Language Arts Books

My daughter LOVES mouse and his books. This was our first mouse book and it got us hooked on this clever little seriers. We have bought them all and wish there were more. Mouse makes reading concepts very fun and very easy to grasp. I home school and have shown these books to my other homeschooling friends. They have all been amazed at how cheap they are and how much information they deliver in a easy fun way.

My daughter loves this book, sounding out the letters and reading it to us. I'd highly recommend it.

It's a fun book to read to preschoolers. Its a cute book to read with your young/early reader. Its a GREAT book when your 5 year old reads it to you.

"Mouse is busy, mouse is fast--grabbing letters as he runs past. He finds new ways to make a rhyme by switching letters every time." --from the book

Contrary to the incorrect information given by both of the Editorial Reviews, Mouse Makes Words is a Step 1 book in the Random House Step Into Reading line which means that it is geared towards children in pre-school and kindergarten. If your child knows the alphabet and is eager to begin reading, Step 1 books like Mouse Makes Words are a great start.

This Phonics Reader playfully explores initial sounds substitution and short vowel sounds by using rhyming word pairs. With its big type, easy words, picture clues, rhyme and rhythm, Mouse Makes Words is an engaging book for learning words such as net, pet, ten, hen, wig, pig, pot, cot, bug, hug, and more.

My son requests this book every once in awhile and the simplied format really helped reinforce simple word recognition, rhyming, and sounding out words.

Don't let the subtitle, "A Phonics Reader," scare you. Your kids will love this book. This action-packed, sound-effect filled, little book will delight as well as instruct. I have given this book as a gift and my friends tell me that their kids (2 and 4) ask for "mouse" again and again. They love to identify the moving letters and to repeat the new rhyming words. It is a wonderfully simple book for children who are just beginning to read on their own. I highly recommend it. I am excited to see that another book with the same character is coming out soon. I am looking forward to being able to give more "mouse" books as gifts in the future.

As each of my boys learned to read, I purchased them a copy of My Phonics Word Book. My children loved using them! The workbook was easy, fun, and crisp. I appreciated that the workbook didn't require any writing skills. I haven't found any other phonics workbook as simple yet as complete as the My Phonics Word Book.

I've been hunting all over for more copies so I can use them with two neighbor boys who are struggling with reading.

This book is a terrific way to teach reading concepts, especially to children who are too young to write, because the "rewards" for a job well-done are stickers to paste on the "done" pages. While your child is having fun, he or she is learning how to "decode" sounds (including long vowels, short vowels, consonants, and blended consonants). The book is a well-organized progression from easier phonics to more difficult ones. The pictures are adorable.

I hope that volume three is released soon.

Have had great success for 3 years tutoring slower First Graders with this book. The format using vowels and rhyming words is a great learning tool. The picture page lends itself to writing stories which adds another step. Print this book again!

This book is a terrific way to teach reading concepts, especially to children who are too young to write, because the "rewards" for a job well-done are stickers to paste on the "done" pages. While your child is having fun, he or she is learning how to "decode" sounds (including long vowels, short vowels, consonants, and blended consonants). The book is a well-organized progression from easier phonics to more difficult ones. The pictures are adorable.

I hope that volume three is released soon.

This book is great. It is a fun way for children to learn the Phonics and Rhyming concept. My daughter pulls this book out often -- and she feels such a sense of accomplishment when she gets it right.

The book "Mystery of the Mona Lisa", was so magical that I shall miss the special place I lived with Caterina while I read each and every word. Edie Linch, Film Maker /Artist, N.Y.C.

I read the "Mystery of the Mona Lisa", and found the dialogues between Caterina and Leonardo, the child genius, convincing. The description of Caterina leaving this planet, is pure metaphysics and should fascinate readers interested in the subject. T. Tantalo, N.Y.C.

"Mystery of the Mona Lisa" is absolutely marvelous! I kept delaying reading it because I truly did not want it to end. There should be a sequel. Prof. Carmela Di Meo, N.J

I found it to be engrossing and read through it quite quickly. The book is a charming recreation of the period and the life of Mona Lisa... Richard Fabricant/attorney

In her intriguing historical novel, Rina de' Firenze claims that the source of inspiration of one of the most famous paintings in the world, is none other than Caterina, the mother of Leonardo da Vinci. A great deal of mystery shrouds the origin of Leonardo's mother, but it is believed that she was a girl of noble blood, whose original name was "Lisa". She had an illegitimate child in 1452 by a well-to-do notary, Piero da Vinci, a child that became the greatest artist, sculptor, architect and engineer of the Renaissance. This romantic biography tells of his early passion for drawing the world around him in the Tuscan hills, his love of nature, flowers, birds and his unsatiable curiosity about mechanical objects and how they work. This unique story came as a premonition to the author, Rina de' Firenze, followed by repeated visions of Leonardo and his mother urging her to tell this story that was unknown to this world. In her own voice, Caterina speaks of the struggle to provide a warm, nuturing environment for her gifted son. She tells of the time when young Leonardo entered Verrocchio's studio in Florence, and of his secret visits to her simple abode. There, where he started drawing her face time and time again, promising her of turning it into the most famous, mysterious painting in the world. Leonardo kept the "Mona Lisa" by his side for the rest of his life. Yet, the sitter remains a mystery to this day-- an enigma. Is it a duchess, a merchant's wife or as some contend, his mother, because her mysterious smile has such a warm, maternal tenderness about it. Nancy Di Benedetto, art historian from Yale and Hunter, currently teaching at Marymount College, NYC

Peter Kahle writes with wit and experience. He has the kind of knowledge about selling books that is based on compassion as well as calculation. Naked at the Podium is a very useful tool for those who seek stimulating ideas on how to be successful in
merchandising their product. No author should make a presentation without reading this first.

I purchased NAKED AT THE PODIUM a few years ago at the first writing conference I attended. Though I knew it would be a while before I'd need the advice the book offered, I felt I'd better get it anyway just in case it wasn't available 5 years down the road when I'd actually need it.

While I'm still not far enough along in my writing career to be out on book tour, I was recently asked to deliver a 30-minute presentation to about 100 writing peers. In all my nervousness, I studied NAKED AT THE PODIUM like mad, learning how to breathe, assume a stage presence, and embrace my nervousness. My copy of the book aged rather nicely, with blue highlights, pencil underlining, and stars placed strategically throughout the columns next to all the gems of information.

Not only was the book enjoyable, but it helped me tremendously. When it came time for the presentation, my words didn't get all stuck in my throat like they usually do when I speak to large groups. And, the coolest part was that people were taking notes and actually learning from what I was saying (instead of sitting there with that squeemish feeling of watching somebody struggle up on the stage)! In fact, several people came up to me afterwards to tell me how much they got out of it.

Anyway, it was a real thrill...maybe I don't hate public speaking as much as I thought I did! In fact, I'm now proactively looking for more such engagements.

I owe it all to Pete and Melanie and the creation of such a wonderful reference tool.

THANK YOU!

Naked At The Podium: The Writer's Guide To Successful Readings is a very practical guide of tips, tricks, and exercises for authors who may not be quite so at home giving a public reading as with the usual day's work of bringing drama to blank sheets of paper. Techniques presented include how to use body language, cure pre-reading jitters, become one's characters, and generally make the reading a memorable promotional event to spread word of one's book. Naked At The Podium is strongly recommended reading for authors seeking to promote their books through public readings at bookstores, libraries, or other venues.

Before I read "Naked at the Podium", I had given a number of presentations of my book. However, after I read it, what a difference! I was more at ease, more confident, and the audience reflected this change. The result: more book sales. No writer setting out to promote a book can afford not to read, and use, this important contribution by Kahle and Workhoven. Evelyn McDaniel Gibb, author of Two Wheels North

Wow. Forget the fluff... here's a book crammed with valuable tips and information you will use to make any speaking engagement more effective.

As I was preparing for several Author appearances and book signings for my first novel (The Glass Cocoon) I was fortunate enough to obtain a copy of this helpful, informative, valuable and fun to read book.

Authors Peter Kahle and Melanie Workhoven have learned by trial and error the most effective ways to prepare yourself for any speaking engagement. They know most of the 'secrets' and 'tricks' and have written an extremely easy and fun book to read that will help you get rid of the jitters, and present the best you, you possibly can,when you get up in front of a group of people.

Melanie's background as an actress and Peter's as a author combine in a book that doesn't waste any valuable time in giving you great ways to prepare to have successful readings and speaking engagements.

There is a lot of information, practical advice, insights, tips, preperatory exercises (complete with useful pictures) in this book. The information is delivered clearly, concisely and with a generous dose of breezy humor and in-the-trenches examples. A lot of research and a variety of personal experiences from the authors and some others have been effectively tapped. The book will walk you through the whole process and experience and you get the feeling your best friend is holding your hand and filling you with confidence and encouragement.

Follow the advice in the book and you can be assured of not only having a successful speaking engagment, but also of having a lot of fun too.

Thank you.. thank you.. thank you Peter and Melanie for this extremely useful and valuable resource.

Christopher J. Jarmick is the co-author of the recently published mystery suspense thriller The Glass Cocoon with Serena F. Holder.

This concise, well-researched and entertaining reference is an engaging and informative way to meet the people behind the origins of some of today's most common words and familiar names.
Written in a clear, conversational and often amusing style, it introduces the reader to more than 600 of the lighthearted, silly, fascinating, tragic or unbelievable stories of those who immortalized the names of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, Rambo, Vick's Vaporub, M&M chocolate candies, Firestone tires, James Bond and Singer sewing machines, among others. The sources of some well-known eponyms (words derived from people's names) like mausoleum, academics and boycott, are also explained.
The book is divided in two sections, "The Names" and "Shorts," according to the length of the treatment given to each word's history, and the entries are presented in alphabetical order, which makes this book perfect for either browsing or consultation.
To add to your knowledge of name origins, I would recommend also buying the author's second volume in the series, "The Name's Familiar II." Both are excellent, interesting and fun resources you will keep referring to again and again.
--Reviewed by Maritza Volmar

I met Laura Lee in Michigan when she was doing radio. I knew then that she was going to do great things. She has a great mind for trivia and facts and of course, music. Love her...loved her book. In fact, later I'm ordering 2 more copies.

This is one book that is needed on everyones shelf. Truly an entertaining and creative read. Great gift for that hard to buy for person. I was unable to put it down this summer until I realized I was getting a sunburn! Looking forward to a sequel.

This book is an excellent source for classrooms, from English to History to Science. The stories of words is fascinating and a part of our culture. Students find the information interesting and they end up learning along the way. Ms. Lee's presentation style keeps the reader engaged, so they want to keep reading. My students end up talking about what they learned from her book, and look forward to my posting the next story each day. I also enjoy the book on my own as a source of entertainment as well as knowledge. Her writing style is fun and she has obviously done her research. I look forward to her next book.

This is truly a book everyone can enjoy. From the opening introduction, to the very last page, this book is a charmer.

It's chocked full of names, stories and origins. It's laid out in easy to follow segments. If you've ever wondered why "hookers" are called that, or how a frisbee came into being, this is the place to find out. There are so many names and subjects, it's impossible for me to do it justice in this mini review. But, the story of Aesop (as in fables) is truly sad, and I'm sure he never imagined how long his name/stories would last.

It is wonderfully entertaining and enlightening to learn the lives behind so many of our everyday words, phrases, household items, and even body parts!!

I plan on taking mine to work tomorrow, to see who all I can "stump" :-) It makes a great ice breaker or conversation maker for that first date or just fun reading with an old mate or friend. Some stories are very lighthearted, while others are tragic, and still others unbelieveable. But, as they say, "truth is stranger than fiction" (somebody says that don't they? :-)

I got the first edition for a great price. it is not very different from the 2nd edition. The colour charts are exactly the same as in the second edition. There is one chart for hue, value and chroma and 10 charts for each colour. The text contents are quite technical. There aren't many pretty pictures. 3 ring binder has colour chips, colour charts and the text.

This is a great teaching tool for students and professionals. As a student worker for a professor in my Textile and Apparel program at The University of Northern Iowa, I completed the color set and now want one of my own. It helps expand the understanding of hue, chroma, value, and richness

This is an excellent book for the artist wanting to understand color. It's not a mixing guide though, it's about learning to see and identify the properties of color.

This edition has been revised and improved. See 2001 edition.

if you are a beginning artist, an aspiring designer or just someone fascinated with color, then this is a great publication to train yourself in the many nuances of color vision.

the format is a small black three-ring binder of 13 white card pages, and 13 small plastic baggies of dull finish color chips, somewhat smaller than postage stamps. each page presents an empty grid of color (light to dark down the page, and dull to brilliant across it) that you must fill in manually by placing each chip in its assigned position. there are no codes or color names printed on the back of the color chips to help you along, but there is an introductory page explaining the basic concepts of hue, chroma (saturation) and value, the three basic attributes of color.

accompanying the binder is a staple bound color primer by joy turner luke. although the production values are pretty modest, this is one of the best overviews of color i have read anywhere, particularly for artists and designers. luke gets into the history of color research, the basics of color vision, the details of color mixing (she has some sobering critical thoughts about the many commerical "artist's color wheels" on the market today), color design and more.

the color chips are fussy to work with; they are delivered unattached to the card pages so that you can sort and rearrange them in various color tests or color demonstrations, but it's easy to mix them up. i found it most convenient to glue them into place, so that they wouldn't get lost and were ready for quick reference. that tedious exercise apart, this is a very instructive introductory resource for young adults and color students of any age.

Nin goes in search of the lost words of her late mother. As many of us are, metaphorically. And in this book, we are given a clue, a tool, that will reveal her - still interlaced, interwoven in our lives. Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn around, teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the ground....

Did you know that the first author of a signed work was a woman? Neither did I until I read "Nin". Dalglish is hilariously subversive. As she tells us the tale of Nin's quest for her mother's notes we find out how every aspect of the written word has been influenced or invented by women. Read "Nin" and you too will learn how to find women's voices throughout the ages despite masculine occlusion. Join Nin in her literary initiation into the feminine mysteries. (You might also enjoy "Descent to the Goddess" by Sylvia Brinton Perera)

"Nin" is thought-provoking and inspirational. It is a life-changing book. After reading it, I feel exhilarated with a new interest in what women have said before, I have renewed hope for women's voices, I feel inspired to add my own words to other women's and know that, in doing so, there is meaning (if only in the act of doing it).
The work is obviously well researched and well thought out. The writing style is tight and inventive. It is an advanced work of fiction.
I will read the book many times.

Nin is truly the newest gem in feminist literature. Dalglish has done a fine job of interweaving history and fiction, oftentimes with tongue in cheek. What a treat to enter a realm where women writers throughout history are dialoguing on the world wide web and confronting the philosophies belittling the place in women in creation; for example, those of Thomas Aquinas, Aristotle and Plato. This adventure is an act of genious and one of the best novels I've read in years.

Cass Dalglish has created an entertaining hybrid of academic satire, the novel of ideas, and mystical feminist fantasy. The title character Nin (short for Nina and a whole lot more) is a poet who teaches at a university in Duluth, where free-speech issues arise at a yearly remembrance of protests in 1971; who returns to Vermont to celebrate the publication of her father's magnum opus, a new translation of the works of St. Thomas Aquinas; and who undertakes a journey to Israel to visit the graves of her mother and grandmother. Along the way, we are treated to a rousing satire of the excesses of political correctness on campus, a comic but loving portrayal of feminist eccentricities, a serious debate about the anti-woman tradition in philosophy and theology from Aristotle through Thomas Aquinas and beyond, a witty encounter with women writers of the past, and even the vagaries of internet chat houses. "Nin" successfully combines Catholic theology, feminism, Sumerian antiquities, and Jungian psychology. Best of all, it's a great read.

I remember this guy from my childhood. we sort of grew up together. I bought the book for that reason, but after reading it I have to say even if you don't share any childhood memories with Joshua Bell, you should buy this book. it's worth it.

Josh Bell's No Planets Strike is as beautiful as it is frightening. Bell takes his title from Shakespeare's Hamlet, and seems to take on the perspectives of characters like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and the two spear-carriers standing at the edge of the stage--that is, this book is about "minor characters;" there are no heroes here, only the "normal," and justly so, Bell dissects, in his poetry, our own unspoken view points on unrequited love and male sexuality with humor and a deft understanding of language. Bell writes to us in "series poems," where we get to see what it was like to sleep with Artemus and Julia Roberts in the same book, and we get a whole new defenition of "muse" with overtly cruel and unapologetic Ramona. I celebrate Josh's great book, and I think that we're going to hear from him again.

No Planets Strike is an indelible collection. Sometimes you order a poetry book and it turns out only one or two poems rock, and some are okay and the others blow. Not so for this book: every poem astounds with moxie and prowl. It's a page-turner. It's a must-have.

I've been waiting for this collection of poems to come out for years. Josh Bell is an incredibly ambitious, hysterically funny, and deeply literary poet (and he is never pretentious). Reading his poems will make you laugh out loud. If you're a poet, reading his poems will inspire you to write, simply because he consistently shows the phenomenal things the English language can be made to do. An absolute must-read, it's sure to become a classic.

Josh Bell's poems trammel down the page with a sacred urgency. They are layered, well-read, savvy creatures with heavy heads and a sadness so beautiful, so sharp-edged that the poems nearly hum with it. Bell holds his poetry to the highest standards and this book, though a first, contains the weight and mass of any great book. There is no poem here that isn't fully realized and in each, one senses the massive library that the author contains and employs. While readers will hear echoes from that library, Josh Bell has a music, deep and true that is fully, terribly, gorgeously his own. There is a tone here too, of one who has, in full zombie regalia, known various deaths and is pressed to witness them for us. Another tone plays against this: one that suggests that these poems know more than they'll ever share with us, they know how to take care of their own, how to always keep more secrets just beneath the ones they disclose. They've had their diaries read in the past and this time, for this telling, they'll do the gleaning and what they bring back is some of the finest poetry you'll ever read.
Catch these poems now, so at cocktail parties you can say that you found them before the masses did. This book raises the bar.

This is an excellent first book for nonparametric statistical methods. It is a cookbook, but is a good introduction to the many nonparametric techniques for assessing data. These are oftentimes much better suited for your data than the standard stuff you get in intro to statistics. The book by David J. Sheskin or by Conover should your next book.

Speaking as an MPH level student, (i.e. not a real mathematician) this is about the only usable book on nonparametric stats I have encountered, so I ended up buying it despite the rather high price for a not terribly large book. But, as happens frequently in healthcare and social sciences, when faced with data that can't be analyzed with the normal mean and standard deviation stuff (i.e. survey answers, etc.) this book offers a lot of possibilities beyond the standard chi square test, and more importantly, is clear about what test is appropriate, and how to apply it.

In the 1960s Siegel's book was the most popular and the most often cited. This is because except for Fraser it was the only useful test available to researchers. The book was written in a somewhat non-technical manner in order to be accessible to social scientists. At the time it became the standard book for all researchers. Theoretical books such as Hajek and Sidak's "Rank Tests" Came out at the end of the decade and the other good statistical books such as Hollander and Wolfe; Conover,; Lehmann; and Randles and Wolfe didn't come out until the 1970s.

So Siegel's book has historical significance but now the pratitioner and the theorists have many other good books to choose from. The text has been revised many times presumably to keep up with the research advances that have practical use for social scientists.

This is (together with Empirical Methods for Artificial Intelligence by Paul R. Cohen) the best of the statistics books I read.

For a non math major (or stats major) user, this book offers an easy way to have works done quickly. But be cautious, an first-class cookbook does not necessarily yeild a first-class meal on your table.

For the last seven months, since I suggested our writers' group work, learn & write our way through Susan Tiberghien's One Year To A Writing Life, our group's commitment has solidified with each chapter of her book. Each bi-weekly meeting finds the six of us (writers, poets, academics)gathered to read & review our exercises from each chapter, copies for all and with reference to Tiberghien's "text". Recently, as a response to the growth in our writing and our awareness of that growth, we have re-committed to returning to particular chapters so that we may explore them once more in even greater depth, based on both the pleasure of the process and our personal learnings as writers. As the convener of our group, I would suggest a group approach to One Year To A Writing Life is an ideal
process to apply to Susan Tiberghien's wise & illuminating guidance.

Susan M. Tiberghien draws upon her years of experience and expertise as a veteran writing instructor, writers' conference speaker, and graduate school lecturer in "One Year To A Writing Life: Twelve Lessons To Deepen Every Writer's Art And Craft". A gifted writer in her own right, Susan Tiberghien covers journal writing, personal essays; opinion and travel essays; short stories (included the 'Short-Short'); dreams and writing; dialogue; folklore, fairy tales, and contemporary tales; poetic prose and the 'Prose Poem'; memoirs and biography; rewriting; and more. Of special note are her chapters on 'The alchemy of Imagination' and 'Writing the Way Home'. Enhanced with a specialized bibliographies and a comprehensive index, " One Year To A Writing Life" is as informed and informative, as it is inspired and inspiring -- making it strongly recommended reading for all novice writers and aspiring authors.

If you're mindful of how today's extreme pull on your time leaves little room for nurturing a creative life, this book offers a very grounded and realistic way in which to cultivate one. And it shows you how to do it in a way that's methodical, possible, and simple. As you reflect on the author's suggestions, you'll find yourself observing inwardly and outwardly and asking yourself more centered, elegant questions about your life's images and symbols. Susan Tiberghien's book allows those of us with only slivers, not swathes, of time to become full travelers on the inner safari. This is a book that offers a writing process of effective 10-minute sound bytes rather than a list of commands requiring an afternoon. What's more, it's just plain FUN without the feel of heavy lifting. I found myself wanting to go deeper and find the center when I tried focusing on only one image in the journal entry exercises. This is a book about mindfulness as much as it is about writing. Much praise and thanks for this book that makes writing so doable!

This is a wonderful book. I have been using One Year to a Writing Life as a textbook this semester in my Creative Writing course. The book is very well conceived so my syllabus follows the twelve lessons, week by week, with extra weeks for longer in-class writing. The book provides clear guidance, great examples and it inspires! It inspires me to both teach and write and it inspires my students. Before I chose One Year to a Writing Life as a textbook for my class, I surveyed many texts that are on the market and not a single one comes close to this great book. Thank you, Ms. Tiberghien, for helping all of us who write and who teach writing. Jelena S. Bankovic, Ph.D.
Professor of English, Oakton College, Illinois

Tiberghien's new book on the writing life is a must read for all writers, at any stage of writing, embracing the Creative Mosaic in both our life experience of dreams, journals, prose poems, memoirs and envisioned by noted published literary ones. The richness and thoughtful spirit of these twelve lessons is inspiring and meaningful as any mentor could recite prayers of meditative instruction. I have been a student of
Tiberghien's workshops; here's the five-star creme de creme.

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