Beginners Books

I PICKED UP "PUSS IN COWBOY BOOTS" QUITE BY ACCIDENT ONE DAY WHILE BROWSING IN THE CHILDREN'S SECTION OF MY LOCAL LIBRARY (LEWISTOWN, PA). I JUST LOVED THAT ARTWORK! HOW DID PHIL HULING GET THOSE REDS SO VIVID? EVERYTIME I DID THAT WITH WATERCOLORS, THE REDS ALWAYS FADED QUICKLY ON ME! ALSO LOVED THE UPDATING OF THE ORIGINAL PUSS IN BOOTS FAIRY TALE. I WAS JUST GLAD THAT THE BUSH FAMILY DIDN'T SHOW UP ANYWHERE IN THE MODERN TALE! (STILL, I WONDERED IF THAT OILMAN DIDN'T HAVE A CONNECTION THERE, SOMEWHERE!) ANYWAY, I LOVED THE STORY, AND EVEN THOUGH I DON'T HAVE ANY CHILDREN, IF I DID, THIS BOOK WOULD BE ON THEIR BOOKSHELF, YOU CAN COUNT ON THAT! A GREAT BOOK, AND ONE I RECOMMEND TO ANY PARENT.

This book gives the old "Puss N Boots" a hot kick up. The story is modernized just enough to let the kids get a feel for the charactures in the story, while still having fun with the original tale. Beautifully illustrated it will bring enjoyment to all ages

This clever book will be a favorite in my house for many years to come. The eye catching colorful illustrations are perfect for keeping young children interested. And older children just find it a fun simple read. As a mother of two boys,1st and 3rd graders, I am always looking for fun books that will make them WANT to read. This is a book to get the readers reading!!

Delightfully funny, my kids laughed right to the end.

I especially loved the watercolor illustrations of this fine children's book. They are creative, detailed clever and properly tied to the storyline.
I highly recommend this book to anyone with or without children who love fine watercolor.

Read Anything Good Lately by Susan Allen and Jane Lindaman is a cheerful concept book for young readers (or pre-readers). As it walks children through the alphabet, it works to stir up their interest in reading. Each letter of the alphabet is connected with words representing materials children can read and interesting places they can read. This list includes everything from "an atlas at the airport" to "the zodiac at the zoo".

Each page provides bright, colorful illustrations which stimulate discussions about the variety of situations where people can read. The fun use of alliteration (whoever would have thought of reading "joke books in a jacuzzi"?) make it a creative way to teach children the true enjoyment of reading--wherever and whenever they choose.

I connected with this book because I like to carry books with me wherever I go: the doctor's office, when I have to stand in a long line at the grocery store, or waiting in the car. It's important to show children that reading is not always a chore and I think this fun, colorful book does a fantastic job of that!

I really enjoyed reading this book to my kids. The pictures were terrific and really captured my son's imagination. There's so much to talk about from the text and pictures. Frankly, it's one of those books I don't mind reading over and over and over.

Great book for children starting to read and those learning the alphabet! Illustrations are fantastic!

Just finished reading this book and found it entertaining and my niece loved it. It gave her lots of ideas for other places to enjoy reading and other ideas of things to read. They did a tremendous job on this book and I think it will motivate kids to read more. And also help parents to get their kids to read more as well. Should be mandatory reading for every kindergarden and first grade student. What a great way for them to learn the alphabet and learn sounds at the same time. Super job!!! I hope to see more books by these talented authors and teachers. Don

The busy bookworm in "Read Anything Good Lately?" reminds us of all the various ways and locations that reading is a part of our life. Allen and Lindaman work their way creatively through the alphabet, accompanied by Enright's entertaining illustrations. Guaranteed to get you thinking of how much, and where, you read every day. A lovely, fun book all around.

If your child is ready to read, I recommend you take they back to the place where many of us started...with Dick and Jane. If you read the books in developmental order (listed in the back of the book), the child develops confidence in reading.

I bought the series for my granddaughter this summer (after her kindergarten experience). As she finished each book, I presented her with the next book. Start your child with the book "Dick and Jane, We Look". My granddaughter is going off to first grade with confidence and pride!!

By the way, I am a college professor of early childhood education.

We purchased 3 paperback books over the weekend for our granddaughter who is entering into 1st grade. I was amazed that we are almost through with the first book. she really enjoys reading alone with her dolls. It was amazing to know she actually can read the story alone. the books are simple yet challenging for a beginning 1st grader. times may have changed but children are children and they learn how we use ( and still do) to, repetition. The smile on her face was worth the small price we paid for that secure feeling. That what all kids need.
" the feeling of accomplishment".

Thirty five years ago when I was in kindergarten the first word I read from a Dick and Jane reader was "Look". The same is true for my child who is a kindergartner this year. The Dick and Jane readers which were originally published by Scott Foresman and Company in the 1930's-1960's are the best readers you can use with your children. The stories are fun and the artwork is beautiful. The readers begin with a series of small words and gradually the vocabulary increases so that the words are more complex as well as the sentence structure. Thanks to homeschooling parents requests for these readers they are now back in print.

and Friends." My daughter has been learning to read with the hardback book that was published more recently. I discovered this set of paperbacks contains very similar stories with the same set of limited vocabulary words. Some of the stories are very different than those in the hardback, but some are completely new.
"Sally" is the only one of these stories that it very close to the hardback, so this set is not a waste of money.

Millions of Americans grew up learning to read with help from the Dick and Jane stories. The stories were the standard reading texts in first grade for several generations. Then in the mid-1980s the education elite didn't think the stories were very good anymore: they weren't multi-cultural and didn't reflect America. So, most of those texts are gone now. Though the stories are dated, they had become part of our cultural heritage, and it was bitter-sweet to see them go.

However, many of the stories have now been released in a serial form of chapter books. Not all are in the series, but many are. Parents can now help their children learn to read using the same stories they learned to read with.

WE LOOK is the Dick and Jane story I remember the best because of that one great big word, LOOK. Besides helping children read, the books also serve as a historical guide in illustrating how society has changed since they were first published (the clothes, cars, toys, etc.). The books are worth looking at if for no other reason than that.

This is easily the best Russian text book I have seen. The explanations are clear and the charts well laid out. The dialogues are challenging and interesting for any beginner.This is not dumbed down at all yet still easily understood. There is no audio, so if you are a true beginner, it won't do. In that case, get a tutor and use this book together.

If I had to start over with Russian, this would be the book I'd get.

I AM TEACHING RUSSIAN AND I USE THIS BOOK FOR 2 YEARS. THIS IS THE BEST TEXT BOOK FOR ENGLISH SPEAKING STUDENTS.

I am a Baptist missionary serving in Russia. I used this book when I studied Russian language here in the university. I started study at age 39, with no previous experience in any foreign language. When I completed this textbook, I had a comprehensive working knowledge of Russian grammar. With a few years of practice, I became quite fluent. Later I used this book to teach my family to speak Russian, after tutors failed to make any progress with them. This book is complete, interesting, and very effective. If you will just go through this book page by page and work every exercise on every page, you will have a complete working knowledge of Russian grammar. You will also learn a lot along the way about Russian history, literature, geography, and culture. I have bought a lot of Russian textbooks, and most of them are basically a waste of time. This one is the real deal!

After buying a number of other books on Russian, this is DEFINITELY the best one. Too bad its not currently available to order. If you are a begining to the Russian language than this is the book to have. It has everything from diagrams of the mouth to help with pronounciation, to a short picture dictionary, to great exercises - AND an answer key. A must have.

I AM TEACHING RUSSIAN AND I USE THIS BOOK FOR 2 YEARS. THIS IS THE BEST TEXT BOOK FOR ENGLISH SPEAKING STUDENTS.

Probably many people have already reviewed this book, so i will only say that this book is really worth it. I am in China right now and intend to stay here for 1-2 years.

This book will help you deal with simple issues like saying "thank you" to more complicated like communicating in a restaurant (yes, even there noone can understand words like "beer or water"). It uses a very simple system of pronounciation that you should definately memorize since tones and accent matter a lot in this language.

What this book does not do is teach you Chinese. Just think of it as a survival guide in the one too many occasions that you will not be able to communicate with anyone.

Excellent little book with lots of easy to follow words and phrases. Small enough to tuck in a handbag or even coat pocket. Not only does it show you the word written in Chinese and the English meaning but it explains how to pronounce words phonetically. I can recommend this product to anyone visiting, or going to live in China, who wishes to be a bit independant.

I have lived in Shanghai for over two years now and even though I am taking formal coursework, I still prefer this book for everyday phrases I need. I only wish it came with an Audio CD. In fact, I am paying a local Chinese person to read this book into a digital recorder I own to play back for authenic pronounciation. I am a student of Pinyin and this book is misleading in a lot of places. But it is not bad. It works most of the time. I strongly recommend it.

This book is an absolute gem. It doesn't only teach you run-of-the-mill phrases, but also teaches you how to string a sentence in Chinese. It is completely versatile for a tourist/business person. The basic dictionary at the back is a huge help too. I have purchased many other books, but this is by far the best I've come across, because of the way it explains the pronounciation. Finally, something worth more than what I paid for it!

I have traveled to China several times. I could only speak the most common words(hello, thank you, Yes, No etc...). I decided it was time to try and expand my Chinese vocabulary. I purchased this book and read the introduction. I spent about 15 minutes reading the recommendations to proper pronunciation of different sounds in the Chinese language. I then called one of my Chinese friends on the telephone. I practiced different words I found in the book and my friend was amazed at how well I did for the first time at trying to speak Chinese. I called back a few days later and practiced some more. I would say the Chinese word and my friend would tell me what I was saying in English. They understood my Chinese pronunciation about 70% of the time on the first try.

I found that a few Chinese words sound different depending on the area of China you are dealing with. I am now learning to put several words together and also using the phrases that are included within the book. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is just starting out with pronunciation of Chinese words and phrases. This book is also small enough to fit in your purse or pocket. Easier to use than a electronic translator. Good Luck.

Cute book for Scooby lovers! Has little pictures to give clues to the words for beginner readers.

Smaller book than I expected. My son likes it, I just thought the flash cards would be something besides a page in the book.

My 4 year old loves all of these Scooby Doo Picture Clue books. I like them too since I grew up with Scooby Doo it makes me feel like we have something in common other than DNA.

My twins love Scooby doo. Anything with Scooby on it they will use over and over. They read it over and over even though they don't know all the words.

Book Review By MENDIOLA ROOM #B1 a
Scooby Do The Search for Scooby Snacks

If you like cartoon books you are in the right place. You'll like reading this book.
I like Scooby do because it is very, very funny book.
This story is about Scooby and Shaggy looking for their food that was lost. A bear was eating it. In my opinion this book is very good because you will laugh all through and enjoy the book from beginning to end. This book showed me not to leave my snacks on the floor because someone could come and eat them. This
Book is very funny. YOVANI

An well explained and methodical book about the old irish language. Easy to study and very complete study.

Best resource available for an amateur, but explanations are sometimes lacking. Still, you can't do any better.

First, a couple of admissions:
1. I'm not an academic; I have no professional qualifications to judge this book. But I enjoy learning languages, and I know what works for me.
2. I'm only up to lesson 9.

Several years ago, I took a stab at learning Old Irish, using a combination of Lehmann, Quin, and Strachan. I didn't get too far. It's an extremely difficult language, and it has an exotic, almost non-IndoEuropean look to it. But with this book, the dedicated learner should be able to reach what looks like a fairly sophisticated reading proficiency in Old Irish.

After a couple of introductory chapters, the author gets down to business with Chapter 3 (phonology and orthography) and Chapter 4 (overview of the initial mutations). Don't rush pass these chapters in your haste to get into the meat of the grammar; unless you have a sound basis in the phonology, spelling, and sound changes, you'll have trouble down the road.

There are a total of 58 lessons - each lesson introduces several grammatical points. Most lessons have extensive exercises, and translation work from English to Old Irish, and vice-versa. Best of all, the answers to the exercises and translation sentences are provided in the rear of the book.

If you enjoy the intellectual challenge of learning an ancient language, you'll love this book. And it will probably give you that enjoyment for the better part of a year - there's that much material packed into this book. Just a great, great book. It won't make the learning of Old Irish easy (nothing can do that). But it makes it accessible and do-able, if you've got the patience and perseverence.

A nice touch - there are dozens of whimsical little drawings of sheep scattered throughout the book. I don't know what prompted the author to put them in, put I'm glad he did. And you will be, too.

This is THE book for learning Old Irish, period. Old Irish is a notoriously forbidding language, probably the most difficult of all the older Indo-European languages. Stifter makes it come alive, through his mix of detailed yet clear grammatical explanations, translation exercises, and quirky humor (gotta love those sheep cartoons!) As an Indo-Europeanist, I wish I had had such a textbook when I first studied Old Irish, instead of having to slog my way through Quin's workbook like the last three generations of students ("The hero hit the two birds in the two trees with his sword"...)
Perfect for those interested in Celtic and Indo-European languages or medieval Irish literature!

I've been studying Old Irish, with varying degrees of diligence, for over two years and I find this textbook to be the most helpful of all. Not only does David Stifter present the material in a logical manner, building gradually and explaining each step thorough, but he explains each of the rather esoteric grammatical terms commonly used for this complex language, a great help for someone not an accomplished scholar of linguistics.

A few things that I particularly appreciate: early introduction of a few bits of poetry to give a sense of the rewards of studying this beautiful language, the easy to read layout of the book, and the bits of humor contained in the small drawings of sheep, especially the one with a grimace subtitled "A sheep after having tried to master Old Irish orthography."

Old Irish is never going to be an easy subject and taking it one piece at a time, learning each one thoroughly before going on to the next, is the best method I've come up with. "Sengoidelc" is of great help on the journey.

If all all you've been able to master is one basic single crochet stitch, don't give up in despair! The simply amazing Cindy Crandall Frazier has come up with a book for you to unleash your creativity using that one stitch that you know and produce very cute (and simple) vests, hats, dolls, bow-ties, useful household items, mittens and more.

And, even if you are somewhat more accomplished as a crocheter, Single Crochet for Beginners is sure to fire up your creative juices a bit. The information about color was excellent!

Get this book!

I had the advanced pleasure of the innovation of Cindy Crandall Frazier's crochet talent from when she published crochet patterns under the name "Community Crochet" (Some places on the web still carry them). So when I saw she was publishing a book, I signed up first, and was not disappointed in the least.Ms Frazier proves once and for all that single crochet is just humble, not lowly, and vastly under used in crochet. Through the use of eye appealing photography and color, as well as practical and "giveable" creations, single crochet is viewed in a modern and refreshing light. I particularly find the book helpful if you are learning to crochet or planning to teaching someone, as the techniques are presented in a creative way (including helpful memory triggers for making a slip knot and things to do with your "4x4" pieces)There are several projects, including articles of clothing no one would accuse of the "homemade" (in the worst connotation way) label, as well as a platform for further creative ideas while you are still learning (try your hand at making a box!) It's not all just single crochet however. As much as it is a beginner guide or an excellent teaching aide, for the "color challenged" among us there is color theory and how to use the color wheel, and though not crocheted, the first "hook roll" pattern I've ever seen in a crochet book.I have been crocheting 20+ years, and have been routinely disappointed in many crochet books that have come out- This was not one of them.

This a great book to teach you to crochet. I love that all the patterns use just the single crochet stitch. That way, you can become comfortable actually making projects without trying to remember all the other stitches as well.

It covers making a slip knot, making a chain, the single crochet stitch, hooking in only the front or back loop of the stitch for a different look, increasing and decreasing, how to join yarn, the slip stitch, and how to crochet in the round. Plus, there are sections on color and yarn. It also has cute projects to practice the different techniques.

Some of the projects include a pot holder, purse, baby bib, little sheep toy, soap scrap bag, hats, scarf, and mittens. I believe there are about 26 projects total.

I have really enjoyed this book tremendously. It has encouraged me to learn the other stitches and try harder projects. With this book you get the basics down before you jump into more complex patterns.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn to crochet and be successful. I taught myself, and my two daughters to crochet using this book.

A definite 5 stars!!

I'm more experienced than a beginner, but I still like this book. It has some really cute projects in it! There's a stuffed sheep, which I'm going to make for a nephew's first birthday, a single-crochet scarf which is helping me survive this coooold winter, and a cap that's nice and warm also, among many others. The pictures are wonderful, the explanations are clear, and best of all, this book makes you remember why you picked up your hooks in the first place--the love of pulling yarn through and making fabric out of it.

Cindy Crandall-Frazier's SINGLE CROCHET FOR BEGINNERS is the perfect guide to begin with if you have no prior experience crocheting. Easy bags, hats, scarves and useful small pieces accompany step-by-step easy instructions and plenty of color photos throughout. Materials lists, skills levels and size of project all are quick to discern.

Charming text and stunning illustrations make this book an absolute must for bedtime reading. "Good Night Moon," meet "Sleepy Sun,"... another classic bedtime story! Children will be enchanted with the verse and the illustrations. I could frame every page and decorate a child's room with them! Sunny and bright, the warm colors reflect the love and warmth of that special feeling of snuggling in bed with your child and a good book as the sun grows sleepy at the end of the day.

My children, ages newborn, 2 & 5 absolutely love this beautiful bedtime story--it is Mom and Dad's favorite as well. Gorgeous colorful illustrations grace the pages of this warm and soothing text. Perfect for bedtime or anytime--your family will love it!!

This is an excellent bedtime read and its diverse for kids and families all over the world. Should be a part of every family's library, for current and future generations. A story all the little ones I know loved. Beautiful bright illustrations. Highly recommend it.

This book is the BEST bedtime story ever!! My son begs for it every night. Even my 12 year old daughter asks for it! Great for every age, it is such a soothing, relaxing story, it gets your kids in the perfect bedtime mood. You will NEVER tire of reading it to them, gorgeous illustrations throughout.....HIGHLY recommended.

Charming text and stunning illustrations make this book an absolute must for bedtime reading. "Good Night Moon," meet "Sleepy Sun,"... another classic bedtime story! Children will be enchanted with the verse and the illustrations. I could frame every page and decorate a child's room with them! Sunny and bright, the warm colors reflect the love and warmth of that special feeling of snuggling in bed with your child and a good book as the sun grows sleepy at the end of the day.

My son absolutely loves it. The first day we got I was looking through it and read a couple of pages. Well my little guy(10 mths at the time) waddled over and stood in front of me as I showed him the book and read through it. That's the first time he had ever really took an intrest in the books I was reading him. The first book is all torn up with pages missing but I still read it to him and he knows which book it is and brings it to me every day. So today I finally found a replacer on Amazon, can't wait till it arrives.

I love to read to my six month old, and this is a favorite. He seems to like it because he sits still and stares at the pages, most books he just tries to grab. I love the illustrations and the story itself. I would recommend this book because it's simple and short so you won't mind reading it over and over.

My son is only 23 months old and he can "read" this book. When we turn the page he shouts, "Push it, Mash it." Even when he's not reading it, he sometimes recites the words. It's one of his favorite books!

This is an excellent book for children up to the age of eight. It is an excellent book for begining or early readers and for those not so early. It teaches by repeating common words over and over on each page. Each one rhythming with the next.

The book is full of colorful illustrations. The bugs work together to build their custom home using things people throw away every day.

It is a book that can be enjoyed over and over. I would also recommend their companion book "Snow Bugs" which is a continuation of the first story about the bugs' first winter in their home.

We love this book. We are fans of Jon Buller and Susan Schade. The rhythm of the book and the simple words keeps my child coming back for this and other books like it. Children love rhythm and things repeated over and over again. This gives them confidence. For my little one knowing the words by heart makes him feel like real reader. We have All the "Toad on the Road" Books. My 7 year old likes to read them to his brother.