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Also by Paul Fleischman:
Early Readers
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A First Set of Six Early Readers written and illustrated by Shelley Davidow - These early readers are phonetically based and contain stories that young children will find enjoyable and entertaining. Each story has a beginning, middle and an ending. The stories are gently humorous while honoring nature, animals and the environment. The six books use simple words that the early reader will easily grasp. They have been carefully chosen by a reading specialist to help readers advance from the short vowels to the silent "e" to the vowel combinations. At the back of this book is a list of sight words that should be reviewed with the child before reading the book. It is recommended that the books be read in this order: Sam Cat & Nat Rat, Ned and Fred, Len Bug & Jen Slug, Jake the Snake, Tim's Boat, and Kay and Jay. These are slim books: 5.5" x 8.5", 20 pages per book. The illustrations are gentle, warm and very sweet. The cover of each book is four-color and the inside pages are gray-scale. Printed on natural paper. Available as a set of six only. #7200  About the Author and Illustrator: Shelley Davidow is originally from South Africa. Her young adult book, In the Shadow of Inyangani, was nominated for the first African Writer's Prize by Macmillan/Picador and BBC World. The author of numerous books, Shelley lives in Florida, where she is a class teacher at the Sarasota Waldorf School.  |
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 The Last Little Cat by Meindert
DeJong is a loving, compassionate book perfect for the early reader. It's filled
with simple limited vocabulary and repetitive text. The ideal book for ages 6-9,
and younger children delight in having the story read to them over and over
again. The last little cat was born in a kennel, surrounded by dogs and dog cages and dog noises. The little cat was always half-cold and half-hungry - until the day it fell into the cage of the old, blind dog. Then, for a while, the last little cat was warm, and the last little cat was well fed. But how could such a small cat know that barn doors are closed at night and that there are people in the world who do not want to help a helpless kitten. The story of how the last little cat found a home, and not only a home, but the perfect home, again confirms Meindert DeJong's place among the finest writers of this or any day. Paper, 70 pages, illustrated, 5.5" x 8.5". Originally published nearly four decades ago and recently brought back in print. #7006 $7.95 |
 English
from the Roots Up, Vol I: Help for Reading, Writing, Spelling and S.A.T. scores
by Joegil Lundquist. If you are interested in learning important Greek and Latin
roots, without studying the entire Latin language, English from the Roots Up
is for you. It uses 63 Latin and 37 Greek root words. Included is a
pronunciation guide, and a neat little explanation of Roman numerals (now you
can translate the darn numbers at the end of movies!) My husband, Bill, took
Latin in high school and says it helped him with English and prepared him for
all the science classes he took as a biology major in college. Paper, 125 pages,
Ages 7-adult. You may also be interested in the cards
that go with this book and Volume II of the series). #1033
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 English
from the Roots Up, Volume II by Joegil Lundquist- The long-awaited
second volume of EFTRU is finally here! Continuing the popular program begun in
Volume I, this book gives you 100 new Greek and Latin
root words to learn. The new words are a little more advanced than those in the
Volume I edition, but are still easy enough for young learners. Many of the
lessons also refer to lessons already presented in Volume I. A new feature in
this volume: pronunciation guidance for Latin and Greek words on every page. In
additions to more advanced content, there are also new activities. You do not
need a background in Latin to learn or teach this program. Paper, 107 pages.
Ages 9-adult.#2311
English from the Roots UP FUNPak Buy both books (Volumes I & II) and
save even more! |
Rummy
Roots: English Vocabulary Building Games - Our whole family had fun with this
card game. After playing, the kids became very aware of all the words in our language that
are based on Greek and Latin. "Hey, mom, bicycle-tricycle, two wheels-three
wheels!" Exclamations like that would come from the back seat of our car on the way
to the post office or from the kitchen table as we ate breakfast. It is designed for 2-4
players, ages 8-adult (our 6-year old played, with help. We also copied the vocabulary
list so everyone could have one for reference).
Rummy Roots teaches 42 Greek and Latin roots, alphabetizing, dictionary
skills, vocabulary and
more using rules based on popular card games like Go Fish. It is fun and challenging, and there are several games on different
levels. Play is enhanced by combining Rummy Roots with More Rummy Roots (see
below).
Ages 8-adult. For 2-4 players.
Rummy Roots #RR1 $15.95
More Roots:
English Vocabulary Building Games - Ready to learn more? More Roots continues along in the same format as
Rummy Roots (above) and
introduces new Greek & Latin roots to increase your knowledge and skill
level.
There are several games on various levels so it's fun for a variety of ages and
abilities.
Ages 8-adult. For 2-4 players.
More Roots #MRR $15.95
 Mad Libs by Stern & PriceI remember having fun with Mad Libs when I was child (several decades ago),and I still have loads of fun creating zany sentences with my children and their friends. Each Mad Libs book is composed of one-page stories that contain blank spaces where words are left out. The person(s) in possession of the book asks other players to give him words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, etc.) without them knowing the story. He then reads the story aloud with their words filled in. Kids and adults love the silly results. It’s a fun AND easy way to learn parts of speech. Other aspects we like: * It’s a fun ice-breaker for social gatherings. * You don’t need to read lots of instructions before playing. * It’s very transportable and great for car trips! * It’s fun for multiple age levels (see below for Mad Libs Junior) * Great as a party game or to give away as a party favor * Even though it’s great to play with others, you can play on your own if you don’t pay attention to the sentences until after you fill in the parts of speech. * You can reuse the books (use a pencil and erase original results) (We especially had fun with the Christmas Carol Mad Libs because we made ourselves sing the resulting songs. The element of singing added to the hilarity.) Paper, 48 pages.
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 Mad Libs Junior
Featuring the same fun humor as the original series, Mad Libs Junior is tailored for the younger reader. “Each puzzle includes four categories of words to choose from, indicated by a distinct symbol. Each symbol represents a part of speech and a list of words is offered. To play, kids are told the category from which to pick a word, including categories such as nouns, adjectives, verbs and miscellaneous.” Compared to the regular Mad Libs series, Mad Libs Junior books are larger, the font (text) is bigger, and a larger space to fill in the blanks is left for beginning writers. The publisher recommends these for ages 5-8, though some 8 year-olds might find the format too childish (for instance if they don't like books with large font sizes). The regular Mad Libs books are perfectly fine for young children, especially if an older child or adult is participating. The junior books may be more helpful for the younger child if they want to independently read the material aloud to others and fill in the blanks themselves and may cover subject material that is more interesting to a young person. Paper, 48 pages.
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 99 Ways to Get Kids to Love Writing: And 10 Easy Tips for Teaching Them Grammar by Mary Leonhardt - Tips on how to teach children the fundamentals of writing and make it fun for them at the same time. These are quick and very simple. The tips are helpful and inspirational, but the book is not an in depth writing program. Paper, 123 pages. #3202X |
 A
Commonsense Guide to Grammar and Usage, 3rd edition by Lary Beason &
Mark Lester - This practical, easy-to-use reference handbook and workbook --
written in everyday language -- helps students recognize, correct, and avoid the
most common and most serious grammar and usage errors. This book offers help in
a variety of areas including critical reading, documentation, grammar basics,
and additional help for ESL students.
Paper, convenient spiral binding, 545 pages. |
 Complete Writing Lessons for the Middle Grades by Marjorie Frank - Make writing
exciting with this collection of high-interest writing challenges. From
producing advertisements and news articles to creating stories and poetry, this
book will encourage learners to develop their communication skills and discover
their creativity by tackling a diverse array of writing assignments.Paper, 127 pages. 8.5"x11". Black and white illustrations. #1603 |
 Easy Writing: Teaching Students How to Write Complex Sentence Structures
(1990 edition) by Wanda C. Phillips - Use Easy Writing for lower/upper
elementary or for junior high/high school basic skills; this two-leveled book
contains level 1 in the beginner and level 2 at the back for optimal usefulness.
Designed to help students write specific sentence structures, the lessons will
begin to develop written expression skills such as items in a series,
subordinate and participial clauses, relative clauses, semicolon construction
and more. Two lessons are generally given for each discreet skill with
repetition of instruction to allow for lessons to be spaced farther apart
without students forgetting what they've learned. Answers are included.The book does not teach paragraph composition. Paper, 480 pages. One copy is available. There is a crease on the cover. #1083 |
 Editor
in Chief C1: Grammar Disasters and Punctuation Faux Pas (The Critical Thinking Co.) by Block, Borla, Dietirch and
Hocket - Editor in Chief improves grammar, punctuation, spelling,
capitalization, and attention to detail using a standards-based thinking
approach rather than drill and practice. This effective method teaches students
to carefully analyze and edit stories that contain errors in writing mechanics
and story details. The stories involve mixed-skills practice, starting with easier errors and becoming more challenging as students become adept at the editing process. Students identify and circle errors in each story. Then they insert, modify, or delete punctuation, words, and short phrases to make corrections. An editing checklist and annotated guide to grammar, usage, and punctuation are provided to help focus students' thinking and allow them to match their answers to applicable rules. Detailed answers are also included. Paper, 142 pages. Ages 14-17+. #5176 $17.99 |
 Editor
in Chief C2: Grammar Disasters and Punctuation Faux Pas by Beckwith,
Block, Hockett, and White - Editor in Chief® improves your child's grammar,
punctuation, spelling, capitalization, and attention to detail using a
standards-based thinking approach rather than drill and practice. This effective
method teaches students to carefully analyze and edit stories that contain
errors in writing mechanics and story details. The stories involve mixed-skills practice, starting with easier errors and becoming more challenging as students become adept at the editing process. Students identify and circle errors in each story. Then they insert, modify, or delete punctuation, words, and short phrases to make corrections. An editing checklist and annotated guide to grammar, usage, and punctuation are provided to help focus students' thinking and allow them to match their answers to applicable rules. Detailed answers are also included. Paper, 142 pages. #7217 $17.99 |
 E-Z Edit Tablet - Designed by a professional journalist, this tablet makes it easy to help students strengthen their writing skills. The pages in this 50-page tablet have alternating white and yellow lines. The students write on the white lines, the “editors” (teachers, parents, fellow students, etc.) make their comments on the yellow lines. There is a yellow box on the bottom of each page for detailed explanations and helpful tips. And, because the lines are numbered, it’s easy to reference a comment back to a specific sentence on the page. All of the pages in the E-Z Edit tablet are perforated at the top and three-hole punched along the side so they can be easily removed and placed in a three-ring binder. #5502 $4.99 |
Games
for Writing: Playful Ways to Help Your Child Learn to Write by Peggy
Kaye. As with the author's other books, the games in this book are easy,
inexpensive, and fun. She covers handwriting, creative writing, spelling, and
grammar through the use of more than fifty activities (mazes, baking pretzels,
and playing rhyming games are just a few.)
Lists of spelling words and books to read, and a chart listing games by age
level are included.
Paper, 213 pages. See also Kaye's
books, Games for Reading and
Games for Math.
#4270 $16.00 $12.99
 Great
Explorations in Editing, Volume I - Learners learn and review
writing skills and grammar as they search for the errors in each written
passage:Editing exercises teach learners to identify and use the techniques of good writing. Specific skills are defined, utilized, and reviewed, with many examples. A complete glossary of writing skills are included, plus vocabulary and more. Two separate sections: A Lesson in History and Amazing Facts. A total of 90 lessons. Paper, 108 pages. 8.5"x11" #2794 $15.00 |
Handwriting, Early Skills (World's #1 Quick Reference Guides) by Barcharts - A single, double-sided laminated page. 8.5"x11.5". Contains tips for teaching beginning writing skills. #3634
One copy available. |
Lives of the Writers: Comedies, Tragedies, and What the Neighbors Thought by
Kathleen Krull. Discover little-known and sometimes hilarious tidbits about twenty famous
and not-so-famous writers from various time periods. Includes Shakespeare, Poe, and the
Brontes. Accompanied by full-colored caricatures.
Hardcover, 96 pages. Ages 9-12.
#0099 $21.00 $14.25
Sale - over 32% off!
 Punctuation Puzzler: Commas and More Level
A, Book 1 (Critical Thinking Press) rescues students from boring drill and practice. It gives them
super powers in punctuation, grammar, usage, and reading comprehension for
crystal clear communication. These unique activities are highly effective,
quick, easy to teach, and fun.Students analyze context clues and apply punctuation rules to clarify the meaning of odd, convoluted, and misleading statements. These deductive thinking activities are fun, fast, and lots of laughs. Paper, 48 pages. 10.75"x9.25"x.25". Ages 8-10. #8390 $9.99 |
The 3
R's
by Ruth Beechick. Designed for grades K-3, this useful package includes three
booklets: A Home Start in Reading, A Strong Start in Language, An Easy Start in
Arithmetic. Also included is a reversible wall chart that includes a hundreds chart and
phonics information. Excellent!
Paper.
#9063 $12.00 $10.99
 What Are You Laughing At?: How
to Write Funny Screenplays, Stories, and More by Brad Schreiber - The
definite book on how to "write funny" is the first to compare writing comedic
screenplays with fiction and nonfiction in all forms. Using principles developed
in his popular UCLA Extension Writers' Program class on humor writing and his
CBS Studio City seminars on screenwriting, Schreiber includes:
More than 70 excerpts from such top
prose and screenwriters as Woody Allen, Steve Martin, and Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. |
Write Away!: A Friendly Guide for Teenage Writers by Peter R. Stillman. The
author of Families Writing incorporates some of that book's excellent ideas
targeted for teens. Stillman doesn't provide a step-by-step program for writing in
this book; rather he encourages teenagers to use writing as a method of self-discovery and
reflection.
With that said, this isn't simply a theoretical book. Rather, it gives
plenty of techniques to help young writers to become better writers, to enjoy the writing
process, and to take writing seriously.
Paper, 174 pages.
#3501 $14.95
Out of print, limited copies available.
 Writing Because
We Love To: Homeschoolers at Work by Susannah Sheffer, editor of
Growing Without Schooling, Through her work with homeschoolers ages 10-15,
the author explores how to help kids with their writing and looks at what
children do when they are in charge of their own learning. Provides many
examples of young writers' work and their reflections on it. This book is out of print, but we have some used copies. They may have creases, library marks, or highlights. Paper, 122 pages. #3013 $18.99 |
Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg is a great
book about writing, but it is also about how to use writing to gain understanding about
one's self. The author writes "what is said here about writing can be applied to
running, painting, anything you love and have chosen to work within your life."
Paper, 171 pages
#3759 $12.95 $10.35
 Wordsmith
by Janie B. Cheaney - For young people who want to improve their writing skills,
step-by-step instructions are provided that will help any writer improve his
techniques. The introduction provides a brief review of grammar followed by
instruction on building stronger sentences, exercise in descriptive and
narrative writing, creating dialogue, story writing, and writing from a
particular point of view. Plus, the essential skills of every good writer,
practice in proofreading and revising.Paper, 106 pages. Ages 12+. #3185X $16.00  A
Teacher's Guide to Wordsmith by Janie B. Cheaney - Provides the answers
to review quizzes found in the above Wordsmith book, as well as an
overview, syllabus, and teaching suggestions. Includes a week-by-week suggested plan of study (based on 36 weeks). Paper, 45 pages. #3192 $7.00 |
 Wordsmith
Craftsman by Janie B. Cheaney - The third and last of the Wordsmith
series focuses on building, integrating, and polishing practical writing skills.
This self-directed program allows students to take charge of their assignments
and schedules. Strong in preparing the student for college, Part 1 addresses practical, everyday writing: notes, outlines, personal correspondence, summaries, business letters and reports. Part 2 focuses on the power of language: paragraphs (principles, types, and organization), writing techniques, and developing a personal writing style. Part 3 concentrates on essay writing: descriptive, narrative, expository, and persuasive essays. Wordsmith equips young adults for a lifetime of excellence in communication skills. Paper, 118 pages. Ages 15+. #3208 $16.00 |
Draw-Write-Now Series
By popular demand, we are now carrying Draw Write Now, a series of books that contains simple drawing and handwriting lessons for young children.
Each book is 64-pages long and includes 3 unit studies, with a total of 21 step-by-step drawing lessons in each book. Four short, topic-related sentences are included with each lesson and may be copied by the learner in manuscript, cursive, or italic - whatever style they are learning - for handwriting practice; or they can be used as a starting point for creative writing, reports or journaling.
Each book also includes factual information on each topic, recommended book lists, and numerous ideas to spark a learner's imagination.
Recommended for ages 5-9.
| #0712 Book One: On the Farm |
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| #0729 Book Two: Christopher Columbus |
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| #0737 Book Three: Native Americans, Pilgrims |
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| #0745 Book Four: The Polar Regions |
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| #0753 Book Five: The United States |
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| #0761 Book Six: Animals and Habitats |
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| #077X Book Seven: Animals of the World |
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| #0788 Book Eight: Animals of the World, Pt 2 |
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Buy the boxed set of all 8 books and save even more!
#0798 Draw-Write-Now boxed set $95.99
$75.99
 Writing
Strands by Dave MarksThe goal of this series is to help youngsters become skilled in the following four modes of writing: 1) argumentative 2) explanatory 3) creative and 4) research and report. The series does not focus on grammar skills but instead shows children how to
communicate through their writing. At each level, the learner follows directions
that focus on specific abilities and learns to work independently. The work is
broken up into manageable pieces that progress over time. Each assignment
produces a report, an essay or a piece of fiction. I find the author, Dave Marks, to be very respectful of children and their innate desire to learn. Some of the principles that he followed when writing these guides: every person can learn to express ideas and feelings in writing; there is no one right way to write anything; the ability to write is not an exercise of a body of knowledge that can be learned like a list of vocabulary words; all student writing efforts are worthy of praise.
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| Italic Handwriting Series I have listed the publisher's recommended grade level in parentheses, but the books themselves do not list a grade level. I like this because both our children (ages 8 and 12 when they started using the books) started with Book A. I think it would have bothered our son if the books had been labeled with a grade level. Our 12-year-old moved through the books more quickly than our 8-year-old and is almost two books ahead of her now. The style is different from the kind of printing either of our children was doing, so I think starting with Book A was useful for them. They also like the progressive repetition, and the writing becomes progressively smaller as they move through the series. Certainly, other learners may prefer to start later in the series (cursive begins with Book C) or do fewer of the exercises. By Barbara Getty and Inga Dubay. Paper, consumable.
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 How
to Spell Like a Champ: Roots, Lists, Rules, Games, Tricks, & Bee-Winning Tips
from the Pros by Barrie Trinkle, Carolyn Andrews, and Paige Kimble -
shows kids how to build word lists and organize and study them most effectively.
Learn the basic rules and all their annoying exceptions, plus 26 words of
unknown origin, like curmudgeon. Discover the four most commonly misspelled word types (#3: words with a schwa). Don’t know what a schwa is? Aren’t sure about the difference between antonyms and eponyms? Discreet and discrete? Here’s your chance to learn all the tricks and tips that’ll make you a bee winner. There are also pages and pages of skill-building puzzles and games? Though the focus is on spelling bees, the book's tips can be used to help anyone improve their spelling. Includes an audio CD that allows the listener to follow a fictional speller as she progresses to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC. The CD also has three practice bees, featuring th |
A to Z: Novel Ideas for Reading Teachers by Kay Martin & Tina Willoughby - A to
Z is a resource for anyone who teaches reading. The book is full of activities
that give students the chance to explore their insights into literature in a
variety of ways - through writing, poetry, art, research and making personal
connections to characters, quotations and events. 
Games
for Reading: Playful Ways to Help Your Child Read by Peggy Kaye contains
some marvelously inventive games to fire a child's enthusiasm for reading. There
are bingo games, mazes, puzzles, games where the child acts silly, games for
parents, and more (over 70 games). These are quick, easy, and inexpensive using
materials easily found around the house. 
Joyful
Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman. This slim volume of poems about
the insect world is wonderful! It is written to be read by two voices - sometimes
alternating, sometimes simultaneous. When first reviewing it, I had my husband sit down
with me to read it aloud to our two children. It was so much fun to read along with
another person, especially my husband (we'd never done anything like it before). Then
I read some poems with my son, a beginning reader. What a thrill! (I suppose we were also
doing what's called "choral reading.") 
Ox,
House, Stick: The History of Our Alphabet by Don Robb, illustrated by
Anne Smith - In clear, straightforward prose, this book describes the
development of our Roman alphabet, from the early Semitic peoples, through the
Phoenicians and Greeks, to the letters we know today. You'll never look at ABC
the same way again!
Vocabulary Cartoons: Elementary Edition by
Sam, Max and Bryan Burchers - Learn new words and retain them through mnemonics!
"A mnemonic (NEH mon ik) is a fancy word which simply means 'assisting' the
memory.' Memory experts tell us that mnemonics are just about the best way to
remember anything." 
