Beginners Books

This is quite easy to follow for beginners but you def. need a good stats background to do so!

No one expects statistics to be easy reading, especially when it concerns complicated models such as structural equation modeling (SEM). Nevertheless, this book manages to do just that.

Schumacker and Lomax have successfully put together a guide that explains to beginners (like myself) in simple terms how the whole thing works. As with most books that treat complex models, some basic knowledge of statistics is preferable before you begin to read it. But if your statistics is rusty and you have only vague impressions of probability sketches in your memory, fear not! Schumacker and Lomax are kind to us poor souls, and begin by introducing some basics in chapter 1 to prod your memory: terminology, variable scales, how to treat missing data, outliers and normality. And in chapter 2, they discuss correlation and covariance.

Before talking about structural equation models, Schumacker and Lomax dedicate chapter 3 to a number of statistical methods on which SEM is built. This chapter gives a basic overview of regression, path analysis and factor analysis. The review of these methods helps you to understand SEM better later on. They also provide an excellent understanding of the methods, in case you have not used them before or it's been a while ...

The rest of the guide covers SEM: how to develop and measure a model (chapters 4 and 5), how the model parameters are estimated and how you can check for reliability and validity (chapter 6), and checking for goodness of fit of your model (chapter 7).

In chapter 8, you are shown some examples of computer outputs by two software packages that can conduct SEM, EQS5 and LISREL8-SIMPLIS.

Chapter 9 goes into more detail on models and diagrams (regression, analysis of covariance, path, measurement and structural models). For those that feel by this point that they've gained enough experience, advanced topics such as cross validation, simulation, bootstrap and jacknife methods as well as multiple same and interaction models are covered in chapter 10. And for the super-keen, the technical bits are covered in chapter 11 (health warning: you better be up to speed on matrix algebra).

The great thing about this book is that you most likely will be able to run models and interpret results by chapter 7, and you don't need to go into the nitty-gritty if you don't want to. On the other hand, the details are there if you need them. In essence, the authors start at the beginning, building up slowly until you are able to handle a basic model, before going into more complex issues.

One drawback, I have found, is that this book was published in 1996. That's nearly a decade ago, and (fortunately) computer power and statistical modeling has come a long way since then. The authors, for example, are convinced that WordPerfect is the software of choice for word processing and that at some point in the future it would be possible to copy and paste diagrams into a word processing program. We've come a long way since then. Today, many SEM packages exist that are much more user friendly than some of the older stodgy packages that require you to enter data in a very specific way and interpret results by going through reams of data output. As such, the authors (or publishers) probably ought to update it with a second edition.

Nevertheless, the strength of the book lies in its guidance and explanatory power. And even if you use a different package, you can skim through the data outputs they use, and focus on your model, how to construct it, and of what pitfalls to beware.

I highly recommend this for anyone starting on SEM - your modeling days will be much happier with this guide.

This book lays out the basics of SEM in an understandable way. Doesn't address EVERY issue, but then again it's very accessible and application-oriented, with language not too highly techinical (in relation to other SEM texts).

This is a very good book about SEM for the beginners and advanced. The book gives a clear and concise principles and examples about SEM. This book definitely enables the readers clearly understand the subject.

Schumacker and Lomax make for a good first course in SEM. Although they are somewhat less technical than Bollen (1989), they are a little more up-to-date, and very good reading for a beginning student of SEM. I found the sections on confirmatory factor analysis and identification very useful.

My daughter loved this book. Not only does she love cats, but she loved the stories as well. A very good book!

Huckle Cat tries hard, but he makes a lot of mistakes. When his mother asks him to help with the chores he washes the dishes with too much soap and the dust really flies in his room when he dusts. Mom Cat gives him a list, which includes; butter, cream, apples, potatoes and oranges and sends Huckle to the store to do the shopping. However, Huckle forgets the list, but not worry, he has a good memory. So he picks up peanut butter instead of butter, ice cream instead of cream, apple pie instead of apples, potato chips instead of potatos and orange soda instead of oranges. Oh well, he kind of remembered didn't he? When he got home the cat family had a very interesting dinner and Mom Cat tells him that he made the best mistakes ever!

My son Devon really loves this story. Of course I've been making up words for the last year or so, but now that he's approaching three and knows all his letters and that letters form words, he is getting a new appreciation for this book. I am too.

This is a book for beginning readers. The words are simple, grammar too. Huckle's story is sure to keep your toddler interested, so much better than the "See Spot Run" kind of early readers. If you want your child reading before Kindergarten, and I do, then this book and books like it are very good additions to your toddlers reading arsenal.

Jack Priest, Dad in Training

When I was a little guy, I loved books by Richard Scarry! Now as a daddy, I'm overjoyed that my little girl, Riley, gets into this book that she got by Scarry.

Welcome to Busytown! This book consists of 3 stories that basically have 1 thing in common. They have Huckle Cat, and they all had Lowly Worm as the main attraction in each story. Huckle and Lowly are best buds!

The first story, "The Best Mistake Ever" is simply about how Huckle Cat is sent to the grocery store. There's just one small problem: Huckle forgets the shopping list that Mother Cat wrote out. But Lowly Worm comes to the rescue!! Or does he? While Huckle thinks that his mother wants cream, Lowly's pretty certain that it's ice cream. And when the question of apples comes up, Lowly thinks that apple pie is just what Mother Cat ordered. Will Mother Cat be pleased?

Story #2 is "A Visit to Mr. Fixit". Huckle Cat gets his mother a cuckoo-cuckoo clock for Mother's Day. But with Lowly Worm riding on the back, he takes a corner too fast and crashes into Postman Pig, and breaks the clock. After being ordered to fix the bell on his bicycle by Officer Murphy, he makes a trip to Mr. Fixit to fix both the bell, and a broken cuckoo-cuckoo clock. What will Mr. Fixit do with the broken pieces?

Then finally you have "Best Friends" on Huckle Cat's birthday. But for some reason in school, Lowly Worm is hanging around the other kids, but not Huckle. This is quite unusual, but Huckle gets the surprise of his life!

And this is something great for your kids! Richard Scarry is always fun, and it's never a mistake to go with his books. Kids and Richard Scarry go hand in hand!

Huckle Cat tries hard, but he makes a lot of mistakes. When his mother asks him to help with the chores he washes the dishes with too much soap and the dust really flies in his room when he dusts. Mom Cat gives him a list, which includes; butter, cream, apples, potatoes and oranges and sends Huckle to the store to do the shopping. However, Huckle forgets the list, but not worry, he has a good memory. So he picks up peanut butter instead of butter, ice cream instead of cream, apple pie instead of apples, potato chips instead of potatos and orange soda instead of oranges. Oh well, he kind of remembered didn't he? When he got home the cat family had a very interesting dinner and Mom Cat tells him that he made the best mistakes ever!

My son Devon really loves this story. Of course I've been making up words for the last year or so, but now that he's approaching three and knows all his letters and that letters form words, he is getting a new appreciation for this book. I am too.

This is a book for beginning readers. The words are simple, grammar too. Huckle's story is sure to keep your toddler interested, so much better than the "See Spot Run" kind of early readers. If you want your child reading before Kindergarten, and I do, then this book and books like it are very good additions to your toddlers reading arsenal.

Jack Priest, Dad in Training

Our nearly three-year old daughter simply loves this book. She first got Richard Scarry's "Biggest Word Book Ever" (which I ABSOLUTELY recommend!), and therefore already knew the characters. She cracks up at the clumsy Mr. Frumble, who is always having accidents, and she is attracted to the kindness and friendship between Lowly Worm and Huckle Cat. She recognizes emotions and personality traits in this book...Mommy Cat is angry, Huckle Cat is sad, poor Mr. Frumble is "accident prone". These emotions are displayed in an age appropriate way. This book is a compilation of 3 short stories, and is one of the first "big girl" books she consistently wants to read, morning and night. Definitely the best few bucks I ever spent!

I was introduced to this book from a friend. My two boys love this story. I enjoy reading it as much as the two of them enjoy listening to it.
I think it is helpful to introduce when the sibling rivalry begins to pop up in the family. (Maybe even before.)
The illustrations are magical and brilliantly placed in the story line.
I highly recommend this book.

I bought this book when I was pregnant with my second son. By the time my older son was 2 1/2, he was reading it to his one year-old brother by memory!! The pages have been taped and retaped, they are so well-read!! The illustrations are exquisite! The story is beautiful!! What a sweet, sweet story that celebrates the love between two brothers!

I've seen my share of "sharing" books that attempt to teach kids sharing, and this is one of the best. Unlike some "sharing" books that teach kids that it's OK to be selfish, this one models good behavior while at the same time showing that when the brothers are selfish, they hurt the other brother's feelings.

The illustrations capture in exquisite detail the facial expressions of the children, so there is a lot more to this book than the written text. Children especially can read the subtext from the illustrations. Even small children recognize the mixture of surprise, frustration, and hurt that plays across the little brother's face as his big brother tells him he can't play with his truck.

I loved this book and so did my 4 year old and 2 year old. It seems like they can both really relate to the brothers in the book. It is a book that they want read over and over. The illustrations are fabulous!

I have two small boys so I was pleased to see this book out by an author I enjoy. The story is very realistic and captures perfectly the bond that can exist between two small siblings. My three year old could immediately relate to the big brother in the book. While my two have a few more fights than the brothers in the book, I am hoping that reading and talking about this book may help them focus on the good things about being brothers.

This series of books is fantastic. My five year old loves them as much as I did.

All of the Billy & Blaze stories were among my favorites as a child; I'm so glad they are available again. The illustrations alone make these stories classic children's literature!

While women generally ride for pleasure to feel the wind and the movement of the horse beneath, a boys ride is different in that it is the power and speed of the ride that are most dear to him in these chariots of fire, the roar of the engine, the hoofs and the noise of the wheels that inspire their thrill. Boys tend to drive either their horses or their cars to see the height of their power, and whether the beauty of black or the silver shine of white, the joy of the command lies in the skill of the rider and the knowledge of his horse, or his engine, a sight that most can appreciate, understand, and admire.

I read these books as a little kid... The illustrations are incredibly beautiful and lifelike, and the stories are equally enjoyable. Billy and Blaze's adventures would capture the heart and mind of any child -- or even adult! - with their emotional strength and superb literary quality. I can't recommend these books highly enough... every one of them.

for fun and adventure.

The Billy and Blaze series is great fun. Young boys, even those not interested in horses, will love these books. My 7yo has never had an interest in horses (he thinks they smell bad) but he hangs on to every word of these adventurous stories.

I can't say enough about this book. I loved it so much, I inhaled everything I could find by Pinkwater. Although I haven't read it in years, the memories of scenes in this book are so real to me, that I feel like I was there. I still can't eat chowder or gingerbread without remembering the Blue Moose.

Someone before mentioned the line "I AM NOT A TAME MOOSE!" I, too, am prone to saying that--it's got to be my favorite line. My mom read this story to me many, many, many times when I was little. Now I'm 19, and I still make her read it to me. Everybody should read this book!

This book is beneficial to having a stable Canadian child. Even if you are an American you and your child will enjoy this book. The Blue Moose is a character that still to this day makes me comment"Iam not a tame moose". Pinkwater shows a wonderful sense of humor and immagination that you don't see too often any more.

Blue Moose is an excellent short book for kids to learn on. I first read it at the age of 12, when I was reading quite well, but I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I haven't met any other Blue Moose fans other than my friends and myself, and that disappoints me.This book should definitely be reprinted. I am not a tame moose!!!

THIS BOOK MUST BE REPRITED! I remember having a teacher read this book to my class and it was really funny. Who would ever dream up about a blue moose who does the things that he does except Pinkwater. We need more books like this one! I would love to have a copy of this book and of THE BLUE MOOSE RETURNS. Everyone should read this book.

So cute! Bob hasn't learned to crow yet, so he leaves the farm to find out how. The lessons he learns away from the chicken coop prove invaluable upon his return. Fantastic, colorful, creative illustrations, a must-have for your 3 to 7 year old.

my daughter loves this book - and it is so well illustrated, written and funny even for adults

We found this book in a library visiting the grandparents, and my three-year old loved it! He thought it was hilariously funny, and we read it many many times before it was time to go home. He keeps asking about it, and now we may have to get our own copy. And I agree with previous reviewer that it is not one of those books that you dread reading over and over again. It is a cute book with nice illustrations, and with a good message as well.

Our 7 month old loves this book. She loves hearing us make the animal sounds, especially the owl's "whoo, whoo, whoo". I suspect this will be a favorite in our house for a long time.

This one makes my three year old giggle out loud. It's a cute story, with cute pictures. It's definitely a keeper. She asks me to read it almost every night, and it's a good enough read that I don't cringe when she pulls it out for the 8 millionth time.

Book is not only educational but entertaining to a cross-level section of students. Is there going to be a sequel or how can I arrange a visit with the author?

I've read the book and seen the Buns video and it is very obvious the author loves his rabbit and treats him as a member of the family. David Love started off taking his rabbit on vacations with his family and while on a vacation got the idea for the book. He noticed that Buns was already in many of the pictures that he was taking so why not make a book? A clever idea that kids love. To suggest Love is a cruel rabbit exploiter is ridiculous! It would be nice if everyone gave their pets as much love and attention. Hey, he even takes his pet to work with him each day! Buy the book and maybe Buns will come to your town and autograph it (take a bite from a page) one day.

"Buns Travels Across America" is a wonderful book, filled with fantastic photographs of historic sites across the United States. My daughter has now become interested in geography because Buns visited so many places! I also saw the "Buns" live presentation at my daughter's school. The owner treated Buns very gently. It is very obvious that this is a much-loved rabbit, not only by thousands of schoolchildren, but also by it's owners! Now we are all awaiting the "Buns" sequel.....

I am the real life "aunt" of Cottonpaw and hope to allay the fears of "Disturbed." This bunny is loved and protected by not only my brother but everyone in our extended family. I would like all potential readers to know that Cottonpaw is a well-loved and well-treated rabbit whose book and visits are a delight.

After meeting Buns on the Discovery Channel, I had to begin the search for his book. It took six months and a new computer system, but I was able to have "Buns Travels Across America". I also purchased copies of this book for my niece and nephew who are ages 3 and 6 for Christmas presents. This book was worth the wait. It came autographed (bunny bite missing) and with a paw print. The pictures are worth a thousand words. My daughter (age 4) and I spend a lot of time discussing each place and why that place is important. I would recommend this book to any family with toddlers who will be traveling. The opportunities to see through "Buns" eyes is great. Buns is coming to our school!!! Yea !!! We can't wait to meet him - and his person too. Five Stars Plus.

Poor Butterwings She thinks that the Butterflys are laughing at her spots because she's different.

This, and all of the other Serendipity books, held such a special place in my childhood that I have gone back to find them all. I loved them so much when I was little that I'm determined to keep them for my future kids. Great stories with beautiful pictures. It makes me a little wishy-washy to think about it!

I loved these books as a child and I'm hoping to someday share them with my own children.

Another enchanting Serendipity tale, concerning a small flying horse and some unusual spots. When she thinks everyone is laughing at her, she notices another with purple spots, and soon realizes it's not what she thinks. A must have!

Butterwings was quite distresed to find large purple spots on her rump, when the butterflys who were her playmates, began laughfing at her. Now she must find a way to rid herself of the horrible spots! Come with Butterwings to Wingsong where she learns a speical lesson about learning laughf at yourself.

This is one of those books you can act out and do sound effects for. The illustrations are very original--they seem to be collages of found objects.

The book is an account of the children's imaginary journey underwater while going through the car wash. Very appealing to preschoolers. Not too many words per page, so it keeps young children interested. My 3-year-old son loves it!

I love this book, just as much as my young boys do. I love how the authors start off with the dirty car pulling up to the car wash and then enters an underwater adventure.
The brushes are octopus legs, the dryer is a shark's mouth, the spraying mists of water are a hurricane...
It's so simple and yet it's written and drawn so beautifully. I love reading this to my boys. It never gets old.

And in the end, the car gets dirty again!

What a great adventure---to experience a car wash. This book brings a child out of the car and into another world experiencing an imaginative view of a car wash. With plentiful colors and big illustrations, this book is an excellent choice for young children who cannot read or just beginning to read.

My almost three year old daughter loves going to the car wash and she loves this book. The simple story is about two kids and a parent who take their muddy car through the car wash. As they go through the wash the kids imagine their car is a submarine and they have an underwater adventure. They kids imagine they pass coral reefs, sea monsters, sharks, and a giant octupus. Once the car is clean, the family goes out to lunch and then it's oh no! dirty car all over again. The illustrations are done collage style using fabric, pearls, and buttons. It's a very cute story and an easy read. Whenever I am tired and my daughter is begging for a story I reach for this book. There are very few words on the page so I can sit back, relax, and let her narrate the story for me. We both really enjoy this book.

Sandra and Susan Steen have written many children's books together (yup, they're sisters), and "Car Wash" is especially enjoyable. Kiddos who love car washes will get a kick out of the ride here, as the siblings in the back seat pretend that they are deep-sea adventurers. But even kids who are spooked by going through the car wash will enjoy it, too, as it suggests a different attitude and a different approach for their next trip.

G. Brian Karas has done some remarkably imaginative illustrations here, incorporating paint, glass beads, strips of sponge and fabric, and so on to create a textural collage. It's lots of fun, and perfectly complements the manner in which a car wash incorporates all different sounds, smells, and rhythms.

There are so few of these, especially from an English original. Buy it for your kids to learn more Spanish.

my son loves this book. he is 3(going on 30) and asks me to read it atleast once a week. i find it easy to follow if your child is following along in the english version. he has a great memory so he remembers the pics and when i am reading he is associating what he remembers to what i am saying and can understand most of the book. the use of what is on the pages in image and the words are very useful in introducing the language to a beginner. it actually helped me in my spanish 2 class!!! it is a fun and easy read, even for the tongue tied.

Unlike with Dr. Seuss, P.D. Eastman's books are so simple that translating them into Spanish is generally pretty idiot-proof; my son enjoys this book every bit as much in Spanish as he does in English. I would recommend it not only for preschoolers being raised with both languages, but even for older kids who are starting out with the language and remember the book in English. This is just the kind of simple, entertaining repetition that is great for building up basic vocabulary, at any age.

Great beginner reader in English or in Spanish. I teach a Spanish class for our area homeschooler's children. This is just what the dogcatcher ordered. I am able to compare English to Spanish with no problem.If you use VIVA EL ESPANOL ! teaching series you will like this book for your class.

My 7 year old son enjoys this book in Spanish - he is in a Spanish immersion class - learning Spanish all day in elementary school for the next 5 years. It's a great beginner reader book with fun pictures (and I'm learning Spanish, too, from it!)