Reviews (5)

Form Over Content
A fellow teacher is doing a unit on African-American lit and the Civil Rights Movement as a lead-in to Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird"."A Wreath for Emmett Till" was one of the books she shared with the class.I have perused it myself, still unsure whether I should actually purchase it or not.Two things other reviewers have mentioned that I too find appealing about the book are:1)The sheer complexity of constructing a heroic crown of sonnets and 2)the historical backdrop of the events described.Unfortunately, these aspects have very little to do with the content of the poems themselves.Most of the information about Till is contained in the preface and afterword, not in the poems themselves.Likewise, others reviewers, like I, praise Nelson for giving a tour-de-force in making a heroic crown of sonnets (and her commentaries about the sonnets were enlightening), but to be honest, the poems themselves were not particularly outstanding.I would buy the book more as an example of the structure and form of poetry rather than as an example of good poetry (If that makes sense).

Beautiful Poem
This book is in the form of a Heroic Sonnet is a brilliantly written book. It is about giving a wreath to Emmett Till, a young child who was lynched after whistling at a white woman. Till, who normally lived in Chicago, was spending the time at his uncle for the summer. After whistling at a white woman, Briant, Milan and a third person kidnapped Emmett Till. Soon after the kidapping, they lynched him. Later in the Trial, Briant and Milan were found not guilty, though later, it was proven they were guilty. This book was brilliantly written into a heroic sonnet, each of the first lines stating: R.I.P. EMMETT L. TILL. It got me emotionally connected, displeased by the racism people had back then (i.e. allowing Briant and Millan the right to be not guilty just because Till was Black). This book was brilliantly written through the use of similies. It allowed you to invision the racism back then. The only comment I have against it is the World Trade Center reference, mentioning 9/11 hadn't happened yet. Other than that, A Wreath for Emmet Till by Marilyn Nelsen was an excellent work of poetry.

Ambitious but highly disapointing
This ambitious poetry book is based on a little known poetic style known as a crown of sonnets, used historically to honor great kings.In this unique book, author Marilyn Nelson tries to apply it to an ordinary kid named Emmett Till whose name became household when he was brutally lynched, and outrage over his murder fueled the early flames of the black civil rights movement.
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Subjects:  1. 1941-1955    2. African American teenage boys    3. African Americans    4. Children's 12-Up - Poetry    5. Children's Books/Young Adult Misc. Nonfiction    6. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    7. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    8. Crimes against    9. History - United States/20th Century    10. Juvenile Nonfiction    11. Juvenile poetry    12. Law & Crime    13. People & Places - United States - African-American    14. Poetry (Young Adult)    15. Poetry - General    16. Till, Emmett,    17. Trials (Murder)    18. Lynching    19. Hate crimes   

Reviews (3)

Can't teach the Constitution without it!
Maestro reviews the reasons for the Constitution, but fails to mention the Articles of Confederation.The text includes the Virginia, New Jersey, and Connecticut Plans.The book can easily be read as an introduction to the Constitution in one class period.Students could complete a drawing or group of drawings on a picture web to narrate the important details from the story.

Excellent!
I came across one book by Betsy Maestro "The Discovery of the Americas" and I loved it.The text is simple and the illustrations are great. It is historically accurate as well, a must in my checklist.I didn't realize she also wrote the historical series "You Wouldn't Want to..." They are my favorite!! I recommend all of her books, especially for teachers.

Great Review of Constitution!
This book is great for Middle School Students or even High School Students who want to review the events leading to the Constitution.I am a Middle School Teacher and plan on using the book to review my lessons with my students.Next year I plan on using it to introduce the topic! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. (1787)    2. Children's 4-8 - Politics / Current Events    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    4. Children: Grades 3-4    5. Constitutional Convention    6. Constitutional history    7. History - United States/General    8. Juvenile Nonfiction    9. Juvenile literature    10. Law & Crime    11. Politics & Government    12. Social Science - Politics & Government    13. United States    14. United States.    15. Juvenile Nonfiction / History / United States / Colonial & Revolutionary Periods   

Reviews (6)

Very Interesting and Engaging
A true to life story involving the Rhode Island couple Martha "Sunny" von B�low and her husband Claus von B�low whowas accused of injecting her with insulin, sending her straight into a coma.We were made to understand that Claus did this so that he could marry his mistress Alexandra Isles; a soap opera actress.

Subjects:  1. 1926-    2. Courts    3. Law    4. Newport    5. Rhode Island    6. Trials (Murder)    7. Trials, litigation, etc    8. Von Bulow, Claus,    9. Von Bèulow, Claus,    10. Crime & violence    11. Law / General    12. Police & security services    13. The law, legal issues    14. Von Bülow, Claus   

Reviews (30)

It might save a child from a life behind bars
It's aimed at junior and senior high school kids to keep them out of gangs. I'm not going to go into my feelings toward this guy or the death penalty or his execution. As far as the merits of this book, I think it might get some kids to think. Williams does a good job of describing prison life. For some kids it might be the smells, others the rules or something simple like never being able to have a soda again. But if he can help one kid stay out of prison he has done something good with his life. Does it make up for the bad? I'll leave that up to God, karma, whatever. It's not for me to decide.
A child's book
I guess I should have read the reviews before purchasing this book.
Glenn's Review
Stanley Tookie Williams is the main character in this book. He is now in prison on San Quentin's Death row because he was found guilty of killing 4 people in 2 robberies. He wrote this book from death row. I believe that if Tookie really was guilty of this heinous crime that he would have confessed to doing this, because he is a real man and as a real man, you do a lot of things differently. Tookie doesn't really change throughout the whole book, but he does talk about redemption.
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Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography - General    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction    3. Children: Grades 3-4    4. Juvenile Nonfiction    5. Juvenile literature    6. Law & Crime    7. Prisoners    8. Prisons    9. Social Issues - Violence    10. United States    11. Crime & violence    12. Historical figures    13. Juvenile Nonfiction / Law & Crime    14. Personal awareness: safety matters    15. The law, legal issues   

Reviews (3)

Love this book!
Excellent!! The book is very helpful in working with my daughter by supplementing her school work with concrete and fun methods.

Another "Must Have"
This resource is a must have for any teacher or parent of students 4th grade and above. It takes abstract and basic math concepts and breaks them down into simpler steps for a clearer understanding.It makes a great companion to the resource "Math At Hand".

Excellent reference and resource for teachers!
A sales rep gave me a copy of this book at a summer teacher workshop last year and I will not give this book up for anything!It has been a very valuable and useful tool for me to reference on countless occasions this past school year. The book has great illustrations, tables and an almanac. The charts are colorful and easy to read. I highly recommend this book for any teacher in the intermediate grades. It will not only help you keep your lessons fresh and make your planning time easier, it will also enable you to be an "expert" in mathematics in just a quick glance. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children: Grades 3-4    2. Handbooks, manuals, etc    3. Juvenile Nonfiction    4. Law & Crime    5. Mathematics    6. Problems, exercises, etc    7. Study and teaching (Elementary)   

Reviews (10)

Great baby gift!
This is a beautiful book.Not only is the sentiment lovley, the pictures are bright and bold, and appealing to little kids of all ages.We began reading it to our daughter when she was just a few months old, and she enjoyed the illustrations and the soothing text.Our three year old loves it as well, and we have wonderful discussions about what "peace" means to different people.I have given it to coutless friends as a baby gift, and everybody has raved about it!Really, you can't go wrong here - just order it.

Amazing book.....
Quiet and subtle, The Peace book doesn't have a hidden agenda.It has a message of love and tolerance and how easy it is to make a small difference in a big world.
wonderful
I chanced upon this book while looking for a gift for a friend's baby. I enjoyed it so much that I bought another copy for my son, and I plan on buying it in the future as a staple baby gift. Absolutely wonderful ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    2. Children's Books/Baby-Preschool    3. Children: Kindergarten    4. Concepts - General    5. Fiction    6. General    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Law & Crime    9. Peace    10. Preschool Picture Story Books    11. Social Issues - Values    12. Juvenile Fiction / Concepts / General   

Editorial Review

Sooner or later, just about every American kid isrequired to memorize the Preamble to the Constitution ofthe United States. And until now, it was one of the moreboring, meaningless assignments. But artist and politicalcartoonist David Catrow (Read more

Reviews (8)

Nice!
I haven't read this book in a long time, but I plan on picking it up on my next visit to the library!
FREEDOM RULES OR RULES FOR FREEDOM
As a librarian, I recommend this book for everyone from 5 to 105. All right, this is actually a picture book that depicts some wonderful insights into our freedom and basic tenets of this great nation from a child's viewpoint. The hilarious illustrations by David Catrow will delight readers of all ages and will be fun for those who are not even studying the Constitution. For those students who are studying the Constitution, this book would be a great visual aid to memorizing the Preamble. I have not met a teenager who didn't enjoy a quick read in a great children's picture book. Teachers: Why not reduce your stressed out students and let them begin their studies with this light-hearted look into some very serious words? Buy a couple of copies and circulate them through the class. Everyone will love them. For the younger reader, ESL or special ed student there is one page explaining the basic meaning of these words and another page and a half explaining why anyone bothered to write the Constitution of the United States. It's ALL GREAT!

Super discussion starter!
This fun book helped me to reach my fifth grade class in a way their social studies text never would have!Catrow finds a way to take the elegant (and sometimes difficult to translate into kid-talk) language of the Preamble and not only make it simeple to understand, but really helps put the kids right in there. Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    2. Children: Kindergarten    3. Constitutional law    4. History - United States/General    5. Juvenile Nonfiction    6. Juvenile literature    7. Law & Crime    8. Social Science - Politics & Government    9. United States    10. Juvenile Nonfiction / History / United States / Colonial & Revolutionary Periods   

Reviews (2)

Illustrations are fabulous, content should be more kid-friendly
The illustrations in this book are very colorful and lively. I liked that each page had a different illustrator, so there is a good variety of visual attraction. However, the language could be simplified so that the content is more appealing to the average young child. As it is, the language seems more geared to an adult audience.

Learning about Children's Rights to Create Respect for All
In 1989, the United Nations adopted 54 principles in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.If you are like me, you are probably unaware of what these rights are.This beautifully illustrated book captures almost a third of the rights in a way that will help your child expand her or his awareness of the problems that other children face.In the process, you can help your child to learn how to become an effective, caring person. Read more

Subjects:  1. Children    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    3. Children's rights    4. Children: Grades 1-2    5. Civil rights    6. Juvenile literature    7. Law & Crime    8. Legal status, laws, etc    9. Legal status, laws, etc.    10. Social Science - Politics & Government    11. Juvenile Fiction / Family / General   

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Young Adult Misc. Nonfiction    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    3. Justice, Administration of    4. Juvenile Nonfiction    5. Juvenile delinquents    6. Juvenile justice, Administrati    7. Juvenile justice, Administration of    8. Juvenile literature    9. Law & Crime    10. Social Issues - Adolescence    11. Social Issues - Violence    12. United States    13. Juvenile offenders   

Reviews (5)

Absolutely imperative if you are a woman
I consider myself quite well informed about current women's issues, but had always wondered what the impetus was behind Title IX. I had no idea that the law we hear about that applies to women's equal access to sports, was aimed at equal access to college admissions and financial assistance.I cried several time while reading this book; I was mad at the earlier treatment of women, I was saddened by the personal stories of disappointment suffered by the women who were shut out of playing games they loved only because they were girls.I was also proud of the triumphs of the recent past, but mostly I was moved to buy another copy and pass it around to as many women as I can.ANY WOMAN WHO HAS PLAYED SPORTS OR GONE TO COLLEGE IN THE LAST 30 YEARS, OWES IT TO THEMSELVES TO READ, APPRECIATE, AND SHARE THIS BOOK WITH THE NEXT GENERATION OF GIRLS.Laurie in Utah

Linking women's equality to Title IX
Let Me Play puts a passionate perspective on the plight of women in the fight to obtain simple civil liberties and human equalities. Author Karen Blumenthal presents her work in a format targeted to a young audience, making this easily manageable book appealing to people of all ages that appreciate the continuing battle for equal rights.
Much-needed history for today's young women
I'm so glad to see a history for today's young women about what it was like before Title 9 - which, while it wasn't that long ago, seems unreal to my daughter's generation. I remember The Days Before, when the boys got the gym and were formed into athletic teams while the girls got WHAT PASSED for PE - calisthenics in the cafeteria! (and instructional time was used to move the tables and chairs aside)
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Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Sports / Recreation / Outdoors    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction    3. Children: Grades 3-4    4. Children: Grades 4-6    5. General    6. Girls & Women    7. History - United States/20th Century    8. Juvenile Nonfiction    9. Juvenile Sports    10. Juvenile Women's Studies    11. Juvenile literature    12. Law & Crime    13. Law and legislation    14. Legal status, laws, etc.    15. Sex discrimination in sports    16. Social Science - Politics & Government    17. Sports & Recreation - General    18. United States    19. Women athletes    20. Juvenile Nonfiction / History / United States / 20th Century   

Reviews (4)

Not Great
This book is adequate as a textbook, but it's not a great resource for what's really going on out in the world. I felt it was very academic--which can be a good thing, but I think high school students will want something a little more practical. "Street" Law should be something more connected to the streets....I just didn't think this book did the job.

Street Law: A Course In Practical Law
This books gives a great overview of law related education.Students areintroduced to legal issues in the context of real life. It containspractical information for dealing with various legal problems.Studentslearn how to write to a member of Congress.This book has a section thatallows students to consider and decide the outcome of legal situations. They learn variations in local law and prodedures that focus attention onwhere the student lives. Over all I would suggest this book as a greattraining tool for the law related class study.

A coherent guide for the average citizen
As a high school student who studied with this textbook, I learned terms and concepts that I could immediately apply to current events.The news on TV and in newspapers about cases were suddenly understandable to me and Ifelt connected with justice and reason.I recommend "Street Law: ACourse in Practical Law" to anyone who wants a detailed andinformative, yet comprehensive guide to the law, from torts and criminallaw, to business and family law. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Young Adult Misc. Nonfiction    2. General    3. Law    4. Law & Crime    5. Social Science - General    6. Juvenile Nonfiction / Social Science / General    7. Laws of Other Jurisdictions & General Law    8. Legal profession    9. USA   

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    3. Criminal behavior, Prediction of    4. Criminal psychology    5. Forensic Medicine    6. Juvenile Nonfiction    7. Juvenile literature    8. Law & Crime    9. Psychology (Young Adult)    10. Social Science - Psychology    11. Crime & violence    12. Science   

Editorial Review

Kids fascinated by crime stories, science, or detective series books will have fun with this straightforward look at the technology of crime solving.Logically organized, the book includes chapters with titles such as "Get a Clue!," "Skeletons Talking," and "Body Language," each of which deals with just what its title suggests. A resourceful reader could probably base a very nice science report on this book, in fact. Read more

Reviews (2)

Good info but gory
I would NOT recommend this book for younger kids. It treats death too flippantly. Too many stories about dogs helping to find dead little girl's bodies and killers dropping bodies in places and... death on most of the pages. Judge the maturity of your kid to handle this stuff before you buy! Otherwise, the facts are interesting on things they use to solve crimes.

Fingerprints and Talking Bones.
I did my review on Fingerprints and Talking Bones. It`s how real-life crimes are sloved. From geting the clue to U.S. crime facts this is a very good book. I recommend this book for ages 10 and up. It tells you storys of cases that was sloved related to that clue. For ex. it may say cats and have a story on how a crime was solved with the help of a cat. That is why I give this book 4 stars. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 9-12 - Science    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction    3. Children: Grades 1-2    4. Criminal investigation    5. Forensic sciences    6. General    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Juvenile literature    9. Law & Crime    10. Science & Nature - General    11. Science & Technology - General    12. Juvenile Fiction / Law & Crime   

Subjects:  1. 1941-1955    2. 20th century    3. African American teenage boys    4. African Americans    5. Biography    6. Children's Books/Young Adult Misc. Nonfiction    7. Children: Grades 4-6    8. Crimes against    9. History    10. History - United States/20th Century    11. Juvenile Nonfiction    12. Juvenile Social Problems (General)    13. Juvenile literature    14. Law & Crime    15. Lynching    16. Mississippi    17. People & Places - United States - African-American    18. Race relations    19. Social Issues - Prejudice & Racism    20. Till, Emmett,    21. Juvenile Nonfiction / History / General    22. Till, Emmett   

Reviews (3)

Fantastic Book on so Many Levels
This book is truly inspired. I would say this book would be great from the age your child can be gentle with paper books. In our house this became a hit around 18 months and by her second birthday our daughter would choose this book to look at by herself, counting and naming the animals. The book has fun little extras, too, like animals on each page that aren't listed, a scavenger hunt, enlarged pictures of parts of animals (children have to match those to the pictures of the whole animals), and big bold numbers next to sample pictures of each animal so that children needn't know how to read more than numbers to follow the book. Each page shows a different habitat which is really interesting to children. I would agree with the reviewer below that this book could appeal to much older children as well, since the book covers a broad range of animal species and not just the ubiquitous elephant, tiger, etc. Our one complaint is the use of the term Killer Whale instead of the currently preferred Orca. (The orca is a member of the dolpin family and not the whale family.)

my 3 year old loves it
Its my daughter's favorite book...and we read alot of books.She's 3 1/2 yrs old and has learned how to count very effectively with this book, which wasn't my original intent but hey it's an added bonus.I enjoy finding the animals with her!

Great search book
I disagree with the "baby-preschool" description of this book.I think it's a little too busy for babies, and I also think children in the early grades would really enjoy finding the animals on each page.(I used to teach fourth grade, and I think this would even enthrall a lot of early-mid elementary aged kids as well.)Every page shows a different setting, and it gives a number of how many animals of each kind that you are supposed to spot.Kids spend time finding all of the animals on each page, and they are also counting and learning about habitats as well.My four-year-old son spent HOURS looking at this book by himself, even though he couldn't yet read the animals' names and needed me to help him with that part.(That's part of why I think the baby-preschool label is way too limiting; older kids who can actually read the animal names might enjoy it even more for quiet examination.)The drawings are very kid-friendly -- they are realistic even though they have a picture book vibe to them.We really loved this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Children's Books/Baby-Preschool    3. Children: Preschool    4. Counting    5. General    6. Habitations    7. Juvenile Nonfiction    8. Juvenile literature    9. Law & Crime    10. Vocabulary   

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    2. Children: Grades 4-6    3. Constitutional law    4. General    5. Interviews    6. Juvenile Justice Administration    7. Juvenile Nonfiction    8. Juvenile literature    9. Law & Crime    10. Social Science - Politics & Government    11. Supreme Court    12. United States    13. United States.    14. Crime & violence    15. Juvenile Nonfiction / Politics & Government    16. The law, legal issues    17. USA   

Reviews (1)

Cruel but a Fascinating and Entertaining Read
This sometimes picture sometimes comic book format takes the reader into history's violent criminal past of both the criminals and the legal system.Unfair punishments for criminals and school children for petty crimes are examined and ridiculed as are societies in history such as those who burnt women alive or through them tied into the rivers to prove they were or weren't witches.The format of this book makes it very reader friendly for children and adults alike.It is simple enough that those with reading difficulties won't be put off but contains a substantial amount of information to satisfy those who can read at adult level or are adults themselves.
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Subjects:  1. Crime & violence    2. Social history   

Reviews (2)

The Impeachment of Bill Clinton: Everybody lost...
Ultimately, Daniel Cohen achieves his sense of balance in "The Impeachment of William Jefferson Clinton" by finding all the parties involved guilty of something.The Republican party was able to take advantage of competing standards in being critical of Clinton's behavior, applying a legal standard to his political behavior and a political standard to his legal actions.In a similar fashion Cohen uses various standards to find fault with one and all, which, I dare say, is a position most young readers can readily buy into. A Fair Tale
Extremely well-written in an unbiased telling of the facts, Cohen presents this entire scandal in "the best light possible."Toldchronologically, he incudes black/white photos and documents that keep thisbook moving at an acceptable pace. A much appreciated addition to anyschool or public library, this will be a popular reference for any schoolproject concerning Presidents.Readers are left to draw their ownconclusions about the "charmed" life and bad choices of this U.S. President.You can't do much better than that, Mr. Cohen. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1946-    2. Children's 12-Up - Politics / Current Events    3. Children's Books/Young Adult Misc. Nonfiction    4. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    5. Clinton, Bill,    6. Impeachment    7. Impeachments    8. Juvenile Nonfiction    9. Juvenile literature    10. Law & Crime    11. Politics & Government    12. Social Science - Politics & Government    13. Trials (Impeachment)    14. United States    15. Non-Classifiable   

Reviews (1)

Richie's Picks: IT'S YOUR WORLD
"We can change the world,
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Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Young Adult Misc. Nonfiction    2. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9)    3. Handbooks, manuals, etc    4. Juvenile Nonfiction    5. Law & Crime    6. Political activity    7. Politics & Government    8. Social Issues - Values & Virtues    9. Social Science - Politics & Government    10. Social Science - Sociology    11. Social action    12. Student movements    13. Teenagers    14. United States    15. Juvenile Nonfiction / Politics & Government   

Subjects:  1. Juvenile Nonfiction    2. Law & Crime