Drawing on extensive historical and anthropological research, personal accounts, and interviews with people who work in the funeral industry, Penny Colman examines the compelling subjects of death and burial across cultures and societies. The text, enriched with stories both humorous and poignant, includes details about the decomposition and embalming processes (an adult corpse buried six feet deep without a coffin will usually take five to ten years to turn into a skeleton) and describes the various customs associated with containing remains (the Igala people in Nigeria have a custom of burying people in as many as twenty-seven layers of clothing). Intriguing facts are revealed at every turn; for example, in Madagascar winter was considered the corpse-turning season.This comprehensive book also includes a list of burial sites of famous people, images in the arts associated with death, fascinating epitaphs and gravestone carvings, a chronology and a glossary, and over a...

Jig and Jag, who are eleven-year old twin sisters, are about to turn twelve-years old. Their brother Tag is about to turn eleven-years old. Their parents think they still need a babysitter. But they don't! No matter how hard they try to convince their parents that they are too old for a babysitter, everything backfires, until something unexpected happens.Jig and Jag, who are eleven-year old twin sisters, are about to turn twelve-years old. Their brother Tag is about to turn eleven-years old. Their parents think they still need a babysitter. But they don't! No matter how hard they try to convince their parents, everything backfires, until something unexpected happens. The action takes place during summer vacation. The kids go through five babysitter and a series of funny, foolish, and scary antics before an unexpected event changes everything into a special ending.A humorous story loosely based on real events. Penny Colman has written fiction for young readers for children's magazines. Her short story, "But Not Ms. Anderson," was nominated for the Paula A Witty Short Story Award, International Reading Association. Her fiction books are "I Never Do Anything Bad" and "Dark Closets and Noises in The Night."