This is a most agreeable book, and the fact that its message is a radical one shouldn't put you off in the least.

First, the story. Long ago there was a meadow in which a bunch of horses lived an idyllic life, nibbling the grass here and there and playing in the sun. Mumkin, one of the horses, knows exactly where the best grass is, and shoos any other horse away that tries to move in on his area. This doesn't really bother the other horses, though; the meadow has plenty for all.

One day, though, Mumkin decides to build a fence to keep the other horses away from his precious grass. It's true that doing so keeps him awake at night, worrying about whether someone is going to break it down and sneak in, but eventually he gets to sleep. When he wakes up, though, he finds that everyone else has built fences around their territories, and life, which had previously been carefree, has become intolerable.

Mumkin climbs a nearby hill to try and find his own compound (which he had lost amongst the maze of new fences), and from the height he can no longer see the barriers--only the meadow itself, glorious as ever. He is filled with regret at his actions, and runs back into the valley to tear down his own fence. The other horses follow suit, and the story ends happily.

It is striking, to me, that the moral is quite different from that in most children's books. In most cases, children are invited to share; in this case, we might have expected Mumkin to open the gate to his new compound, and to invite his friends in to enjoy his grass. Instead, we are shown that the fences themselves are what has caused the problem. What's advocated isn't sharing, but a much stronger (and, to me, more attractive) version of community.

I'm aware that, by this review, I've probably turned off some potential readers, and that would be a shame. The book is in no sense a political tract, but is worthwhile purely as entertainment. (It's probably just a curse of mine to see everything politically! Incidentally, I've just looked at the dedication, and Cosgrove salutes "two great men. Together one day in Geneva they tried to see the world without borders of thicket and vine", which makes me wonder if his target wasn't, perhaps, nationalism and the creation of frontiers.)

I'm no expert in assessing readability, but I'd say this is a Level 3 book, which could be read by 8-year-olds, and enjoyed by much younger children who like to read about horses.

Get this book, use it, and change your career for the better!

As an author I find it immensely challenging to do self-evaluation of a work regarding such a delicate subject as slavery and its ultimate tragic and unpredictable consequences. Human degradation and consequential sexual depravation set the scene throughout Part one, Plantation Woman and, as in real life there are no ready solutions.

The intention of Part one is to be an exposé of a side of slavery in the United States heretofore kept secret-sexual relationships between white women and male Negro slaves. Strictly taboo, as a revenge for her husband's own shameful exploitation of young colored female slaves, a Plantation Mistress would sometimes cross the 'color barrier' to find out if a black man could be as 'satisfying' for her as his little 'harem of delight' was for 'Master'.

Part two, (any) Ladies Man, carries the reader through several later generations of the Freeman family and the continuing influences of slavery and prejudice. Handsome, muscular, and blessed (cursed?) with a fatal attraction to white women, the results are often disastrous for more 'adventuresome' Freeman males.

The primary difference in this work and more typical 'erotica' is its powerful story line. Its intention is to be more sensual than sexual although the author certainly realizes the sexual delivery could be offensive to some of the more conservative audience.

Although recognizing a probable bias, the author gives himself highest rating on this work.

One day a large, bright Sunstone falls from the sky and lands in their meadow. The Kith and Kin are fascinated by the stone, but neither the Kith or Kin want to share it with the other. They fight and squabble over possession of it. All the while, Trafalgar True witnesses their fighting and grows sad because of it.

Then Trafalgar True realizes what he must do: he must return the Sunstone to the sun. So, he begins his rise into the sky when the Kith and Kin find their Sunstone gone. At first they accuse the other of stealing it, but one of them notices Trafalgar flying in the sky with the stone in his grasp. Obviously, they know no one could fly to the sun and survive, so they gather in a circle and call for Trafalgar to return. As soon as he does, the Kith and Kin decide it was pointless to fight over the Sunstone; instead, they would share it.

The moral:

"So, when it comes to sharing
With Kith and Kin or you,
Remember what you're sharing
Is the love of Trafalgar True."

Both adults and children will love this book. It's beautifully illustrated by Robin James.