Wood Books

I found Cindi Wood's book to be fun and easy to read with plenty of humor and understanding for women and the many roles they are called upon to fulfill, along with all the stress and problems that can arise. It was encouraging with lots of sound, practical advice for many areas of our lives. I loved it and would recommend it to anyone.

In the crowded library of self-help books, this one seems to be the Swiss Army knife of the lot.

Organizing, listening, personal physical and mental care and projecting a positive image are all covered in an easy to read format.

The book allows itself to be picked up and put down while giving the reader humor that is needed in this sometimes serious area.

This tool invites desire to participate in Ms. Wood's training seminars.

Men, women and team leaders of all descriptions would all benefit from time with this book.

Congratulations, Ms. Wood. When is the next one due?

Clear, readable, humorous, and very pragmatic. These are descriptors I would use for Cindi Wood's latest book. I hope she hurries to finish the next one. We all have heard ideas about dealing with the inevitable stess of daily living, at work and at home. This book is different. It serves as a very useful reminder of how important it is and of ways we all can master our personal situations. Judging from this work, I am certain that Ms. Wood must also be an outstanding speaker and training consultant. As a manager I recommend that you buy it and distribute it to supervisors and employees. They will enjoy it and both they and your company will likely share the rewards.

Cindi Wood has a real way with words! She gives the facts concerning busy women, and offers practical guidelines to help make one's life a little easier. She uses some very humorous quotes to help deal with daily trials and troubles, and I found it very uplifting to read this book! I especially liked the chapter on "learning to listen." The quote on page 65 is one I will like to remember, as I believe it can really open more communication with co-workers and family members when they really think you are listening to what they are saying. As Cindi says, "Improving your listening skills will help you build positive relationships, as you value the spoken word enough to listen to it!" (pg.69) I plan to keep this book handy so that I can refer to it often, and I have given a copy to my two grown daughters to help with their daily walk as they deal with their busy lives.

Cindi Wood's book is very helpful for me since I have a very stressful job!!! I can open up her book any time and find one of her remedies to help cope with my everyday stress!!! A must-buy!!!

Our young daughter asks us to read this book on a daily basis. So, although this book has been around for decades, it seems to transcend time.

There is something so warm and comforting about the illustrations and the gentle, fun dialog. Somehow the pictures give a sense of stability and safety. It is a brilliant marriage of text and illustration.

The understanding and humor that passes between the three generations speaks to the intricacy of relationships and the intelligence that young children possess. The author knew how to communicate her story without being condescending to children or adults.

I highly recommend this book. It is especially effective as a bedtime book because it has such a calming effect.

Another fun, sweet story about little bear and his family. My son (almost 3 years old) and I have been reading this book every night since I gave it to him.

My kids have been captivated by this book from the time they were barely old enough to look at the pictures. My oldest is almost five, and she still asks me to read this book, even though she has it memorized! It is a charming tale of Little Bear's visit to his grandparents' house. The love in this bear family is so heartwarming, and the sense of fun so nicely realized that adults will love it too. Maurice Sendak's illustrations, which have a 19th Century feel, are the perfect complement to this story. My only complaint is I can't find this book in hardback, and our paperback version is worn out! Two other books in this series - Little Bear and Little Bear's Friend are also great for kids from age 2 to around 7.

There are four separate but related stories in this "I CAN READ Book" and they are all delightful. They flow from one to the other so that first story has Little Bear visiting his grandparents, while the second and third stories are tales that Little Bear's grandmother and then grandfather tell him. And the final story has Little Bear's parents coming to take him home after a wonderful, but tiring day of fun.

To parents and other caregivers this structure means is that we can read/or be read to big chunks or small.

Contents:

Grandmother and Grandfather Bear
Mother Bear's Robin
Goblin Story
Not Tired

Now my children like all these stories but there favorite is the one about the goblin who jumps out of his shoes. It never fails to get a howls of laughter from them.

Five Stars. Great artwork by Maurice Sendak. The stories are heart touching and humorous. The book is a Great Read-aloud and a more challenging reader for young children.

The reading level on this book is higher than some of the other Little Bear books and it is listed as 2.3 or suitable for a child reading at the second grade level. There is more vocabulary, more dialog, and more text per page.

~a review by Pam T.~

Our 3-year-old granddaughter just spent almost two weeks with us. Reading to her has been both a daily (several times a day!) ritual since she was a baby...as well as a source of delight for both her and us. Her favorite story is still the "Goblin Story," which appears in this book. You can easily read it to your young one so that he or she is excited, giggling, and having a wonderful experience with you!

I sat down with a nice soft blanket and a warm cuddly dog and The Man in the Woods and read this book from cover to cover. It was very intense reading, I couldn't put it down. It was disturbing but at the same time mesmorizing. Very captivating

Like I shared with the author on her website - this book should be in Oprah Book Club. I have known this author since she was a little girl and I can't believe she grew up to be a great writer. Yes, Oprah should add this to her club because her writing is out of this world - its like you are write there. Her other book "Obsession" should be included.

Fantastic work!

Reviewed by Carol Hoyer, PhD, for Reader Views (10/08)

As a psychologist for over twenty-five years, I thought I had seen and heard it all. However, Ms Gonsalves' story gave me chills and angered me-- what is society doing to help poor souls like her brothers? Her account and vivid details of the deviant behavior of her brothers will send chills up your spine.

"The Man in the Woods" is about one of Theresa's brothers, Stephen, who was a child molester and deviant in society. He took pleasure in intimidating and threatening others around him even when he was a young child. Everyone feared him even his own mother.
Ms. Gonsalves herself was a tormented victim at the hands of her brother.

Stephan was jealous of anyone who took the attention away from him, even pets. He once took a dog and tied it to the railroad tracks and watched a train run it over. He felt no remorse.

Throughout the years, Stephan's behavior got more deviant-- sexually molested by a teacher; he then turned to young boys. The interesting thing is that parents liked him and the way he would mentor to their children. Little did they know what the outcome was going to become. Young boys loved him and saw him as their father.

Readers will be shocked, sick to their stomach, as they read this true account. They will wonder how this kept going on for years and nothing was done. Was there any mental health treatment? Why would innocent people let a man like Stephan live on their property in a shed with no basic resources? Unfortunately this happens each and every day where deviant people can con, manipulate and torment people.

Reading "The Man in the Woods" by Theresa J. Gonsalves should give you strength to take a stand against this type of person and question authorities on why nothing is being done? I applaud Ms. Gonsalves for writing this book-- it takes great strength to write and re-live this. I hope that it was therapeutic for her as well as show everyone that we must be more diligent in our assertion to get these types of people off the street and get the help they need. If Stephen had gotten help early in life--would this book ever be written?

I couldn't put this book down. Yes, it is shocking and disturbing, but the author's style is readable and compelling. This is a real page turner, a good story and enjoyable, easy reading. Should be a best seller!

Wow and Wow.... First of all to the other reviewer...Please learn how to write English correctly.

This book is hard to talk about and as it says on the back of the book, not for the weak at heart. The things in this book are unbelievable but I am sure these things happen on a daily basis. Again I say Wow. It must have been hard for the author to reveal such personal things that happened in her family.

The question Theresa Gonsalves, author, asks at the beginning of the book is: Are we predisposed to becoming who we are? After reading The Man in the Woods, in this instance, I would say most definately. But she gave me so many other things to ponder. Would I turn my brother in if he committed such horrible acts and I knew about it? Easy for me to say yes while not in that position. I would have to be in that position to honestly answer that. What this guy did to kids, well, I could probably forgive him that as long as I knew he stopped or if I really didnt know the truth, sorry to say, I could actually forgive that ....but if I knew what he had done to my mother, he would have to be a dead man. Anyway, I dont want to give any of it away. I highly recommend this book. I read Ms. Gonsalves' book Obsessions and was highly impressed with it which is what made me want to read her new one. I do kind of wonder if Michael Jackson made such a big impression on her, did he also have an effect on her brother, but in a negative light, regarding the child molestation situation.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK. A TRUE PAGE TURNER!

An amazing true story of all that God does to bring people into his flock in Iran, under severe persecution. You will love this book and not be able to forget it!

This is the most challenging book for every Christian to read. I could hardly put it down while reading it. It covers many aspects of the Islam religion that we should know about, and gives us hope that Muslim people can and do find Jesus Christ as their Savior. I am encouraged to pray more for Mina and Javid for the work that they do, and that more Muslims will accept the Lord.

The most effective aspect of Mina Nevisa's Miracle of Miracles (Long Wood Communications, USA, 2004) is the personal voice of a woman who stood against the forceful captivity of thinking foisted by fundamentalist Muslims. All the pains, this devout Christian woman details, stood in her path of freedom from the reckless talons of Islamic laws hunting for the religious converts in Iran. Mina's escape is indeed a living miracle that sends shivers through the hearts of many who do not yet know what it means to shun Islam in a fundamentalist Muslim country.

In her quest for freedom of thought and belief, Mina lost her friends to death by torture at the hands of Islamic authorities; her family to shackles of prejudiced hatred, and her first ever child to death before birth. It was a Pyrrhic victory for her, but her faith in Christ redeemed her from the dread of slavishly following something she did not choose. Miracle of Miracles is a touching account of her persistence in pursuit of what she believes the true path of salvation.

Mina's account of her experiences is followed by an addendum at the end of the book that criticizes sharply the logical flaws of Islam's basic teachings and tenets. She exposes the darkness incumbent on the developed world by the arrogant ideologies of Islamic fundamentalists and justifies her claims by instances from history.

Two features of the book pose a challenge to the reader's faculty of reason. First, the account of several miracles that touched Mina's life and those of her friends, family, and acquaintances, appear either contrived or just another interpretation of reality. For a nonbeliever, this certainly is a serious drawback of Mina's work. Then there is the last part of the book, which acts counter to the whole mode of reading the author's realistic account of Islamic barbarism. Mina directly addresses the readers urging on them to convert to Christian faith. Not only does this sound too preachy and unwanted in a book of mature discussion but also tames the bright image of the author's personality. Perhaps, Mina could not subdue her emotions while thinking of ways to let people out of the claws of fundamentalist Muslims.

This book depicts the true story of a woman who was raised in Iran in the Isalmic faith and comes to find Christianity. Though what she went through was very difficult and harsh, it's a gently written book, full of compassion and love. She gives great insights into the Islamic religion, and through her telling of the miracles that happened to her over the years, your faith will grow in understanding Christianity and God's love. I challenge anyone who thinks all religions are the same to read this book. You will understand the difference by the end. A must read! Could not put it down.

This account tells of the author's conversion, marriage and flight out of Iran. She and her husband subsequently lived in Spain, the Netherlands and the U.S. The threats and harassment of radical Mohammedans follow them even across the Atlantic.

I read portions aloud to my children. They were enthralled by the miraculous accounts, especially of the salvation of Mrs. Nevisa's father. They also were given a glimpse into what it is to live under an oppressive government, like that of Iran.

As Christians, we ought not ignore how fellow believers around the world must risk their jobs, family relations and sometimes even their lives just to be able to read the Bible, pray to the God of the Bible, and have fellowship with other Christians. This is an engrossing and accurate account that chronicles the cost for some of following Christ Jesus.

A final note: I had the privilege of meeting the author and her husband at a gathering in a friend's home. They are the "real deal" - a humble couple who is pressing on, seeking God's guidance one day at a time. I know they would be delighted inasmuch as this book encourages people to pray for the people of Iran and others who are caught in the bondage of Islam.

I love this book! It is a sweet story with enchanting pictures. I have used it to review color words with my young students.

I had never even heard of this book until I stumbled upon it at the library. This book can be only be described by plucking a word right from the title and thats "LOVELY". My daughter could not get enough of it! The conversations between Mr. Rabbit and the little girl are simply so realistic I'm almost shocked cause I found myself wrapped up in it as well. It is too cute! The only negative observation I have is my daughter found Mr. Rabbit a little creepy but Maurice Sendak has a slight darkness to him so maybe thats it. Don't let that stop you from buying this though!

I had originally given this book a 4 star review, but in hindsight, I think it deserves 5. (The site wouldn't allow me to edit my star rating- sorry). This is a book that I would like to have discovered earlier, but my four year old boy enjoys it anyway, and I would gladly add it to our family library. A 2 or 3 year-old would easily appreciate this story as well. Both the author and illustrator are accomplished and well respected, and the proof is in reading it to a child. Children love the idea that they can converse with the animals, and Mr. Rabbit and The Lovely Present all but makes it seem possible to the reader. A valuable life lesson is well taken from a well meaning and sympathetic rabbit, in a young girl's search for great gift ideas for her mother. A tiny bit redundant from a grown-up's point of view, but the audience gets the bigger vote (children love repetitive stories and gain much from them). I'm hoping that demand will bring this book back to the printers for the next generation of readers, Especially considering the copyright date (1962). Judging from the illustrations, I would have placed it somewhere in the early 30's 40's. This book must have been very popular in the sixties with parents looking for wholesome stories and rich, high quality artwork for their children.

I received this book today and am so pleased that I bought it because it's a stunning book. It's a lovely little tale (already explained by other reviewers!) that contains subtle repetition for early readers and would be great for teaching colours to a younger child. The illustrations are lovely and have a 1960s feel about them - subtle but intricately drawn and enhance the text perfectly (they don't look anything like the illustrations of We're The Wild Things are but are equally as fantastic!). I think you'd be really hardpressed to find anything faults with this book - a totally charming must have classic for your children's library - don't pass this one up. It's one of those books that totally enchants you the very first time you read it.

As a student at West Virginia State College I was required to view a Calecott honor award winning book. I chose this book because of the beautiful illustrations. A little girl asks the assistance of Mr. Rabbit in deciding what to get her mother for her birthday. Mr. Rabbit suggests some rather foolish gift for each of the colors the little girl says her mother likes. He suggests such things as a red roof and a blue lake. Each time he also suggest a fruit of that color. The little girls says her mother likes that fruit but she needs something else. After they go though a few colors the little girl relizes she could make a fruit basket. Mr. Rabbit says he has a basket.

From the equipment used to take the shots in this book to the actual location of the models and light sources in each photo, this book is a perfect place to tap into. It will help you get some good fashion shots and/or spawn some really creative ideas on the readers end. A good buy for the fashion photographer or the aspiring one! Happy reading :)

From the equipment used to take the shots in this book to the actual location of the models and light sources in each photo, this book is a perfect place to tap into. It will help you get some good fashion shots and/or spawn some really creative ideas on the readers end. A good buy for the fashion photographer or the aspiring one! Happy reading :)

Look behind the scenes. From the film used to the thoughts of the photographer. Excellent resource for photographers no mather if you're a pro, you always learn new things.

Fashion Shots is a book that includes many different lighting situations in a clear layout. I like the book for this, because its imformative and fun to read at the same time. If your interested in fashion photography, this is definetely a book to consider.

From the equipment used to take the shots in this book to the actual location of the models and light sources in each photo, this book is a perfect place to tap into. It will help you get some good fashion shots and/or spawn some really creative ideas on the readers end. A good buy for the fashion photographer or the aspiring one! Happy reading :)

This book is a really good one to use for teaching sculpture. The mouse in the story creates a tiny sculpture and is rewarded for it. I usually read this book to my students and discuss sculptures and its characteristics. Then we create a sculpture out of wires and various items. (can also use pipe cleaners) Cute story!

This book is a visual and literary play on the ever-inspiring animal name of dormouse. These are a kind of rodent that in some ways resemble a squirrel. Every humor writer who has ever seen that name has wanted to have fun with it. The wonderful Don Freeman (of Corduroy fame) takes that artistic license one step further by building a Horatio Alger story around his door mouse and doing his own renditions of paintings and sculptures in this beautiful volume. Puns and fun abound, so keep an eye out for them!

Norman is clearly a door mouse, he even has a door mouse's uniform (just like those you see on Park Avenue in New York). His door is around the back of the Majestic Museum of Art. It is well hidden, and he brings in small creatures that way for tours of the art works in the museum's basement. In addition to his docent duties, he has established a studio in the helmet of some old armor, using the visor as a skylight. From there, he paints and sculpts. Life does present challenges though, because the sharp-eyed upstairs guard is always setting traps with cheese. Norman is able to disable them, and brings the spare parts to his home.

The story develops when one day Norman notices that there is a sculpture competition going on. Using mouse trap parts, he makes his own sculpture and names it punnily trapeese (trap and cheese being the sources) because it appears to be a mouse doing acrobatics holding onto a high wire.

Norman drags his sculpture into the room where the competition is being held, without being seen. Then the fun begins!

The story ends with one final pun. "Good Knight."

The plot is a very rewarding one, creating the sort of inspiration that books about "little engines that could" do. I have always been impressed with friends who could make a lot out of a little. It's a gift I do not have. This book is a worthy example of that principle. You can extend the lesson by discussing with your child how she or he might create something wonderful out of something else, including "junk."

Art lovers will find the illustrations to be a great treat. Mr. Freeman has created wonderful reproductions of works by many major artists, which he sneaks into scenes of Norman in the museum. I was particularly impressed by one Miro, where even the signature is faithfully reproduced in pastels.

You can also use this story to suggest going to an art museum. You can even go around the base of the building to see if you can find any door mice, or holes where they might be hiding. This can help you find arts wherever you go!

However you decide to use this book, I encourage you to renew your artistic license so you can explore the world of created beauty with your children and grandchildren in museums!

As a children's librarian, I highly recommend this classic tale of kindness by Don Freeman. I purchased this book to send to a very kind and polite student at Brown University! Our world needs to be reminded that random acts of kindness and politeness, like holding a door make life more enjoyable for all. Hooray for all of the door holders throughout the world!

A story of art appreciation and how it's possible for even a little mouse to be an artist. Norman has an important job as the doorman to the Majestic Art Museum where he lets mice in and tours them around the basement of the Art museum where there are many treasures. He acts as security guard, curator and tour guide for his portion of the museum and he takes great care and pride in each artifact. The only thing that causes a stir in the basement is when the sharp-eyed guard from the main museum comes down to set traps for the mice. Norman is clever and he has figured a way to take the cheese from the traps and set them off without hurting a whisker. His home is in the knight's helmet where he has a very comfortable setup and he spends his free time creating artwork. One day he decides to make a sculpture from the old traps and picture hanging wire. When he has finished his creation he is delighted and proud. Early the next morning he see a sign announcing a sculpture contest. Norman is very excited. He runs back in and titles his sculpture "Trapeese". Then he painstakingly carries it up the steps, through the main floor of the museum and puts his sculpture with the others. Norman was proud of his efforts. Once he got back home he sewed some buttons on his jacket and went about the business of being a doorman. Upstairs in the main hall everyone is talking about his sculpture and who had entered it. The judges questioned the guards about who had brought in the sculpture but none of them knew. When the sharp-eyed guard looked closer he figured that one of his mousetraps had been used for the sculpture. Downstairs he went into the basement, where he found Norman's home. Norman was waiting at the door cold and hungry for a party of country mice who were due to arrive at any time. The guard spots Norman who dashes off but is enticed out by a piece of cheese. The guard catches and questions Norman about using his mousetraps for artistic purposes, Norman's response is that "It's just a hobby, just my hobby!". Norman was sure he was being taken to jail. He was very surprised to hear the crowds shouting "Hooray for Trapeese!" The guard too was amazed and rushed to the judges' platform so that Norman could receive his award. When asked what he wanted, Norman indicated seeing the upstairs part of the museum without getting caught would be a good reward. So he was taken on a grand tour of the entire art museum. When Norman returned to the basement, he found the country mice waiting for him and he shared the large piece of cheddar cheese that the kind-hearted guard had given to him. The story ends with Norman warm and snug in his helmet. I just loved this book!

Norman the door-mouse welcomes discriminating rodents to view the paintings and sculptures stored in the basement of the Majestic museum. In his spare time, Norman has his own studio in a knight's helmet, which is also a good hiding place from the security guard! He cleverly uses an old mousetrap to create his own wire sculpture of a mouse swinging on a mousetrap, and enters it into a museum competition. There's a lot of visual humor, and Freeman makes the whole tuxedo-ed affair look fun and interesting, and there's a suspenseful subplot involving the guard trying to find Norman. (No animals were injured in the writing of the book.) There's a nice warm simplicity to Freeman's soft but colorful pastel illustrations; they're drawn with such ease that both they and the story may stimulate your own creative energy. Another excellent book from Freeman!

***** Story
***** Illustrations
A Delightful Story, Professionally illustrated and a Wonderful Message
Review by Douglas Quinn, Author of Blue Heron Marsh, etal and Donna Higgins Colson, Professional Artist

The artist has done a superb job with illustrating this delightful story from the dustjacket and hardcover to the final page. The pictures are organic and fresh. The use of foreshortening brings us right into the story. With the illustration of his dog tag on the title page, Kirby, a Boston terrier, is cleverly introduced to the reader.

We like how the artist bleeds the illustrations from one page to the next to make two-page pictures and his clever use of negative space allowing for the two different text types. The author uses the different text types to relate scenes of the story from two different voices, those of Abby and Kirby.

The use of diagonals as well as the changing scale of the figures creates a sense of motion as Abby and Kirby, each in their own way, experience getting ready for and going on their walk in the woods. The landscapes are charming, creating a feeling of traveling right along with the girl and her dog.

The cropping of illustrations helps to focus the reader's attention and skillfully gets across the idea of how differently nature can be perceived and appreciated. The underwater picture is an especially charming and creative viewpoint.

We liked the idea that the reader comes away with a sense that companionship, fun and enjoyment can be found in the natural world with all its beauty and diversity of flora and fauna. We also liked the fact that the author conveyed the important message that while some people may disrespect nature by littering, it is our individual responsibility to do our part to be sure the environment remains as pristine as possible. Keeping things light and humorous, Kirby sees this part of the outing as an opportunity to find new toys to play with.

The author was fortunate to have such a fine illustrator who interpreted her story in such a skillful manner. We highly recommend this book. We would each love to read this story with our grandchildren.

One final note. The author, Charity Nebbe, is donating a portion of her royalties to animal rescue organizations. What a wonderful gesture.

Our Walk in the Woods is a charming look at two perspectives (a girl's and her dog's) on a springtime walk. Beautiful illustrations perfectly capture the playful spirit of the text. This is one of my five-year-old son's favorite books.

My 3 year old loves books in general but this one became his favorite immediately. He liked it so much he wouldn't let it go and insisted on going to bed with the book. It's great a great book for any young dog lover.

This is a wonderful book that takes you on a journey with a young girl and her dog. You get to join in their adventures and see it all from both of their viewpoints. The text is fun to read and the book is delightfully illustrated. Each time you read it you will delight in the pictures as you may notice little things that you had not have seen before. Ms. Nebbe has written a wonderful book, we can't wait for her to write another!

This charming book was fascinating to my step-daughters. They loved hearing about the dog's thoughts as well as the little girl's as the pair took their walk. The colorful art work by Jeffrey Ebbeler captures a beautiful day and the adventure the two experience in a simple walk in the woods. I highly recommend this book. Children will love it and parents will enjoy reading it to them. Disclaimer: I work with the author, Charity Nebbe, in her other profession (radio). But, I've never bought four copies of a book before, simply to give it to all the little ones in my life.

With so many new sf books being published every year, it's all too easy to lose sight of the classics of the past. This collection of 8 first-rate stories by SFWA Grand Master Clifford D. Simak brings back into print such milestones in the genre as the Hugo Award-winning "The Big Front Yard," the rather nastily unSimakian "Good Night, Mr. James," and the Nebula Award-winning "Grotto of the Dancing Deer," as well as the poignant title story, which I hadn't come across previously in book form. A terrific read and a wonderful introduction -- or re-introduction -- to one of the shapers of modern science fiction.

Clifford D. Simak won virtually every major award from the science fiction community and, in 1977, was given the Grand Master Award by the Science Fiction Writers of America for lifetime achievement. His stories and novels are exceptional due to his poetic style of writing and his deeply-felt beliefs about humanity. He wrote about interplanetary civilizations but without space travel, about aliens with human traits and about time travel through gateways instead of machines. There is little violence in his works and his main characters are decent persons who through fate encounter something extraordinary. His settings are very often the land of his birth, rural Wisconsin, and his favorite theme is the superiority of rural life over urban life. Unfortunately, Simak's books are mostly out of print today. Visits to two large chain bookstores, Borders and Barnes & Noble, reveal extensive sf sections but nothing by Simak.

Simak, a journalist most of his life, started writing sf stories in the early 1930s but stopped after a couple of years due in part to the medicrity of his first efforts. Later in the decade, he resumed writing with better results. During the 1940s, he received acclaim for his stories which introduced emotionalism into a field often dominated by technology. There is a touch of optimism in his stories which pleased readers who were tired of the pessimism of too many futuristic stories. In 1944, he wrote "City," which would be followed by several sequels that were eventually combined into novel form. The complete novel tells the story of how earth is gradually deserted by humans and eventually inherited by robots and dogs. "City" received the International Fantasy Award for Best SF Novel of 1953. In the 1950s and 1960s, Simak reached his artistic peak with stories, novellas and novels that expanded the horizons of the genre.

In 1996, Tachyon Publications issued "Over the River & Through the Woods," which contains some of the best of these stories. These include "A Death in the House," about an emotional relationship between a simple farmer and an alien, and "The Big Front Yard," which tells the story of a handyman who discovers that his house has become an access to other worlds. This story won the Hugo Award for Best SF Novelette of 1958. The book includes six stories from the 1950s, one from the 1970s and one from the 1980s. The latter is "The Grotto of the Dancing Bear," about an eternal caveman, which won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards in 1982. "Construction Shack" should be just as well-known as Clarke's "The Sentinel" and is just as haunting. And "Good Night, Mr. James" is a terrifing yet humane story about cloning.

There is a delightful allure to all of these stories and this is perhaps why Simak is not embraced today by sf fans who crave violent, action packed stories and who believe that only harsh interpretations of mankind and its future are inevitable. Regrettably, the book is too short. Simak deserves the kind of massive anthologies given to two other giants in the field. "The Stories of Ray Bradbury" contains 100 stories and "The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke" contains more than a hundred stories. But Tachyon is a small publisher and deserves praise for this undertaking.

Worth seeking out in old or specialized bookstores are various collections of Simak's stories that were published in the 1950s and 1960s. Of his many novels, at least two that stand out are "Ring Around the Sun" from 1963, a fascinating tale about parallel earths, and "A Heritage of Stars" from 1978, about the breakdown of human civilization due to technological advances and the loss of the author's beloved pastoral society. In 2004, Old Earth Books, another small publisher, issued hardcover copies of "City" and "Way Station." The latter novel, about a lonely farmer who is granted immortality by aliens in return for his services as a galactic custodian, won the Hugo Award for Best SF Novel of 1963. These two books also were never available in major boostores.

I think of this as the last book of the master- even though it was composed of stories that had been previously published elsewhere, and well after his death. Maybe it is just wishful thinking on my part, since I used to look forward so much for the next Simak book to come out for so much of my life. In any case, this volume is a fitting tribute and memorial. It keeps his spirit alive.
I couldn't have selected a better cross section of stories. They truly reflect the flavor of his life's work. "A death in the House" echoes his immortal _Waystation_. "The Big Front Yard" reminds one of themes that would be expanded in _Mastodonia_ and _All Flesh is Grass_. As for "Neighbor", it can stand on it's own as just about the best short story that I've personally ever read.
...

If you enjoy short stories, then don't pass up a chance to get this book, or any book containing short stories by Clifford D. Simak. Whereas some authors try to wow you with style, or overwhelm your senses with action, Simak's stories often are more like a pleasant walk in the woods. There is time for thought and reflection, and before you know it, in Simak's subtle way, both you (and the characters in the stories) will be pondering the big questions that life has to offer.

Lot's of time could be spent analyzing what makes an author, or the stories they write, successful, but I will leave that analysis to others more worthy than myself. All I know is that I have been reading and enjoying Simak for over 30 years. His stories (and novels, too) seem to capture the essence of what life is (or should be) about. You will find yourself rereading them every few years. They will become like good friends.

Measured by the yardstick of the quality of its contents, this book is first rate. I can find no fault with the selection of stories included: they definitely belong to the upper echelon of Simak's work in the short forms. I'd single out for especial consideration the stories "The Grotto of the Dancing Deer," "Good Night, Mr. James," and "A Death in the House." "The Big Front Yard" is a good story (it won a Hugo award), just not one of my personal favorites. To each his own.

This book might thus serve as a good one volume introduction to Simak for those readers not familiar with his work.The only thing I can find to lament is that such a short volume cannot do Simak justice. Simak wrote at a consistently high level for many years. From the 50's through the '70's, he produced an enormous number of stories and novels. The novels go into and out of print with a certain regularity that makes it possible at least to find them.

With the stories, it's not so easy.

By searching through "best of year" anthologies from 1950-1980, I have noticed a large number of stories that deserve to be available, but alas, are not. A sample from the 50's: "Shadow Show"; another from the early 70's: "The Thing in the Stone." There are more

(The stories in the book _City_ should be read together, as a unit, not piecemeal.)

Tachyon Press is to be lauded for having brought out the volume they did. Admirers of the best of Simak's work can only wish that someone (maybe NESFA) will someday bring out a "Collected Stories." There is a need. Meanwhile, this book is what we've got, for which, our gratitude.

Compulsion pulls you through the powerful woodcuts in a few minutes. Each successive reading takes longer as you discover and savor character, plot and craft. Masereel lived by the nitroglycerin theory of rhetoric--the fewer the words, the leaner the lines, the more powerful the message.

"Passionate Journey" and "The City".
Both books of woodcuts are produced by Dover Books. The presentation of both is simple but the reproduction of the woodcuts is very good. These woodcuts are as fresh today as they must have been radical when first published in 1919 and 1925 respectively. These 'books without words' are fascinating in their portrayal of the human condition. "Passionate Journey" I believe to be a true work of art. One criticism of the editions is that they lack detailed information on Frans Masereel's life and times. I would liked to have much more on the impact of his work at the time and the context with regard to German Expressionism and the Weimar Republic. These books will hopefully introduce the work of Masereel to a much wider audience. They also represent reasonable value for money.

Like the Tarot, the images here are universal and transformative. They have the additional benefit of a wry sense of humor and subtle undercurrents of a humanist sensibility.

A must have for any searcher or thinker.

-- or is it? Masereel's remarkable little book declines to explain itself.

These 165 expressive woodcuts present snapshots from the life of one man, or so we assume. He's not all that special - he's not a great hero, leader, or lover, though he's each at one point or another. He doesn't rise above or sink below anyone else, except in the usual ways. As with Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man," this book celebrates the ordinary. And, when seen in such detail, the ordinary becomes quite extraordinary.

The book opens with the un-named man's arrival by train. The crowd and surroundings excite him, as does the mechanism of the train itself. Then, he's off to his new life in the city. We see that life in an uneven, even surreal pace. Masereel's vivid, expressive images hopscotch through the years of his life. Sequences of unrelated images seem to compress years into just a few pages. Other times, long sequences examine individual stories in detail - the adoption of a daughter, his happiness in her, and her final illness and death may be the most moving. It's a life-changing event, and sets the anonymous man off on a lengthy voyage, perhaps to lose himself or to find himself again. He returns to the city life, and eventually retires. The imagery changes radically at this point. It suggests Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" and "Starry Night," and also hints at Van Gogh's death.

Or maybe not. The imagery speaks volumes, but speaks a different volume to each viewer - and will probably speak differently to me when I read it again. Although it's an illustrated story, it's not for children. It is for anyone who wants to see the grandparents of today's illustrated fiction, or who appreciates woodcut in itself. This Dover edition is a beautiful reproduction, with richly saturated blacks but paper opaque enough to keep each page from bleeding through. It's easy to enjoy - so go ahead, enjoy it.

//wiredweird

When my sister gave me this book for my birthday, it was one of the greatest presents I ever received. I was inspired, comforted, and emboldened by Masereel's wordless tale of a questing spirit. Despite the fact that I've read it literally hundreds of times (almost every night when I was working in Calcutta), I always see something new in the subtle, highly expressive woodcuts. Besides the brilliance of his technique, the story Maserel tells is exciting, complex, hilarious and moving. A treaure I wouldn't trade for practically anything.