Katie Wood Ray has made a very readable, very usable book to help teachers teach students to 'read like writers'. I use the ideas when I am reading and reviewing new children's literature and each time I begin writing instruction with my elementary remedial students. Truly shows how to integrate student writing and good children's literature.

As a writer of children's books and a second grade teacher, I refer to this book often - for support, guidance, affirmation, ideas, writing help, and more. It is perfect!

I hope to have the opportunity to cross paths with the author one day...I'd love to see her speak!

I recommend it all the time to teaching colleagues, friends, writers, and editors.

I have enjoyed everyword of this book. I am an aspiring English teacher who is fortunate enough to have Katie Ray's guidance as a professor and mentor. This book is one of the few that I will not sell back. This unique way of teaching writing writing is creative, relaxing, and enjoyable for both the teacher and the student. No matter what grade you teach you need this book! Katie has an amazing gift as a teacher and a writer which she expresses wonderfully in this book.

This book reads easily and I felt I was experiencing the different destinations explored. As each chapter is unrelated to the other, I easily put the book down on my coffee table only to pick it up a few days or a week later without having to refresh my memory.

As a result of the way it's put together, each chapter is a new and exciting travel experience. Barrie's outgoing personality comes through in his writings. Obviously, he enjoys leading tours and experiencing various places, even enjoying them again and again through the eyes of "first timers."

This is easy, pleasant reading, although it's apparent that Mr. Woods does his homework before venturing out in the world. He includes historical information as well as discribing current experiences. This is a delightful book!

You have taken me on a fabulous worldwide trip! Your take on the places that I have been was absolutely accurate.... facts with a generous dose of humor. You have encouraged me to travel to more of your destinations. Delicious read! Great wit, great style, plus many "insider" tips for the traveller. Please keep writing. I fear we (the public) may lose you to stand up comedy. Thank you again.

Humor and observation blend in Barrie Woods' Adventures In Travel, an autobiography and travelogue of encounters with other peoples and cultures around the world. The first-person encounters are vividly described and any who desire a lively armchair read will relish this set of adventures.

I found the book absolutely engrossing. I am buying an older wooden trawler with lots of brightwork, and this book helped to ease my fears. I found it amazingly enjoyable and informative. I wish every how-to book was as carefully and thoughfully written.

This book is a delight to read and enjoy. The photos are spectacular and Wittman is a wondeful arthur. I found the book extremely educational on the subject of brightwork and entertaining to gaze through numerous times just looking at the incredible photography. It definatley has a place in any boating library.

I'm firmly resolved to hereafter always buy how-to-do-it books written by women. Brightwork tells you everything, unlike most h-t-d-i books that tell you everything except for that one elementary essential detail that you probably should know, but don't.

And when you just can't get up the energy to do yet more tedious prep work on your boat, you can just pull out the book, read some of Rebecca's engaging prose, drink in the beauty of the photographed boats, and next thing you know you can't wait to tear into your project again.

This is the book to buy.

I've bought this book as my first reference book of accounting. I've checked out other books about accounting in the local book store but none suits me as this one. The accouting terms are concisely defined and the examples are precisely worked out while other books, which content is obscure and structured in a slovenly way, is an eyesore that confused me.

This book is recommended for any purpose because it gives detail and sufficient information to every topic, covers and accord with the criteria and requirements established by various prominent examinations, so when I finish this book and take one of these exams, I certainly won't botch up it and have confidence in achievement.

I have taken my IGCSE Accounting exam in May 2001, and have thankfully passed it with an A* grade due to my possesion of this vaulable book. It is an amazing book that everyone who studies accounting, at any stage, MUST have! I've lived with it for two years, and I'm grateful for what it has given me. I walk proudly around with this book! For every subject, I had to keep buying other books for reference, but as for accounting, I found this book more than sufficient and have refused to buy any 'reference books'! Thank you Frank and Alan!

who taking accountancy as their course. Ahmad Bohari Ahmad Azahri (KPKI college)

This is the book I learned to cook with. I still own my copy, and still make some of the recipes from this book. Jo's Sloppy Joes are a family favorite, and the brownie recipe is the best I've ever tried. I bought the 2nd edition for my daughter, and she likes it very well. The book includes 4 weeks of dinner menus, suggestions for lunches and breakfasts, party foods, grocery lists, and suggestions for basic cooking equipment, plus instructions on everything from how to ring the bell to talk to a butcher at the grocery store, to how to slice round objects. Should help any new cook get started.

This was my first cookbook over 30 years ago. I used it then and I use it now. I'm buying it for my two daughers now.

My first cookbook almost 30 years ago. Now I'm tracking down copies for my college sons. With easy-to follow directions for basic recipes and cooking techniques, this book is laced with humor that, while somewhat dated, still resonates with teens and 20-somethings. If you have highschoolers, snap up all the copies you can find right now before this gem goes the way of the dinosaur---or then again, some publisher may get smart and run a reprint!

"Coach of the Century" follows Gordon Wood's remarkable career from a small West Texas school to Brownwood, where he won 7 State Championships (Wood won 2 additional State Championships at other schools). Wood doesn't get bogged down in his childhood days. He talks about football.

If you enjoy high school football in the Great State of Texas and have always admired what Wood accomplished at Brownwood, this is a great read.

Great story of the winningest high school football coach of all times. Most seasons are prefaced with a brief historical background to provide the setting. Wood's memories concerning his dealings with opposing coaches (for example, Wood accuses John Clark's Plano Wildcats of "cheating" Brownwood out of a state title game by unethically swapping suspiciously-edited game films, and he discusses the psychology of determining locations for playoff games) go way beyond the facts reported in newspapers or viewed by fans in the stands. On the book's last page, Coach Wood published his home phone number and encouraged readers to call to meet him. I hope to do so!

Even if you don't like High School football, you have to love Coach Gordon Wood. He's a "man's man" who grew up tough, but displays a great deal of respect for his family, his assistant coaches, and his players. This combination has led to one of the most successful winning records in the game. Coach Wood doesn't cut any corners on his opinions. No "politically correct" stuff here. What you do get is a great look inside what is "right" about the game. One of the most impressive aspects of Coach Wood's career isn't his win/loss record - but rather the significant accomplishments that his players went on to achieve in the business, political and sports worlds. That speaks volumes about the impact that a Great Coach and a Great Man had on some young boys in Brownwood Texas. I wish my son could play for Coach Gordon Wood.

i own four other temari books. for me, margaret ludlow's has the best instructions and anna diamond's some wonderful pattern ideas. but for variety and inspiration, this is the best.

instructions are given for the most basic form of each design. the photos, which are very good, give examples of more elaborate variations of each design, of combinations of designs, and of possible filler stitches. patterns are shown in more than one color scheme, which nicely illustrates the difference color can make.

i have two minor complaints about the instructions. i think the author should have shown more pins used for some of the designs. i am an experienced stitcher, but i can't trust my eye to find the right spot to stitch on a curved object without a marker, and accuracy is essential for these designs. and i would have liked to have seen a bit more instruction on the herringbone stitch for beginners, as well as pointers for keeping the thread flat and even in the spindle design.

those minor issues aside, this is an excellent book for design ideas.

I'm new at Temari and found this book very helpful. The diagrams and pictures are great. Everyone should buy it if they have an interest in Temari.

Beginner or more experienced, this is by far the most useful and inspirational English language Temari book. Rather than teaching a pattern as a titled project, Wood teaches the basic pattern and presents several pages of photos using the pattern... you are limited only by your imagination. Perhaps the only caveat is that American beginners may be a bit confused by her proper English style of writing, as it does differ slightly from what one will find in most other non-Japanese books, but it's not hard to overcome and well worth the effort. If you can only afford one Temari book, this is the one to get.

The authors explain the JWS, administration server and admin tool in very clear terms. The second part of the book does an excellent job in discussiing JSP, Servlets, and other advanced topics. Very practical.

The book provides many useful examples of core technology issues in building a JWS powered web site. Its treatment of the upcomming jsp standard (in JWS 2.0??) is helpful, but points to the fact that compiled pages (jhtml) may be short lived.

This book is without peer. It is succinct and yet covers the JWS in depth and detail. The writing style is fluid and the organization is excellent. Alas, now that this superb book is available, Sun has announced it is pulling the plug on JWS!

I fill as though this book has helped me right better. I never fealt as if I kould right well, but all I needed was some rooles of Englisch. I had some teachers in high school who sed that I could never be a righter, but I have prooved them rong. I think this book helped me realise that I'm one of the best up-and-coming righters in the twenty-first sentury, helped by this book. This book enspired me so much, that I'm righting my own first book on Englisch usege. My book will "crack the wip" with the yunger generashun because the realy can't spell too well, and they don't understand rooles of Englisch. My book will become a worlwide sucksess, thinks to good books like thees.

Great, this book is. I had lots of problems before making sense now I do often. Their are lots of good examples on how to do it better. No longer you be fool, make good sense and put the point across better than ever. Highly recommend this to you. Buy now!

I turn to Grammar for Dummies for a concise, easy-to-understand definition of any given part of speech, as well as for any usage questions/doubts I am having. I have found this book to be an extremely helpful reference for my adolescent language development grad class.

I *discovered* this writer when I read "My Only Story" which I absolutely loved. I then followed up with "The Secret Language", an entirely different but equally rewarding read. So when I heard about "Ernie's Ark" there was no doubt that I would read it! And it was a joy.

I always enjoy reading books of connected stories and this was one of the best. Wood created a foundation with the first story and proceeded to build on it until she finished constructing a marvelously detailed structure. I loved how each story started anew but then incorporated some character or event from a previous story, creating one of those "a-ha" moments.

Abbott Falls, Maine could have been Anytown, USA and showed Wood's familiarity with this kind of environment and with the effect that a mill, a union, and striking workers can have on the town. The wonderfully developed characters are people we have met before in our lives. Perhaps we did not know all their secrets, but we have known them, I am sure.

This is a book of life, death, love, hate, fear, anger, joy, and most of all, about redemption. I cannot wait for her next!

Mesmerizing

Ernie's Ark is a joy to read and reread. Unforgettable characters and the seasons themselves weave in and out of these nine connected stories. Author Monica Wood clearly knows small-town life, but the stories reach well beyond geographical boundary. A paper-mill strike defines the fictional Maine town, but all of the characters, even the CEO, have a distinct story to tell. A youngest brother, darling of the family, who must choose between crossing the picket line and defying family loyalty. One "heartbreaking eighth-grade girl" and a grieving widower who form an unlikely alliance. A young man reaching for a lifeline that will enable him to break away from the father who has simultaneously controlled and ignored him.

Wood's prose is golden: "A SIMPLE REQUEST FROM A NEIGHBOR GIRL, THE FIRST REQUEST FROM ANY HUMAN BEING SINCE MARIE'S BREATHLESS 'HOLD ME, ERNIE' WHEN HE'D FELT WHAT WAS LEFT OF HER LIFT FROM THE EARTH." And succinct: "WE USED TO BE A CLOSE FAMILY. BARBECUES AND BIRTHDAY PARTIES, LOTS OF BAD JOKES AND BELLY-LAUGHING, EVERYBODY'S KIDS MARCHING IN AND OUT OF ALL THE KITCHEN." And full of discovery: "HE STOOD ALONE FOR THE NEXT FIFTEEN MINUTES WATCHING THE OWL IN THE COLD. AT ONE POINT IT RAISED ITS PONDEROUS WINGS AND LIFTED FROM THE EARTH, DRIFTING DOWN A FEW FEET TO THE WEST. 'STAY, STAY,' HE WHISPERED, WHOLLY BELIEVING HE'D BEEN SUMMONED TO THIS PLACE BY A DEAD MAN TO WITNESS A MARVEL IN HIS STEAD."

Tempered with humor and moments of high suspense, the stories trace the multifaceted paths that lead to forgiveness and redemption. Wood explores the human heart in all its complexity. Throughout the book the ark stands tall, suggesting a myriad of subtleties as varied as the characters themselves.

This work compares very favorably with Richard Russo's Pulitzer-winning EMPIRE FALLS and covers much of the same territory. Like Russo, Wood is intimately and intricately familiar with the people she characterizes so well. Some of these stories could happen anywhere; some only in smalltown Maine. The stories are loosely connected and characters overlap in what in the hands of a lesser writer, might seem a contrived structure, but which here adds a depth of patterning to the already complicated relationships between these entirely lovable, if foible-full creations. You won't find Abbott Falls on any map of Maine, but towns and situations of similar ilk about everywhere, especailly in the smalltown Maine of the human heart.