When twins Jimmy and Janet squabble over Janet's collection of "thingamajigs" their mom presents them with a "grown-up" surprise and Janet's collection becomes a thingamajig of the past. "The softly colored illustrations neatly catch the spirit of this slice of real life."--Kirkus Reviews.

Presents the life of the children's author, discussing how she came to write her books about her most famous character, Ramona Quimby.

For the first time in a chapter-book format, Newbery Medal winner Beverly Cleary’s twin characters, Jimmy and Janet, will charm young children with their humorous adventures. Jimmy and Janet are twins, but that doesn't mean they are just alike. When we first meet Jimmy, he wants to dig a real hole. He likes to use a real, grown-up shovel. While he's working, his sister, Janet, pretends to be a bird! She likes to use her imagination. But the twins both like silly jokes, new boots, and talking to Mr. Lemon, the mailman. As Beverly Cleary writes about Jimmy and Janet's doings, the unique understanding of children that she brings to all of her beloved books is coupled with a keen awareness of duo dynamics that comes from raising twins herself. Originally published as four separate picture books (The Real Hole, Two Dog Biscuits, The Growing-Up Feet, and Janet's Thingamajigs), these are stories that a Jimmy would like because they are so true-to-life, and that a Janet would love because they are so believable.

This book was written for parents to assist them in becoming active participants in their children's literacy development. Each chapter presents frequently asked questions from parents, examples of student writing, strategies for home use, and parent's written reflections, as well as explanations of literacy based in research and theory. Chapters in the book are: (1) Listening and Speaking; (2) Readers and Reading; (3) Writing and Spelling; and (4) Where to Begin. Contains 22 references. Appendixes contain a 150-item annotated bibliography of children's literature, arranged by grade level; a 31-item glossary of terms; suggestions on how parents can help their children become better writers; and the National Council of Teachers of English Position Statement on Reading. (EF)

Have you been guilty of catachresis* at work? Have you defenestrated* your dictionary in frustration? Do you have phloem bundles* stuck in your diastema*? Scratching your occiput* now? Rod L. Evans's Thingamajigs and Whatchamacallits will help take the mystery out of some of our most obscure words. Containing hundreds of words from agitron (the phenomenon of wiggly lines in comic strips indicating that something is shaking) to zarf (the holder for a paper cone coffee cup), this lively reference will enable you to easily locate your thingamajig or whatchamacallit, be it animal, vegetable, mineral, or punctuation mark. Leave no linguistic oddity unexamined-your brain will thank you. *catachresis: strained, paradoxical, or incorrect use of a word; *defenestrate: to throw out a window; *phloem bundles: stringy bits between the skin and the edible parts of a banana; *diastema: the gap between teeth in a jaw; *occiput: the back part of the head or skull

A guide for farm historians offering practical suggestions in pursuing research on the history of a single farm or a wider agricultural topic. Hurt (rural studies, Iowa State U.) suggests techniques for researching and writing, discusses the value of oral histories and photographs, points out specific historical relevance found in farm architecture, and provides a detailed "how to" for conducting research at libraries and state historical societies. Includes photographs and an appendix of historical societies and agencies. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR