Junior Books

I teach ESL at the middle school level. This book was so powerful and convincing that I immediately changed my lesson plans to include SSR on a daily basis.

My friend casually slipped this book to me over the lunch table. She said I may find it helpful in my struggles teaching middle school and high school English to second language learners. Little did she know how helpful this book would be. After reading the book, I immediately consulted with my colleagues and we began a program of free reading. It's working! I actully have students thanking me for letting them figure out for themselves that they really didn't mind reading! I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a very readable compilation of the research that's been done and how to apply it! Worth every penny!

Stephen Krashen does a wonderful job of presenting an easy to read book on research concerning children and reading. The info provided can be extremely useful when ordering books and planning programming for children. Some parts of the book get dry and a little slow but overall the results are fascinating. The copyright date of 1993 makes the book slightly out of date and I would love to see a second edition of the book to see if anything has changed since then.

I am the Library/Media Specialist for a school district in Alaska on a grant to increase literacy through literature. I heard Stephen D. Krashen speak at a school librarian convention and was so impressed that I read this book. The district has Silent Sustained Reading as its number one directive to all the teachers, but the idea is difficult for some teacher's to accept. I am hoping that by lending this book to teachers we can get fuller compliance. Having taught children's literature class at the college level for six years, I have read a lot and firmly believe in the work done by Krashen as presented in this book.

throw away all your phonics rules and worksheets and Hooked on's.

If you wish to read, then read.

If you want to teach others to read, give them something they will read.

Lower your standards. Read the cereal box, the soup can, Calvin and Hobbes, Incredible Hulk, Barefoot Gen, Maus, whatever absolutely they want to read. Just read. Just do it.

The great Dr. Krashen here shows you how.

Here in this second edition, updated to the latest research of 2004 which serves to confirm his earlier conclusions, Dr. Krashen gives us and our students permission to read whatever interests us, so long as we will read.

By reading we learn to read.

No brainer.

Few people know that the great American comedian of film and stage WC Fields began his vaudeville career as a fantastic juggler, manipulating cigar boxes and pool cues and balls, etc. with great skill and alacrity. After years of this someone gave him a manual of How to Juggle, which had so many rules and advice, including regarding breathing and concentration, that in his next performance he failed while he tried to remember and observe the rules of good juggling. He could no longer concentrate as he focused on concentrating. He later recovered his incredible skills when he could finally again forget the rules and just juggle.

Same with reading. Throw away those high priced "how to read" and phonics books. Just read. The industry gives you nothing to really read, just exercises with no benefit and little interest. Just read what you want and you will read.

Only the great publication houses with phonics programs and worksheets to sell at a high price tell us (and the big government that now runs our schools) otherwise. There is too much profit to be lost, and too much lobbying going on in the halls of our state houses and Congress, and the w White house.

By the way, why does the current Secretary of Education have absolutely no experience in any kind of education? Kind of like that FEMA guy, or Gonzo, etc., etc. Still she forces us to buy worksheets instead of letting us READ freely in order to learn how to read. Library funds are decimated while the industry reaps great profit and the government its lobbying bribes.

It is in reading that we read. It is in reading that our reading skills grow, no matter what you read. As you read lower level materials, your mind will automatically seek more challenging materials and reach for more. After Marvel you will want Tolkein. After Harry Potter you will hunger for James Joyce, forever. And then Dante and the Bible remain.

I have been a bilingual teacher and practitioner for many decades, as my grandmother before me. I recall from my first hearing of words and of speech my bilingual Church (Latin with occassional English, briefly), etc. Dr. Krashen's method here serves all students, especially our bilingual students developing reading skills in their most comfortable language which are applicable later to the target language (here ENglish) without even their being aware of it. They will wonder when you taught them to read in English.

This book is based on solid research and bursts most of the popular and powerful misconceptions and myths regarding teaching methods and politicians with profitable interests who would stop those strategies which are most effective.

Please study this book carefully for the scientifically proven truth, based on reliable research methodology.

In order to learn how to read, read. Whatever you choose, whatever interests you, but easy reading, within your frustration level, within your enjoyment level.

There's plenty of good stuff to read right here on the amazon. Check out my reviews for a few!

And then read to your family, too, in joy and in peace, and relearn the love of reading together. Turn off that television and just read already!

I love this book, and it's a must if you are getting Wishes, Lies & Dreams. I wish that he had more poetry for younger children, with tips on how to help them understand it.

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This is one of my favorite books:

"I like to write about poems. I like poems.
Some girls are like poems."
-Eric Filisbret, 3rd or 4th grade

"Dog where do you get that bark?
Dragon where do you get that flame?
Kitten where do you get that meow?
Rose where do you get that red?
Bird, where do you get those wings?"
-Desiree Lynn Collier, 3rd or 4th grade

"Come with me and I'll show you my heart. I
know where it is and I know all about it...
Come with me, I'll take you to a world, not
a world that you know. Not a world that
I know. But a world that nobody knows,
not you or me... "

It's ironic, the good kind, for me to learn
so much from a book about ok, teaching
children about poetry.

A follow-up to the author's equally wonderful "Wishes, Lies, and Dreams," this superb volume is one of the best sources for teaching poetry that I've ever read. How many of us found that school crushed any budding love of poetry we had, rather than nurturing it? Well, Kenneth Koch will bring that crushed bud back into full, glorious blossom! He has a rare gift -- he removes the barriers to poetry, the ones that say it's too deep, too different, too complex, for the likes of ordinary people; yet he never removes its mystery, its wonder, its beauty. If anything, he makes it available & familiar to all in a way that only enhances its rapturous qualities. He makes us realize that a poem is as obvious & rich, as subtle & tangible, as a flower. The poem is there for anyone, for everyone, to savor & enjoy.

Most highly recommended!

This excellent book seems to be a missing link in writing instruction. Other books provide somewhat mechanical methods for generating writing ideas, but Koch's book leads the reader into natural lines of thought which connect the reader with his or her experience of life, experience from which the writing must flow. I am pretty sure this would work for any kind of writing and is not limited to poetry. Don't be too proud to use this book on yourself!

Mr. Koch will not underestimate children. He will not talk down, dumb down, water down, because a passion for the subject matter animates this book as it must animate his instruction. He carefully documents and shares children's work as if it is as important as the poetry that inspired it.

Like anything truly sublime, the unspoken lesson enlivens this book . If you really share what you love with students, guide them instead of showing them, ask instead of telling, and treat their products with the respect you'd give a visiting artist, they will produce art as amazing as Mr. Koch's students did.

Forget teaching poetry to children- teach poetry instead. Take the concept and apply it to all creative acts. Teach art from great and challenging art. Teach music from powerful, sophisticated music. They can not only take it, they'll take it and keep it.

Small boat or dinghy sailing, camping out, excitement, nice people and strong writing: what more could a reader ask for? I first read this book at the home of a boyhood friend about ten years after it was originally published, and I count the series (this is the second of 12) as responsible for my lifelong interest in camping and sailing. More than half a century later, I acquired a set and found to my absolute delight that they read as well and are as powerfully satisfying as ever.

Here, within the covers of a very well-written book, you'll find a group of charming children and a few adults, spanning a wide range of ages and character types. Swallowdale is by turns funny, thoughtful, insightful and so well written it is a distinct pleasure for readers of any age.

Did I mention the writing? It's better written than most current novels.

"Swallowdale" continues very much where its predecessor, "Swallows and Amazons", leaves off, with the Walker children returning to "that remote lake in the north of England" one year after the events of the first book and looking forward to another couple of weeks of fun, sailing with their friends, the Amazon pirates. Plans quickly begin to go awry, however, and Ransome turns events away from the anticipated activity of sailing on the lake to an altogether different sort of fun, as the children take off camping and exploring in the surrounding fells and mountains.

The book has all of the fine qualities that make its predecessor such an excellent read for children (and adults) of all ages. Ransome's prose is a delight throughout, his characters engaging and the events that befall the children entirely believable. As in all of the other books of this series, simple pen and ink drawings by the author add considerably to the enjoyment. If only the world (and the Lake District!) was still like this!

Incidentally, although this was the second of Arthur Ransome's "Swallows and Amazon" books to be published, it is best read after the third volume, "Peter Duck", because it is set chronologically after the events of that book, and makes occasional back reference to it. You will enjoy "Peter Duck" much more if you read it BEFORE you read "Swallowdale". And if you enjoyed "Swallows and Amazons" you will certainly enjoy this.

This was the second book in the series that we read. After the first I did not think it could get better, but I was wrong. We were shocked when their boat sunk, but they seemed to do as well on land as they did on water. My kids will do their chores and finish their homework as long as I read this to them each evening. To me that is quite impressive. Now we are reading Peter Duck...

The Swallows return to their favorite lake a year later, but things have changed slightly...the Amazons are dealing with a visit from a tyrannical great-aunt and can't go sailing with them! While sailing about on their own, the Swallows' boat experiences a wreck and their sailing adventures on the lake are in danger.

This book continues the adventures of the brave kids we first met in SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS, only they're a year older and a little nervier. The books' descriptions of camping and exploring are fun, fun, fun; I remember doing similar things as a child. The story also gives some good lessons to kids, although not in a preachy fashion...we see the importance of being calm in a crisis, and how an otherwise bad situation can be turned into a positive experience. Also, the boat-race scene at the end has a great scene of good sportsmanship, as the losers enthusiastically and sincerely congratulate the winners and compliment them on their sailing. And, as present in SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS, there is the element of using one's imagination.

The mountain-climbing scenes are good, with an unexpectedly poignant moment at the summit. The lost-in-the-fog scenes are actually quite atmospheric and memorable.

The book's main problem is that it is rather dated, but for some readers, that's part of the charm. The great-aunt's insistance on Victorian-era manners may not click too much with modern readers, although they'll probably be able to think of their elders who they see as being too old-fashioned. The book takes place in a circa 1930 England, when charcoal-burners and horse-drawn wagons were still commonplace in rural areas; some might find the setting too alien, while others may become absorbed into it.

Despite those few flaws, this is still a 5-star book in my view. Great for parents and children, and a great inspiration for outdoor adventures.

Note: This book makes references to an imaginary character, "Peter Duck," who was the subject of a sort of collective fairy tale that the group made up over the winter holiday. That story is told in the next book in the series, PETER DUCK.

One year after the events of "Swallows and Amazons," the four Walkers return to the Lake to spend the summer holidays, looking forward to more thrilling adventures with the Blackett sisters and their uncle, Captain Flint. To their dismay, they discover that the Blacketts' Great-Aunt--a strait-laced and somewhat tyrannical person who brought their mother and uncle up--is staying at Beckfoot and badly cramping the two pirates' style. And then the Walkers' boat "Swallow" is wrecked on the far side of the lake, forcing them to find a new camp. In dealing with these challenges the six show their mettle once again--and even manage to get away for an overnight climb of Kanchenjunga, as they christen the tallest of the nearby hills. Along the way Roger and Titty get lost when a sea-fog rolls in over the moors, and the outwitting of Great-Aunt Maria furnishes a fair share of suspense. Once again Ransome tells his tale without talking down, seeming to assume a child's viewpoint with an ease matched by few writers. Another excellent family read-aloud that should be owned by every household even if they don't care for boats or camping.

Growing up in the Tidewater area and eating all the good food that seemed to elude me when I moved to Florida, finally, this is the cookbook that I've always searched for but didn't know existed until recently. On top of that, two of the 26 famous Virginia homes illustrations in the cookbook were drawn by and then donated to the Junior League by my grandfather in 1975 when he was 70 years old.

I have sent this cookbook to friends and relatives around the country over the years and the feedback has always, and I mean always, been positive. In fact, it has been ecstatic. These recipes are easy to prepare and I have yet to make one that my guests and I did not enjoy thoroughly. I have heard it referred to as one of the most reliable cookbooks around and I would echo that sentiment unequivocally. A must have for any kitchen.

This is one of the backbones of my cookbook collection. We do food in the south, as they say. This is the always dependable cookbook. The cookbook for never fail to please goodies for family and friends for any occasion. I adore it. Virginia Hospitality says it in the name and can be depended upon to provide just that.

I collect cookbooks, and this is one I use frequently. The dishes are delicious, elegant, and easy to prepare. Some of my most frequently requested recipes are from this book. Also makes a great gift!

In 25 years this is the best cookbook for entertaining Southern style I have eveer used. It is my constant resource. Have given it for gifts and am about to order my own third copy. COmpletely wore out one and want another one for our summer home

What a fun little book! I went to see the William Steig exhibition at the Jewish Museum in NY and was fascinated by his art. There aren't too many books on William Steig available (at least not on Amazon), so I bought this one and the Jewish Museum book on William Steig. I loved this little book, it's great quality and nice pictures. Highly recommended!

As a teacher of primary grades, I find this book to be very enjoyable and informative as a tool for motivating young children to learn about the past.

This is a delightful children's book about the boyhood of its author, 95 year old William Steig. The book is both personal and historical as Steig recounts the time in America "when everybody wore a hat." Steig, an artist whose drawings have appeared regularly in "The New Yorker" magazine since 1930, is both the books's illustrator and writer. Grandparents looking for a book that they can read to their grandchildren that will inspire good additional conversation should buy this book.

This is a autobiography of popular children's William Steig. He tells us of the year when he was 8 years old. Things were much different in the world then. There was no tv, fire engines were pulled by horses and everybody wore a hat! Mr. Steig tells us about his parents and family life as well. We learn that his parents were immigrants and spoke 4 languages!


The book was easy to read. There were very few words per page. This makes it great for all ages.


I would recommend this book to others. It's fun to learn about life long ago.

"In 1916, when I was eight years old, there were almost no electric lights, cars or telephones-and definitely no TV. Even fire engines were pulled by horses. Kids went to LIBRARIES for books. There were lots of immigrants..." William Steig takes the reader back to the simpler times of his childhood when mother bought her meat at the butchers, boys didn't play with girls, a nickel could buy you a hot dog, a pound of fruit, or a day at the movies, you didn't go to the doctor's office, the doctor came to your house, everyone wanted to have his picture taken on a horse, and everybody wore a hat. "There was no such thing as a hatless human being." Written as if by an eight year old, Mr Steig's remembrances are sometimes poignant and always heartwarming and complemented by his marvelous, expressive childlike illustrations. Adults will revel in all the nostagia, and kids will be intrigued by how different life was at the beginning of the last century. When Everybody Wore A Hat is a charming slice of history, best read together and shared, that will whet the appetite, open interesting discussions, and send youngsters out looking for more.

This is an oversized paperback that would work superbly in front of a classroom. The text is very simple, calling the reader to search for the body parts of a tiger: eyes, whiskers, tracks, etc. It also serves as a
fine introduction to art. The illustrations are richly stylized with
color, mood, texture and pattern.

As a parent of ten children (now grown) and a first grade teacher of 7 years now, I love this book-as do my students. It is colorful,encourages imaginative thinking and easy to follow. I use it for our animal unit as well as discussing story elements.

A tiger wonders why everything avoids him, and compares his body
to other creatures. We love this book for the extraordinary artwork, full of detail.

I have no children of my own but have been a nanny for 6 years. Of all the stories I've read . . . this is by far the best! I give it to every person I know with children! Thank you for such a wonderful story, such beautiful artwork and such wonderful sounds!

This is a true picture book-as the pictures tell the story beyond the words. The illustrations go the distance for story time reading, as well as working for up close inspection (be sure to look for that unconcerned snail on every page!). I just never tire of this book and its illustrations, and I have been a fan of it for six years. The illustration of carp, tiger, and jungle folliage provide visual saturation satisfaction. The simple repetitious rhymes are fun to say, they roll off the lips in a way not always found in rhyming text, with wonderful repeating sounds. The story message is sweet, loud and clear, yet subtle at the same time. Thank you for this gem, Mr. Baker!

I think this cookbook provides some good basic recipes. A friend of mine recommended it to me, and I had higher hopes than what the book provides. But, I do plan to use some of the recipes. I like the concept of the book - providing tested recipes from real home cooks. I may try another Junior League edition as well.

What a great cookbook! I grew up in Rochester & remember these recipes above all others. Do yourself a favor & try the carrot cake.

I have successfully used recipes from this wonderful book ever since its publication. Upstate New Yorkers know how to cook!

This cookbook is fool proof and red hot. Buy multiple copies and give it to your friends. I am a Southern food aficianado, but I enthusiastically admit that those western NY Yankees sure can cook.

My mother has been using this cookbook since it was published in the early '80s. The recipes go from quick and easy family pleasers to elegant evening fair. Some of the recipes are still weekly meals in not only my mom's house, but my own too!! We were so excited to find it here! Now it's not only graces my mother and my cookbook libraries, but we also give it as shower and wedding presents! Everyone should own this cookbook! It is the best ever!

This book is a well written picture book that will hold the attention of young children, but has enough solid information to also educate older children and adults.

This book fills in the gaps most of us were left with after a public education.

The book arrived in a timely manner and was exactly as described. This title has great artwork.

This book isn't a history or academic work. In fact, it's a picture book designed for children ages 7 and up. However, that should not suggest that it's not worth a read even for adults as an introduction to the life and times of Cleopatra, Antony, and the fall of the Roman Republic. The author presents a detailed, fact-based account of the queen's life, including pertinent and amazingly helpful references and quotations from Plutarch's histories. No fictional flourishes were added to richen the story, and though sometimes opinion slips in in a description of a descision or event, the story is very unassuming and true to historical evidence and generally accepted fact.
So, as a short academic text, this book lays out the basics of her life (her marriage and civil war with her brother Ptolemy, wishes for an empire combinging East and West, affairs and marriages to Caesar and Antony, defeat at Actium and suicide in Alexandria,) in an inviting, exciting manner. But, in this case, its more important role is as a picture book, a role that it magnificently fills and excels in. Stanley's illustrations are beautiful and lavish, scenes of the beautiful queen and the people of her life set among breathtaking scenery such as the Alexandrian palace and harbor, the streets of Rome, and flowing sea. One particular favorite of mine is the illustration of Cleopatra's vessel as she approaches Antony's encampment at Tarsus, in which she sits reclining, dressed as Venus, in all of her splendor upon the magnificent boat and splendid sea.
For the fledgling historian (particularly a child interested in history) this book is a must. I recommend it to anyone wanting a springboard from which to learn about the wonderful, tragic, and tumultous life of the last Ptolemaic ruler of Egypt, and the fall of the Ptolemaic empire.

I have found that the best way to learn about many subjects is to pick up a children's book from the library. In a good children's book, the facts are clearly and engagingly laid out, often with wonderful illustrations. You finish the book knowing that you have learned something you didn't already know, and it was explained so simply and clearly that you are not going to forget what you've learned. Cleopatra by Diane Stanley is that kind of book. While it is written "simply", it does not talk down to the child or to an adult reading the book. It just says what happened in a memorable way. Books like these teach history the way it ought to be taught. Highly recommended.

Diane's Stanley's illustrations are masterful, incredibly detailed, and wonderfully expressive; every page (except for the two useful maps) is covered with either spreads that have been delicately painted to look like tile work, as can be seen on the marvelous cover, or has large and intricate paintings, with so much in its compositions that one can look at them repeatedly and find new things to admire.
Stanley's technique is superb, and her medium is gouache.

The history is fascinating and clearly written, and describes the times that Cleopatra lived in as well as what is known about her, which as Staley and Vennema point out, "Everything we know about Cleopatra was written by her enemies", and also, though we know what Julius Caesar, Mark Anthony and Octavian looked like, all we have of Cleopatra's image are crudely carved coins, as her statues were destroyed.
Though only 48 pages in length, each page has either information worth reading and learning (by both children and adults), or is graced by Stanley's beautiful work, making it weighty in content; as an artist and illustrator, I tip my hat to her creativity and skill.

I am on my second copy of this book. The first one finally fell apart from "over-use". I've given numerous copies of this book to friends and family. Everyone loves it as much as I do. This is the first book I go to when looking for a recipe and I've never been disappointed.

I grew up with this cookbook. My mother made recipes from it for special occasions, and now I do too. Among my favorites are the cheesecake and the banana nut bread. I think every lady in Morgan County uses the sausage ball recipe, too. The recipes in this book set the standard by which all these Southern classics are judged. Pick it up, if for no other reason than the vintage 1970s photographs of Decatur, AL, society ladies!

Recipes are totally reliable and there's an amazing variety. All were tested before being accepted for inclusion. Written before concerns about sugar and fat really hit but baked goods recipes can be easily adjusted by reducing sugar or fat by one quarter to one third. Have been using this cookbook for more than twenty years and was delighted to find it still available.

I received this cookbook as a wedding shower present. With the exception of the bath towels I also received, it is the shower present I have used the most in almost thirteen years of marriage.

While some of the recipes are traditional Southern cooking such as fried chicken and biscuits, that is by no means the extent of Cotton Country Cooking. The recipes reflect the diversity of cultures that make up America, and in paricular, the South. There is everything from Creole to German cuisine in Cotton Country Cooking. My personal favorites include Sweet and Sour Meatloaf, Banana Nut Bread, and Boiled Custard.

Are you tired of cooking the same thing over and over for your guests? Cotton Country Cooking is an excellent resource for when you entertain. If cooking is not what you enjoy, there are several easy and foolproof recipes for those times when you just can't get out of having to make something.

In this age of convenience and fast foods, why not treat yourself and your family and friends? Try the recipes in Cotton Country Cooking! They will taste the love.

I have bought and given this book away so many times that I have lost count. I lived in the south for only a few short years and came to love the people and their great foods. So when I moved west, I insisted on this book riding in the car with me. Every recipe in it can be trusted to be the hit of whatever the occasion might be. I don't plan any special meal without it.

I think dthe book is great. It has wonderful ideas and great teaching methods. Its a fine teaching tool and it a great project to work with.

This is an excellent book. The tools and origantially of it is amazing. If you are a teacher and are looking for a group project to do with other teachers, get this book.

B.Harris, R.Kiel, and K.Kohlmeier are my current english, science, and history teachers. When we did the crime scene, it was a great learning experiance and a great way to find out what lawyers and jury members REALLY go through. I really enjoyed doing this project. We took fiber samples, hair fibers, fingerprints, shoeprints and analized them in science. We wrote out the reports in english, and in history we recived our jobs from Kris Kohlmeier. I was a Defense Attorney. We had about two weeks to prepare for the real trial. It was really fun, but everyone was really nervous. I thought it was fun that they filmed us and that we had a real jury. My favorite part was when we found out the final verdict(even though 2 of our 3 clients were guily). But it was still fun! Over all I had a blast doing this and I learned alot!! I am really glad my teachers wrote this book, so other teachers can read it and teach other students, and give them the same experiance that I have recived. Student from Wilson Middle School, Windsor castle Brittany Cuen

B.Harris, R.Kiel, and K.Kohlmeier are my current English,Science, and History teachers. When our class did the crime scene investigation we picked jobs and wrote out an application to see if we were qualified. I wanted to be a prosecuting criminolgist and I made it....this project was fun, exciting, and about the real world. I enjoyed doing this because we not only had fun but did learn something as well. Kathy Baroutgian-pupil of Wilson Middle School.

It was a pleasure not just to read but also to be in the audinance. I think all of the teacher did a great job. Not only did the kids learn but they found out how the system works. We can look forward to alot of great kids when teachers like these go out of their way not just teach but make things almost life like.