As a sixth-grade Social Studies teacher I needed ways to integrate other subject areas into my curriculum. I came across this book while researching for a unit on Ancient Greece. The book has pictures that are vivid and exciting and follow young Eratosthenes throughout his life until the time in which he "measured the Earth" . My students will find its words complex enough to keep them interested but simplistic enough to follow along. This can be integrated well with math lessons dealing with angles and circumference. I found the book to be extremely enjoyable.

Over two thousands years ago a man named Eratosthenes figured out the circumference of the earth using a method that involved camels and light shining straight down into a well at midday. This "crude" method was off by less than 200 miles when compared to the most accurate measurements of today. Kathryn Lasky reports that while Eratosthenes wrote numerous volumes on geography, the constellations, history and comedy, he left behind no personal records of any kind. As a result, Lasky engages in trying to "responsibly imagine based on what we already know." Working from what we know about the time and places in which he lived, Lasky creates a compelling portrait of Eratosthenes as a child constantly asking questions who turns into a man interested in understanding so many things about the universe in which he lives that he was nicknamed Pentathlos, a reference to the athletes who competed in five different events in recognition of the fact Eratosthenes knew a lot about so many different things. It was after he was appointed the head librarian at the great library in Alexandria that Eratosthenes became consumed with the idea of determining the size of the earth. Lasky recreates the process by which the librarian determined his calculation, using the example of a grapefruit as the basis metaphor. Step by step she explains how the librarian determined the distance from Alexandria to Syene, a city in southern Egypt, despite the problem presented by camels.

Now, I have not had to sit in a math class since I was a freshman in high school and I took Life Through the Microscope and Ecology rather than have to dissect frogs in Biology, so math and science are not exactly my strong suits. But if I can understand how Eratosthenes arrived at his calculation then most school children in this country should be able to follow the idea as well. The illustrations by Kevin Hawkes perfectly compliment the text (I thought they were pastels but there are acrylics done on two-play museum board). Young readers will be captivated by the way Eratosthenes solved his problem and will learn about the educational system for young Greek boys that existed at that time. It should be easy for teachers and students to extend the example of Eratosthenes to any other famous scientist being studied in class from Galileo to Einstein. Even if young readers do not want to be scientists, or even librarians, after reading this book, I would not be surprised if they practice being bematists for a while (surveyors trained to walk with equal steps). In her afterword, Lasky explains how Columbus would have had smoother sailing on his voyage of discovery if he had relied more on the calculations of Eratosthenes. "The Librarian Who Measured the Earth" is an excellent mix of history and science, served up with some reasonable biographical speculations.

As a teacher, I've used this book for several years as a "read-aloud" in my sixth grade math classroom. I time it with my geometry units. It's a hit every time. The kids truly love it, and ask great follow-up questions. The book explains the math involved in finding the circumference of the earth 2000 years ago. The language and great illustrations make the math easy to understand. Since the students also read mythology in reading class, it's a perfect cross-curricululm connection. In the past two years, I've timed it to coincide with the "Read Across America" movement on March 2.

I read the book Island of the Aunts by Eva Ibbotson. It was fairly enjoyable though a bit boring in some parts. The story is about 3 aunts who live on a magical island, and are worried about what will happen to the creautres when they die, so they kidnap two children Minette and Fabio. The story then goes on to be about what happens when they come, and problems with the kidnapping. Girls and Boys ages 10 - 13.

I reviewed this book earlier, but I just reread it so I had to review it again.

1. This book looks impressing, but its really just because there are three books inside it. The pages are also thick, so its really not that bad.

2. You should get this book because it is very fresh and refreshing. It seems like you get more out of the book because there are three stories, so there are three plots, three expositions, three rising actions, three climaxes, and three resolutions.

3.Eva Ibbotson uses creative plots to get your attention. I was very surprised at the plots of the stories, but it was a pleasant surprise.

4. You REALLY should GET this BOOK!!!!!!!!

I DEFINETELY recommend this book to you!!!!!!!!!!

This book was really good! I was waiting for the next Harry Potter book to come out when I saw this book. I was really glad I got it. It wasn't just filler. I really liked the way Eva Ibbotson made a whole different world, but it still felt like that world might actually be there. In Island of the Aunts, she shows how important it is to conserve nature and it's wonders. She was able to give that message without being depressing, like other books sometimes are.

Talking With Artists volume.3

This book is pretty interesting. It is about artists who share what they like to draw and about their lives. They are asked questions such as, "Do you have any kids or pets?" The illustrators show some of pictures that they drew when they were children. They also show how the children illustrators got their inspiration to draw.

I liked this book because it was neat to see how good some of the kids are at drawing and then to see them draw as they are older. Also that was cool it showed how to draw pictures in the back of the book. I recommend this book to people who are just stating to draw and people that want to read an interesting book.

I got this book at the library for my children, but I think I enjoyed it as much as they did! (I plan to buy a copy of my own!) Instead of a cool, impersonal presentation of artists and their work, this book provides a refreshingly personal view. The artists talk about their childhoods, how they spend their days (the answers are fun & honest!), their families, and best of all, they give us peeks inside their studios. I don't know about you, but I love seeing inside of an artist's private workspace! It's like a glimpse inside his/her mind.
The styles of the artists are very diverse and they use many different techniques that kids and adults alike would like to try out. I highly recommend this book!

Being close to halloween I chose this book to read for enjoyment as well as a way to fulfill an assignment for a class I am taking. The book jacket told of a young English boy's journey as he tries to help some creepy and strange spirits find a new home after being evicted from their castle where they have spent the last 500 years. Along the way other ghosts, vampire bats and spooks help the young man on his way to Parliament to plead with the government to help the homeless spirits. The unusual array of characters really adds to the story.
I think the story has enough humor and "grossness" to keep young readers entertained. Humphrey the Horrible and his ghost family are an interesting bunch. His father, the Gliding Kilt, his mother,the Hag, his sister, Weeping Winifred, and his brother George, the Screaming Skull together make up the leaders of a band of residence challenged ghouls.
Besides being entertaining the story also has some serious yet subtle messages in it. Most of the ghosts are being misplaced because their old homes and haunts are being destroyed by progress. Old castles are being turned into hotels, haunted houses are being torn down to make subdivisions, and old barns are even being turned into bowling alleys. "Hard to haunt with all those bright lights and bowling balls making all that rachet!" says one ghost. This one underlying plot may make readers think about and form opinions about how progress affects our world.
I would recommend this book for young readers. While not being very scary at all it is entertaining and there may even be a few lessons to be learned.

This is the first book of Ibbotson's that I've read and I enjoyed it. It makes you laugh, makes you think, and makes you care. I think it's a great book for children mainly because it makes them think while having fun. There's enough 'gross'ness to say 'ughhhh!' and laugh, giggle and shows how we can DO something about the world around us if we really cared and tried to contribute positively to it.

It's a well-written book.

This book is one of the last Ibbotson's I read, but i loved it just the same. Parts of it may not be as wonderful as Which Witch? or Not Just A Witch, but it is a great book I would highly recommend it for relaxing fantasy literature. I also find it better in different ways than the other books. The characters seem more

Two very smart boys who like to study the solar system,Chuck and David,invite a man who likes everything for himself over to give a lecture to their space society.The man's name was Horatio.At the lecture Horatio over-hears David,Chuck,and Theo,a Mushroom man from the Mushroom Planet, talking about the space ship and when they are taking off.Horatio asks to stay the night so he can see what they were planning to do.He sneaks aboard the ship without anyone noticing him.Theo,David and Chuck find Horatio in the back of the space ship when they were half way to The Mushroom Planet,Basidium. When they reach,they begin to speak in Basidiumite language. They didnt remember how to speak english.Horatio takes notes about Basidium so he can prove his dicovery on earth. Horatio steals jewels from the Basidiumites to bring back proof.He did this so he can be famous on earth.Because the Basidiumites didn't want there land to be exposed the king,Ta gave Horatio The Drink Of Forgetfulness.Horatio goes back to earth and doesnt remember basidiumite language so his notes were useless.

Two kids my age who go to an invisible satellite of earth's, only 50000 miles away. The book started when there was this mysterious disappearing man. Theo, the disappearing man, is a bisadiamite, a relative of Tycho Bass. The day before they left to go to Bisadiam with Theo, this guy named Horatio (or Professor Peabody) came and gave a lecture. That night they left for the satellite and met Mr. Bass. Horatio ruined the cemetary. The humans were captured in the cemetary, but they eventually found a way out.

This book follows the wonderful story set down by Cameron in her first book of the series. As a science teacher, I am still captivated by the wonderful work and research that went into the book in light of the volume of space knowledge known at that time. A wonderful flight to worlds unseen where you can relax with well developed characters and charming guests as well. A book that will grab you by your imagination and never let go! Well worth the read, well worth a reasonable price to own the series. A book I look forward to reading again.
I would love to see the entire series reprinted in paperback in order to have extra copies of it.

Let me start out by saying that this book was written excellently, and yet, he kept the story very short and not too wordy. "I was a Rat" is a book about a rat that turns into a boy. it starts out withh the rat-boy, whos name is Roger, knocking on the door of this old couple. The couple ask who he is and where he is from, but all he says is that he was a rat. So the couple take him in for the night. Since the boy was a rat, he didn't know anything about being a boy. So the whole story portrays a rat becoming a human in a comical and exciting narrative. Thos book was very humorous, yet serious in it's own way. i loved this book. A great read.

Start off with an interesting mystery, then move into a series of ever more tragic adventures, and somehow--with a little love and luck--succeed in the end. This is the hallmark of a terrific children's story, which isn't just for children. The story is for the kids, but the subtext is for the adults. "I Was A Rat!" includes some interesting critique of tabloid media attention (bringing a classic fairy tale to the modern age), overreactions, and the testimony of "experts."
Pullman has a habit of telling great stories with "deeper" meaning, which is why he's so readable. Kids and adults alike should enjoy this.

"It's what he is that matters, not what he does." Or is it the other way around?

I just completed a one afternoon read of "I Was a Rat." Couldn't put it down. I had the same experience with the Harry Potter books.

Philip Pullman is a master of satire, adventure, and mystery. This sequel to Perrault's Cinderella story is as much an adult book as an intermediate grade-school book as listed. Some call it Dickensian because of the many twisted misadventures the amnesiac hero experience as he stumbles through the streets of English society. It's fun to gradually recognize the familiar "Cinderella" story unravel as the answer to the puzzle of rat-boy's origin. After the Princess solves the mystery, confesses her doubts about her life with the Prince, and proves to be kind to those in need, I saw a similarity to the life of Princess Diana. See if you feel the same.

A moral lesson or two or three can be explored and embraced if your experiences and psycho/social needs warrant them. Can we believe what we see and hear? Should we trust our

own perceptions or those of the press and politicians? Is inclusion a safe policy? Shouldn't those 'out of the norm' be put away for the safety of all? What about old habits and innate genetic predispositions? Can an individual given love and patient guidance choose to overcome antisocial behaviors? Should we follow our hearts? - after all, Cinderella (now that we know what really happened) and Princess Diana did and look what happened to them.

Most of all, of course, it's unique, fast moving and fun. A great book to read to kids from 7 to 107.

This was a delightful book that shares the importance of teddy bears in the lives of young children. It was an eye-opener for this reader, as I never realized that children might look at teddy bears so differently from the way I do and did as a child. I was concerned with the sibling treatment shared in this book, but this could be an area of discussion within a family or even a class.

The illustrations are good, but the story leaves little to be remembered. There is so little story to this story, that the illustrations are the only worthy feature.

It's about the giants who stole Lord Buckley, crowned him their king and took him to their home, where he was lonely, he sends a message to his home, where Sir Joshua comes to the rescue,etc., etc.,etc. The story reads like the preceding run-on sentence. Look to other books for childrens reading.