Reviews (2)

Wibbly Pig Likes Bananas
Wibbly Pig is absolutely adorable. Cute illustrations. Great book for little ones, especially in developing their independent tastes. They can be interactive as they get older in deciding what they like best when Wibbly Pig asks them what they like.

I love to read this with my 19 month old
I have a 19 month old son and we read this book every night. I don't know who likes this book better...me or him! Now he easily answers when I read the book. "What would you play on?" he yells car! This is a great book with cute illustrations, definately going to get more books about wibbly pig! ... Read more

Book Description

Zolani and his mother are going to visit Grandma Zindzi. Zolani loads a wet sack of mussels, a present for his grandmother, on a sturdy young goat. His mother settles little Noma comfortably on her own back and balances a box of dried fish and a basket of mielies on her head. They will walk many miles across the Transkei countryside before they reach Grandma Zindzi's.

As she did in At the Crossroads, Rachel Isadora gives us an authentic glimpse of life in yet another area of South Africa. Eloquent words and pictures tell the story of their journey and make it a journey to remember.

Reviews (1)

I like this book!
The watercolor illustrations are the best part of this book--they really enhance the simple story of a boy and his mother and baby sister going to visit his grandmother. ... Read more

Book Description

ALA Notable Children's Book

International Reading Association Classroom Choice

A Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies

Max is a crack baseball player. Saturday mornings he walks with his sister, Lisa, to her dancing school on his way to the park for his weekly game. One morning Max is early, and Lisa's teacher invites him to join the class. Max stretches at the barre. He struggles for a split. And before he knows it, he's having fun! Young ballplayers and ballet dancers will share Max's delight when he discovers that dance class is a great way to warm up for a home run. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Shaped my life...
As a little boy, baseball was most certainly my first and only love...it was the reason this book was requested by me to be read everynight, and soon memorized word for word...at the time, girls and ballet were unimportant to me. However, as a college student-athlete (the only first baseman in the league who can do the splits!) deeply involved in gender studies, in particular the importance of examining an American culture that makes things such as boys unnaceptable, and also a participant during high school in the musicals and shows, I realized that this book had an instrumental role in creating this awareness within me at a young age...a big personal thanks to Rachel Isadora for such an inspiring and thought-provoking book...she hit a home run...

and demi plie...
I am so happy to see this book is still in print. This was one of my childhood favorites when I was a "little ballerina". ( I loved the comical illustrations). Now I am a instructor and have many students boys and girls with siblings. I highly recommend this book to any parent, especially with a son who has to spend any time "hanging out at the dance studio". A great read!

Dance Dance Dance
I have a son who is a ballet dancer and I was thrilled to find a book he could relate to. I felt I just had to review it because I own a book store and have had numerous requests for books concerning boys who dance, ballet especially. We love this book because of it's energy, content and acceptance of an art that is not familiar to many people in this country. I thought the idea of combining ballet and baseball was brilliant. I wish Ms. Isadora would create a new book relating to boys who dance. Grand jete and tendu to Ms. Isadora! And thank you!

Rather plain
This book was just okay. The illustrations were very drab and not very exciting due to the poor color choices. The story itself was very simple, and frankly, not something my children could relate to. The boys that age I know wouldn't even go near a Ballet School Building, much less participate. ... Read more

Book Description

A few surprises turn up at Kipper and Tiger's picnic! ... Read more

Book Description

This is Bo Hampton's 1993 Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a faithful adaptation of Washington Irving's tale surrounding the ghostly inhabitants of Tarrytown, New York around the time of the American Revolution. The cast of characters is headed up by the Headless Horseman himself! This edition boasts new covers and 16 pages of new material, including numerous preliminary sketches of scenes and characters. ... Read more

Book Description

"The Blue Balloon now celebrates its tenth anniversary and continues to sell thousands of copies every year.The story of a little boy, his dog, and a very unusual balloon, it is a classic to be treasured and read again and again.Just unfold the pages and watch the book grow..." ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Critical Reflection on The Blue Balloon
Stephanie Theo English 385.004 April 10, 2001 Dr. Michelle H. Martin Critical Reflection #2 DiCamillo, Kate. Because of Winn-Dixie. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2000. Kogan, Lori R., Viney, Wayne. "Reported Strength of Human Animal Bonding and Met Animal Bonding and Method or Acquriring a Dog." Psychological Reports 82 (1998): 647-650. Brown, Brett V. " Single-father family: demographic, economic, and public transfer use characteristics." Marriage and Family Review 29 (2000): 203-221.

In Because of Winn-Dixie, when ten-year-old Opal Buloni, who lives with her father, discovers a stray dog at the local Winn-Dixie grocery store, she never suspects how the dog will change her life. Right away, Opal knows that she can tell Winn-Dixie anything. For example, she tells him that she thinks of her mother a lot, when she can say this to no one else. When Opal was three-years-old, her mother left her and her father. Opal never knew the reason why her mother left them. One day, she asks her father, who says that her mother had a lot of problems, one of which was drinking. An excellent preacher, Opal's father, he has been preaching his entire life. Opal feels that she doesn't have a father because he never tries to make conversation with her. Throughout the book, friendship and family are the two main points focused on. Opal is not abandoned but neglected when she and her father first move to Naomi, Florida. She calls her father as the "preacher" and not "daddy" or "father". She doesn't look at him as a father figure. Throughout the whole book, she keeps saying that when she asks her father a serious question vague, he climbs into his shell like a turtle. Opal asks her father to tell her ten things about her mother since she was to young when she left them and doesn't remember anything about her. One of the things that her father tells her is that her mother loved stories, so from that moment, any story she hears, she remembers so that one day when she sees her mother again, she can sit down with her and tell them to her. Opal finally realizes in the end of the story that she has lost her mother, and now she knows she will never see her again. Religion takes on a large part in this book, the main reason being that her father is a preacher and he brings God into their home. In the article "Marriage & Family Review," Brown comments on single fathers versus married fathers. The article states that, " The analysis shows that single fathers earn less that married fathers, have lower household incomes, are less educated, and are substantially more likely to be receiving public transfers" ( 214). In this story, Opal and her father live in a trailer park. It is a little run down and not suitable for a 10 year-old-girl to be running around in alone. It doesn't appear to be a healthy family environment. However, with her father's job, this is all that he can afford for them to live in since they just moved to a new church and a new state. The church in which he works in is not a real church; it is an old run down convenience store. Once Winn-Dixie moves into their home, things began to change drastically. The relationship between Opal and her father strengthens a great deal. The hope that Opal uses to overcome the absence of her mother and the hope to establish a relationship with her father comes from the animal-child relationship she gains

from Winn-Dixie. In a "Psychological Reports" journal article on animal-child relationships, test showed that participants who had chosen their own animals rather than receiving an animal from someone else scored higher on bonding with their pets than the participants whom had received their pets from another owner. Opal and the preacher realize that with a little help from Winn-Dixie, they've both tasted a bit of melancholy in their lives, and they still have a whole lot to be thankful for. This story will give hope to anyone who has had family separation or loved their dog as much as Opal and her father do. He gives Opal a reason to go on and live even when she feels that no one else is there. Even though she never gets reunited with her mother and receives the love from her that Opal has always dreamed about, she still has Winn-Dixie and her father.

The Blue Balloon
I purchased this book before Kipper became popular. I am a Speech-Language Pathologist and all my clients love the book. It provides for enjoyment even after reading it several times to a child. It's great for language stimulation for verbs, adjectives, locatives, and colors. It has become my favorite book of all time.

A sweet story for little kids
This is a good book to use for beginning reading to your child. It's simple to read, the pictures are cute, and the fold out surprises make the book engaging for even the youngest readers. My daughter is 6 months old, and enjoys having this book read to her... We always make an event of unfolding the pictures of the balloon as it changes shape and grows, and her eyes widen in delight! ... Read more

Book Description

Kipper's basket is old and worn. His blanket is smelly and disgusting-but can he find a better place to sleep? ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A treat for young readers
Kipper decides to get rid of his smelly old blanket, threadbare toy rabbit and soggy ball and bone, only to discover that they are what makes his basket so special and comfortable. My 18 month old daughter takes great pleasure in Kipper's attempts at imitating ducks sleeping on one leg; wrens nesting in a garden pot; squirrels building stick nests; etc. which all end in failure of course! The simple yet lively text holds even the youngest of attention spans and Mick Inkpen's humorous pictures are a joy for children and adults alike.

Wonderful, fun read-aloud for babies.
The Kipper books are wonderful! The length is perfect for young ones with short attention spans. With the colorful illustrations and delightful story, Kipper has quickly become my son's favorite book. Great for a bedtime story since Kipper is in search of a new bed! ... Read more

Book Description

Kipper and Tiger have fun in the sun! Flip up the flaps to open their beach umbrella, make their sandcastle bigger, and reveal the goodies in their picnic baskets.
... Read more

Reviews (1)

Language enrichment value of Jasper's beanstalk
I like this book for language therapy with preschoolers. Because it is very simple, with few words, it helps the child clue in to the new vocabulary which includes days of the week and some great verbs.I use it to teach regular past tense (Jasper planted, Jasper watered, etc.) and in adifferent setting present progressive (Jasper is planting, Jasper iswatering...) The kids enjoy it and don't realize how much they arelearning! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Pretty Pictures! (But don't expect a How-To or a story)
The illustrations are gorgeous!

Unfortunately, in picture after picture (not ALL, but way too many) the arms are in the wrong position in relation to the legs, which is a very unbalanced thing for a young child to try to imitate... and the beautifull illustrations are so engrossing that it's hard to explain to a youngster that the picture is showing either the wrong leg forward or the wrong arm up...

The so-called story is lacking any real plot, but then, that isn't why you buy this book anyway. Any young child will really really love the artwork. And unlike many other books on ballet, this one shows children, so little girls relate to it in a more personal way.

Buy it for the pictures, but for a how-to of steps and positions, get a different book that is more accurate.

If you love ballet then you will love this book
I am an x ballerina and now my young daughter dances. She can't get enough of theis book and reads it over and over again. We loved the illustrations so much, that we wrote to Ms. Isadora and asked if she would sell us a piece of art from the book! The book simply but thoroughly explains ballet to a young child but to a novice as well. I am just thrilled that such a book is available! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A Great First Book
This is the first book my baby reacted to with smiles and kicks of pleasure. She loves Wibbly pig. I like that the book encourages imaginative play. I'm sure we'll make a cushion mountain as soon as my baby is able to stay on top of one!

Awesomely adorable--and more
Wibbly Pig is, by actual scientific measurement, the cutest thing ever to exist on Earth. These books are wonderfully sweet-natured and simple, with illustrations so winning that fans of great cartoon art may want to get an extra copy for the grown-ups (I recommend the same tactic with Dr. Seuss books). There's something about Wibbly's winsome innocence, so affectingly portrayed in Mick Inkpen's masterful, uncluttered style, that is both cheery and very moving. Highly recommended for all ages.

I love Wibbly Pig!
This is another sweet book about the adventures of Wibbly Pig. My children love him! This is a book that helps kids think about what they can do. Wibbly Pig can build a tent, can you? It gives them some really fun ideas! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

My Toddler Loves This Book
This is a great book for 1yr olds+ to relate to. My toddler imitates everything the girl does in the book. She loves it. A sure win with the litte ones, and a must have.

A beautiful illustration of a small child's world
The author has captured life from a little person's perspective. My son chooses this book often, and you can see recognition in his expressions on every page. From balls to birds to baths to bottles, a typical day is shown in beautiful illustrations. ... Read more

Book Description

Sophie Skates Sophie wants to be a professional ice skater when she grows up. To reach her goal, she knows she must work hard. It takes a lot of time and effort to master the skills and jumps. But all of her hard work is worth it when the time comes for Sophie's favorite part of ice skating-competing. With enough practice and dedication, one day Sophie may be the best! Woven into Sophie's story are many detailed pictures and pieces of information about the world of ice skating, from the clothing and equipment to the moves and jumps.

"A winning score for Isadora once again." (Publishers Weekly, starred review) ... Read more

Reviews (1)

My daughter wants to follow in Sophie's footsteps
I love finding books where the main character shares my daughters name. This book was excellent and will last a long time I think, as it covers general skating information, more specifics about skates, "moves", and competitions, and all from the viewpoint of 8-year old Sophie (she started when she was 3, the age of my Sophie). As usual the pictures are exquisite and I would recommend buying this for any Sophie I knew, as well as any budding skater. ... Read more

Book Description

Kipper has found an egg. Whose could it be? New touch-and-feel format. Children will love to touch fuzzy bellies, fluffy chicks--and sticky honey!
... Read more

Reviews (1)

A wonderful Kipper book
Kipper's books are excellent, and this one is no exception. It is really cute and my baby has a lot of fun with touching the various creatures and things. The book is full of touch and feel entertainment and nice colorful drawings. It's on par with the Touch and Feel series (Baby Animals, Wild Animals, Farm, etc.) Highly recommended along with all the Kipper books. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Beautiful story for and in it's simplicity: It's worth the $
I know, I know... when it comes to board books, you wonder if your money would be better spent on teething toys sometimes. Our family has chosen to invest in a vast array of board books for our child because we believe that the benefits of reading to her outweigh the financial output. We also BUY the board books, rather than borrow them from the library or buy them used because young children DO tend to orally discover their world. Our daughter has chewed and thrown some of her books, BUT NOT THIS ONE! She treasures this book, it is one of her favorites. I have seen her hug it, even kiss it! I think she likes it because she can actually understand the words that go to the pictures. The illustrations are of a soft impressionistic style and are married well to the repetitive, rhythmic text. This book always seems to give her a focused calm, and has been a great tool to me in distracting her out of rascally or tantrum-y moods. Get it... you'll be glad you did! ... Read more

Amazon.com

In this charming retelling of the "Jack and the Beanstalk" fairy tale, Wibbly the pig searches his garden for his favorite toy, Pigley. Instead, under lift-the-flap leaves, he finds a ladybug, a caterpillar, a snail, "one of these" (a weird little insect), and a bean. Wibbly puts all his things under a flowerpot, and guess what! The bean is "one of those magic ones!" It grows bigger, and--like that curious fellow, Jack--Wibbly is compelled to climb it. What happens at the top is far more pleasant than the traditional account, with nary a "fee-fi-fo-fum" or bloodthirsty giant in sight--only a gentle, perplexed giant who is looking for someone too. What results is a win-win situation for all.

Mick Inkpen's understated humor and eminently appealing watercolors have shown up in his many picture books, including Kipper's Playtime and another Wibbly favorite, Everyone Hide from Wibbly Pig. Young readers and grownups alike will delight in the simple, funny story with the (fairly sturdy) flaps. (Baby to Preschool) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Delightful and sure to charm young readers
Another charming and touching book from Mick Inkpen in which Wibbly Pig looks for his friend Pigley but only finds other interesting items in the garden. These items lead to more adventures before the two friends are re-united, and is sure to delight young lovers of lift-the-flap titles. ... Read more

Book Description

The children of a South African village eagerly gather at the crossroads to welcome their fathers, who have been away for months working in the mines. The children wait, but the men don't come. So the children keep waiting. And waiting. They wait all through the night, until the dawn brings both the day and the longed-for loved ones.A "lively portrayal of young children in a South African village eagerly awaiting their fathers' homecoming after ten months of working in the mines....A unique glimpse...and one that deserves a place in all collections."--School Library Journal ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Story of longing, happiness and joy
This book is beautiful touching story of childhood longing.

Six children wait for their fathers to come home after ten months away working in the mines.

We start their day with them as they wake in anxious anticipation. We follow them through their day with descriptive prose and amazing illustrations as they dress, go to school, make music and celebrate and wait and wait and wait.

They will not go home until their fathers arrive. The wait is longer than expected but the excitement remains high throughout this book until the beautiful end.

I just found this book
Wow! My family is from South Africa and we were thrilled when we found this book at our local bookstore. It is sooo true to life and so uplifting. It brought back all the memories we have of our home and even the colors brought back memories. I am sorry we had to leave S. Africa and I am happy that Rachel Isadora could bring back the sights, sounds and smells. I hope that by understanding the terrible situation of apartheid the country will become a better place and all the people can live together. I hope my children will understand all this someday! Thank you for such a wonderful book.....

A Good Story
At the Crossroads by Rachel Isadora is a made-up story. It is about kids waiting for their fathers to come home. They waited a long time. I think that this story is really cool and that other kids will like it. I liked the pictures a lot, except the one where the moon was orange.

"At the Crossroads"
A wonderful book telling of the warmth and love, not only in a family, but in a whole community. Eagerly awaiting the return of their fathers the children prepare a joyous welcome. Filled with rich, beautiful colors "At the Crossroads" tells a story of the love children have for their fathers, even though they may seldom see them. I felt that this really spoke of how those still at home kept the fathers 'alive' for the children. This is a wonderful book for children to see how other children live and how happy they can be with, what we would consider, so little. I use this book every year with our unit on Families. ... Read more

Amazon.com

After spending most of his 10 years in a London orphanage, Oliver Smithis horrified to discover he is the sole master of a grand old mansion. Oliver isquite satisfied with his life just as it is, but he soon finds himself ensconcedin a spooky, creaky tower bedroom in Helton Hall, under the care of his twocruelly calculating cousins, the Snodde-Brittles. Cousin Fulton and CousinFrieda, next in line to inherit the family mansion if something shouldhappen to Oliver, have offered to help him settle in to his new home. Ofcourse, if the matron of the orphanage knew that this assistance involvedrenting bloodthirsty ghosts from the Dial-a-Ghost Agency in hopes of frighteningthe boy to death, she certainly wouldn't have allowed Oliver out of her sight.As it turns out, though, there's been a bit of a mix-up at Dial-a-Ghost. Thegruesome specters intended for Helton Hall accidentally end up at a convent,while the gentle family of ghosts that wind up in Oliver's home suit him justfine, much to his evil cousins' dismay.

Eva Ibbotson has established herself as a true master of her genre with herextraordinary fantasy novels such as Which Witch? and Island of the Aunts. InDial-a-Ghost, Ibbotson continues to excel in wit, whimsy, and wisdom.It's as if one's favorite crazy aunt has dropped by to tell the kind ofconvoluted and magical story children really want to hear. (Ages 8 to 12) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Dial-a-Ghost
Dial-a-Ghost was a great book. I was expecting a book exactly like it because Eva Ibbotson always writes fantastic books. It started out with a family living in their house during the war. A bomb hit their house and they became ghosts. They went to a ghost house where normal people could rent ghosts for their house, to scare or to just live there. The nice ghosts got mixed up with the awful ghosts and disaster began. The awful ghosts went to a nuns church adn the nice ones went to a nasty old mans house who just wanted the ghosts to kill people. I all turned out OK in the end, but you will have to see what happens for yourself.
Dial-a-Ghost was just everything I thought it would be. Fun, funny, entertaining, and exciting. This book had me reading in the car for hours in a row until I finished it. I just could not put it down. If you have read the Secret of PLatform 13 then I just know you will love this book. Both of the books are similar in the way that they have fun and crazy characters adn are just fun reads. Eva Ibbotson always succeedsin writing the books that really capture my attention and I hope that you will feel the same way after reading just a couple of her books.

Written By: C.C.

A delightful, hilarious new novel from Eva Ibbotson.
Helton Hall is the haunting, grandiose mansion that has been in the Snodde Brittle family for generations. Now, hoewever, a little boy with the last name Smith is the rightful owner -- not Fulton Snodde Brittle, who is enraged at this. Oliver Smith is an orphan, and has roots to the Snodde Brittles. Fulton and his wife, Frieda, will do anything to keep Oliver from owning it -- they plan on using the Shriekers, horrifying ghosts who wear meat for jewelry and love strangling children in their sleep, to scare away Oliver for good. But one family of ghosts who are nice won't let that happen. They're determined to protect Helton Hall's rightful owner -- no matter what horrors lurk inside the mansion. Dial-A-Ghost is the fourth hilarious and witty novel by Eva Ibbotson. I enjoyed it even more than Which Witch?, an award-winning and charming fantasy novel Harry Potter fans will enjoy. Readers are going to adore this exciting new ghost story.

Dial-A-Ghost
Imagine what your life would be like if your guardians were ghosts. Oliver is an honest orphan who finds out he has inherited a fortune. Oliver's sneaky cousin,Fulton, wants the fortune for himself. He hires ghosts to murder Oliver. Due to a mix-up Fulton receives friendly ghosts instead of the murdering ghosts. The Dial-A-Ghost agency realizes their mistake. This leads to a tragic mistake. In order to clear things up they send the murdering ghosts to Oliver's home.

Eva Ibbotson develops characters wonderfully allowing the reader to view them as friends and enemies with the characters. Fulton, for example, who became my worst enemy for trying to murder shy Oliver. I did not want to put this book down to Ibbotson's ability to end chapters suspensfully. I recommend Dial-A-Ghost to people who appreciate friendship, loyalty, and an exciting plot.

(...)

Five Stars!
Dial-A-Ghost by Eva Ibbotson is one of the best books I have ever read! I really enjoyed this book because the characters are so well portrayed. The author makes it seem as if you are with these ghosts as all of these amazing things happen to them throughout the book. She writes it with such detail and passion.
It is about a family called the Wilkinsons who suddenly become ghosts when a bomb is dropped on their house in England during World War II. They then come upon the ghost of a lost little girl who cannot remember who she is or what happened to her. The Wilkinsons adopt her and try to find a home for themselves. Later, the little girl, while wandering through the streets of London, came upon an agency that finds homes for ghosts.
The Shriekers are a couple who died very gruesome deaths after they suffered a great loss. They are ghosts who need a home too, but they hate children with a passion. There is nothing that they won't do to little children. The Wilkinsons and the Shriekers are offered different homes but something happens that is unexpected and changes the lives of many people and ghosts, alike.

Dial-a-Ghost was an okay book.
When I looked at the cover of the book, I thought it looked interesting but also something someone younger than me would read. I agreed to read it because it was on the Young Adult Book List for my English class. Eva Ibbotson thought up a very clever storyline although it really isn't my kind of book. I would recommend this book only to young people who like reading about weird, not very frightening, ghost adventures. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Magic and mermaids, fierce old aunts and tenderly wicked witches,krakens and spoiled brats and adorable baby mistmakers. Eva Ibbotson is at herfinest when writing about mystical places and fantastic creatures. Her legionsof fans will be thrilled to see not one, not two, but three fabuloustitles from this master of droll fantasies collected in one thoroughlysatisfying volume.

A powerful wizard seeks a wife from among the local witches in Which Witch?. Dismayed at theprospect of warts and whiskers, yet still grimly determined, he holds a contestto establish the very wickedest witch--with surprising results. In The Secret of Platform 13, along-awaited baby prince is kidnapped from his secret island home. Nine longyears later, the king and queen select several of the rather peculiar islandersto rescue the boy from London, where, unfortunately, he seems to have grown intoquite an unpleasant child. And last but not least, The Island of the Auntsinvolves still more kidnapping. This time, three kindly but somewhat ferociouslysingle-minded aunts decide they need a few children to help them care for themythical animals that have found a safe haven on their island. Devotees of RoaldDahl and J.K. Rowling, take note! Eva Ibbotson is well worth more than a peek.(Ages 8 to 12) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (4)

I had to review it again!!!
I reviewed this book earlier, but I just reread it so I had to review it again.

1. This book looks impressing, but its really just because there are three books inside it. The pages are also thick, so its really not that bad.

2. You should get this book because it is very fresh and refreshing. It seems like you get more out of the book because there are three stories, so there are three plots, three expositions, three rising actions, three climaxes, and three resolutions.

3.Eva Ibbotson uses creative plots to get your attention. I was very surprised at the plots of the stories, but it was a pleasant surprise.

4. You REALLY should GET this BOOK!!!!!!!!

I DEFINETELY recommend this book to you!!!!!!!!!!

Very creative!!!
This book was really good! I was waiting for the next Harry Potter book to come out when I saw this book. I was really glad I got it. It wasn't just filler. I really liked the way Eva Ibbotson made a whole different world, but it still felt like that world might actually be there. In Island of the Aunts, she shows how important it is to conserve nature and it's wonders. She was able to give that message without being depressing, like other books sometimes are.

Island of the Aunts
I read the book Island of the Aunts by Eva Ibbotson. It was fairly enjoyable though a bit boring in some parts. The story is about 3 aunts who live on a magical island, and are worried about what will happen to the creautres when they die, so they kidnap two children Minette and Fabio. The story then goes on to be about what happens when they come, and problems with the kidnapping. Girls and Boys ages 10 - 13.

Fantasy hilarity
Eva Ibbotson is best known for her kids' fantasies - funny, wry, and just a little off-kilter. Her universe is full of wizards and witches, princes and magic, droll and bizarre.

"Which Witch?" involves Arriman the Awful, a wizard who has to seek a wife (no matter how hideous the available witches are) and ends up on a magical adventure with an orphaned boy and a white witch...

"The Secret of Platform 13" may appeal to Harry Potter fans, with the tale of a magical squad sent to retrieve a prince to an alternate universe. The problem is, as far as they can tell the prince is now a bratty and unbearable ten-year-old child...

"The Island of the Aunts" is delightfully kooky: Three kind but bizarro aunts, with a menagerie of strange beasts and creatures, decide that children are needed, on their safe island...

Ibbotson is fantastic, with just the right level of absurdity to appeal to fans of comedy, and the right level of otherworldliness for fantasy lovers. Her pace is snappy, only lagging in a few places (such as 2/3 of the way through "Platform 13") and her characters are endearingly quirky ("And our feet are FREEZING!"). Please leave solemnity at the door and enjoy this threepack! ... Read more

Book Description

Kipper wants to choose a pet for Pig's birthday present. The rabbit is too sleepy, the guinea pigs are too timid, the mouse is too shy, and the stick insect is boring. But the hamster? The hamster is perfect. He can even do roly-polies!
But will Kipper actually be able to give Roly away?
... Read more

Reviews (2)

Another delightful Kipper book.
We borrowed this one from the library. My 3 year old loved it! One of his favourite parts is where Kipper builds an adventure contraption for Roly to climb on/slide down/etc. We had fun following each sequential picture to find out what Roly was going to go on next. Definitely a fun book.

A charming delight.
If you are at all familiar with Kipper and his adventures, you will adore this book. My husband and I shared this book with our 2 and 1/2 year old, and it is one of her all time favorites.
Mr. Inkpen's soft, charming illustrations along with his witty and sweet style of story telling make this book so appealing, that you will be happy to read it "over and over" again to your child. Pick it up and fall in love.

Here's the outline: Kipper's friend Pig sends out a wish list for his birthday party, so Kipper visits a pet store to buy him the perfect gift. After carefully considering the many creatures in the shop, ("The stick insect... too much like a stick.") he finds a hamster and brings it home to give to Pig the next day. He names the hamster Roly, after dicovering the "tricks" he can do. Kipper adores Roly and wishes he didn't have to give him up the next day as a present to Pig. After he arrives at Pig's house, he discovers that Pig has received many pets as presents, so many in fact, that Pig, asks Kipper if he wouldn't mind "keeping Roly for him" - much to Kipper's delight. ... Read more