Cocoa Books

The lovable duo of Cowgirl Kate and her horse, Cocoa, are back - this time for some fun (and not-so-fun) adventures in the rain.

Cocoa isn't so sure about being outside during a thunderstorm, even if the thought of racing the wind sounds exciting. He may just get his chance, though - on the way back to the safety of the barn! Pretending to have a cold might give Cocoa an idea of what a sick cow would feel like, but missing out on timothy grass, apples, and corn is not appealing. When it comes to wearing a rain sheet, Cocoa isn't much for the idea. It looks silly, and besides, prancing in the puddles is so much fun! Until you're dripping wet and shivering, that is. After the rain, the air is fresh, the grass is sweet, and the joy of chasing the pot of oats at the end of the rainbow can't be beat.

Once again, author Erica Silverman and illustrator Betty Lewin bring to life the tales of one cowgirl and her sweet horse. The books in this series are perfect for beginning readers, and the love between a young girl and her horse perfectly describes the true meaning of friendship.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

My daughter loves this series, I hope there are more to come.
Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa: Rain or Shine (Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa)

Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa: Rain or Shine (Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa) Rain provides so much fun, such adventure. Imagine trying to chase a rainbow! Our heroes do. Or prancing in a downpour. Imagine chasing the wind-driven rain. Betsy's illustrations rope us in -- capture the magic of the sweet, innocent story. Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa lasso your heart!

My two kids (as well as their father and I) LOVE Erica Silverman's other books about Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa. We couldn't wait for this one to come out. Well, it arrived the other day and I have to admit that we're all a bit disappointed. Unlike her other books which is written so sweetly to accompany the terrific pictures, this one seemed to be a book that Erica "cranked out" just to get another book out on the market. It's a bit lacking in its story-line. Had I no read her other books, I'm not sure if I would have run out to purchase another one by her.

As for her first two books, "Cowgirl Kate/Cocoa" and "Partners", they can't be beat! They are first rate and simply wonderful!

Good read. Very enjoyable. Gave a copy of this to elderly friend (85) and she loved it too.

The Chocoholic Mystery is a light, cozy series focuses on Lee McKinney, who helps her aunt run a high-end chocolate shop in the resort town of Warner Pier, Michigan. From time to time, crime finds it way into the town, and Lee winds up right in the middle of the danger, sorting things out in the end. This book collects the first three volumes in the series in one large soft cover book, along with the short story that first introduced the characters.

The book starts with "The Chocolate Kidnapping Clue," a short story that originally appeared in the book AND THE DYING IS EASY. In it, a teenage Lee spends the summer in Warner Pier while her parents go through a nasty divorce. She spends her afternoons working in her uncle and aunt's TenHuis Chocolade shop. Every afternoon, another teen girl comes in and gives Lee a hard time before buying some chocolates. But then the girl is kidnapped. Who would do such a thing in the small town?

The first official book of the series was THE CHOCOLATE CAT CAPER. A now grown Lee moves back to Warner Pier after her own divorce to help her recently widowed Aunt Nettie run TenHuis Chocolade. Lee's hardly been back in town when infamous defense lawyer Clementine Ripley is poisoned with a custom made chocolate from their shop. Not wanting to let their name be pulled through the mud, Lee decides to look into murder herself.

Next up is THE CHOCOLATE BEAR BURGLARY. When Lee's stepson shows up unannounced, Lee is hardly too pleased. But she and Aunt Nettie put him to work in the shop. After all, with the teddy bear promotion in town, they could use the extra help. But then antique chocolate molds are stolen from the shop and the antique dealer who lent them out is murdered. Even more unfortunately, Lee's stepson in the sheriff's top suspect and doesn't have an alibi for the crimes. Lee's going to have to work fast to clear him.

Finally comes THE CHOCOLATE FROG FRAME-UP. Everyone fights with town crank Hershel Perkins. But Lee's boyfriend Joe had the unfortunate distinction of doing so right before he disappears. While the evidence continues to mount, Lee searches for the truth so her flame does wind up behind bars.

As I mentioned earlier, this is a light series. The plots are strong but not as complex as they might be. I often figure them out before the end. What helps pull the series along is the characters. Lee, especially, is a strong woman who doesn't stop until she finds the answers she is looking for. She does have a speech impediment that causes her to mix up words when she's nervous. While this can get annoying, it is toned down the further into the series you go. The rest of the regulars in the small town are nice people I'd love to spend time with in real life. They, combined with the setting, make for a cozy small town feel that is fun to visit. There are plenty of chocolate descriptions in these pages. I might have drool on a few of mine.

The one curiosity is the "Chocolate Chat." Several times in each book, the author throws in some chocolate trivia. It doesn't tie into the mystery at all, but is there instead of the recipes like you might expect from a book like this. I enjoy them, although the author does seem to be running out of things to say about chocolate.

This series won't tax your brain, but it will entertain you. If that's what you want, this is the place to look. If you prefer your mysteries with more of an edge, keep moving. This series isn't for you.

Creme de Cocoa is a good way to start this series, as it offers 3 books in one volume plus the short story that started it all. Lee McKinney, is a young Texan devorcee in financial straits, who comes to help her aunt with the business finances of her high-end chocolate shop in the small resort town, Warner Pier, in cold cold Michigan. The book starts with "The Chocolate Kidnapping Clue,". This is the short story that begins Lee's association with solving murders. Here we meet a teenage Lee, who is spending the summer in Warner Pier while her parents are getting a divorce. She works in her uncle and aunt's TenHuis Chocolade shop and the girl who comes in every day to buy chocolate, and who gives Lee a hard time, is kidnapped. Lee accidently sees something on the beach that helps to solve this mystery.

THE CHOCOLATE CAT CAPER is the first book in the volume and here we once again meet Lee who comes back to Warner Pier after her own divorce to help her recently widowed Aunt Nettie run TenHuis Chocolade. Lee delivers chocolate to the home of an infamous defense lawyer Clementine Ripley, and when Clementine is poisoned with a chocolate from their shop, Lee decides to look into murder herself to save her aunt's business from ruin.

In THE CHOCOLATE BEAR BURGLARY, Lee's stepson shows up in Warner Pier. He has left college and Lee, who can't locate his parents, invites him to stay at Aunt Netty's house and they put him to work in the shop. When an antique chocolate mold is stolen from the shop and the antique dealer who lent it out is murdered, Lee's stepson is suspected of the crime. Lee knows he's innocent and is determined to find the real killer.

In THE CHOCOLATE FROG FRAME-UP, Hershel Perkins, who is mentally ill, disappears. Lee's boyfriend, Joe, had recently had an altercation with Hershel, so he becomes the prime suspect and the evidence against him continues to mount. Lee searches for the truth, knowing that Joe is incapable of hurting anyone.

These books are fun as well as "delicious" to read. THe lore and legend of chocolate is interspered through out the books and adds interest to the stories. Lee's speech impediment, mixing up words when she's stressed, is annoying at times, but it lessens as you proceed through the books. Aunt Netty is a great character, kind, practical and nurturing to Lee and others. Lee is a strong young woman determined to make a new life for herself. The rest of the regulars in the small town are people we all would like to know, and the small town atmosphere adds to the cozy feeling of the books. This series is entertaining and fun, and you will enjoy the chocolate trivia that is an addition to the books.

To say I read too fast, is an understatement. When I picked this up at the book store, I was delighted by the cover and the excellent blurb describing the story... I was disappointed upon arriving home to read the other blurbs describing three other stories, that seemed to be the beginning of a series. I thought I should go back to the bookstore and find those first, but the temptation to read was too much. Imagine my delight to find out ALL four stories are included in this one book.

Mark Baker's review says it all. I cannot possibly tell you more than he did, other than to say... Excellent JoAnna Carl! Well done and I look forward to more!

What a great book. Explains all the history and details of cacao. If you want to try some raw organic cacao for yourself check out www.naturalzing.com, Natural Zing.

Wow Cacao!

I found this to be a fascinating book...written by a man who really knows his subject. It has given me a greater understanding of chocolate..and made me appreciate this true gift of the rainforest.

This book is very aptly titled. It is exactly a natural history of the cocoa tree, a biography of a plant. I've never read a book quite like this before- -an entire book written about the detailed life cycle, evolution, and economic uses of a single plant. Although the book covers all aspects of the cocoa tree, it does emphasize the author's research on the pollinators of the cocoa tree. It was fascinating to learn how difficult it is to cultivate this rain forest plant commercially, and the science behind why it is difficult to do so. The book is written in an academic style with many citations to the published literature on the cocoa tree. The book also includes a listing of common names and scientific names for all plants and animals mentioned in the text. Despite the academic bent, the book is written for general audiences, and is not too technical. Anyone with a deep interest in the cultivation of cocoa will be interested in this book, as well as anyone with a general interest in the botany of the tropical rainforest.

Even after many years as an ER nurse, I found this book to be an excellent resource about emergency medicine. It is nicely laid out, easy to read and full of current information about emergency procedures and medications. I highly recommend it not only for EDs but for ICU, med-surg and outpatient medical offices.

This book is a godsend in this world of changing healthcare. Nurses are frequently asked to cover departments that they know nothing about. Now,when they are asked to work in the Emergency Department they can bring Pat's book and know how to deal with the most common ED complaints. This book explains patient care from triage to discharge in a precise, consistent and easy to read format. Every Emergency Department should have at least one copy of this book. If you work in the Emergency Department and have float nurses coming to help you GIVE THEM THIS BOOK!

As a Legal Nurse Consultant and active Operating Room Nurse I found this text to be an excellent resource. It is easy to use with each condition referenced in an easy-to-read, concise table format. The table of contents is divided into 34 alphabetically listed conditions. I highly recommend it for nurses caring for critically ill patients (includes just about every nurse these days!) as well as those needing to reference care for a particular emergency condition.

This is pretty much a must have reference book if you're programming in Cocoa. The only drawback is that a lot of the new APIs like Core Animation and Core Data are not covered. The last edition dates from 2003 and could use a Leopard update. That aside, this book is virtually indispensable for Cocoa devs who've made it past the beginner hump. If the authors read this review, please put out a Leopard update and I promise to buy 2 copies to help make it worth your while!

This book may be recommended by Apple Computer as reading for programmers aspiring to be OS X Cocoa programmers, but these "In a Nutshell..." books from O'Reiley are like the dictionary. They are good references, but not good to learn from.

A much better starting place to learn Cocoa programming -- the best OS X technology for new Mac-OSX only software -- is the book "Learning Cocoa with Objective-C'. This book is also on Apple's recommended reading list for programmers aspiring to master Cocoa.

The ISBN number of "Learning Cocoa..." is: 0-596-00301-3.

I plan to continue my study of Cocoa with "Programming in Objective-C:A Complete Introduction to the Objective-C language". I feel that I need this book even though I know C and C++. Objective-C is quite a bit different. ISBN 0-672-32586-1

Then, I plan to read: "Cocoa Programming" ISBN 0-67232230-7.

That brings me back to the book that I started with. "Cocoa in a Nutshell". Then, I'd be ready for a reference book, and I would also use Apple's web reference, and on-disk reference materials that are on your hard disk when you install Apple's free development tools.

One of the best books a Cocoa programmer can buy! It references most of the Cocoa API and Objective-C, as well as providing a few good examples. I find it indispensable.

This book is perfect for my daughter at the moment, a good intro chapter book, with enough text on the pages to be real reading, but also with wonderful color illustrations that she enjoyed. The author knows her horses - (we especially liked the part where Cocoa decides he looks too skinny in his portrait, and thus needs to eat more) and the four separate stories/chapters are sweet without being overly so. An excellent choice for any horse-loving child ready for the step past picture books.

I purchased this book for my 3.5 year old daughter and she enjoys it very much. The relationship between Cocoa the horse and Kate is sweet and the chapters are short enough that the whole book can be read before bed time.

This series is so funny and warm and interesting that even my 7 year old boy loves them. It is so hard to find good fun interesting books for kids this age, especially when they are late readers. Hats off to Erica Silverman for giving us great books for our little ones!

Our 2-year old daughter Kate LOVES these books. I am so glad that there are two more in the works! Please keep them coming.

Join Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa on their wild west adventures. This is the second book for the Cowgirl Kate series. Cowgirl Kate loves her job as a rancher and tries to do her best. Cocoa is her hourse and sometimes has a mind of his own! There are four chapters in the book. Each is like a separate adventure for the 2 best friends!


Cocoa the horse was a neat character.. He sounds a lot like a real child instead of a horse!

I would recommend this book to kids who are just learning to read. The words are simple and easy and the chapters are short.

In another happy pairing of Cowgirl Kate and her horse, Cocoa, Partners contains four more stories of the antics of this spunky cowgirl and her best pal. In the first story, Cocoa is due for new horseshoes, but balks at the suggestion, declaring, "I don't want horseshoes. I want cowboy boots." When Kate tries to fit him with the boots, Cocoa realizes with disappointment that they will never fit a four-legged creature. Once Kate explains that horseshoes are everywhere on the ranch because they bring good luck, Cocoa is delighted, prancing about in his new horseshoes, pleased to be the bearer of good luck. Whether playing hide-and-seek (or as Cocoa likes to call it "hide-and-eat") or practicing roping, Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa are partners in everything, working out compromises and solving every dilemma with good humor. Playful and affectionate, Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa tackle life together, sharing the chores and the fun, because "partners do everything together". Betsy Lewin's paintings are particularly energetic and colorful, full of the action of life on a ranch and the joyful friendship of a little cowgirl and her favorite horse, a chapter book on working together and problem-solving for young readers. Luan Gaines/2006.

Researching the poor working conditions in third world countries, I thought this book would only give me the history of chocolate. Instead I discovered a comprehensive look at the abuses in the cocoa sector primarily in the Cote d'Ivoire. A combination of the developed countries demand for cheap chocolate, corrupt government, corrupt police and avaricious manufacturers, the true losers are the farmers and the "indentured" workers who produce my favorite food source. Carol Off presents an unbiased look at the world's favorite confection.
[...]

This book is half history, half passionate condemnation of "Big Chocolate." As a chocolaholic myself, it did make bitter reading. Apparently, the international chocolate industry is fueled by the cruel exploitation of child labor in Africa. These children are treated no better than slaves. Others who are complicit in the many sins of this industry include the Europeans and American companies who profit from it, the IMF and World Bank who impose impossible conditions on producer nations, the corrupt leaders and officials in the countries themselves who cynically exploit their own citizens and of course we, the consumers.
France comes in for particular condemnation for its behavior in Cote D'Ivoire.
I learned from this book that it has always been thus. Major companies like Cadbury and Rowntree were founded by Quakers devoted to the ideals of treating their employees well and did so -- in England. But they turned a blind eye to the horrible slave-like conditions of those who grew and picked the crop in Africa. Likewise, Milton Hershey was an enlightened though paternalistic employer in America -- but did not care about the poor Africans who actually produced his raw materials.
It's an interesting, though depressing book. It's well-researched and well-written but it can't be called real investigative reporting since it relies mostly on the fruits of others' labors and a bit too much on Canadian sources. It spreads its condemnation a little too wide as well on occasion. I sometimes felt the entire capitalist system was under assault. However, still very much worth reading.

I guess I'm weak. I still like chocolate occasionally. I guess I'll try to find "fair trade" and "organic" products in future.
For more on me and my book The Nazi Hunter: A Novel go to www.alanelsner.com.

*rolls eyes* could not even finish this book. One of the worst books I have ever picked up.

Klosterman's evident opinions prevail over sound logic most of the time in this analysis of 90s pop culture. i found it hard to take anything he said seriously after his rant about soccer, which was nothing more than an ignorant diatribe surely founded out of some insecure fallacy. However, this is not to say that some of the sociological implications discussed in his essays did not make for thought-provoking literary fare...

I listened to this book on CD; it is read by the author, and there were moments in which I felt that he spoke directly to me... moments in which I laughed out loud at the aptness of his words, or even at the ridiculous truths of our generation... at other moments I thought he was profoundly self-absorbed and sarcastic. But that's Gen X for you. I kinda want to get the book in print just so I can quote it to people; I especially enjoyed his description of how the movie "Say Anything" ruined women for real relationships.

A fond reflection and provocative portrait of the culture in which you were raised. Right on and an extremely entertaining read.

I really enjoyed this book for one reason: looking at things that would otherwise be mundane and extrapolating philosophy from them until they become relevant. It's something me and my friends do quite often such as suggesting how different Pokémon reflect people we know in real life. Who knew that talks about MTV's Real World, Billy Joel, Saved by the Bell, or the Sims could help us figure out ourselves. I admit for someone in my age group(college kid here) that I could relate to all of the things he talked about fairly well.

Though this book comes across as a cynical, comedic work (and trust me, it does), it has an odd way of being very profound with its assessments on life. I really liked the social commentary that talks about the world that will live in today, with people being shown on the mass media as flat and static characters to be more easily understood.

The best parts of the book were actually when he wasn't talking about the topic on hand. Sometimes Klosterman would get off topic and start talking about esoteric revelations of how people come to label themselves; I really felt was amazing.

The essays might not flow from one chapter to the next, but every one will have you thinking and laughing.

Don't waste your money on this book like I did. It too out of date to be of any use. Mac Xcode has changed too much since this was published.

This is an excellent introductory book on Objective C programming language as used for the Apple Macintosh and Apple iPhone. It is very clearly written, with good examples, and good exercises that help reinforce the concepts that need to be learned. I used this book to become proficient in Objective C in less than 3 weeks.(Note I have previous experience with C language and the Macintosh programming language so your learning rate may vary) I highly recommend this to those seeking to learn or review Objective C.

Excellent!

I got this almost by accident in a bundle of books I picked up on eBay and it is the single best written 'how to learn a language' book I have ever encountered.

Clear, concise and just so well written. Quite complex issues are handled with great skill and deftness.

I have pre-ordered the 2nd edition just to give Kochan the credit he deserves and didn't get from my second-hand purchase.

If you have a Mac and think you want to understand programming (even if you aren't going to really write any programs) get this.

Whatever OS you have go get Kochan's book on C Programming which is nearly as good. Unfortunately C is simply more obtuse so even Kochan's great writing can't make it much easier than he does because it just is closer to the metal with all the power and complexity that that means.

Anyway it's a great book and if you want some of the best coverage of Object Orientated Programming you'll read anywhere it's easily worth the price (especially at the insanely cheap Amazon price).

If you are new to Objective-C and are teaching yourself, do the following.
A. GET THIS BOOK.
B. Get the Objective-C Pocket Reference.
C. Get programming.

In short, this book is a perfect start developing form Mac and also iPhone, the title is a bit misleading as it only mentions ObjectiveC but the fact is that it takes you in a very coherent and well written fashion to C and also Cocoa framework.
Great book, buy it.