Leagues Books

Sadie Rose Weilerstein, born in 1894, was a leading author of Jewish children's stories for more than 50 years. She introduced the tiny character named K'tonton in the September 1930 issue of Outlook magazine.

The Adventures of K'tonton: The Little Jewish Tom Thumb was first published in 1935; it includes 16 stories and was reprinted at least 10 times. Each tale includes important Jewish ideas or traditions, and a dash of Jewish humor--and its own complex plot. A few tales from this volume--Ktonton's Sukkot Adventure and Ktonton's Yom Kippur Kitten--were reprinted later as individual books with new color illustrations.

Isaac Samuel ben Baruch Reuben--whose first name meant laughter--was called K'tonton, which in case you wondered, is Hebrew for very very little. He was a late-born miracle for whom his mother had prayed so hard one Sukkot that she promised to love even a child "no bigger than a thumb." Sure enough, before a year had passed, she gave birth to a son. And sure enough, he was no bigger than her thumb. She blanketed him in the flax she had used to wrap an etrog--the Israeli citrus fruit used to celebrate Sukkot--and cradled him in a hand-carved etrog box.

It was also on the harvest festival of Sukkot that K'tonton made his first trip to the synagogue. As his father put his etrog carefully into its box to take to shul, K'tonton eagerly asked to join him. "Next year," answered his father, "when you're a little bigger." Like all over-eager boys, K'tonton did something he shouldn't, and climbed inside the etrog box to hide.

Once in shul, he couldn't see, so he climbed onto the lulav--the palm branch that is pointed east, west, south and north, to the heavens and to earth as part of the celebration. As K'tonton's father rose with the congregation to chant Hodu l'Adonai ki tov--Praise the Lord for God is good--there was K'tonton singing from atop the lulav, in a high treble that rose above all the other voices.

I can't tell all the myriad details, but here's a taste of K'tonton's adventures: He planned a palace for the Sabbath Queen, saved the birds on Shabbat Shirah, planted trees in Israel and sent them a Shanah Tovah (a Happy New Year). In one hilarious tale, a spinning Chanukah dreidel carried K'tonton off the table, down the stairs, out the door, into the street and into a gutter, where he found a small bit of Chanukah money known in Yiddish as gelt.

K'tonton also turned up in a Purim cookie, a Hamentash, covered with poppy seeds. On the day before Passover, he helped (with a mouse) find and discard the last crumbs in the house to help celebrate the redemption of the Hebrew slaves. He had a picnic on Lag Ba'Omer, rode an arrow and a bird. The book also features stories for Shevuot, Rosh Hashonah, Yom Kippur (when K'tonton tried to feed a hungry cat), Shemini Atzeret, Simchat Torah and a finale for Sukkot.

Each one of these 16 special stories of a tiny boy will light children's eyes.

--Alyssa A. Lappen

An excellent book filled with lots of historical facts pertaining to semi-pro football. Rather you're a fan of a local semi-pro team or are interested in learning more about the long and rich history of semi-pro football, this book is a "must-have" resource.

Notice that the cover of this look at the "AFC East" for the Inside the NFL Series has Travis Henry, still a running back for the Buffalo Bills when this photograph was taken, being tackled by linebacker Tedy Bruschi of the New England Patriots. Bruschi is not in uniform this season, having suffered a mild stroke after the Patriots won their third Super Bowl in four years. The irony that neither player is playing for these teams this year is not what makes the cover appropriate, but that these are the two northern most teams in the division. The only thing that would make the picture more appropriate would be if Bruschi was tackling Henry in the snow up in Buffalo with each team wearing red, white and blue. The New York Jets know what it is like to play in the snow, but the Miami Dolphins have to wonder what they are doing in this cold weather division. In this introduction to the four teams of the AFC East, Bob Woods helps to explain why the Dolphins belong but the Baltimore Ravens do not (although the explanation may well be less than satisfactory).

The story of the AFC East begins more with the AFL than the NFL, since three of the teams were original members of the AFL (guess which one was not). Woods overviews the division as providing some memorable first in pro football history: the Jets were the first AFL team to win the Super Bowl, the Patriots were the first team to win the Super Bowl on the final play, and the Bills had the first 2,000 yard rusher. The Dolphins? They are the first and only team to have a "perfect" record. This sense of history is what important in these books, because the assumption is that young fans know about Tom Brady and Chad Pennington, but they might not know the legacies of Joe Namath, Bob Griese, and Jack Kemp. The team histories are also more important because Travis Henry is not the only "current" player who is shown in the uniform of what is now his former team (although, as in the case of Ricky Williams and Vinny Testaverde, sometimes they actually come back).

Because these teams "only" go back to the old AFL, Woods does not have to go way back in the history of professional football, just to the days of "Cookie" Gilchrist, Babe Parilli, and Gino Gappelletti. Hopefully young fans will enjoy reading about the great players and teams of the past, and fans of the Buffalo Bills will learn about the back-to-back AFL titles they won in 1964-65 and not just the four consecutive Super Bowls they lost in the 1990s. More knowledgeable fans will find it ironic that besides Don Shula the only member of the undefeated Dolphins who gets his picture in the book is not Griese or Larry Csonka but Mercury Morris. But there are still plenty of familiar names from Jim Kelly and Dan Marino to Curtis Martin and Tom Brady.

The back of the book contains several pages of Stat Stuff, where you can see the relatively similar Team Records (the four teams have won 288 to 399 wins). There is a list of the Members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and AFC East Career Leaders (through 2002) for each team, where names from the past like Steve Grogan, Gary Yepremian, and Don Maynard are listed. There is also a Glossary of terms from "Achilles tendon" to "wild card," a Time Line from the AFL being formed in 1960 with the Bills, Titans, and Patriots to New England winning Super Bowl XXXVI in 2001, and a list of books and web sites where young fans can go For More Information about the AFC East and the NFL, with the emphasis on the latter (so if you want to find a book about the history of one of these teams, unless you are a Dolphins fan you have to keep looking). Still, this series does provide a solid starting point for young football fans to learn about the history of the game through the stories of these teams.

Isnt it amazing what you find on Amazon.Now i can review a game i attended way back in 1990.We hadnt won a Grand Final since 1958,and some of our narrow defeats can only ne concidered extremely unlucky.We hadnt played in a Grand Final since 1981(i attended that game)when we lost our 3rd in a row.But we had hammered Essendon in the 2nd Semi by 63 points.
After a bad start saw Essendon kick the first 2 goals,we had a couple of close calls.But it was Daicos who produced the goods,with that amazing goal from the boundary.Somehow we found ourselves in front at quarter time.Six goals to one in the second quarter gave us a very good 34 point lead at half time.I was as nervous as hell,i had seen us throw away big leads in Grand Finals in the past.But not this time we ran away with a 48 point win,and i do recall nervous times at the start of the last quarter.But no doubt the jubilation of this great day in the history of the Collingwood Football Club,of which i am a regular member.
This is a great souvenir of our long overdue win in 1990.

It's rare when a comic book comes along that deals so well with mature themes of mortality, love, & choices. If you think this is just a story about men flying around in colorful pajamas, you probably haven't read much by Grant Morrison before. At the time of this review, the first three issues have come out and there are more to come. The series started out in January of this year, and is being released monthly. I'm eager to see what happens next.

You cannot review a comic book without equally discussing the artist. Frank Quitely's figures are real. While they are overproportioned, they are also flawed and aged. I love his art for it's weight, color, and sensualness. His women are shaped like real women, not too long, not too muscular, and not too skinny. He really cares about body language, demeanor, and expression. His art has richness, thickness, and depth.

In this Superman universe, Clark, as a result of a rescue attempt too close to the Sun, becomes mortal. So the series asks: If Superman knew he would only live a normal or shortened lifespan, what choices would he make in his limited time? Would he continue to keep his secrets? Would he still focus on helping others? Would anything change? And what force might make an "all powerful" person change?

In issue 3, he reveals that he has spent a lifetime synthesizing a potion and creating an enabling costume to give to Lois Lane so she can experience what it feels like to have his super powers for one day. It is a beautiful act and sentiment.

She gains most of his physical super powers, strength, physical invincibility, speed, and ability to fly. But even after she gains all his physical powers, she encounters a greater force that threatens to take her life.

And in that crisis, Superman uses his intellect, revealing that his greatest strength may not be his physical powers or invincibility. It may be his willingness to yield or temper his fight, because someone he loves requests it or needs it, even though it is against what he personally wants. It may be his willingness to always keep searching for and trying non-lethal possible solutions. It may be his hard-experience-learned willingness to concede that physical force superiority will not solve many major problems the world faces. It may be his intellectual choice to fight for others even when he can't see if they are as willing to fight for him.

Superman is sometimes like a soldier or policeman, who thinks he is more willing to put himself at risk to protect others than they appear willing to protect him. But his perception may be incorrect if he does not see how others put themselves at risk in non-violent ways for his potential benefit.

For many reasons, Clark continues to love Lois even when she will not "see" or recognize him, her eyes always focused on Superman. But who can blame Lois? She understands that Clark is attracted to her and treats her well. But if she is going to get Superman, she has to dismiss Clark's attention, doesn't she? Should Clark feel incredible harm at being passed over for Superman? If so, should Clark continue to love Lois when clearly she will never choose to care for him over Superman? The complexity, flexibility, and universality of the Superman love triangle has stood the test of time for many good reasons.

Should a person admire Clark more than they admire Superman? Or vice versa? I can empathize with both of their suffering and appreciate both of their beauty.

And in this series by Morrison and Quitely, both Clark and Superman, when faced with mortality and the possibility of losing Lois, decide to become more honest with Lois and reveal their hidden identities.

Issue #3 asks the classic question of: What happens when the unstoppable force meets the immovable object? The uncommon answer may not be what you expect, and may not be what you want, but it may be a valuable answer worth considering and appreciating. And it is worth the price of buying the first 3 issues.

Morse breaks it down into manageable and understandable snippets, laced with wit. Enjoyable for the newbie as well as the baseball afficionado.

Essays on the Navy, the Marines, the Coast Guard, the Pacific, the Middle East, Russian/European Navies, Weapons Proliferation, Research & Development, Maritime, and Oceanography. Sections include: Facts & Figures - Navy Ships - Navy Aircraft - Marine Corps - Coast Guard - Flag Officers. Bibliography. Each section is separated by tabs. Fully illustrated throughout with color photographs. Size: 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall.
This description applies to the newer 1995 edition of THE ALMANAC OF SEAPOWER by Capt. Frank J. Reh (editor).

This cookbook is the third in a series of Honolulu Junior League cookbooks. All three books are excellent. I bought three of this one --for my daughter, my friend, and myself. It is packed full of great recipes.

There's something to be said for the cookbooks of the 50's and 60's, which would neatly outline an entire menu for nearly any occasion you might happen to find yourself cooking for. Always Superb - Recipes for Every Occasion (2003, Junior Leagues of Minneapolis and St. Paul) does just this. With a suggested menu for seasonal events such as Welcome to the Cabin and Foliage Picnic, Always Superb offers an array of simple, easy to follow recipes, which seem to echo many familiar dishes, often with an updated twist. The Crunchy Garlic Scones are a must, as is the Frisée Salad with Poached Eggs and Warm Bacon Dressing. A unique feature is the addition of sidebars of trivia placed throughout, with tidbits on history, cooking and entertaining.

This is the type of cookbook that you'll use over and over, a comfortable classic, It's a Wonderful Life of cookbooks, if you will. Plus, there's the added benefit of the mission behind this book - proceeds go to the Junior Leagues of Minneapolis and St. Paul, great community organizations.

It is rare, and in this case, medium rare, that a youth market book hits the target so perfectly as does "America's Greatest Game". From the dazzling cover illustration to the last page, this brilliantly designed and intelligently written book for kids provides an insightful, original look at the NFL and football. The content is well-organized, the layouts are reader-friendly, and the action photography is the best in the world. Of course, one would expect nothing less than the best from the legends at NFL Properties Publishing Group in L.A., creators of the industry's best football books and magazines. Previous NFLP titles include "75 Seasons" and "Football America"--more evidence of their hard-earned reputation for publishing excellence. This information-packed, entertaining book belongs on the shelf of every kid, boy or girl, who ever wondered about real story behind the NFL, and how the game of football has grown to become America's greatest game.