literature

This is the book to buy for little kids of all ages. The story is so sweet, the words so engaging, the illustrations and the colors so vivid and soothing at the same time. I'm delivering yet another copy to the smartest three-year-old I know in just a little while, and I can already imagine Nick holding this book and reading it to one of his kids. It's a classic, it's a work of art, it's a very wonderful teaching tool, but, best of all, it's got heart, and what more can you hope to show kids? Take a bow, Kel.

"I Bought a Baby Chicken" is a cute story and a subtle counting book. During a family trip to the general store, the narrator sees a little chick and decides to buy it. Her sister picks up two black chicks, her dad likes three striped ones, and before you know it, the whole family - cousins, grandparents, great-grandparents - has gone cuckoo for chickens. "I guess my family's lucky that I didn't want a cow," concludes the narrator, who'd better hope her family doesn't suddenly develop a hankering for friend chicken or buffalo wings. Karen Stormer Brooks' google-eyed illustrations are as silly as the story. (by Claire Martin).

This little counting book in charming verse by Kelly Milner Halls is exactly the sort of thing to brighten up a child's day or your own. Kelly gives the little story gentle excitement which will stimulate a child and charm an adult. It is the kind of little morsel I would want to grace a coffee table forever. I also thought the illustrations unusual and darling.

Many will ask just what can one do with a counting book, but Kelly has managed to do something new while staying within comfortable and familiar bounds.

These are great books for distracting our pediatric patients (and parents!) during procedures/tests.

Great for all ages. This set of books is very good for testing your eyes. You will have tons of fun with these books. Families love these books.

Unless your memory is photographic, you will find it challenging to find the things described in these rhyming riddles to be a brand new each time you open this. Pretty soon, the items in the puzzle all look alike. Growing a little weary of looking, you eventually call out for help, which makes these a great family time. Funny but the older the person the more frustration they seem to have. My children's grandfather still gets so amazed with these then he gives up and says " its not on there...I looked " then the three year old will spot that same object he was looking for. The I Spy Fantasy has the most unbelievable pictures. There are also extra credit riddles in the back of the book so these books never get old. My family owns each one and these are truly our favorite!

Cuddling Teddy Roosevelt is kinda strange...but cuddling a soft bear is better. Who would've known that the teddy bear was named after a president!
In this children's picture book, children will be amazed that they know a bit of history after they read this beautifully written/illustrated book.
~Erin
Age 11

This book appeals to all teddy bear lovers- young and old! It is a great way to share history with children. My kindergarten class throughly enjoyed it cover to cover! A must for anyone who ever had / or has a teddy bear!!

I didn't read the book. I gave it as a birthday gift to my niece who is a teddy bear enthusiast. The rating I gave was based upon her overwhelming response to the book.

She was so taken with the story that she excitedly wrote a letter to the author. To his credit, the author responded with a handwritten letter that, along with the book, became a show-and-tell project for her 2nd grade class. She talks about the whole thing with stars in her eyes. It's truly priceless.

I give 5 stars to both the book and the author.

Reading Campbells' work can indeed be an enlightening experience and "The Inner Reaches of Outer Space" is no exception...mostly. The book however strays dangerously close to the "New Age" in several places. In an early chapter he presents Kants' idea of a priori knowlage as proven fact (it is far from proven). In another chapter he lapses into a discussion that sounds suspiciously like numerology (Mr. Campbell, someone as smart as you should know that there is no connection between the number of bumps on a golf ball and hindu mythology.) These minor flaws aside, it is a brilliant book and a great summation of Campbells work.

In THE INNER REACHES OF OUTER SPACE Joseph Campbell repeats some of the familiar observations of his earlier works in which he shows how certain mythic motifs can be found buried in all of the world's religious traditions. The similarities may not be easily recognized because the same motifs are usually understood and developed in different ways because of cultural differences. These repetitive motifs are called elementary ideas and in the local forms where they appear in various religions they are known as ethnic or folk ideas. As examples of elementary ideas Campbell offers the concepts of the Promised Land and the Virgin Birth. In writing about the similarities of symbols found in ancient civilizations, Campbell mentions discoveries among such diverse societies as those that existed in the Indus Valley, Mesopotamia, Egypt, China and Ireland.

Because of the great advances in learning which have become accelerated and dramatized by space exploration, Campbell points out that our old gods are either already dead or dying. The big question now is what new mythology will emerge from a modern understanding of a unified planet amidst a vast universe.

The creation of any new mythology will certainly depend in part on the contributions of art because artists will be the ones who will produce the images of the future. Those images will come from our knowledge of a constantly changing and expanding universe. Campbell writes about the connection between art and mythology with conviction, no doubt due to the long-standing influence of his wife, Jean Erdman, a well-known dancer and choreographer.

The most remarkable feature evident in THE INNER REACHES OF OUTER SPACE is the breadth and depth of the author's knowledge and understanding of mythology. Joseph Campbell led an enviable life driven by a singular passion and his writings are the best reflection of that life.

THE INNER REACHES OF OUTER SPACE is one of the books being published by The Joseph Campbell Foundation as part of THE COLLECTED WORKS OF JOSEPH CAMPBELL. I agree with another reviewer that it makes sense to first read THOU ART THAT which is an earlier volume in this series.

Any book by Campbell will usually be loaded with insights. In THE INNER REACHES OF OUTER SPACE one of my favorite chapters deals partially with a discussion of the Infinite and in this segment the author's extensive knowledge of Eastern religions and mythology is most apparent.

After reading this book it is even easier than before to appreciate why Joseph Campbell has managed to acquire such a devoted following.

Good translations are always hard to find. Yu's Journey to the West is a fantastic version of the Chinese classic. The flavor of Chinese seems to be preserved (I don't know Chinese well enough to say for sure) without sacraficing modern English clarity. I bought only Volume 1 first, to see if I would like it, and I blasted through it; I'm in the middle of Volume 3, with Volume 4 waiting on my bookshelf.

This is a very great story, not just this volume, I really recommend these books to be read by anyone it has everything that a great -great story need.
Prepare yourself for a great journey...read the story.

_Journey to the West_ is, almost more than anything else, a hilarious read. The adventures of Handsome Monkey King, which dominate this volume, are witty and engrossing. Much better than many historical epics, in which everybody is just so darn EARNEST, this book inserts wit and a genuine (and gentle) understanding of human nature into an engrossing, and often deadly serious and menacing storyline. Yu's translation is clear and lucid, and supports the action very nicely. So many Asian epics are muddled (well, massacred, really) in translation that Yu's gifts are a breath of fresh air.

I highly and enthusiastically recommend _Journey to the West_ to...well...everybody.

Could you ever imagine a gorilla having a pet cat? In the book Koko's Kitten by Dr. Francine Patterson, there is a gorilla named Koko and she has a pet cat. In the book, Koko learned over 500 words of sign language. I never knew that a gorilla could learn sign language. This is a really interesting non-fiction book. Will Koko be a good pet owner? Read and find out!

The story of Koko, the gorilla who knows sign language, and her kitten, Ball, is told by Penny Patterson, her owner and mentor. Koko loved books about cats, and one day, she got a little gray, tailess kitten of her own. Koko named the kitty All Ball. There are wonderful photos of Koko cuddling and playing with Ball. Looking at them, it's easy to see that humans don't have a monopoly on love. A sad part leads to a happy ending for the wonderful Koko, who is now 31 years old. This book is especially recommended for anyone learning sign language!

I loved this book as a child, and now, as a first year teacher, i plan to use this book in my classroom. The book is informative and sweet, and the pictures are adorable.

Womack's writing is incredibly similiar to Kurt Vonnegut Jr., but unlike Vonnegut, he is able to change the written voice seemlessly. The novel itself doesn't resemble Russian literature, or more accurately it doesn't resemble Russian literature that has been translated into English. Any Lit major will tell you that the majority of Russian novels translated do no justice for the writing. However, Womack's voice is believable without the trite and cliche signifiers American writers use to create a post-Communist scenario.

Although the writing style is far off, the character stylization and interaction is very similiar to Irvine Welsh. Each character symbolizes a much greater question in the protaganist's purpose as opposed to representing a well-rounded life simply interacting as is typical of Western existentialism. The subtle traits of the charcters draw the reader in through introspective comparison in an understated technique that is really what makes this style so enjoyable to read.

Jack Womack returns to the present in his sly, humorous tale set in contemporary Russia. Only a writer of Womack's prodigious literary gifts could pull off a great novel about Russia that isn't written by a native. He's done an excellent job examining both the business and political elites of Boris Yeltsin's Russia; every word sounds as though it could be written by a distinguished Russian author. His dense, descriptive prose runs wild through this well written tale of business intrigue and corruption, taking us on a mesmerizing literary joy ride laced with ample doses of black humor. At times I found the passages so funny that I nearly fell out of my chair laughing. "Let's Put The Future Behind Us" is yet another excellent novel by this underrated writer; one who deserves a broad readership beyond science fiction fandom.

Snappy prose, well-paced narrative, sharp humor (a few actual 'I-laughed-out-loud-while-reading' sequences).

I think the book really caught a unique time and place in russia's history. The book would have a more topical impact to the reader of 1996-97 but it is still a great read from a talented writer.

I teach a course in elementary reading methods for undergraduate education students. This is the third textbook I've tried, and it is excellent! It has what students need to know about the theory and practice of teaching reading, written in a very readable, non-overwhelming way. Plus it has lots of practical teaching ideas. Our lab school saw it and ordered several copies for its teachers also. I highly recommend it.

I was first introduced to this book in one of my graduate literacy courses and I have been hooked every since. The teachers at my school pass it around constantly looking for ideas. My favorite aspect of this boks is the fact that there are real teachers giving real examples of what works in their classrooms. There are no strategies that seem too hard implement in your classroom, because the layout is right there!! You know it can be done and it words because the examples in the book are proof! You don't feel like you are reading about some ideal or Utopia of a classroom. You are reading about REAL classrooms. I absolutely love it!

This is an excellent resource. It is concise and contains a wealth of information. I teach second grade and am working on a Master's degree in literacy. I am finding this book to be invaluable. Much of the information is sorted into charts for easy referencing. So many of the books I have read lately seem to ramble on and on. This book makes it's point and moves on to other salient information. I get rid of so many of the professional books I purchase after I read them. This one is a keeper. It is very pertinent to the current trend in improving the literacy of our children.

Just Like Martin, I found at a bookstore when I was traveling in
Maryland. Not thinking I was down to my last few dollars I bought it. I was very disapointed until I started reading it. This book taught me to never give up and know I keep on reading it over and over. 2 big thumbs up!!!

JUST LIKE MARTIN ...

The author is ossie Davis. The boy who is the main character is named stone. He is a African American who is trying to be non violent like Dr. Martin Luther king Jr. the story took place in the late 60's. it took place in the south. In the beginning of the story a boy named Stone he wants to go to a trip with his church class to Washington dc. He could not go because his dad Ike stone did not believe in nonviolence. Stone did not get to go to washing ton so he watched the march on Washington on television. After the march on Washington things did not get much better you should read Just Like martin and find out all that happens. I liked this book because it had real events and important people to the black culture

Just Like Martin
By: Ossie Davis

What do you get when you take out the d, I, s, c, r, I, m, I, n and put in an H before the a? You get hate! Have you e ver been discriminated before? I think everyone has been in some way. African Americans have tried their best to stop it. They seldom did anything and they were just beaten to death from people like the K.K.K.'s. People like Martin Luther King Jr. who tried to stand up for what they had believed in. I learned in the book, a reverend of the local church has been organizing a peace march with server al other church organizations, and they had members from their church ridge private busses to Washington to march. They wanted the white people to know that there was no reason for them to be treated like this. One of the fathers in the story went to war with the reverend to defend The United States of America. They were at war with Korea. Since the war, the father has been very disturbed. He now carries a gun in his glove compartment of his pick-up truck. IN December when Dr. King held a service he had asked that the people in the service sing a "Negro Spiritual" ...
I though the book was great. It gave me a taste of what it was like to live back then if I were black. IT made me really think if I were black, would I want someone to do things like hang me, throw rocks at me, shoot high pressured water at me? I though for a while, why is different bad, but I sti9ll don't understand why because people of all different races, shapes, sizes are discriminated all the time. ...

I appreciated the depth Sass's scholarly analysis of both the artistic, and sociopolitical associations with "schizophrenic thought". What I don't understand is how he flatly forgets that Western psychiatry is in itself a culturally-constructed phenomenon. It has only existed for less than two hundred years, which is a very short time in the history of humankind, and the history of artistic production. Psychiatry has its own language, terminology, system of determining "truth"---which is particular to itself, and not shared by all cultures, throughout all time. He embraces its "inherent truth" in all of his chapter titles which refer to psychiatric analyses of behavior, and in his neurobiological discussions as well. His interesting cross- cultural analysis of tribal societies begins to point out some of the gaps: the non-universality of psychiatric world-views...but he misses the chance to further explore it. Thousands of societies have cultural, spiritual and artistic traditions which involve a cyclic and transitory notion of time and spatial parameters. Millions of people within today's "crazy culture" throughout the world, myself included, choose to defend our right to think, communicate, and express our art as a distinct, legitimate culture. We are met, in response, with the language of psychiatry...which advocates that we be forcibly locked up, drugged, electrocuted, ice-picked and restrained, and brainwashed by medical professionals into believing our truths are false. These are tremendous civil-rights issues that stem directly from psychiatric philosophy. In this book, which I was originally excited to read, I find Sass has simply further "mystified" us into an anthropological freak show. He truly had an opportunity to advocate on our behalf, and missed it. For those interested, I highly reccommed the classic works of Dr. Thomas Szaz, and modern crazy culture authors, such as Irit Shimrat, Shiela Gilhooley and Persimmon Blackridge. Psychiatric insiders argue that we are NOT victims, delusional, or ill...and that our art is not "symptomatic" of disease. We are simply a culture....one of many, on a richly diverse planet.

While growing up I had several friends, and acquaintances, who were diagnosed as having schizoid personalities. I was curious, so I read several books on the subject and this is the only one that actually seemed to line it's theories up with what I knew from personal experience. Namely, that these were people who were hyperconscious. He did well in explaining how this could create distortions in viewpoint rather than enhancements. A few of my friends were even fans of the artists and philosophers referenced in the book as examples. His references to Foucault, his theory of the panopticon, and the empirical and transcendental doublet were also very insightful in explaining his theory.

Dr. Sass's thesis - regarding some aspects of schizophrenia being 'super-normal' as opposed to the conventional view that schizophrenia is a completely degenerative disorder - deserves to be made in a more compelling and direct way than is done in this book. It seems to me this important point is diluted with scattered digressions and marginalia, however interesting. I hope the core ideas in his thesis will be revived and seriously researched at some point, as they certainly deserve to be.