Lifestyle Books

Author Joosse chooses a tough subject and writes about it in the most touching manner. The love of a family, a mother and a younger brother, are not enough to keep a boy from joining a gang. Even though Richard tries to hide his gang activities from them, the young narrator of the story tells us "I know what I know." The boy and his mother come up with a plan that involves their neighbors, making them true "stars in the darkness." Every parent and child will find in this powerful book a way to connect to the feelings, fears, and hopes of the families whose lives are affected by gangs.

This book is worth buying twice just to support the author. Fantastic writing, illustrating, everything. As soon as I picked it up I was instantly drawn to its pages and once I began I couldn't put it down-and it's a book for kids! In any case, it's a book all pre-schoolers will cherish. It's about love and family and sticking together to overcome adversity. I can't wait for Barbara Joosse's next book. She's doing something great. And as always, I leave you with my favorite picks: most creative, The Butterfly: A Fable (Singh); most engaging, The Alchemist (Coelho); most interesting, Life of Pi (Martel); most enlightening, 9-11 (Chomsky); most thrilling, The Lovely Bones: A Novel (Sebold); and finally, the most creative, engaging, interesting, enlightening and thrilling book of all, The Little Prince (Saint-Exupery). These are the books I'd recommend to my family, friends, students, and wife. There are many more, trust me, but these are the first that come to mind (for having left an impact slight or proud as it may be). If you have any questions, queries, or comments, or maybe even a title you think I should add to my list, please feel free to e-mail me. I'm always open to a good recommendation. Thanks for reading my brief but hopefully helpful review. Happy reading. Donald S. Buckland

"Sometimes, Mama and me look down at the street and pretend it's not the city. We shut out eyes so only a crack is open, lookin' through our eyelshes, and pretend we live on the moon. The lights we see? They're stars, as many as the sky can hold. And sirens? That's wild wolves howlin' at the moon. If there's shots fired, we say it's the light of the stars crackin' the darkness..." So begins Barbara Joosse's nameless young narrator's story of the dangerous and tenuous life in the inner city. When his beloved brother, Richard, stops coming home at night, he and his mother realize he's become a gang banger. "We can't pretend no more," she says. "We gotta be strong now." His mother implores him, "Don't you be hanging' out with those bangers, Richard. Don't. Be somebody for this world." But Richard is caught up in the life, "walkin' that walk, like he's King Stuff." When Richard comes home injured and bandaged, Mama and Richard's little brother hatch a plan, a plan to take back the neighborhood. "We call 'em Peace Walks. Every night now, there's family on the street. We take turns walkin' the night. When it's my turn, I shut my eyes so only a slit is open, and I look through my eyelashes. I see streetlights, like before, but now I see flashlights, too. Stars crackin' the darkness." Ms Joosse's bittersweet picture book, geared to little brothers and sisters, "the stars in the darkness," is neither judgemental nor sentimental, but truthful and filled with hope. Her evocative text, rich in imagery and magic, is compelling, written in realistic language and complemented by Gregory Christie's powerfully bold and expressive illustrations. Together word and art paint a vivid portrait of life in the inner city, family love, and the courage and strength to try and make a difference. With an Author's Note about the real Richard, to enhance the story and help open important discussions, and a comprehensive list of resources on gang prevention, Stars In The Darkness is an inspiring narrative that shouldn't be missed, and definitely one of the best new books of 2002. Kudos to Joosse and Christie.

A lot of books have been written on the 49ers' great Quarterback Steve Young but none is as deep in details as this one. It is entertaining, absolutely interesting and (i would say) formative because it teaches about how fulfilling our dreams, heading in the good direction...I loved this book.

This book is informative and brilliantly written. Unlike the other books on Steve Young that I have read -- books which often rely on "angles" about this man's life -- this book is an honest and compelling account. It's writing is tight and detailed. I loved this book.

I read this book when I became a Steve Young junkie while at BYU. I am still at BYU, and still a S.Y. junkie, but at least now I know a lot more about the man. The authors of this book seem to have gotten close enough to the protagonist to show some of the most private aspects of his personality. I got a truer sense of who Steve really is, what he believes, and why he comports himself the way he does. Apart from being well-written and chronologized, the book provided a lot of back-ground kowledge with regards to Steve's football career, starting out with his college experience, as well as some of the challenges he had to face in the AFL and NFL, right up to the point where he led his team to a superbowl victory during the 1994 season. It also invoked a lot of compassion in me for Steve Young, because one only has to read the book half-way to realize that the path he had to travel to success was not an easy one. It has inspired me in many ways. I would recommend this book not only for people who are interested in the 49er Quarterback, but also for those who don't favor him that much, or who don't really know a lot about him. For those of us who will never meet the guy, this is the closest we will ever get to his inner-self, to understanding where he's coming from, and perhaps, eventually understanding Steve, the man.

My one year old loved this book so much when we checked it out from the library, that wanted to get our own copy. She loves the bold illustrations, and the text is rhythmic and entertaining for her. I highly recommend it, and look forward to the day when she can practice reading it, as I think it would be good for that also.

Wonderful illustrations with lots of color and movement match a story with just enough detail and length to capture a young child's attention. This book was clearly written with a child in mind, but will hold a parent's attention as well, and although it says NYC to me, my child has been on our own city's street cars enough to relate. A great early picture book.

My daughter is 22 months and this is now her favorite book. The pictures are delightful and the text has a simple and catchy rhyme. She "reads" along by joining in on the last two lines of every stanza.

I first bought this book before our first trip to Manhattan. I knew we'd be riding the subway and wanted to give my daugher some preparation for that event. The book worked fabulously in that sense too.

I recommend this book highly - and there's no reason to wait until your child is in the recommended reading age of 4-8. Younger children enjoy this book immensely!

I have to admit that I wasn't sure what to expect when I first read the title: The Sunflower Parable. First of all, I love sunflowers! They're fun to plant, exciting to watch as they grow, and it's amazing seeing them turn their head to follow the sun. But, how could one imagine a parable coming from something so ordinary. Something so simple. Liz Curtis Higgs has done just that! What a wonderfully clever way to explain our Father's garden and the process of spreading His message to our friends, neighbors, and people all over the world!
On every page I found darling and child-friendly illustrations and even a Bible verse that perfectly corresponded with the words on the page. I whole-heartily recommend this wonderful book for children between the ages of 3-7 and for the young at heart.

This book is very inspirational. It teaches children about hard work, patience, sharing, and God's unconditional love. The child in this story spends time with his father learning so much more than about planting sunflowers. It shows how very simple daily tasks can be used to encourage our children. This is a wonderful book.

I read this book every Summer to my children (and many times in between) to inspire them with our own Summer planting efforts. I never tire of reading it and they enjoy it too. I especially like the scripture references included on every page. I look forward to completing my collection of these books.

When I first read this book it gave me the inspiration to change my life for the better. Since that first read, and there has been many, my life has improved ten fold. I recomend this book to all those that need inspiration for a happy, harmonuos and healthy life. THANKS!

This book covers everything I need to support me in maintaining the new basis for my life, that I have achieved since completing the Landmark Forum and Advanced courses. I borrowed the dutch version, but am trying to buy the out of print english version. A great book!

"A delightful book bringing more light and understanding to the experience of trusting, loving, and letting go." - Gerald G. Jampolsky, M.D.,author of Love Is Letting Go Of Fear Find this book listed, along with others by Ivan Hoffman at: Follow Your Heart: The Writings and Philosophy of Ivan Hoffman http://www.earthlink.net/~ivanlove

Although this book is aimed at parents, it is a quick and easy tool for teachers as well. I have seen several ideas that can be used in my kindergarten classroom and shared with parents to use at home. The book also covers severl levels from beginning spellers to higher levels.

I found this book very practical and helpful.It gave me fun games and simple word lists.try this book if you want tips and useful information that really works.

If you want your child to win the national spelling bee this probably isnt the book you need but if you want simple explanations of fairly hard spellings this is a great book. You get lists of words with tricky sounds in them and a lot of word families and its all explained in easy terms. I have taught my child many of the lists and will keep going.

A great balance between entertainment and education. I wish he would write a book for every so-called "nuisance" animal!

Gave this book to two families with young children. It delighted both kids and parents.

There's an Opossum in My Backyard is a children's picturebook about the Virginia opossum, the only marsupial native to North America. Written and illustrated in a realistic style, There's an Opossum in My Backyard is a child's perspective of an opossum's search for food, its attempts to evade predators by hiding or playing dead, and even its escapades when it gets inside a human house! The final two pages are filled with fun facts about opossums, in this educational and engaging storybook recommended for children's library and personal collections.

Hartnett has done a wonderful job again in giving us this haunting story of another dysfunctional family. You can almost hear Tin as he moves about underground, expanding that world as he leaves this one.

'Thursday's Child' is a good example of a book that is not necessarily historical fact, but brings a beautiful portrayal of a family unit through hard times. Although it can get depressing at times, the darkness is expected (the family is not living in the most happiest conditions) and the story is full of realistic plot that lets the reader really get to know the characters. The only character that remains shrouded in mystery (although the main character, Harper, gives us some insight to his true intents throughout the book of his digging) is Tin, who still remains one of the most meaningful aspects of the book.

An easy, enjoyable read.

James Augustin Barnabas Flute, otherwise known as "Tin," was born on a Thursday. Which, according to his older sister Harper who narrates this dark coming-of-age novel, fated him to his wanderings. An older Harper looks back on her not quite seven-year-old self and remembers the day when her youngest brother Caffy was born - the day when Tin stopped being the impoverished family's baby, which is also the day when Tin learned how to dig.

The family's story from then on diverges from Tin's, as the small boy slowly transforms into a wild creature whose home is a self-created network of tunnels beneath their shanty. Most of the time Tin is invisible to the others, a person lost - less and less human, as time passes - yet still loved. Still one of their own.

This literary novel's premise borders on speculative fiction, with wonderfully creepy effect. Tin's life intersects with those of his family at crisis points throughout the story, as their already difficult existence becomes ever more so. What will this wild and often frightening child bring his loved ones in the end? Will he be their doom - their salvation - or both?

Despite its darkness, which at times feels extreme, "Thursday's Child" is a book beautifully written and a story expertly told. I recommend it highly, although not to young readers prone to nightmares!

- Reviewed by Nina M. Osier, author of "Love, Jimmy: A Maine Veteran's Longest Battle"

Wonderful story. We love it!!!! It's a sweat interpretation of Ps. 139 - well written for little ones.

What a whimsical child's book--it makes one smile to read it! It presents Psalm 139 from a child's viewpoint; God sees us all the time and knows our very thoughts. A good stocking-stuffer or small gift for the big brother or sister when a new baby joins the family.

got this for a friend's babes thanksgiving; it is superb. An interpretation-paraphrase of Psalm 139, which I think is good, and a great way of applying it to small children - I'm getting it for all my other little ones (and that's quite a few!)

I was in dire need of help.This book solved all my money problems,and gave me a new outlook on life.

As a financial counselor for the military and DOD civilians, I have encountered a gereral lack of education and awareness in finanical planning. I have long searched for a text that is geared to mainstream families. The author emphasizes the need for most of us to examine the basic building blocks of wealth and position. I emphatically support this money philosophy because it works!!! How do I know? Because I have benefitted from this knowledge by establishing a debt-free, investment rich lifestyle that has allowed me to independently fund my college education, travel and retirement. If you feel that your're in over your head and can't get out, YOU ARE WRONG!

Ken Knouse has written a clear and extremely useful guide for the hordes of people sinking under the burden of consumer debt, as well as anybody who wants to have the freedom of living below their means. The fact that he, himself, was once one of the consumer debt horde gives him the kind of real-life credibility that cannot be had any other way. He and his wife are accessible role models because most readers can relate to their lives. I find the fact that they are ordinary people who have done extraordinary financial feats very inspiring. Knouse's main premise is that financial problems, in the large percentage of American homes, are a result of poor money management. What a hopeful statement! If you believe that things will only be better if you get a higher-paying job, win the lottery, etc., then achieving that goal seems quite difficult. If you believe, however, that you have sufficient funds, but insufficient skills at managing them, then change is well within your reach by simply setting yourself to learn those skills. True Prosperity lays out the information you need to get on that path. It's one of those books whose worth is much more than the cover price. Lisa Reid, editor of PurseStrings newslette