Sheep Books

I have over twenty knitting books, and none can hold a candle to this one! The prose is engaging and fun. Other books may have one or two projects I like, and so-so writing, obvious a goodly portion of "filler," both text and pictures, but No Sheep danced me through one fabulous, colorful, inspiring project after another. I want to do them all! Unlike the humdrum projects in my other books, I love every unique, colorful work of art--the fibers, the colors, the patterns!--the book might be renamed No Boredom for You. I highly recommend this book for all people interested in knitting, those who enjoy wonderful writing, and those who wish to be creatively inspired!

This is a wonderful little knitting book. It has sweaters using ribbon, cotton, summer tops, winter knits, and men's knits. The patterns are very easy to read. The tomato sweater was done by someone in our knitting group and it knitted up very fast and came out amazing. True to the pattern. I would say that there are some basic knits in here that are missing a bit of imagination. That would be my only complaint.

Love the intro... fantastic explanation of all the different kinds of nonwool yarns. Very informative. Patterns are great, wide range of large and small, easy and difficult.

I'm a new knitter and don't want to use wool because of the cruel practices (including mulesling, the cutting without anesthesia of part of the tail and surrounding skin of lambs and sheep) of the wool industry. I was therefore delighted to find this book. At first I thought it was written by a vegan, but then noticed the word "silk" on the cover. I purchased it anyway because it seemed like a great reference for working with non-wool yarns. And there is a lot to recommend it. The author goes into some detail about the history of the different yarns and how they're produced (all quite interesting) and provides guides comparing the qualities of the different yarns to wool. Further, most of the designs, to my eye, are hip and attractive.

However, for such a well-researched book, I find the absence of any concern for animals extremely annoying. Although the book promises to show you how to "knit happy" without wool, there is a section entitled, "Are You Really Allergic to Wool?" apparently to root out any poor souls who may be denying themselves the "pleasures" of wool due to misdiagnosis. Despite her claims to the contrary, this implies non-wool yarns are a mere second-rate substitution for wool. Can she really be unaware that many of us who are not allergic to wool choose to avoid it because we love animals and don't wish to support the industries that exploit them and cause them to suffer? Further, her favorite of all non-wool yarns is silk yarn, and even though she writes about the availability of "ahimsa" (Sanskrit for "reverence for life") silk--silk made without cruelly killing the silk worms--she prefers the cruel stuff because it's the "shimmeriest." She describes the production of this type of silk in a rather glib manner - "The moth has its short life ended a few days earlier than normal, before it has a chance to break through the cocoon. The common word for this is `stifling.' It's done with either dry heat or steam, and what's left is an undamaged cocoon with a little deceased bug inside. RIP." I realize many readers of this review may not care about silk worms. However, I'll never forget, more than 20 years ago, a colleague returning to the office after a trip to China. This woman was a typical meat-eating American who had never heard of animal rights and who would of thought it crazy if she had. Yet she had been traumatized by a visit to a silk factory and seeing thousands of worms wriggling in the boiling water, to her mind, clearly in pain. The fact that someone like her---a bleeding heart by no means--found the boiling of live worms so horrifying has stayed with me, and I haven't worn silk since. And it irritates me that author Amy R. Singer, who proves herself so knowledgeable about yarn production, seems so blatantly unconcerned with the humane treatment of animals. I'd like this book much better if it had been written by an ethical vegan.

No Sheep for You: Knit Happy with Cotton, Silk, Linen, Hemp, Bamboo & Other Delights
Finally, a book for non-wool knitters that offers more than just patterns for alternates. The author explains how you can substitute alternate fibers to conventional patterns by explaining their properties and best applications. She also has some very nice non-wool patterns included in the book. A book for the creative knitter who wants to have more freedom in putting together yarns and patterns.

Brandt Dodson wove an action-packed real life story about a troubled teen and desperate father. The mystery unravels page by page and keeps you turning pages to find out what is next.

. . . When Colton Parker, PI, thought his life would settle down after the closing of his most recent big case, he never imagined the phone message he'd receive. His daughter Callie left a message telling him not to try and find her. Despite the words on the message, he knew in his heart she wanted him to find her. And he knew he would spend his last breath in the search if he necessary.
Thus began his journey from Indianapolis to Las Vegas. However, his search for Callie took him beyond the lights and excitement of the city into the side streets, alleys, and darkness of humanity. Colton found his history in police work and expertise in private investigation was not enough to find his lost daughter. As he came in contact with cult, witchcraft and voodoo he found himself in the middle of a spiritual battle. The spiritual conflict meant life or death for both himself and his daughter . . .

This book is a page-turner. It truthfully and faithfully tells a story of father's love, daughter's response to loss and the Savior's guidance and protection. It was my first Brandt Dodson book and I can guarantee you it will not be my last.

Brandt Dodson's Lost Sheep takes you into the world of human trafficing via the eyes of a father in search for his daughter. A compelling read, this hard boiled private eye mystery has an abundance of heart and humor. Lost Sheep is a page-turning addition to the Colton Parker Series.

Ex-FBI agent, now street smart detective Colton Parker is once again involved in a high stakes case. Only this time it's personal. His teen daughter is missing. Before it's over, Parker will find himself in Sin City, bucking the system and teaming up with quirky characters to get information to help him return Callie to safety.

This was my first time reading Brandt Dodson, an author I've met through American Christian Fiction Writers. I'm honored to have had this opportunity to read his novel. Dodson has won a new fan in me. Like a good car salesman, he handed me the keys and let me take this tale for a spin around the block. Now I need more of this series. Where's my credit card?

As I read The Lost Sheep, I was struck by Dodson's simple, yet powerful prose and how much emotional punch it brings. When I was younger I read a lot of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer stories. This story and Dodson's writing remind me of those. A pleasant surprise for this reader.

Colton Parker is a likable character whose pain you feel as he does all he can to reach out to his lost daughter. His love for her seeps through the pores of this book's pages. Along the way you'll meet some interesting characters. Some quirky. Some despicable. The pacing and plot twists are wonderful. All this is a testament to Brandt Dodson's talent.

The Lost Sheep may have been a freebie, but the rest I'm buying. I hope you will, too.

This is the continued story, and it is well done. I would not recommend reading this book without reading the first ones, but it is an excellent continuation!!!

Brandt Dodson's The Lost Sheep is the fourth installment in the series featuring ex-FBI agent turned detective Colton Parker, and it may be the last since his next book is a stand alone police thriller. The novel opens with a emotional bang. Parker's daughter Callie is missing. She leaves a message on the machine one afternoon telling Parker to not try and fnd her. Of course, that is exactly what Parker is going to do. Parker searches Indianapolis for Callie and finds that Callie has started hanging with a crowd that may be into Satanism. Parker eventually gets a lead that Callie may be in Las Vegas. Parker travels to Sin City and teams with an ex-brothel owner turned Christian Crusader named Marty. Marty guides Parker through the seedy side of Vegas as they look for his daughter.

I've read the entire series and some of the best scenes are Parker's struggle to maintain a relationship with his daughter, who still blames him for the death of his wife and her mother. Callie is fifteen now and struggling to find out where she belongs. Colton is also on the verge of a romance with former co-worker Special Agent Mary Christopher.

In Vegas, Parker witnesses the dark side of the city, and fears that Callie may be lost for good, even if he finds her. Dodson offers a message of hope, that no matter what Callie may have done, God will still do anything to find one of his lost sheep. While the mechanics of the plot suffer a bit, the ending of the novel packs a whallop! This is a novel in which the stakes will never be higher. Colton Parker must save his daughter from the ultimate evil. An even greater fear is will Callie even want to go back with him?

This novel ranks with the first in the series, Original Sin. Fans of the detective genre should start at the beginning of the series. They won't be disappointed.

I beg to differ, as one of the earlier reviewers stated, that this book does not offer spiritual fulfillment. I found it awakening many slumbering treasures that I have neglected over the past few years, caught up in other things in my life. I thought it was a delightful treat. I would agree that there is little to no spiritual direction, but it does not purport to be an "owner's manual" for any spirituality.

I would also kindly disagree about its lack of plot. While the writing is more stream-of-consciousness than one typically expects for an autobiography, there is a movement throughout the book which one can follow, and it is not to "nowhere."

I am not a shepherdess myself, and there were times when I thought "ew" (get it - ew/ewe - pun intended!) when presented with graphic descriptions of sheeep husbandry, but it was all part of parcel of the journey. This is definitely one of those books in which the joy is in the journey, and thank you, Mary Rose, O'Reilly, for taking us along!

I was fortunate enough to have found this book in a happy happenstance. I was waiting for colleagues at our local quirky microbrewery on a Friday after work, went over to the shared bookshelf and pulled this off. I intended to return it when I finished, but I think I will donate another book to their library, as this one is too precious to let go! I intend for it to be one of those few books that I re-read over and over.

I found this book boring. Her message was good, but her delivery did nothing for me.

My first impressions of this book were that it was weird. That really describes the first section and a half of this book. It *is* weird reading about the excrutiating details of sheep farming coupled with deep religious insights. But it was weird in a good way, like waking up one morning in the middle of the winter at 6 AM and having the sun already be risen. The further along in the book I went, the more I enjoyed her weird combination of sheep farming, Buddhist retreat, music, and Quaker imagery. I found myself thinking about what she just said constantly; quite frankly, it was an absolute inspiration to me, especially when she starts delving into her life at Plum Village. Her format also makes the book easy to read. You can pick it up for just 5 minutes at a time. With some memoirs, the format of short essays makes the memoir feel disjointed; with this one, it makes it feel whole. I've read many memoirs and many spiritual/religious books. If I had to give a list of my top 3, this book would be on it.

The Barn at the End of the World: The Apprenticeship of a Quaker, Buddhist Shepherd by Mary Rose O'Reilley is a beautiful and insightful memoir. There is something to be learned, pondered over, and highlighted for posterity on almost every page of this book. O'Reilley's humor and down-to-earth honesty regarding spiritual and personal matters made me feel at home, even in unknown territory. While reading this memoir, I learned to pause, remember, and cherish my own breath, to accept what is and what is not.

In the past 15 years, I've read two, "personal memoir"-type books by women writers that totally blew my doors off: Terry Tempest Williams' "Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place" and Mary Rose O'Reilly's "The Barn at the End of the World: The Apprenticeship of a Quaker, Buddhist Shepherd." Very different books, at the end of the day, but both women think and write from deep religious traditions in their lives. Likewise, both have an abiding love for "the land," concretely and metaphorically, so what you hear at the end of that same day are calm but passonate voices that make you listen, make you want to listen hard to the observations, but with sense of deep fulfillment for the experience of it.

As for "Barn," I am neither a Quaker, a Buddhist, a farmer, a teacher nor an "older, adventurous woman" (as one reviewer suggested would be the type of person who would enjoy "Barn"). SO WHAT! "Barn" is a truly a banquet of wise and penetrating insights into the essence work (and working with and caring for animals in particular), of friendship, love, responsibility, accountability to yourself and to others, silence, mediation, the sacred, and, ultimately living honestly. There is much humor, gentleness, and "character" (for want of a better word to describe her inner strength) in the 90-odd "chapters" (some as short as 1 page) that are more like mini-essays on discrete but interrelated topics, so much so that I found myself going back, often, re-reading passages, savoring her prose and her insights, shutting the book, just letting the writing sink in. "Barn," resonated with me (an "semi-older, adventurous man") on more levels than I could ever have predicted. I'm a big fan of Thich Nhat Hanh's work, so the chapters recounting her experience at Plum Village and Thay's "dharma talks" were an added "bonus." Give it a shot, and take your time reading it; it's worth it.

Philip K. Dick, the author of the four novels published in this Library of America edition, suffered from bouts of schizophrenia. He also experimented with drugs, his favorite being amphetamines ("speed").

The title of the book is "Four Novels of the 1960s," & the four novels are: "The Man in the High Castle" (1962); "The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch" (1964); "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" (1968); & lastly, "Ubik" (1969)--an abbreviation of the word "ubiquitous." Understandably then, the book is 830 pages long, with about 200 pages for each of the four novels.

The first novel, "High Castle," takes place in a parallel world in which Germany & Japan have won the second world war. The two countries have divided up the USA into some four territories. The three eastern territories are run by Germany, & Japan controls the Pacific-coast territory. Improved & perfected German rockets take the place of airplanes as a way of traveling to different parts of the world. The fame of the man in the high castle results from a book he has written about a "mythical" world in which the British & Americans have won the war. The high castle book seems to be viewed by people as a religious or prophetic writing. The book moves from one point of view to another until, finally, Juliana goes to meet the man in the high castle.

The second novel, "Eldritch Palmer," also has religious overtones. Palmer is seen as a religious prophet of sorts, or perhaps even a savior. After returning from Proxima, a near-by star, he seems to have gained foreboding mystical powers. The hero appears obliquely & becomes obsessed with Eldritch. The whole book revolves around the Martian penchant for chewing Can-D, a drug that puts you in the parallel world of "Perky Pat" & her boyfriend Walt.

The third novel, "Do Androids Dream," put me in a weird zone. I couldn't figure out why hero Rick Deckard was killing all these androids ("andys"). Eventually, it turned out that the androids had committed violent crimes. Mercerism, THE religion of the time, included consulting the empathy box to interact with Mercer himself (Himself?). Also, it seemed that one of Mercer's precepts was owning & caring for animals. Deckard's ordeal leads him back to his wife with a new understanding.

The fourth & last novel, "Ubik," is often called Dick's masterpiece. I read with fascination, & it didn't disappoint. People would die & enter a half-life & still be able to communicate with the world, usually to a whole range of psychic individuals. This is the story of Glen Runciter, Joe Chip, & the inertial psychics who went to Luna. The excruciating unfolding of the plot will steal your breath.

Philip K. Dick, in his "Exegesis" or daily journal, spoke about a time he called "2374"; that is February & March of 1974, when he had beautiful delusions. He had bouts with problems like this throughout his life. But unlike the typical schizophrenic who would go to a delusional world but would have nothing to show for doing that, Dick takes you into the magnanimous world of his speculations. It seems to me that he has been able to second-guess his delusions & apply them to his life & writings. What an imagination he had! (He died in 1982 of a stroke.)

This book & the four novels in it are a bountiful romp through unknown worlds by a master science fiction practitioner, who not only lived in an exclusive reality, but was then able to tell us all about it... Psychiatrists would call this a "religious preoccupation." I would call it a gift from an imaginative genius to all of us.

This is the first of two volumes in the Library of America series containing novels by Philip K. Dick (1928-1982) published during the the 1960's and 1970's. At present, they represent the only volumes of the LOA series devoted to SciFi material. While I had never read any Dick, only heard about him from folks like Michael Dirda in his weekly Wednesday webpage book discussion (Washingtonpost.com) and his recent "Classics for Pleasure," I found this collection of 4 novels (some 818 pages worth) to be a great introduction to his impressive work. Many have suggested Dick was the premier Sci-Fi writer of the second half of the 20th century, and these novels illustrate why that claim may be merited.

Included are the classic "The Man in the Castle" that won the Hugo award in 1963, which employs an alternate or parallel world approach to a yarn set in post WWII San Francisco, with the twist that the Germans and the Japanese won the war and divided up the U.S. "The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldrich" is full of religious and hallucinogenic imagery and reflects Dick's exposure to the LSD culture in SF. My favorite, and I guess that goes for many readers, is "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" that served as the basis for "The Blade Runner" film. How Dick deals with virtually human androids in this context (one of his favorite themes) is amazing to behold. And finally, "Ubik" which made a recent "Time" list of the best 100 novels published since 1923. This one is set in a future world where the dead remain in "half-life" and can be contacted, while privacy is vulnerable given the power of certain individuals to predict the future ("precogs") or to explore the minds of others and probe their thoughts.

To say that Dick's imagination is inconceivably rich would be an understatement. Every paragraph of each novel is just crammed full of interesting ideas. Dick also has a sense of humor, especially evident to those of us who were around in the 1960's-1970's period. His ability to conclude with surprise (almost "Twilight Zone" type) endings adds to the effectiveness of his writing. It is easy to get hooked on Dick, if these stories are any indication. THe LOA edition has helpful notes, and a wonderfully extensive chronology of Dick's unsettled life is included. As is true with all the LOA series, this volume is well produced, nicely printed, on excellent paper, and easy to hold for a book in the 800 page range. I look forward to the second volume for another scintillating reading experience.

Plaudits to the Library of America for adding the unique and radical genre fiction of Philip K. Dick to their canon of American masterworks. Science fiction fans have long espoused the genius of Dick's revelatory vision of a future world gone wildly out of control. His prose is never wordy, pretentious, or convoluted - the plots are already confusing enough. The typical Dick story is hyper-fast-paced, dropping the reader right into the action with little preparatory exposition, and no sooner do you think you've got a handle on what's going on than he starts throwing major league curves at you. In the dangerous and unfriendly future, Dick's characters are always frantically caught up in the struggle to survive, only to find out that their situation isn't nearly as cut and dried as they'd believed. In contrast to Proust, who tried to show us that life was only what we thought it was, Philip K. Dick, amidst the turbulence of the 1960's, deals with the discovery that your life is NOT what you thought it was. What's often missed is how skillfully Dick fits this revelation into the context of his novels; we aren't so much suddenly in a different world than we were at the beginning of the story than simply more aware of the reality (or non-reality) of our situation than we had been. This sometimes causes some major plot malfunctions, since after all, once you realize that you're dead (for example) priorities can change dramatically, and that's why the conclusions usually don't tie things up in a neat little package. Dick tends to disdain predictable plots and pat endings. Often there's no real resolution at all, but merely a recognition of the true state of affairs, and yes, some readers will find this off-putting, but isn't this more realistic than having the hero beat the villain and then living happily ever after? Like all of Dick's work, these novels are dark, crazy, explosive, and suspenseful and often very funny as well. But if you're self-assured enough to face a world gone totally mad, Dick has some thrilling tales to tell.

Finally: Philip K. Dick gets the recognition and respect he deserves with his addition into the Library of America canon. This volume collects four of Dick's most compelling and visionary novels of the 1960s and serves as a great introduction to PKD's world of panic and paranoia. (The recently published and comprehensive "Selected Stories of Philip K. Dick" makes an excellent companion piece to this edition, but those stories also tend to be gimmicky and hokey where Dick's novels are lean and mean.) For initiates, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" -- collected here along with "The Man in the High Castle," "The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch" and "Ubik" -- is as good a place as any to start. Deftly combining elements of traditional science fiction with the hardboiled detective novel, Dick explores all of his signature obsessions in this story of a bounty hunter who sets out to exterminate androids in our midst. First and foremost, the novel succeeds as a page-turner -- but it also works on a deeper level, exploring the nature of reality, what it means to be human and the way materialism, or what Dick calls "the tyranny of an object," controls our lives and deepest desires.

The Library of America (LoA) has issued a volume of Philip K. Dick's novels from the 1960, and in so doing has legitimized PKD as a "classic" American author -- in this case an author of science fiction. You can get this volume by subscribing to the LoA, or by getting it thru Amazon, which at this time is far the cheaper method. (The main difference between the two vols. is that the LoA version comes in blue cloth with a slipcase, while the release to bookstores -- Amazon included -- is a regular hardback with a dust jacket.)

THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE does not take place in the future, as conventional sci-fi does. It is set in the time and place Dick wrote it -- San Francisco in the early 1960s. It is the past that has changed. FDR was assassinated in 1936; his successor, President John N. Garner, remained too isolationlist to re-arm America in the face of growing Nazi and Japanese threats. As a result, the USA lost World War Two; the eastern and midwestern parts of American going to the Nazis, California and the Pacific Northwest to the Japanese. In between lies a Rocky Mountain redoubt called the "CSA," chief city Denver, which is where the novel's multiple, shocking climaxes take place.

HIGH CASTLE has compelling plotworks along two story lines, but what the initial reader will notice is how the Japanese influence postwar San Francisco and how, eventually, they stop being the dictators as much as gentle giants atop of the government and business elite. The story with the Germans in the East is far more gruesome, and fortunately for us is related by one character, a Jew "in the closet," because the Japanese-held CSA would probably have extradited him to the Nazi East Coast for, apparently, what we all fear from Nazis.

THE THREE STIGMATA OF PALMER ELDRITCH takes place in the "not-too-distant future," on an Earth that has almost globally-warmed itself to death. The main character lives in a co-op block in "Marilyn Monroe," a suburb of New York City. On a normal day, the temperature hits 180 degrees F. and ordinary people go and come only after dark, or with the help of intermediaries like pre-chilled taxis.

PKD was good friends with sci-fi author Robert Heinlein, and the Heinlein touch is apparent not only in the satiric tone of the novel but in the neologisms Dick invented. He saw the rise of blogs, although he called them "homeo-papes" (short for papers). Even though many of the terms took different names, the prescient point is that Dick foresaw and foretold them. And the new monikers are easy to figure out though a bit startling -- part of the fun IMHO. The hero, who is Palmer Eldritch's enemy, finds himself drafted and sent to a chilly moon of Jupiter by the resettlement-happy United Nations. Desparate refugees clinging to these moons are truly happy only when ingesting hallucinogens by chewing a specialty lichen!

DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP? was the origin for the movie BLADE RUNNER. As usual, Dick did not warn of a post-atomic world; neither did he foretell a slick, high-tech and comfortable future. Insted, the grungy L.A. of near history was well presented by director Ridley Scott in BLADE RUNNER. The plot is driven by a Raymond Chandler-esque detective story, but as often happens in PDK literature, a philosophical question emerges: what is human, anyway? Is a machine (android) tuned to be a human and act human of the same stature as a human?

UBIK, first published in 1969, was Dick's most far-out novel to date. It is an imagining of spiritual realities distracting from and then supplanting the ordinary humdrum of unpleasant reality. In essence it takes themes he raised in PALMER ELDRITCH and rode them far into speculation. But the novel is amazingly fun and easy to read for all that.

If, after reading this product, you find yourself interested in this compelling man and his struggles with poverty and schizophrenia (and of course how he hatched many of his ideas!), take a look at the Afterword of this LoA volume, because it really is a nice tight biography of Philip K. Dick.

Want to read more? The LoA has a companion volume with five of PKD's novels of the 1960s and 1970s. Ready for short stories? THE PHILIP K. DICK READER is new, fresh, and packs in lots of stories, including "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale," the inspiration for the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie TOTAL RECALL. Also "The Minority Report," which title Hollywood did not change for the movie. Do not look for biographical or critical comment in THE PHILIP K. DICK READER, though; the cost of the book's efficiency is the fact that it has no commentary or biography, just the stories themselves.

My niece loves the fact that she can turn the pages in this hardboard book and it is fun to read.

My daughter's teacher recommended this series of books for my 6 year old. She really enjoys them and they are a great series for early readers. She found this book particularly funny.

Good basic vocabulary rhyming text for reading to now and alone later. Nice nod to "Baa, baa, blacksheep..." with the three bags of wool for the ball.

Someones birthday is coming. They are shopping for the big day. They are looking for a birthday present. They found blocks. They buy a ball. They tried to get the ball. It fell. They got the presents and wrapped the presents. The sheep got the money. They got the presents. They cut their hair. They gave their hair to the guy in the store. They went to the birthday party and they had fun. This was a pretty good book.

This is another delightful book and is a part of a delightful series. The author and illustrator obviously work so well together. This time, as the title would indicate, our little herd of sheep visit a shop. They find they have not money, but unlike sheep (and so many people, when to think about it) come up with a very unique way around the problem. The rhyming text is as good as it gets and goes perfectly with the charming illustrations. The kids all seem to love this one and I must admit to enjoying it as much as they do when reading it to them. The only problem I have is that some of the rhyming lines stick in my head like a broken record, which, in a way, is sort of nice. recommend this one highly.

Okay, the next time you see some poor schmuck sitting on a curb looking into his lap and doing nothing...and you find yourself tempted to think, "that poor guy really needs to get a life,"...I want you to remember some of the books you've been reading and what you're considering a valid hobby.

Knitting with dog hair?

What's next? Cooking with dust bunnies?

There are a thousand (more like a million) sane and self-esteem building hobbies in the world.

Knitting with dog hair is not one of them.

As an on again off again fiber artist I found this book to be very informative as a review as well as adding to the knowledge I already had. If you enjoy knitting and love dogs spinning their hair into yarn is a fun thing to do. Don't have a dog? Contact a local groomer and request long, clean hair. It's free for the asking and the color, texture, and staple length is varied which makes for very unique yarns.

I must say that I was initially excited about this book. Knitting with dog hair seems like one of those ideas that every pet-owning, recycling, energy-conscious responsible human being should subscribe to. However, one little thing you should be aware of before you get this book. You have to REMOVE the hair from the dog BEFORE you knit. I really wish I had been told this before I started. Sure Scout makes a great hat, but it's really embarrassing if you are walking down the street, wearing your admittedly very stylish chapeau, and the hat pees down the back of your neck. Believe me, after the sixth or seventh time that happened I realized there was something wrong.

Fortunately Scout is getting old and struggles less and less each time I wear him and has learned to thrash his legs when he needs to be let down to "do his business" (although that causes problems, too, I'll have to get a book about how to knit bandages from mouse hair next). However, I've been thinking about a pair of socks and I'm pretty sure the knitting techniques will be similar, but my cats Snookums and Woogy seem to get very edgy whenever I pick up my razor.

I found the information presented in this book to be of inestimable value to the aspiring dog-hair knitter. Unfortunately, I feel that a somewhat negative personal experience diminished the book's usefulness. In the future, I do not recommend that you attempt to shave a half-starved, unneutered Presa Canario unless you are absolutely certain that you can get by without your right arm. I say this because I have found it very difficult to knit with an unwieldy steel claw.

In these times of impending environmental catastrophe, it behoves all of us to recycle to reduce our carbon footprint. Happily, this onerous task has just been made easier by this publication.

With Kendall Crolius as my guide, I was able to produce a handsome pair of lederhosen and a saucy g-string from the excess hair produced by my pooch. I now intend to press on to the advanced section where there are designs for a fireman's uniform and a peek-a-boo bra.

My friend, Phil, has always been ahead of the recycling game - his ABBA tank-top made from the scummy bits in the shower plughole is legendary - but now he faces some real competition.

This book is a good tool to introduce the leadership (eldership) of the local church to eldership. This book is a non-confrontational way to show what elders ought to be doing, especially since many elders in the local church do not have a firm grasp of what they're supposed to be doing. The book is best used as a "baby step" into deeper studies with the elders in the church.

On the other hand, it must be kept in mind that the book is primarily an introduction to biblical eldership. The emphasis is upon the word "introduction." Don't expect any in-depth Bible study. There are many stories and illustrations throughout the text to the point of being superfluous. In other words, it is like a typical (fluffy) practical ministry book.

Doctrinally, the book is conservative and does a decent job outlining the biblical teaching about eldership, like shepherding, mentoring, and equipping. It also discusses briefly the qualifications of an elder. However, there are a few biblical texts which the author takes out of context. So, one has to be watchful for this.

In short, the book is recommended to be used for simply an introduction. Do not expect anything too didactic.

The book offers some good advice on what it takes to be a leader in the Church. Most of the ideas are just common sense, worth the time to read. Keep a copy of the Scripture close at hand to look up the references.

They Smell Like Sheep: Spiritual Leadership for the 21st Century
A very well written work with many examples

Anderson does a great job at defining the function of biblical leadership. Too many churches are hampered by appointing leaders who have not shown any propensitiy to lead (i.e. they lack a 'flock'), or are appointed for reasons which do not match with the biblical characteristics put forth by both Peter and Paul (i.e. heavy donator, family connection, et. al.). No church needs "Positional" leaders - all churches need and long for "Functional" leaders.

If you are looking for a good, well written, easy to read book that can not only open up discussion among your current leadership but also help you to recognize your true biblical leaders for the future, then this book is a must read - and a must discuss among your leadership.

This is a Kingdom Focused book. If you are seeking your denominational character here, you probably will not find it. It's new, but it's not, the ideas that are presented. The forms Dr. Anderson brings to the forefront are his interpretations of Administration in the Church or at least a Biblical formation of the Church and its Leaders.

He points out that many of today's "rules of governing" are not biblical, but are hierarchical in the traditions of men. Dr. Anderson points out terms that are not cherished in today's church, such as Pastor or Shepherd.

This book resembles the Word of God in ways that will take you back to look at yourself. Much as the way the book of James does. When you read this study, you'll find yourself doing a "Check-up" on yourself. Perhaps even bringing in some "Ethics" of Ministry.

Buy this one!

In Christ, Amen.

This is some serious book, no wasted pages here. From chapter 1 to the end is a steady flow of information. The Pictures are clear and plenty. This book is an excellent book.

Who would think that a book about sheep would be interesting? Paula's simple but direct writing style is as stunning as a Charles Bukowski take on drinking in dives in the dirtiest parts of town. UI've never read an animal husbandry book better than this.

It's a good book but it has been revised and updated under the title "Storey's Guide to Raising Sheep." I didn't know this - bought the Storey's Guide, but sheep breeders kept recommending this one. So I bought it too, and then learned that it's simply the previous version of the Storey's Guide. So buy the newer one.

Like the title states this is another standard cranked out by the folks at GardenWay publishing, now don't get me wrong their information has been the staple for many a years and is still very useful today but this publishing house is not exactly known for their updating. Paula Simmons is a figurehead in her field and has some truely great advice and experience to give so listen to it folks even though it may be as old as your sheep's great grandsire. Defineltly a book anyone new to the livestock industry should have around for constant checking and even the occasional read through, I am a firm believer in information and research and so believe that even dated material is important. So if you are truely interested, buy this one for reference and keep building your library, do your own research develop a foundation of knowledge and no matter what your flock encounters you can overcome it and you can look happily out at your beautiful lambs one day and say with pride " I did it ".

Perfect book for preschoolers. Not too long. Easy to read aloud. Get all the Sheep books!

We love the sheep books. They're clever and have great rhymes. The sheep have yet another misadventure, this time in a teashop run by cats. You won't be disappointed in this book.

Good early book with basic vocabulary. Granddaughter loves to eat out and will enjoy seeing sheep (current favorite animal) doing this also. Good to read to now and read alone later.

Again, our adventurous sheep find themselves completely out of their element and in a world of trouble. This is a great addition to a great series. This time our little band of sheep decide to go out for lunch and visit a local tea room. While this work can be classified as a beginner reader, I have to admit that I was laughing and smirking just as much as the kids when I read this one to them. The illustrations are of the usual high quality that Margot Apple has offered us in the past and the text is absolutely delightful and goes perfectly with those illustrations. This is a fun to book to read to the entire class, or a good one to read with your child one on one. Actually, I found absolutely nothing to not like about this work.

I have some young friends that always pick this as their favorite book for me to read to them(they are 3 and 4 years old) Children love rhyming books....and they truly enjoy the sheep and their escapades in the other sheep books too

I read this for a book report and I loved it! It was filled with action. Mandy and James find a sheepdog! They name it Tess. The y get someone to take it. I wanted to read the whole series because of it! I loved it!

I borrowed this book from the library, and it was AWESOME. Very suspensful, and it kept me reading till midnight!

Sheepdog in the snow was a nice book. This book showed me what a loyal dog is. This book will make you really happy for the animal in this book .And if you read this book during Christmas time you will like it even more! Read on to hear what the book is about.

Mandy Hope is the daughter of to veterinarians who finds an abandoned dog and takes it to animal ark. She has never seen it before. Now she needs to find it a home before Christmas Eve. This book showed me that Sheepdogs can be loyal and very lovable! That is why I think this book is a nice book. And I think you should read it!

This book is fabulous! Every page is filled with suspense, making you not want the book to ever end! I have read most of the books in the series, and I reccomend all of them! I read this book in 2 days!

I loved this book because it was full of adventure! If you read it you will be truly thankful!!! It's about a girl, Mandy, who finds a dying sheepdog. She nurses it back to health and names her Tess but her parents won't let the dog stay after she's healed. It's their policy as vets. Mandy find's Tess a good home but soon there are attacks on the sheep she herds. Angry farmer's drive her off. I mean, she's a likely candidate, know one knows why this almost perfect, pure bread Border collie was abandoned. Could these attacks be the answer? The farmers are off to kill her when something happens...
You have to read to find out the ending, but it's really good! At city hall Mandy throws a sort of celebration with the pets of Wellford and their humans! I thought that was cool idea! The pictures are funny and vivid, and the style is truly that of Ben M. Baglio. That is why I rated it 5 stars!!!!