The book was extremely useful to introduce me to the world of high quality beer and hidden trails to ride free of traffic.
Mr. Mercer explains everything very clearly and gives you an honest opinion about good places to ride and to enjoy a beverage, including directions, prices and ambiance.
I have been riding road bikes for many years, but Bike and Brew America has inspired me to try to go back to nature and explore hidden trails.
An extra good feature is all the possible updates available through the website that Mr. Mercer gives you in his book.
A very good book. I highly recommend it.

Todd has done it! Here is one of those rare gems that just makes you sit up and say "Why didn't I think of that?". As an avid rider and beer drinker in the Rockies, I can tell you that Todd's descriptions, both of the trails and the breweries, are right on! Reading throught the Boulder section had me re-living glorious afternoons of winding singletrack up on Walker (featured in the book) followed by perfect pints of Mountain Sun beer. There's a group of us from all over the country that gets together three or four times a year to go explore a new place in search of sweet singletrack and hoppy pints. We've found our new bible! I can't wait for the others to come out! I even had a chance to meet Todd at the 2001 Oregon Brewers' Festival. On top of being a first rate author, he's a super nice guy. This book is a great companion for anyone who enjoys craft-brewed beer and wants to find the best of the local trails. Ride on!

This book is excellent and is ideal for the mountain biker who is searching for vacation destinations. The maps, camping information and trail descriptions make it easy to find your way around foreign territory and guarantee a worthwhile experience. I was especially impressed by the accuracy of the trail reviews. The anticipation of riding the trail after reading the review is matched by the saddle experience itself. The author is right on with his duration and technical difficulty ratings. Todd Mercer also seems to have a pretty good taste for beer. After being directed to and visiting the Mountain Sun in Boulder, Colorado, I didn't want to come back to work. I can't wait for my next vacation so that I can check out some more of the Rocky Mountains using this book as my guide.

I recommend All By Myself by Mercer Mayer to all ages. I'm in sixth grade but I still enjoy reading this book. When I was in fifth grade, I read this book to a kindergartner and he loved it! There is a series of Mercer Mayer's books about the main character, Little Critter's, life. YOU HAVE TO READ THEM!

My four year old grandson loves Little Critter and now has every one of them (that we can find) memorized. He now has a library of over 300 books, but he goes to sleep reading about his friends in Mercer Meyer's land of many and diverse critters.

I just bought this book for the second time. My girls (2 and 4) have almost all of the books in the "Little Critter" series. Recently, my 2-year-old took "All by Myself" on the road and lost it. Both girls want it back ASAP. (By the way, the age group rating is obviously overstated at 4-years-old since my 2-year old is a big fan.)

My 3 year old got this book "for his grandpa" a year ago and we read it regularly. A very simple but sweet story with adorable pictures. A perfect bedtime read.

Just Grandpa And Me is an awesome story that even kids can read it. The Book is about a kid that goes to a store to get new clothes. The story is like a kid was writing it because he always says stuff like "I held grandpa's hand so he wouldn't get lost." He ended up buying a suit and a tie just like his grandpa. The illustrations are really good and the kids will love them. As you read the book you will find that there are a spider and a grasshopper on every page. This book is about kid's mentors. In this story the kid's mentor is his grandpa they go to the city and they take a bus there and the kid teaches his grandpa how to sing Ninety-nine bottles of pop on the wall. When they get to the store they run around in one of the revolving doors. They both watched a movie and he sat close to his Grandpa in the scary parts. Even though the illustrations show that the kid was the scared one. That is how the whole book is like the words say one thing and the illustrations show another that adds a really good and funny twist to the story. Kids can really relate to this story because this book is just like how they act! This teaches a kid how to do stuff when they get older and how to communicate with the world today. And go to the store and get food for them self's when they get older so they can take care if them self's. I have read a lot of Mercer Mayer books when I was younger and they helped me a lot and I loved them when I was little. I bet that your little youngster will lover this book too.

This book like all little critter books was fun to read. It was about a grandpa taking his grandson to go get a new suit. They ride on the train, go through revolving doors, get lost from one anouther and go up and escalator. Then they find the right one he trys it on a perfect fit he says. After they go to a Chinese food place and eat with chopsticks. Then they go see a scary movie. They ride the train back and shows his mom the new suit but it is really dirty from all the fun they had. This is a great book for your children to read to there parents. Almost all kids and read it and will enjoy it. This book is written by Mercer Mayer i suggest you read all the books wrote by him.

This book was really cute. I loved how everytime his little sister said ''me too'' he didn't tell her no. My favorite part was when his little sister had her very own candy cane and he said ''me too?'' and she said ''you too''. So, I guess theres a moral to this story, Treat others the way you want to be treated.

This book is about his sister who wants to do every thing with her older brother and if he said no she would cry. It teaches big brothers to share with their little sister. Children will love the characters and the illustrations.

I am a 2nd grade student. My name is Nicholas. I liked the part when Little Critter said, "Me, too!" because his sister had kept saying, "Me, too!".

Little Critter, for all intents and purposes, is supposed to represent everychild. His yearnings for an adult life consume his present-day thoughts and activities, thereby robbing him (or her) of the pleasures experienced in childhood. Oh, you poor, sweet Little Critter. You'll grow up soon enough and begin to endure the complexities of adolescence. You'll be bombarded by love, hate, fear, joy, lust, greed, and numerous other personal idiosyncracies that left unmanaged, will turn you into someone your own mother may not recognize. Aside from the psychological obstacles placed in your path, you also have the physical appearance of some sort of giant mutant rat. That will cause you much grief as you enter the "real world," because people are cruel, and not used to coexisting with unnaturely-sized rodents, especially those who walk on their hind legs and wear human clothes.

I read this book expecting to find a depiction of pain and suffering that was overcome by sheer determination and desire; a story, if you will, of one being (rat, mouse, wolverine, I'm still not sure what he is) who just wanted to have his father consider him an equal. Instead, I found a very weak plot that involved this little "critter" envisioning all the things he would do when he got older.

In reading this book, I believed that the creature took a lot for granted. Envisioning growing up means that you are planning for a future life. If the times we live in have taught us anything, it is that there may not be a future life. Considering the triple threat of Bin Laden, Hussein, and the proliferation of teen pop stars, our time above the surface of the earth may be limited, or at the very least become seemingly unbearable. Another point is that the book depicted absolutely no negative real world situations such as taxes, spousal infidelity, pathetic network programming, or Jesse Helms.

In summary, if you have a chance to read this book, do so with the knowledge that Little Critter and his family are living sheltered lives. I understand that there is a series of these books. Perhaps in either a previous volume or one in the future, the author can more clearly define exactly what kind of creatures these beings are, and where they live. I might want to move there myself.

This book is very good. It's about wanting to be just like you dad. Which most kids do want to be like their dad, little critter explains how he'll be able to watch anything he wants to on television but still won't watch the news. He copies his dad on a lot of things that he does, but little critter could get into the way sometimes. It's a good read for the little ones and an excellent addition to anyone's Mercer Mayer collection. I am 12 and I still enjoy picking up a Little Critter book every once and awhile, they have great morals. I rate this a 5 out of 5.

In this book Little Critter tells us all of the things he wantsto do just like his dad. Of course, Little Critter puts a differentspin on some things that he'll do "just like dad" when he's older. Example: He'll be able to watch whatever he wants on tv, but he won't watch the news. This is a great book for your little ones. As with all of the Little Critter books, the illustrations turn an average story into a funny book.

This book is short and sweet. My girl still loves it many years after she trained. It is cute and kinda is more for girls. Is there one like it for boy's from Mercer Mayer? The sand box accident is her favorite or was it the accident when brother helped? I liked it when mom was doing laundry and she asked brother to take sister to the potty? The look on his face !

We bought this book as well as several other books, when we noticed our child wasn't buying into our advice about how convenient it is for him as well as his parents that he use the toilett, we resorted to this method and it seemed to work all by itself with little influence from the adults. We simply sat down and read it to him and voila.. it worked. I have no idea which book hat the most influence but this was one of them.

What a great learning tool! My daughter loves this book. She is successfully potty trained! Yeepee! This book describes everything, even the time when purchasing the potty chair. It even describes "accidents", which let her know that they will happen and that it is OK. I love the way the entire family helps with the potty training. This will be very helpful when my younger child starts potty training! Great book! Good luck!

I think I Was So Mad, along with the other Mercer Mayer books, is a great book that kids can relate to and learn from. In this book, Little Critter espresses his feelings of frustration and of being angry in a way that most children do in at least one point of time in their life. I enjoyed reading Mercer Mayer books as a child and even now i can't help picking up one of these simple books to read when i see one.

"I was so Mad," by Mercer Mayer, is a well illustrated, seemingly creative book for children. It is significantly simple for young children to comprehend, and is inticing. It tells another tale of Little Critter, and follows the same format of previous childrens books written by Mercer Mayer. " I was so Mad," is fun for children because they can relate to being told no when wanting to do things Mom and/or Dad disagree with. Little Critter finds it difficult to accept that he can't help paint the house, or have frogs in the bathtub. Toward the end, he is so upset having been told no repeatedly, he packs up and announces he is running away. On the way out the door some friends stop by and ask if he would like to join them at the park for a game of baseball. He asks Mom, and for once she says yes. He decides that for now he will go play, and if he is still upset, he will run away the following day. It was well written with young children ages 2-4 in mind.

I Was So Mad. By Mercer Mayer. Golden Book, 1983. 24 pages.

Little critters are obviously no exception to the repeated "no" that children hear throughout a day, according to Mercer Mayer in his book "I Was So Mad." Little Critter never gets to do anything he wants-even tickling the goldfish and keeping frogs in the bathtub are off limits. His family finally makes him "so mad" that he decides to run away, until he is at last granted permission to play with his friends. Although illustrations take up a good deal of the white space in this Level 2 easy reader, the large, dark, typeface remains easy to follow. Repetitions of "I was so mad" and "No, you can't" help the young reader get through some of the more unfamiliar passages yet are not monotonous as they are an integral part of the plot. The adorable watercolor and ink illustrations follow the text closely, and serve as a tool for the child trying to decode what Little Critter is not allowed to do. This delightful book serves as a good foundation for the six to eight year old reader who is learning that there is meaning behind the text he reads. Children will easily relate to Little Critter's complaints and likely will recall similar experiences, bringing them even more enjoyment while reading. Undoubtedly, Little Critter will quickly become a favorite friend for the beginning reader.

The boy in this book reminds me so much of myself. I always have a dirty room that my mom is constantly telling me to vaccume or pick up the clothes on the floor. Just like the boy in the book I lose stuff and end up finding it in my room somewhere, it's mostly clothes. I like the ending of the book it shows that you should clean your room. Maybe, no like him, though. He was stuffing things under the bed and in the closet. Lastly, this book has great pictures and I think everyone can relate to the boy in it.

this book is about a critter who lost his baseball mit and needs to find it. his mother sugest that he cleans his room and when he tryes to get his family to help him nobody will so he desides to clean it himself but the same as it is with any kid, any where they can shove things to make it look cleaner they will but when he looks for his pillow on the other side of the bed he finds his baesball mit.... mabey moms idea wasnt so bad after all

The critter has lost his baseball glove so his mother suggests he cleans his room to try and find it. He tries to get his family to help, but no one will. Cleaning up his room means shoving things into the closet and under the bed. He does decide to make the bed ("won't mom be happy", he thinks) and when he reaches over the bed to find the pillow, he finds his baseball glove. My children love this book, but as my five year old pointed out the other day, "he's not putting a few things in the closet like he said he was.... he can't even close the door he shoved so many things in there! That's not the way you're supposed to clean!" Although our family finds this book entertaining, I don't feel it teaches a lesson as well as some of the other books by this author... and it definitely doesn't teach them a good way to clean their room!

I think this book was a bore for me.It was not a good book.If I was 3 I might like it.This book is not my catagorie of reading.I don't like to read but I read this book because I thought it might be good, but it wasn't.

This book absolutely enraptured me as a child back in the 70's, and now, with the anticipated birth of my own first child, this is one of the staple books with which I will start my baby's library. The gentle, sweet storyline combined with charmingly detailed drawings will entertain your little one time after time. There's always something new to discover with each reading, and they will help nurture that special close bond between you and your little one that only comes from sharing wonderful books together. This book is THE classic of Mercer Mayer books, and every child should have a copy of "Just For You", just for them.

Mercer Mayer is great at childrens books. When I was a kid, I read my paperback version until the front and back covers fell off. Mayer communicates how children feel with his cute Little Critter characters. The end of each book puts a big smile on my face.

Jack DuBrul uses a consistent formula to create another successful novel in River of Ruin. Philip Mercer, the do everything mining engineer seemingly has a nose for trouble. Attending a rare book auction in Paris to buy a manuscript concerning the Panama Canal, he unwittingly stumbles into what he thinks is s Chinese plot to recover treasure in Panama. The treasure is really a front for a plot to accomplish quit a bit more than that.

An attack on Mercer's life in Paris sends him scurrying to Panama to find a mining school colleague who is searching for the Twice Stolen treasure. This is allegedly Inca treasure that was stolen by the conquistadors and stolen back and hidden in Panama. Mercer discovers his friend, Gary Brewer and his crew have mysteriously died at the site of the treasure excavation. Mercer's party is then attacked by a group from Hatcherly Corp., a Chinese company doing business in Panama. Hatcherly, a front for COSTIND, a Chinese defense conglomerate is headed by the powerful and influential Liu Yousheng, the villain of the book.

Mercer, desperate to find his friend's killers, is aided by the familiar confident, assertive and beautiful woman found in all DuBrul books, in the person of U.S. Army captain Lauren Vanik. Also lending a hand is Mercer's best friend and father figure, the bourbon swllling, chain smoking, octagenarian ex- sea captain, Harry White. White recruits Roddy Herrara an Panama canal pilot who is the son of an old friend. Mercer also eventually joins forces with a group of French Legionnaires and a French secret agent who are also trying to determine what the Chinese are up to.

It turns out that the Chinese are attempting to seize control of the Panama Canal. They are planning to set up medium range nuclear missiles to deploy against the U.S. much like Russia did in Cuba. These missiles would blackmail the U.S. into not meddling into China's dealings with Taiwan.

The plot is convoluted but very intriguing. It's startling how DuBrul gets Mercer to combine all his resources to solve the problems created by this well contrived Chinese plot. Another fascinating read by DuBrul

Take a dash of Robert Ludlum, throw in a heaping tablespoon of Clyde Cussler and you have Jack DuBrul's latest techno/spy/thriller, River of Ruin. The action is nonstop and the plot, while far-fetched, is close enough to reality to make you think "this could actually happen".

One aspect of DuBrul's writing that I appreciate is his attention to detail without getting bogged down in technology or arcane acronymic references. Unlike the many Clancy-clones, DuBrul's works ring with authenticity without reading like an internal memo from the DoD.

If Chinese spies, buried treasure, endless intrigue and amazing escapes from death sound like fun to you, get this book!

Clive Cussler has long held the undisputed title of Grand Master of Adventure Fiction for years...and while Jack Du Brul may not have his sights set on de-throning Cussler, his novels just may do it anyway, whether intended or not. I discovered Jack quite by accident while shuffling through a used book store and found a copy of 'Vulcan's Forge'. I pride myself on reading ALL kinds of books and I attempt to find new authors to read on a regular basis...the problem with this is that there just aren't very many really good adventure/fiction writers in print today. I am happy to say that Jack Du Brul IS the REAL DEAL.

Over his previous novels, Du Brul has helped us become familiar with Phillip Mercer, an ordinary guy who finds himself in extraordinary situations. Whether or not he's off the coast of Hawaii, in Alaska, Eastern Africa or Greenland, Phillip has a nasty habit of showing up at just the right time to help avert major catastrophe's. In 'River of Ruin', Mercer begins with an attempt to purchase a very old diary at an auction in Paris. Before long, we discover rather quickly as Du Brul literally launches us like a Tomahawk missle that Mercer has stumbled upon something quite sinister. He doesn't know it just yet, but an unseen Chinese businessman wanted the same manuscript that Phillip came to buy. Next thing we see a group of thugs after Phillip driving him into some very old catacombs under Paris in one of the more original chase scenes I've encountered. Our next stop is Panama where a friend of Mercer is searching for the fabled 'Twice Stolen Treasure'...I don't know if this story is real or the result of Du Brul's fertile imagination, but I gotta tell you, it was certainly entertaining. What Mercer finds at their base camp just off the River of Ruin is shocking: everyone dead, except for a young boy. But the REAL story is in what killed them. I won't reveal that little bit of fun, you'll have to find out for yourself...but rest assured, the story is only JUST beginning at this point.

The Chinese are attempting something truly horrific with the Panama Canal, all in an attempt to keep the United States out of their business when they invade Taiwan. The plan is truly creative and the way Du Brul lays it out, you have to give him credit for such an original idea, and wonder at the same time if it isn't actually possible (let's HOPE not). Along the way is action-a-plenty, but that's a given in any novel featuring Phillip Mercer. The ever smoking and wise-cracking Harry has his biggest role since 'The Medusa Stone' and pulls a rather extravagant practical joke off on Mercer (a true work of art). Phillip's new love interest is his equal in many ways and adds plenty to an already way above average story.

What exactly IS the future of the Panama Canal? How are the Chinese planning on disrupting the traffic through the canal? And better yet: WHY are they planning this major operation? Finding out is truly the best part of any well written story and with 'River of Ruin' Du Brul makes that journey one well worth taking. Easily on par with ANY of Dirk Pitt's famous adventures. Like I said, he may not be planning on taking over the crown of Adventure Fiction from Clive Cussler, but at the rate his novels are progressing, it WILL happen, like it or not. I choose to like it. I will always be a Cussler fan, but Jack Du Brul is now my favorite action/adventure author...a roll he has definitely earned. Well done and HIGHLY recommended.