Morgan Books

If you have ever thought of "Growing Your Own" then you should read this book. It gives you an Idea of how hard and dangerous it is.

I was happily surprised to find this was not your stereotypical story about hippies. The characters were all unique and there were surprises at every turn.I couldn't put it down, read the whole thing over the weekend. Now that I've read this very funny book I understand why the author calls it a "true tale". I highly recommend this book to parents to give as gifts to their teenagers. This is the first thime I've bothered to write a review, but I believe this book deserves applause.

I think we have found our female Tom Robbins. Luaghed all the way through but also found it very very thoughtful and provoking. Raising many issues about how we value money,our lives, and the environment. Finally a novel that presents meditation as a way of dealing with our life. Hurrah. hurrah Cal Morgan keep it going.

I think we have found our female Tom Robbins. Luaghed all the way through but also found it very very thoughtful and provoking. Raising many issues about how we value money,our lives, and the environment. Finally a novel that presents meditation as a way of dealing with our life. Hurrah. hurrah Cal Morgan keep it going.

This book has everything... I loved it. Adventure, suspense, mystery, and marijuana, what more could you ask for? Id recommend this to anyone looking for a good nonfiction story.

I have always been interested in culture and human aspects of the firm. This book was highly recommended by my teacher on strategic management as his favorite on change management. It's an easy read on the human aspects of change and is helped by a novel structure in the book (each subsection of the chapter reads like an individual chapter, which assists the dropping and picking up). It's no nonsense. Anyone who liked 'The Fifth Discipline', will much appreciate this as well. I hope to read more of this type material.

I have always been interested in culture and human aspects of the firm. This book was highly recommended by my teacher on strategic management as his favorite on change management. It's an easy read on the human aspects of change and is helped by a novel structure in the book (each subsection of the chapter reads like an individual chapter, which assists the dropping and picking up). It's no nonsense. Anyone who liked 'The Fifth Discipline', will much appreciate this as well. I hope to read more of this type material.

very updated, helpful in managing change in big organizations

If the Business environment is as smart as it should be this book should be a Best-Selle

The Accelerating Organization is an excellent resource of ideas on how to develop a constantly learning organization. Maira and Scott-Morgan provide many clear and concise concepts in developing a new organization or moving an existing organization into a learning system. Every point is illustrated from a plethora of international business situations. Not only is "The Accelerating Organization" informative, it is "do-able."

The insights of this book are excellent, as it courageously reveals major "spiritual truths" that have been hidden from humanity for an eternity!


The book is the first of it kind to describe the subtle levels of the heavens as they relate to the evolution of the earth and the transformation of the soul. Never before has this been done with such clarity and detail (book includes diagrams).

This story will open your heart, uplift you and give you the courage to embrace your souls purpose as a spiritual adult.

The book is a "corner stone' for the seeker of truth, the spiritual aspirant, the energy healer and anyone who is interested in a greater earth.



John A. Gangemi, DC
Founder & Developer of the "Release & Balance® Spinal Method"
Sag Harbor, NY

I feel like I have waited my whole life for this book. Because it is a book about God, when I was reading it, I could almost feel the Love of God surrounding me and filling my heart as I turned the pages. It answers so many questions and has been the missing link that ties together all the loose pieces of the spiritual "puzzle".

I think it shows how much larger and yet more accessable God is to us and also how intimately connected we are (each one of us, that is) to God, our Creator. For me, the main point that hit home though was how God really does need us, especially at this time in our evolution and history.

This is one of those timely books that will transform you as you read it.

This book has helped me to see how we need proceed in this time we are in and how we can dig in, find what God needs of us and bring it on home! I have been wandering in the desert of my unconsciousness and now I've been shown not only where the water is, but how to bring it to my lips. Find this book and read it. Read this book and share it. Now is the time.

On a long layover in Seattle, I started this book. After a rocky start, this book grabbed my attention - then at one point I realized I was crying. It rings true, every cell in my being responded. I was finally able to make sense of the Bible's version about the Wrath of God - something I could never comprehend because I believe in a loving, forgiving God. This book gives a new (yet I believe true) version of the who, what, when, where & why of the One Most High. I could tell you more about biblical mysteries kept secret for centuries, finally brought to light. But I feel it more important to tell you that the emotional impact I felt sings to this book's validity.

I could not put this book down. Often many parts of God's story moved me to tears. I have been telling as many people I can get a hold of to read this book. Sometimes the contents are shocking but feel true on a deep level. It blew away many ideas about common spiritual beliefs but after a lot of thought it made so much sense. So many stories in the Bible are allegories. I feel I am getting the full true story. Now for the first time I can understand how God could be so angry in the past and so loving now. It's amazing and maybe appropriate that this book is available now. Every day we see "devote" spiritual leaders caught in their lies and deceit misleading the people -- not to mention our political leaders also caught in lies and deceit. We've been lied to enough on all levels. It's about time we've been told the TRUTH!

This book is helpful because expert coaches share their best tips on becoming a great coach. Extremely helpful.

Author, "Trust is Everything: Become the leader others will follow"

This book starts strong, but drags a little in the middle. The book covers coaches from all areas and many of the coaches have similar things to say. The research in the beginning and end are useful and the editors contribute some of the best work in the book. I think it's worth reading but I would skip sections that are not applicable to the area of coaching that you are most interested.

Editors Howard Morgan, Phil Harkins, and Marshall Goldsmith have done everyone tremendous service by using their considerable stature and reputation in the Coaching/Leadership field to pull together this amazing list of professionals; as well as sharing their expertise on the topic. The format they've used makes this an immensely useful reference. If you have an interest in executive coaching -- are a senior executive in transition, or are thinking of hiring a coach -- this book belongs on your "must read" list. In fact, make it your next read.

Peter Clayton, Senior producer www.landed.fm

If you are a line executive or an HR leader - you will find this book useful. It takes you through the process of selecting the right coach and then allows you the opportunity to hear from the best. This is the best coaching book on the market currently.

A great survey of the "best of the best." Useful and practical and meets a real need. I particularly liked the format of the book -- mixing the advice of some of the world's best coaches with practical step by step advice.

If you've already gotten your feet wet with multi-threaded programming, but you haven't been able to maximize concurrency yet, this is the book you need. It includes thorough explanations of all the latest approaches and algorithms. And with multi-core processors becoming ubiquitous, this book will remain of lasting value.

This is a great, lucid - and PRACTICAL book on concurrent programming in general. It's equally applicable if you're programming for a multi-core CPU ... or if you're simply programming threads ... or even if you're programming a cluster.

Half the book is about "theory" (written in a thoroughly engaging, easy-to-follow style), the remaining half about "practice": various tips and tricks obviously learned from hard-earned experience.

There's also a great discussion of "transactional memory", which I'm sure is going to become increasingly important - and increasingly mainstream.

This book is a welcome addition to any practitioner's bookshelf!

Took the class from Herlihy that goes with this book. He's an extremely intelligent and knowledgeable man, and the book is invaluable. I will be using it many times in my future computer science career. Lots of valuable reference information, algorithms, proofs of correctness (critical for parallel systems!), and key core concepts that help you think about multiprocessor problems in new ways.

The content is perfect and deserves 5 stars and I agree with the 5 stars comments, but the code deserves the only 3 stars as there are a lot of flaws in it - the code even contradicts its description( both in the book and in the code downloaded from a site ). For example, at chapter 8.3.1 the Readers-Writers ( i.e. multiple-readers-multiple-writers as the name suggests ) implementation is actually a multiple-readers-single-writer as the WriteLock.lock() method doesn't protect from multiple writers( there is a mention about a single writer in the text but the paragraph name suggests multiple writers ). The code at 8.3.2 is just misleading and doesn't match the description - again the WriteLock.lock() is flawed - it frees the lock if readAcquires != readReleases thus allowing the ReadLock.lock() method to acquire the lock and increment the readAcquires counter which results in the writer starvation and lost of fairness( should be FIFO ) and again there is no protection from multiple writers but the "Readers-Writers lock" name suggests that it should be. And as the last blow the code in 8.3.2 suffers from the lost-wakeup problem described two pages before - the WriterLock.unlock() method doesn't wake up the readers waiting in condition.await(). But there is a rehabilitation for the authors - the description for the code doesn't contain the flaws mentioned above - it is absolutely correct! The Chapter 8 drove me mad by its discrepancy between the text and the code!
So, I got suspicious about the code in the book but not about the description.
I rated the book 4 stars as the content and description( including pictures )is brilliant but the code is sometimes wrong and misleading ( I think it was copy-pasted from the old authors's works ), if the code had not contained such bizarre flaws I would have rated 5 stars as the content is really perfect and shows the authors expertise in the field.

This book gives programmers the practical and theoretical tools they need to adapt to the proliferation of multi-core machines. It opens with six chapters on theoretical subjects. These chapters are fascinating in their own right as well as directly applicable to my daily work. I thought the most important subjects were wait-free synchronization (every method completes in a finite number of steps), lock-free synchronization (some method completes in a finite number of steps), and some computability proofs. The authors use computability to demonstrate the equivalence of several types of synchronization primitives. They also present some impossibility proofs that show you how to avoid trying to solve unsolvable problems. The computability results and synchronization guarantees combine to give you the tools to determine whether one concurrent algorithm is "better" than another.

The remainder of the book is devoted to practical subjects. These chapters cover locks, a variety of data structures, work scheduling, and some miscellaneous topics. Java's java.util.concurrent package provides production-quality implementations of most of these data structures. The authors know this, and they use the data structures chapters to demonstrate generally applicable techniques while avoiding unnecessary implementation details. The work scheduling chapter is a sobering reminder of the difficulty inherent in fully exploiting highly parallel architectures. The authors show how to use recurrences to analyze the relative speedup an algorithm gains by running on P processors instead of a single processor. Combining this with the discussion of Ahmdal's Law earlier in the book we see that the essential math behind parallelism severely penalizes you for seemingly small sequential portions of your code. I also found the counting networks chapter fascinating, as I had never encountered that material before.

The book also provides appendices aimed at bringing inexperienced readers up to speed. That said, I wouldn't recommend this book for inexperienced programmers. The material is challenging. If you are looking for a gentler introduction to this subject, consider Java Concurrency in Practice. Each chapter ends with a note describing the history of the material and providing pointers to the bibliography. These demonstrate that the authors have been significant contributors to this field. I do agree with the review from Vyacheslav Imameyev - some of the code samples are wrong. I think they missed "volatile" keywords in several places. I don't see this as a cookbook, so I'm still giving the book five stars.

Highly parallel machines are here to stay. Programmers need to adapt to this or suffer competitive disadvantage. This is the book to read in order to meet that challenge.

As we share Shiner's nostalgia, we rediscover Aaron, Mays, McCovey, Mantle, and Gibson, old heros, old memories. Baseballs Greatest Players, The Saga Continues is more than a Who's Who of baseball, it's a way of life, a catalog of events, a collection of memories. As Shiner reveals the greatest players, we, who are old enough to remember, bask in their glory and relive our own unachieved ambitions.

But Shiner does more than take us back, he bundles the past with the present and into the future, tyingthe memories together forever in our minds. McGuire's record-setting season rekindles other home run hitters: Roger Maris, Reggie Jackson, Mickey Mantle, even Babe Ruth. We connect to the present, even anticipate the future. McGuire's 70 home run season triggers a vision of people diving into San Francisco Bay to retrieve the balls Barry Bonds his in 2001, the year he surpassed McGuire's record.

Baseball fans will love this book, others will like it. It's clearly, simply, and accurately presented and guaranteed to stir a memory or two.

It's hard not to enjoy this well written, easily readable book on baseball's best players of the past 50 years. Lively anecdotes plus comprehensive (but not boring) analysis shows exactly why these are the best players of the game. I got a kick out of remembering a lot of things I had almost forgotten, like just how good Bob Gibson was. Some of the facts are amazing, like that in the last two years Sandy Koufax pitched, there were 8 games where the Dodgers only scored one run for him--but he won 4 of them. This book also avoids wallowing in sex and drug garbage. It's a baseball book, not National Enquirer. Balanced, interesting, a really solid piece of work.

With the writing of Baseball's Greatest Players, author David Shiner takes a serious risk. The only thing a sports fan loves more than making a "greatest list" is arguing voluably about why the other guy's list is WRONG! One read of this book will shut down most any other greatest list's chances, and it does so with style, wit, and a healthy dose of readable fact.

In its text, Shiner's book fulfils both the needs of casual fan's interest and the SABR-members desire for solid, quantifiable statistical evidence. But it goes beyond just fact and storytelling to get to the intangibles that separate the players truly great between the white lines from those whose personality and dedication supported not just their teams, but the game itself.

Baseball, more than any other sport (though Canadian hockey fans will rightly take exception to this) carries its past with it. This continuity, this love of the game that both transcends and unites generations is served well by Shiner's writing. Buy Baseball's Greatest Players, and take it to a sports bar near you. You won't go wrong.

Brief synopses of baseball's best players during the past 50 years. Fun and informative. Enjoyed reading this, think others would also.

What an enjoyable book! I loved it. Great short biographies of the greatest baseball players from the past 50 years. For the serious baseball fan or the novice (or anyone who wants to know the story behind legendary players like Mantle and Mays, or why Ricky Henderson really IS one of the greatest players ever). Whether you are ten or eighty, this book is fun, interesting, and helps explain why millions love baseball--and their heroes! Makes a great gift for kids or adults. Exciting stories, well written.

Morgan Stanley like many old-line firms lost its soul at the hands of a CEO who never understood the value of the real enterprise. Phil Purcell tried to take what worked at Dean Witter and impose it on Morgan Stanley a much different institution. In doing so he acquired all of the perks of modern chairmen-the pay, the G-Vs, the compliant board while his firm's performance was tanking.

Eight "advisory directors," retired and respected former partners, set out to rescue Morgan Stanley and restore its name and culture. Called the "Group of Eight" and sometimes the "Eight Grumpy Old Men" they take a stand for old-fashioned business values.

Blue Blood and Mutiny reads like a novel. And it delivers an important message to business-ethical behavior, hard work and understanding of business fundamentals are more important and more beneficial than the gimmick-riden pursuit of a higher bottom line. This real life story will be the textbook case study in value driven management.

This is a very concise historical review of a merger that involves two cultures that tried to combine choosing the wrong an inexperienced leader to make it work, Fortunately, the more astute retired individuals came to the rescue and in time the combination should work. Only time will tell.

Well written, and engrossing.
Very clear presentation of the issues involved and makes a convincing case that "the mutineers" were right, and Purcell had to be removed as CEO.

Excellent book. It's been a long time since I've had a book I could not put down. Thank goodness for the G-8 and the employees who stood their ground. John Mack is a true leader and will continue to lead Morgan Stanley into a league of its own. Well worth the read.

With dagger for pen and venom for ink, Patricia Beard scribes an devastating slant on the Dean Witter/Morgan Stanley merger in her new book, "Blue Blood and Mutiny: The Fight for the Soul of Morgan Stanley ". In a book where J.P. Morgan is revered for his integrity, good will and even-handedness it is clear that the demons from Chicago will get short thrift.

Indeed, we find the satanic Phil Purcell arriving with his banking heretics from Dean Witter to beguile the trusting John Mack and his virtuous management staff. The demons wrest control of the soul of Morgan Stanley and profitability is shrouded in an evil shadow. Quicker than you can say 9/11, the bank's returns go south as Purcell reaps from his half-full cup while investors and staff inherit the wind. The cries on the Street rose uptown to Bankers' Heaven (5th Ave) and were embraced by the legacy of JP himself. Faster than you can say Mack-the-Knife, a Gang of 8, err... a Group of 8 former Morgan executives are blessed with avenging this affront on the investment banking community. Not to spoil the Hollywood ending, but angels never lose and evil is always vanquished.

Wall Street banking is clearly a Darwinian struggle between smart and successful A-type personalities competing for mega-deals. It is a battle between the haves and haves-better where success is fleeting and is measured in bonus, prestige, and ranking on a deal-by-deal basis. Beard's book is the epitome of banking rancor as Purcell is not only vilified, for all his past mistakes as Morgan Stanley CEO, but for any mistake anyone there made as well. Slogans aside, the pro-Purcell claque is not as "bad" as portrayed and, the pro-Morgan Stanley contingent is not as "good". In the end though, John Mack's blue blood is pumping up the Morgan Stanley profits so Purcell gets the deserved lumps.

Reviewed by Dr. Carol Hoyer for Reader Views (3/08)

One of the things we mothers have is an incredible sense of things going wrong with our children. Barbara Coppo was no different. She and her husband Ken already had a beautiful healthy girl, when she found out she was pregnant again. She wasn't sure how she felt about being pregnant again now that she had a great career and her daughter was a teenager, but as time went on she was very excited and hoped that this pregnancy would bring her husband and her closer together. On February 1, 1978 she delivered a healthy boy whom they named Kenny. Kenny was the center of attention for his first year of life--adored by everyone. When it came time for Kenny to have his eighteen-month shots, Barbara got a "feeling," and wasn't sure what was causing the apprehension. After several lengthy discussions with her pediatrician, her husband and family members, she finally decided to get him his boosters.

On September 6th, 1979, Kenny got his last series of the d.p.t. booster - his life would change forever. After a few days, Kenny wasn't able to talk, walk or respond in his normal happy way. Even the doctor's were stumped as to what had happened-- they continued to explain that vaccines for children were very safe. And again the next day Kenny began to have convulsions -- still no reason why.

This was Kenny's life to this day-- seizures, mobility problems, no friends and he has characteristics of autism. Doctor's even had the gall to tell his mother that he was retarded. With numerous evaluations, behavioral schools, special classes and countless hours of care and research by his mother, it was realized Kenny would never be a normal child again.

Even through the years, pediatricians kept telling Kenny's parents that vaccines were safe. Yet one doctor finally told Barbara that through research it was indicated, after the d.p.t. vaccines, that some children became autistic, mentally-challenged and some even died. This is a parent's worse nightmare - all of us today think about the effect of vaccines on our children. Yet never once did Kenny's parents, friends, therapists give up on him. They continued to push him to the point that he was finally able to talk through the use of facilitative communication. No one even imagined he had all those thoughts and intelligence in him. He was very aware of his challenges and knew he was different. He was also very mathematically inclined.

To this day, Kenny is a loner, but has many friends and supporters. He loves to watch people through his upstairs window. He has a set routine that no one can upset or his violent behavior will come out. But he has made great strides even though he came across many obstacles with very little support from the school systems.

How does a mother do this? You do what you have to do to save your child, never take no for an answer. Many parents of children with special needs have been through this high and low road.

Having worked with family members who have children or adult children with special challenges for over 25 years, Barbara Coppo's story is the same for many of them. The frustration, anger and trying to figure out what they did to cause this. My personal and professional opinion is that everyone involved with children; teachers, coaches, school boards and therapists should read "The Boy in the Window" to get a first-hand knowledge of what families go through.

This story is moving and tragic. The book is about Kenny who is born healthy and develops normally until 19 months old, when he is given the DPT shot (which stands for diphtheria, tetanus, and pertusis). The next day he goes into seizures, which continue on for the rest of his life. He is eventually diagnosed with autism. Amazingly, early on, one of the doctors in the hospital tells Kenny's parents that it was the vaccine that caused the seizures. That would never happen today.

They eventually go to court and sue the vaccine manufacturer, which you can't do today. She says she learned a lot in the lawsuit that most people don't know, such as after a vaccine death the pharmaceuticals will plant false stories of a pertusis outbreak.

Kenny's parents are passionate advocates for their son and fight to get him into appropriate programs, which is quite difficult, because his condition is so severe. He is practically non-verbal, has violent outbursts, and runs like a cheetah. They go from one program to another for various reasons. They usually start out looking promising, but then staff changes, or they loose funding, or Kenny gets too old.

One of the more interesting sections is the one on facilitated communication (fc), which is almost 200 pages long. Fc is a method of assisting non-verbal people to communicate. The non-verbal person guides the facilitator to letters. Like most things in the autism community, it is controversial. In his fc, he expresses likes and dislikes, such as he wants more puzzles, he's bored at school, he wishes people wouldn't talk to him in baby talk, and he has a passion for stars. Stars are one of his past times, and he makes up exotic names for them. Some of the names he gives them are the correct scientific names, and they can find no way that he would have known that.

Through fc, they discover that Kenny is telepathic. Yes, I realize this sounds absurd in today's modern world. But this isn't the first time I've heard someone say that a child with autism knows what people think. On some level, we are all able to tell what people are thinking at certain times, maybe not as specifically as Kenny, but we've all known that someone couldn't be trusted, or that they liked us, or numerous other things. It's certainly an interesting twist in the story.

Unfortunately, he looses interest in fc somewhere along the line, so we quit seeing inside of his head. He also graduates from school at 22, because that's as far as the school system will support a disabled child. His mother definitely feels like he this was a big loss for the whole family, as he then only wants to sit and look out the window.

Barbara, Kenny's mother is the author, and like many other parents of children on the spectrum, her whole life has revolved around recovering and caring for her son. She has a couple of respite care workers that make it possible for her to have a little bit of time to herself, but now at the age of 65 she dreads the thought of her death, and Kenny being left behind. She has someone who has agreed to take him that she is as comfortable with as she can be in this circumstance. But, it is still a frightening proposition, the prospect of leaving behind an adult-child, that is so disabled, and that needs so much intense supervision and care.

This is a story that touches my heart. Not only do we have 1 in 150 children with autism, we have a growing population of adults suffering the devastating effects of vaccine damage. The brother of an autistic boy recently said "If I could just go back in time, and stop that doctor from giving him all those shots everything would be different, but I can't."

There is a book that focuses on the DTP vaccine and all the damage it caused called A Shot in the Dark. Many people unfortunately believe the newer DTaP is safe, but there is evidence to the contrary in such books and DVDs as Vaccines: Are They Really Safe and Effective and Vaccines: What CDC Documents and Science Reveal.

Luckily there are stories out there of full recovery, such as Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism and He's Not Autistic But...: How We Pulled Our Son From the Mouth of the Abyss. Both women acknowledge the roll vaccines played in their son's illness.

When Kenny Coppo, Jr. was born on February 1, 1978 he was a healthy, thriving baby. He developed normally until he received a vaccination from the Wyeth Labs on September 6, 1979. From there, he developed autistic behaviors and his cognitive abilities were not as readily apparent. His 16-year-old sister Rhonda, always loving and protective of her brother was especially devastated. In addition to the autism, Kenny became epileptic and to this day takes anti-seizure medication.

Kenny's behavior appeared to be severely autistic and he made the rounds of special programs in the Bay Area. One especially good placement in the Spectrum School was where Kenny's cognitive abilities and special skills shone. Marginally verbal since 1979, Kenny worked with a team of dedicated and kind specialists on Facilitated Communication (FC), where he pointed to words or printed them out on a computer. It was at Spectrum where Kenny's telepathic abilities were uncovered. Those working with Kenny would think of a word and he would immediately print or point to it. From June 15, 1993 until August 7, 2000 transcripts of Kenny's sessions with his teachers have been provided. Readers get to travel with Kenny and take in his incredible progress.

Kenny also had a facination with stars and even named several. Some of the stars such as Vegas were ones he recognized and whose names he knew. This has yet to be explained. So far, the only explanation came from Kenny who said that he knew the stars' names and that the names came from space. He also demonstrated incredible mathematical skills and could point to the correct answer out of a list of multiple choice questions.

My favorite parts were when Rhonda sang with the Beatles as a toddler (good early cultural exposure) and Kenny's strong spirituality. During several of his FC sessions, he told his teachers that he knew Jesus; that Jesus would help him and made other deeply profound and poignant statements about the Lord Jesus Christ. I found that especially beautiful and moving. I also loved the part about a priest known for his healing ability developing a deep bond and rapport with Kenny.

This is an excellent book that will leave a lasting impression on readers. Kenny's behavior remains severely autistic, but he is clearly an intelligent person who, as he said can't talk as he is trapped in his mind. His attraction to windows seems especially a propos in light of his remarkable intelligence and interest in things celestial. Once he was able to express himself, he provided a window to galaxies (not Fords) that few ever imagined possible.

I found his expressions interesting and very a propos; I was also impressed by the fact that he taught himself to read. Kenny traveled down quite a Long & Winding Road and his story makes me think of the Grateful Dead classic, "Truckin'," because what a long, strange trip it's been!

This is an excellent reminder to all that talking in a normal fashion to a person who is nonverbal at worst, marginally verbal at best is an excellent way to show respect and to recognize that the person comes before the autism.

This book is a real page turner. I was totally enthralled. Barbara is an excellent author. The book is well written, easy to follow, and very entertaining. Barbara tells a tragic story, however, it's done in a very comprehensive, compassionate, and humorous way. It's filled with love, showing the great lengths and perseverance that a mother will go through for her child. Although it's a personal journey for Barbara and Kenny, it will totally engulf you emotionally. Not only do you get the challenges and successes of Kenny... you also get to read about his thoughts and unusual abilities. It definitely left me wanting more. A must have piece of work.

C. Dawn McCallum's poetic language in The Caretaker of Tree Palace fits her melancholic yet hopeful tale of mourning. Her beautiful prose has a way of creating striking images and provoking deep thoughts without being indulgent. As young Jon grieves over the death of his mother, he finds himself drawn to the nesting place of two mourning doves. Jon struggles to see the magic his mother knew of the Tree Palace, but finds comfort in drawing the birds. The way the story flits back and forth between Jon's point of view and the doves' point of view demonstrates how the two stories of survival are really one story. While the author does this convincingly, the parallel story lines and philosophical content may be a bit sophisticated for a younger reader to fully understand. This book reminded me how fragile life is; yet it left me with a feeling of hope for the future. Certainly a worthwhile read, especially for a young reader who has lost a loved one.

The Caretaker of Tree Palace is a powerful story. Author C. Dawn McCallum has gracefully intertwined two captivating tales. Jon, also known as Doodles, is a gifted young artist. He finds escape from his grief-stricken life by sketching the birds and trees outside his home. Meanwhile, two mourning doves called Gentle and Winsome are terrified that the shrinking forest will threaten their precious new fledglings. Their hope lies in their caretaker, Jon, to protect them and their wonderful home. Some called it Tree Palace - but only those that had the eyes to see it's magic.

Few books can make me set it down on my lap, mid-way through a page, and stare off into space in contemplation. "The Caretaker of Tree Palace" is one of these books. In different ways, it calls forth the allegorical tone of "The Man Who Planted Trees" and at the same time the quiet, precious, yet realistic hope for joy in works such as "The Giver." There's a magic to it all, half in shadows, half in sunlight, not quite concrete, but nevertheless real. There is beauty here and it will touch anyone willing to hold out a hand and let a leaf fall into it.

"The Caretaker of Tree Palace" is a creative and imaginative tale that grasps the reader immediately with its vivid descriptions and honesty. It poetically handles the complex topics of pain, loss and death while relating the joy, growth and love of life.' - "There is a time... to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot."

~ Bear Cahill, creator of the children's animation series Booples (booples.com).

I was totally caught up in this beautiful tale of loss and loneliness as young Jon is forced to cope with the loss first of his mother and then his grandmother. After his mother dies, he stops talking, "for what words were there to say?" and becomes the victim of the school bully after he and his dad move to Texas to live with Jon's grandmother. He finds solace in his drawings and in the quiet of the woods at his grandmother's house--what his mother called "Tree Palace"-- and very slowly the healing process begins. The elegant intertwining of the two stories: the story of the young boy and the story of the birds--is done with great artistry and sensitivity and leaves the reader feeling content that "all is well."

Authored and illustrated by Palo Morgan, Cat Balloon is the picturebook tale of a young and ambitious kitty. Following the adventurous of a determined kitty through his persistent desire to fly, Cat Balloon thoroughly engages its young readers ages 3 and older as they discover Cat Balloon's undaunted spirit and aspiration as, eventually, he does find himself afloat the air on his way to the moon. An excellent addition to school and community library picturebook collections, Cat Balloon is strongly recommended for all beginning readers and parents searching for an inventive, entertaining and colorful story with the underlying theme of wholeheartedly pursuing a personal goal.

Our oldest and youngest (separated by ten years) both loved this book as toddlers and it retains it's charm for the adults reading it. It is a current favourite of the youngest, and gets read at least daily and I never get sick of it.

This book is a wonderful and fun read for all. My four year old has it memorized already and we've only had it a week. The text and animations are fun, colorful and leads your imagination on a wonderful journey with Cat Ballon. The CD for this book is wonderful as well with songs written for the stage adaptation.

"Far,Far Away where the sea meets the sky In a Land of Dreams where no-one asks why 10,000 cats laze about under trees drinking moonbeam milk and sweet honey tea"

So begins one the most delighful Childrens stories available, the hero,Cat Balloon,is short,slightly over weight and looks nothing at all like the proud jungle cats that he shares his home with, and besides Cat Balloon wants to fulfill just one dream: To fly amongst the stars, and as even though

"cat ballon tried all the obvious things like flapping his arms as if they were wings"

His success is limited for as "everyone knows cats can't fly" until one day Cat Balloon sets sails to seek the secret that has eluded him

This is a delighful choice for children of all ages,with outstandingly beautiful richly coloured illustrations, the rhyming verse is well though out and our three year has no problem in being able to "guess" the lines following

Palo Morgan has produced a book that is both richly comic, beautifully illustrated and sits well upon any childrens shelf as a book to both treasure and read many times over

"Far,Far Away where the sea meets the sky In a Land of Dreams where no-one asks why 10,000 cats laze about under trees drinking moonbeam milk and sweet honey tea"

So begins one the most delighful Childrens stories available, the hero,Cat Balloon,is short,slightly over weight and looks nothing at all like the proud jungle cats that he shares his home with, and besides Cat Balloon wants to fulfill just one dream: To fly amongst the stars, and as even though

"cat ballon tried all the obvious things like flapping his arms as if they were wings"

His success is limited for as "everyone knows cats can't fly" until one day Cat Balloon sets sails to seek the secret that has eluded him

This is a delighful choice for children of all ages,with outstandingly beautiful richly coloured illustrations, the rhyming verse is well though out and our three year has no problem in being able to "guess" the lines following

Palo Morgan has produced a book that is both richly comic, beautifully illustrated and sits well upon any childrens shelf as a book to both treasure and read many times over