Reference & Nonfiction Books - Page 6

Encyclopedia Mythologica: Fairies and Magical Creatures (Encyclopedia Mythologica)

Matthew Reinhart, Robert Sabuda

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Beautiful pop-ups, text wasn't my favorite 4 out of 5 stars.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3MJS3EVVU91O This book lives up to the standard that Matthew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda have set with first rate pop-up engineering. Every page has a central pop-up that is beautiful and interesting. Each page is further embellished with a minimum of two corner pull-outs that are also pop-ups in themselves with history as to the folklore of fairies. From this perspective, it is top notch.

The area where I was a little disappointed was in the history of the fairies themselves. It starts out interesting enough explaining that fairies appear in the legends of every continent. But it tends to focus on the darker aspects of the folklore. I've never researched the history of fairies, but I prefer to think of them as benevolent beings. Most of the stories focused on their pranks and the misfortune they can bring. The final corner pullout talked about the English girls who supposedly played with fairies and set up a camera to catch them on film. It was a well publicized case because it was later exposed as a hoax. They had used cuts out from an old children's catalog. The girls admitted their prank but claimed that one photograph was authentic.

I loved the artwork and pop-ups, but the actual text made me feel creepy sometimes, and in the end, sort of sad. While I will show it to my children, I will use my own words to describe the fairy world. If you're really into pop-up books, this is worth adding to your collection, but if your true interest is the lighter side of fairies, I prefer the pop-up book How to Find Flower Fairies by Cicely Mary Barker.

Editorial Review:

The kings of pop-up return with the magical new "Encyclopedia Mythologica" series!In the first of a thrilling new pop-up trilogy, the masterminds behind the phenomenal "Encyclopedia Prehistorica" explore the characters of magic and myth with glittering special effects. Fairies take to the air on fluttering wings, while pixies, gnomes, goblins and trolls career across the pages. Peer through the windows of the Elven Castle to see the magical interior and marvel at the enchanted tree and transforming flowers. Unicorns, griffins, merfolk and other fantastical beasts from all around the world are also covered in this breath-taking start to the series.

Learn to Read Kindergarten Edition

Hooked on Phonics

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 50 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

1st level of the Learn to Read series!

Packed with musical audio CDs, flash cards, a workbook, and a library of 24 magical books, Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read Kindergarten is a great way to get started with basic phonics skills. Kids learn about letters and sounds, learn how to put them together to form words, and then read great stories and books using the words just learned. Plus, a CD-ROM with 28 computer activities is designed to reinforce new skills with fun games designed to be played independently.

Research shows that the Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read program is:

• Recommended by 97% of users
  
  
• 9 out of 10 users say it improves their child's overall school performance
  
  
• 88% of users say it improved their child's reading level by one or more grades
  
  
• 88% of users say it taught their child to read
  
  

Study conducted by an independent research firm of 160 consumers, March, 2007.

What s Included:

• 1 workbook with stories and activities
  
  
• 10 companion books
  
  
• 14 Hooked on Phonics® storybooks
  
  
• 3 audio CDs
  
  
• 1 CD-ROM
  
  
• 2 progress posters to track learning success
  
  
• 1 set of fun stickers kids love
  
  
• 1 Parent's guide
  
  
• 4 flash card sets
  
  

What Parents Say:

• "Not only did he learn to read, he enjoys reading."
  
  Colleen
  
  Mother of Christopher
  

  
  

• "The teachers at school are amazed."
  
  Briana
  
  Mother of Brenna, age 4
  

  
  

• "He does not struggle at all and likes to take his books to my husband to show Dad he can read."
  
  Sara
  
  Parent
  

  
  

• "I really enjoyed watching him learn to read."
  
  Colleen
  
  Mother of Christopher
  

  Windows System Requirements
  
  Windows 98/2000/Me compatible
  
  Pentium® Class 133 MHz or higher
  
  32-MB RAM
  
  20-MB free hard-drive space
  
  4X CD-ROM drive
  
  16-bit depth graphics
  
  640x480 display
  
  16-bit sound card
  
  Standard keyboard and mouse
  
  2-MB video card
  

  
  
  Macintosh System Requirements
  
  Mac OS version 7.6 through 10.3
  
  This program runs in Classic mode for all versions of Mac OS 10 through 10.4 except for Macs with Intel
  
  120-MHz PowerPC 603e or higher
  
  32-MB RAM
  
  20-MB free hard-drive space
  
  4X CD-ROM drive
  
  16-bit depth graphics
  
  640x480 display
  
  16-bit sound card
  
  Standard keyboard and mouse
  
  2-MB video card
  

Kaplan SSAT & ISEE 2009 Edition: For Private and Independent School Admissions (Kaplan Ssat & Isee)

Kaplan

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Editorial Review:

Features:

• 6 full-length practice tests: 3 SSATs and 3 ISEEs, tailored to upper, middle, and lower levels

• Detailed answer explanations

• Hundreds of practice questions covering the most frequently tested material

• Intensive, test-specific Math and Verbal workouts

• Customized review sections for important subject areas, including Verbal Reasoning, Mathematics, Reading Comprehension, and Writing

• Practical tips for every question type

• Powerful test-taking strategies to help you score higher

How Do Dinosaurs Count To Ten?

Jane Yolen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Not the same as the big books 3 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

We were a little disappointed with this book and a couple of the other board books in this series. Our one-year-old son LOVES the full size "How Do Dinosaurs" story books, but he hardly pays attention to the board books.

First of all, the words and rhymes aren't as clever. Maybe the concept of counting or colors just isn't as good of a material as going to bed, eating your food, or going to the doctor.

Second, the books are short and the artwork is very scaled down and much simpler. My son loves the artwork in the bigger books but the white background in these is kind of boring.

Maybe time will tell, but he is getting past the board book stage and I am just not sure that these books will hold the attention of kids who are at an age for learning colors or numbers. I wish there was a full-size version, and I wish I had known the content of the board books was not as good as the big books. Now YOU do!

Editorial Review:

Come along for some BIG fun as your favorite dinosaurs delight young readers with their playful antics. How do dinosaurs count to ten? Over and over and over again! This brand new board book format brings the gigantic humor of bestselling, award-winning team Jane Yolen and Mark Teague to the youngest readers, helping them learn to count from one to ten with a simple, rhyming text and laugh-out-loud illustrations! A perfect companion book to the other HOW DO DINOSAURS tales, and a great baby gift as well.

Twister on Tuesday (Magic Tree House, No. 23)

Mary Pope Osborne

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

magic, danger, history 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

The book Twisters on Tuesday features magic, danger and history. The magic is the tree house. I bet you're saying huh? Read the book to find out about this magical adventure.
The main characters of the story are Annie, Jake,Ted and Morgen. Annie is Jake's sister. She likes danger and Jake likes to study.
Ted is a featured charactar in this book. He starts out as a human and changes, into a dog and the story's plot is how Annie and Jake help him. I recommend this book to people who like magic and history in their books.
- Moises

Editorial Review:

In the third book of the American history cluster, Jack and Annie are whisked to a midwestern prairie in the 1870s. They visit a one-room schoolhouse and learn about the hard life of the pioneers. When they return to the magic tree house, Jack and Annie spot a twister on the horizon. Is there time to warn the teacher and the children back at the schoolhouse? Or should Jack and Annie just save themselves?

The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation: An Easy-to-Use Guide with Clear Rules, Real-World Examples, and Reproducible Quizzes

Jane Straus

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Valuable Resource 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

The workbook's ease of use is what stood out the most for me. I enjoy a hands on approach and being able to test my newly acquired knowledge with the quizzes truly helps. She also presents a lot of extra information on her website for free [...] which is great for those who may not have the financial means to supply a classroom with books.

Makes grammar easy to learn - clear & simple for anyone 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book is ideal for anyone wanting to sharpen his/her English grammar skills. As a virtual assistant who does quite a bit of editing for my clients, I have used the contents of this book as a quick reference when something stumps me. Whether you are learning English as a second language or you are a writer or editor wanting to look up a little-known grammar rule, you will find that this comprehensive reference book is perfect for your needs. If you aren't sure if it will cover the topic(s) you're looking for, the author has the entire contents of the book online at grammarbook.com so you can take a look before you buy. This book has been a great help to me and several of my colleagues, and I would highly recommend it to others!

Editorial Review:

The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation is filled with easy-to-understand rules,real-world examples, dozens of reproducible exercises, and pre- and post-tests.

This handy workbook is ideal for teachers, students in middle school through college, ESL students, homeschoolers, and professionals. Valuable for anyone who takes tests or writes reports, letters, Web pages, e-mails, or blogs, The Blue Book offers instant answers to everyday English usage questions.

The Picture of Dorian Gray (Great Illustrated Classics)

Oscar Wilde

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 262 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

"Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter"-Oscar Wilde 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Basil Hallward is an artist, who paints a portrait of Dorian Gray, a very good looking and naïve young man. The portrait is a masterpiece that in reality depicts Basil's feelings for Dorian, as well as, Dorian's youth and beauty.
Lord Henry Wotton, a seductive emotional predator and selfish pleasure seeker, is a friend of Basil who meets Dorian at Basil's house and gives him a philosophical speech about the fading nature of youth and beauty. Dorian whose greatest qualities are his youth and beauty pledges his soul to stay young and beautiful. As part of the deal Dorian Gray's portrait becomes the surrogate for the disgrace and aging of the real Dorian Gray.
Under the growing influence of Lord Henry over Dorian, the later embraces Hedonism and increasingly sinks into a sinful corrupt life and shows no regard for values or morals. A tragic event caused by Dorian's behaviors starts the projection of Dorian's ugliness and self -centeredness on the portrait. Dorian creates excuses and excuses himself with lame explanations for the tragedy and hides his portrait so he can't see the hideous transformation of himself reflected in his picture. As long as his beauty remains, he can ignore the changes in his portrait. It's interesting how Dorian tries to avoid his inner feeling of ugliness by trying to surround him self by beauty, and other beautiful distractions such as roses and music.

Basil's love for Dorian, which is likely a real life reflection of Wilde's love for Lord Alfred Douglas, causes Basil to defend and protect Dorian, even from his self destructive acts, until the last shocking event. I'm tempted to describe the ending event, but I won't deprive the reader from the pleasure of exploration and discovery.

Given the period when this novel was written, Wilde is artistically candid and courageous beyond belief. Wilde displays his usual wit, sarcastic playful ways and funny style, while he walks us through serious dilemmas like the supremacy of youth and beauty, homosexual feelings, repentance and murder. Wilde grabs the reader through the use of shocking events that not only criticize Victorian morality, but ironically displays a moral lesson about vanity and narcissism.

"The picture of Dorian Gray" is a wonderful piece of literature in which the portrait asserts itself as Dorian's conscience in a superficial society that places values on looks and wealth while ignoring the real value of humans. Simply, a one of a kind work.

Editorial Review:

Enthralled by an exquisite portrait of himself, Dorian Gray makes a Faustian bargain to exchange his soul for eternal youth and beauty. Thus is he able to indulge his desires while only his picture bears the traces of his decadence and the gradual corruption of his soul.

Wilde's only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray was a succès de scandale. Early readers were shocked by its hints at "unspeakable sins," and the book was later used as evidence against Wilde in the trials for "acts of gross indecency" that would make him the most notorious sexual outlaw of his time. A knowing account of a secret life and an analysis of the darker side of late Victorian society, Wilde's compelling examination of art and morality still fascinates readers more than a hundred years after its first publication. This edition has all new apparatus, but retains Peter Ackroyd's introduction from the previous edition as an appendix.

Rocks & Minerals (DK Eyewitness Books)

DK Publishing

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Perfect for young children. 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

My son is six years old and this book captivated him for a good four nights, a few pages a night, for his bedtime story. It is very visually appealing with vividly colored pictures and thick glossy pages. It is written very well, easy for a young child to understand, yet filled with information about rocks and minerals. I have to read it to my child as he's not an independent reader yet, but an independent reader would also really enjoy this book. It is made for children but not at all "babyish." A great way to either learn about rocks and minerals, or introduce a child to non fiction.

I'm very impressed with this book and will be purchasing more DK Eye Wonder titles. I've looked at their other titles and they all look like wonderful books.

Editorial Review:

Perfect for getting ahead at school or just stimulating children's interest, this groundbreaking series of workbooks leaves the competition in the dust, with exciting subjects, 48 full-color pages, a turn-and-learn info wheel, and special carrying folders. Never before have there been workbooks with so many opportunities for fun and interactive learning!

This book helps kids take their knowledge of rocks and minerals to the next level, from simple limestone to shimmering gems.

Kids Are Americans Too

Bill O'reilly, Charles Flowers

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Reference & Nonfiction -> Politics & Government

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 48 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Good Kid Primer 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great book for Kids on being a Citizen. Non-political and great examples of where rights of each individual overlap. I bought 10 copies for the Boy Scouts to read while earning their Citizenship Merit Badges.

Editorial Review:

Four-time #1 bestselling author and veteran television news journalist Bill O'Reilly has more than 5 million copies of his books in print to date! His first book for young fans, The O'Reilly Factor for Kids, held the honorable distinction of being the #1 bestselling nonfiction title for kids in 2005 according to Nielsen's The Book Standard.

Back again with a dialogue on rights that will have everyone talking, O'Reilly and his coauthor Charles Flowers dole out the kind of blunt, cogent, commonsense commentary you count on them for. Together they explore timely questions being debated in and out of courts today, including:

• Can a kid wear an anti-gay T-shirt on campus?
• Does a school newspaper have the right to bad-mouth a principal?
• Does a mother have the right to eavesdrop on her daughter's telephone conversations?

Some of the answers will surprise you. Some will empower you. All will make you think.

Cracking the SSAT & ISEE, 2009 Edition (Private Test Prep)

Princeton Review

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 1.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Princeton Review realizes that acing the SSAT and ISEE exams is very different from getting straight A’s in school. We don’t try to teach you everything there is to know about English and math–only what you’ll need to score higher on the exam. There’s a big difference. In Cracking the SSAT & ISEE, we’ll teach you how to think like the test writers and

·Correctly answer analogy and synonym questions even when you’re not sure what all of the words mean
·Ace the reading comprehension section by learning to spot main ideas, topic sentences, and key words
·Crack the general math section by learning to avoid wrong answer choices that look right but are planted to fool you
·Learn how to turn complicated algebra problems into simple word problems
·Simplify the SSAT writing sample and the ISEE essay using a sure-fire, step-by-step approach

This book includes five full-length practice tests, with questions like the ones you’ll see on the actual SSAT and ISEE.