Ian Thomson

Primo Levi, author of Survival in Auschwitz and The Periodic Table, wrote books that have been called the essential works of humankind. Yet he lived an unremarkable existence, remaining until his death in the house in which he'd been born; managing a paint and varnish factory for thirty years; and tending his invalid mother to the last. Now, in a matchless account, Ian Thomson unravels the strands of a life as improbable as it was influential, the...

Details the most famous aspects of Jamaica, the music and its culture, as well as the Island's history, including the slave trade operated by Britain. Since independence in 1962, Jamaica has acquired a twin image as a resort-style travel Eden and as a new kind of Hell, presided over by drug lords. In seeking to answer the question of what lies between, the author talked with Jamaicans who are trying to make a difference: writers, priests, and musicians....

Dr. De Soto, a mouse dentist, copes with the toothaches of various animals except those with a taste for mice, until the day a fox comes to him in great pain. Since he's a mouse, Doctor De Soto refuses to treat "dangerous" animals--that is, animals who have a taste for mice. But one day a fox shows up and begs for relief from the tooth that's killing him. How can the kindhearted De Sotos turn him away? But how can they make sure that the fox doesn't...

In Curious George Rides a Bike, George the monkey goes riding on his new bicycle and runs into unexpected adventure. In Doctor De Soto, a hungry fox with a toothache begs a mouse dentist to relieve his pain in this modern day fable. In The Biggest Bear, Johnny hunts for the biggest bear in the forest, but comes home with a little bear -- that grows and grows and grows. In Blueberries for Sal, a little girl and a little bear, picking blueberries...