Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First I want to make clear that I believe one of the best tools for homeschooling moms trying to make curriculum decisions are the reviews on amazon. I bought this book based on the great reviews, but for once that was a mistake. A little over half of this book is truly a wonderful resource and to some, still worth the price. But for my children many of the pages were frustrating and when I could not make sense of the reasoning used to come up with the answers; I stopped and went through the book, crossing out pages that I felt were not worth the effort. Some seemed to be all over the place while others were very close in meaning. Here are a couple of newspaper headlines for you to interpret..."Poisoned Pork Patties Paralyze Pushy Patrician" (possible ans. A bossy man of high birth found himself unable to move after eating a sausage bisquit at a resturant), "Peppy Painter Puts Panda Pattern in Paper Panties" (poss. ans. A new product idea has hit the market with a splash. Now kids can copy art right off their underwear). In a crossword puzzle (which my children love) they were to find the answers without knowing the order or number that they were answering; this would not have been so bad except for the fact that some had the same amount of letters so they spent much of their time erasing-very frustrating. On pg. 71 there is a cartoon of the back view of a voluptuous woman in a string bikini with a man's eyes coming out of his head while looking at her-the word that goes with this picture is "spectacle." This may not offend some, but I thought they could have used a more appropriate picture for a children's book. I realize from the reviews that others actually loved it. I am simply giving you the experience I had with my children. I hope it will help you to make a better choice that will suit your family's needs. "English From the Roots Up" is a wonderful alternative to this book. It is very thorough and gives suggestions for teaching this subject along with a pronunciation guide. I also recommend the card game "Rummy Roots" a fun way to remember the root meanings.