Book Description

Pluck a fat bass, play me an ace.

Trumpet a song, groove the night long. Saxophone jive, keep us alive!

When a jazz trio begins playing under a streetlamp, everyone comes out to listen and dance. It's Harlem in the 1930s, and jazz has the power to make them groove. Combining her fine oil painting style with computer-manipulated colors, Rachel represents the shapes and colors of jazz in a tribute to Duke Ellington with a nod toward painters Klee and Kandinsky. Operating almost wordlessly, the innovative visuals are sprinkled with riffs of slang in snappy couplets-telling a bigger story of how the influence of jazz goes far beyond the neighborhood in this book. This tour de force brings jazz alive for the youngest children. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A visually striking celebration of jazz
"Bring on That Beat," by Rachel Isadora, is a book that celebrates jazz through poetry and illustrations. The book jacket notes that it takes place in Harlem in the 1930s.

The illustrations are primarily in black-and-white, with a charcoal-like look. Superimposed on these illustrations are playfully surreal multicolored accents. The result is quite striking; the book has a visual style that bursts with fun and energy.

The illustrations capture many marvelous images: children dancing, a band jamming on a rooftop, a brilliantly lit-up city skyline, a trumpeter lit by streetlight. Duke Ellington is celebrated in the book's poetry: "Duke Ellington-- / King o' the sun. / Cool as a cat, / He's where it's at." "Bring On" is an excellent celebration of American culture.

Hot Hot Hot
This is just the best book I have ever seen. I mean this! I am a music teacher in Southern California in the public school system and a student's parent showed it to me. I went on line to order a copy and saw this review option and decided that this was such a fantastic book I had to put in the time to tell people. I hope this gets published. I loved this book because it makes you really see music.....jazz. It sings. I could see the sounds. I showed it to my 5th graders and they had a blast and decided to do a project based on it. They are composing music with pictures to accompany it. What a thrill to have someone create such a book! Jazz is the love of my life and this is just GREAT! ... Read more

Book Description

Look into the very core of the Big Apple. What do you see? Skyscrapers and subways, park benches and beach chairs, and adults and children--playing, laughing, working, and living together in the city. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

good for ESL class
Each page contains one verb in the present participle.
Good for a lesson on verb forms.

good for teaching ESL
The text consists of verbs in the present participle.
This makes an easy pattern for students of English as a second language to follow.
Furthermore, it offers welcome help in a difficult area: verbs. ... Read more

Book Description

A re-telling of the story of creation with emphasis on how God wants us to take care of His world.Fun interactive pages with pop-up art, mixed matched animals and other entertaining fun surprises.

Reviews (1)

Pure magic
This is a truly wonderful book. If you want to buy a book for a child in the age range 4-8, think seriously about this book. It is the story of creation with a religious bent, but not wandering too far from scientific accuracy, leaving the reader with an environmental message and a self-affirmation. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

For the youngest of "readers"
This is an affectionate but very basic beginning book for babies, with soft illustrations and situations little ones can relate to.My 18 month old identified with the events depicted in this book; it would also be appropriate for younger children as well.Some parents and children I know are crazy about this and the author's similar books, "I See," and "I Touch."You might want to give them a try as well; they are very similar in content and style. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The absolute best!
I received this book as a baby gift many years ago, 10 years to be exact. I read this story to my child every single night until she was 3 and she always found it to be refreshing! I am so sorry this book is out of print, but if you can get a copy at a reasonable price, it is well worth it. A great bedtime story!

Adorable and wonderful for preschool readers!
This has been one of our family's very favorite books of all time! My daughter made it part of her night-time ritual each night beginning when she was about 18-months-old. The story involves counting, and there's a small mystery on each page to determine where the caterpillar is hiding! The pictures are simple, fun, sweet, and not overwhelming, which is just what you want before bedtime. If you can get hold of a copy, DO SO ASAP! ... Read more

Book Description

Kiper no sabe si prefiere la Navidad o la Nochebuena. Despu&eacutes de decorar el &aacuterbol con sus amigos y compartir con ellos los regalos y la alegr&iacutea de las fiestas, por fin toma una decisi&oacuten. A los niños les encantar&aacute la lucecita roja intermitente que aparece al final de este libro tan festivo. ... Read more

Book Description

The classic tale of bittersweet love, "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" chronicles the story of a toy tin soldier and his love for a beautiful toy dancer. It is believed that author Hans Christian Andersen's unrequited love for the singer Jenny Lind inspired this timeless story. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Classic tale, well told
This book tells the classic tale of the one-legged tin soldier who falls in love with a paper ballerina.The soldier suffers a series of misadventures, including being placed at the helm of a doomed paper boat, being chased by a rat, and swallowed by a fish.It's a wonderful tale that will hold older children spellbound.The illustrations are delightful.All told, the book has about 2000 words.

THIS STORY MADE ME CRY AS A CHILD
A little boy had a set of tin soldiers that were made from a melted spoon.One soldier was missing a leg because there was not enough metal left over from the melted spoon.

Tossed aside by the boy, the one-legged soldier sees a paper cut out figure of a ballerina.She is poised on one leg and he feels an instant bond.He has found another one-legged toy and believes this to be love.

The steadfast tin soldier has a series of mishaps.He falls off the window sill into a stream.From there, he is transported to a rat infested sewer.He is swallowed by a fish and through an unlikely stroke of luck, winds up back in the boy's playroom with the other toys and the ballerina.

The ending is what gets to me every single time.A gust of wind lifts the paper ballerina up and she flutters into the fire place, winding up a charred heap of ashes.Devastated, the tin soldier joins her.The remaining metal that was once the tin soldier is a charred piece of heart shaped metal.

I still think this is a very sad story.The photographs really emphasize the feeling this story evokes.

great book!
I taught 1st grade for 4 years and all of the teachers in my grade passed this book around at Christmas to read to our class.I cried everytime I read it.It has a wonderful message and my kids in my classroom always loved it!I have now (finally) purchased my own copy of this book to read to my little girl.It is a classic and I know she will love it as much as I do.Every home should have this book to read at Christmastime.

Brilliant! Improves on the original version.
This is a really good book. It has all the characteristic's that made the original a cherished and remembered fairy tale. It is a great gift for any young child, and can be enjoyed by adults too. It maintains the feel of theoriginal tale, but is more like a poem. The art work on each page isbeautiful, and the pictures are totally devine. I would recomend buyingthis for a different and fully enjoyable version of the original. ... Read more