George Sullivan's biography of "Abraham Lincoln" for the "In Their Own Words" series is one of the finest juvenile books on Lincoln I have read, and I have been reading a lot of them this month. Of course, as a rhetorician I would have liked to have seen even more excerpts from Lincoln's speeches: the "House Divided," "Cooper Union," and the 2nd Inaugural Address are basically boiled down to a choice sentence or two. Although "The Gettysburg Address" is presented in its ten sentence entirety. There is no mention of Lincoln's 1st Inaugural.. Still, Sullivan does make ample opportunity to use Lincoln's own words, culled from letters or public conversations, at every opportunity. He also does a nice job talking about the motivations of the younger Lincoln as he struggled to make something of his life.

The details of the Civil War are toned down to a reasonable level, since both the constant parade of generals and the unrelenting slaughter can be a bit overwhelming. If anything is given short shrift in this biography it is Lincoln's love life. Anne Rutledge receives a couple of sentences and there is nothing about his complicated courtship with Mary Todd before their marriage. Nor is there anything about her tragic fate following Lincoln's assassination. However, these seem to me quite reasonable omissions in a book aimed at this particular age group. After all, it is not like they will never find a more comprehensive biography of Lincoln down the road.

I have seen several juvenille biographies of Lincoln that are not half as good and cost three or four times as much as this fine effort. There are a couple dozen illustrations, only a handful of which are not from the 19th-century, which is pretty impressive, given the competition. George Sullivan has written a book that does not water down its subject matter for the younger audience. I find the reliance on Lincoln's own words to be particularly commendable. For upper elementary school students this would be the first volume I would recommend they read about Lincoln.

"More books have been written about Lincoln than any other American," says Sullivan in his biography of our sixteenth President. Not all of them are well done - but this one is excellent and deserves a place on the shelf next to Freedman's Caldecott award-wining Lincoln: A Photobiography (Houghton Mifflin, 1987). Sullivan defines primary and secondary sources, then describes the life and times of Lincoln with a liberal sprinkling of quotes from the President and those who knew him. Excerpts from Lincoln's speeches, letters, and other writings are included, explained, and set into context. The Gettysburg address is reproduced in its brief but effective entirety. The book also gives relates the major events of the Civil War.
The writing is simple and uncluttered, and the oversized text and well-spaced lines make for easy reading. Photos and illustrations add to the narrative without distracting. Chapters are tight and concise, and the design (a mix of contemporary borders with Lincoln's handwriting gracing new chapters) is the perfect blend of old and new.
The book meets the usual 100 page requirement for biographies for middle school reports; teachers who may be turned off by the large print and compact size will appreciate the attention to detail as well as the scholarly chronology, bibliography, further reading, photo credits, and index. Pair this fine example of citing sources, acknowledging other points of view and relaying research from primary sources with Holzer's Abraham Lincoln the Writer (Boyds Mill Press 2000).

These stories are true. Some are even actual! Though out of print, this book continues to sell as a prized hard-to-find title. Browze through these tales of Alabama life, and don't forget to check out the picture of me as an infant--my favorite picture!...

This a a great compilation of stories, "both true and actual," by people who can't get Alabama out of their hearts and minds. A later book compiled by Marie Stokes Jemison and yours truly (Jim Reed) carried on the tradition several years later, I WISH I WAS IN DIXIE (available from Reed Books at JimReedBooks@compuserve.com). Learn how deeply-felt the good the bad and ugly can be in the Deep South. Read both books!

Using the restricted form of Sedoka, E.H.Goellner has distilled a personal view into gems of wisdom, compassion, and insight. This book is for a gourmet of life. Each page is a form of meditation. Treat yourself to this view of the world. The line art captures the energy form of each Sedoka, for visual enrichment.

This book captures the true existence of man and is able to quantify the human emotional gamut. It is amazing and truly revolutionary that one author can speak so many truths in so few words. It is riveting and heartwarming to hear the words come to life as the repeat in your mind. It is a small view into the authors soul and some amazing insight into the human soul. I hope that for a long time to come there is an appreciation of all that this tries to convey. I feel you will be more at peace with yourself upon completion of this tome. I can not wait for a follow up book from this new sensational writing guru.

Isaac Asimov has such a delightful wit that even his explanations of archaic terms are fun to read. When combined with W.S. Gilbert's hilarious librettos, it makes one entertaining read. Actually, it makes more than one entertaining read. i have read it several times and still enjoy it.

Writer Martin Gardner once told Isaac Asimov that if he really wanted to have fun, he should find a book he liked very much and annotate it. "Asimov's Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan" is one of the results of that suggestion. This enormous volume contains the words to all the G&S operas, plus extensive notes explaining allusions and words that might be unfamiliar to today's listener. Asimov assumes minimal knowledge on the part of the reader, so this book is useful and entertaining not only for the veteran G&S aficionado but also for the neophyte.

My daughter loves it and found it the next best thing to Barney. We just put her down for the night and she went to sleep willingly and easily after our 5th reading. I like reading it to her because of the colorful artwork and because it reminds me of our last trip to Hawaii

This is a very amusing book sent to us by friends in Hawaii. The new words to old favorites are easy to remember. It is a great way to introduce children to common Hawaiian words and elements of Hawaiian culture. The illustrations are well done and colorful. "Go Go Gecko" and "Three Big Pigs" are our favorites. Don't be surprised if your children want Tutus and slippers! I would definitely consider giving Hawaiian Style Mother Goose to friends, especially those with a Hawaiian connection.

A reader from Sacramento, CA USA
My daughter loves it and found it the next best thing to Barney. We just put her down for the night and she went to sleep willingly and easily after our 5th reading. I like reading it to her because of the colorful artwork and because it reminds me of our last trip to Hawaii

This is a very amusing book sent to us by friends in Hawaii. The new words to old favorites are easy to remember. It is a great way to introduce children to common Hawaiian words and elements of Hawaiian culture. The illustrations are well done and colorful. "Go Go Gecko" and "Three Big Pigs" are our favorites. Don't be surprised if your children want Tutus and slippers! I would definitely consider giving Hawaiian Style Mother Goose to friends, especially those with a Hawaiian connection.

It is fasinating to read the actual writings of Christopher Columbus. I learned more about what drove him to discovering the Americas. His faith and passion for the Bible and other prophecies was unexpected. He strongly believed he had a great work to do, so he compiled many of the prophecies that meant alot to him, which brought his life into focus for him. You'll learn more about the real Columbus here than you could ever learn in a history book. Hard to understand at times, but there are enough jems in this book to make the study worth your time.

I never actually read the book, but I have read a lot about the book and I absolutly loved what I read. I would like to know more!

Burnin' Rubber, as the subtitle explains, goes "behind the scenes in stock car racing." After writing over 100 books for young readers, George Sullivan certainly knows exactly what interests the reader and just how to present the subject. About 8,000 words, the book is just the right length, taking the reader not only around the track but into the pits, with the drivers and their teams. More than two dozen colorful photos, seven by Sullivan himself, capture the action, sound and smell of burnin' rubber. The boys I saw reading it supplied the appropriate noise for nearly every photo. Just as they enjoyed Sullivan's books on Indy cars and monster trucks, they are now loving this book also. It is the next best thing to actulaly being at the track. The color photos of the jacket are repeated on the child-resistant hard cover.

Burnin' Rubber, as the subtitle explains, goes "behind the scenes in sock car racing." After writing over 100 books for young readers, I expected that George Sullivan would know exactly what interests the reader and just how to present the subject. I was right; he does. About 8,000 words, the book is just the right length, taking the reader not only around the track but into the pits, with the drivers and their teams. Two dozen colorful photos, seven (mostly of drivers) by Sullivan himself, seem to capture the action, sound and smell of burnin' rubber. The boys I saw reading it supplied the appropriate noise for narly every photo. Just as they enjoyed Sullivan's books on Indy cars and monster trucks, they are now loving this book also. It is the next best thing to actually being at the track.

DW donwigal@ix.netcom.com

Do you like fast fascinating reads?, then you will like By Heart. I read it so fast and normally i'm a slow reader. A great documentary well written!

I suppose this is mainly of interest to those who have read "By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept" which is autobiographical but incoherent. This biography of Elizabeth Smart explains what really happened.
There is lot more to it than that. The insights into Canadian-British-American relationships are illuminating. The British literary scene comes across as the least inhibited and most tolerant of the three. The book has those snide cutting anti-Canadian jibes that Canadian writers do so well. The account of Soho in the fifties is fascinating and the account of Edmonton in the seventies is devastating.
Elizabeth Smart and George Barker and his wives went on to have close and warm relationships into their old age. In a way it's a happy ending to "By Grand Central Station" although there were further tragedies. The paracetemol that killed her daughter Rose (it produces hepatic necrosis when combined with alcohol) is known as acetominophen (Tylenol) in America.
Robert Fraser has written a biography of George Barker.

This lean volume is everything you'd want in a companion: Lively, intoxicating, and beautiful in appearance; her lean, supple prose swells provocatively beneath the sheer, black jacket that clings suggestively to this tight, curvaceaous body of work. But she is more than a sensual treat! Her wit, though not of the highest order, gives some delight as well and one would be proud to appear with this companion under one's arm even at a Mensa gathering.

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I am the librarian at the Sonoma County Wine Library, and I have known Charles Sullivan for some years. His newest work will probably be THE one volume reference on California wine from now on. In concise and informative entries, Sullivan encompasses the whole of California's rich wine heritage. He covers all the varietals and most of the wineries A to Z. His writing is insightful, dispassionate and fluid, and his research is superb.