Nonfiction Books

My nine year old book hater loves this book! So it's silly and full of potty humor; IT GETS HIM READING! My brand new copy is now bent and riffled, and it got him interested enough to start reading the "chapter books". Hurray for Captain Underpants!

Captain Underpants Extra-Crunchy Book O' Fun is about a superhero named Captain Underpants who protects his town from evil. The authers name is dav pilkey. George, Harold, and Captain Underpants are the main characters. George and Harold are funny. They play hilarious pranks on clueless Mr. Krupp and get caught in some very puzzle-ing situations. I would recommend this book to people who like funny books.

Captain Underpants Extra-Crunchy Book O' Fun is about a superhero named Captain Underpants who protects his town from evil. The authers name is dav pilkey. George, Harold, and Captain Underpants are the main characters. George and Harold are funny. They play hilarious pranks on clueless Mr. Krupp and get caught in some very puzzle-ing situations. I would recommend this book to people who like funny books.

My son has enjoyed listening to Dav Pilkey books for years. We would read them to him as an infant, toddler and now he loves to read them himself. He has read the books Dav Pilkey wrote for school age children, all of them. The "Book O' Fun" books, he really has appreciated the activities included in the fun pack books, based on "The Captain Underpants Series." He is especially fond of the step by step examples given for drawing the different characters. We would recommend any of Dav Pilkey books. Your child can grow with the wide range of creative books Dav Pilkey has published. I suggest parents browse Dav Pilkey's various book collection and maybe even give him a try.

Although this isn't a great work of literature by any means.....it encouraged my 1st grader to read! He had to get everything Dave Pilkey wrote. He read all summer long! He's in 2nd greade now and has moved on to chapter books, but every once and a while the Captain Underpants books come off the shelf again!

This is a fun book. I prefer the more intricate, detailed designs. There are a couple in here that are SO full of tiny detail I am a bit overwhelmed but I will give it a try.

This is definitely an adult coloring book due to the intricate designs on nearly every decorative tile image. The beauty that comes from each one has given me great delight. Unfortunately the images are printed back-to-back, but if you use good quality colored pencils, this really isn't a problem. I liken some of the images to the beauty and complexity of high-end Persian rugs; however the patterns do not restrict themselves to that style. A few have a Celtic theme, some geometric, a few are similar to floral-themed stained glass designs, and at least one that strikes me as having an Oriental flair. So there are designs for everyone in this book and one can spend many enjoyable hours making the designs "pop" by adding color to the "tiles."

This book has many beautiful and intricate designs. The only problem I have is that the designs are on both side of the page. If you decide to display your work, you have to decide which side. Also when using markers to color tiny spaces, the color bled through. So try not to let the marker stay to long in one place.

Overall, I like the book. I only wish the designs had their own page.

Prepare to be swept away by the beauty of the images that your color choices will create. The spaces to color are sometimes very small, and require careful work and a steady hand. However, the payoff is immense. These images are beautifully done, and the work you do on them will inspire you.

You may want to photocopy the pages if you wish to display or use each one, since they are printed back-to-back.

Just beautifully done!

I loved doing these designs with colored markers. They turned out quite pretty. They were too difficult for my 10 year old granddaughter.

I received the notebook in a short amount of time and it was what I ordered.

This product has a very good type of copying paper that produces nice duplicates. It was exactly what I needed for my class...as it was the product they asked for. It is a good product for most research projects requiring a journal.

My kids enjoy all the Magic School Bus books, especially the original ones by Joanna Cole. This one is great too.

This is a great educational series. The kids don't even know they are learning.

I liked this book because it is a good way of showing what a hurricane looks like, how they work, what i can/can not do. It talls you how they are formed and where you can go to be safe from a hurricane.

Written in 1995, Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen's latest story begins where it ends - in Ms. Frizzle's classroom. And that's it. Nothing else happened. The Friz and her students simply went on a nice, leisurely field trip. They didn't end up miles beneath the earth's surface digging for rocks; nor did they travel to outer space to hitch a ride with a runaway comet; heck, they didn't even bother to travel backwards in time millions of years to observe ancient animal life.

End of review. Yes, that's correct. Ms. Frizzle has finally learned her lesson. The field trips she takes with her classroom of students are simply too wild, too wacky, too weird. How much did the children she instructs ever learn, anyhow?

But, of course, this reviewer is stretching the truth a little bit. True, the Friz's most recent field trip did begin and end inside her classroom. And, true, she didn't send her kids splashing through the local waterworks, or give them a guided tour inside the human body, or plunge them to the bottom of the ocean. So what did she do, you ask? All Ms. Frizzle accomplished was to drive through the eye of a hurricane, only to nearly get sent to the Land of Oz via a tornado. Oh, and one of her students - the ever-so-cautious Arnold - simply went on a high-seas adventure, battling wind, waves and surf with his trusted sidekick and faithful ally . . . a radio. And all of this happened before lunchtime in the school cafeteria!

Cole and Degen's seventh collaboration, "The Magic School Bus: Inside a Hurricane," is certainly eventful, if not downright ambitious. And it starts innocently enough.

"It's a perfect day for our field trip to the weather station!" the Friz exclaims. "We'll meet a team of weather forecasters. We'll learn all about our atmosphere!"

"We hadn't finished our experiments about air," writes one of the students in Ms. Frizzle's class, "but with Frizzie at the wheel, we were going - ready or not!"

Anyone who's familiar with Cole and Degen's work understands, recognizes and appreciates the delectable havoc that ensues. Because a field trip isn't just a field trip when it comes to the Friz. To "learn about our atmosphere," it is most preferable to head straight for the source!

The kids in Ms. Frizzle's class - especially hapless Arnold (and his trusted sidekick, faithful ally . . . a radio) - discover all kinds of interesting facts about our planet's weather patterns. For example, most of our weather takes place in the troposphere, the layer of air that is closest to the surface of the earth. The children learn that air has weight. Did you ever wonder why the air in your attic is always so stuffy, yet the air in your basement is usually so cool? Can you tell the difference between cirrus, stratus and cumulus clouds? Just how many droplets does it take to form one single raindrop? And that's just scratching the surface of what this well-researched, well-written, well-illustrated book has to offer. All this, and the Friz hasn't even tackled that hurricane yet!

One would think that after six acclaimed adventures, Cole and Degen would begin to run out of steam. But with "Inside a Hurricane," that is clearly not the case. The writing and illustrations are every bit as inspired as those in previous efforts. Once again, Cole and Degen manage to explain facets of meteorology that are, at once, both funny and easily understandable. Every page is brimming with facts about weather, along with a dollop of humorous sidekicks to boot.

There is something in this book for everyone. One random fact I wasn't aware of explained the connection between thunder, lightning and - get this - opening up a soft drink can! And did you know that faraway places such as Australia and India are susceptible to hurricanes? Most people only associate these hazardous storms with places like the tropics, Florida or the East Coast.

As is the custom with all tales about the Magic School Bus, the final pages distinguish what was fact in the book and what was made up for story purposes. And, always the clever duo, Cole and Degen hint at what is to come in Ms. Frizzle's newest expedition. The buzz surrounding the Friz's eighth escapade into parts unknown is already beginning. In fact, you could say it's un-bee-lievable!

As Ms. Frizzle herself would say, "Keep together, class!"

For those familiar with the "Magic Schoolbus" series, Mrs. Frizzle's adventures with her class all have a similar plotline. Mrs. Frizzle explains some scientific topic, whether it's the solar system, the dinosaurs, etc. and then lures her children onto her special schoolbus for an adventure. During the adventure the only child that is regularly singled out as the perpetual schlamatzel is Arnold, a boy who doesn't care much for adventures, thank you. In the end, the class is safe and has learned quite a lot, despite themselves. Even Arnold. Then there is a "letters" section in the back where readers wishing to complain about scientific inaccuracies (in this case, how dangerous it would be to be caught in a hurricane) are one-upped by already existing letters. The particular plotline in this hurricane obsessed book was not too dissimilar from the others, and was a lot of fun. I used to read these books to kids that I babysat back in my high school years, and certain types of children love them. The pages are always busy with text, speech bubbles, experiments that kids can do at home, and various factoids sprinkled hither and yon. I do wonder how long these series will last before it is regarded as hopelessly dated by the young. Please note that the review previous to my own was last written in 1997. Currently the show is doing well as a tv series, voiced by Lily Tomlin. Just the same, it would be very difficult to read this book to a group of kids. The books are relatively small and crammed with so much extra text that children will want to handle them one on one, rather than with a large group. Each book would pair well with a companion non-fiction book on the same topic.

In her book, "Thinking About Memoir," Abigail Thomas vanquishes a lot of preconceived notions of what a memoir should be. After reading her little book and doing some of the exercises, I went back to my memoir which I had started ten years ago with renewed energy and perspective. Her book is a great release and shows how to make it a true accounting of your life.

I expected more. I learned just as much from the review/excerpt in AARP magazine as I did from the book.
Vincent

This book was not what I expected or wanted. It's too basic and not very inspiring! It's not a book I'll keep and use. I was really disappointed.

I was a little aprehensive when this book arrived in the mail and it was so small. However, I'd read an excerpt from it in a magazine and was curious, so I gave it a go -- and I'm glad I did. This author shows that you don't have to multiple a lot of words to get the point across, and by being so succinct in her presentation I found myself becoming actively involved in the process to make the book very meaningful for me. I've marked up my copy of the book with notes and will return to it as I start writing my own memoirs.

Although a small book it is more thoughtful and deeper than the recent Natalie Goldberg tome. Thomas is a completely honest writer, very affirming for those of us who aspire to this style. When she gives the instructions at the end of each chapter it is clear that they are ideas and not the main point of the book.

i thought this book was going to be good, but i didn't know it would be this good. each well-known childrens' book writer/illustrator writes about their lives, influences and inspirations.

included are ealry photos, first drawings and a full page self-portrait.

so thoughtfully put together. a beautiful book to browse through and inspire you and your children to pick up a tool and draw, paint and create.

I think this is a wonderful book for children to understand that art is really an emotional, personal thing. I think it's a book EVERY teacher in the elementary should have.

I love this book. I had gotten it with my children in mind but being an artist myself, found great joy in reading it.

This is a charming book to be enjoyed by all;young children, who will enjoy having this read to them, to aspiring artists, to older fans. Early work of these illustrators and pictures of some of them as children along with their stories give a picture of their development.This may also offer an introduction to new books and illustrators. Great for teachers and librarians when presenting a story.

This a wonderful book for inspiring budding young artists. Wonderfully illustrated with examples from all the artists (including fold-outs). A great way to learn about their lives and work.

This book is not a grammar or style guide. This is rather a book by someone who is passionate about language, in general, and punctuation, in particular. If you see a signboard of a shop advertising "CD's, Video's, DVD's, and Book's", and if you see another one declaring "No Dogs Please" and both of them trouble you immensely, then this book is for you.

Such grammatical errors have troubled me all my life, and I found this book not only immensely entertaining but I identified with the author's feelings very deeply. Yes, I do punctuate my text messages; yes, I do use proper capitalizations and punctuations in my e-mails; and the author declares that sadly most of the people do not bother about such niceties.

Funny, informative, and full of humourous anecdotes, Truss's book is an ode to an endangered species: the punctuation. I enjoyed every page of it.

I thought this was a fun book, although I'm not sure that I agree with all of the author's points. Clearly, she cares a great deal about grammar in a way that the rest of us might not. Still, it was quite entertaining. I definitely recommend it for anyone who enjoys word (crossword puzzlers, Scrabble players, or just readers).

A cute little book with some fun prose, and a lot of confusion and differences of opinion about punctuation. It's the British way or the Truss way, but often doesn't help us across "the pond." She did get me thinking about sentence and paragraph structure, and probably more confused. The book did help me with apostrophes and the dashes, and it also reassured me to know that my high school English teacher was not always right. It's good to know that there are many different ways of punctuating, as long as the message gets across clearly. So there, Ms Langley! Would I buy the book again? Yep! (did I use that exclamation point properly?)

As the old saying goes, it's better to light a candle than curse the darkness. A little cursing is actually OK, but all Lynne Truss does is sit on the ground and cuss, and she never does light any candles. This book is just endless complaining; there is hardly any actual guidance on punctuation. Moreover, even the American edition takes no notice of American usage, except to mention its existence in passing. Truss's book deals exclusively with the British rules, which are rather different from ours, so the book is worthless for Americans. Finally, she had the extremely poor taste to state that the worst thing (for her, apparently) about September 11 was the misuse of the word "enormity" in the media. (Apart from the moral horror of such a statement, the media did in fact use the word correctly in that context, for once.)

Frankly, I'm puzzled over the hype about this book. I have always been annoyed with mistakes in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. But even I had trouble making it through this book. Sure, there were interesting and funny sections. And I even cleared up a few punctuation rules that weren't clear to me before. However, there were parts I found downright boring. It seems like the average person cares less about punctuation than I do, so how did this get on the best-seller list? I am glad I read it, though, because I did learn something. It's also good to know there are people out there who care about punctuation even more than I do!

This has one of the worst installers I have ever seen. I'm a professional software developer with 30 years experience, and I could not get this to install on my daughters windows xp machine.

This calculus book is an excellent choice for college bound mathematics students in high schools. It covers every topics needed to succeed in later math courses and future; it has ample real-life problem situations that not only hone mathematics skills of the students, it also helps them to understand most of the abstract concepts of calculus. This book is suitable for use in any AP Calc courses (AB or BC). Despite many special features in this overall superior book, I do not strongly recommand this book. The reason is that this book uses very minimum colors and graphics that can help high school students to be interested in the materials in calculus; besides, graphics with colors CERTAINLY helps everyone to grasp the abstract "stuff". If you are a high school chairperson, and you are considering to purchase this book for your school to use as an AP Calc text book, I recommand you to look for a newer book.

In my opinion, I think this is a very average calculus textbook. It lacks proofs for many theorems and puts too much emphasis on the graphing calculator and other computer technologies in both chapters and problems (what do you expect from some egghead in MIT?) On the other hand, all the information is organized nicely and everything seems accurate for a first edition. But I have seen better. In my personal opinion, Salas & Hille's Calculus is a better book.

This book is very poor. I give it a poor rating because the solution manuals that compliment this book are very mediocre. The solution manual that came with the book (It came bundled with the text at my college bookstore) seems as though it was hastily put together. Some answers are wrong, have typos, or even lacking altogether. The solution manual only covers chapters 1-12. The remaining chapters are covered in another manual...that's where the above problems are thrown into plain view. In the second solution manual, some answers don't match, are missing, or wrong. For example, chapter 13 has two sections that are flipped around, which shows the haste in bringing out this book. I have nothing good to say about these texts. When Calculus 3 is over this semester, I have 660+ pages worth of TP...that's the only way I feel the purchased can be justified.

As all of you know already, all (except some exceptional textbooks by distinguished authors) Addison Weslely Mathematics books are well known for their terrible excercizes, explanations, lessons, and their contents. There are a few reasons why the above statement is true, but you can figure them out by yourself. Also, lack of information that hinders AP Calculus B C students further emphasize that this is a book made for the novice mathematicians of extremely low ability in problem solving and thinking. Overall, this book is not a book that can be used in an Advanced Placement Calculus BC class; and indeed, this book would a terrible choice for a short calcululus class at a university that offers a good quality mathematics education. This book definiately receives a "poor" recommendation; its contents must be enhanced for it to receive a better recommendation from the instructors and learners in the United States.

My 6 year old is a beginning reader! He is so enjoying this book. He will read it and then read it again. It is a perfect read for him and his facination with bugs!

I acquired this book for my 2-year-old who is fascinated by bugs, especially butterflies. The text is coherent and written in a way a early reader would talk. Some of the Step 1 type books do not impress me, but this one does.

This is a great book for young readers who are just connecting the idea of words having meaning. They are predictable & have good picture context clues. My son loves it & recognized the author from another favorite bedtime story.

Few words per page. Children can reread this story without having yet the ability to decode. Provides early readers with success. Appropriate for English Language Learners of all ages.

This book is a great first book. In fact, it is the first book my son read. *sniff* I'm so proud. :-)

The sentences are short and the pictures hint at what the words may be. I would recommend this to all parents who are helping their children learn to read.