Epinions.com - gobbysreviews's profile

My reviews of... Children's Picture Books... Adult Books... Movies... All my reviews...
Children's Books...
	Bill Peet: An Autobiography - written & illustrated by Bill Peet. Remember the cute mice and the rotten, mean cat, Lucifer, in Walt Disney's movie Cinderella? Did you know that Merlin, the wizard in Walt Disney's movie, The Sword and the Stone, had a personality very much like Walt Disney's? (Walt Disney didn't have a beard, but did you ever notice Merlin's nose?) Guess who wrote the screenplays (yes, even cartoons need manuscripts) for The Sword and the Stone and 101 Dalmatians? [also, see below, Cock-a-doodle Dudley Cowardly Clyde Hubert's Hair-Raising Adventure]
	Summer Reading Is Killing Me! - by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith. A chapter book in the Time Warp Trio Series. I've got to hand it to him. Jon Scieszka has, once again, sneakily (is that a word?) slid all kinds of information and ideas into a book kids will really enjoy reading. In an interview with Karin Snelson at amazon.com, he said, "Having been a teacher, I sneak in all kinds of history and science and math and magic tricks and jokes and stuff I think is fun just in the hopes that someone will find it--just sort of discover it. And the best teachers do help readers discover things." Reading level: 9-12 years old
	Golem As a child, did you ever have trouble with bullies? Okay, I have to admit it. The 8 year old child in me loves this picture book! It's my kind of story. Golem, written and illustrated by David Wisniewski (pronounced Wiz-ness-ski), is a terrific story. The bad guys finally get what's coming to them! What child hasn't wished, at one time or another, that he or she had a friend who,by size alone, could keep the bullies at bay?
	Kat Kong Add this to your Laughter Therapy list! Kat Kong written and directed by Dav Pilkey If you've ever seen the movie King Kong, your enjoyment of this hilarious "movie", Kat Kong written and directed by Dav Pilkey, will be doubled, or tripled, or whatever! Dav (pronounced Dave) Pilkey has put together another laugh-filled book with this spoof of King Kong.
Children's Picture Books...
	Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born A gift of love from Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born by Jamie Lee Curtis, illustrated by Laura Cornell... Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born is a gift of love from Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell to all children--not only adopted ones. After reading Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born, you'll have that warm and fuzzy feeling created by words of love from Jamie Lee Curtis's pen, and a goofy smile because of Laura Cornell's artwork.
	What's Heaven? What's Heaven? Heartfelt answers from Maria Shriver for you & your children... What's Heaven?, written by Maria Shriver and illustrated by Sandra Speidel, is a story for children, but it's not a Roman Catholic explanation of death and dying. Young Kate is asking questions, and sometimes offering her own explanations, about heaven, souls, and funerals because of the death of her great-grandmother.
	Olivia Olivia...# 4 on Publisher's Weekly Children's Bestseller's List! (Nov. 2000) No matter what anyone tries to claim, parents are NOT dumb! They know a good thing when they see it. That has to be the reason why 250,000 copies of Olivia, written and illustrated by Ian Falconer, will be in print by January 2001. Can you believe that? Olivia, Ian Falconer's first children's book, was just published on October 1, 2000. The response to it has already convinced the publishers that they can sell a quarter of a million copies. Wow! Unbelievable! Until you see this book.
	Golem As a child, did you ever have trouble with bullies? Okay, I have to admit it. The 8 year old child in me loves this picture book! It's my kind of story. Golem, written and illustrated by David Wisniewski (pronounced Wiz-ness-ski), is a terrific story. The bad guys finally get what's coming to them! What child hasn't wished, at one time or another, that he or she had a friend who,by size alone, could keep the bullies at bay?
	Kat Kong Add this to your Laughter Therapy list! Kat Kong written and directed by Dav Pilkey If you've ever seen the movie King Kong, your enjoyment of this hilarious "movie", Kat Kong written and directed by Dav Pilkey, will be doubled, or tripled, or whatever! Dav (pronounced Dave) Pilkey has put together another laugh-filled book with this spoof of King Kong.
	Cock-a-doodle Dudley, written and illustrated by Bill Peet for kids 4-8 years old, is a tale about real friendship and the extremes friends will go to, to show they care. A little "scraggly-tailed runt of a rooster" named Dudley lived on a farm with his friends. They were nice animals, friendly and neighborly, just like Dudley, but they weren't too smart. Somehow they got the idea that Dudley's crowing was magical. They actually believed that unless Dudley crowed, the sun wouldn't come up in the morning.
	Cowardly Clyde, a comedy for kids, written and illustrated by Bill Peet for youngsters 4-8 years old, is a tale about real bravery... Bill Peet's recipe for a rollicking tale: 1. Gather together: • a young, fearless knight, Sir Galavant • his fearful war-horse, Clyde • a fear-inspiring "giant owl-eyed ox-footed ogre, nearly as big as a barn." 2. Place them together in a bucolic English country-side 3. Stir in frantic farmers trying to flee... Cowardly Clyde is a delightful, tongue-in-cheek serving of silliness for you and your child. From the gentlemanly, but not too bright, Sir Galavant's sense of fair play, to the finale of the fight in the forest, the fun never ends.
	Hubert's Hair-Raising Adventure, written and illustrated by Bill Peet for kids 4-8 years old, is a rousing romp for kids that lets them know that an embarrassing situation is NOT the end of their world as they know it! "Hubert the Lion was haughty and vain And especially proud of his elegant mane. But conceit of this sort isn't proper at all And Hubert the Lion was due for a fall." And so begins Hubert's Hair-Raising Adventure, the first picture book written and illustrated by Bill Peet. It's immediately obvious that something is going to happen to Hubert's elegant mane. Within four more lines, we find out what happened and Hubert's reaction...
Reviews of Adult Books...
	The Wounded Spirit, by Frank Peretti Does being bullied ring a bell? Being a victim is not part of growing up! Bullies are killing our kids! Read this book to find out how YOU can be instrumental in putting a stop to them and the heartbreak they cause families everywhere. The Wounded Spirit by Frank Peretti may be one of the most important books you'll ever read...

New Authors...
James W Huston According to the publisher, James W. Huston, "...is a TOPGUN graduate, flew F-14s as a naval flight officer off the U.S.S. Nimitz with the Jolly Rogers and in the Reserves, taught at The Citadel, and served for several years in Naval Intelligence. He is now a partner at a California law firm...." It sure seems as though James W. Huston has the credentials to know what he's talking about.
	The Balance of Power James W Huston: Balance of Power: Military/Political Action Adventure How would you stop a bully? Would you turn the other check, or smack his? Balance of Power is a first book by a new author. Is it worth reading? Well, that depends on you, the authors you enjoy, and especially your outlook on life.
	The Price of Power James W Huston: The Price of Power: Balance of Power's sequel The Price of Power, by James W. Huston, forcefully reminds us that there's a price to be paid each time we exercise our power to make a decision. We're morally required to accept responsibility for our actions. For every decision we make, there's a consequence. The Price of Power is about the consequences of prior, and future, events.
	Flash Point James W Huston: Flash Point: Military/Political Action Adventure "Terrorism is intended to make us afraid. To make us change our plans, our attitudes, and live in fear," Flash Point suggests a way to change that! What happens if a jihad is declared against us and our allies? Must we sit on our hands and do nothing, or can we respond? Will we respond?
Movies...
	Undercover Blues Stanley Tucci, Dennis Quaid, Kathleen Turner What do Wile E. Coyote, Sylvester the cat, and Stanley Tucci have in common? Do the words tenacityor single-mindedness ring any bells?... This is a funny PG-13 movie. It has a few bad words, no nudity or "Adult" stuff. It's probably fine for most families. It's easy to watch this one over and over.