I was given this book when I was about eleven by my grandmother, who had read and loved it when she was a young girl! Since then, I have read it many times over, even into my adulthood! I am now a teacher of eleven-year-olds, and was thrilled to find that I could still order Pam's Paradise Ranch for my classroom library! I have spent many hours dreaming of being young Pam, riding my horse across the slopes of Maui. I hope the book generates similar dreams in my students, as they experience Pam' Paradise Ranch for themselves.

As a child I was an obsessive reader, preferably books with horses, mysteries and exotic locations. "Pam's Paradise Ranch" stands out as the most exciting, evocative and satisfying novel of all, and I read it many times. The basic story, of a fearful and repressed city girl who moves to Hawaii to live with her aunt and girl cousin, has so much atmosphere and Hawaiian lore, told in everyday events. The girl's discovery of nature and freedom, and of being loved for the first time, are very touching. And, even though I read it in the 60's before feminism was even a word, the strongest characters are the aunt and cousin. Politically correct, even then! A truly great book for all girls ages 7 to 15.

A farm family grows Christmas trees to sell, and the farmer's wife chooses the most beautiful tree for her own family, putting a sign on it, "Not for Sale". But when a poor family comes to the tree lot to see if they can pick out a tree from the free area (trees that have missing branches or crooked trunks), the poor family's little girl sees the beautiful tree and asks if she can choose that one. Everyone is embarrased that she asks, as the adults all know her family can't afford the tree. The farmer's wife responds that she is sorry, the tree isn't for sale...because they'd like the girl's family to have it as a gift. The book ends, "Yes, it was a great sacrifice. But it brought even greater joy. Isn't that just like Christmas?" The illustrations are very kid-friendly and fun. Applicable Bible verses are at the bottom of every other page. A creative and wonderful story.

this book was a suprising enjoyable tale of right living for young children and adults. Read it again, mom!

If you are looking for a wonderful autumn book that is entertaining and educational, look no more.
Patty's pumpkin patch is wonderfully illustrated and maps out the entire life cycle of a pumpkin plant from seeds and planting to the actual growth and harvest. In addition to giving a simplified view of plant growth cycles the author cleverly introduces every letter of the alphabet and an illustration of its example on the bottom of each page. As an added treat it even includes traditons revolved around pumpkins like jack-o-latern carving and roasting pumpkin seeds.
Cheerfully written, wonderfully illustrated, entertaining and informative.

Never has autumn looked so alluring. A delightfully created watercolor, acrylic and oil pastel artistic masterpiece combined with a rhyming, alphabetical story about a pumpkin patch.

Wonderous to look at and read. Youngsters will be amused at all the tiny details from ladybugs and dragonflies to wrens and xylem leaves.

This book would be a perfect prelude to the closing of autumn or a visit to a real pumpkin patch.

Deftly written and superbly illustrated by Adrian Reynolds, Pete And Polo's Farmyard Adventures is a thoroughly delightful multi-generational farm adventure for children ages 3 through 6 in which Pete and his mouse friend help his Grandpa find ten little lost duckling. The thoughtful text is perfectly illustrated by the wonderful full page paintings. Pete And Polo's Farmyard Adventures is perfect for kindergarten age and preschoolers.

Pete And Polo's Farmyard Adventures is a delightful multi-generational farm adventure in which Pete and his mouse friend help his Grandpa find 10 little lost ducklings. The thoughtful text is perfectly illustrated by the wonderful full page paintings. This is perfect for kindergarten age and preschoolers.

Sally Carleen has penned a witty tale of love and laughter with Porcupine Ranch. Hannah, clearly not of houskeeping stock, must find a way to survive on the south Texas ranch amid rough and rugged cowboys and reconcile her hero with his long lost grandfather without losing her heart in the bargain. Hannah's exploits are pure delight and Porcupine Ranch is splendidly written.

Fast paced and funny!

If you like quirky heroines and rugged heros then Sally Carleen's Porcupine Ranch is for you. A must read for lovers of traditional romances

I really enjoyed this well-written story about migrant workers going from place to place to pick crops. Instead of being isolated, the young man in the story listens to the Spanish-speaking stations wherever he goes and the radio gives him a sense of connection to his friends. It reminds me of the power of the radio stations across Mexico, especially San Miguel de Allende, where a tourist lost all his money by dropping his wallet and within minutes someone found it and took it to the radio station. He cried when he got his money back--all of it.

A touching story. Everytime I tell this story (I am a storyteller) when I visit schools, I get comments from the teachers and the students. A little fourth grader came up to me her eyes shinning with pride and a big smile and said: "I am one of them, I pick cucumbers and tomatoes in Ohio." Teachers, and even a principal, have come to me with tears in their eyes and said: "That was me, thank you for the story." It is a great book to share with students, to give a voice to the migrants who do so much for us, who pick the crops all over the United States so we can then enjoy them!

This is an easy-to-follow look at using a rope to actually get a job done. No rodeo stuff or weekend-warrior team-roper stuff here. This is for the real cowboy who wants to learn about a real skill. Great photos. And, the info's coming from Buck Brannaman, a horseman, cowboy and rancher worthy of respect. I'm hanging on to this little book.

This booklet contains scores of beautiful photos showing Buck Brannaman practicing the art of ranch roping. The text clearly explains the mechanics and techniques needed to master each swing that's explained, and the photos are stunning, shot against the backdrop of Buck's ranch outside Sheridan. This will be a collector's item one day because of its value in documenting one of the dying arts of the American West.

Much as John MacPhee has offered a new way of appreciating canoes, Alaska, and U.S. geology, Christine Hunter offers a new way of appreciating U.S. dwellings. He deals with our natural environment; she deals with our man-made environment. Combining description with evaluation, she provides a compact review of the evolution of housing since colonial times, seen through the eyes of a trained architect employing a social scientist¹s critical detachment. Her study will be useful for a wide variety of general readers as well as those in the fields of history, city planning, design, and government. The book is easy to read, with dozens of clear sketches showing the changing forms and anatomy of houses and rooms under discussion. Technical detail is relieved by occasional gentle humor. After a chapter on fundamental requirements for human dwellings (³what we all need to survive²), she tells how minimum standards for urban and rural housing have evolved as the population grew and spread across the continent, taking advantage of abundant resources and new technology, while confronting political and economic complications. A central chapter spells out the necessary components of a modern dwelling (plumbing, lighting, heating, connections with the world outside, etc.), giving these familiar aspects of our surroundings a fresh and revealing specificity. Three chapters discuss freestanding houses, attached houses, and apartments. An incisive final chapter on neighborhoods comments on the problems and prospects surrounding our homes today.

Much as John MacPhee has offered a new way of appreciating canoes, Alaska, and U.S. geology, Christine Hunter offers a new way of appreciating U.S. dwellings. He deals with our natural environment; she deals with our man-made environment. Combining description with evaluation, she provides a compact review of the evolution of housing since colonial times, seen through the eyes of a trained architect employing a social scientist¹s critical detachment. Her study will be useful for a wide variety of general readers as well as those in the fields of history, city planning, design, and government. The book is easy to read, with dozens of clear sketches showing the changing forms and anatomy of houses and rooms under discussion. Technical detail is relieved by occasional gentle humor. After a chapter on fundamental requirements for human dwellings (³what we all need to survive²), she tells how minimum standards for urban and rural housing have evolved as the population grew and spread across the continent, taking advantage of abundant resources and new technology, while confronting political and economic complications. A central chapter spells out the necessary components of a modern dwelling (plumbing, lighting, heating, connections with the world outside, etc.), giving these familiar aspects of our surroundings a fresh and revealing specificity. Three chapters discuss freestanding houses, attached houses, and apartments. An incisive final chapter on neighborhoods comments on the problems and prospects surrounding our homes today.

This is another one of the American Girls Short Stories series about Josefina Montoya, a nine-year-old girl living in the New Mexico of 1824. In this book, when the family goes searching for pine nuts, Josefina's father offers a reward for the one who gathers the most, and Josefina can't wait to collect the most and impress her aunt Dolores. But, when she is ordered to stay at camp and watch her nephews, Josefina is crushed. She refuses to give in though, and seeks a way to do both what she is told, and what she wants to do!

The final chapter of this book looks at rancho life in 1824, and gives directions for making a pastel (a spicy pie that includes pine nuts). As always, Jean-Paul Tibbles has produced some excellent illustrations that add a great deal to this already excellent book. My daughter and I both highly enjoyed this book, and we recommend it to you.

"A Reward for Josefina" is the first Josefina short story that was published. It is set in the Fall shortly after Tia Dolores's arrival to Josefina's family, possibly putting it shortly before or during the time period in "Josefina Learns a Lesson". Tia Dolores is a new adult in the family, and Josefina desparately wants her to think of Josefina as being special. The family and their hired hands go out to gather pinon nuts (pine nuts from a Pinon tree), and as a motivator, a reward is offered to the one who gathers the most. Josefina hopes it will be her, until she is left behind to tend to her oldest sister's two young sons. Josefina and her three year old nephew, Juan, find a way to gather the biggest treasure of nuts without leaving their camp site. Somehow, the reward, a cone of sugar, has run off with a squirrel (in exchange for the nuts?), but Josefina finds the reward that she is looking for.

I liked this one because it involved barrel racing and rodeo. It was definately exciting.The only thing that I read that was odd was that the bronc riders had to stay on for 10 seconds instead of 8? What's the deal with that? Oh well. I guess it's no big deal. It was still a great book.

This book was fantastic! I love any kind of riding, especially western. My friends and I, who ride any type of riding, even created a club called the Stirrup Stars! Anyway, this book was funny, plus it made you feel as if you were really there at the rodeo! A highly recommended book for all horse-lovers.