Education Books

I am a big fan of the Anansi tales, and the spider's adventures are delightful as well as thought-provoking. For edutainment (educational entertainment) and discussion, I include them in my high school / college level introduction to mythology / humanities survey courses. All ages can enjoy a clever trickster hero who possesses many human qualities, the good and bad--who makes us think about our own deeds and behavior.

In Anansi The Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti, Gerald McDermott retells an Anansi story with warmth, cultural sensitivity, and bright, attention-seizing illustrations. Among the children's books about Anansi, McDermott's efforts stand in a unique place because the text is used sparingly and with great effect, conveying important events only and not burying key ideas in lavish descriptions or dialogues. In this book, the elaborate, geometric illustrations paint the "descriptions" that the text omits.

Features that I like...

The map in the opening that shows the continent of Africa and the country of Ghana. (I'm always happy to see a bit of geography dropped into stories, especially those designed for children.)

The Prologue, which describes the importance of folklore, mythology, and legends. I especially appreciate this statement: "Folklore prepares man for adult life. It places him within his culture."

Rather than beginning the story with the familiar "Once upon a time...," the author uses "Time was..." which is cool! :)

Each of the spider sons in the story is unique in design, appearance, and talent, which makes him easy (and fun) to identify as the tale unfolds. The six sons are See Trouble, Road Builder, River Drinker, Game Skinner, Stone Thrower, and Cushions.

The character of Anansi is rendered with an expressive personality and face while his sons' faces are not shown--just their designs, bodies, and talents. Anansi's face changes emotions based on his experiences, and this would be an excellent teaching element for very young children upon hearing / seeing the story.

Themes & Talking Points the book offers:

Counting, colors, shapes, animals, teamwork, family, intro to Africa [Very Young Children]

Reading; Cause & Effect; Critical Thinking & Response; African Culture. How does Anansi get into and out of trouble? // Each spider is an individual with a specific skill or trait; each spider has a place in the family. What does this suggest about the culture of the Ashanti? // The rescue of Anansi is really a team effort by the sons, but who should get the reward? Does the ending solve this problem? [For children 5-12]

Reading & Design; Symbolism; Critical Analysis; Author Intent; Culture. Why did the author / illustrator choose not to show the faces of the six sons in the story? How does this choice affect the story? How does Anansi's face tell his story? What is the relationship between a son's name and his unique design? In what instances is Anansi's face NOT shown and why? What lessons are taught in this tale? What universal themes are present? Does this book deserve its "honor" designation? [For tweens through college students]

Anansi and his sons are popular guys in our home. My son and daughter (nearly 4 and 6) just adore them, and I enjoy the fact that this book demonstrates how well cooperation works. Not to mention that we get to discuss the story, Ghana, and how people are both like us *and* are different from us.

In this story Anansi heads out for a walk only to be besieged by problems, first from a hungry fish, and then from a falcon. He would have been lunch were it not for his caring sons who fortunately have super-arachnid abilities.

Four Stars. Good Read-aloud. Good story with a moral. My daughter even decided to practice reading this fun and exciting story.

Anansi is one cool African trickster, and he does it again in this book! When he tries to determine which of his six sons to reward for saving his life, he becomes responsible for putting the moon in the sky.

My 18 month old son loves the artwork in this book. There is a lot to talk about on each page. For the first time it seems that my son is following the story and not just dealing with one page at a time. He waits eagerly for the page when Anansi is swallowed by a fish (don't worry it is not violent in any way!) Since there are 6 spider sons there are lots of opportunities for counting. My 18 month old can now count to 6.

The Anansi stories have been handed down through generations of Ashanti culture. This book is a wonderful, vibrant and vivid story for children of all ages. Born in Ghana I left at aged 3, leaving much of the Ghanaian culture behind. At aged 30 I can still remember a song about Anansi the spider, the only remnants left of my native tongue. I was given the Anansi book as a child, it captivated me, I read it over and over again, and it provided a connection to my past. At 16, I spent hours crafting a cushion embroidered an illustration from the book that was a childhood favorite. Sadly, the book was lost and I never thought I could get it again. Now, some 14 years since I last saw the book I can still visualize the pictures and hear the wonderful tale of Anansi the spider, his sons and the moon. I have just bought two copies, one for my niece and one for my two year old daughter. I absolutely cannot wait to read them again and again and pass this memorable story to a new generation.

Bought it for a college course because I had to. Fell in love with it because it's well written, well thought out and full of more information than I thought I could possibly learn about films. The beautiful color photos contained within also help to keep one's interest.

Yes it's pricey, but it's also worth it!!

This book provides insight into the many aspects of movies. It focuses on the details that you don't consciously think about when viewing movies. Any beginning film student (or anyone interested in getting more out of the movie watching experience) will find this book very helpful. I also enjoyed the references to movies young and old.

This textbook was purchased to fulfill a required "humanaties" course, while attending college. It's informative, easy to read, and guides you into becoming a "trained observer" in the art of watching films. As part of the curriculum I was instructed to watch several films selected by my professor. Some of the assigned films I would have never viewed by choice, including classics. However, this textbook has definitely given me a whole new perspective when attending a movie theater or at home watching a DVD. I've also acquired a deeper appreciation and understanding for all the hard work that goes into film making. Buy it for school or as a guide to help you enjoy your next movie experience.

product was exactly how seller describe. the book gives great insight to understanding all the components and theatrical elements of a film. Every element in a film is purposely selected in order to catch the audience attention and emotions. Highly recommend this book.

Used this book in an intro to film class. I will keep it on the shelf as a reference book. For class it has smooth reading that is cohesive, didn't seem like it has filler information in it. It was fun to read. The context was very helpful in class for lectures, and movie analyzation. Goes over key aspects of film as well as very detailed examples of what to look for, how to see it.

This book was one of those ones that you just don't put down because you are so eager to see what happens next. I hate getting taken advantage of by retail sellers and service providers, so this book helped me understand their MOs and figure out how to get help from them to get satisfaction. Can't go wrong here - I'm loading up for Christmas presents.

I enjoyed this book so much. Barbara has a great sense of humor and you can't put the book down. What will she do next! It's helped me in many situations with businesses and made asking painless.

Do you feel cheated when it comes to customer service? If you do, then you might enjoy this book about getting complete satisfaction when dealing with business. Whether it's a replacement for a defective product; a complimentary product or service; or a complete refund, this guide explains what to do for maximum customer benefit.

The majority of businesses are ethical and provide good products and services, but there is always going to be the occasional exception. When things don't go the way they should, you need to take prompt action to get the situation remedied. This book emphasizes the importance of ASKING for what is due to you, as a customer. Businesses want customers to be happy, but they are not going to come to you when things don't work out. You must take the initiative and explain your dissatisfaction to the business. You will never get anywhere if you don't begin by asking.

Besides the emphasis on asking, this book is loaded with examples of customer service mishaps, defective product encounters, and sloppy service experiences. In each instance, the book explains what was done to correct the problem and what results were achieved. In most every case, the business agreed to correct the problem in some way- either by replacing the product, offering a discount on a future visit, or giving a full refund.

Most of what you read in this book is common sense and unless you don't have any skill dealing with people and customer service reps specifically, you will likely find only a small amount of value in this book. I found it to be ok, but nothing special since I already have gotten into the habit of speaking up with things go wrong.

This book is a good motivational tool, if nothing else. The first step to achieving customer satisfaction is to ask for it. If you don't do this, you will never get what you want. And this book does a good job in the way it emphasizes the importance of asking. Don't settle for bad products or services. If you don't like what you got, ask the company to make it better. You'll be surprised how quickly they respond.

This book gave me some fun, useful tips on how to assert myself as a consumer in an often treacherous marketplace. It helped me to realize that I have rights as a consumer to get what I am paying for. The author also emphasizes that businesses like to please customers, and will often go to great lengths to do so. I will no longer feel uncomfortable about asking for the best price or best interest rate or best whatever. This book gave me the tools to feel confident and to deal with businesses nicely so that both me and the salesperson walk away feeling good (and I save money!). This book will be on my Christmas gift-giving list. I know my mom will love it.

This book leaves nothing unchallenged. Barbara does NOT take No for an answer. She probes and questions till businesses are worn down and give her what she wants. She's not intimidated by their usual tactics -- "It's not company policy," "No one has ever asked before--" yadda, yadda. She's daring and audacious and shows us how we can ask too, without changing or going through a special program. Just by reading the book, you get empowered and start Asking, not being cowed and intimidated. The bullets on the cover don't do the book justice. It's a lot more than getting deals, but an empowerment and a way to not feel helpless in the marketplace. Plus, the book is such fun and easy to read.

This low tech piece of equipment is one of the greatest things available for strength training and physical therapy...and so versatile.

This book was extremely helpful. I learned many new exercises to help strenghten my core. I recommended it to anybody looking for a new challenge to their workouts.

Awesome workout, very easy to customize the programs so that they are `sport- specific'. My diving went really well this year - my vastly improved core was a big aspect of my success. I didn't mind at all the more ripped abs I've got too;).

About two years ago my `spine popper' (chiropractor) taught me some new exercises for my back then got me to buy another book by this author to keep me doing them properly. This past winter I decided to try tri-athlon. I wanted to get stronger but not real bulky. I thought I'd try this new book because you could decide if you wanted to use weights with the exercises or not.

I like the progressions, photos and instructions and yes - some of the harder exercises are REALLY hard! I showed it to my training group and some of the others wanted it too. We're all fans of this core stuff now - we really seem to notice the biggest gains in the swim. I can go harder for longer distances thanks to an incredibly strong midsection. And I agree with AM from La Crosse - the six pack is pretty sweet.

I don't often rave about stuff but this book is pretty cool. I had the opportunity to go to the Athens games last year (rowing). I saw athletes from everywhere dong all this crazy ball and buozu (?) training. When I got home I went looking for a book that had that kind of focus. This is the book I picked and its been amazing about the increase in power I get now. We're just back on the water and I've never felt stronger at the start of the season. If you want a cutting edge source of core training, I'd say this is the book to get.

When it comes to success in school, children cannot do it alone; they need the assistance of their parents. This book consists of many ways that parents can help their child thrive in school. It covers students from pre-school to high school. Areas like study skills, homework, math, reading and writing are covered.

Read aloud to your child. Find books that explore your child's interests. Buy your child an age-appropriate magazine subscription. Check out your local library. Challenge your child with mental math problems. Help your child develop common sense. Establish a homework routine. Require that your child keep a homework assignment book, and check it nightly. Don't neglect your child's need for help because you feel she should be able to do it alone. Teach your child to think. Help your child investigate projects for extra credit. Honor your child's opinions. Join the PTA and attend meetings regularly. Keep lines of communications open with your children's teacher. Allow enough time in the mornings. Know your child's friends. Kiss or hug your child each morning.

This is an excellent book. Even if the parent can do only a couple of things mentioned here, that can only help the child. For any parent of a school-age child, this is very much recommended.

After many years of working with children of all ages in school settings, I commend the author on making the "secrets" of school success so doable. This easily readable book should be a must for parents at the beginning of the school year. It holds many practical applications to help a child be a successful student. If parents were to follow only a portion of the suggested "tips", their children's 180 days in school each year would go much smoother.

This little book is a real gem for parents. I have used it as a gift for parents of children just entering school. It speaks to the issue of learning and assisting your child. It is written for parents, not for professionals and it allies the fears of many parents who try to help their children. The personal anecdotes help parents to identify.

This wonderful little book is filled with practical ideas that you will be anxious to try out with your child. Designed to help your child succeed in school there are tips for helping them feel good about themselves and their unique abilities. There are ideas that let them learn as they play and suggestions for working through problem areas. If your child needs some work or study tips there are some truly great pearls of wisdom here. The book is very reader-friendly with short, easy to read and understand ideas, which parents really appreciated.

Beyond the Bus Stop: 180 Ways to Help Your Child Succeed in School has been selected to receive The National Parenting Center's Seal of Approval.

Before anyone sends their son or daughter off to school, they should read this book. Reading Weyhmuller's book gave me a more confident attitude about being the parent of a school child. There were specific steps that I could easily do to make my child's experience in school a more positive one. Most parents want to do the right thing about helping their kids with school. Weyhmuller's book provided a wealth of advice on how to be such a parent. It was the best book that I had bought in years.

I thougnt the book was very good, Very glad I bought the book..

I had been looking for a resource to add to our homeschool curriculum that would follow the liturgical year. We have enjoyed many of the simple enriching activities while learning more about saints/important people and our faith.

I bought this book because I like it when our family has some sort of Catholic faith item to discuss at dinner. We were using 365 days of Saints and talking about the saint for that day, but this book is so well organized that I can look up new facts and traditions to bring to our life. I have two older children and two babies, so this book is great for all. I'm just a mom, so probably won't do the little book projects etc, but glad to have them for a reference. I like the organization by season and liturgical year and that there is something for every month.

I love this book. It is very helpful in teaching my child about the Faith, Traditions, and Sacraments of the Catholic Church. The book also is divided into great sections based on the Saints, Sacraments, Feast Days and Holy Days. They also break the book down into months of the year to develope awareness of the events and signifigance of each month. The reading materials and activities are great!

This was a great book and it gave me a great "plan" to follow in educating my children about the catholic faith and it also provided great ideas on family projects that we could do to celebrate and understand the deeper meaning of many catholic customs and traditions.

Lots of ideas for putting kids names on the board. Kids seem to enjoy seeing their name "up in lights" and this book has great ideas for that.

Now and then, you have to invest in a book that pays big dividends in time and creative energy for you, as a teacher.
Karen Robbins has given us just such a book -- generously sharing nearly a hundred pages of bulletin board ideas for all the months of the year, including summer! We know that learning takes place best when we get children involved with all their senses -- what I especially like about this book is the "cooperative" in the title, because from now on bulletin boards will not be a teacher chore, but a child's delight! Thank You for this guide for those of us who are less artistically inclined!

A book obviously written by a teacher. Ideas are clear for students to understand and assemble. One page directions with materials easy to find and prepare. Workable plans for huge displays that engage all students. Projects celebrate creativity at all abilities and provide students with art lessons that enhance seasonal themes. Extremely useful for the classroom teacher with artistic limits, that wants to introduce students to a variety of art media.

I LOVE this book! I used it all last year and my colleagues were always exclaiming over our finished projects. The ideas matched a lot of my theme units. And each page comes with a great illustration for those of us who are visual learners. The best part is that the teacher has a very small role in the making of classroom displays (other than pinning student's creations to the wall). The students have complete artistic control!

As an elementary teacher, I believed that bulletin boards should be made by my students and not me! I wrote Big Bulletin Boards with this concept in mind. Most of the boards within my book have been successfully constructed by students. Children will be introduced to 23 different forms of art mediums; while developing creativity and building self esteem. The boards are quick, easy, fun and creative for both boys and girls. What a wonderful way to teach cooperative learning! Big Bulletin Boards: A Cooperative Approach was previously published by Prentice-Hall, Inc. selling over 16,000 copies. I revised the book and released the Second Edition in 2001 under Hide and Seek Press. I hope you have fun making BIG bulletin boards with your students! I sure did and they became the "talk of the school."! *Note: This is a great book especially for beginning teachers, preschool/elementary teachers or librarians.

"Blue Ice" is not only a story about "Michigan Hockey" its a story about how college hockey has evolved to become a mainstream player development system for the National Hockey League, evidence the vast number of former NCAA Division l College Hockey players currently on NHL rosters. Neither is "Blue Ice" a book of hockey statistics; rather its pages uniquely reveal the metamorphosis of NCAA College Hockey, from its cocoon, to the exciting on-ice beautiful spectacle it has become."

An easy read, that's about much more then just the game of hockey. This book delves into the tradition and character of Michigan and it's hockey program. Blue Ice is a must read for anyone interested in Michigan athletics, is familiar with the Ann Arbor hockey community, or just loves the game of hockey.

Blue ice is an impressive book that will be enjoyed by anyone interested in collegiate-level athletics, particularly ice hockey. Bacon is a gifted writer with the ability to interweave historical facts and objective (always informative and often funny) stories that keep the reader entertained. It is a great buy for folks that love factually based stories.

A must-read for hockey lovers! Whether you like Michigan Hockey or any other team, this book is for you. Bacon makes this history story of the Wolverine skaters extremely fun and joyous reading. If you are a Michigan fan, you'd enjoy reading all the details and stories; if you (so wrongly) chose another team to cheer -- you'll become curious as to its own history.
I especially loved the parts of the book (which I consider as "Hockey chanting for Idiots") detailing the rich content and background behind some of what you hear in Yost Ice arena. After reading it, watching the games was so much more fun!

The idea is simple. Write an engaging story recounting the coming of age of a first class collegiate hockey program and spice it with behind the scene details, locker room interviews and humorous anecdotes. The execution is outstanding. Blue Ice takes the reader on a very enjoyable trip looking at the beginnings of college hockey at the University of Michigan, from playing outdoors on the frozen Huron River, to the recent trips that Wolverine skaters have made to the Frozen Four championships. The bonus for readers is getting a sports version of "Connections," with the athletic stories enveloped and intertwined in the history of the time, showing how seemingly unrelated events can influence each other. Easy and entertaining to read, delightful to give as a gift, when it was over, we wanted a sequel.

I was never interested in reading books about slavery. But not this one. I liked it.

This book is a life of experience through a boy sold into slavery. Experience the Middle Passage, know what it is like, learn how slaves are sold, how cruel owners treat these what-they-once-called "animals." Walk with him. Run with him. And learn how a great writer put the events into words.

The historic-fiction The Captive written by Joyse Hansen is a phenomena and an anecdote to a third world country, indeed, it is a flashback into how slavery was performed and portrayed in Africa in the midst of the 1780's at the Ashanti kingdom located in West Africa. This book takes place in Africa then travels along the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas; however, it is about a young prince by the name of Kofi Kwame Paul member of the royal Ashanti family that was an inheritant of his fathers throne as a major chief in his tibe and all of a sudden he is captured in the hands of deceitfulness, vast lies, and adversity caused by their former slave Oppong. This becomes the moment when his life is transformed thoroughly from a prince to an enduring slave, and he feels like he has totally lost dignity as an inheritant of the throne, and has been stolen his integrity as an human being.

He penetrated a new world which he recognized it wasn't his home and all of a sudden he realized that his future was absolutely shattered. He was betrayed by his slave Oppong, who he thought highly of and unfortunately he killed his father the great chief and also his brother. He was taken away from his family; yet, his family had no prior knowledge of where he was. As a result, he was abducted by a slave trader; therefore, Kofi tries to come up with a strategic plan for escape. Later, he is shifted to the Americas to a farmer and learns English. In short, all he has to survive is his flute and his English speaking skill. The diverse settings of this book are the ones that give the reader momentum into continuing reading it. For the fact that is fulfilled of so many turning points that leaves you wanting to read more...
-Maria

In the book The Captive, the plot line takes many twists and turns that can be sad, or can be full of action. It takes its first twist when Kofi Kwame Paul, the main character, witnesses his father and brother get shot by their betraying servant, Oppong. This event causes Kofi and his other brother, Kwesi, to be left with a slave trader. The slave trader allowed Kofi to prove his brother and himself a part of the royal Ashanti family. On this mission Kofi finds himself escaping from a trading post he went to to get his flute back. He was caught and sent on a ship to Salem, MA with African slaves. When he arrived there it was to his misfortune that he had become a slave to a farmer. After working there he ran away to Boston, MA with the other slaves to have freedom. Although the twists and turns seem to lead somewhere different, it all ends up in one place.

Captive is a great book that is definetly worth reading. The author puts a visual in your head that makes you feel as if you are actualy there whitnessing the story.the story is about an African American Kofi who gets taken out of his home and is shiped to an owner to be his slave. his only possesions are the clothes on his back and a flute. On the ship the author describes his frusteration and confusion wtih not being able to talk to any one.He meets two other boys and they get sold to a master. his master beats him and tourchers him.The masters wife however teaches him to speak to learn and to write English. Then him and his two friends dreanm of being free again and plan to ecscape. Will Kofi and his friends ecscape?Will Will kofis dream of being free someday come true?
I enjoyed reading this book and I hope you will too.It has all the things that I like in a book action suspence and emotion. so if you are looking for that kind of book this would be a good one.

Captive is a great book that is definetly worth reading. The author puts a visual in your head that makes you feel as if you are actualy there whitnessing the story.the story is about an African American Kofi who gets taken out of his home and is shiped to an owner to be his slave. his only possesions are the clothes on his back and a flute. On the ship the author describes his frusteration and confusion wtih not being able to talk to any one.He meets two other boys and they get sold to a master. his master beats him and tourchers him.The masters wife however teaches him to speak to learn and to write English. Then him and his two friends dreanm of being free again and plan to ecscape. Will Kofi and his friends ecscape?Will Will kofis dream of being free someday come true?
I enjoyed reading this book and I hope you will too.It has all the things that I like in a book action suspence and emotion. so if you are looking for that kind of book this would be a good one.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story - a parable explaining the concept of Intelligent Design for those not inclined to immerse themselves in the theory. I recognized all the common arguments against intelligent design which were skillfully woven into the parable and properly explained, for those who want more, at the end of the book.I used the parable to better illustrate the concept to my children and it really drove the point home in an easily understandable manner.
It's a good story, easy to read and a worthwhile asset for your library. I'm going to get all my teenagers to read it since it's pretty difficult to run much theory past them.Even though they understand the basics of the argument, I need them to know more so that they can better explain it to their friends and even their indoctrinated teachers.This is an excellent way to get the job done -I thoroughly recommend this to all those interested in ID and especially for those that have family members or friends that are difficult to engage on the topic!

I found this book to present a unique perspective on evolution and intelligent design. Unlike most books that are heavily into theoretical arguments, the Cave Painting illustrates the debate with an allegory -- highlighting presuppositions and logical flaws. If you prefer more detailed and scientific reasoning, the second HALF of the book is a thorough set of endnotes including copious quotes and references to support the arguments presented in the text. Highly recommended.

This book does all things well. It entertains and explains at the same time. It is not only a masterful introduction to the subject, but a concise yet comprehensive summary of the matter as well. Buy more than one so you can share it with others - somebody you know needs this book. And the conversations that ensue will more than make up for the investment.

The Cave Painting is a critically important book that covers one of the most heated controversies in the western world today. In short, the contents of the book are summarized in the introduction: "We are the product of intelligent design or we are not the product of intelligent design. One of these claims must be true and truth is not changed by your theory or mine." For this reason it behooves us to carefully look into the facts. The author, an accomplished corporate attorney, in 526 pages carefully documents his case. Many Neo-Darwinists may not agree, but they need to at least carefully review the evidence which has convienced millions of Americans and many scientists that life, which as Richard Dawkins documents, appears to be designed, actually is designed. Page 229 to page 526 carefully documents the author's case with 691 footnotes. Is design an illusion, as argued by Richard Dawkins, or is design real, as most Americans have concluded. Bullock covers many of the arguments against Intelligent Design, showing why and how they fail. One example, which I can relate to because of my career research involvement, is the claim by Richard Dawkins that half of an eye is better than no eye (page 262). The enormous amount of research on sight has shown why this argument is fallacious. Half an eye is in no way equal to half as effective vision as a whole eye, but rather no vision. As Duke-Elder documented in his 24 volume classic work, the eye is clearly irreducibly complex. Work on disease conditions and knock out genes has repeatedly confirmed this. One still has vision in spite of certain conditions, such as near-sightedness or far-slightness or astigmatism, but these conditions result from slight eyeball variations and are not comparable to half an eye or even one-twentieth of an eye as Neo-Darwinists try to argue. Even very minor variations, such as in tear production levels, can render vision difficult or largely impossible. These examples in no way show how the eye could evolve from a cell. Some argue "don't evolutionists have a neat progression from an eyespot to a lensless eye to a human eye, proving the eye can evolve by slow gradual changes from non-differentiated cells?" Sounds logical. My response is "read the book."

The Cave Painting presents, in an exciting prose, the crux of the "Intelligent Design" debate. By demonstrating the concept of "design inference" in an actual novel, Mr. Bullock clears the air for all future discussion.

Everything in the universe has the scientific right to be studied -- and it also has the right to have this question asked of it:

"Is it naturally occuring, or is it designed?"

In contemporary culture, this question is asked of many issues: forensics, archeology, SETI, and any venture where one must decide whether something is "deliberate" or "accidental". Mr. Bullock demands that this question also be allowed to be asked of biology, DNA, or life in general.

A great book, great appendices, and long over-due!