Mother Angelica's Little Book of Life Lessons and Everyday Spirituality

Book Description

An intimate guide to living a life in full, from a woman who has . . .

“Everything starts with one person . . . I don’t care if you’re 5 or 105, God from all eternity chose you to be where you are, at this time in history, to change the world.”

“If you are following God, He never shows you the end. It’s always a walk of faith.”

“Faith is one foot on the ground, one foot in the air, and a queasy feeling in the stomach.”

—Mother Angelica

Are you unsure of your purpose in life? Stuck in the past and worried about the future? Hamstrung by fear, failure, or trials? Mother is here to help.

For more than twenty-five years, Mother Angelica has dispensed spiritual wisdom and practical advice to millions around the globe through her lively broadcasts on EWTN. Now she shares with you her personal life lessons and hilarious counsel as never before. Raymond Arroyo, author of the bestselling biography of Mother Angelica, has assembled an inspiring collection of her powerful insights, comic musings, and no-nonsense guidance for everyday living. Culled from never-before-seen interviews, private conversations, and recorded lessons not heard in over thirty years, to which Arroyo had exclusive access, these selections capture Mother Angelica’s spunky spirit and profound wisdom at their zenith.

In Mother Angelica’s Little Book of Life Lessons and Everyday Spirituality, the beloved nun is your personal mentor. Together you’ll discover:

How to find God’s Will in your life
How to pursue inspirations fearlessly
How to make sense of pain and suffering
How to spiritually overcome personal faults and trials

Created in cooperation with Our Lady of the Angels Monastery, this devotional treasury is accompanied by original prayers from Mother Angelica’s private collection. Within are the meditations, personal beliefs, and pithy life lessons that transformed a disabled child of divorce into Mother Angelica, founder and CEO of the world’s largest religious media empire. Packed with real-world hope, this little book is sure to transform your life in a big way.

A portion of the proceeds of this book goes to support the work of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery

Customer Reviews:

Mother Angelica's Little Book of Life Lessons and Everyday Spirituality .......2007-10-01

It's a great book and an awesome lady. She is so intellent when it comes to spirituality. I recommend the book to all. You should also read her life story.
She is a living saint.
Ken & Linda

Audio CD review.......2007-07-20

I have to admit, at first it was a little annoying listening to Raymond changing his voice to imitate Mother. He sounds much more like Jonathan Winters' "Grandma Frickert" character than Mother Angelica.

But the content of this book is of course so good that I was able to tune that out and just become absorbed in Mother's timeless wisdom. Good job, Raymond!

Wonderful Words Yet Hurtful!.......2007-07-16

Her Words are worderful, yet could be very hurtful. Since she's giving us some thoughts to think about, let me give you some thoughts to think about.

What about the family in Tacoma, Washington, whose 12 or 13 year old girl was suddenly grabbed after watching fireworks and whose dead bady was found a few days later! Should they be giving the experience over to the Lord! Don't they have the right,at least for awhile, to be FOROCIOUSLY MAD AT THE LORD before they come to the point of being able to give it over to Him or perhaps would that be an example of praying to much for ourselves as Sister likes to say so much!

What about the lady who was dieing on the floor of the convenience store and people were walking over her and some even taking pictures? Wouldn't she have the right to be TREMENDOUSLY MAD AT GOD before she could give it over to Him, or, as Sister is so fond of saying, would that be praying to too much for ourselves?

What about the rape victims, the children who are in abusive situations within their own homes, etc.? The way that she sounds is that those of us who are in trouble can INSTANTLY give EVERYTHING over to the Lord.

I'm sorry Sister Angelica, sometimes that's not possible for many reasons. Sometimes the reasons are due to Post Tramatic Stress requireing a therapist and/or psychologist for medications.

Sometimes the Lord will use various types of professionals to help bring a person to the point where he or she can give everything over to Him. Within your book, you seem to recognize the fact that we should give everything over to Him, however, you never mention the need that sometimes that requires the use professionals and sometimes, depending upon the individual involved and the type of situation, even with the use of a professionals and even prayer, it might take a year or more to completely give everything over to the Lord. Sometimes, that's just the way the Lord's made us.

A Guide to Life.......2007-07-04

Mother Angelica, through her frankness and wit, provides us answers to the questions we all seem to ask at one time or another about life. She is a genius! Read her biography as well if you can. This book will give you information on how to improve your life, and her biography will give you the motivation. Her show on EWTN was a gem. They play reruns - catch it if you can to see her in action. She is simply stunning.

Fantastically inspiring!.......2007-07-03

Arroyo does a marvelous job of compiling this beautiful and inspiring book on Mother Angelica's everyday spirituality and life lessons. You can tell he was close to her and knew how to put this all together. This book was so inspiring to me because it speaks from such a practical stand point. Her lessons are not deep and theological but practical and useful for our everyday life struggles. I highly recommend it no matter what religious persuasion you may come from!

Average customer rating:

A beautiful, emotionally-charged book
If you're a mom, this will make you cry
Beautiful
A Mother's Storybook Wish for Her Child
touching, to say the least

Someday
Alison McGhee
Manufacturer: Atheneum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1416928111

Book Description

A mother's love leads to a mother's dream -- every mother's dream -- for her child to live life to its fullest.

A deceptively simple, powerful ode to the potential of love and the potential in life, Someday is the book you'll want to share with someone else...today. The perfect gift for Mother's Day, Graduation Day or Any Day - share a copy with every special person in your life.

Customer Reviews:

A beautiful, emotionally-charged book.......2007-10-16

The first time I read this book was in a bookstore where I fought valiantly against the urge to cry copiously. Yesterday, during both readings of my daughter's newly arrived copy, I found my voice breaking and tears starting. In simple prose and spare but beautiful drawings, this book does a simply wonderful job of summing up the complexities of a mother's love for her daughter. I can't think of another book that more perfectly expresses the love I feel for my little girl. I love how the book begins with the newborn and ends with the newborn as an old woman. It led to a discussion with my daughter of how I was once a baby in my own mother's arms and how I have grown to have a daughter of my own. The book does such a lovely job of describing this circle of life. Just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes. I highly recommend this for any mother of a daughter--no matter how young or old your little girl.

If you're a mom, this will make you cry.......2007-10-10

Touching book about being a mom. I've gotten it for my mom friends as a gift, and they all found it very touching. It's geared toward mom/daughter, but the message is sentimental. Cry everytime I read it. Love this book.

Beautiful.......2007-10-10

I absolutely love this book and cry or get emotional almost every time I read it. I have purchased it as a baby book for every woman I know who has recently had a baby girl. Each one of them feels the same for it. It is a treasure.

A Mother's Storybook Wish for Her Child.......2007-10-04

SOMEDAY is a mother's heartfelt storybook wish for her child -- that her child will grow up healthy, experience great joys, and someday have a family of her own. It's also a wish that she will be lovingly remembered by her child ("Someday, a long time from now, your own hair will glow silver in the sun. And when that day comes, love, you will remember be.") The book is reminiscent of Robert Munsch's Love You Forever, but the storyline is simpler and more realistic. The illustrations complement the story beautifully. Highly recommended.

touching, to say the least.......2007-09-21

This book brings me to tears at the very thought of it. I got about 1/2 way through the darling pictures and wonderful, sweet words and the tears started. By the time I finished I was a mess. I'm sure it will touch every mother who reads it-it is definitely a book for a baby girl or daughter since the pictures depict a mother/daughter relationship.It's about the simple memories we make with our children that mean more than anything. It's also about the dreams we hold for them. I now have a FAVORITE new book, one that will definitely be bought for others as well. Don't miss this one!

A Child Called "It": One Child's Courage to Survive

Average customer rating:

David Peltzer a Hero
pap
A Child Called "It" review
Will make you cry, a must read
I couldnt put the book down

A Child Called "It": One Child's Courage to Survive
Dave Pelzer
Manufacturer: HCI
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Accessories:

Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers

ASIN: 1558743669

Amazon.com

David J. Pelzer's mother, Catherine Roerva, was, he writes in this ghastly, fascinating memoir, a devoted den mother to the Cub Scouts in her care, and somewhat nurturant to her children--but not to David, whom she referred to as "an It." This book is a brief, horrifying account of the bizarre tortures she inflicted on him, told from the point of view of the author as a young boy being starved, stabbed, smashed face-first into mirrors, forced to eat the contents of his sibling's diapers and a spoonful of ammonia, and burned over a gas stove by a maniacal, alcoholic mom. Sometimes she claimed he had violated some rule--no walking on the grass at school!--but mostly it was pure sadism. Inexplicably, his father didn't protect him; only an alert schoolteacher saved David. One wants to learn more about his ordeal and its aftermath, and now he's written a sequel, The Lost Boy, detailing his life in the foster-care system.

Though it's a grim story, A Child Called "It" is very much in the tradition of Chicken Soup for the Couple's Soul and the many books in that upbeat series, whose author Pelzer thanks for helping get his book going. It's all about weathering adversity to find love, and Pelzer is an expert witness.

Book Description

This book chronicles the unforgettable account of one of the most severe child abuse cases in California history. It is the story of Dave Pelzer, who was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother: a mother who played tortuous, unpredictable games--games that left him nearly dead. He had to learn how to play his mother's games in order to survive because she no longer considered him a son, but a slave; and no longer a boy, but an "it." Dave's bed was an old army cot in the basement, and his clothes were torn and raunchy. When his mother allowed him the luxury of food, it was nothing more than spoiled scraps that even the dogs refused to eat. The outside world knew nothing of his living nightmare. He had nothing or no one to turn to, but his dreams kept him alive--dreams of someone taking care of him, loving him and calling him their son.

Customer Reviews:

David Peltzer a Hero.......2007-10-16

I have read this book and others by Dave Peltzer, he is one of my heroes because he came back from such incredible odds not only to survive, but to make a difference. I recommend reading this book and all the others he has written.

pap.......2007-10-15

I always assumed this title was an unremarkable addition to the intelligence-starved self-help/shock memoir genre that has plagued bookstore shelves for two decades now. When I began student teaching, though, I met one English teacher after another who used it in class. The story, they say, hooks teens and encourages them to ask questions about the society we live in. I am sorry to report that the English teachers are correct; boys in the eighth grade, at least, find the book almost irresistible.

This is most, most lamentable. Despite the recommendations of English teachers and the definitive evidence of student interest, I cannot advise anyone to read this egregious pile of tripe. Shame on Pelzer's editors, who should bury their heads deep in the sands of terminal humiliation. Shame on HCI for distributing this embarrassment to our language. Shame on English teachers for not seeking out stories that both interest young readers and support their acquisition of sophisticated writing skills.

I was wrong, though, to think that Pelzer's book is unremarkable: it is without doubt the worst piece of book-length writing I have ever read. I only finished the book out of morbid curiosity. Perhaps, I thought, the conclusion will reveal some unsought-for nugget of priceless wisdom. Or maybe a punchline? No such luck. My time has been wasted and, I fear, my cognitive faculties stunted by entering Pelzer's linguistically impoverished world.

Teachers and parents, help us work toward a better world by finding another book to put into young people's hands.

A Child Called "It" review.......2007-10-01

A Child Called "It" is an amazing book about the struggles of a young boy and his abusive mother. Though this book was disturbing and cruel, I thought it was very well written and the author had a great writting style. I thought some of the most disturbing parts were when David would be burned on the stove or locked in the bathroom for gas chamber sessions. I also hated that some of his greatest memories were at his favorite vacation spot and his mother ruined those for him. I think it is important that Dave let out his feelings and experiences in this book. I hope that he has found a way to move on with his life and not let the past ruin his present and future life.

Will make you cry, a must read.......2007-10-01

A Child Called it is and insperational true story about a young boy named David Pelzer being physically abused in his own home by his own Mother. The book shows how David made his way through life dealing with his horrific mother. He keeps his motivation through being drown, being burned, beat, forced to eat the contents out of a babies diaper, and countless other things while fighting for food in order to avoid starvation. He eats food out of trash cans, steals from students, and eats out of freezers in order to survive. This child's life was a living hell, but ahd the dedication to make his way through it with courage and bravery. This story is a must read that will bring you to tears and keep you motivated

I couldnt put the book down.......2007-09-27

I could not put this book down I read it in an hour and a half without stopping for anything. This story although so heart breaking needed to be told.. For the man who wrote this telling book 5 STARS and for the book aswell

Average customer rating:

I agree - this book is for warped minds
Didn't like the message
This is a Top Ten Creepy Children's Book
A comfort
I love my mom

Love You Forever
Robert N. Munsch , and Sheila McGraw
Manufacturer: Firefly Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0920668372

Amazon.com

The mother sings to her sleeping baby: "I'll love you forever / I'll love you for always / As long as I'm living / My baby you'll be." She still sings the same song when her baby has turned into a fractious 2-year-old, a slovenly 9-year-old, and then a raucous teen. So far so ordinary--but this is one persistent lady. When her son grows up and leaves home, she takes to driving across town with a ladder on the car roof, climbing through her grown son's window, and rocking the sleeping man in the same way. Then, inevitably, the day comes when she's too old and sick to hold him, and the roles are at last reversed. Each stage is illustrated by one of Sheila McGraw's comic and yet poignant pastels. (Ages 4 to 8) --Richard Farr

Book Description

A young woman holds her newborn son
And looks at him lovingly.

Softly she sings to him:
"I'll love you forever
I'll like you for always
As long as I'm living
My baby you'll be."

So begins the story that has touched the hearts of millions worldwide. Since publication in l986, Love You Forever has sold more than 15 million copies in paperback and the regular hardcover edition (as well as hundreds of thousands of copies in Spanish and French).

Firefly Books is proud to offer this sentimental favorite in a variety of editions and sizes:

We offer a trade paper and laminated hardcover edition in a 8" x 8" size.

In gift editions we carry:
a slipcased edition (8 1/2" x 8 1/4"), with a laminated box and a cloth binding on the book
and a 10" x 10" laminated hardcover with jacket.

And a Big Book Edition, 16" x 16" with a trade paper binding.

Customer Reviews:

I agree - this book is for warped minds.......2007-10-16

I was given this book and only recently got around to reading it to my children (we have lots of books to get through!). It starts out cute, and very quickly declines in to "strange behaviour". I'm a mother of 4 children whom I love dearly, and I do NOT want them to think that I'll be sneaking in to their homes later in life whilst they sleep. How creepy is that. And I really hope my son does not grow as a man who sleeps with his teddy and sucks his thumb. I'm shocked this book was published. Hollywood could make a really creepy movie out of this one.

Didn't like the message.......2007-10-12

This book is very popular with my husbands family so I got it at my baby shower - I didn't like it a bit. Infact I got rid of it. I think any mom that is driving across down to climb up a ladder and into a window to rock her son to sleep is just strange!! I was fine with the book until I saw the picture of her in the car with the ladder on top. I just find that creepy. I won't be reading this to my son and I dread the day I have to tell my inlaws not to read it to him either. Its just creepy!

This is a Top Ten Creepy Children's Book.......2007-10-03

This starts off kind of cute. The mother has a child in her arms and she tells him, "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be." As an expression of a parent's unconditional love it's a great little saying from a mother to her son. And then you turn the pages, the kid gets older, and the you see the mom sneaking into the teenage son's bedroom and repeating the mantra. It seems a little Oedipus, as I'd not really like to think about my mom sneaking into my room when I was a teenager but ok, still kind of cute.

Then the son gets married and moves away. Happy ending? Not exactly. Now the mother straps a ladder to her car, drives across town, and breaks into the son's house, sneaks into his bedroom and while he's sleeping with his wife next to him tells him "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be." Ok, having seen Psycho, I have to say I'm a bit disturbed. This continues through the son's life, until the mother is dying, and the son repeats her mantra back to her.

The last page in the book shows the son, cradling his newborn, repeating his mother's mantra to the baby, and the cycle repeats. If this were a movie, I would have expected the creepy horror music to well up, have the son look into the camera and start an evil cackle as the picture faded to black.

A comfort.......2007-10-03

It was my Kindergarten teacher who introduced me to this book when I was about five years old. It was a hard time for me at that age because my mom was gone a lot but this book made it a little easier. The song "I'll love you forever" still rings true today and occasionally I even get a little misty eyed. Looking back I remember singing it to my grandmother who couldn't help the tears that filled her eyes and a slight smile on her face when she hugged me "Your right little one and it will never change". It's a comforting book about love between parents and yes even grandparents that passes on generation to generation.

This is one of my favorite children's books and will remain so. However I believe that sadly now we are becoming more and more politically correct and thats unfortunately effecting our children's books. Judge for yourself but remember that sometimes if you look to closely you lose the magic completely :)

I love my mom.......2007-09-28

This book is has impacted me in such a way, and from such an early age, that it will resonate forever.
It is only a sad book if you don't know how to celebrate the life of a loved one. I think it's good for children to question the lessons of this book.

A Confederacy of Dunces (Evergreen Book)

Average customer rating:

A Colossal Waste of Time
Cajun-Style Don Quixote
imho....overated due to the book's backstory
A Confederacy of Dunces
Not as funny as they make it out to be

A Confederacy of Dunces (Evergreen Book)
John Kennedy Toole
Manufacturer: Grove Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0802130208

Amazon.com

"A green hunting cap squeezed the top of the fleshy balloon of a head. The green earflaps, full of large ears and uncut hair and the fine bristles that grew in the ears themselves, stuck out on either side like turn signals indicating two directions at once. Full, pursed lips protruded beneath the bushy black moustache and, at their corners, sank into little folds filled with disapproval and potato chip crumbs."

Meet Ignatius J. Reilly, the hero of John Kennedy Toole's tragicomic tale, A Confederacy of Dunces. This 30-year-old medievalist lives at home with his mother in New Orleans, pens his magnum opus on Big Chief writing pads he keeps hidden under his bed, and relays to anyone who will listen the traumatic experience he once had on a Greyhound Scenicruiser bound for Baton Rouge. ("Speeding along in that bus was like hurtling into the abyss.") But Ignatius's quiet life of tyrannizing his mother and writing his endless comparative history screeches to a halt when he is almost arrested by the overeager Patrolman Mancuso--who mistakes him for a vagrant--and then involved in a car accident with his tipsy mother behind the wheel. One thing leads to another, and before he knows it, Ignatius is out pounding the pavement in search of a job.

Over the next several hundred pages, our hero stumbles from one adventure to the next. His stint as a hotdog vendor is less than successful, and he soon turns his employers at the Levy Pants Company on their heads. Ignatius's path through the working world is populated by marvelous secondary characters: the stripper Darlene and her talented cockatoo; the septuagenarian secretary Miss Trixie, whose desperate attempts to retire are constantly, comically thwarted; gay blade Dorian Greene; sinister Miss Lee, proprietor of the Night of Joy nightclub; and Myrna Minkoff, the girl Ignatius loves to hate. The many subplots that weave through A Confederacy of Dunces are as complicated as anything you'll find in a Dickens novel, and just as beautifully tied together in the end. But it is Ignatius--selfish, domineering, and deluded, tragic and comic and larger than life--who carries the story. He is a modern-day Quixote beset by giants of the modern age. His fragility cracks the shell of comic bluster, revealing a deep streak of melancholy beneath the antic humor. John Kennedy Toole committed suicide in 1969 and never saw the publication of his novel. Ignatius Reilly is what he left behind, a fitting memorial to a talented and tormented life. --Alix Wilber

Book Description

The best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning classic hailed by The New York Times Book Review as "a masterwork . . . the novel astonishes with its inventiveness . . . it is nothing less than a grand comic fugue." A Confederacy of Dunces is an American comic masterpiece. John Kennedy Toole's hero, one Ignatius J. Reilly, is "huge, obese, fractious, fastidious, a latter-day Gargantua, a Don Quixote of the French Quarter. His story bursts with wholly original characters, denizens of New Orleans' lower depths, incredibly true-to-life dialogue, and the zaniest series of high and low comic adventures" (Henry Kisor, Chicago Sun-Times).

Customer Reviews:

A Colossal Waste of Time.......2007-10-16

I heard that the book was a comic masterpiece so I gave it a try. After reading the Preface I was prepared to withstand a slow start that was supposed to grow slowly towards a climatic ending (or at least an interesting ending). A friend of mine was given the book and she tried to get through it 2 or 3 times but she kept getting to a point that she couldn't push through. I was able to push through because I expected a payoff later on that never came.

None of the characters are completely likable. They are all idiots at one point or another and they repeatedly act in a way that I have trouble believing a normal person would. If this was a play, television show or a movie I would say that all of the characters were overacting. They would constantly repeat the same stupid sayings over and over and over again throughout the book. The whole time I am thinking how unbelievable this dialog is because normal people don't act this way. This was just stupidity. It might even be bearable if it was only a couple of screwballs characters but instead everyone is inept. There was no one to root for or to identify with and it simply was not entertaining to read.

The only good thing that I can say about the book is that the title is appropriate.

Cajun-Style Don Quixote .......2007-10-15

There are two ways of perceiving Cervantes's "Don Quixote." In the modern interpretation Don Quixote is an idealistic dreamer, a hopeless romantic battling the windmills of a bitter, cynical world. The more traditional (and I'd say correct) interpretation is that Don Quixote is a dangerous madman adhering to an outdated ideology and sowing havoc wherever he goes. Based on which interpretation you believe in, the novel can be seen as charmingly comic or darkly comic.

The same can be said for "A Confederacy of Dunces." Ignatius Reilly is Don Quixote of the bayou, a grossly overweight, strangely dressed believer in Medieval philosophy. He espouses these beliefs in notebooks, to his mother, at the movie theater (to the annoyance of patrons, ushers, and managers), and to any perspective employer. The only one close to understanding him might have been his dead collie, whom he loves in a not-entirely healthy way. The second closest is his former girlfriend--using the term loosely--Myrna Minkoff, an heiress turned political activist from New York.

Reilly's mother caters to his every need--such as supporting him through the better part of a decade of college, though it never leads him to a stable job--until she runs her car into a building while drunk. This leads her to forcing Reilly out into the world. His interactions with employees at a pants factory, a hot dog vendor, a gay man in the French Quarter, and a bar's employees create mayhem for Reilly and those he comes into contact with.

I think the prevailing view is to think of Ignatius Reilly as a madcap fish out of water, the idealistic dreamer interpretation. But it's not hard to also see him as a fat, selfish lout deserving of the scorn and ridicule he receives. Clearly Ignatius Reilly--like Don Quixote--is someone who takes himself and his ridiculously out-of-step views far too seriously, so you're never laughing WITH him so much as laughing AT him. It's up to you to decide just how mean-spirited the laughing at part is.

At any rate, it's unfortunate that John Kennedy Toole did not live long enough to hone his craft a bit more. Had he received some support and guidance he could have been one of the great American authors of his generation with the likes of Vonnegut, Updike, and of course Walker Percy, who at least made sure we could all read this novel. As it is, there are still some kinks in this, like how people are always screaming relatively ordinary lines of dialog or how the gay characters are stereotyped queens and butches.

Still, there's no question this is a good novel, and a funny novel as well, which is why it managed to endure even after the death of its author. NO matter how you should interpret it, you should read it.

On a side note, I think if Ignatius Reilly were around in modern times he would be writing his missives on the Internet instead of in notebooks. Mostly likely he'd be writing reviews on Amazon...

That is all.

imho....overated due to the book's backstory.......2007-10-08

I only got two-thirds of the way through this book because, basically, it just kept spinning its wheels. Also, the title character is 99% unsympathetic. He's such a friggin' ego-centric dolt that I simply stopped caring about anything to do with him. Yes, there are very funny parts...but not that many. I really feel this book has been hyped due to the fact that the book didn't get published until twenty years after the author's death (he committed suicide at least partly due to the novel not being published in his lifetime) and that the persistence of his mother in getting it printed really added to the book's mystique...which, obviously, has NOTHING to do with the actual book itself. I feel that the book would have never even been considered for a Pulitzer (which it won in the early '80s) had it been published in the author's lifetime. I actually would give this book two and a half stars, but that option isn't available.

A Confederacy of Dunces.......2007-10-04

This is a wonderful read. You take a fantastic and funny journey with a cast of characters that jump off the pages into the room where you are reading. I recommend this book as a gift, for a book club, for anytime. It is one you will read again and again.

Not as funny as they make it out to be.......2007-10-03

This book, i think, is generally over rated. Don't get me wrong, it is funny and memorable. However it was awarded the Pulitzer posthumously and I feel that it does not rank up there with the best work produced in the last century. It is likely that Toole might have produced such a book had he continued writing though. Perhaps his suicide has granted the book an aura of pathos that has helped it along the path to greatness.
The book tends to make caricatures out of the characters, including Ignatius (who is the only real character in the book). Because the book focuses on the personal scale of things, this defect in itself hurts it the most.
Would I read it again, probably yes, but I would have enjoyed it more had i not expected so much of it.

Average customer rating:

How strong is a mothers love?
profound and solid expression of parental love
Must have book for kids!
The Runaway Bunny
A story every child deserves to be told, with wonderful images, and in perfect size

The Runaway Bunny
Margaret Wise Brown
Manufacturer: HarperFestival
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book

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ASIN: 0061074292

Amazon.com

Since its publication in 1942, The Runaway Bunny has never been out of print. Generations of sleepy children and grateful parents have loved the classics of Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd, including Goodnight Moon. The Runaway Bunny begins with a young bunny who decides to run away: "'If you run away,' said his mother, 'I will run after you. For you are my little bunny.'" And so begins a delightful, imaginary game of chase. No matter how many forms the little bunny takes--a fish in a stream, a crocus in a hidden garden, a rock on a mountain--his steadfast, adoring, protective mother finds a way of retrieving him. The soothing rhythm of the bunny banter--along with the surreal, dream-like pictures--never fail to infuse young readers with a complete sense of security and peace. For any small child who has toyed with the idea of running away or testing the strength of Mom's love, this old favorite will comfort and reassure. (Baby to preschool)

Book Description

Clement Hurd redrew some of his pictures for this new edition of the profoundly comforting story of a bunny's imaginary game of hide-and-seek and the lovingly steadfast mother who finds him every time.

Customer Reviews:

How strong is a mothers love?.......2007-09-18

A sweet tale, that reaches to illustrate that uniquely elusive bond between mother and child. It's just this type of love that promotes meaning and purpose into the lives of our children. A must read! It will surely tug on your heart-strings! Author/Illustrator

profound and solid expression of parental love.......2007-09-12

Enchanting and delightful expression of the devotion of motherhood, and a gentle answer to something every child at one point says they will do "I'm going to run away!" And this is the point.....at some stage children discover and become more deeply aware that they are separate beings from their closest family, and this is both a frightening and inspiring idea. Even today our own political debates on libertarian verses communitarian policies is but this idea write large. And yet in "Runaway Bunny" this idea is not writ small...for the Mother Bunny always replies "if you run away, I will become...." Acknowledging the child's growing ability and independence, but also expressing devotion, attention, and care.

Margaret Wise Brown is an unacknowledged genius of American letters and child psychology and I highly recommend her works, and especially Runaway Bunny.

Must have book for kids!.......2007-08-26

This is a wonderful story for the whole family. My son loved this book when he was little, and our daughter now enjoys it too. We love reading it because of the beautiful story.

The Runaway Bunny.......2007-07-29

This is a favorite of mine. If you are religious, this book is similar to Psalm 139 in Hebrew Scriptures. For that reason I am very fond of the book.

A story every child deserves to be told, with wonderful images, and in perfect size.......2007-06-08

I bought this book for my son when he just over a year old. I read to him ever since he was born, and he loves books.

This book is a good size for small hands, and very resistant for toddlers due to the cardboard pages. I was always able to let him hold it because of that, without having to tell him to be careful with it. And because of the beautiful and colorful pictures that the book has on every other page, he has always been inclined to take the book himself.

The story itself is beautiful. It speaks of a little bunny at a "silly" age, where he tells his mother all the things he will do to get away from her. The mother answers each of these "ideas" to run away, lovingly and patiently, telling him HOW she will always run after him, no matter what. The last idea that the bunny has "gets him caught", and he then gives up the thought of running away. The mother's reaction to this is to warmly welcome him back with a homely gesture that is to give him a snack.

My son was first drawn to the book by the pictures and the rhythm of the words... and well, he has always loved the "bunny" and "mommy" voices that one can make while reading it aloud. But now that he is almost three, he tells ME the whole story, and starts to giggle when we get to the page where the bunny gets caught. He loves it when I hold him in my arms and start tickling and kissing him at that point.

This is definitely his favorite bedtime book.

It's a book that has helped strengthen the mother-son bond in my family. It also teaches both mommy and son, if you read between the lines: unconditional love and patience.

I already have my older son's copy, but when I have my second son/daughter, I will get him/her a copy of their own. It's a book that belongs on a night table, and that every child deserves to listen to.

Average customer rating:

Great book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A lovely book!
YIKES! SCARRY!
a childhood favorite passed down
Still has the same magic

Are You My Mother?
P.D. Eastman
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0394800184
Release Date: 1960-06-12

Amazon.com

This is the classic from which many of our staff first learned to read, starting us on a path of unremitting bibliophilia. Are You My Mother? follows a confused baby bird who's been denied the experience of imprinting as he asks cows, planes, and steam shovels the Big Question. In the end he is happily reunited with his maternal parent in a glorious moment of recognition.

Book Description

Illus. in color. A baby bird is hatched while his mother is away. Fallen from his nest, he sets out to look for her and asks everyone he meets -- including a dog, a cow, and a plane -- "Are you my mother?"

Customer Reviews:

Great book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2007-08-11

My mom got me this book when i was only a few months old. It is a great book. Since i am older i don't read it as much but i didn't forget about it yet! It has a baby bird who falls out of its nest and goes out looking for its mother and it asks so many animals and it finally finds her.The illustrations are great. I would recommend it to any beginner.

A lovely book!.......2007-07-18

This book could not be sweeter! My 5 yo adores this book. It shows the bond and love a Mother and child have from day one.

YIKES! SCARRY!.......2007-07-17

Not a good book for kids. Being lost and alone, searching for your mother or anyone that looks like you will not only frighten your child but also teach them that they must find someone that looks like them to feel safe and accepted. This book is dated and not child appropriate. :-(

a childhood favorite passed down.......2007-05-15

I am just thrilled to see that this classic is still going strong. I remember this from the early 70s as I was a young girl and my father read this to me daily. And now, I had the priviledge of introducing the book to my daughter about a year ago. It became an instant favorite since it involves all the favorite characters of a toddler's life: conversations with a dog, cow, chicken, cat etc. Parents that enjoy getting creative when reading to their children will love this book!

Still has the same magic.......2007-05-08

I just finished reading "Are you my Mother?" with my daughter, having not heard it since I was a child. This book still posesses the same magic it did for me all those years ago.
Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

Wonderful Story
great first day of school book
Love Love Love it
sweet story
What a gift this author provides

The Kissing Hand
Audrey Penn
Manufacturer: Tanglewood Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1933718005

Amazon.com

Chester Raccoon doesn't want to go to school--he wants to stay home with his mother. She assures him that he'll love school--with its promise of new friends, new toys, and new books. Even better, she has a special secret that's been in the family for years--the Kissing Hand. This secret, she tells him, will make school seem as cozy as home. She takes her son's hand, spreads his tiny fingers into a fan and kisses his palm--smack dab in the middle: "Chester felt his mother's kiss rush from his hand, up his arm, and into his heart." Whenever he feels lonely at school, all he has to do is press his hand to his cheek to feel the warmth of his mother's kiss. Chester is so pleased with his Kissing Hand that he--in a genuinely touching moment--gives his mom a Kissing Hand, too, to comfort her when he is away. Audrey Penn's The Kissing Hand, published by the Child Welfare League of America, is just the right book for any child taking that fledgling plunge into preschool--or for any youngster who is temporarily separated from home or loved ones. The rough but endearing raccoon illustrations are as satisfying and soothing for anxious children as the simple story. (Ages 5 and older) --Karin Snelson

Book Description

In this contemporary classic Chester Raccoon seeks love and reassurance from his mother as he ventures out into the world to attend his very first day of school.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Story.......2007-10-17

I was looking for a book to help prepare my daughter (and me) for the first day of preschool; The Kissing Hand was recommended by friends and family. I tried to find it at the library, but it was always checked out, so I decided to purchase it from Amazon and I am so happy I did, this is a wonderful addition to any home library. The story is so touching; both of my girls (ages three and two, just love it and so do I.) The book includes sticker, which I have used when dropping off my daughter at school. Highly recommend it to anyone getting ready for school.

great first day of school book.......2007-10-10

Sweet story about a little one that doesn't want to leave mom to go to school. Very loving story. My daughter (4) really liked this book. They actually read it on the first day in her pre-school class. Great gift idea.

Love Love Love it.......2007-09-22

I think everyone should own this book. What a great message: Mom's love will always be there.

sweet story.......2007-09-21

I bought this for my five year old to give to him before going to Kindergarten. He wasn't afraid to go, but he really enjoyed the story and the sweet sentiment. He made me a little Kissing Hand picture with the stickers in the back, and I made him a little Kissing Hand note with one of the stickers that he stuck in his pocket for the first few days of school. He even gives his little brothers kissing hands from time to time - very sweet book.

What a gift this author provides.......2007-09-19

For young Chester Raccoon, the first day of school is scary indeed, and young children will be able to relate to the young raccoon who cries at the thought of being separated from his mother. But his wise mother sends him off with a wonderful secret to see him through and carry the memory and strength of her love with him always. The book's foreword says The Kissing Hand is "for the child within each of us who sometimes needs reassurance." Love is truly the bedrock that sustains and reassures us on our path through life, and this book reinforces the importance of loving relationship for us all. Beautifully told, the tale may give youngsters the confidence they need to cope with whatever comes their way. In an unusual move, the author has teamed up two acclaimed artists (one a descendant of Sir Christopher Wren) with distinctive styles that nonetheless blend beautifully. These are endearing, luminous illustrations - Chester Raccoon has got to be the cutest raccoon in all of children's literature.

The Mother of All Pregnancy Books: The Ultimate Guide to Conception, Birth, and Everything In Between (U.S. Edition)

Average customer rating:

Very Pleased
Most Helpful for conceiving
The Mother of All Pregnancy Books
A great tool for conception and fertility
Good, but not the best

The Mother of All Pregnancy Books: The Ultimate Guide to Conception, Birth, and Everything In Between (U.S. Edition)
Ann Douglas
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Accessories:

ASIN: 0764565168

Book Description

The ultimate guide to conception, birth, and everything in between.

Unlike all those otherbossy, tell-you-what-to-do titles, this funny, entertaining guide presents expectant parents with all the facts on such perennial hot topics as pain relief during labor, episiotomy, and circumcision, and empowers them to make informed personal choices. It's packed with tools you won't find anywhere else, including:

Charts highlighting the risks of using various over-the-counter drug productsduring pregnancy
Lists of the ten best -- and worst --baby products
A set of emergency childbirth procedures
Forthright discussions of difficult topics like infertility, high-risk pregnancy, and pregnancy and infant loss that other books are loathe to tackle

Customer Reviews:

Very Pleased.......2007-08-27

I Was very pleased with this item and would definately recommend it and the supplier as well as use the supplier again myself if the oppotunity presents itself.

Most Helpful for conceiving.......2007-08-06

I have picked up and read several books trying to get specific information about the fertilization process. Alot of books just have the same generalized, generic information that you would get in an average text book, but didn't clearly clarify whether it was best time to try before you ovulate or right after. This is the only book I found so far that really gave me down to earth and very practical information about the most effective timing for getting pregnant and why. I loved that it was both readable and scientifically detailed in its delivery of information. I wish I'd read this two months ago. Alot of pregnancy books including What To Expect When you Are Expecting and The Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy didn't even touch on the specifics of trying to get pregnant. In fact the first chapter of the Mayo book just spends a lot of time scaring women over 35, like me, of how risky and statistically challenged our pregancies might be. These two books might be fine once you get pregnant, but they weren't helpful for getting pregnant.

This book in my opinion bridges the gap between a general info baby book and an infertility book. In fact the book points out that a lot of couples who think they are infertile just don't know when to start trying and how to properly calculate their fertility window. My friend and I are trying to get pregnant and the same time, and when I read her the section on getting pregnant, she was like....this is fascinating. This book is great for people who want specific scientific information in a down to earth delivery.

The Mother of All Pregnancy Books.......2007-07-12

This is the second time I bought this book and everyone says it is so informative. Thank you. :)

A great tool for conception and fertility.......2007-06-27

In a sometimes frustrating struggle to conceive, this book was my bible and Ann Douglas my guru. I read and re-read the chapters on infertility and conception over and over - drifting to other books but always coming back to the "Mother". She doesn't get caught up in too much technical jargon, doesn't preach or offer judgment, and presents a very large amount of material in a straightforward, easy-to-read fashion. The charts are great, and although there is some scary info in here about miscarriages, ectopic, stilbirths, etc., it's important to include, and presented very well. I haven't found it quite as useful or comprehensive for late pregnancy and preparation for birth, but it's still a valuable part of my (large) stack of pregnancy books.

Good, but not the best.......2007-06-21

The conversational tone of the book was a little distracting, and I didn't care for the way it was organized, but I appreciated the positive attitude it portrayed.

There is some good information, but there are other books with more complete information and better organization. My favorites are "1000 Questions About Your Pregnancy" and "Mayo Clinic Complete Book of Pregnancy & Baby's First Year". They are both extremely thorough, well-organized, and work great for reference. Both of these books tend to put things in perspective, maintain a positive tone and really present you with all the facts. In general, I think the pregnancy books written by doctors are the best.

Average customer rating:

good for separation anxiety stage
Fun book every time we read it!
Oooooh, where is she?!!!
Excellent
Where is Baby's Mommy?

Where is Baby's Mommy?

Manufacturer: Little Simon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book

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ASIN: 0689835612

Book Description

Is Mommy behind the chair?

Is Mommy behind the plant?

Join baby as he plays hide-and-seek with Mommy. The sturdy format and easy-to-lift flaps in this delightful interactive book are perfect for parents and children to share.

Customer Reviews:

good for separation anxiety stage.......2007-09-15

I first read this book when my daughter was 6 months old, she is 27months old now and still loves reading the book. we play act the book now, and she's full of laughs.

Fun book every time we read it!.......2007-07-19

This book is so cute as you peek a boo look for mommy on each page. What a cute and fun book the kids love this one everytime!

Oooooh, where is she?!!!.......2007-04-17

Toddlers will love this fun story. It has a hint of mystery as Baby searches for its Mommy. This is a unique way to teach kids the process of elimination as the illustrations rule out each place where Baby's Mommy is not hiding in anticipation of the exciting reunion between Baby and Mommy.

Excellent.......2006-11-11

Though my Son likes books of all kinds, he absolutely loves this and other Karen Katz lift-the-flap books. The illustrations are so simple, colorful and bright. After having read it a zillion times, he still is not tired of smiling everytime he finds mommy!

Where is Baby's Mommy?.......2006-08-07

My 20-month daughter absolutely loves this book. Lifting all the flaps and being suprised everytime to see what is behind them. Always when she finds the Mommy I say " There's mommy" she looks at me with her big brown eyes and says "NO" and points to me and says "Mommy". The book is absolutely ADORABLE.

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