Customer Reviews (24)

I love Oxcart Man!
This is a wonderful book about earlier and simpler days when a family wasted nothing and supported themselves off the land.Each member of the family contributes and their activities change as the seasons do.It's wonderful!

Ox-Cart Man
This is one of my family's all-time favorite children's books, with lovely, quiet pictures and a calm tone in the text.We love the feeling of the "circle of seasons" that it gives, as well as a glimpse back into a simpler era.The story also portrays the ethic of working hard and being rewarded for it.I read it to all five of our children as they were growing up.This Christmas I bought it for our 23 year-old daughter, who had asked for it.She doesn't have children yet; she just loves the book and wanted it for her own library. I was pleased to see Donald Hall's poem, "Ox-Cart Man"-- almost identical to the words in the children's book-- in Garrison Keillor's book called Good Poems, an anthology of poems he selected and arranged.

Entertaining in a peaceful way
Gave this account of a year in the life of a farm family to my 2-1/2 year old grandson.Worked, because the first time he asked his father to "read it again."Appealed to me, since it shows a natural cycle of growing/making things, selling them, and starting over.We may not operate quite this way, but it may still provide understanding of the world to a youngster.Appealing pictures, peaceful telling - perhaps the most "exciting" event is the farmer kissing his ox good-bye at market.Maybe a good bedtime story.

Cycle of Nature
This picture book superbly illustrated by Barbara Cooney is 37 pages, of which 22 are illustrations with or without text. The text is provided by Donald Hall and teaches the law of the harvest by showing how a New Englander filled a cart with surplus harvest and handmade items to sell at Portsmouth market, which was a ten-day journey.The reader learns that in March the maples were tapped for their syrup and that in April the sheep were sheared.Their fields and gardens yielded potatoes, turnips, and cabbages, while their orchard gave apples.All these things were put into the ox-cart and taken to market. At market, everything was sold including the cart and the ox.

Then the New Englander went shopping for manufactured goods, some imported from England, as well as for sweets.Carrying everything in a newly-purchased kettle tied to a pole slung over his shoulder, he trekked back to his farm.The family received their practical gifts and went right to work with their new tools by sewing, whittling, cooking, stitching, carving, sawing, splitting, weaving, embroidering, tapping, shearing, and knitting all of winter.When Spring arrived, they planted their fields.By caring for their tools and fields with diligence, the result will no doubt be another bountiful harvest.

delivery went fast - book is so interesting!
enjoy to read this naive book over and over again - want all my friends to read it to their children.
always happy with my orders at Amazon except I don't like their complicate packing since I have bad arthritis in my fingers it takes forever to open each time I purchase a book!

sylvaine farr ... Read more

Book Description
A must-have for anyone with a passion for shopping carts and a love of the great outdoors.

In The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America author Julian Montague has created an elaborate classification system of abandoned shopping carts, accompanied by photographic documentation of actual stray cart sightings. These sightings include bucolically littered locations such as the Niagara River Gorge (where many a cart has been pushed to its untimely death) and mundane settings that look suspiciously like a suburb near you.

Working in the naturalist's tradition, the photographs depict the diversity of the phenomenon and carry a surprising emotional charge; readers inevitably begin to see these carts as human, at times poignant in their abandoned, decrepit state, hilariously incapacitated, or ingeniously co-opted. The result is at once rigorous and absurd, enabling the layperson to identify and classify their own cart spottings based on the situation in which they were found. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

More Study Needed
As a certified straycartologist I applaud the effort to publicize this issue. I only hope we can convince those crumb bums in Washington that expanding our coverage to the rest of North America can only be achieved with copious federal spending.

Like the question burning in the loins of Lewis and Clark before us, what will the West reveal? My crotch is afire with this question: what will the West reveal about...ourselves? [For full effect, deliver that last word in a fervent whisper]

Buy this book, and leave it sitting on your coffee table...
When I first heard mention of this book (in The Believer magazine), I laughed out loud at the concept...

I laughed out loud when it showed up on my doorstep, too.The effort and thought put into the development of this silly book is tremendous.The result is an excellent play on the concept of field identification guides.

Whenever people see this book on my coffee table, it becomes a conversation piece.Funny, funny stuff.

One of the top four shopping cart reference guides
This book is easily one of the top four reference guides for shopping carts available on the market today.It does an excellent job of covering the following topics:

*Shopping carts

Overall, I heartily endorse this product.

Very amusing read- but possibly too complicated for comedy.
Received the book last week- funny read and the pictures are amusing for a while...then the "field guide" aspect of the book may be a bit too complicated for a "fun read". It's quite a complicated work-up that the author had contrived, and while impressive- I was using too much brain power while reading something that should be entertaining.I don't think I have enough room left in my brain to store field guide info on shopping carts- even just to make it til the end of this book!But maybe YOU do!:)

Wonderfully arcane
There's no bio for the author, but I hope it helped him get tenure!Designed like a birding guide, it is funny beyond belief.Library of Congress classifies it as an "artistic photography" book, but it has a very droll social anthropology feel about it. ... Read more

Product Description
This comprehensive and easy-to-use manual covers everything a beginner-level store owner needs to know about installing and running their own online business using the powerful, easy and FREE Zen Cart software program, including:* Pre-Setup Checklist* Domain name registration, finding a good web host * Downloading your FREE copy of Zen Cart* Easy installation by users with BASIC COMPUTER SKILLS* * Initial set-up of your store* Using free or cheap tools to make your job easier: FTP, HTML Editors, WinZip, Browsers* Using your web host's admin panel, cPanel, or phpMyAdmin* Filling your stores catalog* Editing pages with the built-in "WYSIWYG" editor * Using the built-in templates for a fully-customized look and feel * Easy linking to credit cards and shipping * Setting up and managing promotions, coupons, & gift certificates* Sending colorful rich text or html newsletters and emails* Using the built-in Search Engine Optimization tools* Ongoing store management, records management, and maintenance* Customizing your store, and* Much, much more. *Recommended User Requirements: Web Browser Experience. No other experience required. CO-WRITTEN BY THE AUTHOR OF THE OSCOMMERCE MANUALS SERIES AND A LEADING ZEN CART CONSULTANT. See also: osCommerce Users Manual, osCommerce Technical Manual, and CRE Loaded Version of osCommerce Users Manual. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

definitely for beginners, and not just to Zen Cart
Like the subject line says. The readers the authors have in mind must be very (very!) beginner-level computer users. Here's two examples of this hand-holding from one page:

"Zen Cart's drop-down menu works in 2 ways: 'hover' your mouse pointer over an Admin Category to see a drop-down menu or click on a menu item..."

"... we will use the following convention '->' to indicate the steps... Thus, if you read (Click on Configuration -> My Store' - this means: First - click on the 'Configuration' link and then Click on the 'My Store' link."

If either of those points was new to you, then this is the book for you. (But, should relative newbies be venturing into Zen Cart?)

Also, I opted for the download version. I wish I hadn't! Two problems. Thedigital book runs as a (clunky!) executable, which prompts the user for a security code. Fair enough. But, when I tried to read it at work, the office firewall (I guess) would not allow the executable to access the internet -- and, not being my office's SysAdmin, I couldn't alter the permissions. So, I can only read this book at home. Fair enough, again. Cause there's a print-out option. But, that's the second problem. When printing some of the book's tables, right-most columns get cut off. I tried different settings on my printer, but, no go.

Anyway, the other reason I'm writing this, is to direct people who are not so new to PC's as to not know what "PC" stands for that there's a better set of online guides. Have a look at the Zen Cart section of "www. madmumbler.com". I wish I'd known about them before I plonked down my hard-earned yen!

Again, this book is not bad -- except for the printing problem with the digital version, which is bad. It's just too simple.

Definitely helpful
I am finding this book very helpful. I am not exactly a new user. I messed around with a number of oscommerce like cart systems before I settled on Zencart to actually use. I think you need a book to help describe all the ins and outs and this book helps with that. I choose between this book and the other one promoted on the Zen website more less randomly. I skipped most of the begining part about installing the program and use it to look up different features. I think it does as good a job as possible leading someone through the installation process. I'll say however, that setting up a Zen cart is not something a rank beginner should try if you need a store running quickly. This book does not cover add-on modules or the template system but either does the other one. Almost everyone will need to mess with addons and the template to some degree so you are pretty much forced to seek help through the forums. I have a store running now and this book helped. There have been some very frustrating moments and the process is quite time consuming.

Don't waste your time!
This book is an over priced, overly simplified guide to Zen Cart.There is nothing here that any reasonably knowledgeable person wouldn't already know or could learn in the help file.No insight at all.The graphics and layout are decidedly low tech making its relatively high price a poor value.

Not worth the money
I was opening an ecommerce store and debating between zen and oscommerce so I sent for two books this and another. When this book came I was highly disappointed.The printing was large to expand the book.The content was poor and over-priced.Baby Einstein Day On The Farm Gift Basket

good for the ecommerce beginner
First, if you're a beginner to ecommerce and you have no idea what you're doing, I recommend this book wholeheartedly.That's what it's for.Well, four stars-- see below.

If you know what you're doing, or you want to do anything semi-technical like migrating from another store like oscommerce, using EasyPopulate, importing from databases et cetera, I still give this book three stars.

I felt like it was missing a short appendix on data imports.They aren't all that hard, but they are semi-technical and it seemed like the author wanted to shy away from that to avoid scaring people.So put it at the end of the book where the newbies don't have to look at it.

Finally, as someone else here said, the layout is extremely ugly.

All in all, good book, and if you're going to be working with ZenCart you should probably have it.If you're new to ecommerce or not skilled with web tech stuff, you should definitely have it.But it's lacking in a couple of respects.Perhaps, guys, this could be corrected in a new edition? ... Read more

Book Description
Shopping Cart Soldiers is a modern day Odyssean tale of the atrocities of war and its even more appalling aftermath. Set against the brutal realities of the conflict in Vietnam, John Mulligan tells the story of Finn MacDonald, an eighteen-year-old boy who is drafted soon after he emigrates with his family from Scotland. Upon returning from Vietnam, Finn is plagued by the terrible memories of all he has seen and is pushed into a haze of self-destructive behavior that tests his will to survive. Shopping Cart Soldiers chronicles Finn's painful and remarkable journey -- and his triumphant path to spiritual renewal and recovery.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

REVIEW QUOTES
"...a poetic, mystical and, ultimately, healing autobiographical novel..." --The San Francisco Chronicle

"An important book, inspired by war but dedicated to each veteran's personal search for spiritual peace." --The Los Angeles Times

"The novel does exactly what it should-which is make the hair stand up on the back of your neck in horror one minute and fill you with hope the next." --The Hartford Advocate

"One of the three novels that best embody the war." --The Washington Post ... Read more

Book Description

Creating a usable e-commerce application is a daunting challenge. There is so much to do, from the initial concept, through to designing and coding the application. This leaves a lot of scope for things to go wrong.

Customer Reviews (3)

a full treatment of an e-commerce application
The authors set forth an ambitious goal. In one book, they try to show you how to design and code a full e-commerce application. From laying out the user interface and connecting its interactions with a server running a relational database. For the latter, they spend some time with an extended example that involves constructing a set of interrelated tables, with primary and foreign keys.

Those of you already familiar with RDB and the various normal forms will be very comfortable here. For the actual database, they illustrate with Microsoft SQL and the free MySQL. The code to connect is given in fair detail. Quite aside from anything else, the differences and similarities between these databases can be very useful. You can see the pros and cons of going with either. Heck, if you are searching for a book that compares these 2 common and important databases, this book is a good choice.

The book is a little curious in one way. The authors are clearly skilled, but they don't seem to use the formal Model-View-Controller (MVC) approach. Though you might see that the various pieces and interconnections they give can amount to this. Nor do they explicitly use the idea of an n-tier architecture. Perhaps they chose to omit these ideas to simplify the narrative. Since if you successfully use their ideas to build your application, the MVC and n-tier ideas can then have far more substance to you, when you later encounter them.

A full treatment of an e-commerce application
The authors set forth an ambitious goal. In one book, they try to show you how to design and code a full e-commerce application. From laying out the user interface and connecting its interactions with a server running a relational database. For the latter, they spend some time with an extended example that involves constructing a set of interrelated tables, with primary and foreign keys. Those of you already familiar with RDB and the various normal forms will be very comfortable here.

For the actual database, they illustrate with Microsoft SQL and the free MySQL. The code to connect is given in fair detail. Quite aside from anything else, the differences and similarities between these databases can be very useful. You can see the pros and cons of going with either. Heck, if you are searching for a book that compares these 2 common and important databases, this book is a good choice.

The book is a little curious in one way. The authors are clearly skilled, but they don't seem to use the formal Model-View-Controller (MVC) approach. Though you might see that the various pieces and interconnections they give can amount to this. Nor do they explicitly use the idea of an n-tier architecture. Perhaps they chose to omit these ideas to simplify the narrative. Since if you successfully use their ideas to build your application, the MVC and n-tier ideas can then have far more substance to you, when you later encounter them.

Practical oriented and well-focused
Once again glasshaus delivered a practical oriented and well-focused book. The authors don't waste time, straight to the meat; the book is actually full of well-explained code listings. The sample applications use ASP/SQL server and PHP/MySQL, but a lot of material is still relevant for other technologies, especially the coverage of database design, but also usability, interfaces and workflow
BTW The book is actually 300+ pages long ... Read more

Product Description
For centuries, Dalemark has been a land divided by the feuding earldoms of the North and South. Now, with the help of the Undying, the mysterious gods of Dalemark, four extraordinary young peoplefrom the past, present and futurewill help shape the destiny of their land. Includes Cart and Cwidder, Drowned Ammet, The Spellcoats and The Crown of Dalemark. Maps. Jacket art by Yvonne Gilbert. (785 pp.) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

To the Dalemark
Diana Wynne-Jones is best known for her wizards and humorous magic, but in the Dalemark Quartet she takes a trip into more serious fantasy, complete with warring earldoms and strange gods. "The Dalemark Quartet" compiles together the four books of this intriguing, original series.

In "Cart and Cwidder," Moril is the dreamy son of a family of wandering minstrels, performing and offering news to various towns. But a mysterious traveller joins them on their journey -- and soon Moril's father is murdered, his brother is jailed, and his sister is enmeshed in a conspiracy involving the Duke's son. Now Moril must find a way to save his family, using a magical cwidder.

"In "Drowned Ammet," the impoverished Alhammitt (called "Mitt") has become a radical of sorts, after his father and mother are tossed out because of an evil duke. Later, the Free Holanders also take his father. Mitt is determined to get revenge, but his years of planning go awry, and he ends up desperately fleeing to the North with two captives... only to encounter storms, gods, and much more.

"The Spellcoats" is the tale of Tanaqui, centuries before the first two volumes of the quartet. She lives with her family in prehistoric Dalemark, where a battle is being fought between the "Heathens" and their own folk. When her brother returns, insane, she and her family must flee their village. But Tanaqui learns of the existance of Kankredin, a malevolent wizard who is waiting for them.

In the final volume, "Crown of Dalemark," a forthright young boy named Mitt is called on to be an assassin. A countess wants him to destroy a young lady, Noreth, who may become the uniting monarch of Dalemark. But Mitt begins to like Noreth, and so joins her supporters. What he doesn't know is that she is actually Maewen, a confused young girl from 200 years in the future...

Jones is best known for a sort of wry, amusing, homey fantasy with a distinctly British flavor -- not to mention that they often have dapper wizards and strange multiverses. That sort of stuff is mostly missing in "The Dalemark Quartet." Instead, we get a darker, much more epic story -- there are godlike figures, earldoms, peasants, nobles, and plenty more.

Jones' writing is quite detailed in this book, since she not only describes the clothing, woods and people, but also the alternative world of Dalemark. Both stories are connected, but independent, and Jones carefully crafts the politics and conflicts that run under all the magic and the godlike Undying. She even travels back in time. Certainly not many authors can make an invented world that is simple, yet realistic.

Her heroes are also very realistic -- Moril is the kid who makes origami cranes instead of doing his math test. Mitt is entirely different, focused on revenge and getting more desperate every day, but learning about himself after he ends up adrift. Tanaqui is not quite as likable, since she is engulfed in a "mythic" story, but Maewen is a mysterious character, and also a likable one.

The four fantasies of the Dalemark Quartet leave some threads dangling at the end, but this is one of the most striking and original series that Jones has ever written. ... Read more

Book Description

Product Description
This book will show you how to use the free and open source Zen Cart shopping cart software to set up and run your own online store.Written in a step-by-step manner and accompanied with numerous screen shots, you will learn to use the latest version (1.3.7) of Zen Cart to: * set up an online store on your local machine for testing and familiarizing yourself with the software. * use an assortment of marketing tools and techniques to attract and retain customers. * set up online and offline payment options to make purchases easier for customers. * set up multiple shipping options to meet the delivery demands of customers. * install additional language packs and define multiple currencies to cater to customers from different parts of the world. * ... and many, many more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Ok for beginners, but could have been better
If you are completely new to Zen Cart, like having a printed manual to help guide you, and have some extra money, this book is a nice way to get started. But if you already know your way around Zen Cart, don't even bother.

The author provides a guided tour of Zen Cart's admin panel. This book is huge and does a great job explaining how each feature on the admin menu works, like adding and organizing the product catalog and managing the customer database. It also explains how to connect Zen Cart to the various payment systems, like PayPal and Authorize.net.

However, the book does not provide sufficient information on how to edit the design templates and leaves it up to reader to poke around the numerous configuration files to figure out how to change Zen Cart's default design. There are no "getting-started" tutorials. Fortunately, if you want to learn how to change the look and feel of your Zen Cart project, there is a very helpful Zen Cart developer community and the Zen Cart website does have information on editing templates.

Still, it would be have nice if there was just a few pages explaining Zen Cart's templates. Hopefully, there will be other Zen Cart books in the future that will cover design more than this guide, which is nothing more than a thick printed help file. ... Read more

Book Description
Society does not make it easy for young people, regardless of their sexual orientation, to find accurate, nonjudgmental information about homosexuality. It makes it even more difficult for young homosexuals to find positive role models in fiction either written or published expressly for them or - if published for adults - relevant to them and their lives. This book examines these issues and critically evaluates the body of literature published for young adults that offers homosexual themes and characters. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Comprehensive overview of GLBTQ YA literature with thoughtful discussion
I purchased this book to use for my MA thesis on lesbian YA literature, and I can't say enough about how helpful a resource it is.The annotated bibliography alone is worth the price of the book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Review of English Translation
This book has been translated into English, but I don't think that he translates as best as he could.He translates into modern/slang English, and not the English that would French would directly translate to.If youwould like to get a general gist of Chrétien de Troyes' book, then thistranslation would be the best to read.Unfortunately, the lines of thisbook are only in English; there is no Old French to compare his English to. That does make it harder to read if you're into die-hard FrenchTranslation.For the average reader, this book would be a good buy. ... Read more

Amazon.com
In homage to the new millennium, young adult literature critic and author Michael Cart (My Father's Scar) invites nine well-known writers to join him in crafting a story about the future. "Since we are what we were," he notes, "retrospection might also be in order." Historical fiction writer James Cross Giblin takes him at his word with "Night of the Plague," a story harking back to the terrors the coming of the first millennium wrought, and Jon Scieszka plays it for laughs at a Neanderthal-bashing New Year's Eve party in 33001 B.C. Katherine Paterson writes a story about the last dog, Jacqueline Woodson explores single motherhood, and Ron Koertge employs his amusing style in a tale of socially awkward young men that affirms that, in spite of robots, "there are two things that are never gonna change. There's always gonna be a spring dance, and guys are always gonna play ball." Tor Seidler echoes the sentiment, but this time it's football, rather than baseball. Lois Lowry soars with her poignant portrayal of an old man's rage at betrayal and change. Surprisingly, only two of the authors shape their stories as science fiction: Gloria Skurzynski, with a Martian Cain and Abel adventure, and Rodman Philbrick, with a brief but terrifying glimpse of a future without compassion reminiscent of A Clockwork Orange. Teens will find something for every taste in this wide-ranging sampler. (Ages 10 to 14) --Patty Campbell Book Description
From humor to drama to fiction on the edge, ten award-winning authors invite readers to view the future through stories with themes as diverse as love, hate, the environment, disease, and the fate of the human race. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Wonderful book
This is quite possibly one of the best compilations of short stories I've ever read... each one good in its own way. This is a great book for someone of the middle school to highschool range, there's a lot of stories to relate to. Its very magical in the way it captures you... even more so than most adult novels I've read. This book really makes you think!!!

Tomorrow land
The Last Dog is a great, funny story by Katherine Paterson.The story takes place in the future.A man named Brock lives in a dome with other humans. They think the water and the air are poisoned from pollution.One day Brock went outside of the dome.Brock sees a dog in the wild and names him Brog.He takes Brog to the dome.When he is there, the other scientist wanted to experiment on Brog.Brock tries to save the dog.

More like Nowland, but still good
It's a nice compilation of stories that takes now and brings it into a look-ahead perspective. It's got a lot of variety, so you won't get bored that easily. Ranging from sibling rivalries to dating hassles, all the short stories have some common trait we all can relate to like fear, loyality, faith, love, envy, anger, hatred and so on. The best story in my opinion (which actually boosts this rating) is the one written by the compiler himself. Cart's pre-millenium tale about a boy in love with a priest's daughter is pretty good and the climax of the boy's choice over right and wrong, between love and faith is released very well. All in all, the book's not a bad read...worth a look but not a buy.

-
Tomorrowland is a collection of about the future, each one unique becauseof the different views of the authors.By having different authors, thereader gets a broader picture with more variety of what the future holds.

An ecclectic group of stories for the new millenium
The title of Tomorrow Land is a bit misleading: Not all ofthese stories are about the future. Instead, editor Michael Cart didwhat good editors do: He gave a group of talented writers an starting point and let them go wherever their imagination led them. What on the surface looks like some kind of SF collection is instead a quirky collection of stories taking place in the past, present, and future. Overall, the book is a wonderful read that leaves its readers with plenty to think about. ... Read more

Book Description

For centuries, Dalemark has been a land divided by the warring earldoms of the North and South. Now, with the help of the Undying, the mysterious gods of Dalemark, four extraordinary young people -- from the past, present, and future -- nust join forces to reunify their beloved land.

When Moril inherits his father's prized instrument -- a Cwidder said to have belonged to one of the Undying -- he must learn to harness its strange power in time to prevent a destructive civil war.

Customer Reviews (13)

"I Move in More than One World..."
Diana Wynne Jones is best known for her quirky books that combine magic with realistic, everyday people dealing with the problems that magic creates. Though some take place in parallel worlds, the general atmosphere of these books are contemporary and firmly grounded in reality. However, "Cart and Cwidder" is the first book in the Dalemark quartet that follows the more generic pattern of fantasy (war in a created world) - making it unique in Wynne Jones's canon of books, but a typical inclusion to the range of fantasy novels.

Due to the conflict between north and south countries in the land of Dalemark, very few travellers move between them, with the exception of licensed musicians in their horse-drawn carts, entertaining the crowds wherever they stop. Dagner, Moril and Brid are the children of the singer Clennen and Lenina who are perfectly content to travel the lands, singing and passing on news across the lands. But then Moril's parents take on a new passenger named Kialan whom immediately rubs Moril up the wrong way. Between constant bickering, the three siblings, their parents and Kialan make their way northwards, but soon tragedy strikes and the four children are thrown into a series of chaotic and dangerous events. Inheriting the largest, oldest cwidder in the cart, Moril soon learns that it contains immense power, and with hostile forces closing in around them and Kialan's hidden identity revealed, Moril must learn to use this power in order to save him and the north.

No book by Diana Wynne Jones could ever be truly bad, but "Cart and Cwidder" is certainly not the top of her game. Though it contains the same thoughtful commentary on human behaviour and clever twists, but it lacks the sparkle and wit of her many other books. The characters are not quite as vivid and interesting as the likes of Chrestomanci and Howl, and the story not quite as intriguing as those found in "The Power of Three" and "Black Maria".

Yet for all of this, "Cart and Cwidder" is a worthwhile read if you have the next three volumes on hand, for the way in which Wynne Jones has created this series is immensely interesting (each one has a different situation and set of characters, yet are intricately connected).

One of the finest Children's Series
The Dalemark Quartet is an absolute classic - what I like most about it is that the first three books seem to be totally unlinked except for being set in the same 'world' of Dalemark. They completely turn the standard sequential trilogy/quartet model on its head. The characters are different from book to book. They don't coexist in time. Each is a compelling and brilliantly written stand-alone novel, but....
When I came to the final novel in the quartet I was awe-struck by Wynne Jones's deft handling of the ideas across the books. The links the parallels and the cunning interconnectedness of all four books slowly and magically unfold before you. I would give anything to write so well, so surely and so winningly. Every child's bookshelves should hold this series

One of DWJ's Best
Like most Diana Wynne Jones books, this is published for children and probably most appreciated by adults. Having read it as both, I see a lot more in it now. The theme of finding your own voice, shown through the main character's struggle to control a powerful magic cwidder (which seems to be something of a cross between a dulcimer and a kettle drum), resonates like a mountain-moving spell through every scene in the book.

Music seems to be a metaphor for writing, or for expression and discovery, as it is in many of Jones's books.

A great book
I loved this book.Between Brid and Moril, I think that Jones, the author, did a great job.The family seams to be happy, but there is more to that.The mother Leneia (sp?)is still in love with Ganner, the earl she was engaged to before she ran off with Clennen.Clennen, the father, is a wonderful singer and preformer, but holds a dark secret that puts the family in a few sticky situations.Then Kilian (sp?) comes along to join the family on there journey up to the north.He is unlike the rest of them, selfish (kind of), stuck up, and mean to Moril.When you think of him, you think BAD GUY!!!The Clennen gets murdered before Morils, Dagners (oldest son), and Brid.Oncwe he is gone Leneia goes to Ganner.At his house they see the man that killed Clennen.Then Brid, Moril, Kilian, and Dagner, head up noth to bring Kilian to Harnett.As they pass through towns, Dagner, trys to be a spy and hand oput information like his father, Clennen did.Not smart.He gets caught and is on the brink of ebing hanged.Brid and Moril now have to get Kilian, the son of the Earl of Harnett, up to the north before the weasal of a person, Tholion, gets he hands on him.

This is by far the best book in the quartet.I loved the characters and how tey interacted with eachother.I wanted more Brid and Kilian in the other books.

READ THIS BOOK

A Nice Fantasy for Children and Young Adults
Cart and Cwidder tells the story of a family of singers: Clennen, the larger-than-life lead singer and father, Lenina, the cool, calm highborn mother, Dagner, the talented but shy eldest son, Brid, the impetuous, talkative daughter and Moril, the dreamy youngest son.The family is happy enough, traveling around the country between North and South boundaries, performing for various towns and villages along the way.But when they take on a traveler, Kialan, to take him to the North, their happy life starts to unravel.Clennen is suddenly murdered in the woods.Lenina marries the nobleman she was engaged to before she ran off with Clennen.Dagner tries to continue his father's spy work and ends up in jail.Brid thinks that she is more clever than she is and leads the evil Tholian to Kialan, who is really the duke's son.It is left to Moril to try and muddle his way through, half awake, half dreaming, and learn how to play the magicial cwidder that his father left him.

I loved the characters.As soon as they were introduced, I felt as if I knew them and how they worked together.The author has a nice story to tell and it unfolds rather well, but is kind of abrupt in parts.The beginning of the book is a little slower paced, but once the ball gets rolling, it gets faster and faster and faster and never slows down again.I thought that it would have been nice to have a little more plot development, a little more time to tell the story.However, I do understand that this is a children's/young adult's book and it is a good length for them to read.The main reason I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the rather detached way that the story is told.Everything is in third person and I sometimes felt that the characters weren't feeling anything.This may be intentional, as Moril is a rather dreamy and detached character and tends to distance himself from circumstances in the real world, but it made the story less than it could have been.It would have been nice to have a more active feel to the story as a whole.Still, I think that most younger readers will enjoy this book.It is also a good introduction to fantasy for teens and children as it takes place in a place that seems normal with touches of magic here and there. ... Read more

Book Description
Welcome back to Deep Valley!

Winona Root is almost eight years old. More than anything in the world, she wants a pony for her birthday. She wishes so hard for a pony that she's sure to get one--at least, that's what she tells her friends Betsy, Tacy, and Tib. It's only when the exciting day grows near that Winona begins to wonder: What if her father meant it when he said she couldn't have a pony?

In addition to her beloved Betsy-Tacy books, Maud Hart Lovelace wrote three more stories set in the fictional town of Deep Valley: Winona's Pony Cart, Carney's House Party and Emily of Deep Valley. Longtime fans and new readers alike will be delighted to find the Deep Valley books available again for the first time in many years.

 

Customer Reviews (5)

For die-hard Lovelace fans only
Not up to the standard of the Betsy and Tacy series, but it does allow one more visit to Deep Valley for those who long to go there.

Another welcome trip to Deep Valley, MN
Thank goodness Harper has brought this Maud Hart Lovelace gem back into print!This book offers a glimpse of Betsy Ray's friend Winona Root at age7, planning her 8th birthday party.Winona is such an outgoing girl thatthe guest list just keeps growing, and there is much merriment involved. Adult readers will be delighted to discover Winona at an early age, and Iam reading this new editon aloud to my three year old niece who keepsbegging for another look at all the Vera Neville illustrations.

A nice look at another B-T character
After many years, I finally tracked down a library copy of "Winona's Pony Cart," and I am glad to have read it.It's a nice look at Winona's home life at the age of 8, when the "main" charactershaven't really encountered Winona yet.What a riot of a character she is! I've always liked hercharacter in the rest of the series, so I was happyto get a peek into her life, meeting her sisters and parents.And shereally is kind of a funny character, all on her own.I hope this bookcomes back into print eventually, I would buy several copies!

This goes for all the "Betsy" books
When Maud Hart Lovelace first wrote the "Betsy-Tacy" series, did she know how much so many people, from children to adults, would love them? The series has at least one book that anyone of any age can relate to.10-year-olds will love "Over the big Hill," high-schoolers willlove the books about when Betsy was attending Deep Valley High, etc. And itdoesn't end there! Even if you're not the age that Betsy was in one of thebooks, you can still love all of them! Maud has a way of capturing realfeelings and experiences--even bad ones--and turning them into works ofart. The "Betsy-Tacy" series really is a work of art, even if itwas painted with a pen, and not a paintbrush.

One more Lovelace book!
Fans of the Betsy-Tacy books will enjoy a look at Winona's homelife.Winona is having a birthday party and the guest list keeps growing!With Vera Neville's illustrations, this book is a joy! ... Read more

Book Description
Public stunts and all-for-fun, utterly nonpoliticized publicity bashes can be a great way to promote a library to a community, get people to see the library in a different light and become interested and involved, and finally reach those who think that libraries are boring or stuffy places. This light-hearted but precise manual provides step-by-step instructions on how to plan, equip and train a successful book cart drill team. It includes tips for recruiting members and making the experience gratifying, finding festive opportunities to perform, costuming, decorating the carts-and especially, clear choreographic drawings for imaginative, attention-getting routines. And by the way: grocery stores, retailers, rental outfits and others could easily adapt the ideas in this book. It doesn't have to be library book carts, it can be grocery carts, baby strollers, and lawn mowers-anything you can push down the street. ... Read more