Dan Bernstein

Excellence In Plain Sight. This book does an amazing job of highlighting two crucial Supreme Court decisions, the immediate history leading up to them, the particular cases that spawned them, the people involved at every level of these cases, and even the impact these two cases would have many years later. And it explains some very particular legalese in a way that virtually anyone who can read at least at a high school level can read and understand easily. In other words, Bernstein does for the public what these cases themselves did for the press and lawyers: allows us to appreciate just how monumental these two cases were. Very highly recommended reading for everyone.… (más)

I did not like this story as much as I had hoped. This story addressed the concept of social pressure in a very small increment, but is also mostly for enjoyment. One reason I did not like this book is because the story was somewhat hard to follow. As I went along, I could figure it out, but I feel that it might be a little difficult for young children. Another reason I didn't really like this book is because of the illustrations. When I think of children's stories, especially fantasy stories, I think of vivid, colorful images. However, these images seemed somewhat down and not upbeat. This is nothing against the illustrator. I just feel that the feelings that caused did not fit the story well.… (más)

I absolutely loved this book! I thought it was a fun and humorous sequel to classic fable, The Tortoise and the Hare. One thing I particularly loved about this book was the dialogue. The dialogue really helped shape the characters and give them personality. For instance, the hare began the story by exclaiming, "You'll never guess who laughed at me today! The big fat Easter Bunny just stood there laughing his ears off!" From the dialogue you can tell that the hare is a very animated character. I also loved the pictures throughout the book. They look like a combination of water colors and colored pencil and do a great job illustrating the story. Finally, I like the fact that there isn't a lot of text on each page. Because there isn't a lot of text on each page, it makes this book a great book to read aloud because it will be easy for students to follow along. I would recommend this book for students in first through third grade because it is pretty easy to comprehend, and I think older children may not enjoy it as much. The overall message of this story was that brains and a hard work ethic always prevail over laziness.… (más)