Educational Books

If you have ever felt alone and overwhelmed as a parent of a child with special needs, this book is for you. Even though the book covers various disabilities, the feelings expresses are universal to parents.

I read this book as a project for school, being 15 the idea of motherhood is beyond me. But it touched me how strong the mothers in this are. Their stories tell of experiances, not "how to" which I liked. My heart goes out to all who have children with special needs. God be with you all!

This book really hit home for me. As a mother of a child with special needs, the stories told by these women validated my feelings, and mirrored some of my personal experiences. The stories range from heart-warming to tear-inducing...but every one rings with honesty. A good read...take some time to ponder this one, then pass it on to your child's doctor, therapist, or teacher.

I've actually reviewed this book for a journal and now have the chance to do so online. This book is a must read for ALL Professionals that are in the lives of children with special needs! The message that the Moms in this book want every single professional to hear and see is -- LISTEN TO US! WE KNOW OUR CHILDREN BETTER THAN ANYONE! As a parent myself of a child with special needs, I know exactly what the moms are saying. We do NOT want to work against the professionals, we want to work with them! Such a simple, yet complicated message to convey!

If you are a parent with a child with special needs, read this book so that you know you are not alone when you feel you've been treated poorly. If you are a professional, read this book with your eyes and mind wide open. The message is extremely important and it can make a very positive difference in the life of a child!

Ms. Peterson's book was right on target for our extensive homeschooling needs...I was very pleeased with the easy layout & cross-referencing of the book. Sooooo many things to do and never enough time. We do unit studies and have found this gem of a book to be quite the treasure that we need to guide us on last minute field trip ideas, outtings, and just all-around fun! One thing always relates to another and i usually can include both children (9 & almost 15) in the same activities/events. I truly appreciate the effort Ms. Peterson has put into this book...I got it from my AAA club...and from one resourceful homeschooler to another (Ms. Peterson), I whole-heartedly THANK-YOU!...

If you have kids and live in southern California you will be very happy you bought this book. The "Road Games" chapter alone is probably worth the price of admission and that's before you even get to the actual 'places.'

While it's impossible for this book to be as comprehensive as the ground it covers, it does a terrific job at trying. It lists all of the amusement parks, many more pay 'n play places than I knew existed, museums that are kid friendly, a selection of kid-friendly restaurants, beaches, parks and more.

While I got much more than my money's worth, I wouldn't mind seeing a little more material aimed at parents of toddlers. Fast food indoor playlands are a must for me and my two little girls, with summers too hot and winters too chilly to sit out of doors, so exploring where these are located would be a plus, as well as mentioning the moms groups that exist in most towns but don't advertise (I've discovered two in Corona only through bumping into them at a neighborhood park). But these are just hints for the author -- she's done a terrific job with this book.

I've been using this handy reference book since the first edition in 1995. My kids and I have visited many of the places contained in the book. By and large, I agree with the author's assessment of each place we visited. I found the information provided on hours of operation, special program times and fees to be very accurate. The book really helped me expand my children's horizons as well as my own because we visited some great places we probably would have never known about without it.

Wonderful fieldtrip ideas - - we have gone on at least 50 outings based on this book's suggestions. We use this book at planning meetings to organize our calendar each year. Lots of wonderful activities for school-aged children. Details from the common destinations (zoos, public museums) to less common destinations (ex: lollipop and candy cane factories, Casa de Tortuga) and private museums (ex: the Holyland Exhibition). Our homeschooling experience has been enriched by this guidebook!

This book was great and a lifesaver for me! I taught a camp this summer "How things grow" and this book gave me tons of ideas. Gardening Wizardry for Kids has indoor activities, outdoor activities, and most are really simple and easy to do!

We love this book! Easy reading, fun project ideas!

This book was very helpful in giving me ideas to share with others, and use with my own children. As a creator of garden based stories, I particularly enjoyed the background information for some of the common herbs and flowers. For instance I had no idea that Dill seeds were called 'meeting seeds' as on long church services (meetings) the early colonists would chew on dill seeds to stay awake.

MUCH fun was found in this book and it was very helpful to me!

I bought this book as a gift and I am delighted with it. Many books I see for kids are lacking in one or more respects, this book is a clean sweep on every front i.e. well-organized, accurate content, meaningful activities, good cartoons and lots of interesting facts about plants.

The book covers the history and folklore of common vegetables and fruits, various activities that teach principles and appreciate for how plants do what they do and many indoor growing experiments that educate. It even includes sections on raising earthworms, pill bugs, snails and information about growing herbs.

One nice feature of the book is the presentation of provocative questions about plants that are then answered in the text or must be answered through an experiment of some sort. This is top-notch material, even the illustrations are excellent.

Although I believe this book is recommended for children 4-8, I think it is probably more appropriate for 6-12. It is certainly fine for even a very intelligent and motivated 10 year old.

the book is very helpful in the areas that i need for my class that i attend on saturdays. my teacher recomend that we get this book and the topic in the book are very easy to understand.

I found this book to be informative and simple. You can also check and see if you answered the problem correctly and see where you might have gone wrong.

My son was discouraged in studying for his last test for his GED - math. This book was most helpful and he expressed much gratitude. Thank you.

I have been teaching the GED for 20+ years, and I insist that each of my students own this book. First of all, it breaks down the basic math skill areas into clear steps with helpful examples. Then it gives the student lots of opportunities to review what they have learned and assess their growth with mini-tests after every 3 lessons and unit reviews. Also you can practice for the GED by taking three full length practice tests. The answers and explanations in the back can help a student learn from their mistakes. Best of all, the level of difficulty matches the actual GED pretty closely (not true of other publishers) so if the student can do well in this book, you can expect that they will do well on the GED as well.

My three complaints about this book are:
the chapter on percents is confusing. There is a much better way to teach percents that asking students to memorize and manipulate a diagram.

There needs to be more on charts and graphs, which are getting bigger and bigger on the GED. Also I wish there were more on ratios & proportions. I always find that I have to supplement the book when I get to this lesson because SV gives us very few word problems, and they are all too easy.

There should be a bigger section on multi-step problems, also another huge area on the GED. SV is great for breaking down the test into skills, but sometimes questions ask you to work more than one skill at a time.

SV Math can use improvements, and I would supplement it with some of the newer stuff from Contemporary (another publisher of GED books) but as a basic GED math text, it really is the best book out there. I highly recommend it.

When a George and Martha book came up in recommendations while I was shopping for birthday presents for my niece, I remembered reading and loving one when I was a kid (I'm 33). Look-inside helped me figure out that this was the one I had enjoyed so much.

I loved this sweet book. It reminded me of myself and my own family. It made me and my children laugh out loud! Enjoy!

I can remember my mom reading me this book over 25 years ago..... I memeorized it before I could even read! When I did learn to read it I never put it down. I now have the opportunity to read my original book to my 7 month old son. I still love reading it and having it read to me. As a child this book taught me valuable lessons and characters I would never forget. my favorite line at the end is ," So I see , said George". A book that has stayed in my mind mind for over 25 years thats an inspirational book. It doesnt have to many pages for youngsters and it is easy to read for children learning how. I gave this book 5 stars because If i could keep this book since I was tiny then it must be something special..... a book like this reminds me of my childhood that's why its so important to read to children... loving lasting memories of their parent sharing time with them to read . A WONDERFUL PURCHASE for any family!

This book, subtitled, "Five Stories About Two Best Friends," follows George and Martha, two hippopotami, through stories called "The Tightrope," "The Diary," "The Icky Story," "The Big Scare," and "The Amusement Park." The stories follow a day in the life of George and Martha and remind us how powerful friendship is and that being a good friend takes effort. Specifically, George and Martha learn the importance of unconditional support, respect for privacy, and consideration of others' feelings and also discover that practical jokes have consequences. While each story can be read separately, the final stories blend together with a surprise ending. Each story is told in five pages or less and the text is very easy for beginning readers, with common words, short sentences, fewer than ten lines per page, and large serif type. More advanced readers will continue to remain challenged by some longer words. Although the stories are brief and the language simple, Marshall uses the rhythm and phrasing of the text to create a strong emotional response and sophisticated humor. With understated narration punctuated by short (often terse) snippets of dialog, the stories are meant to be read slowly and savored, with pauses for giggles and snickering. The overall effect is dramatic, with suspenseful moments at the end of most pages. Each page of text is accompanied by an illustration and each story, as well as the book as a whole, is introduced by an illustrated, hand-lettered title page. The illustrations are cartoonish black-line drawings filled in with pink, yellow, green, and orange, with George and Martha in appropriately weighty masses of gray. The texture of the brush strokes and pencil lines is visible, emphasizing the hand-craftedness of the drawings. Both children and adults will enjoy the sly tone and touching themes of the stories.

I purchased my first copy of this book back in 1984 before I left on a junior year abroad program from Illinois State University, Normal, IL. Over 20 years later, still in a German speaking country and still using it.

The book is very easy to read and locate verbs. If you canot find the verb you are looking for there is a list of words located in the back listing conjugactions of similar words which one can use as a reference. All tenses are conjugated and listed. A very great companion for anybody studying the German language or going abroad to study in Germany.

This book is a handy adjunct to the 501 German Verbs. The 501 German Verbs is excellent but a bit weighty to haul around to classes or to keep handy for those times when you simply need to quickly look up something.

German Verbs is by an author who has written many other books on the German language and his experience shows in that what's in this book is exactly what any hopeful speaker of German needs to know and is laid out in exactly the most efficient way to get what you need at speed. If you're studying German, this is an essential companion.

If you're learning German, this is a good book to have with you, anytime you have some dead time -- waiting for a plane, waiting in a doctor's or dentist's office. Waiting for Godot. You'll eventually make your way through the conjugations of over 300 German verbs, from "achten" to "zwingen."

Henry Strutz was an associate professor of languages at State University of New York in Alfred, New York, when he put this book together. The volume I have is rather older, however, this kind of book that doesn't really go out of date. Language does change, but the basics of languages remain steady over several generations in general, and German is no exception. The basic core of the language remains constant, so this book holds up over time. Subsequent printings of this book may add a verb here and drop a verb there (there are over 300 verbs laid out here) but the vast majority will remain the same.

I studied German at university almost 25 years ago, and first purchased this book to go along with my studies. While German is fairly standard in the patterns of conjugations for most verbs, German like most languages has exceptions to many rules, including exceptions to some of the most frequently used verbs, such as the verb constructions for to be (English is the same, with this being one of the most difficult verb constructions for non-English speakers to learn). The verb sein (bin, bist, ist, sind, seid, sind) is one of the most important verbs; haben is another important verb, given its 'helping verb' status (true also in English), as it occurs in constructions with other verbs.

There are over 300 verbs here, one each to a page, arranged in alphabetical order. Most of the verbs found in eighty percent or more of regular conversation and general writing are to be found here. Each page is laid out in a logical order with the various tenses and structures in good, easy to follow format.

There is an introduction with a very basic grammar, a discussion of the verb tenses and their uses, different kinds of conjugations, but this should not be confused with being a German grammar or language study. This introductory material is but the briefest of introductions, intended primarily as a refresher for those who have studied German before, or are studying German concurrently with using this text.

Strutz has several indexes in the book, including an English-to-German index of words represented in the text; there is a German-to-English index in the same pattern.

I'm trying to recapture my reading German this year, so that I can do some theological research using various German texts in the coming academic year. I find this book invaluable - it is perhaps of more value when one is trying to write than when one is trying to read, but it is still very useful, so much so that the binding on my copy has cracked from use (as with Strutz's other verb conjugation book).

I'm working on a teaching moduel for an independent study in GIS and I purchased this book to help me understand how GIS can be used in the Health field. IT'S OUTSTANDING! For any GIS instructor out there, you should check out this book, because the chapter assignments are brilliant from a teaching stand point. They force the user to really explore how GIS is used in the world today and look beyond the simple tutorial commands to introduce you to the software. The assignments make you explore the internet for data and learn how GIS is being used elsewhere. By far the best GIS book I've used sofar.

This tutorial is written in clear and concise language. It introduces basic GIS operations in a logical stepwise progression which is ultimately a comprehensive basic course. The tutorial is very hands-on and interactive and it makes very good use of screenshots and other illustrations. It is a very effective learning tool in the field of public health GIS.

Although there is a very minimal incompatibility of this book if used with ArcGIS 9.2. (the software given with the book is 9.1 version), this book is still categorized as an excellent book for the Elementary GIS learner. This book is very helpful for Public Health professionals in learning how to create, analyze, display and inform the geographic health information which will be well complemented with health statistical facts and figures. The curricullum, the guidance, and the exercises given are well prepared that allows me to want to explore the endothelial layer other than just the epithelial layer of this knowledge.

I would recommend this book as a starting point of the journey to engage and marry GIS knowledge and practice with its excitements.

College-level collections strong in GIS mapping and health will want GIS Tutorial for Health: one of the few texts to apply GIS software to health profession research and objectives. Health care policy and planning within the GIS system leads students to design maps to investigate and analyze patterns of health, injuries, environmental hazards and more. The workbook helps students learn and maintain GIS software skills with specific application for the health sciences, going beyond your usual GIS focus on general geographic and population mapping information to address the specifics of the health industry. It comes with two CDs: one offers data to juxtapose with the book's exercises and case study examples; the other includes a 180-day trial of ArcGis9.1. The combination makes it a top pick for college-level health profession GIS course assignments.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Every page of this book is beautiful enough to be framed -- it's just a work of art.

There's nothing like the sophistication of the era, and a close-up artist's view of these designs is just a wonder to behold!

This is truly a great collection of movie gowns! They are beautifully illustrated. I was glad to see that all was done on the thicker card stock type paper. Anyone who has always wanted to know what the gowns must have looked like in person will enjoy this collection, as it is the closest we will ever get!

Ever since I was a child I have loved old Hollywood movies because of the marvellous costumes worn by the actresses, so one can imagine how pleased I was to discover this collection of paper dolls. There is a wonderful simplicity about these dolls and the costumes are accurately rendered. This work (being one of Mr Tierney's earliest) is more graphic and two dimensional in appearance than his later work, and for me that is what gives it more impact and charm. I have seen these plates framed as prints, and they are truly of a quality that is worthy of framing.
A note to the artist, the sequinned gown worn by Joan Crawford in "The Women" was gold not red (source: "Gowns by Adrian").

A beautiful collection of paper dolls with excellent reproductions of original costumes worn by some of the most famous and glamorous stars of the thirties. I purchased this collection when I was in my teens and still have it in my collection today. I highly recommend Glamorous Movie Stars of the Thirties for your paper doll collection, Tom Tierneys work is fantastic!

Tozer is my favorite author, and this is my favorite Tozer book. 'Pursuit of Man' has also been published under the title 'The Divine Conquest'

One of the best books I have ever read. This book captures the heart of the gospel - that it is really God who pursues man and not man who pursues God. He has in His plan from the foundation of the world been in pursuit of us. He created us, watched us fall in the garden, used His chosen people to demonstrate grace and then at the planned moment in time sent His Son out of eternity into the world as the only way back to Him.

AW Tozer's works have one aim in sight; that the believer walk with God in Spirit and in Truth. His holy zeal is for nothing more than for the believer to have an experience with the living God, and not be content with what Paul called "having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof."

It is fitting that Rev. Tozer would begin this work with the scripture from Ecclesiastes, Chapter 12 v. 12 "And further, by these, my son, be admonished : of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh."

One merely has to go to their Christian bookstore and see that there is an endless supply of spiritual books, promising everything from wealth and riches in this life, deliverance, a Godly marriage, prayer, etc. However Rev. Tozer's writings are on an altogether higher spiritual plain. His Christianity is without pretense or promises. His one aim is to "know Him in the power of His resurrection and in the fellowship of His sufferings." Tozer's words cut to the quick. You can see that as he received his insight by revelation it required that he go to the same Cross he is pointing the rest of us to.

Tozer spares not what he calls "the Adamic ego." Whether we refer to this as "the flesh," or the "old man," the fact remains that there MUST be a death if we are to ever become what God ordained us to be.

Tozer is a firm believer in prevenient grace; God is on the throne at all times. Approaching this great and august Being presumptuously is to do so in vain. To Tozer, God was not an inference, a deduction, but rather a reality.

I can honestly say that I can only read a page or two of Tozer's writings at one sitting. He condenses spiritual truth so that if you do not read in a prayerful way, it is easy to miss his point, it is that sublime.

I have long recommended his works to those who want a closer walk with the Lord. Tozer's book "The Pursuit of God" was written first; this book is billed as a prequel written two years later. Both are worthy of intense study and incorporation into your daily quiet time.

You won't be disappointed. I know what Tozer's works have done for me.

God's Pursuit of Man is A. W. Tozer's prequel to The Pursuit of God: The Human Thirst For the Divine, companion books that explore the truth of Philippians 3:12 (although I do not recall Tozer's referencing this scripture): "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus."

In this book, the author further develops truths about what is required for intimate communion between redeemed man and God by shifting his focus from man to God, but not entirely. He still writes quite a bit about man's part, particularly the imperative command of God that His own be separate from the world, and the absolute necessity of our uncompromising obedience to God in this regard, His having left us no middle road of compromise.

I love that early in the book he says, "Without doubt we have suffered the loss of many spiritual treasures because we have let slip the simple truth that the miracle of the perpetuation of life is in God" (p. 11). The simple assimilation of this "simple truth" by believers could go far toward our overall understanding of, not just what God has, but who God is, what God is all about, what He does and desires to do, in, through and for us, and how He chooses to do so. It could also help to balance doctrinal difference which divide seekers and believers from each other. For example, Tozer is a trinitarian, a fact that may be sufficient to turn oneness believers away from his writings; I think that would be unfortunate.

Tozer spends quite a bit of space talking about the absolute need for separation from the world and is careful to warn that the world may not be what we think it is, and says, "...whether the world presents itself in its uglier aspects or in its subtler and more refined forms, we must recognize it for what it is and repudiate it bluntly. We MUST do this if we would walk with God in our generation as Enoch did in his. A clean break with the world is imperative" (p. 127). He talks about the Pharisaical spirit as one with which the Lord Jesus Christ was engaged in active warfare during His entire ministry on earth, and this spirit as one which did not stop until it had murdered Jesus.

There can be no union between the Church and the world, and Tozer describes that travesty in Chapter 9, "Why the World Cannot Receive," when he says that we have tried to marry the Church and the world, a union for which there is no scriptural authority, and in fact, one in which no union is possible, and he says what we end up with is an abomination to the Lord (p. 116). We need to remember that God is not just jealous over us, as individual children of His, but as "Ish" (ideal husband) is jealous over us as His bride, and desires to keep us pure, holy unto Himself and Himself alone.

Without using the term Jezebel spirit, Tozer describes it quite well, "The world's spirit is strong, and it clings to us as close as the smell of smoke to our garments. It can change its face to suit any circumstance and so deceive many a simple Christian whose senses are not exercised to discern good and evil. It can play at religion with every appearance of sincerity. It can have fits of conscience...and even confess its evil ways in the public press. It will praise religion and fawn on the Church for its ends. It will contribute to charitable causes and promote campaigns to furnish clothing for the poor. ONLY LET CHRIST KEEP HIS DISTANCE AND NEVER ASSERT HIS LORDSHIP OVER IT. This it will positively not endure" (p. 121). Those interested in reading more about the Jezebel spirit may want to start with Confronting Jezebel: Discerning and Defeating the Spirit of Control and My Spiritual Inheritance, the author of which also recommends Jezebel Vs. Elijah: The Great End Time Clash, a book I have not yet read, but understand it is very good on the subject.

God's Pursuit of Man is worthwhile reading, as is The Pursuit of God: The Human Thirst For the Divine.

Pastor Hyde has provided us with an excellent summary of "the faith once delivered." This book is especially useful for church membership/inquirers classes or for those seeking to understand "the basics" of the faith. It is a well-proportioned exposition of the reformed faith with helpful study questions and recommendations for further reading.

Many churches today fail to prepare people for membership. This failure results in new members who are ignorant of basic biblical doctrines. Rev. Hyde's book encourages Reformed churches to prepare people adequately for membership. His book helps to guide new members through the Belgic Confession hitting the high points of each article. It is carefully done and encourages thoughtful interaction with the Belgic and the Scriptures. I recommend this book to all Reformed churches.

The Good Confession by Danny R. Hyde

It is sad and perplexing how doctrinal books do not get any light of day. This is not another Joel Osteen critical slander, but I am just giving a comparison based on the number of Amazon reviews. Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential came out on August 2007 and currently has 471 reviews. And The Good Confession a book many probably have yet to hear about has only 1 review. It is like paying for and eating rubbish from the trash as opposed to eating a hearty and healthy meal that also comes with dessert. This might be a little harsh (and maybe your thinking skewed since I did not factor in book marketing and exposure in America), but I believe it's necessary to say the Christian Christ-less books that sell most today are rubbish. As a professor once said, "We live in the new dark ages." And the so called Christian books that sell seem to reflect these dark ages about what we already know by nature, the law, in the light of no Gospel.

The Good Confession, written by Danny Hyde, pastor of the Oceanside United Reformed Church, brings the light after the darkness: the book teaches the reader the rich and time-tested truths of the classical Christian faith through the ecumenical creeds and Reformed confessions. He starts by explaining the importance and use of the ecumenical creeds and Reformed confessions and then covers their essential Christian doctrines.

Here are the chapter contents:

A "Confessional" Church
The Attributes of God
Knowing God in His Word
The Holy Trinity
Creation and Providence
The Creation and Fall of Humanity
Election
The Covenant of Grace
Jesus Christ
The Death of Christ
Justification
Sanctification
Preservation/Perseverance
The Church: Part 1
The Church: Part 2
The Sacraments
The Return of Christ and Heaven
Understanding and Enjoying Worship

The thing about this book is it is written with brevity, care, and thoughtfulness. Rev. Hyde had written it through years of teaching membership classes; hence, it is dedicated to the Oceanside United Reformed Church. In addition to the clear and thoughtful writing of this book it can be used not only for membership classes, but also adult Sunday school, Bible study, and for personal study. So it acts also as a workbook that interacts with the reader. There are questions throughout the chapters (not just at the very end), which are very helpful for teaching purposes. Here are some of the questions from the third chapter entitled, Knowing God In His Word: What is the purpose of God giving us the Bible? What do we learn of God in special revelation? Can we add to the "canon" of the Old and New Testaments? Is the canon of Scripture, therefore, "open" or "closed?" Do newly inspired words of God from prophets and apostles exist today? Why or why not? What do we mean when we say that the Scriptures are "sufficient?" What implications arise from saying scripture is sufficient for worshipping God?

Make me to know your way, O LORD; teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me. (Ps. 25:2-5)

"After the darkness, light."

It doesn't matter whether you've been in the Reformed church your entire life or whether you are brand-new to the Reformed faith. You need to get this book. This book will help you to understand why you believe what you believe. Rev. Hyde looks at such topics as "The Attributes of God," "The Trinity," "Election," "The Church," "Worship," and many more. This is an excellent resource for membership classes, profession of faith classes, or small group Bible studies. Many years ago, John Stott bemoaned what he called "Mindless Christianity." Rev. Hyde has done the Reformed churches an invaluable service by providing this book to combat that very thing.