happy thoughts designed to stimulate young minds. This video is aimed at exposing little tykes to the language context. Twelve words (grass, tree, etc.) are explored in pictures and poem form with plenty of playful stops for kids singing their ABC's and close-ups of brightly colored toys in action. Older kids can follow the poetry in a beautiful enclosed picture book of poem text and sharp outdoor photography. We even meet Baby Einstein's first host: a dragon puppet named Bard, who (along with his friends) playfully participates in the action. He deserves a repeat performance. --Doug Thomas  (less)

of tales that aren't normally found in the guide books, a) because their writers wouldn't know about them and b) because they might not be comfortable telling them even if they did!  (less)

happy thoughts designed to stimulate young minds. This video is aimed at exposing little tykes to the language context. Twelve words (grass, tree, etc.) are explored in pictures and poem form with plenty of playful stops for kids singing their ABC's and close-ups of brightly colored toys in action. Older kids can follow the poetry in a beautiful enclosed picture book of poem text and sharp outdoor photography. We even meet Baby Einstein's first host: a dragon puppet named Bard, who (along with his friends) playfully participates in the action. He deserves a repeat performance. --Doug Thomas  (less)

background to their writing. Recommended for all ages." –THE GOOD BOOK GUIDE Born in the country town of Stratford-upon-Avon, William Shakepeare was educated at the local grammar school, and in 1588 left for London to begin a career in the theatre. Shakespeare and other actors formed a syndicate to build and operate a new playhouse which they called the Globe, and it became one of the most famous theatres of its time. By 1597, Shakespeare had written at least a dozen plays, including tragedies and comedies, and created characters whose tragic flaws forever immortalized them in literature. Shakespeare ranked among the foremost dramatists of his time by his contemporaries. Shakespeare was also an acclaimed poet noted for...  (less)

activity, and we explore the Cotswolds by air. This is also horse country, and we get up early to watch thoroughbreds being exercised at a nearby training ground. THE LYGON ARMS Ever since Elizabeth I first stayed here in 1546, the Lygon Arms has been a favorite destination. Their guest book's a "Who's Who" of English history. The rooms, brimming with antiques, and the cuisine, served in an ancient Hunting Hall, are world class. Manager Kirk Ritchie takes us to a local art gallery with museum-quality paintings, and we enjoy a horse-drawn carriage ride through the countryside. EASTNOR CASTLE Started in the early 1800's, the turreted fortress was probably the last fortified castle ever built. It is an ostentatious throwback to the midd...  (less)

10. Book of Job 11. Aeschylus, Oresteia 12. Euripides, Bacchae 13. Plato, Phaedo 14. Dante, The Divine Comedy 15. Shakespeare, Othello, the Moor of Venice 16. Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 17. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago 18. Shakespeare, Julius Caesar 19. George Orwell, 1984 20. Vergil, Aeneid 21. Pericles, Oration; Lincoln, Gettysburg Address 22. Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front 23. Confucius, The Analects 24. Machiavelli, The Prince 25. Plato, Republic 26. John Stuart Mill, On Liberty 27. Sir Thomas Malory, Morte d'Arthur 28. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust, Part 1 29. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust, Part 2 30. Henry David Thoreau, Walden 31. Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Emp...  (less)

Prospero, once the Duke of Milan, now reigns over a faraway island, living there with his only daughter, Miranda. Twelve years earlier Prospero's brother, in league with the King of Naples, had exiled Prospero and his daugther from their home. One evening, Prospero imagines creating a storm powerful enough to bring his old enemies to his island. He being to write a play about his Tempest, speaking aloud the lines of each of the characters.  (less)

"report his cause aright to the unsatisfied." The Tale: In Act V of Hamlet, Horatio promises to tell all about the "carnal, bloody, and unnatural acts" committed in the halls of Elsinore Castle. Now, four hundred years after William Shakespeare wrote his masterpiece, Horatio is telling his story. The Technology: Horatio guides users through the tragic events in Elsinore Castle by selecting key passages from the play for analysis. In single- or team-based mode, students must then interpret and analyze these passages. Seven lesson plans are included on the disc in PDF format. Each lesson contains four activities and targets a particular theme or plot line within the play. For example, Lesson Five, entitled "Consoling H...  (less)

personally supervise the attentive service and excellent cuisine. Hot air ballooning is a favorite activity, and we explore the Cotswolds by air. This is also horse country, and we get up early to watch thoroughbreds being exercised at a nearby training ground. THE LYGON ARMS Ever since Elizabeth I first stayed here in 1546, the Lygon Arms has been a favorite destination. Their guest book's a "Who's Who" of English history. The rooms, brimming with antiques, and the cuisine, served in an ancient Hunting Hall, are world class. Manager Kirk Ritchie takes us to a local art gallery with museum-quality paintings, and we enjoy a horse-drawn carriage ride through the countryside. EASTNOR CASTLE Started in the early 1800's, the turreted fortress was probably the last fortified c...  (less)

this movie stands on its own; too dark and violent for very young children, perhaps, but for the most part it’s exciting and funny, and it delivers a message about bravery and forgiveness that is relevant to us all. Voiced by Matthew Broderick, the title character is a little guy, even by mouse standards, with enormous ears and an imagination to match; much to the dismay of his elders, he "never cowers, won’t scurry, and refuses to be taught to be scared" (he’d much rather read a book than eat it, a pursuit that fills his head with visions of valiant knights, damsels in distress, and a life defined by "courage, honor, and decency"). That leads to his being banished from Mouseworld to the realm of the rats, where, it is presumed, he wil...  (less)

and computer-generated special effects includes bonus materials never before available. When young James spills some magic crocodile tongues, a giant peach grows as huge as a house. Climbing inside, he embarks on a thrilling and magical odyssey that only the creative team from TIM BURTON'S THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS could bring you. Along the way you'll discover the famous star voices of Richard Dreyfuss and Susan Sarandon, Jane Leeves (FRASIER), and Simon Callow (SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE), plus the inspired music of Randy Newman. Enjoy -- it's a peach of a journey!  (less)

this movie stands on its own; too dark and violent for very young children, perhaps, but for the most part it’s exciting and funny, and it delivers a message about bravery and forgiveness that is relevant to us all. Voiced by Matthew Broderick, the title character is a little guy, even by mouse standards, with enormous ears and an imagination to match; much to the dismay of his elders, he "never cowers, won’t scurry, and refuses to be taught to be scared" (he’d much rather read a book than eat it, a pursuit that fills his head with visions of valiant knights, damsels in distress, and a life defined by "courage, honor, and decency"). That leads to his being banished from Mouseworld to the realm of the rats, where, it is presumed, he wil...  (less)