Nonfiction Books

I have read reviews which slam 'Spanish for Dummies' pretty hard. Maybe some of the criticism is justified. I don't know.
I personally like Spanish for Dummies but do not recommend you use it alone. The book and CD have too many learning gaps.
I give the program a four star because it is still worth the money if even it is used alone.
However, if you supplement this course with 'Behind the Wheel Spanish' 8 CDs and text, then I think I could increase the rating to a 5 Star when used together.
Why?
Because with 'Behind the Wheel' you learn to make easy but essential 'sentence bits' that according to author, every kid knows but most adults don't learn with most language courses.
With these small but useful sentences you begin instantly to communicate, adding, enhancing, and increasing your ability to speak and understand original Spanish. Like magic, naturally though.
At this point you can add Spanish for Dummies for a more thorough understanding of the language, a different approach, and more practice.
Much better together, but, if you only have enough money for one, start with Behind the Wheel.

My son (age 3) got this for Christmas from his Aunt. The first time I listened to it, I hated it and put it away. I couldn't believe my sister got it for him. After a few months we took it out and gave it a second shot. We actually listened to the whole thing this time and discovered some really good songs on it. I was a little turned off because the first song is about someone who cries No, No, No and has some kind of tantrum throughout the whole song. There is also a song about someone who doesn't want to eat broccoli and says he won't try it throughout the whole song. My son is a very picky eater and I surely didn't want him listening to this song. At the end, the person tries the broccoli and likes it, but it is at the very, very end of the song. I had to make sure to point this "positive" side of the song out to my little guy or he would have missed it. When you finally get to song #3 "Dog Train" you see why the CD is such a hit. This song is actually very good. My son is a huge train fan so this song was an immediate hit with him. It is very upbeat and the words are very cute and funny. So are the next two songs, "Sneakers" and "Cow Planet". Sneakers is probably my favorite. It's about a bear who will only wear his favorite pair of sneakers or go "bare foot". My son now goes to sleep listening to this and makes sure he takes it with him to listen to on every car ride. My 1 year old actually yells until I put it on in the car now also. I can see his little head moving back and forth once the music starts. It is starting to get a little tired to listen to over and over again for me but it definitely beats his other silly song CDs. I've given this book/CD as a gift also to a 5 year old and it was a huge hit for her as well. If you want something on the rock and rollish side of music (not Jazz or Broadway) and are tired of the same old kids silly songs, I would definitely give this CD a shot.

My husband, daughter and I LOVE LOVE LOVE Philadelphia Chickens so we figured we should try another one of these CD's. Well, sadly this was a big let down. I thought it would be more rock and roll and it was more like alternative rock and roll or something else entirely. It was weird.
There were a few songs worth listening to, but overall we don't like it and will probably never listen to it again. I am going to try Rhino Tap next. I hope it's better than this was.

We were introduced to this book by some friends whose children were singing the songs with LOTS of heart at a party! Now my son does the same thing. He loves the songs in this book and so do mom & dad. It is quite amuzing and has provided many hours of entertainment. Be careful, because you just might find yourself humming a little tune from this book. My 3 1/2 year old son sings out loud and puts on a performance singing and dancing to the music. This is a great book!

After being a huge fan of Philadelphia Chickens for a long time (we've had it for years and it is still my 3 kids #1 request when it's time to dance) I am amazed they love Dog Train just as much. We've owned it for only 2 weeks, and already it has been downloaded to their MP3 players (a gift to the 8- and 6-year-olds from Santa) and is a must-have in the family van for long trips. Their favorites are the Star Wars trilogy (Cow Planet #1, #2, #3), Tantrum, and the title track, Dog Train, which my oldest son sings the refrain to when he thinks that nobody is listening. Sandra Boynton is a extremely clever and humorous lyrics writer and the variety of artists makes this a very fun CD to listen to. The only track my kids have never taken to, and which we skip every time, is the Steve Lawrence/Edye Gorme song aptly titled "The Boring Song."

My kids (ages 4, 8, and 11) and I love this CD! The older kids understand and enjoy the lyrics in songs such as "I Need a Nap." "Boring Song" is a hit with my 5th grade girl scouts. The "Penguin Lament" is my favorite and I find myself enjoying it when I'm alone in the car even. "Wave Bye-Bye" is very catchy. We skip the slow songs, but they would be great for baby lullabyes... we're just past that stage. Songs such as "Dog Train" and "Penguin Lament" could be any pop tune of the day, but the silly lyrics give them away as kiddie music. Fun for the whole family!!
For the reviewer who didn't like it and had a 17 month-old baby... just wait till the kid's about 4 or 5 and then it will be fun!

This is an excellent book to present to a classroom to help the students understand the persepctive and behavior of a peer who has autism. It raised many good questions from the students, and increased their understanding and tolerance of their peer's differences.

Book is good. It seems appropriate for kids who are in kindergarten or older.

I think this is a great resource for any child to use who might interact with a child with autism. Its meant to be an individual book, where the child writes their name in, and personalizes it. I thought it was more of a resource/story book- but it was a pleasant surprise!

I really like this book. I appreciate that it encourages the reader to find commonalities with a friend who has autism. It shows that people can be friends with those who have autism. I am an educator in my church and I plan to use this is children's small groups.

I have a son with Autism and this book helped my family understand many of the issues that my wife and I had been trying to explain for years. I actually have ordered 4 books!

An absolute necessity for any fiction writer, whether new to writing or used as a refresher. Easy to understand with crucial points listed at the end of each chapter. Discusses the pros and cons of using mystery and suspense elements, pacing, prologues, creating a hook and completing the cycle of hints, red herrings and resolution. This would be a perfect book for a writing class. After manuscript completion, every writer should revisit this book to evaluate their project before submitting to agents or publishers. There are many books on how to write mystery or suspense, but this is by far my favorite. Well Done!

This edition covers just about everything to do with the craft of writing. Serious and succinct, it covers all stages of the craft and offers valuable insight.

Recently published in 2006, this how-to book of "24 Fiction Writing Techniques to Save Your Manuscript" has already garnered 26 reviews, all of them top-rated with five-star! As the reviews all agree, fiction writers of any disposition or genre will find this book beneficial and delightful! The suggestions are exactly right for improving fiction manuscripts, the examples clear and valuable, the author's tone amusing, the book's presentation entertaining! Without qualification, I recommend this book to fiction writers--be they literary, mainstream, or genre writers.

DON'T MURDER YOUR MYSTERY is a remarkable book. Not only is it a boon to mystery writers, but also it has excellent examples, techniques and tips for authors of all genres. I plan on gifting this book to friends and all authors who write for Dog-Eared Publications. Nancy Field, Publisher

This book is a terrific primer for first-time or relatively new writers -- and not just writers of mysteries, but all fiction and even non-fiction. The examples of poor choices and better alternatives that Chris Roerden chooses are clear and relevant. My only nit to pick is the negative construction of the book: with some background in teaching, my preference is always to suggest the right thing to do first, rather than to point out what not to do or how not to do something. A valuable addition to the library of anyone who wants to become a better writer, editor, or reviewer.

Most of the planes in the book were very easy to fly, and the children had fun making them. I also liked the extra activities and information included to help them learn more about flying.

My son just turned 8 and has really been having fun with this book recently. He got it as a gift when he was 5 (despite the recommended age range of 9+) and would always get frustrated when he tried to do one himself because he couldn't fold it as precisely as required and then it didn't turn out right. So he lost interest in it, but discovered it again recently - now he can do all of the airplanes himself and is having great fun. He does like to make paper airplanes out of just about anything, but this book has neat patterns and different shapes to try. Fun for littler ones too if they don't mind a grown up helping (and if you don't mind if they squish it after all your hard work!).

this was a Christmas gift for my 11 yr. old grandson. We have had so much fun doing this together and his father joined in to add even more fun. Winter has flown by much faster with this FAMILY TIME craft project. We are looking forward to logging our flight distances as soon as the weather warms a bit. Quiet time together becames lots of laughs and individual creative juices began to flow. who knew paper airplanes could be so much fun.

They have some planes with preprinted pictures that I would have prefered they left out like a vampire and ghoul. I don't know why they have to make stuff which doesn't need to be scary.

The paper in my printer has been stolen, all the loose paper in the house has gone the same route. Flying through the air and landing in various places like behind the couch, under the tables, into the closets, and onto the bookshelves.

Until moment never get the book in my house, in my adress. Where is the book?????

This product was delivered to me before the expected delivery date, and it came in perfect condition!! Very pleased with the transaction!

Fabulous book! You will not be able to stop untill you finish the whole book. The main idea is very much like in Celestine Prophecy, The Secret, and What the bleep do we know. In short, it is about learning ones purpose in life, in finding ones way. When we live doing what we really want to do, we are living our Historia Personal. To know what to do, one only has to know what one desires to do, for through our desires we learn about our personal way, the point of our existence.

The books talks about the biggest lie of all: That human life is determined by destiny and there is nothing we can do to change it. Meanwhile we are the only ones who determines our destiny. There is no limit to what one can do. As young people we know exactly what we want and believe that everything is possible but as we get older we change our mind because every day we are hearing from people that this is not true.

I enjoyed the book greatly and highly recommend it to all

This book is like a treasure. Reading it leads to finding many of life's truths. It is a life changing experience, and I recommend everyone to read it! It is simple to read yet the lessons are deep. An accessible read for anyone, any age! A true classic!

Este libro es un tesoro. Leerlo trae el descubrimiento de muchas verdades de la vida. La experiencia te cambiara la vida, y recomendo que todos lo lean! Es facil leer, con enseñanzas profundas. Es un libro accesible para toda edad! Un verdadero clasico!

Es uno de las mejores novelas que he leido es como dice el titulo una novela para darle un impulso a tus sueños y la recomiendo verdaderamente un %100

I've been able to find the meaning of words I couldn't find in my other Spanish/English Dictionary. Great book, especially the background on the words.

This like all Larousse Dictionaries is great but unfortunately this one for a travel option it a little big. The similar one with only 80,000 entries travels better. Unfortunately, that does not easily found here-- but I suggest searching for the smaller if you plan to travel with it

This dictionary, which our teacher recommended, provides me with all (and more) that I need for my Continuing Education's beginner's Spanish class. Since I am a beginner, I cannot comment on how comprehensive it is, but this dictionary is very clear and very concise. Highly recommended.

I really liked it...i mean a lot.
It was very informatie and I know really not a lot of spanish and i need to learn over the summer for class, and this book is definitely helping. Use this with Cliffsnotes spanish 1 for beginners and a spanish grammar book, and you're gonna be a great spanish speaker

Great dictionary but I didn't expect it to be 6 cm (2.5") thick. Not easy for carrying around. Great value for money though.

My 13 year old and I read this book together. He absolutely loved reading about the history and building of the castle. He has another larger DK book on Castles and as we read told me about his previous knowledge on the topic we were reading about and expanded our discussion. The images (drawings) being b/w are a perfect match so that details of the castle stand out. After reading this story, we watched the accompanying PBS special Castle by the same author. The movie is s a perfect tag-a-long going into further details and highlighting real castles and showing the details that were discussed in the book. To follow up on the book/movie, my son is now building his own brick castle. We ordered a kit and it includes everything to make little bricks from molds and then directions on exactly how to build the castle. I highly recommend purchasing the book, movie and castle building kit together if you or your child is interested in castles and/or medieval studies. All three provide great discussion, for both visual and auditory learners as well as a hands-on experience.

We bought this book for our four year old who always wants to know how things work. He, and his Daddy are both fascinated by this book. It is a work of art, and a historic fictional work in one. The pictures are all in black and white, but the line drawings are incredibly detailed. This book will be a favorite in our library for years, and I can see him reading it to his kids one day.

After reading this book, I gave it to my grandson for Christmas and he is enjoying it very much. It is interesting not only to him but to his father as well. It really makes history and social progress come alive.

I remember reading this book back when I was in Junior High and High School. I'm 30 now (ugh!) I have always been fascinated with history (especially why folks did what they did when they did it) and while characters are fictitious, the design and building practices as well as the situations involved in the story are truly as it happened. The pictures are highly detailed such that you almost feel like you leap into the pages of the story. I primarily purchased this for a bit of nostalgia but would highly recommend this product to anyone who might be interested.

Castle. The word's meaning is amazing. And David Macaulay has done it again! His book, Castle, shows how a castle is built in the Middle Ages. His illustrations show the castle (and the town around it) is built. Mortar and stone by stone, a castle is built. In the time this castle's construction is commencing, there is a war going on, and then it's under attack when it's finished. David shows how the castle withstands a siege from the Welsh prince and his army. This book's drawings are amazing! The book is quite detailed and well described. The book is the Eighth Wonder of the World says I, its one of the best books I've ever read! This book is for knights in shining armour! - February, 2007.

This series teaches skills that all of us should learn. It helps me as a parent to reinforce principles that I feel my child needs to understand. It's also great that given the choice between the Get Along books and classics such as Hercules...my four year old boy will choose to read the Get Along Series books.

--Mike (Father of three)

I would highly recommend any of the books in this series by Cheri Meiners. Join In and Play is a great book for parents whose children are shy or may avoid social interactions. It offers a variety of ways they can be included and have fun with their classmates and friends, even illustrating how to ask to join a game or play quietly beside another child. It also would be helpful in helping a more confident, popular child to reach out to quieter, less engaged peers.
These books caught my eye because the writing level is just right for pre-K and kindergarten children. Truthful without being preachy or overly wordy, the series shows children and family members from many different ethnic groups in the colorful illustrations, and each book addresses issues which are developmentally critical to this particular age group: sharing, taking turns, being afraid, listening, respecting others, helping out at home, etc. These books have given us a starting point to discuss problems at school or interacting with others, and have helped my son to have more empathy for his peers....I am hopeful that this quality will serve him well as he continues on to kindergarten and elementary school. It is exciting to hear him use ideas from this series to problem solve.

I have all the books from the Learning to Get Along series. They are wonderfully illustrated and written. These are great social story books to help kids. I use them for my son and for the kids I work with at school. My son (5) will just sit and read this books on his own. I absolutely recommend Cheri J Meiners books. (I even have a link on my website for her books)

This is such a wonderful book. It is very thoughtful, respectful and kid friendly. The book spells out very clearly how to "join in and play." There is a wonderful teacher/parent guide in the back with activities for children to practice on how to make friends. The book is very well written and the illustrations are so dynamic. You can really tell how the children are feeling in the book by their facial expressions. (My only caveat is that the illustrator wasn't given credit on the byline. I don't know how the publisher go away with this but it is an egregious error in my perspective.) All the books in the series are wonderful! My daughter reads them over and over again.

My nephew just loves this book! I find myself learning so much with her and it supplies plenty of laughter. This book instills plenty of confidence as the words are learned and new words are tried out. Plenty of fun.

Ann Clarke, author of People Are So Different! based on tolerance and understanding.

my son liked the book. i wish it told you how to enunciate the words.

My native language is English, and I speak Spanish fairly well at a conversational level. I am speaking Spanish to my young son so that he will be bilingual. Much of my Spanish vocabulary is business- or government- related, so I got this book to learn words for everyday things. When chosen for that purpose, this book is wonderful. To give one example: beginning Spanish students usually learn "camisa" for shirt and "pantalones" for pants. This book has two large pages of words for specific articles of clothing (pajamas. shorts. raincoat, sweatpants, etc.) As other reviewers have mentioned, the pictures are outstanding and I'm sure my son will like looking at the pages when he's a little order.

You do need a basic grasp of Spanish, and a good Spanish-English dictionary, to use this book most effectively. It does not have a pronunciation guide, so you need to be able to pronounce the words (which isn't hard, since Spanish reads phonetically). Also, most of the words are nouns or verbs, so to really be able to practice using them you need to know how to construct a simple sentence in Spanish.

Be careful and check with a native Spanish speaker or with a dictionary if something doesn't seem right. As another reviewer has mentioned, the usage in this book seems to be South American (I would guess Mexican, but I'm not an expert.) I've found a couple typos ("el peinilla", for example, which should have been "la peinilla"). Also, it pays to check translations of unknown words in a dictionary. For example, there is a picture of a beaded bracelet with the English word "beads" and the Spanish word "pulsera". "pulsera" doesn't mean beads, it means bracelet.

This is just the basics. Our son loves learning Spanish. He's 3 and I want to encourage it. My old tapes are coming back to me from Jr. High and High School Spanish. I'm able to help him with simple sentences using the words from this book. He really likes the pictures. Some of the words are different than in other versions. This can be a bit confusing. Not sure which is correct all of the time, but it serves our purposes. We have two other versions of this dictionary and cross reference. My son likes it because he knows it guarantees more reading time with mom.

I bought this book to help me learn Spanish vocabulary and I like it a lot. The pictures are very cute and it is also good to have the Spanish and the English. The only problem I have is that some of the words are words that are no longer used in Spain, or words that are only used in South America. If you are trying to learn South American Spanish, then it is the perfect book for you, but if you want to learn Spanish from Spain, then it is helpful if you have someone that can go through the book and point out the words NOT to learn.