Now this new edition of The Read-Aloud Handbook imparts the benefits, rewards, and importance of reading aloud to children of a new generation. Supported by delightful anecdotes as well as the latest research, The Read-Aloud Handbook offers proven techniques and strategies—and the reasoning behind them—for helping children discover the pleasures of reading and setting them on the road to becoming lifelong readers.

    She’ll do anything to help them – and herself – get ahead.Actress Maggie Hall has been America’s sweetheart for nearly twenty years. And she’s about to learn that there are two things in life you just can’t fight: growing older and falling in love.Dylan Mercer – young, beautiful and defiant – has run away from New York to try her luck in Hollywood. She’s not after fame and fortune, though. Dylan’s on a quest to find her birth mother.All three women are swept up in the search for the actress who will score the role of a lifetime. But ambition and desire can bring out the worst in people. And in a town built on illusions, believing you can escape your past might just be the biggest deception of all.

    This book is about, what some may call, the alternative explanation.Picked up by a larger publisher--the retitled, second, and final edition of the cult hit, Spent Shell Casings.Created as a counterweight for all the politicized and ghost-written books about the Global War on Terror, No Joy is the transgressive memoir to set the record straight! Dark. Hilarious. Disturbingly Honest—this collection of short stories from your average frustrated American teen turned one of its most elite brand of warriors, No Joy rips the veneer off the thank-you-for-your-service Boy Scout façade.Centered on the 2004 Battle of Fallujah, this mosaic of meditation and madness asks the necessary question: what really draws modern young men to war?

    A young priest on the other side of the screen is shaken by what he learns. A former college athlete with an MBA from a prestigious university, Father Joe Russo is not your typical man of God. Nine years earlier, his own life took a tragic turn and he gave everything up, committing his life to the church. Now his peaceful existence is being tested, and he finds himself questioning the God he serves, the vows he made, and someone he left behind.In this gripping thriller, a priest and an FBI agent work to uncover secrets and expose hidden crimes, but when it seems they have it all figured out, everything they think they know will be questioned.

    This is the book that makes it happen. A revised and expanded second edition, The Kids' Book of Questions, with 634,000 copies in print, makes it easy to ask hard questions and fun to answer them. Questions to challenge, questions to provoke. Questions to entertain and expand young minds. Questions about right or wrong, about fears and hopes, ethics, religious beliefs, about why parents act the way they do--even about ruling the world.Updated to include questions on subjects that have arisen since the book's original publication in 1988--from the internet to issues like school violence and terrorism--the book is a sure way to prod young people into discovering who they really are and what they really believe. There are inquiries into values: "If you knew you wouldn't get caught, would you cheat on a test by copying someone else's answers?" Intriguing fantasies: "If you could email any famous person and know they'd read and answer your note, who would you write to and what would you say?" Philosophical queries: "Have you had any personal experiences that lead you to believe in God?" Provocative scenarios: "After being given a truth pill, what would you say if you were asked to describe your family?"Kids, and parents, will be amazed to find how far one little question will lead.

    This guidebook includes the island's history, culture and all of its significant archaeological sites. It also contains all of the practical information needed for your visit, including island activities and up-to-date restaurant and shopping recommendations. It will also tell you the best times to visit the sites in order to get the optimal light for photography and to avoid the crowds, as well as many other 'local' tips that no other guidebook will tell you. Contains over 100 color photos of Easter Island, as well as color maps of both the island and the one town, Hanga Roa. New, Updated edition (2014).

    What is a Thunk? A Thunk is a beguiling question about everyday things that stops you in your tracks but helps you start to look at the world in a whole new light. The Thunks in this book cover a broad range of topics including truth, justice, reality, beliefs, the natural world, the human condition, art, beauty, existence, difference between right and wrong, good and bad, life and death, war, religion, love, friendship and a whole lot more. The book contains a comprehensive introduction by the author who guides you through the origins and uses of Thunks and how best to use them. Not only are they a fun way to develop thinking skills but they also hit all the right buttons to encourage children .

    It's about raising Moms. . ." says author, speaker, blogger, lunch packer, and sidewalk chalk artist Becky Kopitzke. In a Pinterest-perfect culture, you've likely sensed an accelerated pressure to measure up. Then you either weigh yourself down with guilt or become resigned--desensitized, even--to this so-called failure. The Supermom Myth--with humor and grace, yet all the while maintaining a firm grasp on reality--aims to empower you to become the mom God created you to be. With 8 chapters, each personifying a "dirty villain" of motherhood, including The Grouch on the Couch (Anger), Worry Woman (Fear), and The Calendar Queen (Busyness), Kopitzke offers a gentle reminder to rest in the super power of our grace-filled God.

    They're the kids who don't just do their homework, but pick up books and magazines to read for pleasure. Yet even parents who love to read sometimes find that their kids don't enjoy books. Now, Mary Leonhardt shows how to awaken, or reawaken, a child to the joy of reading. She even identifies the seven stages that children go through as they develop their reading skills and outlines what parents can do to help them along. Her advice is clear, down-to-earth, and proven effective.

    

    Her rescue dog Paco is a ghost whisperer. Together, they solve crime in this laugh-out-loud cozy mystery series!When a loyal customer asks Lucy to hide an engagement ring inside one of her famous apple walnut cream cheese muffins, Lucy is charmed. A public proposal at her café? What could be more romantic? But then the engagement ring goes missing and the walnuts hit the fan. Feeling that she’s to blame, Lucy vows to find the ring.But things aren’t always as they seem. It turns out that the ring has an illustrious past. Rumored to have once belonged to Russian nobility, it could be worth a small fortune. Not to mention that it might also be cursed.Now, Lucy and her little rescue dog Paco, must face a mysterious tealeaf reader, a haunted house, and the disapproval of her police chief boyfriend in order to keep her promise. Add a new dog into the mix, and life in Whispering Bay is as chaotic as ever.NOTE: This book was previously published under the name Maria Geraci

    Shumway created a series of math routines designed to help young students strengthen and build their facility with numbers. These quick 5, 10, or 15 minute exercises are easy to implement as an add-on to any elementary math curriculum. Understanding Number Sense: Students with strong number sense understand numbers, how to subitize, relationships among numbers, and number systems. They make reasonable estimates, compute fluently, use reasoning strategies, and use visual models to solve problems. Number Sense Routines  supports the early learner by instilling the importance of daily warm-ups and explains how they benefit developing math minds for long-term learning.Real Classroom Examples: Shumway compiled her classroom observations from around the country. She includes conversations among students who practice number sense routines to illustrate them in action, how children's number sense develops with daily use, and math strategies students learn as they develop their numerical literacy through self-paced practice.Assessment Strategies:  Number Sense Routines  demonstrates the importance of listening to your students and knowing what to look for. Teachers will gain a deeper understanding of the underlying math skills and strategies students learn as they develop numerical literacy.Shumway writes, "As you read, you will step into various classrooms and listen in on students' conversations, which I hope will give you insight into the power of number sense routines and the impact they have on students' number sense development. My hope is that going into the classroom, into students' conversations, and into their thought processes, you will come away with new ideas and tools to use in your own classroom."

    This comprehensive book is a collection of articles describing the world of Waldorf Education - the fastest growing independent school movement in the world.

    Each reading includes a Little Blessings illustration with a short Bible verse and devotional thought that gets you and your child talking about the simple truths of Scripture. A fun, rhyming prayer completes each devotional.A great way to get young children interacting with Scripture daily.