Although I don't teach Letter of the Week, I still use a LOT of fun activities for individual letters throughout the year. The main difference between the old Letter of the Week approach and what I'm doing in my room is twofold:

1. I do every letter every day, as opposed to waiting weeks into the school year to "teach" individual letters.

2. My teaching is planned around thematic units, instead of around the letters of the alphabet.

I'm always looking for new activities that will help my students learn the letters and sounds, and build on prior knowledge. "Irresistable ABC's" has more than 50 fun, multi-sensory activities that incorporate all the learning styles found in most classrooms, and present alphabet knowledge and phonemic awareness/phonics activities using many of the "other" important tools we are teaching our students, including Graphing and Visual Organizers, making Big Books and Little Books, Shared Writing and Language Experience activities, working with names activities, and dozens more.

Many of the activities are extensions for familiar literature you're already using, like "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" and "26 Letters and 99 Cents."

Novelli collected the activities from teachers around the country and has a nice balance of activities suitable to pre-K through 2nd grade classrooms. This is a book I think most teachers will enjoy, filled with activities to build on prior knowledge and to complement whatever reading and writing programs you're already using in your classrooms.

If you are an early childhoold educator this is a must have book! Irresistable A,B,Cs provides the teacher with meaningful hands on activities for each letter of the alphabet. Your students will love the fun activities and they will know their letters and sounds in no time!!

This book is a must have resource for any early childhood teacher! This book provides the teacher with many hands on activities to make learning the letters and sounds a fun and meaningful learning experience. Order it today, you will be so glad that you did!

In Past To Present, photographer Joan Almond has documented village life in Moslem desert communities for over twenty-five years: her travels and discoveries are documented in a work that shares her photos and many cultural insights. The photos are presented as full-page images unsullied by description; the text resides in the front for a fine introduction of Almond's efforts.

Enhanced with a brief but informative introduction by Karen Sinsheimer and Roberto Tejada's insightful essay, Joan Almond: The Past In The Present showcases an amazing and impressive photographic journey by documentary photographer Joan Almond through the Islamic desert communities of North Africa, Egypt, and the Middle East in a outstanding anthology of images featuring ordinary village people and daily life in a profound black-and-white photography that fully captures the spirit of a land and its people. Brief thoughts and a short essay or two are interspersed between the lengthy sections of captivating photographs. An extraordinary look at the human culture and the daily quest to survive and prosper, Joan Almond: The Past In The Present is a very highly recommended and enduring contribution to personal, professional, and academic collections.

Almond has spent over 25 years photographing the life of Muslem people in Third World settings, following their rituals, religion, and personal lives. Almond Eyed: Past In Present presents location shots of these groups, displaying a set of images which have almost vanished from the world. From faces to architectural wonders, this packs in fine coverage.

Haunting, beautiful melodies..Timeless tunes the likes of "Jackaroe" & "Fenerio" make this a treasure.. the only thing missing is Joans' perfect voice!

This book is filled with classic folk songs/ballads/hymns/lullabies, etc. that shouldn't be forgotten. They're songs for adults and children alike that have formed the roots of many current songs and stories.

Easy to play, impossible to forget. Everyone who plays guitar or is learning to play needs this book.

This book is about a boy named Jousha who loses his father and has to quit school and work. While he was looking for a job he ran into a boy named Charleston Charlie who works for the BOSTON TRAVELER. Charlie asked Josh to join and it was very competitive since they met.

Joshua's Song is an awesome combination of beautiful writing, fascinating historical information, and a suspensful story that will keep the reader turning the pages right up until the breath-taking ending. The characters are all well-drawn and believable, the plot is exciting, and the historical accuracy is impeccable. Youngsters will love this book, and even adults will find themselves caught up in Joshua's life.

I just finished reading Joshua's Song and loved it. It is touching and beautiful. It shows vividly a time in history when things were bad - the influenza epidemic, poverty, etc. What I liked most about the story is the fact that Joshua overcomes his hardships and there's a hopeful ending. I think kids today who are suddenly thrown into dangerous times since 9/11, need to know that dangerous times have occurred in the past, and kids, like Joshua and Charlie, have survived and come out winners. I like stories with endings of hope. Even though people die in this story, there's a sense of hopefulness at the end. I'm tired of horrific "realistic" endings. I like to feel good when I finish a book, and I definitely felt good after reading JOSHUA'S SONG.

I LOVED this book! I just wish that it didn't end without anything about her little sisters. For me, it ended too abruptly.

this book was fab!! i nearly fell in love w/tim!! he was so awesome...but her dad was a joke...i mean how horrible was he to promise never to drink another drop and go out to Casey's he pisses me off! but then he was sweet in his own way...it was soooo good!! everyone...maybe every girl...should read this book!! i give it a 5* rating

This book was my second favorite out of the series. It's with sadness, adventure, and romance. I recommened this book to anybody who likes historical fiction.

... Long before [my daughter] was born I discovered the wonderful books by the two Swedish women Lena Anderson and Christina Bjørk. They have made several books together, one of them is Linneas Almanac.

Linnea is a little girl we meet in several of their books, and in this one we follow her for a year, taking part in all her garden activities. There are 12 chapters in the book, one for each month. And in the first one, January, we meet her feeding the winter birds. We also get to know her best friend, an old man named Blomkvist. We already know both Linnea and Blomkvist quite well, visiting Monet's Garden together with them.(Another book by the same women)

In February Linnea shows us what is happening under the snow during the winter months, in March we can start planting, and then every months comes and goes, each with a new activity.

The paintings are simple, charming and filled with life. Linnea is a girl easy to love, and it is easy to follow her activities following the text and the illustrations. We use this book all year round, and discover old and new treasures every year...

Linnea is delightful and fun and exhuberant. She has energy and zest for life that is wonderfully contagious. Her almanac introduces the calendar year through the exploration of nature. Her happy, enchanting, written voice is a motivator for children like no other. This is a book for learning and loving life and nature --- again and again and again. I never tire of Linnea; her appeal is universal. The only thing that would be better is if she was a real person!

Linnea is a delightful young lady that finds gardening, nature and life in general interesting and waiting to be explored. She takes the reader young and old alike on a wonderful exploration of nature each month. Her story telling puts the reader in the mood to try the activities she discribes, while providing information and facts for use in the future. The illustrations put the reader into the story and show the finished product of the monthly activity.

I use Linnea's Almanac to introduce each month to my special education students, kindergarden to third grade and they love her. Linnea's adventues have peeked their interest in nature. They have put this interest to use by creating a Garden Learning Center just outside our classroom window, to share with the rest of the school.

Linnea's Window Garden and Monet's Garden in Giveny are also favorites and are used in the classroom. Working with plants and seed was fun after reading about the window garden and Monet has become a familiar artist to the students after reading about Linnea's visit to his garden.

Linnea's books make wonderful gifts for all ages young and old. I would suggest starting with Linnea's Almanac. It introduces the reader to Linnea in such a way that she is an instant friend. Plus, the illustrations are interesting and discriptive even for the non-reader. I have been Linnea's friend for almost five years and enjoy rereading about her again and again.

I am one of those fortunate souls who received the book as a gift from reviewer John Stone about eight years ago. Imagine my delight when finding his words here as I contemplated buying the Loaf and Ladle Cookbook as Christmas gifts for several friends. He's right, it's wonderful - a classic of simplicity and a trusted friend. What fun to find Martha's Company Casserole, which I received from my sister in our 1960s newlywed days and thought was a treasured family recipe from her in-laws. Here it is called Bob's Casserole, but it has stood the test of time. And who but Joan Harlow could inspire me to combine apples and cabbage for an Apple Slaw that has been the hit of numerous potlucks?
I heartily recommend this book for all cooks, whether skilled or rank beginners.

An easy to follow book of bread, soup and casserole recipes. Many useable recipes. I have been to the restaurant several times and would go more often if it were closer to home. I was suprised to see that they don't sell the book in the restaurant.

I went to prep school in the town that this restaurant "lives in" - and live, it does. I've given this book to many people - having eaten there every Saturday from age 14 to 18, and having loved the food. Whenever I get back there, I go there, and always get Joan's hearty and yummy food. These recipes are easy to execute for someone who's not the most professional of chefs, and never fail to taste good. I love any cookbook that's not afraid to call for Real-lemon - when that will do just fine..... or, one that starts a recipe out with "catch a good fish". The soups are wonderful and easy - and the breads are also great - I use a bread machine to knead the dough, raise the bread and then bake it in pans or free form....comes out wonderfully. Stews, soups and breads - what more could one want? A big test of how well I like a cookbook is how many stains it has on the pages (lots) and how many people I've shared it with/given it to (also lots).

even though the heroine is remarkably self-centered! I read this book, and promptly re-read it; it was that good. The basic plot has been outlined by other reviewers. What made this work for me was

1) seeing the characters grow up, fall in love, mature, and resolve their difficulties. I don't usually like childhood sweetheart stories, but this was fantastic.

2) the remarkable hero and heroine. Yes, Jane is sometimes headstrong and almost always self-centered. But you can really feel her love for David, even as she herself realizes it. And the hero? Well, a gorgeous man is always fun to read about, especially when he is not conceited about it. Joan Wolf is also shrewd in that she portrays David having an affair with a married woman; he is not perfect, but he doesn't want Jane to know about it.

3) the stunning authenticity. I am not a horse person, but I felt that I was there in the stables, on the training grounds, and at the races. The same thing with the London season. And Wolf's awareness of the tremendous obstacles between hero and heroine is realistic, as is the initial solution planned for the couple. [This book, I should warn, has some surprises about people].

Find this book, if you can, and read it please. Actually, I would recommend nearly all of Wolf's earlier novels. She packs so much into a thin little Signet Regency, it is simply unbelievable. In terms of intensity of feeling, she reminds me of Carla Kelly, Mary Jo Putney (who writes longer books), and Mary Balogh. But her heroes are not usually angst-ridden, and the poignancy in Wolf's stories (if any) is well under control.

I just loved this book. I am completely amazed at what a captivating love story she could weave in a book length most authors could not do in a book twice it's size!

If you like strong heroines, you will love Jane as much as everyone does including her David and me. I've read hundreds of books but never read of a heroine that is stronger than Jane.

I also adore love stories about a H/H who are sure of themselves and Jane and David definitely fit that mold. There are no words to express how deeply this book affected me. I could easily put it at the top ten of all the books I've ever read. I could not put this book down once I started. If you can find a copy, get it. It took me months to find a very used copy.

Here's the basic story but it's the way Ms. Wolf draws the love story that is more breathtaking than anything else: Jane's parents die when she is six. By this time, she's into ponies and riding since her parents ignore her to hide their disappointment because she was born a female. When her father's title goes to her Uncle in England, she has to go to him too. She doesn't cry for her parents but she does for her pony since she's told she'd have to leave her pony when she leaves her Ireland for England.

Her Uncle gains her favor by giving her two ponies as a welcome gift. The ponies are cared for by a stablehand David who is a year older than Jane at seven.

Jane and David become inseperable. She has finally found someone who loves ponies as much as she.

The complications come once David reaches sexual maturity but Jane stays ignorant of everything but the few people she knows and of course, her horses. The class distinctions, Jane learning to ride astride and her being given a London Season are all woven just wonderfully by Ms. Wolf.

It's a wonderful book to lose yourself in. I know I will. Again and again.

Jane and David were raised together at the best racing Stud in regency England. They share their love of horses, racing and each other. It would be a perfect match, except Jane is an heiress and David is a horse trainer. Joan Wolf's masterful prose and characterization is evident from the first page to the last. Although the plot is simple, the characters keep this from being a run-of-the-mill regency. Jane, in particular, stands out among regency heroines. Instead of telling her readers how strong-minded Jane is, Wolf lets us see for ourselves.

A hugely captivating book, Dash conveys the wonderfully interesting and historically important tale with magnitude but truly gets the point across. For all you people that don't normally read non-fiction books, and to the people that do, I strongly suggest you read this book!

"The Longitude Prize," by Joan Dash, is a wonderful book for children, 9 to 12 years old, about the 18th century race for an accurate method of determining a ship's longitude. The author makes history come alive and explains how Britain's Parliament offered a prize of 20,000 pounds (equal to $12 million today) to anyone who found an accurate method of determining longitude at sea. As Mrs. Dash explains, the prize went unclaimed for fifty years. During that time, two competing systems arose for finding longitude; one was supported by scientists and astronomers, based on the movement of the moon. The other method was created by a village carpenter, John Harrison, using a seagoing clock. John Harrison was self-educated and had no formal credentials, so the Board of Longitude fought him "tooth and nail," when he offered his chronometer and claimed the prize. Mrs. Dash makes the race for the prize an exciting one. She shows the historical framework of shipwrecks, politics, voyages of exploration, and John Harrison's persistence against great odds, and (quoting the book jacket) "his lifelong struggle for recognition of a brilliant invention." My 10-year-old son loved this book!

I am informing you that your listing is incorrest: the book cannot be out of stock, because it is not yet printed: it is expected to be out in September 2000. This is not a review.

My five year old and my three year old love this book. I find it a lot of fun as well, and it gives me pleasure to watch my children get better and better at identifying the hidden pieces. We must have "read" it twenty times in the past two years. The material that the pictures are made from is more identifiable to children, and the scenes are ones that my children understand.

The CDROM isn't anything special. We played with it once or twice. It's the book that we keep coming back to.

My 4 yr old received this book as a gift, but my 9 yr old loved it just as much, as did I! The artist is amazingly creative, and most of the objects are familiar to my preschooler. I also ordered one for my 6 yr old nephew, for whom I never know what to buy. This would make a delightful, amusing gift for almost anyone, and it teaches children to look closer at what they see.

I purchased this book as a gift for my grandson, but my husband and I enjoyed it too! Wonderful gift for children of all ages.