Friday November 21, 2008
Children's Books: Educational
Displayed below are the top selling items for today, Friday November 21, 2008 along with the review customers have voted "most useful".
To find top selling items in for a specific category, use the menu on the left or click here to see all categories.
- The Daring Book for Girls by Andrea J. Buchanan
- Magic Tree House #40 : Eve of the Emperor Penguin (A Stepping Stone Book(TM)) by Mary Pope Osborne
- The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
- The Complete Visual Dictionary of Star Wars : The Ultimate Guide to Characters and Creatures from the Entire Star Wars Saga by David West Reynolds
- Oh, Yuck! The Encyclopedia of Everything Nasty by Joy Masoff
- IlluStory : Write and illustrate your own book!
- God Gave Us Christmas (God Gave Us...) by Lisa T. Bergren
- The Everything Kids' Science Experiments Book : Boil Ice, Float Water, Measure Gravity-Challenge the World Around You! (Everything Kids Series) by Tom Robinson
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The Daring Book for Girls
by Andrea J. Buchanan
(based on 145 customer reviews)
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(Hardcover)
Author: Andrea J. Buchanan
Publisher: Collins
Price: $17.79
You save: $9.16 (34%) off the list price!
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Most useful review as voted by customers:
279 out of 286 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 11/9/07
A wonderful book for young girls (or boys) - you'll love it as much as your kid!
This is the perfect book to share with your daughter/ granddaughter/that special girl you know, whether she is 8 or 18 or somewhere in between. It has just the right mix of articles - informative, fun, and stimulating! When the "Dangerous Book for Boys" came out I wished for a version for girls and this book is as good as the one for boys if not better.
When you first flip through its pages it will remind you of the time you were her age. You probably read a book almost like this but not quite. I say not quite as this book does a perfect balancing act between skills and general knowledge, between techniques we learned from our grandmothers and the ones that became popular later. It tells you "how to press flowers" but also "five karate moves". "Make your own quill pen" is preceded by "how to change a tire". I remember reading a book almost like this in my childhood. I dearly treasured that book till its pages were yellow and stiff into my college days. I spent many afternoons after school experimenting with the projects. I remember the bitter candy apples I made from a recipe in that book, or the quill pen with which I wrote my "secret language" notes for my friends and this book brought back those memories. With more words than illustrations, the Daring book for Girls will encourage the girl who reads it to use her imagination.
This book will appeal to the "girly-girl" in every girl with the sections like "Palm reading", "Hopscotch", "Princesses today" or "Boys"; to her sense of adventure with articles like "Going to Africa" (short section on each country), "Hiking", "Reading tide charts"; and to the "builder" in her with sections like "Building a campfire", "Tree swings", "Every girl's toolbox". There is a ton of useful information and facts in this book too for those rainy or quiet days - "from French terms of endearment" to "Queens of Ancient world" to "Women Inventors". Sports are covered too - basketball, softball, netball, bowling, playing cards and more.
My daughter was thrilled to get this book. I wasn't sure she'd like it as much as I liked my childhood book. But she began her next project "how to tie a sari" in minutes and over dinner started telling me about the women inventors in the book. We have now designated this book the "mother-daughter time" book. Each weekend, we pick up the book and try something new! What a great antidote to the "Mom, I'm bored" refrain!
Some are activities she can attempt on her own and for others like building the ultimate scooter she will need help as it requires some sawing and drilling. It is a challenge for me too as I've not really attempted to build anything from scratch before. I'm ready with my saw and drill and as excited as her to begin that project!
This book gives just the right kind of stimulation for a younger girl's (or boy's) curious mind and their thirst for new knowledge and skills. This book will also grow with the reader as it gives practical advice and even contains chapters like "Stocks and shares" and "Negotiating salaries." This book is therefore highly recommended and will make a great gift for a 7-14 year old.
Click here to see more reviews for: The Daring Book for Girls
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Magic Tree House #40
Eve of the Emperor Penguin (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))
by Mary Pope Osborne (based on 1 customer review)
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(Hardcover)
Author: Mary Pope Osborne
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Price: $9.40
You save: $2.59 (22%) off the list price!
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Most useful review as voted by customers:
11 out of 11 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 10/21/08
Excellent New Addition to the Series or Standalone Children's Book
I have read many of the Magic Treehouse books while recently "studying" for my 6-year old's Magic Treehouse Birthday Party. She really loves this series, reads them ravenously, and plays "Jack and Annie" constantly with her friends. I read around 15 of them, up until now the first part of the series (this is my first of the Merlin Missions), and have found the books to be cute, quick and entertaining.
I have never found anything in them that concerns me for my daughter to be reading, which is more than I can say for many of the series out there for young children, whose main characters are often wisecracking, sibling-hating and constantly in trouble. I love the way Jack and Annie play together and protect one another, even while they don't always agree and have different styles and strengths.
In any case, regarding this specific book, I think it is a wonderful addition to the Magic Tree House Series, or if you child is new to the series, an excellent introduction. My daughter just got it for her birthday.. and I gave it a quick read because now that I've read so many, I wanted to see what the Merlin Missions were all about.
I was quite impressed. This book seemed a little bit more developed and engrossing than some of the early stories. Not in a way that is too difficult for kids, but just more substantial. It was a good mix of fantasy and fact, like usual, with easily digestible facts and lessons, in this case on penguins and the Antarctic. This book was doubly interesting in that it was a culmination of a 4-book set (the magic treehouse books have 4 book sets that circle around a particular theme or type of mission -- in this one they are trying to find 4 secrets of happiness for Merlin who is exceedingly sad and have been asked by Morgan le Fay, the owner of the treehouse, to help). The secrets they share -- nature, curiosity, compassion and taking care of others -- provide just lovely messages for kids.
There are a few scary parts, when they fall down a cliff, or when a predatory bird is attacking a penguin, but Osborne has a gift for having adventure in her stories without the "scary" aspect being too much for kids. My daughter will hardly watch anything these days because of mean or scary characters, and that extends to some books -- but these stories always engage her without frightening her.
If your kids already like the Magic Tree House series, definitely add this one to their collection. If MTH is new for your children, this is a great one to start with. It stands alone nicely (she has a short prologue which explains things well up to this point), and may get your child interested in reading the earlier books. What's so great about Magic Tree House is that it is wonderful for boys and for girls. And it really creates a gentle exposure to history and character often natural science, but in a fun way. And for those kids that love the topic of the book, there are non-fiction research guides, very easily accessible for 5-6 years and up with lots more information on those topic (for this book, the companion research guide is Penguins and Antarctica (Magic Tree House Rsrch Gdes(R)).
This book makes a wonderful gift for any early to mid-level reader. If your child is an early reader, it would be great to read with them. For a mid-level reader, they can spread it out a chapter at a time, or like my daughter, tear through it in an afternoon. Great job, Mary Pope Osborne. Please keep them coming!!!
Click here to see more reviews for: Magic Tree House #40
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The Polar Express
by Chris Van Allsburg
(based on 236 customer reviews)
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(Hardcover)
Author: Chris Van Allsburg
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Price: $12.89
You save: $6.06 (32%) off the list price!
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Most useful review as voted by customers:
145 out of 149 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 11/2/00
Is Santa Claus real?
This book opens the possibility that Santa Claus -- as presented to most of us -- may not physically exist. It does this in a way that will allow children and their parents to ease into that question, a graceful move from the belief in a living St. Nick, to a belief in the spirit of Christmas.It begins like this: "On Christmas Eve, many years ago, I lay quietly in my bed. I did not rustle the sheets. I breathed slowly and silently. I was listening for a sound -- a sound a friend had told me I'd never hear -- the ringing of Santa's sleigh.
'There is no Santa,' my friend had insisted, but I knew he was wrong."
From here, we follow a beautifully illustrated story of this young boy's quiet night ride with other children, on the Polar Express train to the North Pole, a "huge city standing alone at the top of the world, filled with factories where every Christmas toy was made."
Our narrator is the fortunate child, picked by Santa, to receive the first gift of that Christmas. He knows exactly what he wants, a simple gift that will help him continue to believe in the magic of Christmas, a silver bell from a reindeer's harness.
He gets his wish, but loses it on the train ride home. However, there's a happy ending -- evidently Santa has found the bell, and put it under the tree. The boy and his little sister admire the beauty of the sound it makes, but their parents say, "Oh, that's too bad....It's broken."
Many years later, the boy's sister and all of his friends can no longer hear the bell.
"Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me as it does for all who truly believe."
My youngest son at ages 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 has chosen to firmly believe with the narrator, but he's moved around in his reaction to the notion that Santa isn't real. From -- "that's ridiculous, isn't it?" to "Mom...it is ridiculous, isn't it?" This book will let him hold onto the Christmas spirit for as long as he wants, and to return to it whenever he needs it.
This version comes complete with CD's/tapes with readings. Buy the less expensive edition, add a silver bell, and (if you can), read it with the child yourself to give a really special gift.
A wonderful book for those who want to believe in the spirit of Christmas every day of every year.
Click here to see more reviews for: The Polar Express
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The Complete Visual Dictionary of Star Wars
The Ultimate Guide to Characters and Creatures from the Entire Star Wars Saga
by David West Reynolds (based on 81 customer reviews)
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(Hardcover)
Author: David West Reynolds
Publisher: DK CHILDREN
Price: $26.40
You save: $13.60 (34%) off the list price!
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Most useful review as voted by customers:
65 out of 65 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 9/28/06
Wow!
What an amazing, thorough, comphrensive guide to everything Star Wars. NOTHING is left out. You get not only in depth profiles of every major character, but every OTHER character in the universe. It's so detailed that they break down each PART of each weapon, ship, etc. For someone like myself who isn't the biggest Star Wars geek (but wanting to learn more), this is a godsend. There are many, many, hardcore fans out there that can reference almost anything and anyone to do with Star Wars. Well, now you can too, and you don't have to see the films 3245 times to do it.
It's a great companion to the "Ultimate Visual Guide" as well. It is a combination of the Visual Dictionaries for the the other films, so all Episodes 1-6 are covered.
Buy it, NOW!
Click here to see more reviews for: The Complete Visual Dictionary of Star Wars
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Oh, Yuck! The Encyclopedia of Everything Nasty
by Joy Masoff (based on 54 customer reviews)
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(Paperback)
Author: Joy Masoff
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
Price: $10.17
You save: $4.78 (32%) off the list price!
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Most useful review as voted by customers:
49 out of 49 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 12/5/01
I'm a grownup and I loved it!
I bought this for my kid, no I didn't, she's only 3, I b ought it for me and she can have it when she gets older. And I'm buying it for two of my friend's kids. I've always been fascinated with gross stuff like snot, pus, poop, gross foods, etc., and so are most kids. And by the way, my kid, and the two kids I'm buying this for, are girls. The facts are there, it's fun to read, and it might even get the kids to read more and practice good hygiene while they're at it (microscopic photos of worms and such may answer a few questions like "why do I have to wash my hands all the time?" Excellent.
Click here to see more reviews for: Oh, Yuck! The Encyclopedia of Everything Nasty
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IlluStory
Write and illustrate your own book!
(based on 77 customer reviews)
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(Toy)
Publisher: Creations by You
Price: $19.94
You save: $2.01 ( 9%) off the list price!
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Most useful review as voted by customers:
344 out of 354 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 10/16/03
We love them!
Our son has written 2 books with Illustory already! He loves seeing the words that he writes typed onto the pages (by the company) and the drawings he does come out beautifully printed on the book. He is so excited and proud of himself when he shows his friends, family and teacher his publications! The book even comes with an About-the-Author page just like real published books! Everything that you need to write and draw is provided in the kit and the instructions are very easy to follow. In just a few weeks you get back a real hardcover book! The experience was so terrific, we plan on having him write a book each year so he can see how much his writing changes year after year. And just as soon as his new baby sister is old enough, we'll start her writing books with Illustory too. The books are a great family keepsake. We love them
Click here to see more reviews for: IlluStory
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God Gave Us Christmas (God Gave Us...)
by Lisa T. Bergren (based on 36 customer reviews)
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(Hardcover)
Author: Lisa T. Bergren
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
Price: $9.99
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Most useful review as voted by customers:
34 out of 34 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 8/16/07
Excellent Read!
This is one of my new favorite reads for the Christmas season (or anytime, really)! IT has a sweet, warm message. I love finding books with a true Christian theme. Santa Clause and Frosty are great, and have a place in our traditions, but it's also very important to keep a focus on the reason we celebrate Christmas in the first place. I have read this book to 4 and 5-year-olds, who enjoyed it very much. We read it two or three times in one week! They loved it each time, and I loved reinforcing the wonderful spirit of the book. I HIGHLY recommend this for children ages 3-12 (and the adults who love them)!
Click here to see more reviews for: God Gave Us Christmas (God Gave Us...)
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The Everything Kids' Science Experiments Book
Boil Ice, Float Water, Measure Gravity-Challenge the World Around You! (Everything Kids Series)
by Tom Robinson (based on 21 customer reviews)
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(Paperback)
Author: Tom Robinson
Publisher: Adams Media
Price: $7.95
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Most useful review as voted by customers:
156 out of 156 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 3/9/02
Everything you need to have fun...(and learn, too)
This is a great book, chock-a-block w/ very accessible experiments. One of the best features is the way the experiments are grouped together: a 'theme' (say, Acids, in the Chemistry section) will have a group of experiments of varying degrees of complexity that together add up to a pretty good understanding of the concept. Also, most of the materials are readily at hand- for many of them we really did already have everything in the house. This is esp. gratifying for the kids, who of course want to do the experiment *right now*. I would imagine that home-schooling families would enjoy this, but our school-going kids enjoy doing these experiments after school & on weekends.p.s., one of the easiest experiments is also a real showstopper, though it takes a couple of days to complete: dissolving the eggshell of an egg, leaving the egg inside intact!
Click here to see more reviews for: The Everything Kids' Science Experiments Book
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