Frank Books

I must admit that the only time I may have been in awe of athletes was prior to my teenage years.
Never have I pondered over the question, what makes a champion?
However, upon glancing at the table of contents of a book entitled The Heart Of A Champion: Celebrating The Spirit And Character Of Great American Sports Heroes authored by the well-known sports writer and commentator Frank Deford, I was hooked.

Deford has written twelve previous books including novels, biography, sports, social history, humour and has been called the world's greatest sports writer. If you have won the six-time Sportswriter award of the Year and are a member of the Hall of Fame of the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters, being called the greatest sports writer is an understatement.

Sports fans very often treat their sports heroes like demi-gods, however, from the very onset of the book, Deford makes it abundantly clear that athletes are neither gods nor heroes. They are our dream models. As he states: "we imagine ourselves in their places in our daydreams."
Why do many of us look up to our baseball, hockey, basketball or football athletes?

According to Deford, "it is because a sports star is so visible and so beguiling, but also, classical. Athletes not only join us together in this more complicated culture, they connect us to the simpler past. In their glory, they make us feel more whole."

The book is divided into seven sections five of which deal with a particular aspect of what constitutes an essential ingredient of athletic greatness. These five are: commitment, grace, courage, team effort and perseverance.

Within each of these sections Deford refers to athletes who portray a particular attribute that contributes to his or her greatness.

Who can argue that courage is the defining quality of hockey star Mario Lemieux? This Canadian hockey star suffered from excruciating back pains and was forced to undergo two operations. However, what is more amazing is that he overcame the dreadful Hodgkin's decease, a form of cancer and returned to play hockey.

How about Jackie Robinson, who Deford describes as the indisputably single most important athlete in our culture and probably the finest.
The quality of grace is attributed to Robinson, who had to overcome problems with some of his own teammates, blatant racism on the baseball field, and threats from spectators. Nevertheless, he succeeded and paved the way for other African Americans to play in the major leagues.

These are just some of the many seductive stories included in the book along with the 250 full color and black and white photos and illustrations. A book I am sure will find shelf space in the homes and libraries of the many sports enthusiasts.

This review first appared on reviewer's own site

Great sports athletes really inspire us. And as I read Frank Deford's inspiring profiles of Cal Ripken, Jr., Tiger Woods, Jerry Rice, Chris Evert, Jackie Robinson, the 1980 U.S. Hockey Team, and ohers, I was again sent back to relive some of the greatest sports moments of my life. The photos enhance the categories of commitment, grace, courage, team effort and perseverance. Frank Deford has captured the enduring spirit of these amazing men and women, and thanks to Wheaties, they ae enshrined in our minds and hearts forever. If you have a sports lover in your family, this is the book to get them this Chrsitmas.

Do you remember growing up and hearing about Wheaties, The Breakfast of Champions? We were always told that if we ate our Wheaties, we would grow up to be champions as well. Well, that part of the story never did hold true for me, but the champions that did appear on the front of the cereal box over the years have proved to be an enduring selection of sports heroes who have great stories behind their acheivements.

In this very engaging and beautifully photographed book, the front of the Wheaties' boxes that I remember as a child have come to life. The author, Frank Deford, has written great essays to allow us to better understand the underlying stories behind the athletic acheivements of these memorable champions of sports.

Interestingly enough, I am not a big follower of sports and originally purchased this book as an early Christmas gift for my brother. Sitting down for a cup of coffee, I became involved with the book and found myself enjoying the well written stories and great historical photos. I've decided to keep this copy, and I'll buy my brothers and nephews additional copies for their own use. I'm sure they will enjoy the great gift.

I highly recommend this book. Trust me, it is much better than reading the back of the Wheaties box while enjoying a bowl of cereal.

Summary
This book is a story in English and Russian, in which the mouse community warns everyone that the cat is coming. The reader assumes the warning is out of fear, but in fact, everyone looks forward to the arrival of a cat, who brings them all cheese.

Illustrations
Wonderful, full page illustrations.

Here Comes the Cat is an exciting collaboration between an American writer and a Russian illustrator. Both Frank Asch and Vladimir Vagin play their parts distinctively. The story is filled with suspense, exciting action, and a thought-provoking reversal. The mice characters, representing humans of many ethnicities, react to the news of an approaching cat. The words, found in text balloons, repeat the exclamation, "Here comes the cat!" Yet in every case, we find them in both English and Russian. Signs on stores, also in both languages, offer a wider variety of reading opportunities. The book introduces first-grade readers to the concept of translation. All the visual elements of the book, from the calligraphic text to the full-page illustrations, have a strong and authentic Russian style. The art is excellent.

A little Mouse, aloft in his balloon, sees an ominous shadow approaching the country of his people! Fleeing homeward, he cries warning to every Mouse he meets: "Here comes the Cat! Ciuda idyot Kot!" Soon the alarm is being passed from one to the other, until the entire Mouse population awaits in dread the arrival of the Cat. What will happen when Mice and Cat come face to face? Something quite unexpected! Significantly, this lovely little book is the creation of two authors, one American and the other Russian. After meeting in 1986 at a Soviet/American childrens' book symposium, they decided to collaborate on a tale with a message of harmonious coexistence. Vladimir Vagin's exquisite, highly-detailed, colorful paintings must be seen to be appreciated. And Frank Asch's story of fear and friendship will warm the hearts of adults and children lucky enough to read "Here Comes the Cat!"

Frank Weissburth captures the heart and soul of New Mexico and the beauty of small mountain rivers in an elegant set of essays that both document and illuminate fishing for rare trout in small waters. His writing is a love letter to places both special and beautiful. Woven in the essays on these small fragile waters are meditations on children, friends, dogs, old but trustworthy (to a point) cars, learning to fish and learning to care. He illuminates with thoughts about his growth in concern for the the streams and the mountains and the world beyond both of them.

A well written book about fishing small streams in the southwest, the joys of solitude - in short, a life with quality fishing as one if its foci. Recommended for those with a bent toward fine writing about sport...............

This is a wonderful book. It is a lyrically written expression of Mr. Weissbarth's keen and experienced observations of the beauty and wonders of Northern New Mexico's mountain streams and the trout that inhabit them, as well as a statement of the deep connection between himself and this unique environment. His respect and reverence are apparent. I have read many of John
Gerach's fine essays on fly fishing, rivers, and life. I have read Howell Raines' Fly Fishing Through Mid-Life Crisis. Holy Ghost Creek stands with these works.

In Horrible Harry and the Mud Gremlins by Suzy Kline you'll learn to listen to the rules. Harry convinces the class to go to where the teachers can't see them and they get in trouble. How will Harry ever learn to follow the rules?

The problem starts at recess time when Harry tries to get his classmates to break the rules. He wants them to see the mud gremlins.

I liked this story because even though Harry does bad stuff, he is still funny. All second graders would like Horrible Harry and all his adventures. Some other books you could read are: Horrible Harry and the Secret, Horrible Harry and the Green Slime, Horrible Harry and the Christmas Surprise, Horrible Harry in Room 2B, and Horrible Harry and the ant invasion.

Suzy Kline's Horrible Harry And The Mud Gremlins tells of a boy who wears a necklace and faces ridicule - until he reveals its secret. His promise to introduce the class to a mini-kingdom at recess involves breaking an important school rule in this chapter book for kids from Viking Press.

As an elementary teacher, I have a great love for children's literature. I choose Harry Horrible books frequently in my classroom. I read this book to my students at the beginning of the school year. The adventures of Harry and his friends throughout the Horrible Harry adventures are engaging its readers. These are some of the first chapter books that they pick up. It is a great simple chapter book to help hook your students into reading. They will relate to Harry and his friends, and find that reading is funny. I recommend this book to everyone.
I found that this book was funny and suspenseful altogether. My students were begging me to read more. In this book we find Harry wearing a mini-microscope necklace to school. Horrible Harry tells his classmates that they can use during recess time to find a secret mushroom kingdom. However knowing the playground rules, will Horrible Harry and his buddies break the rule and outside the fence to look in the mud? The author engages the readers in suspense, climax, and the issue of right and wrong.

My kids, and son especially, love Horrible Harry books! You can't go wrong with this one or any other ones. Perfect reading for 2nd-3rd graders...

My grandchildren love Horrible Harry stories. The are 7, 9 and 10

I read this book to a classroom of twenty third and fourth graders, and successfully kept their attention for almost half an hour. Engaging dialogue combined with situations immediately familiar to emerging readers makes this a great autumn read.

The authors made the legal issues easy to understand. I was out there looking for a such book for a long long time, and this is the book. This book helpes me to be prepared for some potential legal matters that I may have to face in a complicated casino hotel environment. I had a great opportunity to meet with the author Stephen Barth at the New York Hotel Show one year. He was a keynote speaker.

Great industry resource for lodging and hospitality managers. This book is far more practical than others Ive used or reviewed. Mr. Barth makes the book usuable for students, yet extremely practical for those already in working in the field. We now promote and encourage the use of this book with all those we work with.

As President & CEO of the Texas Hotel and Motel Association, I have known Stephen Barth as a revered professor of hospitality law at the University of Houston's Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, as a tremendously popular seminar leader, and now, I am pleased to say, as an outstanding author.

His book, Hospitality Law, provides an up-to-date information source that can teach practicing hospitality managers and students how to avoid and minimize legal difficulties they might otherwise face in the running of lodging properties. The book is well written, easy to follow, and best of all, gives examples from the actual operations of lodging and restaurant establishments. Especially strong are the sections on contract law, safety and security, and employment issues.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand the legal issues that arise in the everyday decisions that a lodging property professional must make.

I discovered this book when reading another book, so i found a copy. This is one of the best books i have personally read. It is a collection of stories that are just amazing. If horror books interest you at all you should find a copy of this book and buy it because you will enjoy.

I was lucky enough to pick this book up in a second hand-shop. This guy wrote stories of horror, fantasy and science fiction at the same time Lovecraft and Robert E.Howard did, only his stories are even better!

Too bad FBL seems to be forgotten today; I must admit I'd never heard of Frank Belknap Long before I picked this one up. Now to find the companion volume of stories, "The Black Druid"...

A wonderfully written story that marries modern science and occultism via the use of psychedelic drugs. A trapezoidal fest of the macabre!

This is an excellent book. It gives enough detail and helps beginners as well as veterans. However it will not take the place of actual experience.

Elkouri is the penultimate arbitration manual. Having arbitrated, been an advocate, and taught arbitration, I feel confident in recommending this book for literally every area of arbitration. The book is, admittedly, geared toward labor law practice. However, the principles are the same in general arbitration. Labor arbitration and all other areas share a common history in the United States.

The book is clearly written, meticulously researched, and thoroughly indexed. I highly recommend it for arbitrators, advocates, and faculty.

This book is an essential for any arbitration advocate's library. I purchased it as an update from the fourth edition and I was amazed at how much more information and how many more topics are addressed in this book.

This is a very easy read with a lot of excellant advise.

This book was life-changing for me. It validated my right to take care of myself with God's blessing. The authors, four of the finest contemporary Christian psychiatrists, helped me understand that even Jesus protected Himself from ministerial burn out by taking fishing and picnic breaks with His disciples. I learned that nurturing/protecting myself actually is scriptural, and has already been mentored for me by Jesus' management of His own life while He was here. Read this book if you are in any "helping profession." You will need it!

For Christians interested in a Biblical viewpoint of the subject of burnout, this book covers all the basic issues, offering encouragement, hope and a plan for recovery. It is thorough yet concise, addressing the key issues for people in burnout. Highly recommended.

This book starts with the notion of a robot pet and finishes after having developed a fully working prototype. To be sure the computer technology has dated. *BUT* the exploration of each problem and the thorough discussion of various practical solutions was always intended to enable experimenters to roll their own hardware and software implementations anyway. DaCosta always provides one good solution for each problem. Some info is priceless, particularly soniscan, the object avoidance system; Excom,a way of 'talking' to the robot; and Audigen, providing the pet with a way of communicating with the owner or growling at intruders. The description of the ARASEM (ARtifically RAndom SElf-Motivation) software architecture is a classic. If you are interested in the concept of emulating domestic pet behaviour by building a robot, you will not do any better than this book.

I don't remember WHY I decided to buy this book, but I'm glad I did. It's one of my favorite robot books. I learned alot about setting up a microprocessor to read and write to RAM, external addressing, and lots of other cool stuff. The project is just so neat, that I'm considering hunting down an 8085 just so that I can build the little robot pet. It responds to voice commands, randomly does "pet" things, and plays on it's own. How cute. It even hunts down it's own charger, acts hungry if it can't find it... ! If you're interested in real microprocessors (not a basic stamp) get this book. You'll learn alot from it.

I originally purchased this book many years ago to construct the robot it describes. I am presently 'resurecting' the project for my children and have come to appreciate this book more with each reading. DaCosta created a readable and practical 'how to' manual on contructing a very ingenious little robot. Unfortunately, the technology described is no longer cutting edge (the robot uses the now obsolete Intel 8085A microprocessor). However, this book is still a great primer for first time microprocessor users. I don't know if DaCosta ever updated the book, but if he did, and I could find it, I would buy it without hesitation.