Encyclopedia Brown Finds the Clues

Encyclopedia Brown Finds the Clues by Donald J. Sobol, illustrated by Leonard Shortall, Elsevier/Nelson Books, New York 1966.
It is always fun to match your wits against a master (though young) like Encyclopedia Brown.  This is ten stories, with the key to solving each mystery presented laters.  Encyclopedia Brown of course is a kid detective, and he helps his father, the police chief solve cases.  Some of these stories I figured out before reading the clues, most I didn't, and some I still don't get even with the clues. I like the case of robbery, with the suspect seeking through the hood, the bully who wants to sell divining rods, the bitter drink story, and many other fine stories.

Book Review: The Seven Chinese Brothers

The Seven Chinese Brothers by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Jean and Mou-sien Tseng, Scholastic, New York, 1990.  This is a fascinating Chinese story about what happens to a bad emperor.  Not to be confused with "The Five Chinese Brothers" which is very similar in its theme.  In this case each of the brothers has a special gift: hearing, seeing, strength, iron neck, legs that grow, resistance to fire, and crying tears like a river.  The first six brothers always wanted to keep the seventh brother from crying.  Te strong brother helps to alleviate suffering by repairing a hole in the great wall.  However the emperor is jealous, and has him captured as he is too strong.  He is sentenced to die next die by chopping off his neck, but the next brother trades places, and so it goes, until the emperor orders death by arrows.  At this all the brothers agree to face the emperor and die together, which causes the seventh brother to cry a river, and washes the emperor away.  This is a cute story with a good moral. 

Movie Review: ***^White Buffalo (1977)

This movie stars Charles Bronson as Bill Hickok and Will Sampson as Crazy Horse.  However they are both keeping their names hush hush; Hickok because of his part, and Crazy Horse because he is told not to use his name until he kills the white buffalo.  Part of this movie were not very well done, including the White Buffalo attack of the Indian village that killed Cray Horse's child.  Even Tony noticed that.  It was flashes of the buffalo and then blood.  However is is because of this incident Crazy Horse is given his task of killing the white buffalo and his name is changed to "worm" until he does so.  At the same time, Hickok has ben seeing the white buffalo in his dreams.  Hickok if joined by his friend, Charlie Zane (Jack Warden). 
There are also several cameos: Slim Pickens as the stage coach driver, John Carradine as the undertaker, Kim Novak as the female interest and Clint Walker as the man who wants to kill Hickok.
However this movie is more than three men chasing a white buffalo, which can cause earthquakes and avalanches.  It turns out in the end to be about relationships, and personal growth, for both Crazy Horse and Hickok.  Zane, the old timer, does not go along, and in the end Hickok loses a friend in Zane and gains one in Crazy Horse.

Art: Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso by Hans L Jaffe, Harry N Abrams, Publishers, New York, 1983.
This is the second Pablo Picasso book I have gotten from the library.  I must admit, sometimes I get his art, and sometimes I don't.  He was very prolific in terms of the number of projects he finished every year.  This book seems to have a couple of themes.  One is women with their breasts exposed.  However, these pictures are often done in a distorted style.  The other is the dove of peace. 


If there were a third theme it would be portraits, but distorted to be unrecognizable.