Easter Books

A Home For A Bunny was my son's all-time favorite book. We read it over and over again. Now my son is nearly 27, and I still have the same book and read it to his 5-year-old-daughter, whom I am raising. It was her very first book and she demanded it be read every single night. We had fun using different voices and she especially liked the happy ending. She decided that the bunnies were a "Mommy Bunny and a Daddy Bunny", and would kiss them goodnight each time.

I highly recommend this book! I buy one every chance I get, whenever I know someone is going to have a baby.

I purchased this book (my first "big" little golden book) and love the larger size and pictures. My two-year-old daughter loves this book and often picks it from her huge selection of books. A great sweet story to share. I'm now looking for more "big" little golden books to buy.

This book is such a sweet, cute book. I am 24 years old and still read it to my nieces every once in a while. I have grown up making my parents read me this book over and over again every night and day. My copy is worn out but it also shows how much I enjoyed it. I hope you decide to buy it and read it to your children they will love it!

I read this book 20+ years ago to my two children and it was their favorite and most requested Little Golden book. It is such a sweet and well illustrated book. My only regret is that I didn't keep it over the years because I now had to go on a search for another copy for my brand new grandchild. My new copy of "Home for a Bunny" will be extremely well used, I'm sure!

This is such a sweet little book! Probably not much past age 5, but the story has a bunny looking for a place to stay or a home of his own. He proceeds to ask everyone he meets if he can live with them and they all say no. However, when he meets a little white bunny, the bunny takes him in and they then live together. The last picture is just so sweet with the two bunnies snuggling together. The illustrations make you touch the page because the bunny looks so fuzzy! It is very much loved in our house and we highly recommend it!

This is a really cute book for toddlers/preschoolers/K-2 kids. It helps with colors for the really little ones, then with short sentences to read or write later. I actually bought this for my 10 year old daughter - lol - she always loved this book. I guess the bright colors and sparkle of the foil cut outs of the eggs appealed to her in Kindergarten when she saw it in the school library - she's checked it out every year at least 6 times ever since (4th grade now). Every kid has a few books that they just adore and can't get enough of, so I got it for her to keep and give her own kid(s) some day (she has my old copy of "Bambi's Fragrant Forest" - a 1970's scratch 'n sniff book). It's a visually pleasing book and little ones will enjoy it.

I love the illustrations in this book!!! My 2-year-old may be a little too young for the story, but she loves looking at the pictures.

My son learned his colors because of this book! Each page has a different color of egg, the story rhymes so well, and its a lift-the-flap book! The pictures have so much detail sometimes we spend extra time looking in the background for other animals and talking about what they are doing. We've had this book for a year and it is still very popular at our house!

I purchased this book for my nephew and he absolutely loves it. Beautiful illustrations and a very cute story for children from 1-6 years old. However, the book seemed a bit warped when I purchased it but I attributed it due to the delivery process.

One of the nicest things about this book is how well it is designed. Children love beautiful materials and this book delivers. Today, electronic media is so prevelant in childrens' lives. This book, though, offers children the opportunity to relax and read pages filled with awe and wonder. Quality colors, papers and decorations invite children into the Natural Easter world of the forest and imagination. It's beautifully adorned with sparkling, jeweled pages made to entertain and peak interest.

My 28month old loves this book, and I enjoy reading it to her. Illustrations are wonderful, and writing sparks the childs imagination.

If The Velveteen Rabbit had a prequel, it would surely be Margaret Wise Brown's classic story that appears every year at Easter time, The Golden Egg Book. This is a little story about the miraculous accident we call friendship--which is to say it as about the miracle that emerges when we accept each other. That acceptance comes despite the hurt we often unwittingly, or selfishly, inflict on each other.


The story begins: Once there was a bunny. He was all alone. One day he found an egg. He could hear something moving inside the egg. What was it?

The bunny is determined to find out what's in the egg, and he jumps on it, rolls it down the hill, throws a rock at it.... His effort wears him out and he falls asleep, during which time the duck inside the egg hatches, sees the bunny and wonders at the sleeping bunny curled up alongside his shell.

The duck, in its turn, pokes and prods the bunny until the long-eared one awakens.

The two critters marvel at each other and what circumstances have brought them together--briefly, for they are very young. It is enough, they agree to accept each other and be friends. And no one was ever alone again.

I read this to my 2 year old niece every time I see her. We have a different edition, I think, and the pictures are simply beautiful. The text is such that my niece can easily follow along and even remembers certain parts by heart. It is a wonderful story that really captures and holds the attention of a young child. A simply wonderful story.

I love this book, my mommy checked it out for me from the library. I am only7 months old. My mommy has read me other books and they are okay, but this book is great!!It makes mem so happy,as soon as mommy gets it out I go crazy laughing and smiling and clapping my hands. My favorite part is when the chick finally comes out of the egg. This is a great book!!!

My grandparents gave me a copy of this book for my first Easter, in 1960. My mom says I loved it, then my subsequent siblings, nephews, and nieces loved it some more. My old, "well-loved" copy is literally falling apart.

Every night in the last month, my 17-month-old has wordlessly gone to her bookshelf, grabbed my old book and plopped into my lap to read her favorite book. If she is reluctant to finish getting ready for bed, all I have to do is show her the book, and she quickly waddles over and plops down.

But tonight when she opened my old book, the pages weren't there ... they'd all fallen out ... even with all the years' accumulation of tape. With some trepidation, I logged on after she was in bed, hoping to find at least an old copy with a used-book seller through Amazon (a handy feature that has helped out in similar situations.) I was thrilled to find it had been reissued. We'll add a new layer of tape to the old one to hold on until the new copy arrives. We'd like to thank the publishers and Amazon ... I suspect the new copy will be in a similarly "loved" state in another 40 years.

It's a common enough story for picture books. Kids band together, learn something new, and accomplish a common, feel-good goal.

And yet, it totally works in this book. It's not heavy handed. It's not overdone. It does have religious aspects (great for Christians, I'd think), but they're not so heavily stated that atheists and agnostics can't get in on it.

I really recommend this one.

I will note that it's a wordy book, and it does deal with some tough concepts, such as Miss Eula's eventual death. Better for the older end of the 4-8 group, I should think.

CHICKEN SUNDAY is another one of my favorite Polacco books. This is a fabulous and emotionally touching story of an interracial friendship and the children's journey of love and service. Young Patricia (who has written another great episode about her rich and colorful life) and her two best friends Stewart and Winston (who happen to be black) want to buy the boy's gramma (Eula Mae) a hat that she has wanted but could not afford to buy. Since the death of her beloved babushka, Eula Mae also serves as Patricia's surrogate grandmother. The children witness an act of racism on the hat shop owned by the Holocaust survivor Mr. Kodinski. They were going to ask Kodinski for a job to raise the money to buy Eula Mae her favorite hat. Mr. Kodinski sees the children and assumes that they are responsible for the act of violence. Ultimately, the children redeem themselves by making Pysanky eggs for Mr. Kodinski to sell in his store. He tells them the story of his life and then gives the trio the hat. Naturally Eula Mae is thrilled.

CHICKEN SUNDAY is named after the chicken dinner that Eula Mae feed the children every Sunday after Church. This is another multi-cultural book teaching children that it is okay to have friendships with people who are different. Incidentally, Patricia remains close to these boys to this very day. It also exposes children to different types of racism. This book has a wonderful lesson for children and adults.

Although they are innocent, some young children make ammends for the harm done to a Holocaust survivor (the old man has the unmistakable tatoo on his forearm). You must purchase the Scholastic book on cassette for an even more motivating storytime (complete with music).

Chicken Sunday is a touching story of friendship and family. Patrica Polacco writes of a childhood recollection. Patricia and two of her childhood friends set out to raise money to buy the beloved Miss Eula an Easter bonnet as a "thank you" for her wonderful Sunday chicken dinners. The three children need to deal with trying to prove their innocence to Mr. Kodinsky and Miss Eula after being wrongly accused of throwing eggs at Mr. Kodinsky's store. The children decide to make Pysanky eggs and hope Mr. Kodinsky will let the children sell the eggs at the hat store. The reader can definitely feel the love between Patricia, the boys and Miss Eula. The realistic drawings and colors are a great addition to this already enjoyable story. Readers of all ages will truly enjoy this book.

This book speaks volumes . . . especially how a life can be changed forever through a simple act of love and kindness. It seemed that Miss Eula was a beautiful person who just loved and cared for everyone around her by continually demonstrating the true principles of faith, hope, and love.

This book truly emphasizes those things that matter most: a faith in God, a loving family, and good friends.

Chicken Sunday was not only heart-warming and touching, but to me it clearly stated the importance of allowing that little "light" within our hearts to shine no matter what!

This book is an excellent educational tool, and can be easily used in various thematic units such as: family and friends.

I have always enjoyed Patricia Polacco books and will continue to read them to my loved ones and classes for many, many years to come!

Reviewed by Cayden (age 3-1/2), Max (age 19-months) Aures and Mom for Reader Views (4/08)

In "Owen's Marshmallow Chick" the main character Owen is a mouse who loves candy! On Easter morning he wakes up to a basket full of jelly beans, gumdrops, buttercream eggs, a chocolate bunny and a marshmallow chick. He proceeds to eat everything in the basket proclaiming each item to be his "favorite" as he is wolfing it down. When he gets to the marshmallow chick he hesitates and instead of eating it decides to play with it all day instead. At bedtime he carefully places the chick up on his toy shelf with all of his other favorite things.

Cayden: "He is jumping up and down because he is so happy he got all of that candy in his Easter basket from the Easter bunny!"
Max: "Chocolate!"

Cayden: "He dropped some of his candy on the floor."
Max: "Fall! Fall!"

Cayden: "Why is he eating everything? His tummy is going to hurt from all that sugar!"

Cayden: "He should have eaten some healthy food too and only had one candy from his basket every day."

Cayden: "Why is he playing with that chick? It is candy, not a toy."

Parent's comments:

"Owen's Marshmallow Chick" is a fun Easter board book. Max made a game out of pointing out the marshmallow chick on each page before we could continue reading the book. The text is very simple and has a lot of repetition which is perfect for a young child. The illustrations are very engaging and did a great job at conveying the emotions that Owen was feeling. This book would be a great surprise to stick in any young child's Easter basket!

This is the type of book that little ones will fall in love with. It is a simple and sweet story. The pictures are simple yet colorful enough to hold their attention. I highly recommend this book!

This is a very cute boardbook for small children. It is great for Easter but can be enjoyed all year.

Anyone who grew up finding marshmallow chicks in their Easter basket can relate to this story. When i was a kid they were yellow. Now these chicks come in all colors. I am a kindergarten teacher. My students loved this book. Now, one child takes it home with an Owen plush and a plastic egg with a marshmallow chick inside. They don't know what color their chick is until they get home. I provide a journal for them to document the color, write a story about their visit with Owen and draw a picture. They LOVE it!

This story is a perfect read for Easter or any time of the year! While my child loves to bite the head off of his marshmallow chicks, he could understand Owen's attachment to the treat. Owen projects his emotional attachment of his favorite blanket onto the marshmallow chick (that is the same color as his blanket)and doesn't gobble it up like his other holiday treats. This ending is absolutely priceless and we read this story at least once a week. Since there is no focus on spirituality or religion in this board book, it would be appropriate in a home of any faith (especially with those who are fans of marshmallow chicks!). Highly recommended!

This is an absolutely beautiful book ... worth every penny, and frankly more. The illustrations are magnificent and the writing is perfect. It details the entire Easter story in a gentle, tasteful and loving way. Although the story telling is child-like, it includes ALL the details of the entire story and does so in a way that holds even the littlest one's attention, beginning to end. It is told from the donkey's perspective. My 20 month old and my 3 year old both LOVE it and I think it would work well for older children also. I highly recommend this book ... it is one that will become a keepsake and heirloon for years to come.

I was a little skeptical about buying a children's book for $20.00, but I'm glad I took the risk!

The author/illustrator explains it best when he says, "It is the world's greatest story, burning with history, passion, and tragedy. I decided that the best way of expressing this epic drama was to teat it like grand opera, to create the sets and place the characters within them, capturing the symbolism of the Crucifixion and Resurrection in color, shape, and form."

The gold-toned illustrations are absolutely breathtaking. The text is very simple and perfect for our young ones. WE ADORE THIS BOOK!

I was very impressed by the beauty and pathos of this slim volume. Although the story is of Christ's passion, resurrection, and ascension, the story is really through the eyes of the humble donkey which Christ chooses to carry him into Jerusalem. It strikes me that children will be able to connect with the donkey's innocence and faithfulness, as a reflection of the person of Jesus Christ. Of course, it all makes for very interesting theological reflection. If anything, as other readers have mentioned, read it for its simplicity and the beautiful illustrations.

My almost 6 year old son was asking a lot of questions about Easter from what he has learned in Sunday School. I was looking for an Easter book which explained Easter, and the events leading up to Easter, in a simple, yet Biblical way. The book is not too simplistic, nor too complex and wordy. Also, the illustrations are magnificent, and are worth the price of the book alone.

I originally checked this book out from the library for my son last Easter. My husband and I were so impressed we bought it this year for him as a gift. The illustrations positively glow. And, the story line is captivating and easy to follow, unlike other children's versions I've read. It's a beautiful book that my two year-old will continue to enjoy for many Easters to come.

After having read the first volume of this expected series of 7 volumes I was triggered by the thesis of these authors that ancient Greek and Roman history did in fact take place in the Middle Ages. So I started studying medieval history of the Middle East - also known as Islamic history - to find out if the opponents of the ancient Greeks and Romans - the Acheamenid Persians, Sassanids, Scythians, Egyptians, etc. - also have their duplicates in medieval history. My search was disappointing: none of the many medieval Islamic dynasties seemed to correspond to the ancient middle eastern rulers.

However, I did find a close correspondence between Herodotus' Persian kings and medieval events:

- the defeat and capture of an Anatolian king - the Lydian Croesus - by the Persian conqueror Cyrus is identical to the defeat and capture of another Anatolian king - sultan Bayezid - by the Asian/Mongol conqueror Tamerlane;
- the Persian conquest of Egypt by the cruel tyrant Cambyses reds almost exactly as the Ottoman conquest of Egypt by Selim the Grim (note the nickname!);
- Darius the Lawgiver of the Persian Empire looks very much alike to Sulayman the Magnificent, the Lawgiver in Islamic history;
- Xerxes, whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by the Greeks at the naval battle of Salamis, looks like Selim II (the Sot) whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by a Spanish-Italian alliance at the naval battle of Lepanto.

I should have expected Fomenko et al. to arrive at similar conclusions, however, they claim that the Persian kings are the alter egos of the Angevin kings of Sicily whose biographies do not contain the exploits of the Persian kings.

The similiarities I indicate lead to the conclusion that Herodotus must have written his Histories at the close of the 16th century. But this is extremely late, given that Herodotus is "the Father of History", so therefore all other "ancient" histories must have been fabricated even later. Yet, the founders of modern chronology - Scaliger and Petavius - laid their foundations also at the close of the 16th century and had the full corpus of ancient histories already at their disposal.

It seems to me that Fomenko has to address these inconsistencies, maybe in the forthcoming 5 volumes?

Another critique of their book is that the correspondencies between different rulers are often based on a superficial comparison of the biographies; upon a more thorough comparison many details appear that do not correspond at all.

Finally, the authors rely heavily on the works of Gregorovius (1821-1891!!) - his medieval histories of Rome and Athens - as the source of medieval history; these works are - at least in the West - hoplessly outdated and have been superceded by more up-to-date works (for instance, Julius Norwich's trilogy on Byzantine history is not even cited).

I don't care what other people say of this book. Those affirmig it's fake, they hadn't ever read it. Or have some special reasons to do so. "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see..." This book won't make you feel comfortable. It'll make you feel free. It'll make you feel you're "not the only one" to feel you'd been lied to for centuries.

We can so far divide the New Chronology into the following three parts:

a) The verifiable theory that proves consensual chronology wrong with the aid of astronomy, statistics and mathematics;

b) The new chronology hypothesis based on a new understanding of known historical facts and the most likely logical explanation of the most obvious inconsistencies inherent in the official version of history;

c) The history conjectures, that is experimental historical reconstructions based on assumptions that the authors believe to make sense in the light of their research and linguistic parallels - void of ironclad factual support to date.

Fomenko's theory complies with the most rigid scientific standards as a whole:

It gives a coherent explanation of what we already know.

- It is consistent: independent lines of inquiry all lead to the same conclusion.

- The predictions it makes are confirmed empirically.

Fomenko goes by the following axioms:

- Chronology is the basis of history;

- Human evolution has always been linear, gradual and irreversible;

- The "cyclic" nature of human civilization is a myth, likewise all the gaps, duplicates, "dark ages" and "renaissances" that we know from consensual history;

- The accumulation of geographical knowledge as reflected in cartography is a gradual and irreversible process;

- The chronological distance between a given manuscript and the events described therein is proportional to the amount of distortions it contains;

- There is no "useless" information in authentic ancient sources.

Why the mainstream historians do not shower mathematician Academician Dr.Prof Fomenko with thanks and laurels?

The Russians:

Because Fomenko asserts that there was no such thing as the Tartar and Mongol invasion followed by three centuries of slavery, providing a formidable body of documental evidence to prove his assertion. The so-called "Tartars and Mongols" were the actual ancestors of the modern Russians, living in a bilingual state with Arabic spoken as freely as Russian. The ancient Russian state was governed by a double structure of civil and military authorities. The hordes were actually professional armies with a tradition of lifelong conscription (the recruitment being the so-called "blood tax"). Their "invasions" were punitive operations against the regions that attempted tax evasion. Fomenko proves that Russian history as we know it today is a blatant forgery concocted by a host of German scientists brought to Russia by the usurper dynasty of the Romanovs, whose ascension to the throne was the result of coup d'état, charged with the mission of making their reign look legitimate. Fomenko proves Ivan the Terrible to be a collation of four rulers, no less. They represented the two rival dynasties - the legitimate rulers and the ambitious upstarts. The winner took it all! Over some 30 years of controversy, Russian historians have made a most remarkable transition - they were initially accusing the young mathematician Fomenko of anticommunist dissident activity and attempts to deface the historical legacy of Soviet Russia; nowadays the middle-aged mathematician is accused of adhering to "pro-communist Russian nationalism" and defacing the proud historical legacy of Great Russia.

The Westerners:

Because Fomenko blows consensual Russian history to smithereens, successfully removing a crucial cornerstone from underneath the otherwise impeccable edifice of World History. Fomenko adds insult to injury, wiping out one by one the Ancient Rome (the foundation of Rome in Italy is dated to the XIV century A. D.), the Ancient Greece and its numerous poleis, which he identifies as the mediaeval crusader settlements on the territory of Greece, and the Ancient Egypt (the pyramids of Giza become dated to the XI-XV century A. D. and identified as the royal cemetery of the Global "Mongolian" Empire, no less). The civilization of the Ancient Egypt is irrefutably dated to the XII-XV century A. D. with the aid of the ancient Egyptian horoscopes cut in stone. He was the first one to decipher and date all such horoscopes, coming up with mediaeval dates in every case. English historians rage at the suggestion that the history of Ancient England was de facto a Byzantine import transplanted to the English soil by the fugitive Byzantine nobility. To reward the English historians who consider themselves the true scribes of World History, the cover of the present book portrays Tintoretto's Jesus Christ crucified on the Big Ben.

The Chinese:

Because Fomenko wipes out the Ancient History of China outright. No such thing. Full point. The compilation of the so-called Ancient Chinese History is reliably datable to the XVII-XVIII century only. It is perfectly recognizable as the Ancient European history, reworked and transcribed in hieroglyphs as yet another historical transplantation, this time performed on the Chinese soil by the loving Jesuit hands. The Chinese are the next in line to go berserk. Chinese history is inevitably bound to get both more ancient and more eventful, proportionally to the growing involvement of China in the world affairs. Chinese historians will keep on finding valid proof of prehistoric Chinese spaceflights until the Politburo orders them to shut up.

The Arabs:

Too bad. Islam with all its key figures is datable to XV-XVI century A. D. Arabic historians may find consolation in the crucial historical role of the Ottoman Empire in the XVI-XVII century. The trouble is that this empire was initially a Christian state, with Hagia Sophia identifiable as Temple of Solomon, according to Fomenko! We can only guess if the acquisition of Alexander the Great (a Macedonian and a Christian) as the founder of the Muslim World Empire will make Fomenko's theories more acceptable to the Arabic mainstream. He certainly does not spare any holy cows at all, claiming The Stone of Qa'Aba in Mecca to contain the lost Arch of the Covenant.

The Divinity:

Despite of reiterated statement that his theory is all about chronology and not Religion, Fomenko stirs up a whole condominium of wasp nests. His collection of anathemas, fatwa, and other condemnations from all parties concerned is already considerable. Little wonder, considering that the history of religions à la Fomenko looks as follows: the pre-Christian period (before the XI century and JC), Bacchic Christianity (XI-XII century, before and after JC), JC Christianity (XII-XVI century) and its subsequent mutations into Orthodox Christianity, the Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, and so on.

According to Fomenko we know strictly NOTHING about the events that predate the X century A. D.

St Augustin was prescient when he spoke unto us: "be wary of mathematicians, particularly when they speak the truth."

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3A80YKC8W7UEE New Chronology is a theory validated by astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient manuscripts that asserts: that Antiquity and Dark Ages are phantoms invented in the 16th 18th centuries. Human civilization is barely 1000 years old!

New Chronology complies with the most rigid scientific standards:

- It gives a coherent explanation of what we already know;
- It is consistent: independent lines of inquiry all lead to the same conclusion;
- The predictions it makes are confirmed empirically;

New Chronology goes by the following basic axioms:
- Chronology is the basis of history;
- Human evolution has always been linear, gradual and irreversible;
- The "cyclic" nature of human civilization is a myth, likewise all the gaps, duplicates, "dark ages" and "renaissances" that we know from consensual history are fantasy and hoax;
- The accumulation of geographical knowledge as reflected in cartography is a gradual and irreversible process;
- The closer in time is a given manuscript to the events described the less distortions it contains;
- There is no "useless" information in authentic ancient sources.

Fomenko asserts: There was no such thing as the Tartar and Mongol invasion followed by over two centuries of yoke and slavery, providing a formidable body of documental evidence to prove his assertion. The so-called "Tartars and Mongols" were the actual ancestors of the modern Russians, living in a trilingual state with Arabic and Turkic spoken as freely as Russian. The ancient Russian state was governed by a double structure of civil and military authorities. The hordes were actually professional armies with a tradition of lifelong conscription (the recruitment being the so-called "blood tax"). Their "invasions" were punitive operations against the regions that attempted tax evasion. Fomenko proves that official Russian history is a blatant forgery concocted by a host of German scholars brought to Russia by the usurper dynasty of the Romanovs. Their ascension to the throne was the result of conspiracy, so they charged these imported historians with the mission of making Romanov's reign look legitimate.

Fomenko proves Ivan the Terrible to be a collation of four rulers, no less. They represented the two rival dynasties - the legitimate Godunov rulers and the ambitious Romanov upstarts.

As Fomenko blows consensual Russian history to smithereens, he successfully removes a crucial cornerstone from underneath the otherwise impeccable edifice of World History. Fomenko adds insult to injury, wiping out one by one: the Ancient Rome: the foundation of Rome in Italy is dated to the 14th century A. D., the Ancient Greece and its numerous poleis, which he identifies as the mediaeval crusader settlements on the territory of Greece.

The Ancient Egypt: the pyramids of Giza become dated to the 11th to 14th century A. D. and identified as the royal cemetery of the Global "Mongolian" Empire, no less. The civilization of the Ancient Egypt is irrefutably dated to the 11th to 15th century A. D. with the aid of the ancient Egyptian horoscopes cut in stone, like enormous Dendera horoscope that hangs in main entrance to the Louvre museum in Paris.

He was the first one to decipher and date unambiguously all such horoscopes, coming up with mediaeval dates in every case.

English historians rage at the suggestion that the history of Ancient England was de facto a Byzantine import transplanted to the English soil by the fugitive Byzantine nobility. To reward the English historians who consider themselves the true scribes of World History, the cover of the book "History: Fiction or Science?" portrays Tintoretto's Jesus Christ crucified on the Big Ben.

Fomenko wipes out the Ancient History of China outright. No such ancient history. Period. The compilation of the so-called Ancient Chinese History is reliably datable to the 17th 18th century only. It is perfectly recognizable as the Ancient European history, reworked and transcribed in hieroglyphs as yet another historical transplantation, this time performed on the Chinese soil by the loving Jesuit hands. The Chinese are the next in line to go berserk. Chinese history is inevitably bound to get both more ancient and more eventful, proportionally to the growing involvement of China in the world affairs. Chinese historians will keep on finding valid proof of prehistoric Chinese spaceflights until the Politburo orders them otherwise.

Islam with all its key figures appears as late as 15th-16th century A. D. as a branch of proto-Christianity. This is amply illustrated by imagery of Prophet Mahomet, archangel Gabriel, Heaven and Hell of this period. In today's Islam all imagery of the things living is taboo.

Arabic historians may find consolation in the crucial historical role of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th 17th century. The trouble is that this empire was initially a proto Christian state, with Hagia Sophia identifiable as Temple of Solomon, according to Fomenko! We can only guess if the acquisition of Alexander the Great (a Macedonian and a Christian!) as the founder of the Muslim World Empire will make Fomenko's theories more acceptable to the Arabic mainstream. He certainly does not spare any holy cows at all, claiming The Stone of Qa'Aba in Mecca to contain the lost Arch of the Covenant.


The history of religions according to Fomenko looks as follows: the pre-Christian period (before the 11th century and Jesus Christ ), Bacchic Christianity (11th to 12th century, before and after Jesus Christ), Jesus Christ Christianity (12th to 14th century) and its subsequent mutations (15th to 17th) into Orthodox Christianity, the Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, Buddhism, and so on..

Saint Augustine was quite prescient when he said: "be wary of mathematicians,.. particularly when they speak the truth."

Henry Ford once said: "History is more or less bunk!"

Prominent mathematician Anatoly Fomenko not only proved it for a fact, but as true scientist tried to upgrade it into a rocket science.

This book will change your perception of History forever!
What if Ancient Rome, Greece and Egypt were invented during Renaissance?
What if The Old Testament was a rendition of events of the Middle Ages?
What if Jesus Christ was born in 1053 and crucified in 1086 AD?
Sounds Unbelievable?
Not after you've read "History: Fiction or Science?" by Anatoly Fomenko, the genius mathematician.
Armed with astronomy and computers Anatoly Fomenko turns History into a rocket science.

Here is a serie of books which turns "the whole world" upside down. I learned a lot of it and I hope that a new book from A.T. Fomenko will follow very quick. A absolute must for everybody who is interested in history or even a little bit from it.

"In The Fullness of Time" is an updated version of a trilogy on early Christianity written by the historian Paul L. Maier. Part I covers the Christmas story, Part II covers Easter, and Part III takes readers from Pentacost to Nero's persecutions. I had previously read and enjoyed a number of Maier's fictional works and I had high expectations for this non-fiction work. I was not disappointed.
The book is a fast read and the author kept my interest. Each section was concise though informative. Information about the region's climate and background stories of some of the key players helped flesh out the familiar story. The book also contains numerous photographs to help the reader visualize the places the author is writting about. Maier avoids sensationally radical theories or over-literalism that mar many works on the same subject. Overall, an enjoyable book about the rise of Christianity.

Pail Maier, a expert in ancient history, has written a great book. from my understanding is that, this book was three different books now put into one. If you are a new Christian, you need this book. If you read this book as a new believer, you will have a better grasp of the background of the NT in reading this book, than going to a expositional preaching church for two years. It will lay a great foundation for your walk with the living Christ. If you a long time believer, and have not read this book, you should, for it will open your eyes, to the NT. Dr. Maier goes into the Christmas story, Easter Sunday and the early church. Great book.

Maier does a good job putting Christmas and Easter into their appropriate historical contexts. Lots of good information that helps to place both into perspective.

The third part of the book, on the early church, is not as well done. There is less historical and archaelogical information brought into play. It was still pretty good, just not as good as the first two sections.

Still, I would recommend this book as one to help build a foundation.

Paul Maier is a truly gifted lecturer. I've had the pleasure of watching two of his videos and if I lived anywhere near Western Michigan University, I'd sneak into the back of his classroom (he is a member of the history faculty there) on a regular basis - he has a gift for making the First Century A.D. accessible.

"In the Fullness of Time" continues this tradition. Maier has basically consolidated 3 other books into one larger volume (with a few changes) and he discusses the first Christmas, the first Easter and the ministries of the early Apostles, especially Paul and Peter.

Maier does a great job of bringing actual documentation that supports the stories of Christmas, Easter and the Book of Acts. He includes the works of Roman and Jewish historians, explains Roman and Jewish religious and political practices and deals with alternate theories that have been proposed. While this could be dry reading, Maier makes it lively and this volume reads more like a novel than a textbook.

So, who is this book for? If you are a well-read Christian who has looked into many of the facts that back the New Testament as it is written on your own, you won't find much new ground covered in this book. The internet has lots of this information scattered about. However, you are unlikely to find sources as concise and as well-written as this one. Plus, if you are interested in further research, it is well-documented with tons of footnotes.

If you are a new Christian or are newly interested in the history behind Christianity, this is a powerful introduction.

I give this one a grade of "A"

Maybe it's because I enjoy reading historical literature... or maybe I am facinated by the notion the Gospel accounts are historical in nature. Paul Maier has done a wonderful job combining backround historical context, archeological artifacts, and a clear logical approach into a credible and refreshing look at what is was like to: experience the first Christmas, the first Easter, and what it was like for the early Christians after the resurrection. This is surprisingly enjoyable read.

Wonderful book for reflections on Christianity. Brings together some of the best religious thinkers in a way that allows one to contemplate one's relationship with God.

After a recommendation from Pastor Harrell at City Church, I purchased this book and have read the first 20 pages and so far love it- it's rich and reflective and a great devotional in light of Lent and Easter. Definitely recommend it!!! And Amazon got it to me in 2 days- great service!

See my review on the other book in the series, "watch for the light: readings for advent and christmas."

I purchased this book as it looked interesting per the Bas Bleu book review. I read it even outside the Lent season; I feel that reading a short essay or two each day keeps me grounded and remembering to pray, and to be thankful every day. I am not a big church goer, and I found this book to be very engrossing. The variety of writers and topics holds the reader's attention; I think anyone who believes in a higher power will find this book very enjoyable.

These 72 brief essays are loaded with inspiring and challenging spiritual insight. The authors are incredibly diverse--Leo Tolstoy, Thomas a Kempis, Meister Eckhart, Martin Luther, Mother Teresa, and John Updike, to name a few. Not every contributor is a household name, but every reflection is moving and powerful...

"Christianity is the only religion on earth that has felt that omnipotence made God incomplete." G.K. Chesterton

"If the ultimate, the hardest, cannot be asked of me; if my fellows hesitate to ask it and turn to someone else, then I know nothing of Calvary love." Amy Carmichael

"The essence of sin is man substituting himself for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for man." John Scott

"A follower is or strives to be what he admires. An admirer, however, keeps himself personally detached." Soren Kierkegaard

Those thoughts alone might supply forty days-worth of spiritual reflection! For preparation and renewal, this book is can be opened again and again.

This book is a wonderful resource and I love it. Lots of beautiful pictures as well as plenty of written wisdom. Well worth the cost.

This book is *NOT* for the beginner. The many beautiful eggs are photographed very poorly, and almost all pictures have issues with focus and glare. Also, the text is extremely self-indulgent (from the author's perspective) and unrealistically dogmatic. For the experienced pysanky artist and collector, however, this book is almost a "must-have" (even at its high price) because it can definitely expand your vision of where the medium can go beyond the traditional. Badulak's craftmanship is truly remarkable.

I received this book for Christmas and, although have been doing pysanky for 7-8 years, it taught me a lot. It was VERY informative and easy to read. I love how Helen Badulak asks us to go ahead and make the designs she provides. She encourages you to practice and work toward perfecting the art. She is a wonderful author and amazing artist. Kudos to her for sharing her experience and ideas with us. Judi

Once you've reached a level of proficiency in pysanky making, it is difficult to find resources to take your art to the next level -- and to me, this book was an answer to wishes I didn't even know I had!

When I first got Pysanky in the 21st Century from Amazon, I carried it around with me everywhere for a month to show friends and family -- I couldn't stop looking at it and marveling at the artistry and expertise. And I was overjoyed to find practical tips and tricks that immediately had an effect on the quality of my own pysanky art. I noticed at the back of the book that the author offered advanced lessons, so I "filed that information" for later, not really expecting to follow up.

Then I had the fortune to meet Helen Badulak and her daughter Nina at a local egg artistry show -- and as beautiful and inspiring as the photos of the eggs are in this book, they are absolutely mind-boggling in person. Because of purchasing this book and subsequently taking lessons from Helen, my family and friends have been astounded by the leaps and bounds I made, even after just one session with the master. As she does in the book, Helen offers an incredible generosity of knowledge, "secrets," and spirit.

I heartily recommend this book as a visual treat and an important resource, and I encourage pysanky artists considering taking advanced lessons from Helen to contact her. To be sure, you can use the book alone to increase your proficiency, as I did, but the experience of using the book was greatly enhanced by individual sessions with the master.

This book breaks down all aspects of the art of pysanky. But the real treasure is all the wonderful photos of Helen's beautiful pysanky. There are literally hundreds of pysanky pictured in beautiful full page color photos. There are such a wealth of designs that one could never do them all.

This book is even enjoyable for those who do not practice the art of pysanky. This is truly a must have book if there ever was one!