5 comments about Joseph and Chico: The Life of Pope Benedict XVI as Told By a Cat.

1. This tender book about Pope Benedict and his love of cats is very endearing and informative. It shows the gentle nature of a somewhat shy scholar who was reluctant when chosen Pope. His reputation as the stern head of the Holy Office preceded him. Now after these few years as Pontiff, he has become an beloved writer and thinker to so many.



2. With Pope Benedict XVI visiting in the United States, I thought it would be a good time for the kids to read more about him.
   
   After reading the reviews posted here, I purchased Joseph and Chico, The Life of Pope Benedict XVI as Told by a Cat and I must agree with the positive reviews.
   
   Told from the point of view of Chico, we learn about the life of Pope Benedict XVI, beginning with his birth in Bavaria up until his election as Pope. In a simple storybook form, it relates the major events of his life.
   
   Although it is rather long for a picture book, the lively prose and interesting point of view held my daughters' and my interest.
   
   While the bright, colorful illustrations are not exceptional, they nicely complement the text.
   
   The unusual point of view adds an element of fun as the cat makes humorous comments. This elicited laughs from my ten-year-old daughter on more than one occasion.
   
   A heartwarming story that is true, Joseph and Chico is a delightful read.
   
   Thanks for posting the positive reviews and inspiriting us to read it.



3. I expected this book to be much simpler - for very young children. I wound up having to "talk" the story to Kdg and 1st graders. Cat lovers may like this more, but there wasn't enough about Pope Benedict - particularly his daily life after becoming Pope.



4. This book uses the voice of a cat to talk about Pope Benedict XVI. Chico was the Pope's cat when he lived in Germany and Chico tells the story of the life of Joseph Ratzinger who becomes Pope Benedict XVI.
   This is a good book to read to your children and talk about the things that have happened in the Pope's life. The art in the book is beautiful and children and grownups alike will enjoy the book for different reasons.
   The children will like to see the pictures and share time with another person to have the book read to them. The adult reading it will enjoy the storyline and the time spent with the child. It is a large size book, 12 x 8, so it makes it easy to hold and share the pictures and writings with a little one at your side. All will benefit from sitting down with this great book.



5. I bought a copy for my own family as well as one for each of my godchildren, and I am extremely pleased with it. I did not know much about Joseph Ratzinger/ Pope Benedict XVI prior to reading this story, and now am much more familiar with who he is and where he came from. The story is extremely accessible, interesting, and even has a touch of humor (the story of his life is being told by a cat, after all). I highly recommend this book, for kids of all ages (although under age 6 or so may have a tough time staying focused if you read it all at one sitting).

1 comments about Take Our Cat, Please: A Get Fuzzy Collection (Get Fuzzy Collections).

1. So far, I own every Get Fuzzy collection out there. In my opinion, Scrum Bums was by far the best of the pack, but Take Our Cat, Please is a solid follow up to I'm Ready for My Movie Contract. Its a great collection of strips that showcases the wit of Darby Conley that keeps us all coming back for more. There are a couple of priceless laugh out loud strips that I'll leave you to find on your own, but this collection is definitely worth your coin and will no doubt provide an hour or two of amusement.

5 comments about Cat's Cradle.

1. This was as brilliantly written, wryly satirical, poignant, ironic, fun and captivating as Vonnegut has ever been. That being said, I did have a few problems with this - one of the core lessons that it teaches is one of pointlessness, and that gets applied somewhat to aspects within the plot line; certain events take place that could be seen as deus ex machinas, but at times some of them are pointed out, how they are unexplained, and their explanations dismissed as unnecessary. It can come off as either smart, funny and very honest, or as somewhat lazy. I didn't feel like I gained as much from this as I did Slaughterhouse-Five, but that's not to say that I didn't gain anything at all - on the contrary, I found it to be very enriching, in the most ironic way possible. For social commentary and philosophical irony blended with fantastic storytelling and captivating, rich narrative, look no further than Vonnegut.



2. This book is simply another notable chunk of evidence that Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was clearly the biggest genius who ever lived.
   
   The most dangerous substance in the world: ice-9. What a great idea for a book. And most folks who read this come away saying something like, "You know, I thought of that exact same thing a long time ago!" Unfortunately for themselves, they didn't develop the idea and send it to a publisher. Ha!
   
   Hard to pass this one by -- pure entertainment.



3. Cat's Cradle was an intriguing and thought-provoking book, but it was rather dark. Throughout this book, author Kurt Vonnegut shows his morbid view of the world, including a dystopia and a ninth ring of hell. The story is about how the narrator, an author who is writing a book about the atomic bomb, meets the children of one of the scientists who helped build the atomic bomb. Little does the author know that the scientist had created something much more dangerous than the atomic bomb. His fate becomes entwined with the children, a midget, an introspective genius model builder, and a clarinet prodigy, and he witnesses the end of the world as the powerful weapon, ice nine, freezes all the water in the world.
   Vonnegut comes up with brilliant ideas as well as sneaking in his own advice on living through the holy man Bokonon, whose self titled religion has poems, songs, and scriptures throughout the book. The author vividly shows his prediction of the future in this book, and through his eyes, there is no hope for mankind. As a warning, this book might disturb more sensitive readers and is most definitely not a children's book. Also, Vonnegut has the bad habit of going off on a tangent that is not always necessary. Vonnegut uses the narrator/author named John as a representative for himself, such as both of them went to Cornell College and were members of the Delta Upsilon fraternity.
   Kurt Vonnegut was a soldier and prisoner of war in World War 2, and was one of the survivors of the Dresden bombing, which was the theme for his other book, Slaughterhouse-Five. His mother also committed suicide on mother's day when he was 22, which might have helped give his writing the macabre twang it has.



4. The relative lack of solid character development alone might scare off the type of reader who feels compelled to know the protagonist's favorite kind of vegetable spread as much as the underlying premise of the story itself, but in what is easily Vonnegut's most concise verbal bitchslap of organized religion and the perils of modern technology, don't expect a warm fuzzy feeling upon completion.
   
   Now, I wasn't even a twinkle in my old man's eye when this book was written, but the apocalyptic, (most likely) Cold War-inspired storyline upon first glance seems similar in tone to some other pieces from that general time period. In "Cat's Cradle", Vonnegut is quite successful in a short period of time (this is a quick read) to churn many of the constant fears in the modern world and turn them into an intelligent, cogent storyline that is in fact rather direct in its delivery. Many writers and many stories have touched on these topics but often delve (usually unintentionally) into sounding "preachy" and "overzealous". Vonnegut's wit and humor allows an otherwise mad genius to spin a tale as if Kurt himself is your friend, and not a fanatical know-it-all professor.
   
   Again; the concept of scientific progress causing the slow but apparent evaporation of the very humanistic element we pride ourselves on as a species is far from groundbreaking. However, to do so and wrap it around such biting political and social satire (to create and explain "bokonism" seemingly on such a whim is simply...awesome) is another thing entirely.
   
   The story itself is both humorous and rather appropriate for the times. Futhermore, as I hint in the above title, this is one of the darkest books I've ever read, but it should be.



5. This book isn't for everyone, that's for sure. The central theme is a fictional religion based around the principal that everything is a lie. The first line makes that clear. Characters include a midget, an introverted modelmaker who forced bugs to fight one another in his younger years, a man who is forced to make bicycles for blind people in Afghanistan, an insane elevator operator, a maniacal dictator, a sex symbol from a fictional island, the man who helped invent the atomic bomb (and has an odd fascination with turtles), a particularly destructive nihilist, and a doctor named "Breed", believed to have an affair. Some of the most memorable scenes involve all possible meanings of the term "Mayonnaise", fun with indexing, and a twenty-foot phallus used as a gravestone. Oh, and there are 127 chapters, each of them a page long on average.
   If all that just strikes you as weird, then Vonnegut really isn't the guy for you. The fact that this is normal in comparison to my favorite Vonnegut book, Breakfast of Champions, should say a lot about him. After all, this guy has one of the strangest senses of humor in literary history. His work really is inaccessible.
   I think he's great, though. He's got the same absurdist sense of humor as I do, and he's a social critic to rival the best of them. Especially here, where he mocks both science and religion, two very different fields. It's a hilarious book, but there's more to it than just the humor. There's also the underlying social and political implications, which is really what makes it fly.
   This isn't a good book in the traditional, "descriptive setting, fleshed-out characters" sense. I don't think it was meant to be. Instead, it's a wild, fast-paced ride, which moves from one biting indictment of society (he takes on everything from patriotism to nihilism). It's hilarious, it's enlightening, it's distinctive... it's pure Vonnegut.

5 comments about Dark River (Warriors: Power of Three #2).

1. This book focuses on the aspect of the three apprentice's powers. Jawpaw gets to like his role as a medicine cat. Hollypaw shows true leadership qualities. Lionpaw gets into a relationship with a WindClan apprentice.
   We find out about the cats that lived by the lake before the warrior cats.



2. This is the second of another great series by the Erin Hunter gals. Jaypaw digs deeper into the mystery of a clawed stick. Hollypaw can't help but push her nose into the bee nest-RiverClan's twoleg problem. Finally, Lionpaw breaks up with Heatherpaw (although supposedly not for good) for the sake of being a good Warrior. Very busy as a whole, and tensions are high, not being helped with some Clans' hatred for un-Clan cats, such as Daisy and her kits, Berrypaw, Mousepaw, and Honeypaw (I think)as well as Millie and Brook.
   Nothing is very easy for anyone, but problems ARE resolved in the end.



3. These books are just too childish to be true.
   I tried geting through not one, but two of these books but I cannot wrap my mind around cats who act like humans. It's not cat-like at all.
   
   I mean... how does a cat gather herbs and make a potion for other cats to help them heal? Cats are not like that at all!
   
   Okay, I admit... maybe I'm too much of a realist, but in my defense I say that I love cats and I know cats and darn if they'd act like that!
   
   No, these tales cannot even fool a child.
   
   A great disappoiment.



4. this was purchased a bday present for my daughters friend. she really enjoyed it.



5. Wonderful continuation of the Warriors saga. I was waiting for this installment with baited breath---as I now am for #3 in the Power of Three.

5 comments about The Cat in the Hat.

1. The Cat in the Hat is a funny and wacky and crazy book but is definitely for the younger crowd. The author is Dr. Seuss. In this book, he expresses his talent in more ways than you can imagine. The younger crowd is amazed and dazzled at what this book is about. The book is about 2 kids at home all alone on a rainy day. They can't find anything to do. Then, they hear a noise and a hilarious, crazy, and zany cat comes out of nowhere and cheers up the kids with things that the kids did not even think was possible! I would rate this book 5 stars no doubt!



2. I have this delightful book in English, Japanese, Spanish, and now in Chinese. Availability in all these languages is magnificent for children for many reasons. It allows children of these linguistic background to enjoy this great book. It is a wonderful attitudinal validation of these languages, especially if read in a school setting where English is the predominant language of instructin. This is valuable for chldren of every linguistic background. It contributes to the appreciation and awareness of these languages. This is so very important for inter-linguistic/cultural harmony and understanding. All of these benefits through a story that is so much fun!!!



3. When I can, I plan to purchase the entire series of Dr. Seuss books for my child being that his style of poetic prose is so appealing to children. It presents concepts in a way that don't stop to make them "think"; yet encourage a style of their own "brain-storming" that allows them to try to understand how silly chit-chat can become something interesting in a very sensible; yet diverse manner. LLO'C



4. This is the first book i read to my son that he didn't cry to and listened to the end at only 6 weeks! I'm sure it was just that he was in a good mood though!



5. In my opinion, this is, besides being the most well-known concept of Dr. Seuss, one of the best things he has written save "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" Tis the season of Seuss right now, and as I read this book to my class I was once again enchanted by the sheer awesomeness of this story. The writing has an awesome beat and flow and the pictures are hilarious! Who can not love the banter between Cat and Fish with their surprisingly detailed personalities? Great book for a rainy day.

5 comments about Murder Is Binding.

1. It's too bad, just like another reviewer mentioned, that the setting isn't a real place. I'd love to visit.
   
   I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next in the series. This first book revolved mostly around the setting and the plot, with most of the character development centering on Tracy. It will be interesting to see how the other main characters evolve in future books. The ensemble cast has a lot of potential, and several of the characters were interesting. The only character that I found unrealistic was the sheriff. I don't want to spoil anything so I'll just say I don't think she'd have been so easily fooled.



2. As a voracious reader, the idea of a mystery series set in a bookstore, which is in a town filled with bookstores, appealed. Unfortunatley, this book did not live up to my expectations. I found the lead character unappealing and spineless. Her sister, who is seen by the lead as an annoyance, is actually a more interesting character to me. I found too many of the actions of the characters to be unbelievable, especially the townspeople (coming to peer through the window to see the jinx/murdereress) and the sheriff (a cardboard character with no discernible skills in law enforcement). Overall, character development was this book's downfall for me.



3. This book has everything. Great setting, great characters, well engineered plot...you name it, this book has it all. This is the first book in the series which often times isn't anything more than laying the ground work for a potentially good series. Well if the debut book is THIS good, what do we have in store with future books in the series?
   If you've been waiting for a fresh new cozy mystery series you can sink your teeth into then your wait it over. I highly recommend this book in case you couldn't tell.



4. I am skeptical of mysteries that look as though they have been created around a "gimmick" more than actual character or plot, such as a wedding planner mystery, a coffee shop mystery, a landscaper mystery or whatever the author can come up with that hasn't been done yet (I think I've even seen a closet organizer mystery!!!). The gimmick tends to drive the boat instead of what should matter, like the story and characters that are more than thin stereotypes. "Murder is Binding", a mystery bookshop mystery, fortunately has more to recommend to it than the mystery bookshop setting. The book didn't get off to the best start with me however. The first few pages made the main character, Tricia, full of negative thoughts about every person she encountered, especially her sister. I knew I wouldn't enjoy an entire book of that! Thankfully, it wasn't as bad throughout the rest of the book and what there was, made sense as far as the story goes. I think the story is well-plotted and the characters are nicely written. I didn't find the writing itself to be a distraction at any time, and that's pretty much all I ask of a paperback mystery's grammar and punctuation. I'll look forward to the next in the series.



5. This shapes up to be a fun new series. The mystery bookstore owner is a fun sleuth along with her very different sister. The idea of a mystery owner as a sleuth is similar to that of Carolyn Hart's Death on Demand series and those who enjoy that SC series will also enjoy this NH series.
   
   The concept of a bookstore town is fun to consider and offers lots of potential for this series.
   
   The mystery was fairly easy to spot, but hopefully the mysteries will improve as the series continues. With the first one done, and the sleuth done being the main suspect, we should expect some braching out in the future.

1 comments about Warriors: Warrior's Return (Warriors).

1. This book/comic was good, and i really liked some of the drawings, but parts of it seemed to not completely follow through with the other books. Mainly The Sight, in which Graystripe and Millie were attacked when they were at the gathering. However, in this book, they were unharmed, and everything seemed much happier than the first Power of Three book seemed. I would recommend this book, however, especially if you own the others. It was fun being able to see Ravenpaw in a drawing, and I liked Barley too. However, I am waiting for Warriors: Cats of the Clans (Warriors) to give me that!

5 comments about Horton Hears A Who!.

1. I loved the book and my granddaughter was thrilled to get it. My 2 year old Grandson is too young to voice an opinion but his Mother was happy with the book.



2. The kids saw the movie and really enjoyed the book as well. What more can I say, it's Dr. Seuss!



3. Bond with your little ones as you relax with them to view this movie. The child in you will thank you for it. This is not a movie to see without children. Give the DVD as a gift to a little one but let the children enjoy it. Everyone is important, no matter how small is a message that sinks into you as you watch this movie.



4. Very pleased with quick shipping, a quality product as described, and would do business again with Amazon. Saw the movie and read the book with grandkids. What a joy for them and me. Satisfied customer. psw - S.E.Oklahoma



5. If you haven't seen "Suessical the Musical" by all means do so. This clever adaption of Suess books and characters is just wonderful. The Horton books are primarily the source of this children's musical. Horton again shows what a fine elephant he is by standing fast to his ideals. Children can learn a lot by reading this rhyming, entertaining book.

5 comments about The Gathering (Man Booker Prize).

1. I fail to understand why "The Gathering" won the 2007 Man Booker Prize. This book is disturbing and disappointing on so many levels. I really did not enjoy this book. I felt like I slogged along as the plot slogged along. I've never read a book (and as a librarian, I've read countless books) where the narrator focuses/fantasizes on and about her dead grandparents' sex life. The narrator, Veronica, goes from present tense to past tense and her real memories seem to become more blurred with made up memories as the story progressed. I felt like she was just making it up as she went along. Veronica's parents had a prolific sex life, as she mentions numerous times, which resulted in a large brood of children. Aside from Liam, though, none of the siblings are developed beyond giving them a name or the fact that they died. The sibs were just disembodied characters floating around in a weak and tedious plot. If you're going to include so many characters, at least develop them a little more. If you can't or won't develop your characters into something we should even care about, leave them out. Undeveloped characters are pointless and confusing to the story. They just clutter the plot. The plot was cluttered enough already, with the above-mentioned memories. Let's just hope the 2008 Man Booker Prize winning book is better than "The Gathering."



2. Fear of delivering spoilers limits my own commentary. This novel, about the death of a sibling and the failure of the adult world to protect the children it creates, is a literary achievement of beauty and horror and should be required reading for all who have children, care for children, or profess to love them.



3. What a steaming pile of over-wrought, pretentious crap. The writing is over the top reaching heights (or lows) of pomposity previously seen only in the journals high strung, overly-emotive 17 year old girls. This is a "color-by-numbers" book on what and how to write about something to win a prize or some other recognition. Oprah Book Club I would have understood but Booker? Shame on you.



4. the writing is mediocre and simply a mess of words. Do not waste your money, check out at the library if you must - there were 12 other books longlisted for the Booker prize and certainly the "Welsh Girl" and the wonderful "Gift of Rain" would have been far better choices. What criteria was used in selecting?



5. Last Year's Man Booker Prize Winner, "The Gathering", is a novel of buried high feelings and deep emotions. Irish writer Anne Enright has a beautiful prose that not always matches her objectives. The novel's subject is a heavy one, a woman dealing with her problematic and beloved brother's death. While avoiding easy solutions, the novel never seems to go that deep it should. When Enright looks back in her characters' lives, she is telling us we are the result of our pasts. That is right but sometimes, a novel needs to stick to the present also, so that readers can really care about past.

5 comments about Outcast (Warriors: Power of Three, Book 3).

1. Well, Warriors fans, this is it: Outcast has finally arrived. And let me start by saying that it was excellent! By far, this is the best of the Power of Three series thus far. The story line was intriguing, and overall, the plot of this newest Warriors series really began to come together. Aside from advancing the plot, our marvelous Erins also did some major character development in Outcast.
   
   The trio really matured in this book, laying the grounds for more interesting problems (like outside of common question "Should we disobey orders and take matters into our own paws, or listen?") later in the series. Lionpaw isn't so goody-goody, and not so proud. It grows steadily obvious that fighting is his strong point. And Hollypaw is a bit obsessed with wanting to be leader (and still slightly irritating with her constant worrying), but she's really maturing too. Jaypaw is sill prickly, but not so annoying, and the parts of the book from his point of view were, in my opinion, the most interesting. I really liked the character development in this book... even Breezepaw seems to be maturing somewhat, and you get real insight as to why he's so obnoxious.
   
   Anyway, I thought that this book was great. From an increasingly interesting plot (read to find out what happens!) to characters that truly begin to come to life, Outcast was a must-read for all Warriors fans!



2. I thought that it was ok. The second book was better though. I like how the characters developed and how Breezepaw is in it more. But I thought that it felt like it wasn't realy about the tribe. It was like Erin Hunter didn't really care that the tribe lived or died. Lionpaw went a bit crazy at the end and I don' think the tribe should have conratulated him. And the story seemed to drag on a bit with the whole border thing.
   
   
   But all in all I thought that it was an ok book and I'm still going to keep reading them.



3. I have read every Erin Hunters books. Everyone of them is better than the next, but outcast was spended. Erin Hunter has really out done herself and she needs to create more stories.



4. I enjoyed reading this book. It follows a good story line and is easy for children to enjoy. As the author of Jessica and the moonflower fairies also available on Amazon.com, I feel it is important to read many childrens books to get an idea of what kids like to read. My 13 year old daughter purchased this book and also enjoyed it.



5. Your heart thuds with excitement... your mouth dries up... your knuckles go white with anxiety.
   Here in your hands, you hold a WARRIORS- POWER OF THREE novel, OUTCAST.
   Overall, Erin Hunter has done fairly well in this book. ( SPOILERS!!! )
   I must say that I was very shocked to see that Daisy had kits again, but to Spiderleg. WHAT? If I am correct, he was one who did not like so many non-Clan cats in this book. Secondly, Purdy is back! Thirdly- WHY THE HECK DID GRAYSTRIPE DO THAT? Millie is expecting kits- oooh, I am so angry. He loved Silverstream- he CAN'T have kits with some other stupid cat!
   Sorry, Millie.
   See, it turns out that Brook and Stormfur were kicked out of Tribe of Rushing Water since these loners have grouped together in the mountains and want to take the mountain cats over. So kind-hearted Firestar lets the original Sun-drown cats go to help them, plus Lionpaw, Hollypaw, and Jaypaw. This is an excellent idea, but sometimes I feel like strangling those 2-D Tribe cats. They are SO ungrateful! Thunderclan, Windclan, Shadpwclan, and Riverclan cats come trekking all over this green earth to help them, and they act all snotty and cruel.
   There is more hints as to what powers the Three cats have, and more frusteration from the limited-talking Rock. but each main character does mature, I'll give it that. Jaypaw is still prickly but he's not so- how to put it? - oblivious, perhaps? Lionpaw got his feelings straightened out with Heatherpaw, but continues to be trained by Tigerstar and Hawkfrost while becoming a marvelous apprentice fighter, and Hollypaw is smarter and has this odd want to become leader.
   OUTCAST was a very well written novel- I found only one mistake. In the begining when all the Clans are listed, Tribe O R W is listed also, and it says that Crag, one of the Tribe cats, is Brook's brother, yet this contradicts the actual novel, saying that Talon is her brother. Small mistake, easily overlooked.
   Okay, Warrior fan, take care and buy this!
   Sincerely,
   ( yes, I'm back )
   Moonwhisker