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A celebration of a uniquely American journey

"For when we have faced down impossible odds; when we've been told that we're not ready, or that we shouldn't try, or that we can't, generations of Americans have responded with a simple creed that sums up the spirit of the people: Yes we can."
- Barack Obama

This 16-month wall calendar features the most moving and memorable quotes from Barack Obama's groundbreaking political career, from his electrifying address to the Democratic National Convention in 2004, to his seminal speech on race in early 2008 and his historic win of the Democratic Presidential Nomination in June. Dynamic photos show an engaging Obama in action on the campaign trail, at work in the community, addressing crowds of thousands, in a quite moment with Michelle and family, and victorious in a sea of confetti.

This calendar also chronicles the legacy of hope in America, with dates of famous firsts throughout history and key moments that united our nation. Such as:

June 12, 1987 - President Ronald Reagan stands in a divided Berlin and issues challenge to Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall" and allow freedom to the Eastern Bloc. (17 months later the wall fell.)

October 23, 1945 - Jackie Robinson signs a contract with Brooklyn Dodgers to become the first African American to play major league baseball.

January 10, 1737 - Thomas Paine publishes Common Sense, advocating independence for the American colonies.

July 12, 1984 - Geraldine Ferraro becomes the first woman to run for Vice-President on a major party ticket.

Inspirational quotes are also included throughout the grid:

"Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn."
- Harriet Beecher Stowe

"There is a mysterious cycle in human events. To some generations much is given. Of other generations much is expected. This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny."
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1936

"The future depends on what we do in the present."
- Mahatma Gandhi

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NOW A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND INCLUDED IN THE BOOKLIST TOP 10 ART BOOKS FOR YOUTH!

Our consensus is Hip Hop Speaks to Children is the most essential poetry purchase to make this year.
The poetry is enough.
The illustrations are enough.
The CD is enough.
Together, this book is a treasure of which you cannot get enough.
We shall accomplish much this year. Children will be encouraged to put their words to poetry and beats. Teachers will be encouraged to allow the artists to speak to children.
—Diane Chen, School Library Journal blog "Practically Paradise"

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Hip Hop Speaks to Children is a celebration of poetry with a beat.

Poetry can have both a rhyme and a rhythm. Sometimes it is obvious; sometimes it is hidden. But either way, make no mistake, poetry is as vibrant and exciting as it gets. And when you find yourself clapping your hands or tapping your feet, you know you've found poetry with a beat!

Like Poetry Speaks to Children, the New York Times Bestselling classic poetry book and CD that started it all, Hip Hop Speaks to Children is meant to be the beginning of a journey of discovery.

READ more than 50 remarkable poems and songs!

HEAR poetry's rhymes and rhythms from Queen Latifah to Gwendolyn Brooks, Langston Hughes to A Tribe Called Quest and more! * Also hear part of Martin Luther Kind's original "I Have a Dream" speech, followed by the remarkable live performance of the speech by Nikki Giovanni, Oni Lasana and Val Gray Ward. * The Hip Hop Speaks to Children CD contains more than 30 performances, either by the artists who created them, or as unique interpretations by admiring poets and artists.

DISCOVER Langston Hughes's elegant gospel "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," A Tribe Called Quest's playful "Ham 'N' Eggs," Sterling A. Brown's hard-luck "Long Track Blues," Gwendolyn Brooks's wake-up call "We Real Cool," Kanye West's lovely "Hey Mama," and Martin Luther King Jr.'s awe-inspiring "I Have a Dream."

This is a collection of rhymes and rhythms unlike any other poetry book!

Celebrate with remarkable poets, including:
Eloise Greenfield
Mos Def
Lucille Clifton
Oscar Brown Jr.
Tupac Shakur
Maya Angelou
Queen Latifah
Nikki Grimes
Walter Dean Myers
Common
and, of course, Nikki Giovanni

Poems Include:
Ego Tripping
Rapper's Delight
The Negro Speaks of Rivers
Hey Mama
Ham 'N' Eggs
Everything Is Everything
Ladies First

MORE PRAISE FOR HIP HOP SPEAKS TO CHILDREN

"With its archival recordings of poems read by the poets themselves, [Hip Hop] reminds everyone that poetry springs from an oral tradition."
—Publishers Weekly

"This is the way to get children interested in reading and loving poetry. ... A great book for both teachers and parents."
— Valerie Lewis, owner of Hicklebee's children's bookstore

"The poems, the artwork, the CD...all complement each other to create a wonderful experience."
—Becky Laney, Becky Laney's Books blog

"Love this book. I think it is a K-8 must-have for classrooms and libraries. Like I said it is packed and it may be (at first) intimidating to young readers. But, once they hear some of the audio, spend time with the illustrations, and experience some of the poetry, I think it will become a favorite."
—Franki Sibberson, A Year of Reading blog

"Hip Hop Speaks to Children is a wonderfully composed collection of poems from writers like Eloise Greenfield to late rapper and poet, Tupac Shakur. ... Whether you read poetry or you hear it in a rap song, Giovanni's genius endeavor will inspire children of all ages to have fun while listening to poetry. Rap is poetry, right?"
—Amy Bowllan, Amy Bowllan's Blog (a School Library Journal Blog)

"Ihighly recommend this one for all collections. If the title didn't include the word "children" it'd be an excellent book all the way to high school. My coworkers and I are already talking about doing a Hip Hop poetry story time for our elementary school kids."
—Jennifer Rothschild, Biblio File blog

"This is an incredibly powerful, beautiful and important book. Both the book and CD are stellar in quality and diversity. The artwork is amazing and I find myself pulling it out of the shelf over and over for just one more re-read. The grandchildren (ages 3 and 5) love it as well and ask to hear the CD while they pore over the pages and take breaks prancing around the room and singing to the beat. They KNOW all the poems in the book and learned them in a relatively short time, which I attribute to the power of the beat, and all the artists; the poets, the illustrators, the singers and spoken word artists. What an astounding thing when a book moves children so that they LEARN - quickly and enjoyably. This book is for all ages and Ican't recommend it highly enough."
—Gina Ruiz, Blogcritics Magazine

(20080915).
Price: $11.99 [Notify me when price goes down.]

A photographic love letter to the founders and legends of country music by musician and storyteller Marty Stuart.

When Marty Stuart first entered the Hard Rock Cafe, he was impressed to see the work of rock preservationists, yet realized that the artifacts of country music were being lost or destroyed. He set out to change that, becoming a leading curator of roots music memorabilia and photographer of roots founders.

After years of careful preservation, Stuart brings the early days of country to vibrant life again with Country Music: The Masters. In a unique pairing, completely original for a photography book of this scope, an integrated audio CD is included featuring 60 minutes of the fascinating stories behind selected photos. Stuart, a born storyteller, gives readers a glimpse into the subjects and the photograph at the moment the shutter snapped. The CD includes "Dark Bird," an unreleased song dedicated to Johnny Cash, written by Stuart after Cash's death. This new recording marks the first-ever commercial release of the song.

"A photograph can just be a piece of paper with an image on it... But when the observer with his finger on the button has the life experience it takes to understand the life he's shooting, the photograph is a story. Marty"s photographs live and breathe. If it's a person, you can hear their thoughts, feel their pain or joy, and read at least a part of their story. If it's a building or a landscape, you can feel the presence of those who have walked there or lived there through the years."
- Billy Bob Thornton

(20081103).
Price: $31.49 [Notify me when price goes down.]

For more than 20 years, this leading guide to more than 300 colleges and universities has been an indispensable source of information for college-bound students and their parents. Hip, honest and straightforward, the Fiske Guide to Colleges delivers an insider's look at the academic climates and the social and extracurricular scenes at the "best and most interesting" schools in the U.S., plus Canada and Great Britain.

The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2009 is a tool to help you make the most intelligent educational investment you can. With The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2009, you'll get:

• The #1 Bestselling College Guide
• The guide that is most trusted by guidance counselors, students, and parents
• A book packed with tips from current students about the ins and outs of their schools Fiske's exclusive academic, social, and quality-of-life ratings for each school

"I happen to prefer the Fiske Guide for its combination of compressive facts and figures and personal anecdotes and descriptions of each campus. They may take a bit longer to read than a quick reference guide, but each entry leaves you with an indelible impression of the academic and social life at the college in question."

- Excerpt from The Truth About Getting In, by Katherine Cohen, founder of IvyWise

The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2009 also includes:

• Fiske's exclusive academic, social and quality-of-life ratings
• The 40+ schools that deliver the best education at the most reasonable costs
• Lists of each school's strongest majors and programs
• Candid tips from each school's current students
• A self-quiz to help understand which college is right for a student
• Vital information on how to apply
• "Overlap" listings to help students expand their options
• Selectivity statistics and SAT and ACT ranges

(20080908).
Price: $14.39 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This edition features 3 audio CDs with actual broadcasts and includes a new afterword from NBC's Brian Williams

"Altogether, the book and CDs are a keeper, offering both valuable history lessons and a dramatic record of the definitive moments for generations of Americans." -Publishers Weekly

"The CDs deliver an exciting, engaging exercise. The events are all hugely memorable. The bits of historic sound are powerfully evocative."
-Baltimore Sun

"Garner has done a masterful job of collecting these moments, and with the accompanying CDs, one can listen over and over to the moments that shaped this century." -Booklist.
Price: $26.89 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This updated edition of the best-selling bereavement classic (more than 75,000 copies in print) explores tragic and sudden loss, authored by two women who have lost someone firsthand. Featured on ABC World News, Fox and Friends and many other shows, this book acts as a touchstone of sanity through difficult times. I Wasn't Ready to Say Goodbye covers such difficult topics as the first few weeks, suicide, death of a child, children and grief, funerals and rituals, physical effects, homicide and depression.

With new material covering the unique circumstances of loss, men and women's grieving styles, religion and faith, myths and misunderstandings, I Wasn't Ready to Say Goodbye reflects the shifting face of grief.

Each year about eight million Americans suffer the death of a close family member. Such incomprehensible loss must be dealt with daily-for those who face the challenges of a sudden death, I Wasn't Ready to Say Goodbye can be a comforting hand to hold.



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Price: $10.33 [Notify me when price goes down.]

More Than 7 Million Gruber Books Sold!

"The best book on the SAT" -CBS Radio
"Gary Gruber is the leading expert on the SAT" -Houston Chronicle
"Gary Gruber is the most prominent guru of SAT preparation " -Chicago Tribune
"His methods make the questions seem amazingly simple to solve." -Library Journal
"Dr. Gruber knows the ins and outs of the SAT." -Los Angeles Times

Get the Skills That Unlock the Answers

With the explanation to a question, you can answer that one question. With the Gruber strategies, you can answer thousands of questions! These strategies show you how to think about problems best, and can be used consistently on every SAT test.

The Fastest, Easiest Way to Improve Your Score

• Features the Exclusive Gruber System That has Raised Actual SAT Scores by More than 600 Points!
• Unique Diagnostic Test Shows You Why You Got Questions Wrong-And How to Correct It
• Tips of Writing a High-Scoring Essay
• Inside Info on How SAT Questions Are Created
• Student-Praised Writing, Vocab, Math and Reading Sections
• 5 Full-Length SAT Practice Tests with complete explanatory answers keyed to the Gruber strategies and basic skills

Effective Study Tools That Are Actually Fun

• 101 Most Important Math Questions You Need to Know
• The World's Shortest SAT Test (16 Questions)
• The 291 Most Important SAT Words
• Proven Strategies for Solving Questions Quickly
• Tons of Practice SAT Questions, with Every Answer Keyed to the Gruber Strategies and Basic Skills
• The Gruber Prefixes and Roots that can give you the meaning of more than 150,000 words
  

Use the Most Trusted Methods

• More schools use Dr. Gruber's books for SAT courses than any other SAT books.
• PBS chose Dr. Gruber to train teachers nationally to improve the nation's SAT scores.
• National learning centers, state agencies and state education departments have contracted with Dr. Gruber to improve SAT scores and critical thinking ability.

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Price: $13.56 [Notify me when price goes down.]

In the tradition of Poetry Speaks, the anthology named a Best Book of 2002 by School Library Journal, and praised by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer as "a volume to delight longtime lovers of poetry and to spark new love for poetry, especially among the young," Sourcebooks MediaFusion is proud to introduce the joy of the written and spoken word in Poetry Speaks to Children.

Parents, educators, librarians, and poetry enthusiasts have wondered for years how to get children really interested in poetry. Until now, there hasn't been a collection of poems and poets that spoke directly to that elusive audience. Poetry Speaks to Children cracks through that barrier by packaging the best poems by the best authors along with a CD-making the engrossing and often mischievous verses come alive in the voices of many of the creators.

Poetry Speaks to Children reaches into the world of poetry and pulls out the elements children love: rhyme, rhythm, fun and, every once in a while, a little mischief.

More than 90 poems, for children ages six and up, celebrate the written word and feature a star-studded lineup of beloved poets, including: Roald Dahl; J. R. R. Tolkien; Robert Frost; Gwendolyn Brooks; Ogden Nash; John Ciardi; Langston Hughes; Sonia Sanchez; Seamus Heaney; Canada's best-loved children's poet, Dennis Lee; Rita Dove; Billy Collins; Nikki Giovanni and X. J. Kennedy.

On the accompanying CD, 52 of the poems are brought to life-most read by the poets themselves-allow the reader to hear the words as the poets intended.

Hear Gwendolyn Brooks growl her rhyming verse poem "The Tiger Who Wore White Gloves, or, What You Are You Are" with verve and inflection-relaying the story of the striped cat who "rushed to the jungle fair for something fine to wear," much to the hoots of his jungle peers. Amid jeers, sneers and sighs, the tiger eventually learns to be comfortable in his own striped skin! (or fur as it were!).

Follow Ogden Nash as he tells of the brave little Isabel, who "didn't worry, didn't scream or scurry" when confronted with a ravenous bear, a one-eyed giant or a troublesome doctor. Her clever solutions to problems ("She turned the witch into milk and drank her") will keep even the most reluctant readers interested.

Listen to James Berry, who quells a little girl's anxieties about her color by celebrating the marriage of "night and light," emphasizing how all colors are necessary in nature, in "Okay, Brown Girl, Okay."

Turn the page and tune in . . . kids won't be the only ones hooked!.
Price: $12.54 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Even though Santa gets all the acclaim, behind the scenes, it's Mrs. Claus who keeps everything running smoothly through the busiest time of year at the North Pole. Finally, Mrs. Claus gets the acknowledgment she deserves in this rewriting of `Twas the Night Before Christmas":

'Twas the night after Christmas

and time for a pause;

Collapsed in the corner

Sat tired Mrs. Claus.

The stockings were crooked,

The house was a mess;

The tree had tipped over

She couldn't care less...

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Price: $5.25 [Notify me when price goes down.]