Language Arts Books

Remarkable book beautifully done, for both children and adults. I'm going to purchase several more. What a find!

A wonderful little book for the youngest to the oldest to enjoy -- beautiful information about the rainforest!

A Walk in the Rain Forest is a wonderful introduction to the tropical rain forest- its plants, animals, and people. The book tells the story of XYZ- a small ant- and his journey through the rainforest. The beautiful pictures and simple text appeals to children of all ages. Additional factual information appeals to older children. This is a great book to use in the classroom to help introduce children to the wonders of the rain forest

This is a colorful look at different Rainforest creatures, written by a teenager. It follows a frog introducing animals you might meet in the Rainforest. It is not quite as good as her other book Under the Sea. I would recommend it for 4-8 year olds, it can be wordy.

I found this book in my quest for interesting books for a course I was teaching on the rainforest. At the ripe old age of 15, Kristin Joy Pratt (now Pratt-Serafini) developed this lovely book. Her illustrations take you on the journey through the rainforest with XYZ the ant. As the reader explores the ABC's, s/he also learns about the life within and the biodiversity. Words, facts and colorful illustrations will encourage discussion about this habitat and make learning the ABC's and exciting journey.

I own this book and have found it to be invaluable with the information it contains. It explains and shows various examples of types of sentences (ie: simple, compound, compound-complex), it goes on to explain how to write paragraphs and where to place the topic sentence (ie: the 1st sentence, 2nd, 3rd, last, etc.), and it explains how to combine paragraphs to form complete papers (ie: book reports, essays, literary analyses, research papers, thesis, etc.) by using a variety of methods of development (ie: analogy, cause and effect, classification, comparison and contrast, definition, description, narration, opinion, persuasion, and process analysis). It is also an excellent resource for how to write letters, e-mails, outlines, resumes, short stories, etc. Included is a section on grammar, usage, and mechanics (how nouns, verbs, agreement of subject and verb, etc) as well as punctuation. This is a thorough book for any writing endeavor, and I highly recommend it. I wish it had been in print MANY years ago when I was in college, but it is useful for junior high up through doctorate degrees. It is definitely worth its price (which isn't that high for all it contains!). It is also not hard to understand!

Sorenson's skill with textbook writing derives from an understanding of people and their problems with language. Only a master teacher could have written this guide.

This is the easiest and most useful reference available for teachers, students and parents. I have been using this book since'94 to help my children understand and exacute various kinds of writing assignments. Valuable from 4th grade through college level.

I brought home a stack of library books about writing to help my son with high school writing assignments and research papers. Webster's was the only one he actually used. It is laid out nicely and helpful information is available in the kind of "bites" our kids are used to. It is now part of our home library. PS. A more lengthy perusal of the guidelines for various kinds of student writing would greatly benefit any student willing to put in some time to improve their skills and their grades.

This is my second time around in college. I pulled the standard "drop-out-after-two-years-to-start-a-family" routine, and am now finishing up at 40 years of age. My writing skills had rusted slightly over the years, so this book has been an absolute life saver in college. I could not maintain my 4.0 GPA without it!

Weddings, Funerals and Rites of Passage is a great text for new and experianced clergy alike. Written with the input of several ministers in different faiths, it provides a wide set of options. The services can equally serve well as a complete service or as a guide and framework for writing your own.

This book contains some of the best advice, rites, and all around helpful information of any book for the new minister. If you're a "non-denom" minister, especially ULC this is certainly a work that needs to be on your shelf... or better yet in your hand.

I was lucky enough to receive one of the first copies of Amy's new book and am very pleased with it. The presentation is first rate with easily readable large type (a real plus when standing in front of a crowd) and an attractive black cover with gold lettering which gives a professional appearance.

The rites and ceremonies contained in the book run the spectrum from pagan to Christian to Jewish. The part on funerals was especially welcomed since this is often one of the most difficult services the itinerant non-denominational minister will do. Amy's approach is sympathetic, loving, and gives great guidance. The prayers section has become a favorite of our ministers at St. John & St. Sebastian since we utilize them in a variety of formats, especially on visitations for the sick.

If ever there were a much needed "prayer book" for the eclectic non-denominational set, this book fulfills that need.

We heartily recommend this book to our associate ministers and all ministers both old and new who might find themselves in a situation where a more universalist approach is not only apporpriate but necessary.

Thanks for this loving work!

Rev. Long does a superb job in presenting ceremonies and rites of passage which are so valuable to the interfaith minister. I have searched for other books and there is absolutely none like it.

Rev. Long's book is comprehensive, including various services for weddings for various religions and denominations, blessings, funerals, baptisms, and the list goes on and on.

Every minister should have this book, especially those who perform interfaith services. It is clear, very interesting, and has very nice and appealing ceremonies.

Great job!

Excellent book with beautiful ceremonies! A must have for any Minister or Officiant (not just ULC)!

This book has a huge variety of ceremonies that can easily be adapted to suit many belief systems. I was surprised at how nicely everything was worded. I found a lot of ceremonies that I could use and a few that I'll be able to use if the situation comes up. It almost impossible to find good funeral ceremonies, but this book is full of them. All the ceremonies are loving and uplifting. Excellent book! Something a lot of ministers have been waiting for!

This book is FANTASTIC! It describes almost every stage possible in a woman's life, and humorously covers the gamut of emotions from everyday drudgery to all life's highs and lows. Get ready to laugh and cry and enjoy each of these essays. I have given Wednesday Writers as a birthday present to all my female friends/family members for the last year now, and even gave it to my mother for a mother's day gift two years ago. They all love it as much as I do!!!

What are you waiting for? Buy a copy for yourself and also buy a stack to give as gifts. You will be so glad you did.

I confess, I bought this book because a) a friend's work appears in it b) all the proceeds go to a great cause -- the Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center at the U of C's San Francisco Comprehensive Cancer Center. I kept the book on my bedside table for a while but once I picked it up, I was amazed by how very very good it was.The book is rich in diverse, authentic voices -- it's brimming with humor and insight, sorrow and healing. Topics cover all the milestones of women's lives, as seen from the vantage point of different life stages and several cultures. Yet there's a warm, honest connectedness at the core that ties all of this together, like multicolored beads strung on one thread. I can't image that any thinking, feeling woman of any age would regret reading or buying this book. Another thing that's nice is that short pieces are mixed in with longer works, and there's poetry and travel essays too. What a rich buffet, and what a great experience it must have been being part of this writing group!

A little gem of a book which I carry with me as portable respite. The vignettes are short, but rich and soul-filling. Just this brief contact with another's world, reminds me to stay in contact with my own, and review its richness in terms of experiences, thoughts and memories.

this book has alot of different emotions,, i laughed alot and thought i was reading about myself.i find it very comforting.. and laugh alot....

This collection of stories written by women who attended a weekly writing group on Wednesdays is, dare I say, on par with Tuesdays with Morrie. It is a collection of stories that weaves the tales of these women's lives. The stories are at times moving, funny, poignant, compassionate, and resonate of the fabric with which women's lives are woven. You can pick it up, open it to a page, and start reading any story, but once you start, it will be hard to put it down.

This is a text that I teach which I've also given several times as a gift to serious word lovers! It's especially helpful for those of us who never had the opportunity to take Latin or Greek in school.

Word Clues is a book I am studying in English class. I think it is good because it really teaches about the vocabulary. It teaches roots, prefixes, and suffixes, as well as words that use them. There are about 15 words in each lesson, so it helps learn at a slow and steady pace.

I first ran into word clues when I was in middle school. Now that I'm homeschooling my daughter in middle school, we use it too. She loves to see how the words go together and is starting to have a deeper understanding of how language works. We use it to discuss how language is used and how it changes. The book is pretty basic, giving the information and some suggestions for exercises, but there are no worksheets as such. I highly recommend this book to anybody wanting to increase their vocabulary, scientific or otherwise.

This was our required text in high school senior English class in 1968. The words I learned from being able to discern their meanings from the roots opened up whole new worlds for me at a time when I had been failing school. You can go into Klein's Etymological Dictionary to pick out a word's connection to Sanskrit (i.e. noun=name=nym=nam). Word Clues is broken down into a Latin section and a Greek section. It would be a great addition to any business communications course. Science and dental-medical students would benefit as well. Knowing roots, prefixes, and suffixes helps one learn how to spell difficult words and understand them, too. The knowledge will stay with you for your lifetime.

I use this book everyday; it is a fabulous find, easy to use, has been in print for 40 some years, is organized in a way that you can look up Greek and Latin suffixes in English. (some books only use Greek alphabet for words, confounding those who did not study ancient Greek language) It is just the right size and can be used to self study and learn how to know what a new word might mean by recognizing the "code" in its prefixes and suffixes and root words.

This was a book that I needed for school. It arrived quickly and was exactly what I needed.

One of the best references on word study; making it relevant, easy to implement and a fun way to learn words, their characteristics and patterns.
My Third Grade class looks forward to the variety of activities and their use of the high frequency words and the word wall has increased.

Words are part of our language and students must be given the opportunity to play and experiment with words in different contexts. This book is a great resource for the primary grades. It provides useful word study activities that can be implemented in the classroom such as, making new words, word sorts, word ladders, and webs. The text offers an array of appendixes that teachers can use in their classroom. The ends of the chapters are dedicated with professional development ideas to help teachers grow as learners.

This book is a must-have resource for teachers in the primary grades. It is clearly written and full of useful ideas. The importance of learning about words is clear, but it can be boring. This book presents the concept of "word study" and describes children as "word solvers" in a most appealing way, and takes the drudgery out of phonics instruction. The lists in the back (e.g., phonograms) are very handy for a busy reading teacher.

I teach college students--both preservice and practicing teachers--and I require this book every year. Students tell me that it is one of the few textbooks that they intend to keep and use regularly.

Clear, to-the-point, and full of great ideas to help those who work with elementary children learning to read. The feature I like best is the built in professional development suggestions to use the book within a building, a grade or a district as an inservice tool. Don't miss this one!

Being a former student of Dr. Cerutti's, I am a little biased. But I took the class to which he refers in his text, and it was even funnier than the book itself. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as did some of my colleagues who also read it. I remember the day he wrote a big "FA" on the board and then proceeded to lecture away, just as he did in the chapter on "fa" and "pha". Overall, a very pleasant adaptation of his class.

Cerutti's previous books have all been Greek to me but this one was written in the universal language of humor, making it accessible even to those of us who are not classicists! This book will teach you about the origins of words and expressions we use every day as well as Greek and Roman mythology. Best of all, you'll laugh your [...] off through the whole thing (and you'll probably blush a bit too). Cerutti's WORDS is for anyone who is educated, who wants to become educated, who wants to appear educated, or who wants to laugh at others who think they're educated. I'm hoping for a sequel!

I greatly enjoyed this book as an introduction to the ancestry of English. It is a fun read and has some really funny stories about word origins.

I bought this book on a tip from a friend who said it helped her hugely on the verbal portion of the GRE, plus she said it was the funniest thing she had ever read. I am getting ready to take the SAT so I read it and she was right! This book makes understanding words not only easy, but fun, too! The author is a great storyteller, and knowing the stories behind the words helps you remember what they mean much better than memorizing flashcards. This book actually makes you feel smarter. I plan to read it again right before I take the test! Wish me luck! But with Cerutti's Words of the Day under my belt, I know I'll do fine.

This book takes you on a roller-coaster ride through the classical origins of the English language from page one! Cerutti has a feel for Greek and Roman mythology that I've never encountered before, and I was a classics major as an undergrad! I learned more about the classical world from reading this book than I did in college. And it's extremely funny! Try "Homer meets Andrew Dice Clay!" I found myself laughing out loud dozens of times. Chapter five, on the sexual exploits of Apollo is worth the price of the book alone. This book would make an excellent gift for anyone with a healthy sense of humor and a keen interest in words--even the "naughty" ones. This book rocks!

I have been teaching for 8 years and love all the Words Their Way books. They help me teach spelling at my students instructional level. Love it!!!

This is one of the best book I've purchase to teach my daughter.
Each page is simple as I wanted and has enough activities with good key points.

This book is easy to use right away and very practical. A must have for K-2!

I've used Words Their Way for the last year and loved the strategies. This particular book gives lots more sorts for spellers in the letter name/ alphabetic spelling stage. It includes consonant blends and diagraphs as well as more short vowel sorts. These hands on materials have been a great help to me in teaching my mildly disabled elementary students, but all the regular lower grade teachers at my school are raving, and using these great strategies and materials.

This is a great resource for first and second grade teachers. Many of the skills addressed are those encountered in your classroom daily. Great companion to Words Their Way, and to offer a hands on opportunity for phonics, spelling and decoding words.

your work is inspirational & maybe a little provocative & that's good. I would suggest that it is not only suitable for writers but also for laymen like me as I have always enjoyed perusing through books of quotations and proverbs.

This book is the aspiring writers' equivalent of AA's "24 Hours a Day"!

Whenever I have a mental block, I simply draw inspiration from Greg's fabulous literary collection. There is something for every moment of every day. No matter where you are up to with your own writing.

Filled with clever quips, bits of advice and inspiration, this book is not just for authors or wannabes, but for any literary minded person. While I can imagine its potential as a daily calendar-page format, I enjoy the book format as I like reading days' worth of wonderful quotes at a sitting. There is also a helpful index of people quoted (Mark Twain is a special joy). From poets to philosophers to presidents, as well as authors, there is something for everyone.

I am an Australian author of several books and have greatly enjoyed reading Greg Babic's wonderful selection of quotations. They are proving a source of wisdom and excitement to me in my own current writings. The quotations are ingeniously arranged under three stages of the writing process and should prove of great help to many other budding authors. Thank you, Greg!

Fred Argy
AM, OBE, MEC, Hon. Doctor, University of Sydney
Visiting Fellow, Australian National University

What a fantastic book!! This book is full of useful, interesting and sometimes provocative quotes, that not only inspire writers, but anyone who has one of those mental block moments.

I am certain that everyone will find something in this book to get them through the day - students, teachers, writers, professionals - everytime you get a blank, this book will provide you with a quote to get over your block and keep on going.

A truly great book and a must to have!!

I purchased the book for my husband. He is a High School English/Journalism teacher. He really wanted to have it on hand for school.

This is a great book that explains how students learn new words and build their vocabulary. It gives you strategies that will allow students to hold onto what they learn and begin to use new vocabulary in their everyday language. Excellent for professional development.

An excellent resource for all teachers. There are lots of ideas to help activate students background knowledge. There are ideas to teach context clues, words walls, prefixes, suffixes, and roots.

My favorite section was an idea on how to use alphabet books with older students. I plan to incorporate this lesson in my classroom.

All teachers should buy this book. This is also a great book for a professional book study.

Regardless if you are teaching elementary school or middle school, you have students in your classroom who are poor readers and writers. Janet Allen's book -- all of them, for that matter -- are comprehensive guides to providing tips and strategies on how to assist them to "own their learning." So many pages of this book are folded down, as a means to remind me to use the strategy in my own classroom. Her book recommendations are also very handy, especially when you want to model different instructional strategies on learning new vocabulary while reading.

I can't say enough about this book and the rest of Allen's books without sounding like I am repeating myself. As an educator, I value good books that help me to become a better teacher -- this is such a book. You will not be disappointed.

Janet Allen has done a terrific job of blending theory with practice. Taking the last twenty years of research on vocabulary, Allen synthesizes the major guiding principles and illustrates a variety of strategies for helping students to acquire and develop vocabulary. As always, Allen writes in a clear, reader-friendly, no-nonsense style--a refreshing change from many of the language arts books in the field. As a reading specialist for the past twenty years, I highly recommend her new book.