Brooks Books

Caroline Lawrence writes incredibly detailed, fascinating stories. This one is no different. The well-paced plot keeps you turning the pages to find out what is going to happen next.

However, this is a very bloodthirsty book mainly because the Roman games were bloodthirsty games. The children explore their feelings about the violence and find that the bloody nature of the sport can be both frightening and addicting.

I really felt that some of the descriptions bordered on too graphic. One of my main problems with this book was the part with the little girls being eaten by hippos and crocodiles. The main character, Flavia, just barely manages to escape death through the intervention of her former slave, Nubia. I found the entire scene with the girls in the water to be disturbing. It was fairly graphic and heartbreaking. I have a fairly vivid imagination and I actually ended up dreaming about this scene the night after I read the book.

The bottom line is, if you have a child who is prone to nightmares or who has an over-active imagination, then this would be one I would have them skip. However, since the plot line is important to the rest of the series, it would be good to read it and summarize the events for your child. This is what I did for my son.

These books are just great for kids who love adventure, excitment and like to learn about history in entertaining way. My kids can't put these books down and now have a real image in their minds of what it was realy like to be a child growing up in this time in history. Kind of scary!!!!!

Flavie, Nubia and Lupus are all mourning the death of their dear friend- Johnthan. But when rumours start spreading of him being alive in Rome, Flavia and Nubia, with Lupus, decided to investigate.

This was once again another great book from Caroline Larence- an amazing author who depicts ancient rome in a truly outstanding way. I enjoyed this book immensely and it is a must-read for any historical fans.

The Roman mystery series is as good as it gets. Three of the children--Flavia, Nubia, and Lupus, go in search of their friend Benjamin who was last seen during the burning of Rome. Rumor through the city says that a dark, curly haired boy set the fire and Emporer Titus is searching for him. Emporer Titus is also opening the Flavian Amphitheater, now known as the Colesseum, with 100 days of celebration that will include gladiator fights and executions. The three friends find mystery and danger as they search for their best friend. Nubia holds the means to save either Benjamin or her brother, a gladiator, which will she choose? This series is exciting and in the process describes the life in Rome of 80 A.D.

If your pre-teen reads this book, she/he may want to run to the nearest bookstore to buy an armful of books on ancient Rome. Not because there's too much in it that's incomprehensible, but because Lawrence makes it a very realistic and compelling world--both the "good" and the "bad." The protagonists--all children--adroitly negotiate a morally difficult world where men, womnen and even children are victims of spectacular (and bloodthirsty) games in the Flavian amphitheater. However, the narration is also quite sensitive to the young reader's possible reactions, and sympathetic views are always heard from at least one character. The subject of personal loss and family tragedy is well explored here. I'm not a a mental health professional, but this books feels like the type that might help a child who has had to cope with the loss of a loved one. I've read every book in the series and as an educator in literature, I highly recommend it, and also the other books in the series.

I found this workbook and its companion book, "I wasn't ready to say a goodbye" a tremendous help after the sudden death of our 36b year old daughter. It contains very practical help, but more importantly gave me a sense that I was not alone. The authors very effectively used their experience to help others work through their grief.

This book is helpful to my clients when dealing with a sudden death.

If you liked the book "I Wasn't Ready to Say Goodbye" but wanted a way to help you actually work through the loss and grief process, the workbook is finally here. To a certain extent this workbook stands alone and can be used without the primary book but you would lose a lot of the benefit if you did it that way. When used in conjunction with the book you gain a much greater understanding of what is going on and the process of working through the workbook is greatly enhanced. The workbook is full of insightful questions and exercises to help you understand what you are going through and appreciate and accept yourself. From there you can learn, grow, and heal. The workbook is very helpful with getting out the grief, anger, guilt, and anything else you may need to work on. If you are dealing with sudden, unexpected loss the book "I Wasn't Ready to Say Goodbye" is one of the best resources you can pick up. Now, this companion workbook helps you apply the book to your life and start the healing process.

This is an excellent grief resource that provides a solid roadmap to go along with the book. The activities are meaningful and help one who has recently suffered a loss go through the grieving process faster.

You will get the most benefit if you read the book and do the activities provided in this workbook. However, you could work with each of these separately.

The The Grief Recovery Handbook : The Action Program for Moving Beyond Death Divorce, and Other Losses is also quite popular and geared toward losses of all types. This book is strongly focused on a recent loss, but will be useful to anyone who is grieving the death of a loved one.

"As we live our life, we can choose to become a light for those we have lost. We can carry their memory, their hopes, their dreams into the future." ~Brook Noel

The need to talk about loss can lead to a deeper healing process and having a comforting workbook provides a place of understanding. In order to move through the grieving process, Brook Noel and Pamela Blair explain the process of grief.

They start the book with notes for the first few weeks, lists of calls that need to be made and information on who needs to be notified. There are place to write all the information you need to remember.

They explain the emotions of fear, anger and depression and also provide calming exercises. There are helpful guides for anyone helping others with loss and the section on Learning through Loss provides an excellent list of positive affirmations. There are ideas about Memory Books and ways to honor someone through donations or a living memorial.

The third chapter answers many questions that need to be answered. Should you take medication to get through the process or would a natural therapy work better? I have found the Bach Rescue Remedy to be very effective and comforting.

Explaining the situation to children and dealing with the holidays are also issues to consider. Writing poetry and memories in a journal are also ideas that are helpful and healing. The quotes and poems throughout the workbook are beautiful and carefully chosen.

Understanding grief can also help you with all areas of loss in your life, because I think we go through them when we lose anything or anyone we truly love. So in that regard, this book is for everyone and will be appreciated by counselors, pastors, family members, friends and especially by anyone who is currently experiencing the affects of loss. Additional books and CDs are also available.

~The Rebecca Review

I've read dozens of WWII books and this is one of the best! There is nothing quite like reading about Great Americans' experiences in their own words. They answered the call, did their duty and risked their lives every day to protect their Country and our way of life. Now everyone can find out what it was like in graphic detail. This is the first book written by Brooks Mitchell that I have read and I look forward to reading his other works.

My father was the pilot in this book and he passed away prior to it's being published. I can only read a few pages at a time as the emotion of the events wells up very quickly. It is a wonderful look into one airplane crew from different individual perspectives as they faced each mission not knowing what they were to encounter. My father would be proud!! They were good Americans applies to the ones who gave their lives and the ones who made it to tell their stories. God Bless You

My Dad is 79. He was in the Army Air Corp and Air Force from 1944 to 1949. He now spends much of his day reading and, on occasion, still enjoys assemblng a WWII model airplane. He does not have the same eye for detail and the dexterity he once had, but the pleasure of his hobby remains. I gave my Dad Kipling's Error III as a gift. His emotional response and heartfelt appreciation was my gift. He enjoyed the sensitive writing style and personal diaries with a tear in his eye and a flood of memories. We are deeply grateful to Dr. Brooks Mitchell and Capt. Lloyd Mitchell for kindly and respectfully honoring and remembering our veterans. Thank you.

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (3/06)

Brooks Mitchell, PhD, wrote this biography about his father, a B-17 navigator of Kipling's Error III, and his crew's 25 combat missions that took place over Europe during World War II. Mitchell gathered his information from diaries written by his father and four of his crewmen. He also used a taped interview with his father that his daughter created while she was doing a high school paper. There are also vintage photographs that bring the stories more vividly alive.

Through this story, Brooks achieves his goal of preserving the experiences of these crewmen during the time of war. The reader learns about the difficult times that these men experienced while they were stationed in Snetterton-Heath England. "Kipling's Error III" provides excellent insights into what these brave men had to sacrifice during their time of serving our country. Because the information was taken from some of the crewmen's personal diaries, the reader gets to see life as it really was during this time. Every aspect of the men's lives is covered.

This book provides so much more rich detail, than a traditional history book. When Captain Lloyd Mitchell wrote in his diary, "They were good Americans," he was referring to friends of his who were killed during a raid into the Third Reich. He had to help clean up their remains. By learning about the war from the experiences of these men, the reader is able to see the full range of emotions that they had to deal with while they were at war and then the personal issues they faced being so far away from their family and friends.

I highly recommend this book to World War II fans. Reading through the diary entries and seeing the photographs will really make you feel like you are present. Passing on this story also an important way to preserve this historical experience of American men who were truly, "good Americans."

Drawing from flight crew diaries and enhanced with vintage photographs, Kipling's Error III: They Were Good Americans is the story of the men who flew a B-17 Flying Fortress on twenty-five successful raids over enemy occupied Europe. Striking out from their base in Snetterton-heath, England, these were men who were put through every possible human emotion in a bloody and savage aerial war that included bravery, terror, duty, patriotism, love and hate. The author, Brooks Mitchell , is the eldest of three sons of Captain Lloyd Mitchell who served as the navigator of Kipling's Error II and has provided an invaluable contribution to the growing library of World War II aviation combat histories. Kipling's Error III is impressively informative, exceptionally well edited and written, very highly recommended reading for military buffs, and a core addition to academic and community library World War II Military Studies reference collections.

"Mountain Shadows" is a bittersweet story of true love and endurance.

Joe Devlin's unselfish love for his tuberculosis stricken wife, Alice, first sends him trekking through the snow covered Adirondacks on frost-bitten feet to reach Saranac, New York. She has been sent to this cold and refreshing clime to seek the "rest cure" prescribed for T.B. patients in one of the areas' curing cottages. Later, in order to pay her continuing medical expenses, Joe is forced into a life of illegally running bootlegged liquor from Canada during the prohibition era of the 1920s.

The descriptions of the old-fashioned cures for tubercular patients are fascinating and the characters are all exceedingly well-drawn. The beauty of the surrounding countryside comes alive in this well-written and heart wrenching novel. I loved the book and will certainly give it a second read.

Having just read Mountain Shadows and being the principal of Lake Placid Middle/High School, all I have to say is "Wow! What a Book!" I look forward to having Brooks speak at a dinner meeting of our Adirondack Book Club, a group of male community leaders. In the past, we have heard from Russell Banks and Brian Mann. Brooks will also speak to several classes of history students, where Mountain Shadows is assigned reading.

This historically-accurate novel is a wonderful exploration of both the natural and cultural environment of the Lake Placid/Saranac Lake area of New York's Adirondacks during the 1920's. The enjoyable story of a couple that is introduced to the region by necessity also provides a glimpse into the area's rich heritage, and illustrates to those of us that live in the Adirondacks that some aspects of that time period remain the same today.

Brooks presents a well-researched description of Saranac Lake's tuberculosis cure cottages and the affluent nature of Lake Placid during prohibition, from the working-class perspective of a young man who finds himself immersed in the conflicting settings of both.

In its exploration of the cure cottages, the book provides an accurate account of this very important time period in Saranac Lake's history, and it showcases many aspects of the High Peaks of the Adirondacks in a different era. However, to those of us lucky enough to live there, it is clear that some characteristics of the mountains in the story haven't changed much.

As the main character makes his way to Lake Placid on foot after his Model T breaks down less than 100 miles away, the reader is taken to a time when the winter made what is now a short drive into an epic journey. In the book, the beautiful, yet remote wilderness is contrasted by the warmth and hospitality of the region's inhabitants.

Today's technology allows easy travel through the mountains; a great advancement from the impassable winter roadways of the prohibition era. But the residents of the region still abide by the same conventions with respect of hospitality as the welcoming rural folks in the book. Though eighty years have passed since the time in which this story is set, that remote wilderness is still there, forever wild, to be enjoyed by visitors and residents alike. And, although the development of antibiotics eliminated the need for the tuberculosis cure cottages, visitors continue to travel to the region seeking a different kind of cure. Today, the High Peaks region blends a rich Olympic history, countless outdoor recreational opportunities, and the chance to get away from it all.

The historic significance of the tuberculosis cure, in the context of such a well-written, heartwarming story, would translate beautifully onscreen, allowing a much larger audience to learn about this important part of our region's past. And, the largely unchanged geographic surroundings here in the Adirondacks would make a spectacular backdrop for a project of that nature. As the President of the Lake Placid/Essex County Visitors Bureau, I am pleased to have had the opportunity to read and endorse this book as a wonderful resource that enhances our efforts to promote the heritage of our region.

We just got back from a wonderful "Mom's weekend" in Lake Placid. All 12 of us had read the book for bookgroup and just loved it. Coming up to Lake Placid and Saranac Lake brought out all of the questions and interests we had had from reading the book. After all, a five hour car ride with 6 Moms per car can bring about a lot of discussion. One of our highlights of our weekend was actually discussing the book with Patricia Brooks. What an honor it was to hear about how she so thoroughly researched all the aspects for the book. Our curiosity was so high that after our discussion we actually drove around Saranac Lake and found Helen Hill and while in Lake Placid drove past where Joe worked at the Lake Placid Club. Mountain Shadows was a wonderful read and I highly recommend it. It brought about more discussion than any book we have read.

"Mountain Shadows" is a delightful read. I am impressed by the sensitive and often dramatic treatment of historic detail. Even those of us who thought we knew a lot about the unique story of Saranac Lake, during the half century that we were the premier place in the Western Hemisphere for the treatment and cure of tuberculosis, found new insight and understanding in the telling of a very personal story. The reader learns of the shifting emotions of patients as they see friends improve and return home, and others pass away and leave in coffins at nightfall. We see the strains on family life when one member is sent to Saranac Lake for the cure - some families writing, visiting, sending packages, others distancing themselves from the feared contagion. The supportive and encouraging attitude of residents and caregivers in Saranac Lake toward the thousands of tuberculosis patients who stayed here comes through as well, the positive attitude that surely helped many to survive the "White Plague." "Mountain Shadows" tells a story that is relevant and inspiring today as many struggle with serious illness or strive to provide for the emotional and physical support of loved ones who are ill.

If you have had the good fortune to read Ron Buckley's "Winning In A Highly Competative Manufacturing Enviornment" you will remember that one of the cornerstones to winning is quality. And quality or more specifically, Mistake Proofing, is what Buckley and daughter Candace-Lynn decipher in "No Eraser Needed: Mistake Proofing Your Business".

As with "Winning" the Buckleys use their "real world" experiences along with practical problem solving tools and techniques such as Cause and Effect Diagram, FMEA, and Brainstorming with simple explanations that the reader can easily understand and begin using immediately.

When most people think of quality, Six Sigma almost immediately comes to mind. Far too many of todays "gurus" proclaim that the only way to solve your company's problems is to launch a daunting GE or Honeywell style Six Sigma program. The Buckleys sound wisdom shines through as they admonish their readers to "start with a Mistake Proofing program and when you collect from the payoff of your efforts here move on to Six Sigma, but don't think for a minute that you cannot compete without it."

Mistake Proofing is a series of tools and techniques designed to simplify business processes and the simplest way for your company to win with quality is to apply the lessons put forth in "No Eraser Needed: Mistake Proofing Your Business."

Mr. Buckley states in his book "no work happens until the tool hits the material" so this is not going to be a book review in the traditional sense. This is going to be a report on results. My company relies heavily upon the automotive industry and that industry has not been flourishing for the last few quarters. By applying the techniques and concepts covered in this book and Mr. Buckley's previous book (Winning in a Highly Competitive Manufacturing Environment), I was able to generate savings equivalent to 1% of our top line sales without any workforce reductions.

I work for a privately held company so I can't be more specific, but, let me leave you with some advice - buy the books, read them and put the concepts into practice - you'll be glad you did.

"No Eraser Needed" is a simple but great guide for a mistake-proofing program. The Cross-functional, self-directed team concept is truly best process to maximize productivity in any business. The examples of mistake proofing is laid out very well,easy to understand and apply them.

This book is filled with practical ideas to reduce unnecessary and costly mistakes. It provides a framework for approaching the elimination of mistakes. It's an easy read, and everyone can identify with the examples provided. Maybe most importantly, it focuses on engaging everyone in the enterprise in the hunt to root out mistakes, which builds teamwork and pride in the business.

"No Eraser Needed" is a fantastic guide for anyone wishing to establish or enhance a mistake-proofing program in any business. The book not only provides real world examples in both an industrial and office setting, but details type of person you should consider appointing to lead the program. Training guidelines are provided including an actual pitch that was used to train employees within a company. The book is also written in a style that allows the book to be distributed throughout any level of the organization and easily understood by all readers. I also agree with the authors' approach of training everyone, as the more minds in the business that think from a mistake-proofing perspective, the fewer the problems that will ever occur. The book also has a bonus section on cross-functional self-directed work teams, which, when applied properly (and these authors detail the proper approach) can help shift the culture of a business that has stifled the ideas and ownership needed from within the business to stay agile in today's ever-changing business world. I strongly recommend this book for anyone at any level in the organization that wishes to implement or accentuate a mistake-proofing program.

I've just finished reading this wonderful book a few days ago. It was sweet and simple, yet Mary was obviously such an elegant lady. I took my time reading each page, savoring every moment she described of her life in CT. I truly didn't want this book to end. How I wish I had personally known Mary and had been able to sit down and have tea and cake with her. I can't stop thinking about Mary, her 1st and 2nd husbands, and her friends and family. Most of all, I keep thinking about Smoky, her precious German shepherd. I cried about Smoky, and then I cried about Mary when I found out she had passed, also. This was an extremely memorable book.

To the reviewer from Modesto - please email me, I know Mary would love to hear from you.

Mary's book read like a conversation between friends as she reminisced about the challenge of making a barn into a home and then adjusting to life as a single woman upon the death of her husband. Although for me it was reminiscent of similar experiences as I was her neighbor, living just over the hill, everyone will enjoy her style. In her telling of the love and support she found among neighbors, she reminds us all of a life and time many of us knew but now has been lost.

This is one of the best reads I have expereinced. Must admit that I am partial because I live in CT and much of what she describes I have seen. It is a touching love story. A book about the value of women learing to be independent well before her time. It is richly written. Our book club will be reading this book next month. I'm looking forward to the second reading. A must read in my humble opinion!

Mary was delighted to hear your raving reviews of her book. I am sad to tell you that she passed away August 18, 2001 at the age of 96. She was in the process of completing a sequal to "The Widow Down By The Brook". Had her body not given out, believe me, her mind would have finished it. I was fortunate to have spent the past year trying to keep up with her. The immediate personal connection you feel reading the words in her book are the same feelings you had meeting her. She found humor in every day. She was a delightful woman, a precious one that got away. She will be truely missed.

I loved this book! I couldn't put it down. It was a very fast read. I hope they write another!

Reviewed by Gina Holland for RebeccasReads (6/08)


"The Adventures of Slim and Howdy" is a novel full of humor, mystery and thrills. The novel's namesakes are two young men who meet fortuitously in a used car lot; both are trying to sell their cars so they can head towards bigger and better things. Howdy wants to sell his car for enough money to get himself to Texas and a career in music. Slim wants rid himself of his car, because it never gets him to where he needs to be. In the midst of things, the men end up coming to a surprise resolution: Howdy keeps his truck, seeing that it is in the best shape of both cars, and he and Slim decide to split the money for Slim's car and take off together, vowing to put both names on the pink slip of the truck. I wonder if anything like this ever happens in real life.

Slim and Howdy both love music, and plan on making it their career. Howdy is the outgoing one. He has something lined up pertaining to music at a honky-tonk in Texas. Slim is the quiet one. He doesn't talk much and Howdy gets pretty frustrated with Slim on the trip. His answers are very few and far between, and Howdy wonders how this will all work out.

Slim has to make one quick stop before they head out. He has to rescue his stolen guitar. This is when they meet Crystal and Tammy, two wild girls, thieves if you will, who almost get them into a lot of trouble, and nearly killed. So much for luck.

After Slim retrieves his guitar and shakes the troublesome duo of Crystal and Tammy, and then the cops, he and Howdy finally head towards Texas. There, they meet Skeet Duvall, the owner of the Piggin' String. He gives them the chance that they were looking for: Freedom to sing and play and be something very special.

After their time is finished at the Piggin' String, they move on to another place where things heat up and become more than the guys may be able to handle. A place where a lost love for Howdy becomes the target of someone's anger and greed. Howdy and Slim must save this lost love before its too late.

Brooks and Dunn have written a fantastic novel about two young men on the road looking for fame and fortune. Just like anyone looking for the same things, the men find themselves in several dilemmas. I had so much fun reading this novel. I really hope there will be a sequel, as I would love to find out where life takes Slim and Howdy. Brooks and Dunn have brought to us the lives of young people who are struggling to become something that they want to be; how hard it is to get there, and what can happen once they do. A job very well done. As a bonus, they include a CD in the back of the book called, "Gotta Get Me One Of Those," which is great.

If you like Brooks and Dunn and know a little about them then you need to read this book. You will have A LOT of good laughs! Very hard to put down once you start reading.

I bought this book because I am a fan of Brooks and Dunn music, but it is just so addictive. Once I started it was very hard to stop. It is written in a plain and simple language about two blokes and their exploites. Very funny and very very entertaining.

The book is a blast, a must read for any Brooks & Dunn fan, and if you're not, you will by the time you finish. This book shows how truly creative Brooks & Dunn are. For those of us who have anxiously awaited each new CD for another snippet of the Slim & Howdy saga, this book really is a wonderful ride. I only hope there is another one in the works since we never do find out if Slim's father is still alive, or whether Howdy finds the perfect margarita. Just a few things to ponder.

I have already read the book and it was great! I found it very intersting and not wanting to put the book down until I finished it!

While this book is written for the young adult, I read it recently as a "older" adult and loved it. I have limited spare time so it was great to be able to finish this book in a day or 2. It is simply written yet gives the reader a clear, comprehensive guide to the life of a brave, determined peasant girl. All important facts of Joan's life are included, her childhood, her goal to defeat the English and secure the French throne for Charles VII and her capture and death at the hands of the British. After reading this book I now have a clearer insight into the life of this popular heroine, her call from God and her amazing accomplishments.

In "Beyond the Myth: The Story of Joan of Arc," Polly Schoyer Brooks provides a biography for young adults that makes a point of separating historical facts from popular legends. One of the main strengths of the volume is how Brooks establishes the situation in 15th-century France which involved a king who suffered fits of madness and his weakling son and then tells the story of a peasant girl from the countryside who accomplished what appeared to be miracles in rallying the French to her banner. The result is a book about Joan of Arc that captures her humanity as well as her heroism.

Brooks neatly divides the story of Joan in half, with the first six chapters starting with Joan's life in the village of Domremy and ending with the crowing of Charles the Dauphin as King of France, and the last six depicting Joan's fall from glory, trial, and execution. Brooks emphasizes that the situations that brought about her martyrdom were beyond Joan's control and details the political calculations that ended up putting her in the hands of the English. However, as Brooks emphasizes, though the English burned Joan's body to ashes they could not wipe out the memory of her deeds from the French people. I appreciate that Brooks makes it clear to her readers how the effort's to restore Joan's name and honor after the English left France were just as politically motivated as the trial that condemned her.

This young adult biography is illustrated with historic prints and paintings, including a sketch by a clerk of his idea of Joan drawn in the margin of his report, as well as contemporary photographs of historic sites, such as Joan's stone-and-rubble house in Domremy and the statue on the post were she was burned at the stake in the marketplace at Rouen. Brooks has also written similar biographies of Eleanor of Acquitaine and Cleopatra. However, as Brooks notes, although more books about Joan have been inspired than any other women in history, she remains an enigma. In "Beyond the Myth," Brooks tries to answer the key questions concerning Joan's life and to restore her humanity, which in the final analysis, Brooks sees as being her greatest virtue. For students who are ready to get beyond your basic juvenile biographies of Joan of Arc, this is a thoughtful volume to which to turn next.

Like many females, I enjoy learning about female historical figures. I want to know as much truth as I can find. The author does exactly that for the reader. This book is a detailed account of the events that triggered Joan d'Arc's dedication to her country and its rightful king. The author traces the history based on documents and other works that have been carefully researched. She provides the reader with the personality traits and beliefs of the time which drove the events that led to Joan's trial and death. Accusations of witchcraft and sorcery were used by church and secular leaders to destroy the young life of a heroic woman because of jealousy, superstition, and shady business surrounding the church and state. In addition, health and medical issues of the times are revealed that are shocking and entertaining. Read this book to learn about Joan, but also about the way people lived. Just learning about the reasons for the need for all those castles made the read worth the time.

This book is quite possibly the funniest poetry book I have ever read. J Pops is one of the coolest men to ever walk the earth.
1)God
2)J Pops
3)Chuck Norris

That's how cool he is.

Interesting. . . a long way from Connecticut Avenue to Connecticut State. Not Considerations or the Cockroaches Ball but 3 points none-the-less.

yo i just read Mr. P's book...he is the greatest.... his book is so great.... he is the greatest teacher ever.... he is my idol.... i hope he writes another book real soon

I love this book. It make me feeel warm inside. I want everyone to read this book. I like the poems. I Also like men. And poem about condoms. BOy,that one was great! I liked it becaus it was great. Buy this book

i read this book over and over again (according to my college english class, thats the best way to understand good poetry)...the best way to describe this is a pulp ficktion type of darkness to the humor...even my english teacher loved this book and is going to have me do a report of a poem (:-( thanks mr. P)...anyone who appreciates poetry, true smokey room, depressed gusy w/ long hair complaining about the world poetry...dont buy this book...but anyone who loves real poetry...the kind thats in-your-face, yet, contains a gentle humor in the end...this short book is perfect. i hope mr. P wrights his short novel next...that would be something even stephen king would be proud of...peace mr. P

I volunteer at a nature & wildlife educational museum. Creatures of the Night is the perfect book to read to visiting young children especially during the month of October. The pictures are delightful & inspire discussion in the 3 to 7 yr old age group. (If you order this book be sure it is a Creatures of the Night written for young children not one for adults with the same title but different authors)

Written in rhyme, this colorful picture book will soon become your child's favorite bedtime story. Creatures of the Night will explain the often scary sounds heard at night, shedding light on the creatures that come out to play.

The little "masked bandit" raccoon wears his clever disguise. The cute little field mice run, jump, and play. Perhaps one of the most prominent nighttime noises is the melody chirped by the crickets. They are pictured as happy smiling little critters. The frogs and toads join in the serenade, as the lightening bugs dance along. The coyote calls his friends to come and play. They walk and jump and run. They dance and sing their serenades until the night is done.

Written for children ages three to seven, it is also a book an older child will enjoy reading to a sibling. Creatures of the Night is colorfully illustrated by Rodger B. Wilson, who is the recipient of many awards for graphic design and illustrations. Author, Stephen J. Brooks has written several children's books. He has served as a Federal Agent for over a decade and writes to comfort children.

Has your young child ever wondered about those noises in the night, or about those creatures that come out to play only at night?

Creatures of the Night is a lovely rhyming story about those nocturnal creatures that "Come out to run and play," like "The sly and wily old raccoon,/With a mask around its eyes,/Sneaks about in search of food/in his ever so clever disguise."

Other creatures of the night mentioned in the book include the owl, field mice, crickets, frogs, fireflies, coyote, opossum, and muskrats.

The rhymes are delightful and the illustrations beautiful, with a serene, peaceful quality to them, bringing to life the magic of the night and its creatures. It is the kind of book young children will want to listen to in bed at night many times, if only to look at the lovely images of the animals.

A book that both teaches and stimulates young children's imagination, Creatures of the Night is a keeper, and well-worth its hardcover price.

This is my daughters favorite night time story. She loves the gentle images of the animals and the wonderful rhyming text.

This is an awesome book for your children to read! It's a fun storyline with cute illustrations of nocturnal animals. It's nice to have a book that exposes kids to animals and a fun outdoor environment.