One morning, two frisky puppies leave the family farm for a day of play in Chesapeake country. In spite of many promising opportunities, the fun they seek always seems to be around the next corner. They meet some Chesapeake people, but they are working, and puppies can't work. They watch some people catching crabs, but pups and crabs don't mix. They meet some other Chesapeake creatures, but none are looking for new playmates. By the end of the day, the tired and discouraged puppies return home to find a party in their own front yard. Everyone's having a good time-lots of food, lots of friendly folks, lots of fun. But the pups, alas, are too pooped to play. They learned a lot today, but play must wait for another day. Tomorrow, perhaps, they'll be happy to know there really is no place like home. For ages 5-8.

Double-Talk: Word Sense & Nonsense invites children to explore homophones and shows them that words can be fun. Pairs of deliberately ambiguous words are presented in rhyming verse and illustrations across thirteen double-page spreads. On each spread, the words may sound the same, but they are used to describe two very different images. Readers must study the art to see how the words relate to the pictures. Serious or silly? Sense or nonsense? Either way, the readers will learn to study words more carefully. With the simple surprises spelled out in the illustrations, the "I-get-it!" smile grows into a full-body giggle. This laughter-inducing book is ideal for young readers and the adults that love them. Picture book-ages 0-6.

From an early age, children learn about careers. They watch people working everywhere and playtime often involves dressing up and acting out imagined jobs. This ABC book helps introduce the array of career possibilities and expands a young reader's vocabulary. A selection of jobs-two for each letter of the alphabet-are presented in whimsical sketches of children at work. From astronaut to zoologist, short verses hint at a job description in a rhyming scheme that children will love to repeat. While the focus of a favorite job will change dozens of times as a child grows, one day, one of the possibilities will be reality. Ideal for the parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or educator with career-minded children. Picture book-ages 0-6.

In the first reissue of these documents since 1865, A City Laid Waste captures in riveting detail the destruction of South Carolina's capital city. William Gilmore Simms (1806-1870), a native South Carolinian and one of the nation's foremost men of letters, was in Columbia and witnessed firsthand the city's capture and destruction. A renowned novelist and poet, who was also an experienced journalist and historian, Simms deftly recorded the events of February 1865 in a series of eyewitness accounts published in the first ten issues of the Columbia Phoenix and reprinted here. His record of burned buildings constitutes the most authoritative information available on the extent of the damage.

Simms historian David Aiken provides a historical and literary context for Simms's reportage. In his introduction Aiken clarifies the significance of Simms's articles and draws attention to factors most important for understanding the occupation's impact on the city of Columbia.

Hassle-free camping is a pleasure, and this field-tested resource is a complete guide.--Outdoor Traveler

A holiday romance, rich in historical particulars, from South Carolina's foremost writer. Rife with historical details and peppered with comic characters, ""The Golden Christmas"" remains a timeless tale of South Carolina's rich holiday heritage. Originally published in 1852, William Gilmore Simms's classic low country romance chronicles the social customs and Christmas traditions of an antebellum plantation near Charleston. Drawing influence from ""Romeo and Juliet"" and ""A Christmas Carol"", Simms centers his plot on the pride of a Huguenot family, the prejudice of an English family, and the plight of star-crossed lovers, Ned Bulmer and Paula Bonneau, to win the blessings of both feuding houses amid a festive and frantic holiday season. Simms populates his novel with a lively cast - a learned Northern professor, a young English nobleman, opinionated widows, a blustery plantation owner, a condescending servant, a pig-thieving coachman, and a good-hearted barrister. Interwoven into the text are engrossing details about the lavish decorations and festivities that were the hallmark of Christmas celebrations in the antebellum South. Vibrant fireworks, candles nestled in holly, games of whist and backgammon, Yule logs, eggnog, and a visit from Father Chrystmasse all play their parts as the narrative unfolds. Here, too, are accurate descriptions of dress, dialogue, recreation, cultural mores, social hierarchy, and a vivid tableau of a shopping trip to Charleston's King, Queen, and Meeting streets in the 1850s. In equal parts a novel of manners and comic romance, ""The Golden Christmas"" is now, as it has always been, a holiday gift to lovers of Southern lore from South Carolina's most famous author. This edition includes an introduction by Simms historian David Aiken.