Clubs Books

but encountering this book again after 35 years brings tears to my eyes.

(A note on the description: If you will examine the font in the text, it's "Tang-jar", not "Jang-jar." Tang is the orange flavored powder concentrate that the early astronauts drank in space. At least that's what the commercials said. Untold thousands of ordinary Americans drank it too.)

Excellent, quick read...wide range of quotes both poetry and proes...pics are breathtaking...these two young men have infected me with their philosophy of life.

What a treasure to find that On The Loose is still around. This book is full of wonder and joy on every page. On The Loose found me in 1967 when I was an undergraduate student. It is still with me. I was wandering and On The Loose spoke to me of the wilderness as something full of awe. This is truly a beautiful book. It continues to remind me over and over that, as I can see I will keep looking and as long as I can walk, I will keep moving. I am so happy that with the reprinting of On The Loose it will now find its way into my grown children's hands as they continue to make their way and look beyond the light and dark.

There are so many wonderful and amazing photographs and quotes in this book. This book is truly an invitation towards insights gained by looking outward and beyond. Let yourself go beyond where you can barely see. Buy this book. Always ride for the high points! This is the book to take with you.

D. Budd
Edmonton, AB Canada

If I had to choose 10 books that I would bring with me to a desert island, this would be one of them.

This is an enjoyable little book full of photos taken by two brothers in the 1960s. The photos are all from the brothers' road trips across the U.S., but the stories of these trips aren't really here. Instead, the brothers pair each photos with a quote, in the classic Sierra Club style. Many of the quotes are from famous works, many are from the brothers themselves. Some don't make sense at all, such as a quote from a deer that's somehow multiple millennia old. Hmmm.
The book does have a GREAT photo of a girl looking sadly at a rising Lake Powell/flooding Glen Canyon, and a good section on Glen Canyon in general. However, I wish the book had more on the brothers' actual story, as the photos of them look intriguing, and the book's afterward mentions that one of the brothers died shortly before the book's initial publication.
I recommend this for Glen Canyon scholars, those interested in the Sierra Club and this century's environmenal movement and grainy sixties imagery, but I don't see how it's the life changing book that some people say it is. It didn't strike me that way.

The Wednesday Sisters is the compelling story of friendship between five women who first meet in a 1960s Palo Alto park as their children play. Clayton has developed strong characters in Kath the spoiled doctor's wife, Linda the athlete, Frankie from Chicago, scientist Brett, and secretive Ally. Four are college graduates; one is not. A fierce, enduring bond develops between these five very different women as they discover mutual loves--great literature, expressing themselves in writing, and the Miss America Pageant. Every Wednesday, they bring paper and pen to the picnic table in the park. They discuss their latest reads and then write and share their poems and stories, at first timidly, and then more boldly as their talent, confidence, and level of trust develop. When they begin to type their stories and articles, they make four carbons, so each member can read and critique before the next week's discussion.

As the years pass, the women become more proficient writers and venture into the daunting world of submitting their work for publication. They share leads and keep a joint file of possible agents. They share successes and disappointments. One becomes an editor. One succeeds beyond anyone's dream, landing herself a spot on Johnny Carson's late night show.

Their friendship matures along with their talent. Secrets are revealed and honored. They stand with one another through triumphs and tragedies--births, broken marriages, life-changing illness. Every year, the women gather to watch the Miss America Pageant. It becomes a metaphor of their own development, from youthful dreams and ambitions to a more informed, moderate feminism. They are witnesses to a changing world--the Vietnam conflict, man walking on the moon, and the women's movement. The author is faithful to the details of the changing decades of the 60s and 70s. The women transition from one stage of life to another, from one decade to another, sometimes grudgingly (as they switch from typewriters to computers, for instance) and sometimes with ease. The same determination that keeps them writing sustains them all, no matter what life brings. This is no fairy tale in which life is perfect and everyone is instantly successful.

Clayton develops strong individual characters and tells a powerful story that celebrates friendship, trust, and life. She shows the healing power of telling one's story and the importance of having a group of trusted sisters with whom to share those stories.

by Susan Ideus
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

If your memories of the 60's include bell-bottom pants, tie-dye shirts, women's lib and Vietnam protests, you'll want to read The Wednesday Sisters. Or if your mother was of that era, you'll want to read this book to get a glimpse into the times that shaped her.

Clayton has written an engaging story that deftly balances strong characters and a vibrant account of the socio-political context of the times. Five moms, Frankie (the narrator), Linda, Kath, Brett and Ally find themselves neighbors living in Palo Alto, California. Their shared passion for literature evolves into a writer's circle. As the author takes us to their weekly meetings at the local park, we watch their personalities, intimate secrets, and aspirations unfold. With humor and pathos, Clayton portrays the prevailing attitudes of that era towards racism, divorce, motherhood, infertility, infidelity, and breast cancer.

At one point in the book, Brett quotes Henry Adams: One friend in a lifetime is much; two are many; three are hardly possible. Then she questions, "What is it we've done so right in our lives that has made us five?" You'll find yourself laughing and crying with the sisters, wishing you were surrounded with an any-day-of-the-week group of your own.

A nicely written novel about 5 women who become friends in a local park in California in the late 60's. Their struggles with womens' roles just as the liberation movement is gaining momentum is handled lovingly by the author. All five of the characters ring genuine and interesting and their common desire to write and later their desire to get published left me inspired. I'm sure most readers deep inside have aspirations to write and these women act upon that and encourage and support each other.
Overall an easy-to-read and enlightening look at life back then and how "we've come a long way baby!".

This is an enjoyable story about 5 women who meet in the park and start sharing their love of books and Miss America Pagents :) Through some time, they begin to write and critique each other, along with helping each other through life's ups and downs. This book portrays women and friendship in such a beautiful way. A quick and very enjoyable read.

What do you get when you combine five women, a shared love of reading and a park picnic table? The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton, of course.

In the late 1960's five very different women meet as their children play in a Palo Alto park. United by their love of books and a shared passion for the Miss America Pageant, the five women - Frankie, Linda, Kath, Brett and Ally - become friends. Eventually their love of books leads to the creation of a writing circle. The characters grow as women and as friends through their writing, and that growth is a fascinating process to watch.

We meet these remarkable women at a crucial point in American history. The Vietnam War is dividing the nation and the Summer of Love is at its peak. The first meeting of the Wednesday Sisters takes place the day after Robert F. Kennedy is shot, and the women find themselves drawn to the park; each one looking for comfort and normalcy on that dark day. As their friendships blossom, they watch in awe as Neil Armstrong walks on the moon and re-evaluate their roles as wives and mothers in light of the Women's Liberation Movement. All the while, they continue to write and encourage each other to pursue their dreams.

Meg Waite Clayton did an excellent job in creating vivid, interesting characters and showing how their lives changed as a result of their friendships and the turbulent times in which they lived. This is a fun, easy read, but there's also a lot of meat to the story. It's sure to be a popular choice for book clubs. I wouldn't be surprised to see The Wednesday Sisters on the silver screen at some point. This inspirational story of the power of friendship has a wide appeal.

I was just looking things up when I came across something that some one wrote in a review on Why Daddy, Why?...I would be more then happy to answer your questions. First of all if you go to the Berlin library and look up the old news papers, you will find out about the fire that took place when the Columbia Hotel burned down. But at that time it had changed names to Fournier's rooms.
My aunt Louise bought the hotel from my father. Her last name was Fournier.
I have pictures of the Hotel with fire trucks in front of the building putting the fire out.. Now theres just a big hole where the building use to be..with park benches..right on Main Street. next to the flower shop.
Second thing was the convent remarks. Yes some of the Nuns were very abusive.. I have scares on my legs where I was hit with rulers where the steal part went into my legs..also have the scar on my wrist where I tried to kill myself after being raped. And yes, my sister and I had numbers for our names..I was 64 and Cecile was 121.. Not all the girls were abused but many were.. your 65..10 years older then I was in the convent..The older girls were treated much better. Maybe because they were older and more mature. it was the younger girls that were put there that had no parents coming to see them that were treated much worse.. I'm glad that you were one of the girls that were treated better, I truly am. No child should have to go through such horrible things.
I have come in contact through my book signings with some girls that were in the convent around the same time I was and they too remember how bad it was but then again, there my age.
There are no exaggerations in the book..if anything there are things that I never wrote about.. Things that are to painful to deal with right now. Someday, maybe I'll be able to put that pain to paper.
I can understand your questions and I respect that. Please know that what is in the book, is the horrible truth and I'm glad I was able to write about it..
My precious mama died 4 months ago..she was my best friend.. my heart is hurting.. thank you for your review of 5 stars and thank you for believing that my father was a cruel man. if you have any more questions feel free to email me at my new address ( I've been taking care of my step father since mama passed away).. its, ej64@metrocast.net
I hope this was of some help to you. Emelia Hardy

I am from Berlin. I read the book. It is a great piece of writing. I believe the abuse with her father truly happened. However, having been a boarder at the convent in Gorham, during the 50's I had difficulty believing the cruelty of the nun in question. We were never abused, and we were never called by a number. They used our names. Also, I am 65 years of age and cannot recall the Columbia Hotel, nor do I know the location of the Fournier boarding house. I would love to talk to the author and get some of my questions answered.

This book describes unimaginable fear, pain and intimidation that Emelia and her family members suffered at the hands of their father. As well as, the nuns she went to live with when her mama had to leave and her father could not, or would not care for her any longer.
A father is someone who is suppose to protect his family from all evil. Unfortunately, not in this case. Her father physically and emotionally abused his family for years, until the day came when mama, after suffering her worst beating yet and was forced to seek a better life. Some will question how a mother could leave her children in that environment, and be so selfish as to look out for her self before her children. I say, read the book before you pass judgment. I call what mama did courageous and brave.
After reading Why daddy, why I was able to contact Emelia. Since the book was published in 2002, I wanted to ask her what happened to some of the people she talks about in the book. I will not tell of her responses, that's for Emelia to tell. I have had the Honor of getting to know Emelia. She has amazing strength and courage. She has no ill will towards her father, and in the last page of the book she says,"I have forgiven daddy". This is something I will probably never be able to understand. She assures me things are better now.
To all of you who have suffered or continue to suffer as Emelia has. May you find the courage and the strength to move on and find a better life.
I look forward to reading her children' book, The Adventures of Maureen and Maury to my kids, and I wish her all the best.

This is a book that once you start to read it, you can't put it down.It keeps you on the edge of your seat. You have to keep reading because you have to know what else is going to happen.
It's unbelievable what this family went through!.
It goes on to tell what the author went through being split from her other siblings and mother. What a terrible life this child had!
While living with nun's in a convent, it's hard to imagine that these woman of God could be so cruel! and Emelia tells it all!
The Author described in detail all the terrible things that took place in her life..and there were many things!.. Everyone should read this book!...alcoholics, child abusers, and wife beaters..then and only then, maybe they can see what there actions can do to a family and especially a five year old girl who grows up and ends up trying to kill herself when she was only fifteen from something that wasn't her fault!
The reader will be drawn into this true story and can't help but fall in love with this little girl.
The reader will find that this is a very easy book to read because it is written by that same little girl, Emelia.

My daughter never has been an effectionate person. She would come over to visit me and I always had to ask for a hug before she left for home. My heart would ache because of it. I bought this book, Why Daddy Why? and found myself hurting inside all the more because I wanted my daughter to love me the way the author of this book loved her mother. Never have I seena bond between a mother and daughter like this one and I mean never.
Even after the mother runs away during a beating that is unheard of in this day and age. Back 40 years ago I found out it was coman for men to treat their wife that way and no one knew.This bond stayed strong in the heart of this little girl even being sent to a convent with nuns that abused her and her sister that was already there. I could feel that her sister Cecile loved her sister and I could feel her pain also.
My daughter came over one day and saw the book on my table, she asked if she could take it and I said yes that I was finished with it. She came back two days later and I didn't here her come in the next thing I knew she was behind me and gave me a hug. She said thank you Mom for the way you took care of me when I was little. My daughter told me she never realized how forunate she was.
Now my daughter greates me with open arms because of your book Emelia. I think this book saved my life. Altho there was not many hugs for me growing up there was for my girl and now she knows why!!! Thank You Again Emelia

This is the fourth book in David Macaulay's series of how things in history were built. In both text and detailed drawings, the author describes the planning and construction of a typical castle and adjoining town in thirteenth-century Wales. In 1283, Kevin le Strange was named Lord of Aberwyvern in Wales by King Edward I of England. While Lord Kevin's castle is imaginary, its concept, structural process, and physical appearance are all based on several castles that were built to aid in the English conquest of Wales between 1277 and 1305. The town of Aberwyvern is also imaginary but is drawn from descriptions of towns founded in conjunction with castles in Wales during that time.

Anyone who enjoys learning about the Middle Ages will like this book. The description is sometimes technical but is written so that young children can become familiar with the terms, and the marvellous illustrations are very helpful in visualizing what is being done. From the choice of location, through the building of the walls and the inner ward, to the completion of the castle and the establishment of the surrounding town, the reader will follow, step by step, Master Engineer James of Babbington and all his workers in their labors. The story ends with a visit from King Edward, followed by an attack from the Welsh under Prince Daffyd of Gwynedd whose defeat leads to the decision by the Welsh to end their resistence, although the complete "conquest" did not occur until 200 years after Edward's death. This book won a 1978 Caldecott Honor award.
REVIEWED BY: Wayne S. Walker

My 13 year old and I read this book together. He absolutely loved reading about the history and building of the castle. He has another larger DK book on Castles and as we read told me about his previous knowledge on the topic we were reading about and expanded our discussion. The images (drawings) being b/w are a perfect match so that details of the castle stand out. After reading this story, we watched the accompanying PBS special Castle by the same author. The movie is s a perfect tag-a-long going into further details and highlighting real castles and showing the details that were discussed in the book. To follow up on the book/movie, my son is now building his own brick castle. We ordered a kit and it includes everything to make little bricks from molds and then directions on exactly how to build the castle. I highly recommend purchasing the book, movie and castle building kit together if you or your child is interested in castles and/or medieval studies. All three provide great discussion, for both visual and auditory learners as well as a hands-on experience.

We bought this book for our four year old who always wants to know how things work. He, and his Daddy are both fascinated by this book. It is a work of art, and a historic fictional work in one. The pictures are all in black and white, but the line drawings are incredibly detailed. This book will be a favorite in our library for years, and I can see him reading it to his kids one day.

After reading this book, I gave it to my grandson for Christmas and he is enjoying it very much. It is interesting not only to him but to his father as well. It really makes history and social progress come alive.

I remember reading this book back when I was in Junior High and High School. I'm 30 now (ugh!) I have always been fascinated with history (especially why folks did what they did when they did it) and while characters are fictitious, the design and building practices as well as the situations involved in the story are truly as it happened. The pictures are highly detailed such that you almost feel like you leap into the pages of the story. I primarily purchased this for a bit of nostalgia but would highly recommend this product to anyone who might be interested.

Cheetah Files was a great escape, with the perfect mix of action and character development. I love to read but have limited time, and I am constantly frustrated by the lack of quality action/intrigue books there are out there. Cheetah Files was quite a breath of fresh air amid so many canned storylines, kudos to Mr. Walker - I can't wait for the next one!

I really enjoyed this book. Being an avid reader I can tell by reading the first few pages if I am going to enjoy a book and this one interested me from the start. I would definitedly like to see some more "Cheetah Files". The characters were intersting and believeable. Just the right kind of action and intrigue.

This is one of the best books I've ever read. As long as Walker keeps churning them out, I'll keep adding more logs to the fire.

Excellent writing. Good plot and well organized. I look forward to the next one.

This was an excellent "spy" novel. Not your usual thriller, this one takes you right to the thick of things and gives you all the details you need to paint your own picture. The characters are brilliant. This would indeed make a great movie. Hector is the hero we all need right now, a man of character, honesty, and he can take care of business. Every nuance of the story pulls you in and takes you somewhere relevant to the story. A must read.

If you like to curl up with volume of beautiful, rambling prose, then this is the book for you.

If you grow impatient with an author who takes 9 pages to discuss an idea that could comfortably fit into 2 - 3 paragraphs, then you should look for a different book. The writing style reminded me of Charles Dickens, who reportedly was paid by the word.

Yes, the book is beautifully written, but I simply lost patience with it. I also found it to be a bit preachy, as if the author believes herself to be the only one who knows the joy of simply being in a garden, observing all of its wonders, and must teach it to the rest of us morons. (I'm a bit sensitive to preachiness, however, and the average reader might disagree!)
It all depends on your personality.

I just finished reading this lovely book over a two day period while sitting in my garden. Joyce McGreevy's advice about living in the moment and appreciating even the smallest living thing should become words to live by for all of us hurtling through the beginning of this new century. She encourages her readers to establish and maintain contact with nature, even if it is just being aware of the new sprouts on our pepperomia. She offers receipes, practical advice and unique ideas about how to engage even a recalcitrant child or a grumpy crumudgeon in the wonders of the natural world.
This is a MUST read for all gardeners no matter what your experience!

This book is a jewel, a profound pleasure to read. From the first page, one enters a world of flowers and tendriled plants, Earth with its seasons and cycles, touching memories, wisdom, and wit. The book uses this material to present a rich philosophy for living life.

The author not only recounts delightful anecdotes, but also offers abstract ideas with precision clarity, utilizing graceful and wonderfully chosen vocabulary. Her metaphors and similes sometimes make you gasp, they are so fresh and original. They are also beautifully couched within the overall garden theme.

This book puts the reader in touch with the richness, depth, and beauty of life. It is true writing by a gifted writer.

Dear Sister,
We have a new best friend.

Joy! Today is Book Club day, and Joyce McGreevy, the author of "Gardening by Heart" is coming to talk to/with our group. We just finished her book and I loved it. It isn't a novel. It is not a self-help book. It isn't a gardening book. It isn't a poetry book. It is a poetic story about nurturing our hearts, our gardens. Hmm, is it a story? No, actually. There is no story-story, just a string of anecdotes and remembrances involving the author's mother and siblings and friends and jobs.

Her writing is the thing.

She writes like a poet, but it isn't poetry per se. Well, I'll go upstairs and get the book and excerpt it for you...hold on...

Without looking, I just opened the book to this page:

Strawberries at Dawn

"The first pale amber rays of sun have backlit the somber mountains. A coastal live oak rustles. The birds are stirring. In my garden, the poppies are rolled up tightly like saffron scrolls. I'm on my knees, coffee within easy reach, as I set a blue salvia into the ground the way a parent might ease a sleepy child back into bed."

Dawn is the best time of day to do almost anything. The phone holds its tongue and there are no appointments. One's mind is fertile with dreams whose meanings flower best in a hushed world."

[Isn't that wonderful?] more...

"In the garden, time itself seems to expand. Later in the day I may fret about getting to this appointment or achieving that task "on time", but early in the morning I seem to have all the time in the world. The killing frost of anxiety is held at bay, letting ideas and insights establish strong roots."

She starts each chapter with a quote from another author or poet.

"Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace."--May Sarton, Journals

She advocates keeping a nature journal...at the office.

"...it consisted of a burgeoning collection of index cards, each of which bore a hastily penciled sentence or two about something I had observed, whether on the way to work, from my window, or during a lunch break....The French say of good gardeners not that they have a green thumb but that they have un main vert, a green hand. With every entry I penciled in I was keeping my hand green and subsequently nurturing the heart, even in the midst of computers, stark white partitions, and fluorescent lighting."

Don't you just love her? I can't wait to meet our new best friend.

Love,
Your sister

I'm free, free, at last! Emancipated from a gardener's work ethic--weeding, deadheading, fertilizing etc. Joyce McGreevy goes literally to the heart of gardening and nourishes the soul with her grace and wit and exquisite writing. McGreevy's descriptions of her mother's gardens as a place for relating to people, for celebrating the spirit of the day or season, help the gardener to not only grow the roses, but wake up and smell them and share all that with others. Just BE in the garden. Of course, there won't be a garden without some routine work, but this inspirational little book shows us how to use our gardens or other people's gardens to renew our connection to the earth, to all creation, and to heal from modern day busy sickness. I hope to hear more from this talented writer.

A Line Between Friends is a very pleasing read. The story, told in the voice of each of the main characters, chronicles the 20+ year relationship between Joel and Noelle. It has many feel good moments that caused me to have my own personal flashbacks to relationships in my past. The story tackles the age old question of whether a man and woman can remain friends when each marries someone else. This book is great for anyone, male or female, who has felt the joys and pains of love. The character development and writing style made this an easy read that I didn't want to end. I am eagerly awaiting her next novel.

An absorbingly well written tale that moves through the lives of two likable, yet sometimes maddening characters who along with their family and friends, always ring true. It is a perfect summer read. Michele's fiction reminded me of old friends and made me wonder what ever happened to some of those college relationships. The theme of rejection and loss is painful, however, VanOrt Cozzens manages to use rich scene descriptions and real language to carry the reader through the years, and soon I was wrapped up in wanting to know what would happen to these old friends. Pick up a copy of A Line Between Friends and find out for yourself. You will be glad you did!

Anyone who has ever googled an old flame will relate to this book.

Michele Cozzens' A Line Between Friends captures--in heart-wrenching detail--the bittersweet passage of time, the memory of teenage love, and the necessity of growing up and accepting the choices we've made. I found myself cheering for Joel and Noelle, but I also wanted to slap some sense into them. "Look," I felt like shouting, "You're perfect for each other! Wake up! Get it together!" But Joel's and Noelle's family obligations, jobs, and other relationships get in the way, causing them to miss obvious opportunities to express their love for each other. Ultimately, in an ending that's both satisfying and sad, they learn to accept the meaning of their friendship.

Cozzens has sprinkled her very real characters with a healthy dose of charm, and planted them in an era and environment that will strike a chord with anyone who came of age in the late seventies and eighties. I recognized myself and my friends in many of Cozzens' wacky and lovable college kids. At one point, I swear I could smell the marijuana.

Cozzens has a knack for writing about balance and choice. Her memoir-- I'm Living Your Dream Life: The Story of a Northwoods Resort Owner-- reveals the tightwire act performed by women who decide to combine motherhood with a career. Although I'm not considering dragging out the bell-bottom jeans and the bong, A Line Between Friends made me long for a time and place that I miss, just a little, when the doors in my life seem to creak shut. Oh, to go back, to sort it out differently, to take the chances I wish I had taken! Cozzens points out, with skill, humor, and a clever plot, that the road away from true love can sometimes help us discover ourselves.

Robin Meloy Goldsby is the author of Piano Girl: A Memoir and the solo piano artist featured on Songs from the Castle and Twilight.

this book is a nice read. it took me back to my college days and i revisited my life from the outside looking in.
the author's way of writing makes me love word description. i recommend this book for a delightful read thru time.

s. neely

I have recommended this story to so many people I've lost count. The topic of platonic friendship seems to keep coming up in conversation, and this book explores the topic by telling the history of one such couple very well.

Joel and Noelle meet in high school, go to the same college and then go their separate ways. But something binds them together more than other college friends who fade from their lives just as easily as they entered. They stay in touch through the occasional call or Christmas card, yet neither really pursues a deeper friendship once they each marry someone else and move ahead with their lives. This is why it's so strange to Noelle when she receives a note from Joel (how the story begins) that very abruptly asks her to end all contact, and why she goes back in time to examine their relationship. The story isn't only told through Noelle's perspective. Joel has equal time as the chapters alternate between the two.

The author captures the era of the 1970's and 1980's with sights, sounds and smells, and her characters are highly believable. It's a quick read primarily because you can't help but wonder what conclusion they both will draw about the friendship coming to an end. The He-said, She-said format is the perfact way to tell this story.

When I was a little kid, I looked for this book every time I went to the library. Eventhough I didn't know the author's name at the time or how to look up books, I would scour the shelves for purple books (the hardcover version back then was purple). Several years ago, my mom surprised me by buying me the paperback version. I am so excited that now, at 36, with my first baby on the way, I will be able to share this beloved book with my children. The piggy is just so darn cute that I'm pretty sure it started my lifelong obsession with piggies!

My almost three year old friend Harrison just loves this book. He waits on the edge of his seat for the NOPE! from the littlest piggie. He fell asleep cuddling this book two naps in a row. This is a child that could not be torn away from books about trucks, especiallly trash trucks. The rhyming rythms of Charlotte Pomerantz saved Auntie Dawn from the rumble and roar of another front end loader!

This is a great book! I initially borrowed it from our local library. Our kids loved it. It's a great oratory book. I read it for a PreSchool class, in a Kindergarten Class, and for First Graders the book was loved by all who heard it. It has great rhythms, it's funny, it's cute, and the kids enjoy being a part of the story. When the smallest piggy mocks her parents and her brother by saying, "Nope!" in all of the circumstances there has been great participation by the children. It has quickly become one our favorite stories.

Crackling with lipsmackingly silly rhyme and hilarious James Marshall illustrations, this book is like read aloud popcorn -- I bet you can't stop after just one page.

This is my favorite book for storytime reading. Mainly preschool - but I've also had adults keep asking me to read one more page, too.

Charlotte Pomerantz has created a work of art - the ending and internal rhymes, the way she plays and puts words together, the right amount of repetition. This is why people think it's So Easy to write a children's book. This is a deceptively simple title, but if it were easy there would be more books out there like this one. This one of the few books I truly look forward to and love reading aloud - the words taste delicious!!

If you like this one check out "How many trucks can a tow truck tow" also by her.

Though Disney hasn't released the DVD yet, it has been released through affiliates who have links to disney.com. Search "Song of the South" on your web browser and you should come up with it. I think Disney is afraid to release it under their name, but are doing so undercover. I got one. The live scenes are a bit fuzzy, but not bad. The cartoon characters are clear and apparently were digitized. I doubt it will be on amazon for awhile as the sellers are few and want to maintain a higher price.

I am so glad I found this. Does anyone else think it's ironic that they changed the tar baby to a tar bunny?

What a treasure! Please release this wonderful film on DVD. It makes many important social comments & is very entertaining. This is one of Walt Disney's hidden treasures.

Please release Song of the South for all of us who remember seeing this movie as a child. I would love to share this movie with my child. It will always be one of my favorite movies. My mother, my sisters and myself going to see this movie is one childhood memory that I will always cherish. Please consider making this excellent movie available to us. Thank you!!

Song of the South is one of the most influential movies that I saw as a child. It shows us how to be happy in a lot of different situations. To have a positive attitude. The minority group should be very proud of this movie because the stories Uncle Remus told were positive reflections of life.
This day and age we need more old stories of being happy in tough times. Please release this movie. It is a part of history that should not be hidden.

My two older daughters and I have recently watched the first two Lord of the Rings movies. This was the first time for them. While watching "Two Towers" this last Saturday I commented a couple times how it was important to attack where an enemy is weak. It is best to aim for the Achilles' heel. After the movie we talked some more about how in battle you don't want to throw your strength at the enemy's strong defenses.

One of my favorite Science Fiction authors is Eric Frank Russell. He served in the RAF during World War II, and many of his stories have a military setting and with the clever hero destroying much larger opponents. The hero always finds the Achilles' Heel. "Wasp" is the first Eric Frank Russell story I ever read. I go back and reread it every couple years. I just reread it, probably for the fifteenth time.

The background for the story is Humanity is fighting for its life. We've expanded out to the stars and settled several colonies. We bumped into Sirian Empire. We got along with them for awhile, but they then decided to try and conquer us. Earth has more advanced technology, while the Sirian Empire has about ten times the number of people.

Our hero, James Mowry, is recruited to be a "Wasp." James is told a story of a small wasp that stung a driver. In trying to kill the wasp, the driver wreaked the car, killing three people, including himself. After months of training James Mowery is sent to a Sirian colony with the goal of destabilizing the colony, single handedly, to be a wasp!

This is a funny story. Eric Frank Russell does a great job of telling an interesting story while weaving in humor.

If you like classic Science Fiction from the 1950s, check out Wasp, or "Entities" which includes several of his novels. A couple dozen short stories by Eric Frank Russell's collected were put together in "Major Ingredients."

As a young girl, I borrowed this book from my father's paperback collection. With time, it disappeared from my life, and I have missed it. Every so often, I have tried to re-locate it, and imagine my joy at finding it again.

What can you say about a book that has haunted you for over 45 years? It is great. An entertaining and enjoyable combination of spy and sci fi.

This is a terrible book. It is the first science fiction book I ever read and I have been addicted ever since. It produced the typical symptoms of science fiction addiction: boundless enthusiasm for individual initiative, a ridiculous optimism for the future, starry eyed idealism, and weekend reading marathons. I should have never read this book. Now I'm going to get a copy for my son. Better that than those darn computer games!

Decades before the Pentagon coined "assymetric warfare", Russell literally wrote the book on it. This is thus a classic, kept in print I suspect by orders from young officers at our service academies. Oh, and it also happens to be a great read.

Eric Frank Russell has long been my favourite sci-fi author. He creates fascinating characters who win out through intellect and logic, rather than brawn, usually, and WASP is no exception.

The book is set in the future, with the Earth up against the Sirian Combine - a galactic conglomeration of planets intent on conquering the Earth. While the Terrans (read: Earthlings) have superior weapons and technology, the Sirians have vastly superior numbers. As the war drags on, the Terrans feel the best way to defeat the Sirians is through propaganda. The theory is that if a wasp can distract the driver of a car, destroying the vehicle and all 4 adults, causing havoc, death and destruction grossly disproportionate to the insect's size, that one man, armed with the right tools, can also cause havoc to a whole planet. So they recruit James Mowry to land on the Sirian planet of Jaimec, to effect such disruption. In theory, with enough distraction, more attention and resources will be concentrating on the internal strife, enabling the Terrans to launch a quick and successful attack on the planet.

To effect this goal, Mowry creates a fictitious underground rebellion called DAG, making the authorities believe that there's a whole group set against the overthrow of the government, when in reality it's just one man.

The book can be seen as a how-to in propaganda, playing into the fears of the enemy, forcing over-reaction and panic with minimal effort and maximum results. Some of the technology doesn't seem that advanced. Granted, there's space ships that can travel between planets, but there are also cars and telephones. However, considering that it was first published in 1957 - 50 years ago - it's hardly surprising. With the brilliance of the story, it is also unsurprising that the book is still in demand - the copy I have is out of print, but there are new anthologies of the author's works being brought out.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough.