeping pretty well while we drive.

We love Magic Tree House.......2007-08-09

Picked up our first copy at Wendy's. We've been hooked ever since. Great item.

Mesmerizing for kids.......2007-07-18

My kids (ages 7 and 5) love the Magic Tree House books. This audio CD was a livesaver on a long roadtrip. I had to keep looking back because I thought my kids had fallen asleep since they were so quiet. We had an amazingly peaceful car ride since they were so intent on listening to the stories. After the car trip, they kids have routinely asked to listen to the stories over again many times never seeming to be bored of them. A great investment!

Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses

Average customer rating:

Not useful for the gardener or landscaper
Dirr is the Most Comprehensive
"Manual" is the right name for this book.
The best textbook I've ever bought
Great resource

Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses
Michael A. Dirr
Manufacturer: Stipes Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Reference | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Shrubs | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Trees | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Home & Garden | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0875637957

Customer Reviews:

Not useful for the gardener or landscaper.......2007-09-19

This book is intended for plant scientists, and I was astounded to find how useless a gigantic tome like this can be to a gardener. For starters, in 1188 pages there are zero photos. There is zero color. There's a huge number of amateur black ink drawings that suggest major details of leaves, etc., but no refinements. For visual identification purposes this book is near-useless, so it cannot be thought of as a woody plant encyclopedia. Also, the author has a peculiar manifest of political correctness: he won't speak ill of a plant. So, for example, the discussion of Rhus never mentions that at least three species (poison ivy, oak, sumac) are known for inducing allergic skin reaction after contact. You'd better know that and be able to recognize these because to Dirr that's unmentionable. Nor can I find mention that any berry, leaf, or bark is poisonous though to be fair, I didn't check all 1188 pages. Nor will I; I exchanged my copy for the same author's "Hardy Trees and Shrubs" which is what I should have bought to begin with. It has everything the scientific Manual lacks. That's Dirr's book for gardeners, and still gives you a taste of his political correctness peccadilloes.

Dirr is the Most Comprehensive.......2007-07-05

I am an OSU Master Gardener and we are taught to look to the best experts when we research information for ourselves or to give out to the public. This book, Dirr's "Manual of Woody Landscape Plants" and Carl Whitcomb's "Know It and Grow It III" are the best references a person can use when researching woody trees and shrubs for a landscape. Although Whitcomb's book has a map showing regions where the plant would grow best, Dirr's book has by far more trees and shrubs reviewed with more cultivars listed also. Additionally, Dirr's book is listed entirely by scientific name making it easy to locate information about a plant quickly.

"Manual" is the right name for this book........2007-03-06

I bought this book because other books that I have by Dirr are worth every cent I have spent on them. This book is no different. No glossy pictures are present, but instead there are excellent, detailed line drawings of the identifying features of plant leaves and twigs. What this book does offer that other books I have read do not, is exhaustive information on just about every woody plant one might ever encounter. This book is a true "manual"; it is packed with information on every aspect of selecting, planting, managing, and propagating woody plants.

I doubt this book is essential for the casual gardener, but if you want a serious treatment of trees and shrubs for reference, this book is just what you are seeking. I bought the hardback because I knew that this is a book that will need to take years of abuse.

The best textbook I've ever bought.......2007-02-26

Easily worth ten times the price; an indispensable guide for any horticultural student. Contains encyclopedic knowledge, written in a friendly and approachable way. My copy is already tagged with post-its and notes in the margins; I will no doubt be using this regularly for my whole career.

Great resource.......2007-02-12

This is a wonderful book for those with at least moderate plant knowledge. Very valuable for looking up the difference between varities, but there are no color pictures.

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