3 comments about On Beyond Bugs: All About Insects (Cat in the Hat's Lrning Libry).

1. I got this book for a 4 yr old daughter of a friend and she's now intrigued by the insect world. Personally I love how the bumble bee illustration has taught her about how bees communicate through the bumble bee "dance." On the whole, it's nicely educational on an introductory level -- general facts/concepts are taught through illustrations and rhyme. Great for the young ones. Another favorite of mine is the Dr. Seuss Great Big Flap Book.



2. I bought this book for my 4-year old son and he loves it! My husband and I love reading it to him and his baby sister who often also listens along. The book is educational yet great fun to read with its rhyming and fun verses. It teaches without being heavy-handed and even taught us, the parents, a thing or two we didn't know about the insect world! We all enjoy this book tremendously and love the other Cat in the Hat Learning series books as well.



3. This is not one of the best books in the series. While it is factual, the rhyming is sloppy--in one stanza a word is rhymed with itself and in another stanza, the word from the beginning of the next phrase is placed at the end of another phrase so that the stanza will rhyme. All in all, this type of sloppy rhyming is extremely disappointing coming from the "Cat in the Hat"!

5 comments about Skippyjon Jones Book and Toy set.

1. If you are a Skippyjon Jones lover, you are sure to love this set. Although the book is small in comparison to the normal copy you see in the library and bookstore, my kids still love it. The toy is holding up nicely to the daily wear and tear of my 3 and 7 year olds. I would definatley recomend this set to anyone who loves Skippyjon Jones or just wants to make reading fun for their kids.



2. This book is a delightful read for young and old. Skippy Jon Jones is the alter ego of many children and his antics are hysterical. Such a fun read guaranteed to bring laughter from parents and children alike. I love El Skippito and the stuffed Skippy Jon is a smile maker and fuel for a child's creative imaginary play.



3. I have bought this for my daughter, her friends, and my nephews for their birthdays. Great for kids under 5. What a fun read for parents and it leaves the kids giggling and laughing. Love the whole series.



4. This book is so much fun! The illustrations are adorable, the story is cute, the message is good and it is very entertaining. It's silly and fun. It is one of those books you could do loads of funny voices with if you wanted to...I'd recommend this to any parent!



5. I purchased this book for my 2 1/2 year old daughter as well as a copy for my cousin's 2 1/2 year old son. Both of them love reading it and giggling at the silly kitten who thinks he's a chihuahua. They love the use of the Spanish words they also hear on Dora & Diego. The stuffed toy makes for great fun for them to act out some of Skippyjon Jones's adventures!
   
   The great thing about this book is even older kids will enjoy it, especially if they're just learning to read or need a little extra help. Skippyjon Jones keeps reading FUN and gets children (even school aged) interested in reading!

5 comments about The Road from Coorain.

1. I related to and thoroughly enjoyed this book. Conway's descriptions of Australia are beautiful. She has written a follow-up book which I would like to read also. And on second reading, I feel more and more that perhaps her mother had some chemical imbalance, because she changed so drastically. Either that, or her repressed emotions after the deaths of her husband and her oldest son in the space of five years, led her to the bitter old woman she became.



2. The wonderful autobiography entitled, The Road From Coorain, written by Jill Ker Conway is a must-read! Her engaging and rich detail gives an enchanting description of the Australian life-style from a very unique perspective.
   Beginning in the 1930's, young Jill Ker lived with her tightly-knit family on a ranch called Coorain, Australia. Isolated in the desert and located far from Sydney, Coorain, has created an unordinary life-style for not only Jill but for her two brothers, Barry and Bob. Maintaining the remote Coorain is the family's only way to ensure stability and in the eyes of Mr. and Mrs. Ker; the significance of Coorain is considered more important than a formal education. Though, when the dreadful droughts of the arid terrain continue to spontaneously appear, life becomes awfully challenging and difficult for the Ker family. Suffering from famine because of the lack of crops and animals, Coorain becomes involved in a downward spiral. As a result, Jill as well as other family members, encounter the enormous struggle of overcoming the concept of death and sorrow. As Jill grows into a young woman, she faces unfortunate events that set her back, creating various obstacles as she journeys down the unpredictable road of life. Faced with challenges romantically, intellectually, and within the family ultimately affects her career and talents, though somehow Jill miraculously manages to succeed.
   Choosing an academic career as a historian, Jill faced the constant struggle of chauvinism living as a young woman during the 1950's. Her passion and remarkable academic achievements clearly demonstrated her natural talent as a student. Unfortunately, the unfair privileges men had in contrast to women was a constant obstacle. Jill had potential and unlike some other women, had the possibility of attaining her high hopes and dreams. Her brilliance and intellectual capability distinguished her as an individual, though she was unfortunately not recognized with equality because she was woman. "But I received a blandly courteous letter thanking me for my interest. I was dumfounded. Milton and I had ranked first in our class and were to be awarded the University Medal jointly for our academic achievements. I could scarcely believe that my refusal was because I was a woman...I knew I was no more and no less intellectually aggressive than Milton and Rob. That left my sex and my appearance." Though Jill Ker faced multiple obstacles throughout her life, she clearly proves that hard work and perseverance is a powerful way to achieve one's goals.
   This engaging autobiography is filled with compelling and descriptive prose. Beautifully written, Mrs. Conway eloquently yet succinctly expresses the many conflicts one can be presented in life. Given her natural gravitation towards the subject of history, she enlightens the reader with interesting historical backgrounds of the many places she has traveled. Her simplistic, yet thought-provoking perspectives maintain one's fascination throughout the course of the book. Every moment I spend reading it was enjoyable. Mrs. Conway's, informative yet concise style of writing kept me actively involved. Her marvelously written descriptions, gave me an excellent understanding of the rural Australian life-style: "On the western side the mountains' gentler hills sloped down to rolling countryside; valleys covered with rich black soil sheltered streams winding westward. The gentle slopes rising from each watercourse were crowned with orchards in blossom, while below the contoured patterns of spring crops burst in brilliant green from the dark earth. I liked looking at this scenery with the dew still on it, well before the heat of the day." This autobiography filled with endless drama, love, and the hardships of life, is a definite must-read!



3. This beautiful book tells the story of one girl's childhood on an isolated sheep farm in Australia; that girl would eventually end up as the first woman president of Smith College, one of the finest universities in the United States (part of the Seven Sisters). Before that, she studied at the University of Sydney, moving on to Harvard University in the States. Much like the movie, "My Brilliant Career," the story follows the harsh living conditions of her youth and her meteoric rise to success.
   
   The part of the story that will speak to you most clearly, however, is that of the young girl with golden dreams who faces so much adversity and such little chance of escaping her isolating circumstances. Her father owned 30,000 arid acres in Australia and when the land succumbed to drought, he committed suicide; shortly thereafter, her brother was in an auto accident that resulted in his death. Faced with these tragedies, Conway's mother was overcome with depression and unable to help her daughter succeed. That Jill Ker Conway lets none of that prevent her from reaching a pinnacle of success that no one in her family or community in Australia could ever have imagined for her is the stuff of dreams.



4. Jill Ker was born in 1934 in the west of New South Wales, Australia.She grew up on a sheep ranch.She had her share of troubles: her father drowned, possibly it was a suicide, when she was 11. At age 14 her charismatic elder brother died in a car crash. In her 20s her mother began to lose her mental balance. Jill studied history at the University of Sydney and at 25 went to Harvard.Her childhood on a sheep station has some interest, but the details of her unremarkable academic studies are tedious.She comes across as an introverted person who found it difficult to make friends.She had little fun in life: no jolly japes, no humorous anecdotes.Her self-centeredness and lack of humor make for dull reading.



5. Not very interesting.
   
   There's not much else I can say. Everybody has a story, including author Jill Conway. Her life began in western New South Wales, Australia:
   
   "My father was elated as he surveyed the realization of his dream to own land and to raise his own flocks of sheep and cattle. For my mother, not born to the bush, my father's long-dreamed-of property was a nightmare of desolation" (p. 18).
   
   Conway describes her memories growing up on a 32,000 acre station they called Coorain. She learned from watching the land and its processes:
   
   "Why did God allow the crows to pick out the eyes of newborn lambs, I asked [my father], as we passed a bloody carcass?" (p. 82).
   
   Alas, her father drowned in a stock pond, the drought wrought hardship, and her older brother died in a car accident. But Conway's interactions with other schoolchildren at boarding school was problematic:
   
   "There was more than my appearance to worry about. My family and school friends agreed that I was 'brainy'" (p. 146).
   
   "My appearance didn't give me many opportunities to be bored by young men" (p. 145).
   
   "The causes of my shyness were complex. I didn't look right and couldn't blend with the crowd" (p. 156).
   
   As you can see, there was constant, constant reference to how she didn't fit in, and that she was considered by many to be "too intellectual." When she applied for a post with the Australian Department of External Affairs (their state department), her male friends got positions and she didn't. "It was all prejudice, blind prejudice. For the first time, I felt kinship with black people" (p. 191). Awkwardly, her interactions with the native people of Australia were obvious by their absence in her story. So life is fairly good until a socially awkward and "intellectual" person doesn't get a position with the state department, which causes the development of a kinship with the native peoples.
   
   What?
   
   This was a hard book to read. The first chapter was a long diatribe of landscape conditions in western New South Wales. Then there was a third of the book on life on a cattle station. Then there was the rest of the book, on life as an adolescent, traveling with her mother to other countries, and applying to graduate school in history in America.
   
   This really read as a book of very selective memories. Granted, they are Conway's memories, and she owns them. They are just not very... enlightening and illuminating.
   
   'Nuff said.

1 comments about Becoming A Critical Thinker (Master Student).

1. I will first off admit that I have not read through this book in its entirety, but I have used portions of it for a 100 level college class. That being said, I can't imagine why anyone would even want to read through the entire thing, given its "painfully obvious" content.
   
   It amuses me to think that someone would feel compelled to write a book about "critical thinking," since it seems more like something one learns naturally than something learned from a book. This text provides plenty of exercises for this purpose, but I'm not sure why I found myself using it in a college class.
   
   The book is divided into six primary sections, titled Fundamentals of Thinking, Persuasive Communication, Becoming an Individual, Evaluating Arguments, Recognizing Errors in Thinking, and Applying Your Thinking Skills. If certain ideas come to mind at any one of these titles, you probably know the content of that chapter. I skimmed through these sections realizing I already knew the content, and then was very glad I did not spend my time reading them through.
   
   Can you learn from this book? Certainly. There is always a little something to be learned from books. Is it worth your time? Probably not. If you can honestly say you struggled in school, this book may shed light on obvious things that you simply never gave though to. Nonetheless, I am convinced most people know the majority of the information. You will probably use this while you need to, and never use it again.
   
   I advise anyone who needs this book for a class to buy it as cheap as you can. I advise anyone who does not need this book for a class not to buy it.

5 comments about The Perfect Nest.

1. Reviewed by Three Silly Chicks - Readers, Writers, and Reviewers of funny books for kids.
   
   
   Oh how we love Spring here in the coop! Everywhere we look we see chicks and eggs! We feel the love. We get especially light-headed whenever we see a new chick-and-egg book, which is why we practically passed out when we saw The Perfect Nest.
   
   In this hilarious tale, Jack the Cat, who's hungry for an omelet, decides to build the perfect nest to attract the perfect chicken who would lay the perfect egg. A perfect plan! Things turn out even better than Jack imagined when his cozy nest attracts a chicken, a duck, and a goose, all of whom lay eggs. Jack drools in anticipation. Now he has breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all in one nest. But the frisky fowl don't want to leave. After lots of failed attempts, Jack is finally able to trick them into leaving by telling them there's an even better nest at the next farm. They fly the coop, leaving their eggs behind. Alone at last, Jack is just about to crack open his glorious eggs when suddenly out pops a baby chick, a baby duck, and a baby goose. All three think the wily feline is their mama and proceed to follow him around the farm, much to Jack's dismay. How can he eat something that calls him mama? He can't, of course, and after a snuggle fest with his new brood he realizes that he has made the perfect nest after all.
   
   Tight writing and lively illustrations make this book a chick magnet. We love the idea of pairing it with An Egg is Quiet by Dianne Aston for an absolutely eggcellent storytime. And that's no yolk! (Oh, geez, sorry 'bout that. It couldn't be helped.)



2. My family absolutely loves this adorable book. We read it over and over again. We highly recommend it!



3. This is a delightful book for children that teaches responsibility and consequences. The cat is so expressive and my granddaughter loves the different accents for the hen, duck and goose. I highly recommend this book for children.



4. This book is a must have for any child's library. Jack the cat sets out on a scheme to make the perfect omelet and in the end learns an important lesson about family. This book is funny, and meaningful. It is one of those stories that the kids will want to hear again and again, and also one the parents won't mind reading over and over.



5. This book was recommended in the Wall Street Journal as an excellent read-aloud. Because the WSJ reviews are generally on-point, I purchased it for a future grandchild, thinking it would be an enduring classic. I was sorely disappointed in the story-line and the quality of the writing. This book is merely okay, but nothing that I would recommend as a choice for someone special. There are much better children's books out there.

5 comments about Warriors #1: Into the Wild (Warriors).

1. In the warriors series cats live in the forest. Erin Hunter the person who wrote the book and is actually three people they didn't want to confused.The story begins when an ordinary house cat walks into the forest. All this happens in the forest and rusty finds deceit and lies not to mention secrets buried in secrets only to find-- can't tell the ending.
   
   I loved the first book Into the Wild. in the begging a cat named Rusty walks into the forest to meet Gray paw a Thunder Clan apprentice. Gray paw takes Rusty as an intruder and attacks him then he realizes Rusty is a kitty pet and lays off. They get into a conversation and Gray paw tells Rusty everything and rusty decides to become a Thunder Clan apprentice.
   
   Every one would love this book Every One. This is a fantasy book and is about cats. The message Never Stop Trying.



2. This book is about the adventures of Rusty, who is a six month (moon) old tom.
   
   When he is a house cat, his normal dreams are always interrupted by dreams about catching mice in the woods, so he decides to try to really catch a mouse. His best friend Smudge lives next door. Smudge tells him "Don't go out there! There are wildcats who eat bones! Dangerous!" But Rusty insists.
   
   He is attacked by a little gray tom, his age. The gray cat stops fighting, and says his name is Graypaw. More cats come out of the bushes the silver she-cat asks him to join her clan, Thunderclan. Soon Rusty accepts, and is named Firepaw, he meets Tigerclaw, who may be a dangerous mystery, Yellowfang a grumpy she-cat who has more than meets the eye, and the big threat of Brokenstar, Shadowclan's leader.
   
   This book has a powerful adventure in it, and I was instantly drawn into the warrior cats' world. I think it is suitable for anyone. Some stories about wild animals make me cry when there are really sad parts, but this book was fine.
   
   At first, I had trouble with some of the vocabulary. I didn't know what "brindle" meant, for instance.
   
   Kyla Cherry
   (on her mother's Amazon account)



3. It was a chore getting my daughter to read 30 minutes each day until she discovered this series. She got thru Harry Potter and other great books before this, but it was not until this series that she started carrying her books around with her all day, so that she could sneak in a few paragraphs constantly throughout the day. She would read 8 hours straight if we didn't make her put her books down. Now we have to tell her to stop reading. I also read a book to her at night at bedtime. We like to find books that we both like including such great titles as The Golden Compass, which required quite a bit of explaining. She had already finished the Warrior series on her own, so when we finished our most recent book together, she requested that I read the Warrior series to her at bedtime because she wanted me to share it with her. I am pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable this series is to read, especially out loud. We both like it. My daughter is 9.



4. Warriors #1: Into the Wild (Warriors)
   
   This was a very fun book to read. It is about Rusty, a cat that wishes to catch a mouse. He leaves his home and joins a clan to save all the Warriors in it. He must please everyone in the clan. He must hunt for the clan and train to be a Warrior. His best friends in the clan are Graypaw and Rayvenpaw. The clan leader's name is Bluestar; they must always protect her. I loved reading this book and if you like cats you will love this book! I can't wait to get the second one!
   
   Fire and Ice (Warriors, Book 2)



5. I don't even like cats and i loved this book! The author describes the characters very well. I have already read 6 of the series and each book leaves you on the edge and there is always something new. I give it two thumbs up.

5 comments about The Men's Health Hard Body Plan : The Ultimate 12-Week Program for Burning Fat and Building Muscle.

1. Overall, I am generally impressed with the fitness information dispensed by the writers of rodale press. This book is no exception. It is a solid, science-based approach to strength training with the goal of increasing muscle-size. The workout is very do-able in that it is not an overwhelming amount of information and gives you "cheat sheets" to get you started on a routine immediately. My cautions would be these... If you have never lifted weights, get a trainer at a gym for a couple of sessions to work with you on this. If you master proper form, you will get far more from the program. My second caution is that some of the abdominal exercises and a couple of the lifts are considered by professionals to be "high risk" because of the incidence of injury during execution. For that reason, I feel they could improve on the book by addressing some common risk factors and health problems such as low back pain and tight hamstrings and show modifications for some of these. Again, working with a trainer for a few sessions could do that for you and help you to assess your own risk in light of any health/injury concerns. The emphasis of this book is clearly to the male audience, and rightly so. Most women would not be able to do some of these exercises as the beginner's level, and the average female is not interested in "bulking up". So guys, get the book, try the program and enjoy!



2. So, I'm not really a muscle bound guy (would love to work my way up to that someday), but I found this book to be a great help in my gym routine. The first few chapters goes into nutrition, when to lift, and the reasoning and science as to how muscles work. pretty interesting stuff, even before it talks about what lifts to do and why.
   
   There are three levels of routines here, many kind of overlap each other, but I have been using the "intermediate" lifts, and that seems like it works well for me. Over the course of about three months, i've notice significant improvements in strength and can notice my body looks a bit better as well. The trick with this routine, and I'm guessing any routine, is to stick with it and switch it up from time to time. And always lift properly, and with the right amount of weight.
   
   pretty self explanatory, but again, i'm not a seasoned weight lifter. Also, there are many suggestions on nutrition that I've incorporated into my diet, and feel that that has helped out greatly as well.
   
   I would recommend this book to any friend that is somewhat apprehensive of the gym and wants to learn how to do weight lift.



3. very helpful to bodybuilders to understand the over all concept of strength training and building muscle mass.



4. Hard Body Plan is really great. I'm 23 and have been lifting for 8 years and this book can benefit anyone. I was especially interested in the nutritional/supplemental aspect of weight lifting and found this book to be very informative on both subjects. I'm a fan of how the writers have turned lifting into a science.



5. This book is CHEESY! No its CORNY! No its DORKY! No wait, its FULL OF BS! One solid set to failure with slow reps (3 seconds on the pos/neg) is all you really need, this book is teaching you how to overtrain yourself and delay the desired results. Checkout The New High Intensity Training instead, much better book and no where near as corny/moronic as this.

5 comments about The Littles.

1. The Littles is the first book is a series of exciting stories. The Littles are minature people with tails. They share a house with a human family, the Biggs, but the family doesn't know they are there. But the problem comes when teh Biggs go on vacation. The Newcombs move in but do not take care of the house, so mice move in as well. And then the adventures begin!



2. One day the littles were going out to find the food what the Bigg had . so Tom and Uncle Pete went to get the food they got a close call when they came back they saw a cat .The cat was wanted there food but Tom let Uncle pete hold his food whail tom got a yarn ball from his granny Tom came back and gave the yarn ball to the cat . I would reccomend that this book that makes you feel happy.



3. I purchased this book for my first grader and it was a great start to chapter books. The story is captivating and very immaginative. I would highly recommend this book, and the entire series, for a jumping off point for new readers.



4. "The Littles" always struck me as a pale imitation of "The Borrowers," which I discovered in the sixth grade and shared with my own children. "The Borrowers" are little people who live in the houses of people and "borrow" things. The Borrowers



5. The littles was one of my favorite series of books ever but now i am to old for it.The only reason I read this book is to see how fast iI can read a 85 page book.Still this book has an interesting plot and good characters and good storyline.Now I would reccomend this book to kids 6-10 and they will enjoy it like I did when I was little and your child should to.Overall I would reccomend this to anyone from 6-10 and they will really enjoy it if they are into adventure.

5 comments about Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats.

1. This is a good starting point if you are considering a raw or barf diet for you pet ... it is written simply for everyone to understand and gives many helpful observations, answers, and suggestions for those interested in this type of dietary regimine for their dog.



2. This book saved my dogs' life. We struggled with a very serious allergy for years, one day I saw Kymythys' book and decided to go with the raw diet. My dogs' health turned the corner and he has never looked back. He will be 10 this year and I could not be more grateful.
   I have read loads of other books on raw feeding but keep coming back to this one.



3. If you are looking for straight forward, sound information on providing a raw diet for your pet this is a fine resource. The section on nutrients is very good. In it you will learn what food sources provide what nutients and what parts of the bodys health they aide and supportThe 'shopping list' is also a nice spring board for the newbe. There is a ratio guide that addresses serving size to weight balance. The book includes a significant resource guide as well. If you are interested in providing a Raw, natural, BARF type diet for your pet this is the book I would recomend.



4. This book contains good information on how to feed a raw diet based on Billinghurst's barf diet. I think it would be helpful for people considering switching to a raw diet, as well as beginners.
   
   My problem with this book is that the author annoyed me. The first quarter of the book is about how wonderful she is. The last quarter of the book is full of amazing anecdotes about animals on her diet. I don't have the patience for either. It you like anecdotes about how wonderful the author and her diet are, you will probably like this book much better than I did.
   
   While I agree with most of the things the author says about nutrition and dog food companies, she doesn't back up anything she says. If I was starting out as a new raw-feeder, I'm not sure I would find this book very convincing. I definitely wouldn't recommend this book as your only resource.
   
   For beginners, I would recommend "Raw Dog Food" by Carina Beth MacDonald. For people who want to understand the nutritional principles behind a raw or homemade diet, I would recommend "Home-Prepared Dog & Cat Diets" by Donald Strombeck. They're a better investment of time and money.



5. This book provides a very eye-opening and eventually obvious insight into what a dog or cat's diet should consist of. It alleviates all of those unwarranted fears of feeding the appropriate foods to our four-legged friends. I bought a bunch of copies to give out to people who needed to re-evaluate the way they are feeding their pets.

5 comments about Waiting for Your Cat to Bark?: Persuading Customers When They Ignore Marketing.

1. Nearly every business book has at least one or two good ideas. However, every so often you get a book that's really just a piece of what's often called Spiral Marketing. Sprial Marketing is a technique in which you use a book, pamphlet, website or other low-cost entry point to capture an initial group of customers. Although you make some profit on the initial entry point, the main goal of that entry is to get you to purchase the next level, usually a set of videos or seminar. There is profit built into this second level as well, but even that's just a front to capture the big fish into longer term consulting. This book contains a smattering of theories, concepts and ideas (most of which are lifted from other sources such as Maslow, MBTI and general advertisting), accompanied by some professional looking illustrations. You have to admire the way it is able to continually flirt with the answers while never quite giving them away - you'll have to commit to the $150 consulting fees for that. And if you are interested in the consulting, I'll save you some money on that as well. Judging from the almost immediate mentions of Yahoo keywords, the foreward from a Yahoo executive and the $50 credit towards the service I'm guessing Yahoo keywords is pretty much the heart of what they call "Persuasion Architecture."



2. In terms of selling "themselves" and why you might want to use their services, this book barks loud. In terms of persuasive customer techniques, this book is a bit light on real content.
   
   A good book on how to truly engage customers is Lois Kelly's "Beyond Buzz: The Next Generation of Word of Mouth" marketing. She understands customers don't ignore marketing, rather they demand marketing that has meaning and engages them authentically. Beyond Buzz: The Next Generation of Word-of-Mouth Marketing



3. An astonishing feat, amazing accomplishment. Putting forth the vision of a structural framework in understandable terms. Concepts that can easily be envisioned by the small business or the Global 500.
   
   Stunning economy of scale. Presenting a coherent grid map to the future of marketing in under 250 pages.
   
   You don't need magic or voodoo or hyper intelligence. This is a map, a process - not simple - not quick, but a entire end to end process that when worked through and completed, filling in all the appropriate blanks beginning with 'Uncovery', will give you a measurable response to your challenge which can in itself be tweaked and refined through all iterations in your 'Marketing Cycle'.
   
   Pavlov used a dog. Would the same experiment have worked with a cat. Enticing a cat is only a little easier than herding cats. Mass Media is dead. You've heard by now of 'Longtail'. This is the road map for the next phase.
   
   The first half through Chapter 13 lays a ground work to support the vision with known concepts and practices and a quick run through of the history of commerce. Customer's perceptions and responses have changed and some of the subtleties are highlighted here. The 'what's in it for me' outlook of the new consumer is addressed.
   
   Yet this is only the beginning. These ideas have been in the heart of every marketer / sales person since time immemorial. Now they're presented in terms and visuals that can be presented to the newest greenest recruit in your team in a fashion that can be built upon through a lifetime career or avocation.
   
   The concept of a *(Magic, secret, special, hidden, lost) Framework that only needed the proper application of known and knowable facts and procedures to produce the 'Answer', has long been a goal of civilization - The Abacus, The Analytical Engine. As your minds eye begins to perceive the illumination thru chapters (14 - 23) you can see that the authors have articulated a vision in more ways than one, The 'Visual' of the 'Framework', 'the matrix'. 'The matrix' in multiple dimensions is priceless and will be remembered. The Authors recognize that their new concepts are just a beginning.
   
   This book shows you the tools to answer those three questions that should be asked throughout your operation.
   1. Who are we trying to persuade to take the action?
   2. What is the action we want someone to take?
   3. What does that person need in order to feel confident taking that action?
   
   Persuasion Architecture, Persona-lization, Uncovery, these are terms you will use for the rest of your life.
   
   This a 'Must Read' for every serious marketer.
   
   The book comes with a CD containing an 80 minute Q&A session with the authors, a PDF full text copy of the book, and a $50 credit on Yahoo! Sponsored Search (new users only).
   
   
   Waiting for Your Cat to Bark?: Persuading Customers When They Ignore Marketing



4. I thought this book was one of the most inspiring books I read in 2006. It doesn't present any groundbreaking news, but it does make you eager to get out there and improve your marketing. I put up quotes and drawings based on the book by my workplace -- to get the inspiration from the book to last longer.



5. Dogs are easily motivated to respond to stimuli. Cats aren't so cooperative. Potential buyers used to behave pretty much like dogs--responding to advertising by running out to buy a product. Even in the B2B world, a sales rep or an ad campaign could move prospects easily toward a purchase. Today, buyers prefer to make their own informed brand choices. They are as difficult to herd as, well, cats. The solution: The authors have invented a `persuasion architecture' that enables sellers to provide an information experience that's individually meaningful to buyers. It marries the two-sided buying/selling process with the marketing communications flow. "Its focus, always, is persuading the customer to take action." To keep buyers moving toward a positive decision, sellers must ask again and again:
   
   * Who are we trying to persuade to take the action?
   * What is the action we want someone to take?
   * What does the person need in order to feel confident taking that action?
   
   Successful marketers guide prospects toward informed decisions through touch points, such as the web, print or television ads, and in-person contacts. The buyer's voluntary participation is required, because "you are always the equivalent of `one click' away from goodbye." Pervasive Internet usage for pre-purchase research creates marketing opportunity. For example, the shift to flat screen TVs enables savvy sellers to become your new best friend. Buying a TV with a tube was easy. Who understands flat screens? If you can guide us gently toward a positive decision, you win. Implementing persuasion architecture will help position your organization as the provider of choice for:
   
   * Relevant, reliable information
   * An enjoyable buying experience
   * Products and services that precisely meet client needs
   
   In fact, persuasion architecture as a core component of content marketing may be just the competitive advantage you need to succeed with those hard to herd clients.