Big Books

Wishbone is a lovable ,talking, pooch full of stories. He has a tail overflowing in excitement, as the humans around him try to grasp what is truly going on.
Aside from all the cuteness,Wishbone explains words the reader may not know. His words are bold, for simple reference.
This story isn't overly scary, nor wordy. It has enough adventure to keep young readers wanting more.

Someone is haunting the clubhouse that Joe, Sam, David are hanging out in with some new kids. The person is found, but the REAL mystery is just beginning!

This book is super! This mystery has another mystery inside the first one! The end of the book is extremely surprising!!! I finished this book over the weekend because it was so good!

As in all Wishbone tales this story has us looking at a famous book and dealing with another story. In the case of the mystery tales we have a mystery in another mystery. This makes for a doubly mysterious book. It was funny and kind of scary. It as a surprise at the end as all mysteries are. I liked the book and thing everyone should read the whole series.

Best Big Sur Hiking/Backpacking Book Out There! I'm a local, I try to get into the mountains whenever possible & this book is the bomb. I've checked out a few others & this is the best by far.


It has detailed topographic maps with trails drawn in & great descriptions of each trail including elevations @ points along each trail. Elevations are critical because the Sur is all about elevation 0-5150 ft.

Great book, if your considering a book about all Big Sur has to offer beyond Highway 1 this is the book.

This is a great book. A friend and I had a trip to Big Sur planned and the book came several days before so that I was able to study up and enjoy the area even more!

This book isn't great, but it is very good.

Pros
1. It is inspiring. I feel like I want to go do the hike after I read the description
2. Good pictures. Some have people in them and these are done very well.
3. Good descriptions. These aren't little one page jobs.

Cons
1. Pictures - The pictures are black and white, not color and I think color pictures can mean everything. But this does not detract that much from this fine book

The book was wonderful to have on our trip to the Central Coast. Objective information with enough opinion and subjective information to help us decide where, how, when for each hike. The back of the book with the top list organized by theme was very helpful. One way the book could have been better is with a cross-reference chart... so if you want both "ocean" and "redwoods" as themes you could look it up, instead of a bunch of page flipping. The author does a good job appealing to a wide range, level of hikers, rare in a guide book.

So many times have I heard stories about career(or dream)-ending injuries and knew it wasn't as mellow to them as they made it seem. It was nice to see Robinson rewarded with the HOF(Seton Hall) in the end. Biggio was destined for greatness, Valentin was better than I thought he was, and Vaughn was a monster from the start. They all have some facinating human stories that make it hard to look at them the same.

The Hit Men and the Kid Who Batted Ninth by sports writer David Siroty is an involved and involving study of the lives of Craig Biggio, Mo Vaughn, and John Valentin, three renowned baseball players, each of whom earned MVP honors, Gold Gloves, and more, -- as well as the life of Marteese Robinson, a friend and college teammate of the three men who was left behind from the professional baseball world. Robinson would eventually find a way to join his friends; just not a way that any of them expected. The Hit Men and the Kid Who Batted Ninth is an engaging tale, featuring an aside with a quotable quote from the men it spotlights on almost every page, as well as an inset section of black-and-white photographs. The Hit Men And The Kid Who Batted Ninth is a very fine read -- especially for baseball fans.

Maybe I'm a bit biased since two of the four players profiled in this book are now Mets, but I really enjoyed their stories. Siroty takes you from their childhoods through college, to the minor leagues and the majors. Every player has a different path, and not all of them have the traditional happy endings. Every page mentions a new player whose name you'll recognize - I always wondered how every baseball player seemed to know each other, even if their teams never competed. You'll love this book if you love baseball - because it really shows the players' passion for the game.

David Siroty writes a factually accurrate account of the Hit Men from Seton Hall. As a former Pirate player, I spent some time with these guys and they were all good guys and had one distinguishing trait in common; they all had the burning desire to play the great game of baseball. Excellent job by Siroty telling a great story about the greatest game on the face of the earth.
Brought back good memories. Wish I was there!
Can't wait to bring my son to Mike Sheppard's Basball Camp...keep the hustle.
PS: Marteese Robinson was one of the nicest guys in our high school, SHP.

Until recently, I hadn't thought much about cumulative tales helping with memory but they do. I recommend not skipping a word as you go back over the previous steps. Children (and I) love the art work also in this edition.

I also recommend these cumulative tales and songs.
There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly,
The Buggy That Boogied Away, and
She'll be Coming 'Round the Mountain.

My one-year-old son adores this book and brings it to me several times a day to read it to him. It's text-heavy with tons of repetition, so we skip every few verses. He giggles at the rhythm of the text and sometimes even dances side to side. The illustrations are very colorful, consistent with the author's other books and those in this series. I highly recommend!

The illustrator adds a special delight to this old cumulative tale.
In addition to the visual and auditory treat, tales such as this are a great boost to language skills.

I read this book as a child, and now am reading this book to my nieces and nephew. What a joy it is to read such good books to young children. This is a must for anyone with youngsters. Buy it! You will not regret it.

Now that stroker cranks and heads are more affordable for Small Block Mopars its more a case of why wouldn't you stroke. This book follows along the lines of How To Hot Rod Small Block Mopars by Larry Shepard and includes various engine packages in the rear - which is great and gives you an idea of what can be achieved and what parts are required to do it, it also includes heaps of websites to check which is also great. The photos are great,gives superb guidance and ideas to pursue and really is a must for anyone building a stroker. Some of the detail can be a bit light if you are the type that really wants to know everything, but I think for 90% of readers like me its excellent and you won't regret the purchase price. In the long run it will probably save you money e.g. fitting Eagle Rods instead of resizing and grinding the block for your original rods.

I am planning on building an engine. There was a lot I had picked out, but this helped take me into a place I didn't think it was possible to go with a little money.

Too little, too late, too generic has been my complaint on Mopar based engine books. Even the factory manuals have ignored the small block, especially the R series. At long last we have a book that at least acknowledges their existence. This manually actually focuses on the performance heads and blocks available instead of just the 30 year old factory stuff. A must have for anyone with a small block mopar.

This book is very complete and a necessary read for the small block builder who is not up to speed on current theory and component availability for the LA series. Building a big stroker from a small Chrysler can be an intimidating project because there is very little published that isn't about a Chevy.

Worth the money....and a great addition to your tech library.

it's excellent because it's said in his own word

I met Michael today at our Rotary Club where he spoke. The man is one of the finest speakers I have heard. He's cute, funny and enlightening. For all of us with children, he reminds us of the importance of patience and never giving up on our kids. In fact his book ought to be required reading for teachers and those in youth services. Never understimate a kid's potential. Always set standards which allow the child to reach for and to "live up to".

This is a factual account of perseverance against great odds by a young boy & man that will make you cry & laugh. If only those of us with everything going for us could be as focused as Michael Long. A joy to read. He is NOT a whiner but a doer.

If Your Dreams are Big Enough, The Facts Don't Count! is a wonderful story about a man with a disability living his life and telling about it in his own words! I read it in ONE day! This book is inspirational to ALL human beings!

My son got this book as a gift from his teacher. It instantly became a big hit. He loves the rhythm and flow of the book and giggles every time we read it.

My son first read this as a Kindergartener last year. He was so proud that he could read it all by himself with very little help from us! He would laugh and giggle at Big Dog Bill's antics. That is one of the best sounds a parent can hear!

It does not have the star sticker rewards that some books have, but I bought our own star stickers and he earned a star for each time he's read it. He has at least a dozen stars on the inside cover of the book.

I teach first grade and was looking for material for my small reading groups. This will be perfect. The author tells a cute story that I know my students will enjoy, using simple words, most of which they've learned by this point in the year (second quarter). Excellent illustrations are used to support the limited text. I just ordered 5 more copies. :)

Sample pages:
p.1 Jack and Jill and Big Dog Bill go up, up, up the hill.
p. 7 At the top, they stop.
p. 21 "Oh, no," say Jack and Jill. "Bill will not go!"

This book was the first book my daughter ever picked up and read entirely on her own. She beamed with pride as she was able to sound out every word. It's simple story and helpful pictures gave her such a sense of accomplishment as she mastered her very first story. This book will have a place of honor on our bookshelf as my little reader speeds onto other more complex books and continues to develop a love for books.

Edith and John Rylander's Journeying Earthward is a sharply observed and deeply felt meditation on the small slice of Minnesota earth on Big Swan Lake which they and their children have "borrowed" for the past four decades. Particularly compelling are the chapters on animals in their various incarnations: as pets; as stock; as "critters, varmints, vermin, pests"; and as beasts. As with so much else in this book, the insights are the products of many slow seasons of observation and rumination. Having just revisited Willa Cather's Midwestern classic "My Antonia," I was in the mood to take in this untrendy, far from the coasts, adventure down through all its personal byways and excursions into things historical and geologic. If you are tired of Double Latte from paper cups, take a deep drink of the real thing from this handhewn bowl. Recommended to all lovers of the earth and its many and various bioregions.

Edith and John Rylander have chronicled their 38 year marriage, life and family adventure from surburban California to the north woods of Minn. in a most interesting, readable fashion. They have done what so many of us just talked about in the 60's, and made it work for them. They describe in a very entertaining manner the mucky, or yucky aspects of farm life, as well as those special uplifting moments. I especially enjoyed the animal raising, and home building chapters. Take a vicarious journey with them. It's worth the trip.

A combination of memoir, Least-Heat-Moonesque deep history, and manifesto, Journeying Earthward celebrates what is possible in nonfiction as it explores the life choices of its author-protagonists, John and Edith Rylander. The lucky reader gets to enjoy their journey with them; the luckiest readers might be inspired to begin more self-aware life journeys themselves.

In 1965, John and Edith Rylander left a "good life" in California for the challenges of an old cabin on a bit of land in the Minnesota woods.

To read Journeying Earthward is to share with them the challenges they faced, to be part of an an intelligent and animated conversation about the way human beings should live. The Rylanders note that the nation still has "no land ethic," and show us, step by step, how we might choose to improve our lives by considered choices.

These folks aren't professors sitting in some ivory tower issue pronouncements about how the rest of us ought to run the world. They started with little background, little money, and literally dug their way to a life-- not a "lifestyle"-- which allows them to integrate their work and pleasure the way humans are meant to do. They write the way they talk with visitors in their underground living room, comfortably, with excitement and love for the subject. Sometimes one or the other dashes off on a tangent, but the topic is always relevant-- pretty much the way a good conversation arranges itself. What a refreshing change from so much environmental reading!
Don't expect to find a neatly-numbered list of actions to take to make your life more environmentally friendly; this is no "50 easy ways to save the planet in 15 minutes without breaking a sweat." Read to be encouraged to think about your own situation, to consider your own choices, and how you might make changes in your life to make it more satisfying as well as more earth friendly.

My daughter loved this book so much when we checked it out at the library, that I decided to buy it for her birthday. Of course, I couldn't just find it at a store. Lucky for her, I found it online and with a cd! We love reading it together- she does the line "Jump frog Jump"

I was SO glad when this came back in print. This is a cumulative tale a la "House that Jack Built". You can get the children chanting "Jump Frog Jump!" in a few pages. Barton's bright folk-like illustrations fit right in.

As a teacher and an aunt I highly recommend this book which is a favorite with the kids! It's easy for them to memorize the lines and follow the words (a great skill to develop while learning how to read). A fantastic addition to any child's library of books!

The repetition and predictable outcomes were a joy for my 4 year old boy. After 3 readings he enthusiastically read the Jump, Frog, Jump! page by himself! We used green pillows as lily pads and acted out the escaping frog scenes.

I have followed the work of Ed Roth and the late "Von Dutch" since 1953. The word Pioneer doesn't even begin with the work these men have done over the last 45 years. Dutch started the trend of "Free Form" pinstriping, along with painted "figures" and some very unique "Flame Painting" back in the 1950s. Roth started building some very unique vehicles, way ahead of their time. He called himsef a "speed striper" which was a rapid form of pinstriping i,e, "no following around with fine details" yet the work was quite good. This book shows the best examples of both Roth and Dutch, and contains photos that we all thought were lost years ago. "Von Dutch" (a.k.a. Kenneth Howard) was a very underrated man, who was filled with talent and skills that would revel most of today's artists. It was a tragic loss when he died a very lonely man. Roth did a Video of Dutch in the late 1970s, which really showed the "methods to his madness."

I personally have given a tribute to both these men by building a copy of the sign painters box (made in 1919) given to Dutch by his father. Roth has pinstriped a few of these for his charity auctions. This book is a treasure to the art of pinstriping and the "Kustom Kulture" movement.

Although the greatness of Rob't. Williams has been admitted by a few so-called "legitimate" art critics, it's high time to admit the genius of people like Von Dutch, Ed Roth, Gene Winfield et al. Kustom Kulture is artistic democracy in action, "The People's Art." This is an attractive book, with much information and great art. If you are even the least bit interested in this subject, this book's for you. I give it an A+.

If you ever wanted to learn about the masters of hot rod art, this is a good place to start. While not the difinitive history of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth,Von Dutch or Robert Williams, this book delves into the rude awakenings of this all American art form. A damn good read.(I just looked at the pictures!!!!)

While being a big fan of "Big Daddy Roth", I still appreciate his hot-rod artwork. Shortly after finishing the book, I gave it to "Big Daddy Dean Paulsen", the man who taught Ed Roth everything he knows. Paulsen was pleased to know his understudy is still alive and well.