Form-4 Books

Far above me, there are cliffs
of dark wet rocks that almost touch the sky.
From these cliffs the water leaps
downward, tumbling and foaming,
to melt into the wide green pool below.

Richard Jesse Watson's illustrations are the highlight of this poetic journey into nature. Page after page of stunning artwork mingles with a story of a girl in search of her past. She thinks about her grandfather building a small cabin in the woods and family trips when the days get long and hot. There are pictures of her family journeying northwards to seek out treasures. She watches hawks circling in the sky and finally they arrive at the cabin and push open the windows.

Soon, the adventurous girl finds her way into a forest filled with animals hiding at the edge of the pages and finally runs to the stream where she dangles her toes in the water.

After eating "pawfuls" of berries, she wanders to the magnificent waterfall and then climbs to warm rocks sprinkled with sunlight. She meets an otter and then starts to walk home as the sun hides in the trees. When she returns to the cabin she looks up at the clouds and imagines they look like a dragon.

I love the art in this book and this book will definitely inspire trips into nature. The Waterfall's Gift is filled with nostalgia, wonder and an appreciation for nature.

~The Rebecca Review

In The Waterfall's Gift, when a young girl visits to the cabin that her grandfather built, she re-discovers the familiar woodland haunts she and her Grandpa was visited together. But Grandpa is gone now and as she wanders through the forest she feels a comforting sense of oneness. Joanne Ryder's superbly engaging story of loss and renewal amidst a natural setting is richly enhanced with the museum quality paintings of Richard Jesse Watson. The Waterfall's Gift is very highly recommended for all young readers, but most especially for those children struggling to deal with personal and family loss in the lives. Every school and community library in the country should have The Waterfall's Gift available in their collections of picturebooks for young readers.

"4 Dada Suicides" is a novelty of a book if ever there was one. Sad to say, since none of these guys would have wanted just to be novelties. We have Jacques Rigaut, the morbid dandy who, according to the man who employed him for awhile, was not quite the dadaist rebel he played at being; Arthur Cravan, perhaps the highlight of the book, with his intoxicated adventures and bitingly witty dismissal of just about everything! With Cravan, more so than Torma or Vache, one gets the sense of a man who could have been so much more than merely a scandalous figure who scribbled some opiated aphorisms. Torma is a trip too, however, his creepily composed and pale phantom haunting the black and white pages with telling lines:"Perfection is mediocrity. Only excess is beautiful". And we have the infamous Jacques Vache, goofing off to Breton about the state of his own health and his possible impending death (or not).

This is sort of an epitaph for four men who represented, in one way or another, the final "No" to values finally proved false. One wonders, though, while being awed by their enigmatic rebellion against society and art, whether they would have had anything to say had they not offed themselves so very quickly. THIS however is the most bizarre book I have yet to encounter from Atlas Press, and that's saying something. Beyond a must read, the ever sharpening sense of the edge and the immediacy of our lives in the face of death makes this a must have, right now. Read it.

I was a little surprised after receiving it - this is NOT a typical compilation, such as Peanuts classics. But running through the full-colour pages and large text (for kids?), I liked it more and more. Although I finished the pages in less than 5 minutes, it felt good, probably because it brought me back to when I was just a kid, reading Peanuts! If you've liked Snoopy since you were young, you'll want to keep this. Its one of those things you might not even let your own kid play with!

Every parent should buy this book for their 8-13 year-old children. Originally published in 1918, it avoids the the excesses of modern-day political correctness while telling these exciting stories in beautiful and simple language. As a child I was so inspired by these tales that I went on to read both many times in full and in different translations. A "Must" for every parent who wants to inspire their children.

This book is a great book for those who are expecting. The author is very funny in the way she describes pregnancy and is the perfect baby shower gift. She could be the next Erma Bombeck! Highly recommend!

This is a great book. Covers argillite carving from a number of perspectives. Has interviews with some well known carvers and presents their point of view. Gives soome of the cultural perspective though it does not particularly present the Haida view. Some beautiful examples.

This is a really wonderful book. It helps you plan a virtual field trip with your kids to the seven continents. In the beginning, they make their own "passport" and even a suitcase (from cereal box) to start their trip. The first stop is North America, where they will learn and craft about Native people from Canada and USA (making a Totem Pole), Mexico (making Papel picado), USA (making a statue of Liberty, a replica of Spirit of St. Louis plane), and other projects. Then, the next step is The Pacific Islands and Australia where kids will learn and craft about animals and art in the region. In Asia, kids will make a Japanese doll, a Chinese paper fan and an Indian elephant just to mention some things. In Africa, projects include a desert sand dune, a striped zebra and the Great Pyramid among others. In Europe, they will learn and craft about Eiffel Tower, Russian matryoshkas, castles, windmills, etc. In Central and South America, kids will learn and craft about music instruments, animals and folk crafts. In Antarctica, kids will learn about icebergs, penguins, whales.

This book is not only fun for kids, but it offers many opportunities to learn. For every project, it includes a map and location of the topic studied, and it contains other useful information to share, such as scientific facts about what the kids are crafting (like in the case of animals), some easy science experiments related, suggestions of books to read around that topic, and curious facts that will amaze everyone.

This book works great for Social Studies in the lower elementary grades, but it can also be used to teach science or to take ideas for reading response projects.

Our whole family loves all of Neil Buchanan's Art Attack books and we loved his TV show in England. He can make anything with "loo roll and PVA glue." If you're a scout leader...get this book!

IF YOU REALLY WANT TO LEARN TAI CHI AND USE IT TO IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH, POSTURE, MOVEMENT - EVEN CALM YOUR MIND - THIS IS THE BOOK. JOHN KONG GOES THROUGH EVERY ABSOLUTE DETAIL OF HOW TO DO THE MOVEMENTS STEP BY STEP THROUGH HIS 100 DAY PROGRAM - 3 MONTHS TO CREATE A SOLID BASIS OF TAI CHI. I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF ACTUALLY WORKING WITH JOHN KONG AND TRAINING FROM HIS BOOK. IN MY OPINION - A MANUAL OF TRAINING AT THIS LEVEL IS A RARE FIND. SOME OF THE BEST MARTIAL ARTS MASTERS OF KUNG FU AND KARATE IN THE NIAGARA REGION OF CANADA TRAIN AND HAVE TRAINED WITH JOHN KONG.

George Mariscal has done a wonderful job collecting information by Chicano and Chicana writers -- both Vietnam veterans, and anti-war activists -- who share emotions, insights, and experiences about the Chicano community's involvement in the war. So little has been written about the Vietnam war and the Chicano(a) experience. As a community college teacher, I assigned my own book, Shifting Loyalties, to the class. Shifting Loyalties also deals with Chicanos in Vietnam. I remember a Vietnamese student saying, "I didn't know there were Mexicans fighting in Vietnam." His statement reminded me how sad it is that the Chicano community has given so much for this country, including the lives of our men and women, and still, there is relatively little recognition for our efforts. George Mariscal's book does much to remedy this situation. He has compiled a strong representation of poetry, short stories, interviews, and essays. His own narrative moves the work along in a way that makes the entire book act as if it were one piece. Any teachers, students, or persons interested in the Vietnam war from an entirely new and fresh perspective must buy this book.