3 comments about Chinese New Year (An Owlet Book).

1. The information contained in this book is very superficial. It provides interesting content for about 15 minutes worth of reading. If you are truly interested in a text on the traditions of Chinese New Year, keep searching and let me know when you have found one



2. Try "Sam and the Lucky Money" for a good story and an accurate portrayal of life in SF Chinatown.



3. Chinese New Year's should be in color! There are many other books with better drawings or color pictures than this one. Very disappointing

3 comments about The Joy of a Peanuts Christmas: 50 Years of Holiday Comics!.

1. I picked up a copy of this book from a garage sale last summer. I believe it was only sold through Hallmark stores originally. This little hardcover provides a sampling of Charles Schulz' Christmas strips that he did over the course of five decades. Each decade has its own section: 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's and provides dated strips so you know exactly which day and year they came from.
   
   It's interesting to see the development of the characters from the almost toddler like characters in the early 50s to the children that were most familiar with today. The strips cover so much including Charlie's stress over the holidays, helping little sister Sally write letters to Santa, decorating, being good, presents, and the whole 9 yards.
   
   While hardly comprehensive it does provide a nice sampling and I always loved reading Peanuts around Christmastime especially. Probably the best sections are the 1960's and early 70's when Schulz was really at the top of his game. Find one if you can!



2. Published by Hallmark, this book was released in 2000, the first Christmas after the death of Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz. Everyone knows how Schulz always brought Christmas into his comics, so it's a natural combination.
   
   This book is one of many volumes released over the years collecting Christmas-themed Peanuts strips, and of the various volumes with that theme, this book seems to be the most introductory. Following a rather touching introduction by Hallmark CEO Don Hall (mainly describing the partnership between Schulz and Hallmark over the years), the book is divided up into five chapters, each showcasing strips from a different decade.
   
   This is by no means a complete or comprehensive volume - there are very few storylines contained herein, with most of the strips selected chosen seemingly at random. Many of the strips aren't actually Christmas themed at all, but instead show more generic scenes of the Peanuts kids playing in the snow, sledding, building snowmen and so on. In most cases, we get just one strip per page, making this a very fast read.
   
   On the other hand, the book also includes a great many pages spotlighting the various members of the cast - "profiles," if you will, of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus and the whole gang. All of the Sunday strips included are presented in full color as well, and they all bring a smile to your face.
   
   There are better Christmas volumes out there with the Peanuts gang, and if you're looking for the sake of completion, well... that's what the Complete Peanuts volumes are for. But for a quick dose of Christmas cheer or a simple stocking stuffer for the Peanuts fan in your life, this isn't a bad book at all.



3. This is a quite funny book. I like that they put the comics in 1 bok instead of having them scattered throughout newspapers and websites. Fans don't have too dig through newspapers and sites to find the first Christmas comic, or the best from the 70's- They can just buy a book with all them, and even more, in it. In this book there are even little bios about the characters. This is a great book!

No comments about All Things New: The Promise of Advent, Christmas and the New Year.

No comments about Dish 6: On the Back Burner (dish!).

No comments about Fodor's Boston 2002: The Guide for All Budgets, Updated Every Year, with a Pullout Map and Color Photos (Fodor's Gold Guides).

2 comments about Happy New Year, Julie (American Girls Collection).

1. Nothing has gone easy since the big "D" divorce for Julie Albright and her family. Christmas will be different this year for sure. But Julie has no idea what is in store this year.
   
   Christmas at Mom's proves to be a disappointment: a loaned tree, homemade gifts, few treats. Christmas at Dad's proves to be just as bad: more gifts, but a very small tree, and no decorations or food. Worse yet, when Julie tries to make Christmas merry, her sister Tracy destroys it by getting mad at Dad when they go to a fancy hotel on Christmas day. Even worse yet, Julie is reminded of how torn her family is when she goes to visit her best friend Ivy, and Julie envies her best friend for having a "normal" family.
   
   Julie ends up hiding from her family problems by hanging out with Ivy and ends up learning a great deal about Chinese New Year. Ultimately, Julie learns about new beginnings from Chinese New Year, and that a divorce takes time to heal from, and most importantly, her family may now be "broken" but they can still come together for the holidays.
   
   Rather formulaic--every other historical character from American Girl goes through a "the holidays are ruined!" scenario in one of their books. The plus with this one is that you learn about Chinese New Year and its meaning, and that was handled well in this book. I'm sure I would have loved it more were I still in the target audience, but its still a good book nonetheless.
   
   This is the third in a series of historical books about Julie Albright and her best friend Ivy Ling; it is preceded by Meet Julie: An American Girl (American Girls Collection) and Julie Tells Her Story (American Girls Collection).



2. Christmas is here, but it's different this year. For the first time, Julie and her older sister Tracy will be celebrating Christmas twice: once with their mother and once with their father. The girls are still getting used to their parents' divorce, but it's proving especially hard for Tracy. She initially doesn't want to go to their dad's house - their old house, which now looks and feels empty and strange - and even though she eventually goes along, she ends up leaving early. Shortly thereafter, Julie gets involved in preparations for Chinese New Year with her best friend Ivy and her family.
   
   Happy New Year, Julie is the third book in the Julie line written by Megan McDonald and illustrated by Robert Hunt. Julie Albright is one of the American Girls, books which offer realistic glimpses into America's past through the eyes of young girls. Throughout the series, Julie has grown more optimistic and thoughtful. This book in particular shows how she always finds things to celebrate and appreciate, including her family.

No comments about Humor for the Holidays: Stories, Quips, and Quotes for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.

5 comments about Scenes From A Holiday: The Eight Dates Of Hanukkah\Carrie Pilby's New Year's Resolution\Emma Townsend Saves Christmas (Red Dress Ink Novels).

1. I really enjoyed the first two stories in this collection: The Eight Dates of Hanukkah and Carrie Pilby's New Year's Resolution.
   
   The Eight Dates of Hanukkah, written by Laurie Graff, is about a self-sufficient NYC career woman named Nicki. Nicki keeps putting off her boyfriend's proposals of marriage. Then, after getting struck on the head by a robber, Nicki goes into a coma. In her coma, she enters the world of Menorahville, which is like NYC but with different street names: Dreidel Way instead of Broadway, and Latke Lane instead of West End Avenue. The only way to get out of Menorahville is to marry one of its bachelors...but none of the men want to get married when there are so many desperate women willing to date them. It's an interesting story of the tables getting turned; Nicki had run a dating agency in real life and never understood the difficulties her clients had finding the right man.
   
   The second story, Carrie Pilby's New Year's Resolution, is great. I loved the novel Carrie Pilby, and this story picks up where the novel left off. Carrie is a genius with no social skills, who has hilarious thoughts but finds it very hard to fit into the world around her. Carrie resolves to find a guy who's like her, but it's harder than it seems, even as she attends "intellectual events" (e.g., a conference on media bias) and tries to flirt with soup kitchen volunteers.
   
   The third story, Emma Townsend Saves Christmas, didn't do it for me. Emma is a selfish young woman who wants to marry rich and drags her feet about going home for Christmas. She and her brother both want to stay in New York, but for reasons that are never explained, Emma ends up going home to Vermont. She's resolved not to help out with the annual "Christmas Faire," but her parents leave town for a Jamaica vacation and she's stuck helping out. Emma was so selfish and shallow that it was hard to relate to her, the men in the story are scarcely developed and Emma's transformation at the end is hard to believe. Also, the scenes in Vermont, although they are supposed to be heartwarming and quirky, are dull and stereotyped.
   
   I'd still recommend the volume though, for the first two stories.



2. I was able to finish this book over the course of a weekend and was a bit disappointed with it overall. Several reviewers have already done a great job of summarizing all three stories included, so I'll just give brief opinions on the three:
   
   I thought the first story was really strange - similar to any movie you've seen where the character gets stuck in another realm and realizes what life is all about. The second story started out great but I was annoyed by the ending. This might have something to do with the fact that I haven't yet read Carrie Pilby? The third story was the best by far, unrealistic at times, of course, but funny as several parts made me chuckle. I will definitely be checking out more stuff by the third author.
   
   I read this book at the beginning of December and it helped to kick off the holiday season. I would recommend purchasing it used or borrowing it from a library, but I don't think I would recommend purchasing it new for yourself or a gift.



3. I really enjoyed reading the three stories from Scenes From A Holiday because it really evoked that holiday feeling (even though I read the book in July). I would recommend reading this book.
   
   There was a lesson learned with each story. You also got a glimpse into each character and their lives.



4. This is the first Laurie Graff book I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The book has three completely different stories in it by 3 different authors. I have only finished "Eight Dates of Hanukkah" to date, but I recommend the book just for that story.
   
   As a guy, I thought that Laurie's writings only appealed to women. I was wrong (and I can admit it? What's that all about). I found her writing highly enjoyable and as one who has been single for many years, I could easily relate to her humor.
   
   Laurie uses a surrealistic dream sequence to take her character through a singles journey; one that is funny and insightful, and one that we have all probably been on . . . just not condensed into 8 days.
   
   Get this book. It's a very enjoyable fictional read. But be careful. You might just learn something about yourself in the process.



5. 'SCENES FROM A HOLIDAY' is a collection of three short stories from three of Red Dress Ink's most popular authors, Laurie Graff, Caren Lissner and Melanie Murray. Overall the book was a good way to kick off my holiday reading list but the stand out story in this book was clearly Laurie Graff's 'The 8 Dates of Hanukkah'.
   
   
   'The 8 Dates of Hanukkah' - 5 stars
   
   Graff delivers a strong and very likable main character in Nicki Heller (definitely a character I would like to see again!) and a very unique story line. Commitment-phobe Nicki Heller knows that her boyfriend of over a year is about to propose but she isn't so sure that marriage is in the cards for her, so she plans to avoid his proposal at all costs. She even manages to unwittingly knock herself out with her grandmothers old menorah sending her into a coma for several days. While in the coma Nicki travels to Menorahville, a town much like New York City but the only way out is to find a mate and get married. A determined Nicki refuses to stay in Menorahville but finds that finding a good man is much harder than she ever imagined!
   
   'Carrie Pilby's New Years Resolution' - 3 stars
   
   Possibly had I read Caren Lissner's hit book 'CARRIE PILBY' I would have found this story much more endearing. However, not having previously been introduced to the character I found the story of Carrie Pilby a young genius trying to fit in a bit pointless. When Carrie decides that she wants to meet someone just like her in the new year (preferably male) she sets out on various adventures to try to find this person, unfortunately Carrie finds that she needs to find herself before she can find a mate. This second story left a bit to be desired and seemed unfinished...maybe there will be a sequel to that hit novel?
   
   'Emma Townsend Saves Christmas' - 4 stars
   
   Emma Townsend is dreading going home for Christmas to her small Vermont town where Christmas is serious business. She has a new life in New York and does not want to trade in her DKNY suites and Ferragamo heels for flannel shirts and work boots but when her brother Jeff bails out first Emma is left holding the bag. Only when she arrives she finds the town in chaos, her parents are spending Christmas in Jamaica, the town is in an uproar over changes to the Christmas Faire and...is she just paranoid or does everyone in town seem to hate her?? Now with the help of her high school crush Emma must save Christmas while finding out that maybe tradition isn't so bad after all.

1 comments about Chinese New Year (Holidays and Celebrations).

1. I have quiet a few books on Chinese New Year, but this book is terrific! It is small in size, but packs a punch in information and vividly colored photos.Each page has about 2 sentences, so it is also perfect for new readers. There is a wealth of information in this book and it even has a Words to Know & defination list and also includes 2 other Chinese New Year Books to check out as well as an internet site called FactHound.com which also has some interesting sites. It has Chinese New Year information up to 2007 date wise, but as far as what each Chinese New Year is animal and information wise was updated in 2002. It would be nice it this was up to date, but it does have lots of terrific information!

1 comments about Paper Crafts for Chinese New Year (Paper Craft Fun for Holidays) (Paper Craft Fun for Holidays).

1. Another in the Enslow Press series Paper Craft Fun for Holidays, Chinese New Year explores basic facts about the holiday and offeres simple, effective crafts that children should have no difficulty making. Librarians, teachers and parents will find this title by California storyteller, puppeteer, papercrafter and Hans Christian Andersen portrayer Randal McGee a useful addition to their libraries. Instructions are easy to follow and children age 8 and up should have no difficulty making the crafts; younger children may require some assistance with cutting. Plenty of white space on the pages and good use of color will make this appealing book appealing to children.