Book Description

There are over 130 ethnic groups in Russia. From crowded cities to the slower pace of life in the countryside, the everyday lives of modern Russians is revealed in this new book. Colorful photos show children at school, family customs, traditional dress, food, and pastimes as well as the difficulties created by Russia's struggling economy. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A great introduction to Russia
I was looking for a book that would give me a pictorial overview with general information to introduce my sons to the topic of Russia. I have found this book, along with Russia the Land, and Russia the culture, does just that.
Having colorful clear photographs in each book and having a very approachable layout, it makes it easy to capture the readers attention and draw them in to know more about this fascinating country. I highly recommend this series if desiring to introduce the topic of Russia to children. I am glad that it is in my library. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Why did they translate this?
I like Tintin so I thought this might be an interesting gift for some young friends of mine. Unfortunately, the Tintin characters that decorate here and there have nothing to do with the text. Then on top of that, the book is shallow and ignorant of it's topic. It's treatment of Islam is particularly poor. Islamic law is Sharia, not Charia. It uses stereotypes of 'fundamentalists' and 'holy war' that would offend many Muslims. Muslims don't worship some strange god called Allah. Allah is the Arabic name for God, the same as the God of Moses and Jesus. It also said that all the idols in Mecca were destroyed but the black stone, as though the black stone is an idol of sorts, which is incorrect. My young friends are Muslim so I couldn't give them such a book and for religious understanding, I wouldn't recommend it for anyone else.

Great
as usual it is a classic tintin! a must read ... Read more

Book Description

College is a mystery to most kids, and many make attendance decisions based on misinformation/misunderstandings. This book demystifies college using language and format that appeals to teens. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Belongs in every middle school backpack!
Colleges of every type -- from barber colleges to major research universities -- lie at the center of our society's life. They are places of great fun, seriousness, and success. This superb book makes plain to middle schoolers that in a few short years they too will be able to be on campus. "The First Look at College" performs the neat trick of taking the mystery out of going to college while making the prospect even more exciting. Yet, the almanac is not another example of denying our youngsters their childhood, like entrance exams for kindergarten. Instead, by writing directly to the kids and not writing down to them, Greenfeld shows that 14-year-olds in almost every circumstance and from every background ought to be planning for some learning after high school graduation. Organized in page-size chunks, the book steps readers through thinking about careers and showing the panoply of colleges available and then unpacking the application process. Financial aid, sports, fraternities and sororities, study tips, and a neat list of college urls all get their due. A busy junior high counselor who has a shelf of these books can perform some valuable intervention simply by pressing the "Kids' College Almanac" into student hands.

Wonderful for Parents, Too!
This terrific book is a great resource for parents, too! Even though my husband and I both went to college, so much has changed. This book provides a wonderful overview in a very engaging format. It greatly simplifies what is otherwise daunting. The authors were very clever in their choice of format - it really is designed just the way most kids will intially use it; all the interesting facts do capture their interest and their parents, too. It's one of those books that anyone who's been through the college application process - whether parent or student - has to pick up and say, "I wished I had that back then!"

Now I'm Ready!
Even though I won't be attending college until the year 2003 this book tells me a lot of things I need to know or should know before going to college. there were Some things about college that i didn't know until reading this book!

Outstanding Resource
The Kids' College Almanac is an outstanding and essential resource for any child thinking about college and his/her parents. As the mother of children in both middle and high school, I found that this book covered every imaginable topic related to college decision-making that my children and I need to know. From discussing how to select what colleges to apply to and what is involved in the application process to explaining how to pay for college costs and what to expect once classes begin, this book provides important information to the college-bound student in a clear and easily-read format. My children and I have also enjoyed reading the interesting charts and tables and notable facts scattered throughout the book. I especially like the fact that the book can be opened at any page and enjoyed. I also appreciate the very positive and motivating tone that the authors use throughout the book, which makes any reader feel that if they want to go to college, they can!

Excellent Tool For Kids & College
The Kids' College Almanac is an excellent tool for both children and the parents of children thinking about college. The book's text, an enjoyable read for both young and old, is direct, accurate and easy to read. As an Admissions Counselor at a college, I have used the book both professionally and personally and find it an invaluable part of my library. I strongly recommend The Kids' College Almanac to any prospective student who is taking their "First Look At College" and wants answers to the many questions that surround such an important life decision. ... Read more

Book Description

A factual account of the Bancroft Arnesen Expedition across Antarctica aimed at ages 9-12. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

My nieces and nephews loved this book!
I have 8 nieces and nephews, ranging in age from 1 to 12, and bought a few of these books for them as a gift. THEY LOVED IT!
The younger ones loved all the colorful pictures and drawings, and the opportunity in the back of the book to "Draw their own Dream", and the older children loved the adventure and excitement as the journey unfolded. It made for great nighttime reading with the children for several nights in a row during my visit, and will be a keepsake amongst their collection. Fantastic! ... Read more

Book Description

Going Places features young people whose lives and views of the world have been changed by travel. In their own words, these travelers tell what they have discovered about overcoming fear, taking on challenges, and reaching out to people in other countries and cultures. Contributors include Mark Pfetzer, who at 15 was the youngest person ever to climb Mt. Everest; Diana Silbergeld, who had visited 16 countries by the age of 12; and Sarah Stillman, who journeyed to Indonesia and interviewed young girls working in Mattel factories producing Barbie dolls. Photographs are included. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An exciting anthology of traveling experiences
Compiled by Michelle Roehm McCann, Going Places: True Tales From Young Travelers is an exciting anthology of traveling experiences written by young people, for readers of all ages to enjoy. From the different sides of East Indian culture, to a young woman's struggle to endure a week of boot camp, to a magnificent journey through Europe, and more, Going Places is a stimulating, original collection and very highly recommended reading. ... Read more

Book Description

Whether you travel by car, plane, or dogsled, the miles will go faster if you bring along this first-class collection of games, jokes, and songs.For long trips and short, for outings or vacations, here's a book packed full of fun for the whole family.

... Read more

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Making your car ride fun.
Fun on the run is a terrific way to keep everyone busy on those long car trips. Included are word games,songs,license plate games and jokes. Our family enjoyed all the songs and activities. This great book can be used by car,plane or dogsled,wherever you may go. Enjoy! ... Read more

Book Description

The mixture of different traditions brought by immigrants has created a rich variety of cultural life in Argentina. Argentina the culture celebrates its nation's symbols - the gaucho and the tango, as well as other important cultural aspects of Argentina including religion, festivals, folk art, language, and literature. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Spare collage work and Sufi wisdom tell the tale of a boy in search ofknowledge. Three-time Caldecott winner Ed Young (Lon Po Po) returns here with asimple, cyclical story about giving, receiving, and unexpected rewards.

The boy (in a red, marbled robe and cute blue construction-paper shoes) hopes togain knowledge from the wispy-bearded Grand Master, who appears to almost floatas he assumes a sort of yogic Baked Potato Pose. But the master needs a carpetfirst, so the boy goes in search of the carpetmaker. The carpetmaker barks atthe boy, "What about me? I need thread for weaving my carpets." Of course, thespinner woman needs goat hair to make thread, and the goatkeeper needs a pen forhis goats in exchange for the hair. Naturally, the carpenter who makes pens forgoats needs a wife... and so on and so on, until the boy finally finds a way tomeet everyone's needs--including his own.

The flecked, stationery-style backgrounds look unnecessarily static here, butfortunately Young's energetic figures compensate with vibrant momentum. AndWhat About Me? gets especially fun as the boy races to reach his finalgoal, and each colorful cut-out appears to jump onto the next page. (Ages 4 to8) --Paul Hughes ... Read more

Reviews (3)

what about me
This story was pretty interesting. It's about a boy named dirk. all he wants to do is be like his older brother sabastin. sabastin sneaks secret letters and papers to people to get word of things spred around. dirk wants to help sabastin but he wont let him.
then when dirk was walking home from school he found a note that was needed to spred aroud. dirk went to sabastins room and stole some of sabastins papers and put the note in them and gave a few copies out to anyone he could trust.
for some risen dirk thought the nazis were going to search his house and find the hiden papers. so then hestole all of the papers and stuffed them in his pockets and tried to get rid of them.
while dirk was on his way to get rid of his papers he ran into a little jewish girl and he knew what he had to do. will dirk be able to sav the girl from the nazis and get rid of the papers. well I guess you'll just have to read the book for yourself to find out

Lessons from the Grand Master
I really enjoyed "What About Me?," a story book by Ed Young. The introductory note states that the tale "is rooted in the Sufi tradition" of the Middle East. The story opens, "Once there was a boy who wanted knowledge, but he did not know how to gain it." He seeks the wisdom of a Grand Master. However, the boy must go through quite a process before the Grand Master's two lessons are revealed. Young's illustrations are packed full of color and detail; his artwork is warm and often whimsical. Young has a particular talent for creating unique characters with visual art.

COLORFUL COLLAGES AND A MORAL
No one creates colorful, eye-popping collages like the very, very popular artist Ed Young. He's the winner of three Caldecott awards; "Seven Blind Mice" is an all time favorite. The cut-paper collages in his latest book are, indeed, works of art.

Once again, Mr. Young returns to an ancient fable for inspiration in this story of a little boy who wanted only one thing: knowledge. 'I shall see a Grand Master," he concluded. The Grand Master responded that the boy needed to bring him a small carpet for his work.

When the boy located a carpetmaker, the artisan replied that he needed thread. A spinner woman cannot provide him with thread without goat hair to make the thread and the goatkeeper cannot give him goat hair without goats. All of these people say, "What about me?"

Will the boy ever manage to satisfy everyone and get himself a little knowledge at the same time? There's a lot to learn from this Middle Eastern fable, and much enjoyment to be found in Mr. Young's art.

- Gail Cooke ... Read more

Book Description

With few roads and bridges, the early settlers had to find creative ways of getting around. This attractive book describes travel long ago on water and during the winter, in wagons and coaches, as well as the coming of more modern transportation such as steamboats, trains, and early automobiles. ... Read more

Book Description

Through dramatic depictions of significant moments in American history, this informative series gives young readers a vivid sense of Colonial American life -- its farms and villages, cities and ports, and the struggles and dreams of its inhabitants.Illustrated and indexed. ... Read more

Book Description