Educational Books

looking for a book of national parks for a friend in france. she is curious what it looks like in america and always wanted to tour some of america's nat'l parks. great book for what i was looking for. fabulous color photos.

We have always enjoyed visiting the National Parks and this book gives us a few we were not aware of and we plan to visit them one day in the future. It is beautiful to look through and the pictures are wonderful. Ruby Freeman

I had this gem under the Christmas tree for my husband. It is such a beautiful book that we keep looking at it together, remembering the beautiful National Parks that we have been to and the ones we plan on visiting in the future. All the photograghs are beautifully shot, and the information provided is enjoyable to read. The best National Park book I have ever seen!

Great Photos with good description of each National Park of America - what do you need more ?

I'm from Portugal and I like USA, except the politicians... both the portuguese and american ones !

I bought this book to become more informed on NCLB for my political campaign. Within the span of 134 pages, the authors give an overview of educational programs from the LBJ days up until about 2006, a few years after Congress passed the NCLB law. Teachers and educational administrators must be more harried than ever with all the extra work they have to do to be compliant, create subgroups and improve from year to year. Definitely recommended if you want to educate yourself on NCLB.

I bought this book for a research paper I was writing about No Child Left Behind, and I wanted to gain more understanding about what the act was. Overall, it was a very informative book, and if you know nothing about NCLB, this is probably a good book to read.

It's not often that I read a book on something like No Child Left Behind that I can get through in one sitting. Usually, I read a chapter, and then push it aside for a week, and then try to read another. But this thing was so straightforward and clear, that I sped right through it. The authors are surprisingly fair for such a controversial subject. In fact, I would have liked to see them take more of a point of view and offer their own insights on the law, but they really stayed pretty arm's length the whole way through.

My favorite parts were their explanation of the history and politics of the law, and their explanation of how the public feels about it. In fact, they've got this interesting argument-- that's new to me-- that No Child Left Behind looks more like a Democratic law passed by Lyndon Johnson than a Republican law pushed by George Bush. But I also found the explanations of spending, and scientific research, and the highly-qualified teacher provision really helpful. All in all, a book I'd recommend to anyone who's studying education or is thinking about becoming a teacher.

Along with millions of other teachers, 've spent the last five years talking about and trying to understand No Child Left Behind. It was hard to figure out what the politicians were thinking, or to sort through all the competing claims about AYP, testing, highly qualified teachers, spending, supplemental services, and the rest of it. Cutting through the confusion, the authors have offered a clear, straightforward explanation. They explain the law's history, its major parts, and provide a really helpful summary of public opinion and the politics of making the law work.

I feel like I finally have a sense of what the folks in D.C. were thinking. In fact, after the explanation of the history that led to NCLB and the reasoning for it, I'm almost a little sympathetic to them. I finally understand why we've all been so confused about what the law requires and how its testing systems is supposed to work. (Turns out, it's not that we're confused so much as it's the law that's confused-- this is how they designed it!). I still think NCLB was a mistake, and the authors do a good job of explaining the criticisms of the law, but I finally feel like I really understand it. And, after reading this book, I'm happy to report that NCLB strikes me as a lot less scary. It makes more sense and seems more manageable. And, strangely enough, I've got more respect for all the different people involved in shaping it.

As for readability, I was impressed. The book is clear, jargon-free, and easy to read. Not what I'd expect from a couple of Washington DC policy people. I wish more books in our field read like this.

This is my favorite book. I read it in less than a day wich is rare for me. Some other books I love are Catcher and the Rye, and The Sound and the Furry. Donna Williams is amazing. This book is amazing.

This is my favorite book. I read it in less than a day wich is rare for me. Some other books I love are Catcher and the Rye, and The Sound and the Furry. Donna Williams is amazing. This book is amazing.

At the age of four Donna's main carers are gone when her grandfather dies and her grandmother is sent away. Now, with her surreal and eccentric father basically banned from contact with her, she becomes the possession of a disability-phobic, obsessive, disturbed and alcoholic mother who is determined to play out her own lost childhood and make her seemingly deaf, somewhat 'psychotic' and disturbed idiot daughter a pretty and perfect dancing doll.

But inside of Donna there are other people she has collected along her road to survival; Willie who is like a civil rights activist on steroids and the smiling facade of Carol.

Carol plays the mother's doll to protect the soul of the real Donna. Intertwined with Willie's violent and defensive outbursts and paranoic protection and Donna's often bizarre and quite Autistic responses and behaviours, Carol, behaving like people on TV sit-coms, goes to school,even goes through the motions of 'friends', and develops a broad range of mimicked speech, stored phrases and charicatures, saving Donna from a life in an institution and often from the very real threat of death.

As the teenage years approach Carol and Willie fight it out for control of the body with the real Donna on the sidelines as the lot of them drift into homelessness, poverty and domestic prostitution passed from stranger to stranger.

After an attempted suicide she falls into the care of a psychiatrist and goes on to get a university education. But knowlege is not wisdom and without independence skills, Donna follows a stranger across the ocean where, on arrival, he abandons her to an itinerant bag-lady existance throughout Europe. This second journey begins with a man who will change her life and sense of self forever as she meets and falls in love with a real life 'mirror'with the same challenges as her own and, later faced with the loss of this first deep love, goes on a desperate and dangerous quest to find out 'what kind of mad' she is in the hope there is hope she can change it and as a result finds out she is Autistic; a realisation that ends up changing the entire field of Developmental Disabilities forever.

An international bestseller, in over 17 languages throughout the world, Nobody Nowhere is a moving, gripping, surreal, myth-shattering, sometimes hilarious but ultimately uplifting book and one that will stay with you as one of the most moving and exceptional works you will ever read.

Life, normality and reality will not be the same after you read this book.

I think Donna Williams is one of the world's greatest authors. Although she suffers from pervasive developmental disorder, (autism related), she has shown great courage and will be of great benefit in the future for other people with disabilities.

I suffer, myself, from Asperger's Syndrome (I am 23 years old) and I have benefited from Donna's three autobiographies written.

I am trying hard to find information and correspondence with other autistic people like myself; but the process has not been a walover. I recommend reading of the books, from "Nobody Nowhere"(first) to "Like Color to the Blind" (third) because all three books run in sequence.

I have rated Nobody Nowhere a perfect 10!

Adrian Pooley

I was originally given an expected delivery time of 3-4 weeks. The book arrived in just over a week. It was packed well and arrived in pristine shape.
Overall - an excellent experience that I'll be willing to repeat.

5 stars for a beginner who has never kept an aquarium, 3 stars for everyone else. The first half of this book covers the basics, which was of no use to me. The second half of the book covers the fish, and is pure gold, I just wish there was more of it.

This is not a book to buy for the pictures, the photography is nothing to get excited about. Most of the pictures are small with poor color reproduction.

this book is a throw back in many ways. Much like the old Innes books , Schleser's book starts out with the fundamentals. Topics like why to keep natives, fish taxonomy, conservation issues, collecting information, aquarium keeping tips and such cover the first 8 chapters. I like that. It starts the reader off right with a good foundation. Instead of just dumping you into a glossy book of pretty pictures of fish , this book starts you off with the how's and the why's of native fish keeping. This old fashioned nuts and bolts approach gives the reader a better chance to become a conservation minded Aquarist instead of just a pet store consumer. For Conservation efforts to be a success it must reach the grassroots level. The average person must be able to apply in a practical way, learned conservation ethics. I like to apply my housewife from Dubuque Iowa test to any book about collecting and keeping fish. If a housewife (or hubby) can read this book and apply it to activities with their local youth group, school or their own children then this book is a success. Well following my Dubuque test , this book is winner.

After 8 chapters of the basics , chapter 9 is all about fish. It breaks the fish down into basic types and goes into excellent detail about suitable aquarium species within each genus. Almost 100 pages is spent highlighting North America's unique aquatic heritage. Beautiful and obscure fish like the banded pygmy sunfish, dollar sunfish, gulf darter , Flagfin shiner , Fundulus Chrysotus , brindeled madtom and scores of other unloved North American fishes get the exposure they deserve . Full color photo's , range maps and rearing information follow each species. If you are interested in Longear Sunfish for example (page 139) you get 2 pages of great information , 3 photo's of the various strains out there and the basic information to keep , rear and enjoy this temperate fish. That's the kind of stuff anyone interested in Native Fish wants needs and got's to have. Get this book it's a winner.

Dave Schelser has done it again. His "Native Fish" book covers just about everything the enthusiast could want to know. Schelser describes everything from setting up the aquarium, to collection, feeding, and disease. A worthy sequel to his book "Pirahna: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual," also published by Barron's. All 133 photographs are taken by Schelser himself, whether in the wild or in the lab. One would never guess there were so many small but amazingly attractive fish native to North America without reading this book. Bravo Dave!!

I truly enjoyed the book Nurses' Night Before Christmas. As a retired nurse, I can certainly relate to the story and the writer was spot on.
Great little book for light, happy reading.
I highly recommend to all nurses and others in the medical profession.

The story is simplistic and has the feel of a fairy tale. The book itself, however, has a much warmer feel. The artwork and images take you back to children's books and leran-to-read texts from the 50s. The cover and pages have a clean, crisp feel. This will make a nice 'collector's item' for nurses & nursing students.

Must say that this was perfect for my wife. She is an ICU/ER nurse. The book went straight to the in-laws house where my mother-in-law and sister-in-law are both ER nurses as well for them to read. Having been in and around nurses my whole life, this book makes a clear understanding of just how true their hectic lives are at work.

I can SOOO relate to this story, between running our a----- off, we passed around this book and it had everyone howling with laughter! It rang so true, we swore it had to have been written by a nurse!!

After reading Amazon's "Look Inside" excerpts, I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy of this book. I was not disappointed. Gretchen Wolff Pritchard has written a masterful work on what constitutes good Christian Formation for children -- and equally important, what does NOT. I was very surprised to discover that this book was actually published a decade ago, both because I'd never heard of it until recently, and because the tone and ideas are entirely fresh and applicable.

While those directly involved in planning and implementing ministry with children will find this most valuable, it is important reading for clergy and parents as well. In fact, there are many real life examples in this book of what happens all too frequently in the faith formation of children -- caused by clueless and/or uncommitted parents, and by clergy who are "too busy" to communicate with those leading programs for children.

As I read this book, one thing kept running through my mind: I've got to meet this woman! This book deserves at least six stars on a five-star scale.

Finally, a Christian educator who truly understands what it means to "let the children come..." Gretchen Pritchard has a remarkable grasp of what is important in developing spirituality in children. She offers a creative and forthright approach to the Gospel story that is sure to capture children's minds and imaginations. Her writing is "down to earth" and understandable but offers a depth of possibilities that often is not found in presribed sunday school curriculums. It is obvious from reading this book that the author understands the ability of children to assimilate the experience of literature and liturgy as they are given the freedom to form their faith through the fellowship of others in worship, in work, and in the world. Practical ideas are presented for telling the Gospel in which children can participate. This book should be required reading for all who teach Sunday school or are involved with Christian education if they want their children ""sustained in a life with Christ" and to have "an inquiring and diiscerning heart... the gift of joy and wonder in all God's works."

Finally, a Christian educator who truly understands what it means to "let the children come..." Gretchen Pritchard has a remarkable grasp of what is important in developing spirituality in the lives of children. She offers a creative and forthright approach to the Gospels that is sure to capture children's minds and imaginations. Her writing is "down to earth" and enjoyable but offers a depth of possibilities that often is not found within subscribed sunday school curriculums. It is obvious from reading this book that the author understands the ability of children to assimilate the experience of literature and liturgy as they are given the freedom to form their faith through the fellowship of others in worship and work. Practical ideas are presented for telling the Gospel in which children can participate. This book should be a required reading for all who teach Sunday school or are involved with Christian education if we want our children sustained in a life with Christ and to have "an inquiring and discerning heart...the gift of joy and wonder in all God's works"

After reading Amazon's "Look Inside" excerpts, I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy of this book. I was not disappointed. Gretchen Wolff Pritchard has written a masterful work on what constitutes good Christian Formation for children -- and equally important, what does NOT. I was very surprised to discover that this book was actually published a decade ago, both because I'd never heard of it until recently, and because the tone and ideas are entirely fresh and applicable.

While those directly involved in planning and implementing ministry with children will find this most valuable, it is important reading for clergy and parents as well. In fact, there are many real life examples in this book of what happens all too frequently in the faith formation of children -- caused by clueless and/or uncommitted parents, and by clergy who are "too busy" to communicate with those leading programs for children.

As I read this book, one thing kept running through my mind: I've got to meet this woman! This book deserves at least six stars on a five-star scale.

I totally loved this collection! Lang really gathered a wide spectrum of folklore for this, even to the point of slight classic Victorian racism. But very much an awesome collection, and many of them did not follow the traditional fairy tale plot.

Lang was one of the first editors to collect multicultural fairy tales into one volume for readers. The Orange Fairy Book offers tales from many cultures. Included tales are The Girl-Fish, How Isuro the Rabbit Tricked Gudu, How the Stalos Were Tricked, The Adventures of a Jackal, Story of the King Who Would See Paradise, and many others. I have enjoyed the colored fairy books for years. Don't miss the great illustrations either.

Bought this with other books in the same series. I will eventually have the whole collection that I plan to display in my dining room. I hope that my grand-children will find the same joy and escape that I did as a child through this series of books.

I find this book to be one of the best fairy tale books I've ever read. The illustrations are simply beautiful! The different plots and twists for each tale are interesting.

Full of classy images, fine printing, and well illustrated. Each Origami project page starts with a lovely reproduction of a Japanese woodcut print. Illustrations and steps are clear and logical. Includes a nice little supply of folding papers! This book has given me hours of pleasure learning Origami.

This is a beautiful book. Although it is certainly designed with the beginner in mind, it has much for the collector, certainly a collector familiar with the Met's collections of oriental art--someting worth the trip to NYC just to see.

For the beginner, there is the obligatory introduction to origami. This includes a survey of the history of the artform, a description of the standard method of illustrating folds, and the basic folds themselves. A brief overview of all the models in pictorial form is part of the table of contents, and it is easy to see that the beginning folder is well supplied with easy objects to try. The first four of the 34 designs are dedicated to folded projects that even a preschool child might be able to perform, even memorize. The first 11 would be easily folded by K to 3rd graders.

Those models 12 to 34 might are a bit more challenging. They certainly require a bit more grasp of three dimensional forms. They would be a supurb method for introducing solid geometry to individuals who have difficulty thinking in terms of x-y-z directional planes. Just familiarity with manipulating the designs might help develop that type of spacial thinking that can be difficult for some individuals to grasp when it's introduced in the cold, dry principles of textbook solid geometry.

The most difficult design is probably the last in the book, the umbrella. Although an experienced folder should have no difficulty, it is rather involved, and may pose a challenge for the novice. It is, however, quite clever and well worth a try. Done successfully once, it should be easy to repeat. I think a perseverant 6th grader, especially one familiar with the art, would be more than capable of mastering it.

Most of the designs are old standbys, like the cup, fan, kimonos, lantern, crane, and frog. I've seen all of the more unusual ones, singly or in pairs, in other books. This is a nice collection of some of the more unique models. There is a lovely butterfly pattern, and probably one of most realistic goldfish I've seen so far. (Frequently what's labeled "goldfish" looks more like some other fish entirely.)

The real treat of the book, for me at least, was the lovely watercolors and woodblock prints by some of the Japanese masters. Kitagawa Utumaro's (1753-1805)wood print of two noble ladies is lovely, and his Lion Dance captures the joyfulness of a new year's celebration. Of course the wonderful artwork of Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858), with its color and its activity, captures the essence of life during his era with a brevity of line that is almost modern. The descriptions of these pictures and the addition of origami that helps capture Japanese culture for the folder is also enlightening. I think anyone who enjoys oriental art, not to mention origami, will enjoy the book.

This origami book is particularly wonderful in its originality. It not only has diagrams for 34 designs, but also comes with 48 sheets of origami paper that can be stored in the cover. The book presents the origami designs in an interesting way: They are featured alongside beautiful Japanese art prints from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with detailed descriptions of the origami folds and the paintings. The book also contains a brief introduction and history of origami, and gives an interesting glimpse into Japanese culture and art. It is a great book for beginners; it begins with the most simple folds and progresses to more and more advanced folds along the way. This added with the information about origami and included paper make it a great start for those interested in the art. Those that already practice origami may also be interested; the book includes several unique and interesting folds. For example, the book includes an umbrella that is more of an `origami project' that involves two pieces of paper, paper strips, glue, and a chopstick/toothpick. This umbrella actually opens and closes, and is also the `drink umbrella' often placed in poolside drinks. This is rather interesting to know how to make. My only complaint concerns a few designs that are, to put it plainly, pretty ugly. These ugly designs include a coat, kimono, figure, and the only other `origami project' (involves six pieces of paper and glue) entitled `Lion Dance.' However, these four designs could interest others, and there are thirty other designs that I really like. Another small complaint: A `Mount Fuji' design that involves five folds is not ugly, but really too simple for anyone other than small children to want to make. The only other concern may be for origami purists: Other than the two `origami projects' previously mentioned, three of the other designs involve the use of scissors, and five involve the use of glue. I, however, am not a purist, and the use of glue and scissors is very minimal, so this is not a complaint of mine. Beyond the few complaints, the book is very nice and very well put together. I would definitely recommend it for beginners or those interested in unique origami books. For those interested, the book includes the following origami folds: a cup, Mount Fuji, fan, bamboo letterfold, dove, lantern, shell, turtle, coat, kimono, fish, shrimp, `Lion Dance,' morning glory, butterfly, figure, basket, wooden stand (looks like a Chinese food takeout box), chopstick wrapper, goldfish, Japanese Bobtail Cat, owl, boat (interesting looking `treasure boat'), flapping bird, crane (of course), phoenix, chrysanthemum, persimmon, inflatable frog, iris, snail, dragonfly, bellflower, and (drink) umbrella.

This book is beautiful simply as a book. It is well constructed and stays open with no trouble. I would consider leaving out on my coffee table. It is well written and thought out. It puts origami in general within Japanese cultural context as well as each individual creation. I have about thirty origami books and this is one of the best.

As her father moves the family to an army town Darcy makes a new friend in an otherwise strange setting. She and Kathleen Mary become inseparable, best friends forever, and begin a journey of friendship that exposes Darcy to the Catholic faith. One day Kathleen Mary is gone and Darcy's father is missing in action. Darcy seeks out the help and wisdom of an old nun who explains the beauty of life and faith to her. As Darcy struggles with the loss of friend and father her newly discovered knowledge helps her through. This is a beautifully written story, one that is probably best suited for ages 11 and up. There are some beautiful passages where Cormier has blended words and imagery into a lovely picture.

Cormier has always written wonderful characters. His books have always been invitations to walk with them through their personal torment. This is not a happy book, his books never are. You get a sense of strength having gone through the same tragedies as the main character. Its a warm embrace into a cold world.

Eleven-year-old Darcy Webster, caught between girlhood and adolescence during World War II, makes her first friend ever when she meets Kathleen Mary O'Hara, and their relationship blossoms until Kathleen Mary mysteriously disappears. At the same time, Darcy's father is reported missing in action. All this, plus Kathleen Mary's "baptizing" Darcy, brings her to a painful spiritual crisis.

Other Bells for Us to Ring is beautifully written but it raises many issues about God, miracles, growing up and alcoholism.

There are some beautiful passages where Cormier has blended words into a lovely picture.

It had wonderful characters. I felt like I was walking with Darcy through her personal tragedy. This is not a happy book, but I got a sense of strength feeling like I had gone through the same tragedies as the main character.

The most moving part in the entire story was when Darcy looked to an old nun, Sister Angela for help and wisdom, who explained the beauty of life and faith to her. I found this part amazing and extremely moving. I really got something out of it. Sister Angela's words were inspirational to me they really explained God to me. I knew who he was and everything. But I have never really understood things until I read what she said to Darcy.

I thought there would be a happy ending. I really did. It was happy at first, when I learned that Darcy's father was safe and sound, but in the next chapter when I learned what happened to Kathleen Mary, all my expectations came down with a great and glorious crash. It was powerful when John Francis showed up and gave Darcy the news. I thought that the giving of the doll gave me closure. It was a sad ending but yet it wasn't. It is quite hard to explain.

Overall this is a powerful book. It is truly exceptional.

I am not religious and I'd rather stay away from religion. When I read the back of 'Other Bells for Us to Ring' I thought: oh know, a sappy religious novel. But I read it anyway, because I trusted Robert Cormier not to disappoint me with a sappy religious novel. Religious it was, sappy it was not! I've never been particularly interested in Catholicism and never knew much about it, but I learned a lot from this book and feel all the better doing so. Both Darcy and Kathleen Mary O'Hara are exceedingly likeable characters, particularly Kathleen Mary, who was in my eyes a younger version of Amy Hertz from Robert Cormier's novel 'I am the Cheese.' I thought there would be a happy ending. I really did. It was happy at first, when I learned that Darcy's father was safe and sound, but in the next chapter when I learned what happened to Kathleen Mary, all my expectations came down with a great and glorious crash. My father, when he saw me weeping, muttered about an 'adolescent mood swing.' I just kept sobbing. Why do good people have to die? Why?

How do we teach our teenagers to look beyond themselves and actually "see" the needs of others? This is a fantastic resource that will help you guide your youth from just DOING outreach and service projects to BEING a person who lives as Jesus would live...loving others and reaching out through their everyday lives. It speaks to them visually and in their own language, immediately removing barriers and allowing them to open their hearts and minds.

I have purchased the Outflow Youth Kit and the Outflow book and they're are a great resource to outreach in a natural way. God's message is love, and these resources make it the center of every outreach effort. Students will know how to reach out without the need of flyers, learned speeches or anything out of normal interaction. They will become love in motion.

If you're going to purchase this kit, I also recommend that you read the Outflow book ("Outflow: Outward-Focused Living in a Self-Focused World") because it will give you a deeper understanding.

I'm also buying now the Pastor Kit, because I really want to involve the whole church into it.

The tag line for this kit is 'everyday outreach for everyday youth'. And it is just that!! It gives 5 weeks of hands-on, easy to apply Biblestudies and outreach ideas for youth. Youth are challenged to live a life themselves that overflows with God's love and spills into the lives of their friends, family and aquaintances. It moves them from the church building into the community to share about God's amazing love. This book is a must have for every youth leader!

I purchased Outflow for Teens for one of my Youth Sunday School leaders. She called me after reviewing the material and was FIRED UP to get her class into the study!Outflow helps teens share their faith in a natural and authentic manner which truly encourages our youth to share their faith OUTSIDE the confines of the Youth group without feeling like a freak. There are no canned Testimonies, tracks or prayers to memorize just simple Bible examples of how you can share the gospel by simply doing nice for someone else.