Broken-Bones Books

Dr. Kain's science books provide marvelous supplemental activities for children to experience the excitement of science. The activities are great for kids with learning handicaps and offer them the opportunity to enjoy and learn outside of a more rigid curriculum. Children are introduced to the concept of the scientific method in a fun and hands-on fashion. Teachers are given ideas for extending the activities into other academic disciplines. And finally there is a wealth of additional resources available in the back of the teacher's manual for those who wish to expand upon the concepts introduced in the books.

I heartily endorse the use of these books by educators of children in grades K through 5.

Erin E. Flory, 5th Grade Special Education Teacher, California

We got this book because it happened to us too - one child broke an arm twice when falling off a bike. The book was loads of fun and brought back some memories for all of us. A great fun way to share what happens when a bone is broken!

Reading the Science Spiders books is like going to the dentist. So why did I rate the books so highly? I have a very good dentist. He's friendly, interesting, and before we're finished with the small talk, he's finished with the injection. The worst part of going to the dentist is over before I know it's happening. The Science Spider books are simple, playful stories about a patient, scientifically inclined mom and her young children. The readers don't realize they're learning science until after it happens. My jaw gets numb just thinking about it. There's no math, but readers of all ages become familiar with chemical reactions, color theory, acids, bases, forces, energy, molecules, scientific method, air pressure, and center of gravity. The lucky children who are introduced to science by the Science Spiders will have a positive feeling for the subject that can only help them in future studies. Dr. Kain has a Ph.D in materials science and engineering. She barely conceals her identity in the books as "Mom." Mom is an excellent role model for all children, but especially girls. She and her kitchen experiments prove that science is very much woman's work. And apparently, so is dentistry.

Rick Kamen, author of HEIRLOOM STORIES FROM THE HARNESSMAKER'S SON

The 'Science Spiders' books by Dr.Kain guide childrens' natural curiosity through experimentation to successful, accurate explainations of how things happen in our world. Science is all around us, acting and reacting. Children constantly ask "why?" and "How?". In 'Broken Bones' the Science Spiders do step-by-step investigations of force and energy as related to Namila's broken arm. For example, Dr.Kain does an excellent job associating the heat generated in cast formation to exothermic reactions in nature. This is an extraordinary series of books that encourages seeing, doing and thinking for the purpose of understanding our fascinating world.

HOLLYWOOD, AMERICA - A throng of mourners could be seen from miles around as the Patriarch was dragged off on a stretcher to Cedar's Sinai Hospital on Friday, SEPT 14th 2007. Where he was diagnosed with a couple of broken ribs.

"What makes this injury so life-threatening is the fact that the ribs are directly over the heart-piece and have all these little pointy parts and every times he laughs, coughs, or hiccups, his heart gets poked," said Dr. Goldstein-Goldberg.

These injuries are believed to be the result of a valiant battle. The Patriarch was infuriated with his "agent" who had repeatedly failed to sell his magnificent screenplay, "The Orb of Eternal Darkness."

"His agent(name obscured to protect the not-so-innocent) was...mocking him and talking into his cello-phone very loudly to an imaginary film director, 'Dahling' as if to mock him," said secretary Miss Jones. "Finally the Patriarch rushed him and attempted to snatch the cello-phone from his hands. When the agent's grip proved too tight, he held onto it with one hand and grabbed the agent's sock with the other."

In the end of this stunning battle between two demi-gods, the agent fell down, knee-first onto the Patriarch's 'heart-ribs.'

Afeared that he was already dying, the Patriarch could only mumble, "He broke my heart..."

While those who knew, loved, and respected this great man of our age are wearing black and throwing ashes on their heads there is a group of people that are celebrating this "Victory" with exuberant Bacchanalia. Namely, those who left nasty comments on his reviews. "Leading this angry mob of atheists, pantheists, and the otherwise moronic, is 'Gordy-baby' self-proclaimed Canadian and 'family-man.'

"The Patriarch's rain(?) of terror is finally bye-byes!" is Gordy's official statement and rallying cry.

These hate-mongers and bigots may just be jumping the gun as the Patriarch's ribs seem to be healing quite nicely with limited "heart-puncturage."

WHERE: Cedar's Sinai Hospital
WHEN: Right now
WHAT IS IT: PATRIARCH'S DEATH PARTY
IF YOU GO: $15 General admission, $25 for autographed Reviews. (Please print out aforehand.)

I loved the book. I had a tough time putting the book down. It kept me anticipating the outcome. I recommend it to other people even if you don't like westerns. This book is a one-of-a kind. Thanks! Cristine Berry

I feel the author was very honest in the book.Her strength and love she had for her family is awesome. Although it appear she had no plan she did timing was the key.I feel the author knew she had to leave in GOD time not hers.Ifeel the purpose of the book is to let the readers knew prayer and faith chnges things. If you just trust. belive. and have a little faith GOD will work it out.Ithink it was cleaver the way she finally got away from Coke and still had all her blessings that god gave her.including forgiving her mother. GOD is good.My favorite part was when Shelly wanted to go with the Angels but mom wasnt have it.Thank God.As of today denise and her children are very happy. Denise keep preaching the word and encouraging others Stay strong in the lord and we are waiting for book 2. Be bless my friend love ya cynthia turner




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While rodeo insiders may find fault with this book and quibble over details, it remains an excellent introduction to the history, the personalities, and the meaning of this sport as it's evolved over the past century. Stratton, a journalist based in Austin, TX, with roots in Oklahoma, comes by his "kicker" credentials fairly enough - his mother a cowgirl in her own right and his father a rodeo cowboy who went on down the road and never came back. Stratton's book is a personal journey, a search for an understanding of the romance of rodeo - the call of the wild in the soul, the appeal of risk-taking, the love of a past that can be recaptured for a moment in a beautifully executed ride on a bucking horse or bull. And he does much to reclaim the essentials of a pastoral ritual that has been compromised by commercialism, corporate sponsorships, and marketing that positions it as an extreme sport.

Stratton covers some familiar ground that will not be new for all readers, but many stories deserve retelling, such as that of George Fletcher at the 1911 Pendleton Roundup, the first bulldogger, Bill Pickett, and the death of champion bull rider Lane Frost. Then there is an account of the first rodeo "cowgirl," Lucille Mulhall and of Indian cowboy Will Sampson, who played Chief Bromden in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." In Prescott, AZ, he has occasion to recall at length the rodeo film "Junior Bonner" with Steve McQueen.

There is a wide array of other personalities who find their way into Stratton's book: Justin McBride, Will Rogers, Tom Mix, Willie Nelson, Jack Kerouac, Ben Johnson, Theodore Roosevelt, Buffalo Bill Cody, and evangelist Susie Luchsinger. He gets closest to the sport itself in conversations with all-around champion Jesse Bail and bullriding champion Freckles Brown. The first-chapter account of Brown's famous ride on Tornado at the National Finals in 1967 just takes your breath away. Finally there is the search for the story of Stratton's absent cowboy father, which rounds out the book with more than a little poignance. I loved this book and recommend it to anyone curious about rodeo, the fascination it holds for both fans and participants, and its place in American popular culture.

**For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?** "Kip" Stratton has written a winner of a book, here. I felt it appropriate to begin this review with that familiar biblical quote, although "Chasing The Rodeo" is about the search for soul as well as about its diminution. What I mean by "soul" in this context is that which makes us part of society as well as unique individuals within it. Stratton's father, whom he never met, was a bull rider. Stratton's literal search for his father is overlaid onto his broader search for the soul of the rodeo and the American West.

As this book makes clear, the towns that hold rodeos provide an essential part of its unique character. Moving the National Finals Rodeo from Oklahoma, which is steeped in Rodeo tradition, to Las Vegas is symbolic of the sacrifce of soul for that most America of obsessions, making money. Character is also lost when things are made safe and sanitary, and when elements that are foreign are incorporated into a thing in order to make it "accessible" to a wider audience. Early in the book, Stratton frets about being "a generic, white bread American" but learns that the "Kicker Culture" is as much a part of him as it is of the Rodeo. I grew up in a small town in North Texas and will tell you that the "Kicker Culture" ain't pretty and it ain't sanitary or even safe, but it is genuine. There are parts of it that should be eschewed entirely, but never "prettied up."

Stratton obviously spent a great deal of time researching this book. It is chock-full of the people and places that make up this sport and their history. At the same time, he does not blink from calling racism what it is or identifying as bovine scat some of the aspects of recent Rodeo venues. He may offend some folks in doing so. But to be less than honest in his assessment of these things would certainly diminish the soul of the book.

In these fractious times, it is a joy to come across a book that embraces something as distinctly American as the rodeo. W.K. Stratton has delivered a handsomely-rendered treasure for every man who ever wanted to be a cowboy and every woman who ever wanted to be a cowboy's sweetheart. He traces the origins of rodeoing, takes us to this wild sport's biggest events, and introduces us to the kind of outsized characters it is hard to believe still exist. So here's to Freckles Brown, the rodeo clown who rode the fiercest bull in captivity, and to Jesse Bail, the spiritual descendant of Larry Mahan and Ty Murray and all the great rodeo riders who preceded him. And here's to Stratton himself, the son of a rodeo bum, who weaves the search for traces of his father into the larger tale he is telling without ever getting thrown by it. He stayed in the saddle, and by doing so, he has given readers a chance for the ride of their lives.

Rodeo's roots may be in the primitive West of the past, but today it's prime-time TV material, even while steeped in tradition, filled with pros and tours. Journalist W.K. Stratton followed the pro rodeo circuit for one year, exploring the history of chutes to its current popularity and uncovering myths and realities alike. His findings about the people and politics of today's rodeo make for lively reading in Chasing The Rodeo: On Wild Rides And Big Dreams, Broken Hearts And Broken Bones, And One Man's Search For The West. A spirited account of today's wild riders.

Having grown up in Texas, I easily recognize many names and places and am quite familiar with rodeos. W.K. Stratton brilliantly blends the romantic lure of the rodeo as an expression of the American West with the univeral theme of the quest for identity. The book is a delightful mixture of colorful characters, amusing anecdotes, and sad stories. Mr. Stratton's personal quest mirrors that of all, not just those familiar with the sport or the region. His story's appeal lies in the universality of each human's struggles with issues of identity, values, and sense of place. I heartily recommend Chasing the Rodeo to anyone who appreciates a book that both transports one to another time and place and allows one the opportunity to be inspired by another's personal journey through life.

This book is powerful, poignant, and incredibly maddening! It should be required reading for anyone dealing with inept bureaucrats, especially those in the business of protecting children.

Grandparent rights - a difficult subject to tackle and this author does her best to tell a true story of her family's struggle to protect a grandchild lost in a maze of social services that overlook her problems.

David Swartz presents King David in a beautiful expression of the king dealing with life and the spiritual growth that he achieved in dealing with his life. Rather than focusing on the specialness of David, the author focuses on his common bond and likeness to modern humankind. The Chapter on Sin is one of the best in print today, the author carefully takes the issues common to humankind and through the use David's growth as a model for man the author carefully brings the options open to man in focus. The next Chapter on Being Your Brother's Keep is very thoughfully written and focuses again on the growth that comes in accepting that we are in this together. A welcome reading for people trying to find solutions, guidance and references to Old and New Testament understanding of sin, grace and forgiveness. Randy VanNostrand,M.Div., Ph.D.