Reviews (1)

Great for children
Here's a way to get the young ones in your family interested in history."The Bill of Rights (Cornerstones of Freedom)" is an introductory 32-page book that discusses the first ten amendments to the constitution and the rights which they are intended to protect and touches on Miranda rights, written in a language that children understand. ... Read more

Book Description

This easy-to-understand book tells why and how the Constitution of the United States was created. "Simple, attractive, informative....The most accessible history of the Constitution to date."--School Library Journal. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Can't teach the Constitution without it!
Maestro reviews the reasons for the Constitution, but fails to mention the Articles of Confederation. The text includes the Virginia, New Jersey, and Connecticut Plans. The book can easily be read as an introduction to the Constitution in one class period. Students could complete a drawing or group of drawings on a picture web to narrate the important details from the story.

Excellent!
I came across one book by Betsy Maestro "The Discovery of the Americas" and I loved it. The text is simple and the illustrations are great. It is historically accurate as well, a must in my checklist. I didn't realize she also wrote the historical series "You Wouldn't Want to..." They are my favorite!! I recommend all of her books, especially for teachers.

Great Review of Constitution!
This book is great for Middle School Students or even High School Students who want to review the events leading to the Constitution. I am a Middle School Teacher and plan on using the book to review my lessons with my students. Next year I plan on using it to introduce the topic! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Tired of books about the presidency that present themselves as historybooks? Author Judith St. George--along with Caldecott Honor-winning illustratorDavid Small--has created a book about the presidency that's serious fun. Thebasic theme is that anyone can be president: a fat man (William Howard Taft) ora tiny man (James Madison), a relative youngster (Teddy Roosevelt at 42) oroldster (Ronald Reagan at 69). Presidential hobbies, sports, virtues, and vicesall get a tongue-in-cheek airing, perfectly matched by Small's political-cartoonstyle of caricature painting. It's fun, but the underlying purpose is clearlyserious: to remind kids that the American presidents have been a motley group ofindividuals, not a row of marble busts. Ironically, that message makes thepresidency far more interesting (and appealing) than it seems in some of themore traditional books. There's a factual addendum at the back giving all thedates and names, with a one-line bio for each past-president. (Ages 8 and older)--Richard Farr ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Lots of Fascinating Fun Facts
Did you know that six of our presidents were named James and four were named William? Or that James Madison was our smallest president at only five feet four inches, Abe Lincoln our tallest at six feet four inches and William Howard Taft weighed more than three hundred pounds? Did you know that most presidents went to college, but nine didn't and they included George Washington and Harry Truman. Presidents have come from all walks of life, had lots of different interests and hobbies and have found their way to the most powerful office in the world, in a variety of ways. Judith St. George has taken the stuffiness out of presidential history and written a very clever, witty book full of funny anecdotes and interesting facts. Her easy to read and enjoyable text is complimented by David Small's expressive and imaginative political cartoon-like illustrations. Together they take the some of the mystery out of the presidency and let future aspirants know that anyone can grow up to be president. This is a terrific book for 8-12 year olds, chock full of information and includes an appendix with dates and important contributions for each of our 41 presidents.

When I grow up.
Does your child ever say they want to be president some day? Or maybe they have started to study our past leaders in school but show no interest in learning about a bunch of dead guys? In either case, and many others, the book So You Want to Be President written by Judith St. George and illustrated by David Small may be just what is needed to pique your child's curiosity.
This brightly colored book gives all kinds of interesting and odd facts about all of our past presidents. It does not try to explain all of the complex duties the office entails so it is not beyond a child's range of understanding. And though the reading level is more for a youth of 5th grade or higher, the intriguing tidbits make for an interesting read for adults as well.
So You Want to Be President offers such details as "The president does not have to eat yucky vegetables...George Bush grew up, he became President. That was the end of broccoli," which appeals to almost every child's dislike of green nasty things and makes a connection for them with the an adult who held the highest station in our country. Other bits like the fact that Truman owned a men's shop, Andrew Johnson was a tailor and Reagan was an actor relays the idea that anyone can become President, no matter their beginnings. Yet another page of the book makes sure that the reader knows that one of the most important virtues needed to be the leader of the free world is honesty. St. George sights the impeachment of Clinton and the resignation of Nixon as examples. She states them as facts without the controversial sides that accompanied the issues.
In the last pages of the book, St. George lists each president and by what their term is most remembered. This gives a little more history than just the fun facts earlier in on. To go along with this, the illustrations are all charactures of each of the presidents. Each picture ties in with its text in a fun and attention drawing way. Because of this, even a child being read to because they are not at the reading level required can participate in the fun and learn something as well.
This book is a humorous look at presidents from the past including odd little details like which ones played instruments, who lived in log cabins, and who was the biggest, smallest, tallest, or shortest ever in office. It mixes education with fun by using true charactures in its bright illustrations finishing with explanations of each and every president. It is an excellent book to add to your child's shelf.

So what about the presidents?
You can learn so much about the presidents from this book. I learned things the first time I read it! The illustrations are excellent and the style is fun. I love this book and kids love it, too.

A wonderful book!!!!
I am a student at West Virginia State University and I am taking Children's Lit class this summer. We are doing a Caldecott Project and I got the pleasure of reading So You Want to Be President? This book is wonderful, I had so much fun reading this book. The illustrations add so much to this story, they make the presidnets come alive. The story is so very interesting, especially for elementary students. This book gives the children some inside information about the presidents. Information that they will love hearing about and inside the book it throws in information they need to know. I would reccomend this book for anyone!!!

Everyone's guaranteed to learn something!
There are lots of kids who are reluctant to read anything that's not fiction, especially historical books. So You Want to be President? is a book that will appeal to those kids, and teach them interesting facts about the presidents of the United States. Even adults will learn something on each page. For instance did you know that William Howard Taft was so big that he had a bathtub made for him; and Theodore Roosevelt's children had dogs, cats, guinea pigs, snakes, mice, rats, badgers, raccoons, parrots, and a pony? Not only does this book have general facts about the presidents, it also lists important accomplishments-Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War, and dishonest activities-Bill Clinton and his impeachment. The facts about the presidents are arranged so that the book becomes a story, and not a lecture about them.

The main point of this book is to show kids that a huge variety of people have been president, although the author does point out that there haven't been any women, people of color, or of any other religion besides Catholic and Protestant. In the back of the book is a listing of the presidents in order, along with a sentence about each of them that contains an interesting fact. I think kids could use this book as an introduction to the presidents, and perhaps as part of a project that they may do on the presidents. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Poems for Little Ones
I began looking at this book with my daughter when she was about 12 months old. She loved it, and asked for it again and again. The text was definitely too advanced for her at that age, but she loved looking at the bright, colorful pictures, and talking about them. I think she will appreciate the text more as she grows older--and I think it's remarkable that she has some baby books that will actually grow with her through preschool!

Great book, a bit over a 14 mo.'s head, but still engaging
As usual, great baby-friendly graphics, and vibrant colors. If I try to sit and read the whole thing to my child, she gets a little rammy as it's a bit above her head. Still, it's a book that I know she'll grow into and love as much as the other Baby Einsteins.

Introduction to Great Poems
This book is a wonderful introduction to great poems. Each page has a vivid photograph of an object depicted in the poem on the facing page. Below the photo are two questions to provoke discussion. Very young children like my daughter will like to turn the pages and look at the pictures, and you may only be able to say what the object is. However, as the attention span gets longer you'll be able to read the poems to your child more often, and eventually you can even discuss the questions. We are really enjoying this book!

I liked it and so did my son!
I bought this book without having first purchased the video so maybe thats whyI like it.My son is 1 and yes the poems are to "Adult" for him to read,but he likes the colorfull pictures,and likes to hear me name the things in the pictures( apples, flowers, the moon)and today when he saw the snow outside he later opened the book to the snow page, pointed to the page and then pointed to the deck door (which is glass)and the snowy backyard! He made the connection!Give this book a chance, you and your little one might just like it.

Not the same!!!
Our daughter loves the puppet in the Baby Shakespeare video -- Bard, the Poetic Dragon. It was quite disappointing for us to discover that the character in this book is not Bard, the "star" of the Shakespeare video, but some unknown lizard character. Needless to say, the book doesn't grab our daughter's attention because she doesn't recognize that character. No wonder there's no photo of the book cover in it's listing here, on Amazon. ... Read more

Book Description

Which President killed a man in a duel? Who was arrested while holding office? What did Lincoln dream the night before his assassination. A fun and fascinating guide to the U.S. Presidents from Washington to Clinton-with a portrait of each one and a description of each man's life and accomplishments. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A truckload of information about The Presidents
The Louis Phillips book "Ask Me Anyhthing about the Presidents"is a truckload of information about The Presidents. This book talks about Presidents George Washington through Bill Clinton.This book says where The Presidents were born,when they were born,their mother's name,their father's name,when they got married,who they married,when they died,and a sidelight-an interesting fact about each President.There are also pictures of all The Presidents.When You're not reading about one President,You're reading trivia questions about The Presidents&getting answers.Even though the best President book on the market is the Wyatt Blassinggame book "The-Look-It-Up-Book Of Presidents","Ask Me Anything about the Presidents"is the second best.Highly Recommended!

Great Fun With the Presidents
This is a fun and informative book. I bought it for a class on the American Presidency that I will be teaching next year, but my family has been enjoying it now. I put a trivia question up on the whiteboard in our kitchen each day, and we enjoy great discussion about possible answers.

Who knows, if any of us appear on a TV quiz show, it might save the day to know that Richard Nixon ate cottage cheese with catsup, or that Harry Truman considered himself a sissy when he was a child!

It's an extremely interesting and informative book!
This book gives little stories and great knowledge about the presidents. It is really easy to read, but fun. I mean, who really knows that Andrew Jackson married his wife TWICE, and that Thomas Jefferson taught his birds to feed him!!! For anyone who wants to know the little things about who our Commanders in Chief really were, this is a must. Hope you enjoy it! Oh, and be sure to tell your friends just which president had his horses' teeth brushed daily!!

This was an informative, interesting book.
I thought that this book was cool. It combined the short biographies of each president with other fun and interesing facts. This was the first book I bought about the presidents, and now I buy any that I can get my hands on. My two best friends and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Plus, I got to bug everyone by asking them questions about the presidents.

A must read to learn about presidents.
I liked it because you could learn about the small facts of each of the presidents. In adddition, I got to ask a lot of people tricky questions. You learn a lot about the presidents in a short period of time. It was a quick read. ... Read more

Book Description

Titles in Barron's Painless series are designed for middle school and high school students, helping them excel in subjects they might expect to be either hopelessly boring or excruciatingly difficult. The authors are all experienced teachers, adept at winning the hearts and minds of adolescents, and skillful in adding a light, humorous touch to even the heaviest and grimmest topics. This book opens with a general description of government and a comparison of democracy as practiced by the founding fathers and how it operates in today's America. The author goes on to discuss the Constitution as our basis of government, civil liberties and civil rights, the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the federal government, elections and political parties, how public policy is created and shaped, and how each citizen can become involved in the process of self-government. The book includes quizzes with answer keys. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (2)

A Hero to Remember
In the month of December of the year 1994, there was a 12yr old boy honored as a hero. Iqbal Masih had been a child slave in a Pakastani carpet factory. Five months later Masih had been murdered in his own homeland. Though his life was taken, his actions live on as he inspired middle school students world-wide and adults to help free and educate the child laborers. This is a powerful story of a courageous boys life and death. Masih was a remarkable boy who lived a very full, inspirational life in a tragically short life spand of only twelve years.

Iqbal Masih and the Crusaders Against Child Slavery
The story of Iqbal changed my perception of a child's place in the world. Who would have thought a four-year-old could be sold for approximately twelve dollars and forced to work in a rug factory? Who could imagine that a twelve-year-old Iqbal could speak for the rights of children in Pakistan?

This book made me angry and it made me cry. Susan Kuklin describes the lives of poor Pakistani families who are forced to sell their children into a life of bondage. This compelling piece of creative non-fiction is aimed at the middle school market, but the story is universal, and the black and white photos allow the reader into a world that is not an urban tale--but all too real. A must read for anyone that is interested in the future of the world's children.

I'm a media specialist at BelleVue Middle School in Florida. A small group of students and I read this book together. My students were shocked that many villages in Pakistan are too poor to have schools. They compared younger brothers and sisters to Iqbal in the factory. They learned a great deal about mobility and what it would be like to not have it. This book has a helpful index and glossary of terms as well as descriptive side-bars that make research easy. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Willful Ignorance of Founding Fathers
To those who propagandize the Founding Fathers as non Theists. Please read their own personal statements.

Thomas Jefferson:
"Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God?"

John Adams:
"The greatest glory of the American Revolution was this: It connected in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity."

"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with passions unbridled by morality and religion."

George Washington's Morning Prayer:
O eternal and everlasting God, I presume to present myself this morning before thy Divine majesty, beseeching thee to accept of my humble and hearty thanks, that it hath pleased thy great goodness to keep and preserve me the night past from all the dangers poor mortals are subject to, and has given me sweet and pleasant sleep, whereby I find my body refreshed and comforted for performing the duties of this day, in which I beseech thee to defend me from all perils of body and soul.
Direct my thoughts, words and work. Wash away my sins in the immaculate blood of the lamb, and purge my heart by thy Holy Spirit, from the dross of my natural corruption, that I may with more freedom of mind and liberty of will serve thee, the ever lasting God, in righteousness and holiness this day, and all the days of my life.
Increase my faith in the sweet promises of the Gospel. Give me repentance from dead works. Pardon my wanderings, & direct my thoughts unto thyself, the God of my salvation. Teach me how to live in thy fear, labor in thy service, and ever to run in the ways of thy commandments. Make me always watchful over my heart, that neither the terrors of conscience, the loathing of holy duties, the love of sin, nor an unwillingness to depart this life, may cast me into a spiritual slumber. But daily frame me more and more into the likeness of thy son Jesus Christ, that living in thy fear, and dying in thy favor, I may in thy appointed time attain the resurrection of the just unto eternal life. Bless my family, friends & kindred unite us all in praising & glorifying thee in all our works begun, continued, and ended, when we shall come to make our last account before thee blessed Saviour, who hath taught us thus to pray, our Father.

Well Intentioned, But Off Center
Mr. Lehaye's clear intent was to bolster our confidence in the Christian roots of our country. Unfortunately, his depiction while factual leaves out ideas that would give his reader's a better perspective on the Faith of our ForeFathers.

This Book Is Wrong About Our Founding Fathers
This book is wrong about our founding fathers. Thomas Jefferson hoped that our country would be one of religious diversity. Today he'd be considered a Unitarian. He had friends who were Buddhist and Hindu. Jefferson was a Deist. So were Washington, Adams, Franklin, Paine, Hamilton, Madison. They admired the teachings of Jesus but they did not consider Jesus to be a divine being, and they did not accept the Old Testament version of God (a cruel, vengeful, authoritarian, anthropomorphic being). Read some of the letters our founding fathers wrote. They believed in science and reason. They denounced the narrow-minded intolerant Christian bigots of their day.

James Madison said in a speech in 1778: "Freedom arises from the multiplicity of sects, which pervades America and which is the best and only security for religious liberty in any society. For where there is such a variety of sects, there cannot be a majority of any one sect to oppress and persecute the rest."

Read "Why the Religious Right is Wrong about the Separation of Church and State" and "The Christ Conspiracy".

Responding to previous reviews
After reading the sadly ignorant and biased, review by Dennis Harvey that is listed below, I just had to point out that the facts are standards to which we should adhere after placing emotions and heartfelt desires aside. If we are intellectually honest enough to do so, the only "revisionists," are those who still refuse to acknowledge the facts, or attempt to subvert them, even after they have been presented to them. Ignorance of the truth is one thing, refusal to accept it when handed to you on a platter is quite another.

That this country was founded upon a common set of Jewish and Christian principles of morality and equality is self-evident, even to the most casual observation, if one but takes the time to examine the facts. Facts such as those presented in this book and others like it. Now, anyone who disagrees with this cannot attack me based upon logic or facts, so they will need to resort to character assignation and perhaps call me narrow minded or bigoted. However, contrary to popular buzz words, Christians are NOT legalistic or bigoted when they stand up for their heritage, any more than one of many other sub-cultures in our society which we are asked to tolerate would be narrow minded in voicing their feelings.

Facts hold more weight than feelings though, and individuals like Lehaye have finally said enough is enough and have stood up for the truth. If more people consulted their local library, bypassed the revisionist section, and went straight to the original documents that this country was built upon this country would once again be a bastion of liberty and freedom for ALL. For example, anyone who has heard of Noah's flood account, and then takes the time to read the Old Testament or the Tanakh literally, will come away believing that approximately 4400 years ago there was a global killer of a catastrophic flood just as what we see supported in all walks of science, Archaeology, and Geology to name but two. As such, all "races" or should I more accurately say, "skin colors," on the earth today actually share a common ancestral heritage in our forefather Noah who lived, about 4400 years ago if we are to take Jewish account literally. I choose to do so, because Jewish scribes would bury their scrolls if even a punctuation mark was inaccurate from one copy to the next as the history was passed down from eyewitness account to modern day). Therefore, Christians and Jews who read scripture literally, have a head start on this whole novel concept of "racial equality," since we don't even believe in racial division to begin with - the Bible tells us we are all one blood. The same sort of retort could be proffered for any other silly character slur in the realm of "bigoted and narrow minded" against a Christian for speaking up for the truth.

Getting back on topic, the facts remains that our Founding Fathers, though their intellectual honesty and curiosity may have led them to dabble into other lines of thought such as Deism (note Dennis, this is how you spell Deism), there was never the less a deliberate effort on their part to model our form of government upon the skeletal framework of the Jewish Tenakh and the Christian's Canonical, 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. This evidence, as pointed out be Lehaye, David Barton and many others that are now standing up for Christians in this day when anything goes in America -- except for Christianity and Judaism that is -- stands solidly upon the facts, not revisionism as we are so unrightfully being accused of.

Lehaye puts forth a noble effort to summarize a small sub-section from the plethora of facts that are available from which to draw ones research, and he defends the original intent of those who laid down their lives for religious freedom from state sponsored religion, such as the Anglican and Roman Catholic state religions that were in place throughout the nations that bordered the Mediterranean Sea at the time of our American Revolution from Great Britain. Today we see all around us events similar to those so vigorously opposed by founding fathers as they strove to build our nation upon Judeo-Christian moral principles and to insure the practice of these principles in complete freedom and liberty from a state mandated religion. Today the cancer that was once the rallying cry which motivated men and women to lay down their lives for freedom is again rearing its ugly head in the form of Secular Humanism, Macro-evolution, and the religion of Atheism - all modern examples of what our founding fathers so greatly feared and warned us would be the unraveling of our society if they were allowed to go unchallenged.

In case after case, our Supreme Court and founding fathers and other scholars who influenced the SC justices and national leaders, such as Blackstone in his various legal texts, continuously referred to the Biblical framework laid down since the beginning of time (as recorded in Hebrew historical writings), as their most preferred and ideal model for our system of government. A system of government that history shows served us quite well until it was thrown out by a rogue court in 1962. Since that day we have been reaping the rewards of our lackadaisical attitude toward our Creator and His will for any nation on earth that will chose to adhere to his will.

We had our faults, as we failed to apply scripture literally, such as inequality of slaves and the rights of women, but these were not faults caused by a Judeo-Christian system of government, but rather a failure to apply a Biblically correct world-view to our nations publicly championed moral structure. However, is spite of our flaws in terms of applying a Christ-like love of our neighbors and our spouses to our selves, it was not until we told God to get lost as a nation that we truly began to spiral out of control into the moral relativism that is so prevalent today.

Leaves out the truth.
Like all revisionist history books, this one convienantly leaves out references to anything that would dispute its claims.
This book makes no mention of Deisim. Thomas Payne wrote a book called "The Age Of Reason" that detailed the beliefs of many of our founding fathers like Thomas Jefferson and most of the big names, yet, there is no mention of it or Thomas Payne. Face it Christains,
many of our founders did not believe in Christ, Moses or Mohammed, and they had the good sense to put separation of church and state into the constitution. Thank God. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Tough going, but worth it
The ad for this book recommends it for young teens. No way! This is a very dense series of books and requires some very close reading. If you're willing to do that though these books are very worthwhile. They discuss every presidentiaal election from that of George Washington to the younger Bush in great detail and also provide documentations from the relevant period (the Jay Treaty, editorials from newspapers, the party platforms, and much more).

I would highly recommend this series for anyone interested in the history of presidential elections and how it developed over time. ... Read more

Book Description

* Raise awareness* Start a club* Use the media* Make a difference* Get involved* Choose an issue* Build a team* Have fun!

Make a difference in your hometown and around the world!

Inspired by the vision, spirit, and activities of thousands of kids working to improve the lives of others, Take Action! shows how you, too, can change the world.Authors Marc Kielburger and Craig Kielburger are the founders of Leaders Today, an organization dedicated to helping young people realize their fullest potential and become socially involved.Their remarkable work has been profiled on Oprah and on many national news shows, as well as in magazines and newspapers across the U.S. and Canada.Now, with Take Action!, they provide easy-to-follow guidelines for making a difference in the lives of people all over the globe.

By following the valuable tips, strategies, and examples in this book, you’ll get organized and start tackling important issues in your community, your school, your country, and around the world.From writing letters and public speaking to planning fundraisers, preparing petitions, and working with the media, Take Action! covers all the basics of how to become socially involved–and have fun at the same time!You’ll discover how you and your friends can join the fight for children’s rights, get involved in environmental issues, help those suffering from hunger and poverty, and much more.You’ll also meet other extraordinary young people like yourself who turned their thoughts and passion into action and have made a tremendous impact on these issues.

There are no limits to what you can accomplish.You can be a leader and help others today–all you have to do is Take Action! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Excellent Resource for Teachers
Take Action is an excellent resource book for classroom teachers ! The step by step guide to student involvement in social issues has been a great help in encouraging my students to take positive action in the community. The book is very attractive with colorful layouts, pictures and presentations. It has been immensely popular with my students. Great work! Well worth purchasing! I am looking forward to a French edition!

A Must Buy for Any Mother for Her Children
I recently bought this book for my children and they simply refuse to put it down. They are organizing a fundraiser for a local charity and getting their entire class involved and this remarkable resource is showing them how. I also saw Craig on Oprah and was so moved by his story and after seeing Oprah's major support of his organization, I went out and got the book. Oprah was right again! Craig and his brother are inspirations to all children and young people. I think every parent who wants to inspire their kids should buy this book.

The best book I have ever purchased for my kids!
I have been following Craig's remarkable story on Oprah for the last couple of years. As soon as I saw on the Oprah show that he had a new book out, I searched high and low until I found it on the free the children web site for my kids. I had bought his last book and my two daughters loved it! The Take Action is simply great. It gives them ways to become socailly involved and tells them in langauge they can understand. They are already using its fundraising and public speaking tools. I wish every school library had a copy. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Don't know much about space? Interested in finding out where the goodvacation spots would be on Mars if humans ever lived there? Wondering how manystars are out there in the universe? All these answers and 10 billion trillionmore can be found in the latest volume from Kenneth C. Davis's fun Don't KnowMuch About series for kids. Oh wait--10 billion trillion is the number of starsin the universe, not answers in the book. Using a lively, wittyquestion-and-answer format, Davis provides remarkable information about the sun,stars, planets, and the universe, and encourages readers to contemplate suchissues as humans' ability to travel to and live in other worlds.

Kenneth Davis, author of the bestselling Don't Know Much About History,as well as Don't Know Much AboutPlanet Earth, Don't KnowMuch About the Solar System, Don't Know Much About the 50States, etc., has a special knack for bringing science and historyalive. Simple and amusing drawings by illustrator Sergio Ruzzier accompany thetext. (Ages 9 to 12) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (1)

We're adults and we couldn't stop reading it!
My husband, who is from Japan, reads only 4x4 magazines and Japanese comics, yet, he read this book from start to finish. The book is written for kids 8-12, but I found it very entertaining and well written.

This would be great for a kid who is interested in science (or even, not interested... it may spur their interest). For example, a couple of the topics are "True or False: Astronauts grow taller in space" and "Do Saturns Rings have Sheep?"

The illustrations are fun and there's some nice space photos. The book is well organized with a timeline in the back, as well as a glossary. It's an easy enjoyable read. The added bonus was that we looked really smart when we were watching Jeopardy with some friends and we both blew through all of the questions in the space category ;-) ... Read more

Book Description

Using a town's mayoral election as a model, this lively introduction to voting covers every step in the process, from the start of the campaign all the way to the voting booth. There's even a recount! The cast of characters includes two dogs (and a cat), whose questions and comments mirror those of young readers and help to explain some of an election's more confusing aspects. Told with clarity and wit in Eileen Christelow's signature comic-book style and vetted by an expert in voter education, this look at how we choose our leaders turns an often daunting topic into an exciting narrative. Who would have guessed that learning about voting could be so much fun? A timeline of the history of voting in the United States, a glossary of words associated with voting, a discussion of American political parties, and a list of Internet resources are included. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Really Good Book about Voting!
I was so impressed at how easy and enjoyable this book was to read.It's about time someone wrote a good children's book about voting.Most books about voting are dry, dull and totally detached.This book provides a likable protaganist and takes us through the voting and election process.Students of mine who have read non-fiction books on voting and been left totally confused as well as bored may finally "get it"with this one.Good job!

Disappointing Appearances of Bias
While I like the way the information is presented with the humor of the dogs along with the explanations, I have several problems with this book.#1 I disagree with presenting one candidate in a good light (Chris Smith who is portrayed to care about schools, and has her child campaigning for her, aka "liberals are compassionate"), and the other as a villian (Bill Brown, whose platform is portrayed to be based on building a new stadium, a cold businessman who doesn't like animals or care about children, aka "the non-compassionate conservative"). This nice candidate/mean candidate portrayal is a poor way to teach childen voting discernment.#2 At the end of the book, there is "A Timeline of Voting Rights".Again, this is a great idea- laying out these important dates to understand more easily. However, I find the comments regarding the 2000 Presidential Election troubling.The author carefully implies that the 2000 Presidential Election was bogus, and the 2002 voting act will take care of faulty elections in the future.I believe this book would've been much more effective had the author NOT brought biases into play. ... Read more

Book Description

Here's a brand new, informative and fun-to-read book for elementaryschool use, written by the author of the recently published "How the U.S.Government Works." This text outlines the legal requirements for electing apresident, as spelled out in the U.S. Constitution. Kids also learn about votereligibility, the Electoral College, political third parties, and rules andpractices related to campaigning for the presidential office. More fascinatingfacts abound throughout the book, and include the birthplaces of all presidents,the youngest and oldest men elected to the presidency, the vice presidents whostepped in to fill the remaining terms of a previous president, the presidentialelection that a major newspaper got wrong, and lots more.This book is writtenon a level that is most helpful to students in the 4th and 5th grades. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Terrific!
Syl Sobel has taken a complicated subject and made it understandable and interesting for the elementary school student. This book is easy to read, with short chapters and filled with a ton of information. It also includes a lot of fun facts that everyone will enjoy about different presidents, their wives and some of our more interesting elections. A wonderful resource with a glossary, index and bibliography.

What a great resource!
This is an educational and fun book that could not have come at a better time! My family and I have enjoyed reading about the complex election process, which the author explains in a clear and enjoyable style.

An Awesome Book
This is an Awesome book about presidential Elections! The interesting facts are fascinating and are about things you never have heard of before. Syl Sobel is my neighbor. CHECK OUT HIS BOOK! ... Read more

Book Description

In 1853, few Japanese people
knew that a country
called America even existed.

For centuries, Japan had isolated itself from the outside world by refusing to trade with other countries and even refusing to help shipwrecked sailors, foreign or Japanese. The country's people still lived under a feudal system like that of Europe in the Middle Ages. But everything began to change when American Commodore Perry and his troops sailed to the Land of the Rising Sun, bringing with them new science and technology, and a new way of life.

Reviews (2)

Fascinating, thorough!
We lived in Japan and I homeschooled when I first read this book. Much more interesting way to learn about the opening of Japan than through a text. Another excellent book that is a great companion to this one is "Born in the Year of Courage."

Its a very good and stuning book...!!!!!
Its a very good book!!!It has alot of detail on the Japanes life in the very old days of the world.Its the best you can get!!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Sooner or later, just about every American kid isrequired to memorize the Preamble to the Constitution ofthe United States. And until now, it was one of the moreboring, meaningless assignments. But artist and politicalcartoonist David Catrow (Stand Tall,Molly Lou Melon) has changed all that with hiswitty, clear-as-a-Liberty-Bell picture book. For him, theConstitution is "a kind of how-to book, showing us waysto have happiness, safety, and comfort." Withlaugh-out-loud cartoony illustrations, and the actualwords of the Preamble as the only text, Catrow depicts acamping trip taken by a diverse, bumbling group offriends, demonstrating the rights and responsibilitiesthe Constitution places on all Americans, young and old.In one especially winning picture, the kids' long-nosed,long-eared pooch provides "for the common defense,"keeping lackadaisical guard over the camp as the threehuman friends yuk it up in silhouette inside the tent.Readers will never yawn at mention of the Constitutionagain! (Ages 8 to 12) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Super discussion starter!
This fun book helped me to reach my fifth grade class in a way their social studies text never would have!Catrow finds a way to take the elegant (and sometimes difficult to translate into kid-talk) language of the Preamble and not only make it simeple to understand, but really helps put the kids right in there.

He makes it clear that this is a document for all Americans, not only including kids, but maybe especially for kids.

His buddy 'Bubbs', is pictured throughout so even the less than interested can be drawn in by finding the dog...

So glad I found this!

Disappointed
My husband who is off fighting for the Constitution sent this book to our daughter.If he had not sent it, I would want a refund.My daughter and I sat down to read the book together.She thought the drawings did not match the words and thought the author still did not like the Preamble. (HE makes mention in the begining that he was forced to think about the Constitution). There was no inspiration from this book and she hasn't picked it up again.The pictures are not exciting to children and only vaguely connect to the words.She loves the Freedom Rock version of the Preamble and and really enjoys Lynn Chaney's "America A Patriotic Primer", so I understand why he made the purchase, however it is not inspiring or uplifting or interesting.

What It All Means.....
As David Catrow tells us in his introduction, "...For me, the Constitution is a kind of how-to book, showing us ways to have happiness, safety, and comfort...", and he uses his immeasurable talents as an artist and cartoonist to teach an inspirational and unforgettable lesson that is sure to open interesting discussions at home and school.Following a glossary of what the actual words in the Preamble of the Constitution mean, (e.g. "IN ORDER TO FORM A MORE PERFECT UNION:To come together and make things better for everyone who lives in our country.INSURE DOMESTIC TRANQUILITY:To make sure we can all have a nice life and get along with one another.TO OURSELVES AND OUR POSTERITY:For kids, parents, other grown-ups, and all the people born in our country after we are."), Mr Catrow details the meaning of these important ideals, phrase by phrase, using his marvelously bold and busy cartoon illustrations.Each two page spread is a clever feast for the eyes, rich in engaging details, manic energy, and droll humor.Perfect for youngsters 8-12, We The Kids is a witty and memorable treasure, and one of the real winners of 2002 that shouldn't be missed.

A Great Book
I really love the book.The pictures and color are beautiful.The language is simple enough so a child with some adult help could understand the Preamble which includes words not common to the vocabulary of most children today.A great book.
M. Preston

A great book
A terrific way to learn the preamble.The illustrations are a riot!My whole family loves this book. ... Read more

Book Description

As a young boy, Neil Armstrong had a recurring dream in which he held his breath and floated high in the sky. He spent his free time reading stacks of flying magazines, building model airplanes, and staring through a homemade telescope. As a teenager, Neil worked odd jobs to pay for flying lessons at a nearby airport. He earned his student pilot"s license on his sixteenth birthday. But who was to know that this shy boy, who also loved books and music, would become the first person to set foot on the moon, on July 20, 1969. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Don Brown's Best One Yet!
This biography is without a doubt Brown's best picturebook biography to date. He really has written an engaging biography of Armstrong. My second graders went back to this book time and again after I read it aloud! One of my students () used it as a primary source for her biography on Neil Armstrong...and she wrote a great bio too! A great addition to a classroom library or school library biography section!

"One Giant Step" is fantastic!
Don Brown's book "One Giant Step: the Story of Neil Armstrong" is great. It approaches the story of America's most famous astronaut from a truly unique perspective. Even as an adult I found it compelling.The illustrations are colorful, lively watercolors with distinctive style and charm. Few have mastered the art writing children's books. Fewer have mastered the art of illustrating them. Don Brown has done both.

Horrid illustrations and rather boring text
My kids crave far more information than this book provided. They would have like more photographs of this famous man, not cartoonish, childish illustrations.

wonderful and inspiring
No one is telling history to young children quite the way that Don Brown is -- clearly, factually, and without the unnecessary treacle and syrup. History is beguiling enough as it is. Brown's admiration for his subject comes through in his direct and Hemingway-esque style. Armstrong was a hero who started as a boy with a dream, literally. My children were smitten, as was I. THIS BOOK IS A NO-FAIL GIFT for boys and girls. We hope to hear, and see, more from this fantastic author-illustrator. He deserves more recognition, and I am sure that will come soon. ... Read more