Junior Books

I learned so much from this book. It is absorbing and I would love to share it with my students. Peter the Great is a very interesting figure and I wish I had been introduced to him earlier in my life.

I handed this to my 11 year old son to read independently. I wasn't sure it would hold his interest since it lists the intended audience as much younger. However, he finished it one sitting, brought it back to me and said, "Before I read other history books, I want to read more about Peter the Great!" What more could one ask of a book? Now to try to find something that takes that next step...

BTW, he has also read a couple of her other books and enjoys them all. I asked if he would be interested in whatever else Diane Stanley has published and he expressed great eagerness.

As a the director of a volunteer literacy program, I am constantly asked by our tutors about phonics. I kept thinking to myself "If only I could find a simple, inexpensive book that would not only explain what phonics is (and what it isn't), but how and when to teach it and what sequence to teach it in." Then to my delighted surprise I found this book! I plan to buy as many copies as our program can afford. It will be required reading for any tutor with a student that needs help with decoding. Also, even though the book refers to beginning readers as children, the strategies presented can be easily applied to adult learners.

This is a great little handbook for new teachers. It is easy to read and provides practical methods to teach phonics--it also provides ideas for activities. The book begins by discussing the purpose and limitations of phonics. Next it discusses the history and controversy of phonics--basal programs, and sight-word method vs. phonetic method. It also describes how children learn to read, and prerequisites for phonics instruction. Best of all--it leads you through the process of teaching phonics; starting with consonant letter-sound relationships, vowel letter-sound relationships, structural analysis, etc. It provides information on how to teach as well as activities.

This primer was very useful to me as a speech and language pathologist supporting the teachers' reading programs. Most of the children that I see have reading difficulties due to listening discrimination problems. This provides a simple but effective way to prepare children for reading success. If a child cannot hear differences in similar words like sat-sit or rhyming words like hop-pop, this book will help. It is a fast read which helps children get started right away on a path to successful reading. Recommended for parents, teachers, etc.

Excellent source of information for those interested in developing an appropriate learning environment for the early years of school. If you follow this guide your students will be able to have a stronger foundation therefore develop into stronger readers.

Beautiful book with excellent examples for linking art and literacy.
Clear ideas and methods for utilizing a variety of hands-on techniques. The book is intended for children but is more suited to adults, specifically those who teach children.

This is the book to use if you want to help children see and participate in the creative process. I bought my first copy several years ago, when I was teaching in a one-room school house. It inspired kids from the 1st to the 8th grade. The examples of the artist's work are well-chosen, and the art and page layout is beautiful. The content is presented in comfortable thematic chunks just right for a few days work in the classroom, or an afternoon at home. It is multicultural and thematic.

for example --

Murals and Ballads - telling a story: Diego Rivera and E.B.White

Each poet and artist is given an interesting, child-friendly biography. There is a section called "making the connection," which guides the children through the theme to note the ways different artist/poets chose to express their vision. Last, but not least, each theme has a motivating writing and art project to go with it. In a world where less and less art, and less and less innovation are being supported in the schools, this is an ideal resource. It is a tool a teacher can fit into the day easily. It could provide a terrific substitute for a language handout or homework project.

Parents will find this a wonderful gift for their literary and artistic teenagers as well.

This cookbook is all-around-fabulous. If nothing else, the recipe for Root Beer Rye Bread alone is worth the price of the book. This is one cookbook that is well-worth snapping up.

I love this cookbook! The recipies are great and there is more than just pork recipies. Also from the same Junior League is their new cookbook First Impressions: Dining with Distinction. This is a must have. The carmel cashew cheesecake is sooo good and easy! I recommend either of these books. Keep up the good work Junior League of Waterloo-Cedar Falls. I can't wait for your next cookbook!!

"A Delight! If only this concise and clear guide was available when I was teaching -- my job would have been much more successful and fulfilling. A thumbs up for Ken Rivenbark for giving us this wonderful tool." Gerald Rosen, California State University. (CSUN)

At last, an incredibly easy to use step by step manual for teaching writing, thus freeing planning time allowing teachers to focus more on the best practices for teaching and learning. The lesson plans create a complete writing program with ready to use standard based lesson plans that include real classroom examples for anchor papers to share with your students. Do yourself a big favor and buy it--you will definitely use it and your students will benefit, becoming better writers!

When 13-year-old Jason finds out that his grandmother has died, he is not overcome with sadness as he has never even met her. Instead, he is overcome with annoyance. Now he has to leave his home in Boston at the beginning of the summer holiday and travel south to Florida to help his father clean out her house. To make matters worse, he fears that his parents are splitting up, and this one time with his dad will provide a great opportunity to talk. That is, if his dad doesn't drink too much alcohol.

Jason's first impression of Florida is HOT --- hot and flat, and filled with old people. He longs to go home, but that's not an option. His father picks him up at the airport and delivers him to a musty house filled with lots of stuff needing to be sorted through and thrown out in the dumpster. Plus, there's the funeral to attend, repairs to be made on the house in order to sell it, and dealing with his very emotional dad. This is definitely not the start to an awesome summer vacation. However, Jason buckles down and helps his dad, not knowing that things are going to start getting interesting.

First comes a weird phone call --- a stranger asking how smart Jason is and announcing that a person can learn a lot at a desk --- which he cannot get out of his head. He ends up searching his grandmother's desk for something and discovers an old postcard, which is the first clue. Then his father drinks too many beers, falls off the ladder and lands in the hospital for a few days. Jason wrangles an invite to stay with his grandmother's friend and next-door neighbor, not wanting his mom to find out that his dad had drunk too much. He returns to the cluttered house to continue working on the mess, and the mystery.

Jason joins forces with the spunky neighborhood lawn-mowing gal Dia, as they dodge the mysterious characters lurking around, explore historical buildings, gather clues and dive deeper into a family mystery almost as old as his grandmother. What starts out to be a boring, painful chore in a harsh environment turns into an adventure of a lifetime in a beautiful state rich with history and love.

Tony Abbott has written over 60 books for young people, and THE POSTCARD is another winner. He has created a multilayered, action-packed mystery filled with unusual and memorable characters (especially admirable is the feisty Dia; maybe he would consider writing another mystery about her). He handles point of view and voice with a shine --- each character and storyline separate, distinct and highlighted, yet weaving together perfectly. Abbott's mystery will pull the reader through the pages with excitement, enthusiasm and a wallop of humor.

--- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman, author of FINDING MY LIGHT and THE BLACK POND

Jason's grandmother has died. They weren't close, in fact, he never met her. He'd heard his parents talk about her dementia, believing she could fly and being pursued by alligators, but their concern had never brought him into close proximity to his father's sometime mother. The trip to Florida to be with his father and help clean out her house is going to mess up his summer vacation. If he survives it.

A strange call from someone unknown sends Jason searching through his grandmother's things where he finds an old post card and a magazine. This is the start of an intriguing scavenger hunt for pages of a story that help him know his grandmother, and learn more than even his father knows about his grandfather. Jason and his friend, Dia, aren't the only ones looking for the clues. There were some eccentric-looking funeral attendees, and they seem to be showing up wherever the clues lead. How do they know about these old stories? Are they really part of the circus thugs introduced in the story? Are the stories fact or fiction? Can Jason and Dia run fast enough to find out?

The Postcard is a page-turning mystery with a humorous twist. The main characters are human, likeable, and smart. You understand the teenager's confusion about family. Besides never knowing his grandmother, Jason learns his father never knew his own father, his great grandfather may have been a sociopath, and he isn't sure his parents will continue living together when this trip is finished. Add some circus clowns and you have a story both entertaining and well plotted.

Tony Abbott, Connecticut writes humor, fantasy, adventure books that get kids to read, and love to write. His best-known series, The Secrets of Droon, has nearly five million copies in print since the first books were published in 1999, and it is one of the best-selling series for its age group-ages 7 to adult.

Armchair Interviews says: Middle readers especially will enjoy this adventurous mystery.

This book should be a must for every early childhood teacher or child care provider. It has many practical solutions to everyday problems we all encounter.

If you having any bearing on a child's social and emotional wellbeing, Itell you that this will end up being a staple in your library. You will also find yourself referring others to specific chapters in the book. I am now on my third copy of this book, as I keep lending it to others, and they won't give it back!

This first chapter dives into sharing how when we understand developmental milestones in children, then the idea of "patience" most seem to think those who work with young children need, is thrown out the window! Dan explains, how truly understanding the child's development is the touchstone to nurturing all aspects of a child's development.Patience is not a requirement when it comes to working with young children.

Also, the chapter on crisis management(I think chapter 10) is fundamental to an early childhood educators approach to working with challengind behaviors. The chapter on the male role and early childhood is excellent.

Buy this book! You will not be dissapointed!

The Practical Princess and other Liberating Fairy Tales is a wonderful book. It has all the normal things one would expect in a book of fairy tales; princesses locked in tall towers, enchanters, giants, a girl who when she speaks has gold fall from her mouth, bold knights, the un-noble blooded girl who marries a prince, and even a cockatrice.
The main diffrence inbetween fairy tales in this book and other fairy tales is the strong female leads; the princess who rescues herself from being eaten by a dragon and then goes back home to her father's castle for her Geography lesson is just an example.

This wonderfull book contains six short stories that are all enchanting. It also has simple drawings scattered throughout it's pages.

This is a marvelous book for children. Unlike typical fairy tales, the princesses in this collection of stories are not "damsels in distress," but strong, powerful women who can take care of themselves. These aren't male-bashing tales, either, but stories where women and men work together, before living happily ever after.

These stories have all the qualities of the old-fashioned fairy stories: dragons, sorcerers, knights, witches, and princesses. They are quite enjoyable, with little life lessons here and there, and everyone living happily ever after. I think any kid would enjoy these, boys and girls. And it teaches that girls are just as good as boys.

This is the most comprehensive book I've ever seen on composition and teaching. I mean, it has everything--psychology and writing, linguistics and writing, reading and writing. Also, the book goes way beyond theory and research to explain in clear language how an ordinary teacher like me can actually apply theory and research in the classroom. This is a really fine book, and I recommend it to everyone.

This is a very well-written book for teachers. The author seems to know something about every subject that might be related to composition--the bibliography alone should be required reading for all prospective teachers; it's nearly 30 pages. I recommend this book very highly.