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The Bookwatch
Table of Contents
Reviewer's Choice
Collaborative Leadership
Peter M. Dewitt
Corwin Press, Inc.
2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320-2218
www.corwinpress.com
9781506337111, $28.00, www.amazon.com
Collaborative Leadership: Six Influences That Matter Most offers a different concept of and
approach to leadership challenges based on a combination of brain science, psychology, and
applied business, and offers a key to understanding both the process of leadership and how it
applies under different situations. The focus on collaborative processes translates to an approach
that gathers the stories of students, teachers, parents and researchers alike who contribute their
experiences to a process that encourages conversation and engagement. The result may be
especially recommended to education readers but moves well beyond the classroom community
to reach into the efforts of any who want a different vision of leadership's opportunities.
The Art Shelf
The Animator's Sketchbook
Tony White
CRC Press
6000 NW Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487
www.crcpress.com
9781498774017, $49.95, www.amazon.com
The Animator's Sketchbook: How to See, Interpret & Draw Like a Master Animator is
recommended for students of animation who want to improve their work through drawings, and
uses an exercise format designed to enhance the analysis and basic skills needed to become a
master animator. Each exercise is timed, while the different art styles encourage individual
creativity and skills. Readers of all levels - those with some animation skills under their belts as
well as relative novices - will find this can be used as a self-teaching workbook while educators
can use it to help students reach new goals and new levels of expertise.
The Woodworking Shelf
The Fundamentals of Segmented Wood Turning
James Rodgers
Linden Publishing
2006 South Mary, Fresno, CA 93721-9875
www.woodworkerslibrary.com
9781610352789, $24.95, www.amazon.com
The Fundamentals of Segmented Wood Turning: Projects, Techniques, and Innovations for
Today's Woodturner provides a fine crafts guide for woodworkers new to the art who want to
begin with the basics. The approach is visual in nature, offering step-by-step directions that begin
with acquiring and using basic tools and moving to cutting and turning processes. The designs
are simple and require a bare minimum of tools and woodworking basics to prove accessible, and
they can apply to a range of projects based on just a few techniques. Anyone who wants to learn
segmented woodturning will find this an easy approach, packed with good-sized and clear color
photos throughout.
The Crafts Shelf
Cool Copper Cuffs
Eva M. Sherman
Kalmbach Publishing
21027 Crossroads Circle, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612
www.kalmbachstore.com
9781627002332, $22.99, www.amazon.com
Cool Copper Cuffs: 25 Metal and Wire Projects comes from an experienced jewelry-making
teacher who provides the basics of different cuff-style bracelets and how to make them from
copper. Close-up and good-sized how-to color photos for each project accompany a surprisingly
wide array of styles and methods of shaping and decorating the copper, while materials and tools
lists assure that newcomers to working with copper or making jewelry will receive everything
they need for successful results.
The Needlecraft Shelf
Knitter's Know-How
Cap Sease
Martingale & Company
19021 - 120th Avenue NE, Suite 102, Bothell, WA 98011
www.shopmartingale.com
9781604687743, $28.99, www.amazon.com
Knitters seeking a general how-to guide that covers the basics all knitters need to know should
begin with Knitter's Know-How: 127 Techniques Every Knitter Needs to Know. It offers
close-up step-by-step illustrations of different stitches and techniques, it is packaged in lay-flat
binding so knitters can easily knit and follow along with the visual display instructions, and it
includes notes on the applications of each stitch and its common use to further knowledge and
assure correct applications of end results. Any knitter who is learning the basics and wants a
visual workbook of progressive learning opportunities will find this holds just the ticket to
success.
Martingale
19021 - 120th Avenue NE, Suite 102, Bothell, WA 98011
www.shopmartingale.com
www.martingale-pub.com
The Big Book of Fat-Quarter Quilts (9781604688078, $27.99) packs in patterns, color photos,
materials, cutting, and piecing instructions, and over two hundred pages of tips in a focus on how
to use fat quarters in a wide range of quilt styles, and is a top recommendation for quilters who
would receive an extensive coverage to all the different approaches and options in making such
quilts. Projects directed to beginning to intermediate quilters pair full-page patterns with
step-by-step directions that leave little to wonder. If only one general fat quarter reference were
desired, it should be this one. Bonnie Sullivan's A Change of Seasons (9781604687460, $27.99)
features fall folk art quilts and home accessories based on different needlework techniques, and is
the perfect item of choice for anyone seeking fresh new home designs suitable for the holiday
season. Color photos and full-page patterns invite needleworkers at different skills levels to think
about Fall-specific accents in new ways.
The Photography Shelf
Wedding Photography 101
Michelle Turner
Ilex Press
c/o Octopus Publishing
236 Park Avenue, New York NY 10017
www.octopusbooksusa.com
9781781573440, $19.99, www.Ilex-press.com
Wedding Photography 101: Capturing the Perfect Day With Your Camera comes from a
successful wedding photographer who shares the secrets of her success of blending photojournal
techniques with wedding subjects, and is a 'must' for modern aspiring wedding photographers
who want keys to success with modern brides. Michelle Turner's candid shots and how they were
made lends to a better appreciation of all the nuances of a wedding day and how best to capture
them. From creating light to supplement natural environment to capturing the venue and
ceremonies of the wedding day itself, this is a powerful survey highly recommended for any
aspiring wedding photographer who wants to move beyond posed pictures.
The Technology Shelf
On-Wafer Microwave Measurements and De-Embedding
Errikos Lourandakis
Artech House Publishing
685 Canton Street, Norwood, MA 02062
www.artechhouse.com
9781630810566, $169.00, www.amazon.com
On-Wafer Microwave Measurements and De-Embedding is a technical manual on microwave
design that tackles state-of-the-art information on on-wafer measurements, building a theoretical
framework for understanding for researchers and lab professionals working with microwave
devices and silicon applications. College-level engineering holdings receive discussions that
cover basic to advanced techniques and tools, including the equations, charts, diagrams and
design discussions necessary to understand the latest technology's applications. Students will find
it an excellent and specific set of discussions.
The Education Shelf
Corwin Press, Inc.
2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320-2218
www.corwin.com
Jennie Magiera's Courageous Edventures: Navigating Obstacles to Discover Classroom
Innovation (9781506318349, $38.95) is a fun, encouraging discussion of innovation and
educational technology and defines an 'edventure' as a teacher's willingness to take risks and
incorporate innovations into a classroom structure. Each approach includes tips (such as creating
physical badges to accompany and support digital ones), overviews of problems and challenges
commonly encountered in the classroom's response to innovative approaches, and keys to leading
one's class through the routines described in this book. The result is a winning, unique coverage
teachers will want to consider. Kathryn Kee, et.al.'s Results Coaching Next Steps: Leading for
Growth and Change (9781506328751, $34.95) discusses the benefits of leadership coaching, a
technique that can be combined with the latest neuroscientific thinking to help develop routines
and approaches that build leadership as well as better learning. Examples of how leaders translate
coaching approaches to everyday best practices accompany discussions of the differences
between supervision and coaching, how leaders can act as coaches, and how engagement may be
better fostered by leaders. The result is a powerful survey that will reach not just educators, but
business leaders as well. David M. Horton's Leading School Teams: Building Trust to Promote
Student Learning (9781506344928, $28.00) considers team effectiveness and how to create a
more engaged teaching environment by increasing student learning strategies, and provides a
series of short activities that are quick to apply and easy methods of helping administrators lead
teams more effectively. From encouraging collaboration to solving different implementation
challenges, Leading School Teams is a powerful key to successful school administration. Tracey
K. Shiel's Designing and Using Performance Tasks: Enhancing Student Learning and Assessment
(9781506328720, $30.00) provides a step-by-step approach to using performance tasks for
teaching and expanding student learning. From different kinds of performance tasks and
decisions to making learning progressions a part of school culture, this book offers an assessment
of performance task attributes, rubrics for scoring, different curriculum design standards,
classroom management rules, and more. John Hattie, et.al.'s Visible Learning for Mathematics:
What Works Best to Optimize Student Learning (9781506362946, $36.95) is more than an
overview of a process, but packs in video clips, templates, planning tools, and everything needed
to quickly assess which instructional strategies to apply to different phases of the learning cycle.
From surface versus deep learning phases to assessing a student's ability to move between
different mathematical frameworks and steps, this book is packed with specific keys for grades
K-12 and assesses direct instruction and other methods for their appropriateness to the math
learning process at many different stages of progress. Paul Bloomberg and Barb Pitchford's
Leading Impact Teams: Building a Culture of Efficacy (9781506322674, $27.00) offers a model
supporting two practices - formative assessment and collaborative inquiry - and promotes a kind
of school culture that encourages students and teachers to be partners in the process of learning.
This 'efficacy culture' encourages a model team approach and outlines evidence supporting
success criteria and case studies about Impact Team interactions. The result is recommended for
any school culture looking at forming and leading better impact teams.
The Autism Shelf
The Power Card Strategy 2.0
Elisa Gagnon, MS and Brenda Smith Myles, PhD
AAPC Publishing
11209 Strang Line Road, Lenexa, KS 66215
9781942197263, $27.95, www.aapcpublishing.net
The Power Card Strategy 2.0: Using Special Interests to Motivate Children and Youth with
Autism Spectrum Disorder offers an evidence-based approach to working with kids on the
autism spectrum, and presents a tested strategy developed by parents and educators committed to
helping kids understand social situations, routines, and the daily world around them. This
strategy can be integrated into educational and socialization pursuits alike and the Power Cards
are easy tools any can learn and apply.
The Native American Studies Shelf
World of the Teton Sioux Indians: Their Music, Life & Culture
Frances Densmore
World Wisdom
1501 East Hillside Drive, Bloomington, IN 47401
www.worldwisdom.com
9781936597512, $23.95, www.amazon.com
World of the Teton Sioux Indians: Their Music, Life & Culture is edited by Joseph A. Fitzgerald
and explores the Lakota Sioux Indians through their eyes, as it was told to anthropologist Frances
Densmore. This book is an abridged, illustrated edition of the definitive monograph on Lakota
culture, and has been edited and revised to make it more accessible to general-interest audiences.
A foreword by Charles Trimble, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, and over a hundred color
and black and white illustrations supplement an in-depth coverage of Sioux culture, rituals, and
society that should not be missed by any serious Native American library.
The Sports Shelf
Human Kinetics
PO Box 5076, Champaign, IL 61820-5076
www.humankinetics.com
David Magida and Melissa Rodriguez's The Essentials of Obstacle Race Training
(9781492513773, $23.95) comes from the founder of Elevate Internal Fitness and a TV sports
show host and a woman who is the former contributing editor for Mud & Obstacle magazine, and
covers the events, obstacles, and strategies for succeeding in obstacle race courses. Over a
hundred exercises to improve mobility, balance, endurance and more accompany nearly thirty
workouts that are keyed to obstacle course challenges, with chapters adding a basic knowledge of
nutrients and diet, exercise, and obstacle race-specific tips. The color photos throughout illustrate
everything that's needed to know about race training. Helen Vanderburg's Fusion Workouts:
Fitness, Yoga, Pilates, and Barre (9781492521389, $21.95) combines fitness, yoga, Pilates and
barre for a workout that is a synthesis of all these techniques, incorporating their special strengths
into one unified program. While some might think that each program's unique approach wouldn't
lend to such a fusion, in fact the 15 ready-made workouts in this book provides easy and exact
guidelines for participating in a workout that incorporates the best strategies of each discipline.
Clear color photos of each routine make for a winning blend especially recommended for readers
who may have prior experience with one or more of the techniques and affinity for trying the
rest.
The International Studies Shelf
The Government and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa, eighth edition
Mark Gasiorowski and Sean L. Yom, Editors
Westview Press
c/o Perseus Book Group
250 W. 57th St., Suite 1500, New York, NY 10107
www.westviewpress.com
9780813349947, $52.00, www.amazon.com
The eighth updated edition of The Government and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa
has been completely revised to reflect the latest and ongoing changes in politics and government
in the region, which makes this a 'must' for any college-level collection strong in the area's
history. Among the many features of this update are a newly expanded introduction,
incorporation of political changes, and a blend of historical background with discussion of
regional changes that are supplemented by extensive bibliographic references, black and white
maps, and detailed discussions contributed by experts. No college-level history and political
science collection strong in the Middle East or Africa should be without this latest survey.
The Audiobook Shelf
Hachette Audio
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
www.hachetteaudio.com
Maria Semple's Today Will Be Different (9781478927624, $30.00) receives a fine narration by
Kathleen Wilhoite, who brings a vigorous voice to the story of an erratic, scattered woman who
one day decides to change her life through a series of little changes. Unexpectedly, the little
changes she decides upon pale in comparison with the bigger changes that have been taking place
around her, and which she discovers on this day. Family secrets and secret lives come to life in a
story filled with deep impressions and engrossing insights. Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's
The Obsidian Chamber (9781478938941, $40.00) tells of a special agent's disappearance, a
harrowing discovery, and a kidnapping which evolves into an international manhunt as a
long-time bodyguard finds himself chasing after the truth behind the special agent's ward's
disappearance. Rene Auberjonois' television background and Emmy-nominated style lends well to
his ability to elevate The Obsidian Chamber to exquisite levels of tension and intrigue, backed by
his seasoned and powerful voice. Nicholas Sparks' Two by Two (9781619691391, $35.00) is
narrated by Ari Fliakos, who brings to life the vivid story of Russell Green, who has a stunning
wife, perfect family, fine career and big home. His world seems perfect; but underneath the
veneer of perfection is a world cracking open and in just a few months Russ will find himself
unemployed and caring for his young daughter alone. In true Sparks fashion, emotional turmoil
comes to life in a story that benefits from the narrator's quiet strength and delivery. Dr. Sue
Johnson works with Kenneth Sanderfer in Created for Connection (9781478912415, $30.00),
narrated by Sarah Mollo-Christensen, which addresses the real emotional support systems of
relationships and how to nurture the type of dependency that is healthy and supportive of the
relationship and God. Discussions brought to life in audio seek to connect emotional with
spiritual progress. Joel Osteen's Think Better Live Better: A Victorious Life Begins in Your
Mind (9781609418250, $30.00) is read by the author and offers a solid strategy for using one's
mindset to reach for better opportunities in life. It advocates the idea of better thinking patterns
and shows how to take control of one's thoughts for a better, God-driven lifestyle. Osteen's ability
to lend his words powerful emphasis through his audio narration makes this a winner especially
recommended for self-help and spiritually-minded listeners.
The Botany Shelf
Botanical Miracles: Chemistry of Plants That Changed the World
Raymond Cooper and Jeffrey John Dakin
CRC Press
6000 NW Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487
www.crcpress.com
9781498704281, $119.95, www.amazon.com
Botanical Miracles: Chemistry of Plants That Changed the World belongs in botany and
college-level chemistry collections as it considers how the composition of natural products have
changed the world. It uses selected plants from around the world and provides a combination of
science and history, discussing their properties, use in various products, and how plant extracts
contribute to mankind. From the growing and processing of tea and its use as a modern medicine
to the uses and properties of nicotine and the medicinal qualities of frankincense, black and white
and color photos and charts pepper chemistry facts to bring the discussions in line with the latest
science and plant applications. Study questions at the end of each chapter pair with bibliographic
references for further reading, making for a solid college-level classroom reader.
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
Midwest Book Review
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Oregon, WI 53575-1129
phone: 1-608-835-7937
e-mail: mbr@execpc.com
e-mail: mwbookrevw@aol.com
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