This simple book for young children tells the life story of a ground-breaking African-American tap dancer. Bill “Bojangles” Robinson was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1920s-30s. People said he “talked with his feet,” and in the Dillons’ graceful paintings of old New York, he dances from page to page to the tune of a toe-tapping rhyme.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars One of my 2 yr old’s favorites
We checked this book out from the library and haven’t taken it back now for months. We are going to purchase it today so that someone else can borrow it too. My 2 year old son absolutley loves this book! He is very particular and asks for certain books to be read and this one gets read at least once a day. He remembers the story line & loves to say “Rap A Tap Tap” at the appropriate times. The illustrations are wonderful and I am so glad we found such a beautiful book.

5 Stars 4 1/2* More Awards Than You Can Shake a Cane At
Boasting two Caldecott Medals, the Society of Guild Illustrators’ Gold Medal, three Coretta Scott King Awards, four “Boston Globe-Horn Book” Awards, three “New York Times” Best Illustrated Book Awards, the NAACP Image Award, and honorary doctorates from Parsons (”make it work!”) School of Design, Leo and Diane Dillon have an impressive collective vita, as well as enough honors to re-write “The 12 Days of Christmas” as a list of their multiple wards and honors.

Fine and good, what have they done for us lately?

Well, in 2002, they captured another King Award with the graphic stylings, and rhythmic narration of “Rap A Tap Tap,” their kids’ story about famed tap dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson.” Leave the bittersweet side of the story to the Sammy Davis, Jr. song; this Bojangles is a jovial dandy–wearing a fancy suit or tuxedo, bow tie, boutonniere, top hat, a cane, and one great big Pied Piper of a smile. The Dillons remove him from movie studios and dance halls, focusing mainly on Bojangles the street dancer, entertaining crowds of ordinary people wherever he found them. Thus, we see Bojangles’ moves in a variety of settings: On the street, in a park, a bus stop, a market by an elevated train, in front of a church, inside a movie theater and by a fancy hotel. The Dillons capture the tension and dramatic flair of his entire body, his high stepping moves, and especially his active legwork, the latter through multiple images suggesting movement.

While this is not a biography of Bojangles (the only real reference is an informative, albeit necessarily sanitized four-paragraph afterwards), the Dillons largely chose not to set the book with a particular era. How much more interesting it would have been to see more images of the 20’s and 30’s, or Bojangles in a theater or on a movie set. The bold graphic arts style sets Bojangles’ dancing apart from the colorful poster-like backgrounds, but the illustrations only hint at what made him great. You feel the joyous emotions of Bojangles and his fans much more than see his famous footwork and iconic routines. This isn’t a huge problem, but it may limit the RAP A TAP TAP to a somewhat younger audience.

Still, there’s an undeniable power to the uncluttered illustrations, they rely heavily on big basic shapes, and the interaction of the joyful crowds and the always-giving Bojangles. Except for one clinking line mentioned by a reviewer above (”He briefly paused to pat an old cat’) the words sound wonderful, alternating smooth alliteration with a dance=matched syncopated beat. The oversized pages, quality paper, and excellent color reproduction make this a keeper, befitting the transcendent fame of its subject.

4 Stars Great book
This book was one that any age could enjoy. It showed how a child can get his or her dream fulfilled, as Bojangles dream of becoming a tap dancer became reality at a very young age. Also, the illustrations are great, and they add to Bojangles journey. This book also shows the race barrier being broken, as Bojangles who is black, starts working in the white theatres and makes a lot of money doing it. Overall, this book was very well done.

5 Stars Rap a Tap Tap- GREAT book, great seller!
This is a great book, from a wonderful seller. The shipping was quick; the price was great. I gave it as a gift to a friend’s son; he’s an avid tap dancer. I think that he really appreciated it.

5 Stars Creative and captivating
One of our favorite children’s books. Illustrations are outstanding, text is clever. Really a wonderful book. Highly recommended!

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From start to finish, Mann tracks the wonders of architecture, engineering, and construction that went into the creation of the tallest building in the world for the time. Fascinating profiles describe the individuals who dreamed of and built this architectural marvel. Archival photographs recreate the heady world of the steelworkers out on the girders, high above the city streets.

Wonders of the World series

The winner of numerous awards, this series is renowned for Elizabeth Mann’s ability to convey adventure and excitement while revealing technical information in engaging and easily understood language. The illustrations are lavishly realistic and accurate in detail but do not ignore the human element. Outstanding in the genre, these books are sure to bring even the most indifferent young reader into the worlds of history, geography, and architecture.

“One of the ten best non-fiction series for young readers.” - Booklist

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars a modern metaphor for money and ego
There they are–hugging the walls of the hallway, eight silver cases, taller than I am, which open out into triptyches of a reader’s delight–so many books. Cartons of books are piled on top of these treasure mines. On my way to work in After School Care, I found a chair, opened nearly all the cartons before I found a book to look at (games, artsy products, science kits were in those boxes). I am the librarian, thus in charge of our semi-annual Book Fair. I wanted just one book to look at for now. Tomorrow I set up this wonderland of books!

“Empire State Building” is the book from the carton–and what a great topic. Equal in feat and imagination to anything the ancient world built, this modern Wonder of the World is awesome. Alfred E. Smith, presidential aspirant to the office, and John J. Raskob, a private businessman, pooled sources to build the tallest skyscraper in existence.

Filled with all kinds of tidbits of information, this book relates the history of the building of the Empire State Building from inception through completion. After manufacturing made so many men rich, they tried to outdo each other in building the tallest skyscraper. The final competition came down to Walter Chrysler and Smith/Raskob. Who won, why, and how makes a clever little story.

What made possible the building of these really tall skyscrapers was steel. The walls of the first multi-storied buildings were weight-bearing and had to be built thicker and thicker at the base. The substitution of steel as the framework made skyscrapers possible. Another tidbit is the work supplied by the Mohawk Indians from New York and Canada. It became a new tribal position: that of future riveter.

There were 3500 workers on site every day doing sixty kinds of jobs. Only six people died during construction which began in late 1929. There are a total of 86 floors at 1050 feet. Windows number at 6,500 in the whole building; elevators number 64.

Only the Sears Tower in Chicago is taller than the Empire State Building.

5 Stars A Winner!

Review By Robert Young, Lane ESD

www.lane.k12.or.us/bookreview

Part of the Wonders of the World Books series, this title tells the story of the creation of one of America’s most enduring symbols: the Empire State Building. From the demolition of the Waldorf-Astoria in 1929 to the completion of the Empire State Building that took its place in 1931, the book clearly chronicles the events in the creation of the world’s tallest building at the time. Large, color illustrations as well as historical black and white photographs add another dimension to the text. An excellent large-format book could have been made even better by adding interesting details in sidebars along the way. A winner!

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In three charming new stories, Poppleton the pig gets help from his friends when his new tree begins to wilt; when he catches a cold; and later, when he decides to wallpaper his house. Learning is great for Poppleton, but it’s much better when it’s done with friends. Full color.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Poppleton “Foreber and eber”
My kids love this series of books. We checked them out from the library so often that I decided to just get them a copy of their own.

4 Stars Any Poppleton for first readers
My little niece is having reading issues and Sylvan recommended this series of books. She really likes the little pig and friends and likes reading about them. I got them and read them prior so when she reads over the phone to me I can help her sounding out the big words.

5 Stars Great for pre-schoolers!
My daughter is 3 and LOVES all of the Poppleton books. The three stories within one book combine fun and silliness with subtle points about friendship, sharing or kindness. Rylant’s “Mr. Putter and Tabby…” series are also at the top of our Favorites List.

5 Stars Wonderful Book
I love this book as well as the whole series and so does my daughter! She has been enjoying this particular book for only a few weeks now, but has loved many of the other books in the series since she was about 15 months old. It is perfect for bedtime and the characters are so lovable. I highly recommend buying this book as well as all the other books in the series.

5 Stars Review by Maelle P.S. 39 and Ijatou P.S. 39
If you read the Poppleton series you will learn from how to he treats his friends and how his friends treat him. Do you want to be tough and helpful? Then read Poppleton. Even though Poppleton looses his temper sometimes, he is still a good character. So check for Poppleton in the library, at the store, or read it at school. Poppleton is the book for you.

Review by Maelle

If you want to learn about friendship, you should read Poppleton Forever. Poppleton learns if you’re mean and you’re sorry friends will usually forgive you.

If you ever thoght Poppleton doesn’t loose his temper, you were wrong. He looses his temper in Poppleton Forever in the chapter Wallpaper. His friends didn’t put up the wallpaper like he wanted. And Poppleton yelled at them. They were nice and came over just to help him. I don’t think you should yell at your friends. It might make them not want to be his friends.

Read other Poppleton books. These are good for second graders and 6-7 year olds.

Review by Ijatou

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Days before Felicia Sullivan graduated from college, her mother disappeared; she hasn’t been heard from in more than twelve years. It was possibly the last betrayal her mother, a beautiful, volatile, deceitful drug addict, would add to those that built their relationship, which subjected Felicia to a nightmare childhood on the toughest streets of 1980s Brooklyn. Growing up in the close company of dealers, users, and a host of unsavory characters, Felicia became her mother’s keeper at a shockingly young age—getting her to the hospital after her overdoses, enduring her cruelty and narcissistic rages, and accepting the abuse or indifference of numerous so-called stepfathers. Years later, damaged and ashamed of her past, Felicia invented a new, brutally hard-partying persona to show to the world: she became her mother.

Affecting, honest, and utterly extraordinary, The Sky Isn’t Visible from Here is a book about secrets and forgiveness—the story of a young woman unraveling . . . and then putting her life back together again.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars not an easy read but well written autobiography
This is not an easy to read autobiography though extremely well written and poignant, as Felicia C. Sullivan bares her soul in a cautionary memoir. She lived poor in Brooklyn with her mom Rosina working in a series of diners while always being fired for stealing and through one boyfriend after another as Rosina stole to pay for her cocaine habit and changed boyfriends when they tired of her. Felicia did not fit in any of the zillion neighborhoods mom moved them to as her skin was to white. She escaped to Fordham University and just before she graduated mom vanished. However, the child is not far from the parent as Felicia fell into similar patterns with drink and cocaine even while succeeding in finance behind the facade of a fake history; that is until her behavior led to her firing. This is an excellent autobiography in which the author peels away the masks to reveal her most inner essence for audiences to see how far she has come from her nuclear bomb roots and how “habitually” easy it is for a person to fall back into self destructive behavior.

Harriet Klausner

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Personal, practical, down-to-earth–and the first book on the subject of using Buddhist insights to heal the anger and grief of romantic break-ups.

Buddhism has been applied to everything from parenting to golf, but until now no one has offered Buddhist principles as a healing path through divorce. In Storms Can’t Hurt the Sky, Gabriel Cohen bravely delves into his personal experience–along with insights from Buddhist masters, parables, humor, social science studies, and interviews with other divorc

How did the Democratic Party-party of JFK, LBJ, and civil rights-fall from glory? How did Texas, home of its most promising players, become Bush territory? What do politicians on either side need to do today to get our country back on track? Ben Barnes has the answers.

Barnes had a front-row seat through it all. His political savvy and bravado made him a standout in the rough-and-tumble world of Texas politics. He won a seat in the Texas Legislature in 1960, at the unheard-of age of 22, and four years later became the youngest Speaker of the House since the Civil War. In 1968, he helped Congressman George Herbert Walker Bush get his son into the National Guard-a controversy that would rage during the 2004 presidential election. In 1970, Lyndon Johnson told the public that Ben was destined to be the next U.S. president to hail from Texas.

How did his party lose its place in Texas . . . and the nation? How did Barnes-affectionately dubbed the “51st Democratic senator”-remain a force on the Democratic scene despite his departure from public office? In this exciting new book, Barnes takes readers inside the rise and fall of the party he loves. Pulling no punches, he uses lessons learned in the Texas trenches as a guiding light for a new generation of lawmakers and political hopefuls, and a calls for a return to bipartisan consensus building for our nation. Barnes’s rollicking memoir recalls the glory days of his Texas past and blazes a trail for our country’s future.

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars Integrity
Damned good book about a time not too long ago, when there were gentlemen of integrity leading us; men and women who cared deeply about the future of their state and country.

They walked the talk ….

5 Stars A Time When There Was Honor in Politics
Why would anyone read a book about a Texas politician whose political career, which never reached higher than lieutenant governor, spanned a total of twelve years from 1960 to 1972?

First, Ben Barnes is a Texan, which means he can spin a hell of a good yarn. Second, his friendships with national political leaders during one of the most dramatic periods of political change in the nation’s history put him at the center of the controversy. Third, he continues to be active in the political arena–former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle once called him the “51st Democratic Senator.” And, finally, in a manner similar to that described in J. Brian Smith’s John Rhodes, Man of the House, Barnes practiced the true spirit of the bipartisanship before it became just another rhetorical tool to undermine one’s opponents.

This is a tale of the fall of the Texas Democrats from almost complete control of the state to the status of a minor party and links that to the fall of the national Democratic party. “Where once the names Johnson, Rayburn, and Connally were synonymous with political power, the 21st century brought us Bush, Rove, and DeLay.”

Democrats are still asking, “‘How did we get to this point?’ and “Where do we go from here’?” In response, Barnes begins when Democrats ruled the roost and shows how events, large and small, created cracks in what was once thought an unshakable foundation. The value of the book is that he largely succeeds. (Ironically, many of the cracks in the Democrat’s apparently invulnerable foundation seem to be appearing today in the Republican Party.)

The Democratic rise to power began with Franklin Roosevelt’s first presidential victory in 1932, and Texans were in power virtually everywhere–including getting one of their own, John Nance “Cactus Jack” garner, elected VP. It also didn’t hurt that Texans headed eight of the major House Committees. Sam Rayburn emerged as one of the most powerful Democrats in the country, starting his run as the longest-serving Speaker of the House in 1940. When Lyndon Johnson took over the leadership of the Senate in the 1950s, it was hard to imagine how the Texas or national Republicans could ever recover.

Barnes came somewhat late to the game in 1959, at 22 winning a seat in the Texas State Legislature. Born on a central Texas farm in Comanche county, he grew up thinking long hours and hard work were simply the way everyone lived. His first experience with the power of government came during the depression, when Roosevelt forced through the Rural Electrification Administration which brought electricity to the farms in rural Texas.

“From then on,” he writes, “I thought of government as something that helped make people’s lives better.” He also cites Sam Rayburn who said, “Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a carpenter to build one….These days there’s a lot more barn burning in politics than barn building.” Barnes was determined to be a barn builder.

He was brilliant, pragmatic, and, most of all, driven to succeed. “That first year I made it my goal to visit every single of the other 149 members of the house.” He’d shake their hands, admit to being young and wet behind the ears, and told each how much he’d appreciate them letting him know if he screwed anything up. He asked for advice and offered help on their legislative programs.

However, the Democratic dominance in Texas had long carried the seeds of its own destruction, dating back to the early 20th century and the battle over prohibition with liberals against it and conservatives–mostly from dry counties–for it. Over time, the conservatives gained the advantage by positioning themselves as pro-business as the oil, gas, aviation, and other industries flowed into the state, and, as is almost always the case, with money comes power and influence. The liberals focused more on social issues.

The irony is that the same seeds that were growing into thick weeds in Texas were also affecting the national party.

Barnes had a knack for making powerful friends, including John Connally (who as governor was riding in the car and injured when John Kennedy was assassinated,) Sam Rayburn, Lyndon Johnson, Robert Strauss, Barbara Jordan, and a host of other powerful D.C. pols. But by 1960, when there was no external enemy against whom to rally the troops, the internal dissention flared. The two factions–liberals versus moderate/conservatives–had maintained an uneasy alliance, “but absolute power is a dangerous thing.”

A major rift occurred in 1952 when conservative Texas Democrats suddenly found themselves more in alignment with Republicans than their own party. Then Texas Governor Allan Shivers, furious over the Truman’s administration’s position on mineral rights issues in the Gulf Of Mexico, started “Democrats for Eisenhower in 1952 and ‘56.” The state twice voted for a Republican president.

As the dissention continued, the potential for healing it came in 1960 with Lyndon Johnson’s presidential run. It wasn’t to be, and Johnson accepting the number two slot turned out to be “so divisive, in fact, that some have argued that the downfall of the Texas Democratic party can be traced to that moment.” Johnson’s allies as well as many others couldn’t believe that he would support someone perceived as so liberal; in addition, they didn’t think Kennedy had a chance of success.

The Kennedy/Johnson victory didn’t help, although it temporarily covered over problems as the Democrats nationally and in Texas dominated the political landscape. But the underlying issues were growing more divisive. “This was the essential mistake the Texas Democratic party made during these years….They’d start to devour each other in fits of spite, allowing the Republicans to gain vital footholds in the state,” such as the election of Republican John Tower as a Texas Senator and the beginning of the exodus of Texas conservative Democrats to the enemy.

Barnes’ climb up the political ladder was as impressive as it is instructive. Taking bipartisanship to heart, he got along with almost everyone, although not without making a few costly mistakes along the way. He also treated every event as a learning opportunity. After the assassination of John Kennedy, a meeting with now President Johnson and Connolly, where they fought over what to do about Bobby Kennedy, “pointed up the continuing problem…of ill feeling between the liberals and moderates.”

The tragedy is that, even though Johnson took up Kennedy’s legislative agenda–in particular, civil rights–and succeeded where the latter had failed, that did nothing to ease the intense dislike between Johnson and Bobby Kennedy and their respective camps.

Soon after the 1965 Voting Rights Act was signed into law, Johnson told Barnes, “‘ Ben, I’m proud of these Civil Rights bills, but they’re going to hurt the party in the long run’.” This anecdote is just one of many that make this book so valuable: Johnson, the consummate power-hungry politician, sacrificing his party for a nobler cause.

He was right. Southern conservative Democrats began a shift that eventually turned the south into a Republican stronghold, when, despite Johnson’s landslide victory over Barry Goldwater in 1964, Goldwater carried five deep-south states.

Throughout the `60s, Barnes gives credit to Governor Connally for holding the Texas Democrats together despite the ongoing feuds. By then Barnes was the 26-year-old Speaker of the House and supported both Johnson and Connally in their progressive agendas to build bridges between the business community and the progressive side of the party. “This is another element of the party’s strength that we’ve lost today; we need to find and cultivate business leaders who care about more than just profit, and who’ll work with us to improve the state.” The same applies nationally.

On March 31, 1968, Lyndon Johnson announced that he would not run for president, and that “immediately changed everything about the game, both nationwide and in Texas [which] for the first time in decades, lack a national leader in Washington.” Connally had already announced he wasn’t running for governor again. Texas Democrats were on the verge of meltdown. And when Bobby Kennedy was assassinated just over two months later, on June 5th, there was no national Democratic leader of his stature to take over.

The Vietnam War was tearing the country apart, Martin Luther King’s assassination just four days after Johnson’s announcement, inflamed both blacks and whites, and the Democratic Convention in Chicago that year was a disaster for the party.

Nixon’s campaign created the new Republican playbook that’s still in use today: “Divide and conquer, using the rawest, most emotional issues in American life as a bludgeon and wedge.” While the Texas Democrats did well in the 1970 elections, they didn’t know that Nixon had already targeted them. Securities and Exchange Commission investigations, illegal IRS audits, and Justice Department investigations not only took down Barnes, but, as he says, “Nixon had orchestrated the destruction of Texas Democrats.” The infamous Nixon tapes verify Barnes’ claim.

Nationally and in Texas, the Democrats were in freefall. Connally became a Republican, partially to run for president but also because of his disgust with the ‘72 convention that nominated George McGovern.

Barnes concludes with an analysis of the difference between Texas and the country under Republicans and Democrats, and, given what he’d gone through, one can excuse excesses such as when he says of the 1988 Bush/Dukakis race, “For the first time in American politics, a candidate ran primarily on a platform of tearing down his opponent.”

But he is right that, “Today, that kind of negative politicking is everywhere you look.” Both sides have demonized the other, and “political discourse…has turned into little more than name-calling.” As a politician with the ability to skillfully maneuver the shark-infested waters of government, he also believed that government had a responsibility to the people, and he demonstrated that over and over.

“Today’s politicians too often govern with an eye on the next election, rather than on the future, and the people they represent are suffering as a result.”

“Barn Burning, Barn Building” is an important book. In an era of cynicism and distrust, it reminds us of a time when government and politicians believed in more than their own self-aggrandizement.

4 Stars A must read for political junkies of all stripes.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Ben Barnes, even as a diehard Republican and former Republican congressional aide. It is well written, concise, and tells a story that moves along quickly and keeps the reader’s attention since there are no extraneous details to bog one down. The story is one of Barnes’s meteoric rise through the ranks of Texas Democrat politics, after graduating fron the University of Texas, as state house member, Lieutenant Governor, and candidate for Governor - all the while serving as a sounding board and kitchen cabinet member for President Lyndon Baines Johnson and Governor John Connally. It is also the story of how the LBJ and Connally Democrat machine in Texas ultimately gave way to the John Tower/George H.W. Bush/George W. Bush/Karl Rove Republican machine. Barnes also tells the interesting story of his part in the controversial placement of George W. Bush in the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War.

There is very little Democrat partisan posturing, and such occurs only at the very end of the book, where I think Barnes could do a better job of admitting, reporting, and codemning (despite his experience as a target of the Richard Nixon enemies list) the politics of personal destruction that both parties have practiced. I would have also liked to see Barnes report more about the conversion of John Connally from LBJ Democrat to Richard Nixon Republican given how much time he spent with Connally as a political crony and business partner.

It seems to me that Barnes tells some wise political lessons that national politicians of all stripes can learn from - keeping discourse and debate civil, reaching out to those on both flanks, building individual relationships, establishing personal trust and integrity, and choosing policies from both conservative and progressive spectrums in order to attract the broadest possible coalition - especially in an era where an undeclared war (in Iraq) threatens to undermine current Republicans much as it did the Democrats and LBJ in the 1960s.

I can understand why LBJ thought and spoke so highly of Barnes, who clearly has a gift and passion for politics. His stories are fascinating and include many sagacious political observations that those interested in history and public policy can learn a lot from.

4 Stars Rise and Fall
I was drawn to this book when I read in the obituaries for Lady Bird Johnson that the blurb she wrote for Barnes’ book was the last thing the talented former First Lady wrote for publication and that, oddly enough, the blurb he has on the back of the book from Ann Richards was the last thing SHE wrote as well. It shows you, don’t write blurbs for Ben Barnes I guess! Now I’ll be waiting for the other blurbers to kick off, a new version of the internet “Death Pool,” and I’ll tell you, neither of them are spring chickens and one of them–Walter Cronkite–is already in the top 75 of the Death Pool list.

Oh well, in any case the book is a good read, particularly for those of you who, like me, don’t know much about Texas politics. Barnes was a mere boy when he was elected to the Texas Legislature, when he quickly became the pet of aging speaker Sam Rayburn, the man they called “Mr Everything,” and befriended Governor John Connally and President Lyndon Johnson. Ben came from the hill country, in the days before electricity came in and changed everything, and in this book he gives us a quick glimpse of what Camelot was like for a really young man with a lot on the ball and a lot of ambition. Texas Democrats were riding high back then, but within ten years it was all to change, and this story, which of course mirrors the larger political story of the bigger US, is sobering indeed. Barnes doesn’t hesitate to name names, and he blames LBJ for pushing civil rights issues so hard that he alienated the conservative element that might have given in with more grace if given more leeway. At the same time he knows that it was the right thing to do, just a path that led to unfortunate developments which the Democrats’ traditional enemy found a way to exploit and overturn.

At the beginning of the book, Rayburn whispers to Barnes that the significant event of the 1960 election was not that JFK won the thing, but that “Richard Nixon got hisass beat.” Like a phoenix however, Nixon was to rise again and by the end of the book he had destroyed the Democratic hegemony of Texas and it has never really recovered. Barnes outlines the incredible “dirty tricks” campaign that brought him down. Strange to think that this rising young star, a young man whom LBJ said he would support “money, marbles, and chalk” became a hasbeen by the time he was 33–sort of like a rock star. He had red hair, sort of like Opie, but that crinkly kind so that in black and white newsphotos of the 1960s his head looks like it was topped with a waffle cone, the kind they sell at Carvels. He pleads with us to return our nation to the spirit of generosity and non partisanship that led to the creation of the Peace Corps. He has a whole “back to good government” program which will not please the Bush family, but so be it.

5 Stars A captivating and inspiring tale of a life in American politics
Ben Barnes, together with Lisa Dickey, produces a whirlwind political autobiography covering Barnes’s twelve years in elected office. In a quick, engaging style Barnes tells of the events that inspired him to contemplate the political life, and how he, an unknown 21-year-old, defeated a popular local war hero to win a seat in the Texas house. The narrative flows in a modest, vernacular style, providing an insider’s account into some of the most pivotal moments of the twentieth century. Barnes, through his roles as associate to Jim Connolly, governor of Texas, and leading member of the planning committee, reveals details of the incidents that led up to President Kennedy’s tragic trip to Dallas. The only other person in the room when Gov. Connolly let loose on Hubert Humphrey, he provides an inside account of the dramatic Democratic convention of 1968. Later, Barnes witnesses Connolly browbeat Pres. Nixon into resurrecting the political career of George H.W. Bush. And finally Barnes provides a first-hand account of the dirty politics of Nixon, who used all the power at his command to end his political career, defeating LBJs confident predictions that Barnes would become President.

Among these historical events, Barnes provides an entertaining and eye-opening account of his political life as member of the Texas house, then Speaker, and finally as lieutenant governor. Through it all, he emphasizes his observations of what works in politics, and what doesn’t. He shares his wisdom about the need of Democrats to engage business leaders to join in the efforts of creating progressive policy in response to social needs. Barnes stresses the necessity that politicians think not just of their immediate needs and projects, but to think of the people’s long-term needs and goals, and what must be done to reach them. His prime example of this is LBJ, who wounded his own Democratic party for the greater good of advancing civil rights. Finally, Barnes laments today’s incivility and breakdown in communication between parties, a hostility which results in policies detrimental to our long-term, and even short-term, interest.

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User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Great Holt
Whew! Finished it! I suggest you read this book with about 200 bookmarks, or a notepad and pen ready - I wasn’t two pages in before telling myself to remember this funny bit, that funny line.

It’s fantastic - You almost want him to slow the pace of the action, to properly appreciate all the good bits that are slipped in with the action. The one liners or the musings on workings of man, and just Why the weather drove the English to build an empire.

There are stilted men in grey suits wandering around trying to gather up another Ark. The weather men are revolting. A dragon has fallen in love with a human, and Murdoch is trying to take over the world. Again.

Complete chaos ensues, and the characters are trotting in and out so fast it’s all a whirl to hold them together - old chums and new torturers, it’s brilliant.

I have been reading a great deal of (here it comes…)Pratchett, and Tom Holt is completely different yet… the similarity is most apparent in their despair on the inadequacies of agencies and individuals.. or is that masses?

Is it a treatise on fatherly love?

Or the fallibility of human love?

Is it more concerned with exactly how whacked the English are?

Or is it intended as a showcase for Australian adventure?

Do we really spend a third of our lives sleeping?

All I can definitively say is: it’s your call, reader.

kotori ojadis@yahoo.com

3 Stars What if the conspiracy theorists were right?
All of them?

That includes the death cult worshipping Princess Ann with human sacrifice - humanely, of course. It also includes the fanatical weather forecasters in search of the air dragons who make them look like such ninnies (not that they need much help). It also includes a secret government laboratory in the Australian desert, with Holt’s usual assortment of marginal personalities and bizarre coincidences.

It’s good entertainment, in a wandering kind of way. Pratchett fans will appreciate the humor - but will be likely to appreciate Pratchett even more for the comparison.

//wiredweird

2 Stars Not for me
Recommended by friends who know my affection for Robert Rankin books I was expecting something similar, if a little less surreal. I was disappointed. Very put-able down-able, sporadically funny but not enough to make up for the lack of flow, I got the impression the author wrote this when he had nothing better to do. Maybe I picked the wrong book for my first Tom Holt, as were it more consistent in its humour, it would have been far more enjoyable.

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From acclaimed Native American storyteller Joseph Bruchac comes a collection of seven lively plays for children to perform, each one adapted from a different traditional Native tale. Filled with heroes and tricksters, comedy and drama, these entertaining plays are a wonderful way to bring Native cultures to life for young people. Each play has multiple parts that can be adjusted to suit the size of a particular group and includes simple, informative suggestions for props, scenery, and costumes that children can help to create. Introductory notes and beautiful, detailed illustrations, by Teresa Flavin, add to young readers’ understanding of the seven Native nations whose traditions have inspired the plays.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Children will be Enchanted
“Pushing Up the Sky” is a collection of seven plays for children that are created from the myths and stories of seven different American Indian tribes. The plays are easy to produce and will hold children, as well as adult audiences, spellbound. The illustrations by Teresa Flavin are delightful and beautifully intricate. My favorite story in the collection is about two sisters who marry two stars in the sky. There is also an adorable story about an inquisitive ant who asks all the animals to tell him who is the strongest. The American Indian flavor of these plays are evident, and will add a unique spin on typical children’s theatre. Some plays even include American Indian language, phonetically spelled out for the young actors. This book of plays is a gem for directors of children’s theatre. I suggest anyone that works with elementary level children, or is interested in American Indian mythology, to go out and get this book today.

5 Stars Outstanding Book
This book is an outstanding work by Joseph Bruchac (Abenaki) for all theatre professionals as well as K-12 teachers. I strongly recommend that it be part of every school library collection.

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A young girl is upset and doesn’t know how to manage her anger but takes the time to cool off and regain her composure.

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5 Stars A post-impressionistic view of childish rage!
Clever, clever, clever.

But that was not my first impression of “When Sophie Gets Angry–Really, Really Angry…” The first time I read this book, I was appalled. How did this book earn the Silver Medal in the Caldecott award ranking? I thought the story was simplistic and the illustrations garish and awful!

Months later, today, when I reread the book, I “got” it! And totally changed my opinion! Oh, what fun I will have sharing this book with the little ones in the school library where I work!

So, what is the difference? Why was it awful one day and clever and visionary months later? First, we must decide the nature of anger. What is anger? How is it expressed? What happens when anger takes an ugly turn? How may a child safely express anger? Is it possible?

A simple event rattles the cage of Sophie’s anger. Sophie’s little sister wants to play with the same stuffed gorilla that Sophie is playing with. The mother sides with the sister. (Whether Mother is right or wrong is irrelevant to this story. What causes anger is not the issue here. The issue is how one deals safely with anger to dissipate its poison without making it part of one’s being. Poisonous anger can then fester into something much worse.)

This is the place that first repulsed then amazed me. Molly Bang’s illustrations of Sophie’s anger are really grotesque but VERY effective. Here is also what I missed the first time.

Impressionistic paintings are impressions of the object being painted: that blur of action, that showing of movement in one space, that play of light, that moment in time. Post-Impressionism grew out of those concepts. “This is a painting on canvas and not the real thing” became the mantra of the post-impressionists, meaning reality is not on the canvas. They took color to the extreme. What if color portrays the feelings behind the moment?

Molly Bang is just brilliant in using color to portray Sophie’s anger. Here is her image in vivid red using a huge fist to smash things to smithereens juxtaposed against first tinted then intense purple walls and yellow floors. Everything in the angry scenes is outlined in red. The floorboards gather up to create Sophie’s impending volcanic rage ready to really explode.

Sophie runs outside and runs and runs. In these pictures, everything is still outlined in red. The viewer can really feel that anger. “Then, for a little while, she cries.” Images are now outlined in various hues of purple and red-purple. After all, purple is a blend of red and blue. Then she climbs her favorite tree, a beech tree near the ocean, and, of course, it is outlined in blue, the calmest of colors.

There’s more, but you “get” the picture, don’t you? Molly Bang has told her story in words, yes, but also in color. As I flipped back through the book, I thought that the words could be eliminated and the reader would know exactly what the story is about. Oh yes, this book is very deserving of the Silver Medal.

Note: The Gold Medal winner in 2000 was “Joseph Had a Little Overcoat” by Simms Taback. This was a righteous win!

1 Star Not a good message
I am a mother of a 5 1/2 year old spirted child and was in a book store trying to find a book that may help guide her towards a better outlet for her anger. This one is available in Read A Long format so I bought it. My husband and I reviewed it before giving it to our daughter and were appalled that the book has Sophie running away!! ‘Run away’ when you are angry is NOT the message we want to give our child. It is disturbing that this book has such a high rating.

5 Stars Good book about anger
Sophie is playing with a toy when her sister snatches it away - and her parents take her sister’s side! Maybe they’re right, maybe they’re wrong, but Sophie is clearly too upset to argue rationally.

So she does the only thing left to do. She leaves until she calms down. Which is exactly what I teach my young nieces to do, except that we’re in a city so I encourage them to go to their mom’s room to calm down in instead of a tree.

5 Stars Wonderful book on dealing with anger — great illustrations too
My mom got this book for my son, who is a pretty emotional boy (age 3). She thought it may be a good way to talk about being angry and ways of dealing with anger. Of course that only works if the child likes the book and my son has always loved this one despite the lack of dinosaurs and super heros. It seems to me he can really relate to Sophie’s frustration and anger and her way of dealing with it. He has even brought it up at random times, like “There is a tree like Sophie ran to when she was angry, and then she felt better!” We then talk about things he can do when he gets angry.

The illustrations make this book special — the swirling reds and the subtle lines on the characters’ facial expressions really demonstrate the feelings. This may be why the book is effective at reaching very young children.

3 Stars Concern for safety
The title of this book describes exactly what the book is about. For children who have similarly dramatic reactions to being angry, this book could be very reassuring that they are not alone. It also provides some strategies for children about how to calm down. Unfortunately, one of the behaviors that the child uses is to run and run and run. For impulsive and young children this could be misinterpreted and has made me somewhat reluctant to use it with the children in my practice that are at the age that the book would seem most useful. The art work is well done, and would be an excellent choice for a child who was not going to take it too literally.

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A collection of poems for young children, illustrated in dramatic detail thatcelebrates wildlife and the natural world around us. Full color.

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5 Stars Why I like Georgia Heard’s books
All of the books I have read by Georgia Heard are very creative and fun and easy. These poems just flow from the beggining to end. They are simple to read yet bring on complex thoguhts. I recommend this book to anyone who’d like to read poems and just relax.

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