Reviews (1)

Makeup Mess Review
Makeup Mess is a very good book! I liked it because it was funny to see how the character Julie, portrayed a real little girl. That is because the author wrote it about his daughter Julie. I would definitely recommend this book to little girls. I don't think little boys would enjoy this particular book. But since I'm all for kids reading at young ages, I would recommend the book Pigs. It too, is written by Robert Munsch! I think all kids will enjoy this book. Overall I think Makeup Mess is a very good book and deserves 4 stars! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Red Riding Hood
This book is a very good re-telling of the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood. (Mom tells Red to take a basket of goodies to Grandma, as she isn't feeling well. Also instructs girl not to talk to strangers. Red takes basket of goodies to grandma, meets wolf on the way. Wolf has charming manners, and Red explains where she is going to him. Wolf beats Red to Grandma's house, gobbles up Grandma, and puts on nightcap and glasses. When Red comes to door wolf eats her too. Luckily for them, a hunter comes along and saves them by killing the wolf and cutting him open.)

This version sticks right to the classic, with only a slight, funny twist at the end. The illustrations are bright, bold, colorful and very cute. The story is told in a straightforward, unadorned manner. Granny has a wonderful personality, and the whole book is wonderful. My favorite part is where Granny gets mad at the wolf for coming into her house and interrupting her reading.

Loggie log log log

Old school red riding hood!
Hold onto your hats! This version is the one I grew up with!
Y'know, where RRH and her granny get EATEN! Gasp, swoon! AND its written with the good ol' James Marshall humor. I loved it as an adult. I read it to my 4 yr old preschool class, not knowing it had the "surprise" ending...tee hee...they were a bit shocked to know that RRH and granny get eaten instead of being locked up in the closet or chased around the room. What will their parents think? The room was dead silent when the wolf gobbled them up, humorously, of course. Nah, I recommend this book for those who want to keep up the tradition in the fairy tale world. Thanks, James Marshall, for braving political correctness' delicacy and doing up the true tale just right!

A delight
I can't recommend James Marshall's fairy tale rehashes more enthusiastically. They are SO funny. By all means buy them all for your children. See also "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" and "The Three Little Pigs." ... Read more

Book Description

It's a rainy day and things keep going wrong but Little Critterfinds out that even the worst day can always change for the better. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Offers valuable lessons for young kids!
My 4 and 6 year old kids love the little Critter books, especially the 4 year old. They love the the funny pictures and how Mom and Dad usually add amusing commentary to the text. Just a Bad Day is entertaining and can help young children learn how to deal with negative feelings and situations.

... I am glad I went ahead and bought it. This book hardly teaches terrible lessons. If you can think back to when you were a child, the incidents in this book are all valid reasons for having a bad day (although my kids love oatmeal and I don't think a little book like this is going to change their minds!).

On the contrary, this book has some positive things to say. I know my kids indentify with the little Critter in this story (as they do in all the little Critter books) - what kid hasn't been upset by things out of their control - with a rainy day or a broken toy, or the annoying actions of a sibling? ...

In identifying with Little Critter, children learn that they're not alone and that their feelings of boredom, frustration and anger are valid. And that negative feelings can quickly turn around and become positive And being able to laugh at the pictures shows kids how to find humour even in difficult situations, which is something that can be important to them while growing up and learning's life's lessons. We sit down as a family and read this book together - we even act out the situations, talk about how the Critter is feeling and discuss what positive things HE might do to improve his day (especially if you still don't like the idea of a new toy, a material object, being the reason for his day getting better) or how he can plan ahead to ensure that the next rainy day is good one.

...

Just a Bad Day
I just love these "little Critter" books. They're cute and easy for toddlers to relate to. Coming from a small person, having oatmeal for breakfast might just be a reason for a bad day. Again, this is a toddler book and I don't think kids will expect to be given a toy every time they have a bad day.

Not a positive book
This is the only book I have ever actually thrown out! The book lists all the reasons that the Little Critter is having such a terrible day - only the reasons aren't really terrible (such as having to eat oatmeal instead of sugary cereal) or they are the consequence of some action by the critter (he leaves his toys out and they are damaged). The "happy ending" is that everything is OK because the Dad buys the critter a new toy. This book sends a variety of terrible messages to children.

Really loved it, discussion about feelings, excellent
I really enjoy all the mercer Mayer books and this one I used for a kindergarten activity. I made up magnetic pieces and discussed with the children about feelings. Excellent book. ... Read more

Book Description

The Stupid family celebrates the children's awful report cards by inviting their relatives to a costume party. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Allard and Marshall do it again!
Harry Allard and James Marshall once again create a masterpiece, featuring the Stupids. Everything about this is perfect - the plot, the details, the illustrations that add the perfect counterpart to the text. I read this book with my family as a child, and we frequently had to stop to catch our breath because we were laughing too hard to read. Can't wait to read it to my children. ... Read more

Book Description

Finally... She's written The Book on Dragons.

Anne McCaffrey is as renowned for her knowledge of dragons as she is for her New York Times bestselling novels. In this beautifully designed hardcover, McCaffrey focuses her attention on the fantastical creature's existence throughout history. Her words are complemented by the stunning color portraits by John Howe, noted for his success with several J.R.R. Tolkien calendars and maps.

Engagingly conceived, McCaffrey's story is a moderndaydragon fantasy, colored with excerpts of some of the most thrilling scenes taken from classic dragon tales and accompanied by John Howe's magnificent art. Dragons from the time of the Bible and the Babylonians, the Arthurian Era and the Chinese Dynasties, to the currentdragons invented by Robin McKinley, Gordon R. Dickson, Melanie Rown, and McCaffrey herself--are all fully explored and rendered in glorious detail.

At once a thrilling history, a charming fantasy, and a tantalizing art book, A Diversity of Dragons is sure to find a place beside Anne McCaffrey's other bestsellers. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Superb art, an engaging story, but not a reference source.
At first glance Diversity looks like a children's book. It has the same glossy-cover appearance that dominates the juvenile section of bookstores. Inside, though, the text aims at an older audience. Anne McCaffrey's engaging story, which links together the information gleaned about various types of dragons, seems more suited for fans of her Pern series than for someone who really wants to learn things about dragons. The book suffers from enigmatic chapter titles that organize the material around when it is presented in the fictional story rather than around what types of dragons are being discussed. There are a few attempts at charts in the back, but there is no index, which would have aided a reader who wanted to locate information about specific dragon-types. While the coverage of dragons found in modern fantasy novels is excellent, information about ancient and medieval dragons is a bit lightweight. The emphasis is more on excerpting examples from famous stories rather than discussing the details about the dragons themselves. Sidebars, giving statistics and descriptions for each type, would have helped the reader separate the actual information about dragons from Ms. McCaffrey's storytelling. Discussions of the iconographic interpretation of the dragons for their original audience or the function of the various dragons within their historical or cultural context would have aided the reader's understanding of the material as well. Translations used to compile the work are a proverbial "mixed bag." The majority is neither the most authoritative nor the most current on the topic. The research is heavily weighted toward Celtic and modern dragon-types with some forays into Germanic and Christian traditions. Greeks, Persians, and a smattering of other types of dragons are touched upon. But the wealth of dragon material from Asia is scarcely mentioned, and other non-Indo-European cultures suffer a largely similar fate. John Howe's artwork, however, is the major reason dragonlovers will want to own this book. The images are stunning and well justify the oversized--and awkward to hold while reading--format of the book. Diversity is gorgeous and an entertaining way to spend an evening reading. But anyone who expects to use the text as a resource to learn about various types of dragons is in for something of a frustrating read.

interesting and completly worth your time
I found this Anne McCaffrey book to be interesting, especially since I happened to read most of the books, or knew most of the storys referenced to in A Diversity of Dragons. The simple characters (including herself) were straightfoward, yet evasive, and the plot was complicated in its simplicity. The art work was extrordinary, and could only be displayed properly in the large book. Everytime I look at it I am amazed at the generous detail. All in all I believe that this book rates a five star for its simple honesty. Niether defending dragons or bashing them, but sharing their truths. This book is completely worth your time.

Wonderful Art
This is strictly a story book, and wonderfully done. This is not meant to be a reference book. I love this book and keep it displayed in my living room.

Beautiful pictures, though...
I got this book because I was doing a report about Dragons indifferent mythologies, and because I'm a fan of McCaffrey's. My firstreaction was: "What a HUGE book!" They could have made asmaller edition of it so it would actually fit my bookshelf. The pictures were beautiful, although it was sometimes slightly hard to tell which picture went with which story. The plot was okay, since it obviously wasn't meant to be a very fascinating one, although the ending completely let me down. An index of the dragons and page number references would also have proved extremely helpful, since the mythical and new-age dragons were completely scattered together. The worst part of the book I think were the quotes. Some of them got me interested in the books and made me add them to my wishlist, but most were just utterly boring. Also, at the end where the dragons were listed in tables, I found them to be scattered around completely wrong. Somebody seemed to have messed up with their computer. The reason I'm still giving this book 4 stars is for the paintwork, though. If you like fantasy art, this book will be excellent for you.

Alternates between glorious and pitiable
While A Diversity of Dragons is an indispensable resource on the history and development of dragons and their kin in both myth and fiction, the book's author ruined a great creation by adding an utterly stupid plot. It reads exactly like Webster's Unabridged sounds in audiobook format. The art looks great [in places], but for most of the time it looks as if the paint was covered with several layers of fine dust. Some sort of organization would have also helped this dying wonder - unless you are trying to read this unwieldy 1.5'x1' tome cover to cover, you will have no chance of finding a specific dragon reference. At the very least, they should have organized them into Legends and Modern Fiction. The plot, as mentioned earlier, is a true monster: a young man stumbles to Anne's house crying that he has trouble with dragons. Next follows a tea party that goes on for three days, after which the young man leads the group to a dragon's lair under his house. Abominable.

This thin and yet monstrously oversized volume tore gashes in my skin with its razor-sharp corners, and bludgeoned my brain with its senseless organization. There are numerous, if highly superior, histories of mythical creatures, unfortunately most out of print (however, most can be found in libraries). I would advise you to steer clear of this one, but will not do so out of respect for Anne McCaffrey. ... Read more

Book Description

From those famous ducklings to Homer Price's delicious donuts,generations of children have grown up delighting in the timeless stories ofRobert McCloskey. Here, for the first time, all of his published works--Make Wayfor Ducklings, Blueberries for Sal, Lentil, Time of Wonder, One Morning inMaine, Burt Dow, Deep-Water Man, Homer Price and Centerburg Tales--are broughttogether. With biographical information and photographs, and an introduction byrenowned critic Leonard Marcus that outlines McCloskey's career and hisunforgettable contribution to children's literature, this collection is an in-depth look at the life and workof an extraordinary children's book legend. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Homer Price is back...
Centerburg Tales is the second book to hold stories about Homer Price and friends. The first four stories are tales from Grandpa Hercules, an old man known for his tall tales. All of the stories, including the three not told by Hercules, are fun to read, even outloud! Giant ragweeds, 'Eversomuch More-So' (which makes everything better) and a song you just can't stop singing! Good, old fashion, drug free, rocket-ship free, non-violent FUN for most of the family.

"That character," said Freddy after a long silence, "could make some little squirrel very happy."

Homer Price redux
This is a great sequel to the original "Homer Price". Homer and his friends are off on more wacky adventures, each one funnier than the last. The final story, in which Homer and his fellow citizens are literally dancing all over town, is one of the most hilarious children's tales ever written. McCloskey had magic in his writing pen and his drawing pencil; it's hard to say which are better, the stories or the illustrations. Suffice to say that they all add up to a wonderful book for young folks. Highly recommended.

Tall Tales that Stick with you
The Adventures of Homer Price in the quaint town of Centerburg are flat out hilarious. Homer's uncle Hercules quickly sets the tone of disbelief by spinning some yarns that have just enough "truth" to them to be plausible. This is a truly a story of the American Scene in a time when people entertained themselves by gabbing with one another and singing songs together instead of hiding in the basement watching videos. Good old timey values like hucksterism, lying, and cheating face the good natured community of Centerburg and sometimes turn it upside down. Strange things happen in Centerburg, and the curious Homer Price is going to get to the bottom of it. Robert McClosky is also one of our finest illustrators and his lively drawings add texture and background to the story. Highly Recommeded.

Centerburg Rocks
I loved the silly stories of Centerburg as a kid and hoped that my nine-year-old nephew would not find the material too dated to understand. No worries! He laughs out loud at the complicated adventures that ensnare Homer Price and his friends. I'm pleased that he's enjoying a book that enlarges his vocabulary and his ideas about life way back in the mid-twentieth century.

This is a lot of fun
The adventures of Homer, Freddie and their friends are a lot of fun to read. You'll laugh when Dulcey Dooner, the town grouch, receives an inheritance from a relative who'd been an inventor and finds that it's far more than he or Centerburg bargain on. This is a great book for kids, including the ones in their 40s and 50s! ... Read more

Book Description

When Willa Cather was a girl, her family moved west to the open prairie of Nebraska, leaving behind a world Willa loved dearly. Gone were the wooded hills and the meadows marbled with sheep. In their place was a flat, empty land, as bare as a strip of sheet iron. Willa felt she had come to the end of things; she felt the land did not want them.

But then spring came, and the silent land stirred to life. Summer followed, long and hot, and Willa roamed free over the open fields on her pony. Slowly she began to explore the hidden delights of this strange new countryside, and to make friends with her fellow settlers on the Divide. By the time autumn came, with its splendid sunlit colors, Willa understood that what she had thought was an ending was really a new beginning.

Michael Bedard and Emily Arnold McCully evoke the spirit of the American West in this lyrical story with delicate, richly hued illustrations. They celebrate, as Willa Cather did in her novels, the wild beauty of the vast prairie she came to love and the sturdy spirit of the pioneers who made it their home. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Divide
This is a colorful picture book with great discriptions of the season Willa Cather lived in the plains of the Divide in Nebraska. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

This author is brilliant!!
All of his seek n slide books are amazing and I highly recommend them. My daughter knew all her colors, shapes, numbers and opposites before the age of 2 because of these books. Opposites, just like the others, are made specifically for a younger child. I would say 9mo -3 yrs old. My daughter LOVES to pull the slide tabs out and they are very sturdy and have held up to constant pulling. These books teach by reinforcing what is learned in the pull tab. It is a great memory game as well. Chuck Murphy knows how to make books that younger kids will not only appreciate but actually learn fast!

Dazzled
My son loved this book so much he destroyed it. It is a very sturdy book, but he read it so many times it finally fell to pieces. I just bought him a new copy--what more can I say. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

An entertaining book with beautiful pictures.
"Mirette On The High Wire" by Emily Arnold McCully set in Paris, France tells the story of a young aspiring girl, Mirette, who learns to walk the high wire after meeting a falllen entertainer, by the name of Belini. Mirette soon finds out that Belini however, has been keeping a secret from her, he has become afraid of the wire and has sworn to never walk upon it again. With Mirette's help though, Belini finally conquers his fears and puts on a dazzling show in the night on the streets of Paris, France. The illustrations are enchanting and marvelous showing why this book won The Caldecott Award in 1993.

High Wire Act
With gorgeous pastel drawings, this book tells a story of a famous tightrope walker in 19th century Paris. He begins training a young girl who eventually learns of Bellini's wondrous feats and his subsequent retirement. He explains to the girl that he has begun to be afraid and once you have fear on the wire, it never goes away. Not wanting to disappoint Mirette, he plans one more event, but when he is unable to make it, Mirette joins her hero to help him across. This is a nice story about overcoming one's fears that has some beautiful illustrations.

Why 4 stars?:
This story could inspire children to face their fears and overcome that obstacle that is keeping them from realizing their dream. On the other hand, they could picture themselves as Bellini and feel they need now need help to accomplish things that used to be routine for them. Hopefully, a good teacher will guide them towards the former.

One of the Biggest Wastes of Paper Ever!
I gave Mirette On The High Wire only 2 stars because it was very predictable. The only fair part of the book was the pictures. They might have been an alright nomination, but definitely should not have won. It was predictable when Belini said no to Mirette to teach her to walk on the wire. I believe it was a very bad book!

Caldcott Medal Winner
The book Mirette on the high wire is a good children's book because the pictures and words are very descriptive. This story is about a retired high wire artist who lives in a boarding house and a little girl who has dreams of being a high wire artist. So the high wire artist teaches her how to walk the wire and her dreams of being a high wire artist come true.

To walk a line
This is a beautiful story with very beautiful and extravagant pictures. I'd recommend this book to most new readers, even young ones. The plot is great. It's the old man meets the little girl helps her, but the girl also helps him through his hard and troubled times. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A multi-cultural math tale
I have used this book to teach mathematic lessons to grades one through three. It serves as a great springboard for discussion on factors, prime numbers and patterns. The pictures are delightful and the children love to make predictions on just who will make the King happy. My students choose to return to this book over and over again.

Two Ways to Count to Ten
I really enjoyed this retelling of a Liberian folk tale. This book is a great book for helping young readers to explore math concepts like counting. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

You'll Probably Like This Book Unless You Don't
Just 5"X6" this charming little book, inspired by A.A. Milne, makes an excellent gift. It has delightful illustrations and lots of sage advice from the beloved dreary donkey. Have a copy on hand for yourself to read on those days when you're feeling a bit sorry for yourself and are on the verge of becoming a whiner. It always makes me laugh at myself and there's nothing like a laugh to lift the gloom...but don't tell Eeyore. If you don't like this book just remember what Eeyore said, "Don't blame me."

"Just b/c you hear a buzzing-noise coming from a tree......
...doesn't mean you're going to get any honey." That's kind of how I felt. This book, overall, wasn't quite as witty as I had anticipated. But then, don't the teachings of Eeyore the wise prepare us for such a moment?:) There were a few very cute quotes, but most of it was fluff. The art was most enjoyable, though, and I loved the book despite the fact that it fell short of my expectations. I wouldn't recommend Eeyore's (Gloomy) Little Instruction Book to just anyone. But the artwork and the few really good quotes, not to mention the beautiful binding and quality paper, make this book the perfect gift for every Eeyore fan; indeed, their library will not be complete without it!

Great and Gloomy
If you love Eeyore you'll love the Eeyorisms in this Book. The pictures go along with every page of Eeyore Wisdom. I am sure anyone who buys this Book will treasure it--I Really recommend getting Eeyore's(Gloomy)Little Instruction Book.

Uplifting Quotes From The Pessimistic Donkey
This small book makes an appropriate gift for anybody who appreciates a nice laugh while reflecting on life. Each page takes you through some of the adversity and fortuity that Eeyore encountered in the A.A. Milne books. Cute quote: "When someone says 'How-do-you-do,' just say that you didn't." It's remarkable regarding the optimism that comes from our beloved little donkey. ... Read more

Book Description

Generations of children have sleepily snuggled under their blankets at bedtime and listened to the whimsical tales of Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends. This charming board book commemorates that special time at the end of the day with time-honored passages and verses from the original works by A. A. Milne, all selected for their soothing bedtime themes.Each spread features Ernest H. Shepard's beloved drawings in full color.

Sweetly designed with gold edges, this treasure of a book is an ideal way to say good night to the littlest lovers of Pooh. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (16)

THIS BOOK MOLDED MY FUTURE
It's funny, heartwarming and really involving. All these feelings I felt when I read it when I was 9 yrs. old. It'sso amazing how one can be so enterprising and witty at such a young age! Tom definitely had an impact on me then and alwayswill! I grew up wishing to be like him...and I think I got my wish. EVERYONE: Grab this book, in fact, the whole GREAT BRAINseries as soon as you can. The little ones will love you forthis great gift! On a personal note: I lost all my GREAT BRAIN books to kidswho borrowed from me and never returned. Now that I'm 22 I'mvery happy to get a second chance to collect THE GREAT BRAIN SERIES!Victoria Miranda

My Review on The Great Brain Academy
The Great Brain at the Academy is a book told from John Fitzgerald the author of the book about his brother Tom, the great brain, and his time at the Catholic Academy. Tom is a smart boy so he countines his education in the 7th grade a year earlier than the other boys his age. At the Academy Tom has to deal with the horible Father Rodriguez the superetient at the school. Tom learns from him that the school is almost no fun and he must use his great brain to give the other boys some reason of coming to the school besides by the force other their parents. Tom runs a candy store, finds a card shark, and swindles many kids as he does in all the books of the Gret Brain Series. This is a very good book loaded with pranks and Great Brain fun.

I read it until it fell apart
When I was in third grade or so, my mother bought a boxed set of the first five Great Brain books for us for Christmas. This one (the fourth in the series) was my favorite; I read it until the pages were so dog-eared that it was almost impossible to slide them back into the box, and then I read it some more until I had it nearly memorized, and then I read it some more until it fell apart.

I still have the books; I ran across them when we moved recently and realized that I need to look for hardcover editions. They are all in bad shape, despite attempts at mending them over the years.

The books are still funny, and they still develop the important critical and analytical thinking skills needed to imagine a different time, place, and way of life.

I think that the books are well suited to the 9-to-12 age range that is usually recommended. Each chapter is typically a separate story, which makes the series ideal for the reader who struggles with longer works. They're officially "boys' books," but the publisher's notion of the primary market segment didn't stop me or my sisters from enjoying them.

(A slightly technical aside: what makes a publisher think of a book as a "boy's book" or a "girl's book" is not just the gender of the main characters (which are all boys here). It's also the style: boys usually buy action-oriented books, and girls usually buy books which invest more time in thought, dialogue, and emotion.

(To give one example of this phenomenon, Bridge to Terabithia, whose main character is a boy, is definitely a girl's book.

(While the Great Brain stories are almost always action-driven, there is a fair bit of thought analysis in these books, so I think they're a little closer to the midpoint of the gender spectrum than the typical "boy's book."

(For example, something will happen, JD (the narrator and the Great Brain's younger brother) will then analyze the situation: if I do this, my friends will think this, Papa will think this, and Mama will think this. If I do this other thing, then everyone except Mama will react this way. So I will do this other thing, and be prepared to give Mama this excuse for what I'm doing.)

I want to add for the sake of those who might have to listen to complaints (e.g., those on school library committees) that various bias and sensitivity organizations which review children's literature have occasionally rated books in this series as racist, sexist, materialist, individualist, and conformist.

That is, the various stories (many of which are at least semi-autobiographical) in the series depict things like:

* the horrible treatment of a new Greek immigrant boy at the hands of the town bully (as well as the silent compliance of most of the boys -- isn't that just like real life?), and the town people's shocking indifference to the welfare of an elderly Jewish man (thus the racist label: people behaved badly at times in the books -- just like they do in real life -- except that here, they're all sorry for it in the end);

* fairly run-of-the-mill girls-have-cooties themes and some historically accurate gender roles (and some historically accurate breaking of gender roles: for example, Mama is a crack shot with a rifle) (thus the sexist label);

* The Great Brain himself is tormented by his Money-Loving Heart and constantly scheming to get more money (thus the materialist label);

* The Great Brain has a me-first attitude (which is partly balanced by actions like whipping the bully for mistreating the immigrant boy) (thus this individualist label); and

* the boys in the story have an informal code of honor (you don't pick on kids younger than yourself, for example) that they all conform to, and social censure is applied by the whole group (none of the other boys will play with you any more if you break the code of honor) (thus the conformist label).

I was thinking of their code of honor the other day when I took a couple of neighborhood girls to the park and witnessed a (completely unsupervised) boy of about eight or ten annoying a couple of preschoolers. It sure made me wish for a time when boys thought that annoying little kids was dishonorable.)

Over all, I think these are excellent books which every child should have the opportunity to read -- and I'm searching now for a complete set of the books in hardback editions.

Don't Doubt the Great Brain
This book and Me and My Little Brain are parallel books, which describe events happening at the same time, however, you should read the other first to have things make sense. This book describes the Great Brain (T.D.)'s first semester away at the Academy in Salt Lake City. This book is interesting from the beginning with T.D.'s antics on the train ride to the end when T.D. introduces basketball into the Academy, the first Catholic school to have an organized sports program. The trouble that T.D. gets into is good for plenty of smiles and laughs. Amazingly enough this book is still told from the perspective of T.D.'s little brother, J.D., which allows continuity with the other books.

I had this series as a kid...
And book number four, The Great Brain At The Academy, is the best out of the whole series. Tom, a boy genius, who has a 'great brain' and a money-loving heart, is always conning people out of money, candy or whatever else they might have. His father sends him to a Catholic Academy for boys in Salt Lake City, figuring that the priests there will tame him. But Tom refuses to be tamed and does his best to get around the rules, outwit the superintendent AND make money in the bargin!
Watch Tom become the fastest potatoe peeler in the west, open an illegal candy store and introduce a new kind of game called basketball. I plan to get the rest and enjoy my childhood memories. The better parts, anyway. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent book for a musically inclined child.
This is an excellent book for the musically inclined child whose singing voice is a little less than melodious. In the book, the vocally challenged Lentil finds his mantra through the harmonica and ends up saving the day with it. My father gave me this book along with a harmonica when I was seven years old in response to my wobbly warbling, and I've been playing harmonica and many other instruments ever since. I just can't 'harp' enough on how great of inspiration this book was to me and could be for other vocally vexed children. -stephen ... Read more

Book Description

Else Holmelund Minarik and Maurice Sendak have again combined their talents to make a book filled with laughter and adventure. Children will love to find out why Rosa and Willy are like two little alligators (and why Lightfoot and Quickfoot are like two little children!)

They will enjoy the delightful story, be enchanted by the joyous pictures, and thrilled to have another book of which they can truly say, "I Can Read!"

Reviews (3)

Cute story - poor quality
I was looking for a book with this subject for my 4 y.o. and bought this one based on the title and the description. It is not a morality tale although the story is cute and my son, who is just starting to read, liked being able to identify some of the words. The quality is terrible, though. On some pages the text is centered on the page but on others you really have to bend the spine to see the letters which flow from the very center to the very edge of the page.

No Fighting, No Biting!
"Please sit with us, Cousin Joan," little Rosa and Willy ask their older cousin.
"I am reading," she replies.
Willy and Rosa sit down next to her and begin to bicker. They complain to Cousin Joan about all the squeezing, pinching, and teasing that has been going on between them on the couch. Cousin Joan compares the two children to little baby alligators.
The children are appalled by this idea. They do not see how they are like little alligators. Cousin Joan continues, by telling them about two young alligators named, Light-Foot and Quick-Foot.
The children enjoy the stories Joan tells them, but they still continue to fight. However, after Rosa looses a tooth it seems like the children grasp and understand Cousin Joan's comparison between them and Light-Foot and Quick-Foot.
Cousin Joan asks them if they are still fighting. "No, No, No. No fighting," they reply.
She asks them if they are still biting. "No, No, No. No biting," they say. The children sit in peace.
I thought that this story was very nice. It seemed to remind me of my sister and me a lot. We always end of fighting, and sometimes, yes, biting!
Even though the story is cute, and realistic, I believe that it is kind of hard to follow. It jumps back and forth from Willy and Rosa to Light-Foot and Quick-Foot. I had to re-read a few passages from the story, just to understand it. So, I do not believe that the story has been constructed very well. But besides that, and overall, it was nice.

Blast from the Past
Now that I am 19 and in my second year of college, as an English major I must read alot of books. During my Children's Lit class we had to go over our fondest childhood books. This book was allways my favourite as a child and the only copy I had was begining to disintigrate so I had to get it! I allways loved the illustrations and the development of a story withing a story. The rivaling brother and sister reminded me so much of my own siblings. The thing I was looking forward to the most about reading it again is the ending. The copy I had as a child had the last few pages torn out, so it will be all new to me! ... Read more

Book Description

Little Critter, Mercer Mayer's beloved character, stars in hisown bad dream. Turning himself into a scary, disagreeable monster who won't goto school or take a bath or eat anything but fudge pops and pizza, LittleCritter discovers that his family has decided to go away and leave him alone.Trapped in a lonely dream, Little Critter has to make a choice. The sweet andfunny ending to this picture-book story will satisfy every young reader. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

fulfill my son's imagination
I read this book to my 3-yr-old son. He is both surprised and excited about the idea that little critter can do whatever he wants after drinking the magic potion. My son can imagine that he is little critter who can eat as much ice creams and chocalateas he wants and stay up as late as he wants. At the end little critter still wants his mom and dad to tug him in and hug him. So is my son. My son can relate to this book. No wonder he loves it.

The best
This is the best book for little kids.it lets our imagination run wild.It is also the wildest. ... Read more