Come on! We're Visiting Cuba with Tour Guide Carole P. Roman

  

If you were me and lived in Cuba, you would live on an island located in the northern Caribbean in the western hemisphere. It is known as the Republic of Cuba and is the biggest island in the Caribbean and the second most populated in the area. You would live in the capital and largest city Havana. You would love the energy of this busy port. It is an important business and banking center for the whole island.

I'm not totally uptodate on the present relationship with the United States, given some fairly recent comments by our president; however, it is obvious as you turn the pages of the latest Child's Introduction to Culture Around the World by Carole P. Roman that Cuba is beautiful and offers a wealth of enjoyment for vacationers and sightseers. I found pictures for our children in the above video but do like to learn about the names given in the various countries we visit.

Veronica, Zamira or Aymee are sometimes chosen for girls while Ernesto, Jose, and Luis are often given to boys... Coming home in this case involves arriving at a pleasant house with architectural design similar to ours while town buildings may represent an older time period, and also, when we visit, we would go to see the Castillo del Morrow, a Spanish form built in the 17th Century.

I was impressed with the quality of the architectural works, such as with the Castillo, and give kudos to Illustrator Kelsea Wierenga for her contribution to the wonderful book.

Of course we got to have lunch with the family! I love to be able to at least taste food in different countries, but with my sweet tooth seeing the tres leches waiting there on the buffet, I was already looking forward to dessert even as I was enjoying arroz con pollo, which is chicken and rice...I also tasted twice-fried plantains...which I had never tried before, although I've seen them in grocery stores--they look like bananas (actually I didn't get to taste them, but I would have if I'd really been there in Cuba!)...

Do you know what I was most impressed with! The importance placed on a healthy body, with the parents early teaching children about sports as an essential part of life...Parents began exercising with you when you were only 45 days old! Wow! I sure wish America had that as a guiding principle for our youth...I doubt many of us would be in the shape we are when our parents automatically began to indoctrinate all of us early to exercise massage of arms and legs...Especially when they added it to games so it would be fun!

And you know what? It's July 18th and it's a special time...it is when Carnival at Santiago de Cuba is held! You'd have a week-long week to enjoy if you were there right now! And then stay to watch the annual Fire Festival, Fiesta del Fuego, which highlights a culture from the country each year.

You know this collection is a wonderful set of books for your child's library, but, well, I'm not a child anymore and I must add that, for me, I have learned more about the culture of the countries I've visited through these books, than I would ever had done through travel books... These books are created to entice you to visit, giving sufficient information about the country and culture there, as well as events and tourist places, that you have a short overview that gives you enough to become quite acquainted with countries where you may never visit. 

So, let's just say this book and the series are highly recommended for children...and their families! Find out Why if you haven't already...

GABixlerReviews

Blood Moon - Second in Fantastic Series by Alexandra Sokoloff

After not much sleep on his delayed plane, Roarke walked out of the Civic Center BART station into a gorgeous day... And he pretended he wasn't expecting to see Cara Lindstrom at every intersection, standing across the street from him as she had done the day he'd first seen her, the day his hunt for her had begun...

He was spared further memory of that vision for the moment as the concrete and glass monolity of the Federal Building loomed up in front of him...On the fifteenth floor he walked down gleaming halls with white walls decorated with framed sepia-toned newspaper accounts of famous busts and images of the history of the Bureau, toward the conference room the team had taken over for their manhunt. Manhunt being an ironic word for the investigation into Cara Lindstrom. There were no words for what she was, for what he had done, the Huntress...

Roarke's eyes went immediately to the case board behind them, a seven-foot long white board on a standing metal frame taped with clusters of photos, documents, Post-its--everything they knew about Cara Lindstrom. The police sketch that was their only image of her looked down on him: blond and fine-featured, eyes concealed behind big dark sunglasses.

He forced his gaze away and looked around at his waiting team. "So, where are we?"

He saw a flicker of anger on Epps' face, and Roarke knew why. He'd been uncharacteristically late, which for him meant he stepped into the briefing at their meeting time of nine on the dot, to avoid being cornered by Epps. It was the same reason he'd taken a different flight back from L.A. Roarke didn't want to talk to Epps alone, and Epps knowing that made him even more determined to talk to Roarke, and they had been doing this dance for days.

It would come to a head any moment now, Roarke knew. But he was not about to talk about that night, two weeks ago, the night he had helped Cara Lindstrom kill ten people...

~~~

Read About Book One - Huntress Moon

And Bitter Moon!

Nearly all of the FBI agents who were hunting Cara Lindstrom knew her only by a police sketch with blond hair and wearing large glasses... But everybody knew her background. Her entire family had been killed; only Cara survived... She was out for revenge and it didn't matter whether the criminals she killed were guilty of her family's deaths... They were evil; they had to go... And she had taken the time to learn all she needed to know in order to do what he needed to do and then immediately escape... Only one agent had seen her and his internal emotions were always in play. She was his target... She was a victim and needed to be protected... How would it end, especially since he was heading up the team who had been given her capture as their top priority.

Every time I'm reading one of the books, I think of the movie, Laura, where a detective falls in love with a painting...

As we watch Roarke caught in emotions that tells him one thing while his brain tells him another, it is poignant to realize how some people can fall in love, even realizing that it is the worst thing that could happen to them... Still, many of us are caught in those moments, knowing that their love could never be, and yet... hoping...

The twist in this book is significant, explosive, and totally surprising... While the Team is gearing up and moving on their investigation for Cara, a series of family murders begin at various locations...

The murders send both Roarke and Cara back 25 years and they both relive what happened. Roarke could still hear the voice of the 5-year-old and even then he had wanted to help her...

Now, Roarke wants to move on to work on these new family death cases, but he is told to stick with the Cara Lindstrom search... That didn't stop him...and it didn't stop Cara from searching for a new monster...or, even, perhaps the monster she saw so many years ago...

Many of you have already read this book. But if you haven't, I highly recommend it. It's a series you just don't want to miss if you enjoy FBI Thrillers and a fascinating victim/villain!

GABixlerReviews

June, 2017 - I will no longer be accepting new requests for reviews, effective this month. Among those I already have, many submitted as ebooks before I've accepted them, I will review as I am able and select those I wish to read. Book Readers Heaven will continue at my own pace, decreasing reading time to meet my personal needs... Thank you for your continued support of Book Readers Heaven...

Coming up! Major author spotlight in August for The David Chronicles by Uvi Poznansky!

The Empty Chair of China - A Sonnet for Liu Xiaobo by Konrad Tademar

The Empty Chair of China - a sonnet for Liu Xiaobo by Konrad Tademar

The Empty Chair of China

• "If you want to enter hell, don't complain of the dark…”

You shall not perish if you dream the empty hand

For the ashes cannot hold you, they are but lines--

--to be found painted with a silent love in the sand…

of an empty chair screaming at the neon signs…

The throne of thoughts dissolves, a castle of parchment

In the conflagration of oppression and fear

Pen wielded as blade in a book-lined apartment

Wheels of the bicycle spin, with words left to steer

Hold on… I need both hands to embrace the world whole

Across space that defines the liberty to speak

At Tiananmen Square where the Goddess bared her soul

Across time that binds all men who conscience may seek

I place a sword on an empty chair to mark--

--the passage of freedom’s Knight beyond the dark.

~~~

July 13, 2017 -
Sonnet Used With Permission

A Winner in Spite of Beijing's Threats

On Friday, Oct. 8, 2010, the Norwegian Nobel Institute awarded the 2010 Peace
Prize to the imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, the first Chinese citizen to
receive the award. The news was received coldly by Beijing...--http://content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2024319,00.htm

On the death of Liú Xiǎobō (刘晓波) - born in the city of Chángchūn (镸春), in Jilin (吉林) province of China in the year of the wood Goat on December 28, 1955 - died in the city of Shenyang (沈阳), in Liaoning (辽宁) province in Shenyang's First Hospital of China Medical University in China in the year of the fire Rooster on July 13, 2017. He received the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2010 while he was serving an 11 year sentence as a political prisoner for crimes against the Communist State. Neither he, nor his wife Liu Xia (刘霞) who was immediately placed under house arrest, nor any representative from China was allowed to receive the Nobel Prize in his name. The Nobel prize committee left an empty chair for him.

Konrad Tademar is an American poet living in Los Angeles. His works range from single sonnets to epic poems on themes including current events, myth, and philosophy. In addition to American subjects, his
work is strongly informed by international events and history, especially those of freedom and oppression..

 

The Galaxy Children's Choir of Beijing joins the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square on the February 28, 2010 weekly broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word.

May we all strive to follow in Liu Xiaobo's steps toward Peace...
His work will live on...

The Case of the Frozen Horse: A Sam Cloudstone Novella by Jimmy Martin

I like weird, the unusual, something that is new and allows you to experience more than what you're likely to find in another book. Take for instance, The Case of the Frozen Horse, begins your questioning of what the book is about. Readers will almost surely guess that it is not a real horse, and indeed the author immediately identifies the victim of the murder Sam has been asked to work on... But even then, Martin does not present the usual PI investigation story...you just never know what the storyline from this relatively new author will cover! In fact, solving the case is not the primary goal...rather it is the setting, the characters, and the subplots that become intriguing and pull readers into the book...

Sam and Brew Ha Ha were barreling down Texas Highway 35. This highway parallels the coast, occasionally a fishing town on a bay or on the Gulf coast. Under normal circumstances they would have stopped in Palacios or Port Lavaca or even detoured down to Port O'Connor for some fishing or at least a good seafood lunch. But these weren't normal circumstances.

The drive was scenic, particularly to people partial to Texas coast fishing hamlets. They were soon in the vicinity of Corpus Christi, crossing the John F. Kennedy Memorial Causeway to get to North Padre Island with Snoopy's

Pier. They pulled up to Doc's Seafood and Steaks, went in and headed straight to the bar. They wondered if Horse's lady friend was on the day shift. Luckily, she was.

When she recognized Brew Ha Ha, she ran up to them and asked where Horse was. However, being the intuitive woman that she was, she immediately sensed that something was wrong from the look in Brew Ha Ha's eyes.

Sam broke the silence. "When you get a break we need to talk to you." That was all she needed to hear and she said she could take a break at one thirty, after the lunch rush. Sam and Brew Ha each got a beer and went to a booth to wait for her.

"I didn't expect to choke up! I barely held it together!" Brew Ha admitted. His eyes were unexpectedly misty.

"I know," Sam said. "That's why I jumped in there."

They sat at the booth and discussed what they planned to tell her. A couple of beers later she showed up and sat down with them.

Sam was surprised, and a little amused that she even referred to him as Horse. Brew Ha got up his nerve and finally said, "I have some bad news for you Miss, ah, Dammit! I don't even know your name!"

"It's Gracie, Gracie Lynn Bicchieri. Bicchieri means 'drinking glasses' in Italian. I come from a long line of people who have made their living from handing out glasses filled with beer, wine, and spirits!"

Sam noted that Italian seemed to fit her, although he never thought about it before, of course the only times he had ever seen her was the short periods between arriving at the bar and her and Horse ducking out the back. That was only a handful of times.

Brew Ha continued, "Gracie Lynn, I have bad news. Horse was murdered back in Galveston a few days ago. I don't know of any family that he had and the only person he ever seemed to have any long-term relationship with was you. We came here to tell you because we figured you would want to know. Also, we were hoping you could shed a little light on why anybody would do this. As long as I knew him. I really didn't know that much about his past."

While visibly shaken, Gracie was able to keep somewhat composed. "Do you know what happened?" she asked.

"It's strange. He was shot and we presume that's what killed him. But then he was frozen solid and left in a hotel ice machine on the Seawall in Galveston."

Sam looked at her and noticed that she shuddered at the description. She cleared her throat and begin to fill them both in on the mysterious history of Brew Ha Ha's first mate, Horse.

"His name was
Richard Cappello, Italian, like me. We had a thing for each other from the time we were teenagers. I waned him to marry me long ago, and he even knocked me up once when we were young. I thought I had him then, but I lost our baby." She let out a stifled laugh between tears. "He never would have married me because of what he did for a living..."

~~~

Sam and Brew Ha Ha had come to meet with the only individual who they knew Horse had been involved with for a lengthy time. They discovered Gracie and Horse had been an item since high school days, even that was a surprise, wondering why they had never married. What they learned was shocking and more than they could have imagined...

Horse had been a mob hit man and his last assignment involved a Vietnamese gangster! Horse had decided after that he no longer wanted to continue killing for a living... And somehow, though there was lots of trouble, Horse had succeeded in leaving the mob behind and starting his job with Brew Ha Ha...

So, where do you go to investigate how the previous life of Horse may have led to his death?! At least it did explain to some extent, the strange decision to murder than freeze him... Maybe... Soooo, Sam went out looking for help from Cyber Harry, who among other interesting activities, was obsessed with Vladimir Putin and paranoid about what he was involved with... I had to laugh that one website had explained that Stalin's brain had been saved and when science had figured out how to transfer it, they had given it to Putin... Just goes to show there really is fake conspiracy news out there...right?   right?

One thing you will discover that there is a lot of extraneous humorous storytelling and dialogue in Martin's books...but all are geared toward the storyline and adds a level of depth, but also frivolity rarely seen in PI cases... Or it might be said, that there is really no hurry to solve the case since the guy is already dead and the investigation will take us how ever long it takes...

I enjoyed the activities of Sandra (Sam's ex) and Melissa (Sam's present lover). Sandra works at a small clinic which is very important to the area...but when Sandra must be absent, Melissa is standing in...as long as they have telephone contact to discuss what to do for each case! LOL

Sam and Brew Ha Ha arrived at Harry's office around 9:00. After building Harry up all the way from Corpus Christie, Sam was somewhat worried that he might have gone too far. He was afraid that Harry wouldn't live up to the billing he had made for him. Those fears were quite unfounded.

They knocked on the office door, but let themselves in in spite of the formality. The door was one of those with frosted glass that you would expect to find in an old Sam Spade movie. On the glass window was written the words 'Harry Kohlmyer, Ethical Hacker and Cyber Security Specialist." As they walked into the office they were greeted with Harry's oft worn impudent grin. His demeanor and general appearance gave him a forty something year old Dennis the Menace kind of vibe...

~~~

Meeting Cyber Harry was a fun experience...First Sam and Brew Ha were introduced to various women (pictures on the Internet) from Russia who he was trying to bring over as a mate...but was clogged with the bureaucracy... and frustrated...

Finally they got down to business...all of them felt the police knew more than they were willing to share...and specifically, Harry reported that there had been six separate murders up and down the Gulf Coast using the same M.O. When Sam mentioned the Vietnamese gangster, Harry first admitted that they scared him more than Putin... He then went on to say that a printed card had been left at each murder scene with "Courtesy of Dr. Freeze-Kill!"

Readers are taken back to 1989 when Horse was caught in something that would result in his major life change. Then moving forward into the investigation, soon getting into a place from which they needed to leave...soon! Somehow Sam always solves the case and somehow stays alive, many times due to a little help from his friends...Great Characters!

And, of course, a stop at casinos allows for more drinking and storytelling. This time Sam, with Jimmy Buffett songs playing in the background tells his friends about meeting Buffett when he was doing his "Buffett's Brother" act to gain an image... and how he was caught by Buffett himself! More traveling, drinking and meeting up with friends...and one of those places was the Jazz Preservation Hall, with a group I've enjoyed through the years... and then on to Pat O'Brien's to see the Flaming Fountain!

Sam and and Brew Ha are giving the police detective trouble just by looking at his case...but nothing, not anybody, could have given them more trouble than the...Dragon Lady...! I'm thinking you're really going to enjoy this third novella in the services... Do check out my reviews on the first two books as well...you just may want to start right from the beginning and get in at the first of series of a truly enjoyable and quite extraordinary private investigator by the name of Sam Cloudstone! Enjoy!

GABixlerReviews

I was born in the 50's and therefore was a child of the 70's. Born and raised in Houston, I have lived in or around the Houston area all of my life. Like my main character Sam Cloudstone, I am a graduate Mechanical Engineer from Texas A&M University. Having attended there in the late 70's, I experienced an early adulthood much different than kids do today. We had no technology like what exists today, so we were much more dependent on our own insanity for our entertainment. I made many crazy friends, and I am proud to say that I still keep up with most of them.

I became an avid reader as soon as there wasn't some professor forcing me to read. It has always been a goal of mine to become a writer. My earliest heroes were the likes of Hunter S. Thompson, Douglas Adams, and Tom Clancy, but over the years I have read everything I could get from Hemingway to Kinky Friedman. 

I've always liked adventure novels, but I have always been a sucker for a good joke. Many of the characters in my first book, and hopefully subsequent books to come, are inspired by real friends and acquaintances. 
​

The Case of the Hobo's Son: A Sam Cloudstone Novella by Jimmy Martin

As the last rays of the sun shrunk down below the trees, a white mist seemed to Sam to appear in the corner of the kiva. As he concentrated on the mist, it slowly formed into the visage of an elderly Indian man. It was Grandpa and he'd come to talk with his favorite grandson.
"Hello Yanny-va-oo'ah." This is the name Grandpa had always used for Sam, which meant "laughing child" in Comanche, and it was based on the fact that Sam was the happiest baby Grandpa had ever seen. Sometimes he simple called him Yanny for short.
"Hello Grandpa. As usual I'm very glad to see you!" Sam said. "How are things in the great beyond?"
"Fine. And I'm glad to see you too. But you must stop this, it's not right. Besides, I have told you over and over that you are doing this all wrong. You should eat the Sacred Cactus, not drink a tea made from it. And you are not using enough, you cannot see your spirit animal at such a level. All you are doing in conjuring me."
"My spirit animal is an idiot. He is a magnificent White Wolf, so regal and majestic, but when I ask him questions he always disappoints me" Sam lamented. "Every dialog we have degenerates into a discussion of the Kennedy Assassination! I'm asking questions that to me should lead to the reasons for my very existence, and he keeps going on about the Grassy Knoll and multiple shooters.. Do you understand how disappointing that is to me?"
"Maybe you are to discover something about that. Maybe that is what he is trying to tell you. You ARE an investigator, aren't you?" Grandpa asked him.
"That I am. But mostly, I'm just a wondering spirit, and you are the only one from the other side of the spirit world that ever makes any sense to me. For that matter, you are one of the only ones that ever made any sense on this side of the spirit world too."

~~~

The Case of the Hobo's Son is the second book in the Sam Cloudstone Series by Jimmy Martin. The debut proved to be a fun book so I was happy to move forward with Cloudstone, a quite unique character. I encourage you to check out the first novel to taste the flavor! Sam's a PI by profession, but there is a lot of fun time that takes place, it seems, no matter what particular mystery he is asked to work with...

Sam and Melissa have continued to live together, so in this book, we actually get to participate in two adventures as each plans a trip to gather with friends. Interestingly, Sam's ex, Sandra, has become friends with Melissa and it is a delight to watch what interaction occurs among the threesome. Melissa and Sandra are heading out for a girl's weekend trip that has been a tradition for 8 years...They're heading to a dude ranch!

Sam is headed to Arlington to stay with his friend Richard Serling, with the obvious nickname of Twilight Zone  (or Zone)...but when Sam gets there, Zone has a semi live-in that immediately gets on Sam's nerves... "Don't get me wrong, man, I like her but, damn!" Zone just looked at him with that look that two race car drivers might have across a crowded bar that say "I get you!"


Zone's crazy girlfriend named Luz was there when Sam first got there and hung out with them for a little while. She came from Columbia, and she had the type of personality that reminded people of the comedienne Charo, the famous "cuchi-cuchi girl." She left after about 30 minutes in order to let them catch up on old times. Sam was actually relieved! spending 30 minutes with someone of her ebullient personality tended to wear Sam out. Actually, Luz tended to wear most people out so Sam wasn't in any minority. When she kissed Zone goodbye and went out into the ever present rain, both men looked at each other with a certain relief on their faces.

Kicking back Sam and Zone caught up...and invariably brought out the guitars--Sam remembered when he used to live in a tent and wrote songs for beer.

Somewhere in the middle of their rendition of "Whisky River" Sam decided to give Melissa a call...but after one no answer he got an answer, berating...Sam had played a dirty joke on her and she was fuming! Oh well...we'll be seeing how that works out!

I've always been intrigued by the spiritual relationship with ancestors and spirit guides by Native Americans. Sam had been discouraged by his new partner to use the drugs that sometimes accompanied those connections. Still, Sam was really confused when his spirit guide kept talking about the Kennedy Assassination...But when things later came about that he was being shown to the Dallas Underground, pieces of the puzzle began to come together...
Years ago, I visited old Underground Atlanta Georgia and enjoyed a delightful dinner with a companion, although I would not wish to live there if I had a choice... But it seems from Sam's informant, there were hobos living underground during the 60s and they were going to meet the son of one of those who were there in November, 1963...

OK, it's a story that's has been used many times, but there is sufficient background and character development by Martin to allow readers to enjoy once again playing "what if..." with a fresh, alternative history story for the Kennedy Assassination, like no other! For instance, on continuing the search they discovered a false wall and behind it they found the message: To solve the riddle, and be a good learner, Take a water trip, to the falling castle...Mr. Turner... Who was Mr. Turner, how long had that message been there, and many other questions occurred to Sam as he willingly decided to enjoy a scavenger hunt with history being the theme...

While the hunt begins for Sam and others, Melissa and her group of friends have run into a little trouble... Seems one of the group has a real delight with her Tequila which she takes everywhere she goes... and she had gotten into a hassle with the male friend of a woman who was a member of a Mexican Girl gang who thought nothing of taking out anybody that crossed them...and when she saw the woman that had done her wrong, the whole gang started out after The Coven, which was what Melissa's group went by...Funny yes, but also not so much since the gang member was aiming to rid herself of her perceived enemy!

And all the wild happenings took place in the rains that caused the Great Texas Springtime Floods of 2015!

And if all that is not enough to keep you interested, you'll be visiting a casino for craps, learn some language about playing such as a Little Joe or a Yo, all of which I hadn't a clue how to interpret, LOL, listening to guy stories from the past and sometimes leaning in on some music...

Then I heard the Kinks were coming to town and I decided I needed to go see them! Anyway, like I said I was broke, but I found out through a guy down the hall that there was a little known "Distressed Student Fund" available to students to use in an emergency. Well, like I said I hadn't been laid lately so I figured this qualified. I made up some sob story and got $175 from the school on loan. I then bought two Kinks tickets and then proceeded to try to find some girl to go see them with me."

"Which I have always maintained is a mistake." interjected Sam, "Women in my experience will go with you to a concert, but they will usually just go to be seen there, or just go to get trashed there. Which is fine if you just want to get laid, but if you actually want to enjoy the band I've always found it's better to go with a buddy or at least a girl that truly loves the band!"

!!!

You might think it is a guy book, but it was fun and when Melissa believes Sam is in trouble and rides in to save the day, well, in my opinion, it doesn't get better than that. Enjoy!

GABixlerReviews

Ohhhhhh Susannah: it's in the bag!

Teaching kids to count is fine, 

but teaching them what counts is best. 

—Bob Talbert

Unfinished Homework

Susannah woke up in the morning. She knew it was early because the sky was a lovely ice blue with a line of pale yellow where the sun was slowly rising over the ridge of the mountaintops. She looked out her window and saw a beautiful star. It was a bright point in the sky, positioned above the highest hill. She held out her hand on the windowsill, measuring the distance of the star with her fingers. It was almost a whole hand span away from the horizon. 

Susannah stretched and hopped out of bed. Her unfinished homework was on the floor. She looked at the ten math questions, shrugging. She had answered two of them before she had given up last night. She stared at the raspberry carpet peeking through the tear in the paper. She had erased the answer so hard on the third example that she had rubbed a hole right through the paper. 

Third grade was proving to be a lot harder than she thought. She peered guiltily around, and then, using her toe, she pushed the homework under her book bag. Susannah gazed in the mirror. She flared her small nostril to make it look bigger. It made her skin turn pink, clashing with her orange freckles. Her blond hair curled too much to make her happy. She pulled it into a tight ponytail, taming the wild waves. Her mother called for her to hurry. 

Mom was always rushing. Between her job and all the things she needed to do every day, her mother never seemed to have much time. Mom sold houses. She was always running to either see a house, take people to see a house or sit with them while they bought the house. Mom’s eyes were constantly on the clock in the kitchen. It was as if their whole life revolved around that big clock. Its ornate oversized hands dictated whether breakfast would be rushed or whether dinner would be meatloaf with a mountain of mashed potatoes or a quick pizza from Phil’s. Susannah could hear its loud ticking, every minute making her mother more frantic. That old clock could determine what kind of day Susannah was going to have, and from the sound of her mother’s voice, it was not going to be a good one. That clock decides a lot in my life, she grumbled to herself. 

Susannah dressed, not caring if her shirt didn’t quite match her pants. Mom yelled again, this time sounding loud and impatient. Susannah picked up her backpack; the homework lay slightly crushed on the carpeted floor. “Susannah!” her mother hollered. “I don’t have time for this today! I expect you to be down here on time.” Susannah tucked the paper in her backpack between her folders. 

She eyed the green folder, satisfied the paper was hidden. She was sure no one would see it. Maybe I should show it to my mom; she thought guiltily as she dragged her book bag from the room. Susannah paused, laying her backpack down on the floor, and reached in to pull out the uncompleted math homework. I should talk to Mom about it, she murmured to herself. “Susannah Maya Logan!” Mom sounded harried. “I don’t have time!” 

Oh, the middle name, Susannah thought. She means business. Susannah shoved the paper back quickly. “I’m coming,” she called as she bounded down the steps.

~~~

Carole P. Roman is among the top leaders in teaching books for children. I have not only enjoyed each and every one of them, but have been enthusiastic in sharing my thoughts to others potential readers. But, with Oh Susannah, Roman has taken a major step forward in my opinion. First it's a new series for Early Readers in storybook form honing it on a young girl named Susannah... Readers will immediately become concerned about Susannah--Roman presents the story of her life from her, the child's point of view, and it certainly may be an eye-opener for many adults...

Intellectually I knew that children's basic life skills were formed mostly before four...and that they are based, almost entirely on what they learn within their home environment or from a caregiver... But to actually see a child "reacting" to that environment is an entirely different picture!

Susannah lived in a very busy home, both working parents had demanding jobs... Readers quickly see that she was trying as hard as possible to accept this environment, yet had not had the opportunity to actually learn basic skills that aren't taught in schools... Things like work organization, time management, and, more importantly getting additional help or support when they need it...

In fact, this little story of 34 pages, is not only for Early Readers (age 8-12) but is actually also for you, the parents, the caregivers, the family members that love their children, but have forgotten how hard it was to begin to know how to act in any given daily situation, including school... I remember as the youngest of four children in a one-parent home, I learned much by watching siblings and interacting with them, but if a single child has nobody except two busy adults... Well, you wind up in the same situation as Susannah.

The book has nine chapters with a few sketch-like pictures. The story itself is the tale that will allow young readers, who may be struggling to deal with everything--school, homework, friends--all those things that are new and constantly changing! 

I especially was pleased with how Roman created the parents' response. That is, that once the problem was identified, they immediately acted both lovingly and with patience to help teach Susannah how to face each of those new challenges as they came.

While the humor lightens the story as Susannah uses her book bag to deal (actually to hide) with each challenge...this debut of a new series is a wonderful addition to Roman's teaching books and may, just may be the most important one of all... It's great to see Roman writing in this more informal but very relevant manner...and I'm excited to see how Susannah moves forward and upward!

A must-read recommendation on this one... 

GABixlerReviews

Carole P. Roman is the award-winning author of over fifty children's books. Whether it's pirates, princesses, or discovering the world around us, her books have enchanted educators, parents, and her diverse audience of children. She hosts two blog radio programs and is one of the founders of a new magazine, Indie Author's Monthly. She's been interviewed twice by Forbes Magazine. Carole has co-authored a self-help book, Navigating Indieworld: A Beginners Guide to Self-Publishing and Marketing. Oh Susannah is her first Early Reader Chapter book series. She lives on Long Island with her husband and near her children and grandchildren.