Garry Jenkins

These days you can ask anyone about Star Wars—or at least anyone minimally plugged into pop culture—and they'll recognize it as the corporate-sized media juggernaut it is. More than just a series of movies, the enduring influence of Star Wars can be seen nearly everywhere. And since Disney acquired the rights, "May the Force be with you," might as well live on forever. But it wasn't that long ago when a still mostly unknown filmmaker by the name of George Lucas invested his time, talent and treasure on a million-to-one financial gamble.

Empire Building by Garry Jenkins tells of the humble beginnings of a galaxy from a long time ago, and far, far away. The experience is riveting, and I recommend it.… (more)

This book is a heartfelt story of a cat and how he met his owner that I enjoyed. This book speaks of love, friendship, and family. A cat whose owner has died, is forced onto the streets and begins his long and desperate search to find a new owner to love and care for him. Being a house pet, Bob the cat, does not know how to live on the streets and is lonely and frightened. His adventure on the streets is relatable to young children who may find themselves lost or feeling lonely. The story has is written from the cats point of view, and although he is an animal, children can still understand what he is going through and can sympathize with his struggles: “Nobody wanted to take me in. Nobody wanted to feed me. Nobody wanted to be my friend.” Through the cat, the author brings awareness to abandonment, homelessness, and being an outcast in a way that can be accepted. In the end, Bob finds someone who will care for him, love him, and accept him. He finds comfort in his new owner James and confidence that he will be happy. This brings hope to the readers that even if they might be going through a hard time, they will find happiness in the end. Besides the book sending an extremely good message, the illustrations are absolutely beautiful. The pictures are drawn with so much detail, that at some points they even look like photographs. Finally, the best thing about this book is that it is based on a true story, and readers can see pictures of the real life Bob and James at the end of the book.… (more)

I didn't know there was a grown-up version of this book until I read the part about the real Bob and the real James. Now I will add that to my wish list so that I know the full story.

This is a tale of a lovely orange tabby. He has a home at first but the woman who he lived with got very sick and he got separated from her. He learned about the dangers of the street and felt very lonely until he met James. I love this story and picked it out so I can read it to my brother who is severely autistic and really loves cats. I know that he will love the cat pictures and the story of a cat who found someone to love him.

This picture book is great for everyone, four and up. The illustrations are so beautiful and the book seems to be written with love.… (more)