Freeman Books

I have loved this book since I was 5 and still have my treasured copy. The appeal for me was partly because of the title as the Beatles were nicknamed the Moptops.

Martin, nicknamed "Moptop" (can't get past that Beatle influence)! refuses to get a haircut. When sent to the local barbershop, the boy whose hair was longer than any Beatle and wasn't even brushed or styled (and theirs WAS), hides in a store behind a mop barrel. A woman with reading glasses reaches into the barrel, thinking she's getting a mop and instead, gets the boy!

Yowling with pain, the boy races off to the barbershop. While he's there, other things are being cut back as well -- the hedges; the newly mowed lawn; a dog was clipped as well as a tree. Too bad the boy didn't have his hair Beatle coiffed! The barber could have at least given the boy a Beatle haircut! While the boy looked better before the haircut, Beatle fans especially will appreciate this one!

I stumbled into a later volume of this series (Books Kids Will Sit Still For 3: A Read-Aloud Guide (Children's and Young Adult Literature Reference)) while working my way through books about books for children at the library. We read to the toddler daughter daily and I am always looking for new picture books to try. I was amazed and delighted by volume 3 and promptly went looking for the previous two volumes which older books. I still can't believe that the ex-library copy I bought looks like it was never cracked open.

Freeman begins this volume with about 100 pages mostly about building elementary school library programs. I'm a parent, not a librarian, so this was less applicable to me (though at times still quite interesting). I bought the book, however, for the annotated bibliography of read alouds. The fiction section is divided into overlapping sections based on suggested age, an organization that's more useful to me than having all fiction lumped together. Although the recommended age for the preschool section (61 titles) is 3-4, some of the books there are already favorites of my 19-month-old daughter and we look forward to trying others. It's wonderful to have additional title suggestions. Most of us think to look for more books by an author and we also look for more books by illustrators that we like (sometimes discovering new authors that way) but themed suggestions are always appreciated.

I'm delighted to have discovered this resourse. It's going on my shelf next to Trelease and Odean.

This is the first new rabbinical manual for Conservative Judaism in a generation. The last was published in 1965. This newer version is geared towards Jews who value tradition and halakha [Jewish law] yet also takes the side of innovation and egalitarian principles. Hebrew names of God are preferred over masculine English translations. As such, it should be appreciated by those in the traditional wing of Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism, as well as by those Modern Orthodox Jews who are open to exploring new expressions in Jewish liturgy.

Rituals found in rabbi's manuals are important because they transform incidents in the life of an individual into a communal event, and they offer the oppotunity to transform events from the mundane to the sacred, in an authentic Jewish manner.

This manual includes instructions and rituals for all the standard rabbinic practices, including births, brit milah [ritual circumcisions], simhat bat [the ceremonial equivalent of a brit for a daughter], pidyon ha-ben [redemption of the first born], weddings, divorces, prayers for those who are ill, and funerals. New works include prayers for retirement, going to college for the first time, and for wedding anniversaries.

There are special sections which deal with infertility, miscarriages, and even for those who have undergone an abortion. This is especially important, as although Judaism discourages abortion, it allows it under certain circumstances, and the resulting emotional turmoil can be devastating. For many women, having Jewish rituals for these traumatic events can be an important part of the healing process.

Many more sections are included, including blessings for adoption, the deathbed confessional, and more. All in all, this is a fascinating synthesis of traditional halakhic Judaism along with a brave spirit of egalitarian innovation.

As an American who lived for the last 8 years in Moscow, this book was a wonderful find for me because it shows the great beauty found only indoors in Moscow -- a City that can be somewhat gray. From the baroque excesses of the Kremlin to the Art Nouveau town houses to the Soviet apartments of Moscow artists. Lavishly illustrated in a coffee table format.

We got this out of the library and loved it so much that we purchased a copy and are now looking for other similar books. Mouse goes to visit his friend Mole in the spring, and mole is about to plant a garden. Together, they tend it all year long, and also have fun doing other "seasonal" activities while waiting for their plants to grow (such as hiking, camping, picking apples, sledding in the winter, etc.). It teaches about how things grow, also about the change of seasons and what activities to do each season. My 3 year old loves it! For slightly older kids, you can also read the separate boxes along the bottom of each page which explain complexities of nature such as how rain and compost form, how a fruit grows from a flower, what happens to plants and animals in the winter). These separate boxes on each page correlate to the events occurring in the story on that page. Fantastic book!

The book begins with Mouse and Mole boarding the train for a long train ride. They travel through a bunch of different places, mountains, deserts, many other things. They go through a lot of different weather conditoins like snow, desert heat, thunderstorms, and just normal temperatures. Mole is the more mature one out of the two. Mouse always asks different kinds of questions and Mole answers them all with no problem.
I would recommend this book because at the bottom of all the pages they have a little box that teaches you all about weather, and you can learn a thing or two. My favorite character was Mole because he seemed like the more grown up of the two. He was always in good spirits and seemed very mature unlike Mouse, who seemed more like a little baby. This was just a very fun book to read.

Mr. HIV by I.B. Freeman is an enthralling account of Derran's life as an entrepreneur as well as an Adonis. Derran has no regard for the female species, meaning if you are willing he is able to supply and fulfill your every desire. Derran runs through women like water running from a faucet. Never stopping to smell the roses or to really enjoy life, Derran is only out to satisfy himself.

While Derran is exposed to the death of one of his close friends by the AIDS virus, he still refuses to slow down and change his lifestyle. Feeling on top of the world, nothing can stop him from his philandering ways until he falls in love and is hit with a surprise that will leave him reeling.

While this story unfolds and introduces readers to some major characters, and players, it also shares the story of HIV and the AIDS virus. Mr. Freeman's account is down-to-earth, heart-wrenching and his characters are phenomenal. Stay tuned and see the demise of Derran as he infects everyone he comes across. Breaking up marriages and causing havoc wherever he goes, can he right his wrongs or will he continue on the path of self destruction? I recommend this book to readers of all genres.

Reviewed by: Cheryl H
APOOO BookClub

Mrs. Wow Never Wanted A Cow receives Steven Salerno's fine drawings, enhancing lively rhyming easy-read story pairing classic art with a Dr. Seuss-compatible format and theme. When a cow unexpectedly shows up, a lazy dog and cat decide to teach it their chores so they can relax but the cow is proving a problem until Mrs. Wow finds a solution.

I was impressed at the magnificent way that this book brought to light the struggle and dreams of the Mule Train participants. Their beleifs that what was transpiring would make a difference, not just for them, but for all of America. The committment of Mr. Willie Bolden, tasked with the responsibility to see that all went well. His determination and others that dispite several roadblocks insured all travelers were taken care of. The reporting by Jean Pond-Smith showed the realness of this movement without being bias or prejudicial. Her capture of the spirit of the travelers were enligntening and heartwrenching. This book brought home to me many memories that I had long ago moved to the back of mind. That I, along with with mother and three of my sisters were a part of this moment in history.

Dr. Benjamin makes no pretense of being an expert at mushroom identification, but rather focuses on the history, culinary use, medicinal properties and toxicology of mushrooms. The central part of the book deals with the symptoms and treatment of mushroom poisoning. Dr. Benjamin takes what is, suprisingly, considered by many to be a contrarian position, that physicians should be best advised to treat mushroom poisoning on the basis of symptoms alone, and not wait for an identification of the mushroom responsible. Previous books on this subject have focused (perhaps unnecessarily), on identification first, having been written primarily from the viewpoint of mycologists. It's refreshing, to say the least to have a book more directed to the physician.

That's not to say that there isn't plenty here for the mycologist, or the amateur. It's really as much as anyone needs to know, complete with copious references.