If You Give a Moose a Muffin Review

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(More customer reviews)Researchers constantly find that reading to children is valuable in a variety of ways, not least of which are instilling a love of reading and improved reading skills. With better parent-child bonding from reading, your child will also be more emotionally secure and able to relate better to others. Intellectual performance will expand as well. Spending time together watching television fails as a substitute.
To help other parents apply this advice, as a parent of four I consulted an expert, our youngest child, and asked her to share with me her favorite books that were read to her as a young child. If You Give a Moose a Muffin was one of her picks.
This humorous book has to be one of the most imaginative ever written and illustrated!
The premise starts with a child spotting a moose out the window in the back yard. The child beckons to the moose, gives the moose a muffin, opens the kitchen door, and lets the moose in. Holding the muffin in his teeth, the moose obviously seems to need some jam. The child opens the refrigerator and gets out the mother's homemade blackberry jam. The moose quickly starts eating the muffin, now that it has jam on it. Then another, and another . . . and another until they are all gone. He seems to want you to make some more.
One thing connects to another, and before the book ends the moose will get a sweater, make puppets, create the scenery, put on a puppet show, make a mess, clean up the mess, want some more jam, and still wants some more muffins.
The book works at several levels. First, the idea is simply to be a good hostess or host. That's something that all children need to learn. You should try to please your guest. Even if it is a moose!
Second, there is also an analogy to being a parent, helping a child. So your child can begin to see what it's like to be the caregiver.
Third, how do you accomplish things? Some you buy, some you make, and almost all have consequences. The book helps your child learn to connect the dots.
Fourth, the child and the moose make a terrible mess. No one gets excited, but they do take responsibility to clean up after themselves. Amen!
Fifth, one thing does lead to another. It is easy to get distracted. The circularity of the story helps your child remember what the purpose originally was, and not to get sidetracked.
Sixth, the book introduces ideas of activities you can do with your child. In fact, it's all right to put the book down and start doing those activities . . . or pick a time to do so.
All in all, you get a lot for your time and money.
The illustrations are wonderful in making the moose very human and humorous. The figures are vivid and clear, and are filled with warm, rich colors.
You can take the concept of the book and make up your own stories with your child. Then you could draw illustrations together and do the activities that you pick for the story. You could start with your child's favorite animal and food. If you give your dolphin a cookie, etc. In that way you can stimulate even more bonding and creativity. Have a ball!
Be sure to overcome your stalled thinking that only authors can come up with great stories that you'll both love. I'll bet your child and you can do a wonderful job!
Enjoy!

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Forest Gate: A Novel Review

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(More customer reviews)In the old council flats of London, a tragic event ripples through gang and racial warfare. James, a local black British teen from a *successful*crack-dealing family, and his best friend, Ashvin, a poet-loving Somali refugee, jump off a towering building, nooses around their necks, in a suicide pact. Ashvin dies and James survives. Ashvin's sister, Armeina (Meina), hooks up with James in shared grief to forge a tentative but tender friendship. This is their story.
There is a lot of potential in this plaintive novel of redemption. It has heart, and it murmurs. It doesn't quite sing, though. The story is narrated largely through Meina, with a few sections by James and other characters. The primary problem is that the author didn't adequately distinguish the separate voices of James and Meina--they are too similar. Even the cadence is synonymous, which you wouldn't expect from two people from separate countries and disparate backgrounds. Meina was raised in an educated home, by intellectual parents, and witnessed their terrifying, horrifying massacre at the hands of the Ethiopians during civil war strife. James was reared by the horrors and betrayals of his family and neighborhood. The lack of narrative distinction distracted and removed me from the immediacy of the story and conferred an unnatural tenor.
The book was described as tautly constructed, written with a controlled rage. I disagree. Rather, the voices were a bit precious and lacking in the subtext necessary for the reader to register the contained rage. There was restraint, but it was unintentional. The wattage was dimmed by authorial trepidation, as if Akinti was unsure of asserting the fury of his characters. This created a languid tone and lack of muscle in the prose delivery. It felt like he was playing it safe to ensure that we connected with and liked the characters. I would have preferred that he liberate himself from that self-conscious mode and get out of his own way.
Interestingly, his graphic scenes are very well done, crafted with menacing weight. They were not gratuitous. On the contrary, they exploded with tormenting finesse, like a coiled thunder. It permeated the prosaic air with a crackling heat. The violence that the Somalians endured during more than dozen civil wars is heartbreaking. And the devestrating terrors perpetrated on the youth in this London neighborhood are merciless and harrowing.
If this debut novel went through a few more drafts, it could be a dazzling, evocative story, as Akinti's talent is evident. I look forward to seeing how he evolves.

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Cooking for Harry: A Low-Carbohydrate Novel Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is clever, witty, and breezy, and I enjoyed it completely. The description of poor Harry and how he ends up on his low-carb diet, and all the changes it causes in his life is very funny, and the book moves along very quickly, so you pretty much laugh for a couple of hours, and then you are done. However, this book will make you hungry, and it is most unfair of the author to refer to PeanutBetter ButterBurst cookies and a terrific cauliflower salad and not provide recipes!

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Marvirinstrato: Originalaj noveloj en Esperanto (Esperanto Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)Legante cxi tiun libron, mi estis imponita pri kiel neauxgureblaj la rakontoj estas, kaj ankaux kiel etosece profunda ili estas dum ankaux helaj kaj suficxe facile kompreni. Rakontoj kiel "Marvirinstrato" estas plejparte sxercaj, sed noveloj kiel "Rugxvela Sxipo", kiu komence sxajnas esti simila al la antauxe menciita, farigxas komplika alegorio por la trista rezulto de ordinara, cxiutaga malzorgeco. Sed la rakontoj ne aspektas tiom kiel fabeloj ol kviete misteraj fantazioj, ne malkiel abstraktaj kantotekstoj.
Kaj fantaziaj ili reale estas. Preskaux cxiu novelo enhavas parolantajn bestojn kaj nerealajn estajxojn (kiel meduzo kiu flosas en la aero kaj komunikas psike). La estoso eble aspektus kiel kartuno, sed neniu povus maltrafi la marksistajn temojn en la unua rakonto, "Orfisxeto".
Do nepre esploru cxi tiun ravan esperantan libron. Mi povas certe diri ke gxi ne enuigos vin.

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Urba bestoĝardeno plenas je feniksoj kaj marvirinoj. Stranga ruĝvela ŝipo revenas kun kargo de perditaĵoj. Kantanta arbo trompas la esperojn de spektantoj. Jen bildoj el la novelaro Marvirinstrato, kiu konsistas el 18 noveloj originale verkitaj en Esperanto.La noveloj, kvankam plenaj de fantastaj bestoj kaj okazoj, rakontas pri emocioj kaj spertoj homaj – amo, maturiĝo, feliĉo, perdiĝo, bedaŭro, realigitaj kaj trompitaj revoj. Per bildoj el mondo iom nekutima la aŭtoro respegulas karakterojn de la ĉiutaga vivo.Ankaŭ ne mankas humuro!Per vortludo, farso kaj ironio la noveloj evitas troan pezon kaj foje vekas rideton.Tri noveloj ricevis premiojn en la Belartaj Konkursoj de UEA (3-a premio, 2005; 2-a premio, 2006; 1-a premio, 2007).Aliaj ricevis premiojn de LIRO- kaj MUZO-konkursoj, kaj kelkaj eldoniĝis, i.a. en Beletra Almanako, Fonto, kaj Literatura Foiro.

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The Ghost Trap (LeapLit) Review

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(More customer reviews)Burdened by the hard knocks of life in a Maine town populated by families who have been in the lobstering trade for several generations, Jamie Eugley is a man with a good heart and an explosive temper. He so wants to do the right thing, but as often as not, he can shatter his best intentions with an outburst that results almost immediately in regrets and repercussions. He lives with the worries of his hand-to-mouth business and the oppressive responsibilities of caring for Anja, a former girlfriend who has been seriously incapacitated by a head trauma (the cause of which is unveiled some way into the book) and whom he has sworn never to abandon. His lifelong friends bring him amusement and loyalty tinged with occasional embarrassment. He has almost surrendered to the tyrannical drudgery of his so-called life when he meets a bohemian, tomboyish hippie chick named (of all things) Happy.
At times, Jamie reminds me of a character from a Halldor Laxness novel--a faintly loutish but likable hero intrigued by the cosmopolitan world outside his small-town surroundings yet aware that he could never be a part of it. When he goes to the rich-kids rave at which he meets Happy, he is surprised that they are "sociable and accepting, even of him in his blue work shirt," yet he realizes that it "wouldn't be the other way around." A few years earlier, he had even attempted an escape that brought him to the Portland on America's other coast, but it didn't take him long to realize he will always be a modern-day yeoman and, discouraged and broke, he returned home. Yet that longing for something different sets him apart from his friends--his dalliance with Happy only rekindles the hunger--and it's this conflict between the world of realities and the world of possibilities that will result in tragedy and, ultimately, his redemption. Jamie isn't just a lobsterman, he's Everyman who has ever wanted to be more than he is.
"The Ghost Trap" is not just a good read, it is an excellent novel--and I'm almost ready to proclaim it as the best work of contemporary fiction that I've read this year. (It's certainly the best debut.) Stephens's knack for plotting is enhanced by her ear for impeccable dialogue (both local and urban) and by authentic interior monologue: her portrayal of Happy is so dead-on that I felt like I knew her, and some passages simply awed me with their lyrical precision. There are as many hilarious moments as poignant ones--yet the novel never once stoops to sentimentality. And there's enough of a plot--involving a mystery set off by decades-long territorial feuds between lobstermen--to satisfy the reader expecting more than a character study. Stephens has given her deeply flawed saint a life worth examining.

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“Stephens gives the reader an unvarnished view of the subculture of lobster fishermen in small-town coastal Maine.”—James Acheson, author of The Lobster Gangs of Maine

“Stephens has a wonderful clear eye for people, especially Maine people, and The Ghost Trap is populated with dozens from all walks of Maine life.”—Bill Roorbach, author of Temple Stream

“A salty, tangy read. . . . Stephens plunges you into the back-breaking, heart-breaking life of one lobsterman.”—Richard Grant, author of Another Green World

“Stephens nails harbor life down to the unwritten rules and defense of imaginary territory lines. . . . Peppered with dark humor and brutal honesty, The Ghost Trap gives it to you straight, the way life should be.”—Ryan Post, fourth-generation lobsterman, creator of Mainebuggin.com

“Characters and setting that reflect a real, raw piece of Maine. . . . With Anja and Jamie, Stephens introduces us to characters whose stories and situations are heartbreaking. This book reminds us that as complicated as lobster fishing might be, human relationships are always more fraught with difficulty.”—Portland Phoenix

The haunting story of a young lobsterman, Jamie Eugley, who is struggling with the grinding responsibilities of a head-injured fiancée and mounting trap wars. Written with sensitivity and rich description, this is a piercingly accurate depiction of life in a small Maine lobstering community.

K. Stephens is a Maine arts and entertainment writer who has written about schooners, food and wine, teenagers and the creative economy. Most lobstermen she knows are only too happy to share a crazy story after a beer or three. The Ghost Trap is her debut novel.

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Hollywood Diva: A Biography of Jeanette MacDonald Review

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(More customer reviews)If this WERE a work of fiction, Turk's book would not be so offensive, but I have spent well over twenty years interviewing people who knew Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald. I am NOT Sharon Rich. I have spoken with Nelson Eddy. I have even interviewed Gene Raymond. I can honestly say the evidence is overwhelming that Jeanette MacDonald lead a different life than the one presented by Mr. Turk. It is not enough to just read a woman's unpublished autobiography and talk to her husband. There are reasons why both might lie. Jeanette MacDonald did not want to shock her fans or bring down the public personnas of herself and Nelson Eddy when she wrote her autobiography. If Mr. Turk had taken the time to look at the evidence which refutes the "Gene Raymond" version of Jeanette's life, then the book would have fulfilled its potential as a fairly accurate portrait of a complex woman living in a difficult period that straddles World War II. Once Jeanette met Nelson Eddy, he was a driving influence in her life. Nelson Eddy was not a monogamous man. He had many female lovers, and some of them are still alive to talk about him and his relationship with Jeanette, Gene, and Ann Eddy (a woman I have also had the "pleasure" of meeting). Had Turk taken the time to actually follow up the research on the Eddy/MacDonald relationship, he might have presented history in a much more accurate light. It's a shame when an ordinary researcher blurs history by looking at it through "tinted" glasses. It is a sin when an academic does it, either accidentally or on purpose. Mr. Turk varnished the truth, rewrote it by omission, and basically did a disservice to both Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. I am curious why Mr. Turk did not accept Lina Basquette's account of Nelson Eddy's prowess with women. I am even more curious why he would insinuate that Eddy was gay when even Shelley Winters has recounted Nelson's attempt to seduce her. The University of California should be ashamed for accepting the publication without looking at the research on the other side of the coin.

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Regulus (Latin) Review

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(More customer reviews)'The Little Prince' is a wonderful story, written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944), a French writer who also worked to fight the Germans during World War II. The publication story of 'The Little Prince' is an adventure in-and-of itself, as it happened at the height of the war, and just a year prior to Saint-Exupéry disappearance over the Mediterranean while flying a mission with his French air squadron. Saint-Exupéry wrote several books, and illustrated them himself, but 'The Little Prince', about the visitor from outer space not so different from us, but perplexed by our ways, and homesick for his home, touches people to this day in profound ways, making this classic an enduring one.
Translated into Latin, this enigmatic classic becomes even more mysterious, yet (for those who know Latin) still a touching and moving story. Books such as 'The Little Prince' translated into Latin make wonderful tools for learning the language. The book here is translated by Richard Howard, a Pulitzer-Prize winning author, who has more than 150 translation titles to his name. Saint-Exupéry's original artwork is incorporated here, in the proper placement according to the French original. They are in full colour throughout the book.
The language here is basic -- Saint-Exupéry wrote 'The Little Prince' both as a children's book and an adult's book, hence the vocabulary and basic writing, in any language, is fairly simple, another way in which the Latin translation, kept to an easy construction by Howard, helps in the learning of the foreign language.
A great book, one to let out of the box.

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In 2000 Harcourt proudly reissued Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's masterpiece, The Little Prince, in a sparkling new format. Newly translated by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Richard Howard, this timeless classic was embraced by critics and readers across the country for its purity and beauty of expression. And Saint-Exupéry's beloved artwork was restored and remastered to present his work in its original and vibrant colors.Now Harcourt is issuing uniform full-color foreign language editions. The restored artwork glows like never before. These affordable and beautiful editions are sure to delight an entire new generation of readers, students, children, and adults for whom Saint-Exupéry's story will open the door to a new understanding of life.

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Rattlesnake Jam Review

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(More customer reviews)Rattlesnake Jam

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Rattlesnake Jam is a rhyming romp, with crazy old Gran and Pa arguing over how to cook up the rattlers he catches. Gran wants to boil and bottle them into her cure-all Rattlesnake Jam, but Pa longs for a rattlesnake pie. Suggested age for readers 5-12 especially boys.

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Ram, Ham, Strawberry Jam Review

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(More customer reviews)Not only is this is great book to have in a classroom, but it is also great to have at home. My children were engaged with the colorful writing and the brightly drawn illustrations. They loved the book and have fun learning!

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It's easier to model than explain-and this book is full of examples! Author Crystal Carr creatively clarifies the conception of nouns for YOUND STUDENTS EVERYWHERE. Nouns are printed in color for easy identification. The FUN-TO-READ RHYMES and ILLUSTRATIONS combine to highlight certain words.

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Roadworks Review

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(More customer reviews)Hugh Ryan's job might not be glamorous, but it is important. In the near future, Brussels has developed a highly sophisticated traffic network. Computers route cars around conjestion. Huge parking elevators keep cars below ground and yet easily accessible. Efficient trains and a subway system move hundreds of thousands of people to their jobs. When roads fill, computers send cars to another route. When too many become congested, the same computers send the cars to the rapid transit centers. And Hugh, along with a small number of fellow workers, controls the entire system.
When things start to go bad, Hugh springs into action--and the system does its best to self-repair. But the system was never designed to deal with simultaneous toxic truck wrecks in every major intersection, power failure in the subway, the collapse of the train system, and malfunctions in the parking elevators that turn the entire city into a stationary parking lot. Hugh isn't surprised with the call comes in--a terrorist organization is holding the entire city, including heads of state from all of Nato, for ransom.
Reading between the lines of the terrorist threat, Hugh realizes that someone in his own transport agency is somehow involved--and sets out to find who did it. What follows is an action-packed adventure with plenty of plot twists and even a touch of romance.
Author Gerard Readett makes his near-future traffic scenario feel real and interesting. Hugh, with his lost wife and anti-establishment tendencies, makes a sympathetic protagonist and Readett mixes in just enough scenes from those caught up in the disaster--and from the point of view of the criminals and terrorists who combine to take the city captive--to make the action seem real. I wish Readett had relied a bit less on coincidence in putting Hugh in just the right place to do so much against the terrorist threat, but that's a minor quibble with a really fascinating story.

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Roadworks is the story of one man's battle to be free of a system that oppresses him while dragging a hijacked city out of absolute gridlock.In a city where all rail, road and underground traffic is computerised, Hugh Ryan, a Transport Authority controller, has to outwit Akila Kama, an African terrorist who has taken the city and many foreign heads of state hostage. His demands are simple, either the greatest humanitarian aid package is sent to Africa by the nations of the West, or their leaders die.Later Hugh realises that while all traffic inside the city is at a standstill, Wellens, a local crimelord who helped the Africans, has embarked on his own traitorous plans which he hatches with a mole in the Transport Authority.

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The jam fruit tree Review

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(More customer reviews)Carl Muller's first venture into the description of the burger community of Sri Lanka is extremely well written. Whilst acknowledging that he himself is a burger, his artful use of language and the tasteful use of profanity makes the reader want to turn the next page. His brilliant narration of incidents that take place in the life of the Von Bloss family coupled with the artful description of the use of the English language by the burger community is indeed hilarious. Though he acknowledges that members of the burger community have risen to high places in both civil service and private enterprise, he does make the mistake of projecting all members of the burger community into one class of behavioral pattern. This book will keep a reader laughing from cover to cover. Check it out.

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Sri Lankan fiction (English).

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Bread and Jam for Frances (I Can Read Book 2) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a cute and captivating tale of Frances, the picky eater who only wants to eat bread and jam. Her parents handle her food refusal by indulging her with bread and jam at every meal and snack. She soon tires of it and wants to eat what everyone else is eating: a well-rounded meal.
This is a cute tale with little rhymes that Frances sings to herself with her food musings. The illustrations are adorable, they are not a visual assault as some other children's books have. This book was first published in the 1960s and as with other picture books of that time, has nice long prose, a good length of a story.
Both parents and children who deal with fussy eaters will appreciate this funny tale. It is a classic that is sure to be a favorite!

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Frances is a fussy eater. In fact, the only thing she likes is bread and jam. She won't touch her squishy soft-boiled egg. She trades away her chicken-salad sandwich at lunch. She turns up her nose at boring veal cutlets. Unless Mother can come up with a plan, Frances just might go on eating bread and jam forever!

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