We all know Thomas Edison was a genius of seemingly limitless imagination. Yet few know that he was a failure in elementary school. Teel shows us how Edison's mother, Nancy, guided the boy who was deemed a dunce by officials-even assumed mentally retarded by his father-to become one of the greatest inventors of all time. Edison's progressive and imaginative teaching methods hold lessons for all children who learn differently from conventional methods and for the parents and teachers who care about them. Teel also explains how parents can negotiate the educational maze created by the...

What makes a fairy tale Irregular? Hansel & Gretel's parents refusing to allow the kids to be adopted by fairies because they disapprove of the fairy lifestyle. Rumplestiltskin teaching a young woman to keep her promises. A prince for Rapunzel who never mastered rope climbing in gym class. Tom Thumb's mother refusing to allow him to date the one girl his size because she's Protestant. Not fairy tales for children - although frequently childish - Irregular Fairy Tales are much more fun than a trip to the ball, and less expensive too, when you consider how much interest Fairy Godmothers are...