I Before E (Except After C): The Young Readers Edition: Easy, Cool Ways to Remember Facts

by Susan Randol

I before e (except after c) teaches kids smart ways to remember all the things they learn about in school. The book is full of techniques and presents cool ways to remember a variety of facts on a variety of subjects.

Just like adults, kids need easy ways to recall stuff-especially now, when they don't even have to remember a phone number because their cell phones remember it for them. And just like the bestselling i before e (except after c) for adults, this book is jammed with easy-to-use tricks for remembering lots of stuff-especially stuff they need to know for school. Through entertaining (and often silly) examples, kids will learn to remember everything they need to know

Kids will like learning fun ways to remember stuff and will love getting the good grades that follow.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference

144 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2011

Reviews

[Lissa Smith Reads'~A Bookaholics Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you a kid, looking for that little extra nudge to make it through school? Are you grown and struggling to help your kids in school? Then this is the perfect book for you.

I agreed to review I Before E Except after C for kids by Susan Randol in exchange for an honest review because I have a daughter and I was hoping that it would benefit her. As, I am positive it will.

The book is filled from cover to end with lots of easy to recall tricks to remembering information. As everyone could use a little help now and then, it makes for a perfect reference book for both the young and old.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is the cover

This fun book is designed to help you remember facts in three main ways: Acronyms, Acrostics and Rhymes. Acronyms are made by taking the first letter(s) from a series of words. For example, Public Broadcasting System becomes PBS. Acrostics are made by using the first letter of what you need to remember and making a sentence out of it. For example, the common acrostic for learning the names of the notes on the lines of the treble clef (E G B D F) is Every Good Boy Does Fine. Rhymes are used to help get the information stuck in your head. For example, if you need to remember a list of names put it tune of a familiar song like "Row, Row, Row, Your Boat."

Parents, children and teachers will love this book. If you are a hands-on parent you will be able to really help your child in school using the tips and examples from this book. As I read through, I learned facts that I didn't know. The book shows how to remember the first astronauts who walked on the moon. It says it's as easy as remembering your ABC's. A is for Neil Armstrong, B is for Buzz Aldrin and C is for Michael Collins. I didn't know that Michael Collins was on that list.

Children who like to soak up facts will be able to use this book to get more knowledge in their brains. I could see a child who doesn't care for school enjoying this book because it makes learning facts fun. Students who could care less about the order the Confederate states seceded from the Union will be able to memorize them anyway. The states are South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina and Tennessee. The book suggests to use a fun, silly acrostic sentence like So My Friend Ate Giant Lizards Tuesday; Vomited All Night Tuesday.

Teachers will like all the subjects this book covers. There are chapters on History, Reading and Writing, Music, Math, Days & Nights and Earth. Teachers already use some of the tricks in this book, I remember a few of them from when I was a child. Like the way to remember how many days are in each month:

Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November;
All the rest have thirty-one
Except for February, which has twenty-eight.

This book is a welcome addition to my library. I look forward to using it to help my children learn facts for school. I didn't realize how easy and fun it is to memorize when using acronyms, acrostics and rhymes.

I received a free copy of this Reader's Digest book from FSB Media for my honest review.

[Sara Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I picked up this book, I thought it was a grammar book but it’s a book on mnemonics. The book is broken into subjects from Science to Language Arts to History and offers easy ways to remember facts. The book is written for school aged children but would prove useful for any age group.
Some of the mnemonics are ones I remember and others are not. The author offers opportunities to create your own based on the information you need to remember. For those who might pass over a book like this, I would like to share that there are still mnemonics that I use to this day. Some I can’t help but to remember as I access that particular fact. For example, I find myself singing H-A-double L- O W- double E – N spells Halloween every October without fail even though I haven’t actually heard the song since second grade.
Who can forget ROY G BIV or Mary Visits Every Monday and Just Stays Until Noon Period (that’s not in the book but there are similar ones for remembering the order of the planets). Mnemonics are a great teaching tool and this is a wonderful resource for those who want to find an easy way to remember facts.
The book even offers mnemonics for remembering how to spell tricky words. I know there are a few I struggle with that will become easier due to this book.
Subjects in this book: Calendar, Astronomy, Geography, Language Arts, History, Math and Music.

[Vidya Tiru · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely a useful book to have with you. It is full of simple tools that are fun as well helping you remember facts and rules in various subjects including geography, history, math, reading, spelling and music. As you thumb through the book, you can find acronyms, acrostics and rhymes to help you along. Kids will love the memory aids as they will appeal to their sense of humor with ‘I Am A Silly Person’ to remember the five oceans – Indian, Arctic, Atlantic, Southern, and Pacific!
For example, Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally helps you remember the order of math operations – Parantheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, and Subtraction
There are fun mnemonics to remember the presidents, planets, rules of math and music and more. This book is written with kids in mind but adults definitely will not mind having such a useful memory aid next to them.
Both my nine year old and I enjoyed this book and will be using it to remember cool facts and to learn how to remember too.
Rating: B+
Disclaimer:Thank you to Reader's Digest for sending me a digital review copy via NetGalley. I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist. They are my personal opinions formed when I read this book.

[Esti · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Young Reader's edition of the well known guide to remembering things focuses on simple techniques that will benefit all children. Mnemonic devices like acronyms, acrostics, and rhymes act as "sticky notes for your brain." Familiar tricks like "thirty days hath September" and "spring forward, fall back" are presented alongside devices for remembering facts about science, nature, and daily life. Humorous black and white illustrations keep the reader engaged in a book they'll surely refer back to for years. The only caveat is that the formatting on the Kindle version of the galley edition is somewhat skewed, but hopefully this will be repaired in the final edition. Recommended for grades 4 and up.

Tags: nonfiction, mnemonic devices, learning techniques, fun learning, wordplay, acrostics, acronyms, rhyme, memory, grades 4 and up, advanced readers

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

i before e would make a nice gift book for the young student in your life. This sturdy hardcover book is filled with mnemonics to remember facts from Science, History, Math, Music and more. A book to be read in small bites, it would also make a nice gift for the young teacher to have on her classroom shelf.