Thomas' 16th Illustrated Story

Once upon a time, there was a cat named Buster.  Buster was a beautiful cat... most of the time.  The rest of the time he was a beautiful dragon.  He had magic fire breath that could turn bad dragons into humans, and then he would chase them away.  And it could turn bad humans into dragons, and they would move away.

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                                                                                                            The End.

Book 571

Cruising Paradise, by Sam Shepard, 1997.

I reviewed this book on Goodreads last Monday (July 24th).  Then I went on a short vacation with my family, and today (July 31st), I just read that the remarkable Sam Shepard has died.

This is the book that made me want to become a writer. It is also the book that made me adore Sam Shepard, but that is a completely different story. 

These stories are breathtakingly perfect. I don't mean they are the polished gems of a technically brilliant wordsmith. I mean they are perfect in their pure, raw, gut-wrenching beauty. The characters in the story may be the most hideous creatures you have ever encountered, and yet you can be moved to tears when you travel with them through their hardships. 

Sam Shepard is an underrated genius. 

Book 570

Listen My Children, Core Knowledge Book, 2001.

My son read this book for his Second Grade Literature class.  This book is an excellently-curated collection of poems for second-graders.