Alpha-Phonics: A Primer For Beginning Readers by Samuel L. Blumenfeld

Why Buy A Alpha-Phonics: A Primer For Beginning Readers by Samuel L. Blumenfeld?
Probably the simplest, most effective and most reasonably priced systematic, intensive phonics reading instruction program available today.
Highly endorsed by leading homeschooling product reviewers Cathy Duffy and Mary Pride.
Used very successfully by hundreds of thousands for over 25 years by parents, tutors and teahcers.
Works exceptionally well iln teaching English as a Second Language.
For additional detailed information and testimonmial letters and videos go to www.alplha-phonics.com
Originally published in print version in 1983

Customer Reviews & Opinions

A great system that works!
Simply great. My 5-year old asks to do “another lesson, please!” every day.

We only started a week ago and it’s amazing to see my son’s excitement as he reads his first sentences of 3-letter words.

A GREAT resource
Alpha-phonics is a great resource for students and teachers alike. The book focuses on learn to read phonetically not by memorization. The lessons begin VERY basic and end VERY advanced. You don’t need any other book to teach or learn reading.

Making Learning to Read a Smooth Event
I have used this book to teach five of my children to read and it is very teacher friendly.

The fact that it is phonics based allows the students to learn the sounds of letters and digraphs so that they can encounter new words in the future and be able to easily sound them out.

The book begins with single letter sounds like the soft ‘a’ and then when they get that concept- that each letter has at least one sound, they begin to blend sounds like ‘am’ and then it moves on to put a sound in front of that ‘am’ and make it ‘Sam.’

At the back of the book are the teacher’s lessons which are concise and very helpful. Read each teacher’s lesson for the corresponding reading lesson in less than a couple of minutes and you are ready to begin with your student.

It is an easy concept and makes learning to read a smooth event. If you are scared to teach your child to read this is going to be a very pleasant surprise.

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Styles and Motifs Japanese Gardens by Katsuhiko Mizuno

Why Buy A Styles and Motifs Japanese Gardens by Katsuhiko Mizuno?
The art of landscaping was said to have been imported from China but as with other imports, the Japanese transformed garden design to suit the indigenous climate and natural surroundings, creating an entirely original art form in the process. A stroll through any of these gardens reveals their inimitable spirit, style and expression.

STYLES AND MOTIFS JAPANESE GARDENS is a highly accessible flip reference for the novice gardener and first time visitor. Each of the 31 beautiful Kyoto gardens featured in this book embody the unique landscaping approaches and techniques of the periods when they were created, from the Heian and Muromanchi eras to Momoyama and Edo.

From teahouses, rock gardens, ponds, and basins, STYLES AND MOTIFS JAPANESE GARDENS features only gardens that are open to the public, making this book an ideal guide for visitors to Kyoto who wish to know more about the spirit and form of Japanese landscape arts.

Customer Reviews & Opinions

Japanese Gardens
I got some good ideas looking through this book. I am not a “kid” under 13 but found it difficult to find any other place to review this. I was waiting for it to come to my library but got impatient and sent for it.

Making clear the mysteries of the garden
It is said that if you cut a Japanese garden with a sword, it will bleed, because the gardener has put his very life’s blood into his creation. To stand in the composed splendor of an authentic Japanese garden, it is easy to believe this, so powerful and rich is the aura of the place. Any visitor to Japan will spend at least some time in the famous gardens, wandering and dreaming. Possibly there are one or two Japanese gardens in your hometown as well, if you are lucky.

However, unless you are steeped in the mysteries and culture of Japanese religion, you would no more understand the deeper symbolism of the place than a lifelong Buddhist would understand the icons of a Catholic church. Japanese gardens are not mere works of beauty. In some cases, they are encoded representations of paradise. In other cases, mediation tools to assist in gaining enlightenment. In all cases, they are much more than what they appear.

Katsuhiko Mizuno has kindly written a guide book, a decoder if you will, to the delights of the garden. “Styles and Motifs: Japanese Gardens” is an essential book. Mizuno has made simple the complex structure, elucidating the symbology of the naturescape and the intentions of the gardener. Set into thirty basic motifs, such as “Moss Gardens,” “Sand Designs,” “Buddhist Trinity Stones” and “Rock Arrangements Symbolizing Eternal Life,” the book explains and shows examples of typical features. Each feature is accompanied by a beautiful photograph, and information as to which gardens throughout Japan that particular feature can be found.

The book is compact, and spiral bound, making it very convenient to carry and travel with. Anyone coming to Japan would be happy to have included a copy in their packing.

I have been to Ryoan-ji in Kyoto many times, and each time I can hear people, staring at the famous Dry Landscape Garden (#15 in the book) saying, “Its beautiful, but what does it mean? I just don’t get it.” If they had a copy of “Styles and Motifs: Japanese Gardens,” think of how much richer their experiences would have been!

Eccellent coffee table book
Splendid photographs and insightful descriptions enhance the appreciation I already have for the artistry within Japanese gardens.

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God & the History of Art, From Egypt to the Twentieth Century, With a Godly Focus: Over 250 Art Lessons (Curriculum Kit including textbook, 34 master postcards, 24 paint cards, and 10 marker cards) by Barry Stebbing

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New Dieters Cookbook: Eat Well, Feel Great, Lose Weight (Better Homes & Gardens)

Why Buy A New Dieters Cookbook: Eat Well, Feel Great, Lose Weight (Better Homes & Gardens)?
Handy comb-bound format that lies flat for easy reference while cooking.

Kitchen-tested recipes offer meal variety and make losing weight a delicious experience.

Vibrant full-color photography of every recipe entices dieters to prepare each dish.

The latest advice and tips help dieters lose weight, eat well, and feel great.

Information especially designed to address the diet issues of children and adolescents helps adults understand, respond to, and manage weight issues that affect youth.

Food exchanges with every recipe offer flexibility in meal planning.

Customer Reviews & Opinions

Great cookbook!
I love that this cookbook comes in a three-ringed binder and has a picture for every recipe.

Delicious and Healthy!
Over the years my husband and I have tried several ways of getting healthy and dropping pounds–usually quitting them with little results and a bad taste in our mouths. But this cookbook works and keeps a good variety of foods in our rotation! We have eaten almost exclusively recipes from this book over the last 7 months and found great success! Everything is so tasty (I have only found one recipe that we didn’t like) and usually doesn’t require weird ingredients. Dieting doesn’t have to taste bad!

GREAT!!
This has to be one of the best cookbooks out there. There has not been one recipe in there that I or my family have said, never cook that again! It is just wonderful. It’s great for all of us, I no longer have to cook two meals since I am trying to lose weight. This does not taste anywhere like Diet food! Love it!!

Great Recipes!
This cookbook has so amazing amazing recipes in it. There are even chocolate brownies that taste delicious! I’m going to try the homemade macaroni and cheese next. I can’t believe these recipes are diet!!

Great cookbook for the whole family
My husband had to loss a couple pounds for a new job he was trying to get hired for and I decided that I would join him, cause hey what girl doesn’t want to shed a little extra weight. We have two young boys, 6 and 2 years, and were worried that if we statred dieting they would be effected. Long story short, rather then trying fad diets or premade meals, we decided it would be best to just change the way we eat to something healthier, which is what lead us to the Dieters Cookbook.

Its wounderful, so far between the two of us, we have lost 20 pounds in three weeks. Now its not all the cook book, we do have a cross trainer at home, a weight bench and two young ones that keep us moving. But the cookbook gives me a great place to find easy to make, healthy meals, that even taste good. (For the boys, we just give them an adult portionand let them eat as much as they like, this allows us not to worry about harming their growth.)The two week jump off menu is also a great tool, even if you don’t follow it, it allows you an example of how to plan your meals. And planning has been our best friend, nolonger does it turn 7 o’clock at night and we end up running to pick something up cause, A) we didn’t have anything ready to eat or b) there was nothing in the house to make something. I work often into the late afternoon, early night and have found several recipes that I can make ahead and leave just mini notes for my husband to finish up. For example, tonight we’ll be having turkey burgers w/ cranberry dressing and oven baked french fries, everyhting is made up in the fridge, all hubbie has to do is put the fries in the oven and place the burgers on the grill, walla healthy easy and no McDonalds, Burgerking or Wendy’s needed.

This cookbook, is not a mericale diet, it wont garentee you have the same success as my spouse and I, but it is a great tool, even if you just want a cookbook around with healthy low fat meals in it for when you feel the urge to cook something outside a box. But don’t take my word for it, try it and see what you think.

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Fix-It & Forget-It Lightly: Healthy Low-Fat Recipes for Your Slow Cooker

Why Buy A Fix-It & Forget-It Lightly: Healthy Low-Fat Recipes for Your Slow Cooker?
Yes, Now you can have it all: Food from your slow cooker that is scrumptious, quick and easy to prepare and low fat!

Customer Reviews & Opinions

Must have for your cookbook library
This is a really great cookbook for working people who are trying to be careful with their diet. Lots of easy, good tasting recipes and detailed nutrition information. I love this book! Everyone who has a crockpot should have this book. Really, there is everything and something for everyone in this terrific cookbook.

Great lower calorie recipes!
I have already cooked several recipes from this book and have loved both the ease in making them and the lower calories!

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Justin Wilson Number Two Cookbook: Cookin Cajun (v. 2)

Why Buy A Justin Wilson Number Two Cookbook: Cookin Cajun (v. 2)?
Justin Wilson, who radiates charm, warmth, and the earthy joie de vivre of storied Cajun country, is also a great chef and has assembled in this volume another great treasury of authentic Cajun recipes.

Host of a syndicated TV show cooking show, the world’s leading Cajun humorist, and a gourmet chef in his own right, Justin Wilson presents a wide range of Cajun dishes that perfectly complement his highly successful first cookbook, The Justin Wilson Cookbook, which has gone through numerous printings.

For those who want to know the secrets of Cajun cooking, or for those who simply want mouthwatering recipes, Wilson’ Cookin’ Cajun fits the bill. Savor, for example, Wild Duck and Turnips, Cajunized Oriental Pork Chops, Stuffed Cucumbers, and Leftover Spaghetti Casserole. Also enjoy a variety of recipes under the Cooking in a Bag section, in which Wilson gives away the secret for cooking meats quicker—and making them more tender—than non-Cajuns ever dreamed of. These are but a smattering of the many certain to please recipes in this book, many of which were developed for Justin Wilson’s TV show.

Customer Reviews & Opinions

Simply Good
The man made plain, simple good food. The book is a reflection of the type of cooking we saw on his shows. His roots were Cajun, but he was not afraid to experiment and make a dish his own. If you are looking for traditional Cajun recipes, this is not the place to start, but it is a great source for some good eatin’.

Fine book, I gair-onn-tee!!
Hey look, I’ve haad this book for a while and love it all! Easy to use, [very] funny and light-hearted! …

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Best of the Best from New England: Selected Recipes from the Favorite Cookbooks of Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire,

Why Buy A Best of the Best from New England: Selected Recipes from the Favorite Cookbooks of Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire,?
Welcome to New England…a land of stately lighthouses and craggy coastlines; of white church steeples and breathtaking fall leaves; of friendly country stores and romantic old inns; of winding mountain lanes and thriving cities. And from this glorious setting, over 500 recipes have been collected to capture the marvelous cuisine of the New England states of Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine.

One hundred and seven of New Englands most popular cookbooks have been selected to contribute their favorite recipes to this remarkable collection, Each chosen recipe is a time-honored, proven favorite that typifies New England cooking.

Included are famous New England recipes such as Seafood Chowder, Lobster Stew, Steamed Clams, New England Boiled Dinner, Mulled Cider, Indian Pudding, Molassas Cookies, Cranberry Chutney, Beach Plum Jelly, and of course, Boston Baked Beans and Stemed Brown Bread. Also there are outstnading recipes ranging from traditional to trendy, including microwave, low-cal, crockpot, cooking on the grill, do-ahead, gourmet and quick-to-fix recipes for todays cooks.

These favorite recipes are complemented by photographs and interesting quips about the history, food, and folfklore of New England.

Let these superb recipes from outstanding New England cookbooks invite you into delightful, delicious New England…The Best of the Best from New England.

Customer Reviews & Opinions

The BEST New England Cookbook!
I give this cookbook as gifts all the time. I’ve had it myself for years and I enjoy cooking from it. It is truly “New England” cooking and the recipes are fantastic!

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The Cop Cookbook: Arresting Recipes from the Worlds Favorite Cops, Good Guys, and Private Eyes

Why Buy A The Cop Cookbook: Arresting Recipes from the Worlds Favorite Cops, Good Guys, and Private Eyes?
This fun cookbook contains over three hundred arresting recipes from the worlds favorite television and movie cops and detectives, as well as from police chiefs and other top cops from all fifty states. From Columbo to Andy Sipowicz, your favorite cops are here to protect and serve dinner! Illustrated and indexed.Get Amazon’s Lowest Price Today!

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The Old-Fashioned Dutch Oven Cookbook

Customer Reviews & Opinions

A Treat For the Taste Buds
The art of dutch oven cooking has been dying for a long time. What my mother taught me was very little and I do remember great food from that cooking. I just wanted to bring back that comfortable feeling once again and to enjoy the basically hassle free cooking again. There is so much you can do with a dutch oven and I’m glad that they are still making them. I hope that there will be an increase in cooking the old fashioned, healthy way.

It was the first
Today, cooking with a Dutch oven is all the rage and this book started it all. Every Dutch oven cook should own this book, no matter how many other Dutch oven cookbooks they own. Don Holm had the guts to write the first book in modern times (that being in the 1960s) about cooking with a Dutch oven. In fact, when Holm contacted Lodge about purchasing some ovens to perfect his recipes, he was informed that Dutch ovens were no longer in production. The rebound of this once essential and now popular way to cook in the great outdoors can be attributed to one person and one book, the Old Fashioned Dutch Oven Cookbook, by Don Holm. Sure, other authors have now jumped on the band wagon and written their take on the cast iron cooking pot, just as there are now more books than ever about vegetable gardening and fly fishing. But Holm was the first, and this book was the inspiration for many of the others. The author goes beyond what most readers would expect from a cookbook. He takes that extra step and provides a bundle of outdoor stories that outdoor lovers, and others, will enjoy. And, besides a history of the Dutch oven and the stories, Holm provides many useful recipes for beginners and experienced cooks as well. This book is a good study for all serious Dutch oven cooks and beginners as well. Once again, every Dutch oven cook should own this book, no matter how many other Dutch oven cookbooks they own.

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Great Meals Dutch Oven Style

Why Buy A Great Meals Dutch Oven Style?
Dale Smith, a professional baker and Dutch oven cooking expert, presents more than 100 tested recipes for beef, poultry, fish and pork, vegetables, soups and chowders, sourdough, bread and rolls, cakes, pies and cobblers, marinades and rubs. Each recipe includes details on coal placement.

Smith also includes information on cookware seasoning, care and storage. He explains cooking techniques for above-and below-ground cooking. The appendix includes information on Dutch oven terminology and a list of herbs and other seasonings. There also is a chapter on fireless cookers.

GREAT MEALS DUTCH OVEN STYLE also includes a section on competition cooking and information on the International Dutch Oven Society.

GREAT MEALS DUTCH OVEN STYLE covers all aspects of Dutch oven cooking. It will appeal to both veteran black kettle chefs and to those preparing their first dishes using cast iron cookware.

Customer Reviews & Opinions

Offering more than 100 tested recipes
Professional baker and Dutch oven cooking expert Dale Smith presents Great Meals Dutch Oven Style, a spiral-bound cook book offering more than 100 tested recipes for beef, poultry, fish, pork, vegetables, soups, chowders, breads, pies, marinades and more, all meant to take advantage of the Dutch oven cooking process. Also packed with tips, tricks, and techniques on cookware, seasoning, and storage of meals, Great Meals Dutch Oven Style is a superb, step-by-step referemce amd resource for Dutch oven chefs of all skill and experience levels. This is an excellent and savvy exploration into the culinary joys of a longstanding and traditional cooking tradition.

Great Meals Dutch Oven Style
This book is the most comprehensive and well written book on Dutch Oven Cooking I’ve ever seen or owned. Mr. Smith prepared/cooked each recipe contained in the book. As you can see on the cover and the pictures inside, Mr. Smith makes them look like the gourmet meals they really are. This book not only lists every ingredient for each recipe, and the exact times of baking, but also tells exactly how to place the coals to bake each recipe to perfection. If you like Dutch Oven cooking, you will love this book! It is well worth the time and money to own one. I highly recommend Great Meals Dutch Oven Style.

Exceptional Dutch Oven Cooking For Camp!
I received a copy of the book Great Meals Dutch Oven Style for my birthday. It is an excellent book for the beginner and the experienced Dutch oven cook. The chapter on terminology provides excellent help in understanding Dutch ovens and accessories. The book explains how to care for a Dutch oven in a simple and practical way. And it works. No more rancid smelling Dutch ovens. This book is great on camping trips (it has greatly improved Boy Scout camp food) and for home use in your back yard. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Dutch oven cooking.

Palate Perfection
I purchased a “Great meals dutch oven style”cookbook by Dale Smithand found it to be an excellent book with wonderful recipes and general knowledge for both the expert and novice of dutch oven cooking. I would highly recommend this cookbook to anyone who loves good food and/orhas an interest in the “Black Kettle”.A good investment with some history thrown in.

Homemade Goodness - Dutch Oven Style Cooking
This is the only Dutch Oven cookbook you will ever need. It’s one of the most complete and easy to follow cookbooks I’ve ever used. There are many great family recipes that are very easy to follow. The instructions are mistake proof, I didn’t realize how versatile the menus could be using the Dutch Oven, from desserts to main dishes. I hope you give Dale Smith’s Dutch Oven Cooking Book, an open door to your new adventure of Dutch Oven Cooking. Your friends and family will definitely enjoy the homemade goodness from these great meals.

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