Glenn Perrett

DVDs to Help You Feel Better

Recently I was bedridden with a brutal flu that turned into a nasty cold. All I could do was lie in bed and try to get over whatever attacked my body. It even hurt to read. So, I used the time to watch some recently released TV shows.

The final season of one of my favourite television shows, Boston Legal, was just released on DVD from Fox Home Entertainment. Boston Legal looks at the bizarre lawyers from the law firm Crane, poole & Schmidt. And while the plot is often a little over the top, especially as the show progressed, the hilarious episodes covered many serious issues. Some of the topics addressed in the 12, season-five, episodes include: Mad Cow disease, abortion, sperm donors, the death penalty and same sex marriage. The lawyers of Crane, Poole & Schmidt tackle the military, the tobacco industry, the pharmaceutical industry and a Chinese company that attempts to buy their law firm.

Of course Denny Crane (William Shatner) continues to get in trouble including being charged with adultery while vacationing on a dude ranch. Fortunately, Alan Shore (James Spader) is always there to bail out his best friend. Shirley Schmidt (Candice Bergen) gets engaged to Carl Sack (John Larroquette) while Jerry Espenson (Christian Clemenson) finally makes a partner in the firm. Tara Summers, Henry Gibson and Betty White are also on hand for the show's final season.

The episode "Thanksgiving" was particularly good and featured a large group of people gathering at Shirley Schmidt's house for Thanksgiving dinner much to the chagrin of Carl Sack who plans on proposing to Shirley.

Boston Legal: Season Five is a nice 4-disc set that wraps up this excellent comedy/drama from David E. Kelley. Besides the 12 episodes you also get bonus features including deleted scenes and the featurettes: "Denny and Alan: Friends to the End", "Denny's Daughter: The Untold Story" and "Closing Statement: The Boston Legal Series Finale."

Once I had quickly watched all of the season five episodes from Boston Legal and was still confined to my bed, I turned to Two and a Half Men: The Complete Fifth Season (Warner Home Video). For years I passed over this show on TV until I reviewed the fourth season which was very good.

The 19 episodes of season five are also excellent. The writing of Two and a Half Men is very good and every episode contains lots of laughs. The show features jingle writer Charlie Harper (Charlie Sheen) who has taken in his brother Alan (Jon Cryer) and his nephew Jake (Angus T. Jones) in his Malibu Beach house. Cleaning up after Charlie, Alan and Jake is Berta (Conchata Ferrell) whose nasty, hilarious comments are always welcome.

Season five continues to see Charlie live a wild, irresponsible life dating much younger women. He does date someone his own age - a judge played by Ming-Na who is in several episodes. The end of the season even sees Charlie involved with a self-help author (Susan Blakely) who is much older than Charlie.

Season five also sees Jake start junior high and Charlie becomes a popular singer of children's songs who goes by the name "Charlie Waffles." Guest stars in the show's fifth season include Robert Wagner and Jenny McCarthy. Wagner marries Charlie and Alan's mother, Evelyn (Holland Taylor).

If you are looking for lots of laughs I recommend Two and a Half Men: the Complete Fifth Season. Quality sitcoms are becoming rare and this is arguably the best one on television today.

Although I was feeling a little better at this point (laughter really is good medicine) I still wasn't feeling great so I switched from comedy and turned to murder mysteries - Perry Mason to be exact.

Perry Mason ran from 1957 to 1966 (271 episodes) on CBS (later Perry Mason returned in the form of TV-movies). Joining attorney Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) were his secretary Della Street (Barbara Hale), investigator Paul Drake (William Hopper), prosecutor Hamilton Burger (William Talman) and Lieutenant Tragg (Ray Collins).

Paramount Home Entertainment has just released Perry Mason: Season 4, Volume 1. This 4-disc set contains the first 16 episodes (close to 14 hours) of the show's fourth season. The entertaining courtroom dramas are digitally remastered and contain such guest stars as Robert Redford, Connie Hines (Carol Post from the Mr. Ed show) and James Coburn. If you like crime drama chances are you'll enjoy these quality episodes which originally aired in 1960 and early 1961!

Excellent Novels For Kids

Dog Lost
Ingrid Lee
Chicken House
2008, 197 pages
ISBN: 9780545085786
ages 9+

An educational, exciting novel for children (although adults will enjoy it too) is Dog Lost by Ingrid Lee. Dog Lost sees a young boy, Mackenzie, being given a puppy from his less than responsible or caring father who can’t even look after himself let alone his son. The female puppy’s name is Cash. Cash is a pit bull. Unfortunately, the city of Crickstead was in the process of creating a bylaw banning pit bulls.

Mackenzie didn’t have a good home life. His mother had died, his father drank and was often mean and his older brother had moved out – largely because of their father. But Cash was just what Mackenzie needed and the bond between Cash and Mackenzie was a strong one. Mackenzie was happier and he was doing better at school too.

Unfortunately, one night when Mackenzie’s father came home angry, he fell over Cash spilling his pizza and bottle of whiskey on the floor. The incident resulted in Mackenzie’s father driving Cash to a secluded spot and abandoning her.

For many months the poor dog used her intelligence to survive. Mackenzie’s work at school deteriorated as he worried about, and looked for, his dog. As Cash stayed out of trouble and Mackenzie continued his search for his beloved canine companion, the dog ban on pit bulls drew closer and closer.

As the months passed, Cash was captured by some uncaring boys who looked to profit from using Cash in dog fights. Fortunately, Cash escaped and then he became a hero rescuing several people in danger in three separate incidents before being reunited with Mackenzie in a happy ending.

In Dog Lost Ingrid Lee weaves an interesting story while educating the reader of the many benefits of living with a canine companion and the negative aspects of establishing a breed ban. A teacher and writer who lives in Toronto, Lee has written an entertaining story with several positive messages pertaining to our relationships with dogs. Highly recommended.

Lyonesse: The Well Between the Worlds
Sam Llewellyn
Orchard Books
2009, 346 pages
ISBN: 9780439934695
ages 12+

Lyonesse is a land that is sinking - and dangerous. Monsters inhabit the bottomless wells. Idris Limpit is a boy who is rescued from death and sent away - to fulfill his destiny of fighting evil and saving Lyonesse. Joining Idris is a girl, Morgan, who becomes friends with Idris and helps him in his important and dangerous quests. This magical tale containing monsters, knights and dragons is the first book in Llewellyn's very entertaining tales about Lyonesse.

Lyonesse: The Well Between the Worlds is one of the better stories that I've read in some time and I'm looking forward to Book II of the chronicles of Lyonesse - Darksolstice!

Quality Cartoons from Warner Home Video

I fondly remember watching cartoons during the 1960s and 1970s (something I haven't outgrown). Early Saturday mornings in front of the television watching quality animated entertainment was lots of fun. Those of us who fondly remember these times can catch a glimpse of our favourite childhood cartoons with several DVDs recently released by Warner Home Video.

Saturday Morning Cartoons 1960s Volume 1 is a 2-disc set which contains many hours of excellent cartoons which are superior to most of the animated shows of today. You'll enjoy such classic cartoons as Top Cat, Atom Ant, Precious Pupp, The Hillbilly Bears, Peter Potamus, Breezly & Sneezly, Yippee, Yappee and Yahooey, Secret Squirrel, Squiddly Diddly, Winsome Witch, The Flintstones, Porky Pig, Mice Follies, Quick Draw McGraw, Snooper & Blabber, Augie Doggie, The Jetsons, Marine Boy, Ricochet Rabbit, Magilla Gorilla, Herculoids and much more.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching all of the cartoons contained in this impressive collection. Not only will I enjoy revisiting the fun animated characters in these cartoons, but I'll be able to show my son what really good cartoons are all about!

If sixties television is a little before your time there is Saturday Morning Cartoons 1970s Volume 1. This cartoon collection is also very good and includes such shows as: The New Adventures of Bat Man, Tarzan Lord of the Jungle, Hong Kong Phooey, Goober and the Ghost Chasers (with the Partridge kids), Speed Buggy, Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch, Yogi's Gang, Roman Holidays, The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan, Josie and the Pussycats, The New Scooby-Doo Movies, The Funky Phantom and more.

Looking for something more recent? There is the animated movie Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword. This movie has Scooby-Doo and Shaggy, along with Velma, Daphne and Fred,involved in a martial arts mystery where they are up against the Black Samurai and the Ghost Warriors in their attempts to claim the Sword of Fate which contains special powers. An army of Robot Ninjas also get in the way of the Mystery Inc. crew.

Max Fleischer's Superman 1941-1942 is a nice 2-disc set containing "17 Theatrical Shorts" produced by Max Fleischer. The remastered shorts are in Technicolor. The fun episodes from the early 1940s are complemented with special features of "First Flight: The Fleischer Superman Series" and "The Man, the Myth, Superman" as well as a "sneak peek" of the upcoming "Green Lantern" animated feature.

DVDs At a Glance

This blog takes a glimpse at many of the movies and shows that have appeared, or reappeared, on DVD recently. If you are stocking up on some films for summer you may find some of interest here.

Grease (rated PG, 1978, Paramount Home Entertainment)
Grease is a popular movie featuring John Travolta as Danny Zuko and Olivia Newton-John as Sandy Olsson. The two are romantically involved and at high school during the late 1950s. Grease is now available on Blu-ray Disc with lots of special features including memories from John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John and lots of deleted/extended/alternate scenes.

Coronation St. Vol. 1: 1960-61 (rated PG, E1 Entertainment)
Here you go Corrie fans - this 2-disc set contains "a selection of episodes taken from 1960-1961". Coronation Street is the incredibly popular British soap opera that was first broadcast on December 9th, 1960. The show follows the lives "of the residents of a terraced street in the north of England". Eight episodes from 1960-1961 are contained in this set. I've watched Coronation Street for a long time and watching these delightful, black-and-white episodes from almost 50 years ago I was struck by two things - how much the show has changed and how little the show has changed. Even Ken Barlow (William Roache) is still on the show and has been since its beginning. The show's theme song is the same too. Fans of this long-running British show will enjoy watching how it all began.

Live in London: k.d. lang with the BBC Concert Orchestra (Image Entertainment)
If you enjoy the music of k.d. lang you will enjoy the DVD Live in London which features lang in concert with BBC Concert Orchestra. The 87 minute DVD features the following songs: Upstream, Helpless, Thread, Western Stars, I Dream of Spring, Coming Home, Once in a While, Wash Me Clean, Sunday, Smoke Rings, The Valley, Hallelujah, Flame of the Uninspired, Constant Craving, Close Your Eyes, Don't Smoke in Bed, Pay Dirt, Jealous Dogs, Je Fais La Planche, Shadow and the Frame. The bonus feature is an interview with k.d. lang.

Personal Effects (rated 14A, E1 Entertainment)
Personal Effects tells the story of Walter (Ashton Kutcher) who is doing well in college wrestling - until his sister is murdered. Walter wants revenge on the man accused of killing his sister. Walter's life begins looking up again when he meets an older woman (Michelle Pfeiffer) helping her and her son. Unfortunately, things also get complicated when events place Walter's life in danger.

Angel (rated 14A, Seville Pictures)
Angel is an interesting movie based on the novel by Elizabeth Taylor which takes place in England in 1905. The story follows the rise of Angel Deverell (Romola Garai) a very successful young writer who maintains complicated relationships with the important people in her life. Deverell achieves her dreams of love, fame, success but at great expense.

Changeling (rated 14A, Universal Studios Home Entertainment)
Directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Angelina Jolie and John Malkovich, Changeling (a true story) pertains to Christine Collins' (Jolie) son vanishing when his mother leaves for work. Occurring in Los Angeles in 1928, the story sees Collin's reunited with her son five months later - only he isn't her son!The police weren't helpful and even locked Collins up when she wouldn't accept the stranger as her son. The Changeling is a very good film that is full of suspense.

The Day the Earth Stood Still (Fox Home Entertainment)
Fox Home Entertainment has released both the 1951 (black-and-white) and 2008 versions of this sci-fi movie - and both are entertaining. The movie has an alien, Klaatu, landing on the Earth to destroy the human race before we destroy the Earth. Fortunately, a woman (Helen Benson) and her son (Bobby Benson in the 1951 movie and Jacob Benson in the 2008 film) try to save the human race by convincing the aliens that humans are worth saving.

In the 2008 remake Keanu Reeves is Klaatu while Jennifer Connelly is Dr. Benson and Jaden Smith plays Jacob Benson. Kathy Bates and John Cleese are also in this film. In the 1951 film Klaatu is played by Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal is Helen Benson and Billy Gray is Bobby Benson. The 1951 re-release is a 2-disc set with the second disc containing lots of new featurettes.

Beautiful Ohio (E1 Entertainment)
Beautiful Ohio is a good "coming-of-age" movie set in Ohio in the early 1970s. William Messerman (Brett Davern) is a young teenager who is growing up in the shadow of his brother Clive (David Call). Clive is a troubled high school math prodigy. William and Clive live with their parents (played by William Hurt and Rita Wilson). Clive's girlfriend, Sandra, (Michelle Trachtenberg) lives in the Messerman's basement and becomes close to William. When William uncovers a secret, it changes his family forever. Also in the movie are Julianna Margulies, Matt Servitto and Hale Appleman.

Cassandra's Dream (E1 Entertainment)
Cassandra's Dream looks at how far two brothers will go to "better" their situations. Ian (Ewen McGregor) is in love with an actress and he wants to invest in some projects. His brother Terry (Colin Farrell) is a chronic gambler who is heavily in debt. Both brothers need lots of money. Their uncle has lots of money, and he's in trouble and requests their help to make his problem go away. How far will Ian and Terry go to make their lives "better" and help out their uncle?

The Last Word (Image Entertainment)
A poet, Evan Merck (Wes Bentley) "makes a living writing suicide notes for the soon-to-be departed". Things get complicated when Evan meets Charlotte (Winona Rider) who is the sister of one of his clients. Also in this entertaining movie is Ray Romano who plays one of Evan's clients. A weird plot, but it works.

While She Was Out (E1 Entertainment, rated 14A - course language and violence)
Looking for a suspense film with a fair amount of violence? While She Was Out features Kim Basinger as Della, a suburban housewife who is confronted by a group of young men outside of a mall at Christmas. After killing a mall security guard who came to Della's defense, the men chase Della who has driven away. After crashing her car, Della flees into a forest - but not before removing the tool box from the trunk of the vehicle. As the men pursue Della, she uses her intelligence and tools to kill each of her attackers!

Green Things!

I know this is an entertainment blog, but we all have to do what we can for the environment. So, every so often, I'm going to include some short reviews of eco-products that I've tried and found to be quality items that are also green. Various qualities can make a product environmentally friendly. Well-made items that will last a very long time (and therefore don't need to be replaced frequently) can be green. Products made of environmentally friendly material such as hemp can also help keep the planet healthy. Items that require less energy to run or which use alternative energy can also be good eco-products. I also like to use things that are humane alternatives to harmful products. Below is my first installment of eco-friendly items and where you can acquire, or learn more about, them.

The Original Waspinator (www.leevalley.com)
Last summer I was stung three times at the cottage. I was stung again at the beginning of November when I was refinishing a door at home. Not wanting to harm the wasps who are only protecting their homes and not wanting to use toxic chemicals either, I opted for an eco-friendly, humane alternative. My brother told me about the Waspinator which he claims works so I’ve decided to give it a try.

Since wasps are territorial, hanging a Waspinator can discourage them from staying in a specific area. You can hang the fake wasp nest in various locations outside your home or cottage or take it with you on picnics.

Eco-Futon Bed from Bowsers (www.bowsers.com)
Our dogs’ comfort is important. And, this comfort doesn’t have to be too costly to the environment. Bowsers Pet Products have a new dog bed that will keep your canine companions happy while ensuring that you keep your carbon footprint to a minimum.

Bowsers Eco-Futon is a simple, comfortable dog bed made from “eco-tech” polar fleece. Our dogs, Duchess and Gracie, tried out the extra large (28”x42”x3”) bed. “Eco-tech” fleece is made from “post consumer recycled pop bottles” and, according to Bowsers, this particular bed diverts more than 30 plastic bottles from landfills. Besides the warm, comfy “eco-tech” fleece, the bed features rugged waterproof nylon on the bottom.

Eco-Futon beds are easily cleaned by washing and drying the bed on cool settings.

LED Light Bulbs from C. Crane Company (www.ccrane.com)
Although the initial cost of LED light bulbs is more than conventional light bulbs, their long life and energy efficiency makes them cost effective and good for the environment. The C. Crane Company offers several LED bulbs. We have used various LED light bulbs (from a night light to a flight flood) from C. Crane Company for years. None have burned out. C. Crane has LED light bulbs for low lighting applications, reading lamps or accent lights. You can purchase C. Crane's LED light bulbs individually or through their "LED Light Bulb Economy Pack."

New CDs

An album I have enjoyed recently is Grace/Wastelands (EMI Music Canada) by Peter Doherty. Grace/Wastelands is Doherty's first solo album having worked with the bands Babyshambles and The Libertines. Each time I listen to the CD I like it a little more. I particularly enjoy "Sweet By and By" which features some excellent piano and horns. "Arcady" is also very good as is Last of the English Roses" and "1939 Returning". I hadn't heard Doherty's music before, but I like what I hear.

Song List 
1. Arcady
2. Last of the English Roses
3. 1939 Returning
4. A Little Death Around the Eyes
5. Salome
6. I Am the Rain
7. Sweet By and By
8. Palace of Bone
9. Sheepskin Tearaway
10. Broken Love Song
11. New Love Grows on Trees
12. Lady Don't Fall Backwards

I've always enjoyed the music of Fleetwood Mac. In fact one of the first concerts I saw was Fleetwood Mac (with Boz Scaggs and Kenny Loggins I believe) at the CNE in Toronto (yes, I'm dating myself). So I'm not surprised that I enjoyed Stevie Nicks' The Soundstage Sessions (Warner Music Canada).

Nicks sounds great. The entire album is a joy to listen to starting with "Stand Back" and ending with "Beauty and the Beast". In between there is a good version of "Sara" and an excellent one of "Landslide" (one of my favourite songs). "Circle Dance" is another good song on this very good album.

Song List 
1. Stand Back
2. Crash Into Me
3. Sara
4. If Anyone Falls in Love
5. Landslide
6. How Still My Love
7. Circle Dance
8. Fall From Grace
9. Sorcerer
10. Beauty and the Beast

Fans of Karl Wolf will be interested in his latest CD - Bite the Bullet (EMI Music Canada) which contains 15 songs including bonus mixes of the song "Africa" which was originally done by Toto. Bite the Bullet is the third studio album from Karl Wolf.

Song List 
1. Africa feat Culture
2. She Kicks in the Bass
3. Crazy Things
4. Like This
5. Carrera
6. Bite the Bullet
7. Silent Type
8. Professin' My Love
9. She Wants to Know
10. Over
11. Invader
12. Makes Me Wonder
13. Hey Girl
14. Africa (Original Mix)
15. Africa (Club Mix)

I guess I'm getting old as I enjoy listening to a good choir and sometimes I even intentionally listen to classical music. I don't mean to stereotype, but really, how many young people do you know who enjoy classical music and choirs? But I digress.

I just finished listening to Messiah (composed by George Frideric Handel - 1685-1759) by the Choir of King's College, Cambridge (EMI Classics) and it was great. I found the music, including the choir, incredibly relaxing (did I mention I must be getting old?) The 2-disc set contains a total of 53 tracks. According to the liner notes, "The three parts of Messiah portray Christ's incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection, the central tenets of the Christian story familiar to audiences whatever their religious beliefs."

I enjoy "Hallelujah!:Chorus" and this rendition done by the Choir of King's College, Cambridge is awesome.

TCM Movie Collections

Mother's Day is practically here and Father's Day isn't far off either. If you are looking for some practical and entertaining gifts you might consider some good DVD collections recently released by Warner Home Video.

Turner Classic Movies: Greatest Classic Films Collection - American Musicals
Turner Classic Movies has just released four excellent musicals on DVD: The Band Wagon, Meet Me in St. Louis, Singin' in the Rain and Easter Parade. I enjoy old movies and Turner Classic Movies (TCM) have some of the best. I just finished watching Easter Parade and this 1948 film was entertaining starring Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Peter Lawford and Ann Miller. When the dance team of Don Hewes (Astaire) and Nadine Hale (Miller) break up, Hewes teams up with Hannah Brown (Garland). Easter Parade won an Academy Award and featured the music of Irving Berlin including the song "Steppin' Out With My Baby".

Singin' in the Rain is also in this 2-disc set and this 1952 movie starred Gene Kelly (Don Lockwood), Donald O'Connor (Cosmo Brown), Debbie Reynolds (Kathy Selden) as well as Cyd Charisse and Rita Moreno. This musical comedy is often described as one of the best musicals of all time. Kelly performed his famous dance routine in the rain while he was sick with a fever.

Another classic movie in this collection is Meet Me in St. Louis with Judy Garland (Esther Smith) and Margaret O'Brien ('Tootie' Smith). Some of the songs in this movie include "The Boy Next Door", "The Trolley Song" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". Meet Me in St. Louis was nominated for four Oscars.

The Band Wagon was released in 1953 and features Fred Astaire (Tony Hunter), Cyd Charisse (Gabrielle Gerard), Oscar Levant (Lester Marton) and Nanette Fabray (Lily Marton).

Besides these four excellent musicals, there are some bonus features including commentary by Ava Astaire McKenzie (Fred Astaire's daughter), Debbie Reynolds and Liza Minnelli as well as movie trailers.

Doris Day Collection
Five movies are in TCM's Doris Day Collection: It's a Great Feeling (1949), Tea For Two (1950), Starlift (1951), April in Paris (1952) and The Tunnel of Love (1958). Beides Doris Day, other actors in these movies include: Ray Bolger, Richard Widmark, Gig Young, Claude Dauphin, Gia Scala and Gordon MacRae.

The first movie in this 5-disc collection is It's a Great Feeling which sees waitress Judy Adams (Doris Day) try to get into movies. This "spoof" also features Jack Carson (as himself) and Dennis Morgan (as himself). This entertaining movie features numerous cameo appearances by the likes of Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford, Danny Kaye, Ronald Reagan, Edward G. Robinson and Jane Wyman.

Another movie that I enjoyed was The Tunnel of Love. This movie had August "Augie" Poole (Richard Widmark) and his wife Isolde Poole (Doris Day) living in the suburbs and trying to have a baby. After years of not having a baby, the Pooles turn to an adoption agency. Unfortunately, Augie gives a very bad impression when Estelle Novick (Gia Scala), the adoption agency's investigator, comes to interview the Pooles. Through a series of mishaps, things get very complicated for the Pooles but these things are funny and entertaining for those watching the movie.

I'm looking forward to watching the other movies in this entertaining collection.

Turner Classic Movies: Greatest Classic Films Collection - WWII Battlefront Europe
The four war movies in this impressive 2-CD collection are: Kelly's Heroes, Where Eagles Dare, The Dirty Dozen and Battleground.

Where Eagles Dare (1968) stars Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood. Based on a book by Alistair MacLean, this movie involves the attempted rescue of a U.S. general from a fortress by commandos.

Battleground was done in 1949 and features Van Johnson, Ricardo Montalban and James Whitmore. This movie has the "101st Airborne troops resisting Hitler's fierce, final counteroffensive at Bastogne." This movie won two Oscars for "Best Story and Screenplay" and "Best Cinematography" in 1949.

A popular movie in this collection is The Dirty Dozen (1967). The cast in this movie is very impressive and includes Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, George Kennedy, Telly Savalas and Donald Sutherland. Wow! In this movie Lee Marvin commands "a squad of misfits on a suicide mission against Nazi brass."

I enjoyed Kelly's Heroes (1970), which I'd heard about, but had never seen - until now. This movie also contains a large, impressive cast which includes Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Don Rickles, Carroll O'Connor, Donald Sutherland and Gavin MacLeod. A group of soldiers with some time on their hands go behind enemy lines to get a fortune in gold bars. I particularly enjoyed the performances of Carroll O'Connor, Don Rickles and Donald Sutherland.

Books For Teachers - and Their Students

Edible Schoolyard: A Universal Idea
Alice Waters
Chronicle Books
2008, 80 pages
ISBN: 9780811862806

Edible Schoolyard: A Universal Idea is an inspirational story about how Alice Waters, and many others, transformed the bleak environment of the Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Berkeley, California into a productive, beautiful oasis that nourishes students both nutritionally and spiritually.

The edible schoolyard began when Alice Waters, a former teacher and restaurant owner, met with the school's principal and set into motion plans to create a vegetable garden on the school's property. Old portables were removed and asphalt was ripped up. The soil was tested for pollutants and the area designated for the garden was cleared of rocks and planted with a cover crop.

The students were also educated in preparing and cooking the food. And students were actively involved ensuring that the transformation did occur. The city government even offered 24 tons of free compost. The hard work of the students and adult volunteers resulted in a "lush garden classroom".

The third year of the exciting and valuable project saw the group getting the go ahead to start a kitchen. Students were taught how to cook the food that they grew making them proud of their accomplishments. As time went on, additional tasks were realized: fences were made from tree limbs and a tool shed was built. More crops were grown and so too were fruit trees.

Six years into the project saw children "picking blackberries from their own bushes and mulberries from their own tree". Year seven welcomed an herb garden "with plants for making tea and flavoring foods". Fifteen years into this eco-project and the garden was still going well with 300 students in grades 6 to 8 visiting the garden with teachers each week.

Edible Schoolyard is a wonderful book that illustrates how an incredible amount of good can be accomplished by a small group of people. The lessons learned in this garden were just as important, if not more so, than the ones taught in the classrooms. Highly recommended for teachers and volunteers who want to start similar projects, even if on a smaller scale, in their schools!

Explore Within a Medieval Castle
Justine Ciovacco
Silver Dolphin Books
2007
ISBN: 9781592237470
ages 8+

Silver Dolphin Books publishes some cool books and Explore Within a Medieval Castle is one of them. Through numerous overlays a medieval castles occurs before your very eyes. Each overlay includes a piece of castle and fascinating, informative text. As the reader flips the pages he/she learns about castles and their importance in battles as well as the various parts of castles. For example, did you know that castle walls were over eight feet thick?

Interesting text about "The Gatehouse", "The Lord's Men", "The Armory", "Daily Life", "Inside the Castle", "On the Attack" and "The Great Hall" is included. The model is well done and the illustrations included are also good providing you with a good background in castles and the role they played in history.

Explore Within a Medieval Castle is a fun way to learn about castles and medieval life.

Earth Heroes: Champions of the Wilderness
Bruce and Carol L. Malnor
Dawn Publications
2009, 143 pages
ISBN: 9781584691167
ages 10+

Children have lots of people that they look up to and want to be like including singers, actors and athletes. Rarely do children say that they want to be like John Muir, Jane Goodall or Wangari Maathai. They might not even have heard about these people!

Books about environmentalists that highlight achievements for nature are important for children to read. Not only will children be educated about those responsible for protecting the natural world and promoting the importance of "wilderness", but they will learn why it is necessary for everyone to protect the environment.

In Earth Heroes: Champions of the Wilderness Bruce and Carol Malnor provide short biographies of eight "Champions of the Wilderness" who "have supported and protected wild places around the world." The eight people featured in the book are: Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt, Aldo Leopold, Richard St. Barbe Baker, Margaret Murie, David Suzuki and Wangari Maathai. For each person there is a brief biography, some "Fast Facts" as well as a "Timeline of Important Events". Reading about the environmental accomplishments of the various people is both interesting and inspirational.

The interesting text is complemented by illustrations and photographs. I particularly enjoyed some of the photographs which included Henry David Thoreau's one-room cabin at Walden Pond, John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt in Yosemite and Aldo Leopold writing outside his "Shack".

Earth Heroes: Champions of the Wilderness is a good book that highlights the environmental efforts of some remarkable people.

The Tree
Karen Gray Ruelle, illustrated by Deborah Durland DeSaix
Holiday House
2008, 32 pages
ISBN: 9780823419043
ages 6+

An excellent book for children, which adults will also thoroughly enjoy, is The Tree. This compelling story looks at the life of a 250-year-old English elm tree in the middle of New York City. Karen Gray Ruelle writes about how the elm seedpod sprouts in 1756 and then becomes established, growing into a beautiful tree. During the next 250 years many activities take place near the elm tree including the creation of a potter's field where gravestones marked the victims of a yellow fever outbreak in 1794.

In 1807 part of the land where the tree stood became a public square. A military arsenal was built in 1806 and soon after soldiers prepared there for the War of 1812. In 1814 the land was named Madison Square. The site became a House of Refuge for "juvenile delinquents, orphans, and children whose parents were in jail or in asylums" in 1825 and this was destroyed by fire in 1839. The land became Madison Square Park in 1847 and was used as Civil War military campgrounds from 1860 to 1865.

During the 1930s Dutch elm disease killed many elm trees and during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s the park fell into disrepair before being restored from 1986 to 2001. 1997 was the 150th anniversary of Madison Square Park and 2006 was the elm tree's 250th birthday.

Besides the entertaining story, there are "Historical Notes" at the end of the book which is an interesting, informative resource for teachers or parents to refer to. The illustrations by Deborah Durland DeSaix are very good and add greatly to the story.

The Tree provides a glimpse into how important and long-living these vital and impressive plants are. The story educates children, and adults, about how remarkable trees are. After reading the inspirational story you will want to go outside and plant a tree yourself!