Children's Series Books Books

Based loosely on the Biblical book of Exodus, Holly Hannon's splendid illustrations perfectly showcase Sylvia Rouss The Littlest Frog and is a picturebook specifically meant for young ones ages 3-6. When the Pharaoh of Egypt refuses to let the Jewish slaves go, God sends a massive plague of frogs upon the land, croakng and croaking and allowing no one a moment's peace. The Pharaoh tries and tries to have all the frogs removed, but just when it seems they all gone, the littlest frog hiding silently under the Pharaoh's bed finds its voice and croaks! The Littlest Frog is a recommended and engaging tale with an underlying moral about theimportance of speaking up.

Hot off the press is The Littlest Frog, a rousing new Passover book by Sylvia Rouss and illustrated by Holly Hannon. In the Littlest Frog, Rouss, the well-known author of the Sammy Spider holiday series, raises her whimsical story telling to new heights. In the Passover story told in the Haggadah at the Seder, the ten plagues delivered to Pharoh and the Egyptians to "let my people go", were no laughing matter. But in this rhyming yarn, silly, fun-loving frogs lighten the load and create child-friendly mischief, driving the Pharoh crazy. Emerald green frogs appear to jump off the pages in the bright, joyful illustrations. They smile as they happily leap all over Pharoh and his palace. There are even frogs wearing sun glasses! The book follows the endearing Littlest Frog who observes the sadness of the Jewish slaves working while Pharoh had fun. Children relate to the Littlest Frog's feelings with the repeating refrain "But the Littlest Frog was very afraid. He hid under the bed, and that's where he stayed." Until the Littlest Frog shows the courage of Moses and rises to the occasion - putting the evil Pharoh in his place! Rouss and Hannon have created an upbeat and appealing book to match the spirit of freedom celebrated at Passover. It is a perfect choice for the spring season - but its appeal will attract children beyond Passover.

From the very talented pen of Sylvia Rouss, a creative and resourceful Jewish early childhood educator, comes this delightful Pesach story for children. Told in rhyme, the story focuses on the time that the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, and particularly on the plague of frogs during that time. "A little frog sat in the hot Egyptian sun,/ Watching Jewish slaves work, while Pharaoh had fun./ Moses, their leader, warned evil Pharaoh,/ `Bad things will happen if you don't let us go'/ I'm the great Pharaoh and nothing scares me!/ The Jewish people will stay! They'll never be free!"

The book describes the antics of the frogs and they hop all over the pharaoh's rooms, swim in his bath, and even sit on his throne, with the Pharaoh all the while chasing them with a broom: "There were frogs n the curtains and in the fruit bowls./ There were frogs peeking out from papyrus scrolls./ He saw frogs on the ceiling and frogs on the wall./ He saw frogs in each room and down every hall." But one frog - the littlest - is afraid of all the commotion and has hidden under the bed. The Pharaoh, feeling all powerful and fearless, is sure he has taken care of the frog problem. But the little frog eventually emerges from his hiding place, hops onto the Pharaoh and utters a loud croak, causing Pharaoh to have a change of heart. "Perhaps Moses was right, the Jews should be free./ Maybe that's why this is happening to me."

The colorful and action-packed illustrations ably convey the Pharaoh's frustration and captures the frogs' playfulness. A glossary at the beginning of the book is quite helpful in defining words that may be unknown to a child, such as scepter, papyrus, or hieroglyphics. A welcome addition to a home or school library and a highly relevant book for the Pesach Seder. Ages 3-7.

Rena E. Rotenberg is coordinator of the Early Childhood Education Center for Jewish Education in Baltimore Maryland.

"Another Spring creature leaps from the story of Passover. The Littlest Frog frolics from the pen of Sylvia Rouss, known for her tales of Sammy Spider, as she makes the most of one of the least of the heroes in Exodus. Cheery rhymed couplets elaborate on Pharoah's exasperation when his refusal to let the Hebrews leave Egypt leads to a visitation by hordes of frogs, including one tiny, timid fellow. Vivid pictures by Holly Hannon, rich in royal purple, hop with action, and the little one's triumph." From Pages Spring Sampler

Lizzy's Lion is the most charming and delightful solution where little girl protects herself and dispels nighttime fears by inventing a guardian in the form of a closet cupboard lion.
With the very vivid childlike descriptions of how the lion disposes of a 'rotten robber' the reader is taken to the very logical conclusion.
I have read it to our many grandchildren who all love it and ask for it again and again while we all laugh and applaud Lizzy.

This book has been my favorite since I was a child. The words flow so well when reading to myself or my children. Although there are some grafic parts, they don't take away from the poem/story being youthfull and fun. I will always read and share with others this delightful story.

Lizzy's Lion may surprise adults at first with it's some what gross discription but it thrills children. It is fun to read!

This book is rhyming fun with it's musical sentences. Dennis Lee has captured a singy-song additude.

The pictures are characteristic of the award winning Marie-Louise Gay. Her pictures are busy and wild. Gay's children are depicted as cute but not perfectly pretty. She makes looking at illustrations fun.

This has got to be one of the most fun books to read. It has a great story about a little girl who has a lion, with a big, bad roar that she unleashes on unsuspecting robbers. Although somewhat gruesome I still love this book. I highly enjoy reading this book to my little brother and sister who love it as well. I hihgly recommend this book as one that should be in any book collection. I've even bought myself a copy and I'm 21.

As a fourth-year Spanish student, I couldn't resist taking a look at this book. I opened it up and immediately wished I had books like these when I was younger. On opposing pages are opposites or "los contrarios". The illustrations show colorful and cute bears that represent a word. At the top of the page is the word in english, and at the bottom the word in Spanish. Also at the bottom is a pronunciation of the word, in easy and understandable terms that a child can comprehend. In the back of the book is a list of the all the words with their pronunciation. This is definetly an effective and cute bilingual book I sure wish I had as a kid.

Being an English family living in Venezuela and having a child in pre-school this book and the rest of the series really helped him with the language barriers. Easy to read for me and him!

Bought this book for my daughter, age 2, but I used it for my own beginning French class. The professor said that she wished these books had been around when her children were little.

I grew up bilingual in NYC, and with the birth of my child, I wanted a natural way to incorporate Spanish into our lives (I now live in the NW). This book is wonderful, because the bright, contrasting colors make it possible for me to read this book to my newborn, and she is interested in the colorful illustrations, as weel as what I'm saying, in either Spainsh or English, and then my anglo husband can use it as well.

In Book 8 of the "Love Comes Softley" series Belinda is finding that the teachings of her parents, faith - love - family, are the cornerstones she needs to get her life back on track.

Belinda continues to live in Boston and be a companion/nurse to her beloved Aunt Virgie. A three week trip home is such a shock she is wondering where she really belongs, but is needed in Boston.

The inevitable happens and the rich woman finally dies. The will and the estate must be settled. There are 2 grandsons who will be remembered. Belinda is expected to take on a role she never, ever even dreamed of. While she is accomplishing that role, she runs into the one person she never expected to see again. Can....or will......things change?

This 8th book is a perfect ending to the series Love Comes Softly, and thank you Janette Oke. God bless you and your continued writing of Christian Fiction for women. I am one of your biggest fans.

Belinda is still a nurse to Mrs. Stofford-Symth in Boston. Life in Boston has excited Belinda. She has experienced wealth, travel, and romance. Traveling as far as Spain and France. Belinda is mystified at what money can do for people.

Will Belinda's beloved Aunt Virgie (Mrs. Stafford-Smyth) ever find the once true Christ? The unexpected happens and Belinda is left alone with much to do. Someone reappears in her life, someone she never expected to see again.

This book is a wonderful ending to a beloved series!

This last book of the Love Comes Softly series is one of the best ones. The surprise is so unexpected that you go back to read it again and make sure that you read it correctly. The entire book is suspensful and makes you read it until you are finished. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

This is my fovorite book of the series, I like the art subjects a little better than the N.H. book, but it is great too. This really tells you a lot about the state and the art is so nice I want to cut out the pages and hang them on the wall. It uses ryme, yet ends up giving you more of a feel for what Vermont is all about than many other larger books like travel guides. These books in this series are a great way to teach kids about the states.

My 5 yr. old granddaughter requested this book for her birthday! When it can, I, of course, read it through. I like the double format very much. For a young reader there are simple explanations and for a more advanced reader there is more information. It definitely isn't your run-of-the-mill alphabet book. I'm will certainly give her more in this series.

I am an elementary school teacher and found this book to be a great way to introduce Vermont to my students as part of our fifty states theme unit. We've had fun learning new facts about each of the states and this book, as part of the Discover America Alphabet Series, is an ideal way to share the diversity of our states, their traditions and to learn interesting facts about each one. The pictures in this book are vivid and are great for sharing a special viewpoint of Vermont. The facts are interesting and encourage and promote a child's interest in the state. I highly recommend this book!

I ordered the series, Discover America State By State for our primary school library. When the books arrived, I couldn't give them up! I had to own them myself! So I paid for this set and ordered the second set for the library. The publishing company claims the books are intended for children ages 4-8 years. However, my husband and I were awed at the beautiful artwork representing each state and the wealth of information to be gained, some obvious, some very trivial but nonetheless interesting. I teach second grade. Many of my students have never been outside our state. What a fantastic way to introduce them to the beauty, contrasts, and wonder of our very own nation! I could spend the whole school year teaching language arts, social studies, and science using this set as my textbook.

Hello, my name is Shannon, and I have a Shakespeare comprehension problem. I cannot elicit any meaning out of "thither he in and me within," or "wherefore art thou," so when my AP lit class delved into MacBeth, I was already waving the white flag.
Then my mom pulls out this book we picked up at Folger Shakespeare Library in D.C. She tells me a teacher wrote a poem about MacBeth for 2nd graders to understand--she had her 2nd grade class draw the pictures in them. Okay, I need all the help I can get, so I acquiesce.
And this book is incredible. The poem is fiercely creative and original, the drawings are such a hoot, and I am understanding the entire play to the point that I am acing quizzes and writing high reviews on Amazon for MacBeth (as I'm doing now). Some people may be recommending this for tiny tots getting into Big Will. I'm calling out to all HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS WHO WANT A LITTLE HELP!!! Get this book. Trust me.

I have 2 sons, ages 9 and 11, and they both love Lois Burdett's Shakespeare books! These books make the story lines accessible while providing the flavor of Shakespeare through the wonderful rhyming couplets. I first used one of these books to "preview" the story of MacBeth to my younger son, who was going to be in a children's musical production of the story. He loved the book and often asks me to reread it to him, and we have since acquired several other of the Burdett titles. My sons also enjoy the whimsical illustrations and sidebars done by the children.

I am a third grade teacher on Long Island. Last year I introduced three of Willaim Shakespeare's plays into our classroom. My children loved Macbeth. We studied Macbeth, The Tempest and Hamlet. The way Mrs. Burdett wrote in rhyming couplets really made the reading enjoyable! I plan on using her books throughout my teaching career. Thank you Lois Burdett! Shakespeare can be fun thanks to you.

-Michael Hynes

What a wonderful way to introduce Shakespeare to children! I used this book as a third grade teacher to teach inner city kids about Macbeth. It was amazing to hear the students discussing all of the characters and their actions. They were proud of themselves for learning about Shakespeare "like high school kids." If you make it fun, they will have fun!

this greek temple was alot of fun to do! I made it for my sister who teaches 3rd grade and has a unit on Greece and Rome. This is just perfect for the kids to look at while learning about the ancient civilization. The modle takes patience to make, especially all the little pillars. But the end result is so neat!

I like this model temple it is fun to build. We had to use a hot glue gun to glue the columns on. There is lots of scoring and folding to do on this model. I can't wait to see what it looks like when it is finished.

This model has a roof that swings open and you can view the inside, revealing a statue of Athena. Very easy to make. The pages are printed on both sides and in vivid colors. The directions are very clear. Would recommend this to anyone teaching ancient Greece.

I'm 10 years old, and I love Greek mythology. This model was very fun to build, and relieving to finish. There is lots of detail on everything. It is very challenging, and requires patience. A partner (such as a family member or a friend) would help a lot.
In short, this model is excruciating and fun to build, but amazing when finished. I liked it a lot.

In "Mark's Story," Dr. Marvin G. Baker has taken the Gospel of Mark from The New Testament and transliterated it into a style and reading level that children and adults can easily read and more clearly understand. The story is told in the first person narrative and is illustrated with contemporary illustrations in a coloring book style.

The book is written such that John Mark is the storyteller. He begins by introducing himself and sharing a few details about his desire to tell some stories about the Messiah, God's son, coming to earth. Mark also shares interesting details about the time period he speaks of and what life was like. Mark speaks about John the Baptist and his significance, the twelve disciples, rules the people were asked to live by, and many more fun and interesting facts. Mark wants everyone to sit down, get comfortable and enjoy his story about his friend, Jesus!

Dr. Baker has written his book at the upper elementary reading level (age 9-12) but by no means should it be assumed this book is only for children. Sometimes one may find reading the Bible to be a challenge to grasp and understanding the intended message cumbersome. "Mark's Story" will help!

All the stories are true and all the places are real in "Mark's Story." God's truth is shared as it is in the Bible. Illustrations are included which present Jesus Christ as he might be dressed for today. Dr. Baker's hope is that you will feel a good friend has taken you by the hand to share some stories together.

Christian education teachers, parents, homeschoolers or anyone should find this a worthwhile resource. The gospel is presented so both children and adults may lucidly understand. I highly recommend this book!

Mark's Story is narrarated by John Mark. Their is no room for error--- he saw what he saw. Not only witnessing many of Jesus' miracles, but, also recounting them so the reader can be transported to a better understanding of this spiritually rich Gospel.

The first in the "Gospel Storyteller Series", Dr. Baker; http://www.gospelstoryteller.com, explains complex theological concepts in a manner that children of all ages can understand. In fact, this is the first in a series of five books dealing with the four Gospels and Acts.

This would make a perfect goodnight story while at the same time increasing Biblical literacy. As this book points out, the heroes and heroines of the Bible were like you and me--- imperfect. This fictional delight, told from Mark's perspective, makes a further step in proving that Jesus is as vital and alive today as He was 2000 years ago.

Do yourself and your child a great big favor: make sure to read Mark's Story: An Introduction To The Gospel Of Mark.

Though never one of Jesus' disciples, Mark knew Jesus and the twelve intimately. This book is Mark's story of his relationship with these men in the three years of Jesus' ministry on earth. This is his story of his friend, Jesus.

"My story begins [...] when I was just a boy living in the city of Jerusalem. This was several years after John the Baptist had been born. I was just a kid like you when all this happened."

Told in today's language, Mark, the story-teller, begins with John the Baptist and the baptism of Jesus, which was the start of His ministry. Mark goes on to recount the events and locations of Jesus' travels, healings, teachings and the constant pestering by the Pharisees. The parables are related in easy-to-understand examples of what Jesus taught.

The illustrations, done by Paul S. Trittin, show the characters in modern-day dress, to help the young readers to relate to the story.

This idea, the first in The Gospel Storyteller Series, was developed from a 'vision' the author's late daughter Vangie had. She had asked: "What if the New Testament were transliterated in a style and reading level that children could easily read and clearly understand?" To do that became Dr. Baker's goal. And I believe he has accomplished it.

Dr. Baker is currently working on book two: Matthew's Story.

Peggy Phifer ©2003

"Mark's Story: An Introduction to the Gospel of Mark" is basically the Gospel of Mark related in a person-to-person storytelling fashion. The text is easy to read even for a ten or eleven year old reader and would be of great value to anyone seeking to teach their children the common stories of the Bible as related in the Gospel of Mark. While the idea is good and I could see this book being given to young readers to start their journey into learning the Bible, there is one thing that I find annoying about the book. The writing style itself is somewhat choppy. It seems that the writer felt each quote had to be followed or preceded with "He said", "they said", "it said", or something similar. Just open the book to any page and you will find things that are redundant (i.e. page 18 "'He didn't say, but I think we can find him', was the response." Obviously it was the response since it was in answer to a question.), and full of things that break the natural flow of the material. Even with that caveat it is still a recommended read for young or marginally literate readers.

This book wasn't actually written for the homeschool market, but every homeschool family should have this book! The author describes all of the basic math concepts so that they are easily understood. First and second grade math skills are built upon step-by-step, in fun but informative lessons that are just the right length for young children. Practical guidelines for parents explain how to verify that a child has learned the material. First- and second- grade final exams are included. It's a great bargain for such a solid foundation in math! If you have your child write the answers in a notebook, you can re-use this book with more than one child. It's also a great preparation for Saxon Math. We have used this book with all three of our boys, and by the time we finished they were easily ready for Saxon 3 and even skipped ahead to Saxon 5/4.

~Teri Ann Berg Olsen, author of Learning for Life: Educational Words of Wisdom

I am a former daycare teacher and this book strikes me as an excellent way to strengthen math skills for kids. There are math problems within the book that the kids can do. This is a good buy.

I took a look at this book (Math for Your 1st and 2nd Grader) at the library and now I am going to order it.

I have a 5 year-old that I am presently working with, and although I have a workbook, I am not entirely sure that I am presenting the soundest explanations of various concepts, and so I have come to Mr. Savin.

Pro's: Stephen Savin's writing is very clear and straight forward with plenty of examples in how to teach and verify that your child understands the material.

Possible Con: I do not know if this book is in current compliance with the NCTM standards. This book was written in 1995 and I know that the national standards have changed considerably since then.

That said, I made my decision to purchase based on the table of contents and 'where we are now' rather than some artificial standard: i.e. if this book covers what you are interested in teaching, then buy it.

Having said that, I have to point out that publishers are nuts to not put the entire table of contents on the Amazon "Search inside this book" feature. This book, like so many others, only has page one of the contents listed. Ridiculous.

Without writing out ALL of the 39 mini-lessons, I will write out the major chapters topics (with subsections where meaning is not clear) so that you might have an idea of what you are purchasing.

Chapter Titles:

For FIRST-GRADE MATH
====================
Counting
Adding Single-Digit Numbers
Subtracting Single-Digit Numbers
Building Math Skills
--Translating Words Into Numbers
--Intro Of The Concept Of Zero
--Filling In The Missing Number
Addition and Subtraction Drills
Addition Into Double Digits
Counting Money
Word Problems With Single-and Double-Digit Numbers
Introduction To Telling Time
Double-Digit Addition and Subtraction
Word Problems With and Without Money
Counting Pennies, Nickels, and Dimes
Ordinal Numbers
Introduction To Fractions
Counting To 100

First-Grade Final Exam
First-Grade Final Exam Answers

SECOND-GRADE MATH
Counting and Writing Numbers up to 200
Mathematical Symbols
Grouping Numbers in 10s and 1s
Adding Three Numbers and Double-and Triple-Digit Numbers
Subtracting Single-, Double-, and Triple-Digit Numbers
Word Problems in Addition and Subtraction
Regrouping, Expanded Notation, and Graphing
Addition with Carrying
Subtraction with Borrowing and Review of Carrying and Borrowing
Adding and Subtracting Money
Word Problems in Addition and Subtraction
Telling Time
Advanced Counting
--Counting from 1 to 1000
--Filling in the Missing Numbers
--Counting by 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, and 10s
Introduction to Multiplication and Division
Shapes and Measurements

Second -Grade Final Exam
Second -Grade Final Exam Answers

Index

Five Stars. Writing is very clear and the lessons are not overly long, which fits the temperament of most young math explorers.

A very good book on the first grade math topics. It provides sound and clear explanations seldom found in other books. Essential math concepts and skills are introduced with many excellent examples. I enjoyed it very much with my son.

The book is ideal for first graders even with the "2nd grade" part. Second graders may find it too easy. If you want to know what other kids are learning in schools, there is a nice web site at http://www.beestar.org. It provides free math practice every week based on school curricula nowadays.

I purchased this book four years ago for our child when she was a preschooler. This book is ideal for those children who like hands on learning activities and games. The book utilizes activities and games to teach mathematical concepts in a fun and engaging format. I would follow this book up with the Singapore Earlybird Math books 1A-2B, then proceed to MCP Kindergarten Math.

Great source for an Early Childhood Curriculum. This book gave me wonderful ideas on teaching little ones to counting and math. This book helped me plan lessons for my home toddler/preschool daycare. This book is a MUST HAVE for home daycare providers and home schooling parents.

We loved this book! This is for people who want to incorporateeducation into fun times with the kids but are sometimes short onideas. I would recommend this book for working parents because it is easy to be organized or introduce projects at a moment's notice when bits of time are found. All of the ideas and instructions are right there in front of you. It would also be easy to leave for a caregiver as a lesson plan. Stay at home moms can certainly use this book to help fill the many hours constructively.

We love this book. The activities are simple to prepare and easy for my 5-year old to understand. This is a great help in practicing beginners' math concepts with her.