Massachusetts Books

I am intrigued by the intimacy of Ricki and the young minds in her ethnographic experience. Capturing these moments on video preserves the developmental sketches of their time. Often time, the points of view of children are ignored. However, Josh, an inciteful child,who queries the elements of his environment, brings both the mundane and obvious into an asynchronous focus that creates constructivist dialogue.

The author formulates a community in which you share the learning of two seperate and diverse schools. She invites you into the thinking of the children through digital media and takes you with her as you watch these children develop their understanding of the world around them. Watching this constructivist approach captures the inquiry of the reader and brings out the importance and significance of this type of learning in education.

This book takes a unique view of documenting a classroom setting through the use of video. I found the interplay between the descriptions in the book and the web site videos an enlightening experience. Ms. Goldman-Segall takes you into the Hennigan school (among other places) and lets you feel what is happening in this experimental educational setting. Her observations of the MIT project give a new and different perspective to the roles of the students and teachers in these settings. This is a book that takes full advantage of the tools of technology that we would like students to be using. This will give teachers a better understanding of their role in implementing technology and how it can make them more effective educators.

Goldman-Segall addresses issues and concepts relevant to today's new generation of educators. The context for her research focuses on two very different schools in British Columbia and Massachusetts. Her role as a video ethnographer uncovers some of the social-historical and ethical issues both students and teachers must address in today's post-modern era. Goldman-Segall documents these issues through the use of video and the Internet. In doing so she offers a refreshing medium for discourse and understanding.

The Pudding Hollow cookbook is a unique treasure with warm comforting recipes and nurturing family favorites like Shepherd's Pie and Beef in Horseradish sauce. The recipes come from Hawley, Massachusetts. Here the New England autumn inspires poets and food is not just something purchased at the store. The people live of the land and share their recipes for jams and comforting dinners.

Each chapter begins with stories of the area and Tinky Weisblat shares her cooking experiences. Instantly you are drawn into a world of delicious soups and oatmeal bread. I felt nostalgic as I read about banana cake and glazed pecans. These are treats you may remember from childhood.

Delicious Winter Recipes:

Rhubarb Crisp
Chicken Curry
Chocolate Cherry Cake

Recipes for Summer:

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
Aunt Lizzie's Ginger Drink

When I needed a recipe for bread pudding to use up my day-old hoagie rolls (they work very nicely sliced), Eric Carle's Bread Pudding looked quite delicious and very rich.

As usual when I'm cooking from a recipe in a cookbook, I used what I had on hand and substituted dried cherries for the raisins, champagne for the Grand Marnier (with ¼ teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia is is about the same), sucanat for the sugar and the addition of apple pie spice on the top with cinnamon sugar and a drizzle of melted butter. Needless to say, I was impressed with how the recipe turned out. It seems you could really vary the tastes and create just about any type of bread pudding with his recipe. The possibilities seem endless and you could make seasonal classics.

My father used to tell me stories about Dandelion Wine and this cookbook actually has a recipe. The art in this book is quaint and lends a nostalgic quality. Judith Russell's folk art has been exhibited in Historic Deerfield and was inspired by the beauty around her.

You may find yourself wishing for a wood fire and the chill of winter or wishing you could jump into the pictures and experience farm life and the cozy feeling of a warm house with snow falling outside the windows. Through creating the foods in this cookbook, you can experience the healing effects of comfort foods. Cookbook collectors will be especially pleased with this find. Perfect for reading on a cold winter night.

~The Rebecca Review

Pudding Hollow is a dip between hills in the hamlet of Hawley, Massachusetts. The Pudding Hollow Cookbook is an enthusiastically recommended compendium of recipes that reflect the diverse New England seasons, enhanced with culinary author Tinky "Dakota" Weisblat's anecdotal introductions and stories the express the spirit of those small and intimate communities that sill continue in various parts of a rural United States. From The Charlemont Inn's Cider-Maple Dumplings; Florette's Rhubarb Tea; Shelburne Falls Coffee Roasters' Mixed-Berry Scones; and Aunt Fox's Carrot Souffle; to Nancy Dole's Cranberry Relish; Dot's Sour Cream Coffee Cake from the Federated Church Auction; Donovan Baby Red Potato Salad from the Charlemont Riverfest; and Grandmother Parker's Cracker Pudding, The Pudding Hollow Cookbook is as fun to browse as it is easy to cook from.

The Pudding Hollow Cookbook by Tinky Weisblat, with illustrations by Judith Russell, is a delight. The recipes range from traditional "Yankee" fare, such as Indian pudding, to recipes from more exotic lands, such as sate from Indonesia. While some of the dishes are fairly complex, all of the recipes are easy to follow and many reflect the bounty of western Massachusetts, notably maple syrup, rhubarb, and apples.

The best elements of the book for me, however, are Tinky's evocation of life in rural "West County". Having spent childhood vacations with family in the area, I enjoyed seeing references to seasonal celebrations (Yankee Doodle Days), regionalisms (people from Heath are known as "Heathens"), and comments about places I regard fondly (the Mohawk Trail and Shelburne Falls' Bridge of Flowers). While the region has become remarkably cosmopolitan in recent years, and the recipes reflect that, it is the evocation of long ago that touched my heart.

Judith Russell's illustrations grace and complement the text with a delightful folk art quality. Her paintings and drawings capture the simplicity of life in the Pudding Hollow region and the seasonal delights to be found there.

First, let me say, that my intention is to go through this book, page by page, and try every recipe. (Well, maybe not the maple ones!) That's how good they all sound. But, more than that, this is no ordinary cookbook. Make no mistake about it, this is not an encyclopedia of cooking techniques. The recipes are written in a style suggesting special treats, shared between friends and scribbled on the backs of envelopes. The whimsical comments that accompany each recipe, show a writing skill that mere listing of ingredients could never provide, making it a nifty read, even for the non-cook. In Judith Russell's quaint paintings and sketches, there is always some small detail to delight, as well as a charming look at a New England neighborhood. Granny Toad lives on in these works by the late Judy R. As for the food represented wihin the covers of The Pudding Hollow Cookbook, the choice is broad; Old timey (Sally Lunn, etc.), current favorites (pasta salads, Tex-Mex etc.) and some that must be traditional family favorites. I think I even caught an occasional literary reference, such as Dandilion Wine. I recommend this book for all of these reasons.

Excellent book focused on the Longitude act's of the 1700's. The primary emphasis is on the two technologies Lunar-distance and chonometer for determining longitude with a precision under 1 degree. The relative percentages are: 50% chonometer, 30% lunar distance, 10% Jupiter's moons, 10% general history pre-1600's. I gave it four stars instead of 5 because I thought the book was going to be a balanced discussion ( i.e. equal time)encompassing all methods of determining longitude irrespective of a 1 degree precision. All that said, I would still recommend the book to anyone interested in the topic.

This beautifully presented large hardback is actually a series of essays covering the story of the search for Longitude from the 16th century to the 19th. The essays deal with a range of subjects from the mathematical to the absurd, from astronomy to cartography and has 4 excellent appendices. The book is well laid out with both black&white and color photography in a manner that means you don't need to be a student of the sea of chronology to understand it. A good book to have on the shelf.

This review is top notch and comprehensive. It's the book of choice to cover the background and the technology. I'm not a watch or clock fanatic, but I slam dunked this whole book in just a couple days; a 15 hour Qantas flight kept me captive. I wish there was more discussion on the nature of astronomy and how the clocks were calibrated. I want to read up on octants, sextants and basic navigation now. This book deserves five stars. The A&E four hour documentary, "Longitude", this month also deserves high marks. If someone knows of a good read on navigating with astronomy that's more layman oriented, please email me (thanks).

This book considers the problem of longitude from a number of viewpoints. While Dava Sobel's book concentrated on the Harrison/Maskelyne controversy, this volume uses historical, mathematical and geographic viewpoints. What is impressive is the genius, dedication and tenacity of the Renaissance scientists. They may not have had GPS but they knew what they were doing.

Reclaiming the Commons is an excellent read for anyone interested in the natural history of New England, community farming, open space issues, and the value of farms in the landscape. This is a well written, thoughtful book that offers an inspiring vision for a future of locally produced food, protected farmland, and community involvement that farms help to create.

OUTSTANDING!Very impressive! Pointed, engaging, and inspiring from the get-go. And extraordinarily well-written -- my innate and involuntary tendency to mentally edit anything I'm reading was off in another county someplace.

This book,written by a newcomer in the environmental landscape, will become a landmark. It points the way to transform the suburban way of life into one that is sustainable.This it would do by converting suburban open spaces into community sanctuaries for agriculture,husbandry and forestry, administered by suburbanites themselves,especially by their youngsters.The great strength of the proposals is that they have been demonstrated to work by the author and his associates in the upscale Boston suburb of Weston. Another plus is the grace and humor with which the book is blessed.

In Reclaiming the Commons, Brian Donahue has given us a remarkable portrait of a thriving community farm in Weston, Massachusetts called Land's Sake. In 1980 the nonprofit organization Land's Sake was formed in Weston, a suburb of Boston, to work closely with the town's Conservation Commission on managing and using the town's growing public land. Its three founding principles were to care ecologically for Weston's land, to involve the community and especially young people with the land, and to be as self-supporting as possible through the sale of products and services. By thinking of the land as a rural space that could "benefit from our presence, rather than need to be protected from us," they opened the possibility that they could engage suburban youth with the land and produce high-quality natural products for local sale, offering ample educational and recreational activities while striking "a balance between protecting natural ecosystems and making sustainable, productive use of the land."

Land's Sake sends about one-fifth of their fresh organic produce to Boston's homeless shelters and food pantries, as well as sponsoring a Harvest for Hunger every September, thus ensuring that their surplus finds an assured wholesale market (the town pays the price to send the food to the inner city) which benefits the disadvantaged and disenfranchised in the nearby urban areas. Donahue shows that suburbia "is the condition of residing outside the city proper with little functional connection to one's neighbors, aside from the schools, and almost no functional connection to the land," and he shows that community farms on common land offer a vibrant opportunity to keep farmland from being lost to development, and to transform the suburban condition from alienation to connection. This is a surprisingly powerful and exciting book that will show suburban and city readers how to become more connected to their land and to their source of food.

Johnny Pesky says this book is for "real Red Sox fans". I say it's for everyone. I learned some fascinating things from this book that give me a whole new perspective on the team. Herb Crehan's talent for telling a story makes the experience all the more enjoyable.

Herb Crehan has put together a magnificant collection of interviews and through his eyes/prose has made a Red Sox fan out of me. I began reading the book to my seven year old son in an attempt to relate to his young boy's passion for the team. What a wonderful way to spend time together and I highly recommend this interesting and insightful read to those of any age.

Of all the baseball books on the market, this one is a gem. For Red Sox fans in particular and all baseball fans, this book gives an inside view of the players on and off the field. Herb Crehan has done an outstanding job of showing the reader the real world of baseball.

This is wonderful reading. The book is a collection of articles on former Red Sox players that should interest both Red Sox fans and baseball fans in general. Mr. Crehan obviously loves baseball and this love is evident in his writing.

It was on time and efficient. Wasn't overly parckaged, thank you for considering the environment!

This is a great book, the best ever written, I am sure, on the very important topic of helping maintain, and sometimes create livable communities in rural areas. The only handicap for owning the book is the rather huge price, $ 86.00, and not discounted by Amazon. We would like to have all our county planning commission members have a copy of the book, but can't afford to do so.

The bible on proper planning. I wish more planners would read it. I am an average citizen who wanted to learn more about smarter land use plans and this book really has great ideas. It is expensive, but well worth the price. Shows how poor our current clear-cutting practices are compared to the beauty of an open space subdivision design. Buy this-you will really learn a lot!

You can still buy this book from the American Planning Association (www.planning.org) for about $60, even though Amazon, and other book stores, have it listed as "out of print."

My side of the story books make the story sooo much more interesting. You get to hear about two peoples different opinions and views on the same subject, conversations, and dillemas.The author writes the book in such a way that you feel like you are involved in everything that is going on. Educational and interesting, I love historical fiction. The discriptions and dialouge are ingeniusly written giving you every ounce of information thats needed to make the story come to life. I would reccommend this book to anyone who likes history, witches, and drama.

In children's literature, you are led to believe that there are good, and there are evil. The good are always the right ones and that is what you should be. No one ever decides to put themselves in the so-called "evil" side's views. The accused witches really thought they were doing right by protesting their innocence, and the townsfolk thought they were right for getting rid of those terrorizing their town. Though Patricia Hermes strays off at the end, she really does show us the mistakes we have been making, living in the illusion of pure good and evil.

There are two sides in this incredible book, of the same story that is. Books with two sides are good, it lets you get all the information. The TRUE plot in this book happened a while ago in 1692, but in my opinion, that is a good thing. I love books with a non-fiction story that happened years and years ago. A girl named Elizabeth lives in the small town of Salem. Her best friend, George, has a father who's job is a judge for court trials. Strange things start happening. People getting bewitched, having fits and saying the devil tried to make them sign his book. Georges father runs court trials with the bewitched and the people whom the bewitched said were the witches bewitching them, so Elizabeth goes and watches the trials, she thinks this is all kinda, until it gets scary when the bewitched say that she is a witch! With horror, tears, and some happiness she makes it through, well almost, they must escape get away from horrible Salem! Georges side is different and you must read it after Elizabeth side of the story. You can find out Georges side by yourself, it is very awesome! I HIGHLY recommend this book to people who like the olden days and intensifying moments!

Salem Witch by Patricia Hermes is the first book that I've read from Kingfisher's My Side of the Story series, and I quite enjoyed it. This series features turbulent times from history (the 1665 London plague, the settling of America, World War II, etc). A story is told from the perspective of a child living during that time. The reader then flips the book over to read another perspective of the same story, told by a different child.

Salem Witch is set, as you might expect from the title, during the Salem witch trials of 1692. Elizabeth is the only child of relatively affluent and educated parents. Her father is a merchant who owns several ships, and her mother, atypical for the time, knows how to read. Because of her slightly unconventional upbringing, Elizabeth is more independent and free-thinking than most of the other Salem girls. Her best friend is a boy named George, the son of a local magistrate. George loves art and drawing, but is being pressured by his father to put aside such frivolous pursuits and take on the more practical career of law. Although the two are close friends, their different views on the witch trials put them at odds with one another.

I've always had an interest in the Salem witch trials, having grown up 20 miles from Salem. I think that Patricia Hermes did a nice job in this book of creating a fictional story, but populating it with actual people and events (and even dialog from trial transcripts) from the time. The story begins as several young girls start having fits, and claiming that witches are tormenting them. The first "witches" accused are social outcasts: a slave, a homeless woman and child, and a cantankerous old woman, all of whom have no one to speak for them. However, as the accusers start to feel more power, and as the climate of fear and dread darkens the community, more mainstream citizens are also targeted.

The outspoken Elizabeth doesn't believe in witches, and is convinced that the accusers are malicious and attention-seeking, part of a conspiracy to stir up trouble. This puts her in danger, and also puts her at odds with George, who is being pressured by his father to believe the accusations. George beseeches Elizabeth to be more careful about what she says, and she starts to wonder if she can trust him at all. This dynamic between the two friends, who care for each other, but aren't sure if they can trust one another, works well in the My Side of the Story format. We leave Elizabeth's story uncertain of George's actions, and only find resolution at the end of his story.

This book is a quick read, but one that tackles a difficult subject. It is not for the faint of heart (hangings, the imprisonment of a four-year-old girl, and references to Indian attacks), although I think that the author did a good job of conveying these events without being sensationalistic. She also does an excellent job with the atmosphere of the books, using the gray Salem weather as counterpoint to the fear and superstition that are ruining people's lives. Elizabeth is a good choice of narrator: young enough to be troubled and frightened by the events, but educated enough not to be swayed by them. George has more of an insider's view, as his father presides over some of the trials, and his story gives some peripheral insight into the influence of other recent events on the trials.

It's amazing in some ways to read this book and think that people were actually killed based on the unproven accusations of a group of discontented girls. But then again, this sort of thing has happened more recently with the epidemic of repressed memories of childhood abuse (though the accused were not generally hanged). I think that it's useful to study the Salem witch trials as a means of understanding and of preventing such out-of-control behavior from happening again.

I think that the Salem witch trials and the My Side of the Story format are a good fit, giving the reader sympathy for the accused and for the frightened majority who went along with the trials. Using a boy and a girl as narrators is also a way to make the book more accessible to boys and girls. I think that this book will be a hit with middle grade kids who enjoy historical fiction, especially those living in New England. I recommend the newly published Salem Witch for this year's Halloween reading.

This book review was originally published on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, on October 14, 2006.

I am always delighted to find a work of historical fiction where the author demonstrates command not only of the facts and themes of the time, but of the metaphors and language that were used by people of that era. (The books Jem and Sam and An Instance of the Fingerpost come to mind.) The plot of this book is compelling enough, but it is the writing that is most evocative. I look forward to Beahrs' next book.

This stirring and earthy debut colorfully depicts the insularity and harshness of 17th century agrarian life from the viewpoint of Melode, a passionate and lonely 16-year-old girl. An orphan, she doesn't know who her parents were, only that they died in or fled from the tavern fire the local religious sect, the "Saints," set to drive them out when she was two. The only survivor, Melode was not adopted by the strict, dour community, but taken in as a servant.

She chafes against her lowly, outcast position in a society that claims itself egalitarian, and resentfully despises their hypocrisy, but it doesn't occur to her to renounce the only religion and community she has ever known. Where would she go? What would she do? She does her work and confines her rebellion to small things - until she falls in love and lust with Adam Stradling, son of the Saints' minister and leader and a bit of a rebel himself, who delights her with his irreverent mimicry of his father, John.

Beahrs, with a background in archaeology and anthropology, bases this community on the Plymouth Colony people, the Pilgrims, as they came to be called. Farmers (husbandmen) for the most part, they keep to themselves, shunning the world and fearful of persecution. Because they do not recognize the king as the head of their church, their religion is illegal. Within the community discipline is harsh, with the stocks employed for infractions like observing forbidden holidays or clinging to superstitions. It is a pared down religion, shorn of frills and ceremony.

But Beahrs keeps his characters human, allowing them to stray from the righteous path in one direction or another. Some, including Melode, cling to the community because it's all they know. But when their land is rented and when the owner dies and his son brings in new settlers, the Saints decide to leave behind their familiar, but no longer safe world and migrate to the New World.

John Stradling sends Adam to London to arrange passage. Although eager for the adventure, Adam promises to reunite with Melode on the ship. Naturally things do not go as smoothly as Melode hopes, but to say more would be to sacrifice some of the plot's suspense. And there is plenty of that.

Not edge-of-the-seat, nail-biting suspense, but an absorbing, character-driven desire to know what happens next. And plenty does. From stifling, smelly berths and storm-tossed leaky hulls to precarious coastal fishing camps, frightening and frightened natives, isolated bird-nesting islands and fractious, struggling settlements, the story moves through much that the journey to the New World could offer in those early days and does it well.

Beahrs has a flair for the cadence of the language. Though he readily admits that no one can know exactly what people sounded like in the early 1600s he does a good job of making the reader feel transported.

Early in the book, the young girls are raking hay:

"I slip into the rhythm of the work line. The raking is rough and tacky where the grass is cut low, tines bumping over warm earth and cropped stalks. Hay builds beneath my rake, heaping in heavy banks. I pull the wooden handle back but it's all pillowy, durable hindrance. We've missed the first cool hour, and the heat of the day is trapped beneath the layers of my clothes like flax oil. The handle is rough and unfinished, and grates against my hands. Sweat beads on my forehead."

His prose is tactile, helping us experience Melode's world, from the extreme but ordinary lack of privacy to the harangue of the meeting room, the strangeness of a new continent and the timelessness of human emotions. Well written, with a fine, melodramatic plot, "Strange Saint" is an adventure for those who like some substance to their historical novels.

--Portsmouth Herald

Absolutely a keeper, this book allows the reader entry into early 17th century life in England and beyond, to the New World.
Extremely well-written with a compelling narrative, Beahrs has re-created a fascinating time in history with a page-turning plot.

This book is totally engrossing, I couldn't wait to see what happened next. Starving for companionship, I read it aloud to my boyfriend and insisted that my best friend read it. I don't know if I am more impressed that the author wrote convincing 17th century characters or that he wrote a convincing female narrator. The author takes a woman's tragedy and turns it into a tale of hope and triumph. A must read for historical fiction readers and women aching to see strong female characters.

There are only a few books specifically on the Wampanoag Indians suited for pre-K through elementary. While the text it a bit too much for a large group of children in the pre-K range (one on one would be excellent), the photos are great. Please check out Kate Waters other books which are excellent companions to the era: Sarah Morton's Day, Samuel Eaton's Day and the Mayflower.

I am continually amazed at how children's books offer detail and insight into daily life that no stout history book can provide.

Writing the same review for the other two in this trilogy. Excellent all!

Another great book by Kate Waters. This book shows the daily life of a Native American child during the time of the Pilgrims. This book goes great with Sarah Morton's Day and Samuel Eaton's Day. Also, check out On the Mayflower also by Kate Waters.

We are big fans of Kate Waters' books about the Pilgrims (Samuel Eaton's Day, Sarah Morton's Day and On the Mayflower). When we discovered "Tapenum's Day", we were thrilled ! I found the 'point of view' from a young Native American boy to be both fascinating and educational, as did my children. We enjoyed seeing this historically accuate slice of life, written from a balanced perspective. I think this wonderful book rounds out the collection, including the other four, that no study of the Pilgrims should be without.

Great book about the Pilgrims with lots of historical detail about the different families. Cut-away of the Mayflower with labels and drawings of each of the passengers with their names, makes the story come to life.

This is a wonderful and informative book for children and adults that tells the story of the Allerton family as they travel to America. Readers will enjoy both the illustrations -- detailed cut-aways of the ships they sailed in -- and the text which does not mince words about the difficulties of the journey. For anyone who has relatives on the Mayflower, this is a lovely story of how our ancestors first came to this country. It reminds us of how brave they were.

I discovered Three Young Pilgrims by accident and had to have it. Beautifully told believable story that brings history alive for all ages and illustrations are detailed and excellent. I recommend it for ages 7 to 107!

Cheryl Harness has produced the most unusual gem of the Mayflower story that I have yet run across. The story, by adult standards is choppy in its progression, but is quite charming in its childlike perspective of the harshness that the pilgrims must have faced both on the Mayflower and in the founding of Plymouth including the time of the Thanksgiving feast. The story is sandwiched between pages that give interesting details of the ship, the voyage, and the people and events of the time that would be certain to satisfy the curious reader or listener. The artwork was beautifully illustrated in watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil and has been wonderfully reproduced in colored ink. This is both a wonderful holiday and historical book that should please all ages.

Crazy James