Follow the Drinking Gourd

Book Description

Illus. in full color. "Winter's story begins with a peg-leg sailor who aids slaves on their escape on the Underground Railroad. While working for plantation owners, Peg Leg Joe teaches the slaves a song about the drinking gourd (the Big Dipper). A couple, their son, and two others make their escape by following the song's directions. Rich paintings interpret the strong story in a clean, primitive style enhanced by bold colors. The rhythmic compositions have an energetic presence that's compelling. A fine rendering of history in picturebook format."--(starred) Booklist.

Customer Reviews:

A Peg-Legged Man and the Underground Railroad........2007-08-30

During the time of slavery in the United States, many slaves were able to escape and find their way north to freedom by following the Drinking Gourd--Big Dipper. As the note at the beginning of this historical children's book tells, slaves learned a folk song entitled "Follow the Drinking Gourd". Masters and overseers thought the song harmless, though nonsensical. The song actually embedded directions on how to escape from the South into freedom in the North. I had known all of this before reading FOLLOW THE DRINKING GOURD. What I didn't know was about legendary Underground Railroad conductor, Peg Leg Joe.

Using the lyrics of the song "Follow the Drinking Gourd" and the legend of Peg Leg Joe, Winter crafts a short tale about a slave family that follows the directions of the song that Joe teaches them to escape to freedom next spring. Accompanying the text are Winter's earth-toned illustrations displaying the family's escape and the dangers they endure on their journey.

The last page of the book contains the lyrics and music to the folk song "Following the Drinking Gourd."

FOLLOW THE DRINKING GOURD is an excellent tool in introducing children to the Underground Railroad. It's also a good story in teaching astronomy classes to illustrate how the stars have been used for different purposes throughout time.

Poor Illustrations.......2007-05-29

I have used this book and video in my music classes for years. After retiring, I lost my book and thought to replace it with this one advertised on Amazon. Please don't waste your money! The pictures in this booklet are so dark, dim, blurry (almost impressionistic), and faded, that I won't be able to share it with my classes (even small groups). One would guess it to be a "knock-off" of the real book. Perhaps the original publisher should be notified. I will now be looking for the original hardback. Again..........don't waste your time or money.

Wonderful Story.......2007-02-13

I love this book; I have the song on a seperate CD and the two together are awseome when telling the story. A must for parents, educators, or schools that want to teach about "The Underground Railroad" or "Harriet Tubman"!

Follow the Drinking Gourd.......2006-02-25

A wonderful story about a family escaping slavery using astronomy and song. Beautifully illustrated.

Song of freedom.......2002-01-27

This fine story teaches even the smallest of children about the evil of slavery in pre-Civil War America. It shows a desire for freedom so strong that men, women and children risked their lives to escape on the Underground Railroad, following the largest star in the Drinking Gourd of the title (The Big Dipper).

The book introduces the idea of slavery, the separation of families, the sale of human beings at auctions, and the difficulties that people endured to escape--hiding in trees to avoid hounds, sleeping by day, sometimes on empty stomachs, and walking at night, sometimes without stars to guide them. Sometimes people along the way were kind, providing bacon and corn bread to share, helping them across the Ohio River, and hiding them in the attics and barns of safe houses.

The story's dramatic simplicity grasps and holds children. They fasten to it, eager to learn about the bonds that once tied African-Americans and the freedom for which they naturally yearned.

Book Description

In order to effectively implement diversity and social justice initiatives it is critical to involve people from dominant groups. It is dominant groups that perpetuate oppression an educator meet the challenge of implementing diversity and social justice in organizations and in the community?

Promoting Diversity and Social Justice gives theory, perspectives, and strategies that are useful for working with adults on diversity and social justice issues. This book offers educational and psychological perspectives to inform practice and increase options in addressing conflict situations. The first part of the book helps the educator understand the reasons for resistance and ways to prevent it. The second part explains how educators motivate dominant groups to support social justice.

This book is an excellent resource for group facilitators, counselors, trainers in classrooms and workshops, professors, teacher, higher education personnel, community educators, and any other professionals involved with educating others about diversity and equity.

The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq

Average customer rating:

Will Touch Any Bibliophile's Heart
PLEASE!
Agree to disagree
A rare portrayal of a strong Muslim woman
4 1/2 The Woman Who Saved a Library

The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq
Jeanette Winter
Manufacturer: Harcourt Children's Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Military & Wars | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0152054456

Book Description

"In the Koran, the first thing God said to Muhammad was 'Read.'"*
--Alia Muhammad Baker

Alia Muhammad Baker is a librarian in Basra, Iraq. For fourteen years, her library has been a meeting place for those who love books. Until now. Now war has come, and Alia fears that the library--along with the thirty thousand books within it--will be destroyed forever.

In a war-stricken country where civilians--especially women--have little power, this true story about a librarian's struggle to save her community's priceless collection of books reminds us all how, throughout the world, the love of literature and the respect for knowledge know no boundaries.

Includes an author's note.
*From the New York Times, July 27, 2003

Customer Reviews:

Will Touch Any Bibliophile's Heart.......2007-06-08

The courageous story of one dedicated librarian, her friends, and how they saved the majority of books from Basra's Central Library from destruction. I have shared this book with folks from five to 50, and every last one of them was touched. It's simply a must for every classroom, library, and anyone who loves books, libraries, and reading.

PLEASE!.......2007-02-08

My wife and I brought our 5 year old son to an interview at a private school we were interested in. They had a box full of this particular book sitting there in front of us while the head-master was evaluating our son. My wife and I each picked-up a copy and flipped through it. I have no problem with childrens books about what's going on in Iraq if done properly. This isn't one of them. At one point, the iraqi woman (Alia) who saved the books shuttles them to her friends restaurant, and they hide them in sacks and curtains. Here's a sample of the story (and I'm paraphrasing - not for effect or an attempt to exaggerate anything, but only because I don't have the book in front of me): "Soldiers [the illustration depicts an american soldier] came to the door of the restaurant and asked Anis [the owner] why he has a gun. 'To protect my business' he replied. The soldiers didn't enter the restaurant, and so Alia and Anis knew the books would be safe." So that's the "hint of the United States' involvement" that the paid reviewers spoke of: Apparently, the evil americans were prepared to destroy all the books if discovered. Garbage.

Agree to disagree.......2006-06-08

I think this book will always divide its readership. I have worked in the past with a Lady from Iraq. A well educated, literate and articulate woman, who was educated in Iraq by Iraqi's so for those who think the Iraq was liberated rather than invaded and through the actions of George and Tony et al they will always believe that it was only those actions that allowed the people, women in particular a greater amount of freedom. That is not always the case... should we see ourselves as "saviours"? This will always be a matter for debate. As a Librarian myself I agree that given the right set of circumstances I would indeed take and look after the stock from my Library as I believe that information IS the key to power. So to this title's detractors yes, read in isolation it could be misleading, yes the "invasion/liberation" will have done some good and after many a long discussion with my former colleague, it has, HOWEVER for those who fall on the invasion side, I agree does any government have the right to do what ours (and I include the british here) have done? We are not Iraqi - we are not there, we will never PERSONALLY know. But read this book whichever camp you fall into, read it to your children, explain it to them in context. That is what you should do. Remember, BOOKS ARE POWERFUL I'm glad this book is generating so much discussion. This is what books do, the Librarian in the story understood this, that is what THIS book is about.

A rare portrayal of a strong Muslim woman.......2006-05-13

There are many wonderful things about this book which have already been mentioned by 27 of the other reviewers. However, what struck me the most was that Alia Muhammad Baker, the main character of The Librarian of Basra, is a strong Muslim woman who becomes a heroine in her struggle to preserve her faith and country's heritage at her cherished library.

This is very critical considering that most readers of this book probably view Muslim women as oppressed and passive as opposed to strong and committed to their faith.

Anyone who wishes to offer a more balanced presentation of Muslim women in their classroom or to their children should get this book and read it themselves and to kids.

4 1/2 The Woman Who Saved a Library.......2006-03-15

This contemporary story about an Iraqi librarian rescuing 70% of the Basra Central Library's books speaks of both individual courage and the irreplaceable value of books. It's based on actual events: With Allied bombers approaching Basra in April 2003, chief librarian Alia Muhammad Baker asks the local government for permission to move the books. For reasons not explained to the reader, official deny her request, "so Alia takes matters into her own hands." At first, she drives small loads to her home, but when the bombing begins and the library staff flees, she adopts a larger plan to save the books. A network of friends and relatives (most notably neighboring merchant Anis Muhammad) race to hide 30,000 books in Muhammad's nearby restaurant:

"'The books must be saved.' All through the night, Alia, Anis, his brothers, and shopkeepers and neighbors take the books from the library shelves, pass them over the seven-foot wall, and hide them in Anis' restaurant. The books stay hidden as the war rages on. Then, nine days later, a fire burns the library to the ground." As first reported by New York Times journalist Shaila K. Dewan, Baker and her friends waited out the bombs and then moved the thousands of books to the homes of friends, where, presumably, many of them still wait out the violence. An afterward explains that Alia Muhammad Baker suffered a stroke not long after and underwent heart surgery; she is "healing, and despite all, she is determined to see that the library is rebuilt."

The story begins weakly, largely due to some rather conventional pictures that evoke Saturday morning TV shows. Smooth, Western-looking faces speak about the impending war ("Will planes with bombs fill the sky?"), but the multitude of talking heads seems flat. (Older readers might like M. A. Stamaty's 32-page "Alia's Mission : Saving the Books of Iraq" for a more detailed and realistic version of the story.) However, Winter's introduction of the librarian personalizes the story, and her increasingly authentic pictures add realism and a sense of urgency to the rescue. In several dramatic scenes, Winter's bombing planes fill the fiery night sky, tanks shoot long lines of gunfire, and citizens flee against silhouetted minarets, domes, and palm trees. No bloodshed is shown, but Winter convincingly and appropriately shows the ensuing devastation. (There's also a 4-page daydream sequence about a peaceful Iraq, beautifully illustrated with colorful colors and motifs.) The Iraqi people who participated in Baker's "underground" book relocation probably risked their lives to save the books, and I expect that their story will evoke emotion and strong emotions and passionate discussion.

The 39 Apartments of Ludwig Van Beethoven

Average customer rating:

Bravo!
So Much Fun
A very different kind of story youngsters will relish.
39 Facts of Fun

The 39 Apartments of Ludwig Van Beethoven
Jonah Winter
Manufacturer: Schwartz & Wade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Humorous | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0375836020
Release Date: 2006-09-26

Book Description

How hard is it to move 5 legless pianos 39 times?
Beethoven owned five legless pianos and composed great works on the floor. His first apartment was in the center of Vienna's theater district... but he forgot to pay rent, so he had to move. (And it's very hard to move a piano. Even harder to move five). Beethoven's next apartment was in a dangerous part of town... so he moved, and the pianos followed on a series of pulleys. Then came an apartment with a view of the Danube (but he made too much noise and the neighbors complained), followed by an attic apartment (where he made even MORE of a rukus), and so Beethoven moved again and again. Each time, pianos were bought, left behind, transported on pulleys, slides, and by movers, all so that gifted Beethoven could compose great works of music for the world.

Customer Reviews:

Bravo!.......2007-07-09

This book begins with a musical score in Beethoven's own hand. The end papers are an actual photograph of Beethoven's working manuscript for the Grosse Fuge in B flat major, Op. 134.

Jonah Winter recounts the story of Beethoven's pianos and the thirty-nine apartments where he lived in Vienna. So often children's "non-fiction" blurs the line between fact and speculation. Not so in this book. Winter clearly identifies what is fact and what is conjecture and does so with great humor.

Diaries, eviction notices, physical evidence and piano movers' notes are used as a basis for the story he tells. Why did Ludwig change apartments so frequently? Well, there is some evidence to suggest the neighbors complained. As Beethoven moves from place to place, Winter chronicles the music that was composed there. An author's note at the end gives additional information about his deafness and the amazing fact that he composed his magnificent Ninth Symphony after he had completely lost his hearing.

Barry Blitt's illustrations lift the story to a new level. We first see Beethoven as a baby crying in Gothic letters, "wha wha wha WHA." He accurately and humorously depicts the difficulties and incredible logistics involved in moving pianos to the new apartments, over rooftops, through windows and through walls. The composer's effect on his neighbors is depicted in a cross-section where we see the neighbors living above, below and next door to him reacting to the noise coming from his apartment in the middle. Babies cry, dogs bark and people pound on the floor, ceiling and walls as Beethoven plays.

This book is a must have for music teachers, piano teachers and students of music. What a treat!

So Much Fun.......2007-05-09

What a great and witty book. Great for K-2 Music Teachers. Excellent.

A very different kind of story youngsters will relish........2006-12-10

It's hard to easily categorize this: based on a little-known fact about Beethoven's habit of moving frequently, it offers up a fun story of how he not only moved, but moved all five of his pianos from place to place. The hilarious tale of and why he moved, followed by all those pianos, creates a very different kind of story youngsters will relish.

39 Facts of Fun.......2006-11-10

"The 39 Apartments of Ludwig van Beethoven" is one clever picture book. Jonah Winter structures the story in such a way that you only get the joke at the end. Barry Blitt's illustrations are drop-dead funny, with a cranky Beethoven juxtaposed with beautiful Viennese cityscapes on each page. (As you can tell from the cover illustration, Blitt's Beethoven looks just like the ubiquitous statuette of the great composer that glared down at you during weekly piano lessons.)

"The 39 Apartments of Ludwig von Beethoven" begins with three facts. The first of these is:

"FACT: Ludwig van Beethoven was born in the town of Bonn in the country of Germany in the year 1770."

We then learn that Beethoven composed on five legless pianos and "FACT: Ludwig van Beethoven lived in 39 different apartments--which is of course the subject of our story. (See book title.)"

Then the story begins. Beethoven's move from apartment to apartment is "documented" with complaints from neighbors, what he composed where, and details on how movers transported the five legless pianos. Here's a mover's lament:

"In the diary of one Anselm Schwartz, we find the following translated here into modern English: 'After this move, I'm out of here. That dude is WHACKED in the head! Yow...My back is, like, REALLY messed up!'"

After the first three FACTS of the book, there are only three to follow--two in the story of the moves: "FACT: It is very difficult to move a piano. FACT: It is even more difficult to move five pianos." These two FACTS are self-evident and are easily overlooked amongst the evidence of cotton balls with earwax found in neighbors' apartments.

It's only when you read the last FACT on the final page that you get the joke: "FACT: That's all we know of the 39 apartments of Ludwig van Beethoven." In other words, absolutely nothing--but a good story results nonetheless.

"The 39 Apartments of Ludwig van Beethoven" is a stunner of a picture book and definitely makes my 2006 favorites list. Read it aloud to a group just for the experience of watching kids get the joke. "The 39 Apartments of Ludwig van Beethoven" is highly recommended for children ages 5-10.

Average customer rating:

Diego for young people
The boy who was born to paint
Viva Diego!
Great
The Life of Diego Rivera Simplified

Diego
Jonah Winter
Manufacturer: Knopf Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0679819878
Release Date: 2007-01-09

Book Description

Diego was a boy who loved to draw; he drew on everything, even the walls. In time, he would become known as one of the greatest muralists in all of Mexico—in all the world. "An accessible picture book about the life and work of Diego Rivera sounds like an oxymoron, but Winter and Winter succeed beyond belief," announced School Library Journal in a 1991 starred review. With spare, lyrical text—featured in both English and Spanish on every page—accompanying miniature murals done in Rivera's own vibrant style, this celebrated picture-book biography now makes a much deserved return to hardcover after a seven-year absence.

Customer Reviews:

Diego for young people.......2007-09-01

This is a concise little biography about the artist, Diego Rivera. Winter (The Librarian of Basra, 2005) begins Rivera's story with his birth. He was a sickly infant who survived because of the devoted care of an Indian healer. His twin brother did not live. He was a daydreamer in school but his parents encouraged his artistic abilities. He studied art in Europe but was inspired by his memories of life in Mexico. Winter ends the book as Rivera's career as a painter whose "murals told the story of the Mexican people" is just beginning.

The text is in English and Spanish. Each of Winter's illustrations is edged in a unique painted frame. I wish they had chosen to feature the illustrations in a larger format. The paintings are colorful and engaging and deserve more page space.

The boy who was born to paint.......2007-02-27

Told in simple, straightforward text, this small children's book relates the story of Diego Rivera, a famous Mexican artist who loved his art and the people of his country. Diego spent his whole life painting, drawn to the vibrant colors and magical rituals of Mexico as well as the troubles of the people as they fought for equality and better working conditions.

At birth, Diego was not a strong child. He had a twin bother, Carlos, who died before he reached the age of two. Diego's parents, fearing their other son would die from the same illness as his small brother, sent him to a nurse, Antonia, who was also an Indian healer and lived in the mountains. Her cozy hut fragrant with burning candles and healing herbs, Antonia's mountain home was filled with fresh air and the natural plants necessary to make the boy well. Diego entertained himself with the animals around him; he even had a pet parrot and was soon well enough to return home to his parents.

Upon Diego's homecoming, his imagination already infused with the brilliant colors of nature, the boy began to draw and paint on very surface. He had difficulty in school, constantly distracted by the paintings he was dreaming of creating, unable to concentrate on anything but the wonderful world his mind inhabited. Finally Diego attended art school, but even that failed to stimulate the artist, for he felt constrained by the rules and the life drawings the teachers expected from their students. The paintings Diego imagined were of the bright fiestas, the celebration of the Day of the Dead and the struggles of the people confronting soldiers in the streets. Holding nothing back, it was Diego's plan was to show it all, the many faces of his beloved land. Returning from a visit to Italy, where he was impressed by the religious murals that covered the walls of the churches, Diego knew what he wanted to do.

He spent the rest of his life painting murals throughout Mexico, drawn to the folklore, rituals and struggles of the Mexican people, hiding from nothing, even the sometimes brutal street battle between soldiers and the workers. Diego Rivera is revered in Mexico, his paintings as popular today as when he first created them. Surely this little boy was destined to write the history of his country on the walls and churches of Mexico, a gift to last through time. The illustrations are small and filled with brilliant colors, retaining the same style as Diego's murals, the faces of people and place recognizable in their simplicity and natural beauty. Luan Gaines/ 2007.

Viva Diego!.......2006-03-27

Diego Rivera's biography is told in this superbly illustrated text. The story begins as he is born, and ends many years later after Rivera has become a famous Mexican muralist, however much of the text focuses on Rivera's childhood. The text is written in both English and Spanish on every page. Both languages are written in concise sentences that clearly convey information about Rivera's life and work. Each page also has a brightly colored picture that reinforces the text's message.The illustrations by Jeanette Winter are beautiful, richly colored accompaniments to the colorful life of Diego Rivera. The motifs in them are those typically found in Mexican folk art and include appropriate colors and subjects, often echoing those found in Rivera's work. This is a delightful and age appropriate introduction to an artist whose tempestuous personal life sometimes overshadows his outstanding artistic accomplishments both inside and outside of Mexico. Students who are interested in art or Mexican history will find this book to be a treasure. Native Spanish speakers could use this text in the classroom to share their knowledge of the Spanish language and Mexican culture.

Great.......2005-02-09

Writing a book about Diego Rivera in terms that young children can understand is not an easy task, however this book does a great job. The story is engaging, the pictures are wonderfully colorful, and can hold a kid's attention. I purchased this book when my daughter was only 3 and even though she didn't understand much of the text, she was captivated by the pictures. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to expose a young child to art and artists' lives.

The Life of Diego Rivera Simplified.......2003-06-13

This is a very simplified life story of Diego Rivera, famous Mexican artist. It is filled with pictures that are artistic and designed in the style of the artist. Any child, especially those interested in art, would find this book of interest.

Average customer rating:

Harsh and Real
A Well Written Moving Account Of Homeles Life On The Streets
It could have been much more
Terrible.......
Absolutely FANTASTIC book

Grand Central Winter
Lee Stringer
Manufacturer: Washington Square Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0671036548

Amazon.com

Curled deep in his burrow in a Grand Central Station crawlspace, Lee Stringer--ragged, homeless, addicted to crack--is digging around for something he can use to clean his crack pipe. Finally his fingers latch around "some sort of smooth straight stick": a pencil. In the days that follow, he carries it with him wherever he goes. "So I have this pencil with me all the time and then one day I'm sitting there in my hole with nothing to smoke and nothing to do and I pull the pencil out just to look at the film of residue stuck to the sides--you do that sort of thing when you don't have any shit--and it dawns on me that it's a pencil. I mean it's got a lead in it and all, and you can write with the thing." And so that's what he does. "Pretty soon I forget all about hustling and getting a hit. I'm scribbling like a maniac; heart pumping, adrenaline rushing, hands trembling. I'm so excited I almost crap on myself. It's just like taking a hit."

Grand Central Winter is the tale of Stringer's twin addictions--writing and crack--and the lengths he went to in order to satisfy each. But Stringer dwells on neither his descent into hell nor the long journey back. Instead, he paints a nuanced portrait of street life itself, its pleasures as well as its terrors. Hustlers, hookers, dealers, and addicts come to life in a series of vignettes that are tough, unsentimental, but compassionate to the core. There's honest rage to be found in Grand Central Winter, but precious little political posturing. "Policy is never the real issue," he writes in "Dear Homey," his advice column for New York's homeless paper, Street News. "The real issue is the hearts of men."

Book Description

In the underground tunnels below Grand Central Terminal, Lee Stringer -- homeless and drug-addicted over the course of eleven years -- found a pencil to run through his crack pipe. One day, he used it to write. Soon, writing became a habit that won out over drugs. And soon, Lee Stringer had created one of the most powerful urban memoirs of our time.

With humane wisdom and a biting wit, Lee Stringer chronicles the unraveling of his seemingly secure existence as a marketing executive, and his odyssey of survival on the streets of New York City. Whether he is portraying "God's corner," as he calls 42nd Street, or his friend Suzi, a hooker and "past-due tourist" whose infant he sometimes baby-sits; whether he recounts taking shelter underneath Grand Central by night and collecting cans by day, or making a living hawking Street News on the subway, Lee Stringer conveys the vitality and complexity of a down-and-out life. Rich with small acts of kindness, humor, and even heroism amid violence and desperation, Grand Central Winter offers a touching portrait of our shared humanity.

Download Description

In the tunnels below Grand Central Terminal, Lee Stringer -- homeless and drug-addicted over the course of eleven years -- found a pencil to run through his crack pipe. One day, he used it to write.

Customer Reviews:

Harsh and Real.......2007-06-29

I encountered this book on a sale rack and didn't expect much from it. After all why would be so discounted?

I was wrong. This was a chilling and real depiction of life on the streets as a crack addict. What it may lack in direction, it makes up for with hard-hitting writing.

If you are looking for a nice breezy read, this is not the book for you. If you want some food for thought, then don't miss it.

A Well Written Moving Account Of Homeles Life On The Streets.......2005-04-24

This book is an autobiographical account of a time in the author's life, Lee Stringer. Mr.Stringer begins the book describing his life as a homeless, crack addict who finds a pencil he intends to use to clean his crack pipe with. Then he realizes that a pen can be a very powerful tool and he starts to write. He writes about the streets where the homeless are seen but so often overlooked and his eventual position as a writer for a newspaper.Stringer has realized in this book that "the pen is indeed mightier than the sword" as he goes about seeking Recovery and Redemption. This book is a very well written account of a man's struggle to free himself from a serious addiction.The reader will cheer for Mr. Stringer as he tries to regain his Life and his Dignity.

It could have been much more.......2004-06-20

I stuck the book out for about 2/3 of it always hoping for some point to be made from the various unconnected stories he tells, but most have no point or real end...such as the story of the blonde hooker who becomes central to his life for many months or the even less understandable the defrocked Greek priest who wants to be in the newspaper.Very little of this book is about how it is to be homeless or to sleep under subway tunnels etc. It's mostly about his hustling newspapers and cans and taking drugs,but even that is surface level & not very detailed.

Terrible..............2002-07-11

This was the worst book I ever read.I thought the story was going to be about the homeless in Grand Central.Yet all the
main character Lee talks about is his work with a newspaper
written by the homeless.The book drags on and on going nowhere.
The characters Lee mentions in the book are as dull as the book
itself.I was trully disappionted.The only thing this book is good
for is putting you to sleep.

Absolutely FANTASTIC book.......2002-07-09

As Kurt Vonnegut says in the opening pages of this book, Lee Stringer can write. Vonnegut isn't lying.

Lee Stringer is ruthless in his description of how corruption and greed overcome the true hearts of men - how the problems of homelessness can never be solved unless there is true caring, courage and compassion on the part of our leaders. The most encouraging part of this book is the excerpts from "Ask Homey," a column written by Lee Stringer in the newspaper "Street News," where he directly addresses the issues of the homeless without pause.

Lee Stringer also changes the mentality that homeless people are people that somehow scrape the bottoms of the buckets of accountability, dignity, and humanity. They are most certainly not - they are people that could be your next door neighbor...or are, for that matter.

Book Description

Relates the story of the fifteen-year-old Alaskan boy and his dogs as they prepare for and then run the 158-mile course of the Junior Iditarod Race.

Customer Reviews:

A. D. Tarbox, Freelance Reviewer for Midwest Book Review.......2006-01-06

I chose this book because I wanted to know more about sled dog racing. Wood does a wonderful job with photographs and text to tell the story of Dusty, a high schooler, and his sled dogs getting ready to race in the Jr. Iditarod in Alaska. This book is great for 8-12 year olds but adults will like it too.
A. D. Tarbox, author of ALREADY ASLEEP (October 2006)

One Vast Winter Count: The Native American West before Lewis and Clark (History of the American West)

Average customer rating:

First Rate Survey
One Vast Winter Count
With focus on evolving Native politics and interactions
VASTLY INFORMATIVE

One Vast Winter Count: The Native American West before Lewis and Clark (History of the American West)
Colin G. Calloway
Manufacturer: Bison Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0803264658

Book Description

This magnificent, sweeping work traces the histories of the Native peoples of the American West from their arrival thousands of years ago to the early years of the nineteenth century. Emphasizing conflict and change, One Vast Winter Count offers a new look at the early history of the region by blending ethnohistory, colonial history, and frontier history. Drawing on a wide range of oral and archival sources from across the West, Colin G. Calloway offers an unparalleled glimpse at the lives of generations of Native peoples in a western land soon to be overrun.

Customer Reviews:

First Rate Survey.......2006-08-30

This is an excellent survey of the history of the American West up to about 1800. For several good reasons, Calloway construes the American West as including much of Canada, the Old West of the early 19th and late 18th centuries - the trans-appalachian areas, and northern Mexico. Calloway begins with a nice precis of prehistory and covers major phases of North American native cultures such as the Missippian societies and events such as the spread of maize agriculture. Since much of the historical record per se comes from the accounts of early European explorers and settlers, the majority of the book is an excellent history of the interactions of native cultures with European invaders and the resulting effects on native societies. Calloway devotes ample space not only to oft discussed topics like the Seven Years War but also to excellent coverage of the Spanish and French Empires in North America, the coming of the horse, and the impact of European based trade networks. The emphasis throughout is the life and history of native societies. The quality of writing is excellent and the bibliography and footnotes are first rate.

One Vast Winter Count.......2004-09-13

Don't get me wrong. I learned a lot from this book. But I would not have learned nearly as much if I did not come to the book with quite a bit of knowledge. I suggest that you read the excellent "Atlas of the North American Indian" before you read this book, or at least that you have the "Atlas" by your side as you read this book.

The book has several very good features. One is the depiction of the adaptation of Native American cultures to changing circumstances, particularly climate change, the introduction of corn, the return of the horse and the acquisition of firearms. Another is the very valuable narrative thread throughout the book about trade with Europeans and the impact it had on Native Americans and on the relations of tribes to each other. Another is the section on the impact of the late 18th century smallpox epidemic. The book would be valuable for these alone.

If you would like to read more about trade with Europeans and the related impacts, I recommend "Before Lewis and Clark" by Shirley Christian.

But there are serious problems with the book. Where to begin? There are so many deficiencies that it is hard to pick a starting point.

Maps are few and late. Rivers are important to Native American history, but the first map showing a comprehensive view of the rivers of what is now the United States does not appear until page 127 and on that map the rivers are not named. The first map naming the rivers of what is now the northeast United States does not appear until page 229. Another map without river names appears on page 271. The Arkansas, Red, and Sabine Rivers are mentioned on page 105, but are not named on a map until page 329. The Angelina and Neches Rivers are also mentioned on page 105, but I cannot find them on any map in the book.

Terminology is introduced but not defined or explained. What the heck is a potlatch? The first reference is merely to a potlatch. A page later, there is a reference to a potlatch ceremony. But the author does not tell us what it is.

Likewise, confusion reigns regarding language and tribal groups. Early on, the author speaks of the Athabaskans. Pray tell, what is an Athabaskan? Is Athabaskan a tribe, a cultural group, or a language? There is one reference to later on to "Athabaskan speakers," but it is not in the index.

On pages 297 and 298 the author switches back and forth between the terms "Piegan" and "Blackfoot" several times. This will be confusing if the reader does not know that Piegan is generally taken to be a language and Blackfoot is generally taken to be a tribe and both terms describe almost the same group. And my terminology may not be exact here.

And what is an Algonquin? If the author had devoted just a few pages early on to an overview of Native American languages and cultures and how they intersect, the book would be much, much better. There are web sites that offer quite a bit of detail on Native American languages.

The author is obviously very knowledgeable and to an extent, I think that he is trapped by his own knowledge. He uses terminology that is familiar to him, but which may not be familiar to an average reader. He does not realize that he is writing over the heads of much of his audience.

There are strange gaps in the book. For example, there is no mention of the continuing discussion about the date of the first migration of humans to the Americas. And, there has been some very interesting work done lately on genetic relationships between various ethnic groups based on DNA analysis, but that work is not mentioned at all.

There are omissions that are apparently dictated by political correctness. For example, the author mentions that in Meso-America (wherever that is, because the author does not tell us) ball games had a sacred significance, but fails to tell us what that significance was. Again, you can search the web and find more information. Actually, Meso-America is a region covering some of the southern part of what is now Mexico and extending further south. The sacred significance of ball games was that the losing team was sacrificed. I'm not sure we know whether the players were volunteers or not.

On the other hand, for this day and age, the book is curiously Euro-centric. For example, there is no mention at all of Northwest Coast Native Americans until contact with Europeans. The Northwest Coast tribes have a fascinating cultural history with many features, such as totem poles, that are very distinctive. But there is not a word about their culture. Many other tribes are mentioned only on contact with Europeans. Do we know anything about them before contact?

My last few comments point to the largest deficiency of the book. There is very little treatment of Native American religion, culture or art.

There is some mention of religion particularly in the first chapter, but there is no overview. One common thread seems to be narratives about emerging from darkness into light. Is this in fact a common thread? The author is silent. A few pages devoted to an overview would have been very helpful.

There is very little discussion of Native American culture. OK, we know they ate corn (but the famous trinity of corn, beans and squash goes unmentioned) and later buffalo and there is some discussion in passing of leadership and adoption customs.

But other aspects of Native American culture are neglected. What did these people wear? What were their farming practices? How did they store and cook their food? How did they preserve their meat? What sort of houses did they live in, apart from lodges (or tepees), Pueblos or cliff dwellings? Did they bury their dead? What were their courtship customs? What customs prevailed before contact and how did they change with contact? And so on and on. Do we know anything about these things? If so, what are the sources? If not, why not?

Native American art is neglected entirely. My view is that Native American art is frequently very powerful and evocative. It was and is an important part of Native American culture. But there is almost no discussion of Native American art in the book, even though the book draws its' title from a particular form of Native American art.

Overall, the book fails. A popular reader depending on this book for a history of Native Americans in the period will be left very much short of where she or he should be. The editors would have been wise to break it up into two books and to spend some time to overcome some of the failings I have mentioned.

I don't know a book to recommend on Native American religion, culture and art. Perhaps another correspondent can suggest one.

With focus on evolving Native politics and interactions.......2004-05-16

Part of the University of Nebraska Press "History of the American West" series, One Vast Winter Count: The Native American West Before Lewis And Clark by Colin Calloway is not just another casual or coffee table treatment, but a weighty and in-depth examination of the Native American west before Lewis and Clark, highly recommended for college-level holdings and the personal reading lists of Native American History students and dedicated American West history buffs. Over 600 pages traces the histories of the Native American peoples of the west from their arrival thousands of years ago to the early years of the 19th century. The focus on evolving Native politics and interactions with various cultures and the new look blending ethnohistory and frontier history makes One Vast Winter Count a unique and strongly recommended presentation.

VASTLY INFORMATIVE.......2004-02-04

Colin Calloway has written an impressive debut volume for the University of Nebraska Press' History of the American West series. It weaves the latest archeological discoveries together with Native American oral history into cotemporary European accounts to produce a panoramic overview of 15,000 years of human existence is western America. His narrative ends at the point where coventional school textbooks begin -- with Lewis and Clark. This book has expanded my understanding by showing me that "The West is not a land of empty spaces with a short history..." Calloway wants us to see western history as a "long and unbroken continuum" that stretches backward in a vast spiral of years and forward beyond our own lifetimes.

Most of us have a static view of Native American culture in the West; a 19th century snapshot with tribal characteristics and territories frozen in place. Calloway gives the reader a motion picture full of swirling migrations and altered identitites -- the result of altered climate, technology, as well as of European intervention. He integrates important events in native history into the timeline of world history in a way I have not previously encountered. As the Revolutionary War raged east of the Appalachians, a great smallpox epidemic that reduced native populations by 50-75% was raging to the west. The land Lewis and Clark explored was far emptier than it had been just a generation earlier.

The diffusion of corn-growing into cooler regions of North America, starting in the sixth century C.E. initiated a revolution in Native American life. At the time the Normans invaded England, the Cahokias were building monumental earthworks and plazas amid fields of corn at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi. It was probably the largest city North America had seen until New York surpassed it at the end of the 18th Century. The Cohokias, like the Anasazi of the Southwest, had vanished before Lewis and Clark pushed west. The arrival of the horse on the plains in the 16th century coicided with climatic changes that expanded buffalo populations. Some native groups that had adopted the agrarian life forsook their cornfields, moved out onto the plains, and morphed into nomadic warrior cultures. The Sioux, Apaches, and Cheyenne were farmers before they were buffalo hunters.

Although ONE VAST WINTER COUNT is unapologetically academic, it is well written and very readable. Without interrupting the narrative flow, Calloway identifies his sources and earmarks points of scholarly disagreement. The book devotes less space to native cultures of the Pacific coast than to others. Calloway's explanation is that he had to rely heavily on the record created by Europeans (who came later to that region). He says he chose to make his primary focus "centers of action and interaction". He ends the book by pointing to the depopulation of the rural West, the exhaustion of water resources, and the return of the buffalo as signs that the endless spiral of winters may be making another turn.

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A wonderful musician bio

Music Was His Life.....

Perfection In Read Aloud Picture Book Bios

If we could only give it more stars!

Sebastian: A Book about Bach
Jeanette Winter
Manufacturer: Silver Whistle
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 015200629X

Book Description

A long time ago, a boy named Sebastian was born into a family of musicians. He heard music everywhere, especially in his own head, and he wrote down what he heard. Sebastian married, raised a family, and wrote more than a thousand pieces of music. He also created a little book of music especially for his wife, Anna Magdalena, so that in the evenings the whole family could make music together. Hundreds of years after his death, Bach’s music is heard and played all over the world. Many people think it is some of the most glorious music ever written. And today young students--like Bach’s own children--can learn to play the music from Anna Magdalena’s notebook.

Customer Reviews:

A wonderful musician bio.......2002-09-15

This book is wonderfully written. It tells a mini-story of Bach's life in a very child-friendly way. It touches on his birth (and death) and his religious life. The focus is on Bach - not his religion. The artwork is vibrant and I highly recommend the book.

Music Was His Life............2002-04-11

Johann Sebastian Bach was born into a family of musicians. All the Bachs played musical instruments, and young Sebastian was no exception. But even more than the joy of playing, Bach loved composing his own music. "Sebastian heard the music in his head. The melodies came fast- as his pen raced over the page, he rarely changed a note. He heard one melody for the violin, one for the trumpet, one for the flute, and one for the oboe. Each instrument had its own voice. And when all the voices sounded at the same time, it was like good friends talking together." Bach married, had twenty children, and settled in Leipzig where he was the church music and choir director. He worked all day teaching his students and playing the organ, and composed all night as "new music filled Sebastian's head." During his life, Bach wrote over one thousand compositions. It is said that even as he took his dying breath, he was composing one last piece..... Jeanette Winter has written an engaging and informative, introductory picture book biography that brings Bach and his times to life on the page. Her simple, spare, yet eloquent prose is lyrical and poetic, and complemented by her evocative, vibrant, and expressive signature folk art paintings. Together word and art give youngsters a real feeling for the intensity of Bach's great love and devotion to both playing and composing music. Perfect for reading aloud, or for early readers 6-10, Sebastian is a fascinating and entertaining biography that will whet the appetite of budding musicians, and send them out looking for more.

Perfection In Read Aloud Picture Book Bios.......2000-06-21

Winter has achieved another perfect picturebook bio for reading aloud (see My Name Is Georgia and Diego Rivera). Simply told, with beautiful language this book is a keeper! Wow, she's an awesome illustrator too! Music teachers across the country should be buying multiple copies for their classrooms! Buy it!

If we could only give it more stars!.......1999-10-04

My daughter and I loved this book! It's story is easily understood and the beautiful illustrations are sweet and peaceful and really bring the words to life. While the author did write about Bach's church music, she did not mention his devotion to God. But there are other books about that. This is a book for everyone.

Average customer rating:

Charming
Beautiful book (but the paperback binding sucks!)
Brilliant Illustrations, Accurate Story
A Beautiful Tribute to a Mexican Holiday

Day of the Dead
Tony Johnston
Manufacturer: Voyager Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0152024468

Book Description

Above a small town in Mexico, the sun rises like a great marigold, and one family begins preparations for an annual celebration, El día de los muertos, the Day of the Dead. Soon they will go out into the night, join their neighbors, and walk to the graveyard to welcome the spirits of their loved ones home again. Framed by decorative borders and peppered with Spanish words, Day of the Dead is a glorious introduction to a fascinating celebration. A note at the end of the book provides factual information about the holiday.

Customer Reviews:

Charming.......2007-03-30

This book feels as though it is illustrated using papel picado techniques, with its geometric colorful shapes that are symmetrical and have black-colored backgrounds. This book charmingly uses lots of Spanish language to teach vocabulary to readers. It uses lots of words that have to do with the customs of Día de los Muertos. The narrative of the story leads the reader from the preparations for the fiesta all the way through the procession and celebration. The book is attractively small and square, which will also attract younger readers without intimidating them, but offers more than enough information for these younger readers to get a comprehensive view of Día de los Muertos.

Beautiful book (but the paperback binding sucks!).......2005-10-27

This is an absolutely magical, lovely book, both in the text and illustrations.

However, the paperback I bought has a flimsy binding that started to fall apart after just one reading. I'm going to get it in hardback.

Brilliant Illustrations, Accurate Story.......2001-10-31

This lively story tells the meaning of Dia de los Muertos--honoring loved ones--with beautiful illustrations, a good mixture of English and Spanish text, and accuracy. Great teaching tool.

A Beautiful Tribute to a Mexican Holiday.......2000-01-14

I have read this book to my 6 year-old daughter ab out a dozen times in the last 2 weeks. The colorful and rich illustrations are awe-inspiring and capture the spiritual side of this Mexican holiday. The story reflects the anticipation of the children as their parents prepare for this day of feasting and honoring passed souls.

Another plus in this book is the use of the Spanish language. Scattered throughout the book in short phrases, the words can be interpreted by context for the non-speaker.

I love this book and so does my daughter. We live near the border of Mexico and can attest to the fact that it is culturally accurate and reflects the Mexican culture in a beautiful way. I highly recommend this book!

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