Burton Books

This book is amazing. This is one of a handful of books that have, and will continue to change my life.

What does American history feel like, look like to someone who lived through the twentieth century without a formal education? Mr Dawson wrote: "My turn had come. My first day of school was January 4, 1996. I was 98 years old..." What a heart-felt, inspirational, insightful story on the life of a remarkable man who never felt remarkable. This book has a special place on my shelves. A must read for every high school student taking an American History course. His common sense view of life, his humor, humility, appreciation for what we take for granted are even more valuable now than the day the book was published. It's timeless.

This book will change your outlook on life and help you to appreciate your life more. Also helps you to feel more kindness to mankind. It is the kind of book that should be in schools. It's a must read for everyone - a feel good book.

Life Is So Good
This is an excellent extraordinary autobiography of a wonderful person. Every student in the US should have the opportunity to read this book. It's breath taking.... dcw

Life Is So Good An absolutely fascinating autobiography as told by Mr. Dawson. His experiances of growing up in the South and his travels across America and Mexico make for interesting reading. His personal experiances of growing up black in a 'white world' provide insight into how different parts of the country and Mexico viewed blacks. His personal moral and ethical insights about life cut across all racial barriers. He is truly and an example of 'you are never too old to learn'.

I love the message of this book, but it is sad when we look around at our world today and see so much "country" turning into city. Loved this one as a child and am reading to my son now.

This was my favorite book when I was little and still is one of my favorite books for children. I add this book to every gift I give at baby showers. A good book with a good lesson!

This was one of my favorites as kid. Then, sadly, I forgot about it until stumbling across it in the school library. It is once again one of my favorites. Cynics might roll their eyes at this tribute to good ol' days gone by, but I personally appreciate the nostalgia and the house with its subtle face parts is adorable. You feel so bad for the cute little house! It is also an observation at the change of time. I don't know how intense that is as a theme, but I found it touching and Burton tells the tale with such heart and care.

We live in a very old house in the country and this book was such a cute story about just that. We enjoyed it.

Another timeless classic by this author. It's an amazing story about appreciation. Completely entertaining and like the other books in this series, the artwork is phenominal!!!

This book is great. Many delicious vegan recipes! Also, much easier than most recipes, simple. Delicious.

This is my go-to cookbook when I want something I know I will enjoy. I feel like this book was meant just for me. This book uses limited wheat, refined sweetners and plenty of sweet potatoes, tempeh, quickpeas, chocolate - all my favorite foods wrapped in a cute, colorful and modern looking little book. I have never made anything I didn't enjoy from this book but here are my favorites with recommendations:

Hemp-anola: This is way better and healthier than any granola you could buy at Whole Foods. I use quinoa flakes instead of barley flakes and a little extra blackstrap molasses and leave the nuts out (I feel like the hemp seed nuts are a lot) and serve with lots of blueberries or bananas and vanilla hemp or soymilk!

Kids Dynamo Hummus: I'm 20 but the title appealed to me. The addition of cashews really adds creamyness. My only recommendation is to add more garlic. I also use Vega oil instead of flax oil.

Balsamic Maple Sauce & Back to Basics Balsamic Vinaigrette: Dreena knows her balsamic vinegar. I use these all the time. I recommend using maple syrup with the dressing and I use extra virgin olive oil.

Thick n Rich Gravy: This is just delicious. Its a cross between gravy and a "cheezy" sauce. I add a little extra nutritional yeast and use sweet white miso. My only problem is the thickness doesn't hold when I added it to hot pasta. It worked better the next day after refridgerating and drizzling over tofu and rice.

Beats a BLT Sandwich!: My favorite sandwich. Period. I use basil, veganaise, romaine and big slices of Whole Wheat.

Sweet & Sour Chipotle Tempeh with Sweet Potatoes: I love how healthy this sweet and sour sauce is. Sweet potatoes and tempeh go well together and it tastes even better cold the next day.

Seared Portobello Mushrooms: Basic but really impressive. Its worth using a little extra oil (I fry in coconut oil)

Chocolate Pumpkin Pie: 2 of my favorites foods combined and so easy to make. It might be a little spicy or "different" tasting for some.

"Nicer" Krispie Squares: You could shock someone with the ingredients of these but they taste so authentic. Macadamia nut butter and agar powder (seaweed)?!

Super-Charge Me! Cookies: No sugar, healthy, easy to mix-and match ingredients.

I also make the Acai Antioxidant & Drink Your Greens Smoothie (tastes way better than it sounds trust me) often.

I'm really thankful for books like these that make being vegan that much easier.

Since our family has egg, milk and other food allergies, we have searched for a very long time for a cookbook of this caliber. Although we are not vegan, we were thrilled to see the many recipes that would allow us a wide
variety of yummy foods without knocking ourselves silly to find the ingredients!

I would recommend this book to anyone who is searching for TRULY healthy recipes and/or who wants to cook & bake without using eggs!


Joyce S.

Not the most extensive review but I wanted to add my 5 stars to this book's review. I made the Sweet & Sour Chipolte Tempeh with Sweet Potatoes tonight and it was amazing! I have all of Dreena's books and have found many additions for The Rotation though that rotation is getting pretty wide... :o) Thanks Dreena for all your delicious recipes and thoughtful insights. Best from NC!

I received ED&BV for my birthday last month. It wasn't even on my wish list but it caught my stepdaughter's attention and I'm thrilled that it did! I've made about 7 or 8 of the recipes so far and they've all ranged from "Huh, that's pretty darn good" to "HOLY SMOKES! That's the most insanely delicious thing I've ever tasted!!!" (If you want an example of the latter, make the Rawesome Dip. It will blow your mind. You've been warned.) A BIG bonus for me: I also got an immersion blender for my birthday, and ED&BV provides a ton of opportunities for me to use it.

Pros:
--The notes in the margin are extremely helpful and detailed, and offer great ideas for variations, serving suggestions, etc.
--The recipes are all user-friendly enough for a less-experienced home cook
--A lot of the recipes will freeze and reheat well, which is great for moms who work full-time or anyone who's just short on time
--Many of the recipes are downright surprising (Cocoa Coconut Chili??? Yes. Really.) and genuinely unique, which is fun for any cookbook junkie who's gotten to the "Been there, cooked that" stage. Flipping through the pages of ED&BV, I lost track of the number of times I thought "Wow, I've never seen anything quite like that before ..."

Cons:
--No nutritional info.
--A significant amount of obscure ingredients that you will probably only find in specialty ethnic shops. I already had fenugreek seeds in my pantry, but that's only because I'm lucky enough to have an Indian grocery store near my job. But neither my favorite well-stocked supermarket nor the local health food store carries these. (There are other authors, however, who are far worse in this regard.)
--Poor index. If you look up "chickpeas," for example, you'll get a list of the page numbers where chickpea recipes can be found, but not a list of the specific recipe names and their page numbers.

Overall, a definite must-have for anybody who loves veg or vegan cooking, or even an adventurous non-veg who just wants ideas for easy-to-make dishes that are as delicious as they are different. I am extremely impressed with this book, and I'm putting Dreena Burton's other books at the very top of my wish list right away.

We have raised an unspoiled, intelligent and well behaved 5 year old that proves that recommendations and techniques from this book really work. We always get compliments from friends, family and even strangers on how well behaved our kid is. We are reviewing again as our 1 yr old grows. There is no magic formula to parenting, and sure, you may need to adjust a thing or two based on your value systems, heritage and personal preferences but two things I can assure: Love has no substitute for what's best for your children and this book is a great buy. We actually have bought 4 copies as gifts for friends who are new to parenting

During a visit to my parent's house about 6 weeks into my son's life, my father presented me with his 30 year old copy of this book. Clearly it had made such an impression on him while he was raising me, that he had not only kept it, but remembered it when it was my turn to raise my first child. After reading the What to Expect series, Dr. Sears, Dr. Spock, and other various finds studiously like textbooks while I was pregnant (highlighting, note-taking, comparing ideologies), I found this book refreshing, simple, honest and captivating. The "rules" are so commonsensical they may seem at first like a waste of time. But the author discusses the reasons why babies and young children do the things they do and need their basic needs in a way that makes you feel like you can really see the world through your child's eyes. It is a delightful read and many times brought tears to my eyes as the lightbulb went off above my head and I could see how simple raising a child can be. My son is 7 months now and this book has never left the side of my bed. I re-read it frequently as he develops just to re-center myself when the stresses of parenthood ever seem too weighty.

Unique as Pete: How Autism Does Not Mean Different

This is an excellent guide to raising a new baby. I love it becuase it's all based on sound research and the advice in this book has been right on with our daughter. This is a MUST have if you are raising a new baby.

When I was pregnant with my daughter - there was a lot of worry since this was my first child. Obviously, children do not come with a manual! I bought and read this book and used it constantly as a referral. Our daughter is happy, polite, shares, intelligent, kind, etc. She is constantly invited to parties and restaraunts that other childdren are not invited to. After meals at restaraunts, the managers/owners come and comment on what a well-behaved child she is. She does have many friends and can get along with varied personalities. We purchase this book for all new parents - and they read it stating they would like a child that is as polite and respectful (of others and their properties) as our daughter is. You really cannot go wrong in purchasing this book!!

From describing each developmental phase to suggesting toys, this book provides invaluable information that can help parents navigate the early years. Great shower gift for first time parents!

I was a bit disappointed when I received this book in the mail and flipped through it. One of the pages was scribbled with a significant amount of green marker, and another couple pages had crayon "drawings" on them. This was not listed in the review, and I was sad to find that the review didn't match the quality of the actual product.
Besides this flaw, the book is absolutely amazing. I love to read it myself and have enjoyed sharing it with others.

Tales of the Kingdom by David and Karen Mains is a tremendous allegory of the reality of the kingdom of Light and the Kingdom of Darkness. Written a decade before the movies for Lord of The Rings, this triology is a great depiction for young and old believers in Christ to see and experience,from story telling, some of the secrets of the Bible details of these kingdoms. Highly recommend for families to use to read together as bed time stories. Buy all three books, you will be blessed.

This story is a great allegory for young and old. I read this to my son when he was young and he has always remembered the story of a young boy becoming a hero through a series of events in his life. It has wonderful character building lessons and will leave an imprint on your heart.
I bought this for our son for a Christmas gift (he is now 25 years old). He was ecstatic when he opened his gift. He is now reading it with his fiance. Her mother read it and has bought 3 more copies to give as gifts. I highly recommend this for all ages.

This is the first in a series of three illustrated Christian picture books. My parents' copies (read by their 5 daughters many times over) are tattered and worn, so we went looking for a replacement. This one from Amazon does not have the original artwork; however Mainstay Ministries (David & Karen Mains' website) does carry the originals with the incredible artwork by Jack Stockman that made the books stand out in my childhood memory. Unfortunately, the third book has a different artist, which is a shame. Otherwise an incredible series.

If the attached URL goes out of date, try googling for it. http://mainstay.stores.yahoo.net/talesofthekingdom.html

I came to Amazon to purchase a copy of TALES OF THE KINGDOM by David and Karen Mains. There were several reviewers that were disappointed in the illustrations of the newer editions. So, I sprung the extra money to buy an older copy. BELIEVE me, the old illustrations by Jack Stockman are only "fabulous" if you have some childhood memories to make them special. Otherwise, they are rather ordinary and do little for the stories. The stories themselves shine and shine. Such excellent stories. If I had to do it again, I would buy the newer edition and save my $$ for other books.

The stories in this book are great. I love that they bring up a lot of historical questions with my son (history of San Francisco, transportation, how cities grow and change over time, as well as how we can take care of the things we have so they last). He loves all the heavy construction equipment . But we really love the author's drawings...they are timeless.
However, if you're buying this book for a young child (4 yrs or younger) know that the stories are a bit long (my 3.5 yr old sometimes has a hard time sitting through the whole thing) but they will grow into them.

If you have young sons, this is a great book to have. I have 4 sons and they have all loved the books "Katy & the Big Snow" and "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel" My other copies were so worn, I had to order a new one for my 4th son. It's great to have these 4 stories together.

This is a very good book. It is nice to have all the stories combined in one hardcover book.

I purchased this book for my Grandson. Mike Mulligan was one of my favorite stories. It brings back great memories, plus there are the other stories which I didn't know of when I was a child.

These stories are timeless. Sure the cars and truck (and steam shovels) are dated, but your young kids will love the stories. The Little House and Mike Mulligan & His Steam Shovel are must reads. This book helps to fill those nights when you need a story that's just a bit longer, a little richer in plot. The illustrations are simple, but truly enhance the story. These stories will entertain you and your child for many story-times to come.

After redoing our backyard this summer and reading this book. We came up with great new ideas to attract more birds. Thanks.

Very good book, has lots of information beyond just bird identification. Only thing I would have done different is have pictures of both the male and female (typically each kind of bird only has one picture).

I purchased this for a gift for my husband for our anniversary. It came looking great, still in the package. It came fairly quick, about a week after I ordered it.

Thank you!

Beautiful book. Highly recommend this book to any bird and garden enthusiast. Quick delivery as well from vendor.

Purchased The Audubon Backyard Birdwatcher: Birdfeeders and Bird Gardens for my mother for Christmas, she is very pleased with the book, more so then her other books she has collected for Bird Watching.

I found this book in a public library in Japan and borrowed it to read to my 3 year old son. He has a strong interest in trains, so I thought this could be a good break from the daily grind of Thomas the Tank Engine stories.

The story is about a steam engine named Choo Choo who hauls passengers, mail, and baggage to and fro. She has a dream to be free from her monotonous life and to be admired for her speed and grace. She finally gets the chance to run without a load and ends up running out of control. Her patient engineer and conductor find her and bring her home safely. She learns a lesson and doesn't wish to run off alone anymore.

The story bears a striking resemblance to Stop, Train, Stop! a Thomas the Tank Engine Story (Beginner Books(R)). That is another story where a train decides to run away as fast as it can in order to impress onlookers. I can't help but think that the Thomas version is based almost wholly on the Burton story of Choo Choo.

The charcoal art is amazing. Each page is illustrated with a smoky charcoal sketching that makes the old-timey-ness of the story come to life. The greasy, dirty, smoky world of steam locomotives becomes a real-live place to readers of this book.

The quaint "Once upon a time" beginning was a little strange, but soon forgotten. However the layout of the text itself was something I could never get over. The shrinking of each line of text into a cone, or the lines shaped in waves made reading aloud difficult. It is easy to read ahead, but much of that skill also relies on visual cues from the text itself. I found myself tripping over certain phrases due to the unorthodox text. The clever textual layout may add artistic merit to the book, but it detracts from the book as a read-along.

That said, it's a fun book with lots of train sounds for kids to catch on to. The story teaches that one shouldn't go off without a good plan, but also that loved ones are always there to help you when you need help.

My 3rd son loves trains much more than my 1st who loved them a lot, but...although he doesn't have a ton of words yet and is only starting to put 3 or more words together can tell you the entire plot of this story...fills in the word missing if you stop for a second...points out people in the book as his cat, his grandma, etc...it has everything a train loving kid could ask for including another favorite with sounds and farm animals! Great classic...hope they come out with a board book for those nights when you really need to get them to bed!!! or to take in the car!!!

Choo Choo the runaway engine is a delightful story that mesmerizes three to four year old boys who like trains. Our son asks for this volume each night.
As with all of Virginia Lee Burton's books, the illustrations are delightful, here all rendered in charcoal, which is strangely appropriate for the "shiny black engine" at the center of the story.
The story is simple and easily understood by little readers, and they can pick out some words and map them to the illustrations. There is nothing objectionable in the tale, involving an engine who wants to break free of her responsibilities and run away to be the center of attention. Her engineer, conductor, and coal-man all work hard to chase her and bring her back, and she learns the lesson that running away from those who care for you typically ends in disaster.
We bought our edition in London, without the cassette, which strikes me as a bit datted in this CDROM and DVD era.
Highly recommended.

My train-loving son really enjoyed this book many times but we never bought it because it takes a little while to read it. Some nights when you're trying to hurry up the bedtime routines it feels like a very, very long time to read it.

Now at 32 months, he loves it even more. He can recite the entire book page by page. He knows the names of the characters and their jobs. He confirms that the "coal car fell off the bridge onto the barge and now the train derrick picks it up." all the sketches are black and white and quite unique. i recommend this book for all ages, boy or girl.

I read this book in public places (on the Metro, in cafes), and some of the passages had me laughing OUT LOUD! People gave me funny looks, but I don't care. Mariah Burton Nelson is so FUNNY and inspirational! Reading this book just makes me feel like I want to be better...and that all of my goals are within reach. I agree with Ms. Burton Nelson that thinking of oneself as an athlete will change your life. I like the confidence being athletic brings, and I'm appreciative that this author brought the concept of being an athlete and personal success together in this book. I'm huge fan of all of Ms. Burton Nelson's work; finding her early books in the library helped ease the pain of some lonely, confusing summers while I was in college. I just like the concepts that she comes up with and the way she writes. All of her sports books are fabulous of course, but I also recommend her book about forgiveness, The Unburdened Heart (an important book for anyone, I believe). Read We Are All Athletes! You'll love it, and it might just change your life for the better.

This thoughtful, straightforward, fast read took me back to all the lessons sports taught me. This would make a terrific companion to any sports program, and is great for adults who want to continue to improve their game--in sports, life, or business. Useful, thought-provoking, fun. As a student of John Wooden, I think Mariah takes coaching to a new level. Thanks, Mariah!

This is a terrific book --- direct and right to the point. It is a short read, but long on food for thought. My "sport" is Duplicate Bridge and this book is just as relevant for that as it is for tennis, basketball or curling. Or even the sport of LIFE, as Ms. Nelson points out.

This is a terrific book --- direct and right to the point. It is a short read, but long on food for thought. My "sport" is Duplicate Bridge and this book is just as relevant for that as it is for tennis, basketball or curling. Or even the sport of LIFE, as Ms. Nelson points out.

Mariah is the real thing and it shows up in this book. This book is warm, thoughtful, full of good advice, friendly, and funny. You don't even have to be or like jocks to find little gems of how to live a good life in these pages.
As a spoken word performer who cannot have an inspired "A game" every night, I especially enjoyed the chapter "B Is for B-Game", "prepare to win on an off-day." Mariah understands the nuances of excellence--no matter how hard you train, you have off nights or off games, but you can still win, or in my case win the audience over, with your B or C game--with the fall back on skill, training, hard-work, focus, AND, the surrender to what is, not what you'd like things to be. There are many moments of such wisdom throughout this book. Yes, Mariah, thanks.

After reading several excellent reviews of this book, I purchased it for
my nepbew's birthday. I have not read the book myself since I lived through that period.

It was a year of Fire and also the year of Grace for Jackie Robinson!! It is an amazing book to read about a great person who changed history and loves baseball!! It is more than just baseball and it has so many things to show that shaped Jackie's life so much. It is also spiritual and emotional book that leaves you to become a stronger person to make a great difference in the world.

I really liked this book and normally I dont like reading. Ijust wanted to keep reading to see what was going to happen next. I think Jackie Robinson is a vary good romodel because no matter what, you should never give up. Because Jackie never gave up he ended up being one of the best baseball players to ever play the game. But most of all he broke the color code for all professional sports.

This biography does an outstanding job of giving an overview of Robinson's life and times, from his early, awnry but talented years in Pasadena, through UCLA, then the military, and then the Brooklyn Dodgers and beyond. It paints a picture of a strong willed gentleman with enormous pride, dedicated to his family, and dedicated to the idea of racial integration and equality. The influences of his mother on his early, somewhat (understandably) confrontational character, that allowed him to ultimately be the individual who paired with Branch Rickey to integrate "America's Pastime" are clearly laid out.

Some reviewers have faulted the author for not being more interpretive of Robinson's politics - specifically, that he was a Nixon supporter in 1960 and a Rockefeller supporter in 1968 (while also being a strong supporter of Civil Rights, active in almost every civil rights organization) and Humphrey supporter as well. I think the book lays out all the facts for the reader to see for themselves. Robinson's coming of age - in an era when a Dixiecrat from a Jim Crow state (LBJ) led the passage of the Civil Rights Act - was a time of a shifting political landscape that didn't settle out until near his death (he also broke badly with Nixon later in Nixon's career). The Republican party's mantra of self-reliance, and Robinson's determination to succeed in business in the same way he did in sports, made his attraction to the party not a big leap; the alienation of this country's African American establishment from big business was not a pre-ordained fact in the time Robinson lived.

Finally, Robinson's own family struggles were also a reflection of the confusing and troubling times in which he lived.

Robinson died too young for us all. This is a great book and I would highly recommend it..

i'm not particularly interested in baseball, but i am particularly interested in American history from the human perspective. i could have read a much more dry account of the turmoils that dominated American race relations throughout the middle of the 20th century, but instead i've read this fascinating account of those terrible, backward days from the perspective of a true pioneer, Mr. Jackie Robinson.

of course he is looked back on now as a symbol, a mythological figure. i always knew peripherally of Jackie as the same thing most people do: the first black man to play major league baseball, a step forward & up in the painful struggle of the times. but this book presents him as a human being, a fallible man who lived most of his life not on the baseball field, but in a relentless pursuit of his ideals and desire for a better life for himself and everyone around him.

the reviewer before me questions the biographer's lack of judgement of Robinson. i am curious as to why he feels Rampersad should insert his own analysis; the biography presents analyses of Robinson by many of Robinson's contemporaries, and then presents the recorded facts available to clarify incidents & statements. yes, this is an intensely personal biography, perhaps too personal in places. it is very much centered on Jackie's private correspondences. it is absolutely told from Robinson's persepctive, as best can be reconstructed from his widow Rachel & the papers he left behind, but it feels very honest, not at all like an airbrushed bit of hero-polishing. it is in places very blunt about Jackie's shortcomings as observed by his peers & contemporaries.

before i stretch this out any longer, i'll just say that this is the most engrossing biography i can ever recall having read. it's an account of a fascinating life in an amazingly recent time, in an America that seems so long ago but is still discouragingly recent. readers will learn not just about Jackie Robinson, but about two American eras as well.