Educational Books

Lina and Feroza, two young girls from Afghanistan living in a refugee camp in Pakistan, first meet after a frenzied crowd has jostled for used clothing that relief workers threw off the back of a truck. What could have been a misfortune, with each girl retrieving one sandal from a matching pair, turns out to be a stroke of luck as the girls take turns with the sandals and become friends. This friendship helps them to endure the hardships of their daily routines collecting water, washing clothes in the river, mourning lost family members, and caring for younger siblings while boys in the camp attend school. The sandals later take on a symbolic role when one of the girls leaves camp for a new home.

This moving book provides an effective tool for teaching about what it means to be a refugee, how children in refugee camps spend their time, and how the experiences can differ for girls and boys. Although the topic may be weighty and difficult, the tone is relatively subtle and hopeful so as to appeal to young readers. Intertwined with the touching story are valuable economics lessons about scarcity, human resources, wants, and needs. The dramatic artwork and compelling text work well together to make reading this book a memorable experience.

A realistic, powerful and touching children's story that takes a lesson on sharing what we have on a deeper level than most children experience in the States.

"Four Feet, Two Sandals" is a powerful book,
introducing readers to the experience of
refugee children in Pakistan. This is an
excellent teaching tool for having conversations
about sharing, donating and receiving clothes
and shoes, and developing friendships. Bravo!

This book deals with the concepts of friendship, hardship, sharing, and the reality of life for some children in the world. It is sad but heartwarming. The large number of children around the world being displaced because of war, famine, natural disasters and more make this book an important tool in helping to discuss this uncomfortable subject with your children.

Based on co-author Khadra Mohammed's experiences with refugees in Peshawar, a city on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, Four Feet, Two Sandals is a children's picturebook about ten-year-old Lina and her young friend who each discover one of a wonderful pair of sandals. Together they must solve the problem of how to share one pair of sandles between four feet! As they wait and hope for their names to appear on a list for a new home, the sandals become a symbol of their fast friendship - a bond that will endure even when one of them finally has the opportunity to escape the hard conditions and live in a new land. The broad brush strokes of illustrator Doug Chayka draw the reader in to the harsh and barren world of the refugees, where positive human relationships are an particular treasure amid the daily difficulty of survival. A thoughtful yet serious picturebook, highly recommended for children's public library and personal collections.

I highly recommend this book for anyone with an interest in New York's Geology. The map included with the book is an excellent visual aid and for someone like me who is interested in finding fossils gives a good idea of the time periods represented.

A great reference book. My favorite part is the section with the historical diagrams of orogenies, rifting etc. Each diagram shows a time period and how New York was affected. There is also an abundance of information on fossil bearing strata and mineral locations. The book also does a great job with applying most geological processes to New York.

I found this book in the library while doing some research for my own book. I have for the longest time wanted to know what is below ground, what type of rock and stuff is a mile or two or three below me. And this book not only gave me an idea of these things, finally, but it was also just chock full of other little fun facts as well. I've spent hours reading it in the library ...

I tip my hat to the authors, Messrs. Isachsen and Rogers. A very good job. An excellent book for the coffee table, to rally a conversation around. An excellent edition to anyone's personal library.

This Leaflet I found was was very useful for thoses students who are researching particular areas in the Upstate Regions Of New York State. The language used with in the this leaflet is very easy to understand, especially if you are novice to the field of Geology. What is most useful is the many geologic time scales that give a vast amount of information in one page. I found this very useful especailly if I was studing for paleontology and field study classes. I countinue to use this leafel in my class room, mostly to help introduce topics in paeloenvironemnts, plate tectonics, and econmic geology. Each reading, which constits of 10-15 pages, includes questions at the end of each unit. I found these questions not only help to improve teh reading comprehension of my studnets, but also help to insite descussion and further research in these areas.

In spite of it's title, this account, weighing in at 280 pages, is far from "simplified". It is a comprehesive work, with numerous chapters on earth history, plate tectonics, bedrock, surficial materials, mineral resources, hydrogeology, and engineering geology. It is profusely illustrated with charts and diagrams. At least seven State Survey geologists prepared chapters for this book.

The book includes a New York State Geological Highway Map. This is a beautiful 1:1,000,000 scale time/stratigraphic bedrock map of the state, with lots of statigraphic charts and a satelite image A "photo mosaic of the state on the flip side.

I don't remember if I read the reviews for this book but I'm sure that I did and I don't remember seeing anything about only math and reading/english being covered. These topics are covered very well. It tells you exactly what the problems can be and how to do them as well as pretty substantial tests but there is nothing in the book about science or social studies. As a homeschool mom, I need to know what exactly will be on the test as far as what areas in science to make sure that i cover or what timelines in history that she needs to know. The book is comprehensive but it would be awesome if they would include science and social studies/history/geography.

This is an excellent preparation aid for your child.

This book was excellent for my daughter as she was studying for her 4th grade test. It helped her learn some topics that her school didn't cover.

I used this book to help my daughter study for the 4th grade ELA exam few years ago. Having searched through a number of books, I found this to be the most comprehensive and informative as it provided me, as a parent, with much background on what to expect on the exam...and how to prepare... HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR 4TH GRADERS!!!

Previewed 2-3 other books but was disappointed with their content. Found this book to have a wide assortment of both math and reading comprehension problems. My daughter is getting ready to take the assessment test in 3 weeks. She loves this book. Feels that it covers what she has been taught and gives her opportunities to practice the needed skills. When we get the results of her tests, we'll see if this book helped improve her results. If for nothing else, however, it is a good work book to support what she is doing in school.

Fans of paper dolls will adore 31 pages of gorgeous art work -- a beautiful tribute to the fashions of the era.

Children and adults will be thrilled to use Gibson Girls Paper Dolls in Full Color as a collector's item, an element in a crafts project, or just to enjoy for hours of play as intended!

What a lovely book for your collection.

My favorite costumes (not pictured on cover) are the lilac croquet costume and purple and gold velvet tea gown. Good quality!

I just get lost in the fanisty of the era when I look at this paperdoll book..I buy them to use on altered art projects,decoupage but ive not cut on this one yet......its fine quality paper,great coloring..I love the way the ladies and gentlemen look so eligant...maybe someday ill use it for a project..but not today:) B.W.

This book will delight paper doll enthusiasts. The dolls have complete wardrobes, ranging from bathing suits, sportswear, daywear to evening wear. There is even a wedding dress accessorized with a handsome groom! "Gibson Girls Paper Dolls in Full Color" is a lovely tribute to the Gibson Girl phenomenon.

This paper doll set, like the others, has a great deal of charm and a lot of character. In this case, the characters are also namable and have beautiful clothing items and the ever-helpful hints on the inside of the cover and back. I think this will appeal to many girls, especially those who like dressing up...these are a great deal of fun.

I didn't know that there were other books like this one until coming to Amazon. Now I'll have to get the others, too! My kids love this book! The bright sparkly paper really attracts their attention. And the text and lenghth is just right for the toddler age set. The round faced, smiling girl in the book always make my kids smile right back at her.

Easy to read to the youngest of babies, this book is fantastic for learning colors and naming simple objects. The rhyming schemes are fun and the unique art with glittery items on each page is entertaining. I own the whole series and my almost-two-year-old son has LOVED them since he was about six months old.

Along with the other three books in the series, my 18 month old daughter has this one. She likes all four, but this one is probably my favorite. This book; along with the others, is so colorful and bright that it captures my daughters attention. The text is simple so it's just enough for her to sit through. I highly recommend all four books.

This book came in a set of the other 3 Baby Dazzlers titles. My 2 year old loves the simple and enthusiastic rhymes, bright colors, and glittery accents on every page. Each book has a baby with a different skin color, which is always nice! Children's book of the month club offers all four books in a set for really cheap! I recommend all four

This book as well as Helen Stehpens other books are fantastic. They are the best books we've got to read to our baby. They have great colors and short and simple tales. My 6 1/2 month old pulls this one out of her toy chest among all her other toys.

My mom is a sunday school teacher and she always likes to make nice bulletin boards every week for classes. She really likes the ideas in this book very much.

This is a magnificent book. The school lessons are witty & appropriate, the bulletin board illustrations & photos give you a good sense of the finished product, and the prose is written in a light, humorous manner.

Some of the ideas in the book are for specifically for Catholics, some specifically for Protestants, and a lot can be used for both. That is the main strength of the book, its versatility.

If you are afraid to purchase it because you think it might not fit into your own version of Christianity, shame on you. This is for macro-Christianity, it transcends "little boxes" and artificial divisions. We all love Jesus, and you should all buy this book.

I cannot recommend it any higher.

This is a magnificent book. The school lessons are witty & appropriate, the bulletin board illustrations & photos give you a good sense of the finished product, and the prose is written in a light, humorous manner.

Some of the ideas in the book are for specifically for Catholics, some specifically for Protestants, and a lot can be used for both. That is the main strength of the book, its versatility.

If you are afraid to purchase it because you think it might not fit into your own version of Christianity, shame on you. This is for macro-Christianity, it transcends "little boxes" and artificial divisions. We all love Jesus, and you should all buy this book.

I cannot recommend it any higher.

If you're in the market for bulletin board ideas for Sunday School, this book is for you. If you are looking for bulletin board ideas for a Parochial School this is you.

This book understands that not everyone is an artist, and provides simple, great looking examples for you to base your work on. If you happen to be of the artistic persuasion, the examples are more than enough to get your imagination started.

There is no other book out there with the range of topics for so many situations. There is a large quantity of quality ideas.

I highly recommend it

If you're in the market for bulletin board ideas for Sunday School, this book is for you. If you are looking for bulletin board ideas for a Parochial School this is you.

This book understands that not everyone is an artist, and provides simple, great looking examples for you to base your work on. If you happen to be of the artistic persuasion, the examples are more than enough to get your imagination started.

There is no other book out there with the range of topics for so many situations. There is a large quantity of quality ideas.

I highly recommend it

Great book from my childhood - I was pleased I could still get a new copy for my children's book collection! Thanks!

I remember this book from kindergarten at Neutra School on NAS Lemoore. Everyone, including our teacher, cooed at the adventures of Green Eyes. I haven't thought of this book until my sister mentioned it and I looked here on Amazon to see if it was available. And it was!!

Great fun for my kids to enjoy.

As a little girl I checked this book out of our library nearly every month. I didn't know anyone else with green eyes like mine, so sweet little Green Eyes really captured my attention. The story is so delightful, and you can get lost in the illustrations.
When our library sold their used books, I had to buy "my" book. Now that I see the special edition for sale, I'm going to add the book to our collection.
ps - When my own blue-eyed daughter was growing up, this book was a favorite of hers, too!

One of the first books I remember reading as a child. My mother still has our copy, well, she has what is left of it. I'm so glad its still available. I'm pregnant with my first child and this is the first book I'm buying for my baby!

I remember my mother reading this book to me as a child. It is a wonderful book about how a curious cat sees the seasons. I am a teacher and read it to my first graders every year when we study the seasons.

Very complete research on many aspects of life in "Select" colleges. Certainly a good book to read if you have a child, or are a student interested in the highly competitive colleges.

I have studied higher education for 20 years and my greatest frustration has been the public's unwillingness to look beyond the designer label when choosing a college. Prestigious universities get and maintain their reputations DESPITE their typically offering extremely poor undergraduate education. Not only are classes often large and poorly taught, many students find themselves stressed into fearful quiescence in classes and into depression or eating disorders outside of class (with the colleges doing little to prevent it. And for the privilege, the four-year actual total cost of attending such institutions is nearly $150,000, with only modest cash financial aid available to the middle class. Finally, there's a book which, with painstaking documentation, tells some of the tale. I would only add that even the vaunted career-boosting of an Ivy diploma is seriously overrated. Because these institutions attract the nation's best and brightest students (They really can't be that bright if they're willing to pay so much for so little) they would get great jobs no matter where they went to college. Indeed, at less selective students, these Ivy-caliber students would stand out, thereby getting to hold leadership positions on campus, receive superlative letters of recommendation from professors and administrators, and insider leads on jobs--none of which is as likely at an Ivy institution, filled with student superstars. This book is a MUST read for anyone considering attending or sending their child to a "prestigious" college. The truly wise choice is to send your Ivy-caliber child to a public institution that has a substantive honors program. Some of the small publics may be particularly wise choices: Mary Washington, Evergreen State, St. Mary's College of Maryland.

Howard Greene, the most esteemed of all educational consulants, writes of the social, academic, and campus experience of college students. This book is a clear must for anyone interested in what really goes on inside of well known colleges and universities throughout the country. Honest and interesting, Greene has sucessfully accomplished another outstanding book! I can't wait to see what he will publish next! Perhaps a piece co-written with his daughter, a college freshman?

This book holds no punches. It tells it like it is - from the students - on areas such as social life, drinking on campus, safety issues, various academic pros and cons, skill of profs, morale, racism, etc. Shows good differences between schools we think of as "the same" - eg, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth. I like the charts too - they helped me find the information I wanted quickly and clearly. Strong recommendation.

This is the third college guide written by the Greenes I have read. So far, they have all been excellent. This book is an in depth analytical study extracted from a survey of over 3,000 students who attended twenty elite schools (8 Ivies, 9 private universities, and 3 top public universities). As usual, the Greenes writing is impecable and very lively, including numerous direct fascinating quotes from students. This makes digesting this occasionally dry material a lot more fun than expected.

This book is a reality check. Apparently, the character of these schools has really changed over the past several decades. Gone is the collegiate country club atmosphere some of these campuses may have had. Instead, the atmosphere is now described as intense, competitive, and cutthroat by 90% of the students in the survey. Also, 84% of the students indicated that the academic workload was their overriding concern. The grade pressure is intense and made doubly so given the exceptional student body. How can you possibly excel among straight As valedictorians with many of the classes graded on a curve?

The Greenes mention that going to such academically competitive schools may be a questionable choice to maximize your chance to go to top graduate schools. Regarding two Med school candidates with equivalent academic caliber, one has a 2.9 GPA from Yale the other a 3.6 GPA from State U. Who wins? The higher GPA candidate will win out. Additionally, the Greenes remove the illusion that if you go to Harvard undergrad you have a better shot at a Harvard graduate school. You don't. The top graduate schools recruiting throws a nationwide net looking for the best talent (the higher GPAs among other parameters).

The Greenes' survey removes any illusion that these top colleges represent ideal communities. They do not. Their academic pressure-cooking atmosphere results in numerous psychological and social ailments. The amount of drug usage, alcohol consumption, including frequent binge drinking is rampant. Binge drinking is practiced on a regular basis by 80% of the fraternity and sorority houses. For non-Greek members binge drinking practitioners still represent 45% of men and 36% of women. These behaviors result in occurrence of depression, date rape, sexual abuse, and other safety issues. In this regard, women are more vulnerable for obvious reasons. Within the survey, 50% of women indicated they were concerned about their safety on a daily basis.

Another result of the academic pressure and grade competition is the surprisingly high level of cheating. Within the survey, 29% of the students indicated that academic cheating had a direct effect on their class position or grades.

The survey feedback regarding academics was mixed. For instance, Harvard's faculty was criticized for being removed and not good teachers. Is this really the best college in the nation? On the other hand Princeton, Yale, Columbia received high praise for their faculty. Feedback regarding college social life was often more mediocre. As you can imagine extremely high IQ has no positive correlation with EQ. In other words, don't necessarily expect a healthy, balanced, and fun social life from these schools.

But the myth lives on. By many other standards, these schools remain the most successful ones in the nation. They achieve staggeringly high graduation rates ranging from 90% to 97% compared to only 40% for the nationwide average and about 70% for any pretty descent school. Also, 83% of the students indicated they would make the same school choice again if they relived their recent past. This is most probably far higher a percentage than for lesser schools. And, this is despite the high stress, the concern about academic workload, and often the criticism in the quality of the teaching delivered by the faculty. Is this masochism?

The Greenes indicate what it takes to remain sane in such a stressful environment. This entails being self-motivated, with a strong psyche, a creative spirit, a tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty, and a sense of humor to let you take on adversity in stride.

The Greenes recommend an excellent method in selecting a college. First know thyself. Be aware of what academic, and geographical environment you will thrive in. What is your preferred classroom learning environment? How intellectually driven are you really? What are your relevant fears and weaknesses regarding your adaptative skills to the campus life? Only by asking yourself these tough questions, will you know what kind of school represents a good match. Next, look at your achievements (GPA/SATs) and within the pool of schools that represent a good match, you look at the best fit by investigating the schools in details. The Greenes have a three page list of investigative questions to ask administrators of prospective schools including issues on campus safety, campus social atmosphere, quality of campus living, alcohol and drug policy, availability of substance free dorms, crime record. This college selection is a sane alternative to the brand name obsession we have with the top schools.

This book provides helpful information and insights for owners of greyhounds as well as to those thinking about getting a greyhound. It contains first aid tips and obedience training guidelines that aren't available in most other greyhound books. It also has beautiful photos of the breed. There are only two drawbacks I have found about this book; it does not fully emphasize the need to keep greyhounds on leashes or in enclosures and the reading continuity is interrupted by the "How To" sections (not that they're not helpful but they seem misplaced).

This book was recommended to me by Greyhound Friends. A concise and accurate discussion about adopting and caring for Greyhounds. Covers in detail virtually everything you need to know for your dogs entire span - even a small and touching section on dealing with the eventual loss of your pet. I read and re-read this book leading up to adopting my greyhound, Gromit, and things have gone quite well (of couse, Gromit is wonderful, even for a greyhound). A few nits: I would have liked more information about training your dog to climb stairs (Gromit figured it out in about a week with a lot of help from me). The book is very pro lure coursing (a non-gambling kind of greyhound racing); many sources on the net feel that lure coursing is very dangerous for ex-racers due to injuries the racers encounter during their careers. Still, a fine and useful book.

There have been several thorough resources published about adopting and caring for greyhounds with the caveat that greys are "different from other dogs". They include technical paragraphs about the physical and psychological sensitivity of these dogs, but don't give many examples about how greys differ from other dogs emotionally and psychologically. This book fills that gap, bringing a realistic and focused perspective to what it is REALLY like to have a greyhound in your house. It does this with a friendly, companionable voice rather than a clinical one, although the technical information is included as well. If you love greyhounds, you will love this book. It is obvious from the text that Coile loves her greyhounds.

I recieved this book as a Gift from a friend shortly after getting a greyhound. I found it very helpful and informative, what to look out for, what to do, what not to do, and it even gave me a head-start to finding recreational activities to participate in with my greyhound, such as lure coursing , which my greyhound will be participating in once she gets settled in.

This is the book the Greyhound rescue in my area suggested. It's a great book, full of pertinent information pertaining to Greyhounds. I recommend it without reservation to anyone considering adopting, in the process of adoption, or already in possesion of one of these magnificent creatures.

Adopt a GREYHOUND! SAVE a LIFE and get a GREY-T dog to boot!!

My mom bought me this book when I was little and I just loved it! In fact, I still have the copy she bought me. I will treasure it always. All the varieties of birds Barbara sculpts out of clay to illustrate the pages are just amazing! Sure to keep the attention of children as the story is being read and also keep the parent interested as well. Barbara has a wide variety of childrens books out which she illustrates with clay. Some of her books are perfect as readers for children in school and others are better for smaller children like her "Zoey" series.

Both of my little ones like this book. It is a simple read with plenty of rhymes and fun pictures. However, it is not too simple because within the rhymes the little ones can learn quite a bit about birds and bird behavior. My little boy saw the blackbirds on the "summer garden birds" page and said they looked like grackles and acted like them too with all of their splashing and mess-making. My littlest one likes all of the bird sounds you do while reading the book such as the quarreling-in-a-rage birds, tweeting-in-a-cage birds, squealing, squawking, screeching, talking,... Well worth the money if your little ones like to look outside for birds, or point to birds while they're in the car on a trip.

This book is very fun to read and of particular interest to toddlers. I absolutely love Barbara Reid's plasticene illustrations. The poetry in the book is wonderful. The book takes about 5 minutes to read, and it is easy for a young toddler to join in. The text is repetitious without being monotanous.

It is one of my 22 month old's favorite books.

This charming little book uses alliteration, assonance, and rhyming words to describe various types of birds and how they live. The sentences are written in poetry that's cadence and structure enhances the types of birds being discussed. The claymation illustrations are playful and capture children's imagination, but without distracting from the focus of the book's lessons. A fun book to read.

My two year old adores birds, and of all of our bird books, this is one of his absolute favorites. I'm not sure how much of the text he understands, but the illustrations, done in clay art, are beautiful, and he loves to identify the various species.

I don't mind reading it over and over because the poetic text stands up to intense rereadings and I love the cadence and rhythm of the text. The author has managed to emulate the careening freedom of flight by the flitting, dipping, racing style of her poetry. This is one of those books I wish we had in hardcover.