School Time Books

I get this feeling that interest in Leonardo da Vinci is going to really increase next month (there's this little film called "The Da Vinci Code" coming out, based on a modestly-selling book). If you are too lazy to read an adult biography on Leonardo (and I am), this book provides an excellent glimpse into da Vinci's life and artwork. Kids love the pictures, and I love subversively introducing students to paintings (even though art is no longer taught in most schools). For more cool adult, young adult and children's book recommendations (under 250 pages), visit www.lazyreaders.com.

The cover of this excellent juvenile biography of Leonardo Da Vinci is quite interesting because it shows him as a young man in front of the background from his most famous painting, the "Mona Lisa." I saw a story once that compared the face of the "Mona Lisa" with the famous red ink drawing of Da Vinci as an old man, which did size comparisons and argued they were the same. In other words, the "Mona Lisa" is really a self-portrait of Da Vinci. This makes a bit of sense since the artist worked on it for years, obviously with the benefit of a model. Diane Stanley's cover painting, intentionally or not, references this intriguing hypothesis.

Stanley does some fascinating things with the art throughout this book. She puts reproductions of Da Vinci's actual paintings into her own works and includes various drawings by Da Vinci to complement her text. Young readers will learn about the highlights of Da Vinci's life, both as an artist and as an inventor. Consequently, they will see not only the painting of "The Last Supper" but the flying machine he designed. In a fascinating postscript Stanley details what happened to the grave of Da Vinci and what few of his paintings remain. Stanley provides an excellent introduction to the life of the original Renaissance Man.

Meet Leonardo da Vinci, a man of vision who was centuries ahead of his time. Born April 15, 1452, and raised in his father's house, Leonardo was the illegitimate son of Ser Piero, "...an important man, a leading citizen of Vinci." and a peasant girl. Because of the circumstances of his birth, he was not entitled to an upper class education in banking, medicine, or law, and "what little schooling he got probably came from the parish priest and was limited to reading, writing, and simple arithmetic. He later described himself as an omo sanza lettere, a man without education." As a boy, Leonardo showed talent for drawing, and was sent to Florence to apprentice with the famous artist, Andrea del Verrocchio. And it was there that the course of his life began to take shape. Though his superb artistic talents were quickly recognized, and Leonardo was commissioned to paint many important works during his lifetime, he had a short attention span and was always restless, often failing to complete his pieces. His imagination, his interests and genius went far beyond art and painting. He was fascinated with anatomy, engineering, science, and music, and filled thousands of pages in his now famous notebooks with his ideas, plans, drawings and inventions. He was employed by kings, princes and popes, and was the friend of Machiavelli, Cesar Borgia and King Francis I, of France. But throughout his life he never married, and was a very solitary man..... Diane Stanley brings Leonardo da Vinci to life in this beautifully written and well researched, introductory biography. Her easy to read, conversational text is entertaining, engaging and intelligent, and packed full of history, drama, mystery, fun facts, anecdotes, and sketches from Leonardo's notebooks. Her graceful and elegant illustrations complement the story line beautifully, and really capture the essence of the artist and his times. With an introduction detailing the Italian Renaissance, and a Postscript to enhance and complete the narrative, this is an informative and spellbinding biography. Perfect for youngsters 9-12, Leonardo da Vinci is a wonderful addition to Ms Stanley's highly acclaimed biographical series, and a book that definitely shouldn't be missed.

Leonardo Da Vinci is, in many ways, the perfect subject for a children's biography. Above and beyond his myriad of accomplishments (scientist, inventor, artist) his life is one of adventure and interest. The illegitimate son of a leading man of Vinci, Leonardo went into the artistic life precisely because he was considered too base for a, "noble profession".

This book is a combination of good artistry and confounding problems. On the one hand, Stanley has drawn beautiful accompanying pictures for each point in Leonardo's life. On the other hand, these pictures sometimes take liberties with the few details of the artist's life we know of. When the text states that Leonardo, "found a loving friend in his young uncle Francesco", the accompanying picture shows the boy piggyback on his uncle. It would be nice if such facts were given appropriate footnotes, but all sources are listed in the end of the book without any references to pages. Also, the aging of Leonardo is a little haphazard. One moment he's a young man writing a letter. The next moment he's bearded and about to slice up a corpse. The Duchy of Milan is described as having black hair and dark skin, but appears to be more of a slightly tan Italian. These are tiny details, but they distract from an otherwise interesting text.

Undoubtedly, the actual drawings and sketches Leonardo made in his lifetime are some of the best parts of this book. It would have been nice if Stanley had included more of them in the story. Leonardo's paintings are nicely presented, but they're usually seen from a distance. At no point do we get a detailed and close look at any art that Leonardo created. Finally, a timeline would have been helpful in this story, but it has not been included.

None of this is to say that Stanley hasn't taken a difficult subject and made an interesting book out of it. The final product is a bit too advanced for those children accustomed to reading picture books, but older kids may shy away from the type of book they would consider "babyish". Open minded children may be the best audience for this piece of non-fiction. For those of you who would like something a little more in depth and interesting, I recommend "Leonardo: Beautiful Dreamer". In interesting book that suffers from an array of tiny nagging problems.

For those who do not yet know, Diane Stanley writes the best kid-level biographies out there, and Leonardo da Vinci is no exception. She carefully traces his life from birth (including alluding to the legitamacy question) to death. Worked into the illustrations are many of Leonardo's works (so that you needn't buy a separate book for your child to appreciate them). A wonderful book that should be mandatory reading!

Donald T. Phillips does an exceptional job at narrating the life of the late great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He does an incredible job in tying in the aspects of Dr. King's life as a man, and activist together with the principals of Leadership.

He breaks down the book into 4 sections, that each details the start and end of the American Civil Rights movement. Phillips does an amazing job at chronicling the events that most shaped the philosophy of Dr. King.

I truly enjoyed this book because it helped me realize that it is possible for me to achieve my goals using the same techniques that Dr. King used. The book does a great job at outlining how a normal person can create change the way Dr. King did. Whether you live in turbulent times like those in which the Civil Rights took place or not.

I recommend this book to anyone in a leadership position to those who aspire to be leaders, but mostly to those with a goal to succeed. The knowledge you will acquire with this book is invaluable to future successes.

The book targets all, but I think it specifically aims to inspire African- Americans especially those who wish to be in leadership positions. The book in general is a great read for businesses and for groups in general. It informs the audience about the dynamics of groups and how to work through the problems that groups face.

It helps inform leaders as to the advantages and disadvantages of being a leader. Overall the book is a great read. And you will truly enjoy it.

Donald Phillips did a wonderful job of telling the story of Martin Luther King Jr. from his childhood to his death, and connecting it all to a marvelous leadership style. Being a student of leadership studies and a fan of Martin Luther King Jr., I chose this book as a study of both subjects. Having read it, I have to say I learned more about leadership from this book than any other I have read. However, I am no longer a fan of MLK......... he is now a hero of mine.

As Donald Phillips points out, for every major turning point in American history, creative leaders - right for the times and uniquely suited to the task - assume the mantle of leadership. Donald Phillips not only describes how MLK ended up at the mantle, but how and why he was the right person for the job.

MLK's movement is not the same civil rights movement being pushed by the self-serving, so-called, activists today. Read this book, you will learn about a true leader and what a true leader is. It is easy reading and inspiring. Highly recommended.

I am a student and a teacher of leadership skills, and I have found no better example than Martin Luther King Jr. This book combines the history of King's movement, but also chronicles the qualities which made King great. The text is easy to read, and fascinating. Martin Luther King, Jr. On Leadership should be required reading for anyone who hopes to impact their world. The famed Harvard psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg, who studied moral development, named King as one of the greatest moral thinkers in history. Read this book, and you will understand why.

I picked up this book simply thinking it would be a great story about leadership, but the underlying history of Martin Luther King is riveting as well. The leadership stories translate well to business and personal leadership--they speak to (all) people wanting to be part of a higher, unifying mission. If you like to "mark-up" the margins with thoughts keep a pen handy for this one. Its a book I talked about with colleagues and family more than any other I've read.

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech was voted the most electrifying public address of the twentieth century. It takes some kind of a leader to give that kind of a speech. Donald T. Phillips presents the ideals of leadership that Martin Luther King Jr. followed in an overview of the history of the civil rights struggle. Phillips describes the techniques King used at various stages of the civil rights battle. He also shares King's comments on leadership. Many of the principles will be quite familiar: listen to learn, lead by being led, awaken direct action, encourage creativity and involve the people. However, the book is especially interesting when it demonstrates how King put these principles into practice. This well-organized, well-written book is clear, direct, and easy to read. While it is written for the general public (especially for African-Americans and those interested in civil rights), we [...] find this book interesting for all managers and executives, particularly those who like to learn the lessons of history.

I have been looking for this book and I have finally found it. I read this book when I was in the fourth grade and absolutely loved it. Now I am getting it for myself and my 10 year old nephew (does that date me or what?!?) I would highly recommend this book to anyone girl or boy. It's a great adventure story.

ISBN 0064402223 - Not the best thing I've read in kids' books lately, but good enough to hook some of the reluctant readers, especially boys.

Steve and Max are best friends, which is a good thing, because otherwise Max might have killed Steve by now. Who could get away with convincing you to eat a dog treat, if not your best friend? So when Steve comes to the clubhouse with a $2.50 time machine, Max isn't surprised. He doesn't take it seriously, but he's not surprised at all. After some explaining, he agrees to go with Steve to the year 1250... even if the contraption doesn't look like it's going to go anywhere. When Steve thinks Max is getting cold feet, he flips the switch before Max knows what's going on and they find themselves in the bodies of Sir Robert, a medieval knight, and his horse!

Stunned that it worked, thrilled with their success, the boys learn how things work in the Middle Ages. From quack doctors with potions to romance with an Earl's daughter, they're enjoying themselves quite a bit. Now all they have to do is hope the time machine brings them back before one of them is killed!

This is the kind of book that could easily translate into a series, with the boys travelling through time. Since the inventor of their machine, Professor Flybender, went off in search of Atlantis, never to return, there's a story to be told there - and if they tell it, I'll read it!

This is a fun, funny adventure book that no parent should pass up! The authors' quick wit, inside jokes and genuinely funny dialogue make this a great book to take turns reading aloud. The boys get themselves in and out of trouble with clever plans and a healthy sense of humor. Give it a try!

very funny easy read novel following two friends as they travel back in time to the middle ages where they find themselves in the bodies of people/animals who lived at the time.

I remember reading this book when I was young.. and I have read it several times since. It is fun, witty, charming and covers everything from time travel to jousting to courtly love. It's great for boys or girls! A definate must!

I think that this is one of the better Sabrina novels. It is fairly long, which makes for a thrilling page-by-page story. After a short introduction (roughly 20 pages) you get to the different sections. What happens is that The Great Clock of the Other Realm is wearing out and it will stop at midnight! If that happens, then magic will cease to exist. While the Witches Council tries to repair the clock, Sabrina knows that she must build a new one. And so, with the help of Salem, she travels through time to the 12 most important events in history. She meets many people like Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth. The reasons for this rating is because of how Nancy Holder puts a time limit on Sabrina's quest which make the story more exciting and for it's great plot and suspenseful mini-stories through out the book. Overall, this is a great book that should be bought by everyone!

I think that this book was exellent to have 12 short stories about Sabrina and Salem going back in time trying to find the magical moments in them. While all the other witches are fretting and trying to fix it, Sabrina builds a new one! Oh So Tottally Cool!

i loved this book! The excitment about if Sabrina will get to make the new clack was intense! The twlve short stories were different, so they were really fun to read. I think even the beginning is already totally interesting, so you are automatically pulled right into the plot. GREAT BOOK!

This was actually quite good for a Sabrina novel. I enjoy them long, and this one was long enough. It starts out when Sabrina discovers that the Great Clock in the Other Realm is going haywire and that if it breaks down at midnight on New Years Eve, witchs all around could loose their powers for good. Frantically, the witch's council tries to fix it, but Sabrina decides to build a new one instead. To do that, she has to travel to 12 magical times in history. I won't mention them all, but I really liked the part where she went back into colonial times and when she met Queen Elizabeth, even though it only lasted a page. Buy this book. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Millennium Madness was one of the best. The twelve short stories were a really good idea. The things that she collected to build a new clock was cool to. You should definitely read this book!

My five year old loved this book and has read it several times. The pictures are very cool and make the time soldiers more realistic.

"Rex", the first of the Time Soldier series by Robert Gould is a well written and beautifully photographed kid's adventure story in the time of the dinosaurs. Five boys and a girl travel back into a prehistoric age through a time warp portal in their neighborhood forest. "Rex" is written at an appropriate reading level for elementary age children and contains educational facts on dinosaurs and their environment. The younger children can concentrate on the excellent photography if they are not yet up to the reading level, while the older children can learn new vocabulary from reading the text. The fantastic computer generated images of the dinosaurs are very detailed, down to the wrinkles on the hides and gleam in their eyes. The story line emphasizes the friends helping each to survive the difficulties that they encounter. I highly recommend this book for elementary school age children.

I really love Rex 1 and Rex 2. The books are visually stunning and wonderfully written. These books make kids want to read them and I enjoyed reading them, too. The Books are exiting and good-clean fun. I am keeping a set for my daughter and myself and gave copies as gifts to my friend's son and my nephew. I hope we can look forward to a Rex 3! -Aleta

My mother's testimonial is absolutely true. I am an absolute fossil fan - dedicated to anything dinosaur. I have read my share of good dino and adventure books, and I would rate both Rex and Rex 2 as being among the top best for kids (as well as for everyone else). I am fifteen, with a seven year old cousin, and we both absolutely love the series. Unlike most children's tales, it is not "dumbed down" nor dull in any way. It is creatively exiting, fun, and even a little misterious. The artwork is incredible, using superimposed images of real and artistically drawn creatures. The unusual perspectives and beautiful artwork in Rex 2 alone makes this book worthy of any youngster's library. But, above all, the stories are what give the books their unique charm. The harrowing adventures of the boys in delightful situations such as exploring a Cretaceous forest or having to track down a tyrannosaurus rex in an jungle known as a city have enough activities and goings-on that you get wrapped into the action. In addition, you will not see a T.Rex eating frightened victims or destroying buildings for the fun of it; you will see a prehistoric monarch acting like what it really was ... a magnificant and powerful animal of times long gone. I would undeniably rate these stories as the crem-de-la-crem of children's books. -Inga

As a teacher in the east county of San Diego I have just used this book with my class and it was a huge success. The children and the adults in my class were quite taken with the local connection. They enjoyed realizing that the photos were taken close to home and the story kept their interest. It was fun to read and to listen to. I met the authors and they were very informative and I enjoyed talking with them.
Thanks

I was shown this book by a family member just before my grandchildren came to visit from across the country. My grandson is 6 years old and had not yet entered the first grade. All it took was a look at the cover and he was into it.
He studied each of the pages and turned to me with a desperate voice (while holding my face with his hands and making me look into his eyes)"TEACH ME TO READ GRANDMA! I want to know what they are doing"!
Well, I think that says it all. This is a kid that does not sit still for a minute and here he was asking to learn to read!
The concept of photography of real kids, and the fabulous graphic arts, really drew my little guy into the book. I am hoping there are more to come. Books about "Time Soldiers" and grandchildren! tee hee...

I know for a fact that I'd benefit from this planner 100%, not just at the time being but for as long I will be practicing nursing. I'm a student nurse and this is just a total must-have! Makes a great gift, too. What a thoughtful idea! It really helps to eliminate some if not most of the fears a student nurse is most likely to encounter. This is definitely not just another planner. You'd feel armed with just the right stuffs necessary to thrive while in nursing school, doing clinicals, and yes, I'd like to add, what a good item for the NCLEX review!

I just purchased this planner yesterday and after reading through it, I too agree with the rest of the reviews....it's excellent for fisrt year nursing students!!!! This book should be recommended in all first year nursing programs. ALthough i would like for the calendar section to be less time consuming for the student, I find this planner to be helpful.

This isn't just a planner. There is a lot of help in here on how to do well in clinical, give therapeutic communication, perform assessments, and even tells you what to look for in lab tests as they pertain to some common medications.

I did get my book quickly. I was very pleased with the information it provided. I KNOW that I will tell ALL nursing students to buy this one. It will help with theory and clinicals!! I am glad that the authors thought to create a book such as this! Thank You Very Much!

This book was recommended by my Nursing Professor...and I'm glad she did. It has helped me get organized for this program.

I picked this book up for a little bit of light reading when I visited the Grand Canyon last week. It is a "teen" reader, but I found it really enjoyable. It's an easy read like a "Harry Potter" novel. It's a definite page turner.

I enjoyed the novel because it explores the questions to why the Native Americans who lived in the cliff dwellings of Walnut Canyon left and where they may have gone. Shortly after finishing this novel, I visited Mesa Verde National Park and explored the Balcony house. The ranger's talk explored many of the same theories that the book's story is based upon.

A few years ago my mom got me this book for my birthday, and I thought I'd try it out. It turned out to be the best book I have ever read, and I am not exagerating! I have read it every year since I got it, and I strongly suggest you read it, and realize what I'm talking about. The adventure and suspense is great, as well as the dialogue and strong characters you will want to meet. Take my word for it, once you pick it up, you'll never want to put it down!

The book I've read is called the "Walker of Time". The reading level is not too hard and not too easy. I would recommend this book to the people who like reading adventure books. As you read through this book, it gives you a good atmosphere and you will feel like you are in the story. This story is based on time travelling. The main character is called Walker or Wayma in Hopi language. Walker had to travel and confront dangerous situation. He had to travel to find out about the time travelling. As he travels through in the story, he finds new companies. Such as when Walker was blackout because of the thunderstorm and when he woke up the first thing he saw was this white American called Tag. After that he met flute maiden and more like white rabbit and the eagle. This story is like "Wizard Of Oz" because as he travel he met new friends.This book is kind of a gentle, flowing of ideas.After all, if you are a real adventure book reader, you should get a copy of "Walker of Time".

My dad bought this book for me a few years ago and I didn't think i would like it but i tried it out anyway. it was the best book ever. i lent it out to so many people that i never got it back but everyone who read it loved it.

I have just read a book called walker of time and it was amazing.
I would recommend it for people aged from 10 to 50.

It is about a Hopi indian boy called Walker who travels back in time 600 years. While he is travelling back in time a young white boy manages to get zapped back as well. Walker knows he's been sent back for a reason, but what??

It is half an adventure and half a sad story.

The cubs are scared of the sitter. She is pry this mean witch or something. Then she has lots of fun things to do and soon they relax and like her.

The book, The Berenstein Bears and the sitter, is wonderful. In the book, the cubs are very scared because a babysitter is coming to stay with them. However, once she gets there, the cubs find out that she is actually very nice and fun. They end up having a great time with her. I thought this book was very colorful and interesting. I love all of the Berenstein Bears books. Many times children are afraid of babysitters, but this book shows them there is no need to be. I would recommend this book to all children.

i liked this story and wish i could be a good writter like you i liked it when they thought that she was a mean lady and it turns out that she was a very nice and then they play games eat do a lot of thing. that is all i had to say. THE END!!!!!!!!!!

i liked this story because they thought she was mean and it turns out that they love her.THAT IS ALL I HAD TO SAY THE END!!!!!!!!!!

Mama and Papa Bear have to go to an emergency town meeting, along with the rest of the Bear family. Who will watch Brother and Sister Bear? They end up finding Mrs. Grizzly who lives in the old stump at the end of the street. But isn't Mrs. Grizzly a bit of a grump?

Lucky for her, the children are happily settled down with the odds and ends she's brought in her bag. Not only does this book prepare young (under 6?) children for a new sitter experience, but maybe it also will teach kids how to behave with grown-ups.

Mrs. Grizzly has a spunky personality that kids will warm up to and parents will enjoy reading aloud. The bright, colorful pictures are fun for kids.

This book takes the mystery out of cutting hair. As other reviews have noted, it is especially good for learning how to cut your children's hair. Doing so will save you a ton of money in the long run. There are many photos and plenty of simple instructions that make it easy for anyone to learn. Who knows - this may inspire you to become a stylist yourself!

The Four Most Common Haircuts That Anyone Can Master

I was given this book as a gift. It turns out that it was a very money saving tool. This book is very easy to follow. I especially was interested in the chapter on using hair clippers.

The pages of this book lay flat, which makes it much easier to follow the instructions while actually using the clippers. It repeats the important steps on each page, so that you are not constantly turning back pages. The print is large enough to see while it sits on the counter.

I started out using the larger guard as recommended , to get the feel of how much hair was being removed. This gave me the confidence to go to the next smaller size, etc. until I accomplished my finished cut. I now use the clippers with ease, and my family members are very satisfied.



Kathleen Scozzari

I used the instructions to cut my husband's hair and he loves it! The binding on the book is so helpful so you can refer to instructions while cutting.
I have several friends who are stay at home moms and also home school. This book gives great instructions on how to save a little extra money while spiffing the kids up!

This book is wonderful! It is easy to follow and has very good instruction. I found it really helpful because my son was very afraid of the "barber shop" and with this we are able to give him a great hair cut at home.

I bought this book a couple years ago because we have four boys and my husband had always cut their hair. They were getting old enough that they wanted it to look a little more professional, so it was either spend a bunch at a barber or learn how to do it differently.

This book was a huge help. My husband was able to learn new ways of cutting so that the boys were happy with the results, and they didn't look as if they'd gotten their hair done in the middle of the kitchen, which is an important thing for teens;-).

Viggiano's helpful step-by-step instructions and clear illustrations make the book very easy to use It's organized logically, and the tips included make it possible for virtually anyone to achieve good results.

I estimate that by doing all the haircuts for each of the boys for 18 years, we've saved almost $9000 (calculating one $10 haircut per boy per month for 18 years). And for the ones who are over 18, and still getting haircuts at home, the savings keep climbing.

Lisa's book will not only rescue a lot of people from bad haircuts, it will also help you save a lot of money. I highly recommend it!

We took this book on a long car trip and took turns reading it aloud to the kids. I wish it had been a book on tape, because we couldn't put it down. We even read it in restaurants. Way wacky and zany, it is laugh out loud funny. That dragon -- Madam Yang -- sure is hot stuff!

This book is a winner. The author captures the real-life worries and joys of her young hero, and authentically portrays the scene in Tucson, Arizona. Like the runaway best sellers in the Harry Potter series, this book puts imaginative adventure in a totally believeable context. Young readers, like my grandchildren, are going to want to read more about Rick and his adventures.

Do you like dragons? You'll love Madam Yang, who serves as a quasi-fairy godmother (the kind who breathes fire down your shorts) to Rick. This is a zany fantasy book, chockfull of adventures and humor. A great gift book for a reluctant reader -- hard to put down. The book is set in my hometown, Tucson, AZ, lots of wild, wild west.

There has never been a dragon like Madam Yang, and I can't believe there ever will be again. Such verve, such attitude, such sense of humor (even when she's overdosed on toasted marshmellows!) She has to be the most believable and likeable dragon in storytelling history.

There's more going on in this book, too. Rick, who has lost his dad, has to move from San Diego to Tucson, Arizona, and make a place for himself in the desert. This is a book that honors those tough transitions, and recognizes that a little bit of magic makes them easier. Bedtime reading or car trips, this is a don't-miss. Five Stars!

At 47, I'm a little out of the age bracket of this book, but I still thought it was fun. Having lived in Tucson for 13 years and loved every minute of it, the references to living the local life there were very pleasant. Plus, the author is a good storyteller, and the characters were well drawn, especially the "green" one.

If not for the "Tucson" purchase circle, I would have never found this book, but I'm certainly glad I did. I notice the title has been high on the Tucson favorites list for quite a while. I think I will order some for my nephews back east.