This is an essential book for anyone interested in education. Its comprehensive coverage gives much background, even at the risk of being distracting when you want to follow-up on the leads to so many interesting source-books and links. Though you are told to dip in anywhere, you must read the first section, esp. "The Industrial Age System of Education" by Senge and "A Primer to the Five Disciplines" (Personal Mastery, Mental Models, Shared Vision, Team Learning and Systems Thinking) (pp. 27-93).

The authors consider this book a "prequel" to their other books about learning organizations (p.7). That's true. Though this is the most recent book, you can start with this one and go on to the others for further depth. Some repetitions may only serve well for mastery.

The whole book is very readable and informative. Concepts are clearly explained. It follows the same excellent editing format as The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook and The Dance of Change.

When you get too enthused by so many ideas and success stories of innovations, heed the advice for "The Strategy of Organizational Change". "Focus on one or two new priorities for change, not twelve. Most school systems are already overwhelmed with change. They don't need a new initiative; they need an approach that consolidates existing initiatives, eliminates "turf battles," and makes it easier for people to work together toward common ends." (p.25)

There are just too many passages that you wish to quote. The book is a treasure mine. However, for those (esp. busy administrators) who find the volume too daunting or verbose (592 pages!) and still want to get a handle on launching into transforming their schools into learning organisations, I would recommend, "Ten Steps to a Learning Organization" and start with the simple questionnaire given there.

If you are an educator, parent or administrator, this handbook will enable you to obtain the crucial, leading edge knowledge in learning styles, multiple intelligences, personal neuro-physiology that enables one to "know thyself." Self-esteem and self-awareness, cognitive learning, including the necessary skills to make one prepared for "life at 21 years old," are also main considerations when teaching students to capitalize on their individual strenghts and wisdom.

Schools that Learn also emphasizes the importance of mastery, synergizing curricula presented, and authentic assessment vs. basing students knowledge purely on standardized test-taking.

This helpful manual is extremely important for educators, administrators, and parents, to read as it combines the aforementioned information and applies it to "building strengths that will be useful in career decision making."

Finally,Schools that Learn emphasizes the importance of keeping a "spirit-filled" outlook while learning, the extreme helpfulness of a mastermind group, accelerated and lifelong education, and of course giving back what you have learned to the community. This "cause and effect" is often forgotten in busy professtional lives, but truly ensures success for those who "get it."

SCHOOLS THAT LEARN is both a visionary and practical guide for how schools must evolve to meet the needs of students in the next 20 years. The use of multiple authors and perspectives mirrors some of the changes our schools must make to meet the needs of a new age. As Professional Development Director at a diverse Jesuit high school in San Francisco, I recommend this book to any educator, K-college. Senge's work will help prepare students for an era requiring a strong traditional academic foundation coupled with the need for creativity, and the social, emotional, and intellectual skills to work in high performing teams needed to rebuild our world.

This is a fantastic book! My six and three year old children are already on their second copy - we wore out the first! Both of my daughters love to read it - actually sing it - over, and over, and over. They're fascinated by the pictures as well.

Of course, once they learned to sing the song, it was so easy to introduce them to the music of Louis Armstrong. This book was the perfect bridge. Now my six year old asks me to play "Lewis" for her when we're in the car.

I first saw this book being read/sung to the children in my preschooler's class. I purchased the book for my son and to my amazement,my 1 year old LOVED it as well. The illustrations are bright and captures my baby's attention, he'll sit and "read" the book for minutes! Now, whenever my kids are starting to "meltdown" all I have to do is start singing the song and they both immediately search out this book!

The lyrics to the song, "What a Wonderful World" by David Weiss and Bob Thiele come to life as Ashley Bryan imagines a wonderful world and creates this image in the form of a puppet show. Through the puppet show and the bright colorful illustrations the young audience is captured and can easily relate. It is a great book for young children! It is a book of hope for children and the world!

Note to teachers: This book is great for teaching diversity. Use the book and set it to the music of Louis Armstrong. The children will love it and adults will be moved. Let your children create props for their own puppet show or let children illustrate the book and put together for a class book. Then use Louis Armstrong's music again with the children's class book.

In just a few years the Internet has revolutionized the way we do business. Email, online shopping and digital music downloaded from the Internet are now integral parts of our everyday lives. Technology aware companies have now turned to wireless web for the next big leap in commerce and communication. The race is on for deploying cutting-edge wireless technology.

As a business and technology consultant I am often asked by clients to provide some guidelines on how to proceed in this new and fast moving industry. Is trading stocks using a wireless PDA really a secure transaction and are electronic coupons delivered to customers via cell phones a technical feasible marketing solution? What communications provider should I use when connecting my sales force via WAP based browsers to a wireless CRM solution? And should we look to Europe and Japan for the future in wireless communication, or will it turn out to be another bursting bubble as we have experienced with too many dot.com business ventures?

"The Wireless Web", unlike so many other books covering technology topics, provides an easy to read and well-structured roadmap on how to develop a winning wireless strategy. Bergeron starts off explaining the history of this industry and it's economic drivers and then provides an overview of the current state of technologies, the various systems, protocols and technical standards used in the US and compares them to the more cohesive and further developed Japanese and European technologies. The latter part of the book focuses on the future, introducing the reader to opportunities and potential risks wireless technologies will offer as well as technical and political limitations it will face as this technology matures He closes with a well structured guideline on how to develop a wireless strategy of any scale.

In summary, this book will familiarize the reader with this new and dynamic industry and provide the knowledge required to develop, communicate, and execute a successful wireless strategy. Although written for the non-technical executive, I recommend this book to every one confronted with wireless technologies, the corporate executive implementing a wireless enterprise information portal as well as the cell phone user confronted with evaluating roaming charges, communication protocols and coverage areas when selecting a calling plan. This book definitely deserves a place on the bookshelf of any technologist.

Wireless Web is a refreshing kind of book. I'm tired of books that introuduce a new technology, paint a rosy picture, and then leave the reader dangling three months later. This isn't one of those books. It tells it like it is. Wireless isn't easy. In fact, implementing a Wireless Web solution is nearly at the bleeding edge of what's possible, as the author states. There are traps at every corner, and you'd better know what to expect. In this respect, the Wireless Web provides a map of the "speed bumps" along the way. If you're going to give it a go on the Wireless Web, you'd better have this book or some other roadmap with you.

A good read. The title is a little misleading, however, because the book also covers wireless without the Web. In other words, peer to peer networks inside buildings, outside buildings, and to the home seem like the most promising aspects of the wireless revolution, as described in this book. As the author states, it's simply a matter of time, not if, wireless will touch every aspect of our lives.

Doreen Rapport Freedom River; Illustration by Bryan Collier
14pp. ISBN 0-7868-0350-9.-ISBN 0-7868-1229-X (pbk.).-ISBN 0-7868-229-0 (lib.bdg.)
(Intermediate)

Freedom River is a true story, about getting from Kentucky to the free state Ohio. John Parker a former slave, and now a businessman of Ripely Ohio. John then helps a couple and their child escape being slaves to freedom. The freeing of these salves is taken place through out the year. Both the author and the illustrator work wonderfully together to make this book seem real. The text clearly goes along with the pictures. The illustration is remarkable, the pictures look like photographs. Bryan Collier uses a different technique for his illustrations, it looks as if the pictures are pieces of a puzzle arranged together. As you begin to read this book look closely at the faces of the people, you will see wavy lines, these lines represent the Ohio River. The color schemes really put things in perspective also, they are realistic colors. Through out this book, Doreen Rapport uses short phrases to describe the event that is taking place: Run. Run, Row. Row, Listen. Listen, Wait. Wait, Closer. Louder, Crawl. Crawl. This gives the reader insight to what is going on in the picture by just two word phrases. Another author that does this same technique is Under the Quilt of Night by Deborah Hopkinson. The ending of this story is really surprising, I but when thought about it makes sense. This book is just not about the freeing of slaves, but it is about doing what is right in life, helping others out. I recommend this book to adults and children in the intermediate level. An interesting addition to the end of the story is a historical note which explains in great detail about the life of John Parker.

In the book, A Freedom River, the writing of Doreen Rappaport along with the illustrations of Bryan Collier together create a stunning retelling of one particular trip on the Underground Railroad. This is the story of a slave family escaping from the slave state of Kentucky to the free state of Ohio.
The book's uniqueness lies not in its topic, but rather in the characters. John Parker, this true story's hero, was not only a conductor on the Underground Railroad, but also an accomplished businessman from Ripley, Ohio. He was born a slave and worked to buy his freedom. He owned his own foundry, and employed both black and white individuals from both Ohio and Kentucky. He helped to make this book unique because he is not a well known conductor, but his impact on the Underground Railroad was just as great. It is said that he helped over 900 slaves escape to freedom during his lifetime.
A Freedom River draws the reader into the experience of the Underground Railroad. It masterfully pulls forth every imaginable emotion, as the characters must make choices that may end in the separation of families, death or freedom. The pace of the book along with large, bold directives, such as RUN, CRAWL, and LISTEN, create a feeling of breathlessness, much as if the reader too, were running for freedom.
The illustrations work hand in hand with the written word in order to create the overall experience of the book. The multi-textured collages with realistic faces add emotion and dept to the story. Wavy lives found throughout the illustrations deeply symbolize the river and its importance in the search for freedom.
This is a beautiful book and worthy of a rating of more than five stars. It could be successfully used with children from 1st to 6th grade. It is an excellent book for introducing and further understanding the Underground Railroad.

Before the Civil War, Kentucky was a slave state. But just 1000 feet across the Ohio River, Ohio was a free state. John Parker, was as a conductor on the Underground Railroad and helped hundreds of slaves cross that river to freedom. John was a unique individual, an ex-slave who learned to read and write and was able to buy his freedom and a successful Ohio businessman who employed both black and white workers. But he never forgot his slave roots and the terrible pain of being separated from his mother and sold when he was eight years old. Because of this, he risked and devoted his own life to helping slaves escape to safety in Ohio. Freedom River tells the story of one of John Parker's trips to Kentucky to rescue a family of three..... Doreen Rappaport has written a powerful and inspiring story of the courage and determination of one man to right the wrongs of slavery. Her eloquent text makes John Parker and this story come alive and is complimented by Bryan Collier's vivid illustrations that add a real sense of drama and urgency. Perfect for children 8-12, Freedom River is a wonderful introduction to the Underground Railroad and includes historical notes to enhance the story and augment discussion.

As a lab owner, I was eager to see what this book had to offer. It is superb. The photos are gorgeous, perfectly showing every aspect of these wonderful animals. The text was just as good, perfectly complementing the photos. This is the best book I've seen on the breed and the most beautiful. A must have for any lab or animal lover.

I picked up this book while waiting in my doctor's office and immediately ordered a copy for myself. Denver Bryan is an outstanding photographer and depicts this beautiful breed in all possible scenarios, beginning from puppyhood to old age. I was smiling, laughing, and crying, all at the same time. The text, by E. Donnall Thomas Jr., describes these wonderful dogs, their antics, personalities, and the unconditional love they show for their owners. This one's a keeper!!

I've spent hours looking at pictures made by Denver Bryan and reading the words of E. Donnall Thomas Jr. ... This book and "Labs Afield" are 2 of the best photography books on Labradors I have found so far ... What can I say ... I don't like hunting but I think Labradors are wonderful ... and the collaboration between photographer & writer celebrates the breed in quite an exceptional way ... If hunting photographs don't disturb you, then this wonderful book will help anyone understand how special it is to have a Labrador as friend and companion ...

This book gets right to the meat of SQL Server and T-SQL code. It is clear, concise, and right to the point. This book would make an excellent text book for any SQL Class. Worth every penny.

As a trainer, I look for books that communicate their content in an easily understood manner and that provide enough meat to answer people's questions. This books fits the bill so well that I'm considering using it instead of the Microsoft Official Curriculum in the courses I teach. Each right-hand page is a figure that illustrates or summarizes what the left-hand page explains in a narrative format. I went through this book alongside the Microsoft course 2071 manual and learned much more from this book. The CD includes sample databases, the Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE), an updated SQL Server Books Online and an evaluation copy of SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition. It has risen to the top of my recommended reading list I supply to students regarding SQL.

This book should be required reading for any application developer using SQL Server. The layout of syntax, guidelines, and examples on one page with explanations on a matching page provide an easy and quick reference to SQL Server.

It is a straight-forward presentation of SQL Server information and a book that will stay on my bookshelf.

This has to be my favorite biology book. It is clear, consise, comprehensive, and all the figures and tables are very useful for studying the material. I suggest that whoever buys this book for a course, KEEP IT! Don't sell it, because it's a basic book for all biologists, past, present and future.

This text has a lot of diagrams, pictures and graphs that help the reader understand the material more fully. Also well written and easy to read. The diagrams for respiration were especially helpful.

This book wrote in easy language, easy to understand, beautiful cover and artworks, I sure that this book is excellent in every page.

The transcriptions in this book are first-rate but there are many typos in the tablature (notes on wrong strings or wrong fret numbers indicated). Position changes are sometimes not consistent - you'll find the same riff played in different positions, sometimes from one measure to the next. But overall the level of transcribing (subtle phrasing such as accents indicated, for example) makes up for the errors. Many of the keyboard parts are arranged for guitar, as well. The harmonic analysis also seems to be well-done, including harmony derived from keyboard and bass parts. With Petrucci's style you'll get plenty of practice with chromatic runs; use of a metronome is pretty much compulsory for this book to get things up to speed. I use this book a lot for picking exercises and working on speed. There are some 7-string parts, of course, so not having a 7-string can be a drawback, but there's plenty of 6-string material (I got a lot of use out of this book even before I broke down and bought a 7-string). A book this advanced could benefit from position markings and fingering suggestions in places, though. The ability to read music is also a plus for finding the tablature errors. With a lot of the riffs I've found it's useful to try them the way Petrucci phrased them, then do it the way I would play it. In the end I try not to get hung up on the subtle aspects of phrasing as we all interpret things differently, and of course Petrucci won't play it exactly the same each time either.

As for the 128th notes a previous reviewer was talking about, they are actually a typo (page 115, bar 1, beat 1). They should be 64th notes, otherwise beat 1 is incomplete. The tempo here is also pretty slow, and being able to play certain types of notes has no real meaning without an indication of tempo. Anyone can play 128th notes at m.m. = 1 (about 1 note every 2 seconds). I don't think that anyone who's actually practiced this material would say that it's easy. It takes a lot of work to not only get to this level but more importantly to maintain it. Let me put it this way: after playing for almost 20 years, getting a degree from Berklee, and becoming a full-time instructor - there are still pages in this book I'll probably never be able to play!

This book is perhaps my favourite guitar tab book I own (out of the 25 or so I have). It is great for expanding on your technique, speed + accuracy, and left/right hand stretching/coordination. There are some very fast parts (one bar in "Lie" contains 4 semihemidemisemiquavers grouped together, which are 1/128th notes) which are difficult to master, but once you have perused through the book, it is extremely easy to play and seems to flow from your fingers like pure ecstasy. Awake is my favourite Dream Theater album, and is certainly a must have for any guitarist's collection. There are very few errors - I can only think of two offhand - the first being the bridge in Erotomania, where fret numbers where simply placed one string out in a few places, but this was easily noticeable if you've heard the song before. The second error was simply a bar line which was missed out in Caught In A Web, where the extra string (Caught In A Web is one of 3 songs on Awake which are 7-string songs - lucky I have one :) ) was drawn a little out of whack on one bar (only one bar, so who cares?). This book is a great addition to anyone's collection, so go and get it!!! (and a 7-string as well).

This is one of my favorite albums of all time, and I would recomend this book to ANY guitar player out there. While it may be a bit discouraging at first, this album has the MOST inspiring/impressive guitar work I have ever seen. This album and it's complexity will leave you speachless.

This is the story...of a lovely lady! This book was the bane of every school child in Ireland for decades. It used to be on the curriculum so that, despite the fact that you would have to grit your teeth to read it, it was a bestseller in Ireland. It tells the story of Peig Sayers, a woman who lived in the poor and rural south-west of Ireland in the early 20th century. In this book, everyone was poor, no-one had anything, people were evicted from their hovels, life was hard, people died young, children were barefoot, the livestock slept in the house, it was always raining....well, you get the idea.

Peig was born on the mainland of Ireland, but married a fisherman who lived on the Blasket islands, a small collection of islands a few miles off the coast of Kerry. Tough as things were on the mainland, things were tougher still here! You were lashed by the Atlantic, the wind could blow you off the cliffs, and you could be drowned while you were fishing, and that was on a good day! The book tells of her struggle to be accepted by the islanders, how she brought up her large family, how she coped with the death of some of her sons fishing, and the folklore, stories, and culture all around her.

This book, and others like it from other authors on other islands ("The Islander" being another good example) formed a literary style which became known as "the poor mouth". They all share similar characteristics as they described the oppresive hardships suffered stoically by the people. Even now in Ireland, anyone whinging about their bad situation would be dismissed as "putting on the poor mouth" and everyone would know what was meant. There is even a spoof "poor mouth" book by Flann O'Brien, which is well worth reading as an antidote to all the hardship and depression!

Now that Peig is no longer force fed down poor school children's throats, it has been re-appraised as a valuable historical record of western Irish culture, and no longer as an instrument of torture. Now that you don't HAVE to read it, more people now seem to WANT to read it! The book was originally written in the Irish language since that was the only language Peig spoke, but a translation in English is available.

If you want a glimpse of an Ireland now long gone (and it really is long gone, despite what anyone might tell you), you can't go wrong with Peig. Just make sure you have a good supply of prozac close to hand.

In 45 years, I'd never seen this book in my dad's library, but on the night my mother died - I went in there and pulled it from the shelf and started to read through the tears.
I've not too long myself on this bench - figuratively speaking, of course, I hope.

I did this book at school in Irish, being really square I liked it.Peig told her story of hardship and poverty with humour,and dignity. It gave real insight into the life of the Irish tennant farmer in the early 19th century, I even used it for my thesis at uni. Good book

As a kindergarten teacher, and a fan of the Ant and Bee series from the time I was a little girl, I highly recommend these stories. I have vivid memories of my grandmother reading me the stories, and now my kindergartners love them as well. They are quite new to my students, but they love the characters, drawings, vivid imagery and repetition. They often "read" them during our free choice time. Of course, they now want me to add to my collection, so I'm working on it!

I could hardly believe that the Ant & Bee books were still available. A neighbour lent my two young children some of her's which her (now) adult children had as toddlers. My children have become obsessed with reading them on a daily basis. They have been wonderful for building my five year old's confidence with her solo reading. I urge the publishers to consider reprinting the whole series. Believe me there is a new generation of readers itching to get their fingers on the Ant & Bee books!

Our first experience with Ant and Bee was in 1975 when my own grandmother bought Ant and Bee ABC for my daughter. It soon became a book that I read many times a day, in fact I have it memorized to this day. We have a favourite family story that we still laugh about today. My father came over to our house when our daughter was 18 months old. She sat in her grandfathers lap and of course wanted him to read her favourite book, "Ant and Bee ABC". As he began to read, our daughter suddenly took over and began saying the words to the book, word for word. My father jumped up and came running into the kitchen. "She can read!!" my father announced. "She is a genius!! We should put her on TV." We began to laugh so hard that we could barely speak. Our daughter had memorized this book word for word by the time she was 18 months old. You should have seen my father! It was a moment to remember forever. Thank you Ant and Bee books.