Kids Books

Fine book - will become even better once the entire set of films is released by Warner Brothers.

If you are a fan of the Bowery Boys,this book is a must buy.

One fond memory I have of growing up in the early 70's is that every Saturday afternoon, one of our local TV stations used to play a Bowery Boys movie. My brothers and I loved the boys and their antics and we were blithely unaware that these "boys" were actually pushing forty by the time they were making their last few movies in the late 1950's. Long panned by critics, the Bowery Boys/East Side Kids were never setting out to compete for the Academy Award. They were merely trying to make wholesome, innocent fun, and at that, they were wildly successful.

From Broadway to the Bowery by McFarland Books, chronicles the career of the group from the earliest appearance in 1935's gritty drama "Dead End" to their final picture, "In the Money" released nearly 25 years later in 1958, 91 films in all. For me, the book was quite educational. I wasn't aware that the Kids first few pictures were also crime dramas. Films such as "Crime School" and "Angels with Dirty Faces" showed the East Siders at their youngest, and most abrasive, still several years before they would develop into the lovable bunch of delinquents I knew and loved.

Another fact which came as a surprise to me was how the group split, with one faction becoming The Little Tough Guys for a series of films at universal, and the other group heading to the low-rent district of Monogram Films as The East Side Kids. This included the separating of Leo and David Gorcey. Interestingly, it is the Monogram films that seem to be better re-called today, in part due to the teamings with horror star Bela Lugosi in "Spooks Run Wild" and "Ghosts on the Loose".

This fabulous book features a complete filmography of all their films with complete cast & credits, release date, running time, synopsis, and commentary by author Leonard Getz. In addition to the filmogrpahy, we get bios of all the group's stars including Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Gabriel Dell, Billy Halop, Bobby Jordan, and more. Nearly 200 rare photographs accompany the text. You'll probably be amazed as I was at how few of the Boys' films are available on DVD, or even VHS for that matter. A true tragedy for baby-boomers like myself who cut his teeth on their antics.

As I read through the filmography I was also quite surprised at how many films I haven't seen, particularly the Little Tough Guy series. Hopefully Universal will fix this atrocity with a box set of all the films.

Simply a magnificent book from start to finish! Oh how I miss those Saturday afternoons!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

From Broadway to the Bowery is a book long awaited for any Dead End/East Side Kids and Bowery Boys fans. Getz's book finally fills in the missing pieces and gaps of these boys to men lives through out their humble beginning on broadway to their turbulent years in Hollywood to their tumultous lives after the spotlights have all grown cold. Getz's book opens us to their world not only personally but professionally as well. We also find out about the secondary characters such as Billy Benedict and Hally Chester. we are transformed back into a time when Boys/Men honored a handshake, fought with their fists, honored their friendships and families and learned to overcome hardships thrown onto them because of their placement in society, after all not everyone can be rich. We see their life struggles, failures and triumphs. We see them as human beings and not just celluloid heroes of yesteryear. Len Getz's book is a great addition to anyone's library and especially fans to the saturday matinee.

Leonard Getz shares his affection for these early movie tough guys in this throughly researched book. Filled with great photos and lots of facts, this books is a must read for any fan of the Dead End Kids, the Bowery Boys and films of that genre.

Definitely a book that every parent must have! There are remedies in this book that no one ever told me about & I never read in other books, yet they work! I'd be lost without this book!!!

This book was a great resource.

A wonderful, practical collection of very useful tips that I wish I could have referred to when my wife and I were raising children.

Being an avid Parents magazine subscriber, I turn through their pages every month searching for advice from parents across the country. It's almost like sitting in a room, sharing your best ideas with hundreds of other parents. Although Parents magazine features this every month, it's amazing that they've created an entire BOOK about this useful information. At least one in five of these tips could work for you. Creativity from around the nation combines into these pages to provide you with unforgettable hints and tips to make parenting a LITTLE easier and more fun for the kids. I've learned a lot in the past two years from just other parents' advice and strategies. It also helps you stimulate alternative ways of disciplining your children. I recommend this book to all parents willing to learn a little more about themselves and their children. Instead of arguing and cleaning up, you'll spend more quality time with the little people you love.

Everyone knows that the best parenting advice comes from other parents. That's what makes this book so helpful: The editors of Parents magazine have pulled together tips and ideas from parents into a easy to use guide that is designed to allow you to quickly find suggestions for dealing with whatever parenting problem you are struggling with right now. A lot of the ideas are basic common sense, but it's very handy to have all the ideas in one place, which is why the book is worth purchasing.

As kids, we dreamed of making these projects. We spent hours pooring over the book; but now the members of my family can't find it. The projects were very unusual; the cannon, the pirate ship, etc. I'm now going to have a baby, and my husband and I want to have this book for our children.

I owned this book as a child and used it for small projects such as the cannon (my attempt of it at least) and dreamed of someday being able to build the larger projects. Now as a father , I want to build the pirate ship detailed in the wonderful illustrations of this book. Unfortunately I cannot find my copy of this book and I would really like to get my hands on another.

I originally bought this book before I ever owned a drill or saw. The ideas are inspirational & highly creative! David Stiles is the common man's Disney... Now with wife Jeanie, they are "hammering" out a do-it-yourself empire. Why is this book out of print?????

I obtained this book from a library and fell in love with it. After unsuccessful attempts to purchase it, I copied the entire book, and EVERY page was worth it! It is full of wonderfully creative projects to make with your children. I especially liked the tank made from plywood. It is self propelled and comes with a gun that quirts water (made from a bicycle pump!). Get your hands on this book any way you can - your kids (and all the kids in the neighborhood) will thank you for years to come!

This is an incredible book. It displays lots of proyects which demonstrate the authors boundless imagination. You can find tree houses, lake structures, wooden trains trains and much more. I have never been able to build any of these because I do not have a garden which is big enough. But the ideas are great. I used to read it as a kid, but unfortunately I have lost it. I hope I can get it back with Amazon's help.

After reading this book in 2000, I was inspired, encouraged and motivated in our family's new adventure of homeschooling. I have since read this book twice more and each time I read it, I learn something new and am re-energized and motivated! A definite must-read for new homeschoolers and experienced homeschoolers who need help getting excited about homeschooling again.

This book is fairly thin book. It is less than 200 pages, but it is packed with a ton of information. There is no fluff.

There are a number of chapters about teaching children at home, or in the popular jargon of today - homeschooling. Some of the chapters are on topics like why people homeschool their children, what are the laws, does it work, the socialization question, tools of the trade, and how much it costs.

Each chapter is full of information, and includes lists of places to get more information. These lists include other books, places to get school books, and so on. The author homeschooled her three sons and she weaves in relevant selections from her homeschooling journal. So you can see how many of the points she writes about worked in her family.

This is a well written book, full of useful information. If you are interested in homeschool, or have questions about home schooling, this is a good book to start with.

I've been researching homeschooling to see if it's for me, and this book seals it. I was lacking in confidence, not sure if homeschooling was something I could do. Her book makes it sound so do-able and contains many useful resources. Some of which I've already used even though my daughter is only two. I actually got this book from the library, but now that I've finished it I'm going to buy it so I can highlight things and have the resources on hand.

I enjoyed the highly personal nature of Ms. Rupp's style in this book. It is the first of her books that I have read, and the combination of excerpts from her personal homeschool journal with resource and objective information was as entertaining as informative. It was clear that Ms. Rupp is an intense personality, very different from myself, but I nonetheless came away encouraged and motivated, rather than intimidated and thinking I could never do it all.

She does, however, spend a conspicuous amount of space on her differences with Christians who home educate. I wondered why she felt the need to comment at all. Perhaps her point is that, as in everything, you will encounter people you don't enjoy because they are different from you.

At any rate, this book is excellently written and superior in the homeschool subject area.

As a classic fence-sitter I really couldn't decide if homeschooling my four-year-old was something I could do, let alone do well. The words in this book helped me see that homeschooling is something I need to do for my child. The journal entries the Author published about her experience with her three sons was nothing short of inspirational. She gave them such a rich learning environment that I was envious and knew that if I had had that kind of experience then I might be a different person today - someone with a more positive self image, for instance.

I now believe I can guide my daughter to become a life-long learner who delights in discovering new things about herself and the about world around her.

A must buy for the fence-sitter!

I think this book was fun to read. My mom had to make me put it down. If you like books that you can't put down this book is for you. It is a real page turner.

I would give this book Big five stars beacause it tells what are they going to do to solve the mysteries and what's going on. I liked it because they give details about how they look like. I would compare this with Vacation Under The Volcano but I like Volcation Under the Volcano better because it has magic. I would recommend this book to a friend because in the book they try to figure out what is going on.

This book is nifty and exhilerating. I really liked this book and I think you should read it.

Can Bailey School possibly get any weirder?? Well, funny you should ask...

Our small band of 3rd graders is presented with one of their newest run-ins with the strange and supernatural. Out on a trip to the Burger Doodle, they run into a new counter worker, Scout. In addition to having an odd name, Scout is an odd character! First off, her skin is ashen white, she wears a hooded black sweatshirt, and her eyes are blood red!! Speaking of blood red, what's that weird, thick red syrup she's always putting on her own ice cream? It looks a lot like... like blood!

It doesn't take long for the Bailey Kids to begin to wonder about her and her strange way of almost GLIDING over the tiles. Besides, she doesn't ever laugh or even crack a smile. It's not long before someone suggests that she might be a ghoul: an undead creature in the service of a vampire who is in search of new places for their vampire masters to live. When the Kids find out that Ms. Jeepers, their vampire teacher, is thinking of having her family move to Bailey City, they decide that action must be taken or else the city will be overrun by vampires!! One for a teacher is bad enough!

This is the 31st installment in the Bailey School Kids series and is a bit creepier than some of the others in the series. It's still got all the elements of the other books, a wisecracking Eddie who refuses to believe that any of these weird folk are anything but that-- just weird, not supernatural, a fast pace and fun plot.

I've reviewed a number of the books in the series and am finding them quite addicting. They're fast reads for beginning-to-intermediate readers (though an adult will likely finish them in less than half an hour), and the language is simple and fun. I often recommend this series for students & children who are not very interested in reading because the pace is fast, the plot is simple, and they're generally a lot of fun to read. So, scoop yourself out some vanilla and settle in with the Bailey Kids in this installment!

When The Four kids, Liza, Melody, Howie and Eddie go to Doodlegum Burger Shake restaurant they meet a strange worker whose name is Scout. But When Carey goes to Doodlegum Restaurant, She talks about her silent new neighborhood. When Scout heard it, She was so curious to know it. Scout said she wanted to move next to Carey's Neighborhood but next is the old graveyard. When the kids go out, Howie talked about ghouls because his friends believed Scout was a ghoul. Scout said she spies for a vampire. When they met Mrs. Jeepers saw her, she was talking to a phone. Looks Like Scout is a real ghoul?
You Find Out

All my girlfriends and I do the activity in the book. I have gone through 57 days already!

As an elementary school teacher, I recommend this book for its delightful activities. The book's age range is "age 7 to adult" so it covers a range of activities. Some are so simple, it is meant for the lower age of the range, while the more complex ones are meant for groups or for the older readers. For anyone who has read the Gifted Girls books, this activities book ties in nicely. I disagree with one of the reviewers who suggest the book is just jumping onto the "girl" bandwagon. Obviously she has not done her research or kept up with any girl's readings since the Gifted Girls books has been around for a while and is even recommended on the reading lists at schools. There are plenty of activities that deal with developing self-esteem and social awareness in here. For that and its positive message, I give it 5 stars.

Cute book, but more importantly, the book does give you 365 days of activities to do. It has recipes, crafts projects, team-building exercises, community awareness projects, even self-esteem-building exercises. Generally, a pretty good book that balances these activities, while being a good companion to the fiction series (Gifted Girls) for girls, a series that has been around for years. I'm a parent and can be critical, but I found I enjoyed this book just as much as my daughter Sam.

I've reviewed hundreds, close to thousands of books, and I see the same thing in most books, be it large publishers or small publishers, best-selling authors, or new authors, I've always managed to find one or two typos. So, it is very very petty for a reviewer to trash a book based on finding a few typos in the book. As far as this book is concerned, I found very little. Now focusing on the more important issue - what does this book teaches - positive belief in yourself. This is combined with activities that help develop self-esteem and creativity. There are some detail instructions and recipes, besides suggestions on what to do. The fact that it ties back to the Gifted Girls Series is an added bonus. Young girls should get this book more for the message and for the activities. It is a fun book that is written, designed, and meant to be taken in fun. Highly recommended.

Becoming the best person you can be is a daily practice. Author Gow offers a daily guide full of activities that are creative and inspiring, and always fun. As teacher and parent, I'm using this to help me with any afterschool activities or group activities I have to supervise. Easy-to-understand, and creative, I especially like the Gifted Girls characters guiding you through the process. Unbelievably cute style. I'm picking up a few for my friends.

My granddaughter went to a Good News Club Retreat for three days. She learned about the Retreat in an after school program. This is the Bible they used. Her birthday came up now and this is the gift she wanted from me. She is just 10 but I don't think she is to young to understand this Bible. Thanks for helping me make her birthday special.

I gave this to my niece for christmas and she LOVES it!! She feels it relates to her. It is really pink, she makes it all the best for her. I totally recommend it!

We bought this as an Easter gift for our 7 year old daughter and she loves reading it, as well as it's beautiful pink cover that is wonderfully made and textured. I really enjoy this Bible as well!
The teaching throughout is extremely helpful in helping us connect to each other and to God. The stories and teaching help her APPLY God's Word to her life, and gives us an opportunity to talk about how she's feeling and what she's personally going through-then, allowing her to see it through God's eyes; helping her to make decisions pleasing to God in the "smaller things" in life-preparing her for a life-time of applying His Word to her life and making godly decisions about all things, great and small!
For memory verses I sometimes prefer other versions, but for praying, Bible reading and teaching, I really LOVE the New Living Translation-it really makes God's Word easily understandable using todays language, especially for kids.
I almost always use this translation for Praying God's Word-I used it in my "Alphabet Prayers" book and have received a great response from Moms, Grandmas and girls using them! For older Christians using this translation, it gives a deeper meaning, or newer explaination (I love digging deeper into a verse by comparing Bible versions) and for new Christians it's translated to this new generation with current language.
There are some things a bit more applicable for older girls, we'll just save those for later. Over-all this is a very wonderful Bible for girls of all ages-with timeless principles, relevant stories, and adaptable to many ages. I am very glad that we got her this Bible-and believe that she'll use and keep this one for years to come! It is ALREADY BEARING FRUIT IN HER HEART & MINE!
Tammy M Price
AUTHOR "Alphabet Prayers-the Power of Praying Scripture into the Hearts You Love."
"PRAYING GOD'S WORD for the WORLD-Lighting Pathways of Blessing." and "40-Day Journey to the Heart of God-an Adventure in Prayer"

My twelve year old and I picked out this bible after we did some joint research and it is great. The graphics are just her size, not too childish and the bible asks questions like,"Did you get that girlfriend, God loves you." It interacts with guided bible studies in the back and I am looking forward to me and her doing some of those together. I also like that it is a hard back version which allows her to take it to school and not get it bent up like a paper back. I love this book and I am getting ready to get the boys version for my six year old, it is never to early to teach directly from the bible especially with tools as great as these.

I got this bible for my [...] daughter for Christmas. She really likes it and we enjoy reading the side stories at night and talking about them. Some of the scenarios in this bible might be a little too mature for a preteen though. I would recommend this more for 14 and up.

I was horrified to be buying this book, but thrilled I could on Amazon and not be seen in public. After reading just a few chapters, my attitude toward sex changed. It became clear that with a little effort from me, my husband was more than willing to listen and thrilled to see me change. He was eager to please me and make just that little bit of change in himself as well. (we all know what they will do for a little sex) Her writing is clear, funny at times, and right on target about what to do. This book is a must at a baby shower. It has helped to make my marriage better, which ultimately makes for a happier family.

Husbands and Dads: Buy this book! Read it first to gain some deep understanding of your wife's emotional and mental state after child-birth. Take every word to heart and this resource will break your thinking.

wow, this author is awesome. i think she is so caring and cool and helpful. however, as a new mom in my 20s, i think this book is not for my generation. a lot of it was written with people born in the 40s, 50s and 60s in mind. people in my generation (born 70s, 80s) who are having kids and have low libido already know a lot about sex, erotica and communication. however there were some good tips in the book. she's a cool lady

I bought this book because I'm a fan of Dr. Raskin's other books, and I love this one too. You really feel like she knows you personally. My favorite chapter is how to talk to your husband about sex, but I also like her suggestions on how to get your libido charged. You don't feel ridiculous because she completely gets what the issues are for mothers. Thank you, thank you!

At first glance the title catches one's eye - Great Sex for Moms.
There is a quick glance around to make sure no one is looking as one
picks up the book in the bookstore. That single act of picking up the
book to read the jacket (or ordering it from Amazon.com)is a primary
step in doing what this book advocates. Dr. Raskin constructs her
book around intentionality. Instead of simply accepting the status
quo, the reader is challenged to take steps which will bring a great
sex life - in spite of kids! In these pages it becomes apparent that
the physician part of Raskin has merged with the romantic and mother
sides of her being. She speaks as one with incredible integrity. Her
writing is informed by her mind, heart, and experience. What can beat
that?

Humor is coupled with very specific and helpful suggestions
about re-kindling a healthy, fulfilling sex life. While the subject
matter is serious, there is a playfulness that creates a comfort level
for the reader. At one point Raskin writes, "...I hope my mother and
children never read this chapter..." - Raskin knows her readers well.

Great Sex for Moms is a book for Dads too! If read as a couple,
the conversations which ensue will guarantee a better sex life!

Having known Tom for many years as a fascinating guy with a "past" that he only hinted of( with his knowledge of snakes, for instance )which he shared with the Boy Scouts-but you never really knew how or where he had acquired this knowledge-then when The Gringo Kid was published, voila, now we know. Karen Fisher did such a great job in capturing Tom -in his speech patterns and vernacular what a talent she has. I hear a mini series is in the works for t.v. Can hardly wait to see it. I have shared the book with many people- always the same response - GREAT!

The book caught and held my interest. Tom obviously has nine lives to have lived through the adventures that he experienced. The book is written like it is being told by a great storyteller; something that Tom definetly is. I would reccomend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about the untamed southwest. The fact that it is based on Tom's life makes it even the more interesting.

Tom's life story is about the sorrows, adventures, danger and success that came to a young man. He survived it, as all cowboys should. Within this book are things no one can make up, no one knows enough to do it. I watched Tom through the time he wrote this book. It is a work of agony and ecstasy, but most of all, the triumph of the human soul faced with overwhelming odds. Great for all readers, young people, and especially anyone who needs the courage to go on in the face of terrific odds. It is a time and place now gone, but within these pages are truths that will always be with us. Reading this book, you will never be bored, but you will be better because of it.

I received a copy of the book for Christmas. It is a terrific book. Just like the Westerns I love so much to read. I read it from cover to cover. Tom (the "Gringo Kid") had a life every bit as venturesome as the real live Western heroes. The book was professional in every way - very interesting and entertaining.

Lawrence Coon; Maryland, U.S.A.

Whether you are a reader of westerns (I'm not) or a James Ellroy fan (I am), you will be caught immediately by this disarming narrative of honor and courage. The time is 1940, but it might as well be 1880. This is the old southwest as it must have been...as I like to think it was. I didn't want this book to end.

Now in a newly revised and expanded edition, Growing Up Feeling Good: The Life Handbook For Kids by educator and human sexuality expert Ellen Rosenberg is a comprehensive resource written specifically for preteen and teenaged young adults. Individual chapters address such problematic issues affecting preteen and adolescent sexual development as peer pressure, adjusting to the biological changes of puberty, the thorny issues of sex, dealing with separation, divorce, step-families, and a great deal more. Growing Up Feeling Good is a very solid and highly recommended guide for both parents and children.

A must for every young person to read! The author not only discusses topics that are of great concern to kids, but offers many choices on how to handle difficult situations. My three kids have read this book and loved it. And when they don't have it, I'm reading it! I recommend that parents read it as well.

I am a physician and love to speak to pre- and adolescent teens about puberty and all the changes that occur with their bodies and minds at that time. I love this book and refer to it often-my clinic is now purchasing copies for the local school system-to be read, re-read, used and shared-from the elementary kids to the high school students to the teachers and counselors!

This book was recommended to me for my 11- and 13-year-old kids by a physician assistant. She had found it helpful for her teenagers. So I got a copy from the library to review before I let my kids see it. I thought it was excellent: a wide range of topics of interest to adolescents are addressed in an honest, sensitive style. My kids liked the book too, so we decided to buy a copy for reference--for those questions that will come up in the next few years that they don't quite feel comfortable asking Mom or Dad. I'd prefer they get their answers from this book, rather than from a boyfriend or girlfriend.

I first came across this book when I was nine. Since then I have read it a countless number of times. I am sixteen now, and I still look back on it from time to time. It has all the information a young teen would ever need; all in a chunky little manual. The author writes with a very compassionate tone...This is a gem of a book!