The Ghost of the Grand Canyon (Real Kids, Real Places) Review

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(More customer reviews)Kids really enjoy all of Carole Marsh's books. Beware of factual inaccuracies, though. They run throughout her book series. In this particular book, the kids get off the plane in Flagstaff, AZ to find the air temp at 110 degrees. Welcome to the desert. The only problem is that Flagstaff is at around 7,000' elevation and even in July (the hottest month) the average high temperature is 81 degrees. In fact the hottest temperature ever recorded in Flagstaff is only 97 degrees. So while these books are fun and at the same time somewhat informative, I have found many instances in Ms. Marsh's books where she does not have all her facts straight.
I contacted Ms. Marsh after some of my 4th grade students read her books and found some mistakes. Here is part of her secretary's response: "The one thing that you might want to remind the students, is that the book is a fiction book" Therefore I would be wary of trusting anything presented as factual in her writing.

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Badhat: A Wild Western Legend Review

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(More customer reviews)
After crows destroy his crop, Badhat, a prairie dog, drifts around the wild west. He stumbles upon a small town called Dagnabit. Badhat scares off a gang of gophers, and he becomes a local hero. The town offers him a job as sheriff, and he takes it.
A young prairie dog calling himself The Kid, starts following Badhat around. The Kid wants to be a deputy.
Just when Badhat starts to adjust to the sheriff life, Rumpus and his gang of gophers come up with a plan to run him out of Dagnabit.
This is a hilarious spoof of the western genre. The author has done a wonderful job creating fun characters that kids will enjoy reading. Badhat: A Wild Western Legend is a fast read, just under 130 pages. It reminded me of some of the cartoons I watched as a kid. Reading Badhat was a pure delight.
I would like to thank the author for sending me this copy to review.


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A lone prairie dog named Badhat drifts through the lonely canyons and red rock mesas of the wild and woolly west. He has set out in search of his purpose in life. At every turn, trouble has a peculiar way of showing up unannounced.Ride along on this wild western adventure novel for kids and young adults, and find out why the life Badhat eventually stumbles across is a whole lot more than he ever bargained for!

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Fields and Pastures New: My First Year as a Country Vet Review

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(More customer reviews)I own the hardback copy of this book...actually I have owned it for a few years now. It is one of those books that become a literary treasure in your bookcase. I was so hooked on this book when I first got it, I read it from cover to cover in one day...I just couldn't put it down!
Dr. McCormack in the US can be likened to James Herriott of England. His stories of animals that he treated and the start of his career in the 1960's makes the reader feel they are right along side him assisting in whatever procedure needs to be done to his animal patient.
I am a person of great compassion for animals and as a reader, I was truly appreciative that the love and compassion that Dr. McCormack has for his animal patients shines through to the reader's soul. I laughed with this book..I have cried with this book...I have pulled for the sick animal in this book...I have rooted Dr. McCormack through as he treated tough cases in this book.
There are books about animals and then there are the special books about animals because the respect, compassion from the writer is there and the animal patients become real as one reads along the journey in the book.
If you are a James Herriott fan or an animal lover who is a reader, I highly, and I stress highly, suggest getting this book and reading it!

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The Lightkeepers' Menagerie: Stories of Animals at Lighthouses Review

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(More customer reviews)I thought this was an extremely interesting, informative, historically well-researched, and entertaining account of one group of people whose lives are enriched by their bond with animals, and who value the animals with whom we share this planet enough to help them when they can.

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Elinor De Wire has been writing about lighthouses and their keepers since 1972. During that time she found that hundreds of lighthouse animals wandered into her research notes and photo collection. This book is the story of all these cold-nosed, whiskered, wooly, hoofed, horned, slithery, buzzing, feathered, and finned keepers of the lights.Where else would a dog learn to ring a fogbell; a cat go swimming and catch a fish for its supper; or a parrot cuss the storm winds rattling its cage? Who other than a lightkeeper would swim a cow home, tame a baby seal, adopt an orphan alligator, send messages via carrier pigeons, or imagine mermaids coming to visit?The Lightkeepers'Menagerie gathers together animal stories from lighthouses all around the world, tales of happiness and sadness, courage and cowardice, tragedy and comedy, even absurdity. Sometimes, fur, feathers, and fins tell the best tales.

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Album of Horses Review

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(More customer reviews)I still have my original, well-worn, copy from my days as a horse-crazed pre-adolescent. I remember looking at the illustrations for hours, memorizing every detail of each breed pictured. I don't recall ever reading the text however, and now as an adult who is reading it to my horse-crazed six-year-old girl, I know why! While the descriptions of the various breeds are extremely well-written, it is definitely for older children and adults (if it is to be fully understood and appreciated). There is a lot of fascinating history, chronicalling the very beginnings of many of the breeds but the language and vocabulary is sophisticated and rather esoteric in its tone. And while I can appreciate it now, I certainly understand why I was less than enthusiastic about reading the lengthy text as a youngster.
Nevertheless, The Album of Horses is, and will always be, the definitive volume on the breeds of horses with which we are most familiar. It's a classic!

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How did the Morgan horse get its name? What are the differences between a Belgian and a Clydesdale? Why are the Byerly Turk, Darley Arabian, and Godolphin Arabian so important? Find the answers to these and many other intriguing questions in Marguerite Henry's Album of Horses. The award-winning author of the wonderful stories Misty of Chincoteague, King of the Wind, and Brighty of the Grand Canyon, Marguerite Henry describes in vivid detail the hardworking Shire, the elegant Lipizzan, the spirited Mustang, and many more. Never before have facts about horses been more accessible, and with Wesley Dennis's classic illustrations highlighting every page, this unique collection is sure to be treasured by horse lovers of all ages.

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Brighty: Of the Grand Canyon (Marguerite Henry Horseshoe Library) Review

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(More customer reviews)My father and grand parents started the Wylie Way camp at the North Rim in 1916. The Summer of 1918 was when Brighty became their water carrier and my father and Brighty made several trips a day to a water source 200ft. below the rim. The camp was about 100yds North West from the current Grand Canyon Lodge and held up to 100 people per night at it's capacity. My Grandmother did all of the accounting and was basically in charge of the people and the kitchen, including the ordering of food, cooking and purchases from Z.C.M.I. It was a pioneering effort, to say the least. Dad's encounters with Brighty have become synonymous with early life at the North Rim. Grandfather wrote an article on Brighty for Sunset Magazine and Marguerite Henry based her book on this article. The book is fiction but has some true things such as Brighty crossing the Bridge first and being independant. I'm not sure if Brighty actually was used by Roosevelt but another Burro was used and his name was Ted. Dad used Ted his first summer at the camp. Ted was stubborn so the following summer Brighty was given them by Uncle Jim Owen who had used Brighty off and on in his cougar hunting adventures. Owen was a resident expert who worked for the government culling the cougar population and raising cattle and buffalo. Thanks. M. Krueger

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Brown Sunshine of Sawdust Valley Review

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(More customer reviews)This read-in-one sitting book by the author of MISTY OF CHINCOTEAGUE is presented in both diary format (first person) and standard narrative form (third person). You will be kept on your toes as chapters alternate in style, even switching back and forth in the same chapter. But this lightweight tale introduces readers to the world of mules--their history and unappreciated value. Molly (aged 10-13) acquires a young mule as a suprise, thanks to her father's wise faith in a lean, older mare. Even the local bully grows up to respect both girl and mule. This gently-paced story praises human caring for animals and their loyal service to man. A simple storyline which will appeal to pre teen girls are horse crazy.

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Deer: The Ultimate Artist's Reference: A Comprehensive Collection of Sketches, Photographs and Reference Material Review

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(More customer reviews)This book helped me understand a lot of anatomy questions I had about the beautiful and mysterious form of the deer. There aren't that many reference photos to go off of online and it's difficult to find deer (at least where I live) that will allow you to inspect them up close, so this product was a God-send! This book offers a great collection of images, both photo and drawn, that plainly illustrates the way the legs, head, body, antlers, ears, eyes, nose, and even tail look!
I am also extremely appreciative of the fact that this book does not seem to be targeted towards beginners because it doesn't dally around with simple concepts like 'how to draw circles' or other such nonsense. Any text at all is limited and quick, just the way I like it! Images definitely dominate this how-to book, and I am very grateful for that. I learn best by seeing, not by reading, and hopefully others who purchase this product will also benefit from that design.

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Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools: Tuck into a slice of Andalucían Life Review

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(More customer reviews)If you're looking to experience sunny Spain, and maybe even life in a tiny village tucked in the Alpujarra Mountains, and without leaving home, then CHICKENS, MULES AND TWO OLD FOOLS is the book for you.
Approaching retirement, Vicky and her husband, Joe, one day decide to pack up their bags and leave their comfortable Sussex, England home and settle in the village El Hoya, Spain. It is not long before they come to learn village life is full of surprises and quirky mishaps, and with hilarious culture clashes at every turn. When Vicky and Joe unintentionally find themselves chicken farmers, Vicky says:
"Oh, Please! Our Spanish neighbours already thought we were insane, sitting on the yellow sofa gazing at our flock, letting them hop onto our laps, talking to them."
Whether saved by a mule or sitting at a party table in the middle of the road celebrating a neighbour's birthday (and blocking traffic), CHICKENS ... not only paints a warm, humorous and colourful picture of rural Spain, but also tells of how two zany Brits came to fit right in. Light-hearted and full of sunshine. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

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Perhaps if Joe and Vicky had known what relocating to a tiny village, tucked in the Alpujarra mountains, would really be like, they might have hesitated...

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Young Fredle Review

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(More customer reviews)A gem of tale. I loved the story but I'm afraid that many kids will find it a bit slow.
I'm a dad who likes to read with his kids, so I'm always on the look out for good books. I'm a big fan of Cynthia Voigt. She is an accomplished author who has written many books and won many awards. "Dicey's Song," published in 1982, won the Newbery medal. "Young Fredle" (rhymes with metal) is a modern fable about discovering the wider world. Fredle, a kitchen mouse, lives according to foraging routines and unquestioned rules of survival. A mouse that is sick, for example, is pushed out onto the pantry floor and, from there, the mouse is "went." I don't want to give away too much of the story (partly because there is not much plot), but Fredle finds himself pushed out and he does not become "went." Instead, a strange, scary and wonderful world opens before him.
Why do I say that some kids will find it slow? I went back and looked at kids' reviews of some of Voigt's earlier work. One of my favorites, "Homecoming" gets slammed for its slow pace and simple dialogue. I think Voigt's poignant and richly descriptive style is, frankly, lost on many readers who crave action. That is their loss. "Young Fredle," likewise, may come across as frustrating, especially in regard to Fredle's bit-by-bit comprehension of the wider world. For patient readers, however, a wonderful and heartening ending awaits. I fully expect many readers to give this book three stars, or less, and call it boring. But some of you are going to fall in love with it. Cheers.

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