Wood Books

Great book, I've read it numerous times and every time I enjoy a different aspect I overlooked in the past. From the author's obsession with Frank Sinatra, his driving and dining experiences, to his detailed and gastronomical adventures in baseball parks across America this is one of my favorite road trip books

This is one of the best baseball books ever written! Even non-baseball fans will enjoy reading about his epic road trip on a shoe-string budget. A must read for all true baseball fans!

I have owned the book "Dodger Dogs to Fenway Franks" virtually since its publication in 1989. As a baseball fan for many years, I had always myself fantasized of taking the trip Mr Wood did to every baseball stadium in America. Bob Wood's book is quite simply, one of the best books I have ever read in my life. It is a combination of baseball, travel, thrill seeking, and a trip of pleasure that every baseball fan can dream of. While reading the book, I could feel what it would have been like to sit with Mr Wood in his car on that trip. Despite weather, a robbery of his possessions in Northern California, a tight budget, and incredibly long drive, and an impending baseball strike that threatened to wipe out his dream of getting to every stadium, Bob Wood perservered and finished his journey. He achieved his goal through it all, and provided an exciting book that any baseball fan who has ever dreamed of taking the trip should be proud to read. I salute Mr Wood and his accomplishment. While is is now 18 years after his trip, it remains my favorite book of all time, fiction or non fiction. Bravo, Bob, you have created a masterpiece. A book that baseball fans and any readers should be proud of and salute you for.

I first read this book when it orginally came out. As a baseball fan It was awesome. Bob Wood lived every true baseball fans dream to see them all. I felt like I was riding along with Bob through out the whole book and his adventures.

I read this book in the late 80's and have re read it. It is the ultimate baseball fans road trip. I could just imagine myself riding along with Bob as went to see them all.

This is wonderful I am 51 years old, and I read this book when I was in the second grade.I would sing the song til I fell asleep.When I had my first baby I would sing the song to her,she loved it. And when I discovered the book at amazon I was delighted I love it, love it.

My father would take me to the library every Saturday, and I'd run to the shelf where this book was kept. Sometimes we'd check it out, sometimes not, but he'd sing it to me every week, and before I entered school I had it all memorized. My library doesn't have this version any longer (though for the life of me I can't figure out why! They have other versions, but none is as charming as this one!), and I am tickled pink to find this version on Amazon so I can buy it for my children.

Somewhere 30 years ago I got this book, and at that time it was already well-worn. I read this book so many times to my three children that to this day I can recite the book by heart and I think my oldest can as well. Because my copy's cover was in bad shape and wanting to get this book to read to my two grandchildren, I was sooo excited to find it online. Great book w/great rhyme. A lot of detail in the pictures to point out to children.

Frog Went A-Courtin' by John Langstaff and illustrated by Feodor Rojankovsky was an all time favorite with my children and by the reaction when I read (or sing) it to the children of today, it still is. This is quite a unique book which tells the old, old story of Froggy and his courtship with Miss Mousy. As the author of this work has stated in his forward, this song, or story, was first recorded in written form over 400 years ago in Scotland. It has gone thorough many changes since that time and has become a staple with American Folk Singers. I know I heard one of my favorite versions years ago done by Burl Ives. The Author has used a compilation of many of the versions of this song or tale, and there are many, and put them together to make this book.

The story starts with Frog putting on his shinny black boots, buckling on his pistol and sword, mounting his trusty steed and goes off courtin' to the home of the ever beautiful Miss Mousy. The text begins, "Frog went a-courtin', he did ride, sword and pistol by his side...." The story ends with the lines,

"The Frog and the Mouse they went to France
And this is the end of my romance.

Frog's bridle and saddle are laid on the shelf.
If you want anymore, you need sing it your self!"

Of course the middle part of the story goes though the entire courtship right of the wedding, wedding feast and marriage of our unlikely couple, including getting permission from Miss Mouse's Uncle Rat. The words of the entire version of this song are well written and the last page in the book gives you the music chords to use. The music is the mode used from the Southern Appalachian Mountains, which in my opinion, is the best. I must had heard at least fifteen versions of this song/story over the years and
the author has done an excellent job of putting them all together in this one.

The art work in this book though is the icing on the cake. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful and extremely detailed. All of the critters, and there are many, are dressed in Victorian Garb or Early American all the way up through the mid 1950s. This makes for an interesting contrast. The colors are wonderfully blended and very eye catching. The painting simply pop out at you from the page and are busy enough to keep kids of all ages entranced.

I have found that this book can be very effectively either read or sung to a group of children with equal effect. It is meant for children from ages 4 through 8, but to be honest, I have used it in High School English Classes and it has been extremely effective, in particular with young men and women who are a bit better read, and more in tune with music history.

The little ones always get a kick out of this one and this is a work we need to keep in the public eye. One like this that is lost is a sad, sad thing. This one is certainly a keeper.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

Frog Went A-Courtin', is a story of a fantacy genre which was written in Scotland over 400 years ago, where it was told and sung to the children. As people began to move from Scotland to America they brought the "Frog and Mouse" song with them. John Langstaff explained this in the front of the book. Today, it is mainly read aloud, but the great illustrations, done by Feodor Rojankovsky, give great detail with a broad range of color use. The book was awarded a Caldecott Medal for "The most distinguished American picture book for children." The book tells a story of a frog who went out to seek a bride and meets a mouse. The mouse will not marry until her uncle "Rat" gives consent. Then with the uncle's consent various animal's contribute to the Frog and the Rats wedding. The wedding seems to be going great until the cat comes in to destroy it. With the guest running off, the book ends with the Frog and the Mouse resting on the deck of a ship going to France.

Working within the industry, it is painfully clear how difficult it is for people 'on the outside' to make informed decisions, know what they are getting into and understand what they should be getting out of products, contractors and procedures. This is a good compass for the journey of building or remodeling any project. It helps you get organized, think through the process before you begin and 'trains' you to remain in charge to the very end. Recommended to me by an architect who worked with homeowners who followed this book. It's beneficial for both sides of the process.

This book is a great overview of the process of deciding how to design and build your own house. Its charts, tables, glossary and very pointed writing style makes it an easy read. There are lots of great tips and has helped a lot as my family build our dream house

I am in the early design stages of my house ...and this book arrived none too early to help me through the rest of the process. It is a veritable primer in the process of building a house. Full of lists, tables, and all sorts of things to consider. Commentaries on product and services selection, design considerations, project management ...basically all the decisions in the design and construction process. I thought I knew a lot when I went into the process, and this book reinforced the good things I was doing. Happily, it also suggested a whole bunch of things I could be doing and thoughtful approaches to make the process go better.

I usually consider 'how-to' books facile and almost silly. I purchased this book on an impulse on Amazon (along with a whole bunch of less useful picture books), and I was really shocked how valuable it is. It is a little treasure box of information. Dollar for dollar, I think this is probably the best investment I will make in my new house ...and I am sure that I am not alone.

Why learn the hard (and expensive) way when this book will save you from mistakes? No exaggeration to say that this is a 'must have' book for people considering a new home or extensive renovation. Sure, buy your picture books for the coffee table ...but this is the real stuff you need to know.

This woman is organized. Not only were the timelines helpful for each sub-job, but she also included steps I would have overlooked. I also like the physical size of the book - it's small enough for the toolbox!

- - Tom Kelly

This book is perfect for ANYONE who is building a home, looking to build a home, or remodel their current home. I have begun to recommend this book to all my clients, because it allows them to be informed of decisions and helps them to organize all of the important information needed when working on your home.

Highly Recommended!

Henry David Thoreau is one of America's greatest literary treasures, and this Library of America compilation of his four complete, full-length books is an excellent purchase for any Thoreau fan. It includes possibly Thoreau's most famous work, Walden, as well as lesser-known (but still immensely inspired and entertaining)works. I would highly recommend this purchase to any interested Thoreau reader, as I am yet to find a comparable compilation for nearly as good a deal as this.

It was Thoreau who made me understand that writing had everything to do with one's sum total and worth as a human being, and everything to do with one's passion and sense of purpose in life. It was while reading from an anthology of his work that I first made contact with a superior being. I recognized a mind that I could be intimate with, a mind and soul of someone with whom I could spend endless hours and never cease to learn from.


Thoreau's style is cumbersome. He can be terribly dry, and his paragraphs run way too long. But who cares when passages ignite the page with brilliance, flame from the black and white of paper into the depths of one's being. 'Walden' has more profound and relevant quotes than any other book I've read. They're the purest gems to be found in the rough of a larger work. A work that I wouldn't dare to diminish, but forewarn the reader so that they have the patience and perseverance to continue.


I would like to mention a superb biography written on the life and mind of Thoreau, a biography that exceeds and exceeds in going deeper into the life and mind of this great and humane and very misunderstood man, it is called: 'Henry Thoreau -- A Life Of The Mind,' by Robert D. Richardson Jr. Mr. Richardson not only wrote a biography, he was on a mission, for he knew and believed in what his subject was about. As comprehensive, insightful and exhilerating as any biography can or should be.


The price and quality of this anthology can't be beat. Beautiful to read and beautiful to see on my book shelf. Buy it! Get to know this man of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

While reading the four books of Henry David Thoreau (1817 -- 1862) included in this volume, I was reminded of the piano sonata no. 2, the "Concord" sonata by the American composer Charles Ives (1874 -- 1954) and decided to listen to it again to complement my reading. The Concord is a monumental work in which Ives tried to capture the "spirit of transcendentalism" associated with Concord, Massachusetts. Its four large movements bear the names of Emerson, Hawthorne, Bronson Alcott, and Thoreau. The "Thoreau" movement of the Concord captured in music for me what I had been reading in Thoreau's texts, with its reflective arpeggios, long hymnlike introspective passages, distant sounds of bells, and quiet close. Ives wrote the movement, he said, to reveal the "vibration of the universal lyre" to which Thoreau had alluded in the chapter of Walden titled "Sounds". Those who love Thoreau or the American Transcendentalists should explore Ives's great musical tribute to them and their thought.

This volume is the first of two in the Library of America devoted to Thoreau, with the second book consisting of essays and poems. It includes the two books published during his lifetime, "A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers" and "Walden" together with two books published shortly after his death, "The Maine Woods" and "Cape Cod". The former two books are philosophical and introspective in tone, even though they include much of the descriptive writing about nature for which Thoreau is famous. They are the writings of Thoreau the Transcendentalist, the Thoreau of Ives's Concord Sonata. The second two books are describes Thoreau's travels. They originated the American practice of writing about nature.

Thoreau's most famous book, "Walden" describes the two years he spent living at Walden Pond, near Concord, from 1845 -- 1847 on a tract owned by Emerson. Walden is deservedly an American classic, as Thoreau reflects upon and attempts to simplify his life, to appreciate it for itself and for the everyday, without the strains of commerce or the pursuit of wealth. It is an eloquent study of learning to be alone with and content with oneself.

Thoreau wrote the first draft of "Walden" while he resided there and also wrote "A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers" which in 1849 became his first published book, enjoying little success at the time. This book describes a trip Thoreau took with his brother and there are many detailed observations of people, places, and plants and animals. But the book is full of detailed digressions on literature, philosophy, the Greek Classics, friendship, and Thoreau's religious beliefs. This book shows the large influence of Eastern thought on Thoreau. It is filled with allusions and quotations from poetry on virtually every page. It is a joy to read.

There is little overt philosophising in Thoreau's latter two books. But both these books made me want to leave, at least for a short time, my life in the city and to run and visit the wild places Thoreau described. In "The Maine Woods" Thoreau describes three trips he took to Nortwest Maine -- its forests, rivers, lakes, and mountains, in 1843, 1853, and 1857. It includes detailed descriptions of rugged camping, in the rain and sun, on water and on land. The higlight for me was Thoreau's discussion in the first essay of the book of his climb on Mount Ktaadn, with Thoreau's description replete with both actual description and ancient Greek and American Indian symbolism.

Thoreau's final book, "Cape Cod" describes three visits in 1849, 1850, and 1853 (A fourth, later visit to the Cape is not included in the book.) This is Thoreau's only book which features the ocean and the seashore. It describes a rugged place, but the tone is leisurely and humorous in many places as Thoreau takes his reader on a thirty-mile "ramble" over the Cape. Thoreau introduces a memorable character in his chapter "The Wellsfleet Oysterman" and draws a picture of a lighthouse, no longer standing, on the Cape, "The Highland Light." Reading this book made me want to walk the sands and dunes that Thoreau walked and described over 150 years ago.

As with all volumes in the LOA series, this volume is lightly annotated but includes a valuable chronology of Thoreau's life which helps in approaching the texts. Transcendentalism and naturalism both have played critical roles in the development of American thought and you will find them both here. And if you enjoy Thoreau, I encourage you again to approach Ives's masterpiece, the "Concord Sonata" and meet Thoreau realized in sound.

Robin Friedman

While every artist is tied to their time and place, this is especially true of Henry David Thoreau. To me, Thoreau has always seemed like a beautiful and tender plant that could only exist in a specific time and place. His world was rich enough to allow him to enjoy nature rather than see it as something to tame. Yet it was also rural enough to leave him natural space to enjoy as if it were wild.

It also seems to me that Thoreau's writing is more beautiful and observant than penetrating and intelligent. It is more about the senses than analysis. I think this is why it appeals so much to young people of so many generations and why he became such a symbol for the Back-to-Nature portion of the Boomer generation.

This volume contains his most influential works (the essays and poems are collected in a companion volume also from the wonderful Library of America): A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, Walden; or, Life in the Woods, The Main Woods, and Cape Cod. So much has been written about these works that I can't think of anything specific to add except to encourage their being read. However, I would encourage adults who remember reading them in their youth with such enthusiasm to read them again from the vantage point of mid-life. I think they will find somewhat less to be enamored of in the content, but they will appreciate his sheer power of writing more.

The total collection is more than a 1,000 pages and includes a chronology of Thoreau's life, notes on the text, relevant maps of the areas covered in the book, more notes, and an index.

I would like to publicly thank Henry David Thoreau for teaching me this:

"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavours to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." -Henry David Thoreau

Zev Saftlas, Author of Motivation That Works: How to Get Motivated and Stay Motivated

Dennis Henning's book, Hiding Under the Table, really inspired me. Even though I have never had an eating disorder, I have still suffered with emotional eating during chapters of my life. Reading about his journey to overcome his eating disorder helped me realize that I'm not alone and can get help, myself. I highly recommended this book to anyone not only suffering through eating disorders, but who really want to take a personal look at negative body image thoughts, personal relationships, spirituality, addictions, and self-forgiveness. Thank you Dennis for being such an inspiration to take charge of my own life, not just through learning how to overcome emotional eating but also by applying The Daily Process, 16 Points to Life.

Dennis Henning's book, "Hiding Under the Table" is the much needed alarm, giving a brutal, gut and soul-wrenching account of the male eating disorder sufferer and his personal struggles with food, weight and body issues. Its straightforward, raw and disturbing personal story is further strengthened by Henning's spiritual, physical and emotional recovery and revelations toward healing, powerfully outlined in his wonderful, practical and hopeful "16 Points." Male and female eating disorder sufferers alike will both be empowered and healed by reading this incredible recovery tool. Males,in particular, need to read this book and know that they are not alone; they are not hopeless either. It is a must for any recovery resource library,high school or college health class or program, as well as for anyone who is touched by the struggle of eating disorders. This book proves that it is not just a "woman's issue!" It is a must read!

Through the power of his experience, Dennis Henning has written a very personal story about his battle with an eating disorder. His story is a stunning display of a long-practiced dysfuntion and--thank God!--an equally stunning recovery. Henning reveals his own private road to hell. Eating and purging became a way of life. As his life spun out of control, he also became addicted to sex. Everybody else was to blame for his problems which, as time went on, included prostitution, stealing, lying, manipulating--anything to numb the emotional pain of his self-hate and doubt.
It takes a lot of courage to tell a story like this one, a lot of honest reflection and inner work on the self: You really have TO WANT TO CHANGE your behavior, to change the way you think about yourself, to learn self-love. Dennis eventually creates a healthy life by getting in touch with good people who care about him. He opened up his mind to a much bigger world--the one beyond that crippling world of fear. He stopped blaming others for all his problems.
Through the clarity of his unique perspective, Henning turned his life around and grew into a compassionate human being. He began to trust his feelings, to get to know himself. He found a spirtual life that he can rely on no matter what. He now uses his life as a tool for helping others overcome debiliatating eating disorders. Anyone with an eating disorder--male or female--should read this book. You are not alone. Reading this book can be the first step in your recovery.

Dennis shares his pain and suffering from self-famine in such a courageous raw and vulnerable fashion. Unfotunately, so few men have shared their experience of suffering from eating disorder behavior and this book helps fill in much needed and long awaited personal recovery by a male. My hope is that his honnesty and life-learned wisdom can help others seek solutions to their own healing and perhaps along their journey, utilize some of Dennis's ideas as a template. I felt empathy, hope, and joy as Dennis shared his story of recovery.

Michelle Matoff, LCSW, BCD

An eye opening book! Raw honesty that was spine chilling. I admired Dennis' openess in telling his story and believe it will help others to come out from "underneath the table." Even if a male does not have an eating disorder, but has issues about his appearance, physique, masculinity and self-worth, this book will shake him awake and help him focus on what really matters in life.

This is a beautiful book. My granddaughter is 20 months old and this is one of our special "read together" books. She squeals over the pictures and we have to read it over and over.

I originally bought this for my daughter when she was about a year old. She loved it!!! In fact she read it and reread it so much that I had to throw it out about a year ago because it was so worn. I just recently bought it again (she is now 3 1/2) and she still loves it.

This is a great book for toddlers. It has bright vivid pictures and a nice story.

My daughter received this book when she was 19 months old and it immediately became a favorite--an incredible compliment considering all she does is read books. The illustrations are vibrant and incredibly stimulating--something to find on every inch of each page. 5 months after receiving the book my daughter still adores it. She now knows the name of every creature in the book, down to the nautilus, neons, and sea slug. This book has definitely spawned a love of the ocean in her. And the format of the book, with its different textures that morph from one subject to another with the lifting of a flap is brilliant. We'll be buying every book by Maurice Pledger!

We have three of these books. The other two we have are "In the Rain Forest", and "In the Forest". The rain forest and forest ones are her favorite and she isn't even one year old yet. The only reason I gave this one 4 stars is because it doesn't seem to grasp her attention as much as her two other books. I think becuase the pictures in the other two are more lively and there is more variety in color and texture. I give a lot of credit to these books because they are the only things that can keep her still for a long period of time. They have been life savers on airplane rides. I believe they have also encouraged her early love of books.

Our sons enjoy many of Maurice Pledger's books -- and this one with AJ Wood is our favorite for its well written text to accompany the drawings. some of the other books have much weaker text, and some have animals that do not look all that different (the mammals are often very similar). This is a nice story where the little dolphin looks for his family, all the while watched over by his mother.

I had to waited a long time to read this book. It was worth the wait. I could not put it down. If you can find this book now, you have to read it. Sometimes you alway wander what happened to the wicked witch, in this book you find out, and you almost feel sorry for her. (Almost) GREAT BOOK !!!! Must Read.

Matilda Candy doesn't mind that the people of Tanglewood, Mississippi, believe that she's a witch.The rumors provide Matilda with a measure of privacy and freedom from unwanted visitors. She learned much of her grandmother's craft, who's name she also bears. So when a stranger comes to the door looking for her grandmother, she offers her help.

Declan Harper has little patience for ineptitude and determines to own the town and run it by his own exacting standards. He's going to own the town that once scorned him, and every business in it. When he overhears two children, Hason and Grechen, talking with their mother about a witch, he recalls Matilda Candy fondly, as the only townsperson who treated him well and believed in his positive future. The only thing Declan wants, that he doesn't yet have, is Vanessa Arrington. So he hopes Matilda Candy can help. After he realizes the old woman has passed away, he asks the young Matilda for a love potion. Declan insists, despite her assurances that there are no magic potions to affect the workings of the heart. She can, however, create an aphrodisiac -- a lust potion.

To Declan's way of thinking, Vanessa is the paragon of feminine beauty. In addition, marriage to her offers the perfect revenge. Her father had always referred to him as "that Harper boy", calling him and his sisters poor white trash. The elder Arrington hadn't yet equated the wealthy Declan with the boy he'd maligned years ago. Declan looked forward to enlightening him, maybe after the wedding.

As Matilida turns the pages of aged and dusty books, she finds a note from her grandmother cautioning her about trifling with ways of the heart. Matilida and Declan are kindred spirits, both knowing what is to be on the outside looking in. Both have strong purpose in their lives. What Matilida would really like to give him is a common-sense potion, rather than a love potion to win a vain, vacuous ninny. Nevertheless, she draws up the potion, which they test on themselves. Let the fireworks begin!

This whimsical, entrancing tale will satisfy the romance fan demanding something unusual and wonderful. With a skillful blend of the fanciful and the mundane, author Linda Jones weaves a marvelous tale of love and happy ever after, with a twist. Remarkable in imagination, INTO THE WOODS is very highly recommended.

The best part of the story is when Vanessa gets what she deserves at the end. I laughed and laughed.

You've got to read this book!!

THIS BOOK WAS SO ENJOYABLE THAT I STAYED UP LATE JUST TO FINISH IT. HANSON AND GRETCHEN,WILL MAKE YOU SMILE ,MATILDA WILL MAKE YOU WISH THAT YOU HAD SOME OF HER DELICIOUS CANDY,DECLAN WILL MAKE YOU WISH THAT YOU HAD SOME OF THAT APHRODISIAC FOR YOUR HUSBAND (SMILE).

WITH DECALAN AND MATILDA STORY YOU MAY WANT TO REREAD ALL OF OUR OLD FAERIE TALES ONCE AGAIN.THIS IS A KEEPER 4...STARS

Matilda Candy doesn't mind that the people of Tanglewood, Mississippi, believe that she's a witch.The rumors provide Matilda with a measure of privacy and freedom from unwanted visitors. She learned much of her grandmother's craft, who's name she also bears. So when a stranger comes to the door looking for her grandmother, she offers her help.

Declan Harper has little patience for ineptitude and determines to own the town and run it by his own exacting standards. He's going to own the town that once scorned him, and every business in it. When he overhears two children, Hason and Grechen, talking with their mother about a witch, he recalls Matilda Candy fondly, as the only townsperson who treated him well and believed in his positive future. The only thing Declan wants, that he doesn't yet have, is Vanessa Arrington. So he hopes Matilda Candy can help. After he realizes the old woman has passed away, he asks the young Matilda for a love potion. Declan insists, despite her assurances that there are no magic potions to affect the workings of the heart. She can, however, create an aphrodisiac -- a lust potion.

To Declan's way of thinking, Vanessa is the paragon of feminine beauty. In addition, marriage to her offers the perfect revenge. Her father had always referred to him as "that Harper boy", calling him and his sisters poor white trash. The elder Arrington hadn't yet equated the wealthy Declan with the boy he'd maligned years ago. Declan looked forward to enlightening him, maybe after the wedding.

As Matilida turns the pages of aged and dusty books, she finds a note from her grandmother cautioning her about trifling with ways of the heart. Matilida and Declan are kindred spirits, both knowing what is to be on the outside looking in. Both have strong purpose in their lives. What Matilida would really like to give him is a common-sense potion, rather than a love potion to win a vain, vacuous ninny. Nevertheless, she draws up the potion, which they test on themselves. Let the fireworks begin!

This whimsical, entrancing tale will satisfy the romance fan demanding something unusual and wonderful. With a skillful blend of the fanciful and the mundane, author Linda Jones weaves a marvelous tale of love and happy ever after, with a twist. Remarkable in imagination, INTO THE WOODS is very highly recommended.

I love the Wood's books, but this one takes the cake for me and my family. The illustrations are beautiful and are the perfect compliment for the wonderful prose. It is childlike, but very profound and sweet, completely heartwarming.

This picture book is about a bullfrog named Jubal. He was a very happy frog and wanted to share his happiness with his other friends. He tries to share his picnic lunch with Gerdy Toad and her toadlets, but she doesn't accept and has to much work to do. Then Jubal goes on to Captain Dalbert Lizard and finds that he is not very happy either. Jabal goes away to eat his lunch questioning if he should be unhappy, since the others are. A wizard appears and Jabal wishes for all his friends to be happy, not sure if the wish will work. Jabal then makes his way back to see that his wish has not yet been granted, and finds a toadstool and sits and begins to cry. It begins to rain and Jabal becomes stranded, and shortly after his friends come to his rescue and everyone is happy. I think this is a great book that would pass some down time in a classroom. This book teaches children the lesson that not everyone around you will be happy all the time and you cant change that! I think this book will help children with there reading skills, and helps them use the imagination with the animals coming to life. The illustrator does a fabulous job when showing how the animals are capable of doing everything us as humans can; it brings them This is a great picture book that can be used during some down time in class. This book is a short read, and will help children with reading, as well as there imagination. It brings animals to life, and paints a clear picture to the students about how everyone is not always going to be happy. You could get your class involved with maybe making a snack to share with another class each week, thus will also help your children make new friends and the chance to apply the story to real life. You may be able to even have your class share the times they just didn't seem happy, and or if they had a friend they just could not cheer up, and share with the rest of us what eventually happened. You may also have your students to compose there own story concerning a time in which there friends didn't seem to have the time to spend with them, then publish their work online! It would be great for them to always have to look back on!to life and will allow a child's imagination run wild.

I bought this book for my son when he was 2..now he is 5 & still loves this book. Jubal is an engaging character that children can't help but love. The colors in this book are what first made me pick it up. It is so cheerful & exciting. I highly recommend this and all Audrey & Don Wood books.

Jubal the bullfrog is so happy on this bright and sunny day, that his feet barely touch the ground as he skips along with his picnic basket. In time, he meets up with two of his neighbors, Gerdy, the toad and Captain Dalbert, the lizard. Both are tired, angry, overworked and depressed. It makes Jubal sad that his friends are so miserable on this beautiful day and so he wishes they could be as happy as he is. With that, a wizard appears and gives him a twinkling wishing star...."Dreams and wishes, wishes and dreams. Sometimes they work, and sometimes they don't. You never know how they'll turn out in the end." And as Jubal watches, his wish comes true in a very unusal and special way..... Audrey and Don Woods have done it again, writing a simple, gentle story of generosity, caring and love. Their warm and expressive text is only outdone by their vibrant, larger than life artwork, that will entrance youngsters as it almost spills off the page. Together, they have produced a charming fairy tale that's perfect for 3-7 year olds. Jubal's Wish, with it's endearing hero, will delight children of all ages and is a wonderful addition to all bookshelves.

I think Jubal's Wish is a very good story. The illustration is very colorful and lively. I love Audrey Wood, she is one of my favorite authors and her stories are really cool. Of all of Audrey Woods books I would have to say that Jubal's Wish is my favorite, it's a really good book.

Written by a psychiatrist who cares deeply for her clients, this book explores ways in which understanding the meanings that guide our lives can help us to sort out various disorders that cause physical and emotional problems.

I agree with the observation about this book by C. Everett Koop, former US Surgeon General, in the foreword: "It is written by a physician who loves her patients and has come to see that life depends not on the hand you are dealt, but on how you choose to live it." (p. 4)

Many books offer a spectrum of cases, briefly described. Wood chooses to focus much of her sharings about how she works through a detailed description of the treatment of a severely disturbed woman who was suicidal. This woman had such low self-esteem that she would repeatedly cut herself when she was upset. It took many years of therapy to help her accept herself and settle into much more self-accepting and satisfying ways of being and relating in a world that she had earlier found hostile and unaccepting.

Many books offer the views and understandings of the author as the primary window into appreciating the author's approaches. Wood chooses to give many pages to the words of her clients, who report how they felt and what it was like to have Wood help them through their difficulties.

Ever since I had the first of my two psychotic episodes I have been floundering in psychotherapy or in the beginning when that was not the "norm" (just meds)I have felt at a loss. I found Dr. Wood's book and am extremely pleased that a new avenue or "path" I think she might appropriately call it is presented to me. I gave my psychiatrist, psychologist/minister, and physician a copy of this book and mine I plan to keep and read and reread over and over again. I especially liked the references to a spiritual aspect of therapy and how it definitely relates to ones' healing self. I feel like I now have "hope" of success at arriving at a goal for myself and if I try hard enough with my therapists I might indeed find the "feeling" words I am in need of to succeed at life. Thank you, Dr. Wood for the "gift of this book!" God bless you! Maybe a miracle can happen in my life as in those other patients in your book whom you describe so well. (Or those with whom you asked them to write themselves their own story to put into your book! YES! Why don't people ask patients and the mentally ill OUR OWN STORIES!!!)

This is one of the most inspiring books for self-empowered healing from mental illness I have read. In her childhood, Dr. Eve Wood learned that, "If a person saves one life, it is as if he has saved the entire world." By this criterion, Dr. Wood is saving the galaxy.

The central theme in her patients' recoveries seems to be Dr. Wood's ability to help them create a safe container of self-acceptance without judgment and her considerable genius in inspiring hope. But she doesn't stop with just the storytelling. This is an interactive book in which she challenges the reader to explore how the patient's story might be relevant to "you," the reader. Concluding each section are "lessons," "take home points," and questions that help the reader to assess her own imbalances.

Throughout Medicine, Mind and Meaning, Dr. Wood offers exercises to help the reader fully integrate the "lessons" of the stories she tells. This book is, in itself, a prescription for self-healing.

"Medicine, Mind, and Meaning," a new book by noted psychiatrist, professor and speaker, Dr. Eve A. Wood, is a step-by-step guide that combines traditional psychiatric approaches and spiritual principles. For Wood, former faculty at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and presently Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Arizona Program in Integrative Medicine, development of one's spirituality is a necessary component in healing. Accordingly, the book provides resources and exercises for the use of belief to further the healing process. Among these resources are numerous appendices that engage common psychiatric illnesses, detailing their cause, evaluation, and treatment. These appendices can also be found online at www.MedicineMindandMeaning.com.

C. Everett Koop, M.D., Sc.D., former U.S. Surgeon General and McInerny Professor of Surgery, Dartmouth Medical School, writes the foreward to "Medicine, Mind, and Meaning." Not typically given to publicly endorsing work that is not his own, Dr. Koop's exception in this case marks the importance and urgency he attaches to this text. Writes Koop, "I have seldom been so moved by a book. This is the only healing model that makes sense."

This is an excellent text, one that bridges the large divides between psychiatric medicine, talk therapies, and spiritual traditions of healing. By bringing all these separate but equally important truths under one roof, Wood presents a model that comprehensively addresses the complexity of human illness and treatment. Rich in information and passionate in character, "Medicine, Mind, and Meaning" is an important answer to Koop's question in the Foreward: "If we are each body, mind, and spirit, how can we be healed if we don't treat all three together?"

Medicine, Mind And Meaning: A Psychiatrist's Guide To Treating The Body, Mind, And Spirit by medical and mental health expert Dr. Eve Wood compares human well-being to a three-legged stool, which rests upon the pillars of body, mind, and spirit. A step-by-step guide showing the reader how to involve body (genetics, inborn characteristics and vulnerabilities), mind (backgrounds, beliefs, behaviors) and spirit (faith and the search for higher meaning) in a healing journey toward total wellness, Medicine, Mind And Meaning is a testimony of inspiration, blessing, and the profound healing power of positive will. A forward by C. Everett Koop, M.D., SCD rounds out this transformative work of insight grounded in years of practical and medical experience.

Simply written and illustrated, good for the younger crowd, especially when you need them to calm down.

When I was a little girl my parents read me this book and I, reportedly, loved it, so when I found it on the shelf I was thrilled to read it again, particularly about the pig "mucking about." The story goes like this: Mr. Gumpy goes for a ride in his punt on the river, and a lot of animals and children ask for rides, and he gives them strict instructions for boat behavior, which they eventually grossly violate, and then they all go in the drink. And go home and have tea. Yes, the story is a wee bit British. What strikes me as an adult, reading the book, is the casual loving way with which the children are included along with the other animals -- pigs, dog, children, goat, etc. It is a very sweet book and Benny and Sadie love it and find it hilarious. Publisher's Weekly's review of it presents it as a moral tale on boat safety. What a bunch of loons. ;D

My eighteen-month-old son brings this book to me half a dozen times a day. "Read Gummy!" No higher recommendation.

Truly a classic, this one is a joy to read and kids just love it. The accumulative tale combined with glowing illustrations elicits preschool giggles every time!

This book falls firmly into a very specific genre of picture book literature. The old, if-one-more-person-gets-into-this-boat/mitten/car/etc.-bad-things-will-happen genre. Jan Brett's "The Mitten" does it. The more recent "One Dog Canoe" does it. But one of the first stories to have done it (and have a moral to boot) is the 1970 story "Mr. Gumpy's Outing".

Mr. Gumpy (who is not grumpy in the least) lives on the banks of a river, and owns a boat. As he goes for a boat ride, two children ask to come along. Mr. Gumpy gives them instructions on what not to do, and they join him. Next a bunny comes along. Mr. Gumpy tells it what not to do, and it joins him. As Mr. Gumpy poles his boat down the river, more and more animals join the party, each receiving a stipulation from Mr. Gumpy on what behavior is appropriate. After the boat fills, the animals suddenly ignore Mr. Gumpy's requests and begin to misbehave. As a result, they all topple headlong into the river, retiring to Gumpy's for tea.

Originally published in England (and if Mr. Gumpy isn't THE most English picture book gentleman you've seen outside of Paddington Bear himself, I'll eat my hat) the story is incredibly civilized. There's nothing like seeing a sheep delicately sipping from a straw to drill home the essential manners and protocols essential to everyday interactions. The illustrations are especially nice. Mr. Gumpy never looks particularly upset or angry by anything that happens to him. As he poles his boat a black and white pen and ink drawing on the left pages shows the boat and it's inhabitants. On the right page is a colorful drawing of the animal(s) asking to be allowed to join. The book, despite the whole falling into the water bit, is calm and peaceful. Just the kind of fun story you'd expect to be read on a cold rainy day. Highly recommended (especially with crumpets and bit of toast with marmalade).