It's a real shame that this book is now out of print. If you have young children, and you can find a copy of this book in the used book store, buy it at any price. Kenschaft is a math professor whose daughter is also a mathematics professor. She gives incredibly useful advice on how to get your child interested in mathematics and drives a nail into the coffin of the myth that there is a "math gene", and that some (most?) people are simply genetically unsuited to do math. All too often the problem is that kids are taught that math is boring.

Why do so many popular nursery rhymes involve counting? Kenschaft points out that favourites like "one-two, buckle my shoe" and "1-2-3-4-5, I caught a fish alive" teach kids to count to ten. I never met a kid who didn't like nursery rhymes; Kenschaft offers reams of useful advice on how to kindle that spark and keep it alive.

As an aside, a really good companion volume to this one would be Sarah Flannery's "In Code - a (young woman's) mathematical journey".

If you have concerns about the ... math acheivements in our country you must read this book and take action. If you have kids you will learn that they depend on you to teach them in ways that their teachers may not even be capable or prepared to do.

Math is usually taught in such a way that it actually discourages kids from liking it, feeling competent in it or wanting to pursue it.

While the primamry focus of the book is Math, its principles apply to all branches of education and learning. Learn that there are pitfalls to standardized testing and minimal competency standards.

The book includes practical advice for parents on how to encourage their children to hone their math skills and encourage their analytical skills since their teachers may not be equipped to meet children at their level in order to fully communicate and cover a subject in depth.

Seems that many teachers are not prepared to teach math in successful ways. We must put the focus and resources into preparing teachers in order to acheive the kind of results we want from their students.

You've probably heard that youngsters who are anxious about math also do poorly in math. A lot of folks thought this was just because students with limited ability appropriately worried about the subject. Not so!

Just the other day I clipped a short piece that described a scientific study demonstrating that this "math anxiety" itself gets in the way of doing the math. The chicken that comes before this egg is not low ability but high anxiety. Finding ways to lessen that math anxiety can improve math achievement.

As a parent and as a math teacher this is important news. Many parents have worried about how they could help their children with math that is often very different from when they were kids. These studies tell us that we'd do better to try to find ways to turn a math "phobic" home into a "Math Power" place. Patricia Kenschaft's book is a wonderful blueprint for such a home 'remodeling' project.

The significant subtitle of this book is:

"How to Help Your Child Love Math, Even If You Don't."

There, as Shakespeare said, lies the rub. After all, most parents bring those same childhood math anxieties right up into their adult lives, right to the dinner (or homework) table. What Kenschaft does is to show you a wide variety of ways, starting even in pre-school, that you and your child can explore math in wholly new forms. You don't have to memorize the rules for fraction division all over again; you just need to find new ways of looking at math.

This book does the best job I have seen of describing the failings of the "old school" approach to math. It has an entire section entitled "Why so many children are damaged" including chapters entitled "How drill and kill cripples U.S. Math education" and "What every parent should know about testing and grading." (My only critique of the book is that this section is placed near the end of the book - you might read it first if you think that going back to the good ole days is the sort of change we need).

The book emphasizes the math of children up to about age 10 or 11, wrapping up with a chapter called "The Fifth Grade Crisis." I had never seen this term used before. But as a 6th grade teacher I believe she has captured an important soft spot in our math education system. Although the ups and downs of kids' math in school all sum up over many years, some important cognitive shifts take place as they open the door into adolescence. Fifth and sixth grades are often the place where they "decide" they are "no good" at math... decide they "can't do it". Kenschaft shows how much of that decision is just a reaction to some truly damaging practices in schools.

Kenschaft also encourages you to take a new view of your role in the school - beyond bakesales! She provides practical advice for you to become a school-math activist without being antagonistic. A chapter entitled "Getting along with your child's teachers" is full of good, practical advice. She concludes with a whole section about change entitled "Tweaking the Machine". Finally there are useful appendices and a great bibliography.

This book is especially powerful because it weaves the very personal with the broadly 'political'. Its combination of practical advice with broad policy discussions is unique. If you are a parent wondering how to approach the troubling questions surrounding your child's school math program, at both levels, this book will give you lots to think about.

Excellent information on how chemicals in every day things are harming us. The authors also list alternative products to use, and at the end of each section the authors give resources on where to get them. Basically its a book on how to live an organic lifestyle, which is much more healthier.

Its filled with information I never knew before, very very informative, and very much worth the money. I'm glad that I bought this book.

I found this text to be a totally informative and intelligent read. I am constantly using it as a reference book. It outlines organic living for the garden, family and home. Wonderful antedotes and tips on living an organic lifestyle in the everyday world grace the pages. Clear and concise writing together with inspiring photographs make this a great and colourful resouce.

If you have ever wondered why some of your friends are vegetarian, and why this movement is growing so fast, or why people recyle, etc. this is a great place to find the answers. A very inviting reading on why these things are important, how you can get involved-and might I add-feel "normal" about it. Toss off keeping up with the spending habits and overconsumerism of your friends, and get back to the basics...eatting meat without hormones or antibiotics added; recycling, and taking responsibility for yourself and the planet. If you don't, who will?

For anyone who struggled to understand why the nephron concentrates, then dilutes, then concentrates again the urine, this book will do much to ease your pain. Since medical school I've purchased Editions 1, 3, & 5, just so that I could keep up with my interns & residents. Here's how he does it:
#1: short book, (you know how intimidating those tomes can be)
#2: lots of diagrams
#3: end-of-chapter questions (with answers & explanations)

If you want to understand the Kidney, no matter where you are in your studies or practice, I wholeheartedly recommend this text.

Renal physiology can be very difficult to truly understand, and yet an understanding of it is essential to understanding so many aspects of physiology, pathology, and pharmacology. Studying diuretics for cardio pharm is nightmarish unless you understand the physiology of the loop of Henle. Vander takes this difficult yet important subject and makes it easy to understand. The book reads extremely quickly, and the flow-charts and diagrams are amazing. I never even opened Berne & Levy for renal phys--I read Vander's book (which is no longer than B&L's renal chapters) and cruised through renal phys. I am writing this review now, a year after I took physiology, because I am now studying for the USMLE Step 1. I have not looked at Vander's book in a year, but I still remember renal phys, and reviewing it now is the easiest part of my studying (the only easy part, in fact). That is because, thanks to Vander, I actually understand renal physiology. A great book!!

For any medical student that needs a comprehensive, but easily understood explanation of the structure and function of kidneys, I highly recommend Renal Physiology by Vander. It is very well written, and covers all the basic principles that you will need to know to understand pathologies associated with the kidneys.

On The Trail Of Elder Brother presents a collection of 16 stories retold by two Micmac authors. This is a magical universe peopled with witches and magicians, man-eating moose, whales, birds and more. Every tale has moral and aesthetic purpose as well as prophetic or holy meanings. These tales will be enjoyed by children to whom they will always be new. They also remain a treasured resource to adults.

The authors are direct descendants of the Micmac Indian nation and have assembled sixteen oral history tales which reflect the Micmac heritage and belief systems. On the Trail of Elder Brother is a rare glimpse of Micmac tribal values and a recommended pick for any avid student of Native American history and culture.

I can be counted in the number of those who learned to fear and hate Math from the deep of their hearts. I read this book six months ago and I come back to it again and again ever since. It's first class literature, too. All I have to say is 'more from Tahan, please!'

The math is everywhere , this is a great book to read , it's easy to follow the math he uses in order to solve others problems , they are very impresive

You've got to read it! You're gonna love it, I can assure! This book made me start loving Math. It really shows how Math can be beautiful. Now I've been a Math books worm since the day I started reading it.

I'd call this a fictionalized memoir, allowing the author to take some liberties with her characters. The lives of the author, Commander Coye, and her lead character, Tucker Fairfield, seem to run in parallel. The inclusion of letters from friends and family brings out many political perspectives about the navy and in some degree the rest of the military, adding greatly to the read. Though many readers will have diverse opinions about the various issues raised, Coye is to be admired regarding the way these issues are handled. Those of us who were in the navy during those years can truthfully disagree with few of the author's conclusions. Women were second class personnel, very limited in their careers. Things are better today and career paths are much more open. Military gays and lesbians were, and still are, open to blackmail, not because of their military performance, but because of policy. Yet today the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is, as Tucker says, a wrong headed one-I firmly believe it's an ostrich approach to a fact of life. Gays and lesbians can and do honorably serve their country, so why this unpolicy hanging over their heads daily? Commander Coye has done a masterful job creating a book that should be required reading for any young person going into the military. Young women can see that the past wasn't roses and young men can learn why new policies concerning equality in the ranks are in place. I would strongly recommend this book. In plain terms, It's a Damn Good Read! Tom Williams, Chief Warrant Officer, U.S.Navy, Retired

My Navy Too shows you the other side of the coin about women, minorities, gays and lesbians in the military. We've all read the headlines and have heard the rhetoric and the political statements. Here, in the words of Tucker Fairfield, we are shown how she experiences the military from a woman's viewpoint. The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy "don't" address the problem! This novel shares the pain, frustration, joy, and ambition of a woman who wanted to make the navy her career. A good read, this book is hard to put down...and you will not read it without seriously thinking about preconceived notions and beliefs. A novel that needed to be written for our time.

"Commander Coye's message is aimed at the US Navy, but her story could easily be set in a corporate boardroom or in the upper hierarchy of a religious denomination. Coye reminds us that some still see the Earth as flat and the center of the universe, but we must see facts for what they are, and when antiquated values and injustice become apparent, proper remedies must follow...Yet for females and minorities, social justice continues to be steeped in white male hypocrisy. One of the strengths of this book is its objectivity, clearly recognizing the Navy's point of view through the eyes of CDR Tucker Fairfield's mentor and even those of RADM Fairfield, her father...a display of fairness, by the way, not granted to Tucker. "My Navy Too" is a sensitive and well written book enabling the reader to observe the pain of an exceptional officer competing to be all she could be, but with one hand tied behind her back. Finally, there are many ways to enjoy a book, but I think the most telling is when the reader experiences the author's feelings; there were many passages when I felt anger and frustration (and joy). Richard Boich, former U.S. Army officer and retired banker.

This is a great book it took me a week to find a copy but I found one. I wait eagrly for the revised edition to come out.

I just recently found out about this book. I want it because I love these books and am collecting everyone that comes out. I was looking to find more info on Weetamoo& came across an interesting site. It was a site for like Dear America Upcoming Books and Spoilers. There was a section in it for the Royal Diares Series and one of the upcoming books to look foward to is Catherine the Great, by Kristiana Gregory(should come out in 2004). Other than the long wait, it's something any Royal Diaries fan will want to read when it's out. Well just to let ya know. Bye!

To everyone that cannot find a copy of this book or wnats to find a copy of it--don't worry. Weetamoo was published in June of 2001 but was very rare to find and less than a month after it was published, all copies of the book were taken back to Scholastic, Inc. to be revised and edited. Weetamoo has been re-written and edited and will be published by this fall according to Carolyn Meyer--another Royal Diaries author who is friends with Patricia Clark Smith.

The ethereal infrared photography meshed with the insightful narrative is fascinating, not only for the art but for the history of New Orleans. As a genealogist, I am no stranger to learning from the dead. This book, however, teaches about a culture far removed from my North Carolina Scottish roots.

This is one of the best examples I've seen that shows what the adolescents actually think, instead of some overqualified person analyzing what they "think" the students think. This was a good study that looked at several different types of schools, and got to the route of the problems that each of these schools face. It's very easy to read and I found myself unable to put the book down. Good job!!

I worked in all the area covered in the book produced by The Discovery Writers, even building a home just north of Lolo. Because of this familiarity I was more than a little excited waiting for this book from The Discovery Writers. I was not disappointed.

This valley is, or at least was, one of the most beautiful in beautiful western Montana. As presented by the above writers as well as Bernard DeVoto it didn't, however, appear that way to the Corps of Discovery.

Of credit due The Discovery Writers the most must be for their intensive and extensive efforts in bringing together the works of so many different sources of information regarding the expeditions travel through the Bitterroot.

Of additional interest is the differences of opinion as to what was said when, where and by whom. The above from The Discovery Writers work, and a quick perusal of Devoto's Down the Lolo Trail in The Journals Of Lewis and Clark

The Editor's note regarding the viewpoint of, and the information taken from, the native people was well taken. GOOD FOR THEM.

The detail work as shown in Chapter Three - Members Of The Expedition - shows their dedication to detail GOOD FOR THEM.

The time taken from their busy lives and the effort needed to complete this work to me appears mind-boggling GOOD FOR THEM

All told a good piece of work.