Shepard Books

I found this book to be extremely compelling, and hated to put it down. I admit I laughed and cried as the author described his relationship with Frankie. The book was a quick read and very well written. After reading it, I feel as if I know Frankie myself.

A great read - The author has put his heart and soul into this book.

Did your teachers ruin poetry for you by showing you the trees in such detail that you never wanted to give the forest a chance? These poems, on a variety of real life topics, from sports to family relationships to life and death, bring us back for a wide ranging look at intelligent, accessible, exciting, funny touching poetry by some poets you've heard of and some you'll be happy to meet. I buy this, give it away and then buy another.

When I taught, it was my source of real poetry.

If you are looking for a collection of the neo-classics of the 20th century, this is it. While designed to get junior high students intreseted in poetry, its value lasts far beyond the adolescent years--it's worth the effort to locate!

What a great book! This is a book we will read to the children every Christmas as we set out our snacks for Santa. We now have a new Christmas tradition that we can all share as a family. We recommend it to all families with children or grandchildren.

The illustrations and rhyming type story are classic and full of emotions. The story of a classic family tradition. I always wondered where this tradition had come from and now I know. The illustrations are beautiful and full of life. Everyone that reads this story with there family will love it and probably read it day after day during the Christmas holidays.

We've had this book for a long time, and we love it! My kids think it is hilarious, especially the pictures. My personal favorite is the cranky grandma sitting in bed when the walls start shaking from Miss Terry jumping on her bed. The wall paper in each room kind of describes the person in each room and in her room it has crabs all over it! Maybe I have a weird sense of funny. Kevin illustrates with such attention to detail-things you wouldn't think of. Theres not a lot of words, but who needs them when the pictures say it all. There is another good one that he has illustrated that I didn't find here...Lady Bugatti, by Joyce Maxner.

This book is one of my most favourite children's books. It is a simple little rhyme about Miss Terry who jumps on her squeaky bed and wreaks havok through out the entire house. Until the Troll, who lives in the basement, hears the squeak and sets off to deal with Miss Terry himself. The illustrations are wonderful. I took this book to read to my four year olds when I worked in a daycare, and they asked for it again and again whenever storytime came around. You can't ask for a better recomendation than that!

The original edition of this book was published by The Viking Press in 1978 (I know, because I was its editor), and a very important book it is. I'm delighted to see it back in print, because it got little attention when it first appeared. Few scientists then believed in the importance of animals to the development of human intelligence; now the subject of animal intelligence itself is taken far more seriously, and I'm certain that Paul Shepard's work made a significant contribution to this change.

...in forty years of relentless reading. We have all seen the evidence of subjects driven mad by sensory deprivation. We know that the health of an individual is tied up with the health of the community. Shepard gives us a glimpse of the myriad ways in which the mental health of our species is tied up with the interspecies conversations that produced our consciousness. To vastly oversimplify his synthesis of anthropological, biological, and cultural sources, Shepard's thesis is that the only argument that can possibly save wild animals and the environments upon which they survive is this: that without them we will destroy that heritage of which we are most proud: our human consciousness. The arguments are expanded in his other work, and I keep meaning to read them-as soon as I have absorbed this one. I've been rereading it for 20 years.

My cousin, referred to as Ron Ron in this book, recently waslost at sea in a terrible storm that took the life of several crewmates. The life of the author of this book was spared and he spoke at my cousin's memorial service. I ordered the book on here and could not put it down. It's a "man's" story, yet as a woman I felt very impresses by the closeness achieved on these journeys. Women rarely have jobs that could even compare to what these men experienced. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It was very interesting and I couldn't put it down

I am in the Nautical Industry, Found this book to tell it like it is and more , had me laughting till my sides hurt, and was very easy to read,due to the way its set up. Do hope Mr. Shepard continues to keep up his adventures and am eagerly awaiting his next book.
Thank You,
R. Nolan

I loved reading the behnd-the-scenes of Pooh and friends. Very well written, and in the flavor of Milne's originals, with pictures and verses throughout!

This lovely publication commemorates the 75th anniversary of the publication of "Winnie-the-Pooh." It's not a storybook -- it's a sort of "biography" of Winnie-the-Pooh, the Milne family, and Ernest Shepard. The book has lots of interesting trivia for Pooh-ophiles like me and lots of quotes from the Milne stories and verse, as well as beautiful prints of some of the well-known and lesser-known Shepard illustrations. I'm not sure why the book was designed as oversize. This is a lovely, well done book that's going to have a permanent place on my shelf next to my beloved Pooh books. I love it.

In my admiration for this fun, fascinating, fact-filled book, I yield to no authority but the eminent KIRKUS REVIEWS:

"George Saunders participated in many great cattle drives from 1871 to 1886; later, he spent years collecting and setting down his aging comrades' reminiscences. His career makes a thrilling tale, full of danger and hardship, stampedes, hostile Native Americans, rough country, and bad weather. Lightfoot also depicts Saunders's life between drives as a rancher and businessman, a solid citizen who rode with a vigilante group but also stepped forward to prevent a local massacre of Mexicans, at a time when racial tensions ran high. ...readers will get a clear idea of a cowhand's work, and of Saunders's important role in preserving the lore of a vanished era. Bibliography. (Biography. 10-12)"
-KIRKUS REVIEWS

Trail Fever brings to life the true adventures of a Texas hero, George Washington Saunders. George was a gallant cowboy who braved stampedes, storms, droughts, and outlaws. D.J. Lightfoot tells this nonfiction story with thrilling description and a narrative full of adventure and danger. This is an exceptional easy-to-read biography with plenty of rich, authentic detail--perfect for schools, libraries, and homes. I especially loved the part where 20-year-old Saunders stopped a vigilante group of nearly 80 men from mistakenly taking revenge on some Mexican people. Lightfoot makes the reading easy, but most important she makes the reading fun and exciting. This is a perfect book for youngsters or anyone who'd like to get a genuine experience of a courageous man and an interesting era!

Lucius Shepard is on top form, and this means absolutely spell-binding. I read this novel in one sitting, the way I've tended to read his other work.

Trujillo is grounded in complex psychology and psychopathology, and the 'supernatural' elements are allegorical rather than literal. This makes the story of Trujillo, like all his other writing, universally appealing. The sinister, oppressive pas-de-deux between psychopathic young gringo Stearns and battered, overweight Honduran psychiatrist Dr Ochoa, is gripping because of its many layers. There's the instantly recognisable arrogance of the rich American in a poor Central American backwater, pitted against a fine mind gone to seed in the oppressive poverty, heat and corruption of Honduras. There's the timeless theme of man tormenting woman for his pleasure, and indeed man tormenting man. There's the politics of a dusty, godforsaken Latin American province. I imagine the name Trujillo - also the name of the heinous psychopathic dictator of the Dominican Republic who was renown for his torture methods of innocent people - is not a mere coincidence.

The deeply humane undertones to this profound, savage story of cruelty passed down the generations stamp this hypnotic novel with the Lucius Shepard hallmark where horror and despair almost win against beauty and hope. Almost. There is nothing clear-cut in Trujillo's transgressive worlds, and nothing reassuring.

Lucius Shepard is simply one of the most original and exciting writers working in English today. Why he isn't published in Britain is a mystery that needs an urgent solution.

Widely regarded by many as one of the finest genre writers working today, Lucius Shepard has, in recent years, published a plethora of dark, delightful stories, thrilling his fans and giving award panels plenty to debate. Primarily working in the novella form, which at times seems to have been created especially for him, his eloquence, style, sense of place and troubled protagonists have lately once again raised his already high profile.

A reflection on love, death, virility and redemption, Trujillo is a story you can lose yourself in, a haunting, mesmerizing, wonderfully efficient piece of writing that fully engages each of your senses. Full of surprise, wonder, and sudden brutality, it also strikes a balance noticeably missing from Shepard's recent work, where love does not always prevail (think of the novellas Louisiana Breakdown and The Liar's House). In Trujillo, love leads to ruin, but it also leads to deliverance--it's the powerful juxtaposition of the two results that allows the novel to be characterized as both a triumph and a tragedy, making for a truly memorable reading experience.

TWO YEARS ON THE ALABAMA is a contemporary account of the voyages and sailors of the CSS ALABAMA. It was written by Lt. Arthur Sinclair, the fifth officer of the ship. It provides a comprehensive account of the ships encountered and prizes taken by this vessel in the service of the Confederate States. I liked very much the personal details of the lives of the individual officers and men who crewed her. There are over 30 illustrations showing portraits of many of these men and this helped to put a human face on this account. It showed Captain Semmes to be a brilliant naval officer and not at all the pirate the northern press often portrayed him to be.He was an expert in international maritime law and followed it to the letter.On two occasions he released ships taken as prizes when he determined that they had been apprehended just inside the 3 mile limit. There was an excellent account of the battle with Kearsarge and the Alabama's sinking. I was pleasantly surprised to f! ind there was no attempt to rewrite history or refight battles or take the apologist's role by Sinclair. Just simple, factual accounting. I highly recommend this book to the historian with an interest in Civil War naval operations.

The thing that amazed me the most about TWO YEARS ON THE ALABAMA was that I was unable to put it down. Each chapter gave me a curiosity and eagerness to find out what would happen next, even though I was acquainted with the general facts of the Alabama's depredations. Although Sinclair wrote this book some time after the Civil War the writing style shows no signs of being outdated and therefore the book is very easy to read. On the whole, it read almost like some adventure novel, like Jules Verne's 20,000 leagues under the sea. It is an absolute must for everyone interested in Civil War naval matters, and I think a lot non-Civil War enthusiasts will enjoy it as well.