Happy Birthday to You! (Classic Seuss)

Book Description

Illus. in color. "The Great Birthday Bird guides us on a birthday trip. The multicolored excursion is a festive one."--School Library Journal.

Customer Reviews:

happy birthday to you!.......2007-09-24

My students loved this story. I keep it is a basket on the floor and the are constantly picking it up. Would recommend it to anyone.

SEPT.6TH ! The best day FOR IN LIFE...OUR FIX........2007-09-10

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU~~~~~~~~~HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
HAPPY BIIIIIIIIRTTTH DAY AHAYAA MISTOUR BLACKSHEREEEEEEEEEEEE
HAP-HAP-HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!

Happy Birthday Chris,from(and I think I'm not alone) everyone!!!
your a great person and friend!
OH! this book is great also!

A year-round favorite.......2007-07-30

We read this on birthdays and plenty of other times too! Sweet but not too much so, and funny turns of phrase.

Perfect gift for my twin grandsons' birthday.......2007-06-12

Every child should have this book....my daughter uses books for decorating and these are sure to be read and visible every year.

Cha-Cha from North Branford, CT

Happy Birthday to You.......2007-05-30

This is a delightful book for those having a birthday regardless of the age.

Gospel Birds and Other Stories of Lake Wobegon

Average customer rating:

Wonderful Stories told by America's Storyteller
The height of the monologue
Garrison's Best-Ever recording!
The Best of Garrison Keillor
Good, Wholesome, Family Entertainment

Gospel Birds and Other Stories of Lake Wobegon

Manufacturer: Highbridge Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Books on CD | Audiobooks | Formats | Books
Similar Items:

Accessories:

GPX C3948BI Ultra-Slim CD Player with 40-Second Anti-Shock Protection and Car Kit

ASIN: 1565110102

Book Description

Originally released in 1985, Gospel Birds is a collection of nine classic and very funny monologues from the early years of A Prairie Home Companion. In addition to the title story (about Irma and Ernie Lundeen's traveling flock of acrobatic, bible-reciting birds). Gospel Birds is Garrison Keillor at his very best--endearing insights, gentle humor and warm affection for the human foibles we all share.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Stories told by America's Storyteller.......2004-03-29

Garrison Keillor is to the spoken story what Mark Twain was to the written - a kind and intelligent sense of humor mixed in with a wickedly insightful knowledge of human nature. His monologues, the "News from Lake Wobegon", have always been the centerpiece of PBS's wildly successful Prairie Home Companion, and I have found none of his stories to be superior to those contained within this collection.

Pastor Inqvist's Trip to Orlando is worth the price of these cassettes alone with the story of the humble Lutheron Minister and his desire to please his Church Deacons and Mrs. Inqvist at the same time. The Gospel Birds is another "church" story, but you'd be wrong if you came to a listen thinking that Mr. Keillor is simply a "holy roller" trying to pound his version of "the gospel" into anyone.

His stories are about what makes us human - our nobleness and our failings - and his storytelling is so skillful, he allows us to hear that our shortcomings are as important in who we are as our triumphs.

The height of the monologue.......2002-05-08

This is a fine collection of monologues from the period during which Keillor was most popular, and it also has gorgeous guitar links provided by Chet Atkins, whose trademark arpeggios are beautifully rendered on an acoustic guitar with a rich, mellow sound. I was moved by these recordings to buy several Chet Atkins CDs. "Meeting Donny Hart at the Bus Stop," "Pastor Inqvist's Trip to Orlando," and "Mammoth Concert Tickets" contain all of the elements that earned Keillor his loyal following -- an affection for the Minnesota region, fallible human characters, hope and compassion, all told with a twinkling sense of humor.

Garrison's Best-Ever recording!.......2002-02-08

I have virtually all of Keillor's Lake Woebegon works, and this is his finest! "On Meeting Donny Hart" is perhaps the finest tragi-comedy of them all! You'll bust a gut listening to Mazumbo, Gospel Birds, Pastor Ingquist's Trip to Orlando, Mammoth Concert, and Babe Ruth Visits Lake Woebegon-- the whole set is superb. I can't say enough good about this excellent product.

The Best of Garrison Keillor.......2001-03-29

This is one of 2 collections of monologues (the other being "Fall") that (to me) comprise the absolute best of Garrison Keillor's recorded Lake Wobegon stories. Some of the later collections have a more uneven feel, but "Gospel Birds" and "Fall" don't have a weak moment on them. The stories range from hilarious to touching to heartbreaking, and many times are all three at once. You'll laugh at these whacko Minnesota characters, but you'll also see yourself in them, and feel along with them as well. This is time well spent.

Good, Wholesome, Family Entertainment.......2000-06-10

I was looking for humor that wasn't bawdy or raucous and this tape more than delighted: I also found a great American storyteller. I barely knew the name having seen a taping of Garrison Kiellor's radio show on TV once; so I wasn't familiar with the style or content. What makes his wide appeal is his vocal ability to get you on the edge of your seat, and his remarkable talent for impersonating any age or gender, and any relationship. A couple of the stories are merely poignant; with the majority being situation comedy of everyday life. My favorites: Pastor Inkfest's Trip to Orlando, The Beeler Boy, and The Fishing Dog.

The Persecution and Trial of Gaston Naessens: The True Story of the Efforts to Suppress an Alternative Treatment for Cancer, AIDS, And Other Immunol

Average customer rating:

the persecution and trial of gaston naessens
The persecution and supression of cancer cures that work.
FABULOUS BOOK
Perhaps the most important story in medicine today
Should be included in every Medical College curriculum

The Persecution and Trial of Gaston Naessens: The True Story of the Efforts to Suppress an Alternative Treatment for Cancer, AIDS, And Other Immunol
Christopher Bird
Manufacturer: H J Kramer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Criminology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0915811308

Customer Reviews:

the persecution and trial of gaston naessens.......2002-03-28

The fact that that this is not available in print says a lot. It is extremely enlightening regarding the intellectual ignorance of our medical profession. The concept of increasing the ability of the immune system to heal the body should be number one on every medical checklist for every patient. Jason Winter's herbal tea contains numerous blood purifiers that purport to work toward the same end; blood purification to increase the ability of the immune system to heal the bodily malfunction. This is a total change in disease paradigm which could possibly put a lot of our medical profession on welfare, in addition to saving individuals from the cut, burn and poison paradigm.

The persecution and supression of cancer cures that work........2001-05-28

I have read "The Cancer Cure That Worked" by Barry Lymes which is the story of Dr. Royal R. Rife's work. Barry was assisted by Dr. Rife's partner, John Crane of San Diego. I spent a couple of afternoons with Mr. Crane in 1990, before he pased away. Because Mr. Crane was acting as a co-author the book is very accurate as to the actual truth and history of the events. Dr. Rife did have a technology that worked and was verified by the Medical Staff at University of Southern California, L.A. Dr. Milburn Johnson, the then Chief of the USC Medical Staff and President of the Los Angeles Medical Association rented the Scripps Ranch at La Jolla, California, where they were successful in curing, within 70 days, 18 terminally ill cancer patients - 100% cure rate! All with no side effects! They were then able to build approximately 20 "Rife Ray Beam" machines and Drs. were using them very succesfully, in fact, too successfully, until the persecution of Rife and his associates quashed the project and technology for a while. THIS BOOK IS ONE EVERY HUMAN ON THE PLANET SHOULD READ BECAUSE THE TECNOLOGY CURED NOT ONLY THE CANCER BUT OTHER PROBLEMS THE PATIENTS HAD. ANOTHER BOOK THAT IS A MUST is "The Secret of Life" by Georges Lakovsky, who used the same technology, but a different design of a machine he called "The Multiwave Oscillator" He also experienced very simalar successes as Dr. Rife. Mr. Lakovsky's book contains "before" and "after" photos. He was from Russia and did his work in France. Mr. Lakovsky was merely murdered, when he came to New York, to squash his technology. However, both technologies are available via the underground and I have personally used Rife's and witnessed it to cure cancer, epstien barr, clogging of the heart arteries, to correct eyesight,toothache and other ailments. A similar technology is explained in Hulda Clark's book "Curing All Diseases" I'm sure Mr. Bird's Book about Mr. Naessens should also be on the "must" list. ALL OF THESE BOOKS ARE A MUST FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT CURING SO CALLED "TERMINAL DISEASES."

FABULOUS BOOK.......2000-01-27

I bought this book years ago when it was published in Canada under the title of THE GALILEO OF THE MICROSCOPE. I have met the late Chris Bird several times. This recreation of the trial of Gaston Naessens for Murder One is absolutely fascinating and a great read. I have a video of what Naessens sees in the live blood under his darkfield microscope. I have lent it a number of times to people with terminal illness who eventually contacted Naessens and now are completely healthy. This is a very important book about a living legend.---Phil Ratte' 61 going on 36

Perhaps the most important story in medicine today.......1999-11-27

Of all the important investigation that Christopher Bird performed during his career, The Life and Trials of Gaston Naessens is probably his most important work. I first became aware of Bird's book in 1990, and I have bought numerous copies over the years to give them to cancer and AIDS patients. His book is not a monumental piece of scholarship, but it tells one more story about what happens to medical pioneers. I have taken Bird's work much further, and I write at length about Naessens and the professional lineage that he is a marvelous part of. The story of Naessens work is probably the most important one in medicine today.

Should be included in every Medical College curriculum.......1999-03-24

The reading and study of this book should be included in every College of Medicine study program, and should be available in all college libraries.

Average customer rating:

Old School Waterfowling
This is the one!
Early 20th century waterfowl&quail hunting in the OLD SOUTH

De Shootinest Gent'Man: And Other Tales
Nash Buckingham
Manufacturer: Wilderness Adventures Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General & Anthologies | Hunting & Fishing | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Hunting | Hunting & Fishing | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1885106521

Book Description

Travel with Nash Buckingham on some of the most heartwarming experiences ever to be put to paper by an outdoor writer,

Customer Reviews:

Old School Waterfowling.......2001-03-07

I didn't enjoy this book that much. It documents the hunting style in the South perfectly. Throughout the book, the quotes are written in "Suthin' Accint." This annoyed me. Maybe it's just my Yankee lifestyle shining through and true Southerners would consider it a great addition.

This is the one!.......1999-07-05

If you only buy one bird hunting, wing-shooting, bird dogging book this year, this is the one! A classic of American literature. No one comes close to Nash in capturing the essense of the field, blind, guns, people and dogs that keep us all addicted, even as we begin a new millenium!

Early 20th century waterfowl&quail hunting in the OLD SOUTH.......1998-10-13

A collection of some of the best of Nash Buckingham's short stories that paint an excellent portrait of waterfowl hunting, quail hunting, and life in general in the old south (early 1900's). While these tales may not be the most politically correct today, they were true for the period and most entertaining. Nash Buckingham's impeccable sportsman's ethic and his love for the post civil war generation are quite apparent. This is the best of all the books I have read by this author, and I recommend it highly.

Maximum Ride Book #3: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports (Maximum Ride)

Average customer rating:

Maximum Ride Book #3: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports (Maximum Ride)
James Patterson
Manufacturer: Little, Brown Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Adventure & Thrillers | Literature & Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books

Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Teens | Subjects | Books

Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Teens | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 031615427X

Book Description

There's one last chance to save the world in MAXIMUM RIDE: SAVING THE WORLD AND OTHER EXTREME SPORTS, the closing chapter of James Patterson's thrilling trilogy. The time has arrived for Max and her winged "flock" to face their ultimate enemy and discover their original purpose: to defeat the takeover of "Re-evolution", a sinister experiment to re-engineer a select population into a scientifically superior master race...and to terminate the rest. Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, and Angel have always worked together to defeat the forces working against them--but can they save the world when they are torn apart, living in hiding and captivity, halfway across the globe from one another?

Average customer rating:

*Miracles of Migration & Being Brothers*
great story for preserving our environment
ok

Welcome, Brown Bird
Mary Lyn Ray
Manufacturer: Harcourt Children's Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Picture Books | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0152928634

Book Description

Poetic text and stunning paintings tell the story of a wood thrush that makes the long migration between New England and Central America. At each end of the journey is a boy who watches and waits, protecting the bird's nesting place until it returns. Neither boy knows that his love of the thrush's sweet song links him--like a brother--to another boy across the world, a boy who doesn't even speak the same language.

Includes an author's note that details wood thrush migration and habitat protection.

Customer Reviews:

*Miracles of Migration & Being Brothers*.......2005-10-28

"The silvery circular song" of a brown thrush is heard by two boys and it links them - cross continent - in a kinship known only to the songbird. This haunting story reaches from the woods of New England to the rainforests of Central America. YES! the children listening to this story will love where their imaginations take them, and readers will absorb the deeper message of environmental concerns.

Using a palette of mostly browns and gold, Peter Sylvada skillfully enhances Mary Lyn Ray's story of youthful urges to protect the habitat of the lovely migrating birds. Sadly, we already feel a nostalgia for the "clay flute" voices of birds that alert us to these concerns. Happily, though, this book is on reading lists for Protestant churchwomen who we hope will be inspired to take action when super stores and parking lots overwhelm our environment.

Here in southern Indiana we have already faced losses in our own woods of the wood thrushes, warbling vireos, even whippoorwills. Not so long ago we listened for WHEN the thrush would fly North; now, with the author, we listen to learn IF the songbirds are returning to enrich our lives.

Reviewer mcHAIKU urges readers to join in listening, and acting to forestall a more forbidding silence. Mary Lyn Ray has written a 5 Star story for all ages.

great story for preserving our environment.......2005-08-31

I love this story because not only are the words easy for younger readers but also the message is a great one for the older readers as well. If I was a school teacher, I would definately use this in my classroom to promote a respect of nature. The pictures are beautiful and yet simple. A great find!
(Make sure you read the info about the author. It helps explain the story a little).

ok.......2005-04-10

Two boys who live at opposite side of the earth share a common friend. Their friend is a brown thrush who migrates back and forth. Each boy does his best to protect the area that the bird lives. The American boy stops his dad from clearing trees for a new corn field. The Spanish boy tells the adults not to cut trees in his part of the world as well.

The book was short and easy to read.

I would recommend this to to teachers. I would make a good picture book for story times during a unit on birds.

The Birds and Other Stories (Virago Modern Classics)

Average customer rating:

The Source of Hitchcock's
the plot was fine...
Chilling
Smashing short fiction
THE BIRDS

The Birds and Other Stories (Virago Modern Classics)
Daphne Du Maurier
Manufacturer: Virago Press Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1844080870

Customer Reviews:

The Source of Hitchcock's.......2005-06-01

This is my first taste of Du Maurier but I like it very much :)
The language is beautiful but compact, concise. Fast paced. No extra burden for the eyes.

THE BIRDS, the inspiration of Hitchcock's movie version. Although it is different between the book and movie, the dread they caused
is almost the same with their own focus. In the movie, you'll get the visualization of the dread while through book the description of the attack was violent enough that you couldn't see no end.

MONTE VERITA. It's like reading supernatural story about Maya people at first which was followed by friendship between 2 people, their meeting with a very beautiful enigmatic woman until the strange happening in Monte Verita. In the end, it was still the supernatural one but behind it, there was a horror value in it that makes you see what Monte Verita really was.

APPLE TREE. This is my fav story of this book. A creepy tale of a wife that haunted her husband after her death.
What you thought will not be the same with what you would along the way. A very good material for Outer Limit program.

LITTLE PHOTOGRAPHER. Like watching an Agatha Christie's mytery movie but leave the detective part. This is a story of unintentional villain with heart that was numbed because of life.

KISS ME AGAN STRANGER. Hohoho, this one has a horror surprise!! I wouldn't give any detail what kind of surprise less it would spoil the fun.

OLD MAN. This is my second fav because what I thought when this story began is dashed beautifully at the end ;)

the plot was fine..........2003-11-03

but i Could Fall asleep while reading. I didn't find it so exciting. 3 stars are only for the unusual plot full of fantasy, but the writing isn't so marvellous in my opinion.

Chilling.......2001-01-19

The title story of this collection is the story from which Alfred Hitchcock based his famous movie "The Birds". This movie is NOTHING like the story, and it is this original story that brings the terror home in a far more stark and chilling manner.

The story evolves around a farmer and his family in an isolated part of England. The birds gather and attack in more and more numbers as the story progresses, and the tale details the fear the family feels and the lengths they must go to to save their own lives. It is a marvellously crafted story, and one of the greatest realistic horror tale you will ever read. You will never look at birds which flock close to you in the same way again.

Smashing short fiction.......2000-09-03

This is still available in England, go to Amazon.co.uk if you don't have luck with the US Amazon. This book is an amazing collection of fantasy and horror by a woman who had an amazing imagination paired with a real skill for writing.

The title story is where Hitchcock got the theme and title for the film, and little else. The Birds takes place on an English farm, and is a great tale of isolation and terror. The Old Man is marvellous, with a terrific twist that makes me envy those who are to read it for the first time. Kiss Me Again, Stranger gave me nightmares, even though the horror is only implied. There's not a weak story in the bunch, and this is definitely du Maurier's strongest collection of short fiction.

THE BIRDS.......2000-01-18

THIS BOOK WAS PRETTY GOOD AND HAD A GREAT DEAL OF DETAIL! I WOULD RECOMMEND IT FOR ANYONE!

Two Scarlet Songbirds: A Story of Anton Dvorak

Average customer rating:

The Magic of Inspiration all Around Us!

Two Scarlet Songbirds: A Story of Anton Dvorak
Carole Lexa Schaefer
Manufacturer: Knopf Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Picture Books | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0375810226
Release Date: 2001-09-11

Book Description

Fact and fiction come together in a magically imagined tale of the composer Anton Dvorák’s inspiration for “American Quartet.” Transfixed by the birdsong of the little Iowa river town where he and his family are spending the summer, Dvorák seeks out the beautiful song of the scarlet tanager. And as the tanager woos a mate and begins to build a nest, Dvorák writes the bird’s music down on everything from paper to shirtsleeves. At the end of one long summer evening, the scarlet tanager hears familiar music from the town’s schoolhouse and settles on a branch nearby to listen. Inside, Dvorák and his friends play the first rehearsal of “American Quartet,” inspired by the little songbird. Then, while one plays on, the other flies home.

Customer Reviews:

The Magic of Inspiration all Around Us!.......2001-10-03

This is a magical story and a sumptuously illustrated feast for the eyes, showing kids (and us "former kids") that inspiration is everywhere around us.

It was the lush illustration that first caught my eye and led me into this wonderful, beautifully written (and true!) tale of a famous composer sparked to write one of his most famous creations by the song of a bird in the branches above him.

Our six year old nephew has been unable to put it down ever since we gave it to him. And while we love seeing him dive into it and stay entertained, the book had a wonderful side effect we never expected... he has suddenly taken heightened interest in his surroundings. When we took a walk yesterday, he was suddenly imitating the songs of seagulls. He said he wanted to try to capture the color of the afternoon sunlight when we got home and he reached for his crayons. He has always been very curious, but never to this degree! He seemed to suddenly be approaching his drawing with extra energy and purpose. It was amazing to see.

"Two Scarlet Songbirds" has somehow demystified creativity and unleashed new levels of awareness curiosity and confidence in him.

I'll confess this inspiration has rubbed off on this forty year old too. I've never been moved to write a review before...

If you don't put this piece of magic into the hands of the little ones you know, you're missing something wonderful!

The illustrations are so visually rich that even very young ones will love it (the nephew I spoke of has a one year old brother who was delighted looking at the pictures and having it read to him).

Thumbs up!!

Average customer rating:

Good read, but not the same caliber as A Lantern in Her Hand

A rare jewel....this brought tears to my eyes!

Simply lovely

For all ages

A White Bird Flying (Bison Book)
Bess Streeter Aldrich
Manufacturer: University of Nebraska Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

20th Century | British | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
20th Century | United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

A Lantern in Her Hand

Spring Came On Forever (Bison Book)

Mother Mason (Bison Book)

Rim of the Prairie (Bison Book)

Journey into Christmas and Other Stories (Bison Book)

ASIN: 0803259158

Book Description

Abbie Deal, the matriarch of a pioneer Nebraska family, has died at the beginning of A White Bird Flying, leaving her china and heavy furniture to others and to her granddaughter Laura the secret of her dream of finer things. Grandma Deal's literary aspirations had been thwarted by the hard circumstances of her life, but Laura vows that nothing, no one, will deter her from a successful writing career. Childhood passes, and the more she repeats her vow the more life intervenes.

Customer Reviews:

Good read, but not the same caliber as A Lantern in Her Hand.......2004-03-11

I would consider White Bird flying a very good read if I hadn't read A Lantern in Her Hand first. White Bird Flying is a sequel to the Mackenzie - Deal saga begun in A Lantern in Her Hand and it is fun to learn what happened to Abbie's children, grand children and neighbors in the years follwing her death.

But in reading this sequel, I got the feeling that Bess Streeter Aldrich was in a hurry to get the book out and didn't put the depth of feeling into her characters that she does in her other stories. The first chapter is promising with her dialogue between the neighbors contrasting with her narrative of Laura's feelings about her grandmother's passing.

But she was lacking in other areas - she spent time on Christine Reinmueller but all we hear about Sarah Lutz is a brief mention of her funeral. Sarah was a significant character in the first book - always representing the material comforts that were just beyond Abbie's reach. It would have been interesting to know Sarah's thoughts on Abbie's death. Eloise is turned into a money grubber, which seems like a false note. Why did she marry John Deal then? This is never adequately explained in the book. Eloise's rich relatives seem to be a bit contrived - couldn't Laura have gone off into the world on her own steam, without being dependent on these relatives for her future? And cousin Kathie blows up into a caricature of herself - of course we all know she is spoiled from reading the first book but her plot lines could have maybe been drawn more subtly.

But there is no denying that Aldrich is skilled story teller and her observations are magical. Her observations about life - "No one can stop time" make you feel like she has read your mind and has stolen your thoughts. And even if this story isn't up to par with "Lantern" it is still a worth while read. It is just best to have a different set of expectations for White Bird Flying than you might have for her other books.

A rare jewel....this brought tears to my eyes!.......2003-09-14

This is the sequel to the novel A Lantern in her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich. Once you read this book, White Bird Flying, you have a deeper understanding of the first novel. These books are simply wonderful! She is a powerful, but overlooked author! This was pure pleasure!

Simply lovely.......2003-01-17

While this book will appeal to fans of prairie or pioneer literature, it has depths that will actually appeal to almost anyone. Set in the early 1900s in small-town Nebraska, it follows the childhood and early womanhood of Laura Deal. Laura is the beloved granddaughter of Abby, the heroine of Aldrich's "A Lantern in Her Hand", and this book picks up right after Abby has died.

Laura is gentle and whimsical, and through her discerning eyes we get to view the other members of the family, many of whom are unintentionally humorous and certainly similar to those we know in real life. There is her practical, materialistic mother, about whom Laura one day thinks, "Mother has no poetry in her soul!" Her father John is quiet and hardworking, who carries some of the burdens of the town on his back but inside is afire with pioneer pride. Brother Wentworth dashes from one boyish pursuit to another. Her extended family, such as her flighty cousin Kathie, fussy Aunt Grace, and powerful Uncle Mack, are all interesting to read about. Outside of her family are several fascinating neighbors, including the attractive Alan and old Oscar, one of the town's founders, who lives in the past and can only find Laura to listen to tales of his glory days.

Although on the surface the story follows Laura's chronology in a fairly simple path, as she moves from school to college to a crisis of decision about how to proceed with her life, there are many other events, major and minor, occurring with everyone else in the story. There is her father's conflict with her uncle over bank monies lost, her cousin Kathie's gallivanting about rather than caring for her child, and old Christine's greediness for more land.

There are also lovely descriptions of the Nebraska countryside, and in the brief but beautiful details of life we get a sense of time and place. Having had a grandmother in Nebraska myself, it all felt so real to me when I read this wonderful book! I also felt breathless when it came time for Laura to decide if she would choose love or money, and the last sentence of the book is one of the best lines I've ever read. It should be quoted like Shakespeare. Quite simply, this is a book to cherish.

For all ages.......1999-06-07

This book is a WONDERFUL commentary on how we deal with the connections between generations. Not only was Laura caught between the ancient and modern worlds, but her feelings of progression and independance conflicted with her feelings of love and friendship. The realization that Laura finally makes is in fact the realization that ties us to the past and to the future. It creates an appreciation for those who came before us and those who will follow.

Product Description

They were called slow birds because they flew through the air - at a pace of three feet per minute. Slow birds always kept the same height above the ground and they would bank to avoid substantial buildings, but frailer obstructions they would push on through. No one could keep track of a single slow bird. After each one appeared it would fly onward slowly for any length of time between an hour and a day. And vanish again. To reappear somewhere else unpredictably. But how? And why?

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