Ball Books

Being from the Southeast Missouri region and being familiar with many characters of the book made it a "must read" for me. I will admit, my expectations were high, but Mitchell exceeded them with Show-Me Kings. An excellent book about small town Southeast Missouri baketball and how the sport brings a cohesiveness to a community. But, it is more than a book about small town basketball dynasties led by SEMO small town legendary coaches, Ron Cookson and his older brother Carroll Cookson, it is a study into the history of that little region of the state commonly called "the bootheel". It is a great book to share with those you love.

Excellent book. Mitchell truly takes you inside a small town and shows you how SO many different aspects of life can change the way a town thinks, feels and treasures life.

I am already buying copies for friends and family.

A well thought out book that nailed a three pointer!

Fantastic book. While the chronicles of a high school basketball dynasty is riveting, I was more amazed at Mitchell's examination of history. He makes you realize how everything is connected. I never thought about how hundreds of years of earthquakes, floods, boll weevils, railroad building, civil rights and religion could explain where everyone lived in Southeast Missouri, and how little decisions, like a man I had never heard of 50 miles from my home town coaching basketball for the first time in 1945, could explain why my high school would never defeat a smaller school just 12 miles away for 50 years. I like books that make you think, and this book makes you think.

When I ordered this book, I expected to receive a "Hoosiers" type story regarding another small, out of the way, high school basketball team that overcame long odds to win a championship. I would have been very happy with that. But I was even more pleasantly surprised to find that the book served as more of a study of smalltown life and high school sports in America.

Having never been to the Bootheel area of Missouri, I came to this book with no history, no background, and no roadmap. But Mike Mitchell masterfully led me through the ups and downs of the region... weaving stories of families and floods, civic pride and civic strife into a fine collage of Sports Americana.

I had never spent much time thinking about the ways in which local sports affect a region... and the ways that a region affects its local sports. This book was an eye-opener.

Four stars for making me want to do a little research into the sports history of my OWN corner of the world.

Show-Me Kings is a hard-to-put down fast read for all high school hoops junkies and a special treat for fans of small-town Missouri ball. The book focuses on the teams that put Scott County Central High School on the high school basketball map by winning 12 Missouri championships in 18 years in the late '70s through the early '90s, an accomplishment unparalleled in state history.

Mitchell obviously put a lot of work into researching this effort and it shows in his dribble-by-dribble re-creations of Scott County's key contests. He relies heavily on press reports of the games, but he also draws skillfully from interviews of players and coaches to add color, insight, and emotion to his descriptions. Many of his game accounts have a real you-are-there feel to them.

One of the book's more intriguing aspects is the relationship of Ron Cookson, Scott County's demanding country boy coach, and his players, most of whom are black descendants of Missouri Bootheel sharecroppers. The strong bond between player and coach became a seemingly limitless source of energy for Scott County Central's teams, and it carried them to title after title.

Mitchell provides context by presenting a brief history of the Bootheel, one of the state's most distinctive regions. He delves into the checkered race relations of its past, dirty laundry for some but a key to understanding the significance of Scott County's triumphs and Cookson's reciprocated love for his players.

Basketball has long been the #1 sport in southeast Missouri, and Mitchell incorporates the exploits of some of the area's other prominent teams and coaches of the period. A real bonus is his tracing back the basketball lineage of Scott County and other great southeast Missouri teams of the recent past to the legendary fast-breaking, full-court pressing teams of the early '50s from Puxico High School, probably the most renowned high school basketball teams in state history and among the best in the nation during that era.

It is clear that Mitchell believes that basketball in the Missouri Bootheel has been much more than a recreational activity. It has become a source of pride for the area, changed the perceptions of many of its residents, and perhaps even altered the fabric of its society. Show-Me Kings is a very good basketball book, but it's even more than that.

This book is a must have for Temari stitchers. It has a beautiful cover and the photos inside are incredible. The instructions are very easy to understand.

Those of you who own Diana Vandervoorts' other books will be delighted to add this to your collection! This book features some unique and new designs for the English-speaking temari enthusiasts. Even if you don't speak English, she has provided plenty of step-by-step illustrations. I really enjoy the new aspect she has introduced with ribbons and fabric. Now I know what to do with all the silk kimono reminants I have! This is a book I will enjoy for some time to come.

this is a wonderful book - I had not heard of this type of crafting earlier, and the women at the local fabric shops looked at me a little funny when I told them what I was buyng all the colored ribbons, threads, charms and such for, but this is a really neat artform!

it also is every bit as easy as claimed. My very first ball turned out well. I'm off to collect the earlier Temari books now. :)

This fourth book by Diana Vandervoort contains some new applications of the craft, using ribbons, trims, fabric, etc., to offer some very easy results for the newcomer, and variations for the more experienced even if they do stray somewhat from traditional Temari embroidery. There are embroidered projects as well... if you were looking though to expand into some more difficult designs, it's a bit short.

This is a wonderful book that illustrates the techniques needed to make these beautiful balls. The author is very familiar with the craft and writes in a style that can be understood easily. I let this book sit on a shelf for quite some time before I got myself motivated. I am sorry now because I truly love creating these wonderful treasures. Buy this book and learn a new and interesting craft.

My therapist recommended this book for me to use in my own rehab program after I had finished 6 months of formal rehab for spinal rod and disc surgery. There are different levels of difficulty. My therapist was kind enough to go thru and mark the exercises accordingly and it has greatly extended my range of motion and flexibility without undue stress on the rest of my body. I am imobile from the neck to the waist and I use these exercises everyday. I would highly recommend this in conjunction with a prescribed phisical therapy rehad program

I am a physical therapist and have found this book very handy for learning exercises on the theraball, and creating a home exercise program for patients. Very useful!

I love using this book. It is very easy to read and follow directions. The book offers both beginning and advanced exercises that are very fun to perform. This book is a valuable tool in the clinical setting due to the ease of making a home exercise program. I recommend it to anyone wanting to use swiss balls for alternative exercises.

This is a great book!! It provides with clear detailed instructions, purposes of exercises and demonstration pictures of how to perform each exercise. It is simply an excellent reference to provide your patients with a challenging but fun exercise program. Highly recommended!

This is a great book!! It provides with clear detailed instructions, purposes of exercises and demonstration pictures of how to perform each exercise. It is simply an excellent reference to provide your patients with a challenging but fun exercise program. Highly recommended!

Another great book from Carol Goodrow!
Highly recommended for all ages. Get one for yourself, then decide how many to give to your local school!

First-of all, I'm a guy, so I didn't think I'd really get into it when I picked up my niece's copy of "The Treasure of Health and Happiness". Wow! Was I wrong. I started reading it, and I was so impressed, I didn't want to give it back to my niece! Excellently written message which comes through without being overbearing. I know that my niece (and her parents) will learn a lot from this book. Just an absolutely great book, with an equally great message. Thank you to the author for such a timely book!

I like it, and its thread. It is instructional without being in your face, obvious yet not onbtrusive to the facts that we should be giving to the next generation. A no-brainer that any parent should wish for this book to be on their child's bookshelf.

This is a wonderful book. It is a positive story that reinforces the joy of exercise and eating healthy. A great chapter book for boys and girls.

The Treasure of Health and Happiness could not be a more apt title for a children's book. The reader's acquaintance with Hannah is full of capitaving illustrations; colorful vocabulary interwoven throughout the story literally making the words jump off the pages; a dash of suspense, and a wealth of knowledge subtlety cushioned in gems that Hannah discovers herself on her journey.

The irony is that the book is a gem in itself. This story is not just for children. I think as adults we can all identify with Hannah and her issues of self-esteem--issues so often kept to ourselves until they build up into insurmountable nightmares.

We can all take a lesson from Hannah, who on her own and with the help of her playful pup, Toby, discovers that winning is not the ultimate goal. It is not always the finish but the journey that inspires us to challenge ourselves to try something new.

In this book, Carol Goodrow illustrates that everyone can be a winner. "It doesn't matter how fast you go." (p. 80) What a perfect story for families to read together, what a fitting key to open up dialogue; what a magnificent way for adults to experience joy and growth along with their children!

Fast paced, inspiring, timeless and universal...I cannot wait for a sequel to see where Hannah's growth takes her.

This book has really changed the way I think about clothing. I typically waste a lot of time and money shopping for clothing, but The Ultimate Guide to Shopping and Caring for Clothing has really helped me find ways to preserve the clothes I have and has taught me a few tricks about making wise purchases.

I recommend The Ultimate Guide to Shopping and Caring for Clothing to anyone who wears clothes. The first-aid tips for stain removal have come in handy and I have finally learned how choose the right tie for my husband.

I purchased The Ultimate Guide to Shopping and Caring for Clothing mainly because it includes a section dedicated to bridal gowns. I have to say that before reading this section, the long-term care of my bridal gown was the furthest thing from my mind. I'm really glad that I picked up this book because it helped me choose the right gown that I will be able to enjoy for years to come. When the big day comes, I will heed to Steve Boorstein's advise on the cleaning and preservation of my newly-purchased heirloom.

This book is an absolute must for everyone. In today's economy we have to make smart purchases. Steve Boorstein covers how to care for your wardrobe and how to make it last. What a great book. I especially love the section on first aid for stain emergencies, with little ones running around it is almost impossible not to get something on my favorite blouse!

This book covers it all - plain and simple. If you want to have a good grasp of the realities of wardrobe development and maintenance, there is not a single salient topic that is not given its due.

From the planning, to the purchase, to the wearing and finally the cleaning and/or storing of your wardrobe - you are given a healthy dose of do's and don'ts that wil save you time, money and heartache.

The book is laid out so that it can be just as easily read in bits and pieces, or cover to cover.

I especially liked the section which explained the concept and benefits of a personal shopper. I had always thought that this service was only available to the VIP who spent mega-bucks. Not so.

Required reading for anyone who has a substantial investment in their wardrobe ... or who wants to protect their more modest investment.

I am a torts law professor and this is one of the two books I recommend my students use as supplementary reading. It is a relatively short but comprehensive and very well written summary of the material. Torts is a required course in all law schools and this book will help any student get a more complete understanding of the topic. Students, will, of course, need to read and prepare the assignments from whatever text the professor assigns. This book will work best as a supplement to those texts. By the way, the other book I recommend to my students is The Forms and Functions of Tort Law by Abraham.

I'm currently a 2L and last year, I used a plethora of study aids. I found this book to be the most helpful for Torts class. The book explains the history behind the subjects and then what the substantive law is. It lays everything out very logically and is organized in a way that makes sense as well. While it doesn't have any comprehensive case summaries, if you truly want to understand the law of torts, you can't go wrong with this book.

This book was recommended by my torts professor as a supplement to readings. I found it extremely helpful and a great overview of the torts material. My professor was nice enough to tell us which pages would be beneficial to read which was helpful but the glossary of terms is great for going back to a topic for a quick refresher of the subject. The book is well written but simple enough for a first year to easily grasp the topics covered. Some other pros? It mentions specific important tort cases most likely covered in ALL first year torts classes (Palsgraf among many). I think this book would be a great review for the final as well as using it as a supplement to assigned class readings.
I have the older version and it seems some of the law is not current, I do know the book has been republished in 2006 and therefore might include those revisions. Definitely a must for first year law students.

This book is a must have for any torts class. Forget Gilberts. This book is easy to read, straight forward, and gives examples on every topic it discusses. This book is the secondary text book in my torts class and was highly reccommended by my professor. If you are confused about anything, this book will make any complex theory easy to understand.

This is a really great book - it also is small ( less weight to carry in bookbag ) - it has some short commings ( light on product liability ) - I used this with Epstein on Torts ( Aspen Hornbook ) Shapo on Torts ( West Hornbook ). You will find that all authors give some topics less attention than others - hence the plethora of hornbooks. Emmanuals & Gilberts are not so good.. Also - get the California Baby Bar Essay problems and answers - this is the best resource for practice exam taking. If you're lazy - get the Black Letter Law series book on torts for very concise rules - I used this as a rule book to capsulate the restatements so I could remember them for the test

The early chapters on handling paint and the brush seems to really get to the point. The section on "moisture control" really is a must read for anyone still struggling with this aspect of watercolor painting. I recommend this book all the time to anyone who asks about good reading material. Too bad it is out of print. A must for the watercolorist library!

This is a great book that addresses problems that I haven't seen addressed in other books. He is also encouraging to the painter who may not feel they have a lot of talent but still want to paint. He feels that all people with the desire can do it. I got the book from the library, and loved it so much I purchased it. I've heard his videos are great too.

This is one of the best books teaching watercolor painting. I've bought many. He stresses that the journey (learning) is more important than the goal (being a great painter). He's an excellent teacher and his step by step illustrations are some of the best. A great help to me.

After reading at least 30 watercolor instructions books, this one goes to the top of my list. Couch covers everything from the basics (from equipment to how you actually get paint on to the paper) to the essential guidelines of design and composition. These (sometimes boring) subjects are covered in an easily-digestible, easily-usable manner, making it exciting to get to your next painting and apply what you have read. The book includes a really good description of how the painter is a "shape maker, symbol collector and entertainer" and numerous step-by-step examples of painting basic landscape components (trees, sky, rocks, water). The book is upbeat with a wonderful sense of play and humor running through it -- plus the reader is given dozens of examples of Tony Couch's own marvelous watercolor paintings, as well as examples from eight other superb watercolorists. The gallery of paintings alone is worth the price of the book (which, by the way, is about 30 pages longer than most watercolor instruction books -- so you really get your money's worth!)

I can not believe that Amazon does not carry Tony Couch's books.
He is an awesome teacher that gets his points across to the novice.
His advise is easy to follow and he uses his colour in a pure and simple way

My three year old daughter and I both love Elisa's books. The artwork is magical. The Wishing Ball is a beautiful piece of art and talented writing. Highly recommend it! She includes Ernst in this book too!

As always, Elisa Kleven's energetic tale and illustrations leap off the page and into the readers' minds and hearts. Readers can identify with the stray cat's yearning for a better life. Readers can identify with the crocodile's dreams for an extraordinary companion who offers a different perspective on existence and experience. Readers can identify with the naughty, manipulative crow who deceives and plays tricks.

The Wishing Ball is a wonderful story that speaks to the very deepest, most intimate places of our own human needs: safety, shelter, food, comfort, hope, belonging, friendship, beauty, knowledge, ownership, voice, desire, empathy, love, family, and happiness. So many universal themes are packed into this little book, and each theme makes a fantastic discussion point for class story hour, family time, bedtime, etc.

Adult readers, especially those in the fields of education, wellness, and psychology, can even benefit from analyzing this enigmatic little tale because its underlying messages can be equated (in basic ways) to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: physiological needs, safety needs, belonging / social needs, self-esteem needs, growth needs, and self-actualization / purpose needs--one's striving to be or to do something of value. A useful lesson plan would be to ask students / readers to develop a Needs chart depicting elements from The Wishing Ball and then compare that chart to Maslow's theories. Ultimately, we ask the question: are people truly happy when all their needs have been met?

The Wishing Ball is definitely a smart edition to any library--home, school, or otherwise.

when you believe something, do your best, you get your hope.
belief need will.
This book is interesting,colorful, dynamic and very instructive.
in order to write this review, i did joining amazon ^^;

I love Elisa Kleven's books and this one is another winner! It's a sweet, sensitive story about making wishes and wanting them desperately to come true, something that will strike a chord with every child. Nellie, the main character, has the optimistic energy to believe in her wishes, to follow them until they come true. I love to read this book with my three children -- it's a great read-aloud, the art is rich and detailed, and the ending is sure to satisfy everyone.

As a second grade teacher, I am now quite familiar with my students' enthusiastic requests for Elisa Kleven's writings. This latest, The Wishing Ball, at once captivates the attention of young listeners and adult readers alike. How will Nellie, a hungry stray cat, find the warmth of shelter and friendship for which she yearns?
How will she out-wit the trickster crow who has convinced her that a slippery red ball is in fact a wish-granting star?
Through Elisa Kleven's beautifully detailed and rich tapestry of illustrations, the natural world comes alive with unending possibilities. My students cheer for Nellie and her survivor instincts, as she meets adventure head-on.
Ms. Kleven's generosity of spirtit has a mystical quality that my discerning readers crave. They are never short-changed or demeaned. The resolution, which involves the lovely Ernst, a young crocodile, leaves my students reassured and enriched through the loving and capable words and illustrations so consistently provided by Elisa Kleven. Bravo and thanks!
Elena Nichols,
2nd grade teacher
New York City

Linda Joy Singleton is my favorite writer so far. This series is about an girl names Sabine with psychic abilities. This book is my favorite out of the series because one of her little sisters was in it and she has an awesome boyfriend! It made me nervous near the end...but i can't tell you why! It would ruin the whole book! This book has suspense and romance put together. I hope that when other people read this book they will love it just as much as I did!

~k.t.~

I bought all four of The Seer books last week and had read all of them 36 hours later. What a wonderful series! Linda Joy Singleton has created a wonderful character in Sabine...a typical high school girl who just happens to have an atypical ability. Sabine's experiences in dealing with premonitions and ghosts are made believable through the author's matter-of-fact handling of the phenomena.

Witch Ball, the third in the series, is my favorite of the four that have been published so far (I eagerly await #5 and beyond). It would be giving too much of the story away to reveal exactly why I love it so much, except to say that the climactic scene is beautiful, exciting, nervewracking, and calm, somehow all at the same time.

I was skeptical where the occult or new age movement would go in the millenium. As my curiosity sparked as a teenager, I began an almost obsessive interest in the occult when my friend showed me the bible of a new age movement. Finding the book in a local bookstore inspired me to devoting my life to upholding a moral code simply that the Christian god didn't exist, so you could do whatevver you got. Well this one kind of legitimizes the new age fiction genre as it's not very far from The Hardy Boys or any other mystery series I've seen. It retains a bland humor and I liked the book because it was free from many typos and not very boring at all. I would recommend this for the Harry Potter generation or even the older Dungeons & Dragons generation as it is pretty similar to those but not a guilty pleasure because it is realistic but free of gore and foul language. It compares favorably to Aleister Crowley or Dion Fortune as a master of occult fiction.

This book is one of my FAVORITE out of the series. IF you liked books such as Blue is for Nightmares, or any other books involving mystery and physic visions and such, you'll love this book too! It has everyday romance and typical stuff a girl can encounter but Sabine Rose (main character) is also physic so it has mysterious thrills to it!
I give this book FIVE DEFINETE stars and I totally recommend it to anyone out there!
I also recommend the other books in the series too!

Sabine has returned to Nona's farm after her adventures in Pine Peaks. She and Dominic now have two of the charms. The search is on for the third. Without all the charms, the old remedy book cannot be found. That book is the only hope Nona has of getting well. The witch ball that was given to her by the relative in Pine Peaks is packed away in Sabine's room. Nona instantly disliked the ball and refuses to be anywhere near it. Nona believes it to be cursed. Well, she is partly right. It is not cursed, but there is something very wrong with it. Not even Opal can figure it out.

The Booster Club is having a carnival to raise money for charity. Sabine talks Manny into having a fortuneteller booth. Sabine forgets to bring the plastic "crystal ball", so Penny-Love makes a mad dash out to the farm to pick it up from Sabine's bed room. Unfortunately, the witch ball keeps showing up where it is not wanted. Instead of being packed away, the witch ball is sitting in plain sight for Penny-Love to snatch up and rush to Manny with. By the time Sabine checks on Manny, it is too late. Manny has already given out three predictions. He has no idea who the three people were OR what his prediction for each was. It's all a blank. Sabine would never have allowed Manny to predict her future if she had known he was using the witch ball. But it is too late to stop it now. Manny predicted that Sabine would die in exactly five days!

The witch ball has already caused some bizarre happenings, so no one will just drop the subject. The search is on for the previous three customers. Dominic, Manny, and Sabine need to find out what their predictions were and if they had come true. Time is ticking on.

***** Even better than the stories before, if that is possible. Sabine's mixed feelings about Josh and Dominic become a bit more defined, a little clearer. You are going to be hooked into this suspenseful adventure from the first page until the last. Linda Joy Singleton's stories are awesome! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

This was such a fun read. i used it for a devotional and the group I presented it to loved it. Now, obviously, you need to have a love for baseball or the Bible to really enjoy this quick read. I have sent a copy to all of my baseball and God buddies for Christmas. The parallels are excellent in each chapter, or inning. You certainly don't need to be a Biblical scholar to enjoy this book. Now, when is the football edition coming out?

You have to love baseball and scriptures to thoroughly enjoy this book. Being a fan of both and having a son and three grandsons into both, this filled the bill. I originally bought the book for my son, however I read it first and I so enjoyed how Gary Graf weaved the game of baseball into God's game plan for all of us.

Loved it.

I'll be honest. I've always been a, shall I say, "more frequent" fan of baseball than of religion. This book will have an impact on that. That it was an interesting baseball read was not the surprising part. The fact that it wove baseball and the Bible seamlessly (like a two-seam fastball) together was the surprise. It was a very entertaining read. It made the stories of the Bible come to life in ways that I hadn't previously experienced. I think anyone with even the slightest interest in baseball would find it fun. And if you have a strong religious background I bet it would be equally rewarding. Bringing together these two elements of life that people believe in so passionately was a natural. I think this would be a great gift for a lot of people. I know I have several people who will be receiving it for Father's Day.

Just finished this book and it was FABULOUS! Haven't seen anything like it before. Who would have thought baseball and the Bible would have that much in common??

I'd recommend this book. It's thought-provoking and a quick read, too.