The book was one i had a hard time to put down...Its a true story that centers around a Juvenile named Jim Baines who was involved in murdering a gay men with his three friends...He is sent to live in a Juvenile Detention facility for an indefinate amount of time....The book is about Jim's rehabilitation and the program he went through at the Juvenile Center...Im not sure what it was..The program he was put into was very strict..More so then anything i could have gone thru...I found myself over time reading..and starting to care for him in the book..And the other kids he came into contact with...HOping and wishing that they could turn there lives around....I wouldnt say its the best book i have ever read..But i couldnt put it down....And its been two days read and it still has me thinking......

The pictures are beautiful and it is a perfect balance of text and photos. it reflects a city w/a less-than-positive reputation in a wonderful light.

From the back cover: "Jackdaws are a species of European crow. One of their favorite tricks is taking and hiding small bright objects. Each of the books in the Jackdaws series uses engaging activities with the same purpose in mind--to provide children, as they interact with literature, with a special insight or a nugget (memento) they can take and store as a jackdaw does its treasures." Also: "A collection of connection and extension activities for picture books appropriate for students in every grade from kindergarden through high school. Using 28 well-loved picture books from THE VERY BUSY SPIDER (Carle) and EATING THE ALPHABET (Ehlert) to MERRY-GO-ROUND: A BOOK ABOUT NOUNS (Heller) and THE FURRY NEWS: HOW TO MAKE A NEWSPAPER (Leedy), Carroll presents hudreds of enrichment activities spanning curriculum. Included are reading/writing connections, vocabulary and spelling lists, library activities, and extension activities in such areas as science, art, music, math, health, poetry, and social studies. A 'publishing' activity involves students in creating a classroom display of their work, tied to the theme of each book."

I am wholly impressed with Picture Books: Integrated Teaching of Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking, Viewing, and Thinking (Jackdaws Series, No 1) by Joyce Armstrong Carroll. It is full of interesting ideas and suggestions for teaching a variety of concepts to children from PreK-grade 12. I like that most of the Jackdaws are suitable for varying levels, so one can potentially teach two or more children at once!

This brings me to the first reason for assigning a just-less-than-perfect rating of 4 stars to this selection: I am left wishing that there were more Jackdaws specifically for the level at which my child is learning. (Some target PreK-2, for example, while others target grade 9-12.) I think it might better serve me personally if that was the case. Of course, I can just purchase the others in the Jackdaws series to get more...!

The second reason I gave this selection 4 rather than 5 stars is that it just isn't long enough! I was in want of even more of the great Jackdaws Carroll provides. If there were one Jackdaw for every school day, or at least a few per month, it would be awesome!

My final reason for assigning 4 stars: While this selection is certainly great for homeschooling families, the magic might be lost in a 'regular' school/classroom setting due to all the other 'stuff' teachers are required to do to teach, and because there is less flexibility in a 'regular' school schedule.

All-in-all, a great resource for anyone interested in reinforcing learning for children in a fun, engaging way!

Nicky Armstrong's young son, Jesse, had a hemispherectomy (removal of one half of his brain) after a prolonged and disruptive seizure disorder caused by Rasmussen's Syndrome. For families considering neurosurgery, this family's story should be on the "consider reading" list.

Yes, it is stressful to read about rudeness and contriteness encountered in the medical field. And yes, reading about a child's battered body from both seizures and drugs is not pleasant. But between these pages lie the reality of a disease and the opposing sides of an impossible decision.

While Rasmussen's appears to be a viral, contracted disease, and is in that regard dissimilar from other disorders effecting the brain, the ordeals with medial professionals, medical institutions, medications, research, and the meticulous weighing of conclusions are similar. How one family coped, and at times did not cope, is both reassuring and frightening. Until we live in an ideal world where children are spared the pain and cruelty of diseases like Rasmussen's, we can be appreciative that families such as the Armstrongs have the courage that comes from deeply loving a child to share their story simply and honestly.

I really enjoyed the Seneca Indian tales--Parker makes them come to life and makes the reader able to "see" the story in his or her own mind. The tales are very entertaining and often help illustrate a lesson. Readers of any age will love these stories--from age 9 to 90. As the editor of a book of Delaware legends, I appreciate a well-told story, and I sincerely recommend these.

There are excellent B&W portraits in this book. Should be very useful for anyone into portrait photography.

Regis Armstrong, O.F.M. Cap., applies his extensive scholarly knowledge of Franciscan primary sources to produce a readable introduction for the layperson. Includes many new translations by Armstrong. Book is organized as a commentary with excerpts from Francis's writings interspersed throughout. The book has no index -- a major flaw which makes the book far less usable than it should be.

I didn't understand this book for a long time- probably because I got it when my eldest was just a little baby. I appreciated the illustrations, especially the tormented cat, but I just couldn't understand the intrusion that the children felt when this baby visited. My children love babies, but in a few years they will understand the havoc they wreak- maybe they'll even understand the havoc of my house. :-) I love Susan Meddaugh's illustrations, and love them even more now that we've discovered the "Martha" books.

In this book, Joe listed any stream with a hint of limestone. He gave honest descrtipions, if there were no fish he said so. I just wish he had time to fish some of them more. An all around good book. I have tried some of the out of the way streams he mentioned.

This book is a great introduction into the fundamentals of logic explaining terms and the different types of reasoning (moral, scientific,...) very clearly. It is easy to read, but contains a level of sophistication that most introductory logic books do not achieve. It is essential reading to all aspiring liberal arts students regardless of whether or not they plan to focus on philosophy.