Who is David Wood? "National Children's Dramatist" or not, I'd never heard of him. But I decided to give "Theatre for Children" a shot based on its subtitle (A Guide to Writing, Directing, and Acting) and positive reader reviews. I was looking for a book that would give me basic tips on getting started and avoiding the pitfalls of writing stage plays for children. There is that sort of information buried in "Theatre for Children", but unfortunately the reader has to wade through such a relentlessly pounding sea of personal anecdotes and name dropping (again, mostly of Mr. Wood's own works and of other people I'd never heard of) that one's ability to salvage such practical information is called into question. This is not a beginner's guide to children's theater, but rather a professional memoir thinly disguised as a "how to" book. The writing style is dense and stuffy -- not "highly readable" as claimed in the cover blurb.

If this book wasn't so darned expensive, I'd be tempted to let it slide. ...(!) I felt I had to give fair warning.

Excellent book! Gives real specifics about playwriting for children, i.e., must have lots of action, lots of "suddenlies", clearly defined characters, etc. Also, how to incorporate audience participation. I was so inspired by Wood's book that I ordered his musicals from Samuel French and directed "Hijack Over Hygenia" for our elementary school production. He is far and away better than most of the stuff you find for children's productions. Since he has experience in writing, directing and acting these plays and musicals (he's written 40!), he brings tons of examples into his book. He's good, he's funny, and children respond to his material. Good section on writing a play snopysis before you write any dialogue. Here's a little dialogue: Rupert: Hello, Squirrel. How are you? Squirrel: Fed up. Rupert: Fed up? Squirrel: Me nose is froze, me teeth are chatter-chattering, me paws are freezing and I keep sneezing. Atishoo! Rupert: (handing her a hanky) Use my hanky. Squirrel: A hanky! Thankee! (She plows loudly into the hanky held by Rupert).

I found the book to be essential to anyone who wants to go into playwriting whether or not Children's Theatre would be your major. It is clearly written, easy (and enjoyable) to read and just a great tool and reference.

This book is filled with good quality color pictures of many projects. It also explains how to make the complicated parts of wind toys. It tells what kinds of wood will hold up, and what kinds of wood will fail. It improved my whirligig designs greatly, and added many new ideas for my new ones. Well worth the money.

I've had this book for a year and am finally making my first project (How the west was lost). IMHO you need to have some woodworking experience to do the projects other than the very simple ones. Making small parts is difficult on all but a scroll saw or bandsaw with a small blade. Step-by-step specific instructions are scarce. Still, I give this book 4 stars because I really like the projects. I also like being able to come up with my own colors and painting rather than paint by the numbers. I can tell you that the materials that they tell you to use for the mechanical parts are right on. Wire is just too flimsy from my experience. Use a photocopy machine to increase or decrease your pattern sizes. Use spray adhesive to stick the patterns on the wood and you'll get the size you want.

Here's a "how to" text that works! WHIRLIGIGS AND WEATHERVANES is beautifully formatted with rich bold photography, clean helpful graphics and clear textual instruction. After reading Paul Fleischman's WHIRLIGIG, I wanted my students to share the experience of the novel's protagonist, 16-year-old Brent Bishop, who must build four whirligigs. Brent finds a used book that gets him started. It's simple, clear and useful, and it provides the basic skills and knowledge Brent needs to create his own inspired inventions. I discovered WHIRLIGIGS AND WEATHERVANES while searching for a very similar title Fleischman used in his story - Make Your Own Whirligigs and Weathervanes - which just MAY be an invention inspired by Schoonmaker and Woods's text!) My husband and I are now finishing OUR first whirligig - "Soul of the Woodworker" - incorporating a profile of my husband's head and a silhouette of my left hand! Instructions are found on pp 44-5!

After seeing one of his pictures in another book I decided to see what this photgrapher was all about . My mistake. I'm not a photography expert but Mr. Vance's photos are minor league compared to the true greats of male nude photography such as Robert Mapplethorpe. The choice of development style is interesting until about the 3rd picture, where it starts to wear on you very quickly (only the rest of the book to go). His choice of poses is also very tiring, utilizing mostly full body shots of people doing who knows what. "Here's a guy leaning against a tree. Here's a guy doing a handstand. Here's two guys by a tree..." Lame. If all you are interested in is "Naked!" men (note the book review above), a subscription to Playgirl would be much cheaper. If you want truly great art, the better artists have works which aren't much more expensive. Two stars, though. There were still a few good shots...

Vance is just a genius. The form of his pictures and figures cascade with awe on every page. Mystery and beauty splash every page.

I purchased this collection of photgraphs entitled "The Woods" not long after its publication because I was mesmerized by the subtle beauty and sensuality of its cover. Turning its pages lured me into a world of evocative illusion where simple poses in simpler surroundings generated a genuine magic. Shortly after I moved, I had occasion to come across the book again while unpacking. Once again, I looked through it and was reminded of Mr. Vance's incredible eye and the power and beauty he conveys in this work. I look forward to sharing in his future vision.

This book caters to people who want to make art rather than basic functional houses to attract wild birds. I just wanted a book where I could get plans for a variety of bird houses that I could make with simple hand tools. I was also looking for more info on the particulars of what species are attracted to a particular type of structure. Sure, the houses in the book are great but I didn't want to make a log cabin or a post-modern art-deco bungalow. I just wanted to learn how to make a few basic houses and learn how to attract and feed wild birds. I had to send the book back.

After building every house in this book I wanted more. I went in search for something that would give me as much pleasur as this book. I've paid as much as 100 dollars and now have 8 books. What a waste!!! The plans in this book are easy to read and follow and are one of a kind bird houses. please Bruce and David don't leave us hanging.

When I picked this book from the shelf I was immediately entranced by the extraordinary illustration of an elephant named Elmer. It wasn't so much that I thought my daughter would enjoy the read, I knew I would. Elmer is a character that I'd never encountered before, but the idea of a patchwork elephant struck me as simple but brilliant. Anyway, last Wednesday evening my daughter became the testing ground for this work. She was delighted the moment the book was opened. On the first page we see our patchwork elephant against the backdrop of rainbow colours. And what is he thinking? You can tell from the gorgeous red hearts which represent his thoughts that he is truly in love with colour. His colourful and amusing journeys, which would delight any child, include seeing a snowman, balancing fruit on his trunk and eating a popsicle at the beach. This book can be enjoyed by a very young child with the attention getting colours and shapes and by the same child when they later reach the reading stage. Having read Elmer's Colours I've now determined to track down the other titles in the series.

Elmer's day is a wonderful book for toddlers. My son loves this book because he can "read" a word on every page. Elemr looks different from normal elephants with his multi-colored skin, however many ordinary-looking elephant are also depicted. I think that although this book will not be a favorite for a long time, it is great for 1 1/2 years olds because they like the simple drawings, bright colors, and the familiar context.

Chicago's Wild Onion, Ltd. is an investigative and security firm consisting of a lawyer and a private detective. Duggan and Kirsten are also happily married to one another except when she feels the restraints of their matrimonial binds. Those feelings often lead her to do flaky things.

Kirsten accepts the case of twenty-four-year-old Eudora Ragsdale, mother of twins, accused of absconding with $2000 raised to save Emerald Woods from developers. The case seems almost trivial until someone tries to kill Kirsten and her spouse. Another individual follows Kirsten until he is found murdered. It appears as if an unknown assailant will kill to insure plans for Emerald Woods are carried out, leaving the Wild Onion team to uncover the identity of the murderer before they are added to the count.

Well-written environmental mysteries are somewhat rare, but THE END OF EMERALD WOODS is an excellent example of what the sub-genre offers. Edgar nominee David J. Walker creates a fine mystery in his latest Wild Onions installment. However, as usual it is the intriguing married couple conducting business that turns this novel into a winner.

Harriet Klausner

This book gives a good introduction to argumentation theory and its twists and turns over the course of its existence. I found it helpful to get started, especially coming from a completely different field. It gives the essence of Toulmin and Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca but I would have liked to see a bit more on Austin and Searle.But then again the references mentioned are very extensive and can be followed up. All in all a good book if a bit pricey for students (whatever happened to the paperback cover?)

This book is intended for an intermediate learner of Lingala, a lingua franca spoken along the Congo River by as many as 15 million people. It is the dominant language in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo and a city of as manay as 5 million people. The book consists of two stories, written in Standard Lingala, and one short play written in Kinshasa Lingala. The Lingala texts are on the left pages and are "paralleled" by an English translation on the right pages. The two standard texts are printed with all seven vowels and with tone markings. The book includes a 25-page introduction with notes on the origins of Lingala, its dialects, and some grammatical notes. The stories are rooted in the transitional culture of the 1950's and 1960's and show the struggles of two men with the outgoing colonial and early independent governments. There is also a set of cassette tapes available on which all three texts are read at a somewhat slow but natural speed.

[Note: Gary Chapman is not a co-author of this book; Fulbert Akouala, however, is acknowledged as a major contributor.]

Stunning photographs, great gift idea. Full of interesting facts about one of our country's most beautiful museums, in our most beautiful and underrated city