This book is a must for anyone who teaches. This book provides the teacher so many different approaches to testing. I had taught for four years before ever studying this book (and taking Dr. Payne's great class), but I was amazed at how much there was to know and use on a daily basis. Dr. Payne is a great lecturer and a fantastic writer...I highly recommend this book as a guide for creating a good test and being able to evaluate good and bad points in testing.

I was a student of Roger Allen at UPENN, and must say this book represents the meat of a graduate degree in Arabic literature. Dr. Allen writes with clarity and great attention to detail. It is a very thorough book and is accessible to both graduate students or anybody wishing to gain an understanding of one of the most fruitful of all literary heritages.

This book is full of great tips and articles that you won't find anywhere else. It feels like most of the authors in the book are divulging the hints and secrets that they've learned along the way. As for architecture books, this one is by far the least dry and boring. Keep it on your desk and use it as a reference, or read it cover to cover. Either way, it's worth it.

I purchased this book a couple of months ago and immediately put it to use in my 8th grade Language Arts classroom. The change in attitude for both my students and myself was AMAZING. Students who "pretended" to read before suddenly began actually reading "for real". As a result, their vocabularies improved, test scores went up, and some of them developed a passion for reading (and writing) which wasn't there before. Not only did my students begin enjoying books, I enjoyed teaching from these same books.

One important tip: Always, always, always read the books you assign your kids ahead of time. Read them not just for content for "the test", but find books that are funny and relevant to THEM.

I can't say enough about this book. Buy it, use it, and savor every magic moment when your kids finally enjoy reading!

Written as if the author is speaking directly to the reader, this wonderful book draws the reader into the world of the butterfly. It does a very appropriate job of explaining the life cycle of the butterfly in terms a preschooler can understand. The illustrations are also quite nice, not too detailed or flowery, not too plain. They complement the simple text very well. Especially nice are the ones near the end of the book of the little girl.

However, there are many nice books for preschoolers about butterflies. This particular book's special quality is in the way it invites the reader to imagine what it's like to be a butterfly. My preschoolers greatly enjoy "acting out" the book, starting as a caterpillar eating it's way out of an egg. The text is perfect for a simple preschooler "play". It gives them a creative way to move and physically explore what they've learned.

The ending to the book is very nice, too. Rather than just stopping once the caterpillar turns into a butterfly, or after explaining the common activities of butterflies, the book draws the reader back to reality. The reader doesn't look like a butterfly; the reader looks like, and is, a human child. The book briefly contrasts the differences between the butterfly and the human, listing good things about being a human.

The final pages list interesting facts about butterflies. Most are just a bit too complex for young preschoolers, but early grade school children should appreciate them. The admonition to not touch a butterfly's wings is well done and a nice way to end the book.

What a great book! My 2 year old was going through a fear of insects phase and this book helped tremendously. Not only did it educate her on the life cycle of the grasshopper, it did so without talking down to her. Now, she actually looks forward to going outside to "visit all her bugs".

Have you ever wondered what your hometown will look like 100 years from now, long after you are gone? Allen Dutton and Diane Bunting have offered this gift to Arizonans. As a native Arizonan, I have always been enamored of the Old West Arizona. Dutton and Bunting obtained photographs of many Arizona communities from the 19th century, and returned to set their tripod on the exact same place 100 years later. The results are startling. Some towns have become ghosts of their previous glory, while others have thrived beyond recognition. Still others remain relatively untouched by time.

I should comment on the remarkable quality of the photography. Dutton and Bunting used an 8 x 10 format, which make the landscape scenes come alive in black and white. Their technical mastery is evident in their work.

This work is a fascinating coffee table book, and a must for any Arizonan! Old west buffs will enjoy it too.

I've collected books by a variety of authors I enjoy from Joana Lindsey to Susan Johnson, but this book is by far my favorite. I'm so sorry to see it out of print! The relationship between Lucien and Ann is mysterious at first, captivating at times, funny a lot and endearingly romantic. From the powdered sugar scene to the unmasking love scene, I loved ever page! And the ending is well, I won't give it away, but if you can find this book, it's well worth the effort! I'm not giving my copy up for anything. Thank you Danice! Please write some more!

If I did not already know that George's life was actually this dramatic and exciting, I would surely not beleive it was possible. And the Author has really done his homework!! Remarkably accurate from the usual rumor and story about this often misunderstood former statesman....I ought to know...George Francis Train is my Great, Great, Great, Grandfather's Cousin :)

To see a Robert Bateman work is to glimpse a moment in Nature's time when an elk treks across a vast winter landscape of snow, conifers & mountains; or a stream bank where tender green plants glow against the moist earth & a minute bird perches; or a trumpeting bull elephant confronts you in a storm of dust. Roger Tory Peterson has written an expressive introduction & Ramsay Derry's profile of the artist makes good reading - especially as he's included a history of who Robert Bateman is; where he's lived; several works-in-progress sketches; photos of the artist in action & on location. A worthy addition to your library.