Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival

Book Description

Based on an Athabascan Indian legend passed along for many generations from mothers to daughters of the upper Yukon River Valley in Alaska, this is the suspenseful, shocking, ultimately inspirational tale of two old women abandoned by their tribe during a brutal winter famine.

Though these women have been known to complain more than contribute, they now must either survive on their own or die trying. In simple but vivid detail, Velma Wallis depicts a landscape and way of life that are at once merciless and starkly beautiful. In her old women, she has created two heroines of steely determination whose story of betrayal, friendship, community and forgiveness "speaks straight to the heart with clarity, sweetness and wisdom" (Ursula K. Le Guin).

Customer Reviews:

A Powerful Legend.......2007-10-19

Two Old Women is a complex and powerful tale of friendship, survival, and courage. It teaches us that the human will can triumph over adversity, and that it is never too late to grow. Regardless of age, is is the will and the human spirit which direct the course of our lives. We read this selection in our book club and it evoked deep and rich discussion.

Don't Underestimate an Older Person.......2007-06-24

In this well-told tale of two tribewomen who are in their old age we see what determination can do. Having earned the respect of their tribe these two women have been content to let others do for them over the years. But their age hinders the tribespeople's movements and they are facing a brutal winter. The chief makes the decision to turn these two out into the harshness of the bleak Alaskan Yukon to live or die.

Together these two women forge a bond of friendship and recall the skills of their younger days, conquering the pain of unused muscles and fear of the unknown to survive even the harshest of conditions. The story comes full circle when they again meet up with their tribe and the chief who once turned them out now finds he and his people have need of their wisdom.

A wonderful book for just about everyone. Full of hope and determination.

A classic story takes a new form.......2007-05-27

A very classic story takes a new form here- two old women are the victims of betrayal from their tribe when it's too cold to continue to support them. The two women must venture out of their own and make a life for themselves. The book comes full circle when the old women themselves are in the position to save the tribe themselves.
The story of the courage to overcome the odds, and the stregth and struggle of the two women is a wonderful tale. Classic in that you learn you should not over estimate anyone, and you never know who in life you'll need. It's a touching tale, and well-told. It's a quick read.

Got a mom? Send this book to her!.......2007-05-26

This book is the best. I read the reviews and thought it would make a nice gift for my 76 year old mom for Mom's Day. Well, when I got in the mail I decided to take a peak. There was no putting it down. It's the most beautiful story of courage, friendship, determination and reflection. The story is very well written. The author brings you into the journey of these two women. Not just a geographical journey but a journey of reflection. I'm telling you, you'll love it. I sent it to my mom but I really want another copy just to keep under my pillow. Corny - read it.

Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival.......2007-05-20

I enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to anyone. Young readers would enjoy it too. It's about two old women and survival in an area that seems to have very little to survive with. They were very innovative. As happens so often they were able to help their families in the end even though the young thought the elders had lost their usefulness.

Tales of Alaska's Bush Rat Governor: The Extraordinary Autobiography of Jay Hammond Wilderness Guide and Reluctant Politician

Average customer rating:

great story, interesting life.....
Amusing story of the bush pilot who became Governor

Tales of Alaska's Bush Rat Governor: The Extraordinary Autobiography of Jay Hammond Wilderness Guide and Reluctant Politician
Jay S. Hammond
Manufacturer: Epicenter Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

More Readings From One Man's Wilderness: The Journals of Richard L. Proenneke, 1974-1980

ASIN: 0945397178

Customer Reviews:

great story, interesting life............2004-08-25

This autobiography written by former Alaska governor, Jay Hammond proves to be a superbly entertaining book about his life - both personal and political. Hammond writes in a very easy going style as if he was sitting right next to you talking about his life story.

As a politican, Hammond reflects a classical Alaskan character. Conservative with liberal bias. I found some of his accounts as our governor to be quite interesting. Especially how he dealt with the pipeline and the Permanent Fund. His personal life also reflects a great deal of adventures as he made his way to Alaska. He must have been very lucky to survived all these plane clashes!!

Can't go wrong reading this book.

Amusing story of the bush pilot who became Governor.......1997-11-01

This is an autobiography of a fascinating Alaskan who, among other things, was also a US Marine, a bush pilot, a fisherman and Governor of the State. Jay has a clever, self-deprecating and iconoclastic view of Alaska and Alaska politics. He was truly a unique cross of being a conservative with paradoxically strong liberal stances on the environment and "development" in general. Jay was governor during one of the most polarized times in Alaska's history so you can be sure he had his detractors as well as his loyalists. The book is fortunately not all about his tenure as Governor; his earlier years as a trapper and guide were equally interesting to this reviewer. This book is an easy read and will leave you smiling. If only we could all have such a rich life.

Average customer rating:

One of the worst books on bears ever written
The author is standing in front of my class right now
Fast, Entertaining Read - Not a Guide to Visiting Bear Country
boring, silly, harmful to bears
A good collection of bear stories but....

Alaska Bear Tales
Larry Kaniut
Manufacturer: Alaska Northwest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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More Alaska Bear Tales
Danger Stalks the Land: Alaskan Tales of Death and Survival
Cheating Death: Amazing Survival Stories from Alaska
Bear Attacks of the Century: True Stories of Courage and Survival
Tales from the Edge: True Adventures in Alaska

ASIN: 0882402323

Book Description

"Alaska Bear Tales" is a best-selling collection of edge-of-your-seat accounts of true-life encounters with bears in Alaska.

Customer Reviews:

One of the worst books on bears ever written.......2007-10-17

I live in Alaska and spent the summer camping with brown bears in Katmai National Park. I can say from experience that everything in this book is myth, grotesque fantasy, made up nonsense and lore. These types of book feed the false stereotype that bears are man eaters, which they are not. For example, hundreds of tourists a day walk with bears in Katmai National Park. The only fatal bear attack in Katmai, since it was opened in the 1920's, was Timothy Treadwell - and he was mentally ill. When bears are treated without violence, they are peaceful. This book is nothing more than propaganda by the hunting establishment. If people knew that children and the elderly walk safely with bears every summer, it would seem really pathetic to go out and shoot them. Read Grizzly Heart by Charlie Russell if you want to read a book about real bears.

The author is standing in front of my class right now.......2006-04-15

The author of this book, Larry Kanuit, is standing in front of my high school English class right now telling the students how he researches his books and how he writes. About myself: I was a journalist for 15 years before becoming a teacher; much of that career was spent in Alaska. I now teach in Bush Alaska. Most of my students are Native Alaskans. Reviewers who have stated that the author is inventing his stories are wrong. Period. Bear-lovers who say that the author is demonizing bears sound as if they have no real-life, consistent, up-close experience with bears. True, most bears leave you alone. Also true, bears are unpredictable and they will attack, maul, and kill you, without provication or apparent reason. Kanuit is explaining right now to the students how he interviews the victims (or survivors), uses police and fish and game documents, and essentially "writes a research paper." His research is good. I happen to know some of the same people in his stories, and their stories match the stories in the book. It's a good read. You won't want to walk into the Alaskan Bush without a good firearm, though.

Fast, Entertaining Read - Not a Guide to Visiting Bear Country.......2005-07-06

Larry Kaniut has made a career of writing white-knuckled real life thrillers. This book is no different. It's kind of like a car accident, once you start reading you can't turn your eyes away. It's easy to get into the book but hard to put down. What better material than bear attacks to capture your imagination.

There are lessons to learn from this book, but for the most part it is a collection of sensational bear stories presented for their entertainment value. If you are looking for a scientific look at bear attacks, this might not be the book for you - Try Stephen Herrero's Bear Attacks, Their Causes and Avoidence.

If you want a book that throws one gripping bear attack after another, get this one. And if you didn't get enough from this book, try More Bear Tales by Larry Kaniut.

One more bit of advice, read this one in your bedroom, not in a tent in the middle of Denali National Park.

boring, silly, harmful to bears.......2004-12-23

Kaniut repeats the same story 200-300 times. A man or woman bumps into a bear. The bear tears the man or woman to pieces. You get all the gross details about their injuries. They speculate about what went wrong. To me, this is like reading a book about 300 car accidents. There's an accident. You get to read clinical descriptions about the injuries people suffer. The survivors speculate about what went wrong. Just as people in auto accidents tend to blame the other driver, the people in Kaniut's bear tales tend to blame the bear for the accident. As a rule, the people injured by bears in Alaska Bear Tales don't know the first thing about bears, so you, the reader, get bombarded with inaccurate, biased information about bears. All the negative comments about bears add up; this book portrays bears as monsters or demons.

A good collection of bear stories but...........2001-07-17

The "rapid fire" writing style renders this book difficult to read. The book is 300 pages long and it contains over 200 bear stories. Some are only a few words long and lack detail to such an extent that I wonder why they were included. Some are loaded with useful information. Others are simply pointless. Most were taken from a magazine verbatim.

Cynthia Dusel-Bacon's story alone was worth the price of the book. She wrote it herself after her terrible mauling and Larry Kaniut quoted it. Read her story and tell me you don't think black bears are dangerous and predatory.

Book Description

The newest addition to the Paws IV line of Alaska children's books features the classic story of those irresistible little pigs--retold Alaskan-style, as the pigs camp, fish, ski, and build homes on the Last Frontier!

"Once upon a time in the wilds of Alaska, there were three little pigs." And so begins the adventure of three outdoor-loving pigs who head to Alaska to homestead and "grow big cabbages." After playing under the Midnight Sun, it's time to get busy and build safe homes for the winter. The first and second little pigs are creative, but it's the third hardworking little pig who uses solid glacier ice: a good thing when a hungry grizzly bear is awakened! This delightful take on the original is full of Alaska details and is sure to charm readers of all ages.

Customer Reviews:

alaskas three pigs.......2001-01-11

we lived in alaska and found this to remind us of our days in alaska. The author did a great job with this story and the illustrations are excellent too! i am buying a few more to give as gifts to friends in alaska.

Danger Stalks the Land: Alaskan Tales of Death and Survival

Average customer rating:

Definitely a Good Read
Best "bathroom book" ever written!
MORE BIG GUYS,
Alaskan Melodrama in the Style of Reader's Digest
Pass on "Danger stalks the Land..."

Danger Stalks the Land: Alaskan Tales of Death and Survival
Larry Kaniut
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Alaska Bear Tales
Cheating Death: Amazing Survival Stories from Alaska
Tales from the Edge: True Adventures in Alaska
Bear Attacks of the Century: True Stories of Courage and Survival
Mark of the Grizzly: True Stories of Recent Bear Attacks and the Hard Lessons Learned

ASIN: 0312241208

Book Description

Alaska is like no other state and few countries; men experience greater risk in her arms. This one-of-a-kind anthology captures the spine tingling adventures of daring men and women who venture into Alaska's vast wilderness and look death in the eye. Danger Stalks the Land relates gripping episodes of animal attacks, avalanches, aircraft disasters, fishing, hunting, and skiing accidents, and chronicles risky climbs and reckless mountaineering amid Alaska's fantastic peaks. Through exhaustive research and interviews, author Larry Kaniut has captured in one volume, the terror and beauty of man's attempt to explore a vast and unforgiving land.

Customer Reviews:

Definitely a Good Read.......2007-09-17

I purchased this book as I like to read about TRUE life adventures. This book will not disappoint. I cringed with a couple of the stories as they are true and one wonders how human beings can survive sometimes. Definitely worth purchasing. I am going to see about other books by this author. Buy it, you won't be disappointed.

Best "bathroom book" ever written!.......2007-09-01

Great for the short of time or attention span as it's a bunch of 1-5 page stories. I call it, "Bad *&@#$% that can happen to you if you visit Alaska". It's one of my favorite books for entertainment & I bought this one as a birthday present for my brother. Great gift item. The stories are riveting.

MORE BIG GUYS, .......2007-07-09

MORE BEARS AND SURVIVAL STORIES..READING THESE GIVES YOU AN EDGE...I NEVER GO OUT IN THE BUSH WITHOUT A WEAPON AND A FIRE STARTER...

Alaskan Melodrama in the Style of Reader's Digest.......2006-07-18

I think reading any work should teach you something, and tales of wilderness incidents should not simply be armchair rubbernecking. This book is a collection of true incidents involving sportsman, backcountry travelers, and bush pilots. Their misfortunes could have been models for preventing readers from finding themselves in similar situations. Kaniut misses this opportunity. Instead of an analysis of the actions that saved the subjects (or cost them their lives), most stories are just circular and pointless recollections of how scary it was having a bear drag you around/being submerged in freezing water/crashing a plane in the backcountry, etc. According to this book, surviving these incidents simply requires some really hard praying, but reaffirms one's love of life and/or faith in god. It's akin to seeing dozens of people pulled from a wrecked plane and saying "WOW, what a miracle!!" while ignoring what the pilot did in the last seconds, recognizing the crew for an efficient evacuation, and acknowledging the skill and training of the ground emergency response crews. Kaniut would relate being mauled by a bear, the conclusion being that this was a terrible attack by a viscous animal, but god smiled and saved the day. In contrast, an NGS story I read after Danger Stalks about several bear attacks on hunters taught me (if I was inclined) how not to handle kills and seasonal factors that could emerge in the future that would make bears more aggressive, all the while infusing the human emotional element of these attacks. A serious missed opportunity is analyzing bush pilots' incidents. This book could have served as an excellent resource for this otherwise dry and difficult to find info (you can read FAA/NASA reports, but they often lack analysis, can be hard to sort through, and often simply blame "pilot error leading to..."); but the reader will have to find their own lessons in the aircraft incidents, if Kaniut provided enough detail between the sermons and anecdotes. Thus distilled, Danger Stalks is either just reflective of the human fascination with other's bad luck or a fluffy triumph of the human spirit book.

Pass on "Danger stalks the Land...".......2006-06-14

First of all, let me just say that I read a lot of non-fiction books about adventure (Jon Krakauer's books, Spike Walker's "Working on the Edge", Greg Child, etc.). I found this book to be boring and uninspiring. The problem is this:
Most of the stories are either far too short to get into (some are even comprised of 2 pages) or just plain boring. The overtly religious overtones of each story were kind of an annoyance, but easy to overlook, and stick with the story. Had I been Mr. Kanuit, I would have chosen 6 of the best stories, (if indeed there were 6 decent stories in here) and written them with far more detail than he does (some stories of lost persons jump from day 1 to day 5, and so on). The few decent stories are hard to come by. I would liken this book to buying a CD for 2 or 3 good songs, with the rest being just filler.
Another annoyance of Mr. Kanuit's writing style is his use of words to describe certain things (he constantly refers to snowmobiles as "snowmachines". Is he from the 19th century or something)?
I feel that I really gave this book a chance, but wouldnt recommend it to anyone. There are just far too many better written and more entertaining books about adventure out there to choose from, rather than settling for this mish-mash.

Tales from Fish Camp: A City Girl's Experience Working in an Alaskan Fishing Village

Average customer rating:

A Little Disappointed
Something to Not Try
Good, quick, memorable read about a neat adventure.
Leaves much to be desired.
Not very good.

Tales from Fish Camp: A City Girl's Experience Working in an Alaskan Fishing Village
Danielle Henderson
Manufacturer: AiT/PlanetLar
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1932051252

Book Description

Bear chases. Stabbings. Broken bones. Sleeping three hours a day. Drinking whiskey all night. It all comes with the territory when a city girl from New York takes a job in an Alaskan fishing village. Tales from Fish Camp is a humorous take on the day-to-day drudgery of working 18 hour shifts, boozing it up with wizened old fisherman, hitchhiking, blood poisoning, and sucker hosing, filleting and packing thousands of pounds of fish. Though it sounds like she lost a lost bet, Danielle took this job on purpose - with no idea what she'd be getting herself into.

Customer Reviews:

A Little Disappointed.......2006-07-11

Before buying and reading this book I had visited her blog in order to get a sense of her writing style. I had also searched for her on the net and read reviews and interviews concerning this book and was expecting something better than what I had received.

I was a little disappointed in the brevity of the "stories" and the book in itself.

While I did not expect the writing to be of a serious nature I was a little disappointed in the ability of the author. I believe that this book should have been worked on a little more. Perhaps if she had done so then the "stories" might have contained more detail and the quality of the writing might have been improved.

The layout of the book, as others below have mentioned, leaves much to be desired and questions the seriousness of the author in the creative writing field. Illustrations in place of the blank pages would have been perfered.

This is a very light read that is perfect when one wants something one doesn't have to spend much time thinking about.

I would, instead of buying this book, either borrow from someone or find it in a local bookstore and read it there.

Something to Not Try.......2006-06-13

Well after reading the reviews on here I decided to give this a try.

I was disappointed. The good reviews on here promised me something else as did her blog. I did not enjoy the writing. I feel as if the writer should have waited a bit before putting this to print and worked on this a little more.

The writing is amateurish at best. But it fits the genre and type of book it is.

I'm glad I didn't pay for this as I would have demanded my money back. I'm not in the habit of paying blank pages in books.

If you're looking for an extremely light read then pick it up. But I recommend that you read it at Barnes and Noble instead of buying it.

Good, quick, memorable read about a neat adventure........2006-06-11

I thought I should put a review up here to even out the bad reviews.

I thought "Tales From Fish Camp" was a pleasant read. The book is basically the narrative thoughts of a girl's adventure to an Alaskan fish camp for a few months. I thought the book read like a 'zine. And since I am a big fan of 'zines, I really enjoyed the book.

It only took me about 2 hours to get through the whole thing, but I found the writing and the stories she told very inspiring. It brought back a good deal of good memories of my own adventures and friends that I haven't seen for a long time. I'm glad Danielle Henderson took the time to write her memories down from this interesting time of her life and share them with us.

Leaves much to be desired........2006-04-08

I was greatly disappointed in this book. I had bought it after reading the first review. I guess I should have waited longer for other reviews.

It wasn't funny. The jokes were badly done as well as the writing. I felt this needed more work done to it and more content. I don't know why this was turned into a book. It's more like a short story.

Each chapter was a few pages long. There were blank pages that separated each chapter with nothing but a fish on it. I paid for content, for a story. Not blank pages! I was very put out that I spent over ten dollars on this "book".

I really did not like the writing for this book. I felt it lacked real talent creative and otherwise. I don't believe this author has what it takes to be one of the greats.

Not very good........2006-03-05

I do not recommend this book to anyone who is interested in serious literature.
This short story is badly written. Aside from humor it really offers no valuable insight on life or anything of a serious nature. The descriptions are badly written. Some parts of book seemed strained and unfinished.Aside from the content of the book, the layout leaves much to be desired as does the title. Some chapters are only two pages long and in between chapters are pages upon pages of nothing.
I was suprised that this wasn't self-published from the appearance of it. But then I learned that the only reason she was able to obtain a contract was that she was already affliated with Ait via some friends she had.
I recommend this book to younger girls who like reading such series as the Baby Sitters Club but not to anyone looking for something meatier and with more value.
So to sum it up do not spend money on this book, you'll be wishing you didn't.

Iditarod Classics: Tales of the Trail from the Men and Women Who Race Across Alaska

Average customer rating:

Iditarod Classics: Tales of the Trail from the Men and Women Who Race Across Alaska
Lew Freedman
Manufacturer: Epicenter Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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More Iditarod Classics: Tales of the Trail from the Men & Women Who Race Across Alaska
Race Across Alaska: First Woman to Win the Iditarod Tells Her Story
Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod
Back of the Pack: An Iditarod Rookie Musher's Alaska Pilgrimage to Nome
Iditarod Dreams: A Year in the Life of Alaskan Sled Dog Racer Deedee Jonrowe

ASIN: 0945397127

Book Description

"This book is terrific...I promise you, short of getting on a dog sled, traveling into the darkness, and running the Iditarod yourself, this will be the next best thing to being there."--Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press Blinding Blizzards. Freezing wind. Paralyzingly cold temperatures. The 1,100-mile Iditarod Sled Dog Race is an annual marathan run from Anchorage to Nome across the nation's most forbidding and dangerous territory. The competitors in one of the world's toughest endurance contests must be resourceful, rugged, and resilient. Sometimes, they must make life and death choices. These are the stories -- in their own words -- of the men and women who challenge the elements. "Earthy & eloquent--each story an adventure." Juneau (Alaska) Empire

Tales from the Edge: True Adventures in Alaska

Average customer rating:

Tales from the Edge: True Adventures in Alaska
Note: this is not a Kaniut book but a great compilation edited by him

Tales from the Edge: True Adventures in Alaska

Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Danger Stalks the Land: Alaskan Tales of Death and Survival
Cheating Death: Amazing Survival Stories from Alaska
The Last Frontier: Incredible Tales of Survival, Exploration, and Adventure from Alaska Magazine
On Patrol: True Adventures of an Alaska Game Warden
Alaska Bear Tales

ASIN: 0312317034
Release Date: 2005-02-24

Book Description

From the Klondike to the Bering Sea, from Alaska's bounty that brought fortunes to some to its wilderness that claimed the lives of others, Tales from the Edge explores the myth, beauty, and peril of the arctic landscape. Editor Larry Kaniut brings together some of the world's best outdoor adventure writers to celebrate the land and the people who have measured themselves against it.Tales from the Edge is a celebration of Alaska featuring such notable contributors as Peter Jenkins, Spike Walker, Jay Hammond, Nick Jans, Dana Stabenow, Larry Kaniut, and more. Tales from the Edge will stir the soul and imagination of every armchair adventurer.

Customer Reviews:

Tales from the Edge: True Adventures in Alaska.......2007-01-10

After reading dozens of other books about Alaska and it's peculiar and adventursome folks, I found this book very disappointing. Not because it is a bad book, but because it appears to be a book about exciting stories from Alaska. This book isn't about exciting adventures as much as it is about stories of people from Alaska. While I was looking for tales of adventure, I got to read about a Governor and his legislative stories, Wildlife managers and their public and political struggles, and occaisionally a story about something outside of a building. To be fair, there was a fishing story where a boat was stranded, and the story of a woman dogsledding across the country, and even some not so exciting stories about some bush pilots. To put this in perspective, I don't consider finding wolf tracks while dogledding across Alaska very riveting. The dogsledding part is fine, but the most exciting part of the story is that the woman saw some wolf tracks, (not actual wolves, just tracks)
If you are looking for adventure stories, this isn't a very exciting book. On the other hand, if you are interested in some historical information and stories about Alaska and some of the people you would probably find this book interesting.

Note: this is not a Kaniut book but a great compilation edited by him.......2005-09-15

I ordered this book expecting another version of Danger Stalks the Land and was mildly disappointed when I found that it was a collection of excerpts from other authors books. But that didn't last long, because Larry did a fine job of bringing together some great Alaskan classics.

I fell in love with Alaska ten years ago on my first visit and I have been reading everything I can get my hands on since. So, I had read several of the excerpts in books I have read, but for the most part, they were new to me. Thanks to Larry's introduction, I now have a dozen more books on my wish list from reading this book.

If you are hoping for more Kaniut written stories, there are only four in the book and only one has not been published before. Two are from Cheating death and the previously unpublished story is from Larry's upcoming book Swallowed Alive.

So, I recommend the book, but be sure you are expecting a great collection of Alaskan literary outtakes and not the typical Kaniut, white knuckled collection of survival stories.

Average customer rating:

Quirky and Fun
A tale of friendship . . .
My kids can't get enough of this one!
disappointed
Upbeat and whimsical

The Giant Cabbage: An Alaska Folktale
Cherie B. Stihler
Manufacturer: Sasquatch Books/Paws IV Children's Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

The Giant Carrot
The Enormous Potato
Grandma Lena's Big Ol' Turnip (Albert Whitman Prairie Paperback)
The Gigantic Turnip
The Enormous Turnip

ASIN: 1570613575

Book Description

Moose discovers a very big cabbage in his garden that could win first prize at the Alaska State Fair. But there's a problem -- it's so huge he can't lift it! Various animal friends stop to help, and through teamwork and positive attitude, they succeed. An old Russian folktale about a large turnip inspired The Giant Cabbage, but this contemporary version uses verbal and visual twists that showcase its Alaska setting. Comical repetitions, fun words, and vivid animal characters bring the story to life, and there's even a recipe for a scrumptious cabbage stew to be cooked in a giant pot!

Customer Reviews:

Quirky and Fun.......2006-04-11

We live in Anchorage, I found this book down in a Homer bookstore. We love it, the illustrations are great and text is fun, the kids really get into the repetitive words as the various Moose neighbors help him to remove his cabbage to get it to the fair. It even has a Cabbage Soup recipe in the back!

A tale of friendship . . ........2004-03-02

Whimsical/humorous illustrations, coupled with repetitious text have made this one of my sons favorite books. By the end of our first reading, he could already recite parts of the book to me.

A tale of helping and sharing, with a subtle message of "never give up", this book is perfect for sharing with 3 to 8 year olds.

Be sure to try Moose's Cabbage Soup recipe!

My kids can't get enough of this one!.......2004-02-16

In this fabulous retelling of the Russian folktale, the author combines wonderful repetition (a very effective method, loved by children) with fascinating details of Alaskan life to create a great picture book. The illustrations seem to offer new details every time we re-read, and they do a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life. All in all, we're thrilled we bought this book!

disappointed.......2003-11-03

This is one of those books that repeats itself on every page. The whole book is about the moose moving the cabbage to the giant cabbage contest. Every page he meets a new animal who joins the group to move the cabbage. The same adjectives of how large it is, is repeated and then everyone's name in a list is read who is moving the cabbage. Only in the back of the book is it explained about the midnight sun and that this book is really based on a Russian folktale.

This is for very young children. I wasn't that excited about the illustrations.

Upbeat and whimsical.......2003-06-10

Entertainingly written by Cherie B. Stihler and delightfully illustrated by Jeremiah Trammel, The Giant Cabbage: An Alaska Folktale is a playful story about a hard-working moose who is determined to enter the biggest and best cabbage he can grow into the Giant Cabbage contest. But the cabbage he grows is so big it can hardly be moved - what is everyone to do? The Giant Cabbage is an upbeat, whimsical and enthusiastically recommended picture book tale which will have special appeal for children ages 3 to 8.

The Alaska Mother Goose: North Country Nursery Rhymes (Last Wilderness Adventure)

Average customer rating:

The Alaska Mother Goose
a must have for nature and Alaska-lovers!
It's wonderful
Superb for children from all locales

The Alaska Mother Goose: North Country Nursery Rhymes (Last Wilderness Adventure)
Shelley Gill
Manufacturer: Sasquatch Books/Paws IV Children's Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

Alaska's Three Bears (Last Wilderness Adventure)
Count Alaska's Colors
Alaska's 12 Days of Summer
Alaska ABC Book (Last Wilderness Adventure)
Kiana's Iditarod (Last Wilderness Adventure)

ASIN: 0934007020

Customer Reviews:

The Alaska Mother Goose.......2002-10-31

Having this book since I was a baby, I have loved it up until now. I think I always will! The Alaska Mother Goose, by Shelly Gill and Illustrations by Shannon Cartwright, is a book filled with different rhymes about animals, and the habits that they do in Alaska.
The book describes each animal, starting out with snow geese, then to the end with a child, gazing at the Northern Lights. The poems are hilarious and lighthearted. The sea otter floats without a care, the black bears mouths turn blue from eating too many berries, and a porcupine's prickles get filled with berries from sitting on a cranberry bog! At the end of the book, there is a glossary filled with every animal mentioned in the book describing its name, and what it is.
If you want to get your child more familiar with animals, I think this book is perfect. It's very realistic and informational! Humorous at the same time.

a must have for nature and Alaska-lovers!.......2000-10-23

Wonderful, fun book... animals who live in Alaska each have their own nursery rhyme that describes the animal and its' habitat. Illustrations are fun and some of the rhymes are hilarious. I loved the book so much I purchased it while on my honeymoon before our children were even conceived! Definately unique. Different than other books in that both the child and the parent enjoy reading this book.

It's wonderful.......2000-04-19

As you may guess from the title, this book is comprised of variations on Mother Goose rhymes with a theme of wildlife found in Alaska. The author has a wonderful command of words and I love the images she creates. The delightful illustrations compliment the text well. The rhymes have the charm of traditional Mother Goose rhymes, but are mixed with inspiring images of nature rather than images of violence (the baby and cradle falling, etc.). I am so happy to have run across this book.

Superb for children from all locales.......1999-01-16

My daughter particularly loves the Alaskan version of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" We live in Alaska, and she has seen the northern lights--she learned "Twinkle Twinkle Northern Lights" first. This is a great book

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