The book itself is charming and the message is wonderful, but I have to call out a frustrating discrepancy. The book explicitly states that the accompanying worksheet is free, yet when you visit the website to download it, you are met with a $1.99 price tag — conveniently "on sale" for $0.99. One worksheet. For a dollar.
This may seem minor, but for teachers who purchase these books out of pocket to use in their classrooms, it adds up — and more importantly, it is simply misleading. If the book tells buyers the resource is free, it should be free. Advertising something as complimentary and then charging for it at the point of download is a bait-and-switch, regardless of how small the amount.
I have a lot of respect for what Diane Alber has built, which is exactly why this practice is so disappointing. The integrity of the message in her books deserves to be matched by the integrity of how her resources are marketed. Educators and parents should not have to fact-check the fine print after already purchasing a book.
Fix the language in the book or make the worksheet free — but you cannot have it both ways.
