Craig Thompson

Have you ever experienced the beauty and serenity of a float trip down the Kaw (Kansas River)? Seen and heard Bald Eagles, Great Blue Herons, Least Terns and other wildlife from a canoe or kayak? Picnicked on a sandbar and learned about the Kaw and its environs from guest speakers? Camped under a full moon on a sandbar in the Flint Hills? Experienced a sunset at Kaw Point - a historically significant Lewis and Clark site in Kansas? Craig Thompson has enjoyed many of these outdoor experiences on the Kaw and is eager to share one of the state's best kept secrets. Along the Kaw: A Journey Down the Kansas River is a book about a recreational and scenic journey down the Kansas River. Through seventy-five color photographs, you will discover the wonders of the Kaw, the beauty of the Kaw, and people enjoying outdoor recreation on the Kaw. Many of the photographs are brought to life by comments from various people whose lives have been touched in some way by the Kaw. Throughout the book, comments by thirty-nine contributing authors are paired with images of the natural Kaw and images of the recreational Kaw. Many comments point to wildlife diversity and to recreational opportunities afforded by the river. Other comments express feelings of isolation, getting away from the hustle and bustle of life, and the peace of mind the river brings naturally. Along the Kaw is in the class of illustrated photographic books that show the beauty of Kansas. Thompson's book is the first of its kind to cover the entire length of the Kaw - from Junction City to Kansas City, Kansas. The chapter map sequence in the book follows the river from upstream to downstream direction (Upper to Middle to Lower Kaw). Upper Kaw The first chapter covers the "Upper Kaw" from Junction City to Manhattan and contains images of the magnificent Flint Hills. One page shows an image of people enjoying a campfire on a sandbar with the backdrop of the Flint Hills behind them. Erlene Slingsby, whose comments were matched with this image, writes, "There is simply nothing more relaxing than sitting around the campfire, swapping stories with friends and sipping a hot drink." This chapter also has images of the beginning of the Kaw, a two page panoramic of the Flint Hills, fall scenery, Great Blue Heron fishing, and paddlers enjoying their journey down the river. Middle Kaw The second chapter covers the "Middle Kaw" from Manhattan to Lecompton. Images of paddlers floating by the Flint Hills and people sitting on a sand bank watching a full moon are some of the recreational highlights of this middle portion of the Kaw. There is an image of paddlers exploring a limestone train bridge near Wamego. Bill Cutler wrote, "Even on stretches of the river I've paddled many times, I always discover something new." Other parts of this chapter show beautiful images of the natural Kaw, with scenes like cottonwoods along a bank in early spring, a sandbar sculptured by wind and water, an ancient glacial rock island, a Bald Eagle soaring overhead, and a flock of American White Pelicans resting in a river channel. Lower Kaw Finally in the third chapter, there are many images taken along the Kaw between Lecompton and Kansas City, with scenes of numerous paddlers on Friends of the Kaw fundraiser float trips, scenes of Jayhawk crew members rowing, and scenes of people enjoying recreational fishing. Near the mouth of the river, there are scenes of the urban Kaw such as old steel girder bridges and paddlers floating by Kemper Arena. In a downtown scene showing the skyline of Kansas City, Missouri, Doug Jensen wrote, "I live one mile down the river from Kaw Point in a loft in downtown Kansas City. Since I have no backyard, the Kaw River has become my back yard. I am on the water most every available night during the summer."

Dodolan lapsuus loppuu, kun hänet myydään vaimoksi keski-ikäiselle ukolle. Aviomies on kuitenkin kiltti ja opettaa Dodolan lukemaan ja kirjoittamaan. Mutta sitten maantierosvot tappavat miehen raa’asti, ja Dodola pakenee autiomaahan. Hän asettuu asumaan hylättyyn laivaan orjuudelta pelastamansa pienen pojan, Habibin, kanssa. Lapset elävät vaatimatonta mutta onnellista elämää, kunnes Dodola ryöstetään jalkavaimoksi sulttaanin haaremiin. Habibi lähtee etsimään ystäväänsä. Alkaa taival, jonka aikana Habibi joutuu kasvokkain myös oman itsensä ja sisimpänsä kanssa. Muhkea sarjakuvaromaani saa aineksensa islamilaisesta tarinankerronnan perinteestä, mutta sen tarina tuo syvällisessä kulttuuriin perehtyneisyydessään lukijan eteen arabikulttuurin koko moninaisuuden. Sivuja kuvittava arabiornamentiikka ja tarinan imu vievät lukijan Tuhannen ja yhden yön maisemiin, runouden ja erotiikan arvoitusten äärelle.

Habibi, based on a Middle Eastern fable, tells the story of Dodola, who escapes being sold into slavery and rescues an abandoned baby she names Zam. They live in isolation in an old boat in the desert. As they age their relationship shifts from mother and son, to brother and sister and eventually lovers. In the meantime however Dodola is forced to prostitute herself to desert traders in order to provide for Zam. When he seeks an alternative means of income Dodola is captured by the Sultan and Zam is forced into a quest to try and rescue her. At heart Habibi is, like Blankets, a profound love story, but it also functions as a parable about the environment and the state of the world. Set in the place where Christianity and Islam began, it explores the fundamental connection between these religions, and also the relationship between the first and the third world and the increasingly important battle for the earth's resources. Ambitious, but always deeply felt, Habibi is a beautifully drawn and moving graphic novel that will get a huge amount of attention.

Sprawling across an epic landscape of deserts, harems, and modern industrial clutter, Habibi tells the tale of Dodola and Zam, refugee child slaves bound to each other by chance, by circumstance, and by the love that grows between them. We follow them as their lives unfold together and apart; as they struggle to make a place for themselves in a world (not unlike our own) fueled by fear, lust, and greed; and as they discover the extraordinary depth—and frailty—of their connection. At once contemporary and timeless, Habibi gives us a love story of astounding resonance: a parable about our relationship to the natural world, the cultural divide between the first and third worlds, the common heritage of Christianity and Islam, and, most potently, the magic of storytelling.

Chunky Rice, a small green turtle, embarks on an ocean voyage, where he meets a shady skipper and conjoined twins, Ruth and Livonia, but he also leaves behind his mouse deer girlfriend Dandel, who sends him letters in a bottle. Reprint. 20,000 first printing.