Old Bob was old Abe's horse and he was loyal and the manes of both horse and master blew haphazardly this way and that as their way across the prairies long before Old Abe became the most important President America ever had. Old Bob took his master over barely passable trails, across almost unfordable rivers, through endless reaches of tall grass and heavy rain  which obscured any view, as Abraham Lincoln rode the circuit of his law practice often for months at a time.  Their temperaments matched strong, calm, dependable and intelligent. Old bob was there when they voted Old Abe into the presidency of the United States of America. Old Abe was there in the parade to celebrate the Union victory covered in that special red white and blue blanket covered in tiny Union flags. Tragically he was there too as the nation mourned their assassinated President walking in a place of honor behind the hearse as Abraham Lincoln was borne through the streets of Springfield to the beat of muffled drums to be buried in the Oak Ridge Cemetery.   Old Bob and Old Abe is a story of companionship and honor, of a man who loved animals and men, and treated both with respect and dignity in a time in American History when Freedom was won.

Favor Johnson lives on a small farm in the hills of Vermont.  He keeps to himself, surrounded by dozens of animals, chickens, geese, and his one constant friend, a hound named Hercules. Then one Christmas Eve Hercules' life is saved by Favor's new neighbor, a doctor, and Favor's whole life -- as well as the life of everyone in his village -- is changed forever. This delightful story of Favor Johnson, Hercules, Doctor Jennings, and the mysterious house-to-house delivery of homemade fruit cakes on Christmas Eve is a heart-warming tale of neighborliness and generosity in a Vermont village at Christmas.  It is also a tale of rescue, of good and bad cooking, of friendship, and of giving presents at Christmas. A modern, and classic, American Christmas folktale, Favor Johnson has been a favorite radio story for years and is published now for the first time, brought to life by the wonderful watercolor illustrations of Bert Dodson. This book is their second collaboration, the first being John and Tom, published in 2001.Willem Lange is a short-story writer, commentator and host on Vermont Public Radio and New Hampshire Public Television. He also has a weekly column in The Valley News, the major newspaper in the NH/VT Upper Valley area. In addition to the Yuletide readings of his Christmas story, Favor Johnson, a staple on Public Radio for fifteen years, his annual readings of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol -- on stage, on Vermont Public Radio, and on Armed Forces Radio overseas -- have been popular since 1975. He lives with his wife in East Montpelier, Vermont.Bert Dodson is the author and illustrator of the best-selling learn-to-draw classic Keys to Drawing as well as the illustrator of over 80 children's books including a previous one with Willem Lange. He has also co-written The Way Life Works with noted biologist Mahlon Hoagland. He lives in Bradford, Vermont.

""Anyone who can hold a pencil can learn to draw with some degree of proficiency," Bert Dodson proclaims."

In this book he shares a complete drawing system that you can use for any subject or type of drawing-even if you doubt your ability to draw. It's based on fifty-five "keys to drawing," which are introduced at a comfortable pace. The keys are interspersed with dozens of practice exercises that help you learn by doing.

You'll learn how to: Restate, focus, map and intensify.Free your hand action, and then learn to control it.Convey the illusions of light, depth and texture.Stimulate your imagination through "creative play"

Draw with Confidence and Creativity! New in paperback! Creativity occurs in action. It is not a trait; it is something you do. To be creative, you need to engage in the art-making process. When you are "in the flow," you shift out of the future and into the present, making connections, generating variations and surrendering to the process. This ten-year edition of Keys to Drawing With Imagination is a course for artists in how to take something, do something to it and make something new. Bert Dodson, author of the best-selling Keys to Drawing (more than 250,000 copies sold!) presents fun techniques and mind-stretching strategies to get you drawing better and more imaginatively than you ever have before. In every section, he offers you basic guidelines that help you channel your creative energies in the right direction. Before you know it, you'll lose yourself in the process, enjoying the experience as you create something gratifying and worthwhile. The subjects covered in this hands-on book are as vast as the imagination itself. Through 58 strategies, 36 exercises and 13 step-by-step demonstrations, you'll explore how to: Take your doodling from mindless to masterful Create your own reality by crumbling, melting or breaking objects Flip the familiar on its ear to create something utterly original Experiment with visual paradox and metaphor Tell vivid stories through the details in your drawings Play with patterns to create captivating compositions Build your drawings by borrowing ideas from different cultures Develop a theme in your work Along the way, Dodson offers you priceless advice on the creative process culled from his 70 years of drawing and teaching. For additional inspiration and encouragement, he includes the work of 30 other outstanding artists, including R. Crumb and Maya Lin. So what are you waiting for? Grab this book and start drawing! You'll be amazed at what you can create. *Note to readers: This book is a 10-year anniversary paperback reprint of the Keys to Drawing with Imagination hardcover edition (2006).

As a boy working in his father's shop, Paul Revere hears adults talk all about their clubs with meetings, rules, and elections. It gives Paul an idea: Why doesn't he start his own club -- a bell ringing club?

Ross McIntyre and his wife Jean spent 40 years together paddling the great wilderness rivers of North America. Paddle Beads is Ross's inspirational and moving memoir of those trips and the resultant lifetime journey they took together. For those whose hands have not yet grown a paddle callus, McIntyre offers a glimpse of what to expect as a canoe paddle becomes a real companion. For those with miles of water behind and more to come, these pieces will vividly bring back the sensation as the bow rises on a wave or as the canoe leans into a turn. And for those who are content to sit comfortably at the fireside and dream about the way things should be, Paddle Beads will take your imagination on a lasting journey.

Right fielder Alfie Maples is mystified by the newest member of the Peach Street Mudders. As far as Alfie can see, Roberti Frantelli can barely catch a ball or hit. Then Coach Parker asks Alfie to show the newcomer the ropes. Alfie is flattered and teaches Roberti all he can -- but begins to suspect that the coach plans to start Roberti in his position in the next game! Who is this strange new player, and can Alfie continue to help him play his best?

When Rudy Calhoun buys a catcher's mask at a yard sale, his playing improves dramatically--and he starts to wonder if there's some otherworldly presence helping him out behind the plate! Illustrations.

In Finch Discoveries Ginger Wallis demonstrates how compelling science can be She brings to life for young readers adaptation by rapid natural selection, one of the most important discoveries arising from Peter and Rosemary Grant and their colleagues' decades-long research with finches. Wallis takes us from hatching to breeding, through extremes of drought and rainfall, and from individuals to populations to help us understand the importance of slight variations in beak size, and of novel behaviors, for reproduction and survival. It's a must-read for anyone interested in nature and the rules that govern all creatures. We need far more books like this to help young readers internalize the excitement and importance of science. Based on true events, the story takes the reader on two interconnected journeys, one of Adelita, a ground finch trying to survive in an ever-changing landscape, and the second, the scientific research of Peter and Rosemary Grant and their colleagues. The book is for kids, parents, grandparents, and teachers.

Ross McIntyre and his wife Jean spent 40 years together paddling the great wilderness rivers of North America. Paddle Beads is Ross's inspirational and moving memoir of those trips and the resultant lifetime journey they took together. For those whose hands have not yet grown a paddle callus, McIntyre offers a glimpse of what to expect as a canoe paddle becomes a real companion. For those with miles of water behind and more to come, these pieces will vividly bring back the sensation as the bow rises on a wave or as the canoe leans into a turn. And for those who are content to sit comfortably at the fireside and dream about the way things should be, Paddle Beads will take your imagination on a lasting journey.

Mudders' catcher Rudy Calhoun is having a bad season behind the plate until, at a yard sale, he buys a used catcher's mask that greatly improves his playing.