From Publishers Weekly There's a smile or guffaw to be had on almost every page of McManus's ( The Good Samaritan Strikes Again ) collection of essays， some of which are original， others reprinted from Outdoor Life . Dealing primarily with growing up in rural Idaho， the pieces introduce boyhood friends such as Eddie Muldoon， with whom McManus dug a pit to catch wild animals that unfortunately caught Eddie's father and a skunk--simultaneously; the priest with a fear of birds who came to dinner before the McManuses had moved their spring crop of chicks to the henhouse; and Rancid Crabtree， who demolished a 400-pound pumpkin at the county fair with the author's monster-sized slingshot. Stories abound about hunting， fishing and arduous treks， including a piece about hiking with George Bush during the 1992 presidential campaign. There's entertainment aplenty here that even indoorsy folk should enjoy. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information， Inc. From School Library Journal YA?The cover of this short-story collection features a face-front headshot of the author cheek to cheek with a large ape. The brief selections are of the type one might hear from a droll uncle/grandfather prefaced by the phrase， "When I was a boy." They are mainly outdoor adventures， some of which masquerade as hunting trips， and celebrate life. All are laugh-out-loud funny. Teachers looking for one-to-two-minute fillers or examples of humorous essays may want to join their students in dipping into this delightful time warp.?Barbara Hawkins， Oakton High School， Fairfax， VACopyright 1995 Reed Business Information， Inc. See all Editorial Reviews