Animated Mischief

Over the last century, the medium of animation has served as an expression of childhood as well as a method of subverting the expectations of what society has promised for the future. Separated into three parts, this work assembles various explorations of taste, culture and passion through animation. Section I features essays that outline the historical changes in art and society that gave rise to an outsider culture that found a home in animation. In the second section, essays examine the practical use of animation as a voice for the underserved. Finally, in Section III, essays analyze the ways in which animation has reshaped the acceptance of outsider status to embrace otherness. Featuring everything from feature-length films to self-produced YouTube videos, the essays in this text reflect a shared love of animation and its unique ability to comment on society and culture.

"In the 25 years since [Stern] published his first book, younger Jewish writers have run with a similar shtick . . . But Stern was there first." —The Toronto Globe and Mail The Book of Mischief triumphantly showcases twenty-five years of outstanding work by one of our true masters of the short story. Steve Stern's stories take us from the unlikely old Jewish quarter of the Pinch in Memphis to a turn-of-thecentury immigrant community in New York; from the market towns of Eastern Europe to a down-at-the-heels Catskills resort. Along the way we meet a motley assortment of characters: Mendy Dreyfus, whose bungee jump goes uncannily awry; Elijah the prophet turned voyeur; and the misfit Zelik Rifkin, who discovers the tree of dreams. Perhaps it's no surprise that Kafka's cockroach also makes an appearance in these pages, animated as they are by instances of bewildering transformation. The earthbound take flight, the meek turn incendiary, the powerless find unwonted fame. Weaving his particular brand of mischief from the wondrous and the macabre, Stern transforms us all through the power of his brilliant imagination.

A complete guide to choosing a system, "A Parents' Guide to PlayStation" analyzes the platform, genres and details of the video game industry's rating system. Parents learn how to identify the genres of which they should be wary, how to choose games of every member of the family, and how to identify the educational merits or entertainment value of the games.

Cooper has the clever idea of making his mom pancakes for her birthday, and his friend the moose offers to help. The moose claims he's the best chef in Alaska, but is he really? Find out if Cooper's mom is happy about the surprise awaiting her in the kitchen!

Featuring new reviews of the latest games, this book explains everything a parent needs to know about America's most popular video game consoles: the PlayStation 2 and the revamped PlayStation One. This exhaustive guide offers parents different ways to cut through the hype with which games are marketed and clarifies the often-confusing video game ratings system.

In a gorgeously illustrated exploration of the art of Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, Mischief Making disproves any notion that play is frivolous. Deploying mischievous tactics, Yahgulanaas shines a spotlight on serious topics. As he investigates Indigenous and other worldviews, the politics of land, cultural heritage, and global ecology, his distinctive style stretches, twists, and flips the formlines of classic Haida art to create imagery that resonates with the graphic vitality of Asian manga. This engaging and beautiful book delineates the philosophical underpinnings and evolution of the artist’s visual practice, revealing his deep understanding of the seriousness of play.

Learn about what goes into creating an animated TV show.

In Campbell Armstrong’s explosive thriller, Detective Frank Pagan fights terrorism on his home turf, where a deadly female assassin has infiltrated London’s elite social circles When a bomb detonates in the London Underground, killing dozens of people, Scotland Yard asks counterterrorism expert Frank Pagan to come back from leave. With none of the usual suspects claiming responsibility, Pagan has a hunch that Carlotta, the world’s deadliest female terrorist, is responsible. Then a US embassy employee goes missing, and Frank’s investigation takes a new direction. Was the presumed terrorist bombing actually an assassination attempt? Now Pagan is up against a shadowy group known as the Undertakers as he tries to untangle a lethal web of deceit involving a philanthropist leading a double life that includes a mysterious woman, deadly KGB agents, a semiretired member of the East German Stasi, and the US ambassador himself. Jigsaw is the 4th book in the Frank Pagan Novels, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.