Language Arts Books

I bought this book to help me give my first corporate speech. Not only did I give a damn good speech, but every aspect of my communicating life has been improved. I use Theibert's methods for giving speeches, writing, phone calls, and daily conversations. Now I feel more comfortable communicating, whatever the situation.

I have many books about speaking, presenting, etc.; most of which are singularly unhelpful. This book gives great, practical advice ~ and, if you follow it, you will give a damn good speech. Buy it. Use it.

The outline in this book is better than many others I have seen. I was able to put my speech together much quicker and in a more organized fashion with this book. Great Reference to have in your personal library.

You'll get a lot of useful advice from HOW TO GIVE A DAMN GOOD
SPEECH by Philip R. Theibert, a professional speech writer . . . and regardless of your level of experience in this field, you'll find something that will be of value here.

There's excellent material on how to organize and write a speech, followed by 100 important things you need to know about giving an effective speech . . . I also liked the author's collection of "best" quotations, along with his compilation of 365 ideas relating to historical dates and events that can be weaved into your speech . . . best of all: he shows you how!

Here's just some of the material that caught my attention:
A baseball legend's rules for a long life
Satchel Paige, a famous baseball pitcher of indeterminate age, once offered his rules for a long life:
* Avoid fried meats, which angry up the blood.
* If your stomach disputes you, lie down and pacify it with cool thoughts.
* Keep the juices flowing by jangling around gently as you move.
* Go very light on the vices, such as carrying on in society. The social rumble ain't restful.
* Avoid running at all times.
* Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you.
I'd like to add another rule onto that list. And that one is: Avoid speaking to a group for more than 10 minutes. A long talk might anger up the audience's blood. So today, let me--very briefly--talk about . . .

Use Elvis . . . he always gets a laugh
Well, I know you have to be very cautious about making predictions. Especially when you predict where things are going to be five years from now. For example, in 1973, there were 457 Elvis impersonators in America. In 1993, there were 2,736 Elvis impersonators in America. If this trend continues, by the year 2000 one out of four Americans will be an Elvis impersonator.

Tip O'Neill, US Congressman and former speaker of the House of
Representatives, enjoyed telling the story of the only election he ever lost. As a very young man, he ran for the city council in his hometown of Cambridge, Massachusetts. After his defeat, the elderly lady who lived next door said she had voted for him even though he had never bothered to ask for her vote. O'Neill was surprised. He pointed out that he had shoveled her snow every winter. Cut her grass every summer. Couldn't he just assume that he had her vote? But the woman just looked at him and said: "Tip, people like to be asked."

If you must speak to a crowd greater than one - then you need this book. This book has it all. The author has done extensive research and has read thousands of speeches in preparation for this book. If you want to be the best you can be at public speaking, at selling yourself and your ideas, this book will be your best friend.

As explained by the author here are some of the basics of a good speech:
1. Identify your topic and goal
2. Write your opening line
3. Identify a few key points
4. Support your key points
5. Wrap it up with a summarizing conclusion

Go beyond a basic outline as explained by the author:
1. Acknowledge your audience
2. Take a moment to define your terms
3. Clarify your qualifications
4. Address audience biases
5. Tell them what you are going to talk about
6. Tell the audience why they should care
7. Back up your points with stories
8. Back up your points with facts
9. Back up your points with history
10. Build strong transitions
11. Wrap it up
12. Include a call to action
13. Conclude with the beginning

The book gives the reader 100 fantastic openings for the reader to choose from in preparing his/her own speech. In addition, the book provides the reader with a list of 250 great quotations to choose from in writing a speech. Also, the book provides the reader with an almanac which provides happenings on each date of the year which the speech writer can include when the date the speech is to be given is known.

I didn't know alot about this topic. I felt this book covered everything I needed to know in order to converse intelligently with a parent. She appreciated my research and so did my student.

Ms. Stowe has managed to be both concise and thorough. This book is aimed primarily at teachers of students who have dyslexia, but parents will find it extremely helpful in understanding their child's (their own!) struggles with a confusing and frustrating condition. The interviews with adolescent and adult persons diagnosed with dyslexia bring the more academic aspects of the work to life, and help the reader to identify with the information in the other sections. Unlike those in some other books on the subject, the activities presented actually seem to be as they are described on the cover, "Practical." I especially liked the suggestions for teaching writing and making writing accessible to students on differing levels (word, sentence, paragraph) who might be working within the same group. I wish I'd had this book when my son was younger! I would recommend this book to principals and teachers, to parents of kids in school and parents who homeschool, and to youth and adults who grew up with any of the difficulties described.

This text is a complete eye-opener! In my SPED coursework, no other text comes anywhere close to Stowe as far as clearing up my understanding of learning "dis" abilities and how we all have a prejudiced view of what a brain is "supposed" to act like. Excellent resource!

As a former special education teacher, I am sometimes too aware of little problems. I know my child's self-esteem is affected by this problem however, and this book is very helpful for being me to work with her at home, especially since teachers don't seem to think there is a problem. This book, along with "The Gift of Dyslexia" brought so much practical, usefel information. I took this book out from the library, and will buy it, to use for a longer duration at home.

Thought this book was very indepth. The work pages for students and teachers seemed like great tools. This book needs to be on the shelf of every reading professional. It can help them explain and re-explain tests to parents and the student. The work pages are great for students of all differing abilities.

This is good book, with worthwhile ideas about starting, re-working, growing, arranging and finishing a thesis to be proud of for a long time. The best parts deal with understanding the overall structure of the thesis, and the relationship between the words and the work over time. But then there are seemingly superficial parts that any graduate student would know (use a spell checker) or that are dated (floppy disc, zip disc).

Glad I read this consise book. But really glad I read it at the library and so saved my money for more comprehensive tomes about surviving and thriving grad school.

I have not started my PhD yet, but my supervisor advised me to read this book. I read it about a month ago.

It is a nice book, with many practical tips and gives the reader an excellent insight of what is expected from a thesis, how you should make the research process and at the writing altogether.

It is easy to read, simple language and quite pleasant, even.

There is no question that all students need to go thru organizing and writing their thesis at some point during their academic period, and this perfect little book will help everyone, particularly PhD students. The book is very easy to read, follow, and comprehend. It has clear instructions and suggestions on how and what to do in order to deliver an outstanding thesis.

Many research students have laboured to produce their thesis not knowing quite what was expected of them. This small, clear, concise book steps the student through each section of the thesis. It explains why students should start writing almost straight away and that the old style of doing all the work then writing it all up is a hangover from pre-word processor days. It explains why the introduction is important and what should be in it. Same for the section on research method. In short, it explains what is required of your thesis over and above the obligation to describe your research.
It also settles the research student's doubts about the merits of their work by explaining what is expected of it.

Over the four years I spent working on my PhD, I must have read hundreds of papers and substantial parts of many books. In terms of the quality of the finished thesis, this little book was probably the most important. Lots of good, practical advice, even for an experienced writer: schedule a full re-read before giving it to the supervisor for review (they'll add more value if they're not fixing things you could fix yourself); re-write the introduction every six weeks; advice on how examiners read theses (and hence where to put the extra effort). The section on writing the conclusions was a big help in getting the job finished. The section devoted to effective use of word processors is probably redundant for most of us: but there are enough nuggets in the rest of the book to more than compensate. My only regret is that I didn't purchase it at the beginning instead of half-way through when a fellow student recommended it.

This book is very helpful in forming a coherent, persuasive and meaningful application statement. Michael Mason was my senior AP English teacher, and speaking with him in person is even more beneficial! If possible take one of his writing workshops, he is one of the most inspirational people I have ever met. If you can't find a workshop to take, at least pick up the book!

This book has greatly helped me out. I mean, this is simply the best book for people who have questions regarding personal statements. The techniques, the attention grabbers, the rules, and the humanity shockers all those are shockingly persuasive, and it difinitely improves my chances of getting into UCLA. Thancks Mason.

Of the many books on college that I've brought home for my offspring to look at, _How to Write a Winning College Application Essay_ is the first that my daughter read.

The book is well organized and has interesting topics. My favorite was the chapter of essays gone wrong, and the intelligent discussion of what went wrong with them. My daughter spent hours on the writing exercises--though she hates her writing about herself--and I think they helped her. The tone of this book is helpful, not the least bit condescending, as it points out errors of content, style and tone that can hurt the applicant's chances.

This best part of this book is that it has a large section (50+ pages) on how to gather the raw material on your life that can help you find the material for your essay. If you have no idea who your hero is or what adversity you've overcome, this will help you find your story and the supporting antecdotes that make your essay stand out. Mason also gives very specific instructions on how to write a good essay. This would be a good book for someone who wants some guidance turning ideas into a workable essay. It also has short chapters in writing essays for the SAT II English test, graduate school admissions and scholarship essays.

MY name is.... I was born and raised here. I have 2 brothers and 3 sisters. I know that if i get accepted into this college or one like it I will do my best and keep my grades up. I have a 3.725 right know in middle school for my G.P.a and right know i'm working on getting my 4.0 and see if i can keep it all the way through high-school. I would be honered to be accepted into this college and do my very best for you. well please read this very carefully i have never had to write anything like this or actually i haven't been taught how yet. I just started writing out of my head and tryed to figure it out by myself if you could, could you maybe help me out if I am way out of reach with this thank you....

Ralph Fletcher is a wonderful author with great ideas for teaching writing. His books are infinitely readable!

Similar to other Fletcher writing books
Excellent to use with writing lessons--esp. at the beginning of the school year

This charming little book offers a solid, user-friendly introduction to the fundamental steps of the writing process. Fletcher uses a clear and simple prose style to lead young readers through the creative writing process, from generating an idea and writing the first draft, to rereading and revising, to proofreading, editing, and publishing. Along the way, he discusses the importance of finding a suitable place to write, strategies for brainstorming, and methods of overcoming writer's block. Also included are several author interviews to provide alternative approaches to the writing process as well as a bibliography of recommended fiction and writing-related nonfiction. Beginning writers of any age may find inspiration in the practical strategies and encouraging sentiments set forth in this simple but elegant guide.

This book is unique in that it talks directly to kids about writing, in a personal rather than a "textbook" manner. I can't think of any other books for kids that do this (other than the others by Fletcher listed at the end), and it is so valuable! The book is also simply very interesting and well-written.

This book is not about the craft and mechanics of writing, but about how to establish that all-important *habit* of writing. It's about all the elements that enable and support a person to actually write. I don't know whether this book or "A Writer's Notebook" by Ralph Fletcher should be read first; they are both so important. I'm thinking of having my students read them concurrently.

I love the fact that Fletcher does not teach "the process," but rather encourages kids to find their own process. He cautions students not to "prewrite the life out of their topic" through excessive prewriting. It is also made clear, through the book's inspiring interviews with children's writers, that the processes that these successful writers use differ greatly from each other. One of the authors says she would never talk about her topic before writing about it, because "ideas bring with them an energy to write them. If I talk about them instead, I lose that initial energy that's crucial." I am a prolific writer, have almost never written an outline (before writing) in my life, and have always disagreed with requiring kids to do so (see Peter Elbow books for more on the process I use - freewriting).

Some of the topics this book goes into are where to write, finding an idea, brainstorming, getting started, amount to write, rereading, handwriting vs. using a computer, research, rough drafting, revision, and the proper place of grammar and spelling (definitely never "disturb the flow," when you're writing well, to deal with them). In all these topics, a variety of options are given, with liberal use of quotes from both kids and adult authors.

Fletcher makes it clear that "getting an idea" and "getting started" are two distinct activities, and not necessarily related. It's common to have a great idea that you never bring to fruition, and even more common to just start writing, with no ideas initially. In fact he goes into the value of writing "just a bunch of slop," and valuing it as a form of "exercising."

His overall message is that although some people are born or inspired writers, for most people, writing is hard work. You have to live a full life to have material; be conscientious in capturing those inspired thoughts and moments in your writer's notebook; do the tough work of writing something bad as a first draft; be open to "radical surgery" type revision; reread your own work incessantly; solicit feedback; be a careful editor; and look for appropriate places to publish.

Lastly, I read this book as a mother of three and a teacher who supervises homeschooling families. Since reading this (and Fletcher's other wonderful books: "A Writer's Notebook" and "Live Writing"), I haven't been able to stop writing poetry myself (which is not something I normally do)!

Mr. Fletcher wrote this book as a how-to for younger students, but anyone can get something from this book. It does a great job of walking the reader through a step-by-step process of how to be the best writer possible with an easy to follow format and many helpful ideas to accomplish the process. I think the point Mr. Fletcher is trying to convey to his reader is that writers are not mysticals who exist in a far off wonderland; they are everyday people, and anyone can be a writer-all it requires is releasing the energy of talking on paper. I think this book would be a beneficial part of any classroom library because it's a quick read and packed with ways to start out even the youngest of writers. The section of this book that is dedicated to expaining what students do when they are facing problems writing, will help other students relate to this book.

Kristine O'Connell George's poetry is beautiful as these poems lead her observations of a mother hummingbird making a nest, laying her eggs, then the eggs hatching and the young moving out. The illustrations are lovely realistic sketches that capture each stage of the hummingbirds' development. This makes a nice Mother's Day gift. I also bought a copy for a special aunt who loves nature.

If you or I were to find a tiny hummingbird nest in our backyard, we would handle such a discovery in any variety of ways. Some people would probably set up a camera and create a 24-hr live feed to their website. Others would ignore the nest or, worse still, actively remove it due to some odd hummingbird-based-delusion that the creatures were pests. When author Kristine O'Connell George found her nest, she came up with a particularly original way of marking the event. She kept a steady journal and, when all was said and done, she turned that journal into poetry. And she turned that poetry into a book. And that book was illustrated by the all-too-accomplished Barry Moser. And as a result, children's librarians everywhere have the honor of carrying "Hummingbird Nest" on their shelves, ready to be taken out by any inquisitive child with a yen for tiny birdies. Neither you nor I might go this route, but then neither you nor I would have such a fine title to our name. Such is life.

There are 26 poems in this book, all told. At the beginning a single small bird launches itself at a family eating on their patio. It appears that the creature has claimed this area as its own and immediately sets about building a nest in a potted tree. After a short amount of time two eggs appear in the nest. The family carefully checks up on them when the mama bird is away. The chicks hatch and are fed by their mother. Then they grow over the course of 18-26 days. At the end of that time, one of the babies flies away without the family ever saying goodbye. The second bird has some false starts before it finally figures out how to fly, and (after a snack from mama) fly it does. From that time on, hummingbirds sip nectar from the family's feeder and the author says to herself in the Author's Note, "Were any of the fledglings that turned up at our feeder later that spring our hummingbirds? I like to think they were".

The book has the feel of realism to it, helped along by Moser's accurate artistic renderings. The poetry, for its part, is a kind of friendly free verse. All scientifically accurate. All tiny odes to greater hummingbird-dom. I was particularly fond of a poem entitled, "Spiders, Beware!" that cautions all arachnids that the hummingbirds are around and ready to steal their webbing. These poems are rather innocent and don't go in for witty metaphors or particularly original imagery. They're just gentle little pieces that contain words like, "this rainy evening / your quiet wings / smoothly pressed / as you patiently sit / gentle captain / of your cobweb ship". There's even a small hummingbird-ish haiku at the end (though for a superior hum-haiku, check out the one in Jack Prelutsky's, "If Not For the Cat"). At the end of the book is the Author's Note that tells the true story, some quick facts about hummingbirds, and a very nice bibliography of hummingbird resources for old and young readers.

It's really Barry Moser's art that lifts this little book from obscurity, though. If you haven't perused Moser's stunning, "In the Beginning" (with words by Virginia Hamilton) then I'm afraid you've a large gap in the creation-myth department of your brain. Moser's watercolors here are wonderful. In the picture where the hummingbird dive-bombs the family, we see an older woman dropping her breakfast spoon, a coffee cup already turned on its side, and a hand covering her face in what is unmistakably the beginning of a laugh. Moser's dog is mournful and his cat full of the languid grace of the species. There are changes in perspective, in distance, and in view. In this way, Moser creates what otherwise could have been a deathly dull series of illustrations.

Come to think of it, this whole enterprise could easily (in the hands of the less adept) have ended up as some kind of boring practice in nature poetry. Instead it captures a fascinating subject, those winged little paradoxes of the avian world, and displays for us all the wonder that she, the author, experienced once. There won't be a child in the world who doesn't yearn for a hummingbird nest of their own after paging through this light little book. Seriously consider pairing it with the equally lovely and aforementioned, "If Not For the Cat", for a detailed examination of the natural world through verse. A small but strong work.

As a reading specialist I regularly review new children's books. As soon as I saw this one, I thought of my mom. She's a sharp-minded 87-year-old who loves poetry, art and hummingbirds. She gives the artistry, both words and watercolors, of this book an easy five stars.

This book is a tender treasure of hummingbird experiences through the wide-open eyes of a family entranced and the pen of a noted writer clearly in love with her subject.

Written as delightful poems, the story contains many teachable moments following "Anna" through the birth process, portraying the teetering and testing of the young ones' wings, proceeding on to the inevitable empty nest. It was hard to hold back tears as the wonder-filled story touches on the universal, relating to many cycles in our own lives.

The delicate watercolor drawings are beautiful in their own right, yet support and enhance the story in seemingly perfect harmony.

I heartily recommend this book to hummingbird lovers and children of all ages, who, caught up in the flow of the story, will absorb many hummingbird facts before they even know it.

Beth Kingsley Hawkins
Co-Editor, The Hummingbird Connection
www.hummingbird.org

One warm, February morning a tiny hummingbird began building a nest in a ficus tree on the patio of George's home in Claremont , California . For the next two months George kept a "hummingbird journal" of the daily happenings. "I still marvel," she writes, "over the surprising range of emotions one small bird and her family evoked: awe, worry about possible dangers, and laughter when the baby birds teetered on the edge of the nest for their daily flight practice."

George has expertly taken those emotions and woven them into this delightful collection of poems. In "Visitor" we are introduced to the small mother. She is nothing more than a "spark, a glint, / a glimpse of pixie tidbit." In the next poem, however, we see her bravado and determination in action. She becomes a "feathered missile streaking by," ordering the humans off her patio, out of her territory.

Soon two eggs are visible in the "cobweb ship" of a nest. Once hatched, the nestlings, "raisin black / an wrinkled," settle in. In "Flight Practice," George does a superb job at allowing the reader to visualize the drama taking place: "Four curled up feet grip / the top of the nest. / Two tiny motors / rev up for the wing test."

Moser is in top form here. His realistic, incredibly detailed watercolor paintings are small jewels in themselves.

The poems and illustrations combine wonderfully to allow readers the opportunity to vicariously witness nature up-close.

Highly Recommended.

Reviewed by the Education Oasis Staff

This book is great. It has the alphabet and has pictures with words under them like a picture of a cat and C-a-t. Also this book can be used for Spanish too. For instance, uno, dos, and other three letter words.

This book is great! Before this book, my daughter was able to recognize letter sounds but did not understand the concept of linking the sounds together to make a word. By flipping three different piles of the alphabet, she was able to see, and therefore understand, this concept. I recommend this book to any pre-readers.

I Can Spell Words With Three Letters is a wonderful book! My son (who is 4, but doesn't talk yet) loves to spell his favorite words with this flip book. I really like how it contains three alphabets for kids to flip through to spell with so that even if they can't write yet, they can still practice spelling. I also like how the word is on the back of each picture so the kids can check their work. My only concern is that the flip cards seem flimsier than they were in my original copy, but I like that the book now has a velcro closure so that the cards won't get bent as easily. But it is well worth the money. In fact we got our second copy to give as a gift.

My 3-yr-old is learning to spell using this book! The spelling possibilities are endless and she enjoys playing with it alone. She is instantly gratified when she flips the page to see that she has spelled a word correctly.

My Kindergardener is just learning to read and write. This book has been great for him to "play with" when I can not sit with him or can not look at the pages with him. He has learn several words and had fun at the same time.

My 5 yr old loves to "read" this book with me and my 2 yr old loves to listen. The colored stars make my children laugh! It has wonderful repitition so it is easy for a beginning reader to excel.

My students in Japan, ages 1 and 2 years old, LOVE this book. I was really surprised. I thought the paper-cut-out artwork wouldn't grab them, but it did. The vocabulary was basic, but things they knew and could point to in the pictures. I turned this into a dialogue book because I found the sentences weren't enough. But even a month after we finished our work on this book, 2 of my students were still carying this in their book bags every day because they loved this book so much!

From the author of Goodnight Moon. Provides emerging readers with immediate success.

My 4 year old son LOVES this book! It's great for bedtime. He laughs when we see the animals with their sunglasses on watching the stars. Definitely recommend this book!

This is a wonderful book for children just learning how to read. The illustrations glow and pop off the page! A wonderful book for all!

This book is a combination of several differen writings, each one poignant and emotional or thought provoking. It's easy to relate to these writings, and they will make you think and feel things you might not have felt in a long time. I loved reading it.

it grabs you from the start and makes you feel what the author is feeling. makes you stop and think about the things that happen in your past and makes you wonder what your future will be.

This was a fabulous book. I cried all through the first half of it, as I could definitely relate to the emotions in the poetry. I sat and read the whole thing in one sitting!!

Beautifully written. This book touches the spirit of anyone who's ever loved and lost. I often found myself wondering if the author knew me personally and felt as if she was writing directly from my own experiences.

I can't wait to share this book with my friends and loved ones!

Michelle Devon's thoughtful and well-written words pull the reader into this emotional journey and won't let go. You'll love this truly excellent book!

Nice to read. More of a feel-good book than a how-to in my opinion, but I suppose it depends upon what you are looking for. There is definitely useful information in this book and it encourages you to write.

I like the data in this book and will definitely use it when I'm ready to write. It is useful.

Dan Poynter gives you so much terrific information and guidance about how to uncover the book inside you. There is no better place to get the guidance you need to write YOUR book!

Eli Davidson
From Funky to Fabulous:
Surefire Success Strategies for the Savvy, Sassy and Swamped
(due in bookstores January 2007)

If you are a writer or think you are a writer, this is a book you should have in your library. It helps jump start the creative processes and lets you know all that you need to know about getting started and what channels to follow.
If you dream of writing... buy this book and follow that dream, after all what do you have to lose?

If you don't already have a good reason to want to write a book - and let's face it most book lovers at one time or another fancy themselves as budding authors - this book will help you find one!

It is concise and well-thought out. An enjoyable as well as instructional read.

If you are an intending author, Amazon's powerful search functions will lead you to other similar and complementary books to help build your skills as a writer and improve your knowledge of the publishing industry.

These aspects are both "must knows" if you are truly serious of reaching your goal as a published author.