Missouri Books

If you're a Royals fan (like I am), if you can remember the disappointments of 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981 and 1984 (like I can), if you were on top of the world when the Royals won it all (like I was), this is a book to buy. It is chock full of memories of the 1985 Series, with little interesting facts thrown in about various player's lives after the Series, (where have you gone Buddy Biancalana is answered among others), and neat insights into the running of the Royals that year. "The Call" warrants a chapter of it's own, as does a member of neither team, Don Denkinger.

The only reason I didn't give this book a "5" is that the writing of the book itself is only average, even for a sports book. It doesn't come up to the level of some of the great true-sports authors of our time such as Halberstein.

If you are a true-blue Royals fan, you need this book. If you aren't, it is still a nice story of a team that came together at the right time to win the World Series.

The Kansas City Royals won the World Series in 1985. Most people aren't aware that the team had a few occasions when they were really good and competitive. Sure, those were many years ago, but you can't take away a World Series victory for a team that truly deserved it that year.

The opinions and memories that this book provides is worth a serious read. Every baseball fan should order this book right away.

I am a lifelong Royals fan and like many Kansas Citians, I have vivid memories of the games that year. However, I have very limited information about what this series meant at the time to the actual players. This book transcends the box scores and recaps to provide true insights to the thoughts and emotions of the players and the fans. The importance of this series to this team and city is epitomized by the graphic descriptions of players' mental impressions surrounding the key plays in that series. This series was the greatest sporting event in this city's history and this book is a wonderful way to relive the splendor.

As a faithfull and lifetime Royals fan, this book is amazing. The stories and memories of that faithfull series are brought back very vividly. The author does a very good job of re-creating the suspensefull moments of one of the most exciting times in Kansas City History

It's a shame that any Royals team wouldn't be inspired by reading this book. Former Kansas City Royals outfielder Frank White is right, "You've only got a few chances in life when a special challenge is put before you." So I hope future Royals teams will read this book, and maybe that inspiration will help improve the franchise. It was wonderful to experience what the former Royals are up to now-a-days, and Mr. Spivak did a great job in describing the feel of all seven World Series games. Finally, "The Curse of The Call" was a brilliant twist.

I have read "Dying to Live" once and I am currently reading it a second time. The book is unusual in that it tackles a difficult subject in a down to earth manner. Senkbeil, a pastor in Wisconsin, knows the Bible and he knows people. He does a wonderful job of making theology understandable. Forgiveness is at the heart of the Christian faith, Senkbeil explains, and thus of the Christian life as well.

Senkbeil has blessed the body of Christ by penning for us in his own tight, creative style, what should become a basic, classic work for Christians. The problem and solution are quickly laid out for the reader, then all the other elements of a believer's life are revolved around this center. Explains concerns that many pastors have with the "hot tub" christianity that so permeates our times. His sections on sacramental focus and liturgical shape are brilliant!

Senkbeil stands at the forefront of writers in Confessional Lutheranism. While often a sharp critic of many perceived sins, evils, and errors in modern society and Christendom, he is still at heart a parish pastor with a pastor's heart for those in need. While not a "how-to" book, ~Dying to Live~ certainly shows how a true Christian lifestyle flows from a life of forgiving and being forgiven.

Senkbeil begins this engaging book by showing the loneliness and worry that faces us in today's world. Written in a down-to-earth manner, Dying to Live opens with an examination of our society's desperation for life. Our frantic lives are lived in constant pursuit of happiness, and are full of communication. But all too often we seek happiness in materialism, and our communication is superficial, leaving us feeling empty and lonely. Instead of this, Senkbeil points us to the often over-looked simple answer. Christ offers forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation freely. Rather than "a crutch to escape reality," Christ is the eternal life present in this dying world (p.28).

Pastor Senkbeil continues the book by explaining the amazing reality of Christ's coming into the world as both God and man, facing our same trials and sufferings, and enduring the punishment for the sins of all humankind at the cross. Yet our glory and hope is in the knowledge that Jesus Christ did not remain dead, but overcame the grave and promised the same resurrection to all who believe. Senkbeil shows us how this grace is carried to the church through the Word and Sacraments (the tangible means by which we receive God's forgiveness), which equips us to face this earthly life.

In the last section of the book he overviews the fellowship we have in the church and how it is centered around God's word. This builds the way we worship, as God serves us (God's service=divine service=meaning of "liturgy"). He also shows the implications for our prayer life and for our daily life in the the world. Overall this book points us to the comforting truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His gift of forgiveness and salvation. Dying to Live would be an excellent read for any Christian or even a non-Christian interested in learning about this hope that we have.

The turnaround of the St. Louis Rams was remarkable--from doormat of the NFL to World Champions in a single season. And they managed to accomplish this after losing their starting quarterback, Trent Green, and having to settle on a little-known back-up quarterback that had been previously cut by the Packers, spent time playing in NFL Europe and in the Arena Football League when he wasn't stocking shelves in an Iowa grocery store on the nightshift.

Of course, that back-up quarterback was Kurt Warner. Coupled with Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce, Tory Holt, Ricky Proehl and a tough, dominating defense, Warner blended the team into a force to be reckoned with. The offense became the Greatest Show on Turf and was unstoppable. The defense continually handled every other offense in the NFL and rose to the occasion when needed. This team was a team that was just that--a TEAM. Everyone on this team contributed to the team chemistry and several heroes were made weekly.

This Rams team was exciting and fun to watch as it was almost impossible to ignore the feeling there was greatness and a destiny for them. This book is the story of this Rams team and contains great photographs, inspirational insight into the team and its players and coaches, and recounts the entire season through stopping the Tennesee Titans at the 1-yard line to in the final seconds of the Super Bowl. In short, this book is a great read with great photos. Enjoy!

could a supermarket stockboy with almost no previous NFL experience who had been cut go from back-up to league, Super Bowl, and Pro Bowl MVP - and become only the second player to throw for over 40 TDs in a season.

Only in America could a team that was 4-12 one year make one trade - for Marshall Faulk - and go from mid-level to the Greatest Show on Turf

Relive it. It will make you pull for the Rams. Kurt Warner is an inspiration to every kid who ever had a dream.

A great book about a magic season (comparable to the 85 Bears).That season made me a rams fan and with that book i can re-live the moments any time i want. it helped me over the last few dull seasons where the defense guys woke up for telling the boring saga of defense wins championships.
This book reminds me of all the blow-outs, the 300 yard games of Warner, the catches of Bruce and Holt, the thrill of the Super Bowl and so on.
Great pictures, good stats section of every game. a complete book, actually i wish it was twice as big. i was reading it in ONE day.
a must for all rams fans, new rams fans, Martz fans and Offense-fans.

This is great book that will allow you to re-live the Rams amazing turn around. Go ahead and get the hard back, you'll want to keep this book for years to come.

This book is everything it's cracked up to be. Forget that Sports Illustrated book, the subscription will cost you $80 and for what? Baseball yak-yak-yak for the next 6 months till The Man and his Warner Bros. return to action on Monday Night Football! This book will help you relive every moment from the sick feeling that you felt upon hearing that Green went down, all the way to the exhiliration of hearing that Super Bowl ref say "The game is over." Great gift, great book, great team! RAMS!

The Western Writers of America awarded "Leaving Missouri" the 1998 Spur Award for Best Paperback Original! Since only 6 or 7 Spurs have been given to female authors of book-length fiction in the past fifty years or so, I thought this was worth mentioning. "Leaving Missouri" is a hoot! It's funny and charming and scary and sad, a book you'll want to read over and over. Bring Kleenex!

A good story of "Hush Up Clutie Mae Chestnut" Initially, the dialect was a bit overpowering, but the storyline soon puts that out of mind. The book reads quickly and well; I found myself amazed at the number of events occuring within a short period of time. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Recknor's works.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It made me sad and made me laugh- what a good book! Clutie Mae is quite the character and her story is unique

Ellen Recknor's "Leaving Missouri" has surpassed standard western fare and shapeless pulp fiction, and has earned the right to keep company with the great literature we remember from the good old days (the quality of which we were sure would never again be found in the new release section). The lushly detailed characterization and slick-as-a-whistle comedy, go hand in hand with an immensely moving story. This young heroine moves not only beyond the state line, but beyond her small-town ideas and limitations, as she gains wisdom and strength on the journey to adulthood. You will laugh, you will cry, you will cheer. And by the end, you will have lived a lifetime through the eyes of Clutie Mae Chestnut.

I've bought copies for everyone I know who's interested in westerns. Leaving Missouri is a genuine hoot.

Wasn't sure what the title meant when I picked up this book ... but once I started it, I couldn't put it down. It was a busy weekend in New York city, but each time I could get to it, I started reading again. I bought ten copies this Christmas to gift to good friends so they could enjoy it too.

The Logic of a Rose is a wonderful read. Lombardo weaves together stories that are not only entertaining but also beautifully written. He describes his characters and environment so simply yet manages to capture every moment with such detail that the reader feels that he is a part of the story, standing right next to Petey in the Wallace Playlot or watching Petey's father load the bakery's delivery truck. Lombardo is a gifted writer, and the only way to better experience his narrative is to hear him read his marvelous work aloud.

There are many passages of beauty in this brilliant first book. A "Winesburg Ohio" of the Italian working class enclave of Bridgeport on the south side of Chicago, Lombardo's book is written with tenderness, humor, and deep affection for people he knows well and a city he loves. Lombardo recalls the work of Stuart Dybek, but he is not as relentless, objective and hard-edged. This is gentler fiction, but it is very fine on its own terms. Funny and touching passages about his moralistic and loving father (not unlike the bus driver father in "A Bronx Tale") ,about his father's emotional reaction to a Tony Bennett recording, about Italian working people, and about a chance meeting with a first love in a laundromat are haunting. There is a sense of wonder to these terrific stories.--David Evanier is the author of "Roman Candle: The Life of Bobby Darin," "The One-Star Jew," winner of the Aga Khan Fiction Prize, and a former senior editor of The Paris Review.

This is a great book of stories. Lombardo lavishes loving attention on the details of Bridgeport, and this attention will be a joy to readers who know the area and those who don't. Like the author Stuart Dybek, Lombardo finds beauty where others are too jaded to see it. This compassion and heart is also with him as he explores his characters, and Petey Bellapani above all. Whether the characters are living up to their ideals or whether they're muddling their way through, they are touching, understandable, perfectly real. This collection really stays with a reader, like the most important memories of childhood.

This collection of short stories balances perfectly between the perspective of its child protagonist, Petey Bellapani, and the wisdom and understanding that comes of age. Lombardo portrays Petey with tenderness and understanding without ever sentimentalizing or idealizing him. In other hands, Petey's evolution might have led to disillusionment, but Lombardo brilliantly captures Petey's internal voice, a voice that never loses its wonder even as he learns the codes of Bridgeport, his tough neighborhood. Lombardo's collection defies the flat characterization of masculinity too common in contemporary popular culture. Petey, his father, and even the punks of Bridgeport are three dimensional, outwardly posturing but inwardly real, devoted to the toughness expected of them while holding within extraordinary loyalty, affection, courage, and their own brand of honor.

Ella Jo Sadler tells her true story, which kept me on the edge of my seat, while I took in each word. I use to live in a small farm community, and can relate to the feeling of comradery and security that one has without ever entertaining a thought that bad things happen to good people in the country as well as big cities. This book is very suspenseful, wonderfully written with the author sharing her heart and personal faith in God. Through all the tragedies in her life, she gives us the answer to our Why's? and that is Trust God! I thank Ella Jo Sadler for her willingness to share her life.

I live in Potosi, about 15-20 miles from Quaker, where this took place. This book is the 100 % truth of what happened. My aunt is a family member of one of the victims and has told me about it. The book is available at the Washington County Library in paperback all of the time. I think many readers do not realize how small these towns are, Quaker is just a bunch of farms where everybody knows everybody and just about everyone is related. It was a shock that something like that would ever happen because even today, it just doesn't happen here.

When I was younger my mother bought me this book signed by Ms. Ella Jo Sadler, I was a little scared to know that this could happen so close to home (only about 45 minutes away) I think it is a very good book, and I think it takes great courage to be able to write about something this tragic especially when it has happened to you and your family.

Ella Jo Sadler has written a touching story of her experience with the brutal attack on her family which resulted in the deaths of her father and her best friend. She herself was beaten beyond recognition and left on the brink of death, and her mother was shot but not killed. The book kept me riveted to my seat until I finished it! The family showed such faith in God through the entire ordeal that it was an encouragement to my faith, as well!

This book tells it like it is. This is a true story, and it happend in a small town in Missouri. the older guy that committed the murders just recently died in prison. And the younger guy is out on parol {which should have never happend}. The lady who wrote the book "Murder in the Afternoon" is still suffering, She is 95yrs old and still lives on the property where this took place. She witnessed it all first hand, and was in a coma three weeks prior to the murders.

A book for treasure hunting in Oklahoma is long over-due (even though this was done several years ago). Precise information along with very well done maps and easy to follow stories. There is no other book like this nor can any other book compare with it's information. Money well spent for this interesting Oklahoma book is a treasure hunters dream come true. A must read book.

I thought this book was really interesting! It provides the stories of lost gold mines, buried outlaw loot, old Spanish mining efforts, and more. Includes lots of pictures.

For the serious treasure hunter, this book may provide a place to start looking for sources, but it doesn't contain any detailed maps or secrets.

Nonetheless, I would strongly recommend this book to people with an interest in lost treasure or with an interest in the history of Oklahoma. (I found out from this book that I grew up about 20 miles from a lost gold mine area!)

Steve captures the essence of the Wichita Mountains in an inspiring way. As someone who grew up in these magaical mountains, I appreciate the insight he brings to the book. The photos, maps, and stories offer great depth into an area that I've enjoyed exploring since I was a young girl. Thanks to Steve for sharing the stories of Oklahoma with the world. He's a great storyteller, an amazing author and photographer.

Although this book was originally published several years ago, it remains "the best" reference book for authentic treasure leads ever published, particularly for Oklahoma.

Many of the old west treasure stories recorded here would now be lost to history if not for Steve Wilson's thorough detective work.

I was shocked to read one review here stating "there are no detailed maps" in the book. I beg to differ with that opinion. This book contains several authentic treasure maps. It is an absolute fact that treasure was recovered using some of those maps. (Read "Shadow of the Sentinel" or "Rebel Gold" for the story of one treasure recovery). I'd go as far as to predict, that in the near future, other treasures will be found using the maps in this book.

Every day another treasure hunter enters the ranks of those who seek buried gold. They can do no better than to read, and read, then re-read the OKLAHOMA TREASURES AND TREASURE TALES.

To truly understand the way treasure maps are actually drawn and how they work this book is a must. Study these maps paying careful attention to the codes and ciphers hidden in them, then with some luck and lots of hard work you might be the next person to get rich from Steve's work.
Bob Brewer
Author/Historian/Cache Hunter

This is the definitive work on lost treasure in Oklahoma. The author gives an excellent survey of most of the lost treasures in the state which are commonly known (and some which are not so well known). The author seems to have researched the treasures in the western half of the state, particularly those in the Lawton area, more heavily than the treasures in the eastern half of the state. Nonetheless, on all of the treasures surveyed, there is sufficient information in the bibliography for the serious student to start researching any of the treasures.

Leon Sanders: at times you hate him, at times you love him. Most of the time you are frustrated by his decisions and then he does something wonderful to redeem himself. He's the lead character in Brian Katcher's Playing with Matches. Leon isn't the smartest, best looking, most popular guy in his high school, he's just average. But he wants above-average Amy Green to be his girlfriend. What he doesn't plan on is falling for Melody, a girl scarred on the inside and out. Melody and Leon become close just at the time that Amy Green notices him. Will Leon choose beauty on the inside or beauty on the out?

Brian Katcher does an amazing job of creating these multi-dimensional charcters that most people can relate to. I related to Leon's struggles to fit in and be popular and his struggle of finding that one person that completes him. He acts like a typical teenage boy, obsessed with beauty and the superficial. Of course, he then redeems himself by falling for a girl that is far from being pretty or popular. His journey is at times heartbreaking and triumphant. At one part in the book, I was so disgusted with his actions that I just quit reading. I didn't want to live through the consequences with him. But the book is so readable, I soon picked it back up and read some more. It really sucks you in from the beginning. I must caution, there is language and sexual situations. But it's a great read! And it's only Katcher's first book! Lots more to look forward to!

The book is certainly entertaining, but what I most enjoy are the insights about human nature in general, and about adolescence in particular. The author has either an amazing memory or an astounding capacity for observation and empathy.

The characters, their motivations, and their actions are entirely believable. The pacing is even, and the plot a perfect recipe for absorbing readers' attention.

The humane, respectful, and accessible manner in which Brian Katcher approaches his characters--and his topic--will win readers' hearts.

Several of my students are choosing to read this book, and they admire the way the author describes the events, personalities, and emotions of high school life with accuracy and compassion.

I hear them laugh aloud as they read, and I see their reluctance to put the book away. This behavior is quite an endorsement.

As I read this Young Adult novel I was brought back to my own years in high school with all the angst and emotions that entailed. I was rooting for Leon so strongly that it was painful to see him make the inevitable teenage boy mistakes. I was also constantly reminding myself that it was written by a man. The writer was able to capture the emotions of both the male lead and the female characters which was fascinating to read. This is more than YA fiction. It is a seriously good read for anyone.

I am a teacher of young adults and a YA writer, myself. I ordered the book because I'm also writing a story about a burn victim. When I picked it up, I thought it might provide me some research material that may be useful, but what I got was much more. I literally read it in one evening, because I was dying to know how things turned out with Leon and Melody. Katcher's voice is astounding, and I was instantly rooting for Leon. The empathy and seriousness of the topic regarding burn victims is touching, but the author wrote the book in such an entertaining manner, that I didn't feel preached to.

Katcher understands popular teen culture and language. His use of slang is right on the mark, and he describes the high school experience quite effectively and believably. I am very impressed by Katcher's first novel. I believe he will be a YA writer to watch. Although his protagonist is male, I feel that girls will love this book. In fact, it may be more geared to a female audience because of the romantic elements. This is quite a feat for most male authors--to close in on an opposite gender audience. I feel that males will like the book as well. They will undoubtedly relate to Leon and his dating dilemmas. The sexual tension in the story is also right on the mark for YA. Katcher's voice reveals this tension...the male yearnings for sexual experience and its preoccupation.

The characters are diverse and enjoyable, and the book is a delightful and insightful read. I will definitely encourage my students to read this book, and I'll look forward to more from Brian Katcher. Bravo!

With his debut novel, Brian Katcher has successfully crafted the bittersweet tale of a teenage boy's quest to find love in the tragicomic world of a typical suburban high school.

The novel's protagonist, Leon, is one of a new breed of literary subject: the iconoclastic and self-professed nerd, comfortable in his own skin, but yearning, ultimately, for something more than his circle of male friends can provide. While his long-held crush on the popular cheerleader Amy Green blossoms into something more real (and inconvenient) than he could've ever dared imagine, it is the budding relationship between Leon and Melody Hennon that forms the beating heart of the book. Melody's character is a marvel. Mr. Katcher manages to write a profoundly scarred young woman with such depth that you often forget, as does Leon, that she is scarred at all. While the reality of Melody's disfigurement is always acknowledged, it never overwhelms what is a truly astonishing character. The reader never questions why Leon would be drawn to Melody's wit and warmth, nor do we question her interest in him.

In the end, the plot resists easy answers to the many questions it poses about self-esteem, trust, love, and the great yearning all young people feel for acceptance by their peers. The author mixes laughter and tears in equal measure to produce a nuanced and deeply heartfelt look at young love in all its complex glory. Bravo to Mr. Katcher for a fine debut to his literary career.

I love Dorothy Garlock. I think this was her last great series of books. Her writing is not as strong as it used to be and that is very sad. Read this whole series you will not be sorry!

What a well-written, engaging novel! Dorothy uses just enough description, but doesn't over-do it. She uses the river and it's potential flooding as the backdrop, building suspense behind all the sub-plots. Loved the characters she creates. My fave book of the year!

April Asbury leaves a big city hospital where she worked as an emergency room nurse to work in the small town of Fertile as Dr. Forbes office nurse. On the surface Fertile seems like a serene little town where neighbor helps neighbor survive the Great Depression. She meets Joe Jones when her car breaks down forcing her to walk until she finds herself in a field with a bull. Joe rescues her and takes her into town where she rents a room at Mrs. Poole's and starts work in Dr. Forbes office.

She begins to sense that the postcard prettiness of the town masks secrets that people want kept hidden. Dr Forbes is in love with a woman most people would consider black and is not allowed to legally marry her. Mrs. Poole's brother Fred spies on April when she is naked in her room and Mrs. Poole is going through with a diabolical plan that could destroy innocent lives. April is afraid to give her heart to Joe because she thinks he is a flirt while Joe thinks April would not want to get involved with a poor farmer. When the river threatens to flood the town many secrets and feelings finally see the light of day.

Dorothy Garlock is the queen of Americana tales and RIVER RISING is a perfect example of her superior writing talent. The romance of April and Joe plays out against the manipulations and actions of the secondary cast who are drawn very realistically. There are multiple sub-plots that all tie to the main storyline that enables readers to feel what it was like in small Missouri town during the Great Depression.

Harriet Klausner

River Rising is an excellent book with great subplots. I couldn't put it down. Dorothy Garlock's stories are always so real and emotional.

My attention was captured by the rural farmhouse art on the novel's cover, Dorothy Garlock's name, and the word "Americana" in reviews.

Been analyzing various types of mysteries and needed a relief from the clue focus. Was definitely refreshed returning to my old haunt of Early-American, 1930's romance. In that genre I live with the characters and plot in warm, family settings, yet I'm removed enough from the heavy work loads and financial horrors families shouldered in the depression era.

The prologue was a chilling, mesmerizing lead-in to the plot's contrast of emotionally heated grit around a good cast of strong, feisty characters weaving wit into wherewithal.

Say what?

Okay. Re-wording:

The prologue gave an accurate profile of a rapist, and the psychological response to the discovery of that profile (after 5 years grieving her husband's death) by a wife who had no clue to his dark side. The easy, quipping banter among characters in the ongoing plot gave a good contrast to the pain in the prologue.

I enjoyed the easy reading rhythm of slipping through a plot without the necessity of applying memory retention techniques to hold onto an intriguing horde of details, clues, and diversions. My recent reading tastes have been craving cozy culinary mysteries, with other genres and mainstream novels temporarily shoved off the back burner onto the floor behind the stove, where greasy dust bunnies abide and multiply. Even within a craving frenzy, though, one needs a break. This was mine.

How refreshing to live through the pages of a book with no underlying game-board beyond the simple elements of a good story. Not that simple stories are empty; with a balance of plot, characters, and setting, enough is most often enough. And, there is clearly thematic and psychological depth here.

I cheered the cunning contrast between the enduring country values of the Jones, and the un-elegant, empty ethics of a few snobs in town. It was refreshing to see redemptive evolutions of youth (Sammy) and of more mature characters (Jack). Of course the conflicts, tensions, and resolutions were predictable, as they're expected (desired) to be in this genre. If these anticipations are altered too dramatically, the drama sometimes descends into a literary category, and (for me) can too easily go sour in that miasma.

I was refreshed by the formulas met, yet literarily satisfied with this warm story's easing gently and sagely into and through difficult issues.

Surprisingly, the exposure (and healing) of a mild sexual perversion was artfully and tastefully done within this plot, edging the work almost into a literary gestalt, without leaving the appealing warmth of healthy romance

Loved the scene of peeping Fred snapping his backbone to stand up against bitter Shirley. Once backbone is acknowledged, perversion has an option to dissipate. What I enjoyed most in that first scene of Fred's spirit surge was that he accomplished this initial shift in his sibling relationship simply and gently. This situation occurred earlier in the story, giving characters the opportunity to begin healing dark tendencies, and the reader the regenerative benefits of "taking cues" from realistic character growth.

Woven naturally into the action were Lots of interesting bits of info for dealing with various types of emergencies, including medical. The fitting manner in which these "how to's" were delivered increased my involvement in the reading.

This book is not only entertaining and educational for kids, but for adults, too! The artwork is lovely to the eye and I'm looking forward to getting more of these books.

What a wonderful idea for a series of books. This is one of 50 alphabet books; there is one for every state. This one is packed with beautiful illustrations which contain hidden symbols, poetry, and tons of "unique to Missouri" facts. Don't just buy this one....collect them all. They are sure to be a valuable resource for teachers and parents alike. Despite it's ABC format, it is intended for all age groups.

This book is GREAT! As a school teacher, I'm delighted to have this book in my classroom. As a parent, I'm delighted to have it at home. It's an alphabet book, a poetry book, a textbook, and an art book all in one! Though I have lived in Missouri all my life, I sure learned some new things by reading S is for Show Me. I learned about the Kimmswick Bone Beds where mastodons used to live. I learned that nearly all corncob pipes in the world are made in Washington, MO! I learned about caves, springs, animals, ice cream cones, the Pony Express, the Civil War and so much more. This book should be read over and over because there is so much information that it just can't be absorbed in the initial reading. The illustrations are beautiful. Many of the paintings contain hidden details that my kids love to search for. The poems are fun to read aloud to young children and give them just enough information to spark their curiosity. But each page also has a sidebar of text that provides more in-depth information for older children and adults. S is for Show Me crosses all age barriers. I highly recommend this book to young and old alike, to anyone who is interested in the great state of Missouri!

This book is simply well done. I must say though, it is a bit misleading as it is not a simple ABC book even though it is set up in that particular format. It is so very, very much more. The author and illistrator have given us a wonderful oversite of a wonderful state, starting with prehistory and working forward to the present. The emphasis is on the outdoors of course, as Missouri, if nothing else, is an outdoor kind of place. The cities too have been well covered though, so there is something for everyone here. This book contains some pretty sophisticated information so, for the younger child, it might be a good idea to use this as a "read-a-long" book. The art work is great and quite detailed and fits the text perfectly. I have to admit, even though I am a native of this state, have lived here many years, I too, learned quite a few facts that I was unaware of. For an informative, well designed and fun to read book, I do recommend this one highly.

S is for Show Me fulfills a need of which librarians have been aware a long time. Finally here is a book that provides a great amount of information about the state of Missouri in an easy-to-read format all ages can enjoy. The magnificent illustrations develop great interest in the excellent poetry and interesting research material. Adults as well as children will gain much knowlege of Missouri from this informative and enlightening book. I cannot praise S is for Show Me too highly!