Berg Books

I can't begin to say enough about this wonderful resource book. It's a must have for any classroom teacher. A well thought out book with a plethora of ideas that work well in a classroom environment. This book is easy reading and one of the best books of its kind. It's obvious to me that these two authors have a clear and obvious idea of how essential this book would be to any teacher. It's also obvious to me that their individual experience within a classroom was so helpful with writing this ideal book. All of the ideas presented are a clear indication to me that this book would indeed help any classroom teacher successfully teach and embody the true vision of what a teacher's job is about. I would highly recommend all teachers to read this book as well as keep a copy in their own classrooms. My hat is off to Authors, Renee Berg and Karen Wirth. I look forward to reading more from the both of them.

The information presented in this book was well researched and is rich with practical examples. Teachers are provided with a wealth of practical techniques that enable them to effectively teach children to learn and grow both academically and socially. Closely embroidered among the myriad of strategies and techniques is the fundamental belief of the authors that it is crucial to teach skills and strategies that enable students to develop the competencies that result in self-sufficiency. This text reaffirms one of the major benefits of scholarship.The authors have succeeded in weaving into a single fabric the abstract and the applied and do so with a clarity and force that will benefit many teachers and students. Classroom teachers will become more effective, and the educational experiences of the children will be greatly enriched as a result of the authors work.

This is by far, the best written, most detail orientated teacher book I had the pleasure to read in years. The authors have obviously been in the classroom as teachers, not just observers. The hands on ideas in the book are not only good for Kindergarten, they could easily be adapted for any primary grade level. I will be recommending this book to my entire team this year. THIS IS A MUST HAVE for every hands on teacher who wants enrich their classroom even more. Great job Renee Berg and Karen Wirth, I can't wait for the next in the series.

In short: Roach's presentation here is insightful, informative and still quite entertaining.

In not so short: I have found that when reading a book rooted in academia, meaning rich with research and depth, it is not often a fun read. Not the case here, the reader gains tremendous insight about the culture of sex work, yet you are almost always entertained. Roach is candid in her experiences and thoughts throughout her research and process. If the book seems interesting to you, you will not be disappointed.

Having always been intrigued by the idea of exotic dancing, I was thrilled to read Professor Roach's book. It is scholarly, fascinating, and yet easy to read and to understand. I imagined my being in a small Paris cafe and talking with her over a latte. She has a wonderful conversational style, and covers in-depth subjects and ideas with ease. I never realized how many aspects there are to the world of stripping. Professor Roach is not afraid to discuss her own misgivings, questions, and thrills with the reader. Her sense of humor is palpable and I frequently laughed out loud at her comments which she inserts into her main topics with ease. This is a must-read for any woman who has wondered about the world of stripping, any woman who is morally opposed to it, and any man who wonders what really goes on in those sultry, sirens' minds. Highly recommend.

Professor Roach manages to keep the topic interesting while actually exploring it intellectually. She is an engaging writer as well as a serious academic. She moves way beyond stripping into deep issues affecting all of us. Her point of view is unusual in a book of this type as she has never been a stripper herself and yet brings a very open mind to the subject. She shares with the reader how a close friend became a stripper and that began her interest in the subject. The book is very well researched and intellectually stimulating. I particularly liked the chapter on stripping and the Goddess, called "At the Feet of the Goddess". I imagine that anyone with an interest in Feminism, sexual ethics, sex work, patriarchy or that enjoys original and creative thinking in general would enjoy this book and it would be a "must read" for any real inquiry into stripping.

He learnt from experimenting on his own life that moderation is the key to a balanced diet. No given diet is absolutely harmful but diets with very high carbohydrate and fat content should be restricted to minimum. In the end the total amount of calories taken in should be carefully watched. If a high calorie meal is consumed then one should compensatorily restrict calories at other meals. In the end to protect future generations there needs to be some control both at the consumer level as well as availability.

This book addresses the issue of our overly-busy lives. Our children are as stressed and over-booked as we are. Their eating choices and patterns coupled with their lifestyle choices are the reason for obesity and eating disorders in children. I love that this book teaches us how to normalize eating and activity choices. Our children are not in touch with their internal hunger & satiety signals because of the overly processed foods we are letting them use to fuel their bodies. We parents have become too busy to schedule family dinners and bike rides with our kids. We are tossing food over the back seat to our kids as we are driving them to their next scheduled event. We have become afraid of unsafe communities and therefore are keeping our kids inside more often, where they are sitting in front of screens. The message in this book is that we need to stop placing all of the blame on the school lunches or fast food marketing and take control of the lifestyle choices we are helping our children make. We need to help our kids get back to normalized eating and playing just because it feels good.

Jill Fleming, MS, RD
Professional Speaker & Author of Thin People Don't Clean Their Plates: Simple Lifestyle Choices for Permanent Weight Loss (The Thin People Series)

I found 'Underage and Overweight' to be an excellent, relevant resource in the very critical issue of weight and children in our society. Of special note is the 'what works; what doesn't' section. Many of our students are still adolescents and have for most of their lives suffered from weight issues whether they are 'overweight' or not. Their well-meaning parents have often been part of the problem, trying to protect their child from becoming 'overweight,' which is so apparent in the scantily clad tropics of the Hawaiian Islands. Having a resource that gives such a broad overview of the issues is invaluable.
Anne Caprio Shovic, Ph.D., R.D., Associate Professor, Dietetics Program Director, Human Nutrition, University of Hawaii at Manoa

I was very pleased with this purchase. The book was in good condition and arrived promptly!

I had to take an environmental science class as part of the general education credits required for my degree at an online university. I dreaded the thought of a big TEXT book full of facts, figures, and terminology difficult to understand. I was pleasantly surprised when I received this book full of beautiful images, easy to understand text, and concepts that are easily understood just in everyday living. I will not be selling this book back to the university. My children enjoy thumbing through it just to look at the pictures and it is a great reminder of why all of us need to be a little more conscious about our environment. I recommend this book to anyone wanting an overview of a variety of environmental issues. This book will trigger ideas, provide excellent facts, and give you a great jumpstart for conducting additional research in any area desired.

I'm using this text as the primary science textbook for my homeschoooled high schooler this year. The book is easy to read and includes lots of interesting and relevant visuals (photos, graphs, maps, etc., all with captions). It's scope covers all the major topics within environmental science. Each chapter has a chapter review (which include critical thinking questions) and additional online activities to do. The quality of the visuals is stunning. I like the way it presents the topics and makes them interesting and real-life, not just theories. All in all, it is really helping my son become interested in environmental isssues and the sciences in general. I've learned quite a few new things myself too.

I'm glad the other reviews here are all 5 stars -- I definitely agree -- but they aren't very compelling. I think this book is a must-read for any child interested in fantasy. And I'll give away part of the plot, in hopes of convincing you. Two dragons from Wales decide (who knows why; dragons aren't usually curious) to travel to America and see some of the sites they have heard tourists mention. While there, they are seen and attacked by some humans and are forced to leave their unhatched egg behind when they escape. 100 years later the egg hatches and a new dragon (Orm) is sent from Wales, given the task of retrieving the hatchling as stealthfully as possible and without loss of human life.

From the human standpoint, a wonderful mystical object was discovered on the shores of a lake and the family has cherished and passed this unusual possession down through the generations. Henry Berg is the one who is there when it hatches and his mom (typical distant parent-teenager relationship) refuses to believe his story. He then comes up with a lie which is that he bought a new lizard at the pet store; she allows him to keep the baby dragon who he names Vincent. No one knows what kind of animal Vincent truly is. When the adult dragon shows up to retrieve the baby, all kinds of trouble starts...

The story has a good plot about respect for creatures other than ourselves and I love the ending where they (Henry and Millie, an adult friend who gets pulled into the fray) figure out a way to return the baby to the mountain of Wales where he belongs.

I read this book when I was in first grade with the help of my mother. My sister was 4 then and she just listened as we read aloud. We all enjoyed it very much. I made the mistake of trading it off to a friend in 3rd grade and am now sorry.

Henry Berg haches an egg, and finds a lizard that turns out to be a dragon with blood that burns to the touch. His monther's boyfriend wants to experiment on it, only to find someone else wants to return the little dragon home to his native land. Great adventure awaits Henry, and those who read about him. Definately a must read. Excillent for the whole family.

This is the best book I have ever seen to show children what NOT to do with their books! The illustrations are engaging and my kindergartner loves it. This is the favorite at our house!

Marion the hedgehog loves to read and she relishes her borrowed books - until she accidentally spills on one at the breakfast table. Her clean-up efforts only result in further disaster in this wonderfully engaging picturebook story which is especially recommended for children preschool and kindergarten through second grade.

I. First the Fairy Tale

Once upon a time there was a young hedgehog who began her career as an exotic pet for a fourth-grade boy. When she and the boy failed to bond, she was given to the boy's teacher. After a couple of years the boy's teacher moved on but the little hedgehog remained behind as a fourth-grade classroom pet. At some point she went home to live with a teacher's aide and eventually she moved to a seventh grade science classroom. Over the years, she acquired several names including Velcro and Zipper but no one really took the time to get to know her or to learn how to care for her properly. Finally, after developing internal parasites and severe foot problems (her toenails had grown around her toes and back up into her feet), the hedgehog found a forever home with school librarian, Brook Berg.

Suddenly the lonely hedgehog was transformed from a down-and-out neglected pet to Marion, pampered hedgie princess! She quickly acquired a plastic ferret ball and a custom-made, hedgehog-approved, exercise wheel. Not only that, she moved to a luxurious palace consisting of four spacious four-foot long translucent covered plastic boxes connected with 3" PVC piping! She had a room for her wheel, a room with a patio stone (to manicure her toenails), a dining room and a bathroom! Each room had a pipe, a box or a hat to provide plenty of places for privacy or napping!

Marion's palace was installed on top of a library shelf where she could watch the students as they selected their books. Every afternoon the ferret ball was placed in one of her rooms. Her slaves would tap on the ball to signal Marion and she would eagerly jump into it to tour of the library or the school hallways! Marion's weekends were spent at Brook Berg's home. Her box house, wheel and ball always traveled with her and she also had week-end access to a five-foot swimming pool and many toys.

After nearly four years as a pampered library celebrity, Marion died of old age.

2. Then the Books

Brook Berg has written three picture books about using the library. All three feature Marion in a starring role as a little girl hedgehog who aspires to be a librarian when she grows up.

In the first story, What Happened to Marion's Book?, Marion spills jam on her library book while reading at the breakfast table. Her frantic efforts to clean the book are very entertaining and effectively teach students how to--and how not to--take care of their library books. What Happened to Marion's Book? is a particular favorite with the younger students at the two schools where I work. They really sympathize with Marion as she tries to salvage her ruined library book.

The next book, What Marion Taught Willis, bravely tackles a notoriously dry library subject--the Dewey Decimal System. During "Career Day" at school Willis teases Marion when she says she wants to be a librarian when she grows up. Marion dares Willis to meet her at the Media Center so she can show him the interesting books he can find there. Willis can't turn away from a dare so Marion is able to convince him that the Dewey System will make it easy for him to find books on interesting topics. The story really engages students who enjoy discovering where books on their favorite topics can be found.

The third book, When Marion Copied, offers a clear, child-friendly explanation of plagiarism and how to avoid it. Marion is pleased when the teacher begins reading her report in class. But when he goes on to read the reports of a second student and a third, Marion realizes that the reports are identical because the students have copied the same Internet page on the topic! Her teacher explains what plagiarism is, describes its consequences and presents techniques to avoid it.

The books feature large, colorful illustrations by Nathan Alberg and a photograph of Marion the hedgehog. They were published by Upstart Books of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, a publisher which specializes in creative ideas for library and classroom learning. A small plush version of Marion is also available.

This book is great! Not what I expected...better. Expected a self help book and what I got was a very informative and well written book on how to cope with everyday stress, and being able to laugh at life in the process. A very FUN read. I looked for more titles from this author, because she is funny...but I think this is the only book to date. I hope she writes again...could be the next Wayne Dyer if you like his style...5 STAR

If you want to have a great time and learn a lot about yourself read this book. I recommend it for both men and women. Barbara Berg writes in a fun, easy to read way, making this an entertaining read. Get started today.

Informative read on self discovery. In particular the chapter on how to handle anger. I love the poem Bag Lady Blues.

A super neat book teaching children to not copy other people's work. Great work.

Written by Brook Berg with illustrations by Nathan Alberg for young students in grades 1 through 4, When Marion Copied: Learning About Plagiarism is the thoughtful and entertaining picturebook story of Marion's copying a paper from the internet, and the lesson which Mr. Owen has to teach the class about plagiarism. Following Marion's class through an elaborate but easy-to-follow explanation of the proper way to cite writings and summarize correctly, When Marion Copied offers young readers an unique introduction to what may happen if they copy school work (or any other work) from any sources, most especially including the internet. A critically important addition to all elementary school library collections, When Marion Copied is very highly recommended for all teachers and parents of children as highly informative, thoughtful, and non-threatening, helpful and effective guide through the problems associated with plagiarism.

As a school librarian, I found this book to be an excellent resource for explaining plagiarism and also the importance of citing sources during research. Although the illustrations appear to make this book appropriate for the primary grades, the book is really intended for upper elementary.
I used this book in preparation for a Big 6 research lesson.

Unfortunately, I didn't see in faint print that this was just the study guide, not the actual book I thought I was ordering. Of course the study guide looks great, but be sure when ordering When Trouble Comes that it doesn't say "study guide" below the title in the picture of the book cover. Note that the big print from Amazon.com doesn't include "Study Guide" so it is very misleading (at least to people that don't totally have their eyes open I guess!). Maybe Amazon could fix that??

But besides all of that, the book that this study guide is based on is top notch excellent. In fact, I had a borrowed copy already and used it for a bible study in a prison ministry visit a couple of weeks ago. This book is absolutely to the point and well structured to explain WHAT to do when trouble comes....because trouble always does come, so we need to prepare ahead of time, so that we handle it the best way possible. I have got to tell you, the Bible study with the ladies in prison was nearly two hours, and they were absolutely into it, relating and soaking up the good advice from this book. You will want to share it with others, too, after you let it minister to your own life.

Wonderful book! Dr. Burg has such insight-this will change both your thinking and life. Here is a book to help even those who have cancer, or have lost loved ones.

Fantastic little book which would be a great help to anyone battling fear and anxiety. Jim Berg is a great and compassionate author. Get it for yourself or someone who is struggling!

I could not recommend this book highly enough for students of advertising and consumer culture. It is a really insightful, insider account of the work of advertising agencies and practitioners,and while the tone of writing is definitely academic, this book has much to offer practitioners within the field to reflect upon their work. I found this book having completed ethnographic fieldwork within an advertising agency, and I could relate to much of what many of the authors within the text desribed in their own accounts of agency practice. This text should be essential reading for all students of advertising and integrated marketing communications, as well as marketing and advertising practitioners alike, and is a much welcomed new perspective on advertising production.

This book is to the meaning production world of advertising what Howard Becker's book "Art Worlds" was to the world of art production. The articles in the collection are fascinating thick descriptions of the processes, negotiations, intentionalities and symbolic actions of ad agencies versus client companies versus end consumers as new marketing programs are produced and evolved in the US and around the world.