Humanities Books

Around The World Through Holidays: Cross Curricular Readers Theatre is an amazing resource for elementary classrooms. A literacy and geography lesson sprinkled with math, science, art and history in each of the twelve plays. The author, Carol Peterson, begins with background information about a specific holiday. She then introduces a reader's theatre connected to the holiday. As if that weren't enough, she includes a plethora of cross curricular activities connected to each holiday. Some of the holidays covered are Passover, Ramadan, the Indian Festival of Lights and Las Posados. Each month brings a new country and a new holiday and endless opportunities for learning and fun!

Readers Theatre is a great way to involve kids in drama, without the pressure of memorizing lines and facing stage fright. Peterson's plays are organized around holidays, one per month, that celebrate different cultures around the world. January is a round-up of New Year's traditions from all over the globe, February is Fastelavn from Denmark, March is St. Patrick's Day, March is Passover, May is May Day, June is the Dragon Boat Fesitval from China, July is Independence Day, August is Obon in Japan, September is Homowo, a Ghanian festival of thanksgiving, October is an Indian festival of lights, November is Ramadan, and December is Las Posadas from Mexico. After each mini-play are a bevy of related activities that cover art, literature, science, history, and math. The author clearly has done her homework and is very respectful of the different beliefs presented, but also keeps a light, kid-friendly touch throughout. All in all, a very valuable teacher and parent resource. It's a great companion to her earlier book, Jump Back in Time.

This book is just one in the Learning Through Play series. I currently own 3 (Art, Problem Solving and Language). I have placed orders for Blocks, Math, Science and Music & movement. I echo the previous reviewer's comments. It's empowering to find resources like these to validate my beliefs in child development.

I appreciate the sections of these user-friendly books :

1. The philosophical section & its given guidelines : makes those philosophies come alive in the classroom.
2. Talking to Families section : suggests practical parent communication strategies . You can't go wrong with the given ideas.
3. Special needs - gives basic overview and ideas in helping children with special needs. Great for teachers without or minimal knowledge in special education.
4. The Activity Plans are helpful suggestions for novice play-based teachers. Of course, presentation & application of these activities will require the teacher's creativity to make it work according to the personality of her class.

Thank you to the all the authors and the publisher of these books.
You definitely care for our children's development!

The first half of the book consists of philosophical discussion.

On page 11, one of the authors decries the practice of making 20 identical bunny faces out of 20 identical paper plates and cutouts.

On page 12, the practice of blanket praise ("Oooooh, gooood!" is discouraged.

On page 54, in the instructions for one of the activities, we are asked not to write the children's names on the front of the art work.

These are feelings which I have held for a long time, but I thought I was crazy because no one around me seemed to sympathize.

On the other hand, if a teacher wishes to encourage creativity, but can think of no other activity besides handing out crayons and blank paper, the director could start to clamor for greater variety.

How can the teacher resolve this dilemma? In the second half of the book, we see several suggestions on how we can encourage creativity and exploration through arts and crafts probjects.

I didn't read much of this book. I ended up not needing it for school. I think it was ok for the little bit I read out of it. Sorry if I'm not much help.

I used this book in conjunction with my text book and it helped me to gain an even better understanding of Art. All of the exercises helped to strengthen my understanding of each chapter.This book helped me so much that I got an "A" for the semester in Art 114.

For those working in the schools and who value the joyful impact of art with children, this book has it all! It is a power-packed manual for professional teachers, aides and anyone needing more guidance to open the creative doors for themsleves and children. You will find the source's guides in the back of the book worth the price alone. The clarity in the text is especially to be appreciated; no "gobbeldy-gook and no nonsense" here! The presentation of ways to incorporate art into total curriculum is one to open our eyes and to value its potential for carrying any other subject matter. Full of ideas for projects with morsels of philosophy about the arts tucked in, it allows teachers to open their own minds and rid themselves of their own "art blocks." I would say no teacher should be without this book. Good for you Marlene Gharbo Linderman! At last a book for us all who love and cherish art in schools.

This is an extremely fun and informative book. It is easily understood, and great for an Art teacher, as well as teachers of other subjects who wish to incorporate more art into their classrooms. It would also be helpful to parents or homeschooling families.

Excellent book,the author uses primary sources providing excellent insights.The book covers the congress of vienna up to the first part of the 20th century.I had the pleasure of taking a class taught by the author,His knowlege and interst in the subject are both of the highest caliber

This book is perhaps one of the most well-researched and well thought out looks at European diplomacy of the 19th century. The author shows that he took great pains in acccessing primary sources, all of which provide for in-depth and unique perspectives on the issues of the day. A must read for anyone interested in the time period.

This book shows a side of patriotism most of us never experience. This reflects doing what is right for your country on the other side of the guns, planes, and war.

Reading this book only reiterates why I do what I do for our Veterans and active military! This book will really tug at the heart!!

I am completely satisfied with this purchase. I received it quickly and just as it had been described.

Los otros estudiantes en mi clase de español les gusta mucho a este libro. Los articulos son muy interesantes, faciles a leer, y me enseñan mucho de la estructura y el vocabulario. El libro habla mucho de los estereotipos, la familia, las ciudades y más de la cultura hispana. Recomiendo a este libro a estudiantes intermedios para mejorar la comprención.

All the books in this series are great! They present history in an interesting, humourous form. You can learn a lot about history and not even realize you're learning. If you're tired of dry, boring textbooks but still want to learn about history, these books are for you! (If you're British, this may not be the book for you, because even though the author is British, he doesn't hesitate to say the bad things about the British empire.)

The "Horrible Histories" books deliver up historical facts regarding American, European and World history in such an entertaining way for 7-12 year-olds, that the children may never notice how much they're learning. During a family vacation to the U.K. we first stumbled upon these books in the bookstore of one of the castles we toured and bought a couple volumes at our 9 & 12 year-olds' requests in order to keep them occupied in the back seat as we drove several hours to the next stop on our itinerary. Shrieks of laughter ensued from both children not long after we got underway, interspersed with, "Hey, listen to this..." The dreaded long drive passed without complaint from the denizens of the back seat, which was a welcome change, but by the time we arrived at our destination they'd each finished one book, were trading copies, and begging for more. We looked for more "Horrible Histories" as we continued our vacation, returning home to the U.S. with perhaps 8-10, which they re-read on the plane flight home. I bought several other volumes over the next couple years as gifts, which were eagerly received. My children have now outgrown them, but if you have children in this age group, they are sure to enjoy this book.

I'm new to golf and this book has really helped me to feel more at ease with the game. I wish all how-to sports books were this informative and usful.

Thomas Fahey has done a remarkable job in his delivery of basic golf information. This book is extremely easy to read. Enough so, that I found it a delightfully enjoyable read from cover to cover. The photos, diagrams, and drawings aided greatly in helping to convey each topic clearly. At only 130 pages, this book is very concise and to the point. "Basic Golf" is at the top of my favorite list and should be considered a must read for any beginning golfer

Reviewed by Brianne Plach (age 9) by Reader Views (5/07)

Siddharta has had a rough life. His mother dies just 7 days after his birth and his aunt becomes like a mother to him. The boy's father, King Shuddhodana, is told that his son can become a holy man when he is older but for now he will be a great ruler. As he grows up, he feels that life is full of suffering. He is encouraged to look for some enlightenment. He learns the benefits of meditation. He becomes a leader in his own way. The road to becoming a leader takes many twists and turns along the way. He also meets some people who encourage him.

"Becoming Buddha" provides an interesting insight into Buddhism. It gives non-Buddhists a chance to see a little of what Buddhism is about. It is not my religion, but gives me a look at another religion. The pictures in this book are very colorful and look like they are painted. It is very artistic. "Becoming Buddha" has in its foreword written by the 14th Dalai Lama, that the author doesn't believe in Buddhism but hopes that she can contribute to global peace.

Note from Brianne's mother: On the book jacket, this book says that it is best suited for children over the age of 12. She is younger than the target audience so we read this book together. She had a lot of questions about Buddhism since it is much different than our faith.

This is a very well done children's book on an important world religion. It uses the narrative story of the Buddha's life to demonstrate the fundamental principles of Buddhism i.e. material life is characterized by suffering, the middle way between two extremes is best and there is a release from the cycle of suffering.

Where children are concerned, it is a good story that captivates attention and sparks the imagination. This re-telling of the Buddha's life fits the bill and introduces many sound principles that apply to any religion e.g. ultimate satisfaction is not to be found in the material world, the way to deeper meaning is inward, suffering is largely caused by selfish desire, etc.

In a diverse world, books like this can help to bridge important gaps. This one has a good story, principles, illustrations, etc. I highly recommend it.