Boyd Books

A contemporary child gets help from an old story in this bright picture book set in a small desert village on the Papago reservation in southern Arizona near the Mexican border. Marta Enos' day is ruined when the wind blows her papers out the window and the dogs chew her homework into trash; then she trips and breaks her glasses. Grandmother comforts Marta Enos, repairs the glasses, bakes her some warm tortillas, and tells her a traditional tale about how to deal with a problem. Sometimes it is good to be a tree and look all ways at once; sometimes it is best to be a rock or a fierce mountain lion; but Marta Enos chooses to be an eagle, who can fly high and see how small the problem is. Strongbow's watercolor paintings set the story in wide desert landscapes as the sun sets and the full moon rises, and warm portraits show the loving bond across generations. (summary by Heather Roselle)

I really enjoyed this as a book to read with my 4 1/2 year old daughter. It has a neat story line, wonderful word pictures, lovely illustrations and is suitable for 4 years and up. It encourages kids to think about different ways of solving the problems that arise in life.

The story follows a young girl who, in a hurry to join her Indian grandmother making tortilla's, upsets her homework and eventualy breaks her glasses. The girl is devestated by the turn of events. The grandmonther gently restores her, giving her options on how to solve the problem while gently repairing the glasses. Is this a time to "be like a tree in the desert, standing tall and looking all ways at once" .... "a time to stay still like stone and wait for the problem to pass" .... or a time to fly high like and eagle looking far down to the problem which now seems so small and laugh at it..... As her glassess are mended and the homework reworked the girl can decide that the best option is to look at the big picture. To put the day in perspective and fly high like the eagle. The other options can be considered, thought about and keep hidden away for another day when maybe they will be the most approprite solution for life's problems.

I love this book! So does my 4 1/2 year old stepson, and his Dad has gotten a lot out of it too. The idea of choosing how you are going to respond to a problem rather than just throw a tantrum is something we are teaching the children, and constantly learning for ourselves too. This book is warm and loving, an excellent quiet time read for people of all ages.

This is the best book I have read on the subject of deer hunting. The photos are great, and the book is full of information on the Blacktail deer.

I've read a number of books on deer hunting and I've hunted mule deer in Wyoming and Colorado, whitetails in Montana and Wyoming and blacktails in Oregon. This rates among the top two books that I've ever read on deer hunting. The techniques that Boyd describes, I can see used on all three major deer species in North America with great success. His explanations are excellent and concise, his techniques are well thought out, and the pictures of this secretive little deer are wonderful. He isn't an expert in all areas and doesn't claim to be and will often give references to books that he's found to be useful to him (kudos to him for this).

I have never seen a finer book covering the Blacktail deer. I live on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State and spend my free time taking pictures, hunting and observing the Blacktail deer. This book is worth the money for the readers trophies pictures alone. Great insights on tactics we have used for years and some insight on different approaches. Thanks for doing such a masterpiece.

Tight Lines
Marty

Louise Boyd Cadwell had done an exceptional job in bringing the reader into a school using the Reggio Approach. "Bringing Learning to Life" is a practical view of the everyday learning that can happen in a classroom. Cadwell's vivid descriptions of her honest thoughts, activities with the students, and the collaboration that goes on between the teacher makes one feel as if they are right there in the classroom. The pictures help intensify that feeling of first hand participation in this school. Cadwell isn't afraid of sharing with the reader their shortcomings and this helps the reader realize that the Reggio Approach is one of constant change. If the reader didn't know about the Reggio Approach, after reading "Bringing Learning to Life" they would.

I would highly recommend it for anyone interested in finding out more about the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. While it can stand on its own, it is much better read as a follow up to Louise Cadwell's first book "Bringing Reggio Home" or after reading other resources on Reggio. I enjoyed the practical implications of connecting Reggio approach to classrooms in the United States, and found the colorful photographs a great resource!

With Louise being my mother I am biased. However I read the book purely out of curiosity to be able to understand what my mom has been doing all these years. To my surprise I came away with a much broader understanding of the Reggio Emilia approach as well as of my mother.

We had a new way of starting Hanukkah this year. Instead of starting off with the gifts, the kids got to choose a Hanukkah Book to read to everyone - adults and kids after we lit the Hanukkiah. We picked By the Hanukkah Light and we read it to everyone together. It was great to read and everyone in the family really liked it a lot. It talks about Hanukkah in a really clear way and also it has a great story about a grandfather and his life. The two stories fit together really well. Its like you learn about Jewish history and the history of a family.

I am not Jewish, and so don't know a lot about Hanukah, but I want to teach my children about the beliefs of different peoples around the world. So when I went to the library to get out some Christmas books, I got this book as well. My 3.5 year old son LOVED it. He wanted me to read it over and over so he could understand the story. And I embellished it a little bit telling him what little I knew, and telling him which of his friends, or other people he knew, who are Jewish. It was a wonderful learning experience that we both enjoyed. I highly recommend this to both Jewish parents who want to share with their children about their holidays by reading a story, and for non-Jews who want to know more about this holiday.

A warm feeling will come over you and your children as you read this book together. It is touching and also very powerful as it deals with Hanukkah is a very original and sensitive way by making it relevant to the world we live in

Wow, I loved this book as a child. I think I had it perpetually taken out of the library. I am so excited to share it with my children!

This was one of the first books I read in grade school. It made a real impression on me. It was kind of "strange" in the early 70's, but I as a strange, artistic child. I have been looking for this book for the past 10-15 years. Ya'll read it! It's really, well, I wept when I found IT.

Cabbage Moon glows off the pages while Adelgatha and her dog save the day.Very imaginative,unlike many books today.

Brimner's Cat on Wheels offers young readers and listeners lots of fun. A cat's sweet slumber is disrupted when "that Cooper boy rolls up, four wheels spinning." A child just beginning to test the laws of balance and gravity on a two-wheeler, the Cooper boy careens here and there, oblivious to the havoc he is injecting into the cat's life. The cat, in turn, imagines herself to be a skateboard daredevil and challenges the boy to a test of their skills. To the delight of cat-lovers everywhere, the cat triumphs in this David-vs.-Goliath fantasy. In fact, though, she simply seeks safety in the cozy lap of a more sedate friend while the Cooper boy meets the fate of anyone just learning to ride a bicycle. Brilliant, tropical, over-sized splashes of color illustrate this child-pleaser; kids will recognize themselves or friends in the Cooper boy and chuckle at the cat's imagined antics. Don't miss this one.

There's not a missed beat in Brimner's Cat On Wheels. From opening to closing, the text weaves a tale of a cat's frustration with that Cooper boy, who is learning how to ride a two-wheeler and without much success. (Children will relate!) The lyrical prose is pleasing to the ear, while the pastel illustrations, simple and oversized, are sure to please the younger set. That the cat triumphs in the end is sure to make this a winner among feline lovers. The book lends itself nicely to classroom discussions about personal space and responsible action.

In stunning language that is both rhythmic and poetic, Brimner sets a skateboard-riding feline against a youngster just learning to ride a bicycle with training wheels--four wheels against four wheels. This author WOWed us with Merry Christmas, Old Armadillo and If Dogs Had Wings, and his current offering is no less pleasing for imagery, language, and downright FUN. Kids will love it; my five-year-old reader certainly did.

As its title states, this book is about natural and manmade things that glow. Cold light is a type of light that gives off very little, if any, heat. The book goes through a history of how creatures that emit cold light, such as jellyfish and fireflies, were discovered and tested. It then moves into a discussion of how scientists have used this information to create fun inventions like glow sticks and useful inventions like LED bulbs. Scientists hope to create more electronics such as LEDs that will save energy in the future. This was a very unique and informative book with many engaging pictures. My only concern is that some of the vocabulary would be difficult for middle-school readers. I expected it to be much simpler to follow than it actually was.

Having worked in a middle school for over seventeen years, I was particularly inspired to write a review for this fascinating book. The author captures the attention of several age levels, including adults, in the book, called Cold Light: Creatures, Discoveries, and Inventions That Glow. It is obvious the author understands kids and what they like. It is evident that she loves the subject of science and has a desire to share what she knows in a meaningful, and sometimes humorous, way for people of all ages. I tried putting the book down to no avail! This book is filled with interesting facts about cold light. From the creation of amazing toys and inventions to observations in nature, the author has captured it all! I hope all schools will take advantage of the opportunity to include this very educational, fun book in their classrooms and libraries. It's a gem!

Cold Light is a great book for kids but most adults would enjoy it, too. It's filled with scientific information that can be complex and confusing but is presented in a way that is easy for kids to read and understand. There are outstanding pictures throughout the book which help the reader (kids and adults) to better understand the different topics. Cold Light is a book about both the scientists and the science relating to the phenomenon that some objects and animals make light without making any heat, like the firefly. Fascinating. But it's more than that because it talks about the scientists and how they acted on their initial curiosities as a result of observing something in nature.

There should be one in every middle school/junior high school science classroom AND the library. The extensive bibliography and a glossary make this an even better book.

While there are pronunciation guides for the difficult scientific words, I wish the publisher had included the pronunciation guide for the words found in the glossary so the reader wouldn't have to go back into the book to remember how to pronounce the more complex scientific words.

Everyone who is involved with public policy, advocacy, and congressional relations should have this book and updates.

This is a first-rate guide to Congress, for the political junkie, K street lobbyist, activist citizen, federal bureaucrat and--especially--members and staff of Congress. Written primarily with the latter in mind, the volume--which publishes every two years for a new Congress--has a vast amount of information, technical and general, that explains in and outs of Congress: organization, structure, procedures, traditions, ethics, rules, media and more. Not content with nuts and bolts the authors in the latter chapters delve into the legislative and federal budget process, congressional documents, and how to do legislative research, including a vast array of web sites. Both are long-time experts in the Congressional Research Service, although they prepare the book outside their duties there and the volume is not a CRS publication. A great value.

A bit of background. The authors began their careers as Congressional staffers and maintained contact with Members of Congress (MCs hereafter) and staff over time. Lessons learned from staff and MCs are the focus of this book and (page xxi) "continue to inform this book as Congress evolves. . . ." The mission of this book? To cover and explain how Congress works to the book's readers. The volume, in the authors' words, covers (page xxvii) "legislative, budget, and special procedures; how various procedures relate to each other; the forms of impact and competition on Capitol Hill". . . . And so on. In short, if you want an insider's view of how Congress operates, this would be a valuable resource.

This is not a book to snuggle up with at bedtime (unless, I suppose, the reader were a "political junkie"). But it is a fine resource. There are 15 chapters and several appendices (if you want to know your MCs address and phone number, you can find it here!).

No need to summarize each chapter. But a sampling will give a sense of the nature of this volume. Chapter 1 begins with a discussion of what it means to be a member of Congress. It gives some insight into the daily lives of an MC (busy and hectic and not altogether under an individual's control)--and their family lives, too. Chapter 2 focuses on a related subject for the MC: campaigns and elections. After getting elected, MCs cannot afford to relax, since another election looms. The chapter provides information about election laws, the nature of campaigns and elections. There are many sources of information provided on elections that the reader can follow up with. Once a person is in Congress, what resources can the use? Chapter 5 examines staff and allowances (pay and support for the project of being a member of Congress, such as office expenses) and relevant administrative units, such as the Government Printing Office, Office of Management and Budget, and so on. Much of the work of Congress is in the House and Senate committees and subcommittees. Chapter 7 provides an overview of this. Ever hear of those mysterious "holds" in the Senate? Chapter 8 discusses this and other matters relating to the legislative process, with much nuts and bolts description. Chapter 15 is an effort to pull the various chapters together by exploring one working example from the 106th Congress--a specific bill. The chapter follows this bill, step by step, through the labyrinth that is the legislative process.

For the citizen interested in understanding Congress as it does its work from day to day, this would be a nice resource. Once can keep it in reserve until something piques one's interest about Congress and then open the pages and find the answer to questions. It's not the kind of volume to purchase and then look to it for fun reading. However, this book, in the end, will be valuable for those with an interest in the subject.

This is one of our family's favorite books. My 2 yr old and 8 yr old love it equally. The words will often go over a preschooler's head (haunches, slip-shod hoofs, etc) but they will enjoy the funny storyline and amazing illustrations nonetheless. I never tire of it too, esp because there is always more detail to find and smile about in the illustrations. I esp love the part of the story about the people who take the place of the cows out in the pastures... how they like to stand in small groups, saying nothing and chewing grass, and they have to be prodded too get back on the train. I give this book often as a gift and always get great feedback on it. Good stuff!

My five-year-old son and I have had great fun with this book for years. The gentle prose is great for reading aloud, and the illustrations, with their many fine-art allusions--to Manet, Seurat, and others--introduce children to cultural heritage in a non-preachy way.

A joyous book that will make kids and adults laugh

In my mind good poetry is language that paints a vivid picture. "Daddy Poems" not only paints vivid pictures but will pull at your heart strings as well. This book brought tears of emotion to my eyes remembering my Father, and my children. Worth every pennie. Review written by a male, first grade teacher, and father.

This collection offers a loving tribute to fathers and their special magic with children. Some of the themes are bittersweet (separation, growing up), but they are all treated with a straightforward honesty that touches the heart. There's plenty of whimsy, too, from "daddy hugs" to the dad who's a cool dude. Dads and kids alike will love this book.

This selection of poems for the young is a delightful collage.From whisker scratches (Porcupine Pa) to baseball gloves (FirstBaseball Glove) to nighttime (Bedtime Ritual), these poems ring true for all fathers who deserve to be called "Daddy." Casilla's multicultural illustrations are a perfect match for Micklos' collection.