Language Arts Books

this was and still is, a great book for teaching a journalism class or for just learning about the topic. It is a college-level book, however it appeals to all levels of readers. Whether you need it for a class or because you are interested in the topic of journalism, its history, and/or writing, I highly recommend this book. I am sure that you will really like it, and if you dont already find the subject intriguing, you soon will!

I have seen many journalism books, and this one is simply the best IMO. I can't wait to buy the second edition when it comes out!

Tim Harrower's Inside Reporting is unlike any textbook I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of them throughout my years and years of college.

It looks weird on the shelf because it's an inch taller and an inch wider than most typical textbooks. Open it up to any one of the first 186 pages and stunning graphics jump off the page. Sections are small and fit nicely on one sheet. It looks like a colorful newspaper. The following hundred pages (aka, "The Morgue") look like the typical textbook--large blocks of text. The Morgue is a section of reference articles and examples.

Inside Reporting is well organized. Each section is brief but packs a punch. Look to the bottom of most pages and you'll find directions to other page numbers with more material or references to the Morgue. Each chapter is also full of surveys, quotes from those in the industry, tests, and extra tidbits to help the budding journalist.

I'm not yet and established journalists and I don't teach the subject. In fact, I'm not even in a journalism class. I picked up Inside Reporting because I wanted a good survey of journalism. This grad student of a different study wants to learn more about journalism. I wanted a book with meat but was fearful that an introductory book would be too fluffy and lack the information I needed. This book was not the case.

Inside Reporting is a fantastic textbook. I couldn't have picked a better book, and I'm sure I'll be going back to it often as I move forward in the journalism arena.

I have purchased dozens of books on journalism over the past few months, but nothing matches the content, style or ease in finding information of this great book.

While there are many great books on journalism, most if not all of them are much the same as any other textbook, pages and pages of text which you must read and interpret to find what you want.

This book is visual in the most unique way I have ever seen in a textbook. Almost like a cross between a real newspaper and a comic book, all the information is presented in little snippets and pictures that are easy to understand and easy to digest.

As an example it has a page in the news writing section about writing a lead for a plane crash and gives examples of how different leads could be written highlighting the who, what, when, where and why. Most texts have something like this, but most would not go to the lengths that this author has done to enable the reader to understand the benefits and pitfalls of leading with a particular method.

The text has dozens of tips and information from working journalists and I liked the section in the back called the Morgue which contains examples of the stories used in the text.

The text has great background information on journalism which I would otherwise have ignored in other texts because of the way it is normally presented and overall I would rate this from a student's perspective as the single best investment I have made so far.

It is simply a gem of a book that is easily lost in Amazons catalogue. Decide for yourself if this book is for you but I would be surprised if anyone interested in journalism could not come away from reading this book and not have learned anything.

I am both a veteran journalist and a veteran college journalism teacher and "Inside Reporting" is the best introductory book ever. Interesting, accurate, visually pleasing and fun to read, it is the new "gold standard" of books with which to teach news writing and reporting. I am adopting it as the required text for the fall semester, and I keep my own copy handy to remind me of what I should be doing.

If you want to learn or teach journalism, this is the book.

Good night and good luck.

As essential to students of Old Norse as Mitchell is to students of Old English. A wonderful starting place, but not for novices.

It seems like this book has been around forever. It was first published in 1927 and for many years was the only English language resource for learning Old Icelandic. But that didn't mean that Gordon made the process easy. There are no basic lessons of the "Helgi is a Viking. See Helgi loot" type that you normally expect to find in an introductory language text. On the contrary, Gordon provides the grammar and vocabulary all right--at the end of the book--but it's up to the user to apply them to the wide selection of classic Norse literature that he's included. It's not an impossible way to learn the language, but it can be confusing at first. Those who have a background in Old English will find it easier going because of the similarities between the two languages.

Gordon was the text my class used many years ago when I took Old Norse in grad school. I still remember my professor pointing out all its inaccuracies and criticizing the author. Nonetheless, between Gordon, Zoega's dictionary (now available online), and a xerox of "Gunnlaug's Saga," we muddled through. Learning a language by parsing each word is tedious, but it does give one a sense of accomplishment.

In addition to the grammar and literary selections, Gordon contains a lengthy historical introduction to Old Norse literature. It's out-of-date by now, but still a good place to start. As for the selections themselves, they provide a fairly broad overview. "Hrafnkel's Saga," a gem of a character study, is given in its entirety. There are selections from Snorri and from the Vinland sagas, among other pieces. The only complaint that I have is that Gordon is a little light on the poetry. The humorous "Thrymskvida" (sorry about the spelling) and "The Waking of Angantyr," an eerie little piece not included in the standard eddic canon, are the major poems.

Whether or not you use Gordon as your primary grammar, its selection of litearture makes it a worthy companion for the student of Old Icelandic. My copy is now battered and missing its spine, but it still has a place on my bookshelf.

Man, this book was something I'd been searching for. I am one of the self taught speakers of Old Icelandic, and it's not like there is a whole lot of Runic inscriptions to be translated in Richmond Virginia. Rather then allowing my Old Icelandic skills to sit their and gather dust on a shelf in my skull, I now have something to read!

Please don't send away 30 dollars thinking that this book is going to teach you to read Old Norse / Old Icelandic. If you're hoping for a basic grammar, with graded lessons, you're going to be disappointed. This is an excellent work, an indispensable work, but it's a reader for those who have already learned the basics of Old Icelandic.

After a brief introduction to Scandinavian history, the Viking expansion, and saga literature, the author gives about 160 pages of West Norse, normalized into classical Icelandic. Most of the selections are from the sagas, and they are well annotated, and a full vocabulary is included in the back of the book. There is also a section on what he calls "East Norse" (the Old Norse particular to Denmark, Norway and Sweden), and a small section dealing with the language of the runic inscriptions.

There is a 40 or 50 page section where he presents the grammar, but it's more along the lines of an outline of the grammar. It's sufficient for someone who already has a good knowledge of Old English, OHG, or Gothic, but my hat's off to anyone with the determination to acquire a reading knowledge of the language from this grammatical sketch alone.

There's the rub: where DO you get the introduction to Old Icelandic that will enable you to use this book with benefit? The superb learning grammar "Old Icelandic: an Introductory Course" by Valfells and Cathey is out of print. Kenneth Chapman wrote "Graded Readings and Exercises in Old Icelandic" about 35 years ago, but that's disappeared as well. Until either of those works is reprinted, or a new introduction is written, it's going to be tough.

But none of this is meant to take anything away from Gordon's work; it's a wonderful, scholarly work. Problem is, you really do need to have something of a background before you use it.

This is a very nice book and the one we used in my Old Norse class at BYU, and the selections are all very good, very interesting. However, I agree with the reviewer that this is, despite the title, hardly the best introdruction to the language.

What I recommend is this: Get yourself Stefán Einarsson's fine book, "Icelandic: Grammar, Texts, Glossary", which is set up in lessons for the beginner and which you can get real cheap here at Amazon. That book is modern Icelandic, so the readings aren't about Egill Skallagrímsson or Snorri's Edda, but not only is the Old Norse spirit very much alive in modern Iceland (and all the people very familiar with the old stories), but the language has changed extraordinarily little in the last thousand years (very very minor things), so that if you learn modern Icelandic even reasonably well (which you will from Einarsson), you can easily pick up the sagas with no problem.

Then, when you've finished with his book, you can get Gordon, which will be much more enjoyable then. Alternatively, you can get the texts of lots of the sagas online from Icelandic sites and get hardcopy English versions here at Amazon to use as "ponies". (Hrafnkels saga is a good one to start with, or Snorra Edda.) Good luck!

We live in Paris (France) and Jack Prelutsky has spent a few days speaking to the children at my daughter's school. He has made such a positive impression on her that I am going to order his books. He truly knows how to write for children.

The Book was received in excellent condition. The author knows what children love. My gransons enjoyed it soooo much. I am sending another one to another grandson who lives far away. I know he will enjoy it as well. It will be for his 10th birthday.

One of the funniest poems we read was "I'm Stuck Inside a Seashell"! ...And one of the poems is "It's Raining Pigs and Noodles", just like the title (and they don't even just talk about pigs and noodles - they talk about all sorts of other things!)

All the poems are so funny and I was able to read some of them myself! ...And I learned never to take a bath all day and all night (Ha! Ha!)! I can't wait to read his other books!

Mom's note: "This collection of poems was simply adorable. I enjoyed reading them with my child as much as she enjoyed hearing them. ...And the simplicity of the poems allowed her to read some of them to me as well. A highly recommended bit of silliness!"

I just read this to a fourth grade class and they boo'd when I said poems. They wouldn't let me leave once I got started! They chanted for me to read more.

One of the funniest poems we read was "I'm Stuck Inside a Seashell"! ...And one of the poems is "It's Raining Pigs and Noodles", just like the title (and they don't even just talk about pigs and noodles - they talk about all sorts of other things!)

All the poems are so funny and I was able to read some of them myself! ...And I learned never to take a bath all day and all night (Ha! Ha!)! I can't wait to read his other books!

Mom's note: "This collection of poems was simply adorable. I enjoyed reading them with my child as much as she enjoyed hearing them. ...And the simplicity of the poems allowed her to read some of them to me as well. A highly recommended bit of silliness!"

Several years ago I bought a reprint of Dr. Morse book and it has become not only a treasured Clasic but a Bible of information. Although there are no pictures, none are needed with Dr. Morse drawings and detail descriptions.
E L Smith

I purchased this book simply to get a quick overview of Japanese domestic architecture. The price is always right with Dover books so I just ordered it without any research. What a pleasant surprise to find myself reading a definitive work on the subject a few days later. The text is thoughtfully written and the illustrations skillfully done. As with any well written and illustrated book, color pictures are not overly missed. As a result of this book I find myself much more interested in Japanese architecture than I ever intended to be and heartily recommend it to anyone with an interest in home or interior design.

"Japanese Homes and Their Surroundings" is a great book. If you've any interest in traditional Japanese architecture, get this book. Edward Morse was an American who went to Japan in 1877 to study brachiopods. He ended up recording a vanishing way of life instead. He tells you how Japanese homes were built and why they were built that way. Not much escapes his eye. In serviceable prose and clear drawings, he tells us about carpenters and their tools, houses, furnishings, privies, fences and gateways, water supplies and gardens. Most of it he compares favorably to American and European counterparts.

Best of all, it's a Dover book and cheap.

I bought this book about 3 years ago from Amazon. So you'd think that it would be old hat by now. Yet I find myself picking it up at least once every few months to either refer to it for a construction detail or just to look for something new. What a wonderful resource for traditional Japanese design this book is.

Trained as a Zoologist, Morse put his scientific powers of observation and systematic description to work during the 1880's in producing the sketches and text that describes a world of everyday Japanese design right before it was swamped with Western influence and largely disappeared. There are plenty of books that can show you pictures of ancient Japanese temples and teahouses, but what about the method of constructing the roof of an ordinary 19th century Tokyo home? This was stuff that few people thought was worth recording for posterity. Which is why Morse's book is so unique and valuable to us.

Anyone with more than a passing interest in the way that things are built or designed would do well to put this book on their shelf. Interior decorators, architects, DIY types (such as myself), finish carpenters, contractors and furniture makers should all have a tattered, dog-eared copy of 'Japanese Homes and Their Surroundings' within easy reach. It is a constant source of inspiration.

I picked up the Dover paperback edition at a library book sale and was charmed by the author's detailed drawings as much as the description of domestic life in 19th century Japan. Morse originally published this in 1885, barely 30 years after Perry's expedition, and traveled around Japan documenting as many houses and styles as possible (including those of the Aino culture). There are no photographs, but the intricate line drawings and intimate descriptions of functional households -- kitchens and cooking utensils, washing areas, sleeping quarters -- are minutely detailed and thoroughly described in the text. Not just a book for those interested in architecture but history as well.

This is an excellent book for straightforward and concise help in reconnecting with yourself; aiding in the transformation and renewal of your aims, while simultaneously enhancing creative expression in your journaling.
Encouraging and insightful, you can only benefit from the experience this book provides in Eldonna's guiding examples of balance and creativity amidst the chaos of inner and external disturbances.
Provided here to us with detailed clarity and inspiration, this book is truly a gift from the heart.

This book has already given me much needed insight into myself and I am still learning as I go. This is the best tool for journaling that I have seen yet, and I've been looking for a while, let me assure you. There is no way you could get more for less money with a therapist or psychiatrist. Eldonna knows just how to help you get started and encourage you to keep going.

When I open a wordless book and stare at the blank page, I often feel overwhelmed. How do I go about filling it? What do I say? I am not naturally creative, I am in the process of growing into my creativity. In "Journaling from the Heart," Eldonna Bouton addresses my problem by providing a guideline to follow. The guideline helps me begin my writing journey while gently guiding me back to my feelings and emotions. Thanks, Eldonna. Finally I feel like I can get started and keep progressing in my journaling efforts without feeling overwhelmed and giving up way too soon.

Great book for learning to look at journaling beyond just a venting tool. Great and easy ways to get started.

I purchased this book because of all of the positive reviews and found it to be as good as the rating. One of the things that wasn't mentioned in the previous reviews was that this book consists of daily "assignments," in which the author gives you a topic to write on and you take the topic and personalize it. The books consists of 3 parts with 25 assignments in each part, 75 assignments total.

One of the things that I really liked about this book is because I am fairly new to journaling, this book can be used as a way to ease into the idea of beginning journaling. I am currently working through assignment 3 (having received the book yesterday) so I cannot mention what I think about every part of this book, however, I think it will be very useful for someone (like me) that might need prompting in order to write about issues that may be more difficult to write about without this book. This book is also different from the other journaling books that I have purchased in the past because it does not go into detail about the different "styles" of journaling but really engages you to use your own style to answer the assignment topic presented.

This is a wonderfully written book. I've been writing for some time, but it wasn't until I read this book, that I realized why my writing wasn't working. This is a MUST read for anyone who wants to write fiction. Easy to read, to understand, and right to the point.

Read it...you won't be disappointed...in fact you'll wish you'd read it sooner.

I was told she's coming out with an updated edition, so watch for that.

This is a fabulous book! But the 1st edition is out of stock....! Amazon, why aren't you carring the newly-released second edition?

Kate Walker is a seasoned professional writer. Her first novel was published way back in 1984. She has written over fifty books and currently has two Harlequin Presents books out this year.

This book explains: how to write emotion and create page turning quality. How to create conflict amidst your characters and why it is a major essential component of your novel. Why dialogue is the lifeblood of your knowledge. How to make dialogue sound realistic. How to make your characters real. How to create the required sharp focus on your hero and heroine. How to develop supporting characters that work. Why flashbacks are important in some stories and how to create them in your novel. Why sensuality is imporant and how to develop sensuality between your hero and heroine. How to pace the development of the romance that is occurring between your hero and heroine. How to write the love scene between your hero and heroine and the importance of 'after'. The importance of the hero and his essential 'vital' vulnerability'. The filter role of the heroine for the reader. The heroine's 21st century response to conflict. How to answer the question 'why?'. How to write the intense black moment and why it is so important. She also has a chapter devoted to the practicalities - agents, market study, rejection, revisions, synopsis', queries etc.

In short the book covers everything that romance writer needs to develop their craft. I found this book to be pretty comprehensive and clearly laid out. If you are serious about writing then this book should be on your shelf.

of romantic fiction, from a master of the craft. A must have for your writing resource library, 12-Point Guide breaks the information into easily digested bits.

What a wonderful resource for not only novice writers, but for those of us who have a few books under our belts. Reading about the craft, about why we do what we do, about what makes a story work...it helped invigorate my current book. Kate Walker has such an easy way, a gift of explaining what's what. From finding your voice, to plot, to characters...it's all there!

This fantastic collection of poems explains the structure for many poetic forms, providing examples of each. My fourth grader read it through and found it fascinating and inspiring. She is now writing her own poetry. I also found the book educational and interesting. A superb book.

This book was a lot of fun to read to my students and really helped conjure up some creativity in them!

I bought this book for the children's section of my library. My niece loves it! It has sparked her interest in poetry so much that she is not only writing her own using the rules taught in the book for each form but she is also seeking out forms not included in the book! She has discovered that Tyger Tyger by William Blake is her favorite poem. I could not be more pleased with this book.

Every year Poetry Month comes along and every year there are children's librarians like myself who shudder at its approach. Poetry. It's not something that every person in the world is going to appreciate right off the bat. So, if you're like myself, you get out a bunch of poetry books, put them in an area labeled "POETRY MONTH SELECTIONS" and then desperately search the internet for further poetry-related activities you can hold in your branch. This year I decided I'd try to do some poetry with the homeschooler bookgroup I run. What I really wanted was to show the kids lots of books with different kinds of poetic styles in them. A collection of poetic forms, if you will. I couldn't find anything perfect, however, so I just chalked it up to there being too few useful poetry books for kids in this world. Then I attended the Children's Book Committee annual breakfast at the Bank Street College of Education. And the winner of the 2005 Claudia Lewis Award, as it happened, was "A Kick In the Head", as selected by Paul B. Janeczko. I was curious so I picked it up. And right then and there it hit me that THIS was the book I'd been so desperately searching for all this time. It's a truly interesting collection of poetic forms done in such a way that kids will not only understand them, but want to write some of their own. After I recovered from the shock I returned to my library and sure enough, lo and behold, there was the book sitting perkily on my shelf where it had always been. So parents, educators, and librarians, heed my warning. Discover "A Kick In the Head" for your own Poetry Months before it's too late. Don't make the same mistake I did.

The book contains twenty-nine different poetic forms. Everything from your basic haikus and limericks to triolets, aubades, and pantoums. There are blues poems and clerihews, and even the rare riddle poem or two. Janeczko has culled the most amusing and child-friendly versions of these forms possible, and it works. For example, take the villanelle. You might not think it lends itself naturally to a child's reading, but then you see how cleverly Joan Bransfield Graham has created, "Is There a Villain In Your Villanelle?". And into this lively jumble we throw Chris Raschka's brightly colored mixed-media extravaganza. The result is a high-energy introduction to poetry in all its wild and wooly forms. A lovely amalgamation to say the least.

None of this is to say that there wasn't an odd choice or two. For the "found poem", Janeczko reprints Georgia Heard's, "The Paper Trail". The poem is a beautiful list of different kinds of writing, and it soon becomes clear that these are the scraps of paper and floated to the ground when the Twin Towers fell on 9/11. No mention of 9/11 is ever made, but you'd have to be pretty dense not to get the St. Paul's Cathedral reference. Fans of that old Cat Stevens song, "Morning Has Broken", will see it listed under the "aubade" section. And I, for one, had no idea that poem/song was written originally by classic children's author Eleanor Farjeon. Go figure.

I'm not normally a Raschka fan, by the way. Something about his images, I find off-putting. But I did enjoy a lot of what the artist decided to do here. For the "senryu" poem, for example, he was able to construct a month old cheese sandwich using only paper fibers of various orange, yellow, green (bleck!), and cream-colored shades. And if you think he had an easy job of this book then YOU try making an illustration for Shakespeare's "Sonnet Number Twelve". Even worse, make a picture for a poem imitating "Sonnet Number Twelve". It's doubly hard. So a tip of the hat to Raschka's efforts.

Now people are going to wonder what ages to hand this book to. I say, all. Obviously some of the poems, like the sonnets, aren't going to charm very small ones. But kids who like silly limericks or tankas that begin with words like, "Fish guts" will find their favorites in this selection. As for older kids, this book is useful well into high school. At that point the students will start appreciating the difficulty behind some of the more elaborate poems. A lovely addition to every library and I dare say a necessary one. No poetry section is complete without this book.

This book is a wonderful tool if you are teaching poetry. It describes many different types of poetry with an example and a simple explanation. Very colorful pictures.

The Larousse Advanced French-English Dictionary is an extraordinary reference book. It is well laid out, well illustrated (with glossy pages on such topics as construction, cars, and sports), and it gives multiple meanings and uses for the words being defined. Bold typeface for the entries makes it exceptionally easy to find the word in question. Besides having useful "cultural notes," the Larousse Advanced has a number of "usage modules" suggesting ways of saying common expressions in daily life. To keep the heft of the book under control, the pages are of very thin paper. Clearly, this is the product of generations of dual-language dictionaries.

i just love it. it'a a bit heavy, though, but it has incredible features like conjugated verbs tables, a cultural supplement, equivalences,maps,communication guides, pictures,and all are in color. this is a great addition to my collection.

I gave the Larousse Advanced French-English/Enlish-French Dictionary as a gift to my grandaughter who is taking High School French. The 2nd day she had it proved to be very helpful to complete homework she was assigned in French class. She uses it continually & says she couldn't have chosen a more informative dictionary than the Larousse Advanced Edition & recommends it to all taking or interested in the French language.

This is wonderful, comprehensive dictionary! I can find just about any word in it quickly and easily. It also has some interesting extra resources in the middle of it, such as how to write and address letters in either language. But be warned that it is not easily carried around, it is a beast of a book.

This really is an excellent French/English dictionary. The dictionary has detailed pictures showing parts of mechanical items, computers, etc with full detail in both French and English. In addition, this book has sample letters (both formal and informal), providing explanation on layout and so on. This really is an excellent text for anybody who is studying French to a business level

I am a 6th grade LA teacher and have been using this book as a resource to aid in teaching writing workshop. This book was recommended to me by other LA teachers when I took the Puget Sound Writers Workshop over the summer. As with any resource, it needs to be adapted to fit your student's needs.

Staring down my first year of teaching was daunting enough, let along figuring out how to teach my kids to become good writers. Lessons that Change Writers is an invaluable companion to any English teacher who wants to make real writers out of his students. The book is filled with super-practical lessons that cover every aspect of writing I could have hoped for along with wonderful examples written by Nancie's students. The vast majority of my students finished the year feeling confident about their writing skills; the progress they made was astounding. Students realized that writing was a time consuming process, and I learned that teaching writing in a meaningful way is also a TIME CONSUMING process. To teach in the way Nancie does, it requires a goodly amount of class time and an enormous amount of out-of-class time. However, it was worth it, and this book made me feel like an incredibly competent writing teacher. The rest of my English department will be using this next year. Highly recommended.

I just attended the workshop of the same name. I highly recommend, not only this workbook, but seeing Nancie in person. This binder includes reproducibles and essential workshop mini-lessons.

I just discovered this book (we have a copy in our school) and used one chapter to teach short story writing to my 6th graders. Her lesson suggestions and reproduceables taught my students what was missing from their writing and how to improve it. The binder contains many quotes and handouts. They are well designed. For example, by filling out the one on their main character, my students had the germ of a real story and were ready to write. I had to adapt it a little, but the basic teaching ideas and structure was very helpful to me. It helped students make meaningful changes to their own writing.

I attended the Center for Teaching and Learning my 7th and 8th grade years (2001-2002) while Nancie was writing this book. I have a few pieces of my writing in the book itself and I am on the cover; (James or "Jimmy" Morrill). Having been an actual student of Nancie I actually know the mini-lesson well. It truly is the best of the best.

Students generally prefer writing narration (stories) to writing exposition (explanation). Not surprisingly, they also perform better when writing narration as opposed to exposition. In her foreword to _Listen to This: Developing an Ear for Expository_ author Marcia S. Freeman suggests that if we read well-written expository pieces to students and help them listen for the characteristics and techniques that make those pieces successful, students will develop an ear for the genre and improve their expository skills dramatically.

_Listen to This_ is helpful for teachers and students alike. It comprises "An Expository Writing Primer" plus eighteen read-aloud samples in various expository and persuasive genres. The primer discusses such "target skills" as function, organization, focus, clarity, beginnings, endings, and transitions. Freeman gets practical and specific, giving examples of various organizational schemes, different kinds of supporting details, strategies to make writing lively, etc.

Each of the read-aloud samples is followed by a brief analysis, calling attention to strategies that contribute to the passage's success. The samples included in _Listen to This_ are intended only as a beginning, however. Freeman provides lists of books and periodicals where educators (grades 4-12) can find an endless supply of expository samples. Three appendices provide tips and additional organizational strategies.

While Freeman directs her book toward educators, her explanations are short enough and clear enough that I would not hesitate to put this book directly into the hands of students (4th grade and older).

I spent hours looking for a book that models expository writing for middle school students. _Listen to This_, which greatly exceeds my expectations, made the search worthwhile.

Listen to This: Developing and Ear for Expository by Marcia S. Freeman provides teachers and students with many approaches to reading and writing expository text. From creating dynamic introductions and conclusions to expanding support and effectively organizing text, this little book provides short lessons that enhance the teaching of writing at most grade levels. I used the book extensively in an 8th grade writing workshop. Now that I'm retired from the classroom, I use it to train teachers of writing.

This is a great book for teachers of all grade levels. Many times, teaching resources dealing with reading and writing are too elementary for middle and high school teachers to use. This book gave great examples and strategies for teachers to use with their students of all grade levels. I am a high school teacher and found this book exceptional.

Exact and precise. The best short book on how to teach writing I've seen. I'm a literacy teacher and I ordered a copy for all 50 of my classroom and special teachers.

This book should be the textbook for "Teaching Writing" the course I wish I'd had in college. I only wish I could have found this book when I first started teaching in the primary grades. This book sums up the skills a teacher should include in teaching writing. Middle and high school teachers will find this book very appropriate for their students, too.
This book will even be helpful to me in my writing for graduate work. I feel like I finally have a grasp on the "whole picture" of writing. Other books by this author are equally good. I've read "Teaching the Youngest Writers," which is especially good for kindergarten and first grade teachers.