This book provides so many excellent ideas about doing art processes with my 3 year old son. There are so many art activities in this book. Art is no longer about waiting for him to pick up the crayons and draw. We go out to explore art together. We have lots of fun because of this book. It is the best preschool art book I've ever seen. I love it and recommend it!

Would you like to bring happiness and creativity and brain development and fun, all rolled into one big wonderful ball of exploration, into your child's life? Drawing is a good place to start. Research says that children who draw on a regular basis do better in reading and math than those who do not draw. All you need is blank paper and a crayon or pencil. Seriously. That's all you need! But if you would like to offer your child even more, check out the drawing ideas in this book. Chalk, crayon, pen, markers, fingers, and more.... One of my favorite ideas is to trace around a cut out stencil shape (maybe a circle, a leaf, a heart, a cloud, triangle, anything!) with chalk, and continuing to hold the stencil in place, brush the chalk line with a tissue. Then remove the stencil. You will see a magical "burst" of soft color. You can also trace "inside" the stencil, brushing the chalk lines "into" the shape with a tissue. Remove the stencil and see a three-D balloon-like shape. Kids love this!! Thank you for caring about creativity, and it's fun anyway, isn't it? from, MaryAnn F. Kohl, maryann@brightring.com, ... Visit my website for some free sample art ideas from any and all of my books.

As a reading teacher I found this book to be very helpful in teaching strategies such as comprehension, vocabulary, fluency. . . BUT I think that this book is MUCH more VALUABLE to a content teacher. It shows you how to introduce reading skills for text books. Often, content teachers do not know why a student isn't succeeding in his/her class. Often it is because the student cannot read the text book. This book will show you how to introduce strategies so that your students will do well in your class! This is for ALL secondary teachers!

How do you help students read and comprehend the extensive content presented in text books? Buy this book!! The authors have compiled an outstanding collection of research-based strategies organized in a clear, straightforward format. You'll find useful strategies for teaching Math, Science, Social Studies, and English using content area examples, technology links and tips, and reproducible classroom resources. Chapters include student lessons on: Building Vocabulary, Comprehending Text, Supporting Struggling Readers, Reading Critically, Study Skills, Test Preparation, and Conducting Research. This book was designed as a practical textbook for teachers that could actually be used in the classroom after the class was over. It is a rare combination of simplicity and depth. Reading & Learning Strategies will be extremely helpful for new teachers, experienced teachers, and even for parents who are home schooling or assisting their child with difficult content material.

This book has detailed step by step instructions for beautiful and unique walls and finishes. The pictures accompanying each step make it extremely easy to follow.

My husband and I followed Ms. Davis' directions to create a beautiful new texture for our bathroom walls. When people come to visit they are "wowed" by the unique look we were able to achieve. We are planning to do a second bathroom, following her tips, to achieve a different look than the first.

I highly recommend this book.

I think kids love clay and dough more than any other art medium ... and this book gives you ideas for making your own recipes with the kids, and then exploring how the doughs/mixtures react, and also making things!! The book also has some other sculpture projects thatkids love and are excellent for birthday parties or classrooms alike. These are some of my favorite ideas of all!! I hope you will enjoy them too.

MaryAnn F. Kohl

MY NAME IS PORTIA MCDONALD. I AM DOING MY TERM PAPER ON BLACK INVENTORS WHO NEVER GOT CREDIT FOR THEIR WORK. IT IS VERY HARD TO FIND INFORMATION ON THIS SUBJECT. I WAS WONDERING COULD YOU PLEASE SEND ME SOME INFORMATION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I LIVED AT 717 N. 1ST AVE. LAUREL, MS 39440.

July seems a weird time to be reading about Christmas trees, but I recently stumbled upon this delightful book...and why not? Its Christmas lore is entertaining, and the photographs of splendidly decorated trees - at Newport mansions, European hotels, Iowa farmhouses, and the White House - are captivating. Some sections seem meant for families to read together at the holiday season. Others constitute a well-researched reference guide to the history of Christmas trees and the Christmas tree industry. The Wonderful World of Christmas Trees would make a fine hostess gift.

It is said that no loss in life affects us as deeply and profoundly as that which we experience when a child of ours dies. Whether the child is a 6-week-old embryo, a 39-week-old fetus, or a grown adult, the mother or father in us feels a sadness that is hard to understand, describe, or come to terms with. Making the decision to try again can be courageous, impetuous, desperate--and a supreme physical and emotional sacrifice. This book can help make the decision informed.

Many books are available for people who are pregnant, who want to get pregnant, or who are grieving the loss of a baby. This book is different because it focuses on that fragile period between having lost a child and the decision to, and the act of, trying to become pregnant with another one. Instead of glossing over or whispering about death, this book faces this common experience head on, offering both compassion and practical information and advice about why this happens and how to go on from here. The personal accounts of the several women and men who went through miscarriage, stillbirth, and early infant death are especially helpful, because readers can understand that this experience is not uncommon--even though their emotional response to it may be unique.

I wish this book had been available when I lost my first baby at 12 weeks into the pregnancy. It would have helped me get through the five months of grief, anger, resentment, guilt, and shattered trust and self-confidence that followed. I plan to give copies of this book to friends, and I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to try again.

Having just lost a baby to stillbirth, I ordered this book in hopes to trying to conceive again. It is a reassuring book for those of us who have lost a baby and anxiously want to try again, but are nervous and scared. The author addresses all the fears you encounter in a subsequent pregnancy and also offers a lot of tangible information. I'd certainly recommend this book to a mother who has experienced a loss and wants to try again. Now, wish me luck in conceiving!

First, I must admit to a slight bias, as I was one of the bereaved parents, trying again, whom Ann Douglas interviewed for this book. Having eagerly awaited its publication, I can say that it is everything I was hoping to read and more.

Losing a child during pregnancy or shortly after birth is a tragedy that few people can imagine until they have had the unfortunate experience of living through it. Many people urge the bereaved couple to "try again" (as if that will make everything all better). They often do not realize how the loss of the previous pregnancy colours every facet of trying or being pregnant again.

As someone who has lived through the loss of a child and the birth of a subsequent baby -- as well as being a gifted writer on pregnancy and parenting issues -- Ann is uniquely qualified to explore every aspect of this largely unexplored subject. The book is thorough and presents lots of factual information, as well as the voices of bereaved parents who have made the courageous decision to try again to bring a living child home. For me, it was the stories and examples of these other bereaved parents that really "made" the book.

I would highly recommend this book for any bereaved parent struggling with the decision to try again or going through a subsequent pregnancy, as well as those in a position to provide support to these brave couples.

I was glad to see that this book was about Tituba and her life instead of just about the Salem Witch Trials. She had a life before and after that tragedy, and the author has made that life one that kept me interested until the end. I probably didn't need all the references to penises, but I did enjoy reading about a life so different from mine. I liked Tituba very much as presented by this author. I think Americans need to read more international literature for the exposure to other cultures, and this book is a good place to start. Even though she was from Barbardos, Tituba is a woman, and I share that bond with her. I liked the way she doubted, but never completely lost faith in her fellow human beings. I've been to Salem, and what the author says is true: Tituba as a real person has really been forgotten. This book reveals her, finally.

It wasn't a European Witch that started the Witch-hunts in Salem; in fact it was a young Barbados Voodoo Practitioner. And although Tituba was no Voodoo Queen such as Marie Laveau, Tituba's life was just as interesting. This is a good read.

I bought this book years ago at in the gift shop of The Witch Museum in Salem, MA. Never got around to reading it until now...I can't believe I waited so long! I've only started reading it, but the first 5 chapters alone have been superb. Highly recommended!

After being reunited with her birth parents in Nova Scotia and after saying a tearful goodbye to her Louisiana parents, Nicole has a yearning for more. She and Anne become close friends and Nicole loves her parents, but there is something calling to her, dividing her allegiance. Her Uncle Charles has asked for her to go to England and become his heir, and she considers doing just that. After prayer and consideration, she decides to leave.

England is a contrast to all she's ever known . . . its glitter and bustle are almost too much for her, and she feels useless among the rich trappings and servants.

Anne, meanwhile, is dealing with some devastating news. She decides to go to England. Anne adjusts more quickly to England than Nicole.

Nicole and her uncle have to make some hard decisions. . . .

I didn't find this book as exciting as the others in the series (especially Book 1, my favorite so far), but it is still interesting and integral to the series. The writing is still beautiful and thoughtful and this book is worth the read.

This book is great! It's been a while since I read the first two books in this series, and I was surprised that it was so easy for me to pick up right where they left off.

This is the story of Nicole's journey to England to take her place as the heir to her Uncle Charles. Her ideas of duty and responsibility, but also her need for change and to find her own place in the world are at the heart of the novel.

I don't want to give away too much of the plot--especially the surprise ending, but needless to say, this book will keep you charmed through the end--through all the heartache, sorrow and joy that comes through in colonial America.

This is my second favorite of the series, my very favorite being "The Meeting Place." Unlike "The Sacred Shore", the book preceding it, "The Birthright" brings out the character of Anne as well as that of Nicole, rather like "The Meeting Place" did with their moms, Catherine and Louise. I always felt that Anne is "short-changed" in the other books in the series, and am glad to see her getting more equal treatment here.

I really enjoyed this one, and learned a lot - for example, now that I know which short sleeved shirts don't look good on me, I can avoid buying them and feeling dumb each time I pull them out of my closet, try them on, and wrench them off. This alone will save me hundreds of dollars this year, I predict.

The section at the end of the book about organizing your closet is almost worth the price of the book. I feel like I've got permission to finally get rid of the things I never wear, but keep out of guilt.

The book has some flaws, however.

Despite the 2000 publishing date, it seems curiously outdated in some places. Does anyone still remember the knee-length knit vests that Bea Arthur wore as Maude, thirty years ago? Feldon apparently does.

It's like the low-rise bootcut pant was never invented, either. All the pants shown are high-waisted, pleated and straight (or worse, tapered!). It would be nice to be shown how to wear the new silhouette, which is everywhere, and is definitely a trend, not a fad. (Feldon tells us to buy the trend, and avoid the fad.)

Feldon also describes herself as a black-aholic. Most of us probably already have tons of black in our closets, and are possibly wondering how to phase color back into our lives now that the nineties are over.

I also agree with one of the other reviewers who found fault with the illustrations. The figures are all tiny, with grotesquely disportionate legs, (the legs look like they are three times as long as the bodies.) It's difficult to see how these mutants could possibly want to look any taller or thinner. Still, they do illustrate the clothing styles discussed in the text, even if they don't represent what those styles might look like on an actual human.

I would have liked it if Feldon had given some recommendations on what constitues a basic wardrobe, too, and how to build one that gives you something to wear for any occasion. For that reason alone, it will not be the only fashion book I will be purchasing this year.

These detractions don't spoil the book for me, however. Feldon gives advice for women with short-waists, long-waists (and tells you how to decide which one you are!), pear-shapes, large busts, and other variations and most of us will relate to at least one of these types, and can benefit from advice in this book.

As a short, sturdy person who is not overweight, but who has always had a hit-or-miss history of clothes-buying, I suddenly find myself looking forward to my next shopping trip. Finally, I know what to look for - and what to leave for my taller, younger, or thinner friends.

DOES THIS MAKE ME LOOK FAT? is written in a breezy self-help tone, and based on the premise that no matter what your shape or size, there are a few little golden fashion principles you can use to look elegant and sophisticated. Leah Feldon gives us a friendly, accessible book with lots of helpful tips. This book is punctuated by quotes from celebrities, as well as fashion-designer drawings.

Feldon maintains that even if we don't want to be judged by appearance, the fact is that we are. Instead of worrying about changing ourselves, Leah gives us what she has dubbed "Camoflage Chic" -- looking good while minimizing flaws. This is the basic premise of most "art of dressing" books, but Feldon's engaging style make it an easy and encouraging read.

Your husband wouldn't dare tell you. Your girlfriend might not either. But Leah Feldon will! Filled with refreshing anectodes and jammed with information, "Does This Make Me Look Fat" gives you all the information you need to make good fashion decisions! You can look slimmer, taller, more elegant and better proportioned. Leah explains what styles work best for different body types, colors that slim, optical illusions that add sleek elegance, selecting a bathing suit without angst and much more! Her section on accessories covers everything from shoes that make your feet look clunky to belts that pack pounds on your waistline! She even includes information on what to look for in a quality garment and how to wear your hair for best effects. But Leah goes beyond telling you what will look best she explains in great detail why it will look best. So when you go shopping you will know what to look for. Interspersed throughout the text are interesting quotes from celebrities like designer Isaac Mizrahi and actress Minnie Driver. I would like to have seen some actual photographs of clothing but the line drawings included are helpful. The book is informative and an enjoyable read. I recommend it. But if you read the book and are still not sure if a garment makes you look fat just ask your mother!