Schools Books

This is a great book. I bought this book because my husband enjoyed this book when he was a child. He still enjoys this book today and reads it to our 6 year old son.

The lesson we learned from this book is there are always some problems no matter where you go.

I highly recommend this book because it's fun to read, educational, and it never gets old.

My dad was, is, and will always be a huge Dr. Seuss fan. He read this, as well as all the other Seuss classics, to me as a child. I had a devil of a time finding it a few years ago; had to special order it. It has an honored place on my bookshelf.

It taught me two valuable lessons: 1) Tackle your problems instead of running away from them, and 2) The grass is not necessarily greener on the other side.

Those two bits of knowledge have stuck with me for many years and led me through many challenging times. Thank you, Dr. Seuss!

What can I say, Dr Seuss is popular for a good reason. These are fun for all ages. The rhyming, the cute stories, the good morals. These books make reading for homework fun.

This was my favorite Dr. Seuss, and one of the books that stuck with me. I came across it recently while I also happened to be reading Campbell's Transformations of Myth Through Time.

A young man, beset with the travails of life, sets off to find paradise. The premise having been set, this story is actually predominantly about his many encounters and experiences on the road to paradise -- how he gets conned, imperiled, left to the mercy of the elements, enlisted into a battle he has nothing to do with, lost and alone in a crowd, etc. Having risen to the occasion repeatedly, he arrives at (literally) the door to paradise a changed man. In the end, Dr. Seuss leaves open question of what paradise really is.

This is an archetypal Hero's Journey.

And there is another parallel. Campbell often talked about the danger of concretizing the symbols -- for example that there is a physical holy land, the place where your myth takes place, to which you as a human being must physically travel to touch divinity. The alternative is to recognize your myth as metaphoric, and to recognize that the divinity of your God is your own divinity, and to sanctify and make holy the land and the place where you are, etc. 'Solla Sollew' speaks to this theme.

Can't really add much more than what everyone else has already said. I'll just add that this is my very favorite Dr. Seuss book... great story and great illustrations.

This approach develops incredibly sophisticated musicians at an early age. Kodaly Today provides thorough guidelines for the music educator throughout the calendar year. Lesson planning runs smoothly which allows me more time to be creative and teach a in step by step, cognitive way. But it also provides specifics like key phrases and terminology to help you communicate in the classroom. It is an essential to my planning time.

I found that this book had great information and really took the time to explain the reasoning and philosophy behind the ideas presented. It almost contains too much information. I plan to use it as a reference to supplement the Kodaly training I'm receiving at Capital University, and hope other will use it as a reference and not a replacement for training.

If you are a Music Educator, this book will help you to be a more effective teacher and will keep you from going crazy trying to figure out how to present all those music concepts on your list. The book is well organized, relevant and easy to understand. Believe me, everything you need to teach wonderful music lessons is in this book. There are song suggestions for every part of your lessons and many ideas for making your lessons more creative and powerful. After almost 30 years as a Music Educator, I am so grateful to have this tool and support for my teaching.

I bought this book after hearing about it on the MENC boards. It is packed full of great information about organizing curriculum, and offers many ideas that you can incorporate immediately into the classroom. Worth every penny!

Kodaly Today is an awesome book! It has everything, like how to plug in your lesson plans, which repertoire to use for each concept taught, and much more. The teaching procedures in this book will guide you to help your students develop musically in more ways than you think. It is a resource that is beautifully organized and a pleasure to read. Whether you see your kids every day or twice a month - every music teacher should have this book, it's amazing. I love it and can't wait to try it this new school year!

I discovered this book more than ten years ago when I was teaching preschool.Elisa Kleven is a wonderful artist and story teller. I made a bulletin board of the lion and bird, and the children created animals and flowers which were added all year. I give this book as a gift to every friend who is a parent or teacher of children. Her other books are charming as well, but this story of friendship and the joy of creativity is still my favorite!

Elisa Kleven's work is wonderful! "The Lion and the Little Red Bird" is a brilliant, alive book that makes readers feel good on the inside. The illustrations are amazing, full of genuine warmth, color, and joy. I love the tale of the big strong, artistic "silent type" (lion) and the chatty, singing, busy little bird who ponders the lion's mystery. Her curiosity about the lion peaks the readers' curiosity too!

This book can be used to teach children, young people, actors, writers, AND beginning artists of every age / stage the following "story-building" concepts: personality, diversity, colors, sensory detail, setting, exposition, anticipation, arrangement, relationships, dramatic foils, gestures, dialogue rhythms, and critical thinking, with story and visual. The book celebrates the fact that willing beings can transcend language to communicate with (and appreciate) each other when they lay aside differences and look for common ground. The deepest, most meaningful connections rely on togetherness. Before there were words on pages, there were art forms and songs that brought beings together. Kleven cleverly reminds us that mouths are only one way of communicating. :)

There are many ways to share this book--for entertainment and education. My three-year old nephew loves the story and the lion's ever-changing tail color. He wants to talk about the pictures in the book, and he is encouraged to ask questions about what he sees. We always take extra time looking at the scene where the bird and the lion are enjoying the lake. So much to see in this spread: jumping green frogs, ducks, fish, a pride of lions in the distance, a person in a boat, shells, flowers, trees, mountains, reflections in the lake. [It's a great place for vocabulary building, color recognition, and counting!] My nephew, who doesn't like storms, enjoys the scene where the lion saves the little bird from the terrible weather.

People who enjoy the story of this book (a painting animal) may also enjoy Micawber by John Lithgow, Illustrated by C.F. Payne. However, in my opinion, Kleven's tale is much better in writing and in illustration.

This book has brought us much joy, and it is a welcomed addition to our home library.

I bought this book for our two young girls along with The Paper Princess. Both are very beautiful books with deep, meaningful stories that allow for conversation and introspection. The girls love both books. As an adult I preferred this one but enjoyed both. Well worth the money.
I highly recommend this especially for 3 1/2 and older.

and a sweet, lyrical story that is a pleasure to read. It's almost poetic although there is no rhyme scheme. The pictures are very detailed and just lovely. My 2.5 year old son really likes this book. I am so happy to have stumbled upon it - i got the paperback bc we travel alot and we will be taking it everywhere.

Wounderful story, we had gotten it from the library several times and loved it so much I desided to buy it for my [...] daughter. would recomend it to anyone.

My mother used to read this to my sister and I when we were little girls. I loved the book and as I began collecting books for my son I just knew that I had to find this book. It's fun and engaging for both kids and parents! As you read the story aloud to your child, the book comes to life. The characters jump off the page and into your imagination and heart. A MUST HAVE!!!

That's all - This book is just plain fun! I recommend it highly. It was a hit with my 3 girls, ages 8, 9 and 11.

My family likes reading Mercer Mayer's books, but I think this one is our favorite. Wonderful illustrations, somewhat scary situations delivered with humor, and our clever heroine outwits the "bad guys" every time. She's obedient to her mother, too.

This book is a near perfect example of what a children's book shouold be. In this day and age, when celebrities write children's books because they are easy, Mercer Mayer shows that it's a talent in and of itself. The story, language, and structure are top notch, and the illustrations are wonderful.
My uncle kept this book in a box for years (it had long since fallen apart, but he couldn't find another copy, and his kids couldn't bear to part with it), and then the man I married had a hardback copy all his own, and I got to read the whole story for the first time. Even at 25, let me tell you, I was exicited.
It was my husband's favorite, and now both my kids love it.
On a side note, there is another benefit to this book: the human characters, who are all African American, look like accurate representations of real Black people. So many children's books make non-white characters look odd: either characture-like, or like Black Barbie- white features but different skin tone.
Not so with this story. Liza Lou in particular is a wonderful example of an Afrocentric standard of beauty, being very cute with natural hair and relatively dark skin.

This is one of my favorite children's books. I gave it to my daughter when she was a little girl, so I order this one for a great, great niece who is two. Her grandmother reads it to her and she loves it. Her grandmother tells me that she carries it around with her all over the house. Its a wonderful little book.

Thanks for the opportunity to share my opinion.

Be Blessed!! pegk

Elizabeth types a gift for Jessica for Christmas about their 7th Birthday,and Jessica thinks Elizabeth is selfish.Elizabeth also throws in concert tickets to Johnny Buck.When Grandma and Grandpa Robertson come over they give the twins Harequin dolls and solve the riddle to the puzzle and their medallions.The dolls become real princes named Adair and Dorain.Their kingdom is under a spell of Medwin,an evil Socerer.Adair,Dorain[both twins and Elizabeth and Jessica, freed them from the doll spell Medwin put them under,have to along with Elizabeth and Jessica have to use magic to defeat Medwin.You'll never guess where Medwin ends up when defeated.

When Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield give each other perfect present for each other, they argue about who is being selfish. This leads to the dolls.
To help stop arguing, their grandparents give them twins dolls! Dolls are for babies, the think. Then when they solve a riddle, magic unfolds. An evil sorcerer and two princes are the main focus. Will the twins ever get back to Sweet Valley? And more important - will they ever see each other again?

I read this book about a year ago. A friend lent it to me and I loved it! I then sadley realized that it was out of print. But, I love it so much, I've been thinking of buying it used.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

The writer's imagination was working very well when she invented this marvellous fantasy,one to rival Enid Blyton.At Christmas time,Elizabeth and Jessica (identical twins) follow their dolls,which have come to life,into a vortex that transports them to a strange and scary land.Meet monsters,mermaids,unicorns and one meeeean wizard.Will the twins make it back to the world they know?To do so,they will have to pass the ultimate test.

I probably first read this book 6 or 7 years ago, but I make a point of reading it every year since then around Christmas time. I'm 19 now, and I still find this book extremely entertaining. When I was 12, this book inspired me to write a fantasy book. I'm still working on revising it to this day. I would recommend The Magic Christmas not only to Sweet Valley fans, but also to any fan of magic or fantasy.

This has to be one of the most hilarious and enchanting children's books ever written. It was written ages ago, and yet it still has such a power over everyone that it might as well be considered a classic (I hope it is) as it artfully combines a fairy tale, humor, and a soft and simple story of caring.

The story begins as the little Princess Lenore falls sick and claims that the only thing that will make her better is if she has the moon. Thus her father the King begins a quest to find someone that can bring her the moon. He consults the wisest in the kingdom, people who cannot even agree on what is what.

Thus comes a surprisingly thoughtful and intelligent story about observation and personal view that is educational as well as enchanting.

A beautiful little book for the elementary school set (illustrations by Louis Slobodkin are wavy and whimsical). The story concerns the princess Lenore, who is ill from "a surfeit of raspberry tarts." To make her well, the King offers to get her whatever she desires. What Princess Lenore desires, however, is the moon. The King and his advisors scramble to fulfill her wish, and then to preserve the illusion once they have given her the moon. It is Princess Lenore herself who comes up with the solutions to both problem, out thinking the worldly, wise advisers.Thuber's storytelling style is quite wonderful here -- the language is fairly simple, and there's a nice cadence of repetitive elements that kids will enjoy. A beautiful, funny and satisfying story.

I read this book many time to my daughter, since her age of three-four, she still enjoy it much. It is a beautiful, funny, and well written story. It is my definitely one of my favorite. It teaches you that what the world is after all it is what we think it is. What a lesson for the half-empty fellows! It is written in a crescendo on this theme until the end: the eye blinking moon. Beautiful.

The princess wanted the moon. Her father, the king, demanded it be gotten for her. As you can imagine, this causes problems for the king's servants. The Royal Wizard, Mathematician and the Lord High Chamberlain have done many near-impossible feats for the king--but getting the moon? It's out of the question! But the Royal Court Jester thinks not. (Is this another one of his jokes?) A funny story.

A Non-Workbook, Non-Textbook Approach to Teaching Language Arts: Grades 4 Through 8 and Up

Illustrations are sketched and mostly pastel colors are utiilized. After reading each detailed page, the pictures don't seem to do much for the imagination. Good ideas are behind the words, but this book is extremely wordy at times and could've been shortened while still making the same point known. I enjoyed how the King, who was in search for the moon for his sick daughter, continued to ask his smartest men to figure out a way to get his daughter the moon only to find out that the court jester was the wittiest of them all. The daughter helps solve her own problem without realizing it and comes to a wonderful conclusion about how she can have the moon in her hand and also see it in the sky.

After reading "The Summer Guest" by Justin Cronin I couldn't wait to read something else by this wonderful author. That's when I bought "Mary and O'Neill". His first novel, "Mary and O'Neill" is just as enjoyable as "The Summer Guest", if in a somewhat different way. Don't let the fact that this is a novel in short store put you off. Even if you don't usually enjoy this type of book (and I don't) you will be glad you read "Mary and O'Neill". I cannot wait to see what else Mr. Cronin has in store for us. Believe the excellent reader reviews and buy this book!

Justin's Cronin's first novel is broken up into a collection of eight short stories about the love between parents, siblings, children and lovers.

The book doesn't begin with the title characters, but rather with O'Neil's parents, Arthur and Miriam. The entirety of the book is balanced on the early revelation of the sweet complexity of their love in life and death. Their death in the first story sets the tone for the rest of the stories, providing their children with both answers and more questions about love and loss.

Mary and O'Neil's love affair is one brought about by just these questions. Mary lives with the ghost of a child she aborted early on in the book, while O'Neil's parents live in his memory with such vitality that he actually tries to call them after the birth of his first child--only to unexpectedly have a sad and beautiful conversation with a lonely stranger. Cronin creates Mary and O'Neil as the answers to each other's questions. Even the names that Cronin picks for them overflow with a sense of completeness: "Mary" and "O'Neil," sound more like a first name and surname than two separate characters.

The surname as name only makes more sense when one considers O'Neil's presence in the book as father figure. It is O'Neil who develops as a source of strength for several characters in the book, anointing him the ultimate patriarch of this novel. Cronin is poetic and beautifully subtle when he baptizes O'Neil's relationship with the woman who completes him and gives him a first name. The baptism is complete when Mary is ready to walk down the aisle and it begins to rain. O'Neil looks at her and all the guests at their wedding and, Cronin writes, "in his heart he marries each one of them."

Cronin's style is delicate and full of purpose, just like all of the relationships between his characters. It is hard not to relate to this book in some way if you've ever loved someone, harder still to not find Cronin's prose captivating in its wisdom and sincerity.

Mary and O'neil was so poignant with paragraphs I read and re-read numerous times because they struck a chord of something lost yet familiar to me. I cannot wait for more from this author; he has my heart!

Just finished reading Mary and O'Neil, and I know that it will stay with me for a long time. I laughed and cried, sighed and nodded my head as I read. This a very well crafted novel comprised of short stories, reminding me of the chapters of our lives. The relationships between parents and children, siblings, spouses and friends are realistically portrayed. Thanks to the author for a special experience. I look forward to reading his novel, The Summer Guest soon.

I read this book after finishing (right after!) The Summer Guest, also by Cronin. I loved both books. THe story line in each is poignant and moving and the characterizations are fleshed out brilliantly - with depth, eloquence and humor. The beauty of Cronin's writing is in his seemingly effortless ability to turn a phrase that just sings with its purity. He is able to capture, and describe emotions and events like no other author I've encountered in recent years. This is a lovely if odd story that jumps through the decades with poignant prose, the building of relationships, and the pain of loss. In reading Cronin's work you are left with a mystical and magical feeling. I did not want this book to be over as the emotions it evoked were much more powerful than those we typically feel in everyday life (unless you are 13). I found it hard to re-enter my own life - as if I were somehow changed by reading the words of this writer. Highly recommended!

Amazing historical account of an amazing era. This book changed the way I look at life, it has that kind of effect. I discovered an admiration of the Shawnees and Tecumseh that I share with many. I have recommended this books to dozens of people and they all thank me when they are done.

a shooting star in the sky heralded a Shawnee baby with greatness..this baby would grow up to be Tecumseh. The Shawnee leader who had visions of his race being wiped out by the coming of the white man, he knew that survival depended upon all the Indian tribes pulling their resources together and he also knew that their survival depended upon moving beyond their savagery if they were to be accepted. Tecumseh was able to do the first but not the second and that would be their downfall as the savagery so inflamed the 'newcomers' their extinction was the only response that could be accepted. This was one of the most memorable characters and books that I've ever read.

A great read!! Really will hold your attention. I read it in a weekend.

This novel is about the life and works of Tecumseh, the Shawnee chief who was at the center of Indian resistance to American expansion from the 1790s until the War of 1812.

Like other great Indian leaders before him (Pontiac, Joseph Brandt) and after (Crazy Horse), Tecumseh dreamed of uniting the Indian tribes and throwing back the white encroachment, carving out the space for the Indians to continue to practice their traditional way of life. He had many obstacles to overcome, not all of which were caused by the whites. In general, Indian societies were plagued by short-term thinking and an inability to grasp the big picture of what was really happening to their world. A number of Indian leaders were great tacticians, scoring big victories and then scattering while the whites regrouped and came relentlessly on. Only a few leaders were able to think strategically enough to actually slow the white advance. Tecumseh was one of these military geniuses.

The novel works as history, but it also works as a great story. Thom creates a sense of grief and regret about the loss of the Indians' world, but he doesn't whitewash the Indians. Tecumseh's brother, The Prophet, is depicted as a charlatan, and there are some brutal scenes of the torture that the Indians inflicted on their white captives. This low and cowardly behavior is a source of great despair for Tecumseh, who wants to elevate his people to a higher spiritual plane.

In a few spots in the book, Tecumseh appears too good to be true. I had a hard time believing that his goodness would have caused his arch-enemy, William Henry Harrison, to question the righteousness of his own cause. But overall the character of Tecumseh comes off as admirable but very human as he wrestles with spiritual questions, doubts, and vulnerabilites.

I liked the book. I did not find it as 'gripping' as some of the other Thom works, but it was still a good read. A little long and sometimes slow and repetitive, but worth reading.

When I was a little kid, I looked for this book every time I went to the library. Eventhough I didn't know the author's name at the time or how to look up books, I would scour the shelves for purple books (the hardcover version back then was purple). Several years ago, my mom surprised me by buying me the paperback version. I am so excited that now, at 36, with my first baby on the way, I will be able to share this beloved book with my children. The piggy is just so darn cute that I'm pretty sure it started my lifelong obsession with piggies!

My almost three year old friend Harrison just loves this book. He waits on the edge of his seat for the NOPE! from the littlest piggie. He fell asleep cuddling this book two naps in a row. This is a child that could not be torn away from books about trucks, especiallly trash trucks. The rhyming rythms of Charlotte Pomerantz saved Auntie Dawn from the rumble and roar of another front end loader!

This is a great book! I initially borrowed it from our local library. Our kids loved it. It's a great oratory book. I read it for a PreSchool class, in a Kindergarten Class, and for First Graders the book was loved by all who heard it. It has great rhythms, it's funny, it's cute, and the kids enjoy being a part of the story. When the smallest piggy mocks her parents and her brother by saying, "Nope!" in all of the circumstances there has been great participation by the children. It has quickly become one our favorite stories.

Crackling with lipsmackingly silly rhyme and hilarious James Marshall illustrations, this book is like read aloud popcorn -- I bet you can't stop after just one page.

This is my favorite book for storytime reading. Mainly preschool - but I've also had adults keep asking me to read one more page, too.

Charlotte Pomerantz has created a work of art - the ending and internal rhymes, the way she plays and puts words together, the right amount of repetition. This is why people think it's So Easy to write a children's book. This is a deceptively simple title, but if it were easy there would be more books out there like this one. This one of the few books I truly look forward to and love reading aloud - the words taste delicious!!

If you like this one check out "How many trucks can a tow truck tow" also by her.

Alan did a great job with this book. Not only did it help me to understand the mistakes I have made with graduate school but it also helped me to take a good look at my life. I needed help and after I read the book it was like I had a better outlook on life.The book was very easy to read. What I liked most about the book was was how the author told his story and the stories of others. It was interesting, informative, sad, and sometimes even amusing. Great Book.......Would like to see more of Alans books come out.

This is a great reference book to have on your shelf. It is honest, straightforward, and very easy to read. In fact, it took me about two hours to read. However, don't let the brevity of the book decieve you. this book is packed with advise from every thing to enhancing your application to the final defense of your thesis or disertation. Since I've been to graduate school, I can say that the author talked about every issue you will need to know about to be successful in graduate school. I would even recommend this book to students who have not finished their graduate education. It should be required reading for anyone wanting to get into graduate school.

Being a college students, Mr. Paredes book was very helpful to me. I have plans to futher my education but wasn't sure where to start. Now, I have the help of this book. I have already shown this book to my sister-n-law who is filing out college applications, she loved it too!

This books feels like an abridged version of Getting What You Came For. It's very short so you can finish it pretty quickly. This book didn't provide me with the depth that I was really looking for. Also, I found the writing to be quiet poor. The author's tone was rather encouraging. He repeated several times that you do not need to be extraordinary smart to receive a PhD. He also provided lots of precautionary personal tales. After a few chapters, though, you will start wondering how many friends the author has and why they all seem to be making such terrible mistakes that eventually result in their leaving their graduate program.

I enjoyed reading this book and finding out that I have it in me to SUCCEED in graduate school. I thought grad school was only for the cream of the crop, not average people like me. I wish I would have known what grad school was like sooner because I would have tried to get in a long time ago. The most interesting aspect of this book was how the author weaved his story and the stories of others with facts about graduate school to tell a tale that was interesting, informative, sad, and sometimes even amusing. I thought the author gave commen sense advice to what seems to me most aspects of graduate school (although since I've never attended, I don't really know). Another very interesting part of this book that I haven't seen in other books, and I've been reading a lot lately, was the section entitled "History of Graduate School" This section gives you when, where, why, and how graduate school got started in general and how it got started in the United States. I could go on with other positive statements about this book, but I guess I'll cut it short and just say that, all in all, this was a very informative book and one that deserves high marks.