Henry Price lives in Boston, where his father runs a small toy and map shop. Because of rebellious activities, the port of Boston was closed by the king on June 1, 1774. This hurt commerce and everyone was suffering economically. Despite this, Henry's father had made Henry a new sled for his birthday which fell on December 22, 1774. During the two hour break from school at lunchtime, Henry and his siblings head for the Boston Common with the new sled. They are discouraged to find that thousands of troops are setting up camp there, and the troops block all the best sled runs!

What to do? When Henry sees General Thomas Gage, the British Governer of Massachusetts Colony, Henry decides to speak to him. But first, he and his brothers and sister count the troops, horses, and anything else that the patriots want to know.

General Gage turns to Henry and says, "Let this boy have his words."

After listening to Henry, General Gage says, "I'm a father as well as a soldier for my king . . . ." " . . . I know my own children would like to sled this hill if there were here." "He shook my hand, man to man." "My eldest son is named Henry."

In this fictional story, General Gage tells his troops to allow the children to sled, to clear a good run, and to keep the ice in one pond undisturbed for skating.

The children were able to return again and again. "Because General Gage was a man of his word."

The war started in April 1975, and General Gage was ordered to return to England in October 1975.

The illustrations in the book build from splashes of watercolors with inked outlines and details. The images are done in kaleidoscopic form that suggests movement by the figures.

The author also provides an end note that describes more about the events described here, in order to help create that bridge into interest in American history.

The book is also done in blank verse, which gives the style an elegance and crispness that make it a pleasure to read.

I suggest that you also read the poem, The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, to your child as a follow-on. If the interest continues to build in your family, there are many fine fictional stories about the early days of the American Revolution that you can also read to and with your child.

You should also use this book to reinforce the point that even those who oppose you are usually well-meaning.

Have a good run!

Pasnau takes ancient and modern thinkers and formulates arguments and/or proposals regarding the various areas of the human nature. For instance, Pasnau will take Gilbert Ryle's arguments on the human will and examine them in light of Aquinas. This is merely one brief and small example. The text is very detailed in every issue covered regarding not only what Aquinas thought but also what other various thinkers in the history of philosophy have had to say after Aquinas or perhaps before Aquinas.

The one advantage of this text, it seems, is that Pasnau has written in such a way that the nonspecialist and specialist alike will benefit. As Pasnau claims, "I have tried to write a book that would help the novice, stimulate the nonspecialist, and provoke the specialist." I think he has accomplished this in this work.

The contents of this text include:

I. Essential features
Body and Soul
-the immateriality of the soul
-the unity of body and soul
-when human life begins
II. Capacities
-the soul and its capacities
-sensations
-desire and freedom
-will and temptation
III. Functions
-mind and image
-mind and reality
-knowing the mind
-life after death

There is also an excellent appendix that outlines ST 1a 75-89, and a very nice epilogue titled "Why did God Make Me?"
Everything one would want from Aquinas view of the human nature is commented upon in this text. This is a great secondary text for those who want to gain a better understanding of not only the Thomistic arguments for human nature but also for those other thinkers in the history of philosophy who have written on this topic either in response to Aquinas or of their own accord (those perhaps prior to Aquinas). Thus, this makes for a good secondary reference tool.

How can you beat it? Three of the great classics of World War II in one volume!

Tales of the South Pacific, by James Michener, was a Pulitzer prize winning novel by one of the greatest authors of the twentieth century. Renowned for his detailed research, and for his storytelling ability, Michener has been described with every superlative in the book. This story may be his finest, and served as the basis for the Broadway musical and the movie, "South Pacific." The setting is a tropical paradise; windswept coral isles and the nurses, soldiers and sailors caught up by the war, and the inevitable romances that resulted.

Mr. Roberts, by Thomas Heggen, is the story of a much-loved navy lieutenant juxtaposed against the rigid, incompetent captain of a navy cargo vessel, the "Reluctant," whose duties take her from boredom to tedium and back again with little relief for the crew. The story is anything but boring, however, and the characters are unforgettable. In the movie version, Henry Fonda portrayed the herois Mr. Roberts movingly. The story mixes poignancy with satire, and is both hugely funny and profoundly tragic.

Battle Cry, by Leon Uris (another giant of literature), depicts life in the United States Marine Corps as it was during the great Pacific War. The story takes you from boot training to the foxholes with the fighting Marine Corps, who probably suffered more than any other branch of service in the Pacific in the early to middle 'forties. Faith, hope, and desire are all epitomized in this story, often described as the greatest novel ever written about the Marines.

Anyone interested in those days of Pacific conflict should have this book, unless they already have these three great stories in another form.

Joseph H. Pierre