Greens Books

Kenneth Green has written a practical, entertaining book. 300 A+ Students would be a great gift for a college student.

His book is cleverly organized: for instance, the section on test-taking is divided into before, during, and after tests, and covers everything from the importance of getting enough pre-exam sleep to bringing Black Forest gummy bears for a break during a long test. Techniques for approaching all varieties of exams are shared.

The conversational tone of the book, one of sincerity and immediacy, comes from students' own voices. One college student describes her "thesis police," a group of friends she enlisted to bug her frequently about how her writing was coming along. She said the motivation was most effective.

High school kids are not always tempted to read the book themselves (like who wants to be an A+ student anyway??), but teachers, parents and grandparents can read it and pass along valuable nuggets. As a college student, I would have glommed onto it immediately and then remembered where I put it.

One look at the table of contents reveals what a raft of help this book can provide. It's easy to dip into and out of. A great find!

I loved this book from front to back! I read the book in three days and couldn't put it down. I think that it is informative and entertaining at the same time. I especially liked the list of things to do before the academic term begins. It tells you what to do before you even get to the first class.

As the title suggests, SURVEY OF 300 A+ STUDENTS, interviewed students from all over the world who were considered "A+" students and compiled their responses, tips, and strategies into this book. The book is divided into several sections that tell what to do before, during, and after class to ensure success. It offers test taking tips, ways to deal with stress, time management, etc. , in addition to a section for educators on how to organize and improve their classes. Also included is an appendix that includes the survey questions and several other academic resources.

Although SURVEY OF 300 A+ STUDENTS is geared toward college students, it includes a little something for everyone. I was impressed with the clear and concise advice the book offers. The author, Kenneth Green states that all of the tips may not work for everyone, but instead the book is a guide to allow you to find the methods that work best for your needs. This is an excellent resource for all students.

Reviewed by Latoya Carter-Qawiyy
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

The A+ students in this book are from a variety of backgrounds and each presents his/her own way of arriving at excellence. Despite differences, there are general themes that they have in common with each other. Kenneth Green does a good job of describing these common themes and messages.

Ken Green's book is a must for any student in high school, college and beyond. The insights
of 300 A+ students can help anyone move to the head of the class. The book gives advice on
everything from picking classes, to note taking, to exam preparation. It's an excellent
comprehensive resource and one that I would highly recommend to any student hoping to get
the most out of their academic experience.

Having a planner with space for lesson planning & grades is awesome! The built in grader for quick reference is handy, too. The pockets are a big bonus for all the many papers a teacher must carry around.

Wonderful concept. I love the fact that the grade book and the lesson planner are in the same book. My only complaint, and it's a small one, is that pockets are not sturdy. They always seem to break apart before the year is over. But, other than that, it's a great product.

I love this planner. It is all that the other reviewers said it was. It's very easy to use.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this planner! It has nice space for writing lessons (blocks for making notations about the day like for meetings, etc.) room for 8 lessons a day, a chart for computing grades based on the # of items and # wrong, charts for states, presidents, and stuff like that, place to keep data about problem kids (like # of times you've called home and notes from those conversations), pockets in the front and back that i keep the school schedule and my advisor paperwork in. I have now used this for more than 4 years (sometimes the color of the cover changes) and it is reliable every time.

This lesson planner/record book is excellent for general ed and or special ed or single subject teachers...
great simple layout, student roster, seating charts, substitute info, class lists, tips for communicating w/parents, lesson planner, 4-yr calendar, year-at-a-glance, percent finder for grading, grade records, national standards,reference pages etc. etc. etc! 184 pgs, pocket in front and back cover, and pages for parent contact info, behavior/incident reporting/documenting. This is my 5th year with this book, I taught special ed. and now am a resource specialist with many different groupings and subjects. places for daily notes, attendance you name it. And no silly icons, or distracting information!

I can't tell you how touched I am by Cholene Espinoza's inspirational story about rebuilding what Katrina washed away. Her clarity, honesty, and sincerity are compelling, humbling and vivid. While I was reading this amazing story, I felt I was on the site myself and that I personally got to know the people she writes about; I could feel their suffering and their hope. Ms. Espinoza gives the readers a wonderful gift by opening our eyes, our hearts, our pocketbooks, and our tool chests to get in there and give whatever help we can, wherever the need exists. I admire her strength to spread this necessary message; it will help so many people. Thank you, Cholene, for your courage to share your experience with us.

In the days immediately following the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina two women decide they cannot sit by and wait for others to help those devastated by the storm. A few days later they left their home in New York for Memphis where they rented a van, loaded it with supplies and took off for Mississippi where they planned to distribute their desperately needed cargo.

This could be an ordinary story about two women (or men) who deliver a truck load of supplies to those left after any disaster. But these are not two ordinary women, and this is not an ordinary story. The author, Cholene Espinosa, a former U-2 spy plane pilot now a United Airlines pilot, had been scheduled to fly on September 11, 2001 on United flight 93 from Newark to San Francisco for her next assignment. United 93 we will recall is the flight that crashed in Pennsylvania as passengers fought its hijackers. Fortunately, Cholene's assignment and flight had been rescheduled. Ellen Ratner, Cholene's partner, is a regular commentator on Fox News and a White House correspondent.

The reader will be held captive while learning why Cholene and Ellen chose DeLisle, Mississippi as their destination, reading about the remarkable people in this small Mississippi town and the difficulties to be encountered in what one would think would be a simple and easy mission. This is a story of courage not only of the people in DeLisle but also of Cholene and Ellen in meeting the challenges they faced. The author bravely shares intimate events in her and Ellen's lives that prepared, and indeed, compelled them to undertake this mission. The reader will be drawn into the lives of the people in DeLisle and the future they are struggling to make for themselves and their children.

This is a gripping story that will bring the reader into the lives of hurricane survivors and those giving of their lives to help the victims recover. This is a book that will unite you with the people of DeLisle and the two exceptional women who could not sit by and let others do the job they felt compelled to undertake.

I read the "Storm" in one sitting. Everyone needs to read this book to remember what one person can do and the incredible human spirit that rebuilds a town and oneself. If you need inspiration that one can rebuild oneself, meet challenges, find a better life, question one's preconceptions - this is the book for you! If you have given up all hope, this book will give hope back to you - for yourself, for the world. I can't recommend it more.

We all have seen the news - we saw the unbelievable destruction that Mother Nature bestowed upon the Gulf. We saw the raw emotion - and sometimes lack of - on the the faces of the hundreds of thousands of men, women and children who called the Gulf home. Many of us jumped in to help - mostly by writing a check, or sending donations. And, some of us did nothing. For those of us who stood back not knowing what to do, here's our chance.

Cholene Espinoza - Pilot, Air Force Academy graduate, Reporter, and ultimately, Humanitarian - chronicles her unbelievable mission to the Gulf Coast in the book "Through the Eye of the Storm". Cholene was able to round up supplies and manpower to head ultimately to Delisle, Mississippi to see what could be done. The mission that Cholene was on may have started out to help others, but she comes to realize that she is ultimately the one being helped. Cholene discusses in her book the inward battles that she faces regarding her faith and her country. Ultimately, Cholene's spirit and soul are renewed by the strength in the people that she meets along the way.

So, now you must be wondering where we come in - after such an amazing mission, how in the world can we help? You may be saying to yourself "I don't have the strength that Cholene demonstrated" or "I have nothing to give". Well, it is so simple. Buy the book. Save the money you would have spent on a couple Latte's this week. Pack your lunch for 2 days. ALL, and I mean ALL proceeds are going to help build and support a community center that is going to be built in Harrison County, Mississippi. There are 5 acres of land that will be developed to help the children in the area get their GED, job training, and other skills that they so desperately need to help get them through not only the rebuilding of their community, but real life skills that they may otherwise not get. The community needs this center. The children need a safe place to go that gives them the room to grow and be nurtured.

Any mom out there who was watching the coverage of Katrina on tv, wishing they could do more, here is your chance. Not all of us have the guts that Cholene and Ellen did to rent a truck, fill it with goods and drive down to the middle of a disaster zone. But we can all thank God they did. And we can all open our wallets and buy this book. Besides the fact that it is a great read, all the profits go to build a community center for the children hit the hardest in the gulf. Surely, you all can swing less than $15 for this. This is a call to action! Order it now and do your part to rebuild hope for these kids. Even though it still is not enough. It is the least we can do. You will read just how horrific it was for the people in the gulf. And how quickly we have forgotten. So tonight when you cozy up in your bed with your laptop think of all the children still living in shelters, homeless, and they will be that way for a very long time coming. Together we can at least give them a place they can go visit to play some ball, use the computer, and socialize in a clean, decent environment. Have a heart. Hit that order button.

This is a wonderful book. My mother purchased it 10 years ago and on October 5th, 2004 presented it to me and my husband in celebration of our 2nd wedding anniversary. It was a very special and beautiful surprise. Something that will be cherished and treasured forever. In it she captured all the emotions she has experienced throughout our lives.... fantastic.

My mother is now working on my brother's book, 'To My Son, With Love: A Mother's Memory Book' also by Donna Green.

This is a wonderful book for my daughter. She is just learning to read words but loves the pictures. When she is older, I know she will thank her mother for this beautifully illustrated work of love. As a little girl, my aunt always bought me a book like this on my birthday. I inscribed this for her. A real treat.

My mother sent me this book for my 21st birthday. She and my grandmother had filled it with their memories, hopes, and dreams covering a span of 70 years. I learned things I had never thought to ask, and I treasure the stories they shared with me. I cried for a long time after I received this gift as it touched me so deeply.

I had bought this book for a friend of mine, who was having a baby. After flipping through it, I realized how important it was for me to write down things about my mother and me, for my daughter. I have always cherished the times my mother has sat down with me and talked about what things were like when she was younger, as well as what I was like as a baby. This book has opened that door for me, a chance to write down my history for my daughter as well as my grandchildren. It has given me an opportunity to open up my heart to my daughter in another way, and that is just such a wonderful gift.

My mother bought this book, filled it in and gave it to me for Christmas one year. I went into my bedroom, closed the door, and did not come out until 3 hours later - I cried the entire time. I loved reading about my mother's mom and things they used to do together. But even more, I loved reading about the different emotions my mom had during the different stages of my life. That was the best gift I have EVER received.

Having suffered abandonment as a child...along with many of the contributing writers in TOUCHED BY ADOPTION; I felt the anguish while reading the poems and essays which brilliantly express the loneliness and pain which so many orphans experience. This collection should be read by orphans and anyone thinking of adopting. It is a revelation to find so many who are able to write of the deep emotions connected with the giving up or taking in of another human being. Kudos to Nancy A. Robinson who so valiantly collected and edited this powerful study.
William R. Holman. (Roger Bechan) THE ORPHANS' NINE COMMANDMENTS. TCU Press. 2007.

I read this book over Christmas and found it to be in keeping with the season. I enjoyed the poetry and the story "Stupid" by Sarah Freligh. I recommend this book for everyone!

Ms. Robinson has amassed a large collection of work from 75 respected poets, authors and playwrights, all of whom have one thing in common--an adoption connection. Some, like the father of former basketball star Issac Berg, and myself, adopted children, many internationally. Others, like Paula Friedman of California, were birthparents. Still others were themselves adopted as children. It is a privilege to have my work included in this edition, whose writers hail from many racial and religious backgrounds, yet sing in chorus: We can all learn from one another, and from the adoption experience. Alyssa A. Lappen

As an adoptive aunt, I found this book compelling reading. More important, my adopted niece recognized herself within the pages and was moved by the experience. This was a perfect gift for Patty, and I highly recommend it to others!

Terryl Paiste, Fairfax, Virginia

As the author of four poems in this anthology, I can now say that I don't feel alone anymore. Each poem, each story I read, I am compelled to read a second time. Every time I pick up this book, it feels like I'm picking up a part of my life. I recommend this book to anyone ready to delve into the heart of adoption.

We should all weep, because most people are too stupid to appreciate Adam Green's fine sense of humor. Due to these fine individuals not buying this brilliant book, it is now out of print. I am sad. Fortunately Adam's other book, the Book of Hollow Days is still available, and every bit as funny. If you don't own any Adam Green yet, you owe it to yourself to find some of his work. You will laugh until you are in severe pain.

I second all the opinions of this book. I got it for a birthday present when it first came out and now I loan it out to my friends since they can't find it. Every time i re-read it I find myself still laughing out loud. If you like bizarre, wickedly funny humor, this book _cannot_ be beaten!

In my earlier review (below) I stated that Adam Green's book "What were you in a previous life?" was no longer available...apparently it IS available now. I bow before the publishing gods...THANK YOU for bringing this book back! Now that it IS available, I suggest that everyone buy one or two copies. If you already have it, they make great gifts! If you have any doubts about just HOW funny this book is, read the reviews. You won't be disappointed...unless you're completely humorless and dead inside.

As a number of the other reviews noted, this collection is not for everyone. But, if jokes about torn puppies, monitoring your friends for hints of suicide, and dog vomit are your cup o' tea, then this book is for you.

One of the funniest books I've ever read.

This is a book of very morbid hilarity. It also exudes an amount of contrarianism. Do it. Buy it. Let yourself laugh.

This final entry--1988 marks its long-delayed arrival--in a lengthy career (starting in the mid-1940s) of scant fiction marks the end of the postwar, triumphalist, yet marginalized, Midwestern Catholic parish--and notably here, rectory--intrigues that Powers excelled at conveying. His scale, being so focused, gains accuracy and depth by its concentration upon detail. Like a model railroad set, the 1:150 (or whatever!) ratio means painstaking attention to fidelity. Such realism to the untutored eye appears grotesque or caricatured, but to an aware observer reveals a nearly exact fit of form with content.

I give it four rather than five stars as I have re-read (and reviewed here, "Morte" and the thirty stories in their original three volumes as well as the collected reissue) all of Powers recently, and I believe that his many strengths as a writer are at times clouded slightly by his tendency towards oversubtlety. A forgivable fault in an era of so many authors straining for the obvious or what critics call "overdetermining" their subject, but Powers tends in all his work towards lengthy passages where not much goes on at all, but in which an editor could have polished the presentation and refined the craft even further. Powers appears to have been his own worse enemy and his own most scrupulous critic, on the other hand. Be it as it may, Powers makes nearly all of his peers look hasty, scattered, and undisciplined by comparison.

Action over the course of a priest's youth, coming of age, and gradual rise from curate to administrative assistant (when that word did not connote a secretary or receptionist) and then pastor comprises the narrative. Less verve here than the worldlier, more urbane Fr Urban had, but perhaps in his principled if compromised (the whole crux of the tension) fidelity to the needs of separating "Church from Dreck" Powers reveals that the need for reform Fr Urban realized while Vatican II was still in session (so to speak) by the end of the decade became all the more apparent as the slow slide downhill accelerated. Set by its conclusion around 1968, if offhandedly, the Catholic Worker roots of Powers and his conservative radicalism stand his fictional main character in good stead as priests wander off, parishioners ignore crusty priests' reprimands, malls open on Sundays, the hillbilly's war machine thunders on in the small town press, and guitars with cant supplant chant.

This novel, like his earlier (sharing with it a clumsy if rarified referential title) "Morte d'Urban," (1962), suffers from arid stretches, where the humor is so deadpan, the pace so true that the inert nature of our own shared experience with the clerical protagonists appears too neatly aligned. Dullness enters. A VD quarantine warning takes up one and a half pages verbatim. A few sample sermons from Father Felix (who helps out saying weekend Masses) summarize the stultifying, yet sincere, homiletics of a certain, less soundbitten, age. So with Powers, who in this novel had been criticized as a man out of time, with figures he identified with whose era had passed them by. Joe is only in his mid-forties. He seems much older. This may be a sign of now-diminished respect, when the maturity demanded of authority figures gave an earned dignity and a bit of unearned noblesse oblige to the clergy in smaller towns where the collar still mattered. Joe Hackett manages to get through the routine, and out of the limelight that had once courted his counterpart Fr. Urban, this parish priest does his best balancing God with Mammon, as the demands of a new accounting system make fundraising all the more essential, even as this pulls at the Gospel admonition that it's better to give alms in secret. How to square this with the need to make accountable freeloading parishioners when the Archbishop's needs come payable on demand? Out of such quandaries, Powers raises his own quiet art.

The need in fiction for a jolt, a spark, a spin off from the quotidian to the profound nestles, certainly, in Powers. This, however, moves along leisurely, and often nothing seems to happen for chapters at a time. Then, you understand that this accurately limns the trajectory of a recognizably human life like our own. You can see Powers' study of Joyce in his preparation of the slow ascent to epiphanies, such as Fr. Joe Hackett's finessed blessing of a scruffy draft resister who steps to tie his shoelaces while the padre finagles praying over his head and out of eyesight or earshot as the young man prepares to flee to Canada, on the pastor's unspoken advice but according to his moral example.

Re-reading this nearly two decades after it appeared, I admire Powers' critique of not only the institutional Church and its compromises with the world, but of his own admission that holy Joes only go so far in their own zeal in battling for their losing side. They must do so, vowed to do so and called by their Maker, but Powers recognizes in his own mellowing how annoying piety and phariseeism can be for the rest of us. Not for nothing is an early battle Joe engages in at the seminary, much to the disgust of some classmates and the suspicion of his rector, over the necessity of wearing a hairshirt.

Constructed in part from stories written over the past (two of which appeared in the last of his three thin story collections, 1975's "Look How the Fish Live," the novel does let its seams show. I wonder if parts of this novel were left too long on the shelf, or in hibernation. Yet, this is how Powers wrote. Very slowly, spending days pondering if a character would use the term "pal" or "chum" in referring to a confrere. Such was his state of mind, and more power to him. Probably a patron saint of scrupulous writers, if he is canonized as he deserves! His friend and colleague Jon Hassler eulogized him as "a saint with a bad temper." Hassler notes how Powers could strain so long over a detail that a reader, even an informed one such as himself, might miss the very nuanced finesse.

The extended battle of the story that was "Bill" for Joe to learn his new curate's name appears tedious and unbelievable, a shaggy-dog tale after a few pages of the many devoted to this embarrassing and rather cryptic episode. The story earlier published as "Priestly Fellowship" enters the novel mostly unchanged, but again the dive into the post-Vatican II uproar appears muted, if perhaps less dated for its lack of topicality to specific changes so much as the persistent lack of clerical fidelity. Yet, as the novel lengthens, the episodes do build upon possibilities tucked into these two stories, and while they unfold in off-handed and perhaps overly-controlled fashion, they are truer to the texture of everyday life for being so controlled. Holiness comes, if at all, minutely slow. The lack of histrionics or forced symbolism remains despite the uneven pacing in his longer works Powers' greatest talent. Powers knew when and how indirect first-person voice carried his stories; his shift in and out of his protagonist's minds is at its best in the imagined reverie Joe lets himself into as he pitches in the yard with Bill to let off steam. As with Urban's similarly prosy--both exaggerated and ordinary-- temptation at Belleisle in "Morte," the priestly heroes let their deepest selves emerge when they pretend they are just like the rest of us. Powers, and we, know better.

A final word, quoted from one of his students in Commonweal on his death in 1999. In the novel, out of his collar on a much-needed vacation, Joe passes himself off at the hotel bar as working for a "big concern," in "life insurance." The firm? "Eternal." Sort of a multinational, he admits, although he works out of a local "branch office." Powers explained when asked in class why he wrote so much about the clergy, and if he was anticlerical. "I'm not anticlerical. I simply look for a story that elucidates truth. If a human being buys an insurance policy, that's not much of a story. But when a priest buys an insurance policy, there's something going on that needs to be said and I want to say it." It took him nearly fifty years to write it.

Anyone who has not read J.F. Powers is missing a major American voice in letters. This review will not be adequate to even speak of his skill.

Complete lives are sketched with the faintest of references, such as a family who the hero, Father Joe Hackett, brings from the city to remind his comfy parishioners of the trials of the poor (shades of the "holy poverty in the city" mantra so common from my youth). He tells their entire story with three unconnected lines sprinkled as a leitmotif throughout the narrative.

The hero's interior monologue is both revealing, and surprising. Throughout the novel faint points of challenges and grace (and simple, just-sufficient grace) carry the reader along with Father Joe's eventual conversion (rededication?). This is the story of a bumbling soul who eventually inhales the breath of the Divine.

Every person I've ever given a J.F. Powers book to has thanked me (Catholics and non-Catholics alike). Highly recommended, for this is monumentally great literature.

It is nothing short of a tragedy that more readers aren't familiar with J.F. Powers. This book is truly brilliant. Powers is at heart more craftsman than contemporary novelist, which is doubtless why he only published two novels. Wheat That Springeth Green is unlike anything else I've ever read. It's that rare novel that achieves perfection.

Joe Hackett, for all his faults, is one of the most fully-realized and sympathetic characters in contemporary fiction. As he matures, so does the book: from his hilariously overblown pretensions at the seminary, to his ennui and malaise as a pastor, to his subtly glorious final redemption.

In the final analysis, the book is not so much satire as fable about goodness. Despite being about the life of priests, the book is more a moral fable than a simply Catholic one: it's about how to do good in a world where it all seems futile. Joe Hackett is a cynic, but he's also at heart an idealist and optimist. So is J.F. Powers.

I read it in the early fall, a perfect time of year for me to read this sort of book, as it reminded me of my early years as a student at a Catholic elementary school in the suburbs. The book follows the life of a Catholic priest named Joe Hackett who struggles with faith and politics and more than anything else the shattering mundanity of his suburban life. Tree-lined streets, shopping malls, station wagons, vinyl siding, and wall to wall carpeting are Hackett's foils in a book that manages to be charming, melancholy, and very funny at the same time. Reading the book turned out to be a great way to spend a few September weeks. If anyone out there happened to enjoy The Sportswriter and Independence Day by Richard Ford, then you will enjoy this book as well.

The best of the series of books published by The New York Review of Books are all the works of J.F. Powers, who died in 1989. Powers' novels and stories are almost entirely concerned with Catholic clerical life in the midwest. I hadn't read his last novel, Wheat That Springeth Green, and I was happy to find that the new edition contained an introduction by the author's daughter, Katherine Powers. Wheat That Springeth Green is every bit as fine as Morte D'Urban, his first and only other novel written some 25 years earlier, and a National Book Award winner as well. In its treatment of character and plot the latter novel is theologically perhaps even more complex.

Joe's character is cast from the first pages: as a toddler he gets attention from his parents' friends merely for declaiming at a party "I go to church!" We also learn of his parents' antipathy towards the parish priest's intoning on the subject of the "Dollar-a-Sunday Club," an attitude that Joe will inherit, and which becomes a theme that will be played out in a number of surprising ways. We also sense something of his aloofness in these first chapters as well. He doesn't keep up with many friends, but he does seem to know the value in keeping up appearances: "Joe just smiled at Frances and everybody, so they couldn't tell how he really felt about being in the sack race..." Joe is a good athlete, even in grade school, and the race he really wants, but doesn't get, is the sprint.

Much of the story revolves around Joe's relation to money, so that even an early adventure (described in nearly pornographic detail) involving his first adult relations with women is later understood to be subsumed by his larger pecuniary obsessions. His sexual sins, or at least the memory of them, turn out to be something of a red herring: at the seminary he asks his instructor, "Father, how can we make sanctity as attractive as sex to the common man?" a question that (rightly) earns him nothing but mirth from his fellow seminarians. We are given hints that as Joe grows older he succeeds in overcoming his youthful scrupulosity. After a stint at Archdiocesan Charities he is assigned to the parish of St. Frances - a name shared by his childhood infatuation and a co-traveler in that youthful adventure. So as far as sex is concerned, there is in his maturity there a sense that all is right with Joe, if not the world. That this is the case is dramatically reinforced by the nearly hopeless entanglements of an ex-seminarian, some of which leads to misplaced retribution that Joe patiently, even faithfully endures. These episodes are magnificently structured, displaying in Joe's life a kind of fate that is worked out through choices made less in freedom than with a concern for propriety and in service to principles that are neither his own, nor of the church in which, as he says in other circumstances, he does so much hard time.

Other obstacles to holiness, as perhaps they always must, remain. Although his basic attitude is good, the reader realizes that the young Father Hackett has refused one halo in favor of another when he refuses to toady up to either the priest in his parish or to the archbishop in his archdiocese. Money matters are everywhere in evidence: the rectory built by Joe; bribes offered by parishoners; purses collected on behalf of retiring priests; inheritence; a collection drive that is farmed out to a private firm - in which Joe will take no part. All this points to beyond the contradiction in one man's character to a paradox that is funamental to our very being. How do we care for an abundance which is most fully ours when we least consider it our own?

Joe's misappropriation of his own nature, and indeed human nature, leads to a truly heinous transgression in one of the final chapters. That this transgression is committed and then resolved in secret, without comment from Joe or even the narrator, points toward a God who is as truly all merciful as he is unnoticed even by lesser beings working on his behalf. I would guess that the true thorn in Joe's side is also Powers', and while reading I several times wondered whether the crux of the story wasn't inspired by his frustration at watching baskets and plates passed through the pews, week in and week out, for a lifetime.

Very highly recommended.

My 22 month old daughter loves to read this book with me! i think she likes that the main character is a big girl and she's spending the day with her mom- something my little one can really relate to!

This is truly a wonderful book!
This story is told by the little girl who is going to town with her mother for the morning.
She has a big green pocketbook, just like Mama's, but hers is empty and she can't find anything to put inside it.
Mama says "hurry", because the bus is coming, so the little girl brings her empty pocketbook along anyway.
During the course of the morning, she gathers many treasures and by the time the bus comes to return the girl and her mother home, her pocketbook is full.

The little girl's view of the world is refreshing and enchanting~
She observes that the cool marble walls in the bank smell like pennies~ And she is amazed that, at the drycleaners, the machine knows exactly where to stop for mama's suit.
This is a delightful book that moms and daughters will enjoy, but both boys and girls will like hearing it, and seeing the usual best from Candice Ransom and Felicia Bond's awesome pictures.

Fantastic story, amazing illustrations. My daughters and I have both loved this book from the first time that we read it. The story is sweet and you just want this little girl's day to last forever. A must read, over and over.

This book reminds me so much of when I was a little girl and went with my mother to run errands. Back then the stores really did hand out keyrings and pocket calendars and my Grandma worked at a dry cleaner so I got to see the "magic machine" a lot when people picked up their clothes. My girls both love this book, even though the oldest is now 13. We have completely worn out the binding of the hardback copy we have!

This is a wonderful book for mothers to read to or with their daughters. A simple day of errands turns into something magical between them and a hand-me-down green pocketbook holds the key to a delightful day.

Although Bob Mathias: Across the Fields of Gold will not be a big threat to win any Pulitzer Prize, I thoroughly enjoyed it's charm and always felt good every time I picked it up. This story is a sleeper, not in a boring way, but in the fact that Bob Mathias is really one of the great "stories" of the 20th Century. It just may be a sleeping giant!

This book is a "must read" for anyone that enjoys reading about a truly great american athelete. This is a one of a kind book, put together with a great deal of thought and preparation. I applaud this book. It simply can not be put down, once you start reading. Where photographs and text truly meet! Bravo!

Just want to say that I enjoyed reading Across the Fields of Gold. I am inspired by this great athlete from a wonderful time in the USA when family and community pitched in for the good of all.

I just want to say that I very much enjoyed reading such a positive sports story. This book will be a terrific one for young people in that they can see that sports stars are not just self-centered, selfish individuals. You don't have to be an athlete to like this book. It's fun and inspiring.

It is truly amazing that one person could have done so many things in his life. The book is interesting, funny, and inspiring. The book was a gift to me from my son (after he read it!) and we have had some nice disscussions about what it was like when Mathias did all these heroics and what it is like now in this country. I like the book too because it gives the reader hope.

This is an excellent set for starting your child with word recognition. I'm not a huge fan of phonics-based reading, as it generally produces slower readers as they have to sound each word out. Also, phonics methods also teach sight words anyways (e.g., light) for those that don't 'sound' how the appear.

This set includes 10 story books, a book your child can write and illustrate, a chart with stickers for each book they complete, and an award to give them when they can read all. The stories are simple and repetitive and thus easy to memorize, so your child will feel confident as they read the stories aloud. The illustrations provide good word prompts as well.

With my son, after he was able to "read" (memorize) a story, we then worked on pointing to each word as he read to promote word recognition. He was very proud at earning that sticker as well as being able to read. After he was comfortable with pointing to each word, I printed out word cards (see my customer image) so he could play a game where he matched each word to the card and created the sentence. This helps him recognize the word in other settings, not just within the story. By then, he has learned to read the words in the story!

Great set, great value, and just what I was looking for. Highly recommended!

These sets contain 10 books that each tell a very short story with a funny ending through repetition. Illustrations are done well, characters are memorable. Child feels a sense of accomplishment as the set contains a chart with stickers for each book completed, a certificate of completion and a "BLANK" book for the child to author/illustrate their own book. Set also contains a parent guide. Our son loves these books... highly motivated him into a reader. He is the top reader in his kindergarten class and now has the love of books/reading that will pull him along through his education at a heightened pace.

My 4 year old daughter loves the Brand new readers sets. I have to make her pace herself or we would run out in a week. They are colorful, simple and we LOVE the stickers and award that comes with each set.

I have looked for something for two years to encourage my homeschooled son to learn to read. The simple format, repitive prhases and, predictiable wording make it easy for him to read. He still does not want to sit down and read but once he starts these books he usually finishes without much frustration and he really enjoys reading them and finding out what happens

We love all of the Brand New Readers books for so many reasons! Please read more at the Brand New Readers Orange Set page.