5 comments about Raising a Happy, Unspoiled Child.

1. I'm writing this because my daughter has finally turned 3. She is as delightful as what's described in the book. Cheerful, affectionate, curious but able to respect boundaries. I'm a first time mother, and I started reading this book when my daughter was a baby. I found all the instructions and explanation very helpful and easily to apply. It's assuring that Dr. White's advice is based on research and observation of numerous real-life cases, rather than his imagination and personal opinion. This book emphasizes how one stage of a baby/toddler's development can affect the next. It's more a whole-program approach rather than a guide with quick-fix solutions. Those who seek the latter could be disappointed.



2. This is an outstanding book that should be read by both expectant parents. It discusses not to raise a child that is how an A student, great athlete, or future world leader, but rather how to raise a student who does well in school, life, and society.
   
   Mr. White interviewed parents from different cultures and child rearing methods and gives the reader straight advise on methods to improve your child's chances for success in their life ahead. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is ready to have their first and also as a re-read to those working on their second, third, etc. A definite must!



3. I found the advice in this book appealing (it's much the way I like to do things anyway). I was excited by the research. But I was frustrated because the description of the child's social development does not match my kids at all. My daughter was a delight from 14-24 months - the time frame when she was "supposed" to be testing me. She took direction, minimum tantrums, played well on her own, etc. Around 24 months the testing hit, and we are still in the thick of it (though outsiders tend to call her a "delight" - as mom, I see the testing going on). According to this book, a testing 2 year old is the mark of an overindulged child. But this simply isn't the case with ours. The book "Loosing Our Minds" has alot of interesting and useful information for parents of gifted children. Often gifted children do not develop according to neat little timelines that scientist and baby trainers prefer.



4. I bought and used THE FIRST THREE YEARS OF LIFE By Burton L. White during the late 70's! Now I'm
   using the new edition of that book, along with RAISING A HAPPY, UNSPOILED CHILD in caring for my grandchildren and the toddler pre-school class I teach. I have never found a better book on caring for young children. It makes it possible to detect new stages and explaines how to deal with the changes in the child's behaviour. So-o-o helpful! I include these books in my gifts to young mothers.



5. I bought this book to help me deal with my two year old who was acting up, but the premise of this book is that if you are having problems with you're two year old, you probably screwed them up in the first year and it's too late to really do anything about it. Basically, you're screwed and it's because you spoiled them. Needless to say, this didn't help me. I completely agree with other reviews which said that the author divides children into angels and brats with no in betweens. Not helpful. I wish I would have taken more heed to the bad reviews, because apart from a few decent recomendations, this book was a complete waste of time.

5 comments about The Slate Roof Bible: Understanding, Installing and Restoring the World's Finest Roof (The Slate Roof Bible, 2nd Edition).

1. very useful and very usable. Instructive for those with background in roofing, but helpful for most people..good book, worth purchasing



2. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in slate roofs. Very comprehensive and detailed. Exceeded my expectations.



3. Whether you are and experienced slate roofer or a homeowner who might be considering investing in a slate roof, you'll enjoy this book.
   
   I'll let the other reviewers talk about pictures and text and history and other aspects of the book. But the overwhelming sensation I got from this book is the passion Joseph Jenkins has for slate roofs. This is a man who absolutly loves what he is doing. When reading this book I really received the impression that slate roofs are a part of Joe Jenkins soul and he really, really wants to tell you all he knows about them. It's rare in life to find someone so impassioned about their occupation. I became absorbed not just for my own self interest but because Joe Jenkins knows what he is talking about. I was interested in finding out about slate roofs before I purchased; after reading this book-- I REALLY wanted one.
   
   $30 is cheap tuition to have Joeseph Jenkins experience.



4. This is a very informative book. Some of the information is focused on historic preservation, but overall a very good reference book.



5. It's funny how you can drive around your whole life and not notice or appreciate a good roof. I live in Wilson North Carolina, and it is amazing how many beautiful older houses have their original slate roofs (and probably will out-last the house itself?) It is just such a shame that this wonderful material (Slate) is so little understood or cared for?
   
   This is THE book for anyone who is fortunate enough to have an intact slate roof. Caring for and repairing one of these historical treasures is either impossible, or horribly expensive, unless you are willing to learn and do the work yourself. The Slate Roof Bible is clearly written by an expert in the art of slate.

5 comments about Baby Love: A Keepsake Book from the Heart of the Home.

1. I had this book for my son and bought one for my second son this year. It's such a perfect size and contains the right amount of recording pages from year one through school grades. You can't go wrong with Susan Branch ~ her artwork is so charming.



2. I have been searching for months for the right baby book and my mother and I found this one. It has everything that you could dream of from all of the firsts to the little things that we sumtimes forget. It has a great binding and is great for a boy or girl. My cusion is getting ready to have her first child also and I plan on this being the book I get for her. The only draw back is that it doesn't have a lot of room to write about the 2nd- 5th birthday but I plan on creating a scrap book to go with it so if you want to be able to add more about those birthdays try to be creative.



3. I was given this book by my sister for the birth of my first baby and have received them for my two other children and wouldn't consider writing in anything else! There is so much room for you to write your comments and thoughts and great prompts from the author to jot down things I wouldn't have thought of. The design, drawing and writing is just beautiful. These books are treasures for all time and I can't recommend them highly enough.



4. The book was cute and gave you space to write in, but not a whole lot of photo space.



5. Just another fabulous keepsake by Susan Branch.
   I've been collecting and gift giving her cookbooks, calenders, and keepsake books since the early 80's. No one comes close with the quality, artwork, and content.

4 comments about How to Repair Briggs and Stratton Engines, 4th Ed..

1. I believe that this book will be a great book. I am having trouble with my engine and i would like to read this and figure out my problems. I can't wait to get it.



2. Dempsey basically says, theres two kinds, lots of varation, and if you have a problem, take it to a shop.
   
   Lacking in clear illustrations.

   Why did I need to spend $...to read this ?

   I gave it one star because 0 was not an option.




3. The book should be called overview of briggs and stratton engines. I found that the book lacked any usefull information for the home do it yourselfer. The book has little information on the primer bulb type carberator and little to no information on trouble shooting and solving problems of this type. His vage explanation as well as confusing illistrations has me regreting that I purchased this book.



4. Tinkering with old Briggs engines is fun and I've saved dozens from the dump over the years. This book is better than some I have read, but it's no substitute for the factory manuals for a specific engine or engine series. It does have some information the factory books don't, such as ways to get around needing some of the tools-although Briggs tools are not terribly expensive and are readily available.
   
   This book is best used in addition rather than as a substitute for the factory data. Judging from other TAB titles, it could definitely been worse.

5 comments about A Dictionary of Japanese Food: Ingredients & Culture.

1. For those people who love Japanese cuisine but don't know much about the Japanese language, this pocket size dictionary is a wonderful tool. It focuses on most terms and words used in Japanese cuisine including drinks, entrees, ingredients, food terms, even some cooking and food container names. The dictionary allows readers easy to look up information. It is arranged in three sections: Japanese-English, English-Japanese, and Appendices with some interesting topics in Japanese cuisine. Each entry in the Japanese-English section provides the Japanese term in Roman script, Japanese character, as well as Kanji, along with the English definition details and possibly some additional culture notes. Truly, this dictionary is a MUST!
   
   (Reviewed by Otto Yuen, 19-Jan-2006)



2. This book was the connection I needed between the recipes in my Japanese cookbooks and the local Asian market. Many of the packages have no English word on the package. I have used this book every time I have shopped; when I can't figure out what I am looking for, I take the Japanese word (the book cross references in English and Japanese) to the service desk. The young Japanese woman takes me to exactly what I am looking for. It has saved hours of decoding the ingredients.
   
   This is great for descriptions and translations, not for cooking assistance; it discusses pairings of flavors for ingredients you look up. It is the perfect dictionary to keep close to the Asian cookbooks.



3. I recently spent a month in Tokyo and I enjoy cooking. I found this book along with a good Japanese cookbook to be very useful both in the market and the kitchen. I would have like it to included a kana (Japanese syllabic writing) to English section, but understand most English speakers are not familiar with this Japanese syllabic writing. Luckily all Japanese know our alphabet and my fellow shoppers were always happy to help me find what I wanted. In fact, I believe they appreciated my interest in their food and culture.



4. This ten-year old dictionary remains unsurpassed
   as a guide to the ingredients, methods and utensils
   used in japanese cooking. It is a portable volume
   with romanized, kana and kanji versions of all the
   names and so is ideal for a trip to the market
   where many unfamilar ingredients may be presented
   to the english--speaking food lover.
   
   There are seventeen useful appendices that cover
   topics like:
   Chopsticks
   Katsuoboshi
   The kitchen and its utensils
   Kombu
   The Meal
   Miso
   Sake
   Salt
   Sansai
   Soy sauce
   Sushi
   Tea
   The tea ceremony
   Umami and Flavor
   Vegetarianism
   Wasabi
   Wasabon Sugar
   
   In addition, many of the entries have enough
   detail to be useful to the Western chef who
   wants to incorporate Japanese ideas into his
   or her cooking. Hoskins is an admirably concise
   writer who packs a lot of information into a
   small amount of graceful prose.
   
   Be aware that this is not an encyclopedia. If
   you use the English-Japanese section to look
   up `mushroom' for instance, you'll find the
   translation `kinoko' but not a comprehensive
   list of Japanese mushrooms or techniques for
   cooking them.
   
   So leave the browsing to other books and keep
   this one for trips to the market You'll be glad
   to have it.
   
   --Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and the forthcoming novel bang-BANG from Kunati Books. ISBN 9781601640005



5. This book is very detailed. It helped me a lot when I got to a Asian Market to look for food. Plus at least when I know what it is. I recommend.

5 comments about Guerrilla Learning: How to Give Your Kids a Real Education With or Without School.

1. "This book helped me relax and do less about my kid--less worrying, less trying to cram information into him when he wasn't responding as I wanted him to. Using the approaches recommended by Llewellyn and Silver, I now have fun observing my little boy, guiding him gently, and enjoying his forays into the world as he explores and learns on his own."



2. I am new to the homeschool idea, and my daugther is 15 and hates high school. I found so many useful ideas in this book that I recommend it to anyone considering homeschooling and obtaining a better education for their kids in general.



3. Like someone else said, I read this because we homeschool. I had heard what a great book this was but when I got it I was honestly a little disappointed. I'm sure if my kids were still in public school it would have been more useful but it just wasn't any help to us as homeschoolers/unschoolers.
   
   I'd still recommend it to people who are disenchanted with the public school system but I know now not to recommend it so much to my fellow homeschoolers.



4. As a certified teacher and a Homeschool mom I found this book to be a great work cumlinating many important aspects of Education in general. Many of the suggestions offered to Homeschoolers in the book are attainable and filled with basic common sense. The basic premis of the book is Learning happens naturally every minute of every day (Life is one big school) we as parents and eductors need to remind ourselves and others of this basic fact. For anyone interetsed in the foundations and history of American Education I suggest John Gatto's Book The Underground History of American Education. Knowledge Protects



5. This book provides a good, practical view of children's education and learning, regardless of where this takes place. The authors prompt readers to think about their values regarding education, along with their history, biases, and goals. They are balanced in not advocating for traditional schooling or homeschooling, while speaking plainly about each. They give examples from families who have chosen each option, or have gone back and forth between the two to meet kids' needs at different ages. So good to read something that is not trying to push a particular program or agenda.

5 comments about Extreme Lo-Carb Cuisine: 250 Recipes With Virtually No Carbohydrates.

1. I bought this book because of good reviews, BUT when I finally had a chance to read the book and check out the recipes, I was highly disappointed. The author listed ingredients, a sweetener, that is not readily available.
   
   By reading a recipe and its ingredients, I can normally tell whether the dish is going to be good, with this cookbook, I just don't see it.
   
   I've tried the Lemon custard, it was unedible!



2. THIS PRODUCT WAS JUST WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR , AND AT A GREAT PRICE



3. I haven't actually made anything from this cookbook! I either cannot find the ingredients or I would never use them. I'm not into using of a lot of fat in my cooking even though on the Atkins diet it's not a big deal. I'm just not going to use it and that renders most of the book useless to me. It's a very well written book and if you don't have a problem with what I've listed above then you will enjoy it very much.



4. Having bought Extreme Lo-Carb Meals To Go, I thought I'd try this one for meals that are less "to go." I am thrilled with the book. All recipes contain 10 carbs or less which keeps my blood sugar so stable! Like Meals To Go, this cookbook also has a great set up to include:
   
   1. Great Snacks - I need to eat 6 times a day to keep my blood sugar stable. I need snacks. Sharon Long gives a section of snack recipes. Some are the same as in the To Go cookbook, but nat too many, Plenty of new ideas.
   
   2. Set Up - The book is split into sections for snacks, breakfast, main courses with different meats having different sections, vegetables and desserts. There are shopping list, smaple menus, sugar conversion tables, substitution lists and other indexes at the end. I found the book to be very user friendly.
   
   4. Nutritional Info - This is so very important to me in a cookbook. At the end of each recipe there was detailed nutrition info and the substitution to make the recipe low fat with that nutritional breakdown as well.
   
   I highly recommend any of Sharon's books for those following a carb controlled diet.



5. This cookbook has very nice low carb recipes, but you'll be wanting to
   cut out the sucralose / splenda in dry powedered form. Splenda contains
   dextrose and maltodextrin, and the sucralose is third on the list. This
   will raise your blood glucose, so it may be best to use your meter to check how it affects you if you use this ingredient.

5 comments about Construction Spanish (en inglés y español).

1. Those folks in the construction business, will find that the author has compiled an enormous listing of useful words, terms and phrases into a handy "shirt pocket" sized format, thus making it easy to use on the job. This book should be sold at every Home Depot in the country!



2. This book is very helpful on the job, figuring out construction terms English vs.Spanish. Not comprehensive, but it's charm is it is a pocket size, so it's really at hand when needed. Also, for those with little Spanish, it has enough common words that sometimes the English speaker can find help for the words that need to go with the construction term. I work with construction teams of volunteers in Spanish speaking areas, and I recommend all such teams have a copy of this book.
   --Tom Mitchell



3. I bought this book because I wanted to round out my overall knowledge of Spanish. What I found was a very handy book. I mean this literally: it's a very tiny book that you can easily carry around in your back pocket.
   
   Right up front, the author says "This is not written in textbook Spanish, but it is Spanish used on the job." I would concur. Mr. Scott shows his jobsite experience in the last phrase in the book: "No soy de la migra" ("I am not from immigration"). The only real downside is that there are some questionable translations and some Spanglish - "aguantar" instead of "sostener", "ahorrar" instead of "guardar", "concreto" instead of what I believe is the (sometimes) more proper "hormigon", etc. (To his credit, he translates "hold this" as "agarre esto" instead of "coja esto", which may get you smirks.) But I am sure the people would understand what you mean.
   
   There is also no information on the hardest part of Spanish: conjugating verbs. But as I tell people, you can probably get by in most any language with only pronouns, the infinitive, and forget the articles and gender. "Usted recoger herramientas, pongalo aqui" sounds pretty "Me Tarzan-You Jane"-ish ("Pick up the tools, put them here", literally "You to pick up tools, put it here") but it gets the idea across. As you can see, some verbs are conjugated in at least the imperative - although the book's a bit inconsistent between formal and informal.
   
   As another reviewer mentioned, some words that would be useful are missing - such as concrete related terms (screed and footing, though trowels are included) - but that's to be expected: no book can include everything. With the number of Latino concrete workers, though, it may be useful to include some in the next revision.
   
   All in all, it's a very good little book, and you can't beat either the portability or the price. Although you definitely can't use it to learn Spanish (try "Dicho y Hecho", along with "Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish" if you're serious), you can certainly use it to pick up important words you will need on the jobsite, and I highly recommend it for anybody who either needs a bit of Spanish on the job or would like to round out their general Spanish knowledge with some work-related terminology.



4. If you are a construction professional and have Spanish speaking workers, this is the best book for the money. If you have this book and learn the phrase "c?mo se dice-pronounced(como say dee-say)" or "how is it said?", you can rule the Latin American world-in construction... I have found every word I've needed for construction in this book, except in a few rare instances. If it's not in here, I say c?mo se dice?, hold up the item and write the word in the book. This book also translates in both directions, so I purchased the book for my regular Spanish speaking crew and now they are learning the words in English. There are also helpful phrases and words not used in construction per se, but are used on the job like anatomy parts for when your worker smashes a finger, nails their hand to the roof, or something like that. I am very satisfied with this book. If you're not, you should set higher goals for yourself like taking a professional Spanish language course. If you need to get work done and don't have time to learn an entirely new language, this book will take care of your Spanish language issues.



5. This was just what we were looking for. The only suggestion is that it be published in a waterproof/sweatproof edition (out on the jobsite in a pocket it gets pretty damp).

No comments about 2006 International Residential Code: Code & Commentary Volume 1 (International Residential Code Commentary).

5 comments about Hacienda Courtyards (Mexican Design Books).

1. This book is the bible for Interior Designers who wish to follow through with interior spaces and make the patios and gardens beckon their clients to enjoy equally their outside spaces. This book is a must in every designers library.



2. Although there are plenty of photographs, they were of the same few properties over and over. I had expected more variety.



3. I've purchased most of this series of books since I design Hacienda style homes and these make good reference. The problem is that they are starting to repeat themselves and this one actually is a step down offering nothing new and most of the images look tired and uninspired. If you are looking to design only a hacienda courtyard this might be good, but I think "In a Mexican Garden" by Melba Levick and Gina Hyams is a lot more lively and has spawned more imagination for my clients (and myself).



4. I got a used book that is in perfect condition. Photography is great with good ideas if you are thinking about doing something in your own yard that leans toward a courtyard feel. Writing is simple but knowledgeable. Would recommend the book. Actually I only ordered one book but was charged for and received two. That was ok this time, but I kept one book for me and one was a gift.



5. Hacienda Courtyards is a beautiful book full of photography and ideas if you are thinking of building/decorating an Adobe style home.