Why?: The Best Ever Question and Answer Book About Nature, Science, and the World Around You
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • pleased
  • Very good, except not as complete (big)as I would have liked
Why?: The Best Ever Question and Answer Book About Nature, Science, and the World Around You
Catherine Ripley
Manufacturer: Maple Tree Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1897066171

Book Description

Everyday activities such as taking a trip to the park, splashing in the bathtub, or fixing a snack prompt many questions from young children. Why is the sky blue? Why is soap so slippery? Why do cows moo? Curious kids want to know, and adults never seem to have the answers. Why? provides easily understood explanations of dozens of everyday mysteries. This delightful book takes readers to the supermarket and the park, around the home and onto the farm, and from bath time to bedtime. Bright, playful illustrations are a perfect complement to the text, adding a further level of explanation.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars pleased.......2007-03-08

I would have given 5 stars but it isn't what we expected,we thought it would be more like a textbook. However,our daughter just turned six and is learning to read- she really likes to read the questions so daddy can answer it- for this reason we appreciate the time together and she learns how to read in question format. I was a little surprised at how infomative it is while easy enough for our four year old son to comprehend. (he sits and listens too). We love the book and would buy again.

4 out of 5 stars Very good, except not as complete (big)as I would have liked.......2001-11-21

My 3 year old has already asked me many questions in this book,
so it hits the mark on being full of real questions that a real child would ask. The explanantions are short (about 1 paragraph)
and easy to understand - although I found the vocabulary sometimes a bit tough for my 3 year old. I often used simpler words while reading to her. I expect therefore that the rated age range beginning with 4 years is probably accurate from the point of view of understanding the explanations completely. The questions are arranged in groups such as "bathtime questions" and in a "story" order revolving around a child in that particular situation (ie. the child is getting a bath and is asking questions that start with "how does hot and cold water run out of the same tap" and ending with "why do my hands get all wrinkly after I've been in the bath a long time"). Each question and it's associated exaplanation and illustration cover a full two-page spread of the book. My only complaint is that the book does not actually contain as much detailed "science" content as I had hoped to find - since it is based on questions that children ask, not on concepts someone wanted to include purely for the sake of completeness. I would guess that 8 year olds might be left wanting more information that is given in the answers (which could be considered a good thing, spurning them on to further research). Certainly for the younger ages though, this is a great book. (More questions from the book: "Do the doors at the grocery store open by magic?" "Why do stars Twinkle?" "Why does it smell so good outside after it rains?" "Why do I have to use the toilet and where does it go when I flush?")
Dog Heroes: True Stories About Extraordinary Animals Around the World
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Dog Heroes: True Stories About Extraordinary Animals Around the World
    Tim Jones , and Christine Ummel
    Manufacturer: Epicenter Pr
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

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    ASIN: 0945397224
    Writing Articles About the World Around You
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • There's a story in you waiting to be written!
    • The best book for BEGINNERS
    • The best book for BEGINNERS
    • A book with endless suggestions of where to submit your work
    • Writing Articles about the World Around You
    Writing Articles About the World Around You
    Marcia Yudkin
    Manufacturer: Writers Digest Books
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

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    ASIN: 0898798140

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars There's a story in you waiting to be written!.......2003-11-25

    This is a wonderful book for beginning writers and a refreshing, enlightening, and inspiring book for veteran writers. Sometimes, we get so busy with our writing careers that we forget to take the time to look at the beauty around us and write about it. This book will bring back the life in any tired, worn writer, while encouraging, and uplifting the person who wants to write but doesn't know where to begin!

    5 out of 5 stars The best book for BEGINNERS.......2003-03-21

    I am a beginner freelance writer. I found this book the best among 8 other simple books about writing basics. This book starts with things, people & events close to you and how to make them as raw materials to headlines IDEAS. Also, it shows you how to transform ideas to pragraghs.

    Then, it guides you in how to contact the editors and the keys to make them accept your articles by explaining how they think and what pressures that influence them.

    It is a great book to start with. If you are a beginner freelance writer, don't miss this book. It encourage you a lot.

    5 out of 5 stars The best book for BEGINNERS.......2003-03-21

    I am a beginner freelance writer. I found this book the best among 8 other simple books about writing basics. This book starts with things, people & events close to you and how to make them as raw materials to headlines IDEAS. Also, it show you how to transform ideas to pragraghs.

    Then, it guides you in how to contact the editors and the keys to make them accept your articles by explaining how they think and what pressures that influence them.

    It is a great book to start with. If you are a beginner freelance writer, don't miss this book. It encourage you a lot.

    5 out of 5 stars A book with endless suggestions of where to submit your work.......2001-11-17

    This is a must have book for the beginning writer. Yudkin takes one idea for an article and twists and turns it into a half-dozen for you. Her suggestions generate idea after idea. Even if you're not a beginner, you'll find yourself refreshed and resurged to look for the unique way to sell your articles. I highly recommend Marcia Yudkin. She's a supreme marketeer.

    5 out of 5 stars Writing Articles about the World Around You.......2001-08-19

    It was a great book. I have a journalism background and have been out of the writing business for awhile. I bought the book to refresh my memory and Marcia does agreat job of telling the reader how to come up with ideas, contacting the media you want to write for, contracts etc. For a writer that has been out of the circle indefinetly, it is a great referesher book. For a beginner it is even better!
    Reader's Digest Book of Facts: Essential and Intriguing Information About This Odd World Around Us (Reader's Digest general books)
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • A whole bunch of facts in a neat little book
    Reader's Digest Book of Facts: Essential and Intriguing Information About This Odd World Around Us (Reader's Digest general books)
    Reader's Digest Editors
    Manufacturer: Readers Digest
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

    Dictionaries & ThesaurusesDictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books | Cliches | Computer | English (All) | English (American) | English (British) | English (Canadian) | English (Specific Aspects) | Foreign Language | General | Geography | Lexicography | Picture | Science | Slang & Idioms | Synonyms & Antonyms | Thesauruses
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    ASIN: 0895772566

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars A whole bunch of facts in a neat little book.......2007-03-26

    There's no doubt that Readers Digest produces nice coffee table books and usually with so many different topics, there is just about something for everyone. And for those that want a large collection of diverse facts all in one book, that brings us to Reader's Digest Book of Facts.

    As you might expect from Reader's Digest, this material is presented in a fun, interesting, and easy to read way. Along with the base material in the chapters, also offered are statistics, timelines, trivia and photographs. You could almost call this a mini-reference book due to the many topics that it covers and the potential for learning so many new things. Or, if you're familiar with much of this information, it's just plain enjoyable to go back and rediscover it all over again.

    The subjects are spread out over 7 major categories that include People, Places, Science and Technology, Animals and Plants, Arts and Entertainment, The Universe, and The Earth. All individual sections are broken down into sub-chapters with a nice amount of detail that stays fresh throughout the book.

    Reader's Digest Book of Facts is nice leisurely reading anyone can enjoy and it comes at a very nice price. I'd recommend this to everyone.


    The Lady Who Liked Clean Restrooms: The Chronicle Of One Of The Strangest Stories Ever To Be Rumoured About Around New York
    Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    • Haunting
    • A true story?
    • A true story?
    • Ugh!
    • Did not like it
    The Lady Who Liked Clean Restrooms: The Chronicle Of One Of The Strangest Stories Ever To Be Rumoured About Around New York
    J. P. Donleavy
    Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    ContemporaryContemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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    ASIN: 0312187343

    Book Description

    Not since The Gingerman has J.P. Donleavy succeeded in both delighting and irking his readers as he has with The Lady Who Like Clean Restrooms. This stylish novella tells the tale of Jocelyn Guenevere Marchantiere Jones, whose Scarsdale life comes to an abrupt end when her husband goes in search of a bit of "fresh flesh." Soon she is fending for herself in New York City, where finding a clean restroom will prove to be the least of her concerns.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Haunting.......2004-02-07

    This is the only novel written in the 20th centuary that can compare to the Great Gatsby in its story of the infinite sadness and subtlety of lost love. Here we have a tale so poignant and devastatingly memorable - a tale of a still beautiful woman of only 42 years, divorced, bereft and lonely in her mansion of equisite taste and infinite emptiness - her children ignoring her in their quest for their new lives and her former husband moving on to a younger woman - whose only wish is to sit her ass on a clean surface. who would have thought that her lonely search for meaning through art could have led her to a funeral home and to a surprising and haunting ending to her tale?

    3 out of 5 stars A true story?.......2003-02-12

    In his recent autobiography, Gardner Botsford tells that the mother of "Punch" Sulzberger of the NY Times experienced the stop in the mortuary rest room followed by the unexpected legacy that forms the climax of Donleavy's novelette.

    Those who have read "The Ginger Man" will not be surprised by Donleavy's quirky style. Those who have not will find that book to be both much longer and much more rewarding.

    3 out of 5 stars A true story?.......2003-02-04

    The central twist in this novella---the unforseen consequence of the heroine's trip into the mortuary---is recounted as a true incident by Gardner Botsford in his autobiography, "A Life of Privilege, Mostly," (January, 2003). The woman in Botsford's account is the mother of "Punch" Sulzberger of the NY Times.

    The peculiar writing style should not surprise one who has read any other of Donleavy's books but it will surprise one who hasn't. Those who want to savor Donleavy should read "The Ginger Man," a substantially longer work that is enormously more rewarding.

    1 out of 5 stars Ugh!.......2003-01-25

    Very well written, obviously by a man. How sad and depressing. How would such a supposedly beautiful smart woman, at the OLD age of 42 (!!!), allow her life to fall into such disrepair....

    1 out of 5 stars Did not like it.......2002-01-23

    I guess I am the only one here that did not like this book. I thought Jocelyn was a wimp. The characters were never built.
    This Is the Way We Eat Our Lunch: A Book About Children Around the World
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • Food and geography for little ones
    • A super exploration of lunch beyond peanut butter & jelly
    This Is the Way We Eat Our Lunch: A Book About Children Around the World
    Edith Baer
    Manufacturer: Scholastic Trade
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: School & Library Binding

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    ASIN: 0590468871

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Food and geography for little ones.......2003-12-10

    This book is a whirlwind tour of eating habits of children around the world. In the first part of the book, we see and learn about regional menu items that North American children might eat for lunch, such as clam chowder or gumbo. In the remainder of the book, we visit other continents, and see lunches in countries such as Ghana, Israel, Italy, and China. There is a map at the end of the book, and recipes for fruit salad, hummus, and soup. There is a also a glossary of some of the new words used in the book. The text rhymes, and there are about 270 words.

    5 out of 5 stars A super exploration of lunch beyond peanut butter & jelly.......2002-07-20

    Edith Baer's rhyming text explores lunch the world over, going far beyond the typical American lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. She uses simple couplets to cover everything from veggie burgers to tacos to fish chowder (in the United States) and then goes well beyond American borders to look at Colombia, Italy, Puerto Rico, Japan, England, Australia, China, India, and more.

    Not only do the lunches sound delicious (and teach children reading the book of the astonishing diversity of culinary habits the world over), but Steve Bjorkman's cheerful, colorful illustrations go a long way towards making the unusual seem utterly appetizing. This talented artist's work has appeared in national publications (he used to illustrate regularly for BETTER HOMES & GARDENS magazine, and I miss seeing his work there!). The simple lines and happy look of his pictures perfectly suit Edith Baer's text.
    If You're Thinking of Living in ...All About 115 Great Neighborhoods in and Around New York
    Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    • Book is grossly outdated
    • There are better guides out there
    • Excellent coverage of NY suburbs
    • Good but incomplete
    • Good but incomplete
    If You're Thinking of Living in ...All About 115 Great Neighborhoods in and Around New York

    Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 0812929837
    Release Date: 1999-02-02

    Book Description

    A Practical guidebook for house hunters, migrating apartment dwellers, and anyone curious abut life in 115 of New York's most livable neighborhoods and suburbs

    For many people in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, the real estate section of the Sunday New York Times is the first part of the newspaper they read each week. This book is drawn from one of the most popular features in that widely read section, "If You're Thinking of Living In . . . " Every week, the column gives a detailed snapshot of a suburban community in the tri-state area or a metropolitan neighborhood in New York City, enabling readers to clearly understand a new area and decide if it might be the right place for them to live.  
        
    Now, these columns have been updated and edited into a valuable guidebook for anyone planning a move into the tri-state area or already living in the region and considering a move to another community, as well as for browsers who just enjoy this popular and informative feature.

      Will acquaint you with 115 metropolitan neighborhoods and suburban communities in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut

       Consists of illuminating profiles on each locale, including safety, housing, schools, transportation, cultural and recreational facilities, and quality of life

      Includes at-a-glance reference boxes that list such valuable data as median income of a community; median price of a single-family home, co-op, or condo; midrange rental rates; and commuting times and costs

      Highlights which communities have the strongest school districts

      Educates prospective home buyers on assessing the investment opportunities of purchasing real estate

    Customer Reviews:

    1 out of 5 stars Book is grossly outdated.......2007-02-03

    Book published in 1999, and is in ***serious*** need of updating. NY real estate has transformed immensely in the last 7 years (as have most major cities in the US). For that reason, I found the book to be of very little use to my move.

    2 out of 5 stars There are better guides out there.......2005-01-06

    I was surprised to find out that areas I thought should be in this guide were not and that areas I wouldn't consider "around New York" were. To me, a neighborhood "in and around New York" might include some NJ towns, but to give as much time to the towns listed in NJ and CT, I think the book would more accurately be titled "all about popular communities in the tri-state area."

    I'm disappointed I bought this guide.

    4 out of 5 stars Excellent coverage of NY suburbs.......2003-10-15

    For all New Yorkers anticipating moving to the suburbs and for all out-of-towenrs anticipating moving in the city or in the metropolitan area -- this is an excellent guide to some of the more significant communities in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey. It provides short descriptions of towns and communities within the mretropolitan area -- by reading the book one takes a journey, which leaves a much richer impression of New York and the surrounding area than one would have having just visited Manhattan.

    3 out of 5 stars Good but incomplete.......2003-05-04

    I have lived in Manhattan for 13 years, and when it was time to buy I picked up this book. I found it fun to read and helpful in understanding for example the commuting times to each area featured, etc. However it does not include every neighborhood, in fact the area where we finally purchased (Ft. Greene Bklyn) isn't even included in the book. Buy this book used, along with the Zany's guide and you'll get the full picture without spending too much $.

    3 out of 5 stars Good but incomplete.......2003-05-04

    I have lived in Manhattan for 13 years, and when it was time to buy I picked up this book. I found it fun to read and helpful in understanding for example the commuting times to each area featured, etc. However it does not include every neighborhood, in fact the area where we finally purchased (Ft. Greene Bklyn) isn't even included in the book. Buy this along with the Zany's guide and you'll get the full picture.
    Around and About Paris, Volume 1:  From the Dawn of Time to the Eiffel Tower (Arrondissements 1 - 7)
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • A Historian's Dream
    • A Personal Guide Showing You Paris
    • Exquisite and 100% perfect
    • Dense, difficult, and informative
    • Absolutely the most fun and interesting historical account!
    Around and About Paris, Volume 1: From the Dawn of Time to the Eiffel Tower (Arrondissements 1 - 7)
    Thirza Vallois
    Manufacturer: Illiad Press
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 095253780X

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars A Historian's Dream.......2005-12-19

    If you like to roam around Paris on your own and get a feel for the history of the most beautiful and exciting city in the world, then this and its sister companions (Vols II and III) are for you. Thirza Vallois (for the sake of transparency,I have meet the author and have visited with her several times) has covered every street in the city and gives a fascinating view of the evolution of the city. The first volume is a must read, both the introductions and the tours are vibrant and illuminating. Don't miss the Hotel Carondelet.

    5 out of 5 stars A Personal Guide Showing You Paris.......2004-04-26

    How would you like to have a personal guide as your companion when visiting Paris? A guide that will not only give you a brief history of each and every "Arrondissement" from the first to the twentieth, but as the author states, "a journey into the depths of Paris" and "an invitation to scratch beneath its surface of dazzling vistas and imposing monuments and to probe into the souls and lives of the restless people." Author Thirza Vallois's three volumes entitled AROUND AND ABOUT PARIS accomplishes all of the above and more.

    Most other guidebooks pertaining to Paris are merely directories that list where to stay and eat with a little history and antidotes thrown in. Vallois's tomes do not contain any listings of hotels, restaurants, phone numbers or web sites. They are, however, similar to information contained in college textbooks and would probably be suggested readings if a course were to be given entitled "Paris 101." Not only are they invaluable tools for the traveller to Paris but also for those of us who are so called "arm chair" travellers and who never intend to leave home.

    Each chapter is devoted to a distinct Arrondissement describing their unique history and character. These introductions are followed by comprehensive descriptions of the walks you must pursue. After all Paris is made for walking!

    Very often when visiting Paris we are too much concerned with the usual tourist attractions such as the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and various other well known sites. Consequently, we tend to loose sight of the history and background information concerning the area where we may be lodging or the areas where we are taking our promenades. We are also ignorant of the many "nooks and crannies" that make Paris a city of romance, drama, triumph, tragedy, crime and passion.

    Vallois has lived in Paris for over thirty years. For eight of those years before writing these guides she "journeyed into the depths of Paris, walking its every street, reading in libraries whatever came my way" as she mentioned in an article appearing in Paris Kiosque No wonder the guides are so comprehensive and detailed.

    To appreciate Paris is to understand its history and culture. Thanks to authors such as Thirza Vallois we can explore Paris with a greater understanding and enlightenment.

    Please note that their are three books: Volume 1-concerns the 1st to 7th arrondissements: Volume 2- 8th to 12th, Volume3- 13th-20th

    Norm Goldman Editor Bookpleasures.com

    5 out of 5 stars Exquisite and 100% perfect.......2002-02-16

    After reading every travel guide I could get my hands on concerning Paris, France, finally I've found one that actually quenches my thirst and feeds my hunger! This is the Bible of Paris. The little details are so fascinating and exquisite, you can read this book over and over again. If I were stuck on a deserted island, as far from Paris as possible, I'd still want this to be one of the top five books I took with me. It would keep me going for a long, long time. Don't go to Paris without it. In fact, don't go to the doctor's office without it-- perfect to take everywhere.

    3 out of 5 stars Dense, difficult, and informative.......2001-04-10

    Around and About Paris, Volume 1, reads pretty much like a medium-quality textbook; it's dense (*tiny* print and very small amounts of white space), it's informative (*filled* with trivia and fascinating - as well as not-so-fascinating - facts), and it's obtuse in places. The book does provide lots of information and some very nice Paris walks, but you'll have to sieve through a lot of junk to get to the meat of it.

    The book's most serious problem, at least for me, is the writing. I suspect, though I don't know, that the author's English was a second language. The sentences are at times torturously constructed. Often, subjects and verbs are in places where a native English speaker probably wouldn't put them; sometimes one or the other is even missing - when you parse the sentence, you realize it's actually just a very long fragment, with lots of clauses that confuse the issue. Sometimes, too, it isn't clear what a modifier is supposed to be modifying, or which noun a pronoun refers to. In the worst cases, the meaning of a sentence cannot be divined at all because an error has been made at a crucial point. Some careful, detailed editing could've made this book a lot easier to read and use - and more informative, too.

    However, there is still a lot of information in Around and About, even if you do have to work to get at it. The maps aren't the clearest in the world, but they're good enough, especially since prominent landmarks are marked. And the walks themselves provide an interesting take on Paris; the idea of walking through history is a great one. Parents with older children could probably use this as a resource for some very educational traveling, though I would recommend that the adults do the reading and then condense and prune somewhat for the kids.

    All in all, despite the book's flaws, it's a nice supplementary resource for people visiting Paris - or those studying French history. You will, however, also want more conventional guidebooks or textbooks unless Paris and its history is already very familiar ground indeed.

    5 out of 5 stars Absolutely the most fun and interesting historical account!.......1998-07-18

    I have never been able to appreciate history until Around and About Paris! Ms. Vallois has brought centuries of Paris history to life in the fun and interesting way she tells its stories. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about Paris than what's housed in the Louvre.
    What You Never Knew About Tubs, Toilets, & Showers (Lauber, Patricia. Around-the-House History.)
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • "But, where did they go to the bathroom?"
    • Most hilarious and resourceful book
    • Factually Interesting...but Inappropriate
    • A quick history of cleanliness.
    • Another great book by this author/illustrator team!
    What You Never Knew About Tubs, Toilets, & Showers (Lauber, Patricia. Around-the-House History.)
    Patricia Lauber
    Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

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    ASIN: 0689824203
    Release Date: 2001-05-01

    Book Description

    In the Middle Ages, St. Francis of Assisi listed dirtiness as a sign of holiness...
    But by the mid 1800s clean was in.

    The early Greeks and Romans were among the first to build public baths and toilets. One of the biggest Roman baths held three thousand people at once -- and everyone went naked! But when those empires fell, so did the standard for cleanliness. It would be 1,400 years before bathing came back into style.

    Newbery Honor-wining author Patricia Lauber and artist John Manders team up again to tackle the dirty business of getting clean in their latest book, What You Never Knew About Tubs, Toilets, & Showers. In this hilarious how-to of bathing and bathrooms, readers can take a trip through the stalls of history and learn not only how bathrooms came to be, but who used them and why.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars "But, where did they go to the bathroom?".......2007-09-22

    The question, "Where did they go to the bathroom?" is asked at living hsitory museums all the time! Both adults and children want to know the every day details of basic human needs. At the Royal Governor's Palace, the jail, the courthouse, and the homes of signers of the Declaration of Independence -- THAT'S the question whispered by blushing adults or blurted out by curious children.

    This book answers all these questions in an honest, entertaining and accurate manner. The illustrations are appropriate for both children and adults. They are less revealing and/or "inapproprate" than classical art.

    I heartily recommend this book!

    5 out of 5 stars Most hilarious and resourceful book.......2006-07-13

    I loved it! I thought the colorful illustrations were hilarious. The book not only entertains, it provides the reader with useful research information. Amusing sidebars poke fun at the primitive waste-disposal methods that prevailed through the ages. Readers will also be amazed to discover that baths were considered unhealthy during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It was not until the discovery of germs in the mid-1800s that the importance of cleanliness was recognized, and it wasn't until 1851 that the White House had a bathtub with running water. My only concern about the use of this book within the classroom would be the colorful illustrations of naked peoples backsides. The language of the book was very easy to follow and comprehend, which would benefit students ages 5 - up.

    2 out of 5 stars Factually Interesting...but Inappropriate .......2006-03-31

    While I found much of the information interesting, I thought the author and especially the illustrator crossed the line.

    I do not find this book or its illustrations appropriate for elementary age children.

    * Nudity
    * Illustrations of men and women bathing together
    * One illustration actually shows a woman's nipple

    VERY INAPPROPRIATE and I am disappointed that my children's elementary school has this in its library.

    5 out of 5 stars A quick history of cleanliness........2003-04-07

    A quick history about plumbing, bathing, and attitudes towards cleanliness! Lauber takes us on a jaunt through history starting with the cave man and his ideas about bathing. She then jumps to the ancient Middle East, and then moves on to Greece and Rome. Then she covers the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Lauber then moves to the United States, and the rest of the book focuses on modern bathing. The book is illustrated by John Manders (who does an excellent job adding bits of humor in his drawings), and does not include any photographs of ancient ruins or artifacts or the like. But there is still plenty of information--did you know that ancient Romans used a sponge on the end of a stick instead of toilet paper? The stick was rinsed in salty water after they used it. And that a flush toilet was invented in 1594? This is a readable nonfiction book that makes learning about the history of cleanliness fun.

    5 out of 5 stars Another great book by this author/illustrator team!.......2001-08-19

    After I had read their book on the history of dining, I couldn't wait for this one. Tubs, Toilets and Showers handles the awkward subjects of what you do in the bathroom and how people used to do it. It has vignettes from several cultures and time periods.

    Many children (and some adults) will be surprised to learn that the Europeans came to value cleanliness much later than did many other cultures. They may laugh to imagine how certain historical figures might have smelled.

    Since the book deals with bathing and eliminating, some of the illustrations do involve nudity. However, the illustrator has drawn the cartoons in such a way that genital areas are hidden. I would not find the drawings objectionable for young children.

    Baths and hygiene are often areas of conflict between parents and children. A book like this could give some perspective, and its humor could soften the family bathroom struggles.
    Here Comes the Reign, Sir Guillaume!: Another collection of warped, wicked and wild stories about medieval history and life in (and around) the SCA.
    Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    • Entertaining if you are in the SCA- or just interested in the SCA
    Here Comes the Reign, Sir Guillaume!: Another collection of warped, wicked and wild stories about medieval history and life in (and around) the SCA.
    Scott Farrell
    Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    GeneralGeneral | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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    ASIN: 0595346863

    Book Description

    From jester to king, Guillaume sees the Current Middle Ages from every angle. In his second collection of humorous stories and insightful reflections, Guillaume looks at the lighter side of castle building, jousting on ESPN, learning Arthurian mythology (with the help of tequila), and making topiary animals out of duct tape. Plus, just to prove that no subject is beyond the scope of his irreverent sense of humor, he also shares the laughter and chaos that took place “behind the scenes” during two reigns as King of Caid. Whether by fate or “an implausible disruption of the natural balance of the universe,” Guillaume's readers are in for some royal laughs, and some touching moments, as the SCA's funniest knight wins the throne and seeks shelter from the reign in a deluge of hilarious stories, including:

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars Entertaining if you are in the SCA- or just interested in the SCA.......2006-03-04

    This is a humourous telling of Sir Guillaumel's first reign as King of Caid- some ripples of which even were heard up here in the West.

    I recommend this book for any of the following:
    Those in the SCA
    Those interested in the SCA
    Those thinking about "going for Crown" in the SCA!
    and those that enjoy some slightly offbeat real-life humour, even if you have never even heard of the SCA.

    Warning- do not read this book when drinking carbonated beverages!

    Not quite up to the level of Terry Pratchett, so it only gets 4 stars.

    Baron Wulfstan Darroldson, OP

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