Collins Books

Reviewed by Cayden (age 4) and Max (age 2) Aures and Mom for Reader Views (6/08)

"Lance in France" takes us on an adventure to witness the Tour de France bicycle race. We watch as Lance Armstrong overcomes many obstacles such as rainstorms, overzealous fans, and cows in the road, by pedaling faster and faster to win the race.

Max: "Bike!"
Cayden: "He is going to race! I think that he will win!"
Max: "Race fast!"

Cayden: "It is raining and he is getting all wet!

Cayden: "I think that bee stung him on the nose!"
Max: "Bee! Bee!"

Cayden: "Uh oh- he has a flat tire!"

Cayden: "How is he going to get around all of those things in the road?"
Max: "Dinosaur!"
Cayden: "Yes, a dinosaur, and a spaceship, a clown, and a lot of other things."

Cayden: "He won the race!"

Parent's comments:

My children were captivated by the bright, entertaining illustrations in the book! They both love riding bikes and racing so they really enjoyed the storyline as well. As Lance overcomes each obstacle the text always reads, "He just pedals ... faster." Both Cayden and Max always yelled out the word "faster" when we got to that sentence.

At the end of the book there is a letter from Lance and also some information about events that occurred throughout the history of the Tour. There is also a game to find recurring pictures in the book which Cayden really had a lot of fun with. "Lance in France," by Ashley MacEachern, is a wonderful book that teaches an excellent lesson to children, which is to never give up!

I really enjoyed this book. It sends a great message to young and old alike...never, never, give up! I can't wait to read it with my grandchildren. The illustrations are so colorful and so easy for young ones to enjoy and do the search for the recurring characters.

This book is super fun for kids and adults alike. It is full of hidden surprises in its illustrations that capture the craziness and excitement of the Tour de France, and it sends a great message that in life, you just have to keep pedaling!

The art work and illustrations in this book are terrific and will hold childrens' attention for countless readings. Much like a "Where is Waldo" there's always more funny and amusing detail to find in the pictures. Illustrator Barbera's use of color is stunning. We really like this book.

The Land of Narnia is a good book that tells about C.S. Lewis' life and how he came to write the Chronicles of Narnia. This book tells who Aslan and the Witches are and tells what gave C.S. Lewis the idea for Reepicheep, the warrior mouse. This book contains summaries for the seven books as well. This is an excellent book to read if you have just finished reading the Chronicles of Narnia. It helps you to understand the books and the characters a little better if you don't know what they mean. You also learn about C.S. Lewis' childhood and how this was a major factor in creating the Narnia books. Reviewed by Joshua Bixler *****stars

The Land of Narnia is a good book that tells about C.S. Lewis' life and how he came to write the Chronicles of Narnia. This book tells who Aslan and the Witches are and tells what gave C.S. Lewis the idea for Reepicheep, the warrior mouse. This book contains summaries for the seven books as well. This is an excellent book to read if you have just finished reading the Chronicles of Narnia. It helps you to understand the books and the characters a little better if you don't know what they mean. You also learn about C.S. Lewis' childhood and how this was a major factor in creating the Narnia books. Reviewed by Joshua Bixler *****stars

The Chronicles Of Narnia carry you off into a new, magical world full of interesting characters, enthralling storylines and fantastic places. Although they are recommended for children, anyone with a vivid imagination who loves fantasy will probably like these. One must wonder about the genius of Lewis - to create a whole world is unusual, to say the least. Narnia is a brand new world at the beginning of the first book, The Magician's Nephew. In the course of the chronicles the country is saved numerous times by a group of children from our world - England from about 1900 to 1950 to be precise. Lewis' writing is subtly witty and at times profoundly moving (especially in the first and last two books). Well worth a read - or several. The one bad thing about these books is that they instill a sense of wistful nostalgia in anyone who believes in the ability of people to destroy our world.

I received this book as a gift in elementary school and at the time found it much to deep even though I thoroughly enjoyed the books. However re-reading it several years later it gave me a lot of insight into the Narnia series and made me enjoy them more as I got older. I would recommend this book for anyone who loves the books.

In this unique book, David Attenborough has undertaken a history of nature, from one-celled organisms in the primeval slime more than 3000 million years ago to modern day's humans. The book presents a chronological account of the life on planet Earth over a period of 3,500 million years. Life on Earth is an astonishing array of characters drawn from the whole range of living animals the world over. Attenborough takes the reader around the world with him into jungles, deserts and remote mountains. The book's 13 chapters follow the sequence of main events in the evolution of life on earth. The book details the emergence of one-celled, then multi-celled organisms; the movement of life from sea to land; adaptation to life in the air; the development of warm-blooded animals; the transition between ground life and tree life; and finally the evolution of man himself.

Thirteen chapters matching the thirteen programs of the BBC series on which it was based. Follows the evolution of life on earth, presenting fascinating observations about the likely functional reasons life unfolded as it has. Offers the grand sweep of life in an engaging and integrated presentation, with a very readable and even charming tone, and including more than 100 excellent color photos. TOC:
1 the infinite variety
2 building bodies
3 the first forests
4 the swarming hordes
5 the conquest of the waters
6 the invasion fo the land
7 a watertight skin
8 lords of the air
9 eggs, pouches, and placentas
10 theme and variation
11 the hunters and the hunted
12 a life in the trees
13 the compulsive communicators

As usual David Attenborough delivers. This book is beautifully written and has breathtaking pictures. Attenborough makes any subject interesting and easy to read. I have learned so much from his writting, and have experienced worlds beyond my reach through the pictures.

A really interesting and informative book by a wonderful author, who has a real talent in writing. I found it simple and easy, (in a good way) and was sad to turn the last pages. It also has beautiful pictures.

Go on a learning experience so you can find out what lightning is in this amazing book. Kids will have a blast reading this picture book all about the electric bolts from the sky. This book contains breath-taking photographs of different types of lightning over cities, in the solar system, and even near a twister! There is also a lot of history as well including the experiment by Benjamin Franklin. This book is jam-packed with science experiments that kids will enjoy. I recommend this book to kids of all ages who are eager to learn. This is also a very good book to read with your family. In conclusion, don't let the fact that this is a picture book throw you off. It is very informative and interesting. "Lightning" will give you a jolt! Good book! JPW - BP

Seymour Simon has captivated my four year-old son with so many of his books. This one had to be checked out of the library twice! Not only is my son absorbing what mother nature does, but I have learned a lot as well.

By far the best illustrations of any book I've seen about lightning. It also contains two photos from Boston's Museum of Science's electricity show, which are interesting, and a special treat for those of us who have seen that wonderful show.

The content of the book is great and gives more detail about lightning than I've found in other children's books on this subject. An example is giving a list of all the different types of lightning and even revealing three new kinds of lightning discovered in 1995. Who knew? Three other books I read about lightning and storms failed to give the level of detail that Simon chose to include.

Simon tells us what to do if we are caught in a lightning storm but it is done in a careful way with statistics given such as the number of people hit by lightning who lived through is almost double the number who are hit and die as a result of it.

As usual Simon writes in a non-patronizing tone, which I appreciate. We really enjoyed this book. A must-read for learning about the weather!

The full-color photos in this book are absolutely stunning. Lightning towering over a cityscape, hitting a tree, bursting from clouds, even right beside a twisting tornado! The text is large and easy to read. This book provides a wonderful overview of the phenomenon that is lightning, and is appropriate for readers of all ages.

This book was given to me on the last day of High School in 1972 by a girl friend. I've kept this book ever since and it ranks up there with my all time favorite books even though I agree with one other reviewer that this is not the best example of Lawrence's work. However, with that said, this book also has a heart and tenderness that really meant something to me. I'm amazed no one has ever written a screenplay of this work since it's worth it. It was the only book Lawrence ever won a prize for, which says something about it. Take a chance and read it.

This book was beautifully and passionately written. It is a love story unique and philosophical. Do we choose our own fates? Alvina will tell you.

Just like SISTER CARRIE, THE LOST GIRL is about a young woman searching for her place in the world. Meaning, floucing from one man to another, flirting, playing, getting engaged then dashing away for fun. And just like JEANNIE GERHARDT, this old man gets herself in trouble.

But the most fascinating part of this book is it's glimps into her background. How she was brought up in a wealthy and rich household, only to try out different occupations against her father's wishes, then ends up as a lower classed female in life. Very tragic.

I recently got done reading this wonderful, yet forgotten novel of Lawrence's. Truly compelling in it's intricate details of a young woman trying to find herself. Literally. She goes on the 'universal' self journey and discovers that she was lost and finally finds her identity and sensuality in the man she loves. D.H. Lawrence has a wonderful way of not wrapping up the ending in a nice,neat little package. As always, Lawrence is the ultimate man of mystery, sensual needs and desires. A "must read" for those who love to read Lawrence and for those who never have!

This wonderful self-help guide I stumbled upon years ago and have read numerous times. My copy is highlighted, with pages falling out, but never the less... one of my all time favorites. It's easy to read style, with short sections of only a page or two are wonderful for when you are feeling a little down, troubled, frustrated or angry. It is at those times when reading something uplifting is most beneficial, but your concentration for "heavy" reading is almost non-existant. That is when this book is so ideal.

The book is divided into three parts, Part 1, "Me Vs. Myself", deals with how to live with yourself... how to be happy, how to not let things bug you, etc. It is wonderful... and has helped me out of many bad mind-sets. The book states that there are only three major obstacles to happy living... injurious feelings, overreaction to others and your confusion as to your place in the scheme of things. This section then goes on to explain in simple terms, how to overcome those obstacles.

Part 2, "Me Vs. You", is basically about not letting the actions of others bother you. Here we are reminded that it is not the person who has to put up with unreasonable behavior who has the problem, it's the person who is behaving unreasonably who actually has the problem.

Part 3, "Me, Myself and God", is about our relationship with God or a higher power, and reminds us that help is available instantly, at all hours of the day and night through him.

This book embodies the "Live and Let Live" philosophy of life. The author, Vincent P. Collins, has done a wonderful job of cutting right to the heart of injurious emotional issues and presents them in a way that even the most depressed individual cannot help but relate to and embrace. In today's stressful society, almost everyone suffers from some form of depression, frustration, anger, guilt or worry. With that in mind...this book should be required reading!

This book provides the best outline I have ever read, short of the Sermon on the Mount and the book Aloholics Anonymous, to put life in perspective, first to Self, then to Others, and finally with God. I read this book at least once a year and have attended group sessions wherein we go through the book, topic by topic, sharing our experience, hope and strength, one by one. I think that this book should be published by someone. (bluejean2@juno.com or jeanballow@yahoo.com)

The author to that book is Collins, Vincent Paul; not Vincent Paul, Collins. This man was a priest in my town and I knew him personally. The book is still being asked for by many people around here and is still being touted as very insightful and helpful for people who have low self-esteem.

This book provides the best outline I have ever read, short of the Sermon on the Mount and the book Aloholics Anonymous, to put life in perspective, first to Self, then to Others, and finally with God. I read this book at least once a year and have attended group sessions wherein we go through the book, topic by topic, sharing our experience, hope and strength, one by one. I think that this book should be published by someone. (bluejean2@juno.com or jeanballow@yahoo.com)

An excellent compendium of oddball factoids, sharply designed and smartly written, c/o the fine folks at Mental_floss. I don't know how long it must have taken to compile all this stuff, but you can easily spend a weekend or more tearing through it. Good stuff -- I couldn't have enjoyed it more had I co-written it myself.

Marcus Chown's recent book, "The Quantum Zoo: A Tourist's Guide to a Never-Ending Universe" deals with quantum physics in a way that effectively uses popular culture references as a means toward understanding the world around us through scientific theory. Surprisingly, this book covers similar ground but from a completely non-scientific perspective by interconnecting seemingly unrelated trivia facts toward another view of the world. As you can assess, both books provide value to their respective audiences.

"Scatterbrained" is another slim volume from the editors of Mental Floss Magazine, a bimonthly launched in 2001 and targeted to aspiring Trivial Pursuit masters. This one takes nine isolated threads of facts to show how you could possibly make sense of the world. Granted, the connections can be rather tenuous, sometimes like an unending broken record on the turntable, but they are fun simply to track just to see where the lines of thought will go. It's a bit like playing a more expansive version of the "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" game except anything, no matter how trivial, is up for grabs.

A prototypical example is Chapter 4, "Humpty Dumpty to Having a Great Fall to Getting Put Back Together Again" You see the links between the fairy tale character, hunger strikes, celebrity trials, disasters that occur in autumn, diamonds, pseudonyms, the periodic table, trivia about the Web, the history of tattoos, and historic reunions. It's definitely a meandering journey for a less receptive mind but one that makes sense for any world-class trivia expert who can connect anything with anything. And for them, it's quite a fun read.

Chock-full of funny factoids to make you look smart at cocktail parties. An easy-reading smorgasboard of truisms both bizarre and interesting, all linked together. Bathroom reading for the MENSA set.

This book is an immense collection of trivia, loosely related by tangential connecting facts. For example, a story about famous downfalls which recounts Oscar Wilde's end says: "But it's not like Wilde was angry enough to start a hunger strike or anything...." And then we're off into "The Greatest Hunger Strikers Ever." Scatterbrained is much like "The Areas of My Expertise" (John Hodgman), except not made-up. And with fewer hobo facts.

The Scatterbrained approach to trivia is very readable, like a talkative dinner guest who goes on endless factual tangents. It's amusing and fun, and offers you plenty of chances to bail out when you've had enough (for example, when you've completed your business in the, uh, bathroom). This would also make a nice (albeit small) coffee-table book, as it's the sort of thing your guests can leaf through and call out interesting, often bizarre anecdotes.

Nerdy note: this book was co-edited by noted Young Adult author John Green. Fans of "Looking for Alaska" will appreciate "Fond Farewells: The Best and Worst of Famous People's Last Words" on page 125, and fans of "An Abundance of Katherines" will enjoy "Math Nerds Gone Wild (And by Wild, We Mean Nuts)" on page 132.

I must have ready a dozen or so bios of Michael Collins in the past few years and this is one of my favorites. Some of them seem to spend so much time on Michael Collins, the administrator, that they don't pay enough attention to Michael Collins, the human being. If you have to read one, I recommend this one. If you want a more exhaustive bio, then read Tim Pat Coogan. My other favorite is by Frank O'Connor.

This was the first biography of Collins I read and it is a good one, though not as exhaustively detailed and annotated as Tim Pat Coogan's. The author is clearly an admirer of Collins but it does not seem to slant his portrayal of the man and he covers all the biographical bases in Collins' life--the quintessentially Irish childhood and indoctrinization with nationalist ideals from family and teachers; the years between 15 and 25 working in London; the participation in the Easter Rebellion and imprisonment in Wales; the return to Ireland and his destiny as leader of the Anglo-Irish War of Independence; and the transformation into statesman in the Treaty negotiations. What Mackay particularly brings to the portrait of Collins is a warmth that allows the reader to see the real man beneath the legend--the interactions with the men and women who shared his struggle or who opposed it, and the reaction of his countrymen to his leadership. Overall, an engrossing read.

For anyone wishing to know more about the bombastic, bullish side of Michael Collins, look no further. James MacKay captures Collins' thoughts-- even the most flamboyant-- with style and verbal panache. It is clear that his work has been very heavily influenced by the biographies from Frank O'Connor and Tim Pat Coogan, but MacKay distinguishes himself by emphasizing Collins' personality and his military accomplishments. He describes Michael's physical stature (5'11" with a bulky build), Michael's nature (quick to laugh, quick to cry, quick to anger, and quick to make an apology), Michael's health (his bouts with pleurisy, Spanish flu, stomach and kidney problems), Michael's orderly manner (he hated pencil writing and signatures from rubber stamps), and Michael's many other contradictions. MacKay includes several b/w photos along with explorations of Michael's military brilliance, e.g. his ability to run an entire guerrilla war from the back of a bicycle. MacKay begins with Collins' boyhood and concludes with an epilogue regarding the aftermath of Collins' assassination. If you are curious about Michael Collins the man, I can strongly recommend MacKay's biography.

This biography was my introduction to the life and times of Michael Collins and it was a good one, though not as detailed and extensively annotated as Tim Pat Coogan's. The author is clearly an admirer of Collins but the portrayal appears to be objective and covers all the biographical bases in Collins' life--the Irish childhood and indoctrination with nationalist ideals from family and teachers; the years between 15-25 working in London; the participation in the Easter Rebellion and imprisonment in Wales; the return to Ireland and rise to leadership in the War of Independence; and the transformation to statesman in the Treaty negotiations. What Mackay particularly brings to the portrait of Collins is a warmth that allows the reader to see the real man behind the legend--the interactions with the men and women who shared his struggle or who opposed him, and the reaction of his countrymen to his leadership and to his untimely death during the bitter Civil War at the hands of former comrades who in many cases still revered him. Overall, an engrossing read.

This book is great for Middle School Students or even High School Students who want to review the events leading to the Constitution. I am a Middle School Teacher and plan on using the book to review my lessons with my students. Next year I plan on using it to introduce the topic!

This book gives an understandable view of how our Constitution came to be. It is good to read in context with studying other aspects of the colonial time period as well as the Revolutionary War. There is a great map at the beginning and resources at the back with the preamble as well as an explanation of the Articles and Amendments. There is a list of all the signers, a summary of important dates and bit of interesting facts about the convention and delegates. Definitely a good resource.

Maestro reviews the reasons for the Constitution, but fails to mention the Articles of Confederation. The text includes the Virginia, New Jersey, and Connecticut Plans. The book can easily be read as an introduction to the Constitution in one class period. Students could complete a drawing or group of drawings on a picture web to narrate the important details from the story.

I came across one book by Betsy Maestro "The Discovery of the Americas" and I loved it. The text is simple and the illustrations are great. It is historically accurate as well, a must in my checklist. I didn't realize she also wrote the historical series "You Wouldn't Want to..." They are my favorite!! I recommend all of her books, especially for teachers.

I think the book is excellent, after all I happened to be in the book with muhammed ali, as one of his fans. I think its on page 42. we're in a cadillac surrounding him.

From the pictures to the text, Hauser shows Ali in all his greatness. The pictures are captivating and the text allows the reader to experience what Ali has to offer. "In Perspective" allows everyone from the common sports fan all the way to the boxing expert the chance to step into the life of Muhammed Ali.

Another Hauser Winner and A Great Ali Perspective

After the epilogue I read the Fight Chronology, glanced at the index and acknowledgements and realized I was done. I closed the book and felt sad that my time being spent with Ali was over for today. I flipped the book over and there he was on the cover. Older than I remembered, but still handsome and still a twinkle in his eye.

I don't know how Hauser always seems to do it, he always seems to make me forget about the world around me and just become part of his writing.

This is a great book - if you've read other Ali books or if his is your first - it's a great, easy book that simply shows you different perspectives on the GREATEST Of All Time - Muhammad Ali.

I laughed out loud a lot and got all teary eyed at times as well.

Great book - Great photos - Very hard to find - one of those you'll have to buy used on Amazon or find on eBay - do yourself a favor - find it and spend an afternoon with it.

This book is a wonderful pictorial of Ali's life and times, triumphs and defeats, both personal and professional. A must for any fan of Ali or the triumph of spirit over surroundings.