Educational Books

As an ESL teacher, I know how important useful and interesting materials are for new language learners. Now, as a mom raising bilingual twins, I have found the perfect product in the bilingual English/Spanish Foundation Series. Lupe Lupita is a fantastic book for my 14 month old girls but could also work for beginning learners of Spanish- or beginning learners of English. They love the colorful illustrations and I love that the English and Spanish are both on the page, yet not close together so there is no confusion. I am definitely going to order the other books in this series. Great stuff!

This book is fantastic if you want your child to learn both English and Spanish at an early age.

We didn't realize that "big book" really means BIG BOOK, this thing is poster sized, not a book to cuddle up in a bed with. However we read it to our granddaughter in her room at bedtime and she loves it. She is only 2 years old but is already learning many words in both languages. The book is fun to read and the child's interaction is priceless.

This book is perfect for children who are ages 2-3 years old. My granddaughter loves to talk and has no difficulty saying anything. I have noticed that she finds speaking Spanish much more fun when we read. At home her parents speak English to her; they use only certain catch-phrases in Spanish. Obviously she is more comfortable with English, but is learning and participating. I am training her to automatically switch languages when she is with me. The books in the Mendoza series put her at ease and she loves the illustrations and short sentences. The books are appropriate for small children; they are well written. The simple subject matter, such as learning how to identify 'parts of the body' in Spanish, or learning everyday 'phrases' that describe an action that a child repeats on a daily basis, keeps my granddaughter interested in the book; this is great because at the age of 2 or 3 years old the attention span is generally very short. The colorful pictures are a huge plus; they are 'eye-candy' for children.

This is great for teaching or at home. My students learn best when they are MOTIVATED and they have REPETITION. This book provides both. Great sturdy, colorful book, that I use from ages 2 up to 9 or 10 year olds. It also goes well with Flip Flop Spanish Level 1 or level 2, to help re-inforce the nouns and phrases they learn and hear in lesson 12 of workbook 1, and Lesson 10 of workbook 2.

I have seen that more advanced story-telling books, in the beginning, sometimes frustrates the younger crowd, but this one is a good choice. It's a nice addition to add to any curriculum you're using, even DVD's and CD's.

Sra. Gose
Author of Spanish Fun Activity Calendar
Flip Flop Spanish: Ages 3-5: Level 1 (Book + CD)
Flip Flop Spanish: Ages 3-5: Level 2 (Book + CD)

My two year old enjoys this book and it is teaching him locations in English and Spanish. Illustrations are cute, and it is more engaging than some of the books in this series which are a little boring.

This book gives you a broad scope of the to be used topics when creating elearning sites. You will get a quick tutorial of the most important Macromedia features to get the process done. In a clear way building up from using templates, attaching stylesheets, showing and hiding layers with Dreamweaver and using Flash for simulation and user-interactivity the book introduces the interaction with databases by using Coldfusion.

I thought Coldfusion was rather difficult to learn, because the tips of the week by Macromedia were a little to quick for me. But Jeffrey Bardzell proved it is easy. In a straight-forward way you are taken by the hand to take all the basic steps for building a data-driven website.

I'm an assoc. prof. of New Testament currently working to produce an interactive web workbook for teaching/learning skills for New Testament interpretation. I want to give students practice developing close reading skills rather than ask them simply to drill content. For a couple of years, I have had a dream for such a site, and I felt sure it was buildable, but didn't know how. I care enough about how the interactions work and the relationship of content to design that I wanted to design the interactions myself if possible. Yet I didn't know anything but a little Dreamweaver and its CourseBuilder extension.

Working my way through a copy of Macromedia MX eLearning is changing all that. Wow! The book teaches how to develop interactions in Dreamweaver and Flash as well as offering several chapters on putting ColdFusion to work in eLearning. Each chapter includes a fine combination of hands-on work and explanation for why we are being asked to do what we're doing, especially at those places where some task is counter-intuitive. The book is also free of mistakes, typos and muddled language, a welcome plus when so many computer books seem to have been rushed to press without having been edited or proofed.

Bardzell's book is giving me two things: (1) hands on work with the software that introduces and reinforces learning without devolving into busywork and (2) a model for developing materials (like the book itself) that teach effectively from a distance. A+

I am a trainer and instructional designer at a university. I thought this book was very useful in helping me to use Flash MX for education. You would likely need some introductory training in Flash and Dreamweaver basics before using this book.

This is an excellent book where you learn how to integrate ColdFusion MX, Dreamweaver MX, and Flash MX by building interactive learning applications. The exercises are explained in great details and contain many tips and techniques especially for Dreamweaver and Flash. The newer aspects of interacting ColdFusion MX with Flash MX are not covered, but for those of us still using ColdFusion 5 there is a good coverage of LoadVars. I recommend this book without any reservation as it is one of the best technical books I have read so far.

Jeffrey Bardzell's book is intelligently written with plenty easy-to-understand examples. He engages, inspires, and motivates learners throughout. His Dante's Inferno project makes learning fun. He breaks subject matter down into comprehendible pieces, using Aristotelian logic in places. This guy knows what he's doing. Of several computer books that I have purchased over the years, this is the first time I have written a review. You can learn eLearning and website design, and this book will teach you how-even if you are a motivated beginner, technical type, or humanities person-this book is suited for most everyone.

powerful book as well as the added gift of fiber art that the writer used to illustrate her experiences

This book is a testament to art as an expression of pain and redemption.
It is original and beautifully executed.

I saw the panels on which this book is based at the Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore and wished at the time that there was a book. When it came out I made a special effort to get it. Esther Krinitz spent years creating these works of art to illustrate the story of her experience, and the combination of her drive to communicate with her obvious enjoyment of creating surely makes hers a uniquely life-affirming voice recounting the terrible tragedy faced by her family and beyond them, her people, her country, and all humankind. For young people, the details are both strange and familiar, commonplace and unthinkable. They will relate to the young woman's independent streak as well as her affection for her family and grief at losing almost all of them. I look forward to sharing it with the young people in my life.

In this outstanding book are displayed thirty-six embroidered pictures that the author began at the age of fifty, to illustrate the stories of her childhood in Poland and her survival during the Holocaust. When she died at the age of seventy-four, she wasn't finished, but she left this remarkable book. Her daughter Bernice used her mother's comments to write the text. It is amazing how much Esther remembered, which is evidenced in the intricate details and vibrant colors of the needlework. Each full-page picture is framed in a different color, with Esther's comments under it and the text on the opposite page. The deceptively simple pictures have the look of folk art in contrast to a grimly realistic story. At the end, there is a poignant page titled "To Germany," where Esther has joined the Polish Army in March 1945 and she shows us in it what she remembers so many years later: seeing Nazi officers hanging from every tree as they passed along the road of an earlier battle with the Russians on their way to Berlin. The last frame shows Esther landing at Ellis Island, viewing the Statue of Liberty. She was very excited, because she felt that this meant she would never again be persecuted for being Jewish. Her daughter Bernice calls this a memorial to her mother's family, because of them all, only Esther and a sister survived the war. Esther's daughters Bernice and her sister have founded a nonprofit educational organization called Art and Remembrance, which is dedicated to using the power of story and art to illuminate the effects of war, intolerance, and social injustice. This book is highly recommended for all collections, as Esther's story brings these terrible times alive in a way that adds a different dimension to children's understanding of the Holocaust. For ages 12 - adult.
Reviewed by Andrea Davidson

I picked up this book at the school where I teach on the advice of our librarian and I am so very glad I did! The stories woven in the embroidered panels speak volumes about what Esther Nisenthal and her family endured during the horror of the Holocaust. Her use of color is astonishing, and the fact that she actually embroidered the words to her story onto the cloths just makes the whole experience seem so much more real and personal. This book is a moving tribute to all who perished and survived this evil time. This is an amazing book. Highly, highly recommended.

I spent my summer researching mentoring as an independent study project for my PhD program. This guide incorporated much of what I found to be essential in an effective mentoring program: incorporation of adult learning theory, focus on the responsibilites of the mentee, practical exercises and reading for the mentors, and much more. I have used the exercises with great success and highly recommend this book to anyone considering implemeting a mentoring program.

This book provides the best definition of a mentor that I have come across thus far with the statement "...and at there best they inspire us to reach beyond ourselves; they show us how to make a positive difference in a wider world". It is an easy to read reference tool filled with applicable information about how to prepare for and what to watch for during your journey as a mentor. The author does an excellent job of inspiring a can do attitude by giving the reader the ability to use this book as a workbook to be able to work through real life experiences. This book is a must have for anyone desiring to be in a mentoring relationship.

I just finished my thesis on mentoring child care center directors. The Mentor's Guide was the best resource. My thesis quotes many authors but there was non better than Lois Zachary. Her book is the easiest to read and she puts into words what I was thinking. I can't say enough about the wealth of information, ideas, quotes and straight comments that I found useful in this book. If you are embarking on a mentoring relationship this book is a must read. Thank you Lois.

This book provides mentors the tools they need in order to develop and maintain a mentoring relationship. In order to develop a successful mentoring relationship, it is important that the mentor have a good foundation in the purpose of the mentor/mentee relationship and then how know how to develop the relationship. The Mentor's Guide, by Lois J. Zachary, gives mentors this foundation and provides them with support in developing the mentor/mentee relationship.

Lois goes on to provide mentors with the information they need in order to be successful. Learning, according to Lois, is the primary goal of the mentoring relationship. In order for learning to occur, the relationship must be learner centered. The book provides guidelines on creating a learner-centered environment.

The book provides information as well as worksheets that help mentors develop their mentoring skills. Worksheets on developing goals and priorities, confidentiality, boundaries, planning, cross-cultural mentoring, assessing the quality of interactions, skill assessment, as well as strategies to develop successful reflections are a few of the worksheets provided by the book.

This is an excellent book that provides mentors will the tools they need in order to be successful.

This book provides mentors the tools they need in order to develop and maintain a mentoring relationship. In order to develop a successful mentoring relationship, it is important that the mentor have a good foundation in the purpose of the mentor/mentee relationship and then how know how to develop the relationship. The Mentor's Guide, by Lois J. Zachary, gives mentors this foundation and provides them with support in developing the mentor/mentee relationship.

Learning, according to Lois, is the primary goal of the mentoring relationship. In order for learning to occur, the relationship must be learner centered. The book provides guidelines on creating a learner-centered environment.

The book provides information as well as worksheets that help mentors develop their mentoring skills. Worksheets on developing goals and priorities, confidentiality, boundaries, planning, cross-cultural mentoring, assessing the quality of interactions, skill assessment, as well as strategies to develop successful reflections are a few of the worksheets provided by the book.

This is an excellent book that provides mentors will the tools they need in order to be successful.

As a Training Manager for a large wireless company I was charged with rolling out our online learning system. As you would expect, I and my company, did a good deal of research before we purchased our system. Michael Allen's book was very helpful in identifying the questions we needed to identify, as a company, before we took the step.

I highly recommend this book. Even though you will likely experience some frustration in your search for the most effective online learning system, his book will make the process less painful.

The book really focuses on the "how to" of developing and designing your online courses. It honestly lays out the pros and cons of online learning. You will find it helpful.

This book is a must have for the aspiring e-Learning developer. It reviews enough theory to make the point and directs the reader quickly through the logic and science of good e-Learning design.

This book takes e-learning to its core mandate, that of engaging and involving the learners, so that they learn the key skills and knowledge required.

An excellent and easy read, with lots of good examples and non-examples, nicely compared side by side.

Dr. Allen is a champion of learner-centric design - and has written a refreshingly reader-centric book about the topic. He understands that learning is an "internal, personal, and ultimately individual act." His words reveal his passions and opinions in such an authentic manner that you can quickly understand his perspective, and extract points of meaning that can directly apply to your work. As a producer and designer of interactive media, I continually find his insights an inspiration.

I purchased this book as I was beginning to design an eLearning curriculum for my company. The book was a great jumpstart to helping me structure the program, consider ways to involve the learners in eLearning, and remember to find ways to make the course material memorable. I found the accompanying online and CD-based demos to be good stimulators, too. Although I won't be using an authoring tool like the one Michael Allen invented, it was easy to take and apply several of Allen's ideas to my project.

This is a fantastic book. I have always felt a little inadequate as a writing teacher. I can write, but I don't know where to begin on the road to teaching children to write. This is a step-by-step plan and it is fantastic!

I have reviewed many books about how to teach children to write stories, and this one is by far the best! To begin with Mariconda is the only author I've read who distinguishes between character-problem-solution stories and what she calls "personal narratives." Personal narratives are more about an experience than a character, are usually heavily descriptive, and there is no "problem." The character-problem-solution mantra had always bothered me, because we all know that there are wonderful stories that are more "mood pieces" than solutions problems.
More importantly, the book consists of specific lessons on teaching the elements of story writing, in isolation. It can be done! Look at the Table of Contents to see exactly what is covered. These lessons are explained so well explained that you feel fully equipped to teach them, now!
Additionally, the author herself writes with "voice," unlike the usual dry, anonymous style of textbooks. When I leafed through the book and saw an entry that said something like, "getting students to elaborate with detail is the bane of most English teachers' existence," I bought it then and there. What we all need is to hear about teachers' experiences, not just "programs" that seem to spring from nowhere.
Lastly, her approach works! When this program was implemented at the school she taught at, the percentage of students passing the state writing assessment rose from 47% to 92% in four years. That is amazing! I am planning on using this book for my high school students as well as elementary and middle school!

I used this book to teach 3rd and 4th graders in Watts how to write. This book has lesson plans that teach step by step. All kids have wonderful ideas but sometimes do not know how to express these ideas on paper. This book shows you how to teach them. It was incredible to read the stories my students wrote after learning the techniques in this book! All my students became amazing authors! They were so proud of their stories and I was so proud of them! Thank you for writing this amazing book!

I have used this book with 3 schools in two states to help teachers teach writing and to help students prepare for state writing tests. This book shows you many simple ways to help kids understand narrative writing. The diamond graphic organizes the students's thinking and writing. The mini-lessons are great, and the test prep advice, the paced prompt, works. why should anyone take a test they aren't prepared for? the paced prompt shows the students how to organize their time and thougths, and the scores showed it. If you or your teachers are using Write Traits this will fit beautifully, but the book also stands alone. I've bought copies for all my teachers!

A book that, incredibly, lives up to its title! This is my 13th year of teaching elementary school and this book does what no other book has been able to do: it works! I found myself reading the entire thing in the teacher's store where I first found it. I suggested to my entire 3rd grade team that we implement it and they whole-heartedly agreed. If you want to teach kids to write narrative that A. makes sense, and B. is interesting, you cannot go wrong. Haven't you tried the formula of character, setting, problem, solution, one too many times and not been satisfied with the results? I know I have. This approach is much better, and shows you how to teach beginnings, elaboration, suspense (the best part), main event, resolution, and satisfying ending. The beauty is you teach it by parts using real literature examples, modeling, and then students practice. You will find yourself nodding your head as the author relates the same kinds of frustrations you have when reading elementary school writing and shows you how to change them. This book is the best I've ever seen to help you teach writing. There is no fluff and many great insights. Your students will write amazing stories and you'll never teach writing the same way again!

I love this book! It is a sweet story with enchanting pictures. I have used it to review color words with my young students.

I had never even heard of this book until I stumbled upon it at the library. This book can be only be described by plucking a word right from the title and thats "LOVELY". My daughter could not get enough of it! The conversations between Mr. Rabbit and the little girl are simply so realistic I'm almost shocked cause I found myself wrapped up in it as well. It is too cute! The only negative observation I have is my daughter found Mr. Rabbit a little creepy but Maurice Sendak has a slight darkness to him so maybe thats it. Don't let that stop you from buying this though!

I had originally given this book a 4 star review, but in hindsight, I think it deserves 5. (The site wouldn't allow me to edit my star rating- sorry). This is a book that I would like to have discovered earlier, but my four year old boy enjoys it anyway, and I would gladly add it to our family library. A 2 or 3 year-old would easily appreciate this story as well. Both the author and illustrator are accomplished and well respected, and the proof is in reading it to a child. Children love the idea that they can converse with the animals, and Mr. Rabbit and The Lovely Present all but makes it seem possible to the reader. A valuable life lesson is well taken from a well meaning and sympathetic rabbit, in a young girl's search for great gift ideas for her mother. A tiny bit redundant from a grown-up's point of view, but the audience gets the bigger vote (children love repetitive stories and gain much from them). I'm hoping that demand will bring this book back to the printers for the next generation of readers, Especially considering the copyright date (1962). Judging from the illustrations, I would have placed it somewhere in the early 30's 40's. This book must have been very popular in the sixties with parents looking for wholesome stories and rich, high quality artwork for their children.

I received this book today and am so pleased that I bought it because it's a stunning book. It's a lovely little tale (already explained by other reviewers!) that contains subtle repetition for early readers and would be great for teaching colours to a younger child. The illustrations are lovely and have a 1960s feel about them - subtle but intricately drawn and enhance the text perfectly (they don't look anything like the illustrations of We're The Wild Things are but are equally as fantastic!). I think you'd be really hardpressed to find anything faults with this book - a totally charming must have classic for your children's library - don't pass this one up. It's one of those books that totally enchants you the very first time you read it.

As a student at West Virginia State College I was required to view a Calecott honor award winning book. I chose this book because of the beautiful illustrations. A little girl asks the assistance of Mr. Rabbit in deciding what to get her mother for her birthday. Mr. Rabbit suggests some rather foolish gift for each of the colors the little girl says her mother likes. He suggests such things as a red roof and a blue lake. Each time he also suggest a fruit of that color. The little girls says her mother likes that fruit but she needs something else. After they go though a few colors the little girl relizes she could make a fruit basket. Mr. Rabbit says he has a basket.

This is exactly the bank I was looking for. There is a place to save for church, savings, and fun stuff. The bank is large enough to hold plenty of money and it is also easy to get the money out. We are very happy with the bank!

Awesome tool to teach your kids at a very young age (about age 3) how to begin dividing up their money. Works great for us!!

Wonderful tool to help even small children understand saving, spending and tithing. We bought one for a 3 year old and a 5 year old. They both love the bank and understand how to use it.

Just a basic bank, what came in the box is just like the picture and description - a bank with three slots in it. The stickers came on a sheet that you had to peel off and stick on the bank, and they were a little hard to get off, but then again, maybe I'm sticker-challenged!

I have heard wonderful things about this giving bank and finally decided to implement it with my 5 year old daughter and 2 year old son. Obviously the 2 year old is a little young for the concept, but I drew up a chore chart and at the end of the week they each get $3.00 and each dollar goes into the separate banks. I explained each bank and my 5 year old cannot wait to give her money to "those who don't have any". It's a great teaching tool!

Adapting to college life can be a daunting experience. As a current college sophomore, I was asked to advise my younger brother (now a senior in high school) on how to integrate into the university environment. After recounting all of my own experiences, I realized that I neglected many essential elements of freshman life. So, I turned to the available literature. With the exception of Allison Lombardo's, none of the books get the job done. Lombardo provides a comprehensive account of freshman life that will benefit anyone in high school who reads it. The book is a quick, fun, and easy read; I only wish that someone had given me such great tips before I got to college.

This is a great book - I got it as a gift and thought it was on point, honest, and not preachy. I am off to college next year and this was one of the better, non cheesy gifts I got. I wanted to get one for a friend, but realized this is the older edition - there is a new one up on Amazon - just search for Navigating Your Freshman Year - and it ships quicker too.

I have had some disappointments in Freshman Handbooks while preparing for school next year in college, but this book was not one of them. I would recommend it and I am glad that I purchased it.

This book really puts your college freshman year in terms that you can handle, provides great advice from current students who've just gone through it, and now I really feel ready to go away next fall. I'm very glad my father picked this book up for me, and I would recommend it to all high school seniors going to college.

I am a guidance counselor and found out about this book last fall at a conference out here in California. I was immediately hooked by its great content, so I bought a bunch of copies for my graduating seniors and they absolutely love it!

When Pap Blossom goes into town that's when it all started. Breaking into jail, jumping off the roof, missing mom and lost dog are some of the interesting things that happen to the Blossom family. If I could I would give it a hundred stars. I think this book is a 4th, 5th, and 6th grade book. Now you know what it is about so go get the book NOW!!

This book is a very good book for a third or fourth grader. It tells about all of the family and where they are and then it brings them together with various means. this is a great book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Watch out below!" Thats the sound of the little boy named Junor Blossom about to jump off the top of the barn. This little boy has a lot of problems with his family, he has a big sister named Maggie. Her problem in the family is she has to take care of the family and run things but, she can't go shopping.(her favorite thing to do is shopping) Junior also has a big brother named Vern, a grandpa named Pap, and a dog named Mud. They have a mother too but, she's out on a rodeo circuit. His granpa and his big brother are in jail for disturbing the peace and their dog Mud has ran away. See...this family has a lot of problems. There's just one question to ask you? Do you think that the Blossoms will solve their problems? Now if you read this book I don't know if you wil like it or not but, to tell you I sure did. This book was put on my favorite book list after I got done reading it. The book is realistic fiction so if you don't like realistic books I wouldn't read this book. The author is Besty Byars. She has wrote a lot of books most of them are mystery and romance but, hey she is a really good writer. So are you going to read this book?

Go into the world of funny things with Betsy Byars and The NotJust- Anybody Family. It's filled with trouble, mischief, and fun! The trouble begins when Pap goes into town. Somebody falls of the roof, someone goes to jail, someone breaks into jail, and people go to trial. Also, there is a runaway dog. All these funny and exciting things plus a teaspoon of sadness fit into this book. I hope I got your attention! P.S READ THIS BOOK!!!

The Not-Just-Anybody Family is a book my whole classroom enjoyed. It has action, humor, a missing dog, an out-of-town mom, and a grandpa in jail. The children in the book are very real and my students could relate to their feelings and difficulties. The settings change from chapter to chapter and Betsy Byars writes just enough about each situation to keep you wanting more. This book helped my students learn the meaning of "suspense" and almost all of them gave the book a rating of nine or ten on a one to ten scale. I plan on ordering the audio version for some of my students next year.