Interactive Books

Wonderful readable useful bnook with private personal thought on the travels each of must take and interesting questions to add to the seder discussion A must for the Passover library

Passover is the ultimate home holiday. But Passover is so much richer than family, friends and food--it is an opportunity to delve into Jewish heritage and find its relevance to so many of today's pressing concerns.David Arnow gives Seder leaders the tools to create spectacular Seders for years to come. Just as the meal takes preparation, the Seder takes preparation beyond using the Haggadah. For all ages, for all levels of knowledge of Jewish history and tradition, David Arnow provides dynamic materials, ideas, questions and methods that are relevant to the present and respectful of the past. No matter how many years you have been conducting Seders, this book will amaze you and enrich your experience.

This book is fascinating. We are sure we will use it as a resource for enhancing our Seder nights for years to come.

The timing couldn't be better for this book to be available -- the idea of preparing to conduct a seder for my unruly family usually fills me with dread. I am now confident that I will be able to capture their imaginations and provide a meaningful, memorable Passover experience. Thank you!

Creating Lively Passover Seders: A Sourcebook Of Engaging Tales, Texts & Activities encourages fresh perspectives and engaging dialogue with regard to reading the Haggadah and celebrating Passover. Written to promote familiarity with the Exodus story, offer insight into the historical background, and bring about increased understanding and enjoyment of the Passover celebration, Creating Lively Passover Seders is both a superb personal reference and a quality companion to planning an unforgettable yearly tradition.

We received Don't Wake the Baby when my daughter was 2 and we immediately bought Wake Up Sleeping Beauty as well. My daughter still loves these books -- she is now 5 -- and my now 2 year old daughter asks to read them over and over again. The books are so charming, that my husband and I don't mind!

This is a book with tabs on each page which causes the characters to move and accompanying sounds to occur. The storylines are funny, the movements are imaginative, and the sounds are terrific. The only problem is that it's easy for little fingers to tear the tabs and pages with their enthusiasm or, in our case, sheer repetition, even though the pages are heavy stock.

My daughters loved this book and we read it until the batteries wore out. It's really cute and unusual with great sound effects.

My 18 month old daughter received this as a Christmas gift from her Grandparents and absolutely loves reading it with Dad and Mom or on her own. She loves to pull the tabs and surprisingly enough after several months of abuse, it still works. I'm purchasing another copy so her brother has a chance to read this great book!

This book is great! I first got one for my daughter when she was about 2 (and a real Daddy's girl!). She loved it so much she'd go to sleep with it! The pull-tabs are pretty easy to move, even for her, but most of the time I have to do it for her and help her resist the temptation of tearing away at the parts that stand out. Well, having been somewhat unsuccessful in doing that, we now have to get a second copy for her little brother! But not until after we wore out the battary in the book first!

My baby boy Emre, loved this book since he was 12 months old. Now he is 16 months old and he is still crazy about it. When I take this book out, he gets involved in it for at least half an hour. Nothing else can do that. He imitates the sounds and loves to pull the tabs. Of course the figures got pretty damaged with such pulling and tearing but still it works. And the book is quite good in making the mother role an independent one, and making the father the care taker at home, at least for one night.
I deinitely recommend it.

A grand book for anyone adult/or older child that enjoys doll houses, fairies, etc. Well done, well illustrated, informational and fun.

These books are wonderful beautifully bound and so exqisite one imagines one self being there. I have bought this for my two year old Grand daughter to keep as a future antique

This pop-up dollhouse book is unique in so many ways. It's a history book, it's a pop-up book, it's a "find Waldo-like" book, and it's a book you'll want to keep forever. No matter your age, if you love dollhouses you'll love this book.

The Enchanted Doll's House book was exactly that, enchanting. Each page held a little bit of magic that I relished with childish wonder and I'm 30. I bought it as a gift, but liked it so much after looking through it that I kept it. The book is very detailed and brilliantly colored. The dollhouses in the book are fascinating and everyone who has seen the book so far thinks it is wonderful.

This is a beautifully detailed pop-up with lots of interesting facts and pictures. It would make a great gift for a daughter or granddaughter who loved dolls and dollhouses. The details are amazing.

My child has a disability, and we've read this book for years as a reminder that everyone is different in their own way and that it's OK to not be just like everyone else. Great story!

A story that show's that everyone is different in their own special way and that it's OK. My children love this book and we all have it memorized. Great to read aloud to a pre-k through about a third grade class. Pictures are wonderful.

This is an AWESOME book. Adorable pictures! It gives an excellent message for all ages. A MUST READ....All of my kids just loved it!

I love this book, and more importantly, kids love it, too!
The graphics are superb, the text reads like Seuss, and I just really, really think this is a cute story.

This is the best kids book. I've read it almost every night for the past six months and I still love it.

From beginner to expert this book contains all of the answers to your lingo needs. It is packed with examples and thorough descriptions.

I can't find an updated version of it - if anyone knows of one please let me know!...

This book has got to be the best computer related book I ever bought. I wish there were reference books in this format for every other programming subject like Perl and JavaScript. It's the only book you will ever need for Director's lingo.

The thing I like most is having the Lingo grouped by subject, it makes things so easy to look up.

Darrel, please make a reference like this for Perl!!!!

If you are already familiar with the Director interface, and want to do things in Lingo that most people only wish they could do, pick this book up right now! This is the only book I use on a daily basis for quick information. Darrel Plant not only gives a clear explanation on every command but also gives you examples that you can understand and use in everyday applications. I also greatly appreciated the way that the book content is organized. Rather than list the commands in alphabetical order, they are grouped according to the type of element or function that they control. It's nice to put something together that the user/client likes, but use this book and they will be saying, "Awsome! Love it! Wow, how did you do that?" ------ Thanks Darrel

...your life will be easier if this book is within reach. I even take it with when I have to go on-site to a client. Very useful having the Lingo grouped by subject. Also very useful icons by each Lingo word showing if it can be used in Shockwave and which versions of Director it can be used in. A must-have for a Lingo programmer.

(excuse my english, I'm Swiss) Before purchasing this book or even knowing about it, I had some heavy problems in finding the right way (or a shorter one) to solve several problems in programming Multimedia-applications. I ordered this book and everything changed! It's descriptions are so easy (even when you aren't originally english-speaking!), because you just can read the text and know what the command, keyword, property a.s.o. is all about. You have even more than one solution showed in examples. There is only one bad thing: if you use this book very often, the cover of the book looks old soon; it could be a little stronger. My suggestion: if you suffer a headache from studying and controlling your non-functioning scripts, you better get this book as soon as possible and keep it handy! You will gain a hell of a time!

Have fun

Best regards

Patric Simon

I enjoy this book very much. I had this book when I was a child and now I have bought it for my daughters so they can enjoy them as much as I did.

I teach Kindergarten and my students love the Mr. and Miss books! They really enjoyed this one. It is a good way to talk about keeping the classroom neat and tidy.

My children love these books.They are fun and silly.And we look forward to collecting all of them.

I am an elementary teacher and I use these books in my class to supplement our Character Ed program (which isn't the greatest). My students love the Little Miss and Mr. Men books. I have to keep them behind my desk and let them "check them out" like library books or they fight over them. The are excellent to use in a pinch if you have a book that pertains to a problem that has developed in class (especially rudeness or bossiness). It is easy to read the book and have a quick class chat about what is going on. I highly recommend all of the books for anyone who teaches, home schools, or children in general. They are a great asset.

We just love these books... my 8 year old reads them to my 4 year old and they just crack up. Of course, there's a good lesson in each of them!

No Talking by Andrew Clements is a great book set in fifth grade where the students have challenged each other to a contest...boys versus girls. The rules of the contest are simple but can be very hard to follow. Students may talk at school only when an adult asks them a question, but then they can only answer using three words at a time. Students can not speak at home, on the playground, or in the lunchroom. The students keep track of their words and use the honor system to report them. When the principal demands that the contest must end, the students join together to silently face a new opponent in the competition. Clements does an excellent job of showing the voice of these students through their dialogues with one another. Their personalities shine through the pages.

Teachers will love the ideas and discussions that stem from this book. The book sparks conversations about peaceful ways to settle arguments like Mahatma Gandhi did in India. The teachers in the book complete many activities that allow students to follow the contest rules and still learn. One my favorites includes creating a story as a whole class where all students add to the story using only three words at a time. Students will love completing lessons that follow these from the book. It may even inspire a contest.

"No Talking" is a realistic and entertaining book that describes a competition between the boys and girls at Laketon Elementary. Each team tries to go untill the end of the week without talking. Commotion occurs as a result of the silence. The teachers and the principle are getting annoyed by the constant silence to they decide to take action on the nonsense. Does the teachers stop the competition or do the children pull them into the fun? Read to find out!

Working in a public school, I am around children every day. Here are two facts that I feel I can state from experience:

1. Kids like to talk

2. There is nothing that gets the youngsters going like boys vs. girls competition

In No Talking, Andrew Clements manages to merge both of these eternal truisms.

At Laketon Elementary, the 5th grade class has a reputation for embracing the spoken word - so much so that they earned the nickname "The Unshushables" from teachers. On top of all this noisiness, the boys can't stand the girls and the girls aren't all that keen on the boys.

One day Dave Packer attempts something that surely has never been done by anyone in his fifth grade class - to make it through the school day without saying a word. He fails, but his experiment leads to a challenge between the boys and the girls: Two days of school. Whichever group talks the least wins.

This book has all kinds of classroom implications, and the rivalry between boys and girls will immediately draw kids in. No Talking is an entertaining story and a quality fiction selection

No Talking is a good book about girls versus boys war with no talking. The war started when a boy did his report on India and he heard about this man who tried not talking to clear his head. This book has a good moral and teaches kids a good lesson. I would say third - 5th grade should read this.

This book, "No Talking", was pretty good, though when you read the breif explanation of the plot on the back of the book, it sounds better than it really is. It is also a short book, and I finished it in about 30 minutes despite its catagory: "chapter book". I thought it had a fairly nice plot, and it did teach a lot, but it also wasn't as funny or as great as it sounded. As I said, it was short with an alright plot.

I loved the humor it did have, though, and I thought the ending was interesting and heart-warming. You also had to love some parts with the only three-word answers the kids gave the teachers' answers. However, I thought the beginning was written in a confusing way. Also, there were so many characters, I woke up the morning after I finished the book and couldn't even remember half the names.

FOR PARENTS: (Scale from 1 to 10, 10 being the highest/worse)
bad language - 0 there was no bad language
sexual content - 1
1. one example of sexual content was that a girl kissed a guy on the cheek
violence - 0 there was no violence
adult content - 2
1. one example of adult content was that the main character, Dave is yelled at by the principal and he yells back, which shows rebellion.
2. another example of adult content was that the book is based on what Dave read in a book on India about the well-known Muslim, Gandhi, and Dave seems to think Gandhi is very wise in not talking, which may come off offensive or confusing.

Overall this was an okay book.

I have been fascinated by the simplicity and usefulness of the
Object-Process Methodology paradigm and approach expressed in the book. As a
researcher in Science Education I have been grappling with how to represent
complex, technology-enhanced educational systems that involve humans,
processes and educational artifacts. OPM and the OPCAT software enclosed
were very instrumental in enabling me to model and represent the "big
picture" of educational systems I developed. With OPM I was then able to
gradually refine portions of the system to any desired level of detail.
The applicability of OPM to IT-intensive educational systems is a testimony
to the generic nature of the methodology and to the fact that it is useful
in so many domains. The combination of a single simple graphical model that
generates natural language on the fly is really unique and valuable. I
wholeheartedly recommend the book to anyone interested in modeling complex
systems, be they of technological, economical, or social nature. The method
is straightforward, easy to learn even for non IT-professionals, and most
rewarding in terms of the quality and clarity of the resulting graphical and
textual model.

This book describes how Object-Process Methodology (OPM) CASE can be used as a tool for generating complete system intent specifications by graphical object diagrams, precise semantic and syntactic language, and intuitive symbols, definitions and structures. As systems have become more complex, a prevalent problem in systems development has been the number of accruing errors. These errors can cause catastrophic failure in the worst-case in addition to intolerable schedule delays and cost overruns. Introducing errors as well as difficulty finding and successfully correcting them occurs because of the lack of proper analysis and design tools for complex system specifications. OPM has the attributes to mitigate against the possibility of system failure, providing comprehensive visibility for better schedule and cost control in product development. It enhances reuse of system modules, processes and software routines in different contexts, while reducing the chance of errors. OPM automatically generates intent specifications that are readily understood by both customers and product team members and are translatable to machine control subsystems. OPM is a holistic systems paradigm that extends the Object-Oriented (OO) paradigm and overcomes its major shortcomings by integrating system structure and behavior in a single integrated graphic and natural language model. OPM successfully tackles the task of development and lifecycle management of systems, products and projects. OPM is a significant extension of and a major departure from the OO approach. It incorporates the system static-structural and dynamic-procedural aspects into a single, unified model. Presented as a concise visual formalism by a set of Object-Process Diagrams (OPD set), it is automatically translated into a set of Object-Process Language (OPL) script, a subset of natural English. At the basis of the OPM philosophy is the observation that to faithfully and naturally analyze and design systems in any domain, processes, like objects, should be considered as stand-alone "things" (entities) that are not necessarily encapsulated within objects. This detachment and de-coupling of processes from objects emphasizes the duality and complementarity of objects and processes, and opens the door for structure-behavior unification. At any point in time, objects exist with some structure and state. This is the static aspect of the system. Processes affect objects by changing their states. This is the dynamic aspect of the system. System complexity is managed through a number of graphical scaling options: zooming into and out of processes, unfolding and folding objects, and expressing or suppressing object states. These mechanisms provide for selectively detailing a subset of things while still maintaining the high-level context of the details.

OPM provides a new framework for specifying design intents and capturing the complexity of hardware and software interaction. Through OPL, it is possible to translate the process into a machine executable code. In addition, OPM can capture the dynamic behavior of the hardware attributes and software states in a single integrated graphical and textual language that is understandable by domain experts who have no programming experience. These traits of OPM ease the development effort for evaluating the system reliability during the design stages. Simulation and testing protocols can be automatically generated though future extensions of OPM to reduce lengthy system verification efforts.
The main benefit of OPM is its ability to identify system objects, processes, and the relationships among them in a structured way. The resulting OPD set becomes an excellent framework for identifying how to implement structural and procedural improvements. The resulting OPL script provides a well-defined set of existing and future specifications for the system. The ability to freely switch from text to graphics and back is of great value to understanding the system as a whole with a single graphic and textual model, without the need to consult various models and carry out mental transformation among these various models.
Based on my personal experience, the following points highlight the benefits OPM can bring to the particular projects described in this paper.
1. OPM is an excellent way to represent daily activities, products, processes and other complex things
2. OPM has allowed representing the complete system with its various aspects in a single model. The model specifies the systems function, structure and behavior aspects without sacrificing clarity.
3. OPM can be used as a common language to exchange design among members of a team.
4. Since OPM design is visual and textual at the same time, it is easy to explain the design.
5. OPL is very easy to generate from OPD
6. OPM will be a good tool for documenting the existing processes and as ISO documentation.

I have used many methodologies over my career. Most of them are based around the object-oriented and structured design paradigms. I found out about OPM quite by accident about a year ago. I've been using it ever since. I have used it to model both hardware and software systems, as well as for business process modeling. It is an excellent methodology and I recommend it for anyone developing any kind of system.

One of the nice things about OPM is that it is easy: I was able to get a team "up-and-running" with the methodology in less than an hour of teaching them some basic concepts (try doing that with UML). Another feature is that you can use this for any type of project; you are not locked into a structured or object-oriented mindset like structured analysis or UML. OPM can handle both types of concepts with ease.

Finally, this methodology is fast. It is just easier and more intuitive to model in an OPM fashion. I've also found that others can comprehend the OPM models better than other methodologies too.

I used to be a UML advocate until I found OPM. I have found concepts that are difficult to model in UML are quite easy to model in OPM. It is just more flexible.

The book is really good by the way. It is very complete and gives plenty of good exammples. I congratulate Dov Dori and his team for providing something that all engineering disciplines can use to design their systems.

OPM is a methodology for modeling systems, technical as well as any other system. In the techical world it compares with UML. OPM is designed with consistant and simple notations, uses simple rules that when combined can be used to model any system (real or informational) to any level of complexity that is desired by the system architect. Also, it integrates object modeling and process modeling in one diagram (although you can still keep them separate if you wanted).

UML uses complex rules to model complex systems, something that is very difficult to make happen, therefore it is very difficult to learn and use. OPM uses simple rules and consistant notations to model complex systems. After simple introductions to the methology, we have been able to start using it in our organization. More powerful and far simpler then UML. The way UML should have been done long time ago.

There is an eternal debate between system designers
and architects of software, products and large systems:
Is it ever possible to show structure (the arrangement
of objects) and system behavior (over time) in the same
representation? Dov Dori's book shows convincingly that it can
be done. Particularly powerful is the duality between
graphical system representation and natural language.
Also, the CD-ROM with OPCAT software allows one to follow
the examples in the book and apply OPM directly to a project.
The book is clearly written and will appeal to engineers,
computer scientists and software developers. A refreshing
contrast to the traditional way of looking a object-centered
systems architecting. This begs for more ... in terms of
connecting OPM to other tools such as Design Structure Matrices,
but also for representing highly complex systems over >2 levels
of decomposition.

Since I have taken Final Cut Pro, I have found Premiere Pro to be more than a little intuitive. Every few months Premiere seems to update itself and I wanted to be able to keep up correctly and this book has done it. Unfortunately, I have not had the chance to look at the included DVD. If the included DVD is anything like the easy to read, great pictures and the researchability of this book's contents, we all will be Premiere Pro 1.5 experts very soon.
I have enjoyed reading the book and implementing the procedures. If you want to learn Premiere Pro 1.5 from scratch on a professional level, this is your book to use to get you up to speed.

This is the best basic training book I have ever used. Schell and his editors have done an excellent job of providing the reader/user with precise hands on training. If you have Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5 and install the included lesson examples, you are in for a immersive fascinating and at times funny learning experience.

I knew absolutely nothing about Premiere Pro, and within hours I was on my way to creating video. The lessons are very easy to follow in step-by-step format with illustrations. The book also contains sidebars that go into greater depth on the information presented. I totally recommend this book as a first course in editing with Premiere Pro 1.5.

I needed a way to cut together my commercial demo reel, but I didn't have the cash to drop at an editorial shop. So, I picked up Premiere Pro and this book. Within two weeks I'm well equipped to cut together my own reels for years to come.

The book is extremely well written and has a nice conversational tone throughout. The exercises were easy to understand, but are good building blocks for more complex projects.

I generally hate "teach yourself" books, but this one was a rare exception. I can't recommend it enough!

This is my second Hands on Training Book. The first one was very good but this is the best and is the one I was waiting for (This is my first experience with Premiere Pro). It is the ideal self teaching program for learning Premiere Pro 1.5 especially if you have not given the first steps in using the program. After reading the first four clear and easy chapters I could make my first video program. The readings are light and clear and when I start reading a new chapter, it's really difficult to stop reading, especially because you are fascinated with the exercises you are completing with excellent results.

Before ordering this book I ordered "Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5 Studio Techniques" which is an excellent Reference Book, but not the most indicated book for a newbie self paced training program. If you have both books I think you will have the best of both worlds.

Wow, this book is a terrific combination of writing academics, insight and personal agony experienced by a one time actor attorney, producer, writer and current UCLA professor. The dark text at the end of each lecture "from the trenches" imparts Ron's actual experiences with some very famous people and movies. It is priceless and makes this book a fascinating read. The last chapter recounts the "Real Rocky" story, and this alone makes the book worth the money. Ron keeps it interesting and by the end of the book you feel as if you've been through the mill with him.

Frank Nuciforo
Cambria, Ca

Suppa is giving out a lot of information in this book. It's like several books rolled into one. All the information is good except for the introduction/preface by Lew Hunter. Hunter must have been all wired up on some new drug, because his delivery is disjointed and unorganized.

There are a few minor issues such as Suppa referring to Steve McQueen's movie "Bullitt" as "Bullet." Come on, Ron.

Ron Suppa is a successful film producer and instructor: he's taught fine courses in the UK on the topic of screenwriting and here offers in book form the contents of his course, which packs tips with personal experiences and polish. REAL SCREENWRITING: STRATEGIES AND STORIES FORM THE TRENCHES covers everything from movie dialogue and spec teleplay plots to understanding the importance of the entertainment lawyer. Any screenwriter - even those already successful - needs REAL SCREENWRITING to hone and perfect skills.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

If you are serious about fulfilling your dream to become a screenwriter and cannot attend Ron Suppa's classes at UCLA, it is compulsory you buy this book. It offers a rare blend of instructional criteria directly applicable to your work, with philosophical wisdom from Aristotle to David Mamet. Wondering how to define your characters or exacerbate your conflict? Accomplish that goal using his point by point "Strategies", or the plethora of easily relatable examples he gives from a treasure trove of cinematic masterpieces. Along the way you will be both entertained and impressed by his "From the Trenches" segments, priceless personal experience from a bona fide raconteur.

As a film producer, commissioned/produced writer with BBC & Granada and with a current 12MIL project underway, I can only emphasise that reading Ron Suppa's latest book was like a magnesium flash of finally understanding what real screenwriting requires.

It's not just an enjoyable read but 'from the trenches' is I think - and I've pretty much read them all - the quintessential reference book for aspirant or crestfallen screenwriters - it is a remarkable compendium of searing truth, sage pearls and machine tools.

Anyway - as one writer who's pissed blood over honed drafts, to another - great f***ing book!