Book-value

My daughter is very energetic and often too antsy to sit still while I read her a story book. She'll start flipping the pages, or pointing at the illustrations, or will simply wander off. She never really pays attention to what I'm reading to her.

This book was the perfect solution for her restlessness. Behind the book is a small drawer that holds little play pieces (like the characters and other objects from the story) that go along with the book. When we read the story, she uses the pieces to play along. Then afterwards, she keeps retelling the story with the pieces. Hearing her retell the story over and over again lets me know that she is really paying attention when we read...finally!

I first read Gorrion del Metro to my daughter in the English-language version. I recently purchased the Spanish-language version because she's in a dual-language program at her school and I'm always looking for great reading materials in Spanish. This is a simple story - a sparrow gets lost on a New York City subway train - and it tells how people from different backgrounds and languages find common ground, even without common vocabulary, to come together to catch the bird and then release it to freedom. The drawings themselves are captivating and astonishing, with fascinatingly different perspectives of the bird in the subway train. It really gets the reader thinking about how diverse people can communicate. I love it!

This is an excellent anthology of great horror stories. At the head of the compendium are FRANKENSTEIN and DRACULA. Both of these classics are incredibly good, literate, reads for a contemporary reader who needs a break from Stephen King, Clive Barker and company. Many will be surprised...particularly by DRACULA...at the fine, atmospherically evocative quality of the writing and characterization these Gothic/Romantic authors bring to superb story telling. Despite all the films that have been made about most of these chilling tales, most readers will agree that...as is usually the case..."the book is much better than the movie". The Strange Case of DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE, indeed, seems impervious to film adaptation as a story of scientific hubris, good-old-fashioned Monster Mash, and morality tragedy. Oscar Wilde's THE PICTURE of DORIAN GRAY remains a literary masterpiece of controlled terror and moral irony written by a man who supposedly celebrated and epitomized cultural decadence. Henry James' style remains a bit too erudite ( "wooden") for my taste in a Ghost story but Walpole's "Castle" is interesting for the author's preface explaining the "nature" of these gothic "entertainments". This is a fun book...a happy Halloween treat...and definitely worth keeping an eye out for...

I have tried all the recipies in this book and realised how fun and fulfilling cooking can be. Not only are the recipies clear and easy to use, the results are incredible! And what a good-looking man Mr Rossan is!

This is one of the best books we own. The flaps are big and easy to grab - and also pretty durable. The illustrations are clear and each two-page layout has one object by itself labeled (like a broom) which is also used on the flap page. So you can look at the object by itself and also in the illustration with the bunnies. My husband even finds this book humorous because the baby bunny is not exactly "helping" daddy... but he is certainly participating! My daughter really likes the bunnies and also identifies the objects. Great book!

Little Bill has no problems with boys and girls playing together on a baseball team until a new girl shows up and wants to play HIS position (which would be second base). Of course, it is not just that Simone wants to play second base or that she is taller than Little Bill, but more that she hits the ball into the next state, runs as fast as a superhero about to take off flying, and can also catch and throw the ball. Little Bill goes home and complains to his parents. His father says that he never lost a position to a girl in any sport, but his mother points out that boys would never let girls play way back then. However, it is Alice the Great who points out that Little Bill is thinking more about himself than about his team.

The team also has another problem, in that they have not decided on a name for their team. The girls want to be called the Dandelions (just try to get rid of them) but the boys want a tough name like the Warriors. Of course, the title of Bill Cosby's "Hooray for the Dandelion Warriors!" sort of gives away how that one gets resolved, but that it not as big of a concern as Little Bill's problem with his competition with Simone, although both speak go a "gender gap" among the friends. In his letter to parents at the start of the book, child psychiatry specialist Dr. Alvin F. Poussaint explains why traditionally boys are encouraged to be active in sports, which explains why they might assume that they would naturally be better than girls at games like baseball. He also explains why what happens in this story is a good lesson for Little Bill and other boys to learn.

In addition to Little Bill's great-grandmother, Alice the Great, the other person who shows they know waht the right thing is in this situation happens to be the coach of Little Bill's baseball team. When it comes to what position everybody will be playing and what the name of the team will be, the coach shows that he knows what is important. If Little Bill and his teammates do not understand that yet, then their coach will teach them so that they understand how a team plays like a team. These Little Bill Books for Beginning Readers by the beloved comedian Bill Cosby and illustrator Varnette P. Honeywood all focus on not only the value of friendships and family relationships but also encourage young children to solve their problems in creative and fair ways.

It's a shame that this dictionary is now out of print. Current dictionaries don't come close to the usability of this student dictionary. It is little wonder that literacy levels have dropped so low in the U.S. Even college students have limited vocabularies and non-existent dictionary skills. We need more usable dictionaries of this quality available for students.

I Call My Hand Gentle takes a look at actions people take, and how we choose what we do with our hands. The book is unique because it simply states to children their physical responsibilities to our families and friends. Using something all children have experience with, the hand, helps children to really think about actions they might take, and also reflect on past experiences that they have had with choices they made using their hands.

In the beginning of the book, the story describes what positive things can be done with hands, and include illustrations of each listed. For example, it discusses how the book can protect, carry, pick, hug, etc.and show people hugging, carrying things, and so on, so children can see visually what the words are telling.

When it is established what can be done with hands that are beneficial, the book turns to things you should not do with your hands such as steal, push, grab, break, etc. In the end, the positive actions are retold so that the children are more likely to remember the nice things they can do with their hands.

The illustrations in I Call My Hand Gentle are very contemporary. The colors are vibrant and hold children's attention. The words are very large on the page, and are easy to read.

The only downside to this book is where the words are located on some of the pages. With a beginning reader, it is important that they understand that words and pages move from left to right. Some pages of this book contains print randomly placed on the page in relation to the illustration. This doesn't totally inhibit the reader from understanding the idea, but may cause a little confusion as to where they should begin reading and how they should continue to move through the book.

Overall,this book is definitely recommended. Parents and teachers should have this book on hand, because not only is it easy to read and very eye-catching in the illustrations, but it is also building a good foundation of how to respect each other, and build safe communities in the classroom, which in today's society is very important.

My 33 month old son is not very interested in books but for some reason this title caught my eye and I tried it with him. He loves this book. He loves the illustrations and I think it captures his heart because of the relationship between the brother and sister. We have a daughter a year old and I think he relates to the pictures of the two mice playing together. He asks me to read it at least twice at a time when we pull it out. I definitely recommend this for new big brothers or sisters.

I thought this book was extremely useful to me, a beginner of the Craft, but also would be useful to an advanced practitioner or anyone interested in the WitchCraft. Along with great illustrations throughout the book,the author includes information on magick, herbs, covens, et cetra.I thought that the section on magick was extrmeley useful. It helped clear up some vital questions I had about magick, the elements, and invoking Spirit. I now use this a major reference tool and read it as much as I can. It seems that everytime I pick up this book, I learn something new.