Chris Goode

Sourdoughs at Seventy Mile should entertain those interested in history of the Yukon gold rush as depicted in the stories of San Franciso Bay Area miners from Redwood City and Menlo Park in 1898. Feel the charm and challenges of the American West in the lives of the pioneer families and their native sons.... Little Johnny Donlin of River Springs Maryland wanted to learn how to improve his basketball shooting, so he purchased "SQUARE ELBOW JUMP". He writes, "I was a second-team all-star in the Eber County sixth grade public school league. And my confidence has improved, I am getting all B's in my classes, Sherry Ann talks to me sometimes, and my teeth even look whiter. Thanks "SQUARE ELBOW JUMP." .......... The New York Times is intent upon discovering novels such as "Only A Game - A Baseball Story", a snippet of San Francisco Bay Area baseball history, including early college baseball, the California League, and the San Francisco Seals. The story tells about how traditions created by the "old school" ballplayers are passed along from generation to generation. One of those traditions is cheating, which has been romanticized in baseball. With Barry Bonds breaking baseball's home run record, it is interesting to look back at this practice in baseball, all the way back to another Giant, Manager John McGraw, who coined the phrase, "it ain't cheatin' unless you get caught." The New York Times seeks a story that captures the essence of baseball in the early 1900s through characters such as the infamous banned ballplayer Hal Chase and those he knew from his youth in Los Gatos, California throughout his many years in the major leagues. Critics enjoy stories such as Only A Game. ......... The Children's books "Mayflies Only Live for One Day", "The Meadow", "Carnival Dreams" and "The Curious Ant" have been aging like fine wine until which time grade schoolers throughout the United States and parts of Latvia and select districts in Bhutan become intoxicated with the simple stories told without major conflict............ The "Meadow" is about protecting the environment, "Mayflies Only Live for One Day" is about not judging others, "The Curious Ant" is about being unique and finding your own path in life, and "Carnival Dreams" is fantasy dealing with how goodness is not only about being good, but more important and sometimes more difficult, it is about seeing the goodness in others.......... Poems for children include "Thank You For Being My Teacher" which deals with how the teachers that are most important in our lives, those from when we were very young, are often forgotten when we get older -- so it is a reminder to stop and thank them for helping shape us. There is also "Hold Your Daddy's Hand", a poem that cherishes those moments that don't last forever. "Blissfully" is a simple poem that was written so that the beginning reader could read it for practice; it is fun, light, and deals with self esteem.........