Title: The Busy Adult’s Guide to Making College Happen!
Author: Geoffrey Schmidt
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Break Free Publishing, LLC
Pages: 160
ISBN: 978-0-97908699-0-7
Price: $14.95
Publishing Date: 2008
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 5 hearts
This excellent how-to fills an important need in today’s society. Not every worker has a college degree. To get one requires a person to become a “nontraditional” student. Whether one needs a few hours to complete a degree or the whole nine yards, it is possible to do so. How do I know? Because I had to complete my last college semester in night school while I was stationed with the Army in Washington DC and I did my Masters in Business on the weekends while I was stationed at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. My son also did almost all his requirements for a degree in business IT at night and on the weekends.
This is a book we would have found very helpful. We would not have had to learn the time and life management skills the hard way, if we had used this guide. It teaches why you should seek to complete a degree and how to prioritize your time and goals. It encourages you to attain your goals. Most importantly, it tells you what to expect if you go down this path. This book is for all who have not attained sufficient education and who wants to while still fulfilling workday and family responsibilities. We rated it five hearts.
Title: We Both Read Series
Author: Various
Illustrator: Various
Publisher and/or Distributor: Treasure Bay, Inc.
Pages: 48
ISBN: various
Price: $3.99
Publishing Date: 2002 to Present
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 5 hearts
We occasionally review a series of books from a publisher, rather than an individual book from the series. This means we see a similar quality from the series and are impressed with it. Such is the case for the “We Both Read” series. These are colorful books designed for use by the 5-7 year-old range and their parents. The books cover a wide variety of nonfiction and fiction subjects. Their unique feature is the structure of their layout. Each left-hand page is to be read by the parent or teacher. The right-hand page is much simpler so the child can read it. The pictures and the words are informative, humorous, and fun. The books allow the grownup to model good reading while giving more detail, while the child can contribute at his or her level. These books enhance bonding as well as developing reading skills. The specific book on pets which I read was really funny and interesting—making for a pleasant reading experience. Its pictures were adorable and its text flowed easily back and forth between the adult and child reading levels. This series can also be used as a step up for slightly older children reading the adult side, so they can gain confidence in their reading abilities while having fun. We rated this series five hearts.
Title: Spanish—Live It and Learn It!—The Complete Guide to Language Immersion Schools in Mexico
Author: Martha Racine Taylor
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Cypress House
Pages: 326
ISBN: 978-1-879384-64-4
Price: $18.95
Publishing Date: 2006
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 4 hearts
With the enormous influx of Spanish speaking to America, legal or not, no community is left untouched. Spanish language and music can be heard anywhere. Many Americans have responded with an honest desire to communicate in Spanish. The best and quickest way to learn a language other than one’s own is to become totally immersed in it. Whereas our military sends soldiers through year-long training courses, which give them rudimentary skills at best, Mormon missionaries get only two months of language immersion—going into the mission field fully able to function on the streets.
Spending time in Mexico studying Spanish in a total immersion language and cultural environment will provide language skills quickly. This is an excellent resource for folks who would like this experience, providing the critical information that they need to make intelligent decisions as to where they should go. We rated it a high four hearts
Title: Gifted Children Gifted Education
Author: Gary A. Davis, Ph.D.
Illustrator:
Publisher and/or Distributor: Great Potential Press, Inc.
Pages: 344
ISBN: 0-910707-73-1
Price: $32.95
Publishing Date: 2006
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 4 hearts
As a parent of two gifted children who are now grown and well-adjusted to society, I could have used this book to help me understand what to expect from my children and the educational system. The book covers such things as what giftedness is, the characteristics of the gifted, how they are identified, what accelerated programs might be available, how gifted students are grouped, and potential problem areas in the educational systems as well as potential problems with gifted children. This treatise is of benefit to both parents and teachers/administrators of gifted programs. We rated it four hearts.
Title: Grandma’s Magic Scissors
Author: Linda S. Day
Illustrator: Linda S. Day
Publisher and/or Distributor: Day To Day Enterprises
Pages: 152
ISBN: 1-890905-62-8
Price: $14.95
Publishing Date: 2005
Reader: Bob Spear
Rating: 4 hearts
As an experienced trainer and professional storyteller, I understand the importance of the visual and kinesthetic modes of communication and how they reinforce the auditory mode. When telling stories to young children at my bookstore, The Book Barn, during music and story time, I have been using this wonderful resource almost every week. The book has a number of stories and, most importantly, many cut-out guides for paper figures which accompany the stories. While I tell a story, I cut out the related figure and at the end of the story, I pull apart the figures into their chain and pass it around to the children.
The author has revived an old European form of fold and cut art and incorporated it into storytelling. Teachers, librarians, and storytellers will find this an essential resource for working with pre-school and lower grade school children. We rated it four hearts.
