Must-read Classics for Kids

Reading should always be an integral part of growing up. It should always start in the home and encouraged even until the children are already grown up. It is only in this way that they learn the value of reading which they can carry on until their twilight years and then pass on to their own children and grandchildren.

From the time they are born, children are exposed to nursery rhymes and then to the fairy tales. Once they are a little older and are able to widen their understanding of surrounding, the children's classics should be gradually introduced. These classics are worth reading because they impart lessons relevant to life and insights that will help them comprehend the world they are living in.

There are numerous classic children's books to choose from and we're sharing some of the most well-known stories. These stories never grow old as they can be read over and over again even by adults.

Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travel" is one of the most popular classic of English literature. Originally titled "Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World," the novel narrates the travels of Lemuel Gulliver, a surgeon-turned ship captain. First published in 1726 and amended in 1735, the book became very famous as soon as it was published.

Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is considered by contemporary critics and scholars as one of America's greatest works of art. Originally published in the U.S. in 1885, the book was an instant best-seller when it first came out. Just last month (January 2007), Time Magazine ranked the book in the fifth place in their 10 Greatest Books of All Time list. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn relates the adventures of "Huck" and his relationship with Jim, a runaway slave. The two escaped north on the Mississippi River using only a raft and encountered several adventures along the way that made them closer.

The Swiss Family Robinson written by Swiss pastor Johann David Wyss imparts important family values. First published in 1812, the novel tells of a Swiss family who got shipwrecked in the East Indies while on their way to Port Jackson, Australia. The book has the father narrating the experience of his family of six from the time they got shipwrecked to surviving life in a remote island somewhere near New Guinea. The family consists of the intellectual father, his wife who has excellent culinary skills and four energetic sons. While struggling to survive on the island for more than 10 years until their rescue, the family members showed resourcefulness and resilience and built their own abode.

Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" was first published in 1843 and became an instant hit selling six thousand copies in one week. Dickens originally wrote the book to be able to pay off a debt but surprisingly, it ended up being one of the most famous and enduring Christmas stories of all time. A Christmas Carol is a story of morality about an old and bitter miser by the name of Ebenezer Scrooge. Working as a financier and money-changer, he has always wanted to accumulate his wealth and disregards other things including friendship, love and the Christmas season. However, he was made to realize life's importance other than money in just one evening prompting him to finally change his life and become more generous, kind-hearted. In the end, he also learned to honor Christmas with all his heart.

"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum should not be forgotten. The book, about the adventures of Dorothy in the Land of Oz, is one of the best-known stories in American pop culture and has been translated into more than 40 different languages. It is considered the first purely American fantasy for children that blends traditional magic like witches and early 20th century American symbols like cyclone, a scarecrow and a man made of tin. The book is America's best-loved homegrown fairytale and one of the most-read children's stories.

Book Review - The Bilingual Family - A Handbook for Parents

The Bilingual Family is subtitled A Handbook for Parents, but to reach as many parents as possible it should be read by ESL teachers, too. While teaching English to immigrant parents of small children, I based several lessons on what I had learned from this book. Many of my students were unsure what bilingualism would do to their families. Should they let their children wait to start school before they learned English? If they encouraged the kids to learn English, would they (the parents) end up with no one to talk to in their native language? What if the children picked up the parents' accent and mistakes? With this book, I was able to help them feel a little more sure of themselves.

In the first section, the authors (professional linguists, one British, one French) look briefly at bilingualism in general and the process by which bilingual children's language skills typically develop. As they say, "Most children mix [the two languages] very early on and then gradually get things sorted out." Possibly the most useful part of this section is the description of the three phases children go through while doing this. A parent who's afraid her child is never going to speak any recognizable language, only a mixture of two, needs to hear that this is only a stage on the journey. The first section ends with a questionnaire to get parents thinking about bilingualism in their family.

The second section consists of 16 case studies, which remind the reader that each family is unique. One family got into the book after an author heard them on a ferry between England and Denmark. The children were talking to their parents in both English and Danish, seemingly at random. It turned out the family spoke English at home in England and Danish while visiting the mother's family in Denmark. As the ship was in-between, either language would do.

The third section is an alphabetical list of topics from Accent to Writing, and suggestions for dealing with them if there are problems – like swearing or a refusal by the child to speak his parent's language. My class had some good discussions on several of these topics.

Finally, this book is very positive about bilingualism. If students absorb what it says, they will realize they have a chance to give their children a great gift.

The Bilingual Family: A Handbook for Parents, by Edith Harding and Philip Riley, is published by Cambridge University Press (1986, ISBN 0 521 31194 1).

Wish I May, Wish I Might... Book Review

Wish I May, Wish I Might. . .


by Barbara Elliott Carpenter


ISBN-10: 1420860100

Finding yourself is the greatest endeavor in life. Sometimes it takes great challenges or tragedies to help us to look within. Sometimes we get there through laughter and love. Mostly, it takes a lot of everything, ups and downs, to understand ourselves. In Barbara Elliott Carpenter's novel, "Wish I May, Wish I Might…" readers witness one girl's journey to inner self.

In 1954, Sissy Bannister moves from the place she knew as home in Illinois, to West Virginia. At 14, she isn't happy about leaving behind her world, but she soon finds a brand new one waiting to be explored. Making new friends is just the beginning. Sissy experiences differences in beliefs and attitudes in the people around her and begins to learn what she believes in herself. Desegregation, varying religious beliefs, and class relationships are all part of her lesson plan. Dealing with family trials and tribulations isn't easy either and Sissy learns how important family bonds are, many times over. A schizophrenic uncle, an almost missing sister, and the stories of her parents' lives are woven into her soul's fibers. Her friendships, with other teens and with other adults bring more chances to learn about life, and herself. As the years pass, Sissy grows into a young woman she can be proud of, holding on to her fiery youth but also embracing the heart-touching moments of her life.

Barbara Elliott Carpenter leads readers on a journey of small town America, coal mines, colorful characters, romance and fun, heartbreak and tragedy. "Wish I May, Wish I Might" evokes varying emotions, reaching out through vignettes of life that have a homey familiarity. Sissy is so real she leaps off the pages and into your heart. Watching her come into her own was a pleasure. Carpenter offers a memorable and enjoyable read. I laughed, and I cried, and I loved every minute of it. Well done!

"A Time Before Me" By Michael Holloway Perronne - Book Review

A Time Before Me
by Michael Holloway Perronne
iUniverse (2006)
ISBN 9781583484630
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (1/07)

Mason is a gay teen growing up in rural Mississippi . Not only does he have to deal with all of the normal issues that teens deal with, like deciding his future, but he also has to deal with his secret of being gay. Neither the town, nor his family, is receptive to people with alternative lifestyles. Rather than accept a scholarship to his local college or work with his father in a factory, Mason wants to spread his wings and fly. His best friend and lifelong crush, Billy, has run away to live in New York City. Billy is also gay, but he and Mason never talked about this aspect of their lives. Mason meets an out of town visitor that shows him where the secret gay night life is. He gets to meet other people like himself. It is a relief to be able to be out in the open, even if it is only with this group.

After a summer visit to his Aunt Savannah, who runs a drag queen cabaret in New Orleans, Mason decides that he wants to move there. His aunt really understands him, and in New Orleans, Mason is surrounded by people who accept him for who he is. He meets Joey, who works for his aunt. Joey is very attractive and sweet. Mason feels drawn to Joey and begins to forget about his crush on Billy. Except for a kiss with Billy, Mason has not been with anyone. Joey encourages him not to rush into anything with anyone. New Orleans has a lot of wild stuff going on and Mason admits that he is not ready for that. As he and Joey get closer, his feelings for him deepen.

Out of the blue, Mason gets a call from Billy who is going to be in New Orleans with his current boyfriend. Mason begins to feel tugged away from Joey. Joey can sense this and is hurt. Mason has to figure out what he really wants and he needs to take a good look at what his relationship with Billy really was.

I really enjoyed reading "A Time Before Me." My heart goes out to Mason's character, because throughout the entire story, he was always trying to do what was right. He has a strong sense of values and did not let himself get seduced into the wild New Orleans lifestyle. He is a young man that wants to be loved. He just needs to decide who the best man is for him. It is pretty obvious to the reader, but for him, he has to decide where to follow his heart.

I highly recommend this book. I think that it is perfect for young adult readers that are learning how to deal with issues of their sexuality and for people that care about them. In addition to be an excellent story, Mason's story also taught me a lot about how hard it is for a gay youth to fit in and be accepted for who he is. Being a teen is so hard, and being a teen with a secret is so much harder.

Book Review - A Healing Heart

Genre: Spiritual/Inspirational


Title: A Healing Heart


Author: Alberta H. Sequeira

Alberta Sequeira faces the last facet of life- death. She deals with the death of her father by learning about his life as a man, a husband, a father and a believer in miracles. She learns that as a Commanding Officer in W.W.II, he was loved a respected by all men who's lives he touched and protected. She has to accept her mother's way of coping with the inevitable and is grateful for the valuable help and heartfelt empathy from 'Cathy' of the Hospice Association. Throughout this tragedy, Alberta regains her faith in God. Remembering her father saying
"Family is one of the most important things in life" and "Love one another as I have loved you" (St. John 15.12) We need to all remember to tell our loved ones while they are with us how we feel, how grateful we are to have them in our lives. All too soon it will be too late!

Not long after her father's passing, Alberta's mother falls ill. Once recuperated enough to travel, Alberta and her sister take her to pray at the Shrine of The Blessed Mother in Medway, MA where they experience a mystical moment heightening all of their faiths.

After her own health issues are sorted out and overcoming many fears, Alberta travels to Medjogorje in Bosnia. This is a spiritual journey to a place where many claim to have received visits from the Blessed Mother Mary. Not only does she make numerous life long friends, find her own confidence, deepen her renewed faith, she also finally understands that the love and happiness we all crave comes from within.

There are many excuses in life that we use to leave our faith behind or questions God's very existence; disillusionment with our political and religious leaders, personal tragedies we cannot comprehend, war itself, let alone the horrendous war crimes committed against our fellow man. All too often we turn to Him only when we are desperate, when we should talk to Him with gratitude, as well. We need to be teaching the next generations the importance of faith.

Alberta H. Sequeira is married and lives with her husband in Rochester, MA. She relaxes by reading, gardening and in the portrayal of this powerful story, we know she enjoys her writing. This is her first published novel.

There are so many life lessons to be found in this book. Alberta has also enlightened many families about the benefits provided by accepting help from the Hospice Association.

I would Highly Recommend this novel to readers of all faith and spiritual viewpoints.

Available at: http://www.publishAmerica.com or http://www.ahealingheart.net

Title: A Healing Heart


Author: Alberta H. Sequeira


Publisher: PublishAmerca


ISBN: 1-4241-4458-2


Pages: 243


Price: $19.95 US


Jan. 2007

Book Review - A Healing Heart

Genre: Spiritual/Inspirational


Title: A Healing Heart


Author: Alberta H. Sequeira

Alberta Sequeira faces the last facet of life- death. She deals with the death of her father by learning about his life as a man, a husband, a father and a believer in miracles. She learns that as a Commanding Officer in W.W.II, he was loved a respected by all men who's lives he touched and protected. She has to accept her mother's way of coping with the inevitable and is grateful for the valuable help and heartfelt empathy from 'Cathy' of the Hospice Association. Throughout this tragedy, Alberta regains her faith in God. Remembering her father saying
"Family is one of the most important things in life" and "Love one another as I have loved you" (St. John 15.12) We need to all remember to tell our loved ones while they are with us how we feel, how grateful we are to have them in our lives. All too soon it will be too late!

Not long after her father's passing, Alberta's mother falls ill. Once recuperated enough to travel, Alberta and her sister take her to pray at the Shrine of The Blessed Mother in Medway, MA where they experience a mystical moment heightening all of their faiths.

After her own health issues are sorted out and overcoming many fears, Alberta travels to Medjogorje in Bosnia. This is a spiritual journey to a place where many claim to have received visits from the Blessed Mother Mary. Not only does she make numerous life long friends, find her own confidence, deepen her renewed faith, she also finally understands that the love and happiness we all crave comes from within.

There are many excuses in life that we use to leave our faith behind or questions God's very existence; disillusionment with our political and religious leaders, personal tragedies we cannot comprehend, war itself, let alone the horrendous war crimes committed against our fellow man. All too often we turn to Him only when we are desperate, when we should talk to Him with gratitude, as well. We need to be teaching the next generations the importance of faith.

Alberta H. Sequeira is married and lives with her husband in Rochester, MA. She relaxes by reading, gardening and in the portrayal of this powerful story, we know she enjoys her writing. This is her first published novel.

There are so many life lessons to be found in this book. Alberta has also enlightened many families about the benefits provided by accepting help from the Hospice Association.

I would Highly Recommend this novel to readers of all faith and spiritual viewpoints.

Available at: http://www.publishAmerica.com or http://www.ahealingheart.net

Title: A Healing Heart


Author: Alberta H. Sequeira


Publisher: PublishAmerca


ISBN: 1-4241-4458-2


Pages: 243


Price: $19.95 US


Jan. 2007

The Honor Harrington Series by David Weber - Book Review

David Weber is a prolific writer of science fiction and fantasy. He has written over 30 books and collaborated on several others with Eric Flint, Steve White and John Ringo. This review covers the first book On Basilisk Station in the Honor Harrington series and a general review of the whole series.
On Basilisk Station

This is the first book of the Honor Harrington series. In it we meet Honor as she is about to take command of her first cruiser. With one hyper-capable command under her belt and a second one about to begin she has finally got her foot on the command ladder. But both her life and career are about to take a turn for the worse.

First, the weapons on her new ship have been gutted to make room for a new weapon. Second, her next in command can't get past his jealousy and work with her. Third, when the new weapon turns out to be a dud an embarrassed Admiral finds it easier to exile Honor and her crew to Basilisk Station then to admit the mistake. Fourth, her whole crew would rather complain then get on with their jobs. And if that isn't enough, an old adversary already assigned to Basilisk finds her arrival an excuse to return to Manticore for unnecessary repairs, leaving her holding the proverbial bag.

For years Basilisk Station has been the place that the Navy sent their screw ups. Nobody seemed to care if the job that they were there to do got done or not.

Unfortunately for a lot of people no one explained that to Honor. Left with an impossible job she sets about solving it. If her unhappy crew won't follow her then she will just have to get behind them and push. If the civilian traffic doesn't like her confiscating their contraband then they had better start following the regulations. And if the People's Republic of Haven thinks that taking Basilisk Station and its wormhole junction away from Manticore will be easy, they are in for a big surprise.

The Rest of the Series

The first six books in the Honor Harrington series are the best. These are tightly written, well plotted and stand alone. This changes when we get to In Enemy Hands. This is the first book that leaves you hanging, and it's a real cliff hanger. Although the books written after this one aren't 'cliff-hangers' they all lead you into the next book. They can be read without the background of the rest of the books but not easily.
We see another major change in the books after "In Enemy Hands." They are not only much longer but they are also much more loosely written. All of them suffer from a serious lack of editing. There are fewer battles, more politics, plot lines which go every-which-way, and confusing story lines. Echoes of Honor, the follow up to In Enemy Hands, jumped back and forth between story lines so often that it was difficult to read. I actually used post-it notes to mark the chapters according to which story-line it fit into and read the book in sections.

If you like military space opera then I highly recommend the first six books in this series.

They are:

1 On Basilisk Station


2 The Honor of The Queen


3 The Short Victorious War


4 Field of Dishonor


5 Flag in Exile


6 Honor Among Enemies

In Enemy Hands is also very good, but I left it off the favorites list because of its ending. I don't like books that leave you hanging.

The rest of the books in the series are:

7 In Enemy Hands


8 Echoes of Honor


9 Ashes of Victory


10 War of Honor


11 At All Costs

There are also four books, edited by David Weber, containing short stories which take place in Honor's Universe. Some of the stories are written by Mr. Weber and others by other well known science fiction authors. If you like this series then you will also like the stories contained in these books. They are:

1 More than Honor


2 Worlds of Honor


3 Changer of Worlds


4 The Service of the Sword

Two full length books, Crown of Slaves written with Eric Flint and the Shadow of Saganami full out the series.

What's All The Fuss About Audio Books?

All of a sudden there appears to be a huge number of articles and web pages about audio books. What's the scoop on this?

Simply put, downloadable audio books are a hot new trend, a trend that is getting ready to explode. Some months ago a company released a limited number of franchises, whose owners are now promoting the "Rolls-Royce" of audio books.

Don't confuse these audio books with the poor quality recorded-in-the-garage audio books that you may have seen around the web. No Siree ! These are the creme-de-la-creme of audio books. They are the top titles from the world's leading publishers including Time Warner (Hachette), Simon and Schuster, Naxos, Harper and Collins, Brilliance, BBC, and so on.

The titles are equally as impressive and includes best sellers from our top selling authors including Patricia Cornwell, Stephen King, Dan Brown, Michael Connelly, Michael Chrichton. These are top of the tree fiction writers and the list of impressive authors doesn't stop there. What about the top authors of self help, health, fitness and business books from Robert Kiyosaki, Ken Blanchard, Wayne Dyer. Paul Coelho, Dale Carnegie and more...more..more!

Industry sources are making predictions that downloadable audio books will outsell printed books in the next few years with some predicting that downloadable audio books will overtake printed books as the No1 best selling product on the Net.
In 2004 the off-the-shelf audio books on CD and cassettes recorded sales of around $800 million. In 2005, industry estimates for audio books was $2 billion. In just one year there was this massive increase!

But it won't stop there. Why? Because TIME is the most precious commodity in people's lives these days.

Multi-tasking has become the norm as people look for ways to better utilise their time while doing the chores, jogging, commuting, waiting in queues, etc. With the advent of the mp3 players such as the ipods, Palms and other devices, people have been listening to audio books while they are on-the-go. It's possible to learn a new skill such as a speaking a foreign language, hear a murder mystery or enjoy a great romance book while going about the day.

There's even time to learn to speak Chinese in time for the 2008 Olympic Games!

I Wrote the Book on Cold Calling!

"If you put enough monkeys at typewriters," one of my consulting clients said in a seminar with me, "Sooner or later, one of them will come up with WAR & PEACE."

He was predicting that with so many people going into telephone selling, telemarketing, lead generation, appointment setting, tele-sales, telephone solicitation, inside sales, or whatever you want to label it; at least one of them would give me a run for my money and would become a formidable competitor.

My techniques, popularized in a dozen books, including best-sellers REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE, would be cloned, knocked-off, and with the chance to purchase fairly decent imitations, the market would disappear for a Great Master.

Just as he finished uttering this statement, his associate said: "That'll never happen. Gary's light years ahead of the market and he always will be."

Despite the rise of the phone factory, or as it is better known, the call center or contact center, I have never found anyone with my gifts. Specifically, nobody has cracked the code of persuading folks to buy by phone as I have.

Scripts are everywhere, as are the trained chimps who toothily chatter them, but they're next to impossible to use in a way that sounds like real, spontaneous, heart-felt talk.

To this day, phone and "phony" go together, are inseparable in the minds of most recipients of calls.

This unnerving lack of authenticity led to the draconian DO NOT CALL REGISTRY, where nearly 100 million consumers opted out of being contacted. There has never, in history, been such a consumer uprising against a communication METHODOLOGY.

You would think the industry would take note and invest in more sophisticated techniques. It hasn't.

If you compare my early books with the current state of practice, you'll find frighteningly few people among the millions on the phones that have nearly the sophistication some of us manifested in the 1980's.

Computers have improved, long distance rates have been reduced dramatically, and there are more MBA's than ever in call center management, but the quality of conversations, at best, has gone sideways, not up.

Peter F. Drucker, the famous management guru and my professor, made a few remarks that are pertinent:

(1) People don't achieve in areas that they disrespect; and

(2) You can judge the health and trajectory of an industry based on its rate of "brain formation."

To this day, cold calling, telemarketing, outbound selling, appointment setting, lead generation, telephone soliciting, inside sales, tele-sales, or whatever you want to call it; engenders disrespect. Mention it, in a business or private setting, and most people will recoil and hiss.

And where are the other working communication theorists, who put themselves through undergrad and graduate schools in telephone sales and telemarketing management? Where are those well informed "brains?"

They're not to be found.

I wish I weren't light years ahead of the market.

I'd vastly prefer being right on time with the products and services grateful clients will respect and pay value for.

Audio Books Are Just Plain Fun! The Whys And Hows Of Enjoying Audio Books

If you haven't listened to an audio book yet, you're about to discover a whole new world that can amuse, enlighten, educate and delight.

Earlier audio books were simply an audio recording of a written book, which is fine, but today's audio books can create a richer, fuller experience using different voices for different characters, adding beautiful music and delightful background sounds.

Imagine a Sherlock Holmes mystery with the clip-clop of a horse drawn buggy and the melancholy sound of a London foghorn off in the distance. Enjoy a fascinating biography of the musical genius of Mozart including CD quality samples of his amazing virtuosity. You're not just listening to each story, you're EXPERIENCING it!

Audio books are an excellent way to immerse yourself in the latest novel, add laughter to your life with an outrageous comedy, develop your personal or business skills, find spiritual enlightenment, or even learn a new language.

Audio books are a great time saver and an excellent way to get more done throughout your day. Enjoy them while driving to and from your job or school, taking a walk, working around the house, exercising, or nearly any other activity that allows you to listen while doing it.

Audio books are great for kids too. Children love to have stories read to them, but it's often hard to find the time. Even older kids like to hear stories as well, but they're not likely to admit it or ask their parents to read to them. Audio books are an excellent supplement to reading and add quality learning and entertainment to a child's life.

Audio books come in three basic formats:

1. Audio on Cassette


2. Audio on CD


3. Downloadable Audio files such as MP3 or WMA.

Audio books on Cassette are becoming less popular as fewer and fewer people use cassette players. Audio books on CD are popular and should be available for several years to come. Downloadable audio books are becoming the most popular since they can be burned to a CD or transferred to a portable device such as an MP3 player or IPOD.

Downloadable audio books have the advantage of getting your selections NOW and not having to wait for physical CDs to arrive. You can also save money since audio books that are downloaded are usually less expensive than their physical counterparts plus you save on shipping by downloading your audio books rather having the CDs sent to you.

With thousands of titles available on almost every conceivable topic, nearly everyone can enjoy the benefits of audio books. Some of the available topics are: Arts & Drama, Biographies, Business, Crime & Thrillers, Fiction, Foreign Language Study, Health & Recreation, History, Humor, Radio Shows, Religion & Spiritual, Self Help, Televison & Film, Youth Interests and much much more.

With such a large selection of audio books available, the time saving benefits, plus all the advantages of a multimedia rich experience, shouldn't you try one (or two) for yourself?

Enjoy an audio book today!