Toys and Games Books

Very good dictionary for quick review for definitions, pronunciation.. However the case is tight fir for three books (Dictionary, Thesaurus and Vocabulary builder).. In short worth..:)

I bought this set of books to help me write my own books. They are a great tool that I use almost everyday. These books are a great help in using different words to describe nouns, and to spice up a sentence. The vocabulary builder is great. It has groups of words that are similar in meaning or root words. It has learning quizes after every section. It is very helpful. I am very proud of my increased vocabulary thanks to this. It is a worthy purchase, I am glad that I bought this collection of books. They are easy to use, and are small enough to fit on a bookshelf with ease. The print is small so crack out your glasses if you need them. Other than that I have no issues with these books.

I had a set similar to this years ago, which became dog-eared & yellowed with constant use. I replaced them with this 3-book set & the Vocabulary Builder is the best part of this set. My husband & I both love learning new words, so we'll often sit & quiz each other from this new set of books. I also use them as quick references in my writing and business ventures. The dictionary is great as an alternative to the official scrabble dictionary (when we get tired of the seemingly made up words that can't be found in any other dictionary). Maybe I'm just strange--I did read dictionaries & thesauruses for fun as a child & teen.
This set is an excellent value for the money & will be referred to & used again & again. No home or office should be without this reference set.

Every home needs to be equiped with certain items. A dictionary and thesaurus are two of those items. When looking to purchase these items I went with a name I trusted, Merriam Webster. I decided to purchase the complete set because I found it interesting that it included a vocabulary builder. My family and I choice a word a day from the informative books and use it as much as possible. We enjoy picking a word from the vocab builder, then looking it up in the dictionary. We use the thesaurus to find similar words, and words that mean the complete opposite. The choices are endless. I have yet heard a word that can not be found in one of the three books. Unlike most thesaurus' this version has almost every word. It was surprising, because often with thesaurus' the choices are limited. This is one problem that I have yet to run into. I plan to purchase a few copies for family members and friends that are graduating in this year. My fiance even mentioned that we need our own set when we get married.

Monkey Love Was looking for several Sock monkey books to give as a shower gift, along with sock monkey items that I had made: a diaper bag, monkey burp clothes, monkey swaddler, and three monkey books. This particular book, MONKEY LOVE, is a-b-s-o-l-u-t-e-l-y darling! I enjoyed all the books, but this was is going to be repeatedly purchased to accompany my homemade sock monkeys. Not a story, but all about love and its many phases. Buy and ENJOY!

Monkey Love is a delightful and inspirational book which displays caring and love not only in the colorful monkey photographs, but also in the heart-felt sayings which accompany those photographs. The 'situations' in which the monkeys find themselves are FUN to look at .... the sand angel, the tongue stuck on the flagpole, the 'unique' monkeys, etc. .... all relate to events and situations in real life. It is difficult to come away with just one favorite. This little book not only makes a nice treasure for my own bookshelf, it also makes a cherished gift - one that comes with lot's of love within. I've already given one as a gift (to my mother-in-law) and it was passed around the room with lots of smiles, laughter, and discussion! This would make a nice item for anyone for anytime - all ages - everyone will enjoy it.

This is a wonderful little hard-backed book and just the right size for little hands. The pictures are so endearing and will enchant little ones as they ooh and ahhh over those little monkeys in their charming outfits and their demonstrations of affection in oh so many ways!
I love the book, I love the Monkeys! Thanks Dee for such a treasure!

edie brown

This is a wonderful little book and is suitable for all ages. It makes an excellent gift, and is great for brightening anyone's day. The sock monkeys in Dee Lindner's work are all unique and expressive, which is probably why people identify with them so much. For anthropomorphizing human emotions onto other things, Lindner is second only to William Wegman's brilliant works with dogs.

The pages each represent a human emotion, feeling, or action associated with love, and all are whimsical and entertaining. My two favorites are the monkey making a sand angel with the caption "love gives you wings," and the sock monkey with his tongue frozen to the flagpole with the caption "love learns from mistakes."

This is a great little book, perfect for a gift, and sure to make anyone smile.

I have used this cd both last year and this year with Kindergarten ESL students in China and they love the songs!

I use this curriculum in our weekly music and movement program. It is invaluable. We love the songs and activities!

fast shipping and great condition but not what I expected. Thought it would have more new songs.

This book is very useful for my instruction.

This book has so many great ideas. I love the snippets of helpful tips, other resources and good ideas on the sides. I would recommend this book to all new teachers!!!

Since I am somewhat new to the teaching profession, I was looking for all of the resources I could get!! I came across this book, and I really like the way that it's set up. It is simply written, and broken up into organized bullets in each section!

There are chapters containing subjects such as: Countdown to the first day, the first day, the first month, the first year, the end of school. Within those sections, you have things like classroom procedures and rules, student helpers, lesson plans, substitutes, working with parents, learning centers, assessment, and everything else that you could imagine!

I loved the "helpers" on the sides of the pages! Seymour Books gives you resources for more reading!
Sir Chalott gives you webpages!
Uneeda Halt comes around to make sure that you do the most important things first!
Pierre Tutor directs you to the person you need to talk to when it comes to site-specific info, mentoring, and peer coaching!
Mia First encourages you to take time for yourself and to relax!!

At the very end, there are reproducible pages for behavior charts, progress reports, behavior bucks, and agenda chart icons! (reading together, art, music, library, drama, ABC's, etc) There are also helper chart icons so you can copy and laminate for class jobs! I have always loved scholastic books and I highly recommend this one for new classroom teachers grades K-4!
Diane (kindergarten teacher)

I have seen many books written for beginning teachers and this is the best for many reason, one is the site for addition information and various general guide and tips. There is no book to compare!

It was the exactly the book I was looking for with great info on where to find stuff for your classroom, classroom management tips and what information you need to file. If you need a book to guide you through the process of creating your very first classroom, this is the book!

This book has bright bold beautiful colors....its a perfect book for newborns and up....i love it and it has a super cute surprise at the end....i would recommend this to everyone...a must have in your book collection

I was surprised that this book turned out being one of my sons favorites. He has loved this since he was about 11 months old. He especially likes the last page where he can pull down the flap of the baby's hand to see his reflection. I thought that this book was just way too repetative but it keeps the kids interest and it teaches them jungle animals. It is a very fun book.

This simple Peek-A-Boo book, with it's bright and colorful pictures, makes my 9-month old daughter giggle. It is a great addition to our home library.

my 19 months old son find this book is the most fun book to read amount all other books he has. He would bring the book to me or dad to do the "pee-a-boo" with him over and over... i just think it is a wonderful book... simple and get to kids' attention!!!...

This is not my favorite book. I don't like the pictures and the flaps are flimsy. But this book has something my daughter loves. She picks it every time. She loves finding Stretch in every picture and is thoroughly entertained by the story. If only I didn't have to suffer through it! We bought it when she was one and she's now two and still wants it read to her.

We love dachshunds in this family. This is a very cute book and the grandchildren love it. They love finding the dachsie in each picture.

Children love lift-the-flap books. Children love dogs. Author Karen Pandell and Illustrator Jill McElmurry successfully combine the two in "Where's Stretch?" a charming book that young readers will adore.

The family of Stretch, the dog, is getting ready for laundry day when they decide to give Stretch a bath. Of course, Stretch makes himself scarce and the search for Stretch begins. Is he in the closet? No. Is he in the bathtub? No. Where can that dog be? Your children will delight in the search for Stretch and will love the surprise at the end when Stretch's hiding place is revealed.

The text is effectively presented as family dialogue, bringing the reader into the search for Stretch and eliminating a lot of unnecessary words that would detract from the story and make things harder for the beginning reader. The story was so compelling and easy to follow, my 2-and-a-half year old memorized the book after having it only half a day. A few months later, after the newness has worn off, it is still one of her favorite books.

McElmurry's illustrations show the family searching for Stretch as they get ready for their day. The pictures, which fill the pages with scenes from Stretch's family's home, invite the reader in to participate in finding Stretch.

I highly recommend "Where's Stretch?" Your children will want to read it again and again; so will you. You will enjoy seeing your children's delight with each lift of a flap and the story is short and sweet so it won't drive you crazy the 150th time you read it.

My daughter loved this book from the moment she opened it. Now almost two, she's had the book for a couple of months and still wants to read it over and over. She especially enjoys finding the hidden stretch in each picture (Hint: check the laundry for body parts sticking out). We have to read it before bed every night now, and sometimes before her nap.
The flaps seem quite sturdy, and show no sign yet of pulling off. The art seems a little dated (retro forties?), and this adds extremely well to the charm of the story.
If your child likes lift-a-flap books, this is a good one to add to your library. If you're not sure, this is a good one to try: dogs and hidden objects-what more could a child want?

I am a reading specialist, and our school is just beginning a new intervention program for phonics. This book is indispensable for teaching phonological awareness. It has loads of activities for all the "rungs on the ladder" of the phonemic awareness continuum. These include activities for:
Words in a Sentence, Syllables, Rhyming, counting phonemes, etc. Blackline masters for pictures, etc., used in the activities are included. It also includes activities for teaching phonics (phonological awareness does not include printed letters, but phonics does include print.)
I highly recommend this book for teaching beginning reading skills.

This is an excellent resource for k-1 teachers. Full of engaging and thought provoking activities for young children. It makes learning fun!!

This book is full of great ideas for literacy centers in the primary classroom. There are great pictures and games that several students can do on their own. This is a must have resource for those that teach early reading.

This is one of those books I use over and over again with my K-3 reading groups. The kids love the activities and I am happy with what they are learning. To be good readers, children need to be able to hear the sounds that make words, change sounds in words to make new words, and see the relationship between sounds. This book supplies you with over 60 exciting lessons for just that. The lessons are easy to do and many you can do without any materials. The book does supply you with the needed reproducible manipulatives, picture cards, and word lists

One of my favorite and easy activities in the book is called Rhyme Away. You draw the given picture on the board and erase parts of the picture as you read clues to the class. The students have to finish a rhyme phrase and then erase that picture on the board. That is a Level 1 activity in the book. The activities range in Levels from 1 to 5. There are activities for rhyming, blending, syllable counting, sound matching, phoneme isolation, phoneme counting, phoneme substitution, phoneme deletion, and more!

This book gets my full approval and I am so happy to have found it.

This book on Puzzles was first published in 1986 and later published in paperback. I borrowed it from my Library a couple of times and recently obtained my own copy. If you have any interest in puzzles,you'll immediately agree that this book is outstanding in every way. The authors are two of the biggest names when it comes to writing about mechanical puzzles of today and of the past. Jerry Slocum has collected puzzles all his life,has over 30,000, and has probably the finest collection in the world. He is President of the Slocum Puzzle Foundation,in Beverly Hills,California.
This book is an overview of just about everything there is about puzzles.There are all kinds of puzzles such as Crossword,Word Search and many types more commonly called Pencil Puzzles;but that is not what this book is all about. It is somewhat difficult to define Mechanical Puzzles;but if you think of the types of puzzles that you can pick up in your hand,it helps to see the types of puzzles covered in the book.
The authors cover puzzles everyone is familiar with such as Rubik's Cube,Sliding Blocks,Tangrams,Wire,String & Rings,Mazes,Puzzle Locks,Puzzle Boxes,Take-Apart Puzzles,and on and on. I think you get the picture.
The authors cover the history of the puzzles and give hundreds of pictures of them from their collections as well as from collections of other great collectors. The book has many pictures of the creators of puzzles and it is a real treat to put a face to the names which are so well known in the puzzle world.
The book is a pure delight to read and to look at the fascinating array of puzzles;but it doesn't end there. There is all kinds of information on how to go about solving many of the puzzles;and on top of that lots of instructions oh how you can make many of the puzzles. No doubt,the reader could build quite a collection of puzzles,just from the information in the book.
I also find this book to be a real help in finding and identifying puzzles. People don't throw away these puzzles;but they often end up in Flea and Antique Markets,Second Hand Shops,Garage Sales and so forth. This book shows you what to look for and find. Let me give you an example. A while back,I saw one of the Japanese building towers shown on page 65,sitting on a shelf amongst a bunch of bric-a brac,didn't recognize it as a puzzle ,and passed it by. When I saw it in this book,I immediately knew what I had missed. Oh well,live and learn. The point is,if you hope to find puzzles,you got to know what to look for;and this book shows you. Another good example. The Bombay stores carries puzzles at times and recently had 4 very well constructed puzzles.I bought one called "The Comet" which is quite similar to the "Papa-Chuck" puzzle on page 74 and consists of 51 interlocking pieces.
So,if solving,collecting,making or anyting else about puzzles interests you,this book will become a prized possession.It would take many lifetimes for one person to find and enjoy what the authors have assembled in to this excellent book and made it available with extremely high ,color,paper,illustrations ,printing and construction quality;and at the same time a very reasonable cost. While you're at it,why not check out Jerry Slocum's Page on the Web,to see what's going on in the world of puzzles.

I bought the book originally to learn how to make some of the puzzles. The fact that there are dozens of puzzles to make immediately differentiates the book from others. There is an enormous wealth of information about puzzles of all kinds. The authors have notes about puzzle inventors, tips on making puzzles, and, in a few cases, tips on how to solve the puzzles. Really a nice book for anyone with an interest in puzzles.

This book is full of many types of mechanical puzzles many dating from the early 19th century. 150 pages of pictures and discriptions of how to make and solve many of these puzzles along with history and biographies on many of the puzzles and makers. The authors have included concise instructions on how to make many of these puzzles from wood with common handtools and a basic knowledge of how to read net drawings. A great read for any age.

Whether you love puzzles or they just frustrate you beyond belief, you's sure to find this book intriguing and absorbing. Filled with 150+ pages of pictures, diagrams, text, and solutions, this book is the most comprehensive treatment of puzzles of all natures that I've ever seen. Puzzles addressed include: 3D Wood block puzzles, Drinking Vessles, Imposible Objects, Folding Puzzles, Disentanglement Puzzles, and more...

Of course not all puzzles are solved by the book...the authors have to leave you something!

If you're handy in the machine shop you'll enjoy the diagrams of wooden blocks and other items that you can make. I've made a few with great results.

Iza Trapani is one of the best! I love everyone of her books! And so does my grandaughter. I don't have time to review every book I have bought, but if her name is attached to it, it is going to be GREAT!

I have purchased almost all of the books written and beautifully illustrated by Iza Trapani for my numerous neices and nephews. They are loved by the kids as well as their parents. They particularly like Row Row Row Your Boat, which is the newest book in the collection. We anxiously await Ms. Trapani's next book!

I have purchased almost all of the books written and beautifully illustrated by Iza Trapani for my numerous neices and nephews. They are loved by the kids as well as their parents. They particularly like Row Row Row Your Boat, which is the newest book in the collection. We anxiously await Ms. Trapani's next book!

Word to the wise: I like everything about this book except that Amazon's description of the product indicated it (the paperback version) would be packaged with an accompanying CD. I did order the paperback; however, no CD was included.

This Book is so cool! It tells about aromatherapy, brainfreezes, how to make your own rainstorm and everything else that strikes a preteen girl. I keep the Handbook with me where ever I go!(:

I thought this book was very interesting. and the cover was a very clever idea, this is a wonderful book!

This book is full of fun and easy science expirements. I even used one for a school science fair and did a very good job. This book is also good for Sabrina fans who want to be like her and now they can cause they have there own magic book and can pretend to make magic of there own. (I know I have!)

The Magic Handbook Was GREAT !!!!! I learned cool tricks to show my family or my friends ! If you have a magic show coming up in your school ,then buy this book ! It gives you over 40 cool tricks ! Its fantastic !