Short Stories Books

The variety of worlds and realities written about in contemporary fiction are often exciting, extraordinary, and out of this world. Pages in today's fiction share a common theme, portraying and spurring on characters that are larger than life, characters that are out of this world. As readers we follow the story from chapter to chapter with the anticipation and realization of how every instance of drama is continued or concluded. We gnaw our own knuckles hoping true love is created, or dispersed. Sometimes it's true evil we watch out for, sometimes goodness or wholesomeness. Often it seems like it is the writer's job and duty to create super-real scenarios that the writer's audience can munch on. Readers often begin to represent hyenas munching on the flesh and bone of a prey-like book. We eat words rarely understanding our addiction to action and drama that is blown out of proportion to everyday life. Yet this is not so with Ted Delaney's The Drowning and Other Stories.
In this collection of short stories, Delaney reminds us of the real world. The real world is the world that is slower, quieter, humbler, and grimmer. The real world is most often about day-by-day existence where the smallest, most taken-for granted things are often the most important. Delaney is able to present the life inside his stories with an alternative, far less glamorous style. Delaney fortunately does not appear to be pushing buttons in response to mainstream literature, nor is he trying to be boring or dull. He is instead attempting to present the style of the ultimate realist writer by portraying life through an objective lens. The lens hovering above the people in Delaney's stories is a lens that bellows like a fog horn. It is a call to the reader, heralding desensitization. Delaney's work, however, comes with the cost of dragging the reader excitedly into his work.
Objectification should not come as a surprise when regarding Delaney's work. Having written for innumerous newspapers and magazines, Delaney carries the true spirit of the journalist. Some journalists focus on sensationalism, but Delaney carries a stern, matter-of-fact voice. Delaney's voice cuts deep into the fleshy substance that makes up reality. He has taken his background as a journalist and transferred it, philosophically and artistically, into his stories of fiction.
Unlike the boxed-in assignments of the reporter, Delaney is contrastingly able to choose the characters and environments in his stories. At first glance it is easy to call the freedom of choice in Delaney's stories merely a form of idealization; however, Delaney never lets his journalist guard down. The world or worlds his characters live in are not filled with explosions or first kisses. Delaney keeps his characters confined. Each foot of each character is masterfully restricted and forced to follow the rules and regulations--the narrative laws--of the world in which they live. Often this technique results in stories that are dark and anti-climactic. Often Delaney's stories are not capable of producing the typical form of enjoyment that most fiction is able to evoke from within the reader.
In "A Visit to My Uncle," the protagonist Mark struggles to try and find himself as part of an immediate, as well as extended, family that is both economically poor and socially disconnected. Mark wants to go to medical school and his parents cannot afford to send him, so Mark ends up visiting his rich lawyer uncle, who the family has not had contact with for some time, in an attempt to ask for help. The uncle does not agree to give Mark money on the grounds that Mark will not study law. The story results in disappointment that is hardly satisfying for the reader, yet all the while the story does not overhype the hard instances of reality.
But Delaney is not only about being a naturalistic or deterministic writer. "Notes Toward My Absolution" is a dark yet humorous look at the life of a man who is not morally capable of robbing convenience stores with guns that have bullets in them, and so his life as a criminal becomes a quirky roam through the life of the mediocre outsider. Delaney fascinatingly incorporates the theme of the comic social deviant throughout the story collection. The story "Conspiracy Blues" brings to the forefront Lyle, a man who enjoys a serious obsession with conspiracy theories, yet is unable to get over his own paranoia. "The Anchor and Me" is told from the point of view of an up-and-coming news anchor's significant other. The anchor tries desperately to be the best in her position, yet by holding herself up to the pedestal, she is unable to notice her own hubris lingering below, and fails in a fashion miserable and hysterical.
The pinnacle point in Delaney's book of stories is "Travels With Mr. Slush." This story is perhaps the most original and outstanding of all the stories, but at the same time it is also the most absurd. The protagonist only goes by "Mr. Slush," a young man who is on parole and has to work as a truck vendor travelling from street to street, neighborhood to neighborhood, selling ice slushy drinks. Even after the story's conflict and impending climax, the protagonist remains where he began: a truck vendor selling ice slushy drinks.
The cyclic monotony of everyday human existence is believable in Delaney's stories, but it is often overbearingly off-putting. While Delaney writes beautiful prose that describes environments and inhabitants accurately, he does not highlight, emphasize or blow up any aspect of each story. Many readers will find Delaney's style difficult to get a grip on or take a bit out of. But for those who are looking to read and experience the objective point of view on life that is relatable, believable, and seeable, the stories in this collection will succeed.

Received this book from a friend who loved it and thought I would also. She was absolutely right. The weird added bonus was that I soon realized that Mr. Delaney was my college creative writing professor over 12 years ago!

This is a review to look at:

From Publisher's Weekly - Publishers Weekly The credible, plainspeaking characters in Delaney's sure-footed first collection of nine stories--priests, drunks, conspiracy theorists, criminals--have taken wrong turns in the past that lend their present lives a sad irony. In "Travels with Mr. Slush," an ex-felon who drives a truck that sells crushed, flavored ice through urban neighborhoods suddenly finds himself the victim of crime when youths steal his car battery on the hottest day of the summer, melting his entire load. Yet the tale closes with a surprising, cautious optimism. In "O Beauty! O Truth!" a boy who ridicules his strict teachers foreshadows his shooting death years later by police officers as he leaves a crime scene. Characters usually find crucial life decisions made for them by forces beyond their control. The 17-year-old narrator of "A Visit to My Uncle" travels to New York to ask his rich, estranged relative for money for medical school; he is nonplused when his uncle (a lawyer) offers to pay his way, but only under manipulative conditions. The standout title story tells of a tormented former priest who suddenly emigrates in middle age from Ireland to America. His new life includes a new vocation as hod carrier and a new name, an act born of panicked necessity after he disposes of the dead body of a possible traitor, a constable in the RIC, in a lake. In the less dramatic pieces, Delaney wisely lets a poignant situation tell its own story. In "The Anchor and Me," a mild-tempered husband is unable to say whether he feels jealous or proud of his anchorwoman spouse's driven, successful life and career; the antihero of "Notes Toward My Absolution" robs convenience stores with an unloaded gun. Delaney's measured pace imparts a grace to his tales, which at their best are reminiscent of Cheever or Updike's grittiest efforts. Few words are wasted in this quietly triumphant collection. (Oct.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Some of our best writers honed their craft in the belly of newspapers. Ted Delaney numbers among those. I have followed the work of Mr. Delaney since his days as a reporter for the Denver Post and then as a columnist for the newspaper in Colorado Springs. In 1990, he left daily journalism to teach college journalism near his hometown of Fall River, Mass. In the ensuing years, he has had great success in placing his fiction in famous magazines and in small literary quarterlies. Finally, we have them all in one place. One of the things I like most about Mr. Delaney is that his fiction is never about some angst-ridden writer looking for success or meaning. If you were to guess his occupation from his writing, you might guess he was a blue-collar narrator. That's because Mr. Delaney has lived life beyond his belly button, contemplating what it means to be a person, to really live. The son of a medical doctor, Mr. Delaney once dreamed of anthropology as a profession. As a writer, he has become that. He shows us what makes us work; in his work, we see ourselves or someone we know. We have been the places, emotionally, at least, his characters have been. His title story, The Drowning, which was an O'Henry award winner as well as Best Short Story winner, is worth the price of the book. Mr. Delaney is only beginning. Watch for more of this talented writer's work. Read him now so that you can say you knew of him before everyone else. It'll be a boast you'll love to make at your reading club.

These stories really touched a chord... quiet but very moving

This is an excellent book for teenagers interested in science fiction and fantasy. Each story is an excellent contribution by a talented teenage author. This project is also unique in that it is truly interactive and allows authors and artists under 18 the rare opportunity to become published professionally and paid for their work.

I recommend it to any fan of fantasy and all aspiring authors.

Druidawn is my dream come true! There is a serious lack of good science fiction and fantasy for teens out there, and I am very glad that I found this book! When I read it, the world of Druidawn comes to life before my eyes. I love all the different characters and landscapes that this book has. Plus, I have a dream of following in the authors' examples and someday trying my hand at writing a story for Druidawn. I can't wait for the next volume to come out. Plus, I love talking with the authors and finding out more details that weren't all in the book at Druidawn.com. I am so very glad that I stumbled across Druidawn!!!

This book is amazing! I think it's awesome how young writers finally have an outlet, other than on the web. It's unlike anything anyone has ever done before, and it's really good! For example, I've read some collected things from teens, like poetry, that's really bad, but Druidawn is great! I hope there's more to come!!!!

This book is so amazing. It's filled with stories of all different kinds, with one unifying thread. Teenagers wrote them. So much creativity was put into this book, and simply by leafing through it you can see that.

The stories range from humorous to exciting tales of action.

But this book is also amazing in how unique it is. Unlike other young adult books, this one is interactive. It is not a one-ended story leaving kids to wait for more of the plot without any say - it is this books nature to encourage its readers to write their own stories, and send them in.

It's a wonderful, wonderful thing.

I am amazed at the talent of these individuals. What I especially enjoyed was seeing that the editors and publishers kept the kids artwork and ideas; this is rare.
I think any young adult to even us older kids would enjoy this book. I hope it will be the first of many that this group of talented children produce. Way to GO!!

A true TESTIMONIAL to Mr. Freedman's talent as a writer and wry observer of all makes up today's world ... for all of you who have been waiting for the successor to the Algonquin writers, I have one thing to say: "DINNER is served!"

Very funny indeed. Elated by details kept me up late several nights snickering until my wife hit me with a pillow. Highly recommended.

I recently picked this book up and only put it down because I was late for work. Freedman's fresh, wise, and witty stories are simultaneously dark and delightful. I highly recommend Elated by Details and look forward to the author's future work.

Elated By Details is the debut collection of award winning short stories by Adam Freedman. Combining sharp-witted satire, word play with a twist, and cast of dysfunctional characters speeding to their self-determined dark fates, Elated By Details reads in a deliciously extravagant and indulgent manner, luring one in for more despite the compelling grip of self-destructive human nature that so prevades the tongue-in-cheek tales. An engrossing cavalcade of human drama leaving the reader hungry for more.

This is a winning and witty debut collection of short stories, told with great humor and finesse. Collectively, these stories also present a portrait of New York as magical as any in recent literary memory. Bravo!

This is one of the better children's books my kids have read. Just right for my 7-year old who likes to read, but needs something great to get all the way through a book without being prodded. Very fun.

I absolutely loved the Encyclopedia Brown Series growing up. I read and reread them so much people called me Encyclopedia Jones. Actually, I did get pretty good at helping people find things. Too bad I didn't charge 25 cents!
This book, like all of Donald J. Sobol's Encyclopedia Brown books, makes you think, and pay attention, but each case is lots of fun. Leroy Brown, son of the chief of police, is the only boy detective in Idaville. He is so good at solving problems, locating missing items, and investigating crimes, that he starts his own detective agency.
Each book in the series has about ten cases. All of the clues needed to solve the case are provided in the story. The answers are in the back of the book. But what fun is it to peak at the answers?
I hope that any one reading, the Case of the Secret Pitch, one of my favorites, is sure to enjoy it, even if, like me, you need a little help from the answer pages.

This is a good book.The cases are about a secret pitch,a balloon man accused of kidnapping,a cowboy that's ambushed,stolen gold,a hitchhiker who is a witness to a holdup gang,a boy poet who gets in a fight,a boy who gets shot by an air gun,a stolen penknife named Excalibur,a man who gts tricked out of his violin by a glass of ginger ale,and a stolen bike.

Leroy's back! Ten all new cases! He still solves them for his dad(chief of police)and has his own detective agency. This is good for kids my age since it really gets your brain thinking. This is the second book in the series and it's just like the first one except there's different cases.

I liked this and recommend this for anyone who:

1.likes Mysteries or
2.is ten years old

If you read this book then you will like it too!

Encyclopedia Brown is a 5th grade boy who solves puzzles, crimes and mysteries as easily and as unconsciously as breathing.

Each book is a series of short mysteries (5-10 pages each) ending with a question - usually "how did Encyclopedia know that X was responsible for the crime". The answer to each mystery is at the back of the book. Solving the mystery takes no special knowledge, but it does require paying attention to detail. Don't turn to the answer too fast.

This book is the second in the series, but the books do not have to be read in order. I loved the Encyclopedia Brown books when I was growing up. I am reading them again before I give them to my nephew who I hope will enjoy them as I did.

Adults who like this series may also enjoy the Lateral Thinking Puzzles books.

This incredible book for me is a totally new
way of illustrating a fairy tale.
The description of this fantasy world using
postcards is innovative and very interesting.
I strongly suggest this book to all the
art lovers.

As an artist of middle age, I sometimes think of my art as good and my growth as complete... that is, until I look at work like this.

Suddenly I feel like a beginner again, with nothing to do but learn and get better at my art. Mr. Scheurer teaches this teacher how to teach better, just by the inspirational settings he creates and the drawings he does from deep in his imagination. There is a whole world residing in him that is too fanciful to describe. He is my new favorite artist.

Even though this book, at first glance, appears to be an art book, there is a very charming story woven into the "stamp" descriptions, as well. Each page features an illustration of a stamp from the imaginary realm of "Entropia" and a description of the event or history the stamp is commemorating. I read this book in two sittings, only because I had an appointment to keep that tore me away from such a beautiful book. Once finished, this book left me with a strong desire to read and see more of Christian Lorenz Scheurer's "Entropia".

Christian is one of my favorite artist. This new book is full of great stories and wonderful pictures! It's great for all ages.

Bought this book as a gift for a friend but then ended up keeping it for myself.
The fantastic story and beautiful illustrations felt like a mix between Nick Bartock's Griffin and Sabine and Miyazaki's Spirited Away.
This is most inspiring fantasy book I read this year!:)

Why do I like this so much? Maybe because it is a classic? Hard to say why, just really enjoy how that is done, the cast of hunters, etc. It is the one I have multiple versions of, including a hardback annotated, so that certainly says something. The style, told in letters and journals to large degree just seems to work for some reason, when it can be horrible elsewhere. Highly recommended.

Apart from that, the Essential Dracula has annotations and notes for each page, which are quite interesting. If you just want to concentrate on the novel, you may find this setup distracting, so try a plain version just for that.

Tells how about a Dracula walking tour in London, and other fun things.

Loved the Stoker's two-dozen spectacular line drawings and some interesting background on Bram and the legends of his subject!
 

"The Essential Dracula" is the latest edition of "Dracula" to be annotated with copious footnotes by renowned "Dracula" scholar Leonard Wolf. In 1975, Wolf published the first thoroughly annotated edition of the novel, called, appropriately, "The Annotated Dracula". "The Essential Dracula" has retained and augmented the thousands of comments and explanations offered in that book, but lacks "The Annotated Dracula"'s more than 100 illustrations, most notably full-page artwork by the artist Sätty. Instead, the artwork of Christopher Bing introduces each chapter in "The Essential Dracula". There are also small illustrations scattered throughout, but "The Essential Dracula"'s illustrations are more decoration than material. Don't be misled by the blurb from Ingram on the back cover that oddly refers to the 1975 edition's "100 photos, maps, and drawings", not to this edition. Comments on "Dracula" by 19 writers and artists are an interesting addition between the chapters. Leonard Wolf or his publisher have perfectly chosen a handsome, modern, black and red cover to announce this novel's arrival in the 21st century.

Leonard Wolf's copious footnotes provide the reader with an ongoing lesson in social history. He addresses every imaginable allusion in the text, sometimes with short essays. The notes are more elaborate and cover a broader variety of subjects than the footnotes in the Norton Critical Edition of "Dracula". Some intriguing notes include: recipes for the Romanian dishes on which Jonathan Harker dines, population demographics for Transylvania in the late 19th century, translations of old Mr. Swales' dialect, explanations of Victorian figures of speech, and the particulars of Victorian typewriters that Mina employs so frequently. Leonard Wolf's annotations are blessing to "Dracula" fans. My only reservation about them is that the notes in "The Essential Dracula" cannot be easily read. Unlike its predecessor "The Annotated Dracula", which placed its sizable notes in the margins, "The Essential Dracula"'s notes are truly footnotes. They are written in a miniscule font at the bottom of the pages. One cannot simply peruse the notes, as I so enjoy with "The Annotated Dracula". It is too difficult to determine what text is being referenced. So you really do have to read these notes as you read the novel, which I find impractical and not as enjoyable as studying them later.

"The Essential Dracula" offers 3 Appendices. Appendix A is the legendary and entirely superfluous deleted first chapter of "Dracula", entitled "Dracula's Guest". Appendix B provides a selected Dracula filmography and a list of notable theatrical dramatizations. The filmography includes title, alternative title, director, studio, country, and leading performers for 71 Dracula films, 1920-1992, that feature Count Dracula but are not necessarily based on Bram Stoker's novel. Appendix C is a bibliography.

This book is an amazing classic full of romance, suspense, and horror. Everybody from 11 to 111 should read this awesome classic! Take my word for it,after you start this book, you won't be able to put it down(litterally!).

This is far and away the best edition of the original novel you could read. In addition all it's footnotes and explanations provide a trail for any curious reader to explore for just about any particular aspect of the novel. From legends of Vampires, historical facts of Vlad Dracul III, all the way to obscure but curious details of the lendary Scholomance School Of Magic taught by the Devil himself!

I bought two of this item. My step mother wanted to find this storybook for a long time friend. So one for my stepmom and one for her friend. Both books arrived in first class condition and the subject matter was exactly what was wanted. Worth the price and I'm thankful that such literature is still printed. I was surprised to find the story was about early Nove Scotia and it's people.

I have a passion for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's lyrical lines of Evangeline. Therefore, I was uneasy in the purchase of Evangeline, A Novel. I shouldn't have been. Finis Fox's insight into the lives, loves and losses of the Acadians is remarkable. He adds to the story lines rather than detracting from them. His words are at once romantic and colorful, lulling you into passive reflection. The emotions are all there, the joy, the pain and the suffering. He does not stray far from Longfellow's poem, using the same names of people and places. It is a story worth reading! It would be worth the price if it were twice as much. I wish it could have been longer, but in staying true to Longfellow, the story moved much the same as did the poem. If you loved Evangeline, you will love this novel as much or maybe more!

Evangeline is Longfellow's masterpiece. The poem begins with
the famous "forest primeval" . The reader is taken to the home
of the Acadian farmers and the famous village reminescent
of a variety of tradespeople. The work describes whole
communities dispersed and separated from the homeland in the
mid-1700s. Evangeline and Gabriel flee home and experience
the pain of separation despite the fact that Gabriel seems to
keep a step ahead during a major part of the story. The work
attests to the beauty and strength of a woman's devotion.
In many ways, our fate and destiny tend to be random events which are out of our immediate control. This work traces the
fate of important characters living in a state of uncontrolled
flux and uncertainty . Readers of the poem will discover
how the story unfolds and the difficult choices presented
at various stages of Longfellow's journey. The work is
written utilizing an advanced vocabulary typical of the
writers during this period .

I heard about this book from my mom a few weeks ago after I went to see the movie Serendipity. I told her about the plot of the two people in love searching for one another and just missing every time. She said it reminded her of another story, Evangeline. Since i attend an engineering school I am always very eager to read books with real meaning behind them, given that all my textbooks focus on is wastewater treatment, biological processes, etc... So given that I wasn't really expecting too much but a relief from textbooks when I picked up this book. Little did I know it was soon to become one of my favorites. I was pleasantly surprised by the Christian influences behind the poem and found myself crying a lot more than I expected. I highly recommend this to anyone who has a great appreciation for well written, romantic poetry and literature.

After more than half a century, I remembered still the sonorous rhythms of the prelude to Evangeline. Much has changed since I first read the tale of Arcadian innocence torn apart on order of the heartless King, and Longfellow and his poetry have fallen on hard times and harder hearts in the interim

His allusions and images are strained; his words pathetically romantic and sentimental; and the story of Evangeline barely tracks the actual events of 1755. All of the charges are true, yet much of value remains in the poem. The poet recognized instantly a crime against humanity when he first heard the tale, and he had the talent, drive, and fortitude to create this vehicle to memorialize the sad story of star crossed lovers, families, and communities divided and exiled from their adored homeland.

That a heart could be committed to a lifetime of wandering in search of a lost love seems archaic to the sophisticates of the twenty-first century, but I believe it possible, even today.

I read the poem - aloud and silently - and the beat of the accents, like operatic arias, added to the the sorrow of the sentimental story. I recommend this poem to parents who love to read aloud to their children. I'm sure that Evangeline and her beloved Gabriel have the power still to stir the hearts of the young - and of the readers, too.

A very useful notes section offsets an overly wordy foreword. I found it easy to find and reference words and phrases no longer in common use.

Read it aloud to your early adolescent sons and daughters and to your love. You'll be happy you did.

This book is awesome. The stories are engrossing and the characters engaging. Unexpected connections and twists make this an intellectual minefield. I highly recommend this book and any work that follows to anyone who enjoys a complex, richly written story!

Wow I love these stories!!! I can't wait for the next volume!

This book is just amazing, I couldn't put it down. I tend to read a lot of the same types of books and don't go outside that very often and I'm very glad I did with this one. I'm eagerly awaiting the other books in the series.

I could not put Everything In It's Right Place down once I began to read it.
I devoured this book within a day, and suddenly I feel that I need to read it all over again just to absorb it more fully.

I cannot wait for the other two books, I hope that the author never stops writing he is a fabulous author. It is very rare to find a book that completely draws a reader into the stories. Especially when one reads the book and can almost visualize the scenes as one is reading them. Stephen has a fantastic way of allowing the reader to imagine it in their own way, while still allowing how he might see it to come through.

I have not been sucked into a fictional universe like this in a very long time, and this is just Volume 1! The characters are believeable and the stories are very engrossing. I'm amazed at how things are seamlessly and subtly interwoven. I constantly found myself turning back and flipping forward again to make connections. The details are obviously very carefully thought out and planned so as not to contradict themselves. I am anxiously awaiting further volumes. :)

Three rather adventurous frogs find an egg. Is it a chicken egg? Is it, as they first think, a pebble? Well no, it is an alligater egg. this is a wonderful little tale right out of the swamp. The simple illustrations fit quite well with the story line and are quite eye catching. Kids seem to love this one and even like it read to the over and over and over again. The story does bring home the good lesson that is is just fine to be different, as the three frog find. This is one of those books that is nice to have in your book stack for something quick to read or for a quick bed time read for the little one. Like all of Leo Lionni's work, the quality is high, the story good and the art work interesting. It would be hard to go wrong with this one.

Jessica declares they've discovered a chicken egg. She helps the youngster find her mother and Jessica is astonished when the mother calls her baby an alligator. Simply loveable and laughable. An excellent read-aloud. See Lionni's imagery of Rodin's Thinker when Jessica visits her quiet place.

I always love to find a story that teaches important lessons with plenty of fun and humor. Jessica the frog and her friends are certain that the egg Jessica found one day is a chicken egg. One day, the egg hatches, and the "chicken" is born...a long, scaly green creature who crawls out searching for the water.

Despite the frogs' misinformation and their obvious differences, Jessica and the "chicken" become great friends. When they discover the chicken's mother at last, the frogs think it is the funniest thing in the world that she refers to her baby as an "alligator."

Both my 2 year old and 4 year old appreciate the humor in this story. I was worried that my 2-yr. old might become confused, but she just laughed and said, "Alligator, Mommy. No chicken!" This is a wonderful book for learning about friendship despite differences. It was also a nice introduction to alligators, including the fact that they hatch from eggs!

"An Extraordinary Egg" is a beginning reader picture book about three sister frogs that live on an island. One of the frogs, Jessica, finds an egg in some stones and brings it home. The three sister frogs believe it is a chicken egg, even though none of them has ever seen a chicken. The egg hatches, and it is an alligator but the frogs still think it is a chicken. They all become good friends, and "the chicken" even saves Jessica's life one day when she falls into the water. Soon though, the chicken's mother and the "chicken" are fatefully reunited. Jessica goes back and tells her sisters that it was very funny that the chicken's mother should call it "my sweet alligator." After all, their chicken couldn't have been an alligator!
I found this picture book by Leo Lionni particularly appropriate for children 4-5 years old, especially kindergarteners. I absolutely loved this humorous tale of three frogs who adopt an alligator they call "chicken" as their friend. Numerous lesson plans for teachers be drawn from its text, including concepts such as friendship, nature, and differences among animals. As part of my author study for World Literature for Children, I compiled a lesson plan about the many differences between chickens, frogs, and alligators. I had students make a chart listing the differences among each. They also explored new vocabulary, like the word "extraordinary," and each child was able to name something they thought was extraordinary. At the end of the lesson, students could write a follow-up story to "An Extraordinary Egg" and illustrate it with some of the same materials that Leo Lionni used to make the pictures for the book.
The illustrations in "An Extraordinary Egg" are nothing short of amazing and beautiful. With each turn of the page, a colorful double page spread is a feast for the eyes. Pen and ink, pastels, and collage were used to create the setting, three frogs, and the alligator. By doing this, Lionni creates a fun and entertaining world that kids won't hesitate to fall into. His illustrations match the age and reading level of the kids who will read the book because Jessica and her sisters are simply illustrated with materials and colors that four and five year olds like to see and use.
The overall quality of this book is outstanding. The text can certainly stand on its own without the illustrations, although the illustrations bring out a humorous element that is key to the storyline (i.e. the chicken is really an alligator). Both text and illustration complement each other in a way that makes the story funny and enjoyable. Other books by Leo Lionni that are similar to this one are: "Cornelius," "It's Mine!," and "Fish Is Fish." These have similar characters and themes (i.e. friendship) that go along with "An Extraordinary Egg." Ruth Heller also has a book called "Chickens Aren't The Only Ones: World of Nature Series" which is pictoral introduction to most animals that lay eggs.
In short, I think this book is a quality picture book, most appropriate for those who can't read yet or are beginning readers. You won't be disappointed with it, because it is simple, funny, beautifully illustrated, and has lessons about friendship and differences, especially qualities that make us unique. It also comes in a Big Book, so teachers can read it to their class without worrying if students can see or not.

It's that time of year again when many are looking forward to Easter and Easter Egg Hunts. But, what if someone found a really unusual egg, and to make it even more unique there's not a chicken inside but an alligator?

That's the proposition the irrepressible Leo Lionni puts forth in this delightful yarn about three frogs who find the surprise of their lives.

As always his illustrations capture the eye as his mind captures imaginations.

I love this book. I love it so much I also bought his other book (Folk Tales). After reading once, I do go back to it and read it over and over again. I highly reccommend it.

I found this title among my uncle's books after he died in 1995. I devoured it then, and have returned to it periodically since, and each time it's nourishing, the way great fairy tales and folklore should be (and not *at all* like a serving of Every-ending-is-a-happy-one-so-why-not-relax-and-enjoy-yourself Soup).

Some of the other reviewers have objected to the contemporary touches in the stories--the gym workouts, the condos, the penny loafers--finding them corny and inappropriate. I suppose this will eternally be a matter of debate, and, ultimately, taste. Some people love, or at least tolerate, finding brand names and pop culture references in their literature, and others abhor it.

I'm in the former camp. For one thing, I find it much too anti-populist to insist upon that kind of rigid separation of high and low culture.

In these tales specifically, I enjoyed the contemporary references because they brought home the message that fairy tales (and fables, and folklore, and wisdom literature of all kinds) are not just for "once upon a time," but for right now, and always.

For this reason, I think these renditions of traditional fairy tales can speak to everyone, not just to gay men, though of course I expect they'll find a special place in the hearts of gay readers.

These stories are comforting because they're normalizing, but some of the magic of the original folktales is diminished because the author feels compelled to bring in cliches of the gay world. Cliches such as S&M type characters, AIDS and various yuppie-lifestyle references (the gym, designer clothes ...etc). However, I would still suggest looking in to it because it offers a beginning of homosexuals themselves looking at themselves - as normal, just people in the world. I found about an equal proportion of the book tacky as I did touching, but it's a book I'm sure to revisit. A few of the stories had some thoughtful lessons to them.

The quiet power of these tales is as mystifying and timless as the originals from which they are spun. By recasting and reshaping both favorite and obscure fairy tales from our youth with gay themes, Peter Cashorali has given gay men the myths and legends on which empires are made. Queit, pensive, reflective, moral, funny, entertaining, sexy, thoughtful and just plain fun are the words I'd use to describe this collection. The 17 stories are easily read in one sitting (some only a page or two long), but are hard to forget. I chose to read one a night, right before bed. If you have a lover, reading them to one another makes for great bedtime stories. Each is begun with a simple line drawing that forshadows events to come. A nice design element is each of these drawings are picked up on the jacket cover. If you happen to not know the tale on which a particular story is based, it is refrenced on the bottom of each stories first page. This makes it really easy to find and read the original to see just how much Cashorali has reworked it. I espicially loved the range of gay life portrayed; from girly boys to butch boys, S&M, AIDS, aging, looking for lasting love and dealing with a loss, this book covers it all. And don't forget the manditory enchanted objects, talking animals, handsome princes, frogs, ogres and withces needed for any good fairy tale! All are included and no one feels left out.

Fairy tales give us a shared history, something to aspire to, and to learn from. Finally - finally gay men have their own! I can't recomend this book enough. We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to Cashorali. I'm sure the Brothers Grimm would be proud as well. Buy it and I'm sure you'll savor it's rich tales for years and years to come!

I'm glad to see that there's finally *fairy* tales out there for gay men. And, although I prefer the romance, being the starry-eyed dreamer that I am, it pleases me seeing tall aspects of life in these stories: love and loss, youth and aging, rags to riches, on and on...

The anachronisms like cars, gyms, office buildings, etc, made the stories sag a bit. It really took something away from that whimsical, fairy tale quality... but not too much to dampen the stories!

Turning "s*** into gold" in Rumpelstiltskin? I couldn't help smirking at that! I was expecting something other than hair in "Romaine"("Rapunzel"). And It's wonderful to see the gay male rise above adversity and find true love! I would so enjoy reading this to my prince charming!