Works Books

I have been following global warming issues on the BBC News web site for a while, and have read about the shrinking Arctic ice over the past few seasons. I didn't realize the damage done to the ecosystem was as bad as it was until I read this book, which deals not only with polar bears, but with other animals, as well as the indigenous peoples of the North. Although the author pleads that it is not a hopeless situation, it was difficult for me not to think that things may have gone beyond the tipping point. Most heartbreaking for me was an account of baby walruses being placed on an ice floe by mothers who could no longer feed them because the food supply wasn't there. More accounts continued from there. It's what I didn't want to hear, but exactly what I needed to hear. No words were minced, nothing candy-coated, yet nothing sensationalized. It breaks my heart to think that in my children's lifetimes, the only polar bears left may be in zoos. But in all of that, the author begs us to hope - hope AND work - that as a species, we can help save the polar bear and other creatures caught up in the spiral of global warming.

This book is a masterpiece. In a world of white, Mr. Kazlowski, the photographer, found a wealth of color. Each picture is more compelling than the previous one. I have enjoyed sharing this book with everyone that comes to my house. I am in awe of the dedication it took to get each and every shot, and thank Mr. Kazlowski for his hard work and sacrifice. The contributing writers' essays are wonderfully crafted on a variety of pertinent topics - polar bears and arctic foxes, polar bears and the Inupiat, the real price of oil. There is an incredible account of the harvesting of a bowhead whale, and what the hunters found. The money I spent on this book was more than worth it. I recommend 'The Last Polar Bear' whole-heartedly.

By Dag Stomberg (St. Andrews, Scotland)

I write to sound the praises of this extraordinary book.

Truly, a help for all of us to see the POLAR DISTRESS and
what to do for saving endangered bears.

This book is a superb piece of work. The written commentaries and the photographs are excellent. It is a must have for every home. Steven Kazlowski's talents truly shine in this publication!

Wow! I have a few of his books, all good, but this tops them all. I love polar bears and even have a few of his nature prints on my walls. This book is enlightening and the facts are alarming. Great job, once again.

I met Steve in Deadhorse (prudhoe bay) some years ago, and we have been friends ever since. It was my privledge to pass him on to other friends as he immersed himself into the Arctic. Steve is continuing a proud tradition of naturalist explorers and photographers that extend back to John Muir. I was in the area when National Geographic blew into Kaktovik, took a few photo ops and blew out. In contrast, Steve, like Micho Hoshino did, actually lives with the animals. He staked out a polar bear den for a month waiting for the opportunity of a few photos. Thousands of hours have been logged watching and waiting, most of them in rather challanging conditions.
Even more so, the very act of living a life of meditation in the wild will transform one's spirit and vision. He has honed his eye and awareness to a sharpness that few of us will either have the time, opportunity or dedication to achieve. I am in awe of the amazing clarity that he has brought to not only the great northern bears of the arctic, but to the ramifications of the whole world about us as we continue to lose that which every ecosystem should treasure. Bravo Steve.

The objective of this book is great, but I felt that the author took too long in getting to subjects that would grab the attention of his target audience.

I bought this book for my son's 15th birthday and asked him to read it as a favor to me. I read it myself before giving it to him and, while the messages within were very positive, the initial ones came across as preachy. I was tempted to put the book down myself early on, but I am glad I kept reading.

I purchased this for my son who is a junior in H.S. After reading it, I gladly handed over to him for his use. Money well spent!

My son read this and seem to be impressed and attentive to the writer views since he is of African ethnicity and can relate to what young black males go through. I really considered the fact that for a person to take the time and write a book concerning the need to relate and instill his value system in teenagers that he sees himself through, his heart has to be passionate for males that are walking in the path he has traveled. I applaud him to want to reach back to the community. I think his book should have been publicized and promoted more for the mainstream crowd more and it was not. Perhaps that should have even been a few given free to allow the people that may want some inspiration (postive) to be able to read it.

I picked up this book in a gas station somewhere between North Carolina and Virginia. (It must have been on the border of Virginia/North Carolina because the line was very long for the lotto!)
I have a 19-year old away at school. He was brought up in the church and quite honestly he likes going to church. We've never add problems getting him to participate in church activities. So I feel he has the religious roots to stand on. However, being away from home, I know he is being challenged in his church attendance. More importantly I want him to "know the Lord" not just attend church. Flipping through the book at the store aroused enough of my interest to purchase it. I read it first before giving it to my son and was even more impressed. That's when I ordered 10 more to give to my husband, pastor, nephews, cousins, and brother-in-law being deployed to Kuwait.
I gave the book to my son the week before his Spring Break and told him I expected him to read it once, twice or as many times as necessary over Spring Break to get the message. And I would be quizzing him to be sure he read it. He truly surprised me and called to tell me he was almost done with it the week I gave it to him. My note inside the book said to him to pass it on to a friend if it benefited him. He said he had highlighted so much of the book, he wanted to keep his and could I send him 2 more to give to his room mates. (Yesterday he wanted 2 more for others who saw him reading it.)
I have not heard from my nephews that I gave it to. They may need a little more encouragement to read it, but that's why I gave it to them. They truly need "encouragement for a difficult journey".
Every Black young man that I know I want to share this with them and their parents. Some co-workers asked for some too. I teach Sunday School, ages 8-11 and I will use the section entitled, "Things I wished someone had told me at age 12" with my class.
I sent one book to a previous Sunday School student who is now incarcerated. The book was returned with a note that books could only be given to inmates if they were shipped directly from the printer or a bookstore. It would truly be a blessing to get this book into the prison.

I do a chapel service in a Juvenile Detention Center in the Bronx, and this book is the first book that I have found that I feel would be VERY helpful to the boys.

The reason is - it is broken down in a very simple fashion that is super easy to read, designed for one that may have a short attention span and doesn't typically read a lot, and is very practical and directive as to why and how to get onto a good path.

I am so grateful to this author for creating such a wonderful loving tool so full of wisdom. It has no hint of being condescending, which I also love.

I bought this as a prize for my piano students. My son was disappointed to see it go, so I'm going to buy another for my studio. Very fun and interesting facts about composers - great for getting students interested in learning about them.

A pleasure to read this book. I listen to a classical music station which includes interesting facts about the musicians' private lives. One day a guest mentioned that she knew where the host was obtaining these interesting facts. So it is a secret no longer; it's this book. Lives of the Musicians is light reading with approx. 2 pages of facts per musician, so it is not an in-depth look at their private lives; however put it on your "Fun" reading list. It is a highly amusing book and a great source of dinner conversation. Also Check out Lives of the Artists:Good Times, Bad Times (and What the Neigbors Thought)

My daughter has been studying piano for two years and she is fascinated by the people who score the compositions she learns to play. In school she learns about a different composer each month and always wants to know more when she comes home. She also has a love for anything historical. This book was a great addition to our reference collection because it reaches her on several levels. We happened to come across it at the library and, after reading a few entries, we decided we'd like to buy it. Lots of bookstores stocked the paperback edition, but only Amazon had the hardcover in stock. This is the kind of book you really want in hardcover so that young children can more easily flip through the pages and study the humorous illustrations.

The book includes entries on 20 musicians from a wide range of styles, backgrounds, and historical periods. The entries are engaging for adult readers, yet accessible for a younger audience. My daughter is six and was totally engrossed in the stories of Chopin, Mozart, Clara Schumann and others. I know we will come back to this book again and again.

This is a great book! My piano teacher checked it out from the library and loved it so much I had to buy her a copy! The illustrations are adorable and the bio's are so interesting. A lot of interesting stories that really give the great masters a very human quality! I love reading about the musicians that I'm currently playing! If you are into music and want to know just how human they really were this is a great book!

My daughter's piano teacher gave her the assignment to read about Mozart as she started her first Mozart Minuet. My daughter was 7 at the time, and although she was reading at above 3rd grade level, I was shocked to find that there was NOTHING available on the internet or in her school library that give her information on composers at HER level. I finally found "Lives of the Musicians" and have actually purchased the book. It's just that good. She is able to read about each composer (for the most part the language is about her level, although she DOES need help with some of the words), and each section is engaging enough to keep her attention.

This book is a must for anyone with a child that wants or is assigned to learn about the great composers.

This is a major compilation of the work of the intriguing graphic artist, M. C. Escher. Remember seeing depictions of events that seem plausible but, under closer analysis, involve impossibilities? That describes some of Escher's most interesting works.
The book provides just about everything Escher produced (appearing in the "Catalog" section of the book), including his earliest works compiled during his teens. Among the most well known (and fascinating) include "The Waterfall," "Ascending and Descending March," "Convex and Concave," "Liberation," "Synthesis," "House of Stairs," and so on. The catalog section is fun, for one thing, simply to trace the evolution of his art.

But there is more to this volume than the works themselves. The volume provides context, with a brief description of his father's life as well as a more detailed analysis of Escher's life, from his birth in 1898 to his death in 1972.

There is also a most useful chapter labeled "The Vision of a Mathematician" (featuring the thoughts of mathematics teacher Bruno Ernst). It begins by noting two periods in the work of Escher--(page 135): ". . .pre 1935, in which landscapes predominate, and post 1937, which is characterized by a marked mathematical tendency." Ernst describes the mathematical principles in some detail (for those interested in this, a fascinating discussion). The textual portion of the book concludes with an essay by Escher himself on "The Regular Division of the Plane," including his reflections on his art.

This book has been around a while, but it is a valuable backdrop to getting a sense of the art of M. C. Escher.

I love everything Escher. I have several books, numerous calendars, as well as large jigsaw puzzles, T-shirts, magnets and mini jigsaw puzzles. Because of the detail in this book, I will never need to add another book to my collection. I especially appreciate the explanations. I am nowhere near smart enough to figure out what Escher was doing in each of his artworks. The detailed lesson on what each piece means is much appreciated by an art fan who is not an art scholar. I think this book would be great for any Escher fan, but I feel the need to tell you it is very large. Make sure you have room for it.

And c'mon - if you've seen his work, you're a fan.

The great thing about this book is not just the extensive and readable biography, but the complete (so they say) catalog of his graphic works. Even people very familiar with Escher's ouvre will be surprised by some of the entries here. They go back to work he did at ages 18 and 19, and show the devleopment of the Escher that has become so famous. It's just a little disappointing that the catalog is printed only in black and white, when so many of his works used color. The catalog reproductions are just that - a listing of his work, not a gallery, so the quarter-page size of most pieces is adequate for recognizing a piece, if not for appreciating it fully.

It is fascinating to see Escher's style develop though his (and the twentieth century's) twenties. Various influences early on suggest Beardsley (cat. 49, 67), Picasso (cat. 51, 58), or the pervasive Art Deco of his time (cat.34). Even then, some of Escher's later fascinations begin to emerge, including hands and reflective balls (cat. 88 and 80), symmetries and tilings (cat. 61, 65), and complex interactions of many figures in a repeating structure (cat. 90). The lesser-known parts of his work also start to emerge by the time he's 30, including delicate lithographs (cat. 129, 132). As much as I love his visual paradoxes and flirtation with the infinite, the lithos and mezzotints are the pieces that truly move me. "Snow" and "Blowball" (cat. 278 and 330) have an eloquent simplicity. "Eye" and "Drop" (cat. 344 and 356) demonstrate his classical sense and his perseverance with the demanding medium of mezzotint.

The text is also thorough and enjoyable - a good thing, since it takes up half of this heavy book, including its own set of illustrations. I admit that I have only skipped around this section, which starts by describing Escher's father. It's small wonder that his father was an engineer and that his son Arthur studied geology. Although an artist to the core, Escher had fruitful contact with mathematicians and crystallographers. He is one of very few artists that have successfully incorporated hard science into their artistic vision at such a visceral level, and the scientists appreciated that as much as anyone.

Although out of print, this book is available inexpensively on the used market. It's one of the best bargains around; if you've read this far, you'll probably find it well worth having.

//wiredweird

I haven't even had a chance to go through all of this remarkable book yet, but I am so impressed with it so far I cannot burble enough about how delighted I am with my purchase. This is a beautifully produced, designed, and wonderfully complete book. Many tales of the personal life an vision of the artist, countless, cleanly reproduced graphics, many works I have never seen or heard of before. Terrific! Can't recommend enough!!!

Definitely the first book every Escher fan should purchase. It's helpful in getting to know about the man himself as well as his brilliant artwork. It may seem pricey, but it's totally worth it, being hardcover (at least the one I got), and high quality photos of his work. It also shows his lesser known works (ones never released apparently), as well as photos of himself and his family. A very informative read and a quality edition.

This is THE astronomy book for the coffee table. The photos are truly awe-inspiring and will have house guests thinking about getting into astronomy! For amateur astronomers, this book makes for great cloudy-night browsing. All photographs have brief but well-written captions explaining what you're looking at. The gorgeous colors and large format pages allow for great dramatic impact.

It is an expensive book. However, it is (to my knowledge) the best of its kind. Admittedly, I went through it a couple times and now it just sits on my bookshelf! But it's always fun to show it to other people. I think every amateur astronomer would want a book like this to let the imagination run free once in a while. The various galaxies pictured in the book seem so close and detailed that it's easy to start dreaming of journeying there in a spaceship. We forget how incredibly far off these behemoth "island universes" are.

I'll echo the thoughts of the other reviewers. Great picture book for the coffee table. I slightly preferred the pictures in Malin's Invisible Universe, but I bought this one for one basic reason: it's smaller in size and actually fits on our coffee table! Unlike Malin, it also has pictures of the planets. You won't go wrong with this or Malin, but I'd buy Malin's first if I had a bigger table, mainly because his pictures of several star fields are just glorious. "What a mighty God we serve!"

Big beautiful deep space photos and concise elegant text make for a visually and intellectually satisfying book. The explaination of our solar system, galaxy, galactic neighborhood and universe is both clear and simple to understand and to the point, uncluttered and packed with insight. (It is remarkable and totally appropriate to find an author willing and able to let the facts speak for themselves and keep their ego out of the big picture.) The photos are some of the best I've seen.

This book is packed with stunning photographs from our universe, starting in our own 'backyard' with images from the solar system such as the planets and their moons. The close ups are amazing!
We then move on to the stars and galaxies that fill our night skies. Again, the images are breathtaking. There is some background information too although not enough to keep a serious astronomer interested but with such a visual feast who cares? A delightful book for anyone with an interest in space

With this book, Ken Croswell opens to the reader the beauty of our universe with his unique prose coupled with the best pictures from leading observatories around the world. From the cover itself you will experience an unforgettable journey through the heavens, with splendid vistas and splendid lectures that will give you a taste of the cosmos on a "majestic scale". First, you will encounter "The Planets", "one by one as they race around the sun". Then, "The Stars","colorful gems that make the heavens sparkle". Farther away, "The Galaxies", "specking space the way flowers dot a spring garden". and then, "The Universe" opening up with "cosmology's first observation: the dark night sky". Poetic and visually amazing, the book also contains colorful tables for data lovers and a small glossary for quick reference as well as an index for further reading. In short, a magnificent book!

Must read if you want to feel empowered about helping your child get all the resources he/she needs in the school and in the community.

This book will walk you through the process of getting your child evaluated and the steps needed to insure your child gets the best schooling that is available. It will cover your rights as a parent and how to work together with the school system. Prior to getting this book, I had already taken the necessary steps and was armed with lots of knowledge on the subject but I still learned a lot from reading it. If you're new to ADHD or not sure of what your entitlements are, this book is a must have. Worth every penny.

I saw this book on the shelf at Barnes and Noble, but passed it up with its long title. My bookclub friend who also has a boy with ADD told me it was "the best", so I went back and got it. I have now read it cover-to-cover, made lots of marks in the margins, flagging the sections that are right on the mark for me.

The book is like a how-to guide, giving problem-solving tips in each of the areas that I've been challenged by: getting the school system to work with me, and to give my 9-year old son additional resources (the letters on how to request additional help from the school were fantastic!), making a book to help me organize all of the records; helping him find friends, and even working with my boss, who had given me a hard time for missing work for Martin's medical appointments.

The tips and examples from other parents from other parents like me were VERY good, and for the first time in the last 3 years since his diagnosis, I am hopeful that we're going to make it, seeing how other parents have done it.

Thank YOU, Dr. Jensen!!

Moms and dads, buy, beg, borrow, or steal this book. I've read about 12 books now, but this was the one I needed from three years ago. Lehcy

Of all the ADHD books I have read, about 8 at this point, I have learned the most from this one. It is practical, and has lots of tips. I now have a binder that I use that I take with me to all of my child's meetings, and to my visits with the Sammi's doctor. My book is almost completely marked up, and in the margins of about every 2nd or 3rd page, there is an underline, or a "do this."

IF YOU WANT THE BEST FOR YOUR CHILD WITH ADHD, AND WANT TO TAKE CHARGE OF HIS FUTURE, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU. TOMAS

I have read numerous books and articles on ADHD to become as informed as possible on my son's ADHD. Most make me feel better by realizing I am not alone in my struggle to parent a child with this disorder. This book went beyond making me feel better and gave me practical guidance to get organized and be proactive when dealing with teachers and my son's school. I now have an accordian file with a handle that I take to all my meetings related to my son. I refer to this book frequently as needed. It has been a resource to me over and over. I HIGHLY recommend this book to all parents with an ADHD child.

This is an amazing book, not only for fans of Pink Floyd, but for anyone who's interested in photography or surreal art. The text is entertaining and gives a lot of insight into the creative and production process, and some amusing anecdotes as well.

If you like Pink Floyd, art, design or album cover, this is the best book I ever read.

Buy NOW!! =)

Definitivamente es la mejor adquisición Floydiana que uno puede hacer de todos los lanzamientos del último año.
Thorgerson es dueño de una imaginación y talento asombrosos. En este libro que posee prácticamente todo su trabajo relacionado a Pink Floyd hay muchas pruebas de ello.
Vale la pena totalmente, junto al Libro de Nick Mason son un complemento perfecto para entender la magia que ronda a Pink Floyd en sus dos ámbitos principales: música y artes visuales.

Storm Thorgerson is the artist who designed the bulk of Pink Floyd's artwork, and "Mind Over Matter" is a combination of memoir, scrapbook, and gallery. With the possible exception of Led Zeppelin, no British rock band of the 1970s paid closer attention than Pink Floyd to the potent magic a well-designed album cover could lend to music the album contained. Much like Zeppelin, it's almost impossible to think of Pink Floyd's music without imagining the incredible visuals on their album covers. In essence, Thorgerson is almost an adjunct member of the band.

Graphic artists will appreciate this collection because Thorgerson's almost Magritte-like graphic style is also perfectly and endlessly adaptable to the commercial marketing. Casual Floyd fans will get a kick out seeing so many classic Floyd images reproduced at much larger than CD size. More serious Floyd fans will savor Thorgerson's behind-the-scenes insights regarding the band. (I was surprised to learn that Thorgerson leans more towards Gilmour than Waters). Throughout,the author discusses his designs in a very straightforward, conversational, non-pretentious way. As a bonus, he also includes graphics from Floyd tour books, posters, and DVD clamcases.

Given that so little video footage exists of Floyd, this oversized hardcover collection provides the perfect collection of visuals to leaf through while you're listening to "Dark Side of the Moon" for the umpteenth time.

I absolutely knew I had to purchase "this" book the second I saw the book cover. Storm Thorgerson is utterly amazing, eyecatching & perhaps a bit eccentric (aren't most true artists?) I loved reading about his ideas/how he came up with them & how he laid them out in the end, and after reading this book, I now want to check out other material on him as well. Pink Floyd is indeed legendary as are the works of Storm Thorgerson. A Fantastic view of Unimaginable Talent. Check it out.

with clarity and humor the author explains evolutionary theories in a scientific and readable manner. thought provoking, entertaining and concise. good for discussion groups and book clubs.

This collection of essays starts out by rehashing nature/nurture arguments that ought to be widely understood by now, but then becomes mostly entertaining and occasionally quite informative.
He mentions one interesting study (Cunningham and Russell, "Egg investment is influenced by male attractiveness in the mallard)) which questions sexual selection arguments put forward by Geoffrey Miller and others about animals selecting mates with better genes. The study shows that female Mallards produce stronger offspring after mating with more attractive males because they invest more resources in those eggs, rather than because of anything that seems connected to the genes provided by the males.
He helps explain the attraction of gambling by describing experiments which show larger dopamine releases due to rewards that are most uncertain (the subject thinks they have a 50% chance of happening) than is released when there's more certainty (e.g. either a 25% chance or a 75% chance) of the same reward.
One place where I was disappointed was when he described "repressive personalities", which he made seem quite similar to Aspergers, and made me wonder whether I fit his description. "dislike novelty"? My reaction to novelty is sufficiently context-dependent that any answer is plausible. "prefer structure and predictability"? Yes and usually. "poor at expressing emotions or at reading the nuances of emotions in other people"? That's me. "can tell you what they're having for dinner two weeks from Thursday"? I could probably predict 5 days in advance with 50% accuracy, so I'm probably closer than most people. So I Googled and found another description (mentioning the same researcher that Sapolsky mentioned) in the Sciences and find descriptions of "repressive personality" that seem wildly different from me ("a strong personal need for social conformity" and "agreement with statements framed as absolutes, statements loaded with the words never and always"). Who wrote this competing description? Wait, it's the same Sapolsky! It looks like his current description reuses a small piece of an older article with inadequate thought to whether it's complete enough.

No one comes colose to sapolsky in having fun with genetics and evolutionary science. This set of essays is just a blast.

It should come as no surprise that Monkeyluv, as with all of Sapolsky's books, is a masterpiece. There is no better science writer of our day.

I have never read anything by Sapolsky before. Now that I have he goes right to the top of my list with Richard Dawkins and Desmond Morris.

if this book satisfies my sister-in-law who is the best teacher in Texas and probably in the United States, then it is great for my homeschooling.

This easy to read grammar book fit the bill for me when I needed to brush up on some basic rules quickly for an exam. There are plenty of examples to help cement each concept and the authors also use comic strips to emphasize each point. I highly recommend this book the anyone who wants to learn how to write a paper correctly.

On this cold, winter day in January, I'm reading More Nitty Gritty Grammar. Who would have thought that a grammar book could be entertaining? Edith Fine and Judith Josephson have found the perfect formula. Similar to their first book, Nitty Gritty Grammar, this one is organized in an appealing, accessible way. I actually enjoyed testing my grammar skills with the quiz. Their compilation of nationally-syndicated cartoons addressing grammar issues adds visual interest and levity. They explain the rules, state the exceptions, and give plenty of examples. It's an excellent resource guide for yourself or for a friend. I highly recommend it.

There has never been a friendlier invitation to master English usage basics than Nitty-Gritty Grammar until its new companion, More Nitty-Gritty Grammar. I recommend them for all my community college students. Not in the ivory tower crowd, authors Fine and Josephson are, however, astute observers of language ills and, if laughter is the best medicine, most-palatable healers. Their topics are relevant, their well-researched explanations straightforward, their examples fresh and funny. My students agree.

Better organized and more comprehensive than even the popular _Transitive Vampire_ series or _Woe Is I_, this second book by Josephson and Fine is whimsical and easy to use. It's packed with humorous examples that are current and uncontrived. This is the only book I've found to cover some of the finer points that have always bothered or confused me--such as when British convention differs from that in America. Indispensible!

I love Morris the Moose! I'm a very intelligent grownup now and I still had a ball purchasing this absolute favorite from my childhood and reading it again! My grown children probably wondered what I was doing with that recent purchase! It was a loving, comforting trip down memory lane, and I still recommend it for today's youth! Easy read, fun read!

I'm 23 years old now and thinking about this book just makes me smile. It was my favorite book growing up along with The House That Jack Built. I could read these books OVER AND OVER again every day of my life and be content. It's a great book to not only learn to read, but a good lesson in accepting differences among each other. And that's a great lesson to learn at that age!! If you're looking for great book for your youngster, THIS IS IT!! (along with the whole series!!) :)

This book is absolutely wonderful. I remember loving to just look at the pictures before I could read! I cannot say enough about it. My favorite book of all time.

I use this book every year to introduce ACCELERATED READER to my students. I introduce it as a "read-aloud" and we discuss the text and pictures as I read. Students "act out" the various things that Morris does and students even sit ON their desks when Morris does. There is always a lot of laughing and giggling as Morris learns many things on his first day of school. Morris Goes to School is a great book to show your children how involved they can become when reading.

THEN....... they get to go take a short 5-question AR test on the computer. It's a great book and a great introduction to AR.

I picked up this book to read with my son, and I have to say that we didn't find it particularly funny. Certainly not as funny as the other Morris books. We had about two chuckles in 64 pages. Which is not to say that the story is bad. It hangs together well and provides some very good kid-friendly examples which show why it's good to attend school. Morris, for example, is shown fumbling around town, not knowing which store is the candy store because he can't read. And Morris is also stumped when it comes to figuring out how many gumdrops he can buy, because he can't count.

The publisher suggests this book as a practice reader for those in first grade or younger. My experience convinces me that this book is a little too hard for most children in this age range. For one thing, there are 64 pages of text, which is quite a bit for newbies to sit down and read at one time. And the vocabulary is fairly advanced with words like: wrong, sting, meant, interrupt, couldn't, sandwiches, cream-cheese, piece, fruit, hamburgers, arithmetic, antler, count, make-believe, and forest. And in fact, the Accelerated Reading designation for this book is 2.0 -- which means that those experts feel that the book is suited for entering 2nd Graders.

[The AR designation is a general "guide" that rates books on a relative scale of difficulty. Children can certainly read at levels above or below their group range, so that this number should only be used as a aid to help choose books that are appropriate and not frustrating.]

Three Stars. This is an okay book which shows why learning is necessary. In my and my son's opinion it wasn't as funny as the other Morris books. The Publisher suggests this reader for ages Pre5 to Grade 1. The 'official' Accelerated Reading (AR) designation, however, is 2.0.