Education Books

I was supposed to read one of Jordan Sonnenblick's books this summer as he is coming to visit next year. I wasn't too excited at first as I had never heard of him and that usually means a red "X" in my book. But this book is one the best I have read so far this summer. I almost cried several times, like when Jeffy sent Steven that note and when Samantha had died. Jeffery was such a cute and generous brother, yet I still understood how he was annoying. Steven was an engaging character with a ton of wit and sarcasm up his sleeve. I enjoyed how he and Annette got together at the end(but who didn't see that coming?)and liked how Renee (who had a really big ego)became friends with Steven and cared about him. I found the scenes where Steven was suffering and crying the most painful to read, and I began to ponder about life and how lucky we all are. This book really opened a window for me, and I'm thankful for that. I only have one problem,and that is how much the author uses "rents" in his book. I have never heard any kid my age use that in reference to their parents. But I think that Mr. Sonnenblick caputured the speech and actions of the teenager well, so that's a plus, considering how little I can relate to a lot of the teen/real-world fiction books that pervade the market. In all, this book was so enjoyable and so good that I'll probably read all his other books. Well done!

Sorry, I just didn't find this book realistic at all. The author tries very hard, but does not succeed in writing a well written book about childhood cancer.

It is extremely hard to do and the author was very unsuccessful with this book.

Skip it!

This book is about an 8th grade kid trying to deal with life: school, girls, and playing in the band. He is the lead drummer for the all-city band. However, this all changes when his brother gets cancer. His whole life is turned upside-down. now he has to deal with school, girls, band, and a brother with cancer. It is an intriuging book and easy to read. I would reccomend it to someone in middle school or, maybe, in the early years of high school.

Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie is a realistic- fiction book where a kid named Steven finds out his little brother has leukemia. On top of that Steven has school, drums, and girls to think about. I gave Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie a rating of 5 out of 5 stars because it was one of the best books i have ever read. It makes you cry and laugh at the same time. I like books were i can not predict the ending and this was definitely one of those books. Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie is a heartwarming book that left me thinking about the difficulties of having someone with cancer in your family. I mean imagine having cancer or the medical bills that need to be paid. What about the family falling apart? Find out about this and much more in Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick.

As if being a 13-year-old, eighth grade male isn't bad enough, (there's girls to impress, homework to catch up on, drums to practice), try finding out your five-year-old brother has leukemia. It started the morning Steven left his little brother, Jeffrey, on a stool while he made his "moatmeal." Jeffrey fell and the bleeding started. Their mother races out the front door to take Jeffrey to the emergency room with an ice pack on his nose. Steven dreads the lecture he knows he'll get once he's home from school. Instead he's told his mother and brother will be leaving for Philadelphia and tests.

Steven tries to hold it together. But before long, he's feeling invisible, left out, guilty, angry. lonely, helpless, and wondering "what's the point?" His mother is totally wrapped up in caring for Jeffrey, his dad has become a worried zombie, and there's nothing Steven can do to help. Or is there?

For me, the single most important criteria for a gold star book is that it must make me "feel". It must make me reevaluate life as I see it, and wonder if I'm doing all I can to 1)appreciate my own blessings, and 2)make life better for others. This book does that and more. Jordan Sonnenblick gives the reader an honest, gritty look into the life of a family dealing with childhood cancer. He does it with amazing sympathy and humor. My 13-year-old son recommended this book to me. Two of his friends read it as well. If you haven't had the chance to read DRUMS GIRLS & DANGEROUS PIE, I highly recommend it.

My two sons (5-year old and 4-year old) have enjoyed this book now for a couple years. They see themselves as "little bears" and enjoy adding their own imagination to the book's storylines.

I really liked the "Birthday Soup" chapter best and have used it to teach my sons that no matter how little you have, you always have enough to share.

The book is a classic and you can add it to your storybook collection with Amazon's 4-for-3 special offer. I suggest you pick up "Little Bear's Friend" (see my review).

My kids and I came to know Little Bear through the cartoons on TV first. Perhaps part of the appeal of the books for my kids is that they know these stories well from the cartoon, but the books are much more engaging!

Best of all, unlike the cartoons, you have the amazing illustrations of Maurice Sendak. They give the books a timeless appeal.

Perfect to read to little ones, and an excellent reader for K-2.

Other titles in the Level 1 - Beginning Reading series are:

- "Father Bear Comes Home"

- "A Kiss For Little Bear"

- "Little Bear's Friend"

- "Little Bear's Visit"

This is a warm, nurturing view of childhood. My children and many others have loved it for years.

I purchased the Little Bear (An I Can Read Book) for a first grader that I mentor and she had asked for this book. I have given her other books and can't wait to give her this one

Little Bear, first published in 1957, is a true classic in children's literature. The book is about a bear cub who is a good friend to Owl, Cat, Hen, Duck and Emily, the little girl who visits in the summer. Elsa Holmelund Minarik and Maurice Sendak teamed up to create these stories. The stories are filled with quiet humor, affection and imagination as Little Bear and his friends celebrate birthdays, play games, meet new friends and explore their neighborhood.

The first of five classic Little Bear books, written for beginning readers, Little Bear contains several stories. In one story, "Birthday Soup," Little Bear can't find his mother and thinks she's forgotten his birthday so he sets out to make birthday soup for his friends only to find out his mother hasn't forgotten his birthday. In "Little Bear Goes to the Moon," Little Bear decides that he'll fly to the moon and Mother Bear lets him as long as he's back by lunch.

This book and the others will delight young readers, and encourage them to keep reading.

My four year old boy and I read this for homeschooling. I do not think he is really understanding the devotions. They say it is for 4 year olds but I think it will be a few years before he will be able to comprehend the contents.

We love this book. I bought it for us to read our 6 year old son for family devotion time. While he enjoys it, and we truly benefit from it, I wish we had discovered it when he was 4 yrs. old because it provides a very good basic foundation for learning verses. The Awana verses he is learning now are more advanced, but he still enjoys the stories that go along with the verses in this book. If you have a 4 year old, it is not too soon to start which we strongly recommend.

I wanted to comment on the quality of this book - the layout, illustrations, format and paper stock are top quality, and this is a book you will want to use for several years. Top drawer. See also Susan and Richie Hunt "Big Truths for Little Kids" which can take up where this book leaves off. I'm glad we found them.

This is a great book! My 4-year-old is memorizing a scripture each day, and with reviewing them nightly, he is retaining them very well. The devotionals are helpful for the children to understand God's will through scripture. They are very optimistic in regards to how others will react when we pursue God's will, but that's okay with me. My son has even rebuked his younger brother with one of the verses! I love that he can see the purpose in context.

I am so glad a friend recommended this book! My 3 1/2 year old daughter loves the stories and is learning the Bible verses too. This is actually the only children's book I have seen that talks about the Holy Spirit and His role in recalling Scripture to mind, prompting us to make right choices, etc. This was a great purchase and I definately feel it is playing a key role in my discipleship of my daughter by making her conscious (as much as she can be at this age) of issues of the heart. The one caveat might be to start with this book early; an older child might find the siblings in most of the stories a little too good to be true. They are portrayed as very sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and almost always immediately sorry when they do something wrong. Overall, I highly recomment it.

Wow this has been great for my 6 and 4 year olds. This is much different from the usual Bible stories for kids that teach events, but this teaches character. The stories and themes build on one another and the book includes recommendations on how to review previous verses. My kids have learned many verses without trying too hard. They engage in the stories and actually pray for Missy and Bill, the kids that illustrate the principles. If you want to empower your children to be like Jesus then this is the book for you.

I think this is the best book written on the topic of third culture kids. The book is insightful and answers questions that are just under the surface for both kids and those who love them.

This book discusses emotional and identity development of children growing up in foreign countries and re-entry issues. This is an excellent book for those who have lived abroad during the developmental years 0 - 18 and for parents. A must read!

This book was recommended to us and I would recommend it to anyone living outside their own culture with kids. The information is very valuable to helping children adjust and understanding how growing up outside their culture will affect them.

If you have lived in a country other than the country your parent(s) are from for a significant period of time as a child and then had to move back (or to another, very different place)...this book is for you. Like many other tck's, I have always felt out of place and just thought I was different or weird. I could never understand why my parents never had the same sentiments. Now I understand that the way I feel is a normal outcome of the way of life I had as a child. This book is also a great reference to those serving in the military with children, moving constantly both within the US and around the world. It puts the missing link in place and explains the complex emotions that child tck's experience as adults. It all makes sense now, and I can even understand why I married a Frenchman and why we're planning on moving back to Europe!

Being a child living in between a passport culture and another culture which one is daily relating to, needs not be a negative experience. There are certainly some unique issues for such cross cultural dwellers but with good preparation, communication, support systems, family functionality, the life of TCKs can be incredibly hopeful and beneficial.

Pollock and Van Reken have created a very readable and enjoyable account of the lives of a third culture kids. Clearly they have much knowledge and exposure to TCKs and have pulled together their many thoughts and reflections to give us the full picture of such an experience.
The book is both practical and insightful with many lists and suggestions for families. The personal vignettes and testimonies make the explanations more real. Though, it would have been more helpful to have more background information about the testimonies to place in proper context.
I appreciate the attitude of the book that there are challenges as well as great benefits and the choice lies with individuals to take responsibility for their own actions. Often reactions to life reside inside themselves rather than in outside events and situations. (p.181)
The book paints a nice picture of the TCK's family and experience but it gives very little guidance in actually helping and counseling such kids who may not have positive outcomes from their time abroad. It would be valuable to have a second volume of specific counseling techniques, interventions, and therapy guidelines to better serve TCKs and ATCKs who struggle from a less than ideal experience.

Unlike the earlier Fulghum books I've read, this one isn't really a collection of Fulghum's writings, but instead is a collection of stories that were sent or told to him. Fulghum's role here is more as an editor, presenting other people's stories. But what stories! These stories demonstrate the vast diversity of love, and show us that love can take as many forms as there are different people. Some of these stories are sad, others poignant, and many are incredibly romantic. Scattered in between these stories are comments by Fulghum, under the heading "Perspective," where he discusses his impressions of the stories or relates stories of his own. This book is easily as reflective as any of his earlier work, but has fewer "laugh out loud" moments. It provides some interesting perspectives on relationships, and certainly is a must read for anyone who consideres themself to be a romantic.

This is a brilliant little book about how the love bug can strike each and every one of us in unique ways. It's an easy read that can be digested not just by the scholar but by the common man. It's a hopeful book. More books like this should be written.

Jeffrey McAndrew
author of "Our Brown-Eyed Boy"

Of course you'll love this book because it's a true reflection of so many facets of romantic love. And I also personally love it because I wrote the story in it about Danny O'Neal. I don't remember the title of the story, but I'll never forget my accurate description of Danny "He was like Peter O'Toole with a double dose of testorone and a Tommy Lee Jones smile." (:sweet memory and sigh here.:)

I want to make one correction that made a few people from Oklahoma and Arkansas upset. I signed it as Lilly from Fort Smith, Oklahoma. There is a Fort Smith, Arkansas about 5 miles from the Oklahoma line. I did that in a foolish attempt to make sure Danny knew it was really me because Fort Smith, OK was a joke between us. I wrote my story in about 1991. 16 years later - Danny O'Neal remains the most fascinating, thrilling romantic memory of my life.

And, also since I still haven't heard from Danny in all these years, I'm hoping if he ever googles his name, this review will come up. Please forgive me.... but at the very least I want him to know how much he delighted me and that story ws no doubt only chosen because of how wonderful he was to me. :D

Wishing magnificent, thrilling love to one and all,

Lollie aka Lilly.

This book looks at love from all the angles possible. Its an amazing reading. I would recommend it for all those with romantic soul.
Lucia Racekova
visual merchandiser

It's a keeper on my "good book" shelf, hardback with a bookplate, the whole nine-yards. What I love is his selection and the understanding gained that love means different things to different people and (most importantly) at different times in their life. That lesson has helped me cope with troublesom relationships. I loved them for a reason at the time and that time and that reason fulfilled my need. It was enough. That is what I learned.
I don't rate this book up with Fulghums' previous books mostly because it is a compilation with commentary and not pure, chapter after chapter Fulghum. That may seem like a technicality, but it made all the difference for me. It still has the same wit and charm of any of his other books.
I found it difficult to sit down and get through the whole thing and feel "absorbed". It's the kind of book that you can read a few stories, put it down and come back to as you feel the need. I really couldn't read it straight through. I attribute that to the nature of it though, and not to Fulghums' writing.

Powerful, moving, honest. The best kind of writing is the kind that comes straight from the heart. You can feel the anger, pain and love flow over the pages. A story that takes you inside the heart of one who lost so much on that day and fought so hard to get to the truth of what happened and what culpability level of our government. Gripping, hard to put down, you know you should just read it. You won't regret it.

This lady is certainly to be commended for maintaining her stamina to accomplish what she did with so many things going wrong. Anyone who has the disgusting attribute to slam these ladies when they were working for others as well as themselves needs to sit down in front of a mirror. There are so many reasons and more all the time actually that there should be another REAL investigation into the whole terrible tragedy of 9-11. I fully agree with them and applaud all they have done and are still trying to do. They say "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" and "God doesn't give you anything you can't handle" and I guess that would seem to be true in this case, however, as I know from my own life, no matter what kind of battle you are fighting it does take its toll on one's body. Good going to all you ladies who participated in this and what a wonderful book that was. Well written to the point I could hardly lay it down!

Kristen Breitweiser gives us a compelling view of our government through the eyes of an average citizen. She takes us on a journey thorough her life with her husband before 9/11, through that awful day and then through the aftermath. Kristen and other 9/11 widows have been fighting for truth and accountability for the attacks since that tragic day and have had to overcome hurdles every step of the way. Kristen's strength and determination is inspiring.

I usually don't go in for biographies and I believe all the attention on 9/11 has been a distraction ... that being said, this booked really rocked me. The author is completely "real" and human. Within a few minutes you are identifying with her life and her hopes and dreams. When the tragic death of her husband and thousands of others occurs, you feel her shock and pain.
This book points out why 9/11 is important. Not only do we need to come to grips with people in the world who want to do harm to Americans - we need to come to grips with a government that utterly failed Kristen, the other 9/11 survivors and victims, and all of us as citizens.
The book is riveting and revealing. I encourage anyone who cares about our country to read this book!

In "Wake Up Call", Kristin Breitweiser offers poignant, first-hand insight into the grave inadequecies, corrosive power struggles and chilling lack of democracy of our pre-9/11 government, as well as a piercing account of the blatant failures, deception, and exploitation of the Bush administration afterwards. Beautifully written with a generous, sensitive depiction of her personal life both before and after she lost her husband in the Tower 2 calamity (which she witnessed first-hand), Mrs. Breitweiser's thorough depiction of a country still frighteningly vulnerable to Al Quaida and other terrorists will make any reader sit up and take serious notice. The tenacity and determination of "The Jersey Girls" in the face of unspeakable personal tragedy and their ability to take on the enormous flaws of the Bush administration is an inspiration to all of us.

Although the author tends to be repetitive and her alternative energy source argument would bear much more weight if she were to drive something other than a huge SUV, this book is a must for every American citizen. It could easily become an important Political Science college textbook if it hasn't already.

K.V.D. San Jose, California

This book is good for children who are very verbal and can understand the content. I bought this book for me to do with my 9 year old daughter and she is doing very well with it. I do a little bit at a time and go over previously completed parts to refresh her memory before moving on. I would definitely recommend this to any parent who is trying to teach their child about their disorder.

This is a great book and helps in understanding what an Asperger person feels and how they tick. I gave it to my son's teacher and she thought it was excellent! I am purchasing one for each of his teachers next year!

I have been looking for a means by which to introduce to my son the fact that he has Asperger's Syndrome. This book is a hands-on and developmentally appropriate tool for that daunting task. His special education teacher recommended it, and I now see why. It will be an invaluable resource.

To any parent or care giver for a child with Autism/ Aspergers this is an excellent way to gain insight into what your child is coping with and what you need to do to understand and help them. We first saw a copy of this a year ago and since then I have bought one for ourselves to use and one for the teaching assistant that works with our autistic child.

This is an excellent book, one that was recommended by our school psychologist for my step-son, who has Asperger's. We have started doing a couple of pages of this book every school day in the evening as part of an "Asperger's Minute". I think it is very helpful, both for us and for him, to learn about Asperger's and how it affects his brain and behavior. We are hoping that we/he can learn to help him be more successful, and have better experiences, at home and at school. I highly recommend this book both for parents and for professionals to use in the school system.

This book is one of the best I have read in regards to university education. It eliminates all the guru ideas, and only gives advice that truly works. I have attempted to follow this advice for the past few months, and I can honestly say that I have learnt more through less studying, and I now have a lot more free time than before.

I recommend this book to any university students, however it is aimed more towards non-technical courses (eg. arts, law...). This would really benefit you if you have to write long essays and reports at short notice.

I am a part-time student and I also gained a lot from this book.

Some of the main points:
- Smart students used their time wisely and don't spend hours per day madly cramming for tests but instead study a little bit per day. Smart students think about what they want to cover in a study session and stop when they've covered what they intended to cover.
- Smart students plan their day by tracking in a Daily To List spending 5 mins per day creating a daily schedule.
- By using smarter studying techniques, most people can spend less time and achieve better results.

Book covers different class types and how to study for each. Attend class and pay attention during class are discussed. Ask questions when things are not clear. Use your classmates to help you understand rough spots.

Excellent discussion of test taking strategies as well. Also, advice on paper writing.

The format of this book -- interviewing straight A students and getting directly from them their study habits and test taking strategies made me really pay attention to what the author writes. I thought interviewing successful students was great strategy in writing the book. Adds much more creditability. Plus, the author has achieved something like 30 straight A's.

Overall, I got a lot of value and tips from this book; well worth the ten dollars!!

Clear, concise, and effective. The other positive reviews are right on with this book. I recommend it to anyone in college, and I wish I had known some of these tips in high school.

This is an amazing book that gives real techniques and tricks to optimize your time spent studying. The author's techniques, ranging from time management to notes-taking, are extremely efficient and thoroughly explained. The time management technique itself is worth the books price: it is so useful that I use it for everything, even if it is not related to my studies.

Unlike most theoretical study-methods, the one taught in this book was devised and used by real outstanding students.

It is a really good starting point for traditional incoming college students going to school full time. Though I'm a full time working professional and trying to balance night classes, it still gave me great insight as to how to manage my time more wisely in between work and personal errands. It gave a pretty good foundation as to how to spread out your time when it comes to studying, the difference between a research paper and critical analysis paper. Overall, good book... it's a fast read and you'll walk away gaining at least a few things.

Teeth Are Not for Biting (Best Behavior Series)

This is a great book to read to toddlers to teach acceptable and unacceptable behavior. It has colorful pictures and using simple words easy to understand. This book also offers tips and advice at the end for parents and caregivers.

I wish I would have seen this book four months ago when my now 17 month old toddler was in his biting prime. Nevertheless, I still purchased it (his biting had already significantly decreased) and I'm very happy I did. Once in a while his biting will "resurface" and home we go after day care to take a look at his "Teeth Are Not For Biting" book. The words are very simple and catchy, the illustrations are perfectly colorful for a toddler (white and bright teeth being the focus) and he actually gets the hint that "teeth are not for biting"! I highly recommend this book to any parent of a baby/toddler. Good to have, especially before the problem begins.

The best behavior series is tackling children's less than desirable behaviors one by one;preventing kicking, hitting, the sharing of germs, tail pulling, and now, biting. The text highlights the benefits of teeth for activities such as chewing and smiling as well as acknowledging situations where children might want to bite and alternatives to biting. A variety of well-drawn illustrations present a variety of children in multiple environments. The text does not follow a predictable pattern-while some phrases are used repeatedly, the pattern changes a few times over the course of the text, from "Teeth are not for biting" to "Biting hurts" and back again, which may be confusing for the 0-3 year old audience. Parents may appreciate the resources for discouraging biting and assistance with teething available at the end of the book.

My son had a real problem w/ biting, but after reading this book over and over, I really saw a reduction. It's a cute book, great pictures. Def would buy it!

As the director of an early childhood facility, we go through cycles of biting with the children. This book is one of the most effective books we use to help children, families, and teachers work through this difficult developmental stage. We have two copies--one for the classroom and one to send home for the parents to read with their child.

My twins boys love the itsy bitsy spider song and this books keeps it going for a while.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RDZPZXEXOVREL Cullen of CullensAbcs.com reviews this book and gives you ideas on how to use to use it interactively with your child. For you I have more video book reviews, free children videos and free activity idea videos at the CullensAbcs.com website. If you have a children's book you would like me to review and offer ideas on how to use it interactively with children please send an email to CullensAbcs@gmail.com. Also, feel free to to add me, Cullen Wood, as a Facebook friend.

This is really a lovely book. The story is sweet..a nice extension of the original Twinkle, Twinkle song. The illustration are just lovely, and somehow shiny on the page, making my one year old love to touch them. My only caveats are that some of the lyrics/words are written in gold ink, and that makes them difficult to see in certain lights. Also, when you sing it, make sure to set a fast enough pace, or else it is a LONG book! Because it's so sweet and serene, it's easy to start off slow and cuddly, but by about the 4th page, you're losing their attention and your patience. Overall I'd recommend..it's just beautiful to look at. I also like that the pages are paper, but a little thickier -- sturdy enough for little hands to turn and thumb through without tearing.

I have this book that I have read over and over to my children when they were little. both kids are in school now and they still love the book. i would highly recommend this book to any parent with little ones whether they are babies or toddlers even up to 2nd grade.

The author does it again with this production. My children and I love her extended versions of these old children's songs. And, as usual, it includes the music on the last page, which is a nice addition and teaching tool. It is wonderful!