I gave this book 3 stars because it is average. It isn't a rotten resource, but it isn't one of the best I've seen either.

I suppose if you aren't planning on homeschooling and are looking for ideas on how to help get your pre-schooler ready to learn in school and want to maximize what little time you may be able to spend with your child, this book would be good for you. If you homeschool, you may find this book a ho-hum resource.

It is redundant considering what we have already been learning as part of a well-rounded curriculum in our homeschool. The book suggests things most homeschool families already do-- they already read stories together, try to memorize worthwhile poems, talk WITH children (not AT), cook together, shop together, look for opportunities to learn together, etc.

The activities this book suggests that WOULDN'T be routine family activities for a homeschool family WOULD be covered in homeschool/preschool during readiness games, lessons and workbooks, pre-school math, etc. They would also be more thoroughly done in that medium, with less work on behalf of the parent-teacher.

One last note: I found the stories at the beginning a little too rough to share with my pre-schooler. I feel some fables/stories will never be worthwhile to share with that age, no matter how long they have been around. (How do you read a story ending with most of the characters having their head snapped off by a fox to a 3.5 year old? I know I don't want to be up with a child having nightmares, and don't want to see the child acting it out in make believe play, so why bother with those things when there are so many other wonderful stories available?)

I will be returning this book, knowing I'm not going to take the time to dig it out and flip through it for the handful of ideas that may be useful to our homeschool.

I think for people who are just making the switch to homeschooling or want ideas for things to do with their young children, this book will do just fine. For people who are looking for a real curriculum (as this book claims to be for the younger set), remember you get what you pay for, and 8$ for a year's curriculum probably will not be what you are hoping it will be. You will find a better bang for your buck with other sources.

This manual can be used for the entire family. The author's give real-life examples and, thus, make learning fun. For example, when one is introducing someone, my children dressed as an older person, a dad and mother. They would then practice introducing several people in orderof importance. I.E. older people first, ladies and then men. The author's suggested doing this as a way to add fun to the practice. A second example, is practicing prepositions. In this activity, the author suggested making a circle on the floor with a jumping rope. Then using commands with prepositions. For example, I told my children to put their hand in the rope. Other activities include reading classic fables, which are included in the book, vocabulary and thinking skills, language games, memorizing, learning about telephones, enjoying poetry and learning on trips. My children, ages, 3, 7 and 8 have enjoyed this book.

It give you a lot of information on basic training. I would recommend this for anyone who is enlisting, or has enlisted in the military.

A very good book, it portrays a realistic picture of the jobs in law enforcement. I recomend reading it.

I have been wanting to get the low-down on a Social Work career. Everything I needed and wanted to know is all in one book. The do's and dont's of a prospective Social Worker was most informative.

So far, Paul Allman's book has far surpassed anything I've read about how to get into the video industry. His book is full of anecdotal evidence of job hunting techiniques used by himself (he has worked in all aspects of the industry) and others.

He discusses the kind of personality and temperment that is appropriate for each speciality in video. Perhaps the biggest strength of the book are the suggestions of where to look for entry level employment for the novice. The book has a great appendix that contains information of trade magazines, books, schools etc.

This is a great book to read with your children. The information is presented with an unbiased slant. The black and white pictures are excellent, they really give a feel for the period. A hard back copy would be great.

"A Light in Space" is a well-written, suspenseful, action-packed look at a relationship between a young man and an extra-terrestrial. After an encounter with an alien spacecraft, Andrew, a young boy, discovers that he is able to communicate with an alien being through his thoughts. This book is an excellent choice for a novel study with students aged 10-12.

There are many animal sound books out there; I like this one for its bold pastel illustrations and clever questions and answers. At the end, all the animals (including humans) are shown and labeled. Here is one that adults will enjoy reading to their children.

I listen to a lot of books on tape commuting back and forth to work. I have read books by Jane Hamilton and enjoyed them, but for some reason was never able to get into this book. I tried it on tape and found it difficult, as well, for the first twenty minutes or so. But then it grabbed me and I couldn't wait to get back into the car to continue "reading." Ruth is a fascinating character, one who seems to know that her life will lead to a disaster but doesn't know how to prevent it. She makes the most out of her miserable existence, making herself believe that love and happiness are and will be hers. The ending was inevitable and I found myself becoming nervous as the end neared.

Mare Winningham read the book on tape and it made the book even better I believe. She was the perfect voice of Ruth. Her voice carried the appropriate emotions at the right time. She WAS Ruth. Very often those who read the books are not right for the reading -- but in this case Mare was a perfect choice and made it more enjoyable.

I would recommend this book on tape to everyone. But remember when you get close to home after driving an hour and you are in a good place in the book, you will need to drive around the block a few times@

In the Old Testament, the Book of Ruth tells the story of Ruth's loyalty to her widowed mother-in-law, Naomi, after the death of Ruth's husband. In this extraordinary first novel by Jane Hamilton, after May's son leaves home for college, her daughter Ruth stays on, in spite of a miserable childhood in which May relentlessly belittled her daughter and worshipped her son. Ruth, as faithful and dutiful as her Biblical namesake, nearly crushed by her mother's simmering rage, learns to hide her magnificent love of life, so that only the reader and the very few people who care for her know of her poignant insights, hilarious perspective, and tenacious spirit. After a brief period of relative peace between mother and daughter, Ruth falls in love and marries another wounded soul, Ruby, and the three create a home together where trouble is just waiting to happen. What a magnificent writer! Hamilton won the PEN/Ernest Hemingway Foundation Award, given for best first novel, for The Book of Ruth, in 1989. This is a grim and funny story, and an excellent choice for book clubs

I had never heard of the author before I picked up this book; it wasn't until afterwards I knew it was another "Oprah pick;" luckily for me I did not have that to influence my judgement of this book at all.

This is one disturbing novel, but at the same time it captivates the reader, it lets a person crawl inside someone else's head and ride the waves of how they think, almost how they feel. We're always sitting back in moral judgement of women who stay in less than desireable and abusive relationships, we're quick to judge a person based on who they choose as a partner; the Book Of Ruth gives sharp insight into WHY.

I would have preferred in the end to see more of the story from the brother's eyes, to see Ruth actually TALK to him, whether they reconciled or not. But the stark honestly of the story, the very real way in which it is told, makes the book a treasure, and worth reading again just to catch all the signal and stray thoughts missed the first time through.

There was a great cast of characters. I enjoyed the futuristic fantasy. I'm in seventh grade and found this book very intresting.