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This is a Level 1 Reader book: 2-4 simple sentences per page, kindergarten - 1st grade vocabulary, large type, lots of colorful pictures on every page.Old legends tell us about the griffin, sphynx, basilisk, kraken and other monsters. Are these half-lions and half-eagles, half-roosters and half-dragons scary... or funny? How did people of old times imagine a seahorse, or a sea lion?Are there real monsters?We'll meet a few real-life monsters, from the giant squid, huge saltwater crocodiles, and ever-hungry barracuda to some of the most venomous creatures on Earth that happen to be small - lionfish, sea snake, and cone snail.Not every monster is huge! I would rather run into a giant squid than a cone snail!

Sona si Latine logueris! (Honk if you speak Latin!)This is a book of English-to-Latin translation and sentence building exercises, an optional companion to the Latin for Kids textbook. It is the essential first step toward active use of Latin.Like Latin for Kids, this companion is divided into 10 sections. In each section the translation exercises use the grammar introduced in the corresponding lesson of Latin for Kids. Additional vocabulary is also offered. Exercises deliver each new grammar subject step-by-step. For example, working with the Genitive Case singular, we first practice using the Genitive case with nouns, then add pronouns and adjectives in the next exercise. The last translation in each section is a vocabulary review.Answer Key pages follow each set of exercises. The Answer Keys are designed to be cut out if desired, without losing any other material in the book. As an extra challenge, in the Answer Key Latin translations I indicate long vowels and suggest remembering those noun and verb endings that always contain long vowels.In addition to translation exercises, each lesson offers sentence building practice. Using provided word groups, we make sentences following a simple pattern. E.g: We use the verb 'dare' - to give, and match a source (in Nominative Case) to a product (in Accusative Case): A cow gives us milk. A garden gives us flowers. A vineyard gives us grapes... etc.As in Latin for Kids, this book contains a lot of additional educational material:- lots of Latin inscriptions - on monuments, buildings, and sundials, on ancient Roman coins and modern currency, including a dollar bill and a one-pound British coin;- mottoes of US states and of countries around the world,- animal names in Latin;- interesting facts about ancient Roman cuisine;- mini-articles on etymology, such as the Latin origins of city names, last names that come from Latin (Cooper, Spenser, Palmer...), Latin origins of English words, such as 'disaster,' 'torpedo,' and others;- jokes in Latin and Latin translations of modern-day memes, such as 'couch potato' and 'May the force be with you!')Much of the new vocabulary is presented in pictorial form - through colorful photos and illustrations.

Like other books in this 'heritage history' series, "The Victorian Era in Europe - Age of Empires - for Kids" presents the events of mid-to-late 19th century European history through biographies of its "royals, rebels, and empire-builders" in a story-telling format.Dusty volumes, published in the days when history-teaching wasn't reduced to 'social studies,' overflow with historical anecdotes and details that would make our kids smile, and add a memorable 'human' touch to blunders, crimes, and victories of bygone eras' stars and villains. So, I spent a good year plowing through 19th and early 20th century biographical tomes, periodicals, and vintage childrens' histories, to translate a vast volume of stories and reports into narratives that can engage today's kids and teens. I tossed out exhaustive battle descriptions and analyses of dynastic feuds and politics to which our kids can't relate. I kept stories entertaining enough to bring to life the complex era that gave us phones, subways, and diamond engagement rings, along with Marxism, terrorism, the 'white man's burden,' and hundreds of thousands of long-lost graves of those who fell in brutal colonial and European imperial wars. As always, this book presents only historical facts and reports (no embellishment, fiction, or opinions of any kind) and stays firmly on track with kid-appropriate, family-friendly content.Meet Queen Victoria, French Emperor Napoleon III, German Reichskanzler Bismarck, Russian Emperor Alexander II, the hero of the Italian Wars of Independence Giuseppe Garibaldi, the creator of Marxism - Karl Marx, the British Empire builder and diamond monopolist Cecil Rhodes, and the legend of archaeology Heinrich Schliemann - they are all here.Since understanding Victorian-era history requires knowledge of certain political/economic concepts, the book offers paragraph-long definitions of- ideas, such as Realpolitik, liberalism, fatalism, socialism, communism, nihilism, anarchism, totalitarianism, populism, the Monroe Doctrine, ''the white man's burden,' 'jingoism...'- political movements and organizations, such as the Carbonari, Freemasons, Illuminati...- political/economic terms, such as monopoly, viceroy, protectorate, puppet regime, 'scorched earth' policy, and others.Did Queen Victoria actually say "We are not amused"?Why socialist economies fall apart, and why a communist socio-economic system has never existed in real life?Who came up with the diamond engagement ring 'tradition'?... Your sleepless nights, pondering over these epic questions are over! Your kid will deliver the answers upon reading "The Victorian Era in Europe - Age of Empires - for Kids"!

Your kid has fallen in love with unicorns - great! Capitalize on this lucky turn of events to introduce your young unicorn lover to the major eras of European history all through the lens of what people knew about unicorns in ancient times, in the Dark Ages, Middle Ages, Renaissance, and the Age of Reason. Yes, it's all real history, with dates, origins of every unicorn legend, pictures from dusty medieval manuscripts, pages from old science books, historical unicorn paintings, and more. This book is not for unicorn skeptics. It is written from the standpoint of truths about unicorns that every kid knows and every grownup forgets. As kids we are well aware what unicorns look like. We know that they are gentle, noble in spirit and always ready to offer you their support and friendship. But when we grow up, short of becoming outright unicorn deniers, we behave like we've never seen a unicorn! And that's the problem with many historical anecdotes and legends about unicorns, as well as supposedly factual sources, such as medieval bestiaries or reports by Ctesias, Pliny the Elder, Albertus Magnus and others, where a unicorn is mixed up with a donkey, or a goat, or a rhinoceros, or portrayed as a ferocious forest bully constantly chasing elephants and lions. So, as we present all these historical sources to our young reader, we don't hesitate to point out blatant mistakes and glaring omissions in their narratives. We practice our critical thinking! Along with history materials, the book features comic-book-style pages reasserting our firm belief in unicorns and making fun of grownups so lost in their unicorn denial. Of course, along with misconceptions and fictional reports, European history offers inspiring material for unicorn lovers. Many great men - from Julius Caesar to Leibniz - believed in unicorns. There are some striking legends about them. Did you know that it was a unicorn who saved India from Genghis Khan's invasion? In Christian writings of the Dark and Middle Ages the unicorn became a symbol of Christ, and as Christian influence elevated the ethical code and the status of women through charity, chivalry, and courtly love, the unicorn also became a symbol of loyalty in marriage and selfless love. It's not hard at all to narrate this cultural history of unicorns in a language accessible to 2nd graders and up. Our kids' love for unicorns opens a unique door for learning history, and discussing our heritage and values - with respect and a healthy dose of humor.

This book is fantasy-fiction-style educational activity material for the young fans of Harry Potter, Descendants, Sofia the First, and other books and films of the magic fantasy genre. Does your kid want to go to a "real" magic school, like Harry Potter and other characters of fantasy fiction? Well tell him/her: You can take a course of real magic at home, with this real magic school textbook! And luckily for you and me, I am the author of a number of textbooks written for my courses at one of the best magic schools of Middle Earth, the North Landing Academy of Magic Arts. Even though I graduated from North Landing, I'll never send my son there. The place is infested with dragons, something large is crawling in the underground vaults every time the castle floods during the full moon, and the food is not as great as fantasy fiction authors want you to think. No. My baby stays here, and I'll homeschool him in magic. So should you. If your kid is new to magic training, advise him/her to start with my Invincible Magic Book of Spells. In Star Magic we build on the ideas first introduced in Invincible Magic. The spells in this book use only safe everyday objects and substances you have at home (like milk, sugar, paper, tree leaves, rocks, etc.); absolutely no use of fire, or any ingredients or items you may not have in your kitchen at the moment (like rosewater, or sage, or a crystal ball). These spells are not based on any witchcraft, New Age, or religious lore. Any esoteric concepts mentioned in this book are introduced in the context of the history of ideas (like ancient Egyptian mythology), or popular culture (like Zodiac signs, or palm-reading). This book will help kids develop imagination and engage in fantasy play, which is vital for their intellectual and emotional development; learn a few scientific facts (What causes tides?), some history (Stonehenge), brush up some geometry (horizontal-vertical, parallel-perpendicular, 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional) and more. develop their interest in reading, and grow their reading fluency with an easy, 1st-2nd grade core vocabulary (reading levels 3-4). Have you ever wondered if ABRACADABRA is a real magic word? Well, once your child reads this book, they'll have a definitive answer to this question, as well as to many other questions, like: What is Ouroboros? What is the meaning of the word Zodiac? How do solstices and equinoxes happen? How to make your own sundial? Which runes did Vikings use for magic? What are the names of the stars in Orion's Belt? When was the hourglass invented? How do fortune-tellers read your palm? Which constellation is Aldebaran in? How do you make a Möbius strip? How do you say "Forever Grateful," or "Let there be light" in Latin? How to find North, South, East, and West by the sun? What is the difference between Astronomy and Astrology, Chemistry and Alchemy? Which stars were considered the most powerful in the ancient world? What's so strange about the Uffington white horse? What is the infinity sign? ...And more!

This book is for kids who have just started learning multiplication. When memorizing times tables looms ahead, the fear of the math monster creeps in and spoils what should be a lot of fun at school. I bribed my 7-year-old son with some TV time and chocolates to memorize the x3 table, but this only confirmed his belief that math is a scary tsunami of ever growing numbers and formulas that he would rather never encounter. As a kid I struggled with math too. My Dad is a mathematician. He helped to propel me through high school math, but the fear of the math monster chased me constantly. . How to defeat that fear? You have to confront it from the very start, from the times tables and even before, to help our kids feel more in control, to show them that the math monster can purr and lick their hand. So I roped in my Dad, and together we looked at speed math methods and learning shortcuts, and collected a bunch of tricks that - minimize memorization and - maximize the sense of victory over the math monster ...when learning times tables, 2-digit multiplication, fractions, decimals, as well as addition and subtraction of larger numbers. This book covers math curricula found in the 2nd and 3rd grades - from times tables through decimals. In addition to speed math tricks, the book teaches a few classic math magic tricks, like 'reading your mind' to discover the secret number you came up with, or making a (seemingly) complex calculation in an instant. The book is colorful, with funny illustrations and captions to help retain every last drop of the precious kid attention, and to escape that scary math book look - the arctic white pages with mounting numbers - that so terrified me as a kid. It's a 'fun math' book designed to arm our kids with the magic of confidence and a bunch of speed math tricks on their early math journey.

Alchemy and Dragons is an independent reading and fantasy fiction activity book for kids ages 7-11. The reading level is 2nd grade and up.My 7-year-old son loves magic wands, magic spells, and stories about hidden treasures and fantastical beasts. But he is not much of a reader. I wrote this book for him, and any kid who likes playing a hero more than reading about heroes.Are there dragons haunting your garden, or lurking in a scary tree nearby? The dragon lore, and the potions we make to protect our home from the fire-breathing beasts help kids engage in imagination play, and become the main character of their own magic fantasy story.The book alternates activity - making alchemical potions and casting spells - with reading pages, where we talk about dragons, as well as the history of alchemy and science.In Alchemy and Dragons I assume that the reader owns a magic wand. You can find instructions on making your own magic wand in my book Invincible Magic Book of Spells.The magic spells and potions in this book are fantasy fiction material: They are not based on any witchcraft, New Age, or esoteric religion lore or rituals.The Alchemy aspect of the book is based on the practical methods of medieval alchemists. The only philosophical principle of alchemy mentioned in the book is All From One, the divine origin of the world. "All things come from one source, by the will and by the word of the Only One who created it in His Mind..." from the Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus.The potion recipes use only safe everyday objects and substances you have at home or outside (sand, rocks, rainwater, salt, leaves...) We'll distill rainwater with solar distillation (using sunlight to warm up and evaporate water).We will also learn some facts from the History of Alchemy, and answer these questions:- What is the origin of the words Chemistry, Alchemy, Laboratory, Elixir, Gibberish, and Spectrum? (hint: Alchemy!)- What is the Philosopher's Stone?- What kind of monster is a Basilisk, and why did people carry a mirror in their pocket in the Middle Ages?- What are stalactites and stalagmites?- What is Gothic architecture and what is the origin of gargoyles?- What are meteor showers and how did ancient people use meteorite rocks?- How did Newton discover the light spectrum?- How to make a rainbow with a glass of water and a sheet of paper?- What is the Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus and what are the 12 Keys of Basilius Valentinus?- What is sand and from where do white and black sands come?- Who was St. George, and what is the legend about St.George and a dragon?- What physical phenomena did alchemists call a dragon and dragon's blood?- Why did Vikings have dragon heads on the bows of their ships?- What is Yggdrasil in Viking mythology?... and more!

In elementary school, math word problems were the bane of my existence. I could crunch numbers with ease, but word problems were tricky because of the logical sorting you have to do to arrive at an equation: Establishing what's known and what's unknown and the relationship between them was not easy for me. Some word problems tell a story where events are out of order. You have to re-order them first to grasp what was there at the start, what changes, and what is missing. Some word problems use tricks like: A crocodile is 7 feet long, and that's 3 times shorter than a snake! How long is the snake? In 3rd grade, that word 'shorter' tricked me into division instead of multiplication every single time. This reasoning that turns a word problem into an equation was always the hardest part for me...not the calculations, but the logical part. As a grownup, looking back, I could hardly understand why I was so lost around word problems. But then, seeing my 7-year-old son (currently in 3rd grade) lose track now and then while trying to solve them, I realized that it would be helpful for him to start from the very beginning, from the simplest 1st grade word problems, and strengthen his grasp of the logic: What are we looking for? For the whole, or for the missing part? How to find the missing part if you know the whole?... and so on. This book is a 'guided tour' of the major types of elementary school curriculum word problems, from a + b = ? to multiplication and division - covering material typically taught in Grades 1 through 3. By genre, it's not 'fun math.' Rather, it's an entertaining and colorful tutoring aid for kids, aimed at brushing up their understanding of how to solve word problems. The reading level of the book is about 2nd grade - independent reading (or reading with the parent), simple vocabulary, short paragraphs, lots and lots of pictures. I divide word problems into 'houses': Problems of the same type live together. We visit each house, and first solve a couple word problems together, step-by-step. I explain what is special about each word problem type, and warn of any potential tricks. Then I offer 2 or 3 word problems to be solved by the reader. The answers are at the back of the book. To add a bit of challenge, humor and excitement, every few pages I invite the reader to the House of Tricks - inhabited by trick word problems. I also offer a few puzzles, logical brain-teasers, and, finally, we explore why some numbers, such as 3, or 7, or 9 were believed to be magical in the ancient world. One other thing that bothers me about math word problems, is how boring and unimaginative their stories are. It's always some kids selling T-shirts, buying apples, swimming so many laps, or baking cupcakes. To break out of this mundane environment, I replaced all these boring characters with vampires, fairies, princesses, dragons, mummies, serpents, and occasional historical characters, from Cleopatra and Constantine the Great to Queen Elizabeth I. Oh, one more thing! White paper with endless rows of numbers depresses me. Just don't tell my Dad who has co-authored this book with me. He is a mathematician and his idea of a great time is solving higher math equations for fun after dinner. He is OK if a math book looks like the Arctic landscape with a sprinkling of numbers, but I want color, pictures, and humor. So there you have it, The Star of the Seven Seas.

This is an activity book for kids and teens, teaching traditional Gypsy-style fortune telling with playing cards. Great for fun with friends and guaranteed to bring you popularity among your classmates! We provide a list of traditional card meanings and teach you to interpret 3, 9, and 10-card spreads.Why playing cards? Why not Tarot cards? The esoteric Tarot cards used for divination, as well as Tarot interpretation techniques were invented only at the end of the 18th century by the French fortune teller Etteilla. For 400 years until then, since cards first appeared in Europe, the fortune telling was done only with regular playing cards. They are a much older tradition.Our focus is not on the esoteric aspect of divination but on the storytelling you do as you learn to connect clues offered by cards into a narrative and predict the outcome of potential events. Narratives like this - whether they touch real life events or stay in the realm of play and fantasy - help you to work through cause and effect scenarios, sort out your feelings, take responsibility for your actions, and consider the motivations and feelings of people in your life.Have fun playing a fortune teller! This engaging activity will help you get in touch with your intuition and come up with valuable insights about the reasons and motivations behind people's behavior.

This book is a middle schooler's secret weapon designed to grow our kids' spelling skills by engaging their curiosity about word origins and language history. I am a big fan of word study books. They have improved my son's spelling for sure, but as he plowed through the piles of Greek and Latin roots, prefixes and suffixes, I knew something was missing. The missing link was the 'why' - the curiosity factor.Why is there a silent S in 'island'?Why 'possess' possesses more S's than 'obsess'?Why 'derive' has one R, while 'arrive' has two? And are 'derive' and 'arrive', by any chance, related to 'river'?Why 'prefix' has one F, while 'suffix' has two?Is there any logic behind all those Ls in 'delusion,' 'illusion,' and 'collusion'?What is the 'scent' in 'crescent,' 'fluorescent,' and 'incandescent'?English is a layered language, its spelling reflecting the history of conquests (Roman, Saxon, Norman) and cultural changes (Christianization, Renaissance, etc.) However, up to 90% of multi-syllable words in English are of Latin origin. Even the most basic knowledge of Latin helps breathe meaning into boring spelling rules.In this book I introduce the absolute beginner basics of Latin grammar and morphology that explain many features of English spelling. I also offer bits of conversational Latin (just for fun and bragging rights!) and some thematic study of Latin words whose roots produced lots of derivatives in English (body parts, food, house, nature, and personal qualities). All grammar sections are illustrated with classical Latin expressions, sayings and proverbs that are good to know as part of our Western heritage.To get kids excited about the history of language, I conduct mini 'investigations' into the etymology of many (often commonly misspelled) words.Why 'skirt,' 'shirt,' and 'short' sound suspiciously similar? (You'll be shocked!)Are 'noise' and 'nausea' related?What's the connection between a map and a napkin?Do 'onion' and 'union' have anything in common? (Also: why the European Union should be renamed the European Garlic!)If 'trivial' comes from Latin 'three,' why does it mean 'boring'?What is that fifth essence in 'quintessential'?Another shocker: 'Prose' and 'verse' come from the same Latin word, as do 'simple' and 'complex'...Why in the world did the Fairy Godmother think that glass slippers were a good gift? (Spoiler alert: She didn't!)Then we have Latin High - a school where Latin roots, prefixes and suffixes do word studies, confront bullies and compete in the Consonant Gymnastics Junior League. These stories of intrigue, rivalries and ambition will certainly make some spelling rules more memorable! Just check out the Ex Files - the thrilling story of prefix Ex and the bully roots Radere Rasum (to scrape), Rumpere Ruptum (to break) and Radix (root) nicknamed Radish, and known for his radical views. Once you read this true account, you will never misspell 'erupt,' 'erase,' and 'eradicate' again! And if you read what happened at Latin High during the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79, you will know why 'mission,' 'session,' 'professor,' and so many other English words have those double S's.The book also offers a few special features:A tour of the Latin Word Factories - the Latin roots and prefixes that gave English tons of derivativesThe Black List: The 12 most misspelled English words of Latin originThe most hopeless homophones (again, Latin saves the day!)The Longest-Possible Word Generator with instructions and samples of outputThis book is easy to use for independent study, as a basis for ELA school projects, or as part of a structured curriculum. I hope that this book will educate and enterta

The Truth About Lies, Liars, and Lying is a 33-page independent reading book for kids ages 7-10. It is reading level 4.The book is colorful, heavily-illustrated, humorous, and informative. I wrote it to help my son and any kid 7-years old and up to grasp the concept of a lie, and explore its nature and consequences in an entertaining format without lecturing, finger pointing, or gloom and doom. The goal is to help the kid make a new step toward critical thinking and the ability to analyze their own and other people's motives and behavior.We'll briefly look at different types of lies - from white lies, fibs, exaggerations and bluffs to disinformation, cover-ups, half-truths and perjury. We'll ponder over what our conscience is and whether legal things are always moral. We'll establish the four main reasons people lie, and find out where the custom of crossing fingers when lying comes from.We'll meet some liars from the animal kingdom, and condemn their behavior. If you think blue jays and squirrels are innocent sweet balls of fur and feathers, you are in for a shock. And any kid will agree that a cuckoo belongs behind bars!We'll also spend a couple pages wondering why kids occasionally lie, offer some helpful ideas, and laugh together at the classic kid lies. We'll make sure we distinguish between lying and pretend play, such as imaginary friends, Santa, and the Tooth Fairy.Finally we'll spend a lot of pages studying every method under the sun to detect a lie, such as analysing a liar's word choice and body language, and asking the right questions. Sometimes you can help a person confess: We'll learn how!We'll also look into lie detectors and whether they work. And, since we are on that subject, we'll find out how spies beat polygraph tests.What else? Pinocchio, of course, and lies in advertising. Also, stories of famous con artists, including the one who sold the Brooklyn Bridge.We'll also touch on US law: The oath, The Fifth and Sixth Amendments, why people take the Fifth, and what Miranda rights are.LIke any kid, I fibbed when I was little, but I also felt bad about it, and eventually figured out it was not worth the stress, the effort, and the embarrassment. I hope sharing these bits of information about lies, liars and lying will help our kids embrace the easier way - being consistently and happily honest

All those 'how to be polite' books for kids, meh...'Teach your teddy bear good manners'...yawn.My kid - and maybe your kid, too - doesn't mind if his teddy bear is rude, but he doesn't like losing in a negotiation, and he wants to be taken seriously by grownups, and that's where the real opportunity is hiding.Let's explain to our kids that being strategic and diplomatic in their speech and polished in their manners attracts a special trust from grownups, and pays off big time in ice creams, movies, robots, unicorns, and other objects of desire.With my kid, abstract concepts such as being nice to your teddy bear for the sake of human decency, simply don't work. So I have no qualms about telling him: Learn to talk to me like a well-mannered grownup, and I will oblige you with the stuff that you want.I also wrote this book from the perspective of being on the kid's side. The book is not didactic, it doesn't lecture about polite speech or manners, it treats these things as currency in getting what you want, and we make fun of grownups here and there in a good-natured way.The Magic of Big Words is an independent reading book for kids ages 7-11 (about level 4-5). The goal of the book is to- expand our kids' vocabulary in the grownup direction;- teach (or polish) polite and diplomatic communication with grownups;- teach that quality and responsibility in communication gets results;- introduce the concept of style, and develop interest in learning about style and the history of languages.What are 'big words'? To explain we compare everyday (or kids') speech made mostly of short words of Germanic origin with educated, grownup speech sprinkled with the post-Norman-Conquest French-Latin 'big words' (like 'appreciate,''reasonable,' or 'consequences'). To introduce this idea we'll learn about William the Conqueror, the Norman invasion and the battle of Hastings, and compare two versions of the same story - A written in everyday language, and in the literary 'big words' language.Then we'll explore being diplomatic in our speech: How diplomats communicate and how to turn up the volume of politeness to get the grownups to YES (when 'please' is not enough). In this part we'll cover ultra-polite ways to- ask for help or things- ask for permission to speak- disagree- express displeasure- say NO diplomatically- soften your speech stylistically to prevent defensiveness- give diplomatic advice- use euphemismsNext we'll play with being sophisticated in our speech: This is our show-off Professor's English. We'll cover- a bunch of Norman-Conquest words to expand our vocabulary (like great = spectacular, pretty = exquisite, and so on);- words and expressions of French origin used in educated speech (like 'carte blanche')- common Latin expressions used in educated speech (like 'et cetera')- words of Italian origin used in educated speech (like 'fiasco').Along the way, we'll introduce simple linguistic concepts, such as: word origin, word vs expression, euphemism, idiom, word roots, and enjoy discussing funny English words (like 'ragamuffin'), hilarious idioms, and the longest word in English (the character limit does not permit me to type it here!)And finally, we'll put this all together in a BIG strategy that will enable kids to conduct a stellar negotiation and get from their parents (or Santa) anything (or almost anything) they want.Regrettably, I can't share this secret information here. For the sake of this book, I have to be on kids' side, and therefore I'd better wrap up this description before I spill any more beans...

The late 18th century brought the Age of Revolutions in both Europe and the New World. The American Revolution was followed by the French Revolution and a number of other uprisings on both sides of the Atlantic. This turbulent era lasted until the late 19th century. In this book we'll explore the early decades of the Age of Revolutions in Europe - from the French Revolution through the rise and fall of Napoleon.This book follows the old-fashioned, story-based, traditional route of teaching history - presenting biographies of historical figures through engaging narrative sprinkled with memorable historical anecdotes. We start with biographical sketches of Voltaire and Rousseau, exploring the ideological roots of revolution in the philosophy and political thinking of the Enlightenment. We touch on the stark contrast between the lofty ideas preached by these Enlightenment intellectuals and the ethical vacuum of their private lives: Voltaire spies on his benefactor for the French government... madly jealous of Rousseau, he attacks his rival with anonymous pamphlets ... Meanwhile, Rousseau, the creator of progressive education, gives up for adoption his own 5 kids because their mom is "uneducated"... Our stories of revolutionary leaders focus on their personal transformations. Robespierre, a follower of Rousseau opposed to capital punishment, turns into a bloodthirsty dictator sending hundreds to the guillotine... Marat, a failed scientist, morphs into a bitter journalist-agitator driving desperately poor crowds to 'revolutionary' violence - which he uses to settle his own personal scores... An artist-turned-propagandist, Jacques-Louis David, changes colors three times! From a spoiled artist enjoying the patronage of King Louis XVI, he evolves into a vengeful heavy-hitter of the revolution, dealing out hundreds of death sentences...then U-turns to glorify absolute monarchy under Napoleon as his court painter.The talentless and misguided royals, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, contrast sharply with the purposeful and unflinching rise of Napoleon. Additional biographical vignettes from the revolutionary era include Marat's assassin, Charlotte Corday, and Marquis de Lafayette, the French hero of the American Revolution, who ended up a 'traitor' in France.And don't forget Admiral Nelson and Lady Hamilton - the media darlings of their day, generating scandals to stay in the public eye, and eventually facing the fallout of this classic celebrity model.The book does not include anything outside of traditional family-friendly morality.Illustrations are important in helping kids (and grownups!) visualize and retain a historical narrative. This book is richly illustrated with reproductions of historical paintings and photos of 18-19th-century artifacts.

"My Dragon Speaks Latin - Draco Meus Latine Loquitur" is a 15-chapter companion reader to the "Latin for Kids" textbook. This light-hearted story is set in imperial Rome and on the banks of the Rhine where Roman legions wage war against Germanic tribes. The characters are funny and silly, and include two kids - a Roman and a barbarian - two sets of parents, a dragon captured in the wilderness of Gaul and sold to a gladiator school in Rome, a self-infatuated Roman cat, a boys' school teacher, an Emperor, a nasty barbarian chief, and others. Each chapter is a page and a half of Latin text with an extensive glossary. Just like in "Latin for Kids," I list modern English words related to our Latin vocabulary. The grammar is limited to the scope covered in "Latin for Kids" (see "Latin for Kids" description). The idea is to enable readers to grow their vocabulary and acquire fluency in recognizing familiar forms of nouns and verbs without the pressure of learning new grammatical features. For example, narration is done mostly in the present tense unless characters talk about past events. Most of the book is dialog. Most chapters have a 'pictorial glossary' - illustrations with labels and captions in Latin - and sections providing historical and cultural background to the story. These sections are richly illustrated and include such diverse subjects as gladiator schools in Rome, colors of Roman clothing, 'unswept room' Roman mosaics, the fanciest Roman dishes, Roman jewelry, Roman wedding ceremonies, Roman forts, the Hercynian Forest, Caesar's 'Gallic Wars' (with excerpts about Germanic tribes and - of course! - unicorns), Roman crowns, the crossing of the Rubicon, Hadrian's Wall, Germania Magna, Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, Pax Romana, principate vs dominate, the sacking of Rome by Alaric, 'feles' vs 'cattus,' cardinal directions in Latin, Roman time units, and other subjects.

A Russian fairy tale in English, adapted for kids who have started developing fluency in independent reading.This is a Level 3 Reader: 6-8 sentences per page, 2nd-3rd grade vocabulary, large type, lots of colorful pictures and pretty vignettes.Vasilisa's stepmother and her stepsisters send her to the Dark Forest to bring magical golden apples from the garden of the Dark Forest Witch. The golden apples turn anyone who eats them into a stunning beauty, and Vasilisa's sisters are vying to marry the King.In her journey through the Dark Forest Vasilisa proves her commitment to love, kindness, and patience, wins the golden apples and brings them to her arrogant, evil-hearted stepsisters.Turned into stunning beauties, wearing spectacular dresses sewn by Vasilisa, the stepsisters present themselves to the King. But if your heart is evil, your beauty won't last.Vasilisa's tears and sleepless nights woven as pearls into her stepsisters' beautiful dresses, evaporate when Vasilisa smiles, and so does the evil sisters' beauty.And guess who the King falls in love with!

This book teaches Latin the traditional way - in a highly non-traditional presentation. Every page is bursting with color and overflowing with funny illustrations, silly humor, surprise captions, and recurring Latin-speaking animal characters and Roman statues. The book is for kids, but... - if you are a college student terrified of Latin, grab this book, and relax. You won't be lost in an endless desert of conjugation charts and exclusions from exclusions... The dialogues will not feature boring Roman farmers, soldiers, or sailors - yawn! I'll keep you smiling at a lazy Roman school kid, his nasty teacher, a unicorn, a princess, and some barbarians about to sack Rome - our kind of environment! No pain figuring out long and short syllables - I mark stress in all more-than-two-syllable words, so give it a try! - if you are a grownup curious - for whatever reason - about Latin, grab the book! It's your soft landing - be it in Ancient Rome, or at a Latin mass! Worth trying. Full disclosure: I have a stake in this game. I wrote this book to teach Latin to my 9-year-old son. I don't think he'll grow up a scholar like me, but here are the reasons why I want my kid, you, and your kids to know at least some Latin: 1. Up to 90% of multi-syllable words in English are of Latin origin. Latin will make our kids comfortable with long/important/scary words. They won't bat an eyelash when they hear 'ostentatious' or 'edifice.' Once they have learned the Latin verb 'scire' - 'to know,' they won't make mistakes spelling 'science'! 2. French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese - these are poor relatives of Latin. If you have some basic knowledge of Latin, all Romance languages are a piece of cake. In this book I offer quite a bit of spoken Latin - for play. Kids may enjoy playing 'Ancient Rome,' or mess with a language nobody around them understands. But our real goal is not Latin conversation. The real goal is fully mobilizing our passive knowledge of Latin: - the ability to recognize and understand Latin roots, prefixes and suffixes in English words of Latin origin; - the ability to competently use terms of Latin origin in fields such as law, politics, medicine, science, and more; - the ability to understand and correctly use Latin sayings, historical quotes, and mottos - as elements of European cultural heritage. Material: Introduction to Latin Grammar - noun and adjective declension: Nominative, Genitive, Dative, Accusative, Ablative and Vocative cases - singular and plural in all five declensions; - adjectives - comparative and superlative degrees; - pronouns - most widely used forms; - use of cases with common prepositions (in, a/ab, ad, e/ex, inter, cum, per, and more); - verb conjugations in Indicative Present, Past Perfect, Past Imperfect, and Indicative Future; - Imperative Mood; - Past Participle; - Accusativus cum Infinitivo; - Instrumental Ablative Case; - conjugation of frequently used irregular verbs.All grammatical explanations are richly illustrated with level-appropriate Latin sayings and proverbs and accompanied with conversational exercises. Vocabulary development - Whenever we learn new Latin words, I list modern English words related to our Latin vocabulary. The book offers nine collections of terms (with Latin etymology) from Law, Science, Medicine, Government and Civics, and more. Practice sections include translation from English to Latin and 2-3 engaging kid-friendly texts for reading: Familia Romana, Schola, famous mottos and sayings, and Church Latin texts, such as the Lord's Prayer, Glory Be, Adeste Fideles, and a few bits from the Latin Mass.