Boys Books

I liked this book very much as it focuses on the sterling values of strength, character and wisdom. The book offers a charming and intriguing story with beautiful illustrations that would hold a child's attention, yet create a lasting impression about the importance of making the right choices. Every Grandmother who reads this book will want to purchase it for her grandchildren because it teaches about making choices, and how the inner strength and wisdom of adults is sensed and felt by even the youngest of children. Pork Chops and Applesauce: A Collection of Recipes and Reflections

First of all, I love the name Lisa Bear Goldman. Reminds of my old friend Snowflake Rosen (remind me to tell you the story behind her nickname).

This is a tale of Amadito, a young Native American child who is mocked by his classmates. His mother tries to say the right thing, but is a little busy, maybe overwhelmed, perhaps a touch emotionally tone deaf. Diego, his older brother, gives him the typical older-male, macho advice, retaliation: "Thos kids are bullies. You have to get mad and let them know you can't push them around." Which is part of the solution but only works if you can pull it off. But Amadito tries to "feel the anger" and cultivate his aggression. But it wasn't any authentic response for him and "that sad, heavy feeling still found a home in his heart." His father also counsels him that "you have to be tough sometimes." Amadito interprets- probably correctly- this to mean building "a strong wall around my heart," repressing those true feelings so that you can survive from moment to moment with a minimum of discomfort.

It is his Nana, the Spider Woman, who finally shares some helpful wisdom: "Fear is your own creation" she says, much like Ghandi rallying the masses against the Empire. "When one looks into the nature of a thing, fear usually disappears. It is also true that if there is peace within one's heart, fear can find no resting place inside us."

Easier said than done of course, but a nice introduction into mindfulness training.

Nana looks around in the animal kingdom for examples of maladaptive coping strategies. The ants are the overachievers, too busy to process their pain. The cactus, with its sharp needles, is like the person who channels their pain into anger and bitterness. The clumsy tortoise ambles by, on cue, to remind Nana of "people who build a strong protection around their hearts just as the tortoise has his shell."

Bottom line, be aware of your feelings. Be mindful of how your emotions inform your beliefs and actions, and vice versa. How does one do this: "Look at the small things and then look at the whole world." Ok, Nana might have lost me there a little, but there are many ways for trying to nurture a calm, tranquil feeling inside you, and Nana's is remarkably efficacious for young Amadito.

All in all, a very nice kid's book. Probably an even better grown-up's book. I wouldn't push it, just read it and see how the kid's respond, and choose your level of depth based on them and not your own baggage. If the psychotherapeutic angle is over their heads, that might be fine for the time being. You've planted a seed. That's good for now. The story can also serve as a springboard for discussions on nature, culture, metaphysics, and family.

Lisa Goldman and Amado Peña Jr. have crafted a winner in "Amadito and Spider Woman."
This book was picked as one of the best children's book on the Southwest Books of the Year list by the Tucson-Pima Public Library. It should be in every elementary school library in the country, every guidance counselor should have one on the shelf, and every grandmother and grandfather should pick up a copy to read to their grandkids.
In this thoughtful tale written by Goldman, a young boy seeks advice from family members after being bullied at school. His grandmother eventually provides the answers. She uses parables about the Southwestern Desert to provide the insights that young Amadito needs, and Amadito learns about the wisdom accrued by his elders.
Fans of Peña works will love this book. His distinctive style blends in lovely with Goldman's prose.
Peña told the Tucson Citizen newspaper that it took him nearly four years to do the drawings because he had to follow the story line, that it "took longer to conceptualize than it took to paint it.''
Let's hope there are more Goldman-Peña efforts to come, and soon.

This collection of poems crept under my skin and has stayed there. Much of American Boy is about women---as mothers, as lovers, as the poet's source of pain, passion and inspiration. It is feelings as women long for them to be expressed. The images are haunting and lovely. Because of the format of the collection, the reader experiences the poet's journey through childhood, relationships, and ultimately, gentle forgiveness. After reading and re-reading, I'm recalling verses and lines of poetry that I'd assumed were forgotten. American Boy is an important experience that sticks with you.

Smith has given me more than enough to return to time and again in order to "remember" my own history as an "american boy" growing up. My favorite poem in the collection is "Druid Hill, 1969". In it Smith's language and imagery run at a pace that is at once fluid and choppy, evoking what is the poem's key image: that of a running reel to reel film projector "that Dad won in an Esso sales contest" and that will forever replay fading home movies. This poem has the feel of being a surprise, even to its author--it feels as if it were born whole and perfect, pen never leaving the page until the film had run its course.

This collection of poems crept under my skin and has stayed there. Much of American Boy is about women---as mothers, as lovers, as the poet's source of pain, passion and inspiration. It is feelings as women long for them to be expressed. The images are haunting and lovely. Because of the format of the collection, the reader experiences the poet's journey through childhood, relationships, and ultimately, gentle forgiveness. After reading and re-reading, I'm recalling verses and lines of poetry that I'd assumed were forgotten. American Boy is an important experience that sticks with you.

This book is a must have for fans of the Oak Ridge Boys. It is well written by Joe Bonsall and has many very interesting articles about the group and its history.

If you are an Oak Ridge Boys Fan like I am,you will love this book.

I bought this book last year after one of the Oak Ridge Boys concerts and I'm very happy I did. Joe Bonsall has written a great book, humorous yet moving. It explains how he came to be part of the Oak Ridge Boys and their rise to success. It is chock full of pictures and Joe has penned some witty captions as well. The early days in gospel were very informative; I, for one, had not realized how the group could be a great success in gospel music and still just a step away from starving. The only item the book does not discuss is the discord and subsequent breakup with William Lee Golden for a few years. Given the fact that the quartet is back together again with seemingly no problems now, that's probably wise. I should mention that Mr. Bonsall does not gloss over the fact that Golden was gone and there's a nice tribute to Steve Sanders as well. I enjoyed the insiders look at their concerts plus seeing how they cope with life on the road. Joe Bonsall has written quite a bit about the group and it is all very informative. If you enjoy the Oak Ridge Boys, you'll definitely love this book.

What a nice surprise. The stories here were mostly so hot. This was a good buy. I was a little hesitant, but Any Boy Can came through for me.

I always look forward to John Patrick's new anthologies, and wasn't disappointed with this new book. If your familiar with John Patrick's true life sexual anthologies, you'll know what to expect from this bigger than ever volume of erotic gay stories. There are over 575 pages of hot, and sexy tales in this book, that are a real turn on. There are two bonus books included by Peter Gilbert and John Butler that are not to be missed.

The cover & inside images are always an added treat that I look forward to. There are so many stories I enjoyed in this volume and that's why it gets my recommendation. Be sure & check out John's many other anthologies, like "Fever" & "Taboo." You won't be disappointed!

STARbooks Press announces its summer anthology: "Any Boy Can," with over 575 pages of erotic reading, edited by John Patrick. In addition to the many short tales by popular authors, this volume includes two novellas, one by Peter Gilbert, author of Prowler Press' popular "Campus Confessions," entitled "Young Love (Is a Beautiful Thing)"; and this volume includes a new novella by John
Butler: "The Boy Next Door." Butler is the author of "model/escort" and "WanderLUST," both published by STARbooks Press. The volume also includes a sensational new tale by Leo Cardini, author of the popular book "Mineshaft Nights." Photography is by Suntown Studios, London. This book intended for ADULTS ONLY: Includes Full Frontal Nudity.

I just happened upon this book when I was shopping for manga and thought it looked like a good read. Well, it's a great read! Finally a book in English about Tezuka!

Schodt does an amazing job breaking down Mighty Atom/Astro Boy along with Tezuka. He actually knew Tezuka so he brings a great insight to this work. The images in the book are great as well, especially the color inserts at the beginning of the book. Included are a great index of all the manga and anime episodes, and a character guide with both Japanese and English character names.

If you are a fan of anime, manga, or both, you will want to read this book to know why the two art forms are so popular today, not only in Japan, but all across the world!

I don't think the onslaught of Japanese pop culture would not take fruition if not for the talented work of Osamu Tezuka. He influenced his country men for many generations and his manga books are still published today and are fresh as they were printed over 60 years. The man has left a mark on more artists/animators than Walt Disney ever did. Frederik L. Schodt delves into the framework of this genius who set the blueprint to all manga and anime that we are used to. If not for Osamu Tezuka, I think Japanese manga and anime would be dormant, as with the Beatles a slew of bands followed them, but there was only one Beatles and they will always be standing tall in their heap in the part pop culture as will Osamu Tezuka will be for the Japanese culture, his name is under every breath of new creation that comes from that part of the world and has crossed oceans with his universal ideas and will leave a giant imprint for many more years yet to come. Astro Boy Collection Box Set

You will not believe me when I try to tell you about Osamu Tezuka. He drew over 150,000 pages of manga in his lifetime, more than 700 separate series, and more than 70 anime, films and movies. He was a pioneer every genre, from hard sci-fi to mahou shoujo to adult films. He developed the drawing and animation techniques that still dominate the industry today. Today's greats, from Rintaro to Yoshiyuki Tomino, worked and studied with him. He was a political activist, writing against war, racism, environmental exploitation, medical corruption. He was a national hero of Japan, and under consideration for the Nobel Prize in literature when he passed away in 1989. Astro Boy, Black Jack, Kimba the White Lion, Metropolis, Phoenix, Buddha and Princess Knight are only the best known of literally hundreds of creations which have impacted every corner of the manga world. If you think this sounds like too much for one man to plausibly accomplish in a lifetime, you're far from the only one who finds Osamu Tezuka a little superhuman.

Fred Schodt, author of Dreamland Japan Manga! Manga!: the World of Japanese Comics and translator of Phoenix, Astro Boy and more, was a personal friend of the "God of Comics" and his translator when Tezuka visited America. In his long-awaited Astro Boy Essays, Schodt gives a concise and detailed introduction to the life, influence and significance of Tezuka in the history of Japan and the international comics world. Focusing on Tezuka's best known work, the anti-racist children's classic Astro Boy, it gives efficient, approachable portraits of Osamu Tezuka's life and personality, the atmosphere in Japan during and after WWII and their effect on the manga industry, the nightmarish behind-the-scenes production schedule that birthed Japan's first animated TV series, and the spread of Astro Boy as a Japanese, and later an international symbol of peace, technology, hope for the future, and above all of Japan itself. The rocky history of Astro Boy's American distribution gives a fascinating look at the beginnings of American anime fandom, and how many barriers had to be broken to achieve the comparatively-smooth licensing and distribution system in place today. All the material is presented in a format beginners can understand, but with enough details that even experts will find themselves learning more with every page. The Astro Boy Essays is an invaluable contribution to manga scholarship, and provides a window for American otaku to finally learn about the "God" who made anime what it is today.

For more information about the book, see:
www.stonebridge.com/AstroBoy/AstroBoy.html

For more information about Osamu Tezuka, his life and works, see:
TezukaInEnglish.com

Although I fancy myself a fan of her vampire and witch books, I found that I was drawn in by Maggie Shaynes family of cowboys. Could not put the books down!
Wes is the half brother of the rest of the Brands, but they never treat him like it. He has many skeletons in his closet and it is fun to watch Taylor pull them out. Very believable and well developed story line.
Thank you, Maggie Shayne!

This is a fantastic book, 3rd. in the Brand family saga. As each story is told, we learn more about the Brands, which is fabulous, but without loosing anything about the main couple in each story.

Wes is a half brother to the rest of the Brands. Their father had an affair with Wes's mother a Comanche. Wes was bought into the family by his stepmother when his own died & made to feel a part of the family. But for a long time there was something missing & that was his heritage.

Taylor, like Wes was not bought up in the way of the Comanche. She was adopted when her mother died & bought up with white Americans. Wes & Taylor learn about their heritage with a Comanche shaman, Turtle.

This is turning into one fantastic series of books the more I read each new one. Next is book 4 Ben & Penny's story in "The husband she couldn't remember".

Who of us hasn't, at one time or another, lost trust in those we love most? How we deal with that feeling of betrayal can overshadow our lives. This is the theme of Maggie Shayne's "Badland's Bad Boy"; how to trust, who to trust. Do you receive trust and then return it, or does it have to be given unconditionaly in order that it be returned? Taylor McCoy is a Comanche who was raised in a white society. Given away by her birth mother, lied to by her adoptive parents, she trusts nothing but her own gut instincts. When she is hired to excavate a Comanche site at Emerald Flat, she meets Wolf Shadow who claims to be a spirit from the past. He tells her that she is desecrating sacred ground and must stop. Wes Brand is a half-breed Comanche who has been raised by the Brands. He has become close to Turtle, an ancient shaman, and has learned from him the legend of Wolf Shadow and Little Sparrow. He has dressed as Wolf Shadow, hoping to drive Taylor McCoy from the site. But as he stays close to her, she wins his heart. Should he drive her from the site and save the land, as the old shaman has asked, or should he tell her the truth and betray his friend, Turtle? This is a beautifully, touching story of love in two realms, earth and spirit. Maggie Shayne has delved into the dark recesses of man's troubled psyche, pulling forth the emotions he conceals, exposing them to the light of truth.

just the way I like em. All gay stories, all well written. Mostly pushing the boundaries, but not all the way. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a good hard tantalizing read.

In this day, a collection of short stories dealing with the sexual interaction between adult men and teen-aged boys is always a dangerous undertaking. But the authors approach the subject with humor, sensitivity and remembered insight of how it felt to be "of that age" ie: emotionally half formed, physically adult but restricted by the conventions of society at large.

What's legal in one place and time, Patrick points out in his introduction, is often forbidden in another, and some of the boys in the stories collected here would be offbase in more conservative jurisdictions. Generally, though, the stories are of older teens, and while the boys are always young, they are rarely innocent. Hustlers and porn stars turn up in a surprising number of tales, though with more than 500 pages of stories, guys who prefer the shy, boy-next-door type will find some pieces to please.

Don't miss out on one of the best memoirs ever written. Herman I. Neuman tells about his early memories of Nazi Germany, the terrible post-war poverty, the cruelty of whippings administered without love and about his and his brother's abandonment by their father and the judicial system of Germany. Later, as teens, they were lured to America under the guise of escaping the abuse only to be separated and turned into slaves at their uncles' farms.

But, the most compelling story begins after these two young victims escaped their bondage and dug deep into their own souls for the strength and courage to pursue better lives and achieve educations without the benefit of counseling, financial aid or help from anyone. This is a story of triumph over unspeakable hardships. This is about heroes.

Carol Kluz is the coauthor of suspense: Countermeasures and Perilous Summer under the pseudonym of Carol Randy. She is the author of epic fantasy, The Prophecy Unfolds, The Prophecy Unfolds: Volume II and The Agents of Kedra.

"Bastards, Bitches, and Heroes" touched me on so many profound levels that I am in the process of sending copies to friends. It is not a wallow for sympathy but rather, a bemused sardonic narration of survival. It is told in the most palatable way possible to enable those who will to see and understand. It enables us to handle the pain. Those who cannot or will not identify with the times in which the author lived still have an great read to look forward to. Mr. Neuman's book is told form a prospective we seldom see, but need desperately to remember. I am grateful for his sharing this harrowing and eventually triumphant memoir with us. That he has, has brought a new dimension and appreciation to my life. This book belongs in every school and in every home. Too many generations have forgotten the horrific price war exacts from the innocent. In every way, this is an important book through the eyes of a survivor. My grateful thanks to Mr Herman I Neuman for taking the incredibly difficult task in hand; to remember and share this book with us.

This book is groundbreaking in the sense that it departs from the genre of wallowing in and consuming the emotionality of dire wartime experiences--all too common in books set during World War II--and transcends to a new level of intellectual understanding. The interweaving of ironic asides with a fascinating plot keeps the reader on edge as to "what will happen next" while sparing him or her the feeling of being emotionally manipulated. This book offers something of interest for all.

By now I think we've established that I am quite fond of Sean Bryan and Tom Murphy's unique brand of picture books. And, yes, they are all similar. But I'm still going to review A Bear and His Boy (2007) because I'm thorough that way.

Unlike the first two books in this series, this one is unsurprisingly about a bear who wakes up with a child attached to his head instead of the other way around. Unfortunately for Zach (the Boy), the Bear (Mack) has no time for such frivolity as he immediately tells Zach:

"I've got no time to slack. I'm looking at my schedule, and it is jam-packed."

Being stuck to Mack's back, Zach has little choice but accompanying Mack on his myriad errands as he buys slacks, and accepts a plaque, among other things. The more he sees Mack running around, the more Zach knows he has to speak up. Finally, at the end of the book, Zach reminds the bear that there is more to life than errands and schedules. Sometimes you just need to take a moment to relax. No matter how busy you are. No matter who is attached to whom.

Like the previous installments in this series, the entire novel is written in rhyme which creates a lot of fun combinations throughout the story (flapjacks and slacks are my two favorites). Once again this story is just different enough to keep the premise fresh and unique.

The story again ends with a reference to a new character, this time Mack's friend: A giraffe named Ned with a girl on his head which, I can only hope, means this dynamic duo will have a new installment out soon.

Charming series overall but this is the hands-down fav in our house. Witty and wonderful. Can't wait for the 4th installment...

I first bought "A Girl and Her Gator" because the girl in the book is Claire, which is my granddaughter's name. When I found out it was second in a series, I purchased the first book, "A Boy and His Bunny," and have now purchased the third book, "A Bear and His Boy." My granddaughter loves these books. She has her mom read them in order each night. They are very humerous and the illustrations are wonderful. Each book ends with an idea of what is next to come. We can't wait for the next book to come out!

This book is adorable. Our six year-old loved it after hearing it at school, so we ordered our own copy. Highly recommend it.

This book is great! It's about a boy who gets a plant grown in his belly button. At first, he didn't want anyone to know, but then he wanted help. Read the book to find out what happens. It's AWESOME!

This is a simple, fun book. My kids are 8, 6, 4, and 2. All of them love this one and I do to. Helps to stress the importance of washing in the hard to get places, with humor. Rhyming text is creative and I really like the cross section of the offending belly button. Layers of lint, loam, topsoil etc. with a seed at the bottom. Now use your imagination!