Billy And Blaze: A Boy And His Horse

Book Description

Billy was a little boy who "loved horses more than anything else in the world." Imagine how happy he was when he got his very own pony for his birthday! From that day on, Billy was seldom seen without his new friend, Blaze.

Riding through fields and woods, Billy and Blaze learned to trust and understand one another -- and to jump over fences and fallen trees with ease. They were a great team, but were they good enough to win the gleaming silver cup at the Mason Horse Show?

This is the first book in the classic Billy and Blaze series. Sensitive drawings and easy-to-read words capture the warmth and gentle understanding between a boy and his horse.

Customer Reviews:

Hoofs and Wheels.......2004-04-27

While women generally ride for pleasure to feel the wind and the movement of the horse beneath, a boys ride is different in that it is the power and speed of the ride that are most dear to him in these chariots of fire, the roar of the engine, the hoofs and the noise of the wheels that inspire their thrill. Boys tend to drive either their horses or their cars to see the height of their power, and whether the beauty of black or the silver shine of white, the joy of the command lies in the skill of the rider and the knowledge of his horse, or his engine, a sight that most can appreciate, understand, and admire.

Start here.......2004-03-07

for fun and adventure.

The Billy and Blaze series is great fun. Young boys, even those not interested in horses, will love these books. My 7yo has never had an interest in horses (he thinks they smell bad) but he hangs on to every word of these adventurous stories.

A wonderful, wonderful set of stories..........2000-02-24

I read these books as a little kid... The illustrations are incredibly beautiful and lifelike, and the stories are equally enjoyable. Billy and Blaze's adventures would capture the heart and mind of any child -- or even adult! - with their emotional strength and superb literary quality. I can't recommend these books highly enough... every one of them.

A beautifully written and illustrated children's classic.......1999-07-10

All of the Billy & Blaze stories were among my favorites as a child; I'm so glad they are available again. The illustrations alone make these stories classic children's literature!

Great story of a child relating to an animal.......1999-06-10

I grew up reading the entire series of the Blaze books by C.W. Anderson and they have become favorites of my children. Billy loves his pony, and his pony loves him. There is a mutual respect that only love can inspire. Apart from the story, Anderson is a consumate illustrator.

Cimarron Rose (Billy Bob Holland, Book 1)

Average customer rating:

Drop the vietnam verbage
Texas' Lone Ranger
Burke begins a new series set in Texas
Great Mystery Novel
Trapped In A Country Song

Cimarron Rose (Billy Bob Holland, Book 1)
James Lee Burke
Manufacturer: Hyperion Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0786862580

Amazon.com

Billy Bob Holland, the protagonist of Cimarron Rose, is an attorney in the dusty Texas town of Deaf Smith. An ex-Texas Ranger (cop, not ball-player) who mistakenly killed his partner during a drug bust, Holland is jolted from his brooding when his estranged illegitimate son is accused of the rape and murder of a party girl. He takes the case, of course, and things get complicated mighty quick. On a hunch only a father could believe, Holland is sure his son is being railroaded. Doggedly pursuing the truth, he runs afoul of sadistic cops, a powerful family, and the euphoniously-named Garland T. Moon, a feral thug with something to hide. Luckily, the folks on his team are just as tough. Burke's book isn't gritty realism--Holland's dead partner visits him often--but the characters ring true in a weird way. They are quirky and appealing, and even the criminals make good company while the whodunit unfolds.

Book Description

Texas attorney and former Texas Ranger Billy Bob Holland has many secrets. Among them is Vernon Smother's son, Lucas, a now-teenaged boy about whom few know the truth -- Lucas is really Billy Bob's illegitimate son. When Lucas is arrested for murder, Billy Bob must confront the past and serve as the boy's criminal attorney.

Billy Bob knows the propensity of the town, Deaf Smith, Texas, to make scapegoats out of the innocent and to exploit and sexually use the powerless. During Lucas's trial, Billy Bob realizes that he will have to bring injury upon Lucas as well as himself in order to save his son. As a result, Billy Bob incurs enemies that are far more dangerous than any he faced as a Texas Ranger.

With the same electric language and hard-edged style that brought James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux novels to the forefront of American crime fiction, Cimarron Rose explodes with a new, evocative setting that will establish Billy Bob Holland as James Lee Burke's next great character.

Customer Reviews:

Drop the vietnam verbage.......2007-05-07

I have read quite a few of Burkes books and am getting a bit bored with his reference to vietnam and LQ in all his Billy Bob books. Like the characters though and will continue to read James Lee just ready for another plot line will try Whit Dove next

Texas' Lone Ranger.......2006-02-28

Defense attorney Billy Bob Holland is an ex-Texas Ranger who has taken a murder case where the chief suspect is his illegitimate son. But this isn't a simple plot; it involves his father and his great grandfather's diary as well. The past also haunts him literally-in the form of L.Q. Navarro. As a Ranger, Billy Bob accidentally killed his partner and friend. Periodically L.Q. appears to Billy Bob and offers him advice. The intricate plot and fluid writing definitely draw you into the Billy Bob's world in Deaf Smith. For instance, there isn't just one villain; the novel is full of unsavory characters. I fell in love with the lyric images floating from the pages and atmosphere, but I have to admit the ending was a bit confusing.

Burke begins a new series set in Texas.......2003-09-13

Fans of James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux/cajun cop series now have a new series with Texas lawyer Billy Bob Holland. If this had been the first Burke book for me, I would have rated it higher.

The main plot involves Billy Bob defending his illegitimate son against a murder charge in a fishy-smelling situation involving a rich kid deviant with fetal alcohol syndrome and speed on the brain, a former football hero, DEA officers, and a sociopath named Garland T. Moon.

The inner plot involves Billy Bob wrestling with ghosts and demons from his past, namely private conversations he has with his old partner from their Texas Ranger days. There is also some mystery surrounding the death of Billy Bob's father in 1965.

Burke does an excellent job weaving all of the plot threads together, and the characters are believable. His descriptions are spare and elegant, and he has the ability provide sensory detail in a few short sentences.

One word of warning is that the cast is a rogue's gallery, like other Burke novels, and features a very flawed protaganist, but one we can root for just the same. Still, we're in some dark territory here, and Burke's writing is edgy, graphic and not for everyone.

While the book was well-written, I didn't get enough distance between Dave Robicheaux and Billy Bob Holland, who are essentially the same character. Both are men in their forties who stay in good shape, have father issues, and share similar demons in their past. The same self-righteous attitude was evident in both men. I hope that Billy Bob's voice takes a different shape in future novels of this series.

The other problem is that Burke is starting to recycle some of his details. The wealthy southerners always hold glasses wrapped with paper napkins secured with a rubber band. He's used this one a lot. There's also one where the night smells of fish spawning that's been used multiple times.

Still, this was a gripping read filled with tension on every page that made me want to know what was going to happen next.

Great Mystery Novel.......2003-01-29

If you want a good mystery with Texas flavor and a touch of darkness - this is a great read.

Trapped In A Country Song.......2002-02-25

James Lee Burke temporarily put his New Orleans bayeaux hero Dave Robicheaux on hold to introduce a new series featuring Billy Bob Holland, the haunted ex-Texas Ranger, now defense attorney in the small Texas town of Deaf Smith.

Holland is a hero in the same mold as Robicheaux, the amalgamation of the strong, silent John Wayne stereotype, with enough contemporary angst to place him firmly in the present. Holland is haunted, literally and figuratively, by L.Q. Navarro, his partner in the rangers, who he accidentally shot and killed while battling drug smugglers in Mexico. This could understandably put a strain on most friendships, but Navarro doesn't mind being dead. It's pretty restful to sit around and swap lies without having to bother with mundane facts like earning a living. His role in the book is less avenging spirit and more amiable sidekick.

Rounding out the setup is a son Holland's never acknowledged, a fine boy named Lucas Smothers whose mother died when he was an infant. He's being raised by a harsh and hostile stepfather who's sharecropping on Holland's land.

Unfortunately for Lucas, he was found passed out near the body of his raped and murdered girlfriend, and Holland works to dig out the truth. Arranged against Holland and Lucas are an array of corrupt, evil and just plain psychopathic characters: the son of the town's most powerful family who may or may not be involved in the murder, the corrupt sheriff and his deputies and Garland T. Moon, a wandering psychopath dying of cancer, who came back to Deaf Smith on a mission of his own.

Weaved among the contemporary story is the tale of Holland's great-grandfather, a drunken gunfighter who has since taken the pledge, and his true love, known mostly as the Rose of Cimarron. Everyone once in awhile, Holland takes down the family journal and reads about his ancestor's battle to win his true love's heart and remain a peaceable man despite his conflict with the Dalton-Doolin gang, who have taken root in the caves near his farm and are sending property skidding down by robbing trains, shooting innocent women, letting their hogs run free and shooting wild horses for meat.

It's to Burke's credit that keeps these plates spinning; one is never confused over who's talking to whom and what's happening next. The problem with "Cimarron Rose" lies in the ponderous, carved-in-stone writing, and the utter incomprehensibility of most of the characters' actions.

Burke has a fine talent for creating memorable images, but he lets his pen wander farther than he intends, leading to some very ludicrous sentences. While Holland recalls his father, a welder who died when the natural-gas pipeline he was in exploded, he reflects, "my mother said his vision had become so bad that clarity of sight came to him only when he struck the stringer-bead rod against the pipe's metal and saw again the flame that was a pure to him as the cathedral's bells were to the deaf bellringer Quasimodo."

That's mom, all right, always quoting Victor Hugo.

This is a manly man's book, full of testosterone... and vinegar, where it seems like everyone is savaging everyone else. If Holland is not getting beaten up, his horse is getting slashed, his house ransacked, the new sheriff's deputy who may or may not be fed is getting ambushed, his son's getting drugged, stripped and dumped at the country club, or any one of a dozen acts of mayhem. Put it to music and you've got a country song.

Book Description

You're an angel from heaven, sent down from above,
You're daddy's little boy, to have and to love. . .

The song "Daddy's Little Boy" has been a favorite of fathers and sons -- and mothers, too -- for more than fifty years. In this first ever picture-book version, a caring daddy bear and his little cub bring the moving lyrics to life as they bask in each other's love. The full lyrics and music are included for the whole family to enjoy together.

Average customer rating:

Billy's Boy
Weaker Third Outing For The Sive Clan.
Don't Bother
Wow - and the trilogy is complete!!
New Directions

Billy's Boy
Patricia Nell Warren
Manufacturer: Wildcat Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 096410993X

Book Description

For those who know Warren's previous novels, this is the third in a series. The first, The Front Runner, is about a young gay distance runner who was outed on his way to the Olympics. For those who haven't read The Front Runner yet, Billy's Boy stands alone as a story.

Billy's Boy is a first person story, about a teen's passionate search to know more about his dead gay father, his lesbian mother's past...and his own sexual destiny.

John William, 14, describes himself as "the science geek from hell." He loves astronomy, dreams of exploring the universe as a NASA astronaut. But lately his attention is focused on Earth, his best friend Shawn, and his own awakening body. New in L.A., he hangs out with his straight girl buddy Ana and two Latino club kids, Teak and Elena, that he just met. William is sure he's straight, and he is irritated by Teak's effeminate attitude.

Customer Reviews:

Billy's Boy.......2006-08-05

This is an excellent continuation (end??) of the Front Runner Story. I throughly enjoyed it. The book was in perfect condition. I hope Pat Nell Warren will write another book along this line. She is a superb writer.

Weaker Third Outing For The Sive Clan........2001-10-01

The third and perhaps final chapter that started with "The Front Runner" is a well meaning but average book. Patricia Nell Warren seems to move as effortlessly into the skin of a thirteen year old boy as she did a thirty and then forty year old man. But that's what was also the disappointment to me. Taking the perspective of John Williams, Billy Sive's son, the book felt like an advanced young adult book that subtly conveyed messages of acceptance and tolerance.The strength of the novel is on the chracters we already know like Harlan, and Chino. But this isn't their story, and they're merely supporting characters in John's coming of age drama. Over all I enjoyed the book, it just didn't captivate me like the "Front Runner' originally did, and people expecting that kind of story will be disappointed.

Don't Bother.......2001-07-19

Unfortunately, it goes from good to worse to "don't bother". Skip all sequels to Front Runner. The writing is trite, the stories disappoint, and the books are even worth saving. It's unfortunate, but true. Save your money.

Wow - and the trilogy is complete!!.......2001-07-11

I'm almost sorry that Warren finished her trilogy. It means that the saga is finished. It means I must close the cover on some of my favorite literary characters. It also means that she has accomplished something amazing. She has created a great series of books with lovable characters and nail biting situations that make me want more. Read this woman's books!!

New Directions.......2001-04-11

When I first read "The Front Runner" years ago, I couldn't have predicted were the story would go. Rereading it after reading "Billy's Boy," I can see how far the characters, and we, have come. Billy's story couldn't have been told back then. It takes us into the thoughts, worries, and doubts of a remarkable young man and the remarkable adults who nuture him. We get to see, close up, the effects of stifling religious proscription and the terrible cost it has on those with such a narrow faith. We also get to see how fully secure, responsible people bind themselves together to stand up for their rights. What started out as a simple love story has blossomed into a clear look at created families and the superiority they have, in some cases, to their biological progenitors. I hope the story continues. But, if it doesn't, I hope that Patricia Nell Warren publishes an account of how she wrote "Billy's Boy." It would be especially interesting to find out how her work and advocacy with gay and lesbian youth helped her create the wonderful story she told.

Average customer rating:

A Great Book
Great Golf Book
Another mystical golf novel
Bud Shrake Aces Another One
billy boy

Billy Boy: A Novel
Bud Shrake
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Golf | Sports | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0743227484
Release Date: 2002-09-24

Book Description

There are tough times ahead for sixteen-year-old Billy. After his mother dies, he goes to Fort Worth with his father, whose drinking and gambling leave them all but penniless. Desperate to make a life for himself, Billy heads over to Colonial Country Club, where he hopes to get work as a caddie. He finds much more than he bargained for.

Before long, Billy makes a place for himself behind the privileged walls of Colonial. His attitude draws the approval of an eccentric millionaire club member, while his looks draw the attention of the millionaire's beautiful granddaughter--much to the displeasure of her boyfriend, the club champion. But Billy's run of luck is short-lived, as he confronts the hard realities of the world and of human nature both on and off the golf course. Now, Billy must face down his fears and doubts about where he comes from, where he wants to go, and who he really is. Bud Shrake's Billy Boy is an unforgettable coming-of-age tale of life, love, and beating the odds, set against the far-reaching horizons of the American West.

Download Description

Not since Larry McMurtry's The Last Picture Show has a novelist captured the poignant contradictions of young manhood in the American West the way Bud Shrake does in Billy Boy. And no novel has ever combined history, spirituality and golf into so potent a triumph of the human spirit. There are tough times ahead for sixteen-year-old Billy. He's just come to Fort Worth with his father, Troy, after the death of his mother back in Albuquerque. Troy's drinking and gambling will leave them all but penniless, and he'll soon move on and abandon Billy in this strange town to fend for himself. With only a vague idea of how he's going to live, Billy heads over to Colonial Country Club, where he hopes he can get work as a caddie and where he just might see his hero, Ben Hogan. What he finds there, under the watchful eye of his guardian spirit, teaches him unforgettable lessons about golf, life, love and honor. In Billy Boy, longtime novelist and screenwriter Bud Shrake takes us back to the early 1950s, in a story thick with the Texas dust. Hardscrabble Billy, tough as he thinks he is and smarter than he knows, makes a place for himself behind the walls of privilege at Colonial. He first draws the approval, then the ire, of the club's most eccentric millionaire member, while his looks and manner draw the attention of the millionaire's beautiful granddaughter -- to the displeasure of her boyfriend, the club champion. Billy survives a fierce initiation and a dreadful scene with his drunken father -- but most important, he comes in contact with two of the greatest figures in the history of golf in Texas, Ben Hogan and John Bredemus, each of whom takes Billy under his wing for different reasons and with different results.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Book.......2006-05-30

This book was a great read that was almost impossible to put down. People who like golf or just want a good book should definitely pick up this one and get sucked right in. I somewhat connected to Billy because of his sense of humor and the fact we are both caddies at a fancy golf club. Not every chapter ended with a cliffhanger but the ending sure did. The plot was believable which made it a good fiction and stayed away from science fiction. Over all I thought this was a great book and I would recommend it to all.

Great Golf Book.......2004-03-09

This is a fabulous book. I could not put it away. It was a great story and was very dramatic. It was the ideal book.

Another mystical golf novel.......2001-12-19

There are reasons why golf is described as 90 percent mental. It's primarily to sell golf literature like Shrake's novel. Ever read an intriguing golf book about swing plane and hip rotation?

Shrake's book is one in a long line like it. The main character, Billy, loses both his parents in a matter of weeks, and it is up to him to make it on his own. Set in Texas during the 1950s, two of Texas' golfing "Gods" guide Billy from being a caddie to beating the upstart young club champion. This book has all the cliched elements, including John Bredemus' role as a guardian angel, who unveils the mental elements of game, and Hogan, who teaches Billy "the secret" of the swing.

Had Sharke not written such a wonderful story, I would have cast it in the lot with all the other bad golf novels out there. There are life lessons more than golf lessons inside, including the drive to gain independence and what it means to honor yourself and family.

I just wish a golf novel could written without all those "Gods" watching down.

Bud Shrake Aces Another One.......2001-10-05

A terrific book for both golfers and dreamers. Read it, then keep it in your golf bag next to your 7-iron for good luck.

billy boy.......2001-10-04

thoughtful,fun,somewhat inspirational.just an all around good read even for a non golfer.

Average customer rating:

Best book I've read this year!
So easy to tell that this is something special
My New Favorite Novel
4 1/2 Stars...It's About Time!
One of my favorite books

Billy Goat Hill
Mark Stanleigh Morris
Manufacturer: Multnomah Fiction
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1590524063
Release Date: 2005-04-11

Book Description

1958. Eisenhower is in the White House, Elvis is in the army, and eight-year-old Wade Parker is thrilled that Duke Snider and the Dodgers have moved west from Brooklyn. Yet all is not well in the Parker household. On the darkest day of his young life, Wade plunges into the midst of an unimaginable crisis. Worse yet, his younger brother witnessed what happened, and he can’t keep a secret for a truckload of Abba-Zabbas. With an abundance of brotherly love and the unseen grace of God, the brothers venture alone on dangerous exploits around northeast Los Angeles. A powerfully imaginative coming-of-age story seasoned with hooligan humor, Billy Goat Hill is an inspiring account of a young man’s quest for God. Culminating with a startling climax, the reader is embraced by the central theme of forgiveness and salvation that can only come from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Dorothy’s cyclone had nothin’ on Scar.

Los Angeles , 1958. Elvis is in the army. Eisenhower’s in the White House. And eight-year-old Wade Parker heads out for Billy Goat Hill to run the Crippler in the dark—just like Gooey dared him to. But Wade and his kid brother, Luke, run into Scar, the most fearsome character they’ve ever had the misfortune to meet at four in the morning. They won’t realize it for years to come, but knowing him will change their lives forever.

Wade’s family is already disintegrating over the loss of a child. If there’s no place like home, what happens when home is falling apart? Wade begins a decades-long journey, searching for answers. But when your life has been shaped by loss, murder, alcoholism, and betrayal, how do you find forgiveness?

Story Behind the Book

“I wrote this novel to fulfill God’s plan for my gift...to glorify Him and evangelize the lost. Originally written before I gave my life to the Lord, I now realize how much God, through the writing, was working in my life. There is much of my own life story, some actual events, and a lot of metaphorical reflection, embodied in the fictional character of Wade Parker. The writing was deeply cathartic, and not long after completing the original version of this novel, I surrendered my heart to Jesus. By God’s grace I am now directed to write in His service.”

Customer Reviews:

Best book I've read this year!.......2006-04-22

Thank you Mr. Morris! Billy Goat Hill is one of the best books I've ever read. I totally related to the character of Wade Parker. I laughed and I cried and I didn't want the story to end. I definitely recommend this book to teenagers. I am almost 16 and not the best reader but books like this one make me want to read.

So easy to tell that this is something special.......2005-12-22

This book immediately caught my eye very early on this year in CBD's catalogue. And just when I saw the cover, I knew that this had to be something pretty special to the author's heart. I guess when it comes down to it, what author doesn't write about something that's in the blood, you know? Every book that comes out comes out with a reason. But this seemed to have more than just a purpose, and that was what attracted THIS man to read "Billy Goat Hill" by Mark Stanleigh Morris. I was correct, because this was worth every penny off the cover price, and then some.

Well, you meet the Parker brothers! At least you meet Wade and Luke, and Wade does a find job as narrator. He talks about how it all got started on Billy Goat Hill with a dare to ride The Crippler! You learn how him and Luke meet Scar, later in the book known as "The Sergeant" as well as his special friend, Miss Cherry. You will learn that Wade and Luke love these 2 special people. The love for them is like the love of their dog, Mac. You are taken to some of the glory days of Duke Snyder, and you may have inner debate of whether Don Drysdale or Sandy Koufax is the better pitcher of that era. Depending on your nature, you might develope a slight hatred for mockingbirds, or come to love them all the more.

But when it comes down to it, Morris has a message. Can we forgive? Can we come to an understanding at times? There is a quiet understanding in this, even through our inner demons, and it just goes to show that love can conquer all, and that Christ can heal a broken heart. While that doesn't give anything away, I think I'll leave it at that. But in saying that, do yourself a favor and check this out! Very special indeed!! This deserves more than a pat on the back. This deserves a big embrace!

My New Favorite Novel.......2005-12-16

I read the earlier reviews for this book and decided to ask for it. I am 12, so my mom read the book first and it made her cry and laugh. We both love to read novels. We are fiction freaks. This is a great book! It is my new favorite! I am planning to do a book review for school. I hope you read it too! Blessings to you all. Christina.

4 1/2 Stars...It's About Time!.......2005-08-26

The field of Christian fiction for men is growing larger. Finally. The women have chick-lit, but until recently the men had sparse options. "Billy Goat Hill" follows in the steps of Michael Morris' "A Place Called Wiregrass," Brad Whittington's "Welcome to Fred," and Dale Cramer's "Bad Ground." This is literature, full of carefully rendered characters, memorable settings, and moral lessons that are powerful in their brevity.

"Billy Goat Hill" follows the lives of two brothers growing up in the suburbs of greater Los Angeles. They are typical boys, mischievous and adventure-seeking. But they are without a father, and their mother is very withdrawn after the death of their baby brother. A local policeman becomes a surrogate father of sorts, yet when one of the boys believes himself responsible for an accidental murder, all of their lives will be changed--for good and for bad.

Ultimately, Morris' story is one of redemption. Along the way, he shows the struggles of childhood, and the manner in which these struggles continue into adulthood. While keeping the story palpable for a Christian audience, Morris also portrays real issues in the lives of boys and men.

Although the story drags in a few places and the last third of the book switches quickly, somewhat abruptly into the future, I found the story engrossing. The endouement paints a clear picture of God's hand and forgiveness in our lives, even through the deceptions of sin and humanity. Thank God for quality men's literature in this market. It's about time.

One of my favorite books.......2005-06-25

Billy Goat Hill is Mark Stanleigh Morris' debut novel. And what a debut! When I read, I read primarily for enjoyment. It's always a bonus if a book can truly touch my heart and make me smile, laugh, cry or just plain feel deeply about the characters and their circumstances. Morris has accomplished all of that and more.

It's 1958 in Los Angeles and eight-year-old Wade Parker's baby brother died. Wade's mother, Lucinda (he refers to his mother by her first name), is so grief struck that she's distanced herself from her two living children. And Earl, Wade's alcoholic father, has abdicated his parental responsibilities. To compensate for his parents' emotional and physical absence, Wade dreams (throughout the novel) that Duke Snyder, the Dodgers ballplayer, is his father. And he fantasizes what life would be like with Duke as dad.

One early morning, Wade and Luke, his six-year-old brother, take a journey to nearby Billy Goat Hill to slide down on cardboard (a poor kid's version of bobsledding). While Wade and Luke are waiting for another sledder to arrive and tackle the hill with them, they meet a man and woman and witness what they believe is a confrontation between a motorcycle gang and the police. Thus begins Wade's journey from childhood, as a vulnerable "lost" kid, to an adult man of God.

Billy Goat Hill allowed me to slip back in time, to an era that was simpler, but no less difficult because it's all about life and life is filled with drama, tragedy, humor and adventure. Morris' wonderfully complex, fully developed characters and rich prose is delightful. And the message of forgiveness and redemption left me feeling hopeful and satisfied.

Billy Goat Hill is a treasure waiting to be savored. The only regret that I have about this book is because it is labeled 'Christian Fiction' many people may pass on reading it and that would be a tragedy.

Average customer rating:

A terrifically fun self-esteem oriented picturebook
Billy Is A Big Boy

Billy Is a Big Boy
Don Hoffman
Manufacturer: Popcorn Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Picture Books | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

From diapers to "big person" underwear, from baby bathtub to shower, from slip-on shoes to laces, and from tricycle to two-wheeler-these are just a few of the milestones every child strives to achieve in growing from infancy to school age. Focusing on specific developmental milestones that children will identify with and take pride in, this colorful book follows Billy through the significant changes in a child's first years, changes that provide tangible proof that a child is getting "big." Each colorful illustration portrays a major event in Billy's step-by-step progress toward growing into a big boy. The repetition of the phrase "Billy is a big boy. Are you a big boy too?" will have young readers actively responding to each page and reflecting on their own achievements, while its question and response format actively involves children in story time.

Customer Reviews:

A terrifically fun self-esteem oriented picturebook.......2003-02-14

Written in rhythm and rhyme by Don Hoffman against a background of charming watercolor illustrated by Todd Dakins, two terrifically fun self-esteem oriented picturebooks for preschool readers ages 2 to 5 celebrate a toddler's life through the characters of Billy and Abigail. Abigail Is A Big Girl ... shows that she has learned to say "Please" and "Thank You" and can do a lot of big kid stuff like sleeping in a regular bed instead of a crib, and eating at the family dining table instead of in a highchair. Billy Is A Big Boy ... shows that he has learned to say his ABCs, can use the family bathtub instead of the baby bath tub, and can now eat with a fork as well as a spoon.

Billy Is A Big Boy.......2001-05-02

This is a lushly illustrated pre-school and juvenile level book that engages and celebrates with each young child the milestones that they have already achieved or look forward to achieving. The story captivates each child by relating to these milestones Each child will feel proud that they can see themselves in little Billy whether boy or girl. The art work is some of the best work I have seen in a children's book, it is not fearful but brings the children into the story with the notion that each child will find comfort. The words simply but deliberately speak to each child. The care in the creation of each page in this book is obvious and I am particularly impressed that a portion of the proceeds are given to a charity that furthers literacy.

Average customer rating:

Martin's Quest
Diane M. Moore
Manufacturer: Blue Heron Press (LA)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1884725058

Book Description

Several of Martin Romeros Chitimacha and Cajun ancestors were traiteurs or healers. One had even been murdered because of this special gift of healing. In this story for young adult readers, Martins Grandmother Eulalie tells him he has the gift to heal and he must learn to use it wisely. Set along Bayou Teche in south Louisiana, the story weaves Martins school life, where he learns to be proud of his heritage, with a troubled home life. A pirogue race tests Martins belief in himself. This coming of age story draws from contemporary life and the rich culture of the Teche area

Average customer rating:

nice no pressure way to transition to the big bed.
Cute but not helpful for my toddler
New Favorite

Billy's Big-Boy Bed
Phyllis Limbacher Tildes
Manufacturer: Charlesbridge Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1570914753

Book Description

"This looks like a big-boy bed. Are you sure it's for you?"

Billy is certain he's a big boy--his clothes are too small, his shoes are too tight, and his bears are definitely feeling squished in Billy's crib at night. But Billy just isn't sure if he's ready to move into his new big-boy bed. Each night, more of Billy's bears try out the new bed, but Billy's dad thinks that Billy might be a teenager before he gets out of his crib!

Phyllis Tildes's delicate treatment of Billy's fear is sure to be a hit with parents, reluctant children, and squashed bears everywhere.

Customer Reviews:

nice no pressure way to transition to the big bed........2006-11-11

I loved this book. It was sweet and easy, no pressure, no making the child feel like a baby. Just a cute book about outgrowing the crib.

Cute but not helpful for my toddler.......2006-04-07

A cute story, but it didn't help my toddler one bit, actually may have backfired. In the story, Billy is afraid of his new bed which looks scary in the dark. He has a bad dream that he is getting too big for his crib so the next morning his parents find him in his big boy bed and are very happy. So my toddler says "I want to sleep in my crib like Billy" and "I jump out of my crib like Billy" which is not what we wanted. Although he loves reading the book over and over so maybe it's just taking a long time to sink in... like 6 months...

New Favorite.......2006-03-24

Our 2-year old son loves this book! We just moved him to his "Big Boy Bed" and this is the story we read to him each night before putting him there. It really helped with the transition from crib to bed. What a wonderful story!

The Billy Boy: The Life and Death of LVF Leader Billy Wright

Average customer rating:

Details the UVF's futile war against the vastly superior IRA
The futile war and eventual killing of Billy Wright.
Loyalist Thug Gets His Dues
Exposes the murder of a loyalist hero

The Billy Boy: The Life and Death of LVF Leader Billy Wright
Chris Anderson
Manufacturer: Mainstream Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Irish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1840187581
Release Date: 2005-08-02

Book Description

A cult figure among loyalists, despised and feared by nationalists, Billy "King Rat" Wright is reputed to have been involved in a number of sectarian murders before he himself was shot dead by republican gunmen inside the Maze Prison in 1997. Wright became involved with loyalist paramilitaries at the age of 16, and in the early 1990s he emerged as the UVF commander in the Mid-Ulster area. The Billy Boy documents Wright's role in the Drumcree dispute of 1995-96 and his split from the UVF, recounting how he ignored both a death threat and an order to leave Northern Ireland, only to remain in Portadown and form the Loyalist Volunteer Force. It covers Wright's trial and subsequent imprisonment for a crime it has been claimed was set up by the State; recounts the circumstances of his killing inside a top-security prison; and investigates the allegations of State collusion in Wright's death. Terrifically gripping and often disturbing, The Billy Boy is an exhaustive account of a notorious figure whose life and death were surrounded by controversy and political debate.

Customer Reviews:

Details the UVF's futile war against the vastly superior IRA.......2004-06-13

This book is an unfortunate attempt to justify the cowardly, and muderous actions of a notorious terrorist leader. The book also seems to be filled with misrepresented facts. The book details the rise of Billy "King Rat" Wright,who (after failing to defeat the superior forces of the IRA's East Tyrone, and North Armagh brigades) had to resort to killing scores of unarmed, innocent Catholic civillians.
The book talks about how Billy Wright and the UVF, were forced to call a ceasefire in 1994, after a series of IRA assassinations of UVF leaders, left thier organization is disarray.

Wright however, felt that the war against the IRA should go on, and in 1995, created his own UVF splinter faction called the LVF. After running the LVF for two years, Wright was put in prison for threatening to kill a Catholic woman. Upon entering prison he was immediately targeted for assassination by the IRA and INLA. Finnally in December of 1997, INLA commandos were able to ambush him inside a van in the prison courtyard, and shoot him to death. This book shows the life, death, and futile war that men like Billy Wright waged against a vastly superior foe...the IRA.

The futile war and eventual killing of Billy Wright........2004-06-13

The book talks about how Billy Wright and the UVF, were forced to call a ceasefire in 1994, after a series of IRA assassinations of UVF leaders, left thier organization is disarray.

Loyalist Thug Gets His Dues.......2004-05-16

The life and death of Billy "King Rat" Wright told for the 1st time in great detail.As a portadown loyalist he intimidated and bullyed his way around in the only way he knew. He died as he lived-by the gun at the hands of the INLA at the maze prison.
A Great Read,well written and great to know this guy is off the streets for good. Questions remain though wheher or not there was state collusion in his death. Buy It.

Exposes the murder of a loyalist hero.......2003-07-31

An account of how the man who brought the IRA to its knees in mid-Ulster was betrayed whilst in prison. An interesting read, although why the author got the ludicrously biased "Tim Pat Coogan" to write the intro is beyond me.

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You're an angel from heaven, sent down from above, You're daddy's little boy, to have and to love. . .

You're an angel from heaven, sent down from above,
You're daddy's little boy, to have and to love. . .