Boxes for Katje

Book Description

Simple seeds of friendship grow into something extraordinary

After World War II there is little left in Katje's town of Olst in Holland. Her family, like most Dutch families, must patch their old worn clothing and go without everyday things like soap and milk. Then one spring morning when the tulips bloom "thick and bright," Postman Kleinhoonte pedals his bicycle down Katje's street to deliver a mysterious box – a box from America! Full of soap, socks, and chocolate, the box has been sent by Rosie, an American girl from Mayfield, Indiana. Her package is part of a goodwill effort to help the people of Europe. What's inside so delights Katje that she sends off a letter of thanks – beginning an exchange that swells with so many surprises that the girls, as well as their townspeople, will never be the same.

This inspiring story, with strikingly original art, is based on the author's mother's childhood and will show young readers that they, too, can make a difference.

Customer Reviews:

Enjoyable book with nice themes.......2007-09-07

I checked out this book after seeing it on Reading Rainbow. The basic theme is about getting together to help others in time of need and sharing with others, and is set during WWII in America and Holland, when the luxuries we're used to are very short at hand and difficult to find. My son's grandmother is Dutch so it had some special meaning to us, as she was a small girl during this time period. The illustrations are colorful and eye catching and very relevant to the time period (hair and manner of dress) and culture (American versus European). Certain names (Katje, Postman Kleinhoonte) might be hard to pronounce but your child probably won't care if you have to fudge your way through them. It does add some "flavor" to the text and is nice to read about people in other countries or time periods that were particuarly different than what we're used to.

Unique and Pleasing.......2006-08-27

This is a children's book based on a true story. Katje,a dutch girl) becomes a penpal with an american girl. It is a story about long distance friendship and freely giving to one another. Two communities giving to each other a priceless treasure. This book is filled with unique illustrations and color. Reading this story is simply pleasing.

Friendship.......2006-07-01

People from America gave food and clothes to Katje. Katje shared the food and clothing with people in her town. Katje had a pen pal named Rosie. It is a excellent book to read because it tells about sharing and friendship.

Ms. Whitlock's Thirde Grade Class

Katje's Boxes.......2006-06-30

Katje was getting lots of boxes from people in America. She gets sweets and clothes and she shares it with the townspeople. There were so many boxes that they filled up her room. We thought this story was cool. We liked it because it was interesting.

Ms. Davis' Third Grade Class

Caring for People.......2006-06-22

This is a nice, caring, friendly story. It's about an American girl who sends boxes to Katje because she doesn't have many things. After W.W.II people in Holland didn't have many important things to survive (food, warm clothes or money). It is a great book! We hope you will enjoy it.

Mrs. Greco's Third Grade Class

A Picture Book of Anne Frank (Picture Book Biography)

Average customer rating:

Beautiful
Simple and touching
I really enjoyed the book Anne Frank.
This is the best book I ever read

A Picture Book of Anne Frank (Picture Book Biography)
David A. Adler
Manufacturer: Holiday House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0823410781

Book Description

The story of the girl who tried to hide from the Nazis.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful.......2006-10-01

I loved it. The story is told in clear, simple language that makes it easy for children to understand (Crucial in a book geared for a younger crowd) and the illustrations are breathtaking and accurate.

A wonderful introduction to Anne Frank.

Simple and touching.......2005-07-12

This book is Simple and touching. Its very simple to read but goes into the depths of her short and in the end devastating life. She had a simple life and she loved it but the last and dark days that she spent in the secret annexe.
further- (beyond this story)
iT turns out that Otto Frank was the only one to survive out of all the secret annex (peter wasn't heard from) everyone else died. If only she had survived the last couple of weeks then she would be free once more.

I really enjoyed the book Anne Frank........1998-02-24

As a sixth grader I really enjoyed the book Anne Frank. The story was about Anne Frank,A brave young Jewish girl about 12 years old and her fourting year old sister. She found out at age 14 years old that she had to put a lot of cloths on. She had to hide in the attic for three years so the Nazis would not find them. It took place in Germany where her family lived. She once lived in a house,If she went to school she would be shot. The Nazis burnt all the Jewish books and pictures. A lot of children hid so they would not be shot because the people that hid them or they would be shot with no questions asked. The only person who survived was her dad, and the reason her mom died first, and Anne and her sister died after. I think the person who reads the book would cry or be really interesting in it. The book is based on her family life as a Jew in Germany.

This is the best book I ever read.......1998-02-10

I'm a 6th grader. This book is about Anne Frank when she was a young girl. Anne was born on June 12,1929. She had an older sister named Margot. Her parents names were Edith and Otto Frank. Her family lived in Frankfurt for hundreds of years. She had a peaceful life until the Nazis came. Anne Frank died when she was fifteen years old. Then someone found Anne's Frank diary, which got published in 1947. This is the best book I ever read because I like how it is written, telling the story clearly. I like how she did not die until she was fifteen years old. If I was Anne I don't think I would I have lasted that long because I don't think I could take care of myself that long.

The Boy Who Held Back the Sea (Picture Puffins)

Average customer rating:

Sweet childhood story - Pictures were phenomenal
Classic tale

The Boy Who Held Back the Sea (Picture Puffins)
Lenny Hort , Thomas Locker , and Mary Mapes Dodge
Manufacturer: Puffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140546138

Customer Reviews:

Sweet childhood story - Pictures were phenomenal.......2007-10-10

My husband lived in the Netherlands for two years, so we've seen a few pictures and heard a few stories. When we checked this book out through the library, I knew we had to have it. The story is simple, and the pictures are amazing and penetrating classics.

Classic tale.......2004-03-29

This book tells a version of the story of the little Dutch boy who holds back the sea with his finger. In this version, the boy is a bit naughty. He gets to skip church by offering to carry a pie to blind man, but then eats the pie himself instead of delivering it. When he finds the leaky dike, nobody believes him because he is known to be such a troublemaker. As a result, he ends up spending the night alone by the dike and has to endure a raging storm before he and the dike are rescued. The book is a little scary but it's a good engaging story. The pictures are all done in the style of the Dutch Masters. It has about 1000 words.

All Those Moments: Stories of Heroes, Villains, Replicants, and Blade Runners

Average customer rating:

Not A Kiss and Tell Biography
All Those Moments Will Not Be Lost
A Thoughtful Autobiography
a real man
all those moments: stories of heroes, villains, replicants, and blade runners

All Those Moments: Stories of Heroes, Villains, Replicants, and Blade Runners
Rutger Hauer , and Patrick Quinlan
Manufacturer: HarperEntertainment
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0061133892
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Book Description

He came to mainstream prominence as a machine more human than his creators in Blade Runner, terrified us as a hitchhiker bent on his own death and the death of anyone who got in his way in The Hitcher, and unforgettably portrayed a lonely king roaming the night as a wolf and pining for the love of a hawk during the day in Ladyhawke.

Rutger Hauer has dazzled audiences for years with his creepy, inspiring, and villainous portrayals of everyone from a cold-blooded terrorist in Nighthawks to a blind martial arts master in Blind Fury, but his movie career was nothing compared to his real-life adventures of riding horses, sword fighting, and leaving home at fifteen to scrub decks on a freighter and explore the world.

From poverty to working with a traveling theater troupe to his breakout European performance in Turkish Delight and working with legendary directors such as Paul Verhoeven (RoboCop and Basic Instinct) and Ridley Scott (Alien and Gladiator), Hauer has collected All Those Moments here.

Customer Reviews:

Not A Kiss and Tell Biography.......2007-08-14

This is a biography mainly about Ruger Hauer's acting career. He writes a little about his childhood and parents but this is his chronical about the roles he played. It's an interesting story. Hauer is never critical of the actors he worked with, nor does write about scandals in the film world. He spends time discussing The Blade Runner (his favorite roll) and Lady Hawk( another great part for him). This is a story about an actor's work in films. Not every piece of his film work is covered, but enough that the reader knows that Rutger is a serious actor.

All Those Moments Will Not Be Lost.......2007-08-10

This is a wonderful and surprising book. I am in awe of the movie Blade Runner. I grew up with the L.A. skyline at my doorstep and I feel a dark connection to the film, which I saw in a huge, pre-multiplex theater with my father all those years ago. I was delighted to read about Mr. Hauer's experiences, and to learn that his contribution to Blade Runner is huge. In fact, this inside look at the actor's work and career left me feeling quite grounded. Rutger Hauer's passion and intelligence resonates clearly and I thank him for sharing his life. Please do note that he also writes at length of his involvement with the AIDS/HIV crisis in the world and the Starfish Association that he founded to try to make a difference. I recommend this to all!!

A Thoughtful Autobiography.......2007-07-23

I have been a fan of Rutger Hauer since I saw Blade Runner when it came out in 1982. His new autobiography ("All Those Moments") is a revealing portrait of the artist giving a candid look at his life and his approach to acting. The son of actors, he describes his early life growing up in Holland, his start as an actor in a small rural theater company and his start as a film actor.

He describes his major films: Blade Runner, Ladyhawke, Blind Fury, Soldier of Orange, the Hitcher and Nighthawks, and his breakthrough role in the Dutch television series Floris, in detail giving insight into how he approaches his character. He spends some time describing his craft and the difficulties of being away from home for long periods of time. Mr. Hauer has made his share of bad films but he has always struck me as such a consummate professional that his performance is always worth watching.

The book is written in a conversational style, as if Mr. Hauer was taking to you, which makes for fast reading. The book is illustrated with several black-and-white photographs of some family pictures but more of Mr. Hauer in his various roles. My only small complaint is that the book does not have a true ending. We leave off at Mr. Hauer's most recent projects - Batman Begins and The Poseidon Adventure - for a chapter on acting followed by a chapter on the Starfish Association and some entries from his diary. There is no looking ahead to what he thinks his life or career will bring. The Starfish Association is an AIDS support group to which the royalties of Mr. Hauer's book are being donated.

This is a very frank, entertaining and thought-provoking book. If you have seen any of Rutger Hauer's films his book is a must-read.

a real man.......2007-07-16

I was surprised by Hauer's book. There was no Hollywood hoop di do or affectations. Just a honest tale of his life's adventures-very down to earth, and totally interesting.

all those moments: stories of heroes, villains, replicants, and blade runners.......2007-06-08

I have loved Rutger Hauer's movies. I was hesitant to buy the book because I really couldn't imagine what he and the author would write about. It was a book you want to read to experience what it is like in another person's shoes. This one being an actor. It was very interesting, down to earth and sounded very personal from him. My husband, who is pretty critical, also really liked it. Proceeds go to fight AIDS/HIV.

Average customer rating:

Very funny really
Maybe his best?
A vast disappointment
Superb, sensitive, imaginative scholarship down the drain
A large work

Picture This : A Novel
Joseph Heller
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0684868199

Book Description

Picture this: Rembrandt is creating his famous painting of Aristotle contemplating the bust of Homer. As soon as he paints an ear on Aristotle, Aristotle can hear. When he paints an eye, Aristotle can see. And what Aristotle sees and hears and remembers from the ancient past to this very moment provides the foundation for this lighthearted, freewheeling jaunt through 2,500 years of Western Civilization.

Picture This is an incisive fantasy that digs deeply into our illusions and customs. Nobody but Joseph Heller could have thought of a novel like this one. Nobody but Heller could have executed it so brilliantly.

Customer Reviews:

Very funny really.......2004-03-04

Joseph Heller has been compared to Mark Twain and rightfully so. Like Twain, Heller has a sharp sense of humor and can easily point out the foibles of mankind. If you are looking for a modern novel with well developed characters and a plot- look elswhere. If you think you know anything at all about Rembrandt or life in the 17th century, then try this one on for size.
Heller's paints a picture of Rembrandt (and Aristotle) that makes them so human you can laugh out loud at them, and you will.

Maybe his best?.......2003-09-09

Would it be some kind of sacrilige to say that this is a better piece of writing than Catch-22 ? Catch-22 is a superior emotional and autobiographical work, for sure; it is his "best" because of how closely it pulls readers through the dark comedy of warfare, which Heller experienced firsthand. But Heller's particular brand of wit comes through in a different way here, and proves his mettle as a writer, and not just as someone who came back from WWII with a "story to tell." The soul of this book is a political one, but the generosity Heller shows his characters -- who just happen to be Rembrandt and Aristotle -- is wonderful. Catch-22 is immersed in the "present" in that wartime is all about surviving hour-by-hour; what's neat about Picture This is how it looks at democracy and capitalism as they have existed for centuries: Socrates was put to death for "corrupting the youth" long before the NSA turned the U.S. into a police state; likewise the Dutch found out what a mess capitalism was hundreds of years before Wall Street. The genius of this book is in that Heller never really explicitly points a finger at modern states, but just points at the trail of dead they've left over thousands of years. Heller pulls art and history through the lens of capitalism & corruption, and he's deadpan-funny while he does it. Also helping the cause: the last few lines of this book are my favorite ending to any novel, ever.

A vast disappointment.......2003-01-22

There are a lot of things I did expect when starting that "novel". A plot was one of them, some of the famous Heller wit another (this book really is unfunny, but keeps winking at you as if you're just a tiny little bit away from getting some cosmic joke it really is about). I didn't expect to be treated to a 326 page long variation of Larry King's obnoxious observations in USA Today, set in ancient Greece and Holland of the 16th/17th century. The chronology is totally mucked up, it seems not because of some artitistic reason, but because it was cobbled together without any sense of structure.

Finally, an author who seriously suggests that some of the dutch provinces are perhaps not even known to many INSIDE the Netherlands (hey Joe: this isn't the US you're writing about) doesn' instill too much confidence about getting his other facts right.

One of the few books in my life I didn't finish (maybe the second half is a LOT better).

Superb, sensitive, imaginative scholarship down the drain.......2002-07-12

PICTURE THIS is a paradox -- a mammoth delight and a monstrous disappointment. It's a startlingly imaginative work in which Heller blends three disparate times in history. Aristotle awakens as Rembrandt applies paint to canvas. When Rembrandt paints his ear, Aristotle hears. As the brush perfects the eyes, Aristotle sees. And always, Aristotle observes.

Heller portrays life in mid-17th century Amsterdam and in the 3rd century before Christ, commenting on similarities to modern living, jumping back and forth between the ages, and tracing the 300-year history of the portrait. It's quite a mix, and that's where the book fails. He just doesn't pull it off.

The book reminds me of a game of checkers played without rules. It's an uncoordinated hopscotch through centuries, filled with distractions, tangents and irrelevant side trips. It's as though he tried to combine several books into one and missed.

Heller's books (CATCH-22, GOD KNOWS, etc.) are unique. Maybe he just tried too hard to be different. The text lacks discipline, organization and the feel for language we expect from master writers. Paragraphs are disjointed, sentences are clumsy and overburdened. Too often they just plain don't make any sense.

"The great seaport city of Amsterdam was then the richest and busiest shipping center in the world. The great seaport city of Amsterdam was not a seaport but is situated a good seventy miles from the closest deepwater shipping facilities in the North Sea." That's amateurish and sloppy. And typical.

Heller's mediocre, journalistic style (reminiscent of Kurt Vonnegut's) is inadequate for the job he has cut out for himself. The superb, sensitive and imaginative scholarship displayed in PICTURE THIS deserves organized, disciplined, and equally sensitive writing. It didn't get it.

A large work.......2001-08-12

PICTURE THIS is an enormous and sprawling work. I do not mean large in the word-count (though it's no slouch in this category) but in the scope. The back cover summary promises a "jaunt through 2,500 years of Western civilization" and it certainly delivers that. Unfortunately the result is a mixture of good and bad. At its best, it can be spellbinding, but at its worst it comes across as a fairly boring history lesson.

The book is vaguely centered around a piece of artwork that a Sicilian nobleman named Don Antonio Ruffo paid five hundred guilders for Rembrandt to produce. The painting is that of the Greek philosopher Aristotle contemplating a bust of the Greek poet and storyteller Homer. Using this foundation as a springboard, Joseph Heller jumps back and forth in time giving different perceptions on a number of different concepts. Money, power and art are just a few of the topics that Heller touches on and for the most part, as the expression goes, the more things change the more they stay the same. There are some memorable insights into the role that war, commerce, etc. have played in society.

On the other hand, PICTURE THIS does tend to get weighed down underneath its grandiose pretensions. While much of the book discusses the relation that history has to the concepts it contains, there are far too many passages that are just dry rehashes of historical documents. This is most apparent in the sections concerning the Greek philosophers where, at worst, the book spends several pages just rephrasing the events and philosophies that Plato described in APOLOGY, CRITO and THE REPUBLIC. Although these sections can be interesting (probably even more so to any readers who aren't already familiar with them) they are not always related to the rest of the story. For some of these sections, one would be better off reading the actual texts rather than just the summary of them included here.

The main sections of the book are split between long discussions about the wars of the ancient Greek world and numerous lectures upon the role of money/commerce in the Dutch society of Rembrandt's era. Some of it is extremely interesting. Some of it is stunningly dull. There are some very clever themes that run throughout the book such as the portrait of Aristotle being sentient and able to give a commentary on how different and similar life is in Rembrandt's time to that of his own. As readers in the beginning of the 21st Century, we can are also able reflect upon how their life is similar to ours. Heller is aware of this and lets the narrative play around with this idea, and while it isn't totally successful in every case, it's effective enough to be very powerful.

Book Description

The spectacular photographs and insider information in this introduction to the often cryptic nature of life in Holland provide newcomers with cultural insight into how Dutch society works. The taboos and dilemmas of modern Holland are explored with contextual information about how these idiosyncrasies developed. Advice about engaging in the main themes of public debate and suggestions for navigating social situations effectively are among the tips provided for business travelers or vacationers. Revealing images of Holland heighten appreciation of the unique beauty of the Dutch landscape and people.

Customer Reviews:

The Low Sky In Pictures.......2007-05-18

Very well written. I think you will really enjoy this.

Picture History of German and Dutch Passenger Ships

Average customer rating:

Picture History of German and Dutch Passenger Ships
William H., Jr. Miller
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Netherlands | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0486420639

Book Description

Superbly illustrated volume documents long line of great ships — from "floating palaces" such as the Imperator (1913) and the Vaterland (1914) to such luxurious cruise ships as the Statendam (1957), Hamburg (1969), the remodeled Bremen (1990), and the new Deutschland (1998). 178 rare illustrations offer views of ships at sea and in ports.

Average customer rating:

you are under arrest: buy this book!

Paul Verhoeven (Taschen Film)
Douglas Keesey
Manufacturer: Taschen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 3822831018

Customer Reviews:

you are under arrest: buy this book!.......2006-01-12

basically unreadable, but to join verhoeven with the ranks of kubrick, hitchcock and fellini is just pure genius. and oh the pictures are really nice.

Jean Desmet and the Early Dutch Film Trade (Amsterdam University Press - Film Culture in Transition)

Average customer rating:

Jean Desmet and the Early Dutch Film Trade (Amsterdam University Press - Film Culture in Transition)
Ivo Blom
Manufacturer: Amsterdam University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 9053564632

Book Description

The Netherlands Film Museum's Desmet Collection contains the estate of Dutch cinema owner and film distributor Jean Desmet (1875-1956): almost nine hundred European and American films of all genres, a collection of publicity material, and a massive business archive. These three sources form the basis of this book, the first comprehensive reconstruction of Desmet's career. From his nomadic beginnings as a traveling showman to his successful switch to permanent cinema operation and film distribution, Blom shows how Desmet's fortunes encapsulated a series of structural changes within the new culture of the cinema.

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