Marshall Books

This is an action-packed fiction treatment of an important subject needing exploring today - the danger of devolution from tinkering with the genetic code. I was educated while being entertained, which is the best way to gain knowledge. It is thought-provoking and intricately plotted, Roger Marshall is an exciting new author to watch. I can't wait to read his next book.

"Terror Within" opens your eyes to the frightening repercussions of technology in the hands of a short-sighted society. It asks us to consider the effects our actions have on the delicate balance of life...not just within the environment but within our own DNA code. What happens to our evoluntionary spiral? The author subtly weaves current issues throughout the larger story, giving an unsettling sense of urgency and realism. I found the characters engaging, the story fast-paced, and the chilling ending left me wanting more. An exciting read.

A must read. This is an intricate weaving together of big wall street business, government and the genetic engineering that can be used or abused by either or both. This author has really done his research, and brings two parallel stories together at the end even though they take place oceans apart. Bravo!

Must read. Great book, couldn't put it down. Roger's book was recommended on a radio station. Also, liked the larger print and paper - very easy on the eyes. Can't wait for the next one!!!

This was a wonderful book to read with my son. He knew most of the word and found the story line extremely funny. Myself, I thought is was cute.

A lurking monster sneaks silently up upon three children -- two boys and one girl -- who, all unaware, sit telling stories to one another on the beach.

Will the hapless Lolly, Spider, and Sam all be gobbled up, and munched by the Monster whose favorite meal is Kids on Toast?!?

Read the book, and find out! :)

This is the story of Lolly, Spider and Sam, three kids who have just eaten lunch and have to wait a while before they can go swimming. To pass the time, they decide to tell each other stories about rats and cats.

The first story, Lolly's, is a dead-on parody of an old-style phonics reader:

'The cat sat by the rat. "I see him," said the cat. "I see the rat."

The rat saw the cat. "I see him," said the rat. "I see the cat." And that was that.'

Spider and Sam naturally hate this story, and they work to top each other with much more entertaining stories, always about cats and rats. This is one of my favorite kids' books, by one of my favorite kids' author/illustrators, the late, great James Marshall.

I think it's an overlooked classic -- even better than some of Marshall's more popular works (such as the "George and Martha" series), and right up there with his other masterpieces: "Miss Nelson Comes Back" (written with Harry Allard) and "Fox and His Friends". All three feature very funny and surprising twist endings.

If you find you like this book as much as I do, you'll want to check out its two sequels: "Four by the Shore" and "Three Up a Tree". Those are also highly enjoyable, but this one is the creme de la creme.

Parents: This is a book they will love, although you may love it more. School librarians: BUY THIS BOOK! Publisher: Please restore this to print in a library-binding edition!

"Three by the Sea," from the classic children's book team of the Marshalls, is a wonderful book for second grade readers (or advanced first graders) that offers up a funny story with a humorous sense of parody. This is a children's book that actually makes fun of children's books. Any young reader who is sick and tired of 'basal readers' (you know, those dull, "The man has a tan can; The dog is on the log," kind of books) will love this story. But best of all, adults will enjoy reading it along with their child. This is a perfect book to experience with your child to help them learn to read on their own. (I used to teach second graders how to read, and this was always their favorite book - they really got into it and loved reading it out loud along with me as we acted it out.)

The book follows three children, Lolly, Spider, and Sam, as they sit on the beach and tell each other stories, with each child trying to out-do the others. The three stories they tell are all gems:

LOLLY'S STORY: A parody of the typical boring school reader. Nothing happens. A Cat and a Dog see a Rat. That's it. Spider and Sam don't like the story one bit, but it's extremely funny to read the simplistic, dull writing style and look at the stick-figure pictures. You can have fun with your child by reading this out loud in the most boring monotone voice you can, and then ask them if they thought it was a good story. They'll agree with Spider and Sam. It's BAAAAD!

SAM'S STORY: Challenged by Lolly to come up with something better - as long as it has a cat and rat in it - Sam creates this funny little story about a very foolish rat who buys a cat at a pet store. The cat won't tell the rat what it is that he really likes to eat... You can have great fun with this story by having your child read the parts out loud and giving the cat and rat different voices. You can also ask them to try to predict what might happen. What do YOU think the cat really likes to eat? (You're in for a funny surprise.)

SPIDER'S STORY. Well, Spider didn't like the twist ending to Sam's story, so he offers up his own cat-rat tale...and he'll make it SCARY as well! With great, serious drama, a rather silly-looking Godzilla-like monster rises from the sea ("And he was really mean!") Is he hungry for...a rat? No! Cheese? No! A cat? No! He likes kids...on toast!...and in fact he sees three kids sitting on the beach telling stories... This is a really fun piece to read out loud with spooky voices, and the repetition of phrases make it a great one for your child to practice reading on his or her own. Provide a big scary voice for the narrator, and your child will be laughing hysterically. (Don't worry, though. It all comes out all right in the end, and who can take the funny illustrations seriously? This is one goofy looking monster, especially when walking on his tip-toes!)

I can't recommend this book highly enough for second graders. You'll have fun reading it along with them, and it teaches great reading skills while offering up something much different from the usual run-of-the-mill kids story. A terrific tool for teaching at home and having quality educational time and play time with your child. Just watch out for those really mean monsters.

And that is that!

My 3 year old has loved this book since he was two. The artwork is unique and fun and the text has a great rhythm. Fun for reading aloud. Glad we finally have our own copy since the one at the library is always checked out.

This is a great book. Both my 3 1/2 year old and my 1 1/2 year old love it. We borrowed it from the library and ended up having to buy it because we needed it for bedtime every night. They both have some of the lines memorized from the book because of the fun writing and rhyming. I would recommend it to everyone with small children.

My 2 year old son is a train fanatic and this is his favorite train book. It is my favorite as well. An excellent book to read aloud.

My 3 yr old loves trains. He wants this book read to him 3 times in a row. The writing is very rhythmical and easy to remember. My son "reads" along with it. He loves pointing to the pictures. Great book!

This book does a great job of intertwining historical occurrences with curriculum theory and current educational trends. Good reading. Also the guest lecturers add a nice touch.

It has been said that we cannot fully understand a text unless we know about the whole culture from which it emerged. This book provides that background understanding for those who would study the many and varied texts in the field of curriculum. As an instructor of graduate level curriculum students, I have used this book to provide the type of context that is not available in any other source. It is extremely accessible without oversimplifying a very complicated field. My students appreciate the comprehensive review of scholars and their texts with the opportunity to "sample" many of them in the primary document excerpts. They have also commented on the manner in which the reflective questions actually do make them think (unlike those in many other texts) and get them to focus on issues they may have missed otherwise. In addition, the "varied tales" sections drive home the realization that the study of curriculum is inextricably linked to the study of broader social issues. This is a book that I will continue to use and use again with my classes.

Turning Points walks us through a historic journey in curriculum field in a unique way. I like the way it combines interviews, documents, social history, and curriculum ideas.

It's a great book that encompasses historic issues and current issues (e.g., high-stakes testing and international issues). It's not just a static text. Rather, it is a dynamic conversation between the authors, the great scholars, and the readers.

An excellent choice for curriculum researchers, educators and students.

This was a groundbreaking book when it was first released several years ago as it astutely combined interviews, documents, social history, and curriculum ideas. This NEW edition brings better formatting and, more importantly, additional content related to high-stakes testing and international issues. It is incredibly reader-friendly and captures the history of curriculum thought and work from 1950s onward.

I found this book to be very helpful and a great read. I really like the way it is organized and illustrated, the pictures are beautiful and informative. The authors took the time to make the book accessable for those who may not be fully acquainted with the art of veggie gardening...

overall it is a worthwhile buy.

I received this gorgeous book last Christmas and have since read through it so many times it's getting dog-eared! It's not only a comprehensive volume, covering everything from salsify to celeriac and kolhrabi to tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce, but it also gives excellent tips on how to set up your garden, when to harvest, and how to store your vegetables. It's arranged in a very user-friendly way, with tips and tricks and reccommended varieties on the side and loads of photographs. In fact, the full-color pictures are so incredibly gorgeous that this could be a coffee table book! Do yourself or the gardener in your life (amateur or otherwise) a favor and pick this up!!

I bought this book for my son who is a beginning gardner. He has reviewed it and says it will be very helpful with his garden next spring.

I've checked out most vegetable gardening books at the local library and used the extension service materials, but this is the best general guide I've seen. Each vegetable and common herb gets its own page with how to plant, maintaing harvest and treat common problems. There are organic methods side by side with nonorganic methods to let the reader choose instance by instance. Each page has an illustration or actual photograph. Where appropriate information on growing in different hardiness zones is included. There are also step by step instructions on planing, preparing the ground, sowing and planting, making your garden grow (watering, feedings, weeding, pests diseases, harvest and storage, and lastly pages for each vegetable as grouped into sections such as herbs, root and stem crops etc. I checked this out from the library but decided to buy it after realzing how useful it will be in my house as a reference.

Yes. I know its called The Vietnam Primer, but many of the points and lessons in this book can be applied to the here and now. The advice on small unit tactics, the proper use of intel, setting defensive perimeters, communications, etc. should be read and reread until it becomes second nature.

Hack's classic has been on the way back for some time now, and it's an essential purchase now that it's here.

Like WW II Special Forces commanders Chapman and Wingate before him, Hack realized that The Jungle Is Neutral i.e. it did not favor the Enemy. He set out to understand the Enemy and the realities of asymmetrical jungle warfare, with a view to being able to Out Guerrilla the Guerrilla. He succeeded.

I shall be buying a few copies for some of my Vietnam Vet friends, as a reminder of how good the US troops could be with the right leadership and tactics. With a man like Hack out front.

I agree with another reviewer that this would benefit any combat troops, whatever the situation they are being deployed to.

Perhaps the saddest thing to reflect on, is that even after Hack turned the hopeless into hardcore with his proven tactical innovations, raw troops were still arriving in Nam having been trained for a conventional war.

Outstanding.

The number of people who have actually sat down and provided specific advise on how to tactically approach combat in Vietnam is exceedingly small. Plenty of literature out there on "this happened to us" or "that happened to us" but almost none on how to actually move and fight.

The soldier's soldier teaching his hard-won lessons of counterinsurgency in the school of Vietnam. The lessons on small unit tactics are invaluable for working in the jungle, entering a village, leaving a village, and more. Detailed descriptions are provided in easy to read and concise style that goes straight to the issues. "The Hack" will always live on in the hearts of those his works touched. This book was just the beginning of a long life of service to his fellow soldiers.

This classic, WAR & PEACE, attempts to awaken the reader to the realities of media that lie hidden in his own mind. These realities are composed of the everything in the current "electric world," of signs, of real words and nonsense sounds, of pictures, of stuff, of technologies, of clothes, of weapons, of food, and of chemicals, all of which McLuhan calls media and the extensions of man. Can the reader who knows nothing of the pre-electric world be awakened to perceive it? A difficult question since there are all kinds of readers from the primitive to the scientist to the computer programmer.

Indeed, McLuhan and Fiore take the reader on a impossible journey into the guts and gear works of the human brain. Did the Authors bridge any gaps or just create new, unknown ones? Everything about this book is difficult. This includes the often obscure passages on every other page from Joyce's FINNEGANS WAKE.

The Authors advance the notion that all behavior, war and violence, stems from man's search for his identity. "So that today war, as it were, has become the little Red Schoolhouse of the global village."(P. 125) War has become the educator and education becomes war. "No one has studied what degree of innovation is required to shatter the self image of a man or a society." And how can man understand himself when he is always engaged in "rearview mirrorism?" Man looks backward because he can't see forward.

In addition, all the media surrounding man is merely raw material for man's info processor, his brain. Thus man is hooked on his current media like a drug addict is hooked on that which alters his sensual input. Man, himself, is but a collection of information. Immersed in this sea of info, like a fish in water, how can man sort out those bits that beg for priority? By understanding the info that composes himself, can man escape his own senses, those that compose and shape his every move? One doubts it!

Once again, McLuhan and Fiore team up to provide us with an excellent summation of all of the drastic effects of the transition to electric circutry as the prime form of media. I recommend reading The Medium is the Massage first.

Media theorist Marshall McLuhan does a double take on the Massage by doubling his informative view of the media world splicing effect after effect after effect. Beginning locally in the village of small tribal cultures of oratory dominance demonstrating the break of the sensorium which created a tactile society. Moving through history as if fragmented in its own way recapitulating the effects of media which broke up the senses and amputated the limbs of our physical and psychical systems. Although written in 1968, McLuhan moves right into the present times understanding first, electricity as extension of the nervous system and lucidly stating that LSD, the psychedelics of the past are equal in effects to the modern day computer as a recomposure of our being. From our computer realities, one can easily define theirs as an integrated inter-net, linking one another through digital media that is light speed. McLuhan understood the implications of Einsteinian-ENIAC models of the world and distupted the passive television view with this commercial interuption to wake up the senses. Reccomended for McLuhan lovers and those who are still watching TV on a regular basis.

If McLuhan hadn't been dead for almost twenty years, he could have written this book yesterday. He speaks to this moment in time. "We are all robots when uncritically involved with our technologies." He makes the point that we have met the enemy and they is us. He asserts that man has evolved beyond Darwin's limited concept of biological evolution, and we have evolved ourselves with our technology. The computer being an extension of our nervous system, which now senses the whole world. The pain of modern existence is to be found in the strain of this evolution, and therefor, to be for-warned is to be for-armed. "Unlike the animals, man has no nature but his own history. Electronically, this total history is now potentially present in a kind of simultaneous transparency that carries us into a world of what Joyce calls 'heliotropic noughttime.' We have been rapt in 'the artifice of eternity' by placing our nervous system around the entire globe." Tired of wondering why you think life sucks? There is some healing balm hear to be found.

Willa and the Wind is an interesting and quirky tale from Janice M. Del Negro about two sisters living alone (with no visible parents) on a farm. When the North Wind comes through and steals their corn meal, the younger sister Willa decides that she is not going to put up with that and journeys to the home of the North Wind to demand compensation. She is clearly a character that knows how to handle herself, and is notable in her refusal to be scared off by the mean and nasty old North Wind. She proudly shouts her name and refuses to leave empty handed. This sets into motion a series of trips back and forth with a mystery to be solved.

The greatest strength of this book is that Willa is strong and angry and brave, even though it takes her a while to catch on to the innkeepers' antics. Once she gets it, she proves herself to be highly intelligent and outsmarts the innkeeper to gets all of her magical gifts back. That the audience sees that it is the innkeeper causing the mischief with Willa's gifts makes it all the more satisfying when she finally catches him in the act.

The illustrations by Heather Solomon are exceptional due to their use of multiple mediums. The beautiful watercolors show a vibrant world and simple everyday objects, like Willa's skirt have shocking patches of magenta and orange. The illustrations also incorporate collage for large surfaces, giving the mountains a rocky exterior or the fireplace the look of real bricks. The use of pencil adds subtlety and gracefulness, such as in the tendrils on the wind. Sometimes the art simply illustrates the text; other times it accentuates it. The story is told from the point of view of an emotionally detached omnipotent narrator and the illustrations all the reader to see emotions play across the characters' faces.

My five-year-old triplets and I love this book. It's lyrical, funny, thoughtful and thought-provoking, and we all thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

My mother is a retired first grade teacher who bequeathed to us her personal library of children's books, accumulated during her 35+ years of teaching. It's refreshing to come across a new book like this one that's as memorable and as well-written and illustrated as any of these books from the past.

Here is the wonder-filled tale of a girl with the nerve and persistence to confront the north wind . Though the mischievous wind is honest in his dealing the innkeeper she meets is not. Willa meets the challenge with pluck and spirit. My daughters can't get enough of this new hero !

Willa is bold and clever - so she's going to ask Old Windy, the north wind, to return the cornmeal that he stole. Problem is - Old Windy also is bold and mischievous - but fair. He'll exchange something for the missing cornmeal. Soon three bold contenders vie for cornmeal in a zany tale with vivid illustrations by Heather Solomon.

We started touring Texas wineries before we knew of his book, and we wish we had had it in the beginning. There is a short article on each winery, arranged by region, that includes basic information as address, phone, web site, etc as well as a small location map. We have found that the book makes the trip much more enjoybalbe knowing more of the background of the winery and the vintner. Some of these vintners are real characters as well as being hardy pioneers. The book begins with a general history of the wine industry in Texas and an introduction to the varietals grown in Texas. Although only briefly mentioned, T. V Munson from Dennison is very important to the wine industry history in Texas as well as France. The musemum in Dennison is worth a visit especially since its future is in doubt. If you want to tour the wineries, don't go without this book. It is not the complete history, but he certainly makes the trips more interesting.

This is by far the most thorough account of touring the Texas wine country you will find. I was completely impressed at the detail provided for each and every winery including a description each of the wines they produce. Also includes lodging and restaurant recommendations along the way.

There are many interesting things to do in Texas, but who knew visiting wineries might be one of them? I heard about this book from a friend and ordered two copies, one for me and one as a gift. Wes Marshall gives us an entertaining read, not just facts and figures. There are interesting little stories about the various wineries that make you not only want to try the wines, but visit the wine makers on your next vacation.

I highly recommend this book. You won't be disappointed.

This book is highly informative, entertaining, and (must be) the definitive guide book for visiting any or all Texas wineries.

The informative aspect is not limited to a textbook about Texas grapes, wines and wineries, though it certainly could be used that way. It is much more. The Introduction is an excellent summary for novice or seasoned wine lovers--telling us about varieties of Texas grapes, terminology people use to describe wines and wine-making, and, of course, much information about how to taste wine so you can compare one wine with another and converse with others about wines if that is something you want to do.

Marshall dishes out detail so neatly that you hardly realize how much you are learning while you are engrossed in the stories of the wine-makers, their passions, and their products. Some of the difficulties they describe make you want to cry, but most are more humorous than defeating.

It is not surprising that Robert Mondavi would be so complementary about Marshall and his book. I think it is a book that readers will want to tell their friends about before they buy Texas wine or visit the wineries. I will keep it handy when in Texas as a useful reference book.

This book offers rare insights into the true nature of the teachings of Christ (what little is known about it) and its harmonious theme shared with many great god-realized saints and yogis of ages past. This book is of special interest to two diverse groups - those who believe in a Creator but are confused by or unfamiliar with Christian teachings, and those who are Christians curious about the underlying truths common in all religions. A nice glossary of biblical and yoga terminology (Sanskrit, Greek, etc.) and a large bibliography for further reading make this book an exceptional learning tool.

Written by co-founder of the Yoga Siddha Research Project Marshall Govindan, The Wisdom of Jesus and the Yoga Siddhas is a unique spiritual resource giving insight into the original teachings of Jesus Christ, and also showing how Christ's words parallel the ancient yogic teachings of the Yoga Siddhas. The Wisdom of Jesus and the Yoga Siddhas further reveals how to apply this wisdom to one's own life, emphasizing the importance of seeking not simply to know God, but rather to know God through higher states of consciousness. Chapters discuss modern historical research of Jesus and early Christianity, the nature of Yoga as a philosophy and who the Yoga Siddhas were, what Jesus really did say and what He did not say, and much more. "Untold millions of Christians down through the centuries have been indoctrinated with the belief that 'I am a sinner, and there is nothing which I can do to escape eternal suffering in hell unless I accept Jesus as my personal savior.' Fear of God has replaced love for God in the psyche. Guilt, suppression of desires, internal division, skepticism and the glorification of suffering as imaged by Jesus on the cross has replaced the message of forgiveness, compassion, simplicity, truth, love, self-discipline, self-purification, detachment from materialistic desires, the presence of the Kingdom of God, mystical communion with it, and perfection which Jesus brought as his 'good news.' Highly recommended for Christian spiritual seekers of all denominations.

This book is a recommended reading to all serious Bible students and scholars. It shows us on what Jesus actually taught and what he did not teach. It is an eye opening revelation in which it describes the differences between the Gospel of John and the other three Gospels of the New Testament. It also reveals the similarity of the teachings of the Siddhas to that of Christ. If one ones to know the real hidden meaning of Christianity, then this book is for you.

I had long reflected on this subject, but all the books I picked up about Jesus were either too theological or too scholarly. I wanted the straight truth from someone with a mystical perspective, and finally I found it in this book. Govindan has distilled the work of many scholars and swept away 2000 years of religous baggage to unearth a portrait of Jesus as enlightened master. If you're into yoga, and you grew up Christian like I did, I think you'll find this book to be revealing and inspiring.