Educational Books

This book provides an easy to read introduction to sensory processing problems in children and how overwhelming these problems can be for the child and the adults in his life. Many terms that professionals use are are introduced and parents will be able to do further research after being exposed to the terms (examples being somatosensory/tactile systems, proprioception, postural gravitational insecurity, space visualization etc). As an Occuaptional Therapist, I found it helpful to compare the activities that I recommend in home programs with what the author recommends. The author provides many suggestions on how to structure the environment and play to help a child with sensory processing. The book does not include general developmental norms such as when the average child begins to dress himself, hop, ride a tricycle, etc. I think it would be helpful for parents to read about how developmental expectations are related to foundational sensory systems in early childhood.

Great book, very very good!!! You must have this one for your resource shelves. Therapists need the inventory for use in practice. What a great communication tool for parents, teachers and others to communicate with therapists. It helps parents to 'talk therapy talk,' just by filling in the inventory. The sensory secret checklist is great too. If you put this one on top of your list, you will recommend it too. Easy reading, with life changing information!!!

I found this to be a wonderful book for parents just entering the world of Sensory Integration Dysfunction. I explains so many of the terms and theories used by Occupational Therapists. However, this truly is an introduction, and not very helpful to anyone who has been working with an OT for any length of time.

This book is a great introduction to sensory integration and how our senses effect our learning. As A professional who works with individuals who have sensory difficulties, I feel that this book would be helpful for new teacher trainings, as an introduction to sensory integration, or as a guide to help individuals (such as parents) who do not work in an education or medically based industry that need to gain a better understanding of sensory integration. All teachers should use these basic techniques in their classrooms; for individuals who are interested in a deeper understanding of sensory integration dysfunction and other related difficulties, perhaps a book with a deeper explanation of the CNS and sensory systems would better suit their needs. Overall, it's a good quick read!

Of everything that I've read this is the best book. Its a fairly quick read. It's broken down into very specific catigories. It gives you warning signs. It tells you how to work on a problem with professionals. It shows you hundreds of ways to work on each specific sensory motor problem. It also helps you to evaluate your own child and explains how certain holes in the learning foundation could quickly lead to learning diviculties later on in life (early grade school). If you feel that there is a problem with your child and you can't put your finger on it - this is the book that will give you invaluable stepping stones.

This is a book for the young, but it is also a good book for the parents and everyone in between.
I had this book w/record when I was a little girl and the meaning behind this very small simple book came to mind many times through my life... (middle aged now) It resonated with me because I perceived my family didn't believe in me, didn't think I would amount to anything, treated me as if I was stupid and laughed at me, my dreams... so I grew up trying to be my own "cheerleader"... which was daunting at times... yet, like this boy planting the carrot seed, I also somehow knew (trusted?) inside me there was a seed that would grow with enough positive energy, light and love. It is my passion to cheer my fellow humans on... believe in yourself, believe in your children, believe in the people around you and they will believe in themselves and so on and so on and so on...
We all came here with a gift (seed)... let it move through you (grow) and do not listen to the negative voices/opinions around you, no matter how "influential" they are.
"My story" is done, coaching session over ;-) Cheers to ya!

My 3 year old son knows this book word for word. It is a superb story about patience and tenacity. Yet another library book that become so beloved we turned to amazon....

This book is a wonderful portrayal of perserverence and faith. Delightful to young and old!

i was happy to receive the book. it is exactly the book i remembered and its nice because it is hard.

thank you

This book had a huge impact on me as a child.

Everyone told the boy his carrot seed would not come up. Even the adults. My reaction was this: adults know everything, so why is this boy still trying? I was truly surprised when the carrot seed sprouted, and I clapped and cheered. My next reaction was this: maybe *I* shouldn't give up, even when other people tell me to. This is one of the greatest lessons I've ever learned.

I read this book to my own kids now, and they love it as much as I do.

"The Giant Jam Sandwich" is great for any kid with a vivid imagination its laid out in such a way that it flows like honey or in the case of this book STRAWBERRY JAM! The basis of this book is the town of "Itching Down" has one serious dilemma, one day in flew 4 million wasps and of course they were wreaking havoc for everyone and everything so what do you do to try to get rid of these pesky wasps? why build a giant jam sandwich and trap them in it!
From what I see this book came out 30yrs ago its has a fun rhyming text, the illustrations are great I love the expressions of the townsfolk and it showcases a community really coming together to solve a big buzzing problem. A great food fun book a lot like "Cloudy with a chance of meatballs" which I also highly recommend. This book is complete fun for the family a great story to bring along for picnics just don't forget to pack your own jam sandwiches!

My son who is graduating from high school requested this book as a graduation gift. It is one of his favorite memories from childhood and may have even influenced his decision to become a professional pilot. A charming story told in rhyme accompanied by whimsical illustrations. An asset for any child's library.

I grew up with this book and am rapt that amazon could find it for me.
I love the simplicity of the book, the story, pictures etc.
I am now able to read it to my children.

This was a favorite of mine as a child, so I was excited when my daughter was the right age to read it. She enjoys it immensely and loves to point out and name all the details in the colorful pictures.

I love how the paperback version offers a gerat book at an affordable rate for my boys. I remember watching it on "Reading Rainbow" as a child and was happy to share it with my own boys.

Very cute illustrations and simple text introduces color mixing. Yellow and blue make green, etc. I always read this story to my kindergarten children and then we experiment with finger paints. Great activity!

This is the best "color" book I've ever read. I love that it has an actual storyline, and a clever one at that! The text is perfectly concise, and the illustrations are simple but engaging. My 5-month-old daughter loves it!

Ellen Stoll Walsh teaches color mixing in this entertaining story about 3 white mice who find three jars of primary colored paint. I read this book to my kinders before they did their own color mixing art project and they just loved it!

The pictures, created with cut-paper, are just darling. This is worth having in any classroom or home library.

As a mom I love Mouse Paint! There is depth to the story. In addition, the innovative introduction of concepts with primary colors is just plain fun. Reading for reading is always good. But reading to teach information opens up new horizons for lifelong learning. The whole book has me smiling all the way through. It is short so when it becomes a beloved favorite -- and it will be a favorite guaranteed! -- you can easily get through it to the satisfaction of all. This is the type of book I tell my friends about.

This edition in hardback would be nice as a gift.

Mouse Paint is a great book for early childhood. I use this book for infant toddler storytime. The colorful pictures make easy eye contact for young children. The book was in excellent condition and delivery was expeditious! Thank you Amazon.

This is a strange book, because in a sense nothing happens. The hero, Barry, is taken to an incredible world under the sea where the hugely advanced predecessors of humans live in stunning surroundings, with unbelievable technology, and he learns many things about how they live. He's telling the story afterwards as a way of piecing together his erased memories and convincing himself that he's not, as everyone thinks, mad.

But who is Barry? I don't know. He's an almost entirely receptive character who just soaks it all up. His guide to Egon, Dido (a boy, in their long lifetimes, of 99, who takes him as a sort of pet), comes to love Barry and is distraught at having to send him back to the world above. But why? In their terms he's a primitive, but even to us he doesn't express any particular personality. He's just a vehicle to show us Egon and so Dido can expound at length on how utterly fantastic and perfect their world is. So although Barry experiences a lot of incredible things like ski-flying and dying/rebirth and matter transformation, there's very little drama in the narrative. He describes them unquestioningly, in dazed, almost druggy prose.

There's some beautiful language but about 90% of it is descriptive. Most paragraphs are a variation on "Dido told me all about X. It was amazing. He showed me Y. It created the most wonderful feelings of happiness that I can't describe. You've got to see Z, he said. It's incredible. Then we ate some wonderful fruit that was like various other earth fruits but much better." I enjoyed the ideas, but this way of writing is dull. And of the two characters, Dido is almost alien in his superiority and Barry is just a cipher. It was hard to really attach to them.

Adult literature has a genre called the novel of ideas and I think that really, this is what this is, but for children. It's not really a story; it's just a sort of development of a fantastical world. The world is stunningly created and I'd like to read a proper story set there, but this was more like a guidebook. I wouldn't say don't read it, though, because it's interesting and unusual.

This is my favorite book. When I think of it, I recall being touched deeply as a child and haunted ever-after as one can be after waking from the most precious of dreams, trying to relate that experience to the waking world and having no choice but to relinquish it. While this might be described as a children's fiction, I still cannot understand how Mr. Davidson could have invented this narrative experience without either strong inspiration from realms beyond this one, or (may I dare say) without having experienced such an unimaginable happening himself. I am very happy to find that this book is getting some recognition. May it continue to open imaginations to questions of what is tangible and what is possible.

I ordered this book because of the reviews on Amazon.com - I like kids' books even though it has been a long time since I was a kid. I also liked Rose of Tibet by the same author. Under Plum Lake is pretty strange - it's the classic tale of the Garden of Eden, or Shangri-La, the protagonist is shown paradise and then shown the door, cast back into his normal life. However, it has a tragic effect on him - he can't function in his real world anymore because he longs to go back to the underwater paradise, it's all he can think about. Well-written, very colorful, sad and even stressful - also it seemed a lot like an LSD trip. By the way, one of my favorite books as a kid that I found again as an adult is Tom's Midnight Garden, although it is meant for a younger reader it is just as engrossing and evocative as Under Plum Lake.

I read this book in [...] Now at [...] I still think about this book. This not only got me into reading for the first time ever, but it also let me know that it was okay to keep my imagination growing. At a time when it wasn't cool to play with toys anymore or dream about ridiculous things, this book kept me going. Great great book. As you will see.

This book was one of my favorites growing up and my brothers absolute favorite! Now 36, I thought of it when I was telling my 10 year old what I read when I was younger. At that time, she wasn't interested in reading a lot. I bought this for my brother and she took it and read it first and hasn't stopped reading for the past year! Now we can talk about other realities and about not taking 'normal' definitions of reality as the only definitions. This book has really opened up her thinking (as it did mine!) She has now read about 15 novels since Under Plum Lake and we can make references to this book and laugh and really share some special moments.

This is our family's first year homeschooling all 3 children (ages range from 4-9) and I was SO thrilled to have found such a wonderful book to teach (and truly immerse) our kids in God's creation! Jeannie Fulbright doesn't just teach facts with these books - her approach includes total immersion into the where and how and why that fill my kid's need to know and understand God in each moment, in each created thing! I have learned so much and my dh can't put the books down himself! He is just as excited as we are to begin this new school year finding wonderful ways to see God in the awe and wonder filled amazement of His creation! Jeannie even includes free notebooking pages for her studies and I have found a many free and inexpensive lapbooks that follow along also! What a perfect addition this has been to round out our curriculum!

My child saw this book and wanted to start her science right away! My dh, who is a chemical engineer, said it was a great book to use to get a child interested in science. I can't wait till fall to start using the book.

We decided to use this book on the advice of another homeschooling family and couldn't be happier. I would agree with the person who gave this a 3 stars in that the sun isn't that big compared to many other things in our universe, but within our solar system, I believe it is. Regardless, we have really enjoyed this book. Science is one of my dd's favorite subject. She loves that we get to cuddle up while reading the material. However, she also loves sharing with others what she has learned. People are amazed at how much she knows and has comprehended, especially for her age (she just turned 7 and we used this for our first grade science). I have also spoken with my neighbor, who is a second grade teacher, and she was impressed with what she has learned. She told me they could never go into that kind of depth in her classroom. They just don't have that kind of time.

Next fall, we will be using the Zoology 1 as both my dd's are totally engrossed with bugs and other flying critters right now.

I really like this series as it is based on a 7 days creation view, which is what we believe in and wanted to teach. I also like that evolution ideas are brought in (how some scientists explain...and then she gives a bried synopsis of what they think. For example, the parts of Mercury that don't have any craters because they are "new" as a result of volcanic eruptions).

I also like the conversational tone to the book. It provides for interaction with the book instead of just memorizing the "facts". I also like many of the experiments as it allows my dd to become more actively involved in what she is learning and helps to really cement what she has learned.

As with many things, you will find mistakes (many of them have been corrected if you go to Apologia's website), and things that you may not agree with. However, if you want to really dig into a subject, spend time on it, and have your child retain what they learned as well as be excited enough about it to want to share what they have learned with others, I would highly recommend this book (as well as this series)

Like all of the Exploring Creation science books, this one covers the topic thoroughly, yet simply. On the other hand, I (as the parent) learn new things with each of these books I have taken my elementary aged son through. While the language is simple enough for an elementary school child to read on their own, the content is significant and the concepts are very important. There is real "meat" in these books.

I would even suggest an older child use these books to gain a grasp on material if it is the first time through the subject. They would be a quick and enjoyable read for the older student.

These books are written to the child and ask questions to not only pique their interest in the subject, but to draw the child to consider how God is at work in His creation. Evolution is handled in a respectful, but no-nonsense way. There is no doubt that the author, Jeannie Fulbright, believes that God is the Creator of the universe and she will enthuse the reader to consider how awesome our God is.

I highly recommend this book as an elementary school science curriculum, but also could recommend this book for a child who simply wants to know more about Astronomy.

Complete lab kits to accompany the books in this series are available from several sources. I have purchased kits in the past from Creation Sensation and they are very affordable and very complete.

What a wonderful way to teach Astronomy. We used this book in a homeschool co-op and the kids loved it. Easy to teach as well.

Its different from the text I used just a few years ago to learn calculus. It explains things step by step instead of just assuming you follow their thinking like most calc texts do. I realize the reason for the other texts doing this but in the end it gets distracting and confusing for the student and this text seems to realize this. The author of this book takes the time to explain EVERYTHING they're doing in a problem including the basic math/algebraic stuff so you don't have to waste time on it and you can get down to getting used to calculus. When I first learned calculus it was scary and confusing, this text makes it so much simpler. It does show you a lot applications for it in business which might be of help to you business majors out there. Unfortunately for my case, I can't say I found them to be too useful as my reasons for needing calculus are much more scientific. I wish there was a part two to this text because there are a few harder integrals and partial derivative problems that I use but are hardly touched upon. I need a version of this book for advanced calculus. (like the kind you use in physics and chemistry) Perhaps we can call it "Forgotten Advanced Calculus".

This is a great book for a general treatment of beginning calculus. It was definitely meant for people who have either already taken calculus or people who know nothing of it and want a easy intro. If your a non-mathematical student looking to prepare for your first calculus course this isn't a bad start, but you may want to consider augmenting it with a more complete text. As noted in another review (Smolley) this book doesn't cover the full content of a Calculus I course. Good luck!

If you are going to business school, and have been out in the work force for a while, or just barely scrapped by in business calc the first time around, this book is for you. The explanations are great and there are enough problems to warm up your mind.

If you are returning for a grad degree in math, science or engineering, this book is only a warm up. If you need to brush up on the hard core calc that was covered in engineering calc, then further study will be required.

I did plenty of calculus in undergrad, but I haven't used it since about 12 years. Now that I am in graduate business school, I needed a refresher on calculus. This book is perfect. Even if you are new to calculus, this book will work for you. I suggest that you do the exercises at the back of each chapter to solidify your understanding. "Practice makes perfect" is at least true in mathematics!

I recommend this text for anyone either taking calc for the first time or reviewing after having been away for any amount of time.

I love this book so much, I'm making a point to write a review -- something I rarely do. The drawings are so beautiful and *detailed*. Following the little spider's story is even fun for me, night after night, because I always see something new in the pictures. The age-old story is interesting the way the author re-tells it, and her rhymes are terrific and not at all forced (unlike some other re-imaginings of this tale). This is my most favorite book to read to my 2-year-old. I would recommend it to anyone, and would definitely give it as a gift.

My daughter grew to really like me singing to her from this book when she was 17 months. Got the book from the library, ended up renewing it till we couldn't renew any more, and had to buy one. She loved looking for the spider on every page, and it was great fun singing more than the usual lines to her, about spider's pursuits. The best part was the end, when the "itsy bitsy spider rested in the sun" (the picture of the spider resting on its laurels wearing shades was so cool), and I taught my daughter to emulate the spider lazily lying back and say "ahh!", and she absolutely loved doing that as I sang this last line. Great book.

My students loved this book. I introduced the nursery rhyme. I usually talk about the same rhyme for 2 weeks. On the 2nd week, I started reading the book each day. Great visuals! Very cute story additions to the traditional nursery rhyme.

This is a cute book and CD series. The CD only has two songs and not as entertaining as I hoped. I would just buy the book if I were to do it again. It's not our favorite children's book but a cute one.

My 2-year-old loves the Itsy Bitsy Spider song, so when I found this book, I thought it would be perfect for her. And it is. I can sing it or read it to her, and she loves finding the spider on each page and singing along with me. Although most of us are familiar with the first verse, there are actually multiple verses, which the author illustrates with vivid, colorful drawings.

My daughter isn't interested in the included cd, with its sing-along and page-turning cues, so the board book version may be the better option if you're buying for a toddler.

Thoroughly enjoyable -- this was given to us by friends and has become one of the favorites in our household. The text has a fun cadence that makes reading it fun, and my one year old enjoys listening to it. Eventually, I think she will enjoy the story, too. The graphics are rich, and we find something new on each page each time we read it.

This book has a nice story. Easy reading to keep a young child attention and I love the artwork. This is a Christmas present for my 3 year old grandson and I think this will be another favorite to add to his library. Glad I found this book on your website.

We have almost all of the books from this author/illustrator team and they are an amazing talent. Every book they come out with is sooo clever and beautifully illustrated. This one is no exception. It is a great rhyming "read-aloud" and the moral of the story is not lost on the reader. My 18 month old son has not grown tired of having this read to him on a daily basis...and I have not grown tired of reading it to him.

My family is very fond of all of Julia Donaldson's books, but The Snail and the Whale is our very favorite. Axel Sheffler's illustrations are whimsical (My son has noticed that most of the insects he draws have noses)and beautiful. I am especially fond of its rhyming, making it a delight to read. Most of all, I love the messages it contains. One of which is that the world is vast and wonderful and we should get out and experience it. Also, it stresses the importance of helping one another, and being kind to our environment. A big nod goes out to The Snail and the Whale and its creators for giving us a book which is not only wonderful to look at and read, but has a valuable message. Thanks!

This is one of those books that I could read every night and not get sick of. In fact, over the past three years I HAVE read it every night for weeks at a time and still love the flow of the text.

My favorite lines include, "And she gazed at the sky, the sea, the land, The waves and the caves and the golden sand. She gazed and gazed, amazed by it all, And she said to the whale, 'I feel so small.'" The word "small" is in a smaller font than the rest of the text and is so appropriate for the two page spread that includes the tiny snail (barely visible) amidst a scene of snowy mountains, forests, bears, bald eagles, the sea.

Perfect for teaching the concept that it doesn't matter how big or small you are, you ARE important and CAN be successful. As the snail sets off on his mission (I won't spoil it), the text reads "'I must not fail,' said the tiny snail." GREAT lesson!

Can you tell that we love this book?!?!?

This is an excellent book for newcomers to the sport of pure bred dogs. I often give it to puppy owners so they can learn more about showing dogs since it does an excellent job of describing everything you need to know to get started showing. It is well written and has nice photographs. This is even a good start for youth who are interested in showing their dogs. I highly recommend it.

If you have never shown a dog before and don't know what you are getting yourself into this is the book to buy! It even provides a supply list so you know what to bring! If you want to start showing your dog(s) and need to know what to do and how to do it this is one book you MUST buy!

This is probably not the best showing how to book out there but it certainally teaches you a lot without encouraging you to be a snob that cares about nothing but winning at any cost. It covers a lot of material and though it doesn't teach you EVERYTHING you need to know this book combined to going with some other people to a show made me feel confident enough to start showing my own dogs. I have never forgotten some of the things she said in this book. As I go through the dog showing life events can cause her words to ring in my head and bring me peace such as when I meet the occasional meanie "...but keep in mind the meanest people are often the ones with the least going for them." Ain't that the truth!

D. Caroline Coile is a good author. She writes good breeding articles for Dog World all the time and her book Pit Bulls for Dumies, I think, is the most breed-informative of all the "for Dummies" books on dog breeds. I have or have had Labrador Retrievers for Dummies, Golden Retrievers for Dummies, Rottweilers for Dummies, Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies, and Boxers for Dummies, all by other authors, and, blah, I felt like I was reading a general dog care book with just a tiny amount of breed-specific information you could find ANYWHERE in ANY BOOK. I feel like Coile gets more into explaining the essence of the breed in her book.

I am brand new to showing. I just got my first golden retriever. This book was beyond helpful. I am attending conformation classes and this book helped me to understand what was taking place and keep up.
I highly recommend this book for anyone starting out.

This book is an excellent start for beginners. It answered almost every question I had and is very easy to read. I would highly recommend this book.