Education Books

Some times faces are not deceptive. The face, they say, is the index of heart; and so is the book in hand. No kidding about this fact.

Was wondering why don't such creative visualization minds write a similar book for adults (i.,e other than children and parents).

Nevertheless, 7 Strategies is a value-added resource for the concerned group. I envy the readers of this book. This book directly works as a guide on the three R's: Responsible, Repectful and Resourceful.

For some strange reasons, I am always attracted by books with the magical number `7' (seven) in the titles or sub-titles. Remarkably, they often turn out to be great stuff. Some of these books have already been reviewed here & there are more to come. Partly, my obsession with the number has probably to do with my impressionable exposure since I was a kid.

When I was twelve in the early 60's, my first `blood-thirsty' movie was the Japanese cult classic, The Seven Samurais, which reportedly inspired the Hollywood epic, The Magnificent Seven. Both movies became my perennial favourites & I have seen them countless times. In both movies, a ragtag group of fearless fighters helped a poor village to deal with & outsmart a gang of marauding rogues.

In this book, the magical `7' (seven) takes on a more serious & sober stance. It refers to the critical attributes that are embodied in the seven resources & skills necessary for your kids/teens to become capable - responsible, respectful, & resourceful - in dealing with today's complex world.

Firstly, let me reveal the author's Significant Seven resources & skills of capable students:

- strong perceptions of personal capabilities;
- strong perceptions of personal significance;
- strong perceptions of personal influence;
- strong interpersonal skills;
- strong intrapersonal skills;
- strong systemic skills;
- strong judgment skills;

I have always hold the view that understanding perception is the key to peak performance.

Maxwell Maltz started the ball rolling by coining the term as `psycho-cybernetics', even though ancient masters in the East have known about it for a very long time. Edward de Bono, the guru of lateral thinking, calls it 'First Order Thinking'. Steven Covey relates some insightful anecdotes about perception in his `7 Habits for Highly Effective People.' Joel Arthur Barker, a process futurist/consultant, considers perceptual understanding as one of five strategic tools necessary for navigating your future. Other consultants, like Mark Brown, Philip Kirby, to name a few, have talked at length about the intricacies of perception & their impact on personal as well as business (or organizational) performance. In the field of stress management, the research people at Institute of HeartMath, creator of the cutting-edge Freeze-Framer Technology, have linked `stress' to `perception'. Even in the world of esoteric practices, Harry Palmer, creator of the expensive Avatar training program, thinks along the same lines, as far as reality creation is concerned.

Henceforth, it is exciting for me to note that these two authors have drawn an excellent & compelling parallel in the academic arena.

I fully concur with the authors that, in the case of our children, strong perceptions of one's personal capabilities, personal significance & personal influence are the precursors to building one's strong assets in dealing with a world that is hurtling at us with breakneck speed, & compounded by hurricane-force changes.

Surprisingly, the book, written by two educators by profession, is presented in very clear, easy-to-understand language.

I highly recommend this book to all parents & teachers. This book can help you develop the resources & skills for your children/students to become capable adults.

I would go further to recommend parents & teachers to take a look at the following books, as supplementary reading:

1. What Kids Need to Succeed: Proven, Practical Ways to Raise Good Kids, by Peter Benson;
2. What Young Children Need to Succeed: Working Together to Build Assets from Birth to Age 11, by Jolene Roehlkapartain;
3. What Teens Need to Succeed: Proven Ways to Shape Your Own Future, by Peter Benson;

This book helps you focus on the long term outcome. It answers the question "What do you really want for your children 20 years from now?" And leads you to everyday practices that you can implement to get to that point. Good, poignant stories that help you see with your heart as well as your head. Practical proactive advice that will help you to parent in a way that feels good to you and to your child. For those parents who are looking for an alternative to the shame and blame route.
I highly recommend it!

Just when you thought you knew everything about teaching; along comes another book claiming to do it better.

Well, this little book packs a punch so powerful that you might well be forced to re-evaluate your thinking and un-learn some ineffective habits and replace them with some of the recommendations offered by H. Stephen Glenn and Michael L. Brock.

Even if you have been teaching for some time, these ideas are fresh and simple enough to begin applying during your next lesson.

Even though the advice is geared towards the parent, it can and should be thoroughly studied by teachers of all levels from Primary to University. An awareness of the comparative stages of mental ability and emotional development will enable the teacher to identify and adapt the appropriate approach needed.

The book is not long on theory, it cuts straight to the heart of the matters discussed with practical and concrete recommendations.

For example, a anxious and impatient parent at a Parent-Teacher Orientation meeting, wanting to know the single most effective thing they can do to promote their child's lifelong success in education, is promptly told:

"Sit down to dinner with the television off every evening for 30-45 minutes".

So, at least for me, its "Back to the Drawing Board"; time to clean the mental attic again on the road to becoming a better teacher.

Thank you, H. Stephen Glenn and Michael L. Brock for sharing your ideas.

Does your child's notebook explode upon opening? Does your child do homework every night after supper and yet bring home dozens of missing assignment reports from school? Does your child come home with the book but no idea what the assignment is? Or perhaps with the assignment and not the book? Does your child frequently have no idea what the words of an assignment actually mean? Does your child weep over the tedium of homework assignments whose worth they cannot comprehend? Does your child go off to school in the morning moderately happy but come home looking beaten down by life? Are you looking for help for such a child? If so, don't look for the answers in this book. There is not a whisper of how to help the organizationally-impaired student. (P.S., If anybody knows of such a book, or can write such a book, please let the world know.)

Our family and circle of friends have a wide variety of kids' ages, from two years old to fourteen. This book contains many activities that can be split up among age/capabilities of the kids involved, making it both useful and fun for everyone. Even older kids outside of the recommended play activities can participate by helping get things ready for the younger kids.
There's very little that can't be set up during the course of an average toddler's nap time, another plus. Highly recommended for anyone who needs to wrangle a diverse age/capability group on a weekend afternoon.

I wish I would have known about this book earlier. We could have been having this much fun sooner! My son is turning 3 and it is perfect for him. The layout of the book is great. It lists the supplies you need, details variations you might opt for, and lists resources.

I really like the resources being listed. I plan themed days in advance and I look for the books and/or videos listed in the resources at the local library to help with the theme for that day. For example if it is "airplane day" I look up books and videos on airplanes at the library so we can learn about them before we dive into the other activities.

At first I thought "wow this book has so many themed day I will never have time to do everything listed". Now I see that some themes really only work planned in advance but others work well at last notice. I mean we all know with toddlers events are unpredictable!!

Great book for anyone with children or those caring for them.

Well organized. Comprehensive. Creative. An excellent resource for teachers, parents, and caregivers. As a mother of girls aged 4 years 9 months and 3 years, I was searching for activities that they both would enjoy and that I could adapt to their different levels of development. This book is a lifesaver! For each theme, the author, Pamela Waterman, provides several Art projects with simple instructions, a few Indoor activities, suggested Musical activities or songs to sing, activities to do Outdoors, Books to check out from the library or buy, Videos to rent or buy, and special snacks to make. All theme related. Most using supplies that are easily found around the home or inexpensive to purchase. There is even a section called Hints for Your Own Situation that includes tips for older children. You can follow the themes from A to Z, or skip around to various favorites as I do. With 52 Weeks of Themes, here are a few:
Astronomy
Bugs
Circus
Detectives
Firefighting
Hair
Musical Instruments
Pirates
Restaurant
Surprises!
Theater
Wheels
Zoo

I was pleased to receive my copy of this book as it provided me with many valuable tips, games and ideas to occupy two very active children and their friends.

The style of the book is easy and comfortable, giving valuable advice in how to constructively occupy growing minds in an appealing manner.

The children, and their friends, have enjoyed many of the activities, so far, and I'm sure will continue to do so.

Thanks to Ms Waterman for this invaluable resource.

Absolute Best Play Days, by Pamela Waterman, is an extremely valuable resource for planning themed activities for children. This is a book that we librarians will use to get ideas for our 2-to-6-year-old story times. We like to structure our story times around various themes and the ideas presented in this book are great--really creative--and also very do-able! That's definitely a plus! Thanks!

It has been said there are three approaches to dealing with mistakes: Dumb people make mistakes and do not learn from their mistakes; smart people learn from their mistakes, and really smart people learn from the mistakes of others.

Dr. Deryl Leaming provides that third approach in a way. This is not to say he made mistakes in his many years as a college administrator, but his excellent book does provide the reader the opportunity to learn from his significant experience.

He has been there, done that, so to speak, when it comes to leadership in heading a program.

His latest work deals with all the key aspects of being a university department chairperson -- legal issues, faculty matters from hiring effective faculty to dealing with faculty problems, and student matters.

Through the tips in his book he provides experience-based advice that can be of significant benefit to the new or even veteran department head.
He has been a university professor, department chairperson, director of a school of journalism and dean of liberal arts. The reader of this second edition of his academic leadership book can learn from his experience to avoid mistakes in leading a department.

He covers a great deal of advice on procedures, including a number of forms that will be useful.

This second edition is a good read and provides practical advice, particularly for the new department chairperson.

REVIEWER: Ralph J. Turner, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Marshall University
lph J. Turner, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Marshall University

This second edition of Academic Leadership: A Practical Guide to Chairing the Department is an extraordinarily comprehensive treatment of ways to address the variety of challenges facing department chairpersons in institutions from all types and sectors of higher education. The author, Deryl Leaming, provides an inviting and accessible style of writing that joins abundant references from relevant authorities with occasional episodes from his personal experience of several decades as chair and dean at some four different institutions. The result is a preeminently practical primer that will give new department chairs a valuable roadmap to success in a notoriously difficult position. It is excellent reading for those contemplating serving as a department chairperson or other academic leader. The volume is so comprehensive that even experienced chairpersons will find the book to provide a helpful review of ways to meet their responsibilities and challenges.

This new volume is almost twice as long as its predecessor, offering an expanded treatment of issues raised in the first edition and reflecting more emphasis upon the complexities of today's financial realities. Major sections deal with common concerns about leadership, handling matters of department vision and management, addressing legal issues, contending with a large variety of faculty and student matters, as well as attending to one's own career. The 30 chapters are compact and quite accessible. All are useful and contain lists of web and print resources. I particularly appreciated the units on sexual harassment and the implications of the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as the one on dealing with chronic low achievers. Some 17 appendices provide helpful examples of different policy guidelines and methods of communication.

Anker Publishing has a large variety of often-expensive volumes for academic leaders. Some overlap and others lack originality or comprehensiveness. By contrast, this is a stand-out value that will set a standard for some time to come.

Dr. Leaming is truely a gifted writer and instructor. He has given more to his students than some are capable of comprehending. The books he has written and his experiences throughout his life make him a special gift to all who read his work or get to know him. He is an extremely precious gift to his students. He goes out of his way to encourage and teach his students. He makes sure his students are preparing for life within their current level,but more importantly,for their future endeavors. A gifted person who only wants to share what he knows in the hopes of helping others.

I wish the dean had given me this book a year ago. It would have made my life much easier. The book is easy to read and has solid ideas on how to be a more effective chairperson.

If only I could get some of the administrators of my university to read the book!

I am not only new to academic leadership, but I am new to this country. Deryl Leaming's book has served as an enlightening guide for me, and has helped me earn the assistance and respect of my faculty. This book is among the best investments I have made in my academic career. Thank you.

I highly recommend this book for National Board Candidates and National Board Support Providers. I have been supporting National Board Candidates for many years and have found the tips highly helpful in creating a strong portfolio entry.
I wished I had this book when I was working on my National Boards.

I got started on my portfolio rather late (I do work best under pressure) and was stunned to pass in my first round (EA Science). This book clearly helped. It is full of powerful guides and lots of tools to use in preparing lessons as well as preparing the entries. I used the NBPTS Workbook by Mack-Kirschner first to get started then used this one while I drafted out my portfolio. I returned to the Workbook as I was refining my entries. Both were important. I did not find the CD particularly useful, as it mostly provided un-editable copies of the forms in the book. I used the first edition, which was published in 2004.
Lorraine Theroux (the real name) contact me through scienceforall.com if you wish

As a Candidate Support Provider, I have found "Accomplished Teaching" to be the most comprehensive and user-friendly book available to National Board Certification candidates. "Accomplished Teaching" takes the NBPTS standards and portfolio instructions and breaks them into meaningful and manageable chunks for teachers. Completing the National Board Certification process is a rigorous process and teachers need a resource like "Accomplished Teaching " to guide them. This book should be required reading for anyone going through the board certification process. In fact, it should be required reading for any teacher interested in improving their teaching practice!

This book provides a wealth of information for a wide variety of individuals interested in National Board certification. It advises candidates on types of support, helps support providers determine what candidates need/want and how to structure programs, and assists mentors in the same ways.
Activities are provided that help candidates focus in on what kinds of information the National Board is requiring, but the main strength is that the authors make it clear that the book is not a substitute for the candidate's own hard work and careful reading of his/her portfolio and National Board requirements, but a very valuable aid.
I have used the activities and suggestions with candidate groups and they were extremely beneficial.

Working through the National Board Certification can be difficult and confusing. This book breaks the process down into manageable steps and keeps candidates on track. There are many helpful worksheets and planning tools to ensure you complete the portfolio in the best and most informative way. Throughout the book there are brief anecdotes about other teachers' practices and struggles, which is an enjoyable way to keep readers' morale up. I highly recommend this book - it's a useful tool for anyone interested in National Board Certification.

I recieved Aeschylus: Agamemnon right on time and it was crisp and new!

First in a trilogy about the return of the Greeks after the Trojan War. Powerful stuff. Such horrors and tragedy as only the Greeks can master. Agamemnon's father killed his brother's children and set their flesh before him to eat, unknowingly. Agamemnon himself killed his own daughter as a sacrifice to the gods for success in the Trojan War, and when he comes home after ten years (which is where the action begins), his wife, Clytemnestra, stabs him to death in a plot with Aegisthus who was the son of the father who ate his children, and in the next part, Orestes, Agamemnon's son will return and kill them both. Please don't think I'm giving away plot here. Plot is not the point, the writing of it is all. To see it staged by first-rate actors must be a real thrill indeed.

It would be good to have two years of college Greek behind you before starting on Denniston and Page's AGAMEMNON, a Greek text with modern commentary. As a single-volume edition for students, this one could not be bettered: everything is explained and difficult passages are translated in the notes -- about three lines a page are difficult enough to require this treatment. And I mean difficult for everyone, the world's greatest Greek scholars included. The difficulties are very thoroughly discussed. Another reviewer here has said Denniston and Page are dogmatic; not at all: they point out where passages are unclear, disagreed about by scholars, or outright lost. Most of the choruses contain passages so distorted scholars have to guess at what was written, and (assuming their guess is right) exactly what the passages mean. Aeschylus writes a little like Shakespeare in MACBETH: very poetically and not always clearly. In spite of all this, passages, sometimes quite long, of powerful poetry leap out of the page. The play has been compared to KING LEAR and called, along with LEAR, one of the two best tragedies of all time. What's more, it makes you feel, even with Denniston and Page's constant help, that you can really understand Greek if you can understand lines from this play.

I always liked Homer and Sophocles, but I still have a preference for Aeschylus. What makes "Agamemnon" such a great story is that not only is it a story in itself, but it is only part 1 of the trilogy. (Part 2 is "Libation Bearers" and Part 3 is "The Eumenides.") Now "Agamemnon" was of course written centuries before Shakespeare's "Troilus and Cressida." Nevertheless, the events of "Agamemnon" take place after Shakespeare's play. If you read that play by Shakespeare, you know that it deals with the last stages of the Trojan War. In Shakespeare's play, Agamemnon is pictured as a reasonable and competent king who is frustrated at the length of the war, is repulsed by the vanity of Achilles, and shows reasonable strength in diplomacy. Onto the material at hand. The chorus is basically a group of older men who can comment on the situations, but they can't really interfere. (Kind of like the narrator in a play.) The chorus tells us that Troy has fallen and Greece is triumphant. We then meet Agamemnon's wife Clytemnestra. She blames Agamemnon for the death of her child Iphigenia. So, she naturally wants to kill Agamemnon. The chorus seems to admit it was strange that the war was fought over the abduction of Helen who was a willing prisoner. Nevertheless, the chorus sides with Agamemnon when he arrives. But an Isaac Asimov proverb seems to explain this nicely: "Such a keen sense of honor is often praised by those who are safe at home." But of course, it is a different story to those who are directly involved. But of course, almost any time romance is involved, the voice and sense of reason take a vacation. Moving on, Agamemnon seems to be a good king in showing his piety in the light of victory. But there is one flaw. He has kidnapped Hector's sister Cassandra. (She was a virgin priestess to Apollo, and that would be the equivalent of kidnapping a nun for the purposes of pleasure.) Cassandra has the gift of prophecy, but because she tried to run with Apollo's gift 'without paying for it' Apollo cursed her in that no one would believe her prophecies. Showing reason, she curses Paris for starting the war with the utterly stupid kidnapping, and she tries to tell that Clytemnestra is plotting against Agamemnon, but of course no one will listen. She also tells of how Orestes will avenge his father and kill Clytemnestra (in Part 2). But back to the main plot. Clytemnestra plays the devil and uses Agamemnon's vanity against him which leads to his destruction. (How disturbing that vanity was the downfall of many men centuries ago and often still is.) In comes Clytemnestra's Aegisthus. He talks of the crimes of Agamemnon's father against his father. What happened was Aegithus's father slept with Agamemnon's father's wife. In revenge, Agamemnon's father tricked Aegithus's father into eating the flesh of his own son. The theme of revenge is further emphasized. It is of course a never ending circle. Though I do find it interesting that Aegithus finds it fit that Agamemnon suffers for the crimes of his father. (YET IT WAS AEGITHUS'S FATHER WHO STARTED IT!) So Aegithus and Clytemnestra can be together now. But of course, we know in Part 2, they will get their comeuppance. Overall, it's a great story that emphasizes the evils and the seeming eternity of revenge.

[Note: This edition is a text in ANCIENT GREEK with notes in English. It has no text in English if you are looking for one. There are many to recommend. The best translation of the Oresteia, of which this work is the first part, is in Tony Harrison's Collected Works; the worst, in my opinion at least, was written by Ted Hughes. All the rest are good.]
This is a superb edition with one caveat. At the moment, educated consensus generally holds that a line of poetry seldom has one meaning. Denniston and Page's text plus commentary of Agamemnon apparently was written before this consensus formed. Denniston and Page are feisty, dogmatic, and insistent that they are right, and are largely reacting to Fraenkel's massive text plus commentary to the same play. They take issue with Fraenkel on a number of points while acknowledging his immense erudition. I have no reservations, however, recommending this edition. It was very useful and well-thought out. I give it a high rating.

This book is the resourceful literature on BGLO's and beyond ever written. It explores ancient significances and practices that, until now, were "secret!" It's a little more pricey than the rest, but DAMN, ITS WORTH EVERY PENNY!!! If im lying, IM DEAD!

Good book for what its worth.

Not necessarily original in its approach nor is the writing spectacular in quality, but a worthy effort. However, the reviews given thus far ring slightly cult-like thus making the subject text be even more like propaganda.

Take for example a text authored by a Liberterian touting the triumphs and general good points of a political administration/era and its policies. Then, display positive reviews from other like-minded indiviguals. Right or wrong they believe in their world view, tactics and 'cultural' norms. No one would accept however that they give an unbiased opinion of the book and its subject matter. It is believed that the reviews presented thus far on this text are in the same vein. Biased and lacking the true objectivity that history/sociology/anthropology/the social sciences demand.

Speaking as a member of Omega Psi Phi (SP88), I know that my group is not perfect and neither are the others. This text presents an overall history that focuses on the positive for the most part without equally addressing what needs to be done to keep these organizations relevant, safe and non-elitist.

Also, the claim that "Africa" has been preserved and perpetuated in the rituals, public accounts, and service projects of BGLOs is a little far fetched. Yes, we can draw similarities to any 'tribal' group's rituals. The same things that are reported to be of African tradition can be found in the traditions of Native American groups in North and South America. Ask any real African (especially a scholar/ professor of African History from any of the various countries of West Africa) about your group's rituals and the possible relationship to "Mother Africa" and they will most likely laugh as these groups have been approximating at best or truly making it up at the worst as they go along post Emancipation Proclamation. But this can be further studied and confirmed at a good University Library or even at a facility like Moorland Spingarn reading room at Howard University.

If you are thinking of joining (pledging is illegal in BGLOs!)

1. Read this book, but make sure you also:

2. Learn and get your intended group's history directly from the National Offices of these great groups. Member's as well.

3. Intake is the law of the land. M.I.P.(Membership Intake Process. 'Skating' is a term of the past. Pledging, hazing and the like are all illegal [Note-I pledged under and above ground and hard. No one has to anymore. Anyone who tells you different is weak and a traitor to the rules/laws and spirit of the BGLO]. Each hazing incident places our organizations in jeopardy as each incident is a potential law suit. So, if hazed:

"Hazing" refers to any activity expected of someone joining a group (or to maintain full status in a group) that humiliates, degrades or risks emotional and/or physical harm, regardless of the person's willingness to participate. Go to stophazing.org for more.

Then sue our groups(they are worth millions ???,$$$,$$$.00) until the lesson is learned and all members and chapters conduct themselves with honor and live up to their potential.

4. Read the following to receive a more objective, perhaps not complete picture of BGLOs:

Black Greek 101: The Culture, Customs, and Challenges of Black Fraternities and Sororities by Walter M. Kimbrough

Black Haze: Violence, Sacrifice, and Manhood in Black Greek-Letter Fraternities (African American Studies) by Ricky L. Jones

Wrongs of Passage: Fraternities, Sororities, Hazing, and Binge Drinking (Library Binding)
by Hank Nuwer

I plan to write a more in depth review at a later date but I must mention immediately how very impressed I was with "African American Fraternities And Sororities: The Legacy And The Vision." This is a hardcover book that I plan to keep in my family for years to come. The authors did great research for the book and it's very detailed. I'm pleased and impressed. One day I will write much more, but being that it's summer I am very busy. I did want to share with the world just how great I think this book is. It's worth every penny and then some.

Dorrie Williams-Wheeler
Webmaster SororitySister. net
Author of Be My Sorority Sister

This is the most extensive work I have ever read on Black Greek-Letter Organizations. There are other works out there, but this book has managed to capture the true essence of us and our significance. The contributors to this book touched on just about every topic imaginable, so to me, anyone from old-school greeks, to new-school ones can relate. The authors do an exceptional job of tracing the origins of BGLOs back to Africa with the customs, rituals, dances, etc. They also do a remarkable job explaining what issues were facing not only BGLO's, but black people in general at the time. There was some information in the book I already knew, but there was so much more that I never knew existed, and seeing it for the first time is indeed a blessing. There was so much knowledge gained from this book from start to finish, for one, because the authors did their research, and because they touched on issues rarely touched. It shows much of an influence BGLOs have and will continue to have in the future.

I found this book mesmerizing as the author quilted together the prideful yet powerful legacy of the black college experience. What a detailed and delicately woven masterpeice! A must read for my daughters as they depart for college.

This book is an in-depth study of the unsearchably rich Christ as typified by the land of Canaan in the Old Testament. Witness Lee shows that the land of Canaan in all its aspects (water, food, minerals) is actually a type of Christ for believers to enjoy and experience practically and subjectively today. Christ is not only typified by all the items that are in the land, but He is typified by the land itself. He is vast, inexhaustible, and unsearchable in all that He is to His believers in their experience of Him. Therefore, He is "the All-inclusive Christ." Eventually, the enjoyment and experience of this All-inclusive Christ by God's people issues in the temple and the city, which typifies the church, the Body of Christ, as His fullness. The opening up of the Old Testament types in such a clear way makes this book rich and enjoyable. The numerous applications of those types to daily Christian life make it delightfully practical.

Christ is revealed in so many ways in the Bible. He is everything to us! He is our life! He is our sustenance! He is our living water! The list is endless. What a wonderful Christ! Read this book. It will change your life.

This book changed my life. After reading this book, I realized that I owed it to myself to read everything Witness Lee has ever written.

This is certainly one of the most worthwhile-to-read books on Christ. Highly recommended.

This book uses the Old Testament figures of the promised good land of Canaan, the tabernacle, the temple, and the city of Jerusalem with corresponding New Testament verses to unveil how rich and multifarious Christ can be in the personal and corporate Christian experience. The history of the children of Israel from their exodus out of Egypt to their entrance into and possession of the good land with the subsequent building of the temple in Jerusalem is shown to be the potential experience of the present-day believer in Christ. By reading this book, the reader will discover that the Old Testament is no longer just a book of seemingly unrelated stories. It is a book that reveals in types, figures, and shadows what is God's purpose and how He accomplishes it through the believers in Christ.

This book has enhanced my apprehension of who Christ is! For example in one portion, I was helped to see that Christ is like a flowing river in me to water, refresh as well as strengthen me and even to flow out of me to water, refresh and strengthen others. Now, I know Christ not just as a historical figure in the past or a wonderful Savior far away in the heavens. He is the Christ flowing inside of me all the time! This realization has helped in my prayer and fellowship with the Lord and with other believers.

The Alphatales Library is a great tool for introducing letters to young children. Each book has extra ideas for parents and/or teachers, a practical page that asks to find items beginning with the letter, and a cheer for each letter as a way to review with energy and enthusiasm.

I teach students with various levels of social and cognitive skills. Alpha Tales stimulate and educate all! Alpha Tales and the suggested lesson guides printed on the back inside cover of each book benefit children of diverse learning styles. C. Hodgins

I bought this set for my preschool/kindergarten class to help them learn their ABC's. These books have short stories filled with fun characters which keep the audience entertained. The large pictures on each page make it easy for students to see them during story time. Even my own 6 year old daughter, who ALREADY knows the alphabet, enjoys reading these books.

If you are trying to teach kids the alphabet this is a fun way. They actually do have a seperate book for each letter. Some alphabet series combine some of the letters at the end, because they are more difficult to write about, but these have actually achieved what so many before have failed at, they make complete stories about even the most difficult letters (for example - X) and it is still fun. It doesn't seem like a stretch. I also love these because they read like any other story, not like something educational. This way it doesn't bore children. My daughter really likes them and she thinks they're funny. I always let her be my critic because she has a very short attention span and gets bored very easily.

I'm an intermediate elementary school teacher...I bought these books for my son, when he was three. He loved them so much that I also bought them on cd. He would fall asleep at night listening to these stories...I think he memorized them at first, but he was really reading by 4. In nursery school, and now in kindergarten, I send in the book which corresponds to whatever letter of the alphabet his class is learning. His teachers love them too. I also bought the handwriting book that goes with the series, but that seems more difficult, or for older children than the books themselves.

This was a great book. My daughter loved it and all her friends have since read it. Very funny. This author has found a new fan in my daughter and her friends.

This humorous story, written like a diary, is about Jamie Kelly, a girl not-so-happily attending Mackerel Middle School. In her diary, she writes about stuff like the perfect girl, the number eight cutest boy, her ugly lump of a dog, and disgusting meatloaf. With Isabella, her weird best friend, she tries to win Hudson, a.k.a. the "Eighth Cutest Boy" from Angeline, the perfect girl. Isabella is known to be pretty gullible sometimes, or even makes up some stuff of her own. One day, Jamie makes a comment about the horrifying meatloaf, and Miss Bruntford, the cafeteria lady hears, and tries it. She then has to leave school for a while, and handsome Mr. Prince substitutes for her. Suddenly, love notes are appearing for Jamie, and she spends days thinking of Mr. Prince writing out his affection... but it is really him?

Do you like dumb books? Dear dumb Diary [Am I the princess or the frog?] is for you. In this book Kelly doesn't want to eat her meat loaf but Mrs. Bruntford said she had to. You will have to read the rest to find out. Recommended for 7 year olds thru 13 year olds.
by; Morgan

Am I the Princess or the Frog is a funny book. It is a girl named Jamie Kelly and her diary. In the book she goes through many obstacles. Her mother is a very bad cook, but she doesn't know it. Jamie Kelly also has a friend named Isabella who tends to be a little mean sometimes. They both go to "Mackerel Middle School". Their enemy is Angeline who is pretty and perfect. Jamie Kelly has a crush on Hudson (the seventh cutest guy in school). In the book she gets notes from a secret admirer. Who could it be? You'll have to read the book to find out. This book is for girls ages eight and up. It is a great book.

This book is really funny, because there are a lot a twists. (A lot of things that you would not think would happen) I have never read a series that is so funny! So if you do get ths book you might want to get book # 1,2 first. This is a great book!

I read "And No More Sorrow" in 2 days which I don't take the time to do often. It was so compelling that I hated to put it down, painful as it was to read about the horrific conditions of the Jews in Holland during WWII. It's been years since I saw "Playing for Keeps" and "Schindler's List, both which haunted me so that I swore it'd be a very long time, if ever, before I would expose myself to read about fellow children of God being treated in such inhuman ways! This is not the only example of man's inhumanity to man. I think of "Life and Death in Shanghai" and "The Rape of Nanking" as other horrific examples. How could humans possibly treat other human beings this way? Thank you so much for sharing your mother's story of survival, Liliane. I pray that it has been a healing experience for both of you. Glenna Lee

I could not put this book down. I have nothing to gain by saying this except that it will make our world a better place.

Easy to read. A time of history that we must not forget. If you are a person who enjoys movies such as "Life Is Beautiful" you will love this book.

I thought I knew something about the Holocaust, but this book has shown me that I really understood very little. In such a personal way it has involved me and taught me so much. A must for every history student and anyone who would like to understand a little bit better.

A sad, moving and enlightening tale of a holocaust survivor, in short an awesomely inspiring story, wonderfully written.
"And No More Sorrow" demonstrates beautifully the concept of 'flowers in the pavement.' Despite the harsh, brutal conditions she faces, Sonja finds strength, hope, and love among her friends during her journey. Love conquers all. It is very different from other books about the Holocaust, because Sonja's story is set against the politics of the time, thus giving the micro (Sonja) and macro (Dutch and German governments) view.
"And No More Sorrow" is written by Sonja's loving daughter as a tribute to her mother. A fantastic book, with an amazing true story! Well done!!