As the author of "Offbeat Houston", I'm always looking for interesting and fun places to see in Houston. "Exploring Houston with Children" is packed with lots of great places to go and fascinating things to see. If you're looking for ways to entertain and educate the kids, you'll find lots of great ideas here. There are many suggestions on integrating the featured attractions into lesson plans, and the resources, photos and web listings provide plenty of additional information. The kids will have fun while learning and, who knows, you just might learn a thing or two yourself!

This is a wonderful resource to have for showing Houston to out of town guests. Visitors can tell you what they would like to see,and there is no guess work left for the host. It is a great book to have on hand for young or old visitors. I have also given the book to families with children and grandchildren.

This is Deborah Frontiera, Jasper Frontiera's wife speaking in this review. As a kindergarten teacher in Houston, ISD, who is in charge of planning field trips for the grade level, I am always on the look out for good resources. Elaine Galit and Vikk Simmon's book, Exploring Houston With Children, is one of the best, most complete, easy to use resources I have seen in a long time. Everything I need is right there all in one place and neatly organized.

Gail Donohoe Storey has done a perfect job of describing the life of a yankee transplanted into the heart of Texas. Her eye for detail about the unique Texas class distinctions is dead-on. Any Texan, former Texan or wanna-be-Texan will love the description of the debutante ball. And any book that includes a scene about Chuy's margaritas is going to get five stars from me. Obviously, the setting was my favorite part of this charming story of love and family. By and large the characters were well-drawn, and the plot was entertaining. The title has nothing to do with the book - just a cutesy phrase unwisely appended to an otherwise entertaining read.

With sharp eyes, ears and pen, Gail Donahue Storey has captured the essence of personal relationshipsin the 90s and even better, the weirdnesses of Texas social scenes, old and new. This is a very witty, satirical book, a glorious romp I read non-stop. Can't wait for the next one!

Gail Storey's Colleen Sweeney is on another tirp in the cultural wilds of Houston and Ft. Worhth. Her off-the-wall incisive observations on the very essence of human feelings and instincts tempered with her original and very funny voice and style make for a book you do not want to miss.

The author is a new Tom Clancy. His knowledge of the government,the navy and especially submarines is vast. I really stayed up all night to read this book. I hope he has more in the pipeline....the book is fun and informative and a great read

This book is a fast-paced "page-turner." Every time I thought I'd take a break at the end of a chapter, I had to read the first few pages of the next chapter . . . and so on until I finished the book in two sessions. For those who love Clancy, but don't want to spend a month on a book, Blish is the author for you! Well-written, suspenseful, and with a surprising twist at the end, this book will leave you hoping Blish has another one going to print soon.

Sucks you right in. You can see it clear as if it were on the big screen -- which it will be if Gollywood is still up for the terrorist twist now that Uncle's saved the world from WMD. Blish knows human nature and the establishment -- the good, the bad and the ugly. You could learn something here. Characters are animated in tense, clever moves with keen sensitivity and 3-D clarity as the stakes ratchet upward. Clancy with feeling.

Yes, this book is a warmly written and detailed chronicle of Mexican Americans in southern California. But it is more: a richly imagined and compassionate exploration of human aspiration. Houston-Davila's characters want what all of us want: love, home, a sense of meaning. Seeking these things in a transplanted, impoverished environment, the odds would seem stacked against them.

But they succeed. Again and again, with humorous, bold and poignant leaps of faith. This book is a rare treat: enjoyable, yet good for you. It nourishes the soul, expands compassion and understanding of what it means to be human.

The author has a rare ability to paint characters who are in a profound sense innocent, yet never insipid. He helps us see, through them, what really matters.
While appreciating the author's unique insights into the culture and times of its characters, don't miss its deeper truths.

Expect a lot from this book. You won't be disappointed.

Every once in a while, we'll read a book very slowly, savoring it and trying to make it last as long as we can. MALINCHE'S CHILDREN is one of these books. Daniel Houston-Davila introduces us to the people of the Carmelas barrio in Norwalk, CA., an impoverished community as close-knit as a familly, whose members invade each other's privacy and whose gossip takes on a life of its own. At the same time, however, these same people unhesitatingly give of their hard-earned cash--and even their blood--whenever one of their own is in need. The stories are arranged chronologically, with each story featuring a vividly-drawn and complex character, including La Luna, the neighborhood curandera, Mr. Trujillo, the teacher who deftly negotiates the fine line between educating and nurturing his students, and Lola, the glamorous ex-starlet. As time passes, we witness the triumphs and tragedies of these characters--large and small--within Houston-Davila's vibrant and sensual renderings of settings and situations. Together, these stories form a tapestry of life in a community that is poor materially, but rich in love. MALINCHE'S CHILDREN has echoes of works by authors such as Sherman Alexie, Gus Lee, and Sandra Cisneros, but Houston-Davila's voice is truly unique. Like the sweetness of the leche quenada Carmelas' mothers make for their children, this stories and characters in this book will stay with readers for a very long time.

Daniel Houston-Davila has crafted a rich and fulfilling novel that gives new insight into Latin culture. Set in a tiny barrio in a Los Angeles suburb, we are treated to one fully textured, multi-layered character after another as we trace the growth of this community through the twentieth century. Though it might seem an insignificant community to all but those who live there; we feel love and sympathy for the people and place through Houston-Davila's eyes.
In Malinche's Children, we follow many characters, but really, the main character is the little barrio of Carmelas, emerging, changing and living. Its inhabitants come go, it transforms as conditions change, and we see it grow and adjust as its culture clashes with a different culture that surrounds it. Houston-Davila has shown us a glimpse into the spirit of the Mexican-American who lives in two worlds.
The gentle patois that Houston-Davila's characters speak, part Spanish, part English, draws us into the humanity and thoughts of the people of Carmelas. But more than that, each little story with a new protagonist (or one we have met before, but older now) is painted with a luxuriant brush that brings the sights and smells and sounds of the community as it has changed through the last 100 years. Malinche's Children gives us a rare insight into the Mexican-American experience while captivating us with one story after another of real people faced with real problems that are different from our own, but still very much the same. Reading Malinche's Children will bring emotion, reflection, and appreciation for a world that most of us would not otherwise understand.

Gregory Kauffman
Author of MANUELA

By far, one of my favorite books for children. I love reading it to my babies. The text with the beautiful pictures will go with you in your mind forever...

This is a wonderful book. As an elementary teacher I especially enjoy reading it with my students and own a classroom set. It is a beautiful story of a teacher and contains lovely illustrations. It is a sweet depiction of schools and life long ago.

From the moment I was introduced to this book, I knew I had to have it. It is such a wonderful story of a woman who enjoyed learning and dreamed of travelling to the places she read about only to have circumstances prevent it. She did the next best thing - she became a teacher and inspired countless students to live their dreams. Every teacher should read this - it will reinforce the reasons you entered the profession.

I read this book when it first came out around 15 or so years ago. The story really truly touched me and I regret the fact that I did not purchase the book at that time. (Read a library edition)
Since then, I moved to a completely different region of the world, and am anxious to get my new used copy sent to me so I can pour into a story that I've been longing to read again, since I've been trying to procure a copy of it for 10 years now!
If you are considering purchasing this book - don't hesitate. It is THAT good.

I also read this book in high school and it stays with me to this day, 12 years later, as the best book I have ever read. Paul's generosity and the relationships he developed were truly touching. What an amazing story.

I read this book when I was only fifteen years old and, still, ten years later and of all the books I've read since it is the only book that still stands out in my mind. I have searched high and low for it since but have not been able to locate a copy. It's a shame because it is hard to find such writing from the heart these days.

This book will keep your interests suspended in a state where bed time no longer matters, reading it until it is done and the re-skimming the chapters. Based in my home town of HOUSTON, TX. It gives you perspective on the true heros of the health care system.

This book has confirmed my interests in becoming a doctor and it will serve as a symbol of my ability to serve and my longing to be the best in the field of my choice.

Having a child featured in this book, I have read it several times. Lisa did a fantastic job when she wrote this book. You will find it to be a very insightful book. Having lived through this ordeal myself, I know that Lisa tried very hard to make sure that her facts are real and accurate. If you enjoy stories about the medical field I trully believe that you will find this one hard to put down until you have finished it.

I love books about the problems of the Medical community. This one was very good. The author included factual information along with true like human interest stories of real people in Houston, Texas in the 80's. I left this book at a book exchange at The Plaza Las Glorias in Cozumel, Mexico on 10-28-00 around 9:00am and it was gone by 11:00am. I would love to know where it went. I hope Amazon prints this.

Grabs you from the first page. I was unable to put this one down. Many twists and turns that will keep you guessing. If you read any of the "Dead" series read this one.

This is not your typical small-town mystery featuring a cozy fishing village. Retired dentist Paul Osborne has a habit of coming accross dead bodies, and this time it's a doozy. Four dead bodies are left frozen in a cage, with one displaying rather disturbing gender parts. Paul would rather not have much to do with this, but when asked by the lovely Police Chief Lew Ferris to help out, he cannot refuse. Paul is aided by his trusty young friend Ray, who comes from a family of lawyers and doctors yet chooses to live off the land poaching and tracking.

Long lost family secrets, the effects of pollution, a strip bar, and a loon-calling contest all come into play as the three try to track down just what happened in Loon Lake...P>This is a great series with wonderful characters. I look forward to following them in the forthcoming novels.

Something about this authors charters just makes her books incredible. You can see these people without even closing your eyes.This author just has a gift that (to me)makes every page an adventure with people I feel I live next door to.

One World Under God is a wonderful book telling the story that love is stronger than the differences that divide us. Two people from totally different backgrounds come to understanding and acceptance because they love each other. This book is a fast, enjoyable read and has a message for everyone.

This book goes against the grain of the current mood of the Western world. Rather than viewing the Muslim world with fear and loathing, it focuses on a few individuals living their faith as written in the various scriptures and not as certain extremist leaders would have us live. Though it is set against the backdrop of the recent Balkan conflicts it could easily be set anywhere faiths collide. It's a good read and has a hopeful message.

This book is a beautiful love story and was enjoyable from start to finish.