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Best Schools & Teaching

The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name
A Bible like no other, The Jesus Storybook Bible invites children to join in the greatest of all adventures, to discover for themselves that Jesus is at the center of God's great story of salvation---and at the center of their Story too. “I would urge not just families with young children to get this book, but every Christian–from pew warmers, to ministry leaders, seminarians and even theologians! Sally Lloyd-Jones has captured the heart of what it means to find Christ in all the scriptures, and has made clear even to little children that all God’s revelation has been about Jesus from the beginning–a truth not all that commonly recognized even among the very learned.” – Dr. Timothy Keller, NYC ( Dr. Timothy Keller ).
Reviews
"I've tried three or four toddler Bibles, but they ranged from the meaningless and banal (Read With Me Bible For Toddlers) to the downright horrifying in their interpretation (The Story For Little Ones). The Jesus Storybook Bible, on the other hand, seeks to show how God's plan of salvation is unfolding through each story, and largely succeeds in doing so. First of all, there are children's Bibles like the Read With Me Bible that are simply bland. Granted, toddlers are not going to pick up on every nuance of a story from the Bible, but the Read With Me Bible often chooses the wrong points to emphasize, entirely leaving out important points of narrative along the way. One story simply lists miracles Jesus did with no context, failing to communicate that Jesus' miracles actually anticipate and begin to realize a new world, a world where God's Kingdom and rule are breaking into the world in a new and exciting way. This simply displays a level of ignorance about the story of Samson that is beyond belief for someone writing (interpreting) a Bible for children! So, for example, the story of the Exodus is told not as the story of God's great magic show, but instead on the great, mighty, and terrifying rescue of God's people from their slavery, pointing forward also to humanity's slavery to sin and coming rescue in Jesus. But again, the strength of this Bible is that it gets the story right, interpreting the main idea correctly and always pointing toward Jesus."
"For someone who may be familiar with the full version of the Bible and may be concerned about teaching children biblical accuracy, this book may be found a bit frustrating. While the illustrations are whimsical and a great accompaniment to the text, and the story language is simple and easy to follow, there are an awful lot of unnecessary additions."
"I personally like the cover because the picture of Jesus, I believe, is more accurate than the traditional image of a "white" Jesus that we usually see."
"Our 8 year old has moved on to more detailed Bible summaries and more just Bible reading, but this book certainly played a large role in the kids falling in love with God's Word."
"We read this during Advent this year and I am disappointed I didn't know of this sooner."
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Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
In this instant New York Times bestseller pioneering psychologist Angela Duckworth shows anyone striving to succeed be it parents students educators athletes or business people that the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent but a special blend of passion and persistence she calls grit Drawing on her own powerful story as the daughter of a scientist who frequently noted her lack of genius Duckworth now a celebrated researcher and professor describes her early eye opening stints in teaching business consulting and neuroscience which led to the hypothesis that what really drives success is not genius but a unique combination of passion and long term perseverance In Grit she takes readers into the field to visit cadets struggling through their first days at West Point teachers working in some of the toughest schools and young finalists in the National Spelling Bee She also mines fascinating insights from history and shows what can be gleaned from modern experiments in peak performance Finally she shares what she s learned from interviewing dozens of high achievers from JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon to New Yorker cartoon editor Bob Mankoff to Seattle Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll Among Grit s most valuable insights Why any effort you make ultimately counts twice toward your goal How grit can be learned regardless of I Q or circumstances How lifelong interest is triggered How much of optimal practice is suffering and how much ecstasy Which is better for your child a warm embrace or high standards The magic of the Hard Thing Rule Winningly personal insightful and even life changing Grit is a book about what goes through your head when you fall down and how that not talent or luck makes all the difference In this must read book for anyone striving to succeed pioneering psychologist Angela Duckworth shows parents educators athletes students and business people both seasoned and new that the secret to outstanding achievement is n.
Reviews
"The stories of people with the ability to persist are lively and interesting, but the overall feeling is of reading small vignette style biographies of people who are smarter, better, and more talented than you are, with anecdotal insights sprinkled throughout. Her main point is that it's unlikely that you know your own limits, and that the act of striving against them each day can take you to an unexpectedly good place."
"The author takes a scientific, straightforward approach on how to reach your maximum potential developing your skills or the skills of those around you."
"Grit."
"This is because the book explains what grit is, how to develop grit, and how to support and help develop grit in others."
"This book has many anecdotes, research studies, characters, and a few difficult names."
"But as with most of these types of books the authors go into way too much details with the description of the examples."
"Save yourself a pile of time and just read her paper "Grit: perseverance and passion for long-term goals", Journal of personality and social psychology, 2007."
"Relies too heavily on personal anecdotes and self-reported data to be taken as anything other than a long senior thesis."
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The Jesus Storybook Bible Gift Edition: Every Story Whispers His Name
A Bible like no other, The Jesus Storybook Bible invites children to join in the greatest of all adventures, to discover for themselves that Jesus is at the center of God's great story of salvation––and at the center of their story too. Sally Lloyd-Jones has captured the heart of what it means to find Christ in all the scriptures, and has made clear even to little children that all God’s revelation has been about Jesus from the beginning–a truth not all that commonly recognized even among the very learned.” – Dr. Timothy Keller, NYC ( Dr. Timothy Keller ).
Reviews
"But for a simple "read aloud time" or bedtime story bible, it's excellent."
"Not a review of the bible content, which is great, this is a review of the gift edition."
"We bought this Bible for our daughter's first Easter and couldn't be happier. We have purchased this book (different edition) for the kids in our lives for years."
"It's bigger than the other version (although I don't mind the smaller one for small hands) and the foiled cover is lovely. And the way the stories are told make me tear up...always including how much we are loved by God and the coming of Jesus."
"The stories are also told in a way that keeps my kid's interest and it just does a great job of sharing God's love on each and every page!"
"The stories are geared towards kids but we have found it useful as adults as well."
"If you are looking for a children's Bible then this is one of the best out there."
"Beautifully written and put together - this is a "must have" for children!"
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Best Educational Certification & Development

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
In this instant New York Times bestseller, pioneering psychologist Angela Duckworth shows anyone striving to succeed—be it parents, students, educators, athletes, or business people—that the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent but a special blend of passion and persistence she calls “grit.”. Drawing on her own powerful story as the daughter of a scientist who frequently noted her lack of “genius,” Duckworth, now a celebrated researcher and professor, describes her early eye-opening stints in teaching, business consulting, and neuroscience, which led to the hypothesis that what really drives success is not “genius” but a unique combination of passion and long-term perseverance. "Angela Duckworth [is] the psychologist who has made 'grit' the reigning buzzword in education-policy circles...Duckworth's ideas about the cultivation of tenacity have clearly changed some lives for the better...In this book, Duckworth, whose TED talk has been viewed more than eight million times, brings her lessons to the reading public." "It really isn't talent but practice—along with passion—that makes perfect, explains psychologist Duckworth in this illuminating book. Angela Duckworth pulls together decades of psychological research, inspiring success stories from business and sports, and her own unique personal experience and distills it all into a set of practical strategies to make yourself and your children more motivated, more passionate, and more persistent at work and at school.”. — Paul Tough, author of How Children Succeed.
Reviews
"The stories of people with the ability to persist are lively and interesting, but the overall feeling is of reading small vignette style biographies of people who are smarter, better, and more talented than you are, with anecdotal insights sprinkled throughout. Her main point is that it's unlikely that you know your own limits, and that the act of striving against them each day can take you to an unexpectedly good place."
"If you're an educator, this book is a must read."
"I learned much more about Grit playing high school sports and my Marine Corps experience but not everybody has those opportunities."
"All parents, managers, coaches, and anyone else who wants to do something meaningful with their life should read this book."
"Just a really great book that put this into a really great perspective."
"Dr. Duckworth makes excellent points about why we should look at perseverance and stick-to-it-tiveness instead of talent."
"I thoroughly enjoyed this book."
"Save yourself a pile of time and just read her paper "Grit: perseverance and passion for long-term goals", Journal of personality and social psychology, 2007."
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Best Common Core

180 Days of Reading for First Grade (180 Days of Practice)
Provides short passages for students to practice reading comprehension, word study, phonics, and written response to literature.
Reviews
"Our 5-year-old daughter (kindergartener) had problems sounding words out, so I purchased this book for its short reading passages and follow-up comprehension questions. Another point to love this book is that although pictures are sometimes provided in this book, they are not too many like the other A-level reading books, which impedes the readers from trying to sound the words out by the alphabets, not the pictures."
"Good, but often times I find the questions can be either vague or sometimes two of the answers are actually quite suitable instead of just one which can confuse a kid."
"Just LOVE these books."
"Awesome workbook for extra help at home!"
"Love it- my kids really enjoy it."
"Engaging and kept my sons interest."
"This book is very good for my son. I like it."
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Best Computers & Technology Education

Passionate Readers: The Art of Reaching and Engaging Every Child
Use your own reading identity to create powerful reading experiences for all students Empower your students and their reading experience by focusing on your physical classroom environment Create and maintain an enticing, well-organized, easy-to-use classroom library; Build a learning community filled with choice and student ownership; and Guide students to further develop their own reading identity to cement them as life-long, invested readers. We go back to it time and time again for that just-right lesson or chapter we need to fuel our craft. Tucked in between the narrative of Pernille’s five keys and tireless risk-taking in her passionate reading environment are the candid voices of the kids speaking their truths, shining a light on reading identity.
Reviews
"We clearly hear what works for students and how to create classes where students are engaged readers. I want my students to know that they can be readers, even if they aren't right now, and this book will help me with that message."
"I love this book. If you loved The Book Whisperer, this book is totally for you. You'll love this book."
"I've heard Pernille Ripp speak many times and am always inspired to go back to my library classroom and make improvements."
"Thank goodness for teachers like Pernille Ripp who are in the classroom daily and still take the time to reflect upon and refine their practices and then share with the rest of us."
"This book is a game-changer!"
"Her organizational ideas, theoretical foundations, and instructional approaches can be implemented at any time... you don’t have to wait for a new year!"
"LOVE the practical, use tomorrow ideas!"
"Ripp writes with her heart and her passion for helping young people become passionate readers is inspiring."
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Best Counseling Education

Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy
With his trademark style, he shows students how to apply theories in practice, and helps them learn to integrate the theories into an individualized counseling style.
Reviews
"If you have access to the accompanying videos, take advantage of them, they are great!"
"The Corey's write a bunch of different theory and practice books."
"Perfect "Cliff's Notes" version of the text book!"
"Corey does an excellent job of presenting the theories in this text."
"Overall, the text served its purpose but had I needed it for ALL of the sections in the book, I would have been in trouble!"
"They just slapped on a label saying it was the manual, but since I also ordered the regular textbook, I compared the two and they are exactly the same."
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Best Curriculum & Lesson Plans

The Reading Strategies Book: Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled Readers
develop goals for every reader give students step-by-step strategies for skilled reading guide readers with prompts aligned to the strategies adjust instruction to meet individual needs with Jen's Teaching Tips craft demonstrations and explanations with her Lesson Language learn more with Hat Tips to the work of influential teacher-authors. Whether you use readers workshop, Daily 5/CAFE, guided reading, balanced reading, a core reading program, whole-class novels, or any other approach, The Reading Strategies Book will complement and extend your teaching. Jennifer Serravallo is the author of New York Times bestseller The Reading Strategies Book as well as other popular Heinemann titles, including Teaching Reading in Small Groups; Conferring with Readers; and The Literacy Teacher's Playbook, Grades K - 2 and Grades 3 - 6.
Reviews
"Most books about teaching reading require plowing through lots of pages about the author's philosophy and practices before getting to the good stuff...the stuff you can use in the classroom tomorrow. Every teacher, from classroom teachers to reading specialists to literacy coaches to tutors to home-school teachers, from pre serviice teachers to veteran teachers, will quickly and easily be able to find the strategies they need to teach the students in front of them."
"- Jennifer Serravallo, The Reading Strategies Book: Your EVERYTHING Guide to Developing Skilled Readers. Jennifer Serravallo created the ultimate book of reading strategies. - Classroom Teacher: This is truly a comprehensive book to help you develop individual reading goals or goals for reading strategy groups. The book is organized around the following goals (chapters) for developing skilled readers: - Supporting Pre-Emergent and Emergent Readers. - Teaching Reading Engagement: Focus, Stamina, and Building a Reading Life. - Supporting Print Work: Increasing Accuracy and Integrating Sources of Information. - Teaching Fluency: Reading with Paraphrasing, Intonation, and Automaticity. - Supporting Comprehension in Fiction: Understanding Plot and Setting. - Supporting Comprehension in Fiction: Thinking About Characters. - Supporting Comprehension in Fiction: Understanding Themes and Ideas. - Supporting Comprehension in Nonfiction: Determining Maint Topic(s) and Idea(s). - Supporting Comprehension in Nonfiction: Determining Key Details. - Supporting Comprehension in Nonfiction: Getting the Most from Text Features. - Improving Comprehension in Fiction and Nonfiction: Understanding Vocabulary and Figurative Language. - Supporting Students' Conversations: Speaking, Listening, and Deepening Comprehension. - Improving Writing About Reading. Each chapter starts with a research-based explanation of WHY the goal is important to developing skilled readers."
"I am a literacy coach and am so excited to use this book next year with teachers at my school. Here's why: I love how Jennifer compares The Reading Strategies Book to a cookbook, It's a great analogy for the lessons in the book. Jennifer walks you through navigating the book, choosing goals for students, how the book might fit into your current literacy instruction, and supporting strategies with visuals. I think this book should be a required text for college literacy courses and should be a welcome gift to new teachers when hired."
"The Reading Strategies Book will be my go-to resource for improving my students' reading comprehension for years to come."
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Best Distance & Online Learning

Living Language Spanish, Complete Edition
At the core of Complete Spanish is the Living Language Method™, based on linguistic science, proven techniques, and over 65 years of experience. • 3 Books: 46 lessons, additional review exercises, culture notes, an extensive glossary, and a grammar summary—plus a bonus notebook. • 9 Audio CDs: Vocabulary, dialogues, audio exercises, and more—listen while using the books or use for review on the go. • Free Online Learning: Flashcards, games, and interactive quizzes for each lesson at www.livinglanguage.com/languagelab. Living Language has been a proven and effective language learning instruction for over 65 years.
Reviews
"To get 9 CDs and 3+ books for $28 is just an unbelievable bargain especially compared to big-name systems which, ironically, consistently get poor reviews and cost much, much more. The main advantage of the Duolingo course is that it is interactive -- you have to type in answers and if you get too many wrong, you have to repeat the lesson. Another thing is that listening to spoken Spanish and reading it at the same doubles your learning capacity as aural and visual input are stored in different parts of the brain and subsequently reinforce each other."
"I had previously purchased Rosetta Stone which provides no workbooks and the online access costs $14 per month or $89 per year....this after you pay a premium price for something that is no better than this product."
"In contrast to my high school German, I was clearly at my own pace with this study, and I proceeded at one lesson each week, regardless of how easy some seemed (with the exception of numbers, which went more quickly). That being said, if you are not keen on the subjunctive mood, indirect object pronouns and similar grammatical elements as such, the books provide brief descriptions of each as they are encountered."
"However, I decided to leave this feedback since Living Language really has to be appreciated for their great method of teaching, their great service and their great price that is very affordable."
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Best Early Childhood Education

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons is a complete, step-by-step program that shows parents simply and clearly how to teach their children to read. One hundred lessons, fully illustrated and color-coded for clarity, give your child the basic and more advanced skills needed to become a good reader.Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons will bring you and your child closer together, while giving your child the reading skills needed now, for a better chance at tomorrow. (Point to m )I'm going to touch under this sound and say the sound. Your turn to say the sound when I touch under it. (To correct child saying a wrong sound or not responding:) The sound is mmmmmm. (Point to s. )I'm going to touch under this sound and say the sound. Your turn to say the sound when I touch under it. (To correct child saying a wrong sound or not responding:) The sound is ssssss. TASK 2 SAY IT FAST. My turn: motor (pause) boat. (To correct child saying word slowly -- for example, "motor [pause] boat":) You didn't say it fast. Here's saying it fast: motorboat. Listen: ice (pause) cream. Listen: sis (pause) ter. Listen: ham (pause) burger. Listen: mmmeee. Listen: iiifff. (Repeat any words child had trouble with.). I'm going to say some words slowly, without stopping. Listen: aaammm. Listen: mmmeee. Listen: iiinnn. Listen: shshsheee. Now it's your turn to say the words slowly with me. (To correct if child stops between sounds -- for example, "aaa [pause] mmm":) Don't stop. (Don't pause between sounds a and m as you say aaammm. ). (Repeat until child responds with you.). Your turn to say words slowly by yourself. Good saying the words slowly. (Touch first ball for m,) Get ready. (Touch first ball for s.) Get ready. TASK 5 SAY IT FAST. Listen: motor (pause) cycle. TASK 6 SOUNDS WRITING. You're going to write a sound on each line. I'll show you how to make each sound. Then you'll write each sound. Here's the first sound you're going to write. (Point to m.) What sound? (Help child trace sound two or three times. Child is then to make three to five m 's on top line. For each acceptable letter child makes, say:) Good writing mmm. Here's how to make sss. Point to s.) What sound? (Help child trace sound two or three times. Child is then to make three to five s's on second line. For each acceptable letter child makes, say:) Good writing sss. (Point to m.) I'm going to touch under this sound and say the sound. Your turn to say the sound when I touch under it. (To correct child saying a wrong sound or not responding:) The sound is mmmmmm.
Reviews
"I become painfully aware of how naive I was to the processes of reading when my daughter was at the age that she should be knowing her letters and stuff. Despite the fact that my husband and I are voracious readers, and that we read to our daughter daily, she had developed a loathing towards all things letters. When she was still mixing up her letters and sounds, and resistant towards all reading games at 5 years old, I began to worry. So I scoured the internet for various books and programs to help me, as I, by then, understood fully I knew jack squat about how to teach a kid to read."
"To me, this is actually a bonus because I want my boys to learn that boring isn't bad and that sitting still is a skill just as much as reading. When reading the slow way, they step from one sound to the next, if they're not sounding it out, they can't move- that helped with pausing."
"Good teaching manual for non teachers."
"My daughter, the home schooler, has more energy for the task than I would have and will probably benefit from the book."
"I love the fact that I get to teach my kids kid at a pace I know they will grasp everything that is taught to them."
"I have a moderately bright 4 year old who has NO interest in learning new things, and she dove into this."
"Excellent source for teaching your child to read."
"This technique makes a lot of sense to me."
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Best Education Theory

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons is a complete, step-by-step program that shows parents simply and clearly how to teach their children to read. One hundred lessons, fully illustrated and color-coded for clarity, give your child the basic and more advanced skills needed to become a good reader.Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons will bring you and your child closer together, while giving your child the reading skills needed now, for a better chance at tomorrow. (Point to m )I'm going to touch under this sound and say the sound. Your turn to say the sound when I touch under it. (To correct child saying a wrong sound or not responding:) The sound is mmmmmm. (Point to s. )I'm going to touch under this sound and say the sound. Your turn to say the sound when I touch under it. (To correct child saying a wrong sound or not responding:) The sound is ssssss. TASK 2 SAY IT FAST. My turn: motor (pause) boat. (To correct child saying word slowly -- for example, "motor [pause] boat":) You didn't say it fast. Here's saying it fast: motorboat. Listen: ice (pause) cream. Listen: sis (pause) ter. Listen: ham (pause) burger. Listen: mmmeee. Listen: iiifff. (Repeat any words child had trouble with.). I'm going to say some words slowly, without stopping. Listen: aaammm. Listen: mmmeee. Listen: iiinnn. Listen: shshsheee. Now it's your turn to say the words slowly with me. (To correct if child stops between sounds -- for example, "aaa [pause] mmm":) Don't stop. (Don't pause between sounds a and m as you say aaammm. ). (Repeat until child responds with you.). Your turn to say words slowly by yourself. Good saying the words slowly. (Touch first ball for m,) Get ready. (Touch first ball for s.) Get ready. TASK 5 SAY IT FAST. Listen: motor (pause) cycle. TASK 6 SOUNDS WRITING. You're going to write a sound on each line. I'll show you how to make each sound. Then you'll write each sound. Here's the first sound you're going to write. (Point to m.) What sound? (Help child trace sound two or three times. Child is then to make three to five m 's on top line. For each acceptable letter child makes, say:) Good writing mmm. Here's how to make sss. Point to s.) What sound? (Help child trace sound two or three times. Child is then to make three to five s's on second line. For each acceptable letter child makes, say:) Good writing sss. (Point to m.) I'm going to touch under this sound and say the sound. Your turn to say the sound when I touch under it. (To correct child saying a wrong sound or not responding:) The sound is mmmmmm.
Reviews
"I become painfully aware of how naive I was to the processes of reading when my daughter was at the age that she should be knowing her letters and stuff. Despite the fact that my husband and I are voracious readers, and that we read to our daughter daily, she had developed a loathing towards all things letters. When she was still mixing up her letters and sounds, and resistant towards all reading games at 5 years old, I began to worry. So I scoured the internet for various books and programs to help me, as I, by then, understood fully I knew jack squat about how to teach a kid to read."
"To me, this is actually a bonus because I want my boys to learn that boring isn't bad and that sitting still is a skill just as much as reading. When reading the slow way, they step from one sound to the next, if they're not sounding it out, they can't move- that helped with pausing."
"Good teaching manual for non teachers."
"My daughter, the home schooler, has more energy for the task than I would have and will probably benefit from the book."
"I love the fact that I get to teach my kids kid at a pace I know they will grasp everything that is taught to them."
"I have a moderately bright 4 year old who has NO interest in learning new things, and she dove into this."
"Excellent source for teaching your child to read."
"This technique makes a lot of sense to me."
Find Best Price at Amazon

Best Education Funding

Financial Peace Junior Kit: Teaching Kids How to Win With Money
Financial Peace Junior is designed to help you teach your kids about money. Parents will love the FREE electronic copy of the New York Times best-selling book, Smart Money Smart Kids.
Reviews
"The Parent handbook that was included in the kit was very light on info, however the kit comes with a free e-book copy of the book Smart Money Smart Kids which is full of great information."
"I bought 2 of these for my grandchildren & was so pleased I bought one for my other grandson to start him out on the right foot with budgeting."
"I love this kit."
"Highly recommend for anyone with children."
"I love this program and my daughter does too!"
"I love it but wish it had a hook to hang it because my fridge is not magnetic."
"Very good educational destiny changing product."
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Best Homeschooling

The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name
A Bible like no other, The Jesus Storybook Bible invites children to join in the greatest of all adventures, to discover for themselves that Jesus is at the center of God's great story of salvation---and at the center of their Story too. “I would urge not just families with young children to get this book, but every Christian–from pew warmers, to ministry leaders, seminarians and even theologians! Sally Lloyd-Jones has captured the heart of what it means to find Christ in all the scriptures, and has made clear even to little children that all God’s revelation has been about Jesus from the beginning–a truth not all that commonly recognized even among the very learned.” – Dr. Timothy Keller, NYC ( Dr. Timothy Keller ).
Reviews
"I've tried three or four toddler Bibles, but they ranged from the meaningless and banal (Read With Me Bible For Toddlers) to the downright horrifying in their interpretation (The Story For Little Ones). The Jesus Storybook Bible, on the other hand, seeks to show how God's plan of salvation is unfolding through each story, and largely succeeds in doing so. First of all, there are children's Bibles like the Read With Me Bible that are simply bland. Granted, toddlers are not going to pick up on every nuance of a story from the Bible, but the Read With Me Bible often chooses the wrong points to emphasize, entirely leaving out important points of narrative along the way. One story simply lists miracles Jesus did with no context, failing to communicate that Jesus' miracles actually anticipate and begin to realize a new world, a world where God's Kingdom and rule are breaking into the world in a new and exciting way. This simply displays a level of ignorance about the story of Samson that is beyond belief for someone writing (interpreting) a Bible for children! So, for example, the story of the Exodus is told not as the story of God's great magic show, but instead on the great, mighty, and terrifying rescue of God's people from their slavery, pointing forward also to humanity's slavery to sin and coming rescue in Jesus. But again, the strength of this Bible is that it gets the story right, interpreting the main idea correctly and always pointing toward Jesus."
"Along with "God's Love" by ChampThornton, "The Bible's Big Story" by James Hamilton, "The Biggest Story" by Kevin DeYoung and "What's in the Bible With Buck Denver?""
"I love this, I have toddlers and want them to know about the happiest, greatest story in all the world<3 Its simple and sweet and I love how each biblical story ends with how that story paves the way for Jesus. Mostly the main message, the good news; God loves the world, loves YOU, no matter what!"
"It’s great to read alternate translations (even kids versions) while retaining biblical accuracy."
"I was delighted to find out that not only did we finish it but she also brought it back to me after a few weeks and wanted to read it through a second time!"
"So many of the versions out there are just the regular bible verses with colorful kids pictures incorporated."
"Every single Bible story is tied to Christ and points children to the understanding of God's overall plan of redemption and salvation through Christ."
"They were 3 months when I. started reading to the twins."
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Best Instruction Methods

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons is a complete, step-by-step program that shows parents simply and clearly how to teach their children to read. One hundred lessons, fully illustrated and color-coded for clarity, give your child the basic and more advanced skills needed to become a good reader.Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons will bring you and your child closer together, while giving your child the reading skills needed now, for a better chance at tomorrow. (Point to m )I'm going to touch under this sound and say the sound. Your turn to say the sound when I touch under it. (To correct child saying a wrong sound or not responding:) The sound is mmmmmm. (Point to s. )I'm going to touch under this sound and say the sound. Your turn to say the sound when I touch under it. (To correct child saying a wrong sound or not responding:) The sound is ssssss. TASK 2 SAY IT FAST. My turn: motor (pause) boat. (To correct child saying word slowly -- for example, "motor [pause] boat":) You didn't say it fast. Here's saying it fast: motorboat. Listen: ice (pause) cream. Listen: sis (pause) ter. Listen: ham (pause) burger. Listen: mmmeee. Listen: iiifff. (Repeat any words child had trouble with.). I'm going to say some words slowly, without stopping. Listen: aaammm. Listen: mmmeee. Listen: iiinnn. Listen: shshsheee. Now it's your turn to say the words slowly with me. (To correct if child stops between sounds -- for example, "aaa [pause] mmm":) Don't stop. (Don't pause between sounds a and m as you say aaammm. ). (Repeat until child responds with you.). Your turn to say words slowly by yourself. Good saying the words slowly. (Touch first ball for m,) Get ready. (Touch first ball for s.) Get ready. TASK 5 SAY IT FAST. Listen: motor (pause) cycle. TASK 6 SOUNDS WRITING. You're going to write a sound on each line. I'll show you how to make each sound. Then you'll write each sound. Here's the first sound you're going to write. (Point to m.) What sound? (Help child trace sound two or three times. Child is then to make three to five m 's on top line. For each acceptable letter child makes, say:) Good writing mmm. Here's how to make sss. Point to s.) What sound? (Help child trace sound two or three times. Child is then to make three to five s's on second line. For each acceptable letter child makes, say:) Good writing sss. (Point to m.) I'm going to touch under this sound and say the sound. Your turn to say the sound when I touch under it. (To correct child saying a wrong sound or not responding:) The sound is mmmmmm.
Reviews
"I become painfully aware of how naive I was to the processes of reading when my daughter was at the age that she should be knowing her letters and stuff. Despite the fact that my husband and I are voracious readers, and that we read to our daughter daily, she had developed a loathing towards all things letters. When she was still mixing up her letters and sounds, and resistant towards all reading games at 5 years old, I began to worry. So I scoured the internet for various books and programs to help me, as I, by then, understood fully I knew jack squat about how to teach a kid to read."
"To me, this is actually a bonus because I want my boys to learn that boring isn't bad and that sitting still is a skill just as much as reading. When reading the slow way, they step from one sound to the next, if they're not sounding it out, they can't move- that helped with pausing."
"Pretty cool book series, though we didn't end up finishing, have gone off into reading early reader books."
"We’re only 16 lessons in and this has already helped my 5 year old significantly!"
"Good teaching manual for non teachers."
"I love the fact that I get to teach my kids kid at a pace I know they will grasp everything that is taught to them."
"I taught 4 of my children to read with this book!"
"I have a moderately bright 4 year old who has NO interest in learning new things, and she dove into this."
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Best Parent Participation in Education

Sight Word Readers Parent Pack: Learning the First 50 Sight Words Is a Snap!
Includes a mini-workbook filled with easy how-to's, fun activities, and write-and-learn pages to give kids practice writing the words too.
Reviews
"The price looked reasonable (if it doesn't work then at least I didn't lose too much money) and the system itself seemed to make sense (story with sight words repeated throughout and a short quiz at the end). The fourth time, he was able remember the sight words on each page and even passed the "quiz" on the inside back cover. He did mess up once or twice but I had him calm down (he was super excited), breathe slowly, concentrate and focus on the words. Now I can supplement this with phonics reading for non-sight words and he should be ready for 1st grade at a school next year!"
"My son had been encouraged to learn to read by this very simple yet VERY effective approach to learning sight words !"
"Perfect for a new reader!"
"Christmas present for the grand daughters....love to play with them."
"great product, came as expected and described."
"Great little readers to have in my homeschool."
"She can now read these books to me."
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Best Special Education

Driven to Distraction (Revised): Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder
Groundbreaking and comprehensive, Driven to Distraction has been a lifeline to the approximately eighteen million Americans who are thought to have ADHD. Wise, practical, and reassuring.” —Jane M. Healy, Ph.D., author of Endangered Minds and Different Learners “The first comprehensive book on the subject for the lay reader.” — The Boston Globe.
Reviews
"The stories it pulls from other peoples experiences really helps you get an idea of how you fall into the spectrum."
"Truly excellent book for any person with ADD or with a family member with the condition."
"Well written and informative."
"Eye opening..... makes you feel somewhat normal to hear others stories."
"Makes you feel less crazy and all alone."
"This book is helping me realize how adult ADD has been detrimental to my growth and progress in every day life."
"Dr. Hallowell stresses in his book how dramatically the disorder can negatively affect one's life and how important treatment is — yet he presents vastly outdated information and pretends it's new, doing a great disservice to ADHD sufferers like myself who want to heal."
"Honestly there was nothing in this book that I didn’t already know."
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Best College & University Student Life

The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College (Naked Roomate)
From sharing a bathroom with 40 strangers to sharing lecture notes, The Naked Roommate is your behind-the-scenes look at EVERYTHING you need to know about college (but never knew you needed to know). Hilarious, outrageous, and telling stories from students on over 100 college campuses cover the basics, and then some, including topics on. Harlan Cohen is the New York Times bestselling author of the Naked Roommate series and is one of the most widely read and respected syndicated advice columnists for teens and twenty-somethings.
Reviews
"Whole family howled when my grandson opened this gift."
"Gave this as a gift to a college bound freshman and it was really fun for him to read and laugh at with new roommates!"
"Excellent college advice book!"
"Sent this as a gift to two nieces as high school graduation presents."
"Great book for your college-bound kid."
"Got this for my sisters who are going off to college in September, and they loved it!"
"good reading material for freshman."
"I bought this as a gift for a niece who was moving into the dormitory."
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Best Teacher & Student Mentoring

Unshakeable: 20 Ways to Enjoy Teaching Every Day...No Matter What
Unshakeable will help you incorporate a love of life into your teaching, and a love of teaching into your life. Create curriculum "bright spots" that you can't wait to teach Gain energy from kids instead of letting them drain you Uncover real meaning and purpose for every single lesson Incorporate playfulness and make strong connections with kids Stop letting test scores and evaluations define your success Construct a self-running classroom that frees you to teach Say "no" without guilt and make your "yes" really count Establish healthy, balanced habits for bringing work home Determine what matters most and let go of the rest Innovate and adapt to make teaching an adventure. Unshakeable will help you incorporate a love of life into your teaching, and a love of teaching into your life.
Reviews
"This book provides simple strategies and examples of how to enjoy teaching every day, even when it may seem impossible."
"Angela Watson makes realistic suggestions that teachers can use to bring more positivity to their classrooms and lives."
"I always thought I didn't need a very explicit schedule since I don't have a family but without a schedule I think any free moment I could/ should be doing work."
"I had a rough year last year and this book energized me and made me excited to start anew."
"This is a wonderful book which offers great strategies to help dedicated teachers, who are "in the trenches," regain their focus of what matters most in this esteemed profession!"
"She reminds me to use what I know, and challenge myself to learn more all the tome."
"After several years in tough classrooms, I needed to find joy in teaching again."
"I would recommend this book to all educators, but especially those who need to be re-energized or need a new mindset."
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Best Artificial Intelligence & Semantics

Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid
However, according to Hofstadter, the formal system that underlies all mental activity transcends the system that supports it. Besides being a profound and entertaining meditation on human thought and creativity, this book looks at the surprising points of contact between the music of Bach, the artwork of Escher, and the mathematics of Gödel. Hofstadter's great achievement in Gödel, Escher, Bach was making abstruse mathematical topics (like undecidability, recursion, and 'strange loops') accessible and remarkably entertaining. Escher, Kurt Gödel: biographical information and work, artificial intelligence (AI) history and theories, strange loops and tangled hierarchies, formal and informal systems, number theory, form in mathematics, figure and ground, consistency, completeness, Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometry, recursive structures, theories of meaning, propositional calculus, typographical number theory, Zen and mathematics, levels of description and computers; theory of mind: neurons, minds and thoughts; undecidability; self-reference and self-representation; Turing test for machine intelligence.
Reviews
"Some of the topics explored: artificial intelligence, cognitive science, mathematics, programming, consciousness, zen, philosophy, linguistics, neuroscience, genetics, physics, music, art, logic, infinity, paradox, self-similarity. Inbetween chapters, he switches to a dialogue format between fantasy characters; here he plays with the ideas being discussed, and performs postmodern literary experiments. GEB combines the playful spirit of Lewis Carroll, the labyrinthine madness of Borges, the structural perfectionism of Joyce, the elegant beauty of mathematics, and the quintessential fascination of mind, all under one roof. The task of reducing mind to math, of connecting the nature of consciousness to an idea in formal systems, is such a lofty goal, that even if true, the author could never rigorously prove this thesis, only approach it from every conceivable direction. In the grand line of reductionism, where we in theory reduce consciousness to cognitive science to neuroscience to biology to chemistry to physics to math to metamath, GEB positions itself at the wraparound point at unsigned infinity, where the opposite ends of the spectrum meet."
"There is sooo much content in this book it's going to take my whole life to even begin to understand."
"For those of you who want to know about how things are this is a must read."
"So far a fantastic book."
"If you are interested in fractals, improbable harmonies, math recursion, puzzles, artistic illusionary impossibilities and strange loopy weirdness where life seems to look back at itself."
"Book in great shape."
"Condition of book was good, not great, slightly worse than described but totally acceptable."
"arrived safe and sound."
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Best Teen & Young Adult French Language Study

Discovering French, Nouveau!: Student Edition Level 1 2007
A textbook for beginning students of French offers instruction in speaking, understanding, reading, and writing the language.
Reviews
"Just what we needed!"
"Excellent text."
"i teach french to junior high-high school students privately and this book is a great resource (with its companion workbook)."
"I did not realize that I would be unable to access teacher resources on the Classzone web site because I bought the student edition and didn't receive a teacher access code."
"This textbook is amazing for learning French!"
"French text that accompanies a workbook and audio guide."
"I just wanna look at the website."
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