Simmons Books

We started reading it to her when she was 3. She is 4 now and still loves it. The characters are quite memorable, and the moral of the story ("Do unto others...") is easy for a young child to grasp. I love the illustrations.

this book has a great aending and teachs kids to be kind and nice and then people will be nice to you

Greta's Revenge is a fun story with marvalous illustrations. It teaches about good and bad through a silly story.

Here's another masterpiece from Steve Simmons. He has a way of writing what my kids love to hear....the good win in the end!

Another must read by Simmons. Bravo!

I thoroughly enjoyed Marc Simmons' documentary of Kit Carson and his wives. It is a well-written, 146-page account of one of the most fascinating characters in American history.

Simmons describes in detail the relationship that Carson had with his wives and children. Though absent much of the time, Carson loved his children, and even adopted and helped raise a young orphaned Indian boy. The book showcases the softer side of this legendary hero.

If you are a Colorado history buff like me, then you will enjoy reading this book. I would also recommend another relatively obscure book "The Western Odyssey of John Simpson Smith" by Stan Hoig. It is about an Indian interpreter and frontiersman who lived in and around Colorado during the 1840's, 50's, and 60's.

Both books make for great reading.

Mitch Paioff, Author, Getting Started as an Independent Computer Consultant

The Western Odyssey of John Simpson Smith: Frontiersman and Indian Interpreter

Great history book detailing some of the little-known (or unknown) parts of Kit's life. Very well researched and very well written. Not "dry" research, but living information.

Kit Carson lived a life that many young men would have liked to have lived. He seemingly was in all the right places at the time that a nation was being born. He grew from a simple kid to being an American Patriot.
Simmons book cpatures the real Kit Carson, the man, the family, the life and times--it is not a novel, it contains 35 pages of documented footnotes--by one of the best historians of the west.
At a time when the slave trade was still happening, he raised several Indian children, along with his own, by buying the kids from the slave traders. It is a book that helps anyone understand time and place. The book has been nominated for a national award.

Nobody in his era survived more adventures and did more hard traveling than Kit Carson. His dispatch duties during the Mexican War totalled 16,000 miles -- most of that by horseback. In the first six years of his marriage to his third wife, he spent only six months at home in Taos. Carson was restless, and also uniquely qualified to play a major role in the far-flung events taking place across the Western U.S.

That is by way of saying that Carson was hardly domesticated. Based on very limited information this book looks into Carson's life with his three wives. With the first, Waa-nibe, an Arapahoe woman, he seems to have enjoyed domestic bliss. After she died he took up residence with Making Out Road, a beautiful and willful Cheyenne woman in what proved to a relationship from hell. After escaping from -- or being thrown out of the teepee by -- Making Out Road, he married Josefa, a Mexican woman of respectable family from Taos.

It was apparently a good marriage -- although Carson was rarely there and, moreover, never earned any money. In the census of 1850, when he was 41 years old, the value of his property totalled just over $200. Carson, however, apparently was a loving and responsible parent. He put his half-Arapaho daughter in school in Missouri and raised not only his own children in Taos but adopted several Indian orphans.

This is a good book, as much about the comings and goings of Kit Carson, as it is about his family relationships. The author tells of the fate of his wives and children and has included a number of photographs of family members. There's a large literature about Carson and little information about him that has not already been explored, but this book gives a different slant on his life than other biographies.

Smallchief

This is a GREAT!! book. I normally don't read comic books, but this one made me want to keep going. I couldn't put them down until I finished all of them. The story is about a girl who recieves special powers. She can heal and create. Her evil uncle Ilahn receives special powers also, the power to destroy. Sephie tries to stop her uncle with the help of her friends. And her special friend Jad. (Wink- Wink!) :)

With the great art, young woman focus, and advanture storyline, I have just now gotten into comic books! I can't put down each book that comes out until I finish it. I definitely recommend this series to any teen-age girl. Doing what must be done, Sephie is moral and brave. Like I said, I can't wait for the fifth book!

In this second installment of Crossgen's extremely affordable Travelers Editions, the multi-pronged narrative approach continues as Sephie tries out her new magical powers and recruits new allies on the diseased surface, her crooked uncle Ilahn sees new avenues of possible conquest, and her exiled people find a new floating island to call home. The plot sags somewhat in this volume, and the introduction and development of new characters Deren Beq and Crenner is given undeservedly short-shift, but it is still an enjoyable romp through a fantasy world with an empowering female heroine.

This is an amazing continuation of the story of Sephie, the young hero of Meridian. Here Sephie begins to understand the nature of her new mystical powers, and to accept her role of leadership in a world threatened by tirany.

I highly recommend this for readers of all ages and tastes.

This is a collection of short stories where things aren't always as they appear. Think Twilight Zone for mid-elementary school kids. The stories are such that they offer suspense and fantasy, without creating fear. Don't try this book with kids under five. The stories aren't too spooky, but the younger kids just won't get it, Some stories ended a little flat--just ended, without a proper catharsis or climax. The first thing to know is, these did NOT cause nightmares in a six-year-old boy. The stories are short, suitable for bedtime reading, and the "horror" of the stories is drawn from suspense and odd twists (boy turning into a snail, boy wishes for twin brother and gets an evil twin one day). They do NOT rely on blood and gore. There are no educational elements to speak of. Indirectly, the stories may spur your child's imagination in new directions.

Do you enjoy a good ghost story? If so, then MYSTERIOUS CHILLS AND THRILLS by Laura Hickey is the book for you. Filled with ten frightening tales, Hickey puts the chills in every shadow-every dark spot. Each story begins with a message-a warning of sorts-and ends with why the author wrote that particular story. Appropriate for chill-seekers ages 6 and up, Hickey's book is the one to read during sleepovers, camp-outs, and at story-swappings. This reviewer highly recommends Laura Hickey's spooky and unforgettable book.

I think that this book is truly outstanding and unique among books written for youngsters, particularly sub-teens, because its characters so credibly speak their language and think as they do. That reader niche immediately will identify not only with the characters but, also, with their own approaches to story-telling. The young people in the stories are believable. They say the things and think the thoughts that their real-life peers would say and think. All this credibility adds greater meaning and impact to the story-teller's craftsmanship.

Laura Hickey is a very talented author, and I feel so honored to be able to review her material. I love the stories in this book they are so full of creativity and they aren't the kind of predictable sort of stories you can read every day. This book is a great read and if you check it out I can guarantee you won't regret it =)

I've always held in high regard Hemingway's knowledge, as well as professionalism, when it came to his craft. Less impressed, through the years, I've been with what I've heard/read in regards to him, the person. A good book changes, to varying degrees, a reader's previous perspective. REMEMBERING ERNEST HEMINGWAY did that for me; and for that - to both Frank Simons and James Plath - I am grateful.

Having just finished "Remembering Ernest Hemingway," I am eager to sing its praises! I have taught Hemingway for 30 years, have read all the bios of him--Baker, Reynolds, Hotchner, etc., and enjoyed them all--but this book still manages to surprise and delight the reader with previously unheard anecdotes, unseen photos, and candid, first-person recollections of Hemingway the friend, boxer, fisherman, hunter, and writer. The book is a compilation of interviews with close personal friends and relatives of EH. For instance, his sons, Gregory and Patrick tell what life was like with EH for a father; two men remember their experiences boxing regularly with EH; Charles Thompson, who went on African safari with EH (and was featured in Hemingway's "Green Hills of Africa")tells what it was like to hunt big game with Hemingway; Valerie Hemingway remembers being with EH during wild times in Spain, etc.

Reading each interview is as authentic and fascinating as watching an old home movie. Each person interviewed offers genuine incidents in which Hemingway's candid words and actions reveal the man in his many facets. All in all, this is a thoroughly enjoyable book, a must read for all Hemingway fans. And, as frosting on the cake, the book even has rare photos, some of which I have never before seen: photos of Hemingway and Gary Cooper; photos of Hem's boat, "The Pilar,"; photos of Hemingway with the Italian woman on whom he based his novel "Across the River and Into the Trees," etc. "Remembering Ernest Hemingway" is a wonderful glimpse of the elusive writer. I most highly recommend it.

Most of the interviews in this book were with the people Hemingway lived and shared with. These interviews are not about the myth but more the person he was.

After decades of reveling in the myth of Hemingway I now know the man they call Papa Hemingway. The book holds many intimate surprises as told first hand by those who were his friends and his sons. The book is easy and friendly like sipping daiquiries on the verando in the keys and talking among friends. But it is also voyeuristic in feeling as you listen to the interviews and hear what everyday people who knew him had to say. It is intimate in content and refreshing to the senses. I knew the myth and I now know the man. I still like him. This is a good read.

A lot of people, even Christians, don't really consider or believe in "the Devil". However if you believe there is a God, and you believe that the Bible is God's word, and in God's word *He* speaks of a being that "like a roaring lion, seeks whom he may devour", you should probably consider getting all the intel on this unseen enemy of yours. Satan and his team certainly have insight into you, and are actively using it to bring you down. The material in this in this book can help you fight back.

I can't really add more than what other reviewers have said but it really is an excellent read!

Satan Unveiled defies conventional wisdom by challenging readers to view the value of their lives not from their own perspective but from God's perspective. Many societies encourage people to develop their self-esteem. The problem, however, is that one's self-esteem quickly erodes in the face of adversity. Satan Unveiled introduces the concept of Godly esteem, revealing that it is one's relationship with God, rather than one's self-esteem, that gives life its value.

Satan Unveiled provides an important message that will transform countless lives. Christian readers will find it an inspiring and uplifting guide that will strengthen their relationship with God. Non-Christians will find the concept of Godly esteem intriguing enough to hold their attention from the first page to the last. And somewhere in between, all readers will discover what they have been searching for their entire lives.

I was interested in finding out more about the lore and legends behind satan, a perspective that wasn't from the bible. This book was great and the authors obviously did their research. I was a bit apprehensive but a friend recommended it, and I wasn't dissapointed.

A must buy.

I absolutely adore Deborah Simmons!

Gabrielle is the unwilling recipient of a drunkard's attention, when she is rescued by a mysteriously silent and darkly handsome stranger.

When later she discovers her rescuer to be the simple stable hand at the establishment in which she is employed, she seeks him out to thank him for his gallantry. Unaware that he is a mute, she takes his silence as rude indifference to her grateful overture.

Alexandre has his own troubles to occupy him. France is in the mist of revolution and danger lurks around every corner. Alexadre has no time to become involved with the beautiful and innocent Gabrielle; in fact, it is the farthest thing from his mind.

Though they wage a silent battle (at least on Alexandre's part) the two are unable to ignore the passion that threatens to endanger them both.

*** Deborah Simmons is able bring humor and fiery passion alive in her characters and her writing. I enjoyed this story. I liked Alexandre despite his gruff nature portrayed through the majority of the book. Gabrielle, (in my humble opinion) could have been a bit more quick-witted, but I do not believe that took much away from the story.


Overall, I would recommend this to be a good book to read on any rainy day when the reader wants to spend some time immersed in passion

My comment is short and sweet: I loved this book for the beautiful romance and story but all I have to say is what more do you want than the elegant lady (Dominique) with the stable boy(Alexandre)?! Classic.

The French Revolution was a black time for the people of France, both the nobility and the common man, when no one was really safe and anyone could call and renounce a neighbor.

Fleeing from the mobs who would burn her alive if caught, Dominique Morineau and her maid Therese had fled to Paris to blend in with the multitudes and disappear. Assuming a new name, Gabrielle was not prepared to meet her destiny, the mute stable hand Alexandre, whose green eyes bore into her very soul. She could not stop the attraction, nor could she trust him with her secrets. He could not trust her with his secrets, but both of them burned for one another.

Fabulously tense and exciting love story. Great read - worth the effort to find a copy. Highly recommend.

If you enjoy intrigue and danger this is the book for you. The setting is during the French Revolution. It is a constant page turner. You will cheer for Gabrielle and Alexandre. Their exploits will leave you breathless. And the romance..well, you read it and find out for yourself.

If you love the Hanson-Roberts (one of my top 5 decks) then this very portable and mini deck is a must have. Fits perfectly into a pocket, purse or your car. Never be without a deck! And the quality of the cardstock is great, as well as the printing and colours. I compared my full-size with this one and they look exactly the same.

With this price you can't go wrong if you adore this faerie-tale deck as I do! I wouldn't reccommend this as a first deck (this size I mean, the normal size Hanson-Roberts is an EXCELLENT first deck for beginners) as you would want something bigger to soak up all the glorious imagery.

well this deck would have to be my first deck of tarot cards. I haven't really read any books about tarot before buying this item and i think its sort of nice. But i dont suggest it for beginners.If your starting to get into tarot cards for the first time dont get this, because all this (deck + book) does is give you the main idea of tarot. I tihnk its best for a beginner to know about EVERY DETAIL.But other than that its a nice travel size for the "on the go" tarot reader.

I am fairly new to tarot cards and have several full size decks and a couple of books. I just bought this set because I am going on a trip and thought this would be perfect to take along. I like the cards, they are small, but not too small and the little guide book is perfect for beginners. It gives you just enough information, but leaves plenty of room for your own interpretations. A great value and I would recommend it highly.

this is a terrific set to get someone as a gift - or for yourself! I love the smaller sized Hanson-Roberts deck - the original deck is smaller than average to begin with, but the one included here is adorable and pocket sized, yet still big enough to use for readings. the book is of course very basic, little more than a "LWB" (the little white book included in tarot decks) but worthwhile for a memory jog, and good for beginners. I would certainly get another book to go with the set if you are learning, I recommend Mary Greer's Tarot for Your Self.

I think this is a very good value for the price.

I run agility with my dog, Katy, and she is a l00 times faster than I am. I am really holding her back by trying to run with her. This book is an easy read with great directions and with a little practice, I am sure Katy will happily be running much faster "at a distance" from her pokey handler.

The book delivers as promises, brilliant graphics and easy to understand course design drawings. The explanations also make good sense and is easy to understand, but I'd rate this book for someone at the intermediate level. It isn't too difficult, and I am assuming that the author intended it as a guide for someone who has started agility training.

I really love this book!
This excellent-quality, sizable work takes you from the all-important foundation skills for distance training all the way through to mastering huge distance challenges. The explanations are clear and logical throughout. I especially like that the author includes valuable advice about what to do if you encounter problems along the way. So many dog training books leave out this important information.
I also really like the format of this book. The relatively large 7-1/2" x 10" format allows for easy-to-read illustrations to be near the supporting text. Though it is a hardcover (which I greatly prefer over spiral-bound books because of their permanence), the book remains flat when opened to a page during my training sessions.
Jane Simmons-Moake has another winner with this book! If you've ever seen her dogs and her students' dogs compete, you know how successful she is at getting dogs to work very quickly and enthusiastically at a distance. Every agility enthusiast needs this book in his or her training library!

topdog;

Jane Simmons-Moake does it again! This great training guide is a must for serious competitors and weekend warriors alike. Easy to follow, easy to read with extremely detailed instructions, this book guides even the relatively unexperienced trainer from the basics of distances work right through the upper levels of competition.

The illustrations are extremely detailed and provide excellent visual additions to the written explanations. Jane not only takes you through the basics, but explains how to troubleshoot each section should things go wrong and always gives suggestions for adding difficulty once your dog has mastered the basics.

Most of the exercises Jane has devised are simple enough to fit in a moderately sized back yard and require a minimum number of obstacles. The book makes a wonderful training partner for those who train alone with a limited amount of equipment and space. The amazing number of variations of each sequence allows you to set up one exercise at the begining of the week and work for several days before having to reposition obstacles.

It's just simply a "got to have" for agility trainers every where!

This book is about the intersection between art and revolutionary politics.In the 1930s the leading figures of the surrealist movement and a few other artists and writers tried to cut out some political space for artists who supported a revolutionary overturn of the system that birthed fascism and world war - capitalism .The same "globalized" capitalism that exists today, and which is marching toward fascism and world war all over again. In the 1930s, there was another challenge for would-be revolutionary artists : the obstacle of the mass
"Communist" parties which betrayed them and workers and farmers around the world in the interests of the "Soviet" bureaucrats headed by Stalin, which same bureaucracy stifled and suffocated all art and creativity inside the USSR.The struggle of those artists, led by Andre Breton and Diego Rivera, and their direct collaboration with the Russian revolutionary leader in exile Leon Trotsky, has rich lessons for those artists of all kinds who are already beginning to reject and revolt against the "globalized" capitalism of today. As well as those who will do so tommorow.

This book will give you a good understanding of the surrealist movement. You will read the artists' writings not only on this subject, but also their views on the important political questions of the day which they understood were tied to cultural questions. A photo display in the book gives you a sampling of surrealist works. There is also an excellent glossary of names that reveals the evolution of the surrealists in later years. You gain an appreciation for the international breadth of the movement. 'What is Surrealism?' is not just for art history students. Anyone wishing to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between art and politics will be fascinated by collection of articles in this book.

Well, what a shock. A totally human, big, fat tome on an art form that I've never enjoyed. Makes understandable and useful for one's own life the surrealists' aim of dissolving the alienating barriers between thought and action, dream and consciousness, art and life. Their appreciation of Freud; their collaboration with communists, with Leon Trotsky; their rejection of fatherland, religion, family - all flowing from their determination to be part of the birth of a new world in which there would be no poets because all would make poetry. Fascinating section of documents including a brief homage to Hopi art, denunciation of Salvador Dali for being pro-fascist, support to the Algerian independence fight. Still don't enjoy the surrealists' work. But do enjoy them now.

Today most artists seem to be on a short leash. I have friends who paint and sculpt and they don't even think about the fact that their art rarely reaches even middle class people let alone the working and farming majority. When something stirs them and they want to take action, they get afraid about their grants, their patrons, that artist in resident spot at a university, or that artist on a cruise, or on a rich person's art club trip to France or Egypt. They get scared to make a phone call or even write a letter because art in the US in particular is on strings to the rich.......................................................

Once it was different. Read this. I don't say follow surrealism, because it was just one school, born of another time, trying to surmount problems that only a socialist revolution and retransformation of society can solve. As a revolutionist as well as an artist--I have a MFA in Creative Writing and write fictional and poetry--what is remarkable about Breton is not his narrow precepts or methods, but about the militancy to which he tried to find truth and resonance and joy without surrendering to acceptance of bourgeois society..................................
The remarkable writings of Andre Breton, as gifted as a writer, as he was a painter, and more gifted as a thinker than he was either. After World War II US imperialism went to work to try to stifle the courage and outrageousness of people like Breton to channel art into the lack of statement of abstract expressionism. Surrealism is no more revolutionary than any other form of art. The most famous surrealist to most people today is Dali, who didn't mind Franco at all and tried to turn himself into an NY advertizing money maker. What is important about Breton, besides what he says about surrealism and art--and on those things I am no big judge--he was trying to find a way to fight for a free, fighting, critical, irreverant art, faced with the nauseating conservatism of formalism and the smothering idiocy of socialist realism? What was important about Breton is that in these writings and in the manifestos here signed by non surrealists like Leon Trotsky and Diego Rivera, Breton was fighting for more than his art? The quest to upturn (boulverser is better but not English) speak out of turn, penetrate, and speak openly that he developed in his art, in the 1930s and 1940s when most of this work was done, was connected with the struggle of artists to link up with the revolutionary struggle against imperialism, and at the same time, with the fight within the workers movement to free it self of the syphilis of Stalinism.
Buy this book. Read this book. Use this book to try to say what life really is.