This is probably the most brutally honest and inspiring book I have read about Mike Singletary. Mike accounts not just his trials on the field, but the ones in life many of us face off it and would rather not talk about. Mike ( forgive the pun) "bears" his soul to his readers so that they may learn from his experiences and mistakes. In doing so, he creates an image of a man you can't help respect for his honesty, his faith, and his work ethic. I know now more than ever why I chose to pattern myself after Mike, first as a person and second as a football player. I really wish that this book was still available.

This was one of my favorite books as a child. At one time I had the entire collection, but somehow they magically disappeared over time. This would be a great collection to have once again. This book is essential to the collection. I remember reading this book night after night until I had the entire book down by heart. Truely a work of art.

In his first book, Mr. Kalt tells the fascinating story of the struggle for the creation of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. It is rich with relevant comments, quotations and pictures from letters, newspaper articles and files of critical players in the drama. The book is a reflection of life from a tumultuous time in United States history which clearly shows the dichotomies that exist in every community. A must read for those interested in the history and culture of the area!

My 3-yr old daughter has loved this book since she was about a year old. Each page mimics her own bedtime ritual, and she really thinks she is the bear in the book. She enjoys brushing the bear's teeth, rubbing the teddy's belly, reading the little book inside, and turning out the light. Best of all, though, is the last page, which pops up to show the bear and his buddy cuddling up together in a big bed under a silver moon and stars. We are buying another copy so that our 16-month-old can have his own and the two kids will stop fighting over who gets to go night-night with "Sleepy."

My sister & I received this book as a gift from our grandmother many years ago. We still have it (we share it back & forth) and it is one of our most prized possesions that we will share with our own children. This story is THE definition of charming, and I recommend this title to anyone searching for a truly wonderful children's book that your kids will never tire of. How Ronald is on a never ending quest to become the smartest bear in the world-and how his brother Oliver is on a similiar quest to become the most well-fed bear in the world-all before the Bear Family takes its long Winters' nap. The illustrations compliment the story perfectly. I only wish that it was more available to the public as it seems to be out of print a lot.

"Eric Sterling: Secret Agent" Smugglers on Grizzly Mountain, by Ernest Herndon, is a charming book for children aged 8-12. It is about three pre-teen special agents for Wildlife Special Investigations (WSI), who are assigned a case involving mushroom smugglers. The three children, Eric C., Erik K., and Erik's sister Sharon, are sent off to Alaska where they meet with Martin Bull who shows them what they are to do. After a brief overview of their case, the three are sent to climb Bear Ridge Mountain armed with camping supplies, a telescope, and bear mace. As soon as they reached the summit, the three detectives spotted the mushroom smugglers and radioed down to Mr. Bull. Mr. Bull told Eric to come back down the mountain first thing the next morning. As soon as Eric woke up, he packed up his supplies and headed down the mountain. After his long hike down the mountain, poor, tired Eric was greeted by an unfamiliar man who told him that there was an emergency and that Mr. Bull had to head home. However, Eric smelled something fishy, he knew something was not right. But I won't tell you what it is, you will have to read this book for yourself to know what the exciting ending is to this great book of outdoor expeditions.

This book follows Bear through the Big Blue House on his search for a triple-berry pie. The book is easy to read and easy to memorize which is great when your toddler has to hear it every few minutes! The best feature of this book is the Big Blue nose on Bear you can push it to make him sniff. Not only does my son love to hear Bear sniff while he hears the story he loves to chew on his nose!

Jean Craighead George combines her love of Eskimo culture and wildlife in this splendid picture book. The story is of a young Eskimo girl named Bessie who, while out exploring one Arctic evening, meets a polar bear cub named Snow Bear. The two immediately become the best of friends, while Bessie's brother and Snow Bear's mother watch over them like the good caretakers they are. The story wonderfully shows how animal life often reflects the ways of humans--close family bonds, playfulness, and a sense of happiness abound between both species. Wendell Minor's spectacular illustrations light up every page. They are filled with warmth, humor, and excitement, and are breathtakingly beautiful. The quiet elegance of Eskimo life and the powerful magnificence of the polar bear are gloriously depicted. Other George/Minor picture books include the remarkable ARCTIC SON, the story of Ms. George's grandson who lives at the top of the world. More ice, Eskimos, and polar bears can be seen in this radiant story. MORNING, NOON, AND NIGHT tells the story of many different animals all over the United States and what they do during the transition from sunrise to sunset. Mr. Minor's illustrations are cozy and cheerful. EVERGLADES is another example of the excellent combination of Ms. George's poetic style and Mr.Minor's lush watercolors. It tells the story of the rise and near-fall of one of the world's greatest and most unique ecosystems, the Florida Everglades. Mr. Minor also did the art for the covers and some of the illustrations for Ms. George's spectacular JULIE OF THE WOLVES books. The fourth in the series, not a chapter book but a picture book entitled NUTIK THE WOLF PUP, is written with the same close view into the relationship between humans and animals as SNOW BEAR, but Mr. Minor did not do the illustrations for this book. Jean Craighead George, author of more than eighty books for children and young adults, will surely inspire and warm the hearts of her audiences with SNOW BEAR.

It was the great literary critic Northrup Frye who said that most of western literature has the bible as its source. The children's book, Snuffles Makes a Friend has a resemblance to the biblical story of Noah and where the lion and the lamb lived together without the lamb being consumed. We all know that polar bears are powerful creatures yet in Snuffles Makes a Friend, Snuffles, the polar bear, is a vegetarian. Snuffles prefers raspberry tea and sweet potatoes to meat. The issue of social anxiety is also raised in this book as Snuffles makes friends with her next door neighbor Percy the Penguin, the latter being quite shy. This book is beautifully illustrated and printed on durable paper. It is a fair example of literature which aims for the facilitation of social interaction among its young readers and fair-mindedness towards neighbors.

Someone Could Win A Polar Bear is a whimsical and fun book of storytelling poetry especially suited for young readers. Illustrated with highly simplistic and abstract black-and-white caricatures, Someone Could Win A Polar Bear is lyrical, amusing, delightful, and highly recommended storytime or bedtime reading for little folks. The Rover: The rover arrived at a river./The river arrived with a roar./A ravine that the river had riven/Made its roaring reverberate more.//The river raved so that the rover/Reviled it. "Rage, river," said he./"Though you rock the ravine you have riven,/Your rage is no is no ravage to me!"//Thus ever the revenant rover/Reverts to the rhetoric of man./Than which, though it roar like a raver,/What rock-wrecking river's rage can?