REVIEW FROM ForeWord Magazine, May/June 2003:

Children love hearing true stories. They are often more surprising than fiction. In this embellished true story, a homeless chicken and a black cat meet, become friends, and find the chicken a coop.
Columbus the cat brings Henrietta the chicken home to his family-a mother and her daughter, Katy. Although Katy's mom allows the chicken to stay, they have no coop, forcing the distraught chicken to roost in the trees. "If I survive the night," Henrietta wails to the cat, "where will I lay my egg in the morning?" Columbus tells her not to worry: "In the morning, I'll show you my secret passageway, which will lead you into a new world."
Columbus shows the chicken how to use the cat door and invites her onto Katy's bed, where she lays her egg. Katy hides the eggs at first, fearing her mother's reaction, but the story twists again, concluding with Henrietta getting her very own quilted coop.
The author is an educator and animal enthusiast; this is her first children's book. The story follows the true experiences of her neighbors in Northern California who had a pet chicken that actually used the cat door and laid her eggs on the little girl's bed. Told in a casual way, the story is more believable and entertaining because it is based in reality.
The illustrator lives and works in the Scottish Highlands but captures the lush colors and landscapes of the rainy California area. Using details such as printing "Mendocino Children's Choir" on the back of Katy's pink jacket, he brings the story to life. His patchwork paintings offer a memorable picture of a family learning to include a chicken.
Animal lovers will enjoy the friendship between the cat and the hen. All readers will appreciate the creative problem-solving skills of the animals and the warm welcome Katy and her mom gave them. Sometimes true stories really are the most amazing.
Anna Stewart

Based on a true story of a girl's pet hen who would sneak into the family home through the cat door and lay an egg on the child's colored quilt, The Chicken Without A Coop by Kathleen Cameron is a charming picture book about the plucky Henrietta the Hen who, when left behind by her human family, befriends Columbus the Cat and his young owner Katy. Simple and inviting color illustrations by John Wilson add a special touch to this heartwarming story of acceptance.

I am a teacher so I am always looking for new books to add to my collection. This is my new favorite and my students too! I look for engaging stories that spur discussion, "Chicken Without a Coop" definetly foots the bill. Just the title got my students going. I think it is a classroom must for any teacher who likes books that can easily support critical thinking skills,it's great for prediction skills too.

As a 3D AutoCAD instructor, I am delighted with this book and as a textbook! My students are successfully able to 3-D model most objects, independently, without emphasis on step-by-step directions. Althrough this book provides step-by-step instructions as Chapter exercises; primarily, each Chapter explains the variety of modelling usages for surfacing and creating solids. This book guides the student with alternatives to solving 3-D modelling techniques.

I find that anyone wishing to learn 3D and solid modeling should read,"3D Modeling in AutoCAD" by John E. Wilson. The book takes one from UCS positioning and rotation, to isometric projected drawings in no time. Watching your solid model drawing evolve after reading several chapters, gives one a sense of confidence. Not to mention, a better change of landing that autoCAD job.

This book by John E.Wilson provides answers for a reader at any level of expertise. It gives you clear examples of useful problems instead of dwelling on obscure ones. All options of a command are shown and explained so you really learn to use the software to full advantage. I really like the detail because I can now pick up the other areas I never understood. I especially like the chapter on rendering and applying textures. I tried some of the examples and the rendered parts look real, especially the transparent ones.

Baseball America's Almanacs are a great resource to revisit the past season from MLB, minor/independent leagues, and college baseball. Also has the MLB draft picks by teams. Overall, a nice book/almanac to have around!

There are several good sports almanacs available including the Sports Illustrated and ESPN almanacs. They both give comprehensive coverage to all major sports. This almanac, however, is a must if your major interest baseball because it not only gives in depth coverage of the major leagues, it also covers the minor leagues, college and even high school. The beginning of the book includes historical stats and records. Then, each individual team is covered in depth. This is a great resource and since, the media do not cover the minor leagues in baseball as they do colleges in football and basketball, this almanac is a great reference as to who the up and coming young stars are.

I get this book every year and study it cover to cover. Baseball America does a fantastic job covering all the little things about the past baseball season. It has a great year in review section and compiles its own first and second team all stars. It also has a comprehensive listing of the minor league, college and high school season. There is an incredible amount of stats in this book that one could study for hours upon hours. This is a must have for any baseball fan and stat-head like me.

I have a house under construction and I need information on windows types, heating and cooling appliance options as well as insulations. This book is over 5 stars. I borrowed a copy from a library and am planning to buy one for reference collections.

This book covers both the house itself (insulation, windows, etc.) as well as appliances, furnaces, and lightbulbs. Written in 1999, it lists major appliances, windows, furnaces, boilers, and air conditioners by brand name and model number in table format showing the energy ratings of each one. This saves you the time of running around town or making dozens of phone calls to collect this info.

It also explains all the information contained on energy labels when you go shopping. In particular, I found the section on windows most beneficial. It details what tests are done to obtain the ratings, which tests are most relevant and which ratings you should pay particular attention to, as there are several ratings on each window.

It also was bold enough to say which things you should be spending your money on and which things are nice to have but not absolutely necessary.

I bought this book from amazon for research into healthy houses and I skimmed it for my deadline. I'm reading it closely now. Well written, easy to read, detailed, comprehensive. Even if you haven't a speck of money for new appliances, much less a new heating system, you can save money on energy. It's small--you can fit in your bag to take to the appliance store, but it's packed with stuff. Well worth the price.

In 1900 James Weldon Johnson, and his brother J. Rosamond Johnson, wrote a song for a chorus of five hundred black school children, in Jacksonville, Florida, to sing in celebration of Lincoln's birthday. The song was originally published by mimeograph, and intended only for that year's remembrance of President Lincoln. Yet, the black school children of Jacksonville kept singing. ...and because the song reflected the truth of the black experience in America, the chorus swelled from five hundred to millions of voices. Today "Lift Every Voice and Sing" is alternately referred to as the "Black National Anthem"

Deeply patriotic, and clinging to a vision of an America healed of the scourge of racism, the brothers Johnson answered Francis Scott Key's anthem with realism, pathos, and hope. Whereas Key's song speaks of the external, military enemy, the Johnsons' chorus speaks of the more insidious internal enemy of racism. Whereas Key wrote of liberty already won and now demanding defense, the Johnsons wrote of liberty delayed, eventually promised, seen, but not yet fully acheived.

In this anthology, the editors give us an history of this deeply moving piece of music, and a chronology of its authors. They also give us one hundred short reponses to the song -- almost meditations -- by Americans of every skin hue. Finally, the text includes a pictoral display of the 20th century, American, black experience which is a treasure in and of itself.

This is more than a coffee table book. This is a book for all Americans to read and re-read: for in this text are planted the seeds of tolerance and understanding which our nation so desperately requires.

Julian Bond and Sondra K. Wilson have blazed a trail in editing this book. Mostly well-known Americans, but also some hidden gems, share with the reader what the Johnson brothers' song means to them.

And it means a lot to a cross section of Americans. One friend noted that if you read the book in one setting, as she did, you get a clear sense of how African American families taught their children to be revolutionaries. These children were taught about their history, and they were given the tools to dream and do something about their future. They had no choice; they had to march on until victory was won! And they did, from shacks in Mississippi, middle-class homes in Chicago and upper-class environments in Hollywood (where they often still could not get a decent meal in a restaurant), they were taught to fight for their freedom. They marched on--on buses, at "white only" lunch counters, over bridges with dogs and police daring them to cross,down lonely country roads with the KKK looking on--and though hundreds of marches, they fulfilled the dreams of their ancestors.

One of the real treasures of the book, besides the wonderful essays, is that one gets the sense, through exquisite historical photos, of how broad the African American experience is and continues to be. There are poor black women chopping cotton, and black men being killed. But there are also photograpshs of young black women on horseback in the 1950s, muslim women at a mosque, photographs of Muhammad Ali, James Weldon Johnson and his wife looking lovingly at each other, proud black women on their way to church and young children all dressed up to perform in some special show for their parents. These photos give you a sense that despite the hardship, we might be making some progress--that the race is okay and might survive.

I would like to thank Bond and Wilson for sharing with us the best of our culture. As one NY Amsterdam News' reviewer noted, "If you breathe, you should buy this book." It is a perfect gift for any occasion.

I admit that I intended to purchased this book simply because my grandmother, Jeanne Belle Osby Goodwin is one of the featured 100 voices. But as I read through some of the other essays, the song and the thousands of voices that I have heard sing its choruses filled my heart and mind with such glory. This book became a must have book for my loved ones. "Sing a song full of the hope..." We are a people of many trials and tribulations. This song, and the written words of the 100 serve as potent reminders that we can,do and will persevere- to sweet victory!

All the letters and stuff were pretty boring to read. And the suicide attempt scene is probably the most horrible thing I've ever read and will scar me for life but this book was actually pretty...good. Especially since I hail from Regina, I reccommend this book to all the Skatchies

This is a great book! I would suggest it for anyone who live in saskatchewan. It shows how much control love has over one man. Enough power to cause him to murder, (...)

It's a horrifying story of a man who gains to much power in the mounties and kills his wife. If your from Saskatchewan, the places in the book are all close to home and give you a sense of realism.

The sonnet is one of the more difficult-to-write forms of poetry, with very strict rules on rhyming and lines, and that makes Shakespeare's collection of sonnets all the more impressive. Shakespeare sprinkled his various plays with poetry and songs, but there is something of a different flavor to these works.

Titleless, identified only by numbers, these poems have vivid metaphors and imagery ("let not winter's ragged hand deface," "gold candles fix'd in heaven's air"). The tone of the poetry varies from one sonnet to the next; sometimes it focuses on old age, to love that "looks upon tempests and is not shaken," and simple expressions that can't really be interpreted any other way. Some of it is pretty well-known ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?/Thou art more lovely and more temperate") but most of them you won't have seen before.

Even if you're not normally a fan of poetry, the delicate touch of Shakespeare's words is worth checking into. Fantastic.

This edition of the sonnets is one of the most important and the description on Amazon is misleading - It is actually both volumes 24 and 25 bound together so you get the complete set It's hard to find this book so it is a great find in this version

Shakespeare's amazing Sonnets are compiled here in this wonderful volume, a great addition to anyone's bookshelf. If you love Shakespeare, then this is a must-have book.

Folly's father is Ploutos (wealth) who regulates all public and private affairs of mankind (war, peace, military power, justice, assemblies, marriages, treaties, laws, art and science, humour and earnestness...).
This book is full of humour, occasionally pessimistic and sometimes a cynical diatribe against mankind. His principal targets: the Roman Catholic Church, his fellow countrymen, the Dutch, and women. Erasmus was a misogynist.
This book is still not old-fashioned and didn't loose his vitriolic style. By reading it, I still learned a lot about human foolish behaviour.
I recommend the short but impressive work by Stefan Zweig on Erasmus for an appraisal of his public and private life.

You cannot beat this edition, prepared in the early darkness of WW II, for depth, humor, and readability. An outstanding look at the most courageous Renaissance man imaginable.

This is a funny and inteligent choice. Praise of Folly may make us think much more than we might -- if that is possible -- imagine.

I read this when i was a little kid and couldn't bear to give it away when i cleaned out my room because it was such a good story. Very good read and is very entertaining!

If I could choose only one book that impacted my life, it would be Striped Ice Cream. I first read it in elementary school (30 years ago) and find myself reading it again every so often. The characters are so real, and you become involved in what they feel. The mother does a fantastic job of being a single parent to five children during a time (1960's?) when it was neither common or accepted. Inspite of difficult times, the family's strong ties to each other and their fine character would serve as excellent role models for any child today. The main story line is "peppered" with moments of humor and warmth of a close family. The main character Becky, is easy for 3rd & 4th graders to relate to. This would be an excellent story for any child.

I read this book countless times when I was a child and now my 8 year old loves it -- she's now reading it for the fourth time. I vividly remember this story. Despite family hardships and personal sadness, Becky finds happiness in the smallest pleasures--a new dress, spaghetti with chicken and striped ice cream.

Theology begins with and is evaluated on the basis of the cross. All thought about God, philosophy, psychology, politics must begin with the cross or be misdirected. It is in the event of the gruesome cross, unpampered and unhidden by flowers that we see the god-forsaken God suffering and dying. In this event the Triune God is defined: not as all powerful pharaoh or caesar apathetic and unable to feel pain (and thus love) but one who emptied Himself and took on our abandonment - a God who is love. In so doing the cross secondly tells us about our solution. The cure for humanity is not in becoming divine but seeing ourselves as who we are: abandoned, godforsaken, thus one with Him who cried out "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" As a result to rise with Him to new life and reach the fullness of our humanity. A fullness expressed in liberation from the legalism of the law which penetrates all the dimensions of our life including the pyschological and political. Specifically to bring God's future now beginning in Jesus (the Kingdom expressed as freedom) into our present reality by granting liberty to the oppressed.

Moltmann wrote the Crucified God (1974, English translation) in reaction to certain (specifically N. American) misunderstandings of his earlier work, Theology of Hope (1965). Moltmann's chief concern in The Crucified God was to rescue the hope of the resurrection from any confusion with the officially optimistic culture of modern capitalist society. He does this by reminding his audience that it is only the one who is "unsuccessful" and who suffers with the victims of so-called "success" and "power" that is raised by God at the end. Moltmann's treatment of the cross, therefore, is a plea for Christians to enter into the suffering that God has already entered into, and not remain passive or complacent as outside, "objective" (i.e., apathetic) observers of the human condition. If God does not remain above the plane of history dispassionately observing the suffering of the Son on the cross, but is radically "in Christ," involved in and affected by that suffering (God loses an only child!), then we too (as followers of God) must enter into the suffering of our victims (Holocaust, Third World poverty, etc.). In this respect, the cross becomes the critique ALL utopian dreams (socialist, capitalist, facist alike). Resurrection hope is hope for the hopeless, for the crucified ones of this world.

Moltmann has not only boldly reformulated Luther's "Theology of the Cross," but has, in the process, also made an enduring contribution to Political and Liberation Theology.

THE CRUCIFIED GOD brings the question of "Who is God in the cross of Christ who is abandonned by God?" to the center of Christian theology in the 21st century. It is a complex exposition of historical interpretations of the Crucifixion and posits an active God who came into the world in man's historical time through the incarnation and continues to dwell with man and his sufferings in our present historical time. For Moltmann man's time is God's time and vice versa. Moltmann sees hope for the concern of mankind turning toward suffering man through a modern understanding of the Crucifixion and Resurrection taken as a reality of our contemporary lives. The communal shared remembrance of the Crucifixion gives way to communal shared hope of the Resurrection in the acknowledgement of personal responsability in the sufferings of mankind. Moltmann is sensitive to the need to recapture the Judaic background of Christianity in modern Christian theology and offers an interesting perspective on this subject.