Bloom Books

Jimmy Jack Blackburn's story is sure to touch young and old. The poetry and rhythm of its accomplished prose unfolds a tale rich with the heroism of everyday life in a challenging setting. When faced with the choice between remaining at home under the covers and braving danger to find fuel to keep his fatherless family warm, Jimmy Jack chooses to put his life on the line to care for his young siblings and mother. In the process Jimmy Jack grows up. An exquisite book, beautifully illustrated. Guaranted to move, to inspire and to raise awareness of the reality of poverty and the resiliance of those who grow up in it. This one should be reissued. It's that important and well-crafted a book.

When Mimosas BloomSusan paints a delightful picture of her life in Alabama and Florida that readers can identify with and cry a little and smile a lot.

This book was a pleasure to read. It has interesting characters, a fast moving, suspenseful plot, sometimes humorous, sometimes sad but always gripping. It is a page turner with good descriptive passages and lively conversation. I especially enjoyed the When Roses BloomWhen Roses Bloom descriptions of the mountains and the lake nestled in them, the interaction among people with different motives and attitudes. And I loved the cats; they become a part of the story and provide delightful scenes which all people who love animals will love.

This is a sweet romance with a heroine that has business savvy and isn't afraid of hard work. It's a heart warming story that you'll read again and again.

I have read all three books in this series. I really enjoyed all three. I hardly put them down until finished. I will probably re-read them in a couple of years. I am looking now for something else by this author. Would recommend them to anyone who just enjoys a good soft story.

This book is an extremely fun way to introduce how music can touch us all. The words and format are conducive to getting up and dancing right along with the characters in the book. I read this story to a group of pre-schoolers and they had a wonderful time making the instumental noises and dancing a jig. It was great fun!

Alma Flor Ada paints a beautiful picture of her childhood in Cuba. As a teacher who looks for authentic literature about different cultures, I was very impressed with the stories that bore witness to the values of love and family in the Cuban culture. Each chapter can stand alone and the book works well as a read aloud. Ada's remembrances are very heart warming and will help children and adults to appreciate diversity. I would love to visit Cuba and experience some of the natural beauty and hospitality mentioned in this book.

This was the first Harlequin Romance I ever purchased. I was about [...]at the time. I read the book and loved it. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of New Zealand and life there. This book began my love for the Harlequin Romance books that I have been buying, reading and collecting for over thirty years! Although an avid Harlequin Romance fan, I don't read them as often as I would like to, but I do enjoy spending time with my collection when I can. They are warm and light-hearted stories with happy endings.

This 250-page reference guide includes biographical material on 140 authors of great books for children and young adults, and it also lists alphabetically several quality series such as Landmark, "We Were There," Vision Biographies, Childhood of Famous Americans, etc. Any parent who does much reading aloud to his children will find Who Should We Then Read? necessary for his reference shelf. When our children were young and we were reading to them for long stretches each day, I would often search for other lesser known books by our favorite authors -- books not often found in our local library. Who Should We Then Read? has done that work for me. For example, every title by Howard Pyle is listed, and all one needs to do is order them by interlibrary loan. In fact, I'm delighted to find a Pyle book listed which we've never read -- Twilight Land. What a resource!

This book of poetry explores the life of the writer, Janet Carncross Chandler, a woman in her eighties. Her poetry speaks to all people, not just older people. The best one out of the collection (to me) is "Coming Out". No, it's not about "coming out of the closet" in the sexual sense. The first verse is the one that caught me:
"Remember how it felt
when you came out
as a woman
how scary - everyone
would learn you too were smart?"
The poem goes on to tell about her own "coming out" experience.

She writes about "the joy of acting midwife" while gardening, how new love comes her way, the loss of love. It's relevant to anybody who enjoys good poetry. I recommend this book highly.