Best Individual Artists
Thomas Kinkade: The Disney Dreams Collection 2018 Wall Calendar brings to life classic Disney characters set within traditional Kinkade images. Thomas Kinkade, the celebrated Painter of Light, is the most widely collected artist in the world.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I love Disney and I love Thomas Kinkade."
"Beautiful artwork, but the days have no contrasting borders and I found myself writing things on the wrong day."
"Beautiful paintings from the Carmel Painter Thomas Kinkade."
"Can't wait to turn the calendar month every year."
"Totally obsessed with this calendar!"
"As always the Kinkaid calendar is a HIT."
"Beautiful calendar!"
"Mickey Mouse is my all time favorite and add Thomas Kinkade painting to it and in my opinion you have a masterpiece each month!"
For more ways to enjoy the photography of Ansel Adams, look for the 2018 Ansel Adams Engagement Calendar . Ansel Adams (1902-1984) was the most honored American photographer of the twentieth century.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I buy one every year."
"Absolutely beautiful."
"This is by far the best quality calendar I have ever purchased, and the pictures could bring a tear to your eye."
"This is about the 30th year of these calendars."
"great sturdy calendar."
"I bought it as a gift for the person who knows Ansel Adam's works very well."
"I've been getting this calendar for decades."
"Favorite calendar."
Calm the F*ck Down is the perfect way to unwind and relax for those with a subversive and irreverent sense of humor. Each has its own sassy quip like "Home is where the vodka is", "Suck it up buttercup" and "Dance like no one attractive is watching", and other humorous and subversive sayings. Calm the F*ck Down is my first adult coloring book in the series, and it was so much fun to create.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The book has awesome images and sayings. I've included some sample images from the book to get an idea of what is inside."
"Better than expected."
"The day it arrived in the mail, my 12 year old daughter was having a hysterical fit over the screen of her iPhone not working correctly (which was solved by restarting her phone - but not until she sobbed hysterically about her life being over for 30 minutes). I don't have enough words in my vocabulary to describe how awesome the drawings are in this book. And some days I just want to color in pictures with silly words. I already ordered the next book in the series - and I know I will love it too."
"Love this entire book."
"Bought for a White Elephant party."
"One of my favorite adult coloring books, great gift or stocking stuffer idea."
"Great adult coloring book."
Best Individual Artists' Books
An extraordinary and surreal art book, this edition has been redesigned by the author and includes new illustrations. “…the book really does live up to its reputation: The drawings are in turn hilarious, disturbing, bizarre and, sometimes, just flat-out incomprehensible, but all of them are annotated in Serafini’s script.” - Dangerous Minds “It’s not the sort of thing that easily lends itself to classification, but probably the most accurate way to describe it would be as an encyclopedia of an invented alien civilization…the Codex is still a disorienting and provocative vision of inscrutable otherness.” - Slate.com “ Codex Seraphinianus is an art book in the most direct sense—there are big, beautiful drawings accompanied by indecipherable letterforms--and it is impossible to “read” in a literal way. " Codex Seraphinianus : History’s Most Bizarre and Beautiful Encyclopedia, Brought Back to Life...a weird and wonderful masterpiece of art and philosophical provocation on the precipice of the information age....Undoubtedly one of the most intricate and beautiful art books ever created."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My campus library had a copy briefly a decade ago, but foolishly left it open to general circulation."
"A weird and wonderful calendar, and the printing is outstanding."
"Beatifully done calendar based on this amazingly mysterious book."
"Drawn & painted in some alternate n ancient universe where dear reader shall be inthralled in its mystery n excellent paper of that of kings ."
"If you've gotten this far, you know what this book is, but perhaps where I can add value is in describing the Rizzoli (white cover) edition. Though i would prefer a black background over white, it has the red circle ladybug illustration (one of my favorites) on the cover instead of the alligator bestiality illustration that the 1st edition has."
"Transports to a new world."
"You can't help but admire the genius to create a whole civilization, with language, geography, religion, culture and science."
"Most incredible book ever."
Best Individual Artist Essays
Ralph McQuarrie is the most iconic artist in the history of Star Wars . Brandon Alinger is the chief operations officer of the Los Angeles branch of Prop Store and the author of Star Wars Costumes: The Original Trilogy .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I haven't been as excited about a Star Wars book since Rinzler's THE MAKING OF STAR WARS. Not only does this set include the studies for his paintings, but EVERY version of each painting (with commentary). The only painting that could possibly be missing as far as I can tell is the night time establishing shot of Chewbacca's house in the STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL, but it's unclear if McQuarrie created that painting. I thought of how STAR WARS changed the way movies were made and seen, how it opened the door for everything that followed from Lucas, how it inspired the lives of so many artists, including my own. In my opinion this is among the most important Star Wars books ever released."
"This huge (and heavy) book set is the ultimate treasure for whoever is a greedy fan of Ralph McQuarrie's work on the classic Star Wars trilogy!"
"If you call yourself a Star Wars Fan, You Better Get this book set above ALL others!"
"Thousands (yes, thousands) of images are beautifully presented here and put in context – concept sketches, preliminary sketches for paintings, color studies, finished production paintings, matte paintings, promotional artwork, and on and on. The written text and captions are also insightful and surprisingly specific with regard to dates and details."
"This isn't just the final paintings, but it has all of McQuarrie's sketches and designs along the way."
"Ralph McQuarrie is one of those icons of the Star Wars saga and always will be."
"The authors have been very thorough in their examination of Ralph McQuarrie's Star Wars artwork."
"The packaging could be a little better, as the box the books come in was packaged in another box only slightly bigger than the box containing the books."
Best Individual Artist Monographs
Published to coincide with an exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art organized by The Costume Institute, this stunning book includes a preface by Andrew Bolton; an introduction by Susannah Frankel; an interview by Tim Blanks with Sarah Burton, creative director of the house of Alexander McQueen; illuminating quotes from the designer himself; provocative and captivating new photography by renowned photographer Sølve Sundsbø; and a lenticular cover by Gary James McQueen. "For those still wanting to view McQueen's fashion creations, the book shines on. "The catalog—with its gorgeous images places alongside provocative, incisive, and often puzzling conversational quotes from the designer himself—makes for an interesting way to get a peek at the show for those of us who won’t be lucky enough to make it to New York this summer. The most radical designs of his career are presented here, with critical analysis perfect for any arts or fashion library. "The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum's Alexander McQueen retrospective has proven so popular that the exhibit has been extended until August 7. But if that still isn't enough time for you to get down to see it, the next best thing to a New York City jaunt is the definitive monograph, Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty. ".
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This book is a beautifully put together compilation or MANY (not all) of his brilliant clothes from his first collection up until the posthumous Angels and Demons."
"This book is inspiringly beautiful, filled with avant grade fashions characterized by clean but eccentric lines, the blending of male and female, and garments with beautifully architectural features."
"There is a short bio at the front of the book that is only about 10 pages long, if that, which is probably enough for this book, which highlights the beauty of his garments."
"The beautiful photography has inspired me in many ways and I very highly recommend this books to artists and readers who are interested in Alexander McQueen and fashion."
"Each of these books was for one of our grandchildren... the 12 yr. old who is gifted in design is mesmerized by McQueen... he spent the holiday "designing" outfits for males & femalles... the 4 yr. old is having trouble "sharing" so Llama Llama is just right for her... Love Looks Not, etc., will be given to grandson for his Feb. birthday..."
"I love looking at them over and over."
"This book looks beautiful in person."
Best Glass Art
Tracing the connection between Chihuly’s art and botanical life, Chihuly Garden Installations shows how the exchange between art and nature can shift from the harmonious and tranquil to stunning juxtapositions of scale and color. Also Available: Chihuly 2018 Wall Calendar (ISBN: 978-1-4197-2599-9), Chihuly 2018 Weekly Planner (ISBN: 978-1-4197-2598-2), Chihuly 2019 Wall Calendar (ISBN: 978-1-4197-3093-1), Chihuly 2019 Weekly Planner (Engagement Calendar) (ISBN: 978-1-4197-3094-8). Dale Chihuly is an icon of American art and cofounder of the renowned Pilchuck Glass School outside Seattle.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"If you are lucky enough to see one of his creations in person or visit his 1 "retail" museum/ shop in Florida (or now his very own glass house in Seattle) then you realize how hard it is to capture his utterly unique visions with a camera."
"If you are going to get 1 book from Chihuly, this is it!"
"It is heavy, a perfect coffee table book and my guests have been enthralled with the photos."
"This is an absolutely beautiful book."
"Nice thick quality coffee table book full of beautiful pictures of Chihuly's installations around the world."
"Beautiful book on a coffee table, a lot of colors."
"This was a gift for my daughter, so I haven't actually seen it and my stars are based on her reaction: "It's really big and beautiful.""
"This is a fantastic book."
Best Art Calendars
Thomas Kinkade: The Disney Dreams Collection 2018 Wall Calendar brings to life classic Disney characters set within traditional Kinkade images. Thomas Kinkade, the celebrated Painter of Light, is the most widely collected artist in the world.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This is one of the prettiest calendars around."
"I LOVE this calendar!"
"Can't wait to turn the calendar month every year."
"Totally obsessed with this calendar!"
"As always the Kinkaid calendar is a HIT."
"Mickey Mouse is my all time favorite and add Thomas Kinkade painting to it and in my opinion you have a masterpiece each month!"
"My mother-in law loved it!"
"Perfect."
Best Surrealist Literary Criticism
"— Publishers Weekly, starred review From Dada to the Automatists, and from Max Ernst to André Breton, Gérard Durozoi here provides the most comprehensive history of the Surrealist movement. Tracing the movement from its origins in the 1920s to its decline in the 1950s and 1960s, Durozoi tells the history of Surrealism through its activities, publications, and reviews, demonstrating its close ties to some of the most explosive political, as well as creative, debates of the twentieth century. With its unprecedented depth and range, this massive new history of Surrealism (including 232 color plates and 777 halftones) from veteran French philosopher and art critic Durozoi will be the one-volume standard for years to come. Divided chronologically into seven chapters, beginning with 1919-1924 and ending with 1959-1969, the book discusses expertly the main surrealist artists like Jean Arp, Max Ernst, Ren Magritte, Yves Tanguy, Salvador Dali and Joan Miro, but also treats with considerable understanding the surrealist writing by Louis Aragon, Paul Eluard, Robert Desnos, Julien Gracq and, of course, the so-called "Pope of Surrealism," Andr Breton.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This change of emphasis reflects a very academic view of surrealism, one that does not necessarily get caught up in some of the more famous surrealist troubles, and instead wants to take us inside Breton's world and reconstruct what was significant for his inner circle."
"Excellent resource for studying surrealism."
"Great book that needs to be read over time."
"This book is awesome."
"I'm keeping this simple -- here's an art book where the text and editorial content matches the illustrations in terms of quality and awesome-osity."
"La voz de Durozoi. es ese soplo. de aire sahariano. que hacía falta. a la historiografía. del Surrealismo. en todas sus variantes: el pincel de nubes, el beso petrificado. y los alaridos elegíacos. que sueltan las sirenas. (esos cisnes de agua salada). al caer en las redes. de los sonámbulos."
"the book came quickly to me and it is new, with the plastic protection unopened."
Best Flower Calendars
In this delightful wall calendar, Daisy weaves thoughtful hand-lettered quotes with vibrant colors to reveal the simple joy and happiness of living. Colorful nature illustrations with inspiring quotes. Working in watercolor and acrylic paint as well as mixed media materials, Katie strives to capture the magic and beauty of a life lived in harmony with nature.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I have loved her artwork since I first saw one of her "You are so loved" posters and think I'll be buying one of her calendars every year, as long as she keeps making them."
"Katie Daisy is my favorite and I'm definitely not disappointed by this beautiful 2018 calendar."
"Super cute and I am obsessed with encouraging quotes."
"Love, love, love this calendar!"
"Purchased for a gift for my 15 year old niece."
"Such a talented Artist!"
Best Diet & Health Calendars
The daily pages (weekends combined) easily tear off, have your fancy word, definition(s) and usage examples on the front and the reverse side is lined for notes. WordThink provides you with a daily reminder to use many words you already know, and add many new words to your vocabulary that you can actually use every day!
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My daughter put notes for our birthdays on some of them, but I think I will use the space to make additional notes related to the words that are interesting and worth keeping around."
"Cool calendar, however the backing frame was upside down."
"Enjoying so far."
"This was a fun purchase, but not all of these words were challenging."
"For their 2014 desk calendar, they start off Jan 1 with "ab initio," then move on to "graupel," gambol," "phlegm" (yuck! Compare that to this 2018 WordThink Word of the Day calendar that starts off Jan 1 with propitious, then moves on to capacious, garrulous, oxymoron, dexterous, antiquated, then continues with esoteric, opulent, copious, myopic, and pragmatic."
"She likes it, but I know she's going to lose pages before she gets to them."
Best Professional Teaching Resources
Jumpstart reading success with this big collection of motivating storybooks correlated with Guided Reading Level A. Most pages of these full-color storybooks feature just one line of simple, repetitive text to help children learn to read with ease and confidence. Includes a tip-filled parent guide. Cold Rose. 4. Birthday Surprise. 5. HIDE AND SEEK. 15. SWEET TREAT. 22. CLASS PETS For use with Grades PreK-2. Deborah Schecter is a writer and editor of books for educators and children.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I'm a licensed teacher who purchased these to teach son how to read. This change would give an emergent reader the opportunity to practice decoding. After purchasing these and being a bit disappointed I searched and found some better options. My son conquered these quickly, and it really helped his esteem as a beginning reader."
"If your child is at the point were they are learning to point at a word to read and you are looking for a sight word(dolch) readers set. an example:(that is the words for the entire 7 pages in the book. I would prefer a beginner reader that switches the words around a little more, so they aren't quit so easy to just remember with out looking at the words in the sentence. But young children will find these rewarding to read until they become more confident readers."
"These go on the out of reach shelf unless we are reading together, which is kind of a shame really because one of his favorite things to do is sit and thumb through his books picking out words he knows telling himself the jist of the stories."
"Crazy kids are being pushed to read so soon (IMHO) but my son is enjoying these."
"Stories could've been better put together."
"A couple of pages were bent or folded, and some of the little books spines were coming apart."
"Granddaughter has read all of these books and knows everyone one in this pack."
"My 5 year old just started Kindergarten and loves to read thanks in part to the books topics, pictures, and easy to follow story line."
Best Early Childhood Education
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons is a complete, step-by-step program that shows parents simply and clearly how to teach their children to read. One hundred lessons, fully illustrated and color-coded for clarity, give your child the basic and more advanced skills needed to become a good reader.Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons will bring you and your child closer together, while giving your child the reading skills needed now, for a better chance at tomorrow. (Point to m )I'm going to touch under this sound and say the sound. Your turn to say the sound when I touch under it. (To correct child saying a wrong sound or not responding:) The sound is mmmmmm. (Point to s. )I'm going to touch under this sound and say the sound. Your turn to say the sound when I touch under it. (To correct child saying a wrong sound or not responding:) The sound is ssssss. TASK 2 SAY IT FAST. My turn: motor (pause) boat. (To correct child saying word slowly -- for example, "motor [pause] boat":) You didn't say it fast. Here's saying it fast: motorboat. Listen: ice (pause) cream. Listen: sis (pause) ter. Listen: ham (pause) burger. Listen: mmmeee. Listen: iiifff. (Repeat any words child had trouble with.). I'm going to say some words slowly, without stopping. Listen: aaammm. Listen: mmmeee. Listen: iiinnn. Listen: shshsheee. Now it's your turn to say the words slowly with me. (To correct if child stops between sounds -- for example, "aaa [pause] mmm":) Don't stop. (Don't pause between sounds a and m as you say aaammm. ). (Repeat until child responds with you.). Your turn to say words slowly by yourself. Good saying the words slowly. (Touch first ball for m,) Get ready. (Touch first ball for s.) Get ready. TASK 5 SAY IT FAST. Listen: motor (pause) cycle. TASK 6 SOUNDS WRITING. You're going to write a sound on each line. I'll show you how to make each sound. Then you'll write each sound. Here's the first sound you're going to write. (Point to m.) What sound? (Help child trace sound two or three times. Child is then to make three to five m 's on top line. For each acceptable letter child makes, say:) Good writing mmm. Here's how to make sss. Point to s.) What sound? (Help child trace sound two or three times. Child is then to make three to five s's on second line. For each acceptable letter child makes, say:) Good writing sss. (Point to m.) I'm going to touch under this sound and say the sound. Your turn to say the sound when I touch under it. (To correct child saying a wrong sound or not responding:) The sound is mmmmmm.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I become painfully aware of how naive I was to the processes of reading when my daughter was at the age that she should be knowing her letters and stuff. Despite the fact that my husband and I are voracious readers, and that we read to our daughter daily, she had developed a loathing towards all things letters. When she was still mixing up her letters and sounds, and resistant towards all reading games at 5 years old, I began to worry. So I scoured the internet for various books and programs to help me, as I, by then, understood fully I knew jack squat about how to teach a kid to read."
"To me, this is actually a bonus because I want my boys to learn that boring isn't bad and that sitting still is a skill just as much as reading. When reading the slow way, they step from one sound to the next, if they're not sounding it out, they can't move- that helped with pausing."
"Good teaching manual for non teachers."
"My daughter, the home schooler, has more energy for the task than I would have and will probably benefit from the book."
"I love the fact that I get to teach my kids kid at a pace I know they will grasp everything that is taught to them."
"I have a moderately bright 4 year old who has NO interest in learning new things, and she dove into this."
"Excellent source for teaching your child to read."
"This technique makes a lot of sense to me."
Best Reading & Phonics Teaching Materials
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons is a complete, step-by-step program that shows parents simply and clearly how to teach their children to read. One hundred lessons, fully illustrated and color-coded for clarity, give your child the basic and more advanced skills needed to become a good reader.Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons will bring you and your child closer together, while giving your child the reading skills needed now, for a better chance at tomorrow. (Point to m )I'm going to touch under this sound and say the sound. Your turn to say the sound when I touch under it. (To correct child saying a wrong sound or not responding:) The sound is mmmmmm. (Point to s. )I'm going to touch under this sound and say the sound. Your turn to say the sound when I touch under it. (To correct child saying a wrong sound or not responding:) The sound is ssssss. TASK 2 SAY IT FAST. My turn: motor (pause) boat. (To correct child saying word slowly -- for example, "motor [pause] boat":) You didn't say it fast. Here's saying it fast: motorboat. Listen: ice (pause) cream. Listen: sis (pause) ter. Listen: ham (pause) burger. Listen: mmmeee. Listen: iiifff. (Repeat any words child had trouble with.). I'm going to say some words slowly, without stopping. Listen: aaammm. Listen: mmmeee. Listen: iiinnn. Listen: shshsheee. Now it's your turn to say the words slowly with me. (To correct if child stops between sounds -- for example, "aaa [pause] mmm":) Don't stop. (Don't pause between sounds a and m as you say aaammm. ). (Repeat until child responds with you.). Your turn to say words slowly by yourself. Good saying the words slowly. (Touch first ball for m,) Get ready. (Touch first ball for s.) Get ready. TASK 5 SAY IT FAST. Listen: motor (pause) cycle. TASK 6 SOUNDS WRITING. You're going to write a sound on each line. I'll show you how to make each sound. Then you'll write each sound. Here's the first sound you're going to write. (Point to m.) What sound? (Help child trace sound two or three times. Child is then to make three to five m 's on top line. For each acceptable letter child makes, say:) Good writing mmm. Here's how to make sss. Point to s.) What sound? (Help child trace sound two or three times. Child is then to make three to five s's on second line. For each acceptable letter child makes, say:) Good writing sss. (Point to m.) I'm going to touch under this sound and say the sound. Your turn to say the sound when I touch under it. (To correct child saying a wrong sound or not responding:) The sound is mmmmmm.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I become painfully aware of how naive I was to the processes of reading when my daughter was at the age that she should be knowing her letters and stuff. Despite the fact that my husband and I are voracious readers, and that we read to our daughter daily, she had developed a loathing towards all things letters. When she was still mixing up her letters and sounds, and resistant towards all reading games at 5 years old, I began to worry. So I scoured the internet for various books and programs to help me, as I, by then, understood fully I knew jack squat about how to teach a kid to read."
"To me, this is actually a bonus because I want my boys to learn that boring isn't bad and that sitting still is a skill just as much as reading. When reading the slow way, they step from one sound to the next, if they're not sounding it out, they can't move- that helped with pausing."
"Good teaching manual for non teachers."
"My daughter, the home schooler, has more energy for the task than I would have and will probably benefit from the book."
"I love the fact that I get to teach my kids kid at a pace I know they will grasp everything that is taught to them."
"I have a moderately bright 4 year old who has NO interest in learning new things, and she dove into this."
"Excellent source for teaching your child to read."
"This technique makes a lot of sense to me."