Mother’s Journal On The Go Mary Engelbreit (Andrews and McMeel)

This little book was designed specifically for the busy Mom to jot down, in an organized fashion, the special things which may be significant in the daily lives of her children. The time period covered seems to be a full year. The illustrations are superb. Obviously a great deal of loving detail and care went into the artwork. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the text. Mary has lumped Christmas and Hanukkah on the same page, and to be totally fair this ain’t kosher. Here in Canada, Thanksgiving comes before Halloween, and as we know in the USA it follows , but apparently either Mary or the publishing house don’t seem to be aware of this fact.

For a retail price of $9.95 I can only recommend this book as a gift for a women living in the U.S.A., and one with little sense of religious correctness. And to be fair men are also parents of children and may also like to have something to record stuff in. This book should be completely redone and titled Parent's Journal On The Go.

-- Kate Lehman _

Magic Eye Gallery Andrews and McMeel

This very lively, eye-straining marvel is a series of 88 three-dimensional images, designed to make most people reach either the depths of despair or insanity. Take your pick! All joking aside, this would be good for those stormy days when only a rousing party and wall to wall friends could cheer a soul. Warning -- images should not be used alone. If you’re worried about hidden satanic messages, you may want to closely inspect pg. 77. Just imagine. I’ll say no more.

-- Kate Lehman

Traditional Nursery Rhymes Edited by: Walter Crane

Music by: The Earliest Masters (Andrews and McMeel)

The tile should in addition read -- Of the United Kingdom. I expected to find nursery rhymes from around the world. Instead, I found a condensed version of work from the Opie Collection of Children’s Literature. If you are interested in literature for children, specifically of the United Kingdom, this collection is for you. You could probably find the complete collection for about the same price as this condensed piece. Granted the illustrations are very beautiful, but they are not worth twenty dollars. -~ Kate Lehman

Book Reviews

On The Wings Of Angels Edited by Pamela Bloom (Andrews and McMeel)

An inspirational gem of a read! Fine works of art bless the pages, and ‘*Angel Quotes’’ from Yan Su Lu, St. Ambrose, and the Koran are gracefully littered throughout the book. Not a profoundly intellectual work, but a well done collection of angel stuff. If you can read, and think or at least think you can read, this is recommended highly for its aesthetic value. Some of the text may stimulate reflective though.

-- Kate Lehman

Dawning Of the Dinosaurs

Written by Harry Thurston

Illustrated by Ivan Murphy

(Nimbus Publishing and The Nova Scotia Museum)

What a find! I’m taking the book to my archaeology class. This is logical, close to home material. Hey! Pay attention. Yes, you. Check this out. It’s all about fossil finds on the Bay of Fundy. Thurston, a naturalist, has done a brilliant} job over many years of hard work, and put it all together with the illustrative talents of Murphy. Universal appeal is at the matrix of this find, We all want to know what happened to these creatures of the past. It should be in all class- rooms from kindergarten to university. Our next family field trip -- Bay of Fundy.

-- Kate Lehman

Love, Otto

The Legacy of Anne Frank by Cara Wilson

(Andrews and McMeel)

Most of us have read Anne Frank’s diary at some point in our lives, through school or our personal readings. Here in Canada it is often difficult to grasp such concepts as the holocaust when it does not seem to touch our lives daily. Anne Frank’s diary brought those ideas alive to recent generations.

One individual touched by that diary was Cara Wilson. As a young girl she auditioned for a part in the Anne Frank film. She was so affected that she began a correspondence with Otto Frank, Anne’s father. The result of these years of writing is this compilation.

In theory, this “‘sequel’’ was a great idea -- everyone wants to know what happens when the original story is over. However, in reality it fall short. The letters are the typical writings of a middle-upper class teen and are rather uninter- esting. The letter (from necessity, I’m sure) seem heavily edited, leaving the reader with a feeling of “‘guess you had to be there.”’

There are interesting moments in Otto’s responses, but unless you are a dedicated Anne Frank fan, this collection is best left on the bookstore shelf.

-- A. Chisholm

Home Sweet Home Mary Engelbreit (Andrews and McMeel) 136 pg, $20.95

For anyone interested in house redecorat- ing and repairs, this beautifully illustrated book is a ‘wanna-have.’ Designed to make homeown- ers more organized and efficient in the day-to- day maintenance challenge, Home Sweet Home provides ample space to keep track of all your household projects room by room.

The book provides pages for each room of the house, including the attic and mud room as well as the exterior of the house, the yard, heating and cooling systems and all major appliances and home accessories. The pages for each room include space to write dimensions goals and priorities, and everything about the floor, walls, ceiling and windows as well as gri for layout. A pocket in the back of the book provides for space to put paint and wallpaper samples and receipts. However, the homeowner can purchase a separate accordion-style file folder for larger amount of such material.

Mary Engelbreit’s delightful illustrations are in the style of a children’s picture book. Each page is filled with fairy tale drawings with lots of flowers, children and animals. The book itself is heavy duty with wipeable cover and pages and even comes with a blue-ribbon bookmark. It’s just the right book for the home owner on your Christmas list.

-- Lesa Light

Bringing up Mommy: The Tender Years, Debra-Lynn Hook

(Andrews and McMeel)

112 pages $13.95

Newspaper columnist and mother Debra- Lynn Hook has compiled some of her best-read ‘‘Bringing Up Mommy”’ columns into this warm book about parenting in the 1990’s. About 70 different articles are included with such intrigu- ing titles as ‘‘Something Moving”’, ‘*It could be a baby’’, ‘‘The Politics of Mother’s Milk’’, “‘A Bonfire of Parenting Books’’, and ‘‘What do Kids Eat?”’

Hook, who. became a first time mother at the age of 31, narrates the sweet and funny tales that revolve around motherhood, how unprepared she felt yet how captivated she became with her “*two sunflowers.””

This book, about *‘one woman’s journey into motherhood,”’ will strike a familiar chord with parents everywhere, parents who find themselves in exactly the same boat.

-- Lesa Light

VERSION 2.0 by Rich Tennant (Andrews and McMeel)

‘‘More BYTE-ing Humour...’” [’ll say i is. Maybe it doesn’t byte so much if you aren computer geek, but I think these jokes are pre’ low density. There are a couple worth a snick but on the whole I have to wonder why the author even bothered. The only theme ever present is that of the utterly clueless computer user doing an almost impossible misinterpreta tion of instructions.

-- Jonathan Davis

Game Review

Triazzle (Berkeley Systems)

Berkeley Systems, best known for thei After Dark screen savers have come up with another winning product. This latest brainsto is Triazzle, a computer puzzle game based on board game by Dan Gilbert.

The board can be custom designed by player in a variety of rainforest plants and animals. The goal of the game is to match all the rainforest creatures within the triazzle. There are a variety of skill levels from Junior mind-numbingly hard.

The graphics are beautiful, and when match up the little frogs and other beasties, t begin to hop their way accross the screen. T satisfy the educational factor, there are ‘*Rai forest Facts’’ you can access throughout the game. Another bonus is that a portion of all sales will go the the Rainforest Alliance, a nonprofit group toward conservation of the rainforest. When this game was used in conj tion with a friend’s soundcard, we discovered veritable plethora of fun sounds and a funky drum back-beat.

‘The game is very easy to learn to g All you need to do is click on the correct tri

- with your mouse, turn it with the buttons and

your wits to find it’s proper location.

The game is for Mac or for Windows a 386DX minimum, but to fully appreciate t game you will need a 486DX with a soundc Otherwise the game will run very slowly, wi substantial lag. However, if you are willing have a'small wait, this game is a great additi to your computer. It’s good, and good for y' What more can you ask for?

-- A Chisholm

September 26,19

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