Why is America in financial crisis today? This book, better than any to date, explains it all-how we got here and where we are going. The how we got here is brilliantly described in a collection of pieces from Grant's Interest Rate Observer, the Wall Street insider's Bible. The where we are going is treated in Jim Grant's up-to-the-minute introduction. No fan of Greenspan or Bernanke, Grant tells the unvarnished truth about America.
REVIEW
In a Rising Market, It's More Profitable not to Ask "The Cassandra industry is not so remunerative as the hedge fund business, so the professional investors and bankers stay in the race, taking the kind of risks that their better judgment tells them to avoid." states James Grant in his 'Mr. Market Miscalculates, The Bubble Years and Beyond,' a work comprised of pieces from his 'Grant's Interest Rate Observor.'
Grant has been charting the course of market excesses on a fortnightly basis for 25 years, and he has a remarkable record of getting it right. Most pointedly, Grant illuminates the human foibles to which we all fall prey and how these foibles precipitate the daily gyrations of stock and bond price levels. Grant's wealth of understanding is outstanding enough to recommend the book, but his ability to generously lace his writing with his sense of humor makes his writing simply priceless.
About the dismal financial crisis, Grant wryly remarks that there is more than enough blame to go around. Grant faults human nature in general for markets gone wild, yet he is particularly impressed by the level of incompetence exhibited by recent leaders who, according to Grant, "failed almost to the man."
The no-holds-barred book journeys through the missteps of the economic leaders of our times, and it does so with a breath-taking straightforwardness. Given the state of the world's economic affairs, I hope 'Mr. Market' becomes required reading for the legislators, the judiciary, and the executives charged with fixing the world's financial systems.
Amazon.com ReviewOh, the wonderful things Mr. Brown can do! In this "Book of Wonderful Noises," Mr. Brown struts his stuff, as he imitates everything from popping corks to horse feet ("pop pop pop pop" and "klopp klopp klopp," respectively) while inviting everyone to join him in the fun. Young readers who are still learning their sounds and letters will get a wacky workout as they follow along with the very serious-looking, squinty-eyed Mr. Brown. Whether it's eggs frying in a pan or a hippo chewing gum, the skillful Mr. Brown just keeps topping himself, with a "sizzle sizzle" or a "grum grum grum." "Mr. Brown is so smart he can even do this: he can even make a noise like a goldfish kiss!... pip!" As usual, the words and pictures of Dr. Seuss make reading (and making all sorts of funny noises) impossible to resist. Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? will stay fresh through many a giggling reading. --Paul Hughes
REVIEW
So Can You! Mr. Brown Can Moo!
Can You?
Dr. Seuss
This is a book of sounds. It helps beginning readers learn to sound out words. When I was working on words with my oldest daughter, I soon found the my second daughter was also reading the words.
Before you know it the children have learned all the sounds along with Mr. Brown.
I highly recommend this book for young readers.
Jill Ammon Vanderwood, author
Through the Rug
Through The Rug: Follow That Dog (Through the Rug)
Amazon.com ReviewMore than 60 years have not dated this wonderfully absurd tale--it still makes kids (and parents) laugh out loud. Poor Mr. Popper isn't exactly unhappy; he just wishes he had seen something of the world before meeting Mrs. Popper and settling down. Most of all, he wishes he had seen the Poles, and spends his spare time between house-painting jobs reading all about polar explorations. Admiral Drake, in response to Mr. Popper's fan letter, sends him a penguin; life at 432 Proudfoot Avenue is never the same again. From one penguin living in the icebox, the Popper family grows to include 12 penguins, all of whom must befed. Thus is born "Popper's Performing Penguins, First Time on Any Stage, Direct from the South Pole." Their adventures while on tour are hilarious, with numerous slapstick moments as the penguins disrupt other acts and invade hotels. Classic chapter-a-night fun. (Ages 5 to 10) --Richard Farr
REVIEW
A Classic. I have read this book five times now with 3rd graders. For some reason, I always dread rereading it. But then, during the story, I get back into it. Some stories are like that I guess. Some are Re-readers and some are not.
A few things I somehow forget between readings I would like to write here and hopefully remember for next time:
1. Mr and Mrs. Popper live in Stillwater! They also visit Minneapolis. A study of major cities and states would not be entirely out of place paired with this book. The penguins visit Boston, Chicago, Milwaukee and New York. I asked the students what states these cities were in as we read, and I did not get a lot of correct guesses.
2. The book is filled with fabulous alliteration! Making note of this early on gets the kids looking for it as we read and cements the concept for them. Popper's Performing Penguins
3. This time through, I paused when the penguins made noises: "gook!" and "ork!" were some of the more common ones. On cue, the students would make the sounds. It really kept them on track following along, and they seemed to really enjoy attempting the sounds in various intonations. (How does a penguin ask a question said as "ork?" versus making an exclamation of "ork!")
4. A few years ago, I attempted to read the entire book as though it were "Mr. W's Penguins." Each time it read the word Popper, I substituted my last name. Well, I ended up forgetting fairly regularly, and the kids were more concerned with reminding me than with comprehending the story. I guess they were paying attention at least.
A great book for book club; not a lot of deep, high level themes to pore over. A good 3rd grade starter book, perhaps.
Amazon.com ReviewMr. Willowby, the unwitting hero of this Christmas classic, looks quite a bit like the little mustachioed mascot from Monopoly. But as befits a Yuletide tale, this diminutive millionaire turns out to be a good bit more generous.
The Christmas tree in question shows up at Mr. Willowby's home by special order, aboard a big pink truck: "Full and fresh and glistening green--The biggest tree he had ever seen." But it's just a little too big, so he asks his butler, Baxter, to trim off the top few feet that brush up against the parlor ceiling. Baxter realizes that this snipped-off top would make a perfect little tree for "Miss Adelaide, Mr. Willowby's upstairs maid." But she, too, must clip off the top of her tree... which then ends up with Timm, the gardener. Timm's trimming goes on to Barnaby Bear, the tippy-top of Barnaby's tree ends up with Frisky Fox and family, and then Benjamin Rabbit finds the top few inches that Mrs. Fox snipped off. And so it goes, until soon the whole countryside learns that it's simply "grand to have a tree--Exactly like Mr. Willowby."
There's many a lesson to be taken from this tale, about recycling and supply-side economics just for starters. But the cheerful illustrations of Robert Barry ensure that you'll have fun just watching as the ever-tinier tree gets passed on to ever-tinier families. (Ages 5 to 8) --Paul Hughes
REVIEW
My all-time favorite Christmas story! This is a marvelous story that tells of one Christmas tree that is far too much for just one person. The tree is trimmed, and shared, and trimmed, and shared, and trimmed, and shared until far more people than Mr. Willoby alone, along with many animal families, have a bit of the tree to add beauty to their Christmas festivities! The rhyming text makes it a fun story to read aloud to children!
Everyone’s favorite Mr. Men books are now available in a gift set! The set holds six of the most popular titles, and each of the classic books comes with an envelope to give away as gifts. The Mr. Men set includes Mr. Brave, Mr. Funny, Mr. Happy, i>Mr. Messy, Mr. Noisy, and Mr. Tickle.
REVIEW
Loved them! My five year old son discovered Mr. Men on Cartoon Network and after he had enjoyed the shows, about a month or so, we stumbled across a pair of socks with Little Miss Sunshine on them. Well, that began my hunt for anything Mr. Men. I had no idea that they were originally books. So when I discovered the books on Amazon, I had to buyevery one. But being that there are so many, I chose this gift set for my little guy. And I was so pleased with them. How sweet and entertaining they are!
There are six books in this great gift set-
Mr. Happy- who teaches Mr. Miserable to be happy.
Mr. Tickle- who has a glorious day tickling people with his long, stretchy arms.
Mr Messy- who comes upon Mr. Neat and Mr. Tidy who teach him how to be neat.
Mr. Brave- who proves how brave he is by not missing 'tea' with Miss bossy.
Mr. Funny- who makes all the sad animals of the zoo laugh.
Mr. Noisy- (my son's all time favorite) is noisy and learns to be quiet.
Great reading. Every book has a simple lesson and is told in a witty way that keeps my son laughing. I enjoy the books more than the cartoon series (although the cartoons are extremely enjoyable) and intend to buy many more. I'm so glad I discovered them!
The dramatic story of the real-life murder that inspired the birth of modern detective fiction. In June of 1860 three-year-old Saville Kent was found at the bottom of an outdoor privy with his throat slit. The crime horrified all England and led toa national obsession with detection, ironically destroying, in the process, the career of perhaps the greatest detective in the land.At the time, the detective was a relatively new invention; there were only eight detectives in all of England and rarely were they called out of London, but this crime was so shocking, as Kate Summerscale relates in her scintillating new book, that Scotland Yard sent its best man to investigate, Inspector Jonathan Whicher. Whicher quickly believed the unbelievable—that someone within the family was responsible for the murder of young Saville Kent. Without sufficient evidence or a confession, though, his case was circumstantial and he returned to London a broken man. Though he would be vindicated five years later, the real legacy of Jonathan Whicher lives on in fiction: the tough, quirky, knowing, and all-seeing detective that we know and love today…from the cryptic Sgt. Cuff in Wilkie Collins’s The Moonstone to Dashiell Hammett’s Sam Spade. The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher is a provocative work of nonfiction that reads like a Victorian thriller, and in it Kate Summerscale has fashioned a brilliant, multilayered narrative that is as cleverly constructed as it is beautifully written.
REVIEW
An Elegant Overview Using a sensational murder case as a magnifying glass, the author elegantly explores links between literature and society. The subtitle ought however, to be the making of the great detective genre. The case was certainly unthinkable: one summer night i 1860 a small boy is lifted from his bed, his throat slit, and his body dumped in the servants' privy. All the evidence suggests the murderer is a member of the household. The Kent family was what we would call blended, children of two marriages living w/ the father and his second wife. But this blend was clearly lethal. The Kent murder was the O. J. Simpson murder of its day, and the case reverberated throughout Victorian society. The author tells a compelling tale, using the mystery-genre's techniques of judicially parcelling out information. As w/ many mysteries, the middle of the book sags, but her conjectures at the end, supporting Detective Whicher's initial conclusions, are undeniably convincing. This is a broad and imaginative book, well told. If nothing else, the photograph of the old lady who lived to be 100 will keep you going through the pages.
Amazon.com ReviewA series of anecdotes shouldn't by rights add up to an autobiography, but that's just one of the many pieces of received wisdom that Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman (1918-88) cheerfully ignores in his engagingly eccentric book, a bestseller ever since its initial publication in 1985. Fiercely independent (read the chapter entitled "Judging Books by Their Covers"), intolerant of stupidity even when it comes packaged as high intellectualism (check out "Is Electricity Fire?"), unafraid to offend (see "You Just Ask Them?"), Feynman informs by entertaining. It's possible to enjoy Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman simply as a bunch of hilarious yarns with the smart-alecky author as know-it-all hero. At some point, however, attentive readers realize that underneath all the merriment simmers a running commentary on what constitutes authentic knowledge: learning by understanding, not by rote; refusal to give up on seemingly insoluble problems; and total disrespect for fancy ideas that have no grounding in the real world. Feynman himself had all these qualities in spades, and they come through with vigor and verve in his no-bull prose. No wonder his students--and readers around the world--adored him. --Wendy Smith
REVIEW
Feynman never got out of his box, because he never had one! Part physicist, part prankster, part musician, part teacher, part genius, part story teller, part little boy and all human being, this is the true story of Richard Feynman. He was a man with an insatiable curiosity, and had a zest to explore the world of physics, human nature and himself.
The stories in the book are funny, entertaining and enlightening. Feynman never got out of his box, because he never had one. From the gifted young boy who fixed radios by thinking to the top notch physicist who could explain concepts to laymen like no one else, Feynman was one of a kind.
Well worth the read!
The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking
Amazon.com ReviewIn the tradition of The Adventures of Peter Rabbit, this is a "garden tale" of farmer versus vermin, or vice versa. The farmers in this case are a vaguely criminal team of three stooges: "Boggis and Bunce and Bean / One fat, one short, one lean. / These horrible crooks / So different in looks / Were nonetheless equally mean." Whatever their prowess as poultry farmers, within these pages their sole objective is the extermination of our hero--the noble, theclever, the Fantastic Mr. Fox. Our loyalties are defined from the start; after all, how could you cheer for a man named Bunce who eats his doughnuts stuffed with mashed goose livers? As one might expect, the farmers in this story come out smelling like ... well, what farmers occasionally do smell like.
This early Roald Dahl adventure is great for reading aloud to three- to seven-year-olds, who will be delighted to hear that Mr. Fox keeps his family one step ahead of the obsessed farmers. When they try to dig him out, he digs faster; when they lay siege to his den, he tunnels to where the farmers least expect him--their own larders! In the end, Mr. Fox not only survives, but also helps the whole community of burrowing creatures live happily ever after. With his usual flourish, Dahl evokes a magical animal world that, as children, we always knew existed, had we only known where or how to look for it. (Great read aloud for any age; written at a 9- to 12-year-old reading level)
REVIEW
little too violent when the young foxes fearfully ask their daddy, the fantastic mr fox, how will we die? will there be dogs? I decided it was not for my 3 year olds. he's clever allright but this is probably a tale best told ( edited by you) and not read.
One day Mr. Christmas receives a call from his uncle, Santa Claus, asking for help. Can Mr. Christmas help Santa deliver presents to all of the Mr. Men?
REVIEW
Excellent book This book is really good and brings the christmas to our home. It is highly recommended to have.
Patricia Polacco is now one of America's most loved children's book writers and illustrators, but once upon a time, she was a little girl named Trisha starting school. Trisha could paintand draw beautifully, but when she looked at words on a page, all she could see was jumble. It took a very special teacher to recognize little Trisha's dyslexia: Mr. Falker, who encouraged her to overcome her reading disability. Patricia Polacco will never forget him, and neither will we.
Now this inspiring story is available in a deluxe slipcased edition with a personal letter to readers by Patricia Polacco. Thank You, Mr Falker will make a great end-of-year gift for the special child who needs encouragement-or any special teacher who has made a difference in the child's life.
REVIEW
Thank you Patricia Polacco I am 65 and I am dyslexic. My son who now is 38 is dyselic,my one grand daughter is 6 and also dyslexia.I am an artist,son a successful college grad and manager in a major corp.with a lot of help and struggle on part we make it.this bookis exactley what we must go through. I will send a copy to the school my grand daughter goes to in hopes the k-5 teachers read it. Teachers are so very important to all our lives.This book brings that across so very well.
