Reviews (2)

Rip Van Winkle
Rip Van Winkle is a story of an regular man that came in contact with some irregular people that would change his life forever. It all started out one day when Rip decided to go hunting with his dog. Up to this point in his search for freedom, he had lived a sleepy and uneventfull life with two kids and a wife. He was always trying to get out of work and find a way out of doing everything. One day he gets fed up with his life and finds himself out in the woods hunting;There he gets asked by a strange man to carry a keg to a nine pin party. Also during this party he ends up getting drunk and finds himself dosing off to sleep. When he finally wakes up he has a long white beard and twenty years older! He had fallen asleep for twenty years and found that he was now old, grey and still alive. At this point in the story he goes back to the village where he had lived for so long and finds that his wife and friends had all passed away and had left him. He also finds that his daughter got married and was raising a family. She sees him one day and recognizes him to be the man that was once her father. At this point in Rip's life, all he wants to do is settle down and he is satisified to become the village story teller to all who would hear his tales. This is a tale of suspense and just plain old good reading for all ages. It was written many years ago and could speak to all people of all ages and races. I would recomend this book to anyone from my Grandfather to the Queen of England.

Classic folk tales from the father of American literature.
Washington Irving's (1783-1859) claim to fame is as a pioneer of American fiction, and he is widely recognized as the "father of American literature." The book that especially propelled him to fame was "The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent." which contained his two most famous fantasy stories - "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" - both of which are contained in this collection.

But it is not merely his ground-breaking efforts that garnered him literary recognition, because Irving's stories are at the same time characterized by charming and colourful prose befitting a skilled writer. The stories in this collection (the "Puffin Classics" series) are an excellent sampling of his craft. It's not always easy reading - in fact many of these stories would be too dense even for older children. His vocabulary is extensive, and sentences structure verbose and lengthy - a style rather unlike that employed by contemporary writers. But despite this, Irving demonstrates a wonderful command of the English language, and has the ability to create a vivid picture of his setting, characters and events. Particularly delightful is the attention he devotes to describing his characters. And yet his stories are far from mere character portraits - they are exciting and enchanting tales that make the reader eager to find out the outcome.

"Rip Van Winkle" has gained the status of a classic, and is familiar to most children, but likely few have read Irving's original. It breathes an authenticity and air not found in the contemporary abridged versions of the story. Irving presents his tale as the alleged discovered manuscript (complete with postscript) of the late Diedrich Knickerbocker. The delightful story of Rip Van Winkle - who fell asleep in the Catskill mountains after drinking a mysterious brew acquired from some strange little men, and then awoke 20 years later - will continue to please readers old and new. In the course of the story, Irving makes a profound social comment about the changes happening in his America. "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is renowned for its chilling tale of the Headless Horseman, and is a Halloween favorite. Actually, however, it is much more than that. It is not so much a spooky tale of a legendary village ghost as it is a colourful tale about two rival suitors. Ichabod Crane is a simple school teacher who is in love with Katrina Van Tassel, and equally in love with the estates of her father, a wealthy Dutch farmer. His counter-part is the powerful local hero Bram Bones, whose affections for Katrina mirror those of Ichabod Crane, and who is determined to put an end to the affections of underdog Crane by a mysterious and elaborate trickery. As is evident also in his other stories, it is particularly fascinating how Irving exploits the supernatural superstitions of the popular mind to create a sense of mystery and fear, but himself gives a naturalist explanation that rises above such popular notions by explaining the supernatural with natural events.

Though lesser known, the other three stories in the "Puffin Classics" collection are equally enjoyable. "The Spectre Bridegroom" is one of the most fascinating tales in the collection. A young man is mistaken for a bridegroom and received into the castle of a wealthy baron as the husband of the baron's daughter. But before the marriage can be consummated, the bridegroom dashes off, and the baron's family hears shortly afterwards that he's been killed. But then who appears again except the bridegroom - or is it his ghost? - to steal his bride and vanish once more! In the end, it is a satisfying tale more of brilliant scheming than of ghosts - although the fearful superstitions of the general public about the supernatural play an important role in the effective execution of these schemes. "The Pride of the Village" is the tragic tale of a young lady whose heart pines in love for an army officer who has deserted her, only to die at his feet when he returns. "Mountjoy" is a wonderful study of an apparently incurable romantic, described by Irving as a "Castle-Builder". When Mr. Mountjoy discovers a delicate footprint on a sandy shore, his passion for metaphysics, creativity and romance leads him to dream up an imaginary beautiful young maiden, and he promptly fall passionately in love with the nymph of his dreams. The air castle he builds and its accompanying romanticism is crushed numerous times, even drowned, but each time is renewed and revived, just when it seems that "the cobweb romance I had been spinning" would be demolished completely. In the end Mr. Mountjoy meets the girl of his dreams, only to discover that his air castles need to be reshaped once more, and in the end, destroyed completely.

Readers used to the easy diet of modern fiction will find the pioneering work of Washington Irving rather tough to chew on. But those who delight in tasting words, biting on imaginative characters and settings, with a few sips of suspense and supernatural in the process, will discover that Washington Irving's stories are just the literary serving they are renowned to be: a classic. Irving won't please all children of the modern era. But children of literature who have acquired a fine literary taste will find that despite the heightened language of his time, Irving is still digestible and enjoyable. ... Read more

Book Description

Humphrey is a small ghost with a big problem. His family has lost their home, and they're off to find a new haunting ground.But soon Humphrey and his parents discover that ghosts all over the country are being turned out as dank castles are converted to cheerful tourist hotels. Humphrey knows something must be done to help the homeless ghosts. And with the help of a sympathetic schoolboy named Rick, maybe he can do something to aid all the ghosts of England after all. . . . ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Eva Ibbostons wild Ghost adventure
Eva Ibbostons "The great ghost rescue"is a great book.Its filled with gruesome ghosts and humor that only makes the book better. It has strong details and great characters.It is a book that is hard to put down.Eva Ibbotsons great humor and strong characters last through the entire story.Wich leads me to believe that Eva Ibbostons"The great ghost rescue" deserves 5 stars.

Almost "Great"
What if ghosts not only were among us, but required gross, run-down castles, abbeys and ruins to live in? And what if renovations and pollution made them sick? This goofy tale of a cute ghost, a conscientious schoolboy, and a bunch of freaky spooks is an amusing light read, even with its preachy passages.

Humphrey the Horrible is a ghost -- a cute, light, pinkish ghost, son of a Hag and a legless Scottish ghost. He and his family live in a ruined castle... but all that changes when headless Aunt Hortensia arrives, having been forced out of her old home. Soon all the ghosts are homeless, and looking for a ghastly new place to dwell. They end up spending the night at a boy's dormitory, and enlisting the help of one of the boys there, Rick.

A plan is formed: Rick can go ask the Prime Minister to help find a "ghost sanctuary." When they arrive in London (with a water spirit, family of vampire bats and mad monk they picked up), Rick manages to argue the ghosts' case, and get them a hideous old castle. But their new home may be even more dangerous than the old one -- and could destroy all the spooks of England.

Don't expect anything too deep from Eva Ibbotson, and you'll be satisfied. Few people can actually write light fantasy, and her flair for the grotesque (the Shuk, a one-eyed disfigured dog, or playing games with Aunt Hortensia's head) adds to the goofiness of it all.

Ibbotson's writing is quirky and full of entertaining puns and poignant moments. Not to mention that over-the-top British style, with an almost conversational feel and plenty of icky moments. The book sags about halfway through, with some rather preachy stretches about vegetarianism and pollution. But when the exorcists show up and the witches are enlisted, things kick back into high gear.

Humphrey is reminiscent of the white witch from "Which Witch?" -- he's supposed to be grotesque, but ends up being cuddly. Rick comes across as a much more solid character, especially when he saves the life of a baby vampire bat. And the other ghosts are a motley bunch, with their own unique complaints and quirks (Humphrey's brother utters bloodcurdling shrieks).

"The Great Ghost Rescue" is a fun light fantasy, dripping with humor and ectoplasm. An entertaining if somewhat brief read, for the ghost-lovers out there.

The great ghost rescue
The Great Ghost Rescue is a very good book. The main character is Humphrey the Horrible. Humphrey is a ghost. Humphrey is a bit of a disappointment to his mother and father. He doesn't moan or wail, his ectoplasm is pinkish, and he can't even disappear properly. Humphrey's mother is a hag, and Humphrey's father is a Scottish ghost with a sword sticking out of his chest. Humphrey's brother is a screaming scull, and his sister constantly moans because she can't reach her bowl of water to clean off her bloodstains. Yes, Humphrey's parents are worried about him.

One day Aunt Hortensia came to live with the family. She has been forced out of the place she was haunting, and decided to come live in the old castle that Humphrey's family haunts. She brought with her stories of lots of ghosts being forced out of their old haunts or of being forced to haunt places like butcher shops (oh horror!). The family was staunch in their belief that whatever happened out in the rest of the world, they would be safe here.

However the unthinkable happened. Developers came to their castle and started to turn it into an amusement place. The family leaves, seeking a new place. They spend the night in a boardinghouse. At the boardinghouse they meet a boy named Rick. Rick is already mad at the injustices people are doing to animals, and is shocked to see that ghosts share the threat of extinction. He wants to help the ghosts and decides that they need to create a Ghost Sanctuary.

This is the story of Rick going to the Prime Minister and asking for a ghost sanctuary. It is also, more importantly, about how Humphrey realizes that he doesn't have to be Horrible, he is fine the way he is.

The story is written in that creative style that always characterizes Ibbotson's work. It is a wonderful book and I really enjoyed it.

Loggie-log-log-log

Funny and Creepy
Being close to halloween I chose this book to read for enjoyment as well as a way to fulfill an assignment for a class I am taking. The book jacket told of a young English boy's journey as he tries to help some creepy and strange spirits find a new home after being evicted from their castle where they have spent the last 500 years. Along the way other ghosts, vampire bats and spooks help the young man on his way to Parliament to plead with the government to help the homeless spirits. The unusual array of characters really adds to the story.
I think the story has enough humor and "grossness" to keep young readers entertained. Humphrey the Horrible and his ghost family are an interesting bunch. His father, the Gliding Kilt, his mother,the Hag, his sister, Weeping Winifred, and his brother George, the Screaming Skull together make up the leaders of a band of residence challenged ghouls.
Besides being entertaining the story also has some serious yet subtle messages in it. Most of the ghosts are being misplaced because their old homes and haunts are being destroyed by progress. Old castles are being turned into hotels, haunted houses are being torn down to make subdivisions, and old barns are even being turned into bowling alleys. "Hard to haunt with all those bright lights and bowling balls making all that rachet!" says one ghost. This one underlying plot may make readers think about and form opinions about how progress affects our world.
I would recommend this book for young readers. While not being very scary at all it is entertaining and there may even be a few lessons to be learned.

Fun and intelligent!
This is the first book of Ibbotson's that I've read and I enjoyed it. It makes you laugh, makes you think, and makes you care. I think it's a great book for children mainly because it makes them think while having fun. There's enough 'gross'ness to say 'ughhhh!' and laugh, giggle and shows how we can DO something about the world around us if we really cared and tried to contribute positively to it.

It's a well-written book. ... Read more

Book Description

Where is Kipper going? To the beach? The farm? The pond? It's a big surprise. . . .
... Read more

Book Description

Lili loves ballet, and now she gets a chance to see what goes on behind the scenes. She peeks into the makeup room, the wig room, and the prop room before arriving at her final destination, the orchestra pit. There her grandfather awaits her with a special surprise. This vibrantly illustrated off-stage tour of the ballet is packed with detail and brimming with pre-performance excitement.

"Isadora's watercolors demonstrate the myriad details needed to create the magic of a ballet performance." --The Horn Book

* A Picture Puffin
* Full-color illustrations
* 32 pages
* Ages 3-8 ... Read more

Book Description

Kipper coombs the beach for the perfect tip to his sandcastle. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Kipper can't decide which he likes better, Christmas Eve or ChristmasDay. But on Christmas Eve, too excited to decide, he just whoops and chargesinto the woods to find a Christmas tree. After much effort, he pulls his chosentree out of the ground and begins to drag it home, meeting his friend Pig andPig's little cousin, Arnold, along the way. Kipper and Pig are too wrapped up intheir discussion of what they want for Christmas to notice the little somethingextra Kipper is bringing home with his tree! But Arnold sees, and spends therest of the day trying to point it out to an oblivious Kipper.

Mick Inkpen's Kipper, star of the Nick Jr. TV show and many Kipper books(Kipper's Bathtime,(Kipper's Snowy Day, andlots more), is as cute and lovable as ever in this Christmas book. Young readerswill identify with his excitement as he decorates his tree, exchanges presents,and dreams about Santa Claus. And they'll chuckle with delight as they watch themousy little guest Kipper brings home nibbling on Santa's cookies. A reindeerhat with a glowing red nose, Kipper's gift to Arnold, makes a fun surpriseappearance in the inside back cover, as Arnold peers out his window with a realred light flashing on his head. (Ages 3 to 6) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Fun Family Christmas with Kipper
My three year old daughter has had this book for two weeks (we got it after Christmas!) and asks me to read it to her at least several times a day - without giving too much away the surprise on the last page has her fascinated! The story is a really lovely one, Mum's and Dad's will enjoy it as much as the littlies!

A New Christmas Favorite
Kipper's Christmas Eve is a delightful holiday book that will be a hit with all young children. Mick Inkpen's Kipper characters are darling as ever as they prepare for Christmas by finding and decorating a Christmas tree, exchanging gifts and waiting for Santa. There is a cute little stowaway mouse that children will enjoy looking for on each page and the lighted surprise at the end will be fun for all. This will be a great holiday book to read and reread. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Enter the Magicial World of Eva Ibbotson...
Eva Ibbotson's world is a place where imagination abounds and witches and wizards live happily with ogres, hags, mermaids and krakens. In the tradition of Roald Dahl, J.K. Rowling and E. Nesbit, these three novels are packed with crisp humor and droll characters. From the motley band of rescuers searching London for their missing prince in The Secret of Platform 13, to Belladonna, the young witch who needs to do something awful in order to win the hand of a handsome wizard in Which Witch?, to the three kindly old aunts who kidnap children to help care for the creatures living on the Island of the Aunts, these hilarious tales will sweep readers away to a world of pure fantasy and fun.

This is a great introductory set to Eva Ibbotson's entertaining writing. All three are well written, funny and appropriate for younger children. The books are recommended for ages 8 and up, but I think that many younger readers would also understand and appreciate this series, especially if they were read with a parent. Ibbotson does a very nice job of describing the different magical creatures and helping younger readers understand what is going on, but it is not in any way boring for older readers. These three books are not a series and do not share any of the same characters, but are a fun introduction to a wonderful fantasy author! Check these out while you wait for Ms. Rowling to finish the next Harry Potter book!

great set
This is a nice way to own these three books. The stories are not connected and can be read in any order, they do not share the same characters or locations. But they do share a similar whimsical flavor that is hard to describe without reading yourself. I really enjoyed each of these books on their own very much, so much so that I returned to Amazon.com to buy this box set for my Aunt, another adult who enjoys childrens fantasy adventure yarns. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Prayers, Praises and Thanksgivings
This is a beautifully illustrated volume useful for all ages in helping young people to become thoughtful, introspective and prayerful. It contains simple prayers, words and ideas for the very young and broader, more complex ideas for children as they grow. It also serves to demonstrate a commonality of spiritual interests and views across a broad spectrum of ideology

Beautiful way to add daily thanks to God
Stoddard, known for children's religious works (A Child's First Bible; The Doubleday Illustrated Children's Bible), turns to contemplative religion for children in this work. A beautifully illustrated collection of prayers develops through three stages. Beginnings, aimed at the new to prayer, is a compendium of short, easily memorized verses of thanks to God. Reaching Out turns the focus onto the more mature in belief, encouraging thanksgiving and wonder at daily blessings. The Great Journey is aimed at even older and more mature supplicants, perhaps better appreciated by parents than the children at whom the book is aimed. Isadora's gentle watercolor illustrations highlight the bounty of nature, and tenderly reflect the variety of cultures from which Stoddard has chosen her prayers. While Beginnings is composed of mostly Western ritual prayers, the book progresses into a wider circle of faiths, from Native American to Muslim to Hawaiian. It is also highly diverse in age, from ancient chants to modern poems reflecting a wonder and joy in remembering God's hand in daily life. The index to first lines is helpful in finding favorites long forgotten or newly enjoyed. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

Superbasaurus!
This is a really fun pop-up book which would bring a smile to faces of any age. Bright, colourful and poptastic! Unfortunately it is no longer in print. If you get a chance to buy a copy - GRAB IT! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Not my favourite Kipper book.
We borrowed this one from the library. In this book, Tiger has a new torch (flashlight, for the non-Brits). He wants to try it out so Kipper and Tiger go for a camp-out in the woods. They are attempting to read a "scary" story, but then they hear a loud "SCREECH" in the woods. The noise is not explained in the book, although the pair guess that it must have been an owl that made the noise. Next a shadow appears on the tent wall. It turns out to be a snail - not scary at all! Finally, the two friends return home and read the book inside the house. Even though this book has a "safe" ending, the screech noise, "scary" book, and shadow on the tent wall did not make this a book that my 3 year old wanted to read again and again. Instead, after one or two readings, it sat on the table, unopened, until it was returned to the library. This is not one that I, personally, would buy. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

An absolute favorite for any age! Great illustrations!
One copy of this book just isn't enough! We would love to share this as gifts to all our friends and family with children! The illustrations are wonderful and the flip-page format works very well with the story. Our sonwas always anxious to flip the page to find out what noise might bedisturbing the tired princess (it's been one of his favorites since he wasone). Lullabyhullaballoo is a clever story which uses "fun" wordsfor children - - "ghosts and the goblins are guzzling and gobbling andslurping and burping... what shall we do?". Our 3 year old son nowreads it to our 9 month old son and we're sure it will be repeated foryears and years. We highly recommend this book to anyone who loveschildren's books! We're anxious to read more from Inkpen - - especiallysince Nick Jr. has added Inkpen's "Kipper" to its preschoolweekday line-up.

Terrific book for children of a variety of ages.
We feel fortunate to have found this book at a garage sale.From the first reading, our daughter (age 18 months at the time) has loved it.Inkpen creates beautiful illustrations which enhance the delightful story. Our satisfaction with the emotions conveyed through both the story anddrawings led to our search for more from this talented children's author. We can't wait to get our hands on "Nobody."Highly recommended.

great book for child participation-fun reading experience!
I read this to my one year old and he loved it!It had great scenes that my son could participate in (giant stomping, etc), and I think itcontributed to a great start in our reading experience.We read it over and over and over again until he'd practically memorized it.(I'm here looking for other books by the same author :)It's written for the older child (book says ages 5-8).It's a fun book, though, and I think if your child has a good attention span for books, it could be read at any age. ... Read more