Curriculum Books

This book is the first chapter book to interest my six year old. The characters, five sisters, each have their own personalities which are drawn in detail and carried through all of their adventures. The stories are sweet, focusing on everyday life in a poor jewish family at the turn of the century in New York (on the lower east side). The traditions will be familiar to an educated jewish reader but the setting just diferent enough to make it interesting. My daughter demands it every night and now cant sleep without her nightly dose of "naughty Henny and her sisters."

This book is just as entertaining as it was when I read it as a child! The book arrived quickly, in fantastic condition. Thanks!

Sydney Taylor's classic book for middle readers is set in the Lower East Side of New York City and depicts the life of a traditional Jewish family in the early 20th century. All-of-A-Kind Family is the first in a series of novels about the lively family and is a sweet, charming read. The story takes the reader through most of year and involves not just the family but their friends and acquaintances, too. The book opens with a chapter about going to the library, and the children's librarian (or "library lady," as the girls like to call her) is a gentle, recurring presence. The children's adventures include a trip to the market, scarlet fever and an outing to Coney Island, where one of the girls gets temporarily, and happily, lost. Meanwhile the story meanders through a year of Jewish holidays and teaches the reader a little about each one. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on Shabbat and how Taylor contrasts the hubbub of shopping and preparations with the simple serenity of the day itself. The family relationships struck me as very true and believable- for example, Papa's ambivalence regarding the present the girls get for his birthday and his quick turnaround struck me as realistic and human. I can imagine any parent reacting the way he did initially and then rallying in the end. I appreciate Taylor's honesty about her characters throughout the book, too. It's a great book for anyone and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series and sharing in the further adventures of this fun, busy family.

All-of-a-Kind Family was a turning point in the history of Judaic children's literature - the first mainstream book with Jewish characters! In memory of author Sydney Taylor, the Association of Jewish Libraries gives out the Sydney Taylor Book Award each year to the best in Judaic children's literature. See lists of winners at www.sydneytaylorbookaward.org.

Also, you can hear an interview with Jo Taylor Marshall, the daughter of Sydney Taylor, on The Book of Life podcast's October 2007 episode "Catch Me a Classic!" Jo shares memories of the real people who became the characters in the series. Tune in at www.bookoflifepodcast.com!

All-of-a-kind Family
This book was a good historical fiction book that I chose to read. Every chapter had a new theme and it portrayed the time period of 1912-1913.

The Mark of Zorro is the first Zorro story, retitled for publication in many different book editions.

Repression and oppressive taxation grows in one corner of California. Don Diego Viega, whose picture might just be beside the word 'fop' if California had a dictionary, can do nothing about it.

As one of the local military says "he is about as dangerous as a lizard basking in the sun".

The same cannot be said for Zorro. The Fox offers the local peons some hope, and does what he can to foment resistance.

When the moneygrubbing goes to far and some of the reasonably well liked local aristocracy are imprisoned, things come to a head, especially after the flogging of the local friar.

In an amusing scene, Senorita Pulido gets herself out of captivity by holding herself hostage. Luckily, while fleeing, Zorro is on hand.

Comedy, and action, and romance as Zorro saves the day.

Well worth reading.

Excellent reading of old Spanish California - Paladin of Justice.
Recommend to young and/or old - global audiences.
Thought provoking and suspenseful filled with witt.

We all know the story of Zorro by now. I, myself, read The Mark of Zorro more than two decades ago, when I was a child and the copy I read was titled The Curse of Capistrano. No doubt, more people have seen the various Zorro films than have read the actual book, which started the Zorro legend. Johnston McCulley first introduced his iconic character in a five-part serial in the pulp magazine All Story Weekly, in 1919. The story proved to be popular enough, but this masked avenger really took off when silent film star Douglas Fairbanks read it and subsequently made it into the silent swashbuckling film The Mark of Zorro in 1920. Since then, Senor Zorro has never looked back.

Before re-reading this novel, I was afraid that I would find the writing stilted and archaic. Happily, the page-turning experience proved to be as reader-friendly as I remembered it. True, you do have to get into a certain mindset to get used to the writing style (this is classic pulp writing, after all), but, once you do, you'll be swept along. Zorro, nicknamed the Curse of Capistrano and the defender of Old California's oppressed, was still the same vibrant Zorro - dashing, bold, cunning, and intolerant of injustice. He still flashed that certain twinkle in the eye and displayed that playful nature. Handsome, wealthy Don Diego Vega, on the other hand, was still the dubious caballero, unbolstered by his languid, foppish mannerisms and hindered by the weak constitution. Upon seeking a girl's hand in marriage, Don Diego announced to her father that he would send his servant over at night to serenade the girl by proxy, because the chill night wind would kill the delicate Vega. Of course, we all know it's a game that Diego's been playing for years and his devotion to his wussy role makes it all the more delicious for the reader. Also, I was again struck by how delightful and plucky the beautiful love interest, Senorita Lolita Pulido, was.

Another thing I didn't recall was how long it took before Zorro's alter ego was divulged to the reader, although McCulley didn't really try too hard to hide his secret identity. People ignorant of the Zorro mythos (and under which rock have you been hiding?) would still be readily able to figure out who Zorro really is. However, the novel was almost at the last page before Zorro finally unmasked. But it was worth it to witness the stunned but happy reaction of Diego's father, Don Alejandro Vega, who had long been disappointed with his wimpish son.

To echo A. Nesbitt's spotlight review, if you thought Johnston McCulley only wrote this one Zorro adventure, think again. McCulley ended up writing more than 60 Zorro stories (65, to be exact), several of which were in serial format. The last Zorro tale, "The Mask of Zorro," was published in 1959 (Short Stories for Men magazine).

Full of derring-do, sword fights, daring escapes, a passionate love story, and a masked hero who laughs scornfully in the face of danger, it's escapism at its finest, imbued with a Spanish/Mexican flavor. Yes, it does borrow a bit from The Scarlet Pimpernel, but no matter. The Mark of Zorro is still as entertaining a read today as it undoubtedly was back in 1919. Give it a try and see why Zorro is hailed as the people's champion and why this book gave birth to so many reincarnations in cinema.

I liked this story quite a bit. I remember when I was a little kid watching The Zorro show on television so I was interested in reading this book and see how it all started. I thought overall it was really good.. Senorita Lolita sounds like a very attractive girl. I like how the story ended as well sort of caught me off guard a bit. If your any at all interested in Zorro then pick this book up.. Good stuff.

Justin

I found "The Mark of Zorro" to be a wonderful romp through a bygone era.
I read this book out loud to my father, and we could hardly put it down. If you like swashbuckling adventures, heroes who stand against injustice and play their part in the struggle between good and evil. Then "The Mark of Zorro" is for you. And if you enjoy finding the origins of things, as much as I do, then this book will be well
worth your wile. A true gem for anyone's collection.

I am new to homeschooling and this seemed to be a good starting point for establishing what I need my child to cover in the school year. It does not tell you exactly what curriculum to choose for your child's learning style but it does guide you over all the areas children should be knowledgeable in. There are several out of print books that are recommended as well as websites that are not available. It also has some very good information in the appendixes. Overall, I would recommend this book as a great tool.

The main reason that I bought this book was that I am moving more and more toward the mindset of frugal homeschooling. However, using a library can be daunting, when one is not sure which skills and content areas need to be taught. However, with this book and a library card, you can pretty much teach your child for free. She does recommend math programs, but the ones she recommends range from 10.00 per year to expensive 110.00 programs. I believe she has made an excellent balance of skills that need to be covered, and general content areas, as well as a few curriculum tips. She is also open to the needs of different people. While she never taught her children spelling, she also recommends 3 or 4 different spelling programs. She also includes literature and fun books to teach content and skill areas, and in the end, how to prepare for college. This book is better than the Core Knowledge series for me because it's less expensive, goes all the way to 12th grade, and is written specifically for homeschoolers. However I still hope to purchase the What your __Needs to Know Series to use alongside this book.

Homeschooling is much more affordable, efficient and fun when one avoids curriculum, and this book is an excellent tool to make sure you are prepared, organized, and not missing anything important.

Do you want a parent-friendly guide to realistic educational goals for your child at each grade level? This is it. This is another must-have book for me in my venture through homeschooling. How do I know if what my child is learning is typical for their grade? Look it up in here. I did many searches online and kept coming up with grand pages written in dense "teacher-ese" about abstract geometry and linguistic comprehension... for kindergarteners. I need the easy to understand, quick version and this is presicely what I was looking for. There are also excellent resource suggestions listed in here.

I checked this out at the library when deciding to homeschool. After renewing it and then checking it out again and renewing it again, we decided to buy our own copy.

If you are homeschooling or thinking about homeschooling, this is a great year by year guide to help you decide what to cover. Extremely helpful!

I think this book could be helpful for those who have been homeschooling since day one, or are starting at day one, but I can't imagine it helping those who are removing their child from public school, as I am with my daughter. My daughter is half way through her 3rd grade year. I read through the 3rd grade chapter and was completely overwhelmed with everything my daughter did *not* know/had not been taught. And I couldn't believe some of the things the author said should be learned- in 3rd grade? So, for reference I went back to the 2nd grade chapter- almost as bad! And then I started to go to the 1st grade chapter but gave up. The fact is that this book will *not* tell you what children are learning in public schools, although the author does give links for that. It seems to me, from what I know, that this is the "Classical" approach to homeschool (this is never mentioned in the book description, and only very briefly mentioned in the introduction)- which is not what we're doing. I would think that any person pulling their child out of public school would feel as I did- completely overwhelmed & hopeless - there is just too much to "catch up" on! Each year builds upon knowledge from the previous year, and I would think that most private schools don't even measure up to the standards put forth in this book. I do give it two stars because it lists resources for teaching- books and websites mainly, and some curriculum, relating to topics listed. That is all the use this book will be of to me.

This is the first Omartian book I have read, and I love it. The breakdown is short easy chapters, so I can read a few minutes and still cover a topic. Great advise and insights are on every page. I also plan to use it as a reference/refresher when I need advice.

Don't order from Caesureus I hear the book is very good. Still have not recieved shipment though ordered over a mont ago!

This is an excellent book. It was recommended to me by a friend and worth every penny. Extremely motivating. I have two other books in the series that I enjoy just as much.

I am pleased at how fast that I have received this book. I have been using this book with my weekly Bible study. It is a wonderful book and a great resource for women who want to become better prayers.

If you're looking for more of a closeness and intimacy with the Lord, this is a good book to read. I also recommend the power of a praying wife.

My husband loves to learn about how things work. The title of the book told me this was just the book for him.

*Keep It Short and Simple.

If you doubt that technical information can be short and simple, read this book. It was written for anyone old enough to read well, and especially designed for those who find technology intimidating. It not only provides comprehensive descriptions of the way hundreds of machines and devices work, but also gives explanations of the scientific principles behind each. The book makes liberal, effective use of graphic diagrams, and describes most of the machines and devices in 200 to 300 words on 1 or 2 pages.

This is a great book. It breaks down complicated concepts into simple principles that a child can understand. A good start for budding engineers.

This is a fabulous book! I like all of David Macaulay's books because they have so many details of how things are made. This is my favorite, though, because it answers questions about objects and technology for budding engineers and architects or just anyone who is curious! My son has loved his and I just bought one for my nephew.

Put these four things together--ingenuity, imagination, depictions, diagrams-- and you have a double ID toward understanding how things work. David Macaulay and Neil Ardley put together a magnificent volume for children and children at heart containing a way of understanding the laws of physics and mechanics.

The first illustration even shows God busy creating the rotation of the earth. Then they go to the earth where wooly mammoths lived and pick up one to take us through the history of mechanics, machines, and the like. Dozens of movements in five sections: waves, electricity, automation, digital domain, and machines show us just how easy these things are to understand done in drawerings.

Just as in child's play, there is no seeming order to the arrangement of items in the book. For example here are a few pages next to each other: vacuum cleaners, aqualungs or oxygen tanks, the toilet tank, the water meter, dishwasher, spray nozzle, fire extinguisher. Are you seeing an order? Yes, so am I.

Flipping over a hundred pages, I find the jet engine, rocket engines, nuclear power, nuclear weapons, fallout, nuclear reactor. OK, a definite pattern. Another hundred pages show these topics: movie camera, movie projector, printing, paper making, printing plate, printing press, bookbinding. More discernible order and logical arrangement.

One last check: scanner, bits and bytes, flash memory, magnetic storage, microchip, processor, software. We know where we are and recognize the order--a computer and its parts.

This reviewer has a suggestion for the reader. Once you have this book in hand, take it home, take it out every night and read a comfortable number of pages. If you have a child, read one page, discuss it, put this one away and take out a night-night book to read. If this is just your book, read several pages. By the time you have finished the book, you will have added dozens of operating systems to the computer banks in your own brain, making your child and/or yourself an expert in the way things work.

Comprehensive information, stunning photos, and very interesting and helpful, although a bit too focused on diseases.
I recommend it to any goldfish fan, rookie or expert, specially for ranchu fans, because it has an extensive section about them (not very interesting for me, though).
Nicely done.

An experienced goldfish breeder in my aquarium society recommended this as the best goldfish book. I had five others and would agree with him, however, it is not for the inexperienced goldfish keeper, in my opinion.
The authors chose to put all the things that could go wrong at the front of the book, enough to scare anyone away. They discuss diseases, medicines, surgery, etc. If you have very expensive goldfish and/or are breeding, you want to read this book.

Good book, I was expecting a more simple book. Comprehensive information. I prefer a simple book, easy to use, basic but helpful information on medications that help on different kind of diseases. Don't need to know on how to perform surgery on a fish and look under a microscope. This is helpful if you are a professional. Great pictures.

This is one of many books about goldfish that I have purchased during the past six months. It is by far the most outstanding. The details provided regarding healthcare, in particular, are very useful. Other books that I have recently read give glossed-over or simplified descriptions of health conditions, and brief (if any) suggestions about treatment. This book has proved to be quite satisfying in that the descriptions are thorough, and suggested treatments are detailed and specific. If you are considering keeping (or already keep) fancy goldfish, this is the only book that I would recommend, other than perhaps a basic aquarium keeper's guide. The photographs and drawings are original, unlike those found in other books (again and again and again). The author is a veterinarian, and he provides explicit instructions for microscopic slide preparation and viewing if you are so inclined. I purchased a microscope and have used it a couple of times to try to diagnose an ailment as discussed in the book. This, however, is not a necessity. Can't say it enough...this is a wonderful book. I highly recommend it.

Not much to add to the title. The book is written by experts and has more information than any other book I've read on Goldfish. The author also has a website with even more information. The illustrations are beautiful. If you intend to raise or just have pet Goldfish, this is the only book you will need.

My kids and I came to know Little Bear through the cartoons on TV first. Perhaps part of the appeal of the books for my kids is that they know these stories well from the cartoon, but the books are much more engaging!

Best of all, unlike the cartoons, you have the amazing illustrations of Maurice Sendak. They give the books a timeless appeal.

Perfect to read to little ones, and an excellent reader for K-2.

Other titles in the Level 1 - Beginning Reading series are:

- "Father Bear Comes Home"

- "A Kiss For Little Bear"

- "Little Bear's Friend"

- "Little Bear's Visit"

This is a warm, nurturing view of childhood. My children and many others have loved it for years.

I purchased the Little Bear (An I Can Read Book) for a first grader that I mentor and she had asked for this book. I have given her other books and can't wait to give her this one

Little Bear, first published in 1957, is a true classic in children's literature. The book is about a bear cub who is a good friend to Owl, Cat, Hen, Duck and Emily, the little girl who visits in the summer. Elsa Holmelund Minarik and Maurice Sendak teamed up to create these stories. The stories are filled with quiet humor, affection and imagination as Little Bear and his friends celebrate birthdays, play games, meet new friends and explore their neighborhood.

The first of five classic Little Bear books, written for beginning readers, Little Bear contains several stories. In one story, "Birthday Soup," Little Bear can't find his mother and thinks she's forgotten his birthday so he sets out to make birthday soup for his friends only to find out his mother hasn't forgotten his birthday. In "Little Bear Goes to the Moon," Little Bear decides that he'll fly to the moon and Mother Bear lets him as long as he's back by lunch.

This book and the others will delight young readers, and encourage them to keep reading.

My 6 year old has listened to this CD a million times, reading along with the book, and still hasn't gotten tired of it. We even listen to it at bedtime, as it's very soothing and doesn't have a lot of distracting sound effects to startle her as she falls asleep. We couldn't be happier with it, and I plan to purchase other copies as gifts.

This book really is a great foundation for any teenage student or young adult. Esp. for the teens, this book will help the through college and through many questions they may have. For $18 bucks, its well worth the price!

-Taylor U.

'stand your ground' was a awesome book that answered many of my questions on logic and philosophy. It provides support for those going to college and those who have unanswered questions.Mr. Hardy is a amazing person and a amazing writer. I would recommend this book to anybody with unanswered questions.'Stand your ground' teaches struggling Christians to stand their ground. I would read this book twice.

Stand Your Ground is thoroughly enjoyable. This book provides you with the basic tools needed to defend your faith, and will also help to make you grow stronger as a christian. I recommend this book to anyone looking to learn more about how to defend ones faith. It also provides information on how to lead more people to Christ. You will not regret if if you buy this book!

Stand Your Ground is a must read for any students or adults interested in learning the foundations of apologetics. It is not too hard to read and will "wet your interest" in a subject that is simply too interesting to pass up! If you purchase the book and stick with it, not only will you become a smarter/stronger Christian, but you will rest assured that when tested, you can defend your faith. So go ahead, grab a copy and be prepared for an all nighter, because once you start this baby you wont be able to put it down. You wont regret it, I know i dont!

I just finished the book and still dont have the words to describe how helpful it has been. It walks you through the basics of how to defend your faith. It is really easy to read and well broken down so if you just need help in a certain area you can skip around. The chapters have nice reviews and it builds well so that you can be without fault in your theology. I have learned a lot thanks to this book and it has helped me on a number of occasions. I highly recommend this book as an intro to apologetics or as a deep thought provoking piece. It is well written and fulfills both tasks completely. Hope you enjoy

This is a beautifully illustrated version of _The Owl and the Pussycat_. My three-year-old son absolutely loves looking at the whimsical pictures of the fish and other sealife that are abundant in this book. The pictures are done with beautiful colors and have their own story.

What a beautiful version of Edward Lear's poem. I've always been a James Marshall fan, but this book is absolute tops for his illustrations. The colors are glorious, the characters, as his always are, deftly and lovingly handled. I understand that it was his last work, and it's a shame that it is out of print. Buy it, save it, and pass it around.

Jan Brett's Caribbean-inspired illustrations for the classic Edward Lear poem are teeming with life, and the effect is stunning. The colors, textures, and shapes are a visual treat. Each page also has a different pattern of "straw" border, adorned with a different tropical flower.

The pictures overflow with detail, to the point where there's even a sub-story (pardon the pun) involving two yellow fish.

I didn't give it the full 5 stars because the way the text is broken up across spreads makes it difficult to read the poem with any kind of flow, and because some of Brett's admittedly gorgeous illustrations could (and perhaps should) have had more of a connection to the text. For one notable example -- there's no pot of honey on the boat, and we never get a look at the money wrapped up in the five-pound note!

But there's no denying the beauty of the illustrations, and the Caribbean theme works surprisingly well. This is a great book for anyone -- for newcomers to the splendid silliness of the poem as well as for old fans of the poem who are looking for an edition with fabulous illustrations.

I have always liked Lear's rhymes, especially this one, but more than the rhyme, it's the illustrations in this version that I like. We live in Florida and all our sub-tropical and tropical flora and fauna is in this book, beautifully illustrated and very recognizable to my 3 year old daughter. Following along with the secondary story of the two damsel fish (I think they're damselfish, but if they're not, the fault is my fish identification skills, not Brett's illustration) is really fun for her too. A bit further south, but still full of recognizable plants for us Floridians, is another of Jan Brett's books, "The Umbrella."

I have the Audio CD that Eric Idle did and it was wonderful. I listened to it with my 5 year-old and we both just loved it. He could understand most of what was going on and I could explain the rest. I'll start looking for other versions, too. Like the original poem and the various hardcover book versions. It is a truly charming story with a playful use of words. There is humor of the best kind here: they classic kind with jokes and puns for the adults and kids at the same time (like the old bugs bunny cartoons). I recommed this with NO reservations!

This is the perfect book for anyone going to school to teach English or already teaching. I wish I had discovered this before I started. It has valuable information in it.

This book was recommended to me by many people--professors in my master's degree program and English teachers. I borrowed a copy and I knew right away I had to have my own. This book has it all--sound theory and excellent examples of practical techniques in action. It even discusses how to get a job. The portions on class room instruction were especially interesting to me because I see discussion as the most important thing that happens in an English class. This book is The Book to get if you're going to teach English (especially high school English). I have enjoyed all of Burke's books and I hope there are more to come.

This is a really good book with lots of great information and good ideas for teachers both new and experienced. However, you'll have to get by his "look at me" pompousness and the many errors. It looks like Mr. Burke decided to edit the book himself, as he's so good at what he does. While I'm sure he is a really great teacher, all writers need a really great editor. The deficiencies can be overlooked because of the variety of quality information. Putting his picture on both the front and back of the book was a bit overdone, though...

Full of Jim Burke's years of experience and his insightful ideas. The writing is very personal, entertaining, and truthful.

This book is very comprehensive in providing all that is valuable in teaching English and Language Arts. I used it has my second resource to prepare me to take the TEXES #117 ELAR 4-8 state exam. I plan on using it to guide me in lesson plan design.