My mother read this book to me as a child, and I have read it many times myself as an older child and as an adult. It teaches the true values of life from the mind of a totally innocent child, who has never been exposed to all of the attitudes of the "real" world, but has been thrown into the real world by unfortunate circumstances. The sweetness, beauty and innocence of this child is so refreshing in this world. My mother also read it to my oldest child. They had regular Friday night reading sessions, and JUST DAVID was one of their favorites. This is one of his best memories of his grandma. She died when he was 9. I will have a first grade classroom next year, and plan to read this to my class. Would love to have another copy. My copy is a family treasure, and I hate to take it to school and risk losing it. Hoping for a reprint. Excellent and timeless book.

Just David was a steal for me. I bought it at a Garage Sale along with many other old books. I had it for over a year before I finally read it. It is by far my most favorite book. I love how David always brings out the best in people without actually realizing what he is doing. He is young and the most naive little boy ever. He reminds me a bit of my six year old daughter. She always sees the beauty of something...even bugs. This is the only book I ever recommend. It is a wonderful, delightful, and interesting book. A MUST READ FOR EVERYONE! I am so glad it is still in print. I have seen it in many local libraries as well. I have since read other books by Eleanor Porter, but find Just David to be my favorite to date. Most Libraries will loan out there copies...so if not on your library shelf, see if they can find a copy for you to read. Enjoy! Lori

I read Just David in 1968.I was in 5th grade when my mother handed me a book & suggested I might like it. Just David became something special between us. It's a wounderful story of a young boy his father and a journey into life. Over the years I have let many people read my copy and they all leave a note in the book saying what this story meant to them. My copy is very old and not in the best shape. I have it in a safe place.

As usual, Maureen Carlson's latest offering is a clear, concise, easily understood look into the makings of polymer clay figures. The many color photographs and step-by-step instructions practically guarantee success for the novice as well as the more experienced. This book will inspire you to try something you may have considered "to difficult for me"

Unfortunately I couldn't get MY little clay face to be so expressive, but the book is a delight to read and look at. In addition to the figures, a good number of basic techniques are presented. I found the instructions and photographs quite clear.

This book is a must have for anyone who works with Polymer Clay and wants the inside information at their fingertips on how to make sculted polymer clay creations rather than canes. Even veteran clayers can brush up on their artistry with the carefully written techniques and detailed photographs in this book.

I have been making polymer clay figures for over ten years, and have used some of Maureen Carlson's techniques which formerly were only available in magazines which I just "happened" to read and buy. Now, with this book, I have all the information that I need to get the cute smiles and playful positions for my polymer clay characters. In addition, this book shares Maureen's time-tested methods of making clothing, armatures and adornments that give her characters their special and unique appeal.

I highly rate and recommend this book to anyone, novice or experienced, who has the desire to produce their own Santa Claus or Tooth Fairy, or favourite charachter. With this book, and a little creative ingenuity on your own, your are equipped to create the delightful little folk out of this expressive medium.

War Songs, described as metaphors in clay and poetry, blend these these two powerful forms of expression to forge a compelling glimpse into the ravages of war.

Author Grady Harp and ceramic sculptor Stephen Freedman cast
poems from the Vietnam experience into various forms of
pottery. Pictures of the poem-etched pottery accompany each
page of poetry. The effect is stunning, moving.

The poems alone, told from the perspective of a doctor tending
the war-torn bodies, are soul-wrenching observations. When carved into pottery the words resonate even deeper.

One poem describes the silent path a pool of blood follows as it returns to the earth, ending with the haunting question,
"Whose unwilling soul coffins my loved one's end?"

This excerpt from Poem #16 captures the spirit of War Songs:

"But mostly
I feel sadness
remembering the nights with silence.
hanging tenuously in the air,
holding onto patients,
wishing we had war songs
to lullaby the quiet weeping
of those who survived."

You'll start by reading War Songs, but end up feeling this reflection on the devastation wrought when humanity turns upon itself.

I've started this review a half-dozen times. It's not easy to write about this book. It wasn't easy to read it; I opened it, put it down, picked at a poem here and there, steeled myself and read it all. And read it again. It brought back memories, yes; it put me *there*--in the heat, in the "mild wind," at a bedside where an IV runs into the body of a boy who has died, so the man next to him does not lose hope. It broke my heart.

But damned if I didn't read it again.

War Songs is a simple, elegant little volume of twenty poems--simply, elegantly written poems. There are fine black and white pictures of pottery interspersed throughout--vessels crafted by Stephen Freedman with the words of Harp's poems carved or painted on them.

But there is so much more.

Grady Harp was an intern at the LA County Hospital in 1968 when he was dropped, almost literally, into the thick of the Viet Nam conflict as a Battalion Surgeon. He was not formally prepared for what war does to those who fight it; no one ever is. This slender book is a report from the front, a doctor's memoir. Harp himself refers to it as a "survival kit." It is a distillation of his horror, fear, anger, grief and despair.

Yet, these poems are so well written that they neither cry nor shout; rather, they condense and crystalizes small but important pieces of Harp's experience. The reader is left to walk around, observe, come closer, touch. Each poem is brief, a small collection of words, but words so aptly chosen that the scene they present is rich, three-dimensional, and gut-wrenchingly clear.

In short, these poems are excellent. They are written without a spare word; they paint harrowing pictures; they have an impact. They made me cry. They are real, and they tell it like it is. This book is a thing of painful beauty.

Susan O'Neill
Author
Don't Mean Nothing: Short Stories of Viet Nam

Praying for peace? Sit quietly with this small book of poems written by Grady Harp in 1968-1969 as a young Battalion Surgeon in Vietnam. Read it as a meditation. Read it to stand witness. Read it as a reminder. If you're too young to remember Nam, read it as a primer of the most personal sort. It feels like a prayer.

Sent to Vietnam as a healer, Harp adds a gentle poet's heart to all the heartbreaking stories of reluctant warriors. This poetry took me back to summer days spent building forts with a dozen rowdy neighborhood kids, back to KoolAid, and forward again to Budweiser and the Beatles. Then a bomb exploded on the page. Filled with heart and horror, and written with the terrified intensity of a young man trying to press the world to the page with the nib of his pen, these are war songs for the boys who went to Vietnam singing Hey, Jude.

Fans of Tim O'Brien will especially appreciate this collaboration in which Harp and artist Stephen Freedman "remold the pain" into "Metaphors in Clay and Poetry" - into the art of war. It's a prayer for peace.

Jean Harfenist, author

Monte Holm has led a difficult and inspiring life and the way he tells his story is wonderful. His unique sense of humor shines through on every page. The series of letters that Monte has written to poke fun, in a friendly way, at various officials, were especially funny. I read them out loud to my girlfriend while she was baking cookies and we both laughed like crazy. Congratulations go to Monte Holm and Dennis Clay for their successful collaboration.

Monte Holm lived a nightmare shared by many in his generation. Money, jobs, place, self-respect. These things were in very short supply in America when Monte had to leave home. An entire generation found a way to survive and emerge from that period of American history with their entrepreneurial spirit intact. Monte's story should be required reading for all children in America so that we never forget what it takes to be an American in hard times. Things seem to come pretty easily now days. We need to read this true story so as to remember that it was and may not always be so. Clay and Holm have recounted a true-life adventure that would be unbelievable were it not so expertly written. Monte recounts real people and real places as he was forced to travel about America in search of life. As you read you can see Monte's value system being tested and enforced. The book is full of life's lessons and will be an ecouragement to generations to come.

I had the pleasure of meeting the author, Dennis Clay, and getting an autographed copy of,'Once A Hobo'. I have really enjoyed reading and going along on the journey of Monte Holm's life and everything that he had to do in order to survive. This is a book that anyone would enjoy reading and be glad that we live in this day and age.

"Clay's Quilt" sings, with a voice as mighty and true as that of the fiery honky-tonk singer, Evangeline, and as sweet and haunting as the music of the passionate and mysterious fiddler, Alma, who grace its pages. I realize that "quilt" is the defining metaphor here, but for me this book was like music - a richly textured, multi-faceted, and infinitely satisfying hymn to life at its utmost. This is an impressive first novel. The writer has created people that live and breathe, and a place so real that I wanted to get out a map of Eastern Kentucky and look it up. Clay Sizemore has only vague memories of the tragic event that brought him to his mother's sister's house on a freezing night over twenty years ago. His Aunt Easter and others in his mother's family have given him a warm, loving upbringing and he appreciates it but he's determined to find some answers about his mother and father. His concentration on the past, though, doesn't prevent him from living wholeheartedly in the present. Along with his family and friends, he loves and worships and fusses and fights with great enthusiasm. These people invest their all in life House's descriptions of the physical world are heart-stoppingly beautiful. His writing is lyrical, but not without bite. I can find very little wrong with this book's construction and pace. It starts with a mystery and builds toward resolution in an altogether satisfying way. I found it refreshing that House confines the preaching and explaining which some young writers can't seem to resist to the dialogue of his coming of age characters, where it's appropriate. Two small things about the book bothered me - the extensive use of dialect, which may be essential, but which I found distracting, and some misspelled words. One of the best things I can think of to say about any book is that it stays with you. This one does. I finished it days ago and I still think about Clay and Alma, and Dreama and Gabe and Anneth and Easter. And about Marguerite and Cake and Darry and Denzel and Evangeline and the others. Did I mention what wonderful names the people in Black Banks have? In the book, it is said of Clay's mother, Anneth, that "A person so full of life couldn't just up and die..." This book is full of life. I wish it wouldn't just up and end.

Vividly poetic in its description of Appalachian natural resources, heartwarming and honest in its portrayal of people linked by their love for their environs and family, Clay's Quilt is in the top three on my "re-read often" list. In this debut novel, Silas House deftly stitches a search for understanding and love with picturesque Appalachia.

Clay Sizemore is a character any reader will quickly befriend, not only because of the tragedy of losing his mother, but because Clay is a loveable young man. House's prose places the reader, like a close friend, beside Clay. Whether Clay is at work in the coal mine, walking the mountainside, or partying at the local honky-tonk, we are there with him, feeling the grit of coal dust in our eyes, smelling the air on Free Mountain, or throwing down a whiskey with a beer chaser on a Saturday night.

There is something to be said when a reader can feel for a story's rogues. Even the villains and the socially challenged characters in Clay's Quilt are people with whom a reader will identify. House takes us into their hearts, to the places that hurt, to those hidden areas where malice and evil ferment, torment and eventually explode with terrible consequences.

Life, human and natural, pulsates through the veins of this story. Long after its first reading, "Clay's Quilt" will warm the reader.

Clay's Quilt is a powerful novel lovingly and masterfully pieced from the lives of the residents of Free Creek, Kentucky. Whether working, playing, laughing, praying, driving, crying, singing, fighting, dancing, hollering, or loving, these people do it passionately and with every fiber of their beings; these people LIVE. As a result, the novel itself lives and breathes and makes a joyful noise through the voices of its people as well as through their music. House's prose is lyrical yet unsentimental, fiercely grounded in real, concrete, sensuous and intimate details of everyday life. As the novel follows Clay Sizemore's struggle to find his place in the world and to make peace with a tragic past, we witness his tender and ferocious love for family and friends, his awe and gratitude at finally finding true love with a fiddle player named Alma, and his determination to make a home and a life for himself and his new family. House's voice is true and Clay's Quilt is a book both joyous and haunting, a story whose characters stayed with me long after I finished reading.

Reynolds has published in other genres and his command of the art of writing fiction makes his first crime novel competitive with the best works of the best crime novelists. The dialogue, descriptive passages, realistic violence and comic breaks give the book the sort of rhythym you want to dance to, if you could only put the book down, which you'll find you can't. Reynolds' well-established reputation as a literary novelist will not suffer in the least from this delightful jump into genre. He brings his keen-eyed, unsentimental compassion to each of his characters in Players. Even minor characters will stay in your mind for weeks after reading the book. Especially if you pride yourself on being up on crime fiction, you need to read this book now so you can brag about "discovering" it later. And if you've never read crime fiction, but feel like a dash into neon, this is exactly the place to start--a book that sacrifices none of the grit, scorns the glitter, yet offers a deep humanity as well. Of course, you don't ever have to read Players; but then again, you don't have to watch your favorite sport or drink your favorite beer ever again either. It's just that life is too short to deny yourself such wonderful pleasures

Players has got be one of the best books written in years. Reynolds ability to keep you thinking shines in this work. The plot is so well done and involved. It is one you will not be able to put down. A 10 without doubt!!!

If you're looking for sentiment then forget this book--it's peopled with the strangest assortment of people since Charles Dickens' London eccentrics. No one can be trusted; few are as they seem. "Pulp Fiction" springs to mind as a comparison--it reads like a good film--vivid scenes--cars pumped full of bullets and left in stock tanks, heads mailed FedEx, two of the strongest, spunkiest women in recent fiction, a character who looks like a shrub--I don't usually read mystery or crime fiction, but I couldn't put this one down--too much happens and waaayy too fast. Great read--great escape and, as a native Texan, I can vouch for the authenticity of the settings (if I could vouch for the authenticity of the characters I would probably not be around to read--no one lasts long in a "Players" world)

Sue Haeser's new collection of polymer clay techniques will become a standard in the field. The book is complete, up-to-date and very clear. The graphics and directions are excellent. The examples of leading artists are inspiring. Polymer clay artists of all levels will profit from this publication.

Sue Heaser's Polymer Clay Techniques Book is the third, and most inclusive, in a line of great technique-based PC books. (The first two were Nan Roche's The New Clay and Donna Kato's The Art of Polymer Clay.) Unlike most project-based books, technique books are treasure troves of information, hints, methods, and practice in the art of polymer clay, and while the movice clayer may find more of use in a project book, all other clayers will find technique books more useful.

The PCTB has a lively, interesting format, and covers topics not previously discussed in any detail in technique books - like miniature making (foods, etc.), which is a frequent use of polymer clay. Sue Heaser herself is a skilled and versatile PC worker, and she's managed, in this book, to be as inclusive and informative as a single PC author ever will be. (I do continue to hope for a technique book that has one editor and many authors, one for each are of PC use.) There is simply no way to go into detail on the nature of the info in this book; there's too much of it. Suffice to say that very few clayers could read this book cover to cover and learn nothing new or useful.

PC workers of all levels will find this an invaluable, useful addition to the PC library. Definitely one of the top five books currently available on the subject, and a suitable gift for any clayer who doesn't have it yet.

Polymer clay is not only very versatile medium but also it is a medium where people that did not know having any artistic skills can achieve great results if getting good instructions. Sue Heasers book is excellent example of how all craft books should be written: There are hundreds of inspiring photographs in the book that give plenty of ideas. There are dozens of projects that really are unique and not only variations of previous projects. All the instructions are so well written than even a beginner without any prior knowledge about polyclay could easily do the projects.

I would recommend this book for anyone who is new with polyclay or has not even heard about polyclay before because I feel that after reading this book a person would know so much about different techniques with polyclay. It also should be in any serious clayers bookshelf just because it is the only book so far that has such a good overall look to most of the new and different tehniques and ideas that have kept the polyclaying community busy.

The author is a talented sculptor in his own right. The book he has written provides a basic, overall picture of what it takes to get from a wax original to a finished, mounted bronze. Having owned and operated a commercial bronze art foundry many years ago with which I also cast my own pieces, I am painfully aware that, in the process addressed by this guide, at least 75% of the physical work in producing a bronze sculpture occurs within the confines of the foundry (the 'dirty work' as one reviewer called it). This is as good a basic guide as I have seen and would heartily recommend it to any sculptor who has never been directly involved in casting their own work (probably 95% of all such artists) and would like to start or to one who is thinking of beginning sculpting and wants a generalization of what to expect.

A list of suppliers is provided and their literature/catalogs should be required reading for anyone who desires to seriously pursue the production aspects. An area that was covered, but sparingly so, was that of patinas. This is a complicated subject matter that must be studied and practiced extensively before approaching (with due vigilance paid to personal/personnel safety).

This is a great overview of the whole bronze casting process. If I was teaching an sculpture class, I would use this book. Tuck Langland is both an acoumplished artist and an enthusiastic educator. I work at a foundry that has cast some of his monumental pieces, and I love it when he comes to check on his work. He is a very educated man who loves what he does. What more could you ask for?

First off, buy this book. I borrowed it from a friend and then ordered it promptly. I read every book that comes out that includes fabrication and mold making. This was a well organized, visually helpful and well written. The information in the book is solid...useful for students and those who have already logged a lot of bronze time. There is always room for improvements, but this book really holds its own. Hats off to all who worked on it. This one will be around for a long time.

The composition of this book is brilliant. Lisa Pavelka has done a wonderful job with this book. The book is very informative, with clear step by step instructions for each technique as well as excellent photos of each phase of the design. The instructions and illustrations are straightforward and easy to understand. Lisa has a wide variety of polymer clay projects to suit anyone's taste and the explanations are clear and thorough, progressing from novice through to expert. There are even techniques for working with other types of media and incorporating them into your clay projects, along with great finishing touches. Follow her detailed directions, and with a little practice, you can turn out stunning artwork. From beginners to advance, this book offers the opportunity to refine your technique.

The book starts with a list basic supplies. It then helps you reviews a few basic techniques. She also includes some great tips throughout the book. Then there is advice on choosing clay, keeping it fresh and some storage tips. There is a great section on surface techniques, glazes, adhesives and sealants. She gives tips color mixing and blending, as well. Everything you need to know is included in this book!

I've only been doing polymer clay for a couple years but I'm definitely hooked! I never realized such a medium could be used for so many different projects - you truly can express yourself! That is what is so great about the recent book I bought written by Lisa Pavelka, "Polymer Clay Extravaganza". It opened my eyes to a whole new range of projects that I can do with polymer clay! The book is beautifully photographed, making it very easy to follow. I think most readers will agree with me that it is much easier to follow photos of each step of a project, than just relying on mostly written text like some other books on this subject. And Lisa's book is photographed so well! I love every one of the projects in it - although some may stretch my capabilities right now!

Another thing, I was lucky enough to meet Lisa Pavelka at last years Hobby Industry Assoc. annual convention. I have never met such a wonderful, caring, person. She obviously lives for this art medium, and she did not hesitate to share her knowledge, answering the many questions I had regarding polymer clay. She even gave me advise on how to to get some of my projects published. I recommend her book to all. It's my new favorite book in my polymer clay library. Definately a must have!

I love this book!!! I am hooked on polymer clay but have been struggling with it for about a year and a half now. I got this book today. Ive seen Lisa Pavelka on the Carol Duvall show and when I heard she was coming out with a book I couldnt wait! Im so anxious to go home and try all of these techniques for myself. The book is clear and the projects are so easy to follow. I think the garden sticks are such a cute idea and I cant wait to try the heart pendant. Finally, a book that has both advance and beginner techniques. I feel like in the past, I would outgrow my books. Now I can learn some techniques, put the book away and come back to it when I need some inspiration. Thanks Lisa Pavelka for coming out with such an interesting and "clayer" friendly book!

I first saw Donna Kato on the Carol Duval show and I really enjoyed the things she made. When I decided to try my hand with polymer, I bought her book.

I was not disappointed! She is very thorough explaining techniques as well as comprehensive in her list of tools and supplies.

I highly recommend this book because of the above, but also because it is great fun!

Let me be upfront right at the start: Donna is a friend of mine; I worked for her when she owned a bead store here in Chicago, and at the time when she first began to work with poly clay. I've edited her project pamphlets, and I know her work very well, and have always thought that it was some of the best clay work I've ever seen.

This book is a compendium of so many techniques that it's difficult to know where to start. It's not a project-based book, so if you're looking for something to follow by the numbers, look elsewhere. But if you're looking for a lot of good, sound instruction on clay techniques, this is the book for you. Bring your own ideas and let Donna help you make them reality.

I can vouch for the fact that she knows her stuff; I saw her creating many of these objects, teaching herself the strengths and weaknesses of polymer clay and learning how to push the boundaries of what could be done in the medium. She has the chops, and she's sharing them. Learn from her! You won't regret investing in this book.

As a craft instructor and a newcomer to the delights and discouragements of polymer clay, I needed HELP! Donna's book is that help. Donna covers it ALL from the different types of poly clay and their uses to tools and techniques; from beginner to advanced. Using the instructions in the chapter "Basic Canes and Loaves" I made my first loaf, a pinwheel design and from the loaf, created a miniature quilt in polymer clay! I felt like I was truly successful.... I've a long way to go but I'll keep this book in my craft book collection & recommend it to others interested in polymer clay. It is my standard reference on polymer clay!