Boyd Books

We've loved ALL of the Katie Morag stories, and (more importantly) so have our children. They are smart and socially aware and beautifully written and illustrated.

Hedderwick is a master story teller with wonderful illustrations which delight children & adults. Katie Morag's home is so comfortably chaotic and the parents and grandmothers are characters. In this tale, there is an increased understanding between the "fancy-ways" Grannie mainland and her strong, competent counterpoint, Grannie Island. And the Scottish is wonderful!

I love the Katie Morag series of children's books. Little ginger haired Katie Morag is split between the traditional ways of Granny Island and the modern Granny Mainland. Granny Island works with her hands and isn't afraid to get dirty. Granny Mainland wears nice clothes and bothers about her appearance. Katie Morag loves them both, but they don't appreciate each other.

How to solve this? Why, with sheep of course. How perfectly Scottish.

As a Creative Movement Instructor and the mother of 2 young children, I am always looking for new material. It seems like so much of what's out there is repetitive... until I found this. They have put together one of the most fun, easy-to-use manuals I've ever found. The activities are unique and innovative, and my students LOOK FORWARD to coming to each class now. Thanks ladies - you've added so much zip to my classes!

My wife and I have 13 grandchildren, and we were looking online for some fun ideas to do with them when they come visit. The samples for this book looked great, so we ordered it. Wow! We use it ALL the time - we're the new favorite grandparents! It's easy to understand and has alot of great ideas. If we can do it, you can do it!

I am a father of 3, and have taught karate for several years. This book is a great reference to pick up and go, and get a variety of different, unique ideas to help with my rambunctious classes. Great book!

Hear an interview with Letter on the Wind author Sarah Lamstein and illustrator Neil Waldman! Listen to The Book of Life podcast's December 2007 episode at www.bookoflifepodcast.com.

Ages 4-8 will find here a compelling folk story of a year without Chanukah, and a poor man who decides to light the menorahs in search of remembering the miracle of the season. He asks a local scribe to write a letter to god and prays for oil to light the poor town's menorahs - and an unexpected result lends to suspicion Hayim might be a thief. This fine retelling of a Jewish folk story is an excellent addition for any Jewish library.

I can imagine a child examining the calm cover - moon, birds, a silhouette of old stone buildings, but where is the letter in the dark sky? She or he would open the book and find suspense that's both on-the-edge-of-your-seat and soothingly quiet. By the end of the first line we know the story's problem, which quickly develops. The imagery is gorgeous; I love how we see, in words and pictures, the olive trees at the beginning, then changed at the end. This is an assured retelling of a folktale that will add to a child's understanding of Chanukah and the meaning of love and faith.

I LOVE this book. Its one of my favourites. And the ending is so good.I highly recommend it. I mean its so hard to put down and so well written with a amazing plot.

This book was nominated for the Governor General's Award for the best children's book of the year in Canada. It's an excellent read and hard to put down until it's finished. The subject matter is a bit mature for younger audiences; teenagers will love it. It could be the basis of interesting parent-child conversations if both read it.

Not only does David Boyd, change pace by flipping back and forth to ten years before, but the whole story is told by sections of taperecorded converstations between a psychologist and specific characters. Assesments are also made by numerous MD's and other workers in a Youth Detention Center.

I just read this book to my class today. They loved it!! A little boy is going to a Memorial Day parade and finds out that there will be a surprise there. We go through the parade and he thinks that each parade event is the surprise, the thrown candy, the firetrucks, the band etc. only to find out that seeing his grandfather (a war veteran) in the parade. The mother gives a great explanation of the holiday. The book shows veterans in wheel chairs and uniforms. Great illustrations. This is also a great multicultural read.

It's tough to teach young kids about the reason we celebrate Memorial Day. The subject is one they may have trouble grasping amid barbeque parties and parades. This book sums it up perfectly and makes a wonderful lesson for young children. The various fun things Marco gets to experience lead up to the real surprise when he finds his abuelo among the honored veterans in the parade. Children will be able to identify with Marco as he watches the parade, and the excitement building to the surprise will keep them interested throughout the story.

This is a wonderful, sweet book. It is the story of a little boy who goes to a Memorial Day Parade with his mom. She tells him that there is a "big surprise." As each event in the parade unfolds, from the marching bands to the free candy, he asks if that was the surprise. Each time, his mother tells him that the surprise is even more special. At the end of the parade, people stand and begin to clap. The little boys wonders why, then spys his beloved grandfather, a veteran, being pushed in his wheelchair at the front of the group. The sense of expectation builds with each page and the illustrations are very bright and cheerful. My children loved this book. What a wonderful way to introduce children to the Memorial Day holiday and the people who are at its heart!

Moral Sentiments and Material Interests: The Foundations of Cooperation in Economic Life (Economic Learning and Social Evolution) combinds the theory of cultural evolution ala Boyd and Richerson (and Henrich et al) and the behavioral economy by people like Gintis, Bowles and Fehr. The book works further based on the theory - develops e.g. models for a better social policy etc.

Book discusses an issue which is very central for "being a human being" - co-operation. Book is very informative, very well written even if there are many writers with heterogenous background. Also after the book you kind of get more optimistic about the prospects of humananity.

I am without any formal education in antropology, biology and economics but have read "everything" by Boyd and Richerson - my understanding on economics is based on Microeconomics by Samuel Bowles.

The book was to me a good further reading after the Bowles Microeconomics book. But the book can be read even by someone who does not know about economics even that much as me. The book is not too formal - easy to read actually.

For several years now, a group of social scientists has been studying the human tendency to be socially fair rather than narrowly selfish. The editors of this volume--Herbert Gintis, Samuel Bowles, Robert Boyd, and Ernst Fehr--are among the stalwarts; others are found among the authors of the book's chapters.
The core of this long-running effort is Fehr's experiments with the ultimatum game, in which two people must share a sum of money (say, $10); Person A gets to propose a split, Person B can only accept or decline. Economists and politicians would expect every game to wind up with a $9.99/$0.01 split (or actually a 9-1 split, since bills are used), but in fact typical splits are more like 5-5 or 6-4, and in one place (Lamalera, Indonesia) people actually split something like 4-6, few A's ever claiming even half the money. This long-running set of experiments around the world adds to a vast, rapidly accumulating set of data showing that people are sociable, not "rational" in the folk-economic sense (i.e., dedicated solely to narrow material self-interest). The present book discusses the implications for economics and politics. If people are naturally concerned with fairness, narrowly economistic policies can be counterproductive; we all know cases of "crowding out," in which a material incentive actually makes people act worse, by crowding out moral incentives. If you reward people for being good, they will think it's all a cynical game, and will act worse. Punitive legislation to make people do what they do anyway (for moral reasons) is also counterproductive. Imagine what these realizations would do to American social policy.
The problem with this book is that it is too optimistic and upbeat. The downside of human sociability is confined to one page, late in the book (p. 388), where racism, honor killing, and the like get a quick mention. Alas, the morning radio brings a stream of accounts not only of such things but also of religious butchery all over the world--Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and even Buddhists (theoretically prohibited from killing but busily genocidal). This brings us back to Adam Smith's suggestion that greed may not be lovable but may be better than the noble, virtuous alternatives. I hope Gintis et al work on how to decouple fairness and interpersonal concern from the desire to exterminate everybody who is not in one's immediate social set. Until this is done, the hope purveyed in this work will remain thin.
The authors note that humans seem genetically programmed to have at least some sense of fairness and of self-sacrifice for the common good, but they wisely refrain from trying to unpack "hereditary" and "environmental" or "cultural" aspects. Heredity makes us do this, and learn it easily, and heredity gives us the ability to learn and develop cultures. No way to unpack. Still, more needs to be done on just how flexible these inborn moralities are. The range from Lamalera to certain parts of South America is pretty great. So is the range of murderousness in religious and ethnic settings. We need to know how to modify human behavior in these regards, and how much we can hope for.
That being said, this book is the best yet in the long list of books that devastate the selfish-individualist model of human behavior. People desperately want to be sociable, and be good members of their society. This may lead them to fairness and generosity, or to body-piercing, or to suicide bombing. This book offers hope for building new societies through use of innate human decency. At this point in time, any book seriously offering such hope is desirable.

This book is just really great. The literature on fairness and reciprocity in social science is growing fast, and this book is ideal to give you a flavour of why this is such a good thing. It is diverse, with entries ranging from biological models that attempt to explain the evolution of reciprocity, through the implications of reciprocity for the way legal sanctions work, to the political philosophy of the dark side of clan mentality.
Most readers will probably not want to read everything, and even less people will agree with everything. One needs to remember that a lot of the stuff in this book is still controversial, including the existence of (strong) reciprocity, but this is what makes it so very interesting. And if only half of what's in this book is right, it is still revolutionary.
In 10 years, this book will be terribly outdated. But for now, it is the best thing you can get if you are interested in the interplay between evolution, reciprocity and social order, and the fundamental questions of social science that it entails.

This book is much more personal then the other wonderful book written about Bentley. I do wonder where the references come from, if the author had letters or access to family in some way? Beautiful illustrations and a joy to read. The book on the Bentley photos of snow flakes is a must with any of the books!

Wilson A. Bentley, the "Snowflake Man," (1865-1931) was born and raised in Vermont, or snow country...and he "lived his environment" to the hilt!
Every chance he got, he was out there in Nature, taking pictures of insects, water droplets, dew-covered spider webs and that for which he is best known ~ snowflakes and snow crystals.
He led a very interesting and, for the most part, misunderstood life, but he was not one to quit. No matter what the obstacle, he was determined to overlook and overcome it. And his brother, most admiringly, tells this story in a way that only a family member and first-hand observer can.
Even tho' the reminiscing is not his actual words, Charlie Bentley, Wilson's older brother, looks back with affection and admiration...and his words are made to warm the heart of the reader.
The illustrations are wonderful to behold ~ and if I were a young reader (I am in my late 50's now) I would have loved to have owned this book, even then. I am proud to have it in my library now, having a young Grandson who will learn about Nature at my own knee...I intend to encourage him to never be afraid of learning, of the wonders of creation, and of following his own star.
Wilson A. Bentley will be a perfect example of what one person can do to teach and inspire others to do what comes naturally to them, no matter what anyone else says, and in the end, that is always the only way to be, isn't it? ;)

The more well known children's book, Snowflake Bentley (Caldecott Medal Book), may have won the Caldecott award, but I must confess to enjoying this book much more. "My Brother Loved Snowflakes," told from the brother's perspective, shows the human side of people who may be different than others, and makes the quest for knowledge about people, about us and our quest to learn about the world we are blessed with. Rather than playing up Willie Bentley as an eccentric, it shows him as unique, and shows children that for all his differences he gave much to our wealth of knowledge and above all the people in the story -- even the people who attend a lecture he walks out on without a word because of the snow, as very accepting that Bentley is who Bentley is and that there is nothing wrong with that. Since our children will meet so many other children who are vastly different than them, some of them seemingly eccentric, this is a subtle reminder that we all have value and that the difference is part of what makes the world interesting. We need that diversity.

This book will have an added interest to homeschoolers because Bentley and his brother are taught by their mother, a woman who encourages her son's love of learning -- and the father, though he doesn't "get" all this snowflake stuff, still strives to respect his son's desires and loves and encourage him and do what he can regardless.

We made this into something a snowflake learning fest. Bentley's photos of snowflakes are available in an inexpensive format, Snowflakes in Photographs. More modern and beautiful are the books by Kenneth G. Libbrecht. We chose The Snowflake. This had enlarged photographs and my first grader used pattern blocks to recreate some of them, as well as making paper snowflakes for the window. We also took black paper (left out in the car so it would be cold) to catch snowflakes and look at them with a magnifying glass. We will be revisiting "snowflake studis" later on when he is older to get more into the science of them, as is covered in the Libbrecht book.

Overall, this book was great for supporting our curriculum, which presents science and math in hands on ways and includes a lot of biography with explanations of how scientists go about "doing science" -- but which is to also remind us that science without the human element is purposeless, and sometimes even dangerous.

As an owner of all of the Michael Boyd books in the series "Naked Places," I can report after reading the 5th edition, if you can find the 4th Edition, get it and keep it! The new 5th edition is a huge disappointment in its lack of U-S sites, lack of interesting pictures and overall content. The older third and fourth editions are better edited and have snappier pictures.
Get one while you can and skip the 5th!

This book (and its earlier editions) has been worth its weight in gold for finding clothing optional places in Hawaii, Italy, Key West and even locally here in the Phoenix area. Naked Places led me to what I think is the most gorgeous nude beach anywhere, that being Little Beach on the island of Maui. The photos in the book are very nice, but the descriptions are what really help the reader decide where they want to go. This is my Number One travel guide, as it should be for any man who likes to vacation naked and naturally.

As far as I am concerned, Naked Places is the best gay travel guide out there. True, this book zooms in precisely on my main travel interests, namely gay nude beaches and resorts. But what really impresses me is how amazingly detailed and well written this book is, and the amount of information is really awesome... TOP NOTCH! I have every edition of this book and Mr. Boyd continues to out-do himself with each updated version. I really appreciate the fact that the author has gone to the effort of explaining in detail the risks involved in going to certain "traditional" nude beaches where it is technically illegal to be naked. You can read the facts and then make an informed decision about what risks you are willing to take. One of the things I most like about this newest version is the fact that all photos are reader submitted. The photos are nice to look at (and they do show EVERYTHING) but do not look like posed model shots. You can really imagine seeing one of these guys at a nude beach! This is a terrific book, and if you've ever thought about going to a nude beach or staying at a gay resort with a "clothing optional" policy, this is your book.

Although I admit prejudice, being a proud friend of the author, I am still overwhelmed by the beauty of this book.

Laurie's story, as told from Mary's perspective, allows the reader to truly capture the fear, honor and profound responsibility of being A mother, as well as being THE mother of the son of God, and mankind's salvation. "Fear gripped my heart as we slipped through the night. God was sending us to Egypt. The land that once held my people captive would now shield His son from the sword of Herod."

While she is faithful to the biblical descriptions of the nativity, by writing from Mary's point of view, we can share in her thoughts, and we can feel the same awe and joy that allows the reader to feel transported to one of the most profound events in all of Christianity.

Kasi Kubiak's illustrations are nothing short of exquisite, evoking in me the same emotional awe as in Mercer Mayer's Beauty and the Beast. The light emanating from Jesus and the gentle detailing of each face clearly reflect that this was a labor of love for the artist. I find myself lingering on each picture and enjoy how 'alive' they look. (You also have to love an artist who uses her father's face for one of the wise men!) She has also captured MY vision of what angels look like, and I am planning on buying another copy so I may frame several pictures as they moved me greatly.

This book can be appreciated by anyone at any age, and gives an added dimension to the birth of Christ that will captivate all who read this book.

I should start this review by stating that I am a very biased critic. I was an emotional supporter for Kasi Kubiak as she created the magical characters for this book. I watched as she put in hours of work, beginning the process with prilimary sketches and making numerous changes to the paintings themselves. She never considered her work done until she was absolutely positive she had captured the true emotion of the characters. Watching the work and love that went into the illustrations, I have a new found respect for artists in this profession. This book started as basic Bible text and Laurie Knowlton was brought in to add life to it after the publisher's saw Kasi's illustrations. (Laurie and Kasi were left to do the marketing for their book on their own and between the two sold approximately 800 books. Book stores mysteriously left it off the shelves during the Christmas season. Where were the publisher's?) I'm sorry the previous critic felt that Kasi's illustrations were inappropriate for this book, but everytime I look at my signed copy I see myself in Mary and the love in every stroke of Kasi's brush.

This is a great book for the holidays. I read it to my 4 year old sunday school class and they were captivated. It is making a wonderful gift for my friends and family.

"A Negro League Scrapbook" paired with Sharon Robinson's "Safe at Home" would make a great gift for boys ages 10 - 16. Add a baseball glove and other gear and you are sure to score a home run with your loved one!
The history in "Scrapbook" should be taught to our boys at school or in church -- please don't let this history die! "Safe at Home" has great insight into the thought processes of boys dealing with death, moving, peer pressure, bullies, teamwork, hard work, and perseverance. This would also be a great gift for a new teacher looking for high quality history and / or sports books. Enjoy!

In 1998, my family visited the Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. It was an unforgettable experience. To create this book, I paired a poetic tribute to the Negro Leagues with statistics, anecdotes, player profiles, and historic images of baseball players, teams and memorabilia. The result is a virtual museum of the Negro League's heyday during the Jim Crow era. Back then, African-Americans were treated as second-class citizens, but these black ball players were second to none. And their game was first class. The most rewarding part of researching this project was talking with baseball legend Buck O'Neil, who graciously provided the book's foreword. The book appeals to baseball fans and history buffs of all ages.

With the saturation of sports coverage today, great teams & players are as disposable as the paper boxes for a fast-food meal. That is what makes A Negro League Scrapbook so important for young people.

With a forward by the great Buck O'Neil, the book takes the reader through the pre-NLB era to 1947, when Jackie Robinson donned the Brooklyn Dodgers uniform and desegregated Major League Baseball. The rich history of NLB includes no discrimination in the stands, on the field or in the front offices.

Through the use of archival photographs - in a layout like a family album - and creative, short cutlines/overviews, the book can be a fun study tool for family members. It is important that our future leaders in all walks of life learn about the past today to forge ahead with a clear understanding of the journey to tomorrow.

Young people will not learn about NLB - or the pre-NLB era - in most history classes. And the names Satchel Paige, Cool Papa Bell, Buck Leonard, Josh Gibson and - importantly - Buck O'Neil need to be understood in an overall historical sense as much as appreciating their achievements on the diamond.

Carole Boston Weatherford has touched all the bases - and home plate - with a book that adults and children can share and learn from for many years.