Even if your pup's behavior isn't as "bad" as these dogs' behaviors are, every dog owner should read this book! It explains the positive way of training dogs to behave themselves. It tells you exactly how the thought process works for each trouble behavior the doctor encountered and the end result of the training of both dog and owner(s)! Excellent!

This is one impressive book! The stories make the book fun and easy to read, and the information is very helpful in understanding your own dog. Not a book to get if you're looking for help in training your dog, but definitely a book for those interested in understanding their pets.

This book is a very entertaining way to learn dog behavior. There is plenty of valuable information about reading any dog's body language. It reads like a series of stories, rather than a clinical type book. I lose interest rapidly if the information reads like a text book. I saw my alpha male all through this book. I recommend it to anyone wanting a good book of dog stories packed with educational material about dealing with a dog who thinks he owns you!

Doreen Rapport Freedom River; Illustration by Bryan Collier
14pp. ISBN 0-7868-0350-9.-ISBN 0-7868-1229-X (pbk.).-ISBN 0-7868-229-0 (lib.bdg.)
(Intermediate)

Freedom River is a true story, about getting from Kentucky to the free state Ohio. John Parker a former slave, and now a businessman of Ripely Ohio. John then helps a couple and their child escape being slaves to freedom. The freeing of these salves is taken place through out the year. Both the author and the illustrator work wonderfully together to make this book seem real. The text clearly goes along with the pictures. The illustration is remarkable, the pictures look like photographs. Bryan Collier uses a different technique for his illustrations, it looks as if the pictures are pieces of a puzzle arranged together. As you begin to read this book look closely at the faces of the people, you will see wavy lines, these lines represent the Ohio River. The color schemes really put things in perspective also, they are realistic colors. Through out this book, Doreen Rapport uses short phrases to describe the event that is taking place: Run. Run, Row. Row, Listen. Listen, Wait. Wait, Closer. Louder, Crawl. Crawl. This gives the reader insight to what is going on in the picture by just two word phrases. Another author that does this same technique is Under the Quilt of Night by Deborah Hopkinson. The ending of this story is really surprising, I but when thought about it makes sense. This book is just not about the freeing of slaves, but it is about doing what is right in life, helping others out. I recommend this book to adults and children in the intermediate level. An interesting addition to the end of the story is a historical note which explains in great detail about the life of John Parker.

In the book, A Freedom River, the writing of Doreen Rappaport along with the illustrations of Bryan Collier together create a stunning retelling of one particular trip on the Underground Railroad. This is the story of a slave family escaping from the slave state of Kentucky to the free state of Ohio.
The book's uniqueness lies not in its topic, but rather in the characters. John Parker, this true story's hero, was not only a conductor on the Underground Railroad, but also an accomplished businessman from Ripley, Ohio. He was born a slave and worked to buy his freedom. He owned his own foundry, and employed both black and white individuals from both Ohio and Kentucky. He helped to make this book unique because he is not a well known conductor, but his impact on the Underground Railroad was just as great. It is said that he helped over 900 slaves escape to freedom during his lifetime.
A Freedom River draws the reader into the experience of the Underground Railroad. It masterfully pulls forth every imaginable emotion, as the characters must make choices that may end in the separation of families, death or freedom. The pace of the book along with large, bold directives, such as RUN, CRAWL, and LISTEN, create a feeling of breathlessness, much as if the reader too, were running for freedom.
The illustrations work hand in hand with the written word in order to create the overall experience of the book. The multi-textured collages with realistic faces add emotion and dept to the story. Wavy lives found throughout the illustrations deeply symbolize the river and its importance in the search for freedom.
This is a beautiful book and worthy of a rating of more than five stars. It could be successfully used with children from 1st to 6th grade. It is an excellent book for introducing and further understanding the Underground Railroad.

Before the Civil War, Kentucky was a slave state. But just 1000 feet across the Ohio River, Ohio was a free state. John Parker, was as a conductor on the Underground Railroad and helped hundreds of slaves cross that river to freedom. John was a unique individual, an ex-slave who learned to read and write and was able to buy his freedom and a successful Ohio businessman who employed both black and white workers. But he never forgot his slave roots and the terrible pain of being separated from his mother and sold when he was eight years old. Because of this, he risked and devoted his own life to helping slaves escape to safety in Ohio. Freedom River tells the story of one of John Parker's trips to Kentucky to rescue a family of three..... Doreen Rappaport has written a powerful and inspiring story of the courage and determination of one man to right the wrongs of slavery. Her eloquent text makes John Parker and this story come alive and is complimented by Bryan Collier's vivid illustrations that add a real sense of drama and urgency. Perfect for children 8-12, Freedom River is a wonderful introduction to the Underground Railroad and includes historical notes to enhance the story and augment discussion.

I can certainly add my kudos to Ed Robertson for his labor of love in this book commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the famous television program. This work brings to life the entire four years that the series ran on network television, and gives the reader the feeling that he was actually "on location" with the cast and crew as they produced this first-rate series. Each episode is fully documented with full credits for the director and all principal actors in the series. The episode synopsis give the reader a feeling of being on the run with the Fugitive. The opening and closing narration for each episode certainly sets the tone for each nights program.

If you are a fan of this great television series, then this book is certainly for you. I highly recommend it.

Mr. Robertson has written a book that was done with an obvious love of the subject matter. Though he admits he discovered David Janssen via his post-Fugitive "Harry-O" series, his thorough research makes this a "must read" for Fugophiles. I was truly impressed by the celebrity interviews. Barry Morse and Stephen King were excellent frontline introductions that certainly legitimized this meticulous account of this classic Television series. Insights from the guest cast ranging from Richard Anderson to Carol Rosser as well as show creator Mr. Huggins were truly informative. However, it is Mr. Robertson who has set the tone of this labor of love by concentrating on what fans of "The Fugitive" want and should remember. This is not a tell all scandal written anthology, rather it is a reminder that this was and is a classic that will endure.

Have been a Fugitive fan since it's first episode..seldom missed a program. The music by Peter Rugolo (sp?) is stamped in my brain. Can still hum it. Is anyone aware that parts of the soundtrack from the Outer Limits, which was also an ongoing series at that time, was used in the Fugitive. David Janseen and Barry Morse were excellent in their parts. I saw in the credits of the movie with Harrison Ford and T.L. Jones that Peter Rugolo was a consultant ...Was there any intention during the creation of the Fugitive movie to use the original soundtrack from TV. To me the music was as much a part of the story as the players..Music always is with me. Not to say the soundtrack from the movie wasn't good. In fact, it was very good. Have the tape/cd and play it often...It tells the story...you can visualize many of the scenes in your mind, the chase, dying the hair, subway fight, "no press." My hat is off to James Newton Howard.

The writing style is accessible and smart; complex without being confusing; insightful and reflective without weighing heavily. A great read!!!
What makes reading this novel so enjoyable is the adept weaving of history -- Zanzibar has a complex history, and it is told through the stories of the narrator, a young woman -- as well as via an insightful grasp of the contemporary condition -- of mobility, of otherness, of migration; it is both the tale of an individual, and the story of millions.
The author Roger King uses a wonderful method, of the narrator thinking about both past and present -- to bring us the careful, reflective details of an individual's life while at the same time painting a picture of the complex past (and present) difficulties of Zanzibar (particularly relevant given recent international press attention to this island archipelago off Tanzania).
The narrator, a young Goan (Indian and Portuguese descent; many settled in Zanzibar) woman who has recently come to the U.S. to teach, relates both delightfully concrete details of her life in Vermont and her past in Zanzibar, all the while revealing a very reflective story of personal changes and growth, wrangling with her past and present, as an "exotic" immigrant to the U.S. The weaving of past and present, of concrete and cerebral, make this a wonderfully rich story, both intensely personal and more broadly historical.

One of the most grabbing, well written books I've read in a long time. It was especially intriguing as I read it while on holiday in Zanzibar! A definite read for anyone going there, and for anyone interested in a really good read.

The wanderings of Marcella D'Souza, the protagonist of Roger King's brilliant new novel, have begun in her native Zanzibar; taken her to the bustling, multi-ethnic streets of Bayswater, London; and finally deposited her in a quiet college town in snowy Vermont, where she has been assigned to teach a vaguely-defined course in "multi-cultural studies." Looking back on her odyssey, she has this observation: "I think I have the making of a new theory here. Maybe these days, everything is so international, there's always an advantage in being from somewhere else. What is important is not local knowledge, but foreign knowledge. If the whole world is in motion, then the world's displaced are those who stay at home." "Those who stay at home" have had little role to play in Marcella's world. As a naive, ambitious newcomer to London--the New York Times calls her a "modern-day Candide"--she falls in with a group of equally peripatetic friends, people whose racial identity, national origin, and even religious affiliations can only be expressed via a long series of adjectives: "I've got it," an earnest British friend remarks of Marcella herself, "You're a Goan Indian Portuguese Arab African of Catholic Moslem parentage." This group of friends, living a hustling and often exuberant existence in the immigrants' netherworld of Thatcher's England, contains elements that the reader rightfully suspects will pull Marcella into dangerous waters. And indeed, from the novel's first page we know that she will end up serving time in prison for an unnamed crime. But the novel unfolds with such luminous grace, effortlessly moving us from scenes of the past, into the present, and back again yet more years, that we surrender to its shifting timeline without impatience. Instead, our knowledge of Marcella and her world becomes more richly layered. Our deepening understanding makes the novel's final revelations far more satisfying then if they had been disclosed earlier. A gloriously enjoyable novel, and one that adds to the reader's perception of a world that exists, if below the radar, in the most ordinary corners of the U.S. and Europe today.

Perhaps the phrase, be careful what you ask for, should have been coined for this early story. In the books of Samuel, the nation of Israel essentially 'comes of age', and enters the arena of other nations by forming a central hierarchical structure.

The politics of Israel was interesting at this point. From the time of the Exodus (after Moses and Joshua) to the time of Samuel (some 400+ years later, if the Biblical account of years can be trusted -- the exact meaning of some time phrasings is still in doubt), Israel had no central authority, no hierarchy. The people lived in a mostly agrarian culture, with small farming, flocks and herds as the norm. Cities were rare, and generally despised. For instance, the Philistines and the Egyptians were both known primarily as city-dwellers, and both were considered enemies in many respects.

Israel was guided by judges, who recognised God as King. This, however, was unsatisfactory to the people of Israel. The other nations had kings, to lead the battles and to rule and adjudicate. Samuel (and God, through Samuel) warned against having kings, but (interestingly) did not forbid the institution of a kingly dynasty to the people of Israel. Samuel selected Saul to be king. Of course, his kingship was a rocky one, and ended badly, not least of which because David was a challenger to the throne through most of Saul's reign, presumably based upon Samuel's (and God's) decision to take legitimacy away from Saul.

Finally, David succeeds to the kingship, and has a rather stormy reign himself, made however into the glorious reign that is still considered the model of God-sanctioned kingship under God by many Jews and Christians.

Everet Fox, who did a remarkable job at translating 'The Five Books of Moses' a few years ago (please see my review of that), turned next to the stories in the books of Samuel, and retranslated them as part of the new Schocken Bible Series, which his book entitled 'Give Us A King! Samuel, Saul, and David'. Fox had as one of his intentions in the retranslation of the Torah, which carries forward as a theme in this work, the adherence to the oral and aural aspects of the original Hebrew, sacrificing the scholarly-clarity issues that guide translations such as the New Revised Standard Version and others that are meant to be read, for this that is meant to be read aloud. One gets a greater sense of the way in which the Hebrew stories would have been conveyed.

Now David sand-dirge (with) this dirge
over Sha'ul and over Yehonatan his son,
he said:
To teach the Children of Judah the Bow,
here, it is written in the Book of the Upright:
O beauty of Israel, on your heights are the slain:
how have the mighty fallen!
Tell it not in Gat,
spread not the news in Ashkelon's streets,
lest they rejoice, the daughters of the Philistines,
lest they exult, the daughters of the foreskinned-ones!
Ohills of Gilbo'a, let there be no dew, no rain upon you,
or surging of the (watery) deeps,
for there lies-soiled the shield of the mighty, the shield of Sha'ul,
no more anointed with oil.

Fox accompanies his new translation with an interesting introductory essay setting context and meanings in place, as well as notes that explain both translation textual issues as well as interpretive issues in the text.

Included in this volume are drawings, paintings and etchings by the artist Schwebel. While these works are intriguing and inspired works of modern art with an influence from various historical patterns and themes, I found some of the art work, having modern settings in high streets with cars, shop signs, etc., hard to merge thematically with the ancient texts sometimes.

This is a fascinating text, a wonderful new translation, which gives new insight and fresh meaning to an ancient story.

I am not a Hebrew Scholar; I do not even qualify as a Hebrew Student. Yet this Biblical translation infuses new life into the Old Testament books of I and II Samuel. The meter, the poetry, the nuisances lost in other English translations have been magically restored by Everett Fox.

Mix in an insightful commentary and you have what is rapidly becoming the translation I reach for when I read or study the stories of Saul, Samuel and David. Hopefully Fox is fast at work on a translation of David's poetry - The Psalms.

You have NEVER read the old testament till you read Everett Fox's translations of it. It is a veritable revelation to see whole new meanings in the words, phraseology, and syntax. Now, Mr. Fox, how 'bout the rest of the OT. After teasing us with the Pentateuch and 1 & 2 Samuel, I am ITCHING to read the Psalms this way, as well as Isaiah, Ezra-Nehemiah, etc.

I read this book to my two-year-old in a doctor's office and ended up retelling the whole story to my husband that evening. We had to buy it we liked it so much, and we've read it over and over. It has great repetition and sound effects (my son loves to roar every time we get to that part). I also love the way it teaches children to be kind to others, even something that might seem scary like a dragon. It gave my parent ego a little boost too, since I'm often that "good knight" who's willing to get one last drink of water, read one last story, or give one last good night kiss. Definitely a must-read.

A sweet bedtime story with charming illustrations. The story has a lot of repetition and good opportunities to add fun sound effects making it lots of fun to read (over and over again!).

My two year old loves to listen to the story (even though it is more words than his typical picture books). I suspect this book is appealing to 2+ through 6 year olds.

A wonderful book! I love the illustrations and the onomonopias. However you spell that word. The dragons are darling. I'd kiss their scaly cheeks any night.

Carl Sommer does a great job of utilizing age old concepts in teaching children character education concepts through his stories. My son absoutely loved the book and it will be a must read book on our family list. The book is easy to read and is illustrated magnificiently. Virtues such as hard work, obedience, self-acceptance, perserverance, truthfulness, kindness and respect for parents are taught through this story. All things we are trying to teach our children.

This is a fun story that would be great for kids. It's a story that shows motives can be hidden but will usually be discovered. A great lesson for kids!

The Great Royal Race was one of my favorite Carl Sommer books. It's a story about Princess Elizabeth who must choose between three suitors to be become her new husband and the next king. Her father had a wonderful idea on how to find him, and put all three suitors to a true test of loyalty. As the story ends you find out who her true love really is as he passes the royal test. What a great lesson in loyalty, love and wisdom.

I am amazed at the genius of Frank Darabont. SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION is the type of film that many directors spend their entire lives trying to make. That film alone is worthy of placing Darabont in the top echelon of modern directors. However, with THE GREEN MILE, Darabont has triumphed again. This screenplay is not as in depth as the SHAWSHANK shooting script. Nevertheless, it is still quite informative and is a useful resource for aspiring filmmakers. Transcribing an already successful published work into a successful movie is extremely difficult and rarely happens. However, Darabont has done it twice. A person can learn a great deal about writing just by reading this book. There's no better way to learn than to learn from a master.

I bought this book after I saw the movie. The main reason is because this film touched me deeply. Secondly I collect screen plays. This is a true gem! The film's beauty is printed as an unforgettable story. Screen play is based on Novel series by Stephen King. Excellent screen play!!

I discovered the first episodes of The Green Mile in Biloxi, Mississippi, and the last ones in France. I read them. I was moved by strong emotions, practically to tears, and yet I remained unsatisfied. I reread it when it came out in one volume, and I had the same sensation of frustration. The book, the story had two lines and the unity was not clear, the message was not obvious and it seemed to be that there is always a devil somewhere to torture, at times to death, the righteous and the innocent. The two time lines were not really reinforcing each other. The bad nurse of the old people's home was not a real continuation of Percy, and Percy did not have and could not have, does not have and cannot have a continuation. Evil in man is repetitive, but in no way continuing, developing, getting any kind of amplification with time. I have just been listening to a tape about the psychiatric hospitals of the old days (up to the mid 70s in France), and the doctors, the nurses, and even the patients, those who dedicated their whole life to get rid of that institution, compared these asylums to concentration camps and demonstrated how the inmates were reduced to animals, and yet resisting, how the rations (during World War II) where starvation rations meant to slowly kill the inmates by starving them. Doctor Lucien Bonnafé, MD, cannot be in any way stopped in his explanation of this alienation, of this reduction of men to vegetables, especially with the chemical straight jacket. Hitler did not invent concentration camps, and he did not invent eugenics, the cleansing of society of their misfits. He just systematised, industrialised it. But, But, BUT, I finally got to the screenplay of The Green Mile by Frank Darabont. He got that second time line out. He recentered the whole story on Paul, the only one Paul that crosses time. And then the light came out so strong that I was not moved any more, but literally blinded into ever stronger and never before experienced emotions, into unquenchable tears, tears that were a salvation, a redemption, an epiphany that would not ever satisfy and quench my thirst for optimistic humanism. This human world contains angels that can transform evil into good, and it is John Coffey, a black man. He has done that for a very long time, till the one day he gets trapped by his naivete and simplemindedness, because angels are naive, simpleminded and maybe slightly retarded, since then cannot conceive evil. When one does only good things and can only bring good news to the world, he is totally isolated, rejected, and thus he becomes the prey of all evil beings who will abuse him and trampled him down. And yet he is not completely trapped, because he comes to the point when he wants to go, to leave this world, where he can only love and be loved by fireflies. So he is happy when he gets trapped, relieved of this enormous responsibility of making the world better, of killing or repairing evil. Even if it means Death Row. But, before leaving, he gives his good nature to some other beings, even if he cannot give them his powers. Here it is a mouse, Mr Jingles, and a man, Paul. And his gift takes the form of a very long life. The very long life of telling the truth, the truth of God, the truth that killing is ugly, no matter whether it is criminal or judicial. Only life is beautiful, and the story of life has to be told forever and ever, to push death away, even if it is Death Row. This life story has to be told over and over again, just like a mouse will play with a spool forever. And thus, Darabont gets us to a universal lesson, to a unique and eternal metaphor. The writer, the storyteller is forever the one who will bring life to earth, real life, the life of justice, of beauty, of emotions, of truth, of entertainment, of happiness. The storyteller is God himself, or at least his angel, because he nourishes our souls with the desire to know a better world. When are we ever going to have the film, the video, so that we can be moved to frantic tears by the images that will demultiply the screenplay into a real piece of human paradise, in our dreams, in our night, in our daydream, in our sunshine of hope ?

This is a very readable, yet scholarly presentation of the scriptures. I usually read the Bible through each year, and read as many versions as possible. This one has wonderful articles on African American history as related to the Bible, has nice large print so that it does not have to be held, has good references, and is faithful to standard translations. It is very readable, and hard to put down. One of my favorites that I will purchase for gifts.

This stems from the Jubilee Project, which aimed at drawing together Biblical study and Afro-American experience: it presents supplementary material which focuses on Afro-American connections to the Biblical past, and it considers places, peoples, cultures, and social and religious influences on early societies. Chapters introduce and provide overviews of black peoples of the past, while Biblical books open with introductions on themes. Footnotes provide extensive historical and literary explanation and detail. Holy Bible: African American Jubilee Edition is a 'must' for any Afro-American reader who would establish links between Biblical and black history.

this is a excellent book for youngters and grownups alike. full of facts about africans and thier place in the bible and the black church and its meaning in the african american community. full of beautifull color illustrations and is really hard to put down .

This is a pretty good book. I remember reading it when I was a bit younger, and thinking it was pretty funny. Generally, the book is basically funny. The animal sounds will give the young reader some extra creative fun and a pleasant reading experience. The pictures are very amusing, and add significantly to this story's humor. One can easily pick this book up again and again to enjoy the crazy happenings at the Funny Farm.
While it was necessary for the ending of the story, the ironic ending of this book annoyed me. It really isn't a great flaw, and doesn't take anything too great away from this story.

What a great book for me to use in our Rotary Club sponsored reading program with Will Rogers School in Altus, Oklahoma. I enjoy reading and making the farm sounds to the 1st grade class. We, (members of the business community), read twice a week to show how important reading is to us. This book is one of my favorites because it gives them a positive experience with a book. Plus, I love to see them smile and hear them laugh!

Kudos to P.E.King and Alastair Graham. This is a perfect marriage of witty words and fantastic art. Just fabulous. Has anyone seen any other books by P.E.King?