Publications Books

An excellect book for anyone. It was a great Christmas stocking stuffer and will make a great birthday gift when you want to give more than a card.

This is quintessential O. Henry. If you want a gift for a friend or a way to introduce someone to the joys of the short story, this is a great pick.

This book begins with the one of the lesser-known Christmas stories that illustrates how we should give to the utmost during this season of giving. O. Henry is able to use wit to show wisdom, and the ridiculous to show the sublime.

The poor married couple is forced to scrounge for Christmas. The husband hocks his watch to buy hair combs for his wife, and his wife sell her hair to a wig-maker to buy a fob-chain. Bit this story isn't about a couple's holiday folly, but the desire to love and serve other people to the utmost.

One of the classics is "The Last Leaf," about a boy who in inspired by a last leaf, which is really a painting. Another story is "The Cop And the Anthem," about the bum who tries to get arrested, then has a turn of heart second before he is booked for vagrancy. It also has the immortal "The Ransom Of Red Chief," the story about the kidnappers who get the redheaded brat, and try their darndest to get rid of the kid.

O. Henry has the a gift of the twist, like Rod Serling of "Twilight Zone" fame, or M. Night Shyamalan, the director of "The Sixth Sense," and "Signs." As you read, it keeps your eyes on their toes, since at any minute the whole story will twist upside-down. This roller-coaster writing is like a well-told joke.

When I was a teenager, I listened to the Gift of the Magi, the Last Leaf, After Twenty Years etc on public radio stations (Guess where?). I was so moved then. I think these among other great works had played a role in my decision to pursue an English Literature major.
Now life had challenged me into a somewhat different world where often times we forget about the literature, the philosophy and the simpliest pleasures of life.
I bought this book again so that I could read it to my children someday. My first born is only 3. But I think he is starting to show some appreciation.

"The Gift of the Magi and Other Short Stories" brings together 16 pieces by O. Henry. The stories in this collection are taken from 8 of O. Henry's books; the original volumes have publication dates ranging from 1906 to 1911. This book includes a short introductory note on the colorful life and career of the author, who lived from 1862 to 1910.

I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. O. Henry writes about criminals, dreamers, artists, lovers, and lost souls. Many of these stories have a New York City setting--he really captures the energy and color of the city. There are also a Western story ("The Pimienta Pancakes"), a Southern Gothic tale ("A Municipal Report"), a story set primarily in a small town in Arkansas ("A Retrieved Reformation"), and a story set in rural Alabama ("The Ransom of Red Chief").

If you like stories with "twist" endings, you will probably like this collection. The book as a whole is a lot of fun--full of life and charm. Some of the stories may strike contemporary readers as corny, but I found each tale to be an enjoyable gem of storytelling. The book is rich in irony, with some really funny scenes.

O. Henry tells stories of love, justice, deception, sacrifice, and heroism. He makes some intriguing creative choices; this is clearly the work of a master in total command of the short story genre. His prose style is very readable and engaging, with touches of baroque elegance.

This is an excellent book for young girls with dreams about horses. They are true stories of young girls who have worked hard and made their dreams come true. Very inspiring.

I loved this book! It had cool stories about girls and their horses. I love horses and this book told me about what other girls do to take care of their horses. I also loved the horse trading cards, hey had many differnt kinds of horses on them. I also learned many things you can do on a horse. I think that if you love horses than this is for sure the perfect book for you!! I also loved all the full colored pictures. I would recommend this book fo everybody! -kristen

My 9 year old daughter (and I,her mother) really enjoyed this book. Although intended for young girls, I also learned from it. The book does a great job of explaining different kinds of riding and of some of the work involved in taking care of horses. I would highly recommend it for someone interested in taking riding lessons.

I really enjoyed reading this book with all of the true stories like a girl who babysits minature horses, a girl who show jumps, a rodeo rider and much more storyies. But if you If you want to learn about how to take care of horses thhis is not the right book. I love the information in the back of the book and the trading cards though. It tells you a typical day at a horse farm and tells you about some grooming tools and the parts of tack. Over all I think this book rocks. and should get two hooves up!

American Girl book series were always very popular to younger girls, It is a good thing they made a book about horses and the Rodeo to give younger children a good idea about horses! I recomend this book to any youngester who wants to learn about horses!

Reviewed by Conner (age 4) and Mom for Reader Views (04/08)

A boy remembers his visits to his Grandma with his other cousins when he was a "little bitty boy just off the floor." The best thing about the trip was her great big feather bed that he would have traded his whole family for.

"I love it all."
"Conner, do you think it was a fun bed?"
"It's a silly bed. I see piggies right there jumping up with the other dogs.
"Do you think you'd be able to sleep with 8 kids, pigs and 4 dogs in the same bed?"
"No."
"Would you like a feather bed?"
"No."
"Would you trade your family for a feather bed?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't like feather beds and I don't have geese to build a feather bed."

Parent's Comment:

"Grandma's Feather Bed" is a fun tale with silly illustrations for every line of the lyrics. But I don't think that song lyrics make the best storybooks because of the repetition of the refrain makes story telling disjointed. I did appreciate the background annotation at the end with the sheet music for the song to give it more of a history, though my son didn't think that part was as interesting.

This is the 4th time I have purchased this same book for family members & myself. It is such an amazingly illustrated book. The song was written by an inspirational man who has captured the hearts of numerous generations of families. My husband & I, our daughter (who as a child got to sit on the stage with John & sing Grandma's Feather Bed with a few other children at one of his concerts),& now our grandchildren all truly enjoy John's heartwarming songs. His ability to reach feelings that remind us of how truly blessed we were to have his multitude of amazing songs & his one of a kind voice. Keep these books coming to us we need them to remind us of what we are missing with his passing. He would be so proud of the job that Christopher Canyon & Dawn Publishing did to bring his song to life.

The Mom's Choice Awards® honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of The Just For Mom Foundation(tm) and the Mom's Choice Awards®. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards® seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book has been honored by this distinguished award.

I bought this because I've enjoyed John Denver since before I could read. This book was one of my nephew's favorites (the boy just turned 2 YO in early 2008). He would sit on my lap and look at the pictures for quite some time.
There is a lot to see in the pictures, there is a lot of fun in being able to read-sing the words to little ones. It's fun to play "i-spy" type games with the pictures.
Children love the rhyme, the repetition, the singing (should you choose to use the CD or sing it yourself), and the active pictures.

I bought this book thinking it was a read along book. It is just the song on the CD which is hard to follow for a 5 year old reading along. He does love the song and the book is beautiful and fun to look at. He had a fit of the giggles when we tried to turn the pages to keep up with the song, there is just too much to look at on each page to go so fast. We appreciate them seperately.

If you never listened to IZ then you should. He was the best Hawawii had. This book contains alot of good songs. The problem is alot of them are written in Hawaian so dont expect to play and sing them if you dont listen to the music. It is a shame that the best Blues,Rock,PoP and yes Hawaian music always come after the passing of the singer. Give this a shot. Music is music for all and in Hawaii IZ was the best.

Transcriptions of Iz's most popular tunes from several of his albums. I'll never sound like him, but it's good to see what he was doing and try to imitate it. Beautifully illustrated.

I just happen to love the music of Izzy. When you buy this sheet music book to go with your Izzy cd's, that's the perfect combination to start practicing your ukulele or guitar. Don't forget to buy your cd's. They don't come with the book. This is the book only.

I like the different pieces that call for acoustic guitar 1 or 2 and also for 1 or 2 ukuleles.

Any IZ fan (especially those Ukulele players) should own this book. With the 10th anniversary of his passing his popularity is growing and having this songbook with continue to keep him near you (I just I had my ukulele strung with a low 'g').

INSPIRED BY BROTHER IZ'S MUSIC, A FELLOW MUSICIAN IS QUITE HAMPERED WHEN THE SONGS ARE IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE DOMINATED BY THE LETTER "K"!

THE MUSIC BOOK IS A TREASURE FOR THOSE OF US WHO ATTEMPT TO HONOR BRO. IZ BY IMITATION. THE ONLY COMPLAINT IS THAT ONLY 12 SONGS ARE INCLUDED.

WITH THE RESURGENCE OF POPULARITY, PUBLISHING MORE (OR ALL) OF HIS SONGS MAY BE A VIABLE OPTION.

This is not a religious book, no hell and brimstone when you turn the pages. I was not a Christian at the time and I had just witnessed my best friends death. When I read this book but I was searching for answers.

This book saved my life at a most desparate time. David Wilkerson knows tough times and his words of encouragement had me weeping in public as I was reading it. This man has been an bright light to many troubled people. He will be greatly rewarded for his compassion and servants heart.

I came across this book in a hospital gift shop about eight years ago. I had recently gone through a terrible break up and experience betrayal. I was hurting and even tough I was a Christian, it shook my faith. This book helped me to heal and I have grown tremendously, because of it.

This is THE finest book I have read on Christian living in this modern age. I have reread it many times and have given it to many people. I just ordered another box to give out!!!!!

I bought this book over 20 years ago when I was at my lowest point in life. Nothing could bring me out of it until I read "Have You Felt Like Giving Up Lately". David Wilkerson has a powerful way of empathizing with you. No matter how terrible your problems may be, he convinces you that God understands...kind of a "been there, done that" with love. And realizing that you are not alone in your struggles is a great comfort to your hurting heart. David gently and lovingly helps you see your life through God's eyes and the end result is a long term, positive "attitude adjustment".

I realized that I pulled this book off my shelf when again at a low point in life, literally 10 and now 20 years later. With this most recent read, I didn't even get through 1/2 the book before I found myself well adjusted again (heh, heh, kind of like chiropractics). This is one book you'll want to hold on to. And it's a much healthier way to pull yourself out of depression and hopelessness then any antidepressant drug!!!

I recommend this book to everyone and anyone, this is the best book I've ever read, it was so helpful it saved my sanity- I'm not the only one

If you are a stay-at-home mom, and you want to fully live your Christian values, there is no better book than "Home Is Where the Mom Is". This comprehensive guide covers every aspect of motherhood, parenting, child raising and family relationships and offers tons of valuable insight, wisdom and advice from a woman who knows her stuff.

Shelly Burke is a stay-at-home mom, but don't ever entertain the thought that she isn't active and busy and involved, for she cares for a family as well as a plethora of animals (horses, too!) and she is a Registered Nurse and widely published writer of articles and the book "How To Find Your Perfect Job In Nursing". Burke shares her vast knowledge of navigating the parallel worlds of taking care of yourself while taking care of a family, a home, and sometimes even a home-based career, all based upon Christian values and principles.

This is a big book, 367 pages of tips, ideas, suggestions, techniques, and processes that cover the entire gamut of being a mom, from dealing with postpartum depression to PMS to how to talk to your child about sex. The book is broken down into sections, including "Taking Care of Yourself" - caring for your body, mind and spirit; eating and exercising for optimal health; learning how to say no; being good to yourself. Section Two focuses on "Taking Care of Others" - caring for your spouse, children, family and friends. Section Three is all about "Organizing Your Life" - managing your time, your home, and your finances.

I was astonished by the sheer volume of information Burke brings to her readers, doing so with warmth, humor, and a real understanding of the challenges moms face. There is a definite Christian angle to the book, with plenty of Biblical examples and quotes and references, but this is truly a book chock full of wisdom for moms from all backgrounds. The philosophies Burke presents can truly help any woman make better sense of being a mother, whether it be finding the right balance or keeping priorities or simply managing time and money. What it all comes down to is creating a day-to-day life that mirrors inner values, supports growth, and focuses on what is most important. Family.

"Home Is Where the Mom Is" is an excellent resource, and a warm and compassionate field guide to motherhood for the Christian mom.
MARIE D. JONES

I gave this book to my wife who stays at home, and it is a great resource and read. Chock full of information and as stay-at-home Mom's know, a much needed uplift in dealing with the daily needs of supporting the family.

Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Kelli Glesige for Reader Views (9/06)

If you are a stay-at-home mom, this book is for you! Shelly Burke is a registered nurse and a stay-at-home mom herself, and her goal in writing "Home Is Where the Mom Is" has been to help another stay-at-home mom improve all areas of her life while remaining committed to God, her family and her home.

Shelly Burke appears to be a very knowledgeable writer and has completed a wide array of research in putting together "Home Is Where the Mom Is." The "Appendix of Resources and References" used to compile the book is quite sizeable and allows the reader who wants to delve further into a certain subject to do just that. The book is very well-organized, has an extensive index, and covers a great deal of information.

This comprehensive resource is broken into three sections: "Taking Care of Yourself," "Taking Care of Others," and "Organizing Your Life." Each section offers complete and in-depth information relevant to the section. Shelly Burke will show you how to make decisions based upon Christian principles and what you know about your unique family.

So many aspects of being a stay-at-home mom are covered, including:
Caring for your own spirit, mind, and body first so you can meet your family's needs.
Maintaining your relationship with your husband.
Developing a philosophy of parenting.
Dealing with extended families.
Keeping finances in proper perspective.
Setting, keeping and working toward attainable and realistic goals.

At the end of each chapter, goals are offered and additional Bible verses are listed to further accommodate the intended purpose of the chapter. And, Shelly Burke writes with a pleasing sense of humor too!

I highly recommend this book to all new mothers and stay-at-home moms, but if you have been a mother for some time, you can find helpful information also. This is the type of book you read and then refer back to when a certain area of life needs a refresher. The book is so well-organized; one should have no trouble finding a particular subject. To add to the benefits this work will bring, Shelly Burke is a Christian and refreshingly writes her book from a Christian perspective. "Home Is Where the Mom Is" is a resource I recommend all moms have in the home to refer to often.

Shelly Burke has created a comprehensive, beautifully written guide for At-Home Moms. As a Registered Nurse, she knows the importance of caring for yourself physically, emotionally and spiritually before you'll have the energy to care for others. And, as a mom herself, Shelly understands the demands of a family and a part time career. I wish I'd had her book to read when our children were still at home, but find that many of her helpful suggestions are still beneficial when our children and grandchildren visit.

She'll help you set your goals and priorities, and she offers a wealth of helpful suggestions for dealing with all that At-Home Mom's encounter - fussy or ill kids, tired and hungry husbands, extended family challenges, demands from friends, the difficulty of running a house-hold, and good advice for handling your finances. Shelly covers it all and ends each chapter with an uplifting Bible verse to nourish your soul.

If you are an At-Home Mom, a Mom working out of the home, or a Grandma, you'll gain a wealth of information from reading Home is Where the Mom Is.

This is a comprehensive resource that is worthwhile for any mom, new or old. Written from a Christian perspective by a registered nurse, the book offers helpful down-to-earth tips, healthful advice, and spiritual insights that make it valuable on many levels. Shelly Burke's style is very comforting--like sitting down with a friend over a cup of coffee and discussing everyday home life issues. She doesn't preach or overwhelm with unrealistic advice, but speaks from experience and her own faith. This book would make the ideal gift for an expectant mother!

I am very much in love with this beautiful work. Many of the passages left me in tears. A call to arms for all Christians. My huband and I decided to give this book as wedding and baby shower gifts from now on. Stirring and well writen...read it, read it again, and again.

I think this book would be great for Newly Married couples. Dont let the girly looking cover fool you. Its packed full of examples on how to treat others. In the intro it said "the aim is to mark out duties and responsibilities of each member of the household..." I really enjoyed it and will have my children read it too.

This is probably one of the best books I have ever read. Despite the title, it is not just for housewives, it speaks intimately to each of the various roles within a home. To the husband, the wife, the parents, the children, brothers and sisters. Encouraging each member of the family to work together to make their home blessed retreat. Practical and poetic, it simultaneously presses my nose to the grindstone and sends my heart soaring with joy. A must read for the serious Christian family!

This book succinctly describes the beauty of the role of each member in the biblical family. It has been a source of hope and encouragement, in my walk as a Christian mother. Homemaking dwells on the importance of raising a godly family today, to reap the blessings therein, tomorrow.

I have purchased 3 of this book and given them all away - two for wedding showers and one for my daughter's hope chest. It is a wholesome and biblically-based treatise for the centrality of home in a woman's life and focus. J.R. Miller does an excellent job at extolling the virtues of homemaking in a way that draws young women's hearts - sometimes challenged by the outward call of the culture- to whole-hearted preparation of the sanctuary of home for their families. Older women can be rekindled in their passion for their families and serving them in the God-honored position as mother and wife.

There is a lot of wonderful information packed inside this little book. It is worth the investment to see how color actually affects our everyday lives.

Full of good things to teach you
and for you to learn.
This book is full of good information
for those interested in color and all
that color means.
Highly recommended.

Great book.. When I received the book I was surprised that it was so little. But, do not let that fool you. For such a little book it is jammed packed with great information. I LOVE the book. I have so many book marks in it. Can throw it in my purse and go off and do a healing.
Thank you Ted for another great book.

I ordered this cheap little book thinking it would be like a basic introduction to color and having different colors to enhance or affect different frames of mind. Boy was I pleasantly surprised! There is a mountain of information in this little thing! Not only does it cover basic color concepts, it goes into Chakra, Reiki, Pendulum, and more. What a wonderful source book! I will be reading this again, and using it for reference.

Do not let the number of pages deceive you, there is a tremendous amount of information concerning color and the metaphysical significance. This work shows the application of color in several different ways to be used in spiritual clearing. This work can lead you to more in depth study of several disciplines. Enjoy the study.

This book is good. More for 5 year olds and up, I would think. I do have to explain a lot to my 4 and 2 1/2 year old what the words mean. But still, this is a nice book. Loving and fun! Pictures are bright and cheery!

This book is a perfect way to teach children how to be thankful for all the wonderful things God has given us. It shows that we should be thankful for non-material things. It is a precious book for parent and child to read together. It reminded me of a few things I needed to be thankful for!

I found this book at Marshalls, who knew that this author has other wonderful books. I have been reading it to my infant every chance I get - it really reinforces a lot of healthy attitudes and the basic tenets that I want to instill in him. It highlights a personal relationship that you can have with your God.

This book is wonderful. My daughter and I read it every night at bedtime, and I never get tired of it. Now, I am on a mission to collect ALL of PK Hallinan's books. I think they all have a great message, they are well written, have beautiful pictures and are just all around the best kids' books I have encountered. Definitely a must have for all toddler moms-- and moms with young kids!

This is one of my favorite books to read to my son (almost 3 yrs. old). I love how the author reminds us to be thankful for the things that are easy to overlook, like the power of the mind or the look of an autumn day. It's helped everyone in our house to stop and be thankful for even the little things in our lives.

Why is this book so good? Unlike most books, Richards takes the time to explain why each of the example pieces are important, and what you should pay extra attention to. He also really holds your hand in the improvisation practices by suggesting notes (and explaining why the suggested notes were suggested). Also very good is the use of different keys in the pieces. Some blues books tend to stick to C or G, but in this book the keys are varied (and Richards suggests going back through the pieces in other keys, which is a very good idea).

My only wish is that Richards makes a sequel to this book. This does not mean that this book isn't completely jammed with material, or is too easy: no on both accounts. I found myself wanting to learn more of the advanced "cliche's" which make Blues sound like the Blues. Nonetheless, this book is the best there is on the market for blues or improvisation instruction.

This is, by far, the best blues piano book out there. Mark Harrison's book is also good, but more as a quick guide for those who already have some chops and some understanding of theory.

Richards' book is a full course in Blues theory and practice and as such, you have to work through it. I've been at it for 14 months now and have just finished the second chapter. The material is perfectly paced for a pianist of my level (about Gr. 2-3, RCM, 30+ years ago). The pieces are fun to play and jam packed with important ideas and blues cliches. I'm really starting to see the beginnings of true hand independence that works , not only when I play memorized pieces, but that I can invoke when trying improvisations!

If you want to play professional-level blues piano in a month, then this is not the book for you. If, however, you live in the real world and are prepared to work at it, this book will do more than show a few riffs or tricks. It will give you a deep and firm foundation in popular piano improvisation in general, and blues in particular. I estimate I'll be another couple of years with this book and I can't wait to get back to it!

This book is a work of genius. Thank you, Tim Tichards!

I'm an aspiring jazz pianist in Canada (I'm 32). I'm another one of the victims of the classical music education system that was taught to read the page and nothing else. I always thought that people who were good at jazz and could play by ear were born that way.

When I was in high school I wanted to play jazz piano. Someone recommended the Mark Levine book to me. I tried going through it but gave up because I couldn't even figure out what a II-V was from his explanation. I figured jazz was this impenetrable language. I was sick of classical lessons by that time and gave up the piano.

Fast forward ten years when I decided I didn't want all those hours of practicing (before school, even) to go to waste. I headed to a local music store and literally went through every piano book before I found IBP. It's pretty much been a revelation, from discussions of notations to chord types to ideas. I still suck at improvising, but before this book I wouldn't have even tried.

I've got Tim's other two books on my shelf, patiently waiting for me to get to them. Seriously, his books are phenomenal. If I had found IBP back in high school instead of Mark Levine's brick wall of jazz accessibility, I might be ten years ahead. I can't recommend it highly enough. Rumour has it he's working on a fourth book about Latin piano, too.

There realy are not many great methods for the blues out there, but Tim Richards is thorough and goes into the required detail to show you how each blues style works.

The examples are very playable, suiting more or less an intermediate level pianist. Richards is one of the few take-away instruction teachers to be concerned about fingerings, and takes the trouble to suggest good ones. His playing instructions work very well and add a dimension that you don't often get in these method books - he has a great insight into the chords, and the notes and the way they fit the music. The breakdown of theory is very well explained, if sometimes overdone. But he never floods you with scales without showing you how to apply them - that in itself is a good thing!

Richards' choice of music is impeccable, and calssic blues standards of af all styles are presented from boogie, to funk, slow blues, and some jazzy numbers. And he shows you music in a number of keys so you aren't stuck to one or two and get a work out in the other keys. I found the music very playable, and well sounding, although I didn't always find the improvising instructions that intuitive.

The historical background he gives is accurate and informative and the pictures of blues and jazz legends really make this book interesting.

My criticism of the book is that it should have stretched up to the more advanced techniques of the blues - where the top players are, like Oscar Peterson, for example. That is its dissapointment - a teacher as good as this who dedicated the time to work a out a progressive and different course in blues shouldn't have stopped at the middle level. He surely should have stretched us, his interested audience up to the highest level.

But this should not stop you from using this very useful and inspiring book - I Thank you sincerely Tim.

Now and then you run across a method book that makes you a better player and is great fun to work through. "Improvising Blues Piano" is one such book. It starts out very simply and steadily progresses to a pretty sophisticated level. The accompanying disk is well recorded and the author's playing, particularly his timing, is quite musical. On most examples, if you can make your playing sound like Tim Richards, you'll really swing.

Starting in "C" and moving on to other familiar blues keys, the author mixes theory and practice in a logical progression of "bite sized" lessons that are very complete and doesn't assume anything about the student. At first, the experienced player may find the pace a bit slow but each section builds smoothly upon the foundation of the preceding material and I think it's worth while to patiently work on your weaknesses. When you can make those first simple exercises sound really musical, you've learned something valuable.

The volume is accessible to beginners (this will take you a long way) while remaining useful for the more advanced because there is so much good content. I particularly like that he weaves in biographical information of known blues players along with examples of their style. The history of blues unfolds along with the student's expanding ability to play.

If you are interested in the blues, I can't think of a better learning tool.