No comments about The Adventures of the Chevalier De La Salle and His Companions, in Their Explorations of the Prairies, Forests, Lakes, and Rivers, of the New World, and ... the Savage Tribes, Two Hundred Years Ago.

No comments about Chinese New Year (World of Holidays Series).

No comments about Chinese New Year: Festival of New Beginnings (First Facts).

2 comments about Santa Cow Island.

1. Those loveable Santa Cows take their human friends on a magic carpet ride to the islands! Tropical fun to keep the holiday spirit alive. You'll love the whole Santa Cow Series!



2. Read this to the five-year-old twice already, and expect to r3ead it lots more. The ten year old was delighted: she joined us and reread the book when we were done.

   Recommended. You got to love those cows.

No comments about Tet: Vietnamese New Year (Best Holiday Books).

1 comments about Dragon Parade: A Chinese New Year Story (Stories of America).

1. I added this book to my project for multi-cultural children's book in the class for children's literature. The text shows how chinese people get ready for New Year and it, inviting poeple home with a lot of food, putting read papaer in the house, or putting on a new clothe. It is so fun to see what they do looking at the colorful pictures. It does not contain historical background in detail;however, it is a good children's book to introduce children to other culture and evoke their interest.

5 comments about D Is For Dragon Dance.

1. 
   It's a given that we can learn a great deal from other cultures, other customs, and there's not a better time to start than when we're young. "D Is For Dragon Dance" is both entertaining and educational as it tells about the Chinese New Year with all its color and unique traditions (my favorite is how youngsters greet the New Year by honoring their parents!)
   
   An alphabet book, it begins with "A is for Acrobats," takes us through to K and L for Kites and Lanterns, then concludes with "Z is for Zodiac," explaining that the Chinese calendar is a 12 year cycle with each year represented by a different animal.
   
   Yongsheng Xuan has created boldly colored full page illustrations in watercolor, acrylic and latex. They're all eye-poppers.
   
   Also included is an author's note with tips to ensure good fortune in the New Year (clean the house before the New Year starts and light firecrackers to scare off evil spirits, etc.) Plus, there's a recipe for dumplings called "New Year's Dumpling Delight."
   
   "D is for Dragon Dance" is a sure kid pleaser bound to elicit lots of interesting dinner table conversations.
   
   - Gail Cooke



2. D is for Dragon Dance is an absolutley beautiful book that has information on the Chinese New Year done so in an A to Z fashion.
   
   Each page is a work of art because if you look at it you will notice that underneath each drawing is Chinese Characters, some represent a single word and others a saying. The characters where done in 4 different calligraphy styles 3 from the dynasty they where from and 1 in the cursive or grass style. On the last page of the book in the author's note, under the artist note you will see the word Dragon and how it looks in each of the 4 styles. With the characters underneath each painting, it give each page a textured look that makes fools your eyes and makes your hands go to feel each page, only to be disappointed that it feels paper smooth and not textured as you see. I love the way the artist draws, his children are beautiful!
   
   Here is the break down of what each letter stands for.
   A - Acrobats
   B - Balls (shows a acrobat in a 2 person Fu dog / lion dancers balanced on a ball)
   C - Calligraphy
   D - Dragon Dance
   E _ Evil Spirits
   F - Firecrackers
   G - Grandma & Grandpa
   H - Haircut ( the author probablty didn't have the space to mention it, but one should only get their hair cut before the New Year and not during the New Year Celebrations because you'll be cutting off all of your good luck)
   I - Incense
   J - Jade
   K - Kites
   L - Lanterns
   M - Moon
   N - Noodles
   O - Oranges
   P - Peking Duck
   Q - Quiz
   R - Red Envelopes
   S - Steamed Dumplings ( Yum!!)
   T - Tradition
   U - Unity
   V - Veneration
   W - Wish
   X - Xylograph
   Y - Yo - Yos
   Z - Zodiac ( 12 year cycle) This one starts in the year 1981 the year od the rooster and ends in 2016 in the year of the monkey.
   
   On the last page is both the author's and artists notes on the book as well as a receipe for New Year's Dumplings Delight and Soy-Garlic Dipping Sauce, which I can't wait to try.



3. D Is For Dragon Dance is an alphabet picturebook about the theme of Chinese New Year's festivities, from the importance of connecting with family ("G is for Grandma and Grandpa") to New Year's customs ("O is for Oranges" - they are given as a sign of good fortune) to protections against evil spirits ("X is for Xylograph", a wood carving on the door meant to keep evil spirits out). Full-color illustrations by Yongsheng Xuan blend a feel for traditional Chinese art with vibrancy and energy bursting off of the page. A fun way for young readers to learn about Chinese culture and their ABC's at the same time.



4. From Acrobats to Zodiac, this is a book that uses the alphabet to introduce many different aspects of Chinese New Year to preK-K-aged kids (though my 8-year-old liked this one, too). Instructional for adults is the last page which contains notes from the author, such as "tips to ensure good fortune in the New Year," information about the Chinese characters that appear in the book, and a recipe for dumplings. A fun read!



5. My daughter just received this book as a gift for her 3rd birthday. She loves the book. My husband and I also enjoy the book.
   
   A good book to add to your 'international' book collection.

2 comments about Inka Pen/PDA Stylus, Carbon Fiber & Stainless Body, Blue Ink.

1. The Inka lives on your keychain as a tiny little tube. In a flash you can pull out the tiny little pen that lives inside. It's a great pen - pressurized like a Fischer space pen - and never leaks. If you have a second you can unscrew the tube case from the keychain, unscrew the bottom from the tiny pen, and then screw the case onto the pen to make a lovely and functional full sized pen.
   
   Why bother? For me, I always had a ton of cheap ballpoint pens in my pack and sometimes they'd leak and whenever I didn't have my bag I didn't have a pen. The Inka means I ALWAYS have a good pen on me. I'll stop accumulating disposable pens (which will help the environment in a tiny way) and stop getting messy ink in my pack.
   
   This thing is the bees knees. Titanium looks great, and is super light and strong. Is it worth the extra money over the stainless steel version? I don't know and I don't care. I bought the titanium one.
   
   My only quibble is that the PDA stylus part lives in the back of the pen - so you can't construct a full sized PDA stylus pen (the metal tube needs to screw in where the PDA stylus part lives. This means that when you use Inka as a PDA stylus you must use it in "tiny pen" mode which makes it ergonomically not much better than the normal PDA stylus. Also, you have the end cap of Inka in your hand because it normally stows over the PDA stylus tip. So - final conclusion - Inka is the perfect solution to the personal pen issue for folks with a keychain who don't wear a jacket all the time. But it's not the perfect PDA stylus solution.



2. With this little product, Inka competes squarely with the Fisher Bullet Space Pen, but with a new twist. This is (as far as I know), the ONLY tiny pen on the market that is meant to go on a keychain. The Fisher Bullet might be more ergonomic, but it is something else to carry. If this does not bother you, go for the Fisher. On the other hand, lots of people have claimed to be on their 2nd or 3rd Bullet because they lost it. It is also something else that you have to remember to grab on your way out the door. The Inka, on the other hand, is quite happy to live on your keychain, and, if you drive a car, you have your keys (and your pen) with you when you leave the house. It is a little bit of a pain to have to do the fiddling necessary to get a full-size pen when you need it, but that is a small price to pay for a pen that you know will always work and always be with you. The only real down side (other than having four parts and having to "transform" the pen) is that the ink cartridge looks like it does not hold too much ink, but the ink is pressurized, so it should work perfectly until it's bone dry. Don't plan to write a novel with it without having to change the ink. I use mine occasionally, and it has lived on my key chain for about three years, and still writes (and looks) like brand new. Highly recommended.

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

2 comments about Entertaining With Regis & Kathie Lee: Year-Round Holiday Recipes, Entertaining Tips, and Party Ideas.

1. Oh yeah...another winner by regis and kathie lee. This book is a good addition to your bookshelf if you're keen on entertaining, giving parties, or just looking for holiday tips. While most of their books are good, I foud this especially helpful since it even covered holidays and parties. I came across many new and different ideas, not to mention ones that are economical and REALLY REALLY useful. If you've read all there is to read on this subject, then this book is just another one of them, but if not, then this is a definite addition to your bookshelf. But either way, this book is also a lot of fun,so you'll want to read it anyway.



2. Oh yeah...another winner by regis and kathie lee. This book is a good addition to your bookshelf if you're keen on entertaining, giving parties, or just looking for holiday tips. While most of their books are good, I foud this especially helpful since it even covered holidays and parties. I came across many new and different ideas, not to mention ones that are economical and REALLY REALLY useful. If you've read all there is to read on this subject, then this book is just another one of them, but if not, then this is a definite addition to your bookshelf. But either way, this book is also a lot of fun,so you'll want to read it anyway.