Education Books

Thank you for an excellent guide for online shopping! If you are looking for great Internet guides for Kids & Family, High School, and College students, please check out the You Are Here Internet series!

Online stores come and go, especially the big ones, but this book lists hundreds of terrific small online stores that carry really unique stuff. I especially liked all of the stores that sell natural cosmetics and natural fiber clothing for me and my kids. I've had this book 2 weeks and already its saved me lots of time.

I was tired of seeing the same old online stores over and over again. This book pointed me to some real winners. It's a big time saver. Very easy to find what I wanted quickly.

I learned a lot about online shopping that I never knew before. But the best thing about this book is all the online stores, listed by categories. I found some neat stores. Loved the party section.

Before picking up this excellent book, I was wary of online shopping -- and I still am, but now I'm intelligently wary. The authors do a marvelous job of helping understand what you can trust and what you can't, how online shopping works in all its various manifestations, and what strategies to use when you do shop online. The book showed me that online shopping is not (as I had thought) just for shopping addicts who need a fix 24 hours a day, but a great space for intelligent and discerning consumers. I'm still not a big spender online (or anywhere), but I've used the book to help me find some things I couldn't find anywhere else and at surprising prices. I think this book is going to go down in the so-far brief history of online commerce as a milestone achievement. It has certainly changed my views about WWW commerce and made me a better consumer. I can't say enough about this expansive, easy-to-use, fun, and informative work. I hope they plan to update this work regularly.

I ordered this book for a class I'm taking. When the book arrived it was bound backward. I contacted the publisher and they rushed me another copy. It was fine, until page 150, then the remainer was again bound backward. I contacted the publisher again, and again they rushed me another copy, this one in good shape. The book is great, but the process was frustrating.

An excellent reference for programme development an implementation

This book should be required reading for every parent who has a child on an IEP. Assessment generates services and IEP goals, and goals inform the parent whether the services are remediating the child. Schools must follow the Law (IDEA) on how to write goals, yet, poorly written IEP goals is one of the biggest non-compliance areas. If a child's progress can not be objectively measured by correctly written goals, how are we to determine the effectiveness of the schools intervention? If you want to hold your school accountable for remediating your child, Bateman's book is a must. This book will help you be an active participant in developing your childs program for the individualized instruction they are entiltled to and help you assess if your child is recieving an appropriate education. Knowledge is power and this book will empower you!

This is a book that every school's Child Study Team should read and use as an informed guide to improve the planning and writing of IEPs. Since that will not happen, parents will find this to be an excellent means of knowing what they should expect to see in an IEP, and what to reject. The writing is jargon-free and otherwise friendly to parents and professionals alike. It can lead parents to develop "suggested" goals and objectives as model examples to show the school staff. It provides an excellent foundation for the inservice training of school staff and special education parent support groups.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to any parent who has a child in special education. If you are looking for a book to understand and even draft IEPs, this is debatably the best, clearest book out there.

Reviewing and drafting IEPs can be very daunting. This book helps the reader (whether parent, school official, or legal professional) understand the IEP process. After reading this book, any parent will be able to better understand their child's IEP and even be able to write them.

As a requirement for The Summer Reading Clinc at Miami University, my colleagues and I were required to read "Beyond Tradtional Phonics" by Margaret Moustafa. This book was enlightening, one of the best I have read in a long itme. Throughout my course work to prepare for our reading clinic, I had become familiar with many of the concepts covered in this book, but Moustafa covers these topics : the need for the access to books of the appropriate reading level, the importance of teaching phoincs surrounded in literature and the fact that letter phonemes mean little to children if they are not able to read, in such a matter that I was thrilled to hear it again, and couldn't wait to share the books with fellow teachers at my school. The section of the book that I found to be the most alarming is the fact that so many children have less that .4 books on their appropriate reading level in their homes and that these studetns may attend schools that have less that .5 books per student available. This study contniues to report that in these schools, the students are seldom able to check out books to take home, because of the small number available in the first palce. This just reinforces the importance of have a variey of reading levels in your classroom library. All students need to find books that allow them to experience successful reading episodes. Moustafa's book makes you more aware than ever of the need to provide a wide reange of reading materials in your classroom library. I will work to diversify my book selection this year, and I hope many other classroom teachers will join me.

This book looks beyond our old assumptions about how children learn to read. Moustafa presents research to support the fact that traditional phonics drills do not help children learn letter-sound correspondances. Rather, children naturally use onset and rime to make these correspondances. Children also use onset and rime to figure out unfamiliar words in a text. Moustafa then presents ways to help any reading teacher improve their reading instruction based on this research.

This book is very easy to read. Moustafa uses language we can all understand. She does not try to speak over everyone's heads. Her ideas about the differences between traditional phonics instruction and a more modern approach to phonics instruction reaffirmed my own ideas about the role phonics plays in the teaching of reading. I used to teach in a more traditional way of taking parts and moving toward the whole. Then after inservices and courses I took on teaching reading I began to use a whole-to-part approach. Moustafa cited research that supports this type of approach. She also discusses the importance of giving children reading materials on their levels and providing time for shared reading experiences. In the research she presents, children experienced the most success when they were given time everyday to read and be read to. Reading teachers, especially new reading teachers, should read this book because most undergraduate programs do not provide enough instruction on how to teach children to read.

Margaret Moustafa's book explores the realms of language development beyond that of traditional phonics instruction that has continually plagued our educational systems. As a middle school language arts teacher I was pleased to see an appropriate instructional book written clearly and concisely in a matter that makes sense. Moustafa proves reading to be something we do naturally. Teachers need to teach kids to read in a natural way with authentic and practical language experiences. Moustafa also discusses the importance of a blend and balance of phonics and whole language instruction within the classroom.

On page 56 of her text she says, "If children are pronouncing print but do not understand what they are saying, they are not reading." As an educator, I believe Moustafa's statement summarizes many of the misconceptions children have about good readers. Reading is not just a performance-based activity, but rather more of a means of exploration and a transportation vehicle to knowledge. Moustafa helps teachers and parents understand that children need to see reading as a more natural occurrence that is attainable by all children.

This book is a must for all educators; undergraduates, graduates, veteran teachers, professors, and administrators in the school buildings and out of the school buildings. This book describes the process that children learn how to read-through meaning. Moustafa relates how phonics lessons do not allow children to make a connection with the outside world; reading within context does. Moustafa describes how important the learner's prior knowledge and experiences tie into learning how to read. She explains the difference between reading words and understanding the text being read. There is a difference, and we need to acknowledge that. In order to do this, the appropriate leveled books must be purchased for daily use in the classroom and used as take home books. Teachers need a vast amount of books on different topics and a range of levels.

My kids are 4.5, the preschool cards were a little easy. the kindergarten cards are about right. Now usually with them I find the age ratings on toys are accurate, like other reviewers said the brainquest products are rated a little too old. Some of the concepts are beyond them but about 80% of the cards they are able to do at this age.

This item was delivered very quickly. My daughter loves to do Q & A type flashcards and this is perfect for her to do. We have purchased the previous two BrainQuests as well and will continue to purchase these as our daughter grows.

My grandson looks forward to bedtime each night just so he can do this "learning." He loves these cards and I have seen him learn so much. We also have the preschool set.

These are great stocking stuffers. My daughter received hers the Christmas before she was to start Kindergarten so she could become familiar with the curriculum.These became her favorite flash cards. It also opened doors to teaching things she didn't know like time. Highly recomended

I highly recommend Brain Quest. We now have several sets and I plan on buying additional. Such a fun way for kids to learn. Since they are compact they can go anywhere. We've taken them on car trips, to the doctors office, shopping...just about anywhere. The kids think of it as a game, not as sitting down and learning. This is a great gift for someone as well.

I could not put this book down, because I needed to see how it ended. There is much pain, human challenge, dedication, unbelievable risk, and even humor. The ultimate result leaves the reader wanting to know more. Personally, I would like to see a sequel to find out how this all comes together as this young child develops. The fact that it is based on truth is amazing, because the events themselves read like fiction. This is one determined, incredibly resourceful family unit. Bring hankies!

A fast paced retelling of life experiences none of us would envy. Van Sher has provided us with a very clear picture of how the very best of intentions often cannot avoid disaster when we are raising children. Walk in the characters shoes as they travel through the world of drugs. . .
A must read for parents raising children in a world so deeply influenced by the culture of drugs.

A true story of one family's tragedy dealing with their son's drug addiction and ultimately the loss of their son. Very moving story!

"A Breath Away" is quite simply a poignant family saga that should serve as a wake up call to all "ordinary families" who go through life with their heads in the sand thinking that nothing terrible can happen to their family.

Terrible things can happen to even wonderful families from all walks of life. There is nothing that can tear a family apart and lead it into directions that were never thought imaginable more than a child with a drug problem. Some families fall apart other families are brought closer together and can come through the darkness stronger than before.

That is just one of the lessons taught by this gripping, life lesson by Van Sher. I cannot comprehend that one family had to go through so much in such a short time. A sequel telling the continuing story of the grandson will be welcomed in a few years. A movie about "the first chapter" would be a great movie for the time. I for one cannot wait.

One of the books that "catch" you within the first few pages. I found myself peeking ahead to determine how each episode played out. The undertone of humor shoulders the unbelievable pain, risk and challenge Ed and Cindy confronted. We never want to believe addiction is in our own backyard. No barriers exist. Addiction doesn't discriminate. The commitment of the parents is surreal. Each page tugs and pulls at you. You never know where you are going. I TRULY believe a sequel is in order and a movie a must. It was a one-day read for me. Couldn't put it down !!!

When the book did not arrive three days after it was scheduled, I sent an email. A book was shipped immediately. I don't know if the book was lost in transit but the service was excellent.

The bible study group I co-lead is very pleased with the book so far. We are just getting started, and we immediately appreciated the easy-reading style of the chapters. Our group consists primarily of mothers of YOUNG (under age 7) children, and anxiety is a big part of our day and our spirituality at this point in our lives (who has TIME for anything other than filling sippy cups and changing diapers??). This book addresses pertinent issues for us, and we utilize the helpful leader guide/discussion questions available at the back of the book (helps make being the leader less stressful/time consuming).

A small group of ladies are meeting one day a week on their lunch hour to study this book. We have spent two weeks on one chapter. We find it inspires conversation and sharing. One lady said she couldn't use her highlighter because she would have to highlight every word. The questions and meditations in the back cause much thought and reflection.

This is a wonderful book with many great reminders about why we don't need to worry or have anxiety. Great bible references that share the message if we trust God and have faith that we don't need to worry.

The books were in beautiful condition and the words therin have already been an encouragement to my Bible Study group.

Exposes those who do not live in the islands, both young and old,to the customs and colorful surroundings of the Caribbean. The music is a toe tapping, finger snapping passage through the delightful illustrations. The wife ordered a book for herself and plays the CD while driving to and from work!

I originally learned about this CD and activity book when it was used by my son's teacher as part of his sing-along time at school. I couldn't help but notice how engaged my son was in the activities. I fell in love with so many of the songs that I bought a copy for us to have at home! It's a favorite gift I give to kids 3 and up. Even my 10-year old neices love it.

The coloring book part is best for the older kids.

Carribean Colors of the Rainbow combines music, educational informational, and creative opportunities for children. This combination has resulted in a unique and exceptional entertainment and learning product. Children are provided an occassion to have fun, be exposed to cultural diversity, learn, and express their own creativity -- all without redundancy and with nonstop stimulation. Hats off to a wonderful and long awaited contribution to child (and adult) entertainment and learning.

This is the perfect gift: kids love it and so do their parents! Great book & music for kids and cool tunes for Mom & Dad (or people like me without kids). Can't go wrong with this one.

This book is a fresh look at the daily things children encounter in the Caribbean. The tunes are varied - and never dull. It is hard to listen and NOT tap your feet or clap your hands and sing along - the words are right there for you! I've used it with my Kindergarteners, first grade, second grade, third grade and sixth grade...I'm a substitute teacher. All age levels loved it for different reasons. The sixth graders liked the "baracuda and his big sharp teeth". The older children enjoyed coloring the pictures as the songs played while the little ones loved Imelda and all her shoes. Lots of conversation on this one!
I think this is the best thing that's happened to us in the Caribbean in a long time. We didn't have music depicting our life and our childrens' world until now. Thank you Dee and Rachel.

Carla has a great imagination. She enjoys creating unique sandwiches for her school lunches. When trouble rises and her lunches turn into a source of teasing, Carla keeps her chin up and continues to eat her fascinating sandwiches all the while maintaining her kindness to her friends. Coupled with adorable illustrations, this is a wonderful story for all children to enjoy. Even adults will identify with Carla. "Carla's Sandwich" shows children how they do not need to be like others by showing the heroine being strong as an individual. With so many food allergies, people with different incomes, and others who eat with religious or ethical restrictions, "Carla's Sandwich" is a winner!

Carla smiled and handed Buster a Combo Deluxe.
Buster examined the lettuce, tomato, raisin, bean sprout,
pretzel and mayonnaise sandwich carefully.
He looked at Leslie, then Natie, then Carla.
And then he took a very small bite.

Carla loves to invent unique sandwiches and so she creates the Olive-Pickle-and-Green Bean Sandwich. When the other children tease Carla, she offers Buster one of her extra sandwiches. He takes one bit and loves the taste. As the teasers turn into tasters, Carla's classmates start to make their own original sandwiches.

The humorous part of the story occurs at the end of the book when Carla surprises everyone by bringing a very different (than her normal sandwiches) sandwich to school. I do have to wonder if she has tried soy butter or chocolate soy butter.

~The Rebecca Review

Carla's Sandwich is a great book that children will surely love!

With its imaginative text by Debbie Herman, and its vivid and bright illustrations by Sheila Bailey, no child will be disappointed as they turn each page to discover which weird and wonderful concoctions Carla will be eating that day for her school lunch.

This book contains a story of being different - and you feel a little sorry for Carla as the other children isolate her because she brings in such unusual combinations of sandwiches to eat, like sardine and mustard with sunflower seeds. But one day, another boy forgets his lunch, and when his hunger gets the better of him, he reluctantly turns to Carla to beg a spare from her.

He does, of course, find the offering delicious, and the other children change their minds about constitutes an `acceptable' sandwich.

Fantastic, colourful and detailed pictures, with an inspiring storyline for children aged four to eight years old, this book was a delight to read and is thoroughly recommended.

Imaginatively written by Debbie Herman and nicely illustrated by Sheila Bailey for young readers ages 4 to 8, Carla's Sandwich has a subtle message about the joy of being different woven into an original story of a little girl who brings weird sandwiches to her school and how her classmates respond to her oddly original sandwiches. After considerable ridicule Carla is able to turn her teasers into tasters and then everyone is into creative sandwich making too! Carla's Sandwich would make a popular and "kid friendly" addition to any school or community library picture book collection!

Here I go again: reviewing a book by one of my favorite kids publishers, FLASHLIGHT PRESS. Carla's Sandwich is the fourth one I've read and reviewed, and it's as delightful as their other choices. You can't go wrong with any of their books.

Author Debbie Herman certainly had a great idea when she created the irrepressible Carla, a little girl with a unique talent for creating delectable, mouth-watering, healthy sandwiches. Captivating illustrations by Sheila Bailey complement the story to perfection, and will enchant adults and children alike.

Carla's sandwiches are creative and unique, to be sure, but "weird" to her classmates. They're creatures of habit--stuck in a rut with their usual hot dogs, peanut-butter-and-jelly and bologna sandwiches--so they ridicule her for being different.

But that doesn't stop Carla, and she soon has them "eating out of her hand" ... literally. How does she accomplish this? And what happens when her worst adversary--a boy, naturally--forgets his lunch one day? Does Carla share with him, or ignore him? How does this girl who dares to be different change her entire school? Well, you'll have to RFY (read for yourself); it will be a delicious reading adventure as you and your kids nibble your way through, page after tasty page.

This book--with its subtle message about the joys of being different--is a great choice for kids from 4 to 8 and will make a delightful addition to any picture-book collection. It will also be an excellent tool for teaching children to think for themselves and to be kind and sensitive to others.

I highly recommend this book, but it's lunchtime, so I'm off to create a yummy sandwich of my own design. Does sliced bananas with mustard and lettuce on rye bread sound good? Help, Carla!

Reviewed by: Betty Dravis, 2008
The Toonies Invade Silicon Valley

Top Marks for this highly readable and clear intro to Voice over IP. The subject matter is dealt with in reasonable detail and the author achieves great clarity in explaining difficult technical concepts. He also delves a bit into the history and background which also helps to put the subject matter in context. He even adds a small example of how to go about dimensioning a VOIP network at the end of the book.

Aimed specifically at designers of public telecommunications networks, this easy to read book provides practical and useful hands-on information. Where necessary, topics are covered in great detail. For example, 120 pages are dedicated to H.323. Softswitch architecture and programming are covered, and 55 pages are devoted to discussing Quality of Service issues.

We believe this book to be an essential read, and recommend it highly.

Great book on VoIP, still emerging technology. It did a great job in explaining concepts related to QoS such as RSVP, DiffServ and MPLS. Right from basics such as IP, UDP, TCP and various coding techniques you will find great explanation to each and every item. If you are interested in knowing about VoIP or you if u wanna work on VoIP this is the ONLY book you need. There is very detailed and neat explanation related to MGCP, MEGACO, SS7 and SIP too. The only thing that i felt lacking is testing of voice quality both subjective and objective and how they could be done. No doubt in giving 5 *s to it, great job!

This book does a very good job of giving an introduction to the VoIP world. As a professional in the telecom domain, I found this book very useful. Application of VoIP to telco domain as in the case of softswitch architecture for backhaul and the QoS issues that carriers have to deal with is also well covered at a good amount of detail. The book also provides detailed discussion on the protocols. However, I skipped passed these sections and unable to comment if such material was covered well.

Overall - a very good book. Highly recommend it.

I serious think that I should not write this review since I do not understand half of this book, but then again, I have read this and also Cisco Intergrated Voice Data and can in some way be a poor/insufficient abeit enthusastic tour guide. I have noticed other reviewers describing this book as great - but I do not think this book is comparable to monumental classic like Jeff Doyle or Kennedy Clarks books on Routing and Switching - where they display in-depth knowledge on the topic plus an ability to explain thing in the clearest possible way. I rate this book 5 stars for the sole reason that the author do appear to have an overwhelming knowledge of computer telephony - although I cannot quite judge whether they are technically accurate or error free - and has taken his valueable time off to write them down and share with us. While the author definitely has the kindest intention of making it "understanable" to even the not-so-technically-advance group of reader - as is evidenced in the way he start off this book by explaining why bother with IP telephony, and why TCP/IP is inherently unsuitable for IP telephony - I suspect that when it come to harder topics like H.323, SIP etc - there is simply no way or no time to find a more reader friendly way to present it. In the end it is a tough read - so tough that I will have to put it aside for a while as you need to be in the highest state or mental agility and strength to make hard yakka through the book. Nevertheless, this book is a useful reference - and for topics that this author decide not to include - check out Cisco's Integrated Voice and Data.

Roddy Bullock does a masterful job in smashing the ridiculous premise upon which Darwinism and Material Naturalism are based and he achieves this by being intellectually accurate, winsome, and entertaining. I highly recommend it!

I found this book to present a unique perspective on evolution and intelligent design. Unlike most books that are heavily into theoretical arguments, the Cave Painting illustrates the debate with an allegory -- highlighting presuppositions and logical flaws. If you prefer more detailed and scientific reasoning, the second HALF of the book is a thorough set of endnotes including copious quotes and references to support the arguments presented in the text. Highly recommended.

This book does all things well. It entertains and explains at the same time. It is not only a masterful introduction to the subject, but a concise yet comprehensive summary of the matter as well. Buy more than one so you can share it with others - somebody you know needs this book. And the conversations that ensue will more than make up for the investment.

The Cave Painting is a critically important book that covers one of the most heated controversies in the western world today. In short, the contents of the book are summarized in the introduction: "We are the product of intelligent design or we are not the product of intelligent design. One of these claims must be true and truth is not changed by your theory or mine." For this reason it behooves us to carefully look into the facts. The author, an accomplished corporate attorney, in 526 pages carefully documents his case. Many Neo-Darwinists may not agree, but they need to at least carefully review the evidence which has convienced millions of Americans and many scientists that life, which as Richard Dawkins documents, appears to be designed, actually is designed. Page 229 to page 526 carefully documents the author's case with 691 footnotes. Is design an illusion, as argued by Richard Dawkins, or is design real, as most Americans have concluded. Bullock covers many of the arguments against Intelligent Design, showing why and how they fail. One example, which I can relate to because of my career research involvement, is the claim by Richard Dawkins that half of an eye is better than no eye (page 262). The enormous amount of research on sight has shown why this argument is fallacious. Half an eye is in no way equal to half as effective vision as a whole eye, but rather no vision. As Duke-Elder documented in his 24 volume classic work, the eye is clearly irreducibly complex. Work on disease conditions and knock out genes has repeatedly confirmed this. One still has vision in spite of certain conditions, such as near-sightedness or far-slightness or astigmatism, but these conditions result from slight eyeball variations and are not comparable to half an eye or even one-twentieth of an eye as Neo-Darwinists try to argue. Even very minor variations, such as in tear production levels, can render vision difficult or largely impossible. These examples in no way show how the eye could evolve from a cell. Some argue "don't evolutionists have a neat progression from an eyespot to a lensless eye to a human eye, proving the eye can evolve by slow gradual changes from non-differentiated cells?" Sounds logical. My response is "read the book."

The Cave Painting presents, in an exciting prose, the crux of the "Intelligent Design" debate. By demonstrating the concept of "design inference" in an actual novel, Mr. Bullock clears the air for all future discussion.

Everything in the universe has the scientific right to be studied -- and it also has the right to have this question asked of it:

"Is it naturally occuring, or is it designed?"

In contemporary culture, this question is asked of many issues: forensics, archeology, SETI, and any venture where one must decide whether something is "deliberate" or "accidental". Mr. Bullock demands that this question also be allowed to be asked of biology, DNA, or life in general.

A great book, great appendices, and long over-due!