Bergers Book Reviews

The Art of Getting Started

November 6, 2013 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Lee Crutchley
Publisher: Perigree Trade
Genre: Creativity
ISBN: 978-0-399-16407-1
Pages: 160
Price: $15.00

Do you have trouble starting a new creative project? Is the blank canvas or screen too intimidating to face, so you try to avoid it? Do you wish and hope you could be an artist, but never follow through on your dreams? If so, The Art of Getting Started might be able to help you in your creative pursuits.

This unique book on jump-starting creativity doesn’t spoon-feed good ideas and suggestions for moving past blocks. Instead, it’s chock-full of exercises designed to get you out of your head and onto the page. While encouraging us to make messes and allow our work to be less than perfect, it forces us to take action and not sit around waiting for inspiration to strike.

It’s risky to start a new project when we don’t know the outcome. But if we never start, we can never know the joy of completion and the chance of success. If you work through the exercises in this book, you may find some of your creative blocks vanishing, leaving you free to create.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

art, creativity, parenting

The Artist’s Way for Parents

November 5, 2013 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Julia Cameron
Publisher: Tarcher
Genre: Creativity / Parenting
ISBN: 978-0-399-16372-2
Pages: 288
Price: $26.95

Author’s website
Buy it at Amazon

The Artist’s Way is one of the best-selling and most helpful books on developing creativity. But a special book was needed to help parents teach their children to honor their own creative gifts. In The Artist’s Way for Parents, Julia Cameron shares some of the secrets she learned in being the parent of a creative daughter.

The basic structure of this volume is similar to other “Artist’s Way” books. Broken down into twelve chapters with headings such as Cultivating Curiosity, Cultivating Limits, and Cultivating Independence, Cameron explores sub-topics within this framework. An exercise for parents and/or children is included after each lesson. Familiar tools are utilized, such as morning pages and creative expeditions (artist’s dates) along with something new – sharing highlights of the day with your child.

Allowing a child to have a safe environment to create in is key to maximizing his highest potential. But this may not come naturally, and guidance from an expert can be helpful. If you want to nurture your child in exploring his creativity, The Artist’s Way for Parents would be a valuable resource. I highly recommend this book and the others in the “Artist’s Way” collection by Julia Cameron.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

All Kinds of Fears

November 2, 2013 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Sheri Safran
Illustrator: Emma Brownjohn
Publisher: Insight Editions
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-1-60887-161-2
Pages: 12
Price: $12.99

Buy it at Amazon

Facing new or unpleasant circumstances can cause children to fear the experience. But when they don’t face the fear head-on, it can only make the problem worse. All Kinds of Fears presents some of these common childhood fears in a fun pop-up format.

Letting children know it’s okay to feel their feelings is important in dealing with those fears. And this book also provides resources and guidance in moving past the fear. Any child who is afraid of something would be helped by knowing that he’s not alone, and that others also suffer from and have successfully overcome similar fears.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

cats, tween

Anton and Cecil: Cats at Sea

November 1, 2013 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Lisa Martin & Valerie Martin
Illustrator: Kelly Murphy
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Genre: Middle-grade / Cats
ISBN: 978-161620-246-0
Pages: 256
Price: $16.99

Valerie Martin’s website
Buy it at Amazon

Anton and Cecil are two cat brothers living near the docks in Nova Scotia. Cecil loves to visit the sailors on the ships, while Anton prefers remaining on shore. Cats are often captured and forced aboard the ships to rid them of rats, and Anton suddenly finds himself out at sea. Cecil, intent on rescuing his brother, boards the next ship out. But the sea is a wide-open place, and he has no idea how to find Anton.

Dolphins, whales, and a mouse, as well as another seafaring cat, all become companions of these two cats at sea. Is there also a kind and powerful force looking out for them all, and will they finally be reunited? Storms, pirates, rats, and menacing birds all threaten their safety, but legend has it that cats at sea are protected by a mysterious eye.

Unfortunately, this legend is presented in obscure quotations and eye sightings, and not fully explained. The disappearance of a ship’s entire crew is also not explained, and in researching, I discovered this had actually happened on the Mary Celeste, a real ship found abandoned near Gibraltar in 1872. A small reference to this might have made the incident feel more plausible.

Cats at Sea is full of adventure, as Anton and Cecil learn to live on the sea. Overall, it’s a fun read with a happy ending. Kids will enjoy the way these three cats and an unusual mouse relate to each other, and the strong friendships that develop.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

audio book, children

Johnny No Cash

October 30, 2013October 30, 2013 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Anna-Christina
Produced by: Busy Bees Publishing

Music Audio Stories

Johnny the hamster has just heard from Robin that Cowboy Dan has a terrible cold. Johnny has always longed for adventure, so he sets out immediately to cheer up his friend. But he has no cash on him, and will have to figure out how to get there on his own.

The musical accompaniment to Johnny No Cash becomes a part of the story, as the dramatic melody surrounds the narrative. As Johnny navigates the journey, he runs into helpful and unsavory characters, but he’s determined to get to Cowboy Dan.

As Music Audio Stories says on their website: “These special audio books can be enjoyed by children of all ages but are tailored for the blind as well. They can also be a useful learning tool for children with impaired vision or vision disabilities.” Johnny No Cash is a humorous adventure tale that kids will enjoy hearing over and over again.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children, holiday

Peanuts (Kohl’s Cares for Kids)

October 22, 2013 Bergers Book Reviews

A Charlie Brown Christmas
Author & Illustrator: Charles M. Schulz
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Genre: Children / Christmas
ISBN: 978-07624-5145-6
Pages: 48
Price: $5.00 at Kohl’s

Buy it at Kohl’s

The timeless Christmas classic is presented in a hardcover book format. No household should be without it!

Be Yourself!
Author & Illustrator: Charles M. Schulz
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-07624-5146-3
Pages: 48
Price: $5.00 at Kohl’s

Buy it at Kohl’s

These Peanuts characters are happy doing what pleases them, showing kids that it’s great to be themselves.

Kohl’s Cares for Kids: Kohl’s sells kid-friendly cause merchandise, with 100 percent of the net profit donated to support kids’ health and education initiatives in communities nationwide. Since 2000, more than $231 million has been raised nationwide.

Shop online or visit a Kohl’s near you to purchase these great Kohl’s Cares® cause merchandise items and help kids in your community.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Walking Through a World of Aromas

October 16, 2013 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Ariel Andrés Almada
Illustrator: Sonja Wimmer
Publisher: Cuento de Luz
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-8415619482
Pages: 24
Price: $16.95

Author’s website
Buy it at Amazon

Annie is born blind, but soon discovers that she can navigate around the house using her sense of smell. Furniture shines with lemony wax, sweet-smelling roses sit on a tabletop, and the aroma of baking cookies leads her to the kitchen. As she grows older, she discovers she has a special way with cooking, always creating the most pleasant sensations in her meals.

Utilizing her unique talent, Annie is known throughout the village as the wise-woman who can use food to cure. But one man keeps coming back, hoping that Annie can soothe the loneliness in his heart. Will Annie see the same feelings lurking in her own heart?

Walking Through a World of Aromas is reminiscent of Like Water For Chocolate, in using food to evoke strong emotions. But in this sweet story, food is a cure, not a torment. Beautiful imagery in words and pictures fill this unique book. I highly recommend it.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

teen

Running Lean

October 15, 2013 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Diana L. Sharples
Publisher: Blink
Genre: Young Adult
ISBN: 978-0-310-73497-0
Pages: 400
Price: $12.99

Author’s website
Buy it at Amazon

Calvin lost his soldier brother, and Stacey has been his source of support in his grief. But Stacey is fighting demons of her own that Calvin is only beginning to see. Her constant dieting has gone to an extreme, and now Calvin is worried for her health. His research has led him to believe she is suffering from anorexia.

As Calvin tries to reach Stacey and offer to find her some assistance, Stacey pulls away, determined to stay in control, no matter what the cost. Calvin doesn’t want to lose her, too, but nothing he says or does makes any difference. Should he continue to stick by her, or should he walk away and let her kill herself?

Stacey is a sweet girl who is scared to truly be herself, convinced that her self-worth is based on how skinny she is. Calvin is a model boyfriend, caring and compassionate in his quest to help Stacey. Both have faith in God that is wavering a bit in the midst of their turmoil.

Anorexia and bulimia are serious illnesses that claim many lives each year. In an effort to lose weight, girls starve themselves to the point they are literally skin and bones. Running Lean highlights these eating disorders as Stacey and Calvin struggle with the effects. Intervention is essential, and Stacey’s life can only change for the better if she gets help. This sweet romance is a thought-provoking and enjoyable read for teens.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

children

Hookitty-Tookitty-Tah

October 11, 2013 Bergers Book Reviews

Authors: Antonio Mugica & Hermann Mejía
Publisher: Multiple Personality Entertainment
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-9962-5524-1-3
Pages: 36
Price: $19.95

Buy it at Amazon

The yellow dragon has agreed to a truce with the King and his townspeople, as long as he’s fed mountains of sweets. When a baking disaster turns his skin purple, the dragon demands that they either turn his skin back to yellow, or he will take his revenge.

Everyone turns to Hookitty-Tookitty-Tah to solve the problem, but the mischievous wizard has some tricks up his sleeves. First he plans to turn the dragon a few other colors, before finally returning him to his yellow hue. And in the process, the dragon learns some facts about food.

Hookitty-Tookitty-Tah is a cute rhyming story with wonderful illustrations. There is a subtle attempt to convince kids of the joys of healthy eating, as opposed to consuming lots of junk food, but it doesn’t come across too preachy. This is a fun and humorous read.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

cooking

Kitchenability 101

October 10, 2013 Bergers Book Reviews

Author: Nisa Burns
Publisher: Kitchenability Press
Genre: Cooking
ISBN: 978-0-9856430-0-3
Pages: 176
Price: $17.95

Author’s website
Buy it at Amazon

It’s so easy for college students to be seduced by pizza and burgers when making meal choices. But are they only choosing these fast food options because they don’t have anything better on-hand? In Kitchenability 101, Nisa Burns shows college students that there is a better way to eat, and it’s much easier than they think.

Kitchenability, as defined by Burns, is the ability to make one’s way around the kitchen. In this book, she provides recipes that can be crafted in dorm rooms or small apartment kitchens. Access to a few tools – stove, blender, good knife, etc. – is required, and some recipes are simpler than others.

Why choose a cheeseburger, when you can have a mint and cucumber sandwich? [bread, cream cheese, cucumber slices, and mint leaves] Maybe a chili burrito is more your style? [tortilla, canned chili, salsa, shredded cheese, and sour cream] Or try your hand at one of the recipes that call for some simple cooking, and treat your friends to a nice meal after mid-terms.

Although some of these recipes are a little more complicated than I expected, they look yummy, and are much healthier than anything you might find on campus. If you’re looking to get creative with food and enjoy some home-cooked meals, Kitchenability 101 would be a great “textbook” to keep in your dorm room.

Reviewer: Alice Berger