Returning readers of the Lance L. Palmgren experience, via his Walnut Warriors 7-Book Series, will come back to the Great Walnut Tree for Book Three of the Trilogy with good (if not grand) expectations: They will not be disappointed. The Walnut Warriors (Armada Of The Crystal Sea) is awash with warm humor, fun, exciting events at home; sailing adventures upon rocking seas in rollicking ships; and, foreign land marvels. It is another legendary Walnut Warriors' fascinating volume filled with sensational phenomena. At the behest of King Nut, IV, the indomitable Walnut Warriors build boats and prepare to, firstly, search for their lost Warriors that were carried away by giant birds; and then, as originally planned, explore new lands and trade routes across the Crystal Sea. A giant whirlpool is fought and when the Warriors approach and finally dock next to an unchartered island they, with much anxiety, encounter Peanut Pirates! Invited to go ashore, they meet the CashShoes (highly trained technical nuts); Brazil Nuts that dance the Limbo; and, other wondrous new life forms. Lost Warriors are excitingly found and many new friendships and trade routes are established. New friends and shared technologies will accompany the Warriors' return to the Great Walnut Tree. The Walnut Warriors, commanded by Grappler, man The Great Crystal Sea Armada and freewheel into happy parodies of history, get caught in whirlpools of comically serious dilemmas, and solve problems a l MacGyver-style. Their gap-toothed, nutty miens permeate this book with laugh-out-loud fun. One enters the Lance L. Palmgren experience via any of the substantial body of books in the series and travels waves of excellent chase-the-blues-away stories for boys and girls of all ages. The Walnut Warriors (Armada of the Crystal Sea) is as great an introduction to the series as any; although, the Author recommends reading the Trilogy in sequence for more fun before proceeding on to the adventurous Books 4, 5, 6 & 7.

Delightful and whimsical, The Walnut Warriors (Quest For The Lost Gold) takes young minds on a riveting adventure of good versus evil. Created by author and illustrator Lance L. Palmgren, this colorful work is the second in his Walnut Warriors Series. Taking the imagination to new heights, this fascinating selection allows readers to explore the essence of bravery and determination. A one-of-a-kind tale, this beautifully crafted children's literature will amuse the youth through the endearing and admirable qualities of the feisty and courageous Walnut Warriors, who would stop at nothing to fight against bullies and oppressors. In the first book of the Walnut Warriors, readers were introduced to a world unlike any other. They were shown how the walnut characters live, their society, their rankings, along with the rules and laws in their kingdom. Readers soon become champions of the fearsome but lovable Walnut Warriors that live in a secret place, deep within their Misty Forest. This time, in Book Two of the Trilogy within the 7-Book Series, readers will follow the Warriors on their first Secret Mission into a perilous battle with their long-time enemies. Several generations ago, the Bully Boulders (who eventually transformed themselves into the Naughty Nuggets) and their Stone King attacked the Walnut Warriors and carried away their gold. To regain the treasure that is rightfully theirs, the Warriors must locate and battle the thieves into submission. Readers will be thrilled to experience, firstly, the Warriors' successful search and then, the implementation of their carefully planned battle and capture strategies. Will good triumph over evil? Readers know, will you?

Today we associate the Renaissance with painting, sculpture, and architecture—the “major” arts. Yet contemporaries often held the “minor” arts—gem-studded goldwork, richly embellished armor, splendid tapestries and embroideries, music, and ephemeral multi-media spectacles—in much higher esteem. Isabella d’Este, Marchesa of Mantua, was typical of the Italian nobility: she bequeathed to her children precious stone vases mounted in gold, engraved gems, ivories, and antique bronzes and marbles; her favorite ladies-in-waiting, by contrast, received mere paintings. Renaissance patrons and observers extolled finely wrought luxury artifacts for their exquisite craftsmanship and the symbolic capital of their components; paintings and sculptures in modest materials, although discussed by some literati, were of lesser consequence. This book endeavors to return to the mainstream material long marginalized as a result of historical and ideological biases of the intervening centuries. The author analyzes how luxury arts went from being lofty markers of ascendancy and discernment in the Renaissance to being dismissed as “decorative” or “minor” arts—extravagant trinkets of the rich unworthy of the status of Art. Then, by re-examining the objects themselves and their uses in their day, she shows how sumptuous creations constructed the world and taste of Renaissance women and men.

Cuisine and Culture presents a multicultural and multiethnic approach that draws connections between major historical events and how and why these events affected and defined the culinary traditions of different societies. Witty and engaging, Civitello shows how history has shaped our diet--and how food has affected history. Prehistoric societies are explored all the way to present day issues such as genetically modified foods and the rise of celebrity chefs. Civitello's humorous tone and deep knowledge are the perfect antidote to the usual scholarly and academic treatment of this universally important subject.

"In this magnificent book, Oliver Schuchard provides more than sixty-five exquisite black-and-white photographs spanning his thirty-eight years of photography. In addition, he explains the aesthetic rationale and techniques he used in order to produce these photographs, emphasizing the profound differences between, yet necessary interdependence of, craft and content. Although Schuchard believes that craft is important, he maintains that the idea behind the photograph and the emotional content of the image are equally vital and are, in fact, functions of one another. The author also shares components of his life experience that he believes helped shape his development as an artist and a teacher. He chose the splendid photographs included in this book from among nearly 5,000 negatives that had been exposed all over the world, from Missouri to Maine, California, Alaska, Colorado, France, Newfoundland, and Hawaii, among many other locations. Approximately 250 negatives survived the initial review, and each of those was printed before a final decision was made on which photographs were to be featured in the book. The final choices are representative of Schuchard's work and serve to substantiate his belief that craft, concept, and self must be fully understood and carefully melded for a good photograph to occur. This amazing work by award-winning photographer Oliver Schuchard will be treasured by professional and amateur photographers alike, as well as by anyone who simply enjoys superb photography."--Publishers website.

This book will tell all you need to know about British English spelling. It's a reference work intended for anyone interested in the English language, especially those who teach it, whatever the age or mother tongue of their students. It will be particularly useful to those wishing to produce well-designed materials for teaching initial literacy via phonics, for teaching English as a foreign or second language, and for teacher training. English spelling is notoriously complicated and difficult to learn; it is correctly described as much less regular and predictable than any other alphabetic orthography. However, there is more regularity in the English spelling system than is generally appreciated. This book provides, for the first time, a thorough account of the whole complex system. It does so by describing how phonemes relate to graphemes and vice versa. It enables searches for particular words, so that one can easily find, not the meanings or pronunciations of words, but the other words with which those with unusual phoneme-grapheme/grapheme-phoneme correspondences keep company. Other unique features of this book include teacher-friendly lists of correspondences and various regularities not described by previous authorities, for example the strong tendency for the letter-name vowel phonemes (the names of the letters ) to be spelt with those single letters in non-final syllables.