Education Books

Such a warm and delightful book, and our toddler loves to have it read again and again. Fortunately, it's not a boring book to read out loud and it goes quickly. Text has a great sing-song flow, and it's fun to do the character's voices. Can't explain every reason why I love it, but I give it at lots of baby showers and birthday parties.

A must have.

We bought this book several months ago and have read it nearly every day since. I have 3 & 5 year old girls. They both listen intently to this book even after hearing it 100's of times at this point. This book has such a sweet message. The main character is lovable and relatable. Nothing to complain about! Great illustrations. This is a must have in your child's library. Great gift!

I received this book as a gift from my mom for one of my baby showers. It is one of the best books we have and our son loves hearing it over and over. He often grabs this book off the shelf when it's time to read a story. We've been reading it to him since he was months old and we will never be tired of it. We're glad we know the secret too!

This is now our all-time favorite children's book. My three-year-old son loves this book. He laughs so hard he runs out of breath, and when Sid's dad begins to fly at the end of the book, he is so relieved and absolutely elated. Not only is this an excellent book, but the looks on my son's face are absolutely priceless and one of my happiest memories.

I love everything about this book: the vivid illustrations, the engaging flow of the rhyme, the uplifting, but not preachy, message. Sometimes I long to skip lines or pages in books when reading to my kids, but never in this book.

I have always enjoyed Beth Moore, but this study is wonderful. I purchased the audio cd's to accompany the book, but I would have bought the DVD version if I had known they were available. You can download them straight to your computer ($4.99 each) from the LifeWay website.

A very special study of Psalms 120 through 134. Very well laid out instructions for study. Very comporting to learn how to step up to a relationship with our Lord.

This bible study is so wonderful. Beth Moore has such a love for the Lord and such a gift of teaching. I started it almost immediately and am almost through.

This was my first bible study and I thought it was great. Easy to follow and kept me hungry for more. I recommend it - the video is nice, but not necessary. I took the study through my church and found the quiet time study on my own plus discussion later in my group were enough. The video only added more insight into Beth's take on the three feasts.

Stepping up is a wonderful study of God's word spoken through the Psalms of Ascent. Beth Moore has a way of speaking life into the written word and with her love for God she is able to speak things into the word that we may not have seen. It has touched my life in so many ways and I hope that Amazon will carry more of her studies. She truly has a God given gift. Praise God!

My 14 month old has been choosing this one over other bedtime books since at least 9 months. The rhythm is soothing to me too, even on the 3rd reading in a row. That really helps by the end of the day!

I have bought many copies of Ten, Nine, Eight to give as baby gifts. I love this book. I have been a librarian for over thirty years. I am so glad that this one has stayed in print.

The more I read this book to my 2-year-old son, the more I like it. He liked it right away. It really is a peaceful "goodnight" book.

My children have this book memorized, and so do I. We recite it sometimes without the book as a going to bed poem.

It is a wonderful addition to any parent's repertoire. If you have a friend expecting, be the one to buy this book.

It's better than "Good Night, Moon" by about 78%, at least.

Not quite a board book, but smaller than most picture books, "Ten, Nine, Eight" fills a nice gap in the middle. Molly Bang's exquisite colors illustrate this counting (from 10-to-1) book that culminates with the protagonist fast asleep.

The context is as warm and familiar as the counted objects: A little girl (it's difficult to tell how old she is, sometimes her face looks a liitle more mature than at other time) climbs up onto her daddy's lap. The dad is obviously smitten with his daughter, but in an unforced manner that seems to come from deep inside. The gentle pictures of their affectionate interactions provide the countable objects. These include 10 toes, 7 shoes (later we see the cat with the missing one), six "pale" seashells (each with its own shape), four "sleepy eyes which open and close," two "strong arms around a fuzzy bear's head (actually, you can see three arms, but you can always exclaim, "you're right, there are three arms!)," and "one big girl all ready for bed."

Ms. Bang's varied palette uses both bold primary colors and some more "sophisticated" hues not always found in a book for crawlers and toddlers. Overall, the tone is pleasant and warm, and the rhymes unforced and natural.

Ellie Kay does a masterful job helping families manage finances. In fact, the book should be titled, Family Guide to Finances, because she has the whole family involved! Having been raised by immigrant parents whose values helped me to become a responsible spender, saver, donator, Ellie's book still offers reasons to keep reading--from the eight money-saving/spending personalities (including, Love Ya Louie and Balanced Betty), resources for saving money online, keeping track of what we spend, to the Money Pyramid (starting with 10% FUN money). Most of all, her stories and digressions make this a real page-turner filled with valuable nuggets.

Written with light humor, this book on a serious subject is a delight to read. Ellie writes as if she is sitting across a cafe table, drinking coffee with you. What makes the book fun to read - and interesting so you keep turning those pages - is that Ellie uses experiences from her own life and turns them into lessons for readers.

The advice Ellie gives in her book is rock solid and makes perfect sense, and she doesn't just tell you what to do, she gives the reader steps on how to do it.

This book is not a "How to Get Rich" book. It does not delve into the dark mysterious sometimes boring world of the inner workings of stocks, bonds, banks or international finances. "A Woman's Guide to Family Finances" is a book that tells, step by step, what a woman can do to get herself out of debt and into the black in the most painless, easy to understand methods possible.

Chapters begin with interesting information, usually a personal experience Ellie has had. She then tells the lesson she learned from her experience. Then she lists the steps taken to correct the problem or make the success discussed.

I would recommend this book to any woman, no matter what stage of your life you are in. Young and just beginning to "I'm too old to change" (which I don't believe is ever true).

Only an absolute madman would give his wife the keys to the family finances!

Unfortunately, I had to learn this lesson the hard way. Growing up in a liberal democrat household, my parents told me all this nonsense about how men and women should co-pilot the marriage. When I did eventually get married, I carried out my parent's instructions. I told my wife she didn't have to change her last name, went to all her feminist happenings, and last but not least, I bestowed upon her the family wallet.

I was a complete rube!

Even though, being a man, I made almost twice as much as she did, she spent all the money! Whenever I would come home from a hard day's work, there would be bags from Bloomingdales, Macy's, Bath and Body Works, and every other store women frequent, all over the house! My wife spent me into the poor house.

If that wasn't bad enough, when she found out my money was gone she split! There I was alone and in debt thanks to my parents silly liberal ideals. I went to them and asked them how their marriage worked with such flawed thinking. Then they sprung it on me. "We never were married, son. We liberals have evolved past that archaic pastime." My father stated sternly.

"Then you never gave her control over the finances?" I asked naively, eyes wide with innocence.

"Me? Give your mother control over the money? You gotta be putting me on. That feminism stuff is fine on paper, but I wouldn't recommend actually trying it out." He walked away with a sadistic chuckle.

This book gives practical advice to any woman interested in getting control of family finances, whether she is married, single with kids or on her own.
It also includes help for financial recovery for the deeply in debt and for the suddenly unemployed.
Divided into two sections, Ellie Kay jumps into the hard truth with "Where Did All The Dough Go?"

Ms Kay's description of the America's normal family:
1. Married with two children
2. Modest home with a 30 year mortgage
3. $40,000 annual income
4. Savings account with less than $500 in it
5. $8,000 in credit card debt
6. Two car payments
7. No household budget
8. No long-term retirement account
9. They want their children to go to college


Where they hope to be One Fine Day
1, Paid off mortgage
2. Paid off credit cards
3. Nice savings account
4. IRAs
5. Kids sent to college
6. Retirement

And where they will actually be if they continue their financial habits shows a vast divide that hits all too close to home for many of us.

Ellie Kay asks, "What are you willing to do today in order to make your family's financial dreams cone true in the future?"

She goes on to show the different personalities and emotions that drive financial decisions. Chances are you will find yourself in one or more of these personalities as I did.
But, take heart, she gives practical ways to break free from the destructive spending cycles that accompany each of these personalities.

After facing the hard truth of who we are and how we spend, we get to take action in Section 2 "Money Management For Everyone"
In this section there are action steps such as Ten Tips to Save Ten Bucks in Ten Minutes (or less) and establishing a household budget, based on The Fifty Thousand Dollar Pyramid
This section is packed with useful information about everything from choosing a mortgage to garage sales and Ebay.

The last chapter brings home the spiritual reason for being financially secure. - So that we can give generously, in very practical ways, to those in need.
I enjoyed Ms Kay's entertaining sense of humor, which got me through even the painful areas of `self-recognition' and 'plastic (credit card) surgery'.

Do you dream of the day when . . .

. . . Your credit cards are paid off?

. . . You have a savings account and an IRA?

. . . You can take a once-in-a-lifetime family vacation?

Then A WOMAN'S GUIDE TO FAMILY FINANCES is the book for you. Written in an entertaining, easy-to-read style, Ellie Kay will teach the reader how she took her family from over forty-thousand dollars in credit card debt, to being completely debt-free in two and a half years.

Ms. Kay shows in easy to understand chapters how to budget, how to save on essentials, how to go on a debt diet, and how to weather financial set-backs, including losing your job and looking for a new place of employment.

I don't usually like to read how-to books, but this book reads like a good novel. I had to keep reading. I learned some really valuable tips and relearned others that I'd forgotten and am looking forward to putting my new budget into operation.

A WOMAN'S GUIDE TO FAMILY FINANCES is a book to read through once, but then come back to time and again as you are ready to make more financial changes. She advices you start small and build your way up so you don't go into shock and stop trying to save money. Whether you are a born spender or saver, A WOMAN'S GUIDE TO FAMILY FINANCES is a book for a keeper shelf to be read and studied over and over. I'd recommend having your teenagers read it too, especially if they are soon to be on their own.

=== reviewed by Laura V. Hilton for Christian Bookshelf

Easy to read and easy to apply. I have a whole new thought process for copy on our website and brochures. This is a can't miss book for rookies!

This book is for a non-writer who needs to write advertising or marketing for his company.

The material is comprehensive and includes many good tips. A couple things to note--

1. The focus is on style and construction of materials (e.g., how to put together a direct mail piece), not on grammar, style, and construction of words.

2. Most of the book covers B2C marketing, not B2B.

All the advice is tried-and-true. If you follow it, you can't go wrong.

I bought this book for a good friend of mine, a skilled creative writer, but with little experience in writing professional copy. Like most creative types, he was looking for a job to support his writing and other artistic habits. With the help of Kranz's book, he was able to land a well-paying job that makes use of his talents, suitably focused by the advice in Writing Copy for Dummies. If proof of the pudding is in the paycheck, I can vouch for the effectiveness of this author's approach and suggestions for aspiring professional writers.

Kranz opens with a brief and witty definition of copywriting: "[it] attempts to persuade you to do or believe something-usually in regard to the surrender of your cash," then he launches into an explanation of the different things copy can do-everything from direct mail to branding to sales support; an explanation of "the basics" that is exactly that; and a truly step-by-step guide to writing sales letters and brochures.

Sidebars chip in along the way, occasionally offering a true gem, like the real difference between website headlines and their printed counterparts. And Kranz tells you why you should never waste your time and effort on a MISSION STATEMENT.

Based on the number of notes in the margins of my copy, I've found the chapters on websites, collateral, problem solving and "looking for ideas" the most helpful. Kranz also gives a detailed breakdown of what goes into a direct mail package, that should be enough to get any beginning mailer off to a promising start.

There are many books written about copywriting, that are aimed at business owners or the unfortunate folks who get stuck writing copy for their company because they once correctly used "presume" in an email. The nice thing about this one-and "nice" is a good word, because Jonathan Kranz is nothing if not a nice guy-is that it's a book about copywriting that doesn't assume non-copywriters know all the copywriting jargon and secrets. It takes its "For Dummies" title seriously, and that's a good thing.

I've been a copywriter for 14 years, most of the time as a freelancer. I've also been a senior copywriter for an advertising agency and worked in the creative department for a major newspaper.

This is the first book on copywriting I've bought in several years, and I'm now the newest fan of Jonathan Kranz's "Writing Copy for Dummies." Mr. Kranz has written an excellent book for the novice or pro, providing a complete, common-sense guide that covers the full range of marketing communications (including PR). Whether business-to-consumer or business-to-business, direct-response or branding, print or online, for-profit or non-profit, it's all there in an engaging writing style and easy-to-digest format.

After being in the freelance trenches for many years, I know how far-flung assignments can be. It's invaluable to have an all-encompassing reference to reach for when I need knowledge in non-specialty areas. In fact, just last Friday I reviewed parts of Chapter 17 in preparation for a fundraising project with a major university.

Some of the material might be a refresher for veteran marketers. As for me, I'm glad to benefit from a fellow pro's perspective on marketing and copywriting topics. As I told Jonathan via email, "I'm glad you took the time to write this book."

This is a great resource for anyone who teaches math to elementary or middle school students. It is full of useful information and ideas for lessons.

I received the text book in a reasonable amount of time. The information in this book is extrememly helpful for those who are in the teaching field, or even for those who have children and want to help with math homework.

This is a timeless treasure of mathematical understandings generated by Marilyn Burns and her associates. These activities, coupled with hands-on training for teachers, can make a tremendous difference in the mathematical understanding of elementary and early middle school teachers. Most important in this edition are the addition of Burns' revised thinking on Teaching Arithmetic (part 3), and her compilation of discussions for 40 activities (part 4). These two additions have rounded this meaningful math resource into a powerful tool for on-going staff development.

I haven't finished reading this entire valuable resource, but it has a great conceptual framework followed by creative ideas. I teach 7th Grade Mathematics overseas where my students have not had a great basis in analytical thinking and I look forward to using these ideas with my classes this year.

I love this book! It is a great resource with ideas for getting kids interested in math and what questions teachers should ask themselves as they teach. It also points out common mistakes students make and their thought processes for getting there. It is divided into sections by mathematical topics and also has dozens of lesson plan ideas, both for full lessons and those quick time-fillers. This is the most reader-friendly textbook I've ever had to read for a class--it's so easy to read!

I first discovered this book about twenty five years ago, when I was a teen. I distinctly remember devouring this book quickly. The concepts are clearly explained in a manner that is very easy to grasp without a mathematics background. The diagrams are extremely well done. Some of the circuit diagrams are quaint by todays' standards, but for me that just adds to the appeal. Without this book, it is doubtful whether I would have chosen electrical engineering as a career.

TO TEACN A 15 YEAR OLD BOY BASIC ELECTRYC AND BASIC TUBE CIRCUITS BEFORE HE BEGININGS SOLID STATE ELECTRONICS BY HIS GRANDPA.

This book is a reprint of the series first published by Rider in 1954.

Its companion book, Basic Electronics, covered vacuum tube equipment. Authors have also done "Basic synchros and servomechanisms" (1955) while a later book, Basic Solid State Electronics (ISBN 0790610426) - published 1982/1983 - covered basic transistors. See my review of this last book. It's not as good as Basic Electricity.

To this day, the Basic Electricity book is one of the best you can start with when learning about electricity. The writing is crystal clear and the authors never waste words or repeat themselves.

Even clearer than the words are the diagrams. They show you exactly what's going on. And so many diagrams. Put the words and pictures together and you can't help but understand everything.

This reprinted version by Prompt covers more topics than found in my 1954 series by Hayden Books. Prompt version also has problem sets.

The only section I didn't enjoy of Basic Electricity was part 5 on motors/generators/power systems. And that's just because it's not my area of interest.

This book is done (mostly) from a qualitative POV. The math is simple. some algebra and phasors. Doesn't use calculus or complex numbers. For those who want this approach get "Principles of Electronics: Analog and Digital" by Lloyd R. Fortney and/or "Introduction to Modern Electronics" by J.C. Sprott (OOP now so buy it used)

Probably the only books that match Van Valkenburgh et al. for clarity are the 24 part series Navy Electricity & Electronics Training Series (NEETS), the books by Schuler/Fowler (Electricity: Principles and Applications by Richard J. Fowler and Electronics: Principles and Applications by Charles A. Schuler) and Bernard Grob's books: Basic Electronics and Direct and Alternating Current Circuits.

This is the best book on electricity I have every read! I have read a number of entry level books on electricity and all of them have fallen short. The key to this book is its order of presentation. When explained in the proper sequence it is much easier to grasp the topics. If you are looking for a book that will give you a rock solid foundation in electricity then this is the one.

I also own the Bureau of Naval Personnel's "Basic Electricity" and Mike Holt's "Basic Electrical Theory". While I really like Holt's book, and the Bureau's book is a good one, this is one better. Since it was first published in 1954, you may find the illustrations and graphics (did they have "graphics" in 1954?) a bit dated. On the other hand, I think they help explain the concepts very well.

These days there is a great deal of interest in raising children with bilingual skill. "The Bilingual Edge" is a great resource for parents who want to give their children the gift of bilingualism and to prepare them for the ever more connected world of the future.

The two authors are professor of linguistics specialize in second language learning. They give the book a scientific favor and much of the materials are backed by research data. Nevertheless it is written in everyday language and is not at all academic. Moreover the authors are parents themselves. They are walking their talk by raising their kids bilingually. Despite their credentials, they face many of the same parenting and social issues like we do and they also share their struggles in the book.

Just why do we want our children to become bilingual? Contrary to conventional thinking, learning a second language does not compete with the mother tongue. People who are good in a second language are actually more likely to be good in their first language. Besides the inherent advantage of speaking more than one language, studies have also shown that there is cognitive, academic and social edge in bilingual kids. In short, it makes you children smarter. I think this is more than enough motivation for most parents to consider bilingualism.

Some families are naturally more concern about bilingualism because they have emigrated to another country or they are bilingual themselves. But the authors make it clear that raising bilingual kids are not restricted to them. Indeed it is very much attainable for monolingual parents too. They guide the readers in choosing a second language by understanding the language strength in themselves, their family members and the resources available in their community.

I find their scientific approach especially relevant when dealing with the myriad of learning products being pushed to the parents. Just consider if there is any research to back the claim they make in the advertisements? Is it the product really more effective compares with other approaches, such as simply reading and talking to your children? The authors are skeptical about the claim of some popular products like Baby Einstein. Yet their opinions are actually nuanced. For example, they suggest you to watch the video with you children so that you can guide them, thereby turning a passive activity into an active learning process!

All in all this is a short and well researched book. It should answer many questions regarding learning a second language and help prepare our children into the amazing world of language learning.

I absolutely love this book. It is an excellent resource. I recommend it to anyone who is raising a bilingual child.

I enjoyed reading this book, It was very informative. If you plan on raising your child/children bilingual buy this

The authors do a great job of explaining the research in plain terms and debunking odd mythgs. It's an easy read (not "researchy") and talks about different strategies for bringing up a bilingual child. My daughter is 7 weeks from her due date and I feel very well informed about how to teach her English and Spanish in the years to come.

I bought this book because my wife are expecting a child and were wondering how to deal with the language issue in our family. We live in an English language environment, our mother tongue is Spanish, yet we are in an equally good position to talk to the child in German. The question was how to approach this "dilemma".

The book gave us many answers. Read it. And even if you decide not to, do not deprive your children of the opportunity to learn languages from the start. They have, as the book explains, nothing to lose and, as I can assure you personally, everything to gain from it.

A must read for teenagers AND for their parents. It speaks forthrightly and factually and does not shy away from the reality of teenage sexuality as experienced in this day and age. Scare tactics are not used to present chastity as the solution. Instead, chastity is the resulting positive choice one can make when presented with the beauty, richness, depth, true purpose and meaning of the God-given gift of sexuality.

I bought this book as a resource for my undergraduate Catholic club's discussion on sex and chastity. It's an incredibly comprehensive book that covers practically every conceivable query related to practicing chastity.
It doesn't rely on dogmatic statements --which never fly with the youth these days anyway-- but makes its case with logical arguments, all the while never forgetting that the ultimate reason behind chastity is LOVE. It's extremely easy to read, without being overly simplistic or unintelligent. I think it's a must read for every teen/young adult who is practicing or considering chastity.

This lady has a blog where she says things like that:

"You might be wondering...does Heather have a boyfriend? Well, yes I do (he's a hottie, too, from my Looking for Hotties blog)";
"I like to party, drink and have a good time. Does this sound weird coming from a youth minister" [Yes definitely];
"On a retreat recently (with amazingly holy Catholic young women!) [what is a holy Catholic young woman?], I said something that shocked me - I told them I was looking for a hot guy in my life."

And this one is really shocking:
Wouldn't it be great if all wedding gowns of white contained a pure vessel, ready to receive their true love for the first time - both spiritually and physically? Wouldn't it be great if every bride could honestly say, "Fill me with everything that you are - I purely desire to receive and love you for eternity"?

This girl talks by the devil to the youth!

As a youth minister, I am aware that very few teens really understand the virtue of chastity; they tend to think that the Christian position on the topic of sexuality is simply 'don't do it'. In this book, Gallagher and Vlahutin clearly articulate the many reasons WHY we should live this virtue of chastity. Anyone who reads this book with an open mind will, I believe, become convinced that God's plan for our sexuality is for our good and makes sense. I recommend this book on many different levels - a great gift for teens as they struggle through the turbulent adolescent years, a welcome addition to any library (secular or religious), and a must read for parents - since in my work I have found that very few parents understand the virtue of chastity, and therefore find it nearly impossible to articulate a message of sexual purity to their teens.

I used A Case for Chastity with my high school juniors and they really enjoyed a new perspective that's contrary to our culture. They read the book and then we had many lively class discussions about chastity. It helped all of them to reconsider what it means to love love someone. Many of them seriously considered chastity for the first time. Others said it confirmed their decision to live chastely. Almost every students said they would recommend it to a peer. I would definitely recommend this book for teachers to use in the classroom, or for any teenager.