Book Description

When a homeless rat named Slim is forced into a life of crime, he encounters a kind young mouse named Jim, who's willing to take him in and give him a chance. But when Slim's checkered past catches up to him, their friendship is put to the test. Together they must do battle with the evil villain Buster, relying upon their faith in one another -- and their yo-yos.

In this Oliver Twist for tots, Richard Egielski tells a tale of true friendship and creates characters as memorable as Fagin, Bill Sikes, and the Artful Dodger.

Reviews (1)

This is a Great Book! by Stephanie
I think that Slim & Jim, written and illustrated by Richard Egielski, is a great book because it talks about a special friendship. Even though it is about a mouse and a rat, it teaches about stopping people from acting in the same way, for instance like white people acted against black people. It is about a rat named Slim who saves a mouse named Jim. Jim falls into the water, and Slim saves his life. The mice don't like the rats in this book, but Jim ignores what others say about Slim because the others don't know Slim well enough to judge him. Jim and Slim become friends for life, and that changes what the other mice think about Slim. I think this is a good book because it tells you that "You shouldn't judge people before you get to know them." I think the illustrations are great, too! I think everyone would be interested in Slim & Jim. ... Read more

Book Description

There was once a small pumpkin
in a great big field,
A very small green pumpkin
the size of an apple.

The little pumpkin dreams that one day he will grow up to be a fierce yellow pumpkin who scares the field mice, like the scarecrow does.

Then one day in autumn, three children come to his field, and he unexpectedly gets the chance for his dream to come true. . . .

This long-lost treasure from the author of Goodnight Moon has never before been published. Who Better to bring it to life than Caldecott Medalist Richard Egielski? His rich, warm illustrations are the perfect complement to the inimitable words of Margaret Wise Brown.

Book Description

Long lost but never forgotten, Grandfather returns to his loving family of wooden tub toys.‘This enchanting sequel to The Tub People has it all—suspense, adventure, and romance.… It is easy to care for these characters, with their simple but pleasurable pursuits and their obvious affection for one another.’—SLJ.‘The illustrations are particularly compelling and serenely mysterious.’ —NYT.

1994 Fanfare Honor List (H) ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Captivating, but a bit creepy!
My sons listened to this book intently several times. It tells the tale of a group of tub people that live in a bathroom finding another of their kind that somehow had gotten under the radiator a long while ago, and bringing him back to "life". He is the grandfather of the group, and the grandmother is very happy to have him back with her. The pictures are sort of mystical and mellow. While this is an interesting concept (we've all had members of our toy family go missing for a long time and then be found and brought back to the fold) I found it a bit of an odd story for kids. My older son was made quite nervous by it, asking "was the grandfather DEAD? How did he come back from dead?". He was also bothered by the fact the grandfather had lost an eye. If you think your kids might be made nervous by concepts like that, you might want to avoid this or at least read it through first yourself!

My daughter requested this book be read to her over and over
This book, along with The Tub People, charmed my daughter, now 9, from the time she was a toddler. The illustrations are so carefully rendered you feel you are really a part of the tub family. I don't know what exactly it is that captivates my daughter so, but something is definitely different about this book. It could be that all of us remember the joy of finding a once-beloved toy long lost and forgotten. We always enjoy coming to the end when the grandmother dances with the tub grandfather around the hooked rug...something about that scene is incredibly touching. ... Read more

Book Description

At her father’s funeral, Binti’s grandmother utters the words that no one in Malawi wants to hear. Binti’s father and her mother before him, dies of AIDS. Binti, her sister, and brother are separated and sent to the home of relatives who can barely tolerate their presence. Ostracized by their extended family, the orphans are treated like the lowest servants. With her brother far away and her sister wallowing in her own sorrow, Binti can hardly contain her rage. She, Binti Phirim, was once a child star of a popular radio program. Now she is scraping to survive. Binti always believed she was special, now she is nothing but a common AIDS orphan.

Binti Phiri is not about to give up. Even as she clings to hope that her former life will be restored, she must face a greater challenge. If she and her brother and sister are to reunited, Binti Phiri will have to look outside herself and find a new way to be special.

Compelling and uplifting, The Heaven Shop, is a contemporary novel that puts a very real face on the African AIDS pandemic, which to-date has orphaned more than 11 million African children. Inspired by a young radio performer the author met during her research visit to Malawi, Binti Phiri is a compelling character that readers will never forget. ... Read more

Book Description

One fall day, Kate goes with her father, a fish biologist, to the river where he works — a river in the Pacific rain forest — the "salmon forest," as he calls it. Together they watch the sockeye salmon returning to the river to spawn, and witness a bear scooping up a salmon. Next, Kate and her dad run into a Native boy named Brett and his family fishing at a pool in the river. From her adventures, Kate discovers how the forest and the salmon need each other and why the forest is called the salmon forest. David Suzuki’s charming and informative text and Sheena Lott’s watercolors magically evoke the spirit and mystery of the West Coast rain forest. ... Read more

Book Description

Poor Ben. He's the little one - the youngest and smallest. His sister Robin is a big kid in grade five; his brother Joe is a big kid in grade two. Ben's just a little kid in preschool. He can't swim, he can't use chopsticks, he can't even see out the car window. And worst of all, today is report card day. More than anything, Ben wants to bring home a report like Robin's and Joe's. But there are no report cards in preschool.

Guess what? Ben is about to discover that sometimes there are report cards - at home, written by older siblings! He's about to get his very own report, grading him on all activities that little brothers do best.

Beloved children's author Sarah Ellis has followed up her acclaimed picture book debut, NEXT STOP! with this irresistible tale of siblings who, every once in a while, remember what it was like to be the little one. Award-winning illustrator Kim LaFave's always-empathetic characters inhabit a child's world with just the right touch of humor and joy. A perfect book for preschoolers, younger siblings, and beginner readers. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Perfect book for preschoolers
My 3 year old daughter must read "Big Ben" twice before she gets to bed. She somehow related herself as Ben, a preschool boy who is too little to get a report card. But, Ben can do so many things by himself, he finally got a report card from his sister and brother.
Now, I encourage my daughter to do something by herself to get a report card like Ben, it works every time! She loves the report card idea, and I love to see her becomes more and more independent each day! ... Read more

Book Description

Never in a million years could Megan have predicted the surprise she gets for her 12th birthday. She first senses something’s up when her organized, never-waste-a-minute mother becomes “this soft, slow person” who sings happy songs. Soon Megan learns why: she has a half-sister. It seems that when Megan’s mother was a teenager, she had a baby who she gave up for adoption. But now she and 24-year-old Natalie have reestablished contact, and Natalie is coming to meet the family. Although Megan’s little sister, Betsy, is thrilled at the idea of being a flower girl in her new big sister’s wedding, Megan is not as enthusiastic. She grows increasingly resentful and anxious as her mother becomes totally absorbed in Natalie. Even more troubling is Megan’s nagging worry that she can no longer trust her parents. If they didn’t tell her about Natalie, can she ever believe anything else they say? As in her previous works, author Sarah Ellis keenly observes the nuances of relationships within families and the effects of change on those relationships. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

This Book
I got this in the mail last week. It was so neat to get books in the mail! This was the first thing I ordered off ... Anyhow, I liked this book a lot. I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes stories that deal with family and the events that can so often change the life of an average family.

An excellent book with and fantastic plot development
I really liked this book because it deals with problems by really solving them. An excellent book for anyone looking for a great read. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

A Voyage Back to My Childhood
I know that I sound like all the other reviews, but this story took me back to my childhood. I originally checked the book out at the library when I was young and read parts of it each night to my little sister. This was a special time for us and this story transported us to everywhere the doll went. We are older now and have grown somewhat apart. I recently found this book and ordered us each a copy. It is a great read as adults just like when we were younger and we will always have that bond between us. It is such a magical story that I can't wait to hand down to my children.

Bring it back in Print
This book is excellent; we have read it to all of our children and passed it around to the extended family over the years. In 1986 my one daughter, then 4 yrs old, could recite verbatim where we had stopped reading the night before, she was that enthralled. All have reread it later in their teen years. My older children have bought used copies for their own libraries. Many of the characters have become monikers for family members, e.g., our mis-behaving puppy became known as the 'bad sister' and is stilled referred to as such in her old age now. Other quotes also became mainstays. For example, as a postdoc at Princeton during group meetings to review data, someone would ask the validity of a given set of data. The common response by all in our group became, "That's a duck's fact, quack, quack!" after I used it once. These colleagues still use it on occasion when discussing material over the phone.
Amy's Eyes is a classic. It would be nice if the publishers would bring this one back in print. It is a captivating story for young and old. Harry Potter is playing the minor leagues when it comes to this genre of literature.

One of the best books I have ever read!!!!
When I was in the sixth grade my teacher read this book to the class and I fell in love with it. I'm now nearly 25 and I have re-read it at least once a year since then... my copy is VERY worn. I love the characters... they make me laugh out loud at moments and cry at others. I recommend this book to all my friends and though the story line may seem as if it is for kids I believe that there is something in it for people of all ages. If you are in need of a good adventure story this is the book for you.

An Undiscovered Classic
Amy's Eyes is an absolutely wonderful book. My mom has read it to me about 4 times, and loves it too. She first read it to me when I was about 7 years old, and we enjoyed it very much. Amy's Eyes is not some barfey book that's just about dolls--not at all. It is a beautiful book, an undiscovered classic, that rolls off the tongue when read, and remains deep in the heart afterwards.

The whole world within one book
I am a mother of three daughters to whom I read Amy aloud - for the first time about ten years ago. Now my oldest is 19 and still often finds an "urgent reason" for being around when I read Amy to the youngest. It's a story where you find everything life is made of: faith, love, hope, evil, treachery, sad events and terribly funny ones, wisdom and wickedness. The heroes in Amy's Eyes you will never forget - because they are really human with their dreams and doubts, with their hopes and temptations - there's not enough room here to do them justice. Just let me say as much: the Captain has long been the one who deserves the title "an Officer and Gentleman" more than anybody else. If you read Amy's Eyes (and be sure to read it twice if you didn't love it at once - you'll never regret it. I promise.) you'll laugh (you'll "burst your guts"!) and you'll cry silently, you'll bite your fingernails in suspense and what is more: you'll love the world and life and feel grateful and happy when you turn over the last page of this wonderful book. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

A wonderful glove story.
The book is a work of art the way the differently shaped pages are put together. The colors are very homey and sweet.

Our children loved the book because it's really written for them. The author understands how important it is to a child when something like a scissor is "my size." Or when they get their own work table next to Mom's, or their own chore tailored to a special talent they have.

As parents, we loved being reminded about how much our children want to copy us in our hobbies or in even the most routine household chores. It's inspiring. ... Read more

Book Description

This young adult nature novel tells the story of the life of a crossbreed cat—the offspring of a mating between a large feral female house cat and a much larger wild bobcat. The story follows the adventures of the cat from the time of his birth in southern Wisconsin, his precarious and near-fatal experience in a flash flood, a rescue by a young boy who adopts him and their accidental separation in an incident which takes the cat far away to Arkansas, where he is hunted and mistreated by many people as he gradually travels overland toward home. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Elegant and wonderful
I first read this book in the 3rd or 4th grade, and I am very grateful that I did. I believe I have read this book over 7 times, and will probably read it seven times more. Although the book has one of those odd "young adult" classifications, it reads quite well for an adult. It also, in my not-so-unbiased opinion, has withstood the test of time (originally published in 1967 or thereabouts). If you or your children have a love of cats, wildlife, America and/or adventure, or if you are already familiar with Eckart's inimitable narrative style, check this book out. You'll almost certainly have to buy it used, but fortunately, Amazon has several links available to do this. Special thanks to Allan Eckart himself, not only for writing this moving tale, but also for personally helping me to find a used copy. All in all, a much-cherished piece of my childhood. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Bluejacket: War Chief of the Shawnees
I am not a direct descendant, but I can assure the readers that the story as told by Mr. Eckert is authentic. My maternal grandfather's sister was married to William Bluejacket.

Excellently written book, but is it the truth...
Typically, Eckert's writing style makes this a book that is hard to put down. It is very exciting reading. It is not one of the best books that Eckert has written however. Also, it is shorter and doesn't have the great deal of detail that he put into his "Tecumseh" book, for example. It is a lively story, but now that I have read other reviews, I wonder if it is based on error. The early part of the story concerns the fact that Blue Jacket is a "captured" white boy who becomes a great Indian War Chief. If that is not true, then this part of the book is in error. The history of Blue Jacket as an Indian is well written and exciting, in any case. No matter his origin, Blue Jacket was a great Indian warrior and leader.
From other things I have read, my guess would be that Eckert's version is correct. In any case, this is an exciting and enjoyable book to read.

Blue Jacket
This book is another of Allan W. Eckarts spell binding true books.
It's about a white boy that wants to be an Idian. Well, Here I go, off into the past, picturing what is happening as if I were there. I can hardly put the book down. This is real, things that really happened. This seventeen year old boy barters with the indians to take him and let his twelve year old brother live. they did. He was called blue jacket because that was the color of the faded shirt he had on when captured. Blue Jacket had to earn the trust of the idnians, that didn't take long. Especially after they saw how brave this boy was as he ran the gauntlet. He was give more freedom and could come and go as he pleased after a while. He never thought of his white family anymore. He just thought and talked shawnee. He was the only white chief the Shawnees had. It is a facinating book. A fast read, and you may even learn some indian words.

Great Literature, Not Great History
Allan Eckert is unquestionably a fine writer. However, he is not a great historian. Eckert chooses to ignore certain source material and emphasize dubious or even discredited sources in order to mold the story of Blue Jacket into his own chosen image of Blue Jacket. As one prior review has stated, recent DNA evidence indicates that Blue Jacket and the Swearingens were not related. While this DNA evidence was unvailable at the time of publication of this book, there is other evidence which refutes Eckert's claims. If Eckert would have taken advantage of available source materials, he would have discovered that the real Blue Jacket was much older than the white boy who allegedly became the chief. In addition, no one who ever met the chief and wrote about him ever mentioned his whiteness. In the case of other Indians who were racially white, this fact is constantly mentioned by white observers. In sum, Eckert is a fine writer of literature based on (some) historical evidence, but his historical accuracy is, at best, questionable.

Blue Jacket, lies told about a GREAT SHAWNEE WARRIOR
I have read this book on numerous occasions, once as a child and again as an informed adult and my conclusions regarding this book and its author are the same. This book is poorly written with questionable "research" done by its author and is packaged as if it historcal fact when it is in fact, fiction. Mr. Eckert has done a disservice not only to my family, my tribe, but to that of the Swearingen family as well. Blue Jacket, Weyapiersenwah, was Shawnee NOT an adopted white captive! My ancestor's first child was born when Marmaduke Swearingen was only two a fact that can be verified through family genealogy-this myth was started by a Swearingen descendant in 1877 and author Eckert picked up on the story and has tried to make it more palatable by creating the illusion it is fact. Recently, Swearingen and Bluejacket descendants were subjected to DNA testing. The conclusions: the Bluejackets and the Swearingens are NOT genetically linked and that Marmaduke Von Swearingen once and for all was NOT Chief Blue Jacket. Let us hope that the record will now be set straight and that is that my ggggg grandfather was a great Shawnee leader and mentor to Tecumseh and not some adopted white captive, the creation of an over active imagination. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

Paloma's review ofMole's Hill
There are four character in this story.They are Mole, Fox, raccoon and skunk.Mole digging annoys fox, racoon and skunk. Fox says she has to stop digging and move when the maple leaves turn red and orange. Mole doesn't want to move and she gets an idea. So when raccoon and skunk come to check if she is getting ready to move they're in for a big surprise.
I liked this because it has beautiful picture they look like they are made out of ribbons with little black dots on them. My favorite character is Mole because she has a smart mind and great ideas. ... Read more

Book Description

El pan de la guerra (The Breadwinner) brings to life an issue that has recently exploded in the international media - the reality of life under the Taliban. Young Parvana lives with her family in one room of a bombed-out apartment building in Kabul, Afghanistan. Her father, because he has a foreign education, is arrested by the Taliban, the religious group that controls the country. Since women cannot appear in public unless covered head to toe, or go to school, or work outside the home, the family becomes increasingly desperate until Parvana conceives a plan. She cuts her hair and disguises herself as a boy to earn money for her family. Parvana's determination to survive is the force that drives this novel, set against the backdrop of an intolerable situation brought about by war and religious fanaticism. Deborah Ellis spent several months talking with women and girls in Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan and Russia. This suspenseful, timely novel is the result of those encounters. ... Read more

Book Description

I Should Worry I Should Care, the first in a series of five novels for young readers, won critical acclaim and awards for Miriam Chaikin.All five books are about Molly and her family and friends in a Brooklyn neighborhood around the time of World War II. Molly and her friends play out their young girl interests against the background of those troubled times.

The ALA Booklist said, "There is lots of warmth here and plenty of color in Chaikin's evocation of an early l940s Brooklyn neighborhood." ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (2)

``Jimmy McGee... Hero.''
Hey, what can I say? ``The Curious Adventures of Jimmy McGee'' is just about the best darned book for BedTime Stories, 2nd only to Pooh. It's fantastical & wonderous, w/plenty of character & originality. With catch-phrases & situational romps, Estes creates a wonderful world, easy for children of all ages to escape to. & I'm sure to catch heck for saying this, but in a time of the over-saturation of a certain `boy wizard', it is more than refreshing to have another little boy come along in ``6-60 time'' with his ``bombazine bag & stove-pipe hat'' & get us all caught-up w/``zoomy-zoomies''. =D Here's to you, Jimmy McGee!``Hero.''

Too long
This is a great book, but it is just stretchedway too long. It starts out great and keeps the reader glued to the pages. Then the book starts to end the same things happen over and over again and you just think when id this book going to end. Personaly i think this book could have ended about 50 pages befor it did. I think the book would have had a shot at the Newbery if it didn't go on as long as it di. That just goes to show that you cant hve a super-de-duper start but then your ending just really stinks your book wont be that good. You need to have a good ending and a good begining in order to have a good book. ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Horn Book Magazine, published by Horn Book, Inc. on May 1, 1997. The length of the article is 1879 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: The experience of reading Bjarne Reuter's "The End of the Rainbow" on a laptop computer is rated as less pleasing than reading Reuter's other Buster stories in their traditional book format. This is due to the limitations of text display on computer screens, which can make reading long documents tiresome.

Citation Details
Title: Buster on the screen. (unsatisfying aspects of electronic book reading)
Author: Sarah Ellis
Publication: The Horn Book Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 1, 1997
Publisher: Horn Book, Inc.
Volume: v73Issue: n3Page: p269(5)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Very entertaining for kids of all ages
I worked in a daycare and this was one of the most popular books. As teachers we were requested to read it daily, but I never got tired of it. The wonderful pictures and funny storyline make this book just a great deal of fun! I recommend it highly for children and for parents! ... Read more