Watson Books

For anyone in the "Second Wave" of the Baby Boom, THE GIANT GOLDEN BOOK OF DINOSAURS was the book that introduced us to dinosaurs and other prehistoric reptiles, and it did so with engagingly descriptive text, imagination, and, most importantly for its target audience, Rudolph Zallinger's truly classic, really wonderful, memorable full-color pictures of dinosaurs and other reptilians of the time going about their business in the deserts, junglelands, plains and valleys of their lost world.

A good deal of the information in this original 1966 edition is now outdated due to subsequent discoveries about Mesozoic Earth, but regardless, Jane Werner Watson wrote an intelligent book for curious, intelligent and literate eight-year-old children raised in an era of scientific inquiry and discovery, for whom words like "Carboniferous," "Theropod," and "Saurischian" were not beyond comprehension.

The sad fact is that most twenty- and thirty-somethings of 2007 would have trouble deciphering this Giant Golden Book written for elementary school children in the time of President Johnson's Great Society.

. . . and Werner Watson said the DINOSAURS became extinct because they couldn't adapt . . .

The small book contains a wealth of information on that geological wonder, the Giant's Causeway in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The author covers everything from the history of people's interest in it, through the flora and fauna of the area. The book is quite interesting, and my one (and only) complaint is that the book does not contain a comprehensive map of the Causeway.

The tenth anniversary of the launching of the first satellite, the social unrest of the 60's, and the return to life of microorganisms after millions of years of dormancy are among the many events that stirred the imagination of Daisaku Ikeda as he wrote these essays. A fresh approach and keen insights pervade this volume, first published in English in 1979, which reveals what a deeply committed man of religion, and as he calls himself, "a member of the common people," is thinking about the modern world.

The approach to life presented here is not vague theorizing. The author became an adult amid the wreckage of war. Too poor to enter a hospital for the treatment of a chronic illness or to continue on to higher education, he eventually recovered his health and went on to gain a keen appreciation for the essence and significance of the various academic disciplines by studying under a particularly gifted teacher.

In a straightforward style, Mr. Ikeda offers no quick fixes for major problems such as the huge disparity between humankind's technological advancement and lack of ethical progress, but he does encourage the reader to strive for and value sound education, good government, the uniqueness of the individual, human relationships--both on a community and global level--devoid of sham and hypocrisy, and ultimately, mutual understanding.

In "My Definition of Happiness," Ikeda states:

"People do not live in isolation. Dwelling in the nexus of family, society, and the world of nature, they lend support to one another. Happiness likewise does not exist as an isolated quality, nor does it conform to a single fixed pattern. Human happiness is something that breathes and has its being in the relationships between one person and another."

These essays speak to the issues that confront us all in a voice direct and powerful, inspiring and appealing.

The author, Daisaku Ikeda, is president of the world's largest Buddhist organization, Soka Gakkai International, which has over 12 million members in 128 nations.

No ceramic library should be void of this fantastic book. The ultamate in the "foundation" of your glazes resources!!!

Children's books seem to be pouring from T.E. Watson's pen. The prolific Paradise, California author is just out with two Scottish stories.

The folk tale (told to him by his Gran) is called "The Man Who Spoke With Cats" ($18.95 in hardcover); the fairy tale is "Glen Robbie" ($22.95 in hardcover). Both are published by Highlands Children's Press and both are full of colorful and captivating pictures from master artist Steve Ferchaud.

Watson is proud of his heritage. The biography on his Web site ([...]) says that "his DNA hails from the beautiful city of Elgin, Scotland, about 40 miles east of Inverness, Scotland. Which is surrounded with a multitude of historic Scottish landmarks ... the famous Loch Ness, the battlefield of Culloden Moor ... the Fairy Glen."

For research on Robert Louis Stevenson, a fellow Scot, the Web site notes that Watson received the title "FSA Scot" from the Society of Scottish Antiquaries.

"The Man Who Spoke With Cats" is a simple story of an old man named MacGregor whose companions, four talkative cats, are Little Face, Cleo, Tavish and Blue Eyes. Tavish asks MacGregor what he'll be doing on festival day. The man replies, with a twinkle in his eye, "I am going to visit friends. I will have my fill of bangers and mash, and then take a ride on the roundabout atop the tall white horse with the golden bridle." (A glossary points out that bangers and mash are sausage and mashed potatoes, and a roundabout, if you haven't guessed, is a merry-go-round.)

So what will the cats do? Little Face has a big day ahead: "My day," she tells MacGregor, "will be spent in the barley chasing midgies (large mosquitoes) and hunting mice." The rest had a big day of rest lined up, but, after MacGregor had gone for the festivities, the cats noticed that Blue Eyes, the Siamese, had disappeared. Therein, of course, lies a tale -- or tail, about caring for others who may have been forgotten.

"Glen Robbie" mixes in common Scottish words with a fairy story (again, a glossary in the back explains all). "On the anniversary of ten thousand moons," the story begins, "deep in the Highlands of Scotland, a wondrous wee village called Glen Robbie appears, but no one knows exactly where or exactly when. It is a magical place. There are the tallest trees, the greenest fields, and lochs so clear you can see tae the bottom."

On a certain day the fairy village appears and the Elder gathers all the denizens for their mission, to help someone from the outside. "Come down, come down, come down from the trees! / Come down from the branches and out from the leaves! / Today is the day tae fly with all speed / Tae find someone helpless, someone in need." There is some urgency in all this. The fairy folk have to find a human in need and help that person or, "if we dinnae find someone, Glen Robbie will vanish never tae be seen again."

What follows is the story of Kera and Podwink, Angus the West Highland White Terrier, and two human children. And, oh, yes, a hungry fox. Angus and the fox don't exactly see eye-to-eye and in the end the children have quite a story to tell their Gran. And Glen Robbie "peacefully faded away intae the evening mist and disappeared from sight." But, thanks to Kera, it will be back.

Copyright 2006 Chico Enterprise-Record. Used by permission.

A useful textbook for students, scientists and policy makers. The information is extensive and detailed in a logical fashion, taking the reader from the basics of biodiversity through to human influences, economic values and conservation.

This book, while not as light a read as some others on universal salvation (see Thomas Talbott's books in Amazon and check out related books), has a unique perspective that is well worth pondering. The author distinguishes between unbelievers, ordinary believers, and believers who go the extra step and become disciples of Christ. All are saved in the end, the author asserts (and demonstrates from Scripture), but many of passages that make it sound as if we are to be very, VERY good are intended for disciples rather than for run of the mill believers. God loves us all and understands how flawed we are. We will be made better when we make it to an environment more suited to evoking in us love, compassion, and perfection.

this is wonderful. beautiful pictures...i'm speechless!! BUY IT= fantastico.

My daughter's eyes are almost closed after I finish reading this book. She can identify with Baby Mickey's bedtime routine and seems to be lulled by the rhyming words.

Anyone looking for a grand time must read "Go There"! The adventures of Rick and Linda are exciting and hilarious, but while you are being charmed you are also being educated in the ways of the road from the perspective of the Motorhome dwellers! Traveling in a Motorhome across the country and learning about that lifestyle is on lots of us "Boomers Bucket Lists". I'm looking forward to making the leap into retirement in my motorhome and being able to afford to see the country thanks to "Go There".