Nonfiction Books

I picked this up to learn Spanish over the summer. I'm pretty good with languages but if my girlfriend didn't speak Spanish as a native, it'd be a little frustrating to learn from only the book.

It's a decent book and the presentations and practice sentences are well organized. My criticism is that I am often reading words that are not defined in the book and without a native speaker next to me I wouldn't know what I was reading. Of course a Spanish/English dictionary would fix this problem, I was use to language texts that provided everything you needed in the book when I learned Japanese.

It's the one needed at UCLA (and I'm sure other schools too) for Spanish 1-3. It does a good job of showing examples.

The internet portion of this book lacks detail of how to follow for self
testing.

the book is alright. I mean its not amazing. its plus side is that it comes with a website that will read you certain things and the answers to all the sections are in the back so you can check your work, but the truly big help comes from haveing a good profesor/a BUT the quia lab and workbook that are an extra 30(+) dollars EACH are the real key to learning this material....as if the book isnt expensive enough already.

I received the product quickly and it was just as described, in perfect condition. Thank you!

Falliing is such a great book just like Shel's other books. I have so much fun reading it to my children. This is a wonderful collection of poetry for children. This is the perfect example of what children's books should be... fun.
Another must have book for any fan of Shel Silverstein is Boety by Beau Beaudoin. His books are often compared to Shel, Dr. Seuss and Tim Burton. What my kids love about his illustrations are they are in color.Boetry

This is a great book like all Silverstains books:
Where the Sidewalk Ends 30th Anniversary Edition: Poems and Drawings
The Giving Tree
A Giraffe and a Half

Another author tha I love is Nowiki:
Why Some Cats are Rascals, Book 2

I am doing my review on _Falling_Up__. This book by Shel Silverstein is written very interesting because the poems inside are not just plain boring poems, they have a lot of thought put into them. His poems in this book are funny and they are tied in with the pictures. I think that Shel had a very wild and active imagination. You need that to wright a book like this. The book has a lot of poems that you would have never thought about being in a poem book. I think that that shows how Shel Silverstein was as a person, not just in his poetry. _Falling_Up_ is a good book also because the poems are goofy, and weird, yet he has a way to pull you into them in this poetry book. I recomend this book to any person who has a wild imagination like his, and whoever likes his stuff and has never read this book.
Danielle Guttman

Review of Falling Up

The poem book Falling Up is a very good book. In the book the poems are about a mix of things including important lessons and funny things. Shel Silverstein did a very good job with his books and all of the books he wrote. Falling Up is by far my favorite poem book by Shel Silverstein.

Three poems that really caught my attention are "Gardener", "Spoiled Brat", and "The Toy Eater". I like "Gardener" because it is just a funny poem about a kid making a mistake. "Spoiled Brat" is an example of a life lesson that is very well written. I thought "The Toy Eater" is a great poem about making a little kid believe something that isn't true. All of these poems are very good examples of great imagination.

My favorite poem is "Obedient". This is a good poem because it is a life lesson and a funny poem. The life lesson is that when you do something there is a consequence and in this person's case they got a taste of their own medicine. This poem is funny because the poem takes the order literally by staying in the place for forty years. "Obedient" is a really great poem so I recommend that everyone should read it.

I think this book is a very entertaining, page turning book of poems. It is a great book for all ages, I highly recommend this book.

To be frank, I get a kick out of Silverstein's work. It is always a bit quirky, always takes a couple of readings to really "get," and is very entertaining while being quite insightful as to human nature. This work is no different from his other works, same quality, same odd way of looking at life, same delightful black and white drawings. Publisher's Weekly got it pretty right here, in their usual, rather snotty way, which is one of the few reviews I have ever agreed with them on. (except their little shot at some of his art that they felt may no be appropriate for kids...obviously the author of that review has never been around kids very much). This work consists of 171 pages of poetry rhymes and drawings. I first read Silverstein in Playboy magazine years and years ago when I wasted my time with such publications. I did not particularly care for him them, but over the years have developed quite a like for his work. I truely love this book and do highly recommend it.

We bought this for our 10 year old granddaughter and she was delighted with the kit. It's simple to use, everything is included and it gave hours of fashion fun for a young girl. These kits as a whole are very appealing to preteen girls.

My 6 year old LOVED this book. it is a great value for the money. the book comes with ideas for uses of the fashion cutouts (making cards, gift bags, paper dolls, etc.) and the outfits themselves are made by tracing stencils onto the patterned paper and then cutting them out and adding "buttons" (beads) or "belts" (ribbon) and various notions and trims. the stencils are sturdy and can be used over and over again.

even when you run out of the supplies included (paper, glue, sequins, ribbons, beads, etc.) they are easy and inexpensive enough to buy from a craft/scrapbooking store. so unlike some of the books like this, it's not useless when you run out of the supplied components.

i've also given my daughter scrap material (like quilting squares you can buy for cheap) and she can make these with real fabrics, which adds an extra touch of fun for making cards and things. it's a fun project for her to take on playdates, everyone seems to enjoy it.

I tell myself I bought this book for my daughter, but I really bought it for me! I am in love with the little hangers! We have enjoyed this book together, and spent HOURS designing wardrobes for ourselves! I recently framed a page of COURTNEY'S FASHIONS (including her prices) for my studio, and will cherish this one-of-a-kind artwork forever! Courtney has even dug into my paper stash for more "designs," although the book comes with a marvelous assortment of paper! We LOVE the clothing stencils... they will last for years. (I can see Courtney using this in clothing/textile classes when she is in high school and college!)
BEST KLUTZ book ever!

Bought these for my nieces. They love it. They are very creative and this book enables them to create all types of outfits and dresses.Great product.

Fashion ROCKS! And so does this incredible toy masquerading as a book-it's FABULOUS, darling! For all budding fashion designers, stylists or anyone curious about the fashion world, this book is definitely for you-BUY IT!! And if you're wondering if you should get the sequel, Paper Fashions Fancy along with it, YES-please do-you won't regret it! The first one is 'to infinity', the second is 'and beyond!!'-it's even better!!

That was my short review. If you need more encouragement and/or details, read on, dear reader!
So, I've had this for like a week now, on the first day, I played with it since breakfast-unable to tear myself away from it, and trust me-it only gets better the more time I spend on it-I could do this for a living!! The novelty never wears off because the possiblities are endless!

Okay, so, the book;
*has quotes from famous designers peppered throughout
*it's colorful, beautiful and easy to understand
*it tells you what comes with the book, what you also need (scissors and pencil), and what you might also want
*has 3 pages of plastic stencils (it's a soft plastic, so no sharp edges) and it tells you exactly how to use them
*there are tips for cutting, making the best use of paper, gluing and embellishing instructions
*there are hints about using color and patterns and ideas for design notebooks, greeting cards and other ways you might want to display your finished creations
*you never have to worry about running out of paper because you can use just about anything!-paper bags, tin foil, muffin cups, tissue paper, white paper that you've rubber stamped, used magazines and catalogs, and of course art & craft stores have an abundance of scrapbook/origami paper and thingies! You could also borrow real fabric and photocopy or scan and print it! Phew! AND if you type in Paper Fashions, you'll see that one of the products is a pack of Extra Stuff'-so you're golden!
*with the book, you already get a sheaf of pretty printed and plain papers and even a sheet of vellum for that sheer look! You're spoilt for choice!
*and you get a cute little tube of school glue, 3 packs of beads and sequins-in warm colors, cool colors, and gold and silver (and in resealable baggies no less!) and you also get 3 bundles of ribbon and and 2 cord trims (phew! that's a lot, huh!) and don't forget-20 cute little wire hangers!

Technical stuff: it's labeled suitable for ages 8 & up (if you're a very responsible and mature under 8 though, you would have to Double Super-Dooper Promise your designated adult shopper that you won't put any of the thingies in your mouth, because choking, not a good look people!)
Also, although it's aimed at girls, I'd just like to say Valentino, Isaac Mizrahi, John Galliano, Jean Paul Gaultier, Narciso Rodriguez, Ralph Lauren, Tom Ford and Alexander McQueen-and Dolce & Gabana; just a handful of world famous men who design womenswear! I'm just saying, a little more open-mindedness makes the world a more balanced and happier place-follow your dreams people! (That would be my Carson Kressley impression-also a totally poppin' style guru!)

Final words, grown ups-if this appeals to you-go ahead and get one for yourself! Why should kids have all the fun?! I'm 30 something, I got this for me (and yesterday I ordered the sequel too!) and I LOVE IT!!!
Okay, I'm done!

My Big Truck Book (Priddy Bicknell Big Ideas for Little People)

Great book for little boys who love trucks. Sturdy, good pictures and they learn all different names

My toddler loves this book, but I'm not sure how age-appropriate it is. I hadn't even heard of the names they call some of the trucks. They include just about everything! Great picture book, though!

These books are a great deal for hours of fun! My little guys looks at the pictures over and over and doesn't ever seem to get tired of hearing the names of all the pictures. These books have been great for his vocabulary as he tries to say all the words too!

My 18 month old and his 12 month old cousin both love this book. We are pleased at the number and variety of vehicles inside! The pictures are beautiful and clear and give us a lot to look at and talk about. We also bought My Big Animal Book and love it, too.

From the time my son first learned to talk, he has shown a fierce curiosity about what things are called, especially the things he sees when we are driving around. I was so pleased with Priddy's My Big Animal Book (Priddy Bicknell Big Ideas for Little People) that I picked up My Big Truck Book to help him identify various vehicles as well as to build his growing vocabulary. The book was a tremendous success on both levels.

The book features large, sturdy pages that catalog a variety of farm, construction, rescue, and other vehicles. The photos are large and colorful, and never fail to capture my son's attention. Between this book and My Big Animal Book, my son's vocabulary and understanding of the world around him increased by leaps and bounds. I still remember the first time we drove by a construction site and I heard him shouting "Backhoe! Mini excavator! Dump truck!" The book also allowed us to use his curiosity about vehicles and fascination with the pictures to teach him about the vehicles' functions, colors, and sizes.

My son is two years old now and more interested in storybooks, plus he knows the vehicles in this book front to back. That doesn't keep him from taking this book off the shelf time after time just to enjoy seeing his favorite trucks, tractor, and construction equipment.

I highly recommend this durable, colorful, and inexpensive book to all parents of curious toddlers. As teaching aids go, My Big Truck Book has proven far more effective than many a high-priced electronic gadget or DVD.

During the summer prior to beginning law school, I was very nervous about what to expect and whether I had what it took to succeed. Based on a friend's suggestion, I purchased "Succeeding in Law School" and I could not have been happier. The author discussed everything from time management, to how to read cases, to dealing with law school stress. I finished reading the book before the beginning of my first semester, and I felt well prepared. In fact, I felt like I had an advantage over my classmates. "Succeeding in Law School" had addressed certain ideas and concepts that many of my classmates were hearing about for the first time. As the year progressed, and as my understanding of the law improved, I went back to the book on several occasions to reread sections. Each time I reread a portion of the book, I learned something new

This book is chock full of really good ideas that will get students writing. The "answers", or examples of written responses to each writing prompt, though, will either limit the follower-type, or encourage the creative writer to think "I can write better than that!" For teachers, a good book to use for writing prompts - just don't share the examples unless the class is really at a loss. The prompts are a lot of fun; definitely not your run of the mill classroom self-starters.

Not every student knows that he/she can write, and many students are hesitant to share personal experiences. This books is perfect for bringing out the writer in every student while allowing them to express their creativity without revealing their innermost feelings. Perfect start to a journaling activity or as a base for a more drawn out composition.

The quality of the writing prompts is beyond what I expected. I just received the book from Amazon and have used the prompts on writing students with great success. Highly recommended.

I recently purchased this book and immediately put it to use. I teach 8th grade writing and was looking for a book with prompts that would help students develop skills in all types of writing. The prompts in this book cover narrative, descriptive, expository, and persuasive writing. My students have seemed eager to write and share their responses to prompts they have been assigned so far. I also like the fact that an example of a response to each prompt is given in the back.

Writing and reading came to me about as naturally as breathing. Even as a child I read books the way other people eat popcorn, and when I was about 8 a family friend had a tee-shirt made for me that said "I'd rather be writing my novel" (actually, I had the plots for THREE different novels going before I was 10).

Therefore, I sometimes struggle to teach writing BECAUSE it came so natural to me. Want me to write somethin'? Sure! Like Ishmael I cry "Get me a condor's quill! Get me Vesuvius' crater for an inkwell! Friends, hold my arms!"

Until I remember that there are a great deal of students at every level of education who struggle with writing for various reasons: it's boring, it's too tedious and confusing to create and then animate characters, English grammar is boring and difficult, or--as Ms. DiPrince and Ms. Thurston point out in the introduction to "UnJournaling"--it's too personal.

Actually, I hadn't thought about that last one. Not everyone is comfortable sharing details about their lives with classmates or teachers, and yet that's one of the most popular writing genres out there: "tell me a story about a time when..."

That's where UnJournaling comes in. With 200 different prompts, excercises and story starters, none of which are personal, even the most reluctant writers can be drawn out of their shell.

What's more, these aren't all just some story starter ideas, most are downright challenging, starting right off with #1: "write a paragraph about a girl named Dot, but use no letters with dots (i, j)" and moving right into #49 "you can use 25 words--no more--for a billboard advertising a product called `Zebra Wink'. Sell your product with those 25 words."

The authors are clever. Slipped in prompts teaching metaphor and simile (describe a car by comparing it to food), generating topics, finishing starters, language use (use the word "crumpled" in three different sentences and create a completely different feeling in each sentence) and describing things in great detail both by using and by NOT using certain words. Of course, there is the distinct possibility that any of the 200 excercises in this book could lead to a full-blown piece of polished writing; many schools here in FLA require students to have at least 5 polished pieces of writing in 4 different genres, and to have at least 10 published/polished pieces of writing by the end of the year.

These really are interesting, un-boring topics and I found myself highlighting many of them right off as I plan for the beginning of the 07-08 school year. "ooh! I could USE that!" I think, especially considering our School Improvement Plan heavily emphasizes writing this year, and I'm excited about sharing this book with other teachers in my school. In fact, I'm SO excited, I can hardly wait for the year to begin just SO I can use some of these prompts!!

...well... maybe not THAT excited...

Highly recommended for anyone who teaches any child of any age anything about the process of writing. Get this book, and it will quickly both have a place of honour on your bookshelf. In fact, you might need two copies--the first will probably get dog-eared and worn out right away.

As the educational jargon increases and changes, it is important to keep abreast of the latest. This book provided information which I really needed

Today the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reported that although American high school seniors are getting better academic grades, their literacy and mathematics skills are actually regressing. The most likely culprit: grade inflation. Yet the drumbeat among elite educrats to adopt the Professional Learning Communities fad throughout the nation's high schools continues unabated. While PLC is certainly not to blame for the trend documented by these latest NAEP figures (it hasn't been around long enough), its dumbfounding popularity among education reformers is proof that the current educational leadership in this country is not to be trusted. How should we define "academic achievement"? Both PLC and (to a lesser extent) the federal No Child Left Behind law define it as all students performing at the same level and all teachers teaching their subjects the same way. In other words, the goal of PLC is conformity--the exact opposite of what a quality education in a democratic society should stand for.

When teachers and students are pressured to conform to the same standards, it is inescapable that the standards themselves must be mediocre. The kind of school climate advocated by DuFour will only lead to more teachers handing out more A's for less work, or for inferior work. The most gifted and motivated students will have to be ignored because of the constant pressure on teachers to keep the low end of the student population from failing. But what if we started at the high end of the spectrum instead, teaching everything as if it were an honors class? Our brightest and most hardworking students might achieve their full potential and save us all from the intellectual wasteland our country is becoming. The middle and low-end students would have to struggle to keep up. And yes, a lot of them would be likely to fail...at least until they discovered the will to apply themselves and take their own education seriously. It would be a hard lesson for them, but a valuable one in the long run.

Unfortunately, there are no well-funded think-tanks, education professors, or consultants advocating this approach at the moment.

The collaborative work of Richard DuFour (Superintendent of Adlai Stevenson High School District 125, Lincolnshire, Illinois) and Robert Eaker (Dean of the College of Education, Middle Tennessee State University), Professional Learning Communities At Work: Best Practices For Enhancing Student Achievement offers the reader informed and informative information on how to transform any private or public school into a results-oriented "professional learning community" based upon practices from some of the best schools in the country. Professional Learning Communities At Work covers curriculum development, teacher preparation, school leadership, professional development programs, school-parent partnerships, and assessment practices. Of vital interest to education professionals, Professional Learning Communities At Work is completely accessible and highly recommended reading for parents and other non-specialist general readers with an interest in improving their community schools and school systems.

Professional Learning Communities at Work (Best Practices for Enhancing Student Achievement) by Dr. Richard Dufour and Dr. Robert Eaker, is a well-written/user-friendly piece of literature. This book may be useful as a text for graduate and/or post-graduate level students who are studying and/or working within the area of education, administration, and/or curriculum and instruction. It is also an excellent resource to have if you are dealing with staff and/or curriculum development. The basic premise of the book goes about showing how (via PLC's (Professional Learning Communities)/Small Learning Communities) school staff and administration can work collaboratively to help change, redefine, and/or shape their school's mission and goals. Through this teaming process and through the steps/best practices the authors suggest; school improvement, cultural change, and positive curriculum development and implementation can more likely be achieved.

Whatever it Takes is an inspirational book that leads educators through the work needed to develop a true Professional Learning Community (PLC). When you have a staff ready to do whatever it takes, you are well on your way to helping ALL students achieve academic success.

I haven't finished this book yet. I found the beginning useful and read it on recommendation of a former principal. There is a lot of talk about secondary schools.

I find it troubling that so much of this author's claim lies at the fountainhead of what he calls learning, but where does he explain what "learning" actually is? He appears to skirt around this issue in every chapter. After reading the book, I am left with the feeling that learning, for DuFour, is something that I do as a teacher when I fill students' heads up with information. I take my pitcher of what-is-to-be-learned and carefully pour it in each student's head. According to DuFour, some heads are not equipped with funnels, so a cadre of teachers assemble to cascade what-is-to-be-learned, pouring waterfall-like liquids of learning over various student heads in the hopes that some of the precious liquid will stay. By the end of twelfth grade, because a deluge of learning has been cast at the students, enough of the learning-liquid should be present for adult proficency. There is one major part about this metaphor that bothers me, though: What role do students play in learning? Again, according to DuFour, students are only vessels to contain learning. To be honest, I've never thought of my students as cups or glasses.

Basic ideas are sound, but I think nothing ground-breaking. I felt that each chapter could have been shortened into a paragraph or two. At most, this should have been an essay. Based on the way the book was written, I got the feeling that the authors were trying to influence the reader much the same way as a cult would try to brainwash a prospective member. While I agree that teachers should teach children to learn, I feel that the student will be in trouble upon graduation as the system of support will be gone. They will have to perform or fail... period. I felt the book to be too wordy, too preachy, too liberal... did I say too wordy?

The book has some good points (maybe one and a half stars), but it was difficult to read it due to my eyes rolling at every other sentence.

To James O'Keefe: Right on! I totally agree 100%. You need to write a book! (It might be difficult to get it published though, considering the PLCC has probably got a stronghold on all educational publishing.) Teamwork is great and definitely has its place. But this book is talking about much more than teamwork. It's talking about placing 100% of the blame on teachers and principals. What about the parents? What about the student who won't even try to learn?

Regarding what another reviewer wrote: Well, two comments: First of all, it's funny you mentioned Koolade in your review. Speaking of Koolade: Don't drink it! Too many people already have! (If you don't know what I'm talking about, I suggest you read up on the modern history of cults.) Secondly, speaking of water fountains, I have this to say: You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink it.

One more thing about this book: The authors compare certain teachers (ones who believe in the "horse" metaphor above), to Pontius Pilate. You know, the guy who literally ordered Jesus to be crucified. All I can say is this: I'm a teacher at a low socio-economic school, I work 50-60 hours a week, I get along with my colleagues and students, and yet I do believe in the horse metaphor. The Pontius Pilate metaphor is just a bunch of, well, to put it in educated words, insulting, ridiculous, abusive slander to the teachers and principals who work so hard every single day.