Clubs Books

This book is being used in our area to link fifth grade classrooms because there is a focus on civil rights at that level. It is just an excellent re-telling of the friendship between Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reeves. Despite some conflict about the exact details, the story is true and is eloquently told. I highly recommend this book both as a read-aloud and as a conversation starter between urban and suburban classrooms wishing to link. There is also s subtle lesson about restraint as the manager of the team is described looking for a player that would control his temper when faced with unjust racist treatment.

This book teaches you alot about how blacks were treated back in the day. When Jackie Robinsion was signed to the Dodgers the fans and players treated him really badly. People threw stuff at him. Then a young teammate stood up for him and saved him from being ban from the team. So you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover.

A simple telling of how Jackie Robinson came to play in the major leagues, this book portrays the prejudice he faced in a basic way that children can understand. And it shines a bright light on a quiet moment: PeeWee Reese's brave public declaration of solidarity with his teammate. This book has been my son's favorite for the past two years, since he was five.

Peter Golenbock (Bums An Oral History of the Brooklyn Dodgers) has written a simple but eloquent children's retelling of the story of Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese.

Jackie Robinson was the first black man to play modern Major League baseball. He joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, in the face of incredible opposition and violent resistance.

Pee Wee Reese, the Captain of the Dodgers, was a Southerner. Although asked to sign a petition barring Jackie Robinson from the team, Pee Wee Reese refused to sign. Pee Wee Reese, who was greatly respected throughout the sport of baseball, thus put an end to any talk of petitions and player strikes.

Jackie Robinson was the target of viciously aimed pitches. He was spiked by opposing players. His life was threatened by racist fans. He was verbally abused in the worst way by fans and players.

Everyone remembers the central incident of TEAMMATES, though there is disagreement as to where it happened. On this particular day, the verbal abuse of Jackie Robinson had reached a fearsome level. Pee Wee Reese stepped from the dugout. He approached Jackie Robinson and put his arm around him. The crowd fell silent.

This simple gesture is remembered as one of the finest moments not only in baseball but in American history, and has been immortalized by a statue which stands in Brooklyn today.

Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson became more than teammates. They became friends.

Peter Golenbock's well-written tale is easy for children to understand, and will help them develop sensitivity, empathy, tolerance, and a sense of equality with others who may (or may not) be different than themselves.

This book is AN ESSENTIAL READ for children of all ages.

Teammates

Teammates is about 2 men named
Pees wee Reese and Jackie Robinson. Both of them were baseball players on the same
Team called the dogers. Pee wee
Reese was white and Jackie rob-
Inson was black. They were both
Friends and helped each other out. The players on their team
Came mostly from the south, men
Had been taught to avoid black
People since childhood. They moved to another table
Whenever Jackie sat down next
To them. Many opposing players
Were cruel to Jackie, calling him mean names from their
Dugouts. A few tried to hurt
Him with their spiked shoes.
It was bad for Jackie. Pitchers
Aimed for his head, and he
Received threats on his life,
Both from individuals and from
Oramizations like the Ku Klux
Klan. Jackie avoided all of it,
And made the team. Jackie and
Pee wee became really great
Friends and baseball legends.

This book was a lot of fun! The unusual setting and a charming cast of characters made it instantly diverting, and the plot had quite enough twists and turns to keep the reader interested. Miss Pounds obviously knows her stuff, and romance readers have a new author to add to their "favorites" list!

"Theo's Ghost" by German author Regina Pounds is one of my favorite stories. A charming story that is both romantic and compelling at the same time.

A tale of romance set in 1820 about an English Merchant and a Prussian Countess.

A wonderful novel by a German author who now lives in the U.S.

A writer that I know we will be hearing a lot more from in the months and even years to come!

Author, Regina Pounds, has succeeded in writing a compelling love story between an English merchant, Jeremy Dalton,and a Prussian Countess, Theodora Von Wittlach which is set primarily in 19th century Prussia. I was able to really project myself into these two characters and their developping love for one another. Somewhere down the road this novel could merit a sequel which would deal with how well the ardent love between the two characters has held up over time. The author is a native of Germany, and has an excellent command of the language of her adopted country(the USA).

In 1819 Prussia, as he lies dying, Baron von Sydow obtains a vow from his beloved ?sunshine? ward Countess Theodora Von Mainau. She will insure his will is fully followed to include Theo living with a stranger, Jeremy Dalton, for six months to determine if the Englishman deserves inheriting the Baron?s estate. Bewildered by her Onkel Theodor?s request, Theo starts to implement the stipulation by inviting Jeremy to Prussia.

Seeing an opportunity to better himself plus intrigued by the weird will, Jeremy accepts the invitation to come to Prussia. However, when he arrives in Prussia the property no longer seems quite as interesting as does Theo. Although he knows she is clearly well above his social status, he must compete with a prince for her love, and is a foreigner to boot, Jeremy feels compelled to do so. With the help of a caring but mischievous ghost doubtfully in his corner, Jeremy might do the impossible and win the heart of Theo, whose deathbed vow requires her to stay neutral and judge him.

THEO?S GHOST is a fantastic supernatural historical romance due to the authentic prime cast making nineteenth century Prussia seem alive. By placing her lead characters on the non-French part of the continent, Ms. Pounds provides her audience with a fresh perspective to the usual Regency era tale. Adding to the wide diversity in background between the lead protagonists and a huggable ghost to the mix will lead sub-genre fans to desire tons more books from a talented author, whose career motto should be all?s well that begins well.

Harriet Klausner

"Theo's Ghost:Baron Von Sydow's Last Will" by Regina Pounds was indeed a pleasure to read. Her characters were believable and entertaining, the dialogue easy to relate to and follow, and the plot intriguing, mysterious, and romantic. A very appealing combination.

This wonderful story takes center stage in 19th, C. Prussia where lead character Countess Theodora Von Wittlach enlists the help of a ghost to win the heart of English Merchant Jeremy Dalton.

A lively romantic suspense with bite! Nice Job Ms. Pounds, I look forward to reading your other books!

John Savoy
Savoy International
Motion Pictures Inc.

This has been one of my favorite books to read to my children and now to my grandchildren but it may be an even more important book for adults who will recognize the subtle lessons that corrolate with our busy lives. When our lives get too busy (too noisy) we disengage from our body and spirit and live only in our complex and critical left brain. It is only when we remove some of life's distractions that we can re-engage with our mind, body and spirit and relax. This happens when we are doing something quiet that we truly enjoy such as hiking, watching a sunset, or sitting by a waterfall. When we are quiet and direct our thoughts within, healing has room to take place.

Great classic story, wonderful illustrations and story line. Wish I could have this in a board book format. My 9 month old loves the "swoosh swoosh" noises!

I was a substitute librarian, and was thrust into a storytime. The librarian handed me this boook and said it was a great ice breaker. I read it to the class, and it's true! This book practically tells itself - and the kids loved making the animals sounds with me. Well, I decided I was having so much fun, I shifted gears and became a children's librarian, and used this book a LOT! Not only fun with the various animals, but good vocabulary (hissed, swished, etc.) and the children really do get to know new words and also know instinctively what they mean. I cannot praise it highly enough - bought it for both my nephews!

My mom was so happy to get this. She used to read it to us as kids.

This was my favorite book when I was little. I made my mother read it to me at least one hundred times a day. Now that I have children of my own, I want to share it with them. My 3 year old son knows most of the book by heart now. I look forward to cuddling up with my children every night before bed to read this story together.

This is a highly amusing book by one of baseball's most colorful officials. Ron Luciano (1937-1995) made his mark as an American League umpire from 1968-1980 with his highly colorful style. Luciano was known for exaggerated gestures, for "shooting" runners out at first base, and for his spirited arguments with managers like Earl Weaver. Luciano and co-author David Fisher write with a mix of humor, hilarity, and seriousness. Readers enjoy many laughs while learning much about officiating and baseball in general. Perhaps Luciano developed his sense of humor during his long apprenticeship in the minor leagues, where years of low wages, months away from home, and high divorce rates are a way of life for umpires (and many players). Luciano left baseball in 1980, and he apparently committed suicide in 1995. Still, this is a very funny and informative book.

I'm a person who really just got into baseball so Luciano's way of telling his great experiences really pulled me in. His stories are very funny and informative on the true ways of the game.

I'm too young to remember Ron's umping days; so naturally I was skeptical that a book by an umpire would be that funny. But, believe me, folks, this is one of the funniest books you will ever read. His story about how he got Harmen Kilibrew picked off second made me laugh so hard I almost choked. Not only was he a funny person, but he was also a great writer and had a very clever style.

This is a great book about umpiring. A lot of it is irreverent, but that is Luciano -- respectful, but humorous. The book is easy to read and broken into sections that make for easy reading a couple pages at a time (ahem, for reading in the family "library"). There is a lot more here than just umpiring. You get the inside scoop on players, managers and some owners. Interesting reading that is a little off the beaten path.

THIS IS ONE OF THE FUNNIEST BOOKS I HAVE READ. MR. LUCIANO IS HILARIOUS IN HIS RETELLING OF MANY ENCOUNTERS WITH EARL WEAVER, BILLY MARTIN, AND MANY OTHERS. JUST READ THIS BOOK AND IT WILL HELP BREIGHTEN UP YOUR DAY WITH HIS WIT AND HUMOR. VERY VERY RECOMMENDED.

This book is a treasure because all the text is handwritten and the illustrations are fabulous.....there are recipes and a great deal of history & information about Venice. This kind of book will soon be a relic.

If you have ever experienced cichetti in Venice, this book will bring it all back. In addition to the recipes, the illustrations are charming, representative of the real Venice that the average tourist never sees but that those who take the time to learn and love the Serenissima truly cherish.

I purchased this book soon after it came out. I found it at the wonderful Kepler's bookstore in Menlo Park, California in among the cookbooks. Which makes sense, because, in part Venice & Food is a cookbook. But Venice & Food is two other thing as well: a book about Venice and its history and an art book of Ms. Spector's remarkable drawings of Venice. What is also remarkable about this book is that it is not typeset. The book is entirely written in Ms. Spector's hand printed text and the illustrations are annotated with her script.

Ms. Spector is a wonderful artist and her drawings of Venice are beautiful. The drawings illustrate essays on topics ranging from where Venice gets its fresh water to the history of corn in Europe and Venice. Since this is a cookbook, Ms. Spector also writes about the history of food and cooking in Venice, including a few accounts of modern food. In writing about food and cooking through history, Ms. Spector comments that for the vast majority of people through most of human history, the concern was not about the sensuality of food, but simply having a full stomach.

The beautiful artwork, the observations about Venice, its history and its food are what make this book a treasure. I am sad to say that I read the book cover to cover and did not find a recipe that I wanted to make. Although I will not be using this as a cookbook, I will always treasure the book for its beauty.

Just another rave review for this beautiful book. If you love Venice, you will love this book. If you know anyone who loves Venice, get them this book as a gift. Sally Spector knows Venice and obviously loves the city. Her drawings and history of details behind the food and recipes is a joy to read and to look at. If you have been to Venice, this book will take you back and get you looking forward to your next trip. In the meantime, you can savor the delicious recipes and the warmth of Venice and Food....

"Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are" Brillat-Savarin declared. Judging by its cuisine, Venice must surely qualify as the ancient and modern day city of princes and artists. Sally Spector vividly brings to life the importance of Venice as the crucial stepping-stone for cuisine in Italy and Europe in "Venice and Food".

Little did I know that world famous dishes such as risotto, polenta, tiramisu and many other delights originate from Veneto and fair Venice - until I read Sally's superb description of their origins. She elegantly evokes the typical dishes of Venice with such accuracy that I could almost smell the aromas while reading her book - especially her enticing descriptions of the "Cuttlefish stewed in its ink" and "Bacala a la Vicentina". Such descriptions of typical Venetian dishes are beautifully interwoven with their historical origins. Even their essential ingredients are traced back to their roots. Who knew that eggplant, the basis for Melanzane al Funghetto, emanates from China?

An additional bonus and particularly attractive aspect of "Venice and Food" are the illustrations throughout the book. They are done by Sally herself who is a talented artist. Moreover, the whole book is written in her own elegant handwriting - a unique and superbly pleasing feature.

In sum, from the minute I picked up this book, I could not put it down until the next day - the first two days of my visit to Venice. It served as a magnificent introduction to Venice - not only the city of romance but also certainly of history and cuisine.

"Venice and Food" is a must read for any food enthusiast!

I loved this book! The writer creates an atmosphere that is captivating and hypnotic. Salem at Halloween time is most surreal--it is the perfect night for the commencement of an adventure such as Hawk's.
There is so much going on in this book, that you forget Hawk is still an ordinary kid with ordinary problems. The writer does a nice job of brining you back and forth between the magical world of Prana and Dakkara, and the "ordinary" world of Salem.
Great action, vivid characters and a believable realm of magic and adventure.
I also greatly enjoyed Hawk's "coming of age" and his mystical experiences at the end. It was almost like a visionquest.
We need a sequel, James!!!

I started this book expecting a Harry Potter imitation, but was very pleasantly surprised. This story stands on its own! The characters are believable and you really care about what happens to them, especially Hawk.
The plot is very exciting and keeps you hooked until the very end.The fantasy aspect is delightful, and adds depth to the story. The author does a great job of creating other worlds that seem just as real as ours.
Anyone who likes a good story will enjoy this book, not just kids. There is something here for everyone.

I love this book!!! This book has been the best book I have read all year! It is easy to imagen everything in your head. It feels like you are in the story, like you are one of the characters.(...)It is based on everyday life and fantacy. So I recomend for everyone to either order this book or buy it asap because it is awesome!!! (...)

This book is a amazing magical adventure. It pulls you into the story. It is extremly imagitive and it plays a movie in your mind. I would recomend this book to anyone who is into magic.Harry Potter fans would love this book to.

I started reading this book to my grandchildren and I ended up not being able to put it down. You are in suspense from start to finish. My oldest grandchild, age l0, who has read all of Harry Potter's books, was equally impressed. We are looking forward to the next one. Great job.

This is an oversized paperback that would work superbly in front of a classroom. The text is very simple, calling the reader to search for the body parts of a tiger: eyes, whiskers, tracks, etc. It also serves as a
fine introduction to art. The illustrations are richly stylized with
color, mood, texture and pattern.

As a parent of ten children (now grown) and a first grade teacher of 7 years now, I love this book-as do my students. It is colorful,encourages imaginative thinking and easy to follow. I use it for our animal unit as well as discussing story elements.

A tiger wonders why everything avoids him, and compares his body
to other creatures. We love this book for the extraordinary artwork, full of detail.

I have no children of my own but have been a nanny for 6 years. Of all the stories I've read . . . this is by far the best! I give it to every person I know with children! Thank you for such a wonderful story, such beautiful artwork and such wonderful sounds!

This is a true picture book-as the pictures tell the story beyond the words. The illustrations go the distance for story time reading, as well as working for up close inspection (be sure to look for that unconcerned snail on every page!). I just never tire of this book and its illustrations, and I have been a fan of it for six years. The illustration of carp, tiger, and jungle folliage provide visual saturation satisfaction. The simple repetitious rhymes are fun to say, they roll off the lips in a way not always found in rhyming text, with wonderful repeating sounds. The story message is sweet, loud and clear, yet subtle at the same time. Thank you for this gem, Mr. Baker!

I read this book to my son's kindergarten class and they all loved it. They were very excited while I read the story! All of Keiko Kasza'a books are great!!!

I found this story to be very clever and funny. My 3 1/2 yr son thoroughly enjoyed the main character, the wolf, who at first is the typical wolf but shows his loving and caring character at the end. My son enjoyed this story not only for its humor but also because the wolf is so likable. Keiko Kasza's other similar book, Lucky Day, is also funny but my son did not find it as enjoyable simply it didn't have that same likable main character.

The students love this book, we usually read it on 100's day, and hide chicks around the room. The students enjoy how the author always makes the prey in her books smarter than the hunters.

This terrific book says alot with few words. The watercolor pictures are beautiful, and the text is carefully written. We adore the picture of the wolf carrying a 100 pound cake to fatten up the chicken before he eats her. The ending is so sweet it leaves you feeling like life is great. I consider this one of my favorite read alouds.

With all the wonderful picture books out there for children, it seems silly to say that children need only one book on such n' such a topic. Unfortunately, that's sometimes how my little mind works. Take, for example, this book. Now I had been familiar with the amazingly funny and well-written, "My Lucky Day" by Keiko Kasza. What I didn't know was that almost ten years before its publication, Kasza preceded her modern-day classic with something called, "The Wolf's Chicken Stew". Intrigued by other works by this author/illustrator, I decided to seek out this earlier work. After all, "The Wolf's Chicken Stew" appears on the New York Public Library's list of 100 Picture Books Everyone Should Know. Unfortunately, my reaction was akin to those fans who listen to an artist's mature works and then go back to that same artist's earlier (and weaker) material. Using almost exactly the same formula that would later appear in "My Lucky Day", Kasza tries to send up the classic predator/prey fight for supremacy with a twist at the end. But instead of knowing laughs, we're left with a sweet but weak finish.

Says the book, "There once lived a wolf who loved to eat more than anything else in the world". Some of us can sympathize. When he spots a lone chicken ah-walkin' in the woods one day, the wolf sets his heart on a delicious chicken stew. Just the same, he can't deny that the chicken is a scrawny critter. One that undoubtedly needs some fattening up. So off the wolf goes to bake some tasty treats to fill the chicken's belly. He whips up 100 pancakes, 100 doughnuts, and "a scrumptious cake weighing a hundred pounds". Each gift is left on the chicken's doorstep and when he believes the time is right, the wolf peers into bird's home only to be welcome by a still thin chicken. The reason for this is clear enough. It appears that Ms. Chicken has quite a brood of young. The baby chicks thank the wolf profusely and instead of popping them in his mouth, the soft-hearted fellow finds himself charmed and thinking about possibly baking them a hundred scrumptious cookies in the future. The last shot in the book is of a basket filled with cookies and various fluffy chicks vying for a treat.

The ending is unexpected and kids will love the abrupt turnaround the wolf goes through. He starts out snarky and ends up a softy. Kids love it when supposedly "bad" characters go through this kind of redemption. I was impressed especially with Kasza's grasp of subtle words and phrases that dot this book. You don't find the term "scrumptious" in every book (though you probably should) and certainly not in the ones that come from authors that are just as comfortable writing in Japanese as they are English. The illustrations compliment the text beautifully. The wolf is both menacing and oddly fuzzy. Even when he is mere steps away from the oblivious fowl in his pounce position, you never really fear that he's gonna go through with it. Kasza shades and details her pictures with delightful watercolors. You can detect shadows in the wolf's thick fur and every last doughnut is nicely rounded.

Of course, I much prefer "My Lucky Day". THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is an example of picture book brilliance. Just the same, there's a lot to be said for "The Wolf's Chicken Stew". It's fun and funny to the kiddies and has all the makings of a fine family classic. Definitely a pick that would be better for younger picture book readers than older ones. A good readaloud to groups of little ones as well.

This book was required reading for a graduate level somatic psychology class I participated in back in the mid-80s. I've never forgotten it. She has taken ordinary and unremarkable material and placed it next to seemingly unrelated, equally unremarkable material in such a way as to cause the reader to suddenly see both sets of material from another previously overlooked and awakening angle. She writes with an artist's or photographer's eye. For the most part, she leaves the conclusions to us...letting the dance between the two sets of information open little windows of consciousness that let in life and light. Over the last 20 years or so I have returned to it again and again. A beautiful and extraordinary book, both content and style.

Reading this book 15 years ago was like putting on my first pair of glasses -- everything was still there, but the details were SO much clearer! Every written record, every thought put to paper, is only a slant on reality, and should never be mistaken for reality itself. Thank you, Ms. Griffin, from a male reader.

In this amazing book, the author speaks in several voices, weaves the story we have been told down through time, about who and what women are.

This is truly a book to be savored, sipped at, contemplated, and pondered. The author draws from many sources, to find the voices, both of women and the voices that seek to silence and judge and catagorize women.

This is the most creative, informative and spiritual book I have ever read. I cannot reccomend it highly enough, even after all these years.

This is one of the most important books of 'eco-feminism' in existence (although I would rather call it truth than feminism). This book inspired me to be courageous with my own thoughts and to enact a spoken word piece that I had been sitting on for weeks. Thank you Susan Griffin for exposing the truths of the oppression of women. I will be reading this book again and again.
Paige Doughty

Truly unbelievable. If I could write as well as Susan Griffin, maybe then could I express how strongly I feel for this book. It is TRULY poetic. Beautiful! Its almost as if she is painting a picture in your head, tying facts about the history of social (patriarchal) views on woman and nature. It is a writing style I have never seen before, with an explosion of philosophy and poetry. I recommend this book to anybody, but it is an essential for any feminist or environmentalist... A beautiful work of art...

Yellow bird and me is about a girl name Doris and she has a friend named Amir that moved away from 163 st.Doris wanted to se him but so she got a job at the Bee Hive. Her mother and father don't like the idea because it seems like they don't have any money. So one day she wrote a poem and her teacher caught her writing it and her teacher will even read it out or throw it in the trash. The teacher told Doris to give it to her and the teacher took it and Doris said it was birds so the teacher gave it to him. While they were in class Doris looked at birds pocket and saw that the paper wasn't in bird pocket any more. Then later she saw her paper being passed around the classroom and being read out loud. Later that day when school was dismissed Doris was walking down the hallway and bird saw her and ran to her and she pushed him away because what he done in class. When Saturday came she was walking down to hive bird stop and said T.T. took the note out of the back of his pocket. So she told him about the job and asked could he be the lookout. So the signal was 1= mother, 2=dad, 3=mrs.nicols, 4=all clear. So when she was done doing the little girls hair Bird ran to the window and put up 3 and there was Mrs. Nicole with her flowed hat walking in the hive.

Doris Quickly ran to the back to the sink and put a rag over her face so that Mrs. Nichols wouldn't see her. Then the girl working at the named carols came over to Doris and asked her why she was hiding. And she said she didn't want Mrs. Nicole to she her.By: Kevon Starke

Southwood Book Club discuss this book in March 2004. And I think this book is a very good and a easy to read.

Dwayne SOUTHWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL!!!

Yellow Bird and Me is a very good book. It is about a girl named Doris and her friend Bird. Doris has a friend that moved away. Doris writes letters to her friend every time she writes a peom. Doris and her friend are very good friends. I like the book because it is funny and I recommend this book to everybody. I've got to say, it's a big big laugh-out-loud. There is nothing that I don't like about this book. This is a very good book to read.

Sincerely,
Organic

Yellow Bird and Me is one of the best books I have ever read (I have read a lot of books). If I had to rate it 1 - 5, I would give it a 5. This is what it is about... Doris has a friend named Amir who moved away. She also has a friend named Yellow Bird, who has problems reading. This is a good book for little kids. ...

I liked the book Yellow Bird and Me. It was hard to put down, but it was boring at the beginning. It was about Doris, who is trying to earn money to see her friend Amir and Bird, who wants to be in the drama club, but he can't read, so Doris has to help him. ...