I hate math. Memories of trying to understand long division in fourth grade can still make me squirm. Algebra was a lost year of my life - I had no idea what the teacher was talking about. Wouldn't you just guess I'd end up with a son who could add two digit numbers in his head before he started kindergarten? (I'm over 40 and I still can't do it very well) He even thought it was fun to do so.

You can probably guess that the normal elementary school math curriculum did not thrill him. Fortunately, early on, his kindergarten teacher lent me her copy of this book, and suggested that it might help him get started on understanding some higher math concepts, while still being age appropriate. The words "higher math" were not exactly music to the ears of a math phobe like me. But within a couple of weeks, after trying out a few games, I was hooked, and bought my own copy.

During the time he was in elementary school, I think we did at least 3/4 of the activities in the book, not because I thought he should, but because he wanted to. And, to my enormous surprise, so did I. The games and activities in this book are so intriguing that even I began to develop a sense of what it must feel like to really love math. (And, amazingly enough, I even got a little better at basic arithmetic.) Several of the games were so much fun, they became obsessions. We played them day after day.

My younger child, who recently finished kindergarten, doesn't remotely share her brother's love of numbers, but this year I dug out my old copy of the book to see if it might get her more interested. Sure enough, it worked. The games of logic and the games designed to develop rapid mental arithmetic skills that so fascinated her brother don't really interest her. In fact, most of the book is still way beyond her skill level. But I've found quite a few games that are appropriate for a child still struggling to add and subtract single digit numbers. (She says they're more fun than the math games they play at school). And there are several activities (Tangrams, and Color Designs, for instance) that take advantage of her love of art to help her understand math better. At the end of kindergarten, my daughter told me that her favorite school subject was math. I have no doubt that her exposure to Family Math games had a lot to do with that. And I have no doubt that we'll be using this book more and more over the next few years.

This book is great for teaching kids math. We have used it at home and while traveling. Learning math has been fun for the whole family. The exercises are fantastic, the instructions clear and the learning stimulating for everyone.

We highly recommend you buy a copy and use it with your children.

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FAMILY MATH is one of the best resources for elementary mathematics! The activities are excellent as part of workshops designed to involve parents in the math education of their children; for homeschooling families; for use in classrooms; and for having fun with math in any setting.

You must get this book!

River of Memories: An Appalachian Boyhood by David L. Thompson is an excellent book for all people of all ages. It really allows the reader to understand the way everyday life was in Appalachia. It reminds us of the importance of family, friends, hard work, and God's influence. It brings out the best of a time that has passed, but will never be forgotten.

In order for us to truly understand ourselves, we must look to our heritage. As Mr. Thompson recalls to his readers the vivid memories of an Appalachian childhood, he entangles them with the warmth of a heritage that may someday be forgotten. This work will possibly answer many questions of future generations who may ask "what is Appalachia?"

Mr. Thompson's is a wonderful tale of a young man growing up in rural America. It tells of a wonderful childhood filled with loving memories in a time when a child was still allowed to be a child. It has both good and bad memories that add up to the formation of an interesting individual and family that anyone would enjoy getting to know. If everyone could only be so lucky as to know someone like this it would improve the world as a whole.

I really enjoyed this book. It was informative and innovative. I easily looked up problems and found the tools necessary to handle them. It was also easy reading in between the many other jobs one does as a parent!

I have read this book and found it to be a wonderful tool to help me raise my daughter Emma. The tools provided by Virginia have helped me be a better parent to my daughter and has helped our relationship be more loving in every way. I feel much more in control of every situation and I DON'T HAVE TO YELL EVERY TIME!!!!

Try it... you'll like it.

The late Miss Grace was the foremost authority on ancient wine jars, amphorae, and worked for many years at the Agora in Athens. This book is the result of years of experience and therefore gives the reader all the benefit of her wide knowledge. Nowhere else can one find such a succinct look at these very interesting jars. The pamphlet is particularly valuable for the non-expert who just wants to know which type of jar is which, how they were used and what they contained. Very well done!

My family really enjoyed playing the math games and doing the activities in this book. We had to put on our thinking caps and discover different math strategies. My kids loved the art in this book. There was also a lot of useful information on how much math my kids need to get into college.

The activities in this book are geared to children aged 5-8 years, with a few suitable for older children. Most can be performed with common household objects in ways that are enjoyable for children. Math can be viewed as a game rather than a chore. The availability of this book in Spanish will help reach a wider audience. I hope other books of this quality will also be made available to this country's large and rapidly growing Spanish-speaking population.

This is a classic text which presents a study of the structural forms and cultural patterns of the Japanese living in rural areas from the late feudal period to the 1960's. Particular emphasis is placed on agriculture, family life, village life, and the governmental forms of hamlet versus village. The chapter on the unchanging mentality of the Japanese farmer is very enlightening, and can be easily compared to similar attitudes of farmers throughout the world. This is a highly recommended and unfortunately out of print book which should be read by any and all students of Japanese culture and history.

To The Lighthouse was an ambitious, brave experiment in literature, a bold venture into stream-of-consciousness techniques and profound themes relating to the fundamental differences between the sexes. It deserves to be recognized as an important contribution to 20th century fiction. Alas, that does not mean that it deserves to be read. It was far too tedious, and relied to a great extent on style and literary technique to drive it forward. And while I rarely go searching for "an easy read," nor do I seek out plot-driven novels, this book was simply too far towards the opposite extremes to be enjoyable.

The most highly regarded of Virginia Woolf's many books, To The Lighthouse focuses on the Ramseys, a British family in the 1910s and their interactions with family friends at their vacation home in Scotland. I wish I could say more about the plot, but frankly, not much happens. Oh, sorry, they keep talking about sailing out to the Lighthouse (and eventually they do, even). But this book is not about plot. It is about the emotional and philosophical ruminations of Woolf's characters, none of whom is particularly sympathetic or engrossing. Woolf juxtaposes the rational, abrasive Mr. Ramsay with the pleasant, introspective Mrs. Ramsay in an attempt to make profound statements about the differences between men and women. Woven into this central issue are the themes of love and art. Perhaps this book was revolutionary when it was first written, but can it appropriately be considered timeless? Given its limited appeal to even the most avid, intelligent readers of today, I think the answer is 'no.'

Virginia Woolf wrote this book in 1927. It must have been courageous for her do so at the time as it's all stream of consciousness and she lets the reader get a glimpse inside her thought processes. The very slight plot focuses on a vacationing British family and their guests and there's a constant interior monologue about every little thing.

The first part, entitled "The Window" is by far the largest section of the book and the reader has to plow though a complex web of the author's thoughts as she focuses on one detail after another using all her senses. True, she's a gifted writer and deeply explores the relationships between men and women, focusing mainly on Mrs. Ramsay, the matriarch of the family. It's as if everything is in the background and the only thing in the foreground is what she has in her head.

The second part, entitled "Time Passes" is perhaps the strongest part of the book. It focuses on an empty house and its details of decay over a ten year period. It is masterfully done.

The third part, entitled "The Lighthouse" is about the remaining members of the family, who come back to the house in order to take a trip to the lighthouse which has been postponed for ten years. It's all very symbolic and the reader is left to draw his or her own conclusions about the meaning of it all.

This is the only Virginia Woolf book I've ever read and although I can appreciate the skill of the author, I'm not interested in reading any more of her works and can recommend this book only for fans of hers as well as those with a curiosity about her writing.

Art of such consequence as this makes demands on its audience, but the return is colossal. This is an extraordinary book. It is at least as much poem as tale, as much music as prose. It will certainly change your idea about limitations of expression. For readers who require signposts of plot to trigger their perception of information, and who don't find it easy to appreciate the subtle flavours of words, be warned: you will need to depend very heavily on your inner ear, to allow some of the more exquisite sensations of language to wash in of their own accord. (Other reviewers have hinted here at the role of reading skills in our understanding.) It is possible though, by such openess, to develop a reliable method of perceiving and pulling ideas which is not at all the way we are so used to guzzling and then spitting them out, in our late 20th century consumerist addiction to news media sensation. A good book makes you want to write and speak, to learn how language can serve you. Woolf gently turns the relationship between events in time and the play of human feeling on its head in the search for universal truth. I read it the first go in two or three bites because it's flavours are so rich and I did not want to miss anything by failing to savour them properly. I'll always revisit it to learn and feel more and to be enriched further. This is not an Oprah book.

This was one of the worst guide books I have seen. If you've never been to the New do not buy this book. The driving directions to each crag, if there, were horrible. I have never been been so confused going to a new area, while using this book. Good luck trying to find the climbs, it's all backwards. ...

thompson's book has long winded verbal descriptions but the maps and layout make it extremely difficult to use. He also neglected to put in Summersville Lake, one of the best sport climbing areas in the east. Steve Cater's New River Gorge Rock Climbers' Guidebook is definitely the book to buy it is also less expensive and is easier to use and includes Summersville Lake.

By far the most comprehensive and user friendly climbing guide for the NRG. This guide includes history,route length,and first ascent information. In addition to,being a great guide the history makes a good read. Keep in mind this book does not cover Summserville Lake,but then again it doesn't claim to. For that pick up Cater's guide or Mcray's sport climbing guide.

I hate you and your bloody book! Because of you my lad failed the 7th grade entrance exam, for homeschoolers-to-middleschoolers. The only section he didn't pass with flying colours was the math section. In fact he didn't pass it at all, and the teacher said it was because he wasn't prepared well enough. Had I done what I had wanted to in the first place which was buy his bloody books all from Harcourt-Brace, me young lad would be in 8th grade this year not bloody 7th. I would like to close this by saying,"Thank's a million." and I hope you go to heavan