Park Books

This book, as with all the World Almanacs, contains so many interesting facts and statistics over a broad range of topics.

This book is so full of useful and interesting facts and trivia on every subject imaginable! It is a wonderful tool for all our writing projects!

This is really a great publication. Has so much valuable information.

My dad always bought me The World Almanac when I was a kid. No matter what the topic was, research for school assignments always found me first reaching for this volume for orientation. The information found in the Almanac lets you hold the whole world in your hands.

It is suprising how much you get out of a book like this. Excellent.

I have been involed in criminal justice practice and education for several years. This book is one of the BEST first hand accounts of prison life I have ever read. A plus was that I got to meet the author on Alacatraz during a visit in 1996. We spoke at some length and he signed a copy of the book for me. I was sorry to hear when I went back a few years later for a return visit to the "Rock" that he had died. This book is a keeper for your library!

While Alcatraz is the centerpoint of the book, the overall story is about a young man's life and how it changes--how it is forcibly changed, rather, through a prison system that had reached its limit with him. Though he describes other prisons (including San Quinten), it is Alcatraz that breaks him of his youthful attitudes of rebellion and crime. And that's how Alcatraz was to him and others--not a place of rehabilitation nor even pennance, but a place meant to break them and make them harmless, or kill them. The awful sense of frustration and desperation that must accompany prison life comes through vividly in his narrative.

The story is told with honesty. I felt I had a sense of him as a young man, and later as an older one facing the real, adult world for the first time. Stories of Alcatraz itself, and its escapes, are well-told from an insider's view, with only hints of residual anger.

I bought the book in 1997 on my first visit to the Rock. I loved it and when I returned to Alcatraz a few months later, I was able to meet Jim Quillen and have my picture taken with him. I felt like I knew him because of the book. It was a neat experience.

I got this book in San Fransisco and from then on I was hooked!If I could recommend any book to anyone it would be this one. I couldn't put it down. I won't let anyone borrow it because I don't want it to get ruined. Please if you are looking into getting a book on Alcatraz for yourself or anyone else, get this one! You won't regret it!! I know I didn't!!

Great book! It was very powerful

To say that Roy Neuberger's book entitled "From Central Park to Sinai" was a real page turner, is a definite understatement. This most engrossing and captivating book details the story of a personal transformation of a man searching for spiritual meaning and purpose in his life. The grandson of a great rabbi and founder of the "Mussar" movement in Judaism, Rabbi Yisroel Salanter, Roy Neuberger's life couldn't be further apart from that of his grandfather. Educated in the traditions of ethical culturalism, Mr. Neuberger felt an ever present spiritual vacuum in his life and as such he embarked on a personal quest for truth, via the study of Catholicism, Protestantism and a whole host of other religions and value systems. He even wrote a book detailing why these other religions and their credos were superior to that of Judaism and why Judaism held no meaning.

Accompanying Mr. Neuberger on his trajectory towards spiritual fulfillment was that of his beloved wife, Linda, also a student of ethical culturalism. The fear and uncertainty that plagued Mr. Neuberger throughout his life could be simply termed as a man living through a perpetual anxiety attack with no relief in sight.

It would seem that G-d heard the inner cry and pain of Mr. Neuberger, and as destiny would have it, he was guided in the direction of Rebbetzen Esther Jungreis. That night in Neuburgh, NY changed the course of an entire generation of Neubergers. Mr. Neuberger was deeply impressed with Rebbetzen Jungreis' Torah message and he began to attend her classes on a weekly basis, despite the hardship of traveling such a long distance during a fuel crisis. Rebbetzen Jungreis served as a conduit to bring the message of G-d's love and compassion to a man who hungered and thirsted for spiritual guidance and meaning. In essence, Mr. Neuberger began to fall in love with G-d, embracing His Torah and commandments.

Since that time, Mr. Neuberger and his wife have raised a beautiful family steeped in Torah values and has spread his joy and understanding of spiritual truth with hundreds of people who he has invited to his home to enjoy the uplifting experience of Shabbos.

Mr. Neuberger's story will not only inspire, but will captivate the heart and soul of the reader. It is a must read for anyone searching for guidance and truth and even for those who are not searching for anything in particular. It is a welcome addition to any library and will remain within the recesses of the soul for posterity.

Roy Neuberger's journey to find himself is extremely inspiring. It goes to show you that a man can have all the money in the world,but without a some spiritual guidance, what is he really living for? In some ways his wealthy background was a great hinderance to him. His parents did not give Roy all the proper attention and guidance as the Ethical Cultural Schools merely confused his thinking.

Finally after 31 years, a colleague woke him up to the fact that he is a Jew whether he realizes it or not. Mr. Neuberger finally realized that he was not giving his own heritage a chance. Finally he asked to visit a synagogue with a friend and it so happened the Rebbetzin Jungeris was speaking there that night. At that point a chain reaction fo events triggered in Mr. Neuberger's brain that this was answer he was looking for.

The rest of the book consists of many powerful miracles based on prayer and faith in G_d. Although many of the stories are repeated from Esther Jungeris' The Committed Life, it is still a pleasure read about people turning their lives around by believing the Power of the Jewish Religion. Judaism encourages its followers to be strong and persist towards acheiving happiness and overcoming obstacles.

This book will make you believe in miracles even if you are not Jewish. An inspiration to us all.

Mr. Neuberger is a very enthusiastic and sincere man of faith, and these qualities shine through in his book.

This book has the power of spiritual elevation reinforced by a sense of personal discovery.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in religion, who can appreciate religion as an experience where personal growth and community involvement are not contradictory; but, parallel and mutually reinforcing.

Roy Neuberger's personal story has a strong message even for non-Jews and for people who are not religious. His personal search for God is very moving and is written in a charming, conversational style. I was especially taken with his numerous stories about he and his wife, Leah, helping so many people from various walks of life. There are important messages in this book that will help all of us to live better and more enriching lives.

This was a heartfelt story of a mensch who was dissatisfied with the lack of spirituality in bland liberal universalist culture in which he was raised. Eventually, he found true joy in Jewish orthodoxy. However, if you're pondering deep metaphysical issues, you'll find assertions here, but not deep abstract notions of different "isms" and why they are true or not. I was also uncomfortable with the assertion that Jewish assimilation caused the Holocaust.

Tae Kwon Do Basics, Techniques and Forms: The Indomitable Martial Art of Korea

This book was a long time coming and I'm proud that our father's technique is being shared in this book. The hope is that many would be able to learn from this book and instill confidence, self-discipline and self-respect in those that choose to practice it.

Congratulations and Happy New Year!

I really enjoyed learning from this book. There are so many Martial Arts books out these days, it's hard to find one that is really good. After looking at many books, I found that the author is the most qualified teacher in the TaeKwonDo world. Grandmaster Park is the best by far! Great Book!!!

I bought this book for my Grandson and he just loves it! He said it was the best Christmas Gift ever! He loved all the color photos and the description was so easy to understand I could follow it too! Can't wait until GrandMaster Park's next book comes out!!!

This book co-authored by Taekwondo Hall of Famer GM Dong Keun Park
offers much for both the beginning and advanced student. The photos and
explanation of techniques are clear and crisp. Highly recommended!

Gerard Robbins,
3 Times National Taekwondo Champion
Competitor / 2nd World Taekwondo Championships

This book is great if you want a basic reference for kicking and punching techniques, forms, sparring, etc. I was hoping for more of the theory and reasoning behind the art. In my opinion, it is best to clarify any questions of physical technique with a good teacher, rather than a book, so I try not to rely too heavily on the technical suggestions.

I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed this book, "Teacher Under Construction". I am seeking my first teaching position right now and this book was a huge help in my preparation. This book will be a great reference resource for me.

This is an AWESOME overview of teaching in a junior high! Spend 2 days reading this, and you'll save yourself 5 years worth of trial-and-(lots of) error!

NOTE: Review written by Jim T., (K-12 instructor), Orange County CA. I used Donna's status.

I taught 7th grade for the first time last year as a veteran high school teacher and learned by trial and error some of the things discussed in this book. While experience is the best teacher, it was great to read it from someone who really knows what they are doing. A Must.

NOTE: I am submitting this as a copy of the review from AvanteGuard Teacher's website, since it is what I might say.

TOP PICK: If I'd had Teacher Under Construction, a book written specifically for middle-school teachers, I suspect I would have gotten more sleep, fewer headaches, and organized my time more effectively. This book is a must-have gem for the new or initially-licensed middle-school teacher. Your pedagogy classes don't cover this stuff, and it seems that too few resources are dedicated to the squirrelly (but infinitely fun) middle schooler. (TOP FIVE AvantGarde Teacher Review)

Dr. Parks' book "Teacher Under Construction" is great! I am currently in college now to major in mid-level social studies and English. This little book really opened my eyes to the things I should prepare for. I am quite nervous about teaching but now I am more confident. Thank you for writing this, Dr. Parks! Tessa Suzanne White

My whole family loves this book. We catch ourselves saying the chant all the time!

My 5 year old son loves everything about this book, the pictures, the rhyme, the information about the fish at the end. It's very unique and educational, and fun at the same time.

We are a nature center that teaches fishing classes. This is a fantastic book. Even though the fish are fun and cartoonish; they have very good features!

I grew up on a lake and love fish- so the BEAUTIFUL illustrations, and cute chant is wonderful. It's creative and fun. I have spent a lot of time reading it to my nephew!I think even if you don't like fish it's still a cute, cute book. Even as an adult I still adore great kids books, and beautiful artwork!

The illustrations are humerous and entertaining! Any fish lover would appreciate this book. My 15-month old daughter even likes it (her dad reads it to her more like a cheer and she thinks that's GREAT!!!) Grandpa will be getting a copy for Father's Day. The variety of fish in here is unlike any other book I've seen (besides my fish identification book from college). If you do not know what all the fish are, there is a section in the back with an informative write-up on each of the fish in the book. I wish that Trip Park would come out with cards and stationary...or another book, maybe a child story book on fish life cycles or natural salmon runs? (I'm hoping he'll read this! Fish people are left hungry for more!!!) It's AWESOME.

This fast-reading non-fiction portrays the author and and his companions in a two-year odyssey, traveling seven countries of South America. These fast-reading encounters are narrated with rare insights of a personal nature along with the attractions of the land, back-packing on a shoe string.

The sights of these Latin countries are presented with a refreshing, unusual point of view. Most episodes are humorous. Some are not-so-pleasant, even downright frightening. I enjoyed the book thoroughly.

Made me laught outloud!!! A great journey trought South America and the life of Jesse Archer. Looking foward to read more colums and books from him.

How many times have you resisted the urge to just take off when you felt trapped, frustrated or bored with your life? Jesse Archer didn't resist. He took off for South America and stayed almost two years. This hair-raising, often hilarious, and heartfelt book is a startlingly candid account of his intrepid travels and uproarious escapades.

Everyone should read this book for its vivid and sometimes appalling vignettes of what life is like for people living on the margins, out in the Amazon, way up in the Andes or in some urban barrio. Archer didn't just observe the life from a tour bus. Because he was traveling on a shoestring, he lived it. And there's a double journey in the book: the wild travel adventures across the South American continent, and also a wild journey of the heart.

But the book is far from being all third-world misery and messy personal emotions. As I said, it's both hair-raising and hilarious. Ever had a live alligator hauled into your boat? And wait `till you read about Archer's impromptu striptease in front of the toilet paper lady.

If you're not going to actually break free from your own life and light out for the hinterlands, buy this book, and travel along with Jesse Archer. He's such a good writer, it's the next best thing.
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I loved this book and read it non-stop. I started reading it while I was on vacation in Miami - I was reading it before going to bed, near the pool, in the pool.... I would finally stop reading and feel like I'd been in another place - it would take a few seconds to get my bearing. Fun, smart stories with an overarching story throughout the book. Highly recommended.

Archer's true and human spirit shines all the way through You Can Run. Each chapter is a delicious morsel of real experience that I savored as slowly as possible dreading coming to the end because no one else writes like this. Phrases and paragraphs have stuck with me for months, and I suspect for the rest of my life, because Archer can describe an experience in such a way that it becomes part of the reader. Archer's humor is present throughout the book as well as his love and facination with humanity. There were stories that had me in tears as the writer opened my heart to love, betrayal, lonliness and miraculous survival in impossible circumstances. I am thrilled that Jesse Archer continues to write and eagerly anticipate publication of his next book.

I was intrigued and amused to see another reviewer say her children were obsessed with "Scranimals" -- because that's the same reaction we got with our kid!

Jack Prelutsky evidently knows the secret of how to captivate children, especially when teamed up with illustrators like Peter Sis. Nearly every Prelutsky book that enters our home gets the same treatment: fascination, amusement, and above all, lots of reading and re-reading.

One might say that this is not Prelutsky's most ingenious work, since it's basically a single concept stretched out into a series of variations, not all of which are equally clever. But there's more to it than that. The illustrations are compelling and fun. And much of the poetry is more highly-crafted than one might expect, given the silly first impression the book makes.

A great example is the description of the "Bananaconda" (that word alone always makes ME laugh!) in which the author slathers syballant syllables in silly sequences. I took the opportunity to point out to our first-grader how a poet describes things differently than other kinds of writers.

I then read it aloud to demonstrate that point, sssimply by exsstending each of the esses on the page. At that point, most kids can make the connection between the sound of the words, and their understanding of "S" as the sound made by a snake -- something many of them learn in preschool, if not earlier.

And of course those words were written ABOUT a snake. For a kid to learn that words can have multiple layers of meaning, and to learn that concept at such an early age... well, that's really something. And Prelutsky is one of the best at delivering that kind of depth, even when combined with utter silliness.

In short, Scranimals is definitely a worthy addition to any child's collection, at nearly any age.

During the story a boy and a girl went on a trip the Scranimal Island. They saw a lot of animals such as the RHINOCEROSE, a group SPINACHICKENS, a caravan of CAMELBERTA PEACHES, a lonely POTATOAD, one CARDINALBACORE, couple of HIPPOPOTAMUSHROOMS, talkative PARROTTERS, a sweet PORCUPINEAPPLE, fierce BROCCOLIONS, a nimble ANTELOPETUNIA, an unsuccessful STORMY PETRELEPHANT, content TOUCANEMONES, then the vicious RADISHARK, a yellow BANANACONDA, the fast OSTRICHEETAH, a shy PANADAFFODIL, and the playful MANGORILLA and his friend the ORANGUTANGERINE. The extinct AVOCADODO wasn't smart, strong, or fast, it is no wonder you are extinct.
This book is my favorite picture book because all the animals were mixed up. The craziest animal was the PORCUPINEAPPLE because it was cute and the poem was funny.

My daughter says: "This book is lovely and funny" ... "it makes me smile because it is fun. I love reading this book with my mum."

This book is anything but traditional. Scranimals by Jack Prelutsky is a book that allows its readers to be silly. A book of poetry that describes different mythical creatures that live on "Scranimal Island". I think this book is especially good for the present day kid because a child is constantly forced to conform in everyday life; conform to rules, chores, school work, etc. This book goes outside the box and challenges there imaginations with animals that are clearly a fantasy, but they enter this world of make believe and can leave the compliance behind.

During the story a boy and a girl went on a trip the Scranimal Island. They saw a lot of animals such as the RHINOCEROSE, a group SPINACHICKENS, a caravan of CAMELBERTA PEACHES, a lonely POTATOAD, one CARDINALBACORE, couple of HIPPOPOTAMUSHROOMS, talkative PARROTTERS, a sweet PORCUPINEAPPLE, fierce BROCCOLIONS, a nimble ANTELOPETUNIA, an unsuccessful STORMY PETRELEPHANT, content TOUCANEMONES, then the vicious RADISHARK, a yellow BANANACONDA, the fast OSTRICHEETAH, a shy PANADAFFODIL, and the playful MANGORILLA and his friend the ORANGUTANGERINE. The extinct AVOCADODO wasn't smart, strong, or fast, it is no wonder you are extinct.
This book is my favorite picture book because all the animals were mixed up. The craziest animal was the PORCUPINEAPPLE because it was cute and the poem was funny.

The writers share the belief that people of different cultures can come together in mutual appreciation and respect for their differences, though the experiences they describe are at times wrenching. A superb collection, the book captures the Peace Corps spirit insightfully

"Pretty exotic" will be many a reader's conclusion, but so will "thoroughly human," i.e., funny, raffish, tragic, cruel, . . this is a powerful, engrossing collection

While this book did allow me a glimse into a far away world (Mainly Africa)only some of the stories were truely worth reading. Most of them seemed to drag on and have no particular point. Even so, the environment and the dialogue were exceptional, and i truely learned about other cultures. There were only two stories in there i thought actually deserved four stars. One was "My First Lion Hunt." This story had plot, characters, humor, and a great ending. I would recommend just reading this story! I was a bit dissapointed in the lack of depth and plot in a few of the stories, and the terrible endings (they didn't seem very well thought out). However, for the most part this was an enjoyable and educational book. FOR FURTHER READING go the PEACE CORPS web site and read some of the stories there! Enjoy!

Geraldine Kennedy's choices cannot be faulted. I don't know of any other volume that has captured the Peace Corps spirit as insightfully as "From the Center of the Earth."

The collection contains a surprising amount of humor for a book grounded in cultrual turmoil, global poverty, linguistic confusion, and a decent amount of tragedy. . .a crash course in cultural relativism while capturing the pecular sights, struggles, and smells of distant places

Erik's photography is very creative and inspiring. Even if you are familiar with the park, Erik takes you places few of us ever see. He also offers images of those most familiar places with stunning perspectives. This book will give you great joy or will please those to whom you give this as a gift!

This is one of the most amazingly beautiful photo books I've ever seen. Folks who have never visited the park will feel like they know it well after slowly turning the pages and enjoying all the wonderful images here. Folks who are repeat visitors will find themselves reliving fond memories of all the beauty in RMNP. This book is a must-have for RMNP fans, National Park enthusiasts, photography lovers, and anyone wishing to share some great moments in one of America's true treasures captured wonderfully in these photos.

I purchased the wonderful book this summer. For anyone who loves wilderness, flowers, and mountains, this is the book for you. The photographs are outstanding. Some taken where very few ever see. I highly recommend it. You will not be sorry.

This book is a truly beautiful photgraphic journey through Rocky Mountain National Park(RMNP). It does a great job of capturing some of the most amazing places in RMNP. The sunrise photographs in this book are the finest I have seen. I would highly recommend this book.

Whether you are planning to visit one of the most beautiful national parks in the U.S. or want to relive your experience there, you'll enjoy this book full of beautiful images of Rocky Mountain National Park. Erik takes you on a journey along familiar trails and into the back country of the park, capturing the incredible beauty that lies around each bend in the trail. Each and every photograph in this book is truly a work of art and are among the finest I've ever seen.