Educational Books

When I started teaching myself modern Greek about a year ago, I really struggled with the grammar. I bought several books which offered contrasting methods, and got nowhere. I wondered if I would ever really get it.

Like Eliza Doolittle, this book did it for me! The way Prof. Tsirpanlis presents Greek grammar is so clear and simple that it all just clicked! I now feel confidant that I will be able to master basic Greek grammar.

If you're mainly interested in a phrase book, I would recommend the one by Lonely Planet, which offers a more extensive and up-to-date listing of common terms. But if you want to be able to read and really understand Greek, and feel confidant conversing in Greek, this book is absolutely the best.

Greeks use a lot of idioms in everyday speech.
This book has the most common ones. This is not slang and it is not vulgar language. It helped me.

This book covers a wide range of material and is nice for the intermediate to advanced student. For the beginning student, the first 40 pages are valuable as they deal with many everyday situations. The thing about idioms is that you can say what you want without them most of the time. For the price, however, it's not bad to pick up if you're interested.

Modern Greek Idiom And Phrase Book is the best book for learning spoken Greek. The book has tons of weird phrases that even my grandparents have forgotten. It brought a smile to their face to re-encounter all kinds of expressions that are seldomly used along with many useful phrases and words. If you want to learn Greek, buy this book; you'll love it. It even has readings to incorporate what you have learned. The book's split into 3 sections: Everyday Conversations, Idioms & Grammar, and at the end, there's a Greek-English dictionary.

Reviewed by Vicki Landes for Reader Views (9/08)

As Americans, we see public education as a basic right of citizenship. The government ensures that schools are built, certified teachers are employed, and an appropriate program is followed in order to convert our youth into thriving and productive members of society. But according to author Jerry Kirkpatrick, education shouldn't be a right and America's public education system certainly is not a privilege. In fact, he sees it in a completely different light...and it's not flattering.

Kirkpatrick's new book, "Montessori, Dewey, and Capitalism: Educational Theory for a Free Market in Education" is a shocking, no-holds-barred look at the current U.S. educational system. He also provides a detailed and just-as-shocking philosophy on what the system could potentially become in a free market environment. He notes that in a competitive, capitalistic setting, schools could not simply sit back and pass underachieving students; they would have to continually prove themselves in order to maintain their clientele. Further, he utilizes the works of Maria Montessori and John Dewey to downplay the `traditional' classroom setting of `sit quietly at your desk and pay attention' while encouraging an open and unfettered learning atmosphere.

"Montessori, Dewey, and Capitalism" is a mixture of educational theory, human psychology, and the capitalistic `hands off' philosophy meant to propose a better alternative to government-controlled schools. While teachers, school administrators, parents, and government officials may find the subject matter quite eye-opening, the book isn't exactly light reading. Jerry Kirkpatrick writes in a high level, almost textbook-like tone, giving readers an organized analysis of his philosophy.

I did find "Montessori, Dewey, and Capitalism" to be a bit contradicting. For example he notes that in the days where the Catholic Church oversaw education, children were severely punished if they were not able to answer a question or quote something by rote. They were treated like little adults instead of like children. Later in his book, he criticizes rules and adult authority - "...adults do not say to other adults with whom they disagree, `You're grounded! Go to your room!' Why should such coercive techniques be used on children and students? Negotiation is the rational solution to adult conflict, so it should be with children and students." So, which is it? If the church treating children like adults is wrong, why then is negotiation - the rational solution to adult conflict - Kirkpatrick's more advisable way in dealing with children? He condemns treating children like little adults yet insists we put teachers/students and parents/children on the same cognitive level. Further, his absoluteness in rejecting rules and authority was disturbing.: "...parents and teachers must genuinely want their children and students to be freed from the servility of having to obey authority...adults must learn not to feel threatened when the young assert their independence and adults must reject doctrines that encourage obedience to authority, such as altruism, the worship of government as dispenser of justice, and religion." Author Jerry Kirkpatrick's new book, "Montessori, Dewey, and Capitalism: Educational Theory for a Free Market in Education" is an exceptionally intelligent read. Kirkpatrick writes with deep conviction and with the students' best interests at heart. Unfortunately, we do not live in a world where all people are mature, respect each other, and honestly see the worth of a good education. If that were the case, Kirkpatrick's book would be an effortless application. Until that time, "Montessori, Dewey, and Capitalism" is a profound look into the problems of the American public education system.

As one who has experienced Stalinist as well as modern liberal education--the former in Hungary, the latter in Germany and the U.S.A.--and has himself been a teacher now for over 35 years, I have always been outraged at the similarity between the two supposedly diametrically opposed systems. More than in any other social realm, in education much of the West has followed more or less consistently, the principles of statism. Jerry Kirkpatrick's book develops a thorough and accessible analysis of how the education of young people needs a fundamentally different approach. It needs to incorporate, among other features, the ideals of a free market society. He shows how only that kind of transformation will turn this institution into a decisively positive experience for all children and young adults. His discussions reach into many areas that surround education--political, economic, ethical, psychological, and legal. This book is clearly the most systematic, well organized discussion of its subject matter on the market today.


Tibor R. Machan*

*Machan holds the R. C. Hoiles Chair in business ethics and free enterprise at Chapman University. He is the editor of, among many books, Education in a Free Society (Stanford, CA: Hoover Institution Press, 2000).

Jerry Kirkpatrick offers a revolutionary perspective on educational theory. It comes as no surprise that this gifted follower of Ayn Rand favors a free market in education over the compulsion of "social liberalism." Surprisingly, he argues that John Dewey can be enlisted as an ally in the battle for non-coercive schools. Like Maria Montessori, Dewey stressed the development of the child's ability for concentrated attention, and his views fit better with the free market than with the Fabian socialism he himself favored. Kirkpatrick's outstanding book is a major contribution.

This work of Philosophy and Education creatively connects Montessori concepts of educational pedagogy with the works of John Dewey and the cultural economics of capitalism. The use of the ideas and philosophy of Ayn Rand are a refreshing perspective relative to education and culture in today's society. This is a new and creative means of understanding the synergy that exists between the three writers' and the concepts of capitalism and education. It is an avant-garde perspective of educational freedom that is brilliant and forceful.

I remember my librairian reading this and the other west wind books at my elementary school library around 1971-73. Even though we were the children of the Flintstones, Fat Albert, Sesame Street, and the Electric Company, we had a great love for these gentle and moving stories. In particular, my favorite of the west wind tales appear in this book, "The Most beautiful Thing In the World." This was where the animals gathered in a rush to see "the most beautiful thing in the world" which was in a nearby field. What was it? Read this book and you'll see.

My dad read all of Thornton W. Burgess books to me as a child and now I read them to my daughter she loves them and I still love them myself. You cant go wrong reading any of his work. Wish there were more books like this today.

My dad read all of Thornton W. Burgess books to me as a child and now I read them to my daughter she loves them and I still love them myself. You cant go wrong reading any of his work. Wish there were more books like this today.

After 40 year, I just reread the series. By todays standards, the books are a little old fashioned, but manners & obedience never go out of style. Besides, kids learn alot about how different wild animals live.

I don't know much about motorcycles but my husband is really into them and he likes this color book; it's a way for him to relax and stay busy at the same time.

My son loves this book which he got from his grandpa for Christmas. He is 5 and autistic and LOVES motorcycles. This keeps him engaged for at least an hour. I now need to purchase another one because he has colored his first one already. I do wish the writing was bigger and a little easier to read to younger children, but otherwise a great coloring book for those kids who love motorcycles.

My Daughter wanted to buy this book for my husbands birthday. He is the Service Manager at the local motorcycle dealer in town. My husband and the owner of the store were astounded by the details of not just the bikes in general, but in which the drawings portrayed for each paticular make of bike. My husband very much liked the idea of the briefs under the drawing about the particular bike displayed. Infact my husband likes this book so much he is keeping it as a collectors item. He made perfectly clear that he had no intentions of making one mark in such a beautiful work of art. Thankyou so much for such a wonderful gift for a very special person. Sincerely, Eileen A. Caprio

Okay, liseten up ladys...this book tot me how to ski!!! My friends are very proud of me and my mom says, "Dude, your one coolest kid and your my favorite kid ever!!!!" Best book ever go out and get it!!!

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RQETS04P3XNIH Review: MR. PLANEMAKER'S FLYING MACHINE

Except for those with a phobia, flying has always been the stuff of dreams among all ages and, in this age of technological wonders, flying in space has become an integral part of this dreamland. As well as being the stuff of daring do, flying is full of mystery and laden with symbolic escapism, lifting us above the daily grind of adulthood and the growing fears of childhood, and human pettinesses, from gossip to bullying, which detracts all age groups from the joy of living.

In Mr. Planemaker's Flying Machine, Shelagh Watkins takes us on a flight of fancy, both metaphorical and literal, through these dreams, fears and joys. We are taken rolling and looping in skies through clouds of bereavement, sibling antagonism, and human spitefulness, into a brighter but mysterious world of computer systems, then onward and upward into the heavens and among the planets themselves. Closure of the stormy sky issues, through which child heroes Emmelisa and Dell have struggled, is eventually approached in the final pursuit of Mr. Planemaker's physics-defying Trail of Light, during which we are constantly surprised.

While all this may sound a bit heavy for kids to read or for a bed-time story, and while it is thought provoking for adults, the yarn is a compulsive tale for kids, spun around daily routines and banalities mixed with fantasy elements and outrageous characters. The unashamedly corny names for the latter will bring a chuckle even to the sworn pun-hater like me. Who has not known a school brat like Mayja Troublemaker and someone with as little spark as her uncle Verry Boringman?

The escape route from these pains in the neck emerges gradually via a series of encounters, first at a strange house being worked on by Anne R Keytect, Bill Dare, Joy Nair and Dek Orator of Dream Homes Inc, then on to Whiz Kid Computer Maintenance in Virtual Realty. Mr. Wizard Kidd leads us further into Hardwareland where many of the workings of computer operating systems are revealed to us with greater insight than many a manual, though in this case the user interface smacks more of magic than of a keyboard.

In the CPU building things rapidly progress toward the (virtual) reality of the Planemaker's Flying Machine PH1. Then, at an ever increasing rate we head with Emmelisa for space itself, with the help of valet Sue Tassistant, coordinator Mish Oncontrol, and master pilot/instructor Astrow Naught. Thereafter, on a solar system tour, some of the strands of the story are tied up, in ways readers must find for themselves or I will spoil the climax.

So, in the end, what does it all mean? I am not sure that I know, or even that Shelagh Watkins does, though surely Cosmos Planemaker the magical family cat knows, if anyone does. What I do know is that this is a refreshing and unusual kids' story which I, as a hard-nosed scientist -- albeit with magic as a hobby -- had to read to the end, and that it will likewise enthrall children readers and bed-time story tellers alike. So buy it, lie back, and enjoy it with, or even without the kids.
Professor John C. Brown Astronomer Royal for Scotland Dept. of Physics and Astronomy University of Glasgow Scotland, U.K.

Mr. Planemaker's Flying Machine (Paperback)

This book is well-written and imaginative. Everyone needs it. Why? Because it is fun!

Shelagh Watkins has created a tale of incredible breadth, beauty and detail. The knowledge and research that went into this fascinating tale leave one feeling quite humble. Here we have the story of Emmelisa and Dell the young heroes and their two main mentors, Mr. A Leon Spaceman and Cosmos the cat. This book is an absolute must as it quite uniquely manages to educate, entertain and instill strong moral values, all at the same time. The story moves at a tremendous pace and the only problem the reader will experience is knowing how and when to put the book down before the amazing conclusion. I look forward eagerly to more offerings from this remarkable author.

Anyone who has ever harboured a desire to become an astronaut ought to read this wonderful book and climb aboard the space mission.
Emmelisa and Dell are the first kids to venture into space.
After tinkering with an old computer and encountering some mysterious characters, they are catapulted into this intriguing adventure, in which they train to become astronauts. Then they embark on an exciting voyage to follow their father's trail of light.
The story is spell-binding, compelling and magical. The plot is unusual, clever and well thought out.
I was very impressed with the author's research and knowledge of her subject and her use of technical terms, which will educate her readers. She also has great emotional insight, as the children have to deal with great changes in their lives, but it leaves them stronger and the story ends on a note of hope.
This talented new author is a welcome find. She pays great attention to detail and her pages are alight with adventure.
I highly recommend this inspiring and most original novel.

Sabine Muir author of 'Matthew and the Highland Rescue'

This is a great book for teachers on how to set up multimedia projects with your students. It was well written and provided practical ideas on how to organize projects, manage students, and how to grade the projects. I highly recommend this book for all teachers.

Clear and easy to understand book! Get a copy of it if you have been struggling to incorporate technology in meaningful ways in your curriculum. You will be happy you did.

A colleague lent me his copy of this book when I told him I was interested in having my students put together multimedia projects in my language arts class. I found this book to be straight forward and practical. Great tips about how to have your students develop their own multimedia projects that meet content and technology standards. I've read other books on this subject and quite frankly found them to be exhausting to read. Way too much stuff that didn't seem necessary. Besids being well written, the book is also reasonably priced!

I'm a middle school teacher who has been reluctant to use computers with my students. After reading the book by Green and Brown, I took the challenge of having my students do computer-based projects. Their book made the entire process so easy! I can't believe I was so hesitant. I highly recommend this book to all K-12 teachers who want to incorporate computer-based projects with their students.

I deeply encourage you to learn about the multiple intelligences. Gardeners concepts are shared by teachers, educators, naturalists, facilitators and business owners worldwide and profoundly impactful. The implications of his work, and that of Project Zero deserve the highest honors.

Gardner is a witty author with strikingly brilliant mind and admirable reverence toward the human divinity. In his book, Gardner manifests the notion of intelligence, as a bio-psychological potential, a computational capacity and a mental chemistry set and subsequently sheds lights on the commonly misconceived concept of intelligence as a one-dimensional human potential, characterized by the g or IQ metrics.

With his eloquent style, Gardner articulates the social, educational and psychological impacts of the multiple-intelligence theory rendering speculation on how intelligence shows its multifaceted attributes in various forms such as Mathematical-Logical, Kinesthetic, Musical, IntEr-personal, IntrA-personal, Linguistic, Spatial, Naturalistic and Existentialist abilities.

Upon reading the book, I found some interesting answers to my life-long inquiries regarding to the intelligence such as;

1. Why individuals with strong abilities in certain areas of mathematics, such as algebra or probability theory do not necessarily indicate strengths in other areas of mathematical sciences such as geometry or topology?

2. How the society can take advantage of the MI theory to bridge between the ethical values and individuals' capacities.

3. How a creative educator can achieve the "understanding" by exercising various avenues, such as foundational, quantitative, aesthetic, logical and existential methods to stir and incite the human intellect.

Gardner makes no effort to back up his hypothesis through psychometric experiments and I believe he has done this deliberately. More specifically, he believes any effort to benchmark the performances of individuals against these metrics would create a new version of human labeling, a concept that he certainly refrains to delve and investigate. Instead of putting effort in benchmarking these abilities in human minds, he believes efforts need to be made to identify, enhance and exercise the abilities that help the individuals to thrive in the areas that they have been blessed with, irrespective of society norms.


Chapter 1 of the book contains the highlights of his theory and covers various forms of intelligence. The introduction of the existential intelligence as a form of computational capacity is rather unpersuasive, knowing the fact that it is defined as an attribute (intelligence of big questions) and not as a mental ability. Favorite quote of this chapter;
"Having strong intelligence does not mean that one necessarily acts intelligently".

Chapter 2 of the book covers the semantics of the intelligence. An interesting topic in this chapter is the profile of the intelligence in which Gardner discusses how the intensity, diversity and locality of these potentials in an individual can result in spot-light or laser characteristics.

Chapter 3 provides a chronologic view of intelligence. Gardner tries to provide a simplified and standardized conception of the intelligence development across the life span of a human being. He also discusses the framework for the analysis and examination of the human intellect. This chapter is quite dry and lacks ardor. In my opinion, putting framework around something that has no boundary is rather counterintuitive.

Chapter 4 is the prelude of the educational impact of the intelligence. The very interesting topic in this section is the subject of "Multiple Representation of the Key Concepts". Resorting to the notion of multiple-intelligences, Gardner believes that there are numerous ways that an educator can approach a topic in pursuit of understanding. This methodology also helps students to think about a problem in a variety of ways, triggering the thought process in the most diverse form.

Chapter 5 is a pool of questions that individuals have asked Gardner regarding to his theories. Of special interest in this section is the topic of memory and its different faculties such as procedural memory, propositional memory, semantic memory, short and long-term memories. I believe this topic deserved more elaboration, or at minimum more references.
Favorite quote from this chapter:
"I often encounter the greatest resistance to this perspective when I speak to mathematicians or logicians. To these individuals, thinking is critical thinking, wherever you encounter it; if one knows how to be logical, one should be able to apply logic everywhere (And if you don't, life is hopeless !)".

Chapters 6 to 10 have heavy weights toward education. Of special interest is the chapter 8 and the topic on multiple entry point toward disciplinary understanding.
Gardner discusses how an informed educator can use various entry points, such as narrational, logical, quantitative, foundational, aesthetic, experimental and collaborative methods in approaching the topic. The examples given in this section are extremely valuable for all educators.

As you progress toward the end chapters, the modality of manuscript transitions toward ethics. To some extent, the progression of the thought process in this book is analogous to Gardner's perspective toward the subject; in his early life his motivation toward intelligence was mainly driven and influenced by cognitive sciences and psychometric studies, whereas his recent research and interest have roots in social impacts, ethics and humanity.

In summary, this book is an instant classic on the topic of multiple-intelligences, a must have book for the fireside at home.

Howard Gardner summarizes his mulitple intelligences theory first introduced in his 1983 book Frames of Mind. Gardner introduces a provisional acceptance of a ninth intelligence (Existential Intelligence--pondering deep, life questions) to add to the eight intelligences already established. Gardner updates his theory's relevance to education and to other arenas in society.

It was in 1983 that Howard Gardner first decided to challenge the established view of a monolithic intelligence with the book Frames of Mind. In that book, Gardner posited that there are (at least) seven relatively seperate and autonomous intelligences. And 25 years later, this theory is still setting the education world ablaze.

The discipline of psychology, however, has been a bit less enthusiastic. They, much more than educators, demand hard evidence in order for a theory claiming to be scientific is accepted as such. Is Garnder's theory testable? If so, has it undergone such testing? Can these intelligences (including 'musical' and 'naturalistic') be measured by objective standards? If not, is it an adequate substitute to the reigning model of 'general intelligence' which, with all its flaws, IS measurable in such a way?

In this book, Gardner sets out to expand upon his 25 year old theory and, in so doing, answer some of the preceeding questions. Some will be disappointed and some will be encouraged by his answers.

The first section of the book devotes itself largely to questions of MI Theory's methodological standing.

Several chapters - particularly towards the beginning of the book - seek to answer objections to MI theory. As to the question of whether the theory can be called scientific, Gardner reluctantly answers a "no." He writes MI theory "intermediary status" between a philosophy and a predictive science. He suggests, though, that it can be put in a similar category with plate tectonics and evolution, in the sense that neither theory is a predictive sceince in a falsifiable sense (which is mistaken, as both are tested by retrodictions and, in evolution's case, also by predictions). Further, Gardner admits that designing assessments for these intelligences has proved to be more than challenging and that he has given up the search for ways to assess them.

There is, though, a chapter devoted to detailing a promising new study put together by Project Spectrum, to test elementary schoolers on these seperate intelligences. They were tested (a) to see if the intelligences are interrelated or autonomous by investigating whether high scores in any one area correlate with high scores in any other. The reports are that the intelligences are, by in large, seperate - as Gardner predicted they would be. They also tested to see whether the student's strengths on the tests were echoed by parent and teacher reports gotten independently. (There was correlation, but not so much as to be conclusive).

The section that will be most useful to my fellow educators, however, will be the second section. For roughly 80 pages, Gardner expounds on his theory and its possible uses in the field of education.

Gardner is quite famous for his 'value free' stance here. He suggests that there are many, many uses for MI theory in education. He tries both in this book and elsewuere to refrain from too much prescription, acknowledging that educators probably know better than he how to apply the work of a cognitive psychologist to schools.

However, he is passionate about two things educationally in this book. First, he is very displeased at the 'high stakes testing' mentality that has been developed of late. Like the concept of 'general intelligence,' Gardner sees this as being a very 'one-size-fits-all' way of assessing, and probably mis-assessing, knowledge.

Gardner is also very passionate about making sure that we see the 'ends' of schooling as pluralistic. Consistent with the idea of Multiple Intelligences, we must strike a balance between making sure that everyone recieve a common education and making sure that everyone is able to pursue their own strengths, interests, and proclivities to the extent possible.

It is hard to disagree with much that Gardner says, particularly in this and the next section (where he takes a look at MI theory's applicability betyond education). Even as one who is a bit skeptical of whether MI theory can ever be a scientific one (and whether there might be bettter models of Intelligence, like that of Robert Sternberg), it is difficult not to come away with much admiration for Gardner. He obviously cares about education and comes to his conclusions out of balanced and rigorous thought.

This should be read by educators and those interested in the psychology of intelligence alike.

Initially I was disappointed that this tape was so short but it has worked out well since I am starting to know it by heart. My kids listen to it again and again. I would say the recording is done by native speakers which is important to me. The vocabulary is appropriate for the intended age level and the book is nice on it's own. I wish this were one of a series: we'd buy more.

We used this book and cassette in my French class for 4th - 6th graders. They loved the choosing rhymes(eenie, meenie,minie, mo). They were a great introduction to pronounciation and intonation. Fun and practical.

The introduction calls it a journey. What a wonderful journey it is! You hear the farm animals, beautiful children's voices that bring you to the most pleasant places where you'd want your child to be -- playing along with these kids. There are plenty of games and rhymes to teach children about different things, ie. parts of the body. Love the way they do numbers. The illustrated book is beautiful. It is not simply a good foreign music tape, but one that would be just as fun for the native speaker.

For my six years old daughter who has just begun to learn french, this casette -and also the beautiful book- was an excellent help by introducing her to this language. She have learned many very usefull words very quickly and she had fun.

My visit to the Dinosaurs is a book I would reccommend to any kid. This book is a very good book that has lots of pictures and teaches you a lot about dinosaurs. This book takes you through a dinosaur museum as you follow a young boy and his Father and sister. They give you cool facts that you might not have known about Dinosaurs. they show you all kinds of dinosaurs, small, tall, short and long. They tell you how you find Dinasours and other exciting facts. this book in my mind is deffenently one of my favorite children books.

Both of my sons enjoy this book...over and over and over. Anything about dinosaurs is popular, but this book even provides good educational information.

My 5 year old son really enjoyed this book. It has good content at a reasonable length that held his attention. The art work is also good. It is simply a good book!

Aliki's 'My Visit to the Dinosaurs' is an exciting and scientifically accurate adventure through the dinosaur hall of a museum of natural history. Children from pre-school up will enjoy their tour through this fascinating world through the eyes of a child. The supplemental audo cassettte is well recorded and easy to follow, an excellent way for your little one to learn how to read and increase their vocabulary. Occasional comments by Prof. Franklin Branley, former Director of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City are an added treat.

Every catechetical leader should have this and reflect on it regularly to keep in focus what is really important, and the tremendous responsibility that we have to always go deeper.

The book is easy to read and easy to understand. It should be in every library for those wanting to increase their knowledge about our Catholic faith.

The book came in great condition. It arrived earlier then stated and the book is very easy and fun to read

A term, concept, calling, and duty from the early days of Christianity, "catechesis" (related to catechism) is the part of Catholicism concerned with "education in the faith of children, young people, and adults which includes especially the teaching of Christian doctrine imparted...in an organic and systematic way, with a view to initiating the hearers into the fullness of Christian life." The Second Vatican Council called for a renewal of catechesis in 1971. The "Directory" provides guidance for this catechesis that is a central part of the Church's activity and aims at all times in all situations with all persons. Mostly for Catholic bishops and priests, the "Directory" nonetheless does have particular sections for lay persons; and its general material on Catholic ideals and theological principles, organizations and procedures, and texts and other resources apply to anyone interested in catechesis, the lifeblood of Catholicism.