Educational Books

Excellent daily practice for those little-ones having a hard task in breaking down "word problems". Not overwhelming, but simple clear exercises. I would recommend this booklet.Daily Word Problems, Grade 2 (Daily Word Problems)

My Child is a bit of a slow, when it comes to reading, and Math that's why a got her this book to help her boost her understanding of Math and Reading.
So far, so good she is doing A lot better, but to make sure she get it is better I sit and help when she get stuck.
Overall this is a great book to help you 2nd greader, with Math and reading.

This was my daughter's favorite book last year. She begged me to get the third grade one for this coming year as well. She liked the different themes every week (she would try to guess the next theme and enjoyed the anticipation). The problems themselves were solid (made the kids think) but not overly tricky. She solved 95% of them with no guidance at all (I will state math is her strong subject though). Overall, this is a great book to get kids enthusiastic about word problems.

My 7 year old loves to work on the daily problems before school. It has helped him become a better math student.

This little book helps me to start each morning with simple insights which enhance each day's discoveries. I feel lucky to have found this magic book! I like it so much I often give it as a gift to others on their birthday!!

I have used this meditation book as a recovering person since 1983 and have given it as gifts for years. This is my favorite of these type books because it is not purely Christian in its focus. There are quotes included by many diverse authors(Epicurius, Homer, Thomas Merton, Emerson, even Elizabeth Barret Browning to name but a few). It also leads one thru the twelve steps as a suggested program of action rather than a guilt obsessed "should book".

I don't think we as human beings actually recognize the power of daily reading, meditation, and reflecting. Practicing these powerful principles allows us to remain mindful of the moment and reflect upon the deeper question in our lives. To devote ourself to a daily meditation and to journal on these quiet times is priceless and will certainly aid in the evolution of our soul. For me this practice has allowed an awakening to take place and opens my life up to all the opportunities that are available in this universe. Please give this practice a try! This book will help you in your journey of living and cultivating an active consciousness in your daily life.

Richard A. Singer Jr. Author Your Daily Walk with the Great Minds of the Past and Present.

Minister Redd has done a superb job breaking down a subject that is not often taught or preached in our churches. This book is filled with the Word of God and it will allow you to search the Scriptures for yourself. It is imperative that leaders and layman alike get this book and read it personnally and then use it to glean information that can be taught in small or large groups. Well done!

This book will change your life forever. For new revelation knowledge it's a must read.

This book is very informing. It may be used a great tool for bible study and discussion. It has plenty of scripture to support the statements of the author, which is GREAT because it keeps you in God's Word. Unlike other books of this genre, it is less opinionated but presents the truth in an interesting manner. A MUST READ!!

If you are looking for a book that will provide you with nothing but the truth, then this is the one. There are a lot of books out there written by many people that are good, but this is one written by someone on the ground (so to speak). Min. Redd is a true man of God who holds nothing back when it comes to what thus sayeth the Lord.

I like the book because it isn't written in the typical format of spoon feeding you the material, in his book he provides you with the scriptual emphasis, giving you the referrence so you can open up the Word of God and see it for yourself.

Since I had already spent countless hours on the Internet searching for information on the care of degus, I thought that this book may be a waste of my time. I ordered it anyway (the price was right & afterall it was the first published English book on degus). I was extremely surprised at the amount of information contained in the book. Those who already own degus will not be disappointed, and will be surprised at some of the information (which may be contrary to what some internet sites claim) in it. For those who are new degus owners, or thinking about becoming an owner, I dare say that you should not consider buying such an exotic pet until you have read this book. The book "Degus" references many scientific studies from which some of the information was gathered. This book will certainly improve your understanding of your pets needs, and the quality of care that you provide them. :)

Degus are among the lesser-known pocket pets, but this little manual will soon change that. One of the marks of a good manual is its comprehensiveness, and this one is concise, easy to use, and packed with information. The complete range of essential knowledge has been brought together by the author, including virtually everything that one needs to know to select, house, feed, breed and identify common problems with this fascinating group of South American rodents. A Health Check Sheet gives Degu lovers an easy table of signs to look for that suggest medical problems, but this manual is really about how to prevent them.

The emphasis of this book is on understanding and nurturing your Degu. Since much of caring for unfamiliar pets revolves around knowing what is normal, Dr. Vanderlip has taken particular care to describe, in simple detail, the expected norms, such as how Degus look and act from birth to adulthood, and what do they do when they feel good. Veterinarians will find this to be a handy reference for examining and treating Degus, which are growing in popularity as small pets.

This manual is loaded with illustrations on housing, feeding, handling and medical care. A particularly useful section describes all of the typical places in the household that represent hazards to these agile little creatures. The photos and drawings are excellent and show Degus doing what Degus do, which seems to revolve around being busy, cute and fun loving most of the time.

Phillip T. Robinson, DVM, Diplomate, American College of Zoological Medicine

Degus are among the lesser known pocket pets, but this little manual will soon change that. One of the marks of a good manual is its comprehensiveness, and this one is concise, easy to use, and packed with information. The complete range of essential knowledge has been brought together by the author, including virtually everything that one needs to know to select, house, feed, breed and identify common problems with this fascinating group of South American rodents. A Health Check Sheet gives degu lovers an easy table of signs to look for that suggest medical problems, but this manual is really about how to prevent them.

The emphasis of this book is on understanding and nurturing your degu. Since much of caring for unfamiliar pets revolves around knowing what is normal, Dr. Vanderlip has taken particular care to describe, in simple detail, the expected norms, such as how degus look and act from birth to adulthood, and what do they do when they feel good. Veterinarians will find this to be a handy reference for examining and treating degus, which are growing in popularity as small pets.

This manual is loaded with illustrations on housing, feeding, handling and medical care. A particularly useful section describes all of the typical places in the household that represent hazards to these agile little creatures. The photos and drawings are excellent and show degus doing what degus do, which seems to revolve around being cute and fun loving most of the time.

Phillip T. Robinson, DVM, Diplomate, American College of Zoological Medicine

A Complete Degu Book Degus are among the lesser-known pocket pets, but this little manual will soon change that. One of the marks of a good manual is its comprehensiveness, and this one is concise, easy to use, and packed with information. The complete range of essential knowledge has been brought together by the author, including virtually everything that one needs to know to select, house, feed, breed and identify common problems with this fascinating group of South American rodents. A Health Check Sheet gives Degu lovers an easy table of signs to look for that suggest medical problems, but this manual is really about how to prevent them. The emphasis of this book is on understanding and nurturing your Degu. Since much of caring for unfamiliar pets revolves around knowing what is normal, Dr. Vanderlip has taken particular care to describe, in simple detail, the expected norms, such as how Degus look and act from birth to adulthood, and what they do when they feel good. Veterinarians will find this to be a handy reference for examining and treating Degus, which are growing in popularity as small pets.

This manual is loaded with illustrations on housing, feeding, handling and medical care. A particularly useful section describes all of the typical places in the household that represent hazards to these agile little creatures. The photos and drawings are excellent and show Degus doing what Degus do, which seems to revolve around being cute and fun loving most of the time.

Phillip T. Robinson, DVM, Diplomate, American College of Zoological Medicine

Este es uno de los mejores libros que he leído. La verdad sobre la educación en las escuelas. Estoy segura de que este es un libro que pocos educadores han leído...que lástima!
Sería grandioso que existiera la traducción al idioma español, me encantaría que todo Mexico lo leyera, al menos los profesores y encargados de las escuelas que tanto daño hacen a los niños...
Este es un libro que no se pueden perder!

This was one of the best books I have ever read in my life (not very many though). It gives an extremely accurate synopsis of the American education system. I read it for debate and realized that almost everything said in it was very true. Great book. I recommend it to everyone, whether and philosopher, educator or just an average Joe.

This book made me examine my assumptions and opinions on schooling and education... question things I have always taken for granted. It's a collection of essays and writings that will inspire you and give you courage.

Este es uno de los mejores libros que he leído. La verdad sobre la educación en las escuelas. Estoy segura de que este es un libro que pocos educadores han leído...que lástima!
Sería grandioso que existiera la traducción al idioma español, me encantaría que todo Mexico lo leyera, al menos los profesores y encargados de las escuelas que tanto daño hacen a los niños...
Este es un libro que no se pueden perder!

Medina takes you back to your childhood with his depiction of the life and times and dreams of Deshawn Days. This book take you right back to age ten and it'll resonate with you whether you live in the Projects or on Park Avenue. My Grandmother's Legs is one of my favorites because Medina's description of Deshawn's grandmother is practically identical to what my own would be. The death of his grandmother hits home with anyone who has ever lost a relative who was close to them. Only a true artist can capture that. Medina is superb!

James Smith

I enjoyed this book. It gave a look at a young boy not living in a conventional household. It doesn't give into stereotypes regarding children from split homes. I like the fact that the story focuses on the important aspects of DeShawn's life. He tends to notice the little things rather than on the big picture. I like the way it is something that many kids are able to relate to. It isn't just for one group, one gender, or one race. Certain aspects of the story are relatable to anyone who reads the book. DeShawn is also a very relatable character. The reader feel drawn into the story and cannot wait to turn to the next page to see what will happen. The illustrations are also so tied into the story that a reader need not read the story, they could figure out what was going on through the pictures.

Mr. Medina's "DeShawn Days" captures what life looks like from the view of a child growing up in an urban and distinctly ethnic area. DeShawn is an African-American child, but this is only by coincidence. He describes his world from a universal perspective-- he sees and experiences both love, friendship, play, and family bond like any other kid would, except these experiences are juxtaposed against what can sometimes be a harsh and unforgiving landscape. Mr. Medina somehow presents just the right balance between both the difficult realities as well as the, yes, believe it or not, joys, both of which actually do exist in what some folks like to call "the ghetto." It's reading that I think kids like DeShawn will relate to, and other kids will learn, understand, and yes, enjoy.

Tony Medina shares his inner city neighborhood with lively verse, a sense of humor and a tender heart. Reaching out to his young audience, Medina's story inspires joy and compassion without being the least bit didactic.

R. Gregory Christie's energetic paintings celebrate De Shawn's world with sensitivity and passion. Bravo, this book is a gem.

This book is designed and written for higher education institutions which are considering or are engaged in distance education as a new education communications channel. The book's greatest strength is that it contains perspectives from many different individuals who are actively involved in distance education. The topics cover many different areas such as: defining distance education, implications for higher education, attraction of online distance education, future of distance education, faculty perceptions of distance education, teaching effectiveness, strategies for success, service providers for distance education, quality assurance issues, success factors, and many others.

Those in higher education will often adopt a new technology without fully investigating the potential and cost of the technology. This book has an excellent section on the benefits and disadvantages of using distance education. It is noted that distance education is not a panacea but it is another useful technology that can be used to enhance learning and meet needs of students who are not able to attend a traditional class-learning environment.

The reader was very impressed by the excellent end of chapter references. This will allow anyone who desires to investigate more fully the issues raised in the book to do so. The chapters dealing with various distance education delivery models and implementation will be useful to those who wish to move forward with this technology in their organization.

The reader highly recommends that those interested in distant education take the time to read this book before they embark on distance education. The book will help to minimize "re-inventing the wheel" and thus save time, money and effort.

This book provides an outstanding range of ideas, research, and insights into distance learning programs. The book is enlightening about how to improve distance teaching and learning, the design of these programs, their successes and failures, and how they are impacting institutions of higher education,

This is a great book for anyone considering setting up a distance learning program. The authors are even-handed in their treatment of issues that must be dealt with and provide practical advice for implementing a distance learning program.

The eyes of University Presidents and Vice-Chancellors all around the world light up as they think of those hundreds of millions of potential students out there, just waiting to pay money to study at their Universities - "If just 1% of them came here.... $$$$!!! Information Technology via the Internet and on-line delivery of our courses - will that provide the answer?" As Universities (and other educational institutions) rush to establish a presence in the "virtual" education market, often building Internet classrooms that in many cases resemble the "Field of Dreams" model - "build it and they will come" (they don't, and won't, of course) this book is a welcome steadying contribution.

Let me declare an interest before going any further - I am the author of a chapter in this book. That said, the book provides a serious collection of research articles aimed at making some early sense out of this fast-growing area. It is important to remember it is early days yet and much of the research conducted to date, and the practice, is preliminary - a problem compounded by the rapidly changing technology.

While most of the chapters in the book paint a generally optimistic picture, there are many problems, pitfalls and dilemmas identified. These range from restrictions and difficulties involved in state financing of education, through the difficulty of authenticating student work and testing of students, technological limitations, special dedication and skill attributes required in students, the suitability of some courses to remote delivery, to library strategies. This suggests that at least in the eyes of these practitioners (and most of them are) it will be far from plain sailing. Somebody needs to tell those Presidents!

There are several chapters that provide guidance in (very early) "best practice" and these present a useful if somewhat disjointed guide for those considering running such courses. Perhaps a future work could attempt to establish a "best practice" manual, although as the courses come to conform to a standard blueprint the competitive edge will blur.

For academics the book identifies many areas for additional research. These include further work in the potential take up of on-line education by both students and Universities, the influence of the isolation effect, measurement of learning achievements, and interaction of students with the technology.

Overall the book offers a very good collection of experience and research. There is much more work to be done and many more experiences to be had. Uninversity management (and many academics ) will push to move ahead - there could be a lot of fallout, but in the end is it just possible this could be the University of the future? For a small percentage of students - maybe.

The book covers important aspects of Uraban Education, and the theorectical information that apply to education.


Special Education Teacher

This book explores the urban school system in a very up-close and personal way. The author has first-hand knowledge of not only the Oakland, CA school system, but also how urban schools have been adversely impacted throughout the US. She gets underneath the issue and explains in very clear terms how and why the public education system is in the state it is today.

This remarkable book evokes many emotions thanks to the way Dr. Epstein poignantly describes the people, places, events, mindsets,dedication, and determination of those, ON BOTH SIDES, who are addressing issues related to urban school reform, in general, and related to the Oakland School Board, in particular. Without unnecessary "researchese," the author discusses theories, strategies, programs, and proposals which offer possible solutions to many of the problems facing today's urban school districts.
The title of Dr. Epstein's book says it all and I commend her for providing this alternative view of American schools, especially those located in large urban cities. This is a "must-read" for parents, teachers, school administrators, and business/community leaders.

The No Child Left Behind law originated in a desire to help "at risk" kids, and, by extension, kids in urban schools, but it was applied, with disastrous results, to all public schools.
"A Different View of Urban Education" analyzes the problems of a real urban school system showing why urban schools lack teachers, how and why politicians prevent efforts to remediate problems in these schools, and when and how testing, tracking and textbooks create unnecessary difficulties.

Written in a clear and powerful style, this text goes beyond analysis to suggest "a way out" and ends with an inspiring ten point "People's Program." Those interested in the success of American public education need this book.

Lots of good ideas and encouragment for teaching adult classes. Great for new teachers or old ones who want to brush-up their skills. Very Biblically oriented -- not just a new fad on teaching, but a good balance of true Biblical discipleship and fresh, up-to-date ideas. WORTH READING!!! I plan to keep my copy to refer back to it in the years ahead.

Josh Hunt has done an excellent job with this book. Two very strong benefits the reader will glean from this book are 9 Types of Questions and what it means to Review in a Bible Study context. The benefits from understanding and applying these two sections of Hunt's work will be great and teachers will find they are becoming more effective in teaching the Bible.

I think Josh has hit the problems in Sunday School on the head. This book will encourage teachers to be prepared but alse develop a strategy to grow and multiply other Sunday School or Adult Bible Fellowships. He know that we are called to make disciples and this book will help any teacher to start to thing and change inorder to accomplish the Great Commission

Josh Hunt has done an excellent job with this book. Two very strong benefits the reader will glean from this book are 9 Types of Questions and what it means to Review in a Bible Study context. The benefits from understanding and applying these two sections of Hunt's work will be great and teachers will find they are becoming more effective in teaching the Bible.

Dan Brown's book is fiction, but there are claims that he makes that have confused some of the basic issues of Christianity. This thoughtful and well produced video curriculum will help to dispel many of the myths and untruths spelled out in the novel. I used this in my church and we found it very useful in opening dialogues with those who have read the book or seen the movie.

Exploring the Da Vinci Code with the dvd is absolutely great for exposing the lies of the book by Dan Brown.

Lee even includes the FAQ and Evidence for the identity of Jesus based on discussions with real historians in this area of history.

I recommend everyone get this and use it to share the truth with followers of Dan Brown of those duped by him.

The Discussing the Da Vinci Code Curriculum Kit by Lee Strobel and Gary Poole contains three items: a DVD, a group discussion guide, and the book Exploring the Da Vinci Code by the same authors. In this review I will cover the DVD and it's discussion guide. The accompanying book will be reviewed independently.

This curriculum was put together with "seekers" in mind. "Since the primary audience for this guide is the not-yet-convinced seekers, the ideal place to use Discussing the Da Vinci Code is within the context of seeker groups." (10) The emphasis is group discussion such that if the proposed schedule is followed participants will spend about 17 minutes watching the DVD and 43 minutes conversing per session.

The DVD and discussion guide are broken down into four sessions in which Lee Strobel visits some of the historical locations utilized in The Da Vinci Code and interviews contemporary scholars. In the first session, the topic of historical analysis is discussed with historian Paul Maier. The second session poses the question "Can we trust the four Gospels?" to New Testament scholar Scot McKnight. Strobel interviews Kathy McReynolds in session three about the role of women in Christianity and Jesus' relationship with Mary Magdalene. The final session deals with the divinity of Jesus with scholar Mark Strauss.

Considering the proposed "seeker context," the discussion guide is very well done. It provides great questions for discussion while provided many quotes from scholars, Dan Brown, and facts throughout the booklet. In the back of the guide are several appendices that recommend further resources, state the facts, and give arguments for the true identity of Jesus that is affirmed by historic Christianity.

While it's neat to see Lee Strobel "on location," he doesn't really engage the sites he visits, so that seemed somewhat pointless. Strobel is more known for his investigative journalist approach, which he applied well on the DVD. He asks good questions that provoke good responses form the reputable scholars.

The DVD also has some promotional trailers, which could be shown to get people interested in joining the discussion group. The graphics and navigation of the DVD are extremely well done. The DVD together with the group discussion guide make Discussing the Da Vinci Code a thought provoking curriculum that will be useful for seekers and curious Christians alike.

I was really impressed with the material. A bonus that is not indicated on the material package or on the DVD is that it is CLOSED CAPTIONED CC for the hearing impaired. I am Deaf and really liked the fact it IS CC but Zondervan should indicate this on the packaging.