What a great idea - simple Latin readers to introduce young children to the language. Big pictures are paired with large, clear print, just like an English easy-reader. This first book in the series is a simple picture book with very nicely drawn, realistic pen and ink illustrations. The format allows readers to intuitively figure out what some basic words mean by connecting them with the pictures. The text introduces 13 types of animals, offering each Latin word in the singular and plural. The reader is also exposed to the Roman numerals from I-XII, and C as well as the Latin names for the same numbers. Just the last few pages introduce a few more words, including some relevant adjectives. The book wraps up with a complete translation, glossary and notes in the back.

This is a really nice beginning book for young children - particularly those whose older siblings are studying the language. Highly recommended!

Lots of silly black-and-white pictures (which will likely appeal to certain funny-bones) and simple text introduce readers to the Latin words for many types of food. You'll find a monster eating pizza, a cow suggesting pork instead of beef, a hot dog enjoying a soda and... lots of good Latin content. Not my favorite book in this series, but perhaps not a bad way to introduce young children to some relevant Latin vocabulary. Young readers will probably not be ready to translate all the sentences on their own, but they can learn to recognize basic words and get a feel for the sound of the language.

The Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania (July 1 – 3, 1863) is a complex, multi-faceted piece of history that would be difficult to understand after reading just one book. If you ever find yourself in the South-Central Pennsylvania, I would recommend a visit. I've been there twice and it's very a moving, historically interesting site.

This book offers a glimpse into a number of aspects of the human side of the war. The author met with a number of Civil War veterans personally, and so the accounts contained within the book are very human and anecdotal. He tries to give us a sense of the flavor of life in that time period; the way people thought about each other – particularly those on opposite sides of the Potomac River.

Like many Landmark books, this probably isn't the first place you want to turn to in studying about Gettysburg – and this one isn't quite as cohesive as I would like. I think it would be most interesting and accessible to upper grade schoolers who had already become familiar with events in a general way from a textbook or from a visit to the battlefield. My 11 year old daughter tackled this independently this past year in the midst of other books on the civil war as well as bits and pieces of Ken Burns' Civil War documentary and enjoyed and benefited from it.

Designed for 4th or 5th grade, this level of the popular Catholic grammar curriculum is another winner! The book has been improved from the earliest editions of the lower levels by using a high-quality, bright-white, erasable paper with a lay-flat spiral binding. The 120 exercises in the worktext provide four short lessons per week for thirty weeks, including regular review of concepts already taught on lessons titled "Practice". There are no tests, although the "Practice" pages could be used as tests. The examples and exercises are gently Catholic, using bits of Catholic history, explanations of Catholic customs, and illustrations from daily family life as the sentences upon which the students practice. Pictures are simple black-and-white drawings and sketches and add to the simplicity of the book. It is very refreshing to use a text that is not filled with politically correct rhetoric and visually overwhelming photos and diagrams!

This level reviews grammar topics covered in earlier grades and extends these topics with grade-level information. A study of the parts of speech and their usage comprises the majority of the lessons. An introduction to traditional sentence diagramming (7 lessons) and sentence construction is also included (about 10 lessons). The exercises require very little actual pen-and-paper work and are ideal for a child who struggles with the physical act of writing. To practice a child's handwriting and to improve his retention, I have my children copy some of the daily practice sentences into their grammar notebooks, rather than just filling-in-the-blanks. For a student of this age, this text is not a complete language arts curriculum; you will also need regular composition exercises.