Book Description

Kenny and Kathy Bear and their Busytown friends introduce new andfamiliar names for objects grouped by subject, theme, and setting, in the cityand on the farm, at the dentist and at the grocer's, in the kitchen and at thecircus and all the places they frequent. ... Read more

Reviews (29)

Don't miss it!
I owned many Richard Scarry books as a ltitle girl, so I was thrilled when we received several as a gift for my daughter. I introduced this book to her at about 12 months of age, and much to my surprise she immediately became obsessed with the book, the alphabet page in particular. I was so surpised by this, as she normally only has the attention span for interactive/lift-the-flap books, but her attention span regarding this book is a testament to how fabulous it is! In the last 2 months, she has come to like all of the pages, and it is a book she brings me everyday to read to her, turning around and plopping herself down in my lap for a good long read! I myself remember the cozy illustrations, especially the pages of little things and food. The book is loaded with words, opportunities for elaborating and describing in great detail, and in my opinion I think the title suits it well: it is the best word book ever! Don't miss out on this book, especially if you are looking for something to hold your child's attention for longer than 5 minutes!

Oldie, but a goodie!
My son is in love with this book. My 2 year old is actually using my copy of the book (26th printing, 1979) but this book really stands the test of time. He has learned so many words with the aid of Richard Scarry, his most recent being 'fire truck'. Colorful pictures capture and hold his interest and the array of subject matter in the book is incredible: At the supermarket, various seasons and holidays, shapes and sizes, in the flower garden, clean-up time and so much more. Childhood would not be the same without Richard Scarry. No child should be without this book.

Helps your child learn to read.
My son, who is now 40 years old, had this book when he was about 2 years old. I used to read some of it every day to him, and we would laugh and talk about all of the pictures, and the words under each item. Soon, he could look at all the pages and "read" the words. I truly believe this book was the inspiration for his lifelong love of reading. Now, I buy this book for the grandchildren!

The Best Childhood Book
I remember this book as a favorite during childhood...over 30 years ago. Is the best for starting a infant on learning vocabulary. The pictures are wonderful and will grab any child's imagination.

If you don't have this book- buy it now!!!
I just can't recommend this book highly enough. It has page after page of interesting scenes, animals, objects, vehicles and more to look at and talk about with your child.
There are many opportunities for teaching words. I name objects for my daughter and she also points to objects that I name for her. She has learned many new words from this book.
It is truly a must have for parents!!! ... Read more

Book Description

With their engaging stories and clever illustrations, the Bob Books have ushered millions of kids into the world of reading. This relaunch of the popular series features a handy new chart on the back of each box that enables parents and educators to easily identify which set is best suited for their child's reading capabilities. Each set is color coded to indicate reading level and each story is carefully crafted to help children at different learning stages master essential reading skills. ... Read more

Reviews (47)

My Three-Year-Old Can Read!
Of all the books I have purchased for my son, this is has been the most encouraging. I have been teaching my son phonics on my own, and sounding out words on a flashcard was becoming dull. I knew he understood the basic concepts of reading, but I couldn't find anything interesting to him that he could actually read. Bob Books are amazing! The little storybooks are THE perfect first reading books for any child. They feature simple, easy-to-sound-out three letter words with interesting storylines. There are 12 mini-books which progress phonetically as each book has been completed. Included are character finger puppets, which I recommend saving for after the books have been read the first time (so the child can focus). The puppets provide extra motivation. My son adores these books. He read the books the very first time I opened the box! Both mommy and son are thrilled! I strongly urge parents to jumpstart their children's reading with these books.

My son learned to read from these books
These are great books! My son quickly learned to read using the Bob Books. We actually only used the first 2 sets and by then he was on a roll and reading all sorts of things. The books are in black and white with simple drawings and easy for the kids to follow along. My son enjoyed the stories in each book and the drawings. I highly recommend this series to anyone wanting to teach their child to read.

The BEST beginner books I've found!!
I am a parent of two boys - ages 4 and 5. I've recently started teaching them how to read and have been looking for good beginner books. These are the best I have found. They are simple and follow the simple words. I've bought other preschool/kindergarden level first level books, only to found that they are not simple and have to many hard words. These are far better and follow simple phonetic words. I highly recommend!!

Great for Learners
This is one of the most crucial series for young children learning to read. When my son was in Kindergarten, he learned letters but struggled with phonics. Starting First grade, he was below grade level. I bought 2 sets of BOB Books, and by mid First grade, he was on-level and reading the bigger books provided by the school. I did not buy many more sets of BOB Books because, in his case at least, they were quickly outgrown. I'm sure that will be the case with all students, these books are simply great for teaching. By the beginning of 2nd grade, he was reading above grade level, and has been ever since. He's in 5th now, and reads high school leveled books.
I have nothing but good things to say about these books, I wish I had found them sooner. I turned to them when I became frustrated with the public school's phonics curriculum. Since he struggled with sounding out words and rhyming, he needed more help. With this series, I was able to stick with phonics teaching but provide him much more individual assistance than the school.
I can't praise these books enough.

She loves to read now
When my five year-old daughter began showing signs she was interested in learning more than letter sounds, I immediately went to the book store for help. I browsed through all the "beginning reader" sets and nearly all of them still contained words with more complicated sounds than what I knew she was ready for.

I'll admit that the price of these books at the bookstore put me off at first, but I as I browsed through each of the twelve books, I knew I'd found what I was looking for. This is a fantastic set for any first-time reader, as each book builds confidence for the next book in the series.

The first thing my daughter does when she wakes now is grab these books and read *to me* on my lap. The illustrations make her giggle too. ... Read more

Book Description

A nose for digging? Ears for seeing? Eyes that squirt blood? Explore the many amazing things animals can do with their ears, eyes, mouths, noses, feet, and tails in this beautifully illustrated interactive guessing book bySteve Jenkins and Robin Page. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Got a whale of a tale to tell you friends
"What Do you Do With a Tail Like This" has the dubious honor of being the only Caldecott Honor Book from 2004 that was a serious contender in the first place. Informative, lively, and easy on the eye, authors Steve Jenkins and Robin Page have created quite a nice little piece of work. For those kids interested in the wide variety of animals, this book is a humdinger. Using a unique series of collage animals, each individual creature has been painstakingly cut from beautiful handmade papers. Sometimes these creatures are done exceptionally well. The skunk resting on its front legs has a furry white stripe made from what looks to be carefully teased paper fibers. Some creatures could have used a little more work. The blood that gushes from the horned lizard's eyes looks like nothing so much as a red/orange Rorschach test. Each section shows a section of the creatures to be discussed with such leading questions as, "What do you do with eyes like these?" or "What do you do with a tail like this?". The next spread shows each animal doing its thing with interesting facts and information. For those kids who'd like to learn a little more about a particular animal, the authors have included in-depth facts at the back of the book.

It's a beautiful book. One suspects that Page & Jenkins may have even gone so far as to hand dye the papers themselves to get just the right shades. How else could they have found a blue that matches so well the blue footed booby's webbed toes or the scarlet pink of a scorpion? Perhaps most impressive in some ways are the different methods employed to fool the reader into believing they're looking at fur, when in fact the page is full of paper layered on paper. There are flaws. Oddly, every animal in this book gets a short synopsis of its abilities, with the exception of one. I don't know what the egg-eating snake did to insult the publisher, but for some reason it does not have a catchy answer to "What do you do with a mouth like this?". There are some factoids about the snake at the end of the book, but such a huge typo is bizarre, and keeps me from granting it the five Amazon.com stars it so richly deserves.

To my mind, "What Do You Do With a Tail Like This" is the most technically complex 2004 Caldecott Honor book to win the award in quite some time. Regardless of how emotionally attached you grow to the book, you cannot help but enjoy looking at the complex and well rendered animals that appear in every shape and form in these pages. This is a book that was well loved during its creation. ... Read more

Book Description

Illus. in full color. A mad outpouring of made-up words, and intriguing ideas. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

But can you think as many thinks as Dr. Seuss thinks?
"Life" magazine published a report in May of 1954 about illiteracy among American school children. One of the key things in this article was that children were not inspired to read because their books were boring, which is to say the world of Dick, Jane and Spot. So it came to pass that Theodore Geisel's publisher sent him and a list of 400 words that had to be cut to 250 (because that was how many words it was believed a first grader could understand before their heads exploded or something), and then write a book. At this point in the history of the world Geisel was best known as the creator of Gerald McBoing-Boing, an animated character for which he won an Oscar. The book, of course, was "The Cat in the Hat," which used 220 of those words, and for the rest of his life Dr. Seuss wrote books that were part of the Beginner Books and Bright and Early Books series, which proudly allowed young kids to proclaim "I Can Read It All By Myself." Consequently, Dr. Seuss was one of the major forces in American literacy in the last half of the 20th century.

But beyond that, Dr. Seuss was the personification of imagination for all those generations of children, and this particular legacy is embodied best in his 1975 book "Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!" Told in the distinctive verse style of Dr. Seuss, this book gets young readers to think about all the things then can think if only they try. The book is filled with the delightful creatures of Dr. Seuss's own fertile imagination, from the Guff and the Snuvs to the Bloogs and the Rink-Rinker-Fink. However, my favorite is the Jibboo: what would you do if you met one? After reading this delightful book beginning readers can either make up their own thinks or they can try out their imagination by thinking of what happens next in these pictures, where strange creatures enjoy beautiful schlopp with a cherry on top or visiting the Vipper of Vipp. There is a reason why virtually every one of the books Dr. Seuss wrote are considered classics and it is due as much to the imagination that he displays on each and every page as it is to his ability to arrange 220 (or more) words in non-boring ways.

Review on Oh,the thinks you can think
The book oh, the thinks you can think is about all the things you can think about when you have nothing to do. It is about things that Dr. Seuss has made up things that he has thought of at one time, I think this is a good book because it can help kids think of things or anything they want to be when their older, the book has good easy sentances to read it is really something to think about

Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!
Dr. Seuss magically takes readers on an adventure of imagination and thinking. His nonsense words and rhyme scheme keep a reader's interest at any age level.

Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!
This delightfully illustrated, simply readable, and wonderfully silly volume is one of my favorite of Seuss. It uses simple rhymes and easy words perfect either for parents to read aloud, or for beginning readers to read by themselves.

Unlike Green Eggs and Ham and many of his other stories, this book follows no storyline, but simply takes children (and their parents) on a delightful journey of the imagination.

Oh, the Thinks You CAN Think!!!
Oh, the Thinks You Can Think is the best book that expresses a childs best of thier imagination. This is the type of book, if your a parent and you have a little one that has a wild imagination than this book is great for them. Now i may of read it quite a while ago, but it is still stuck in side my head after all these years. ... Read more

Book Description

In this introduction to polygons, a triangle convinces a shapeshifter to make him a quadrilateral and later a pentagon, but discovers that where angles and sides are concerned, more isn't always better. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

The Greedy Triangle: A Great Find
I am currently a student (...). I read The Greedy Triangle to a second grade class and they loved it! This book is great for elementary age students because it indroduces geometry in a fun way. The story begins with a triangle not being happy with himelf and wanting to change into another shape. The triangle then on each page gets another side which changes him into a different geometric shape. The book also gives the names of the different geometric shapes and associates the shapes with everyday items that kids can relate to. At the end of the story the triangle decides he was happy just being a triangle. This book gives a message to kids to be happy and proud of who they are. I would recommend this book for elementary school teachers, it was a great find!

The Greedy Triangle
I am a student at Pima College and recently had to read this book to a group of younger students. Let me tell you that the group of 3rd graders loved this book more than I did. It kept them focused and amused, and I don't even think they realized they were learning a little geometry. I think this book was easy to get the children involved in and ask them questions. I also think this book was perfect for 3rd graders, but could be used with younger or older students also. Not only does it help with math, but it sends out a valuable message to be happy with who you are.

MAT 146 Review
I am a Pima College student, majoring in Elementary Education. This book was a great book, to read to resource room class. Since there are so many different ages in the class everyone was able to enjoy and understand the book. This book also allowed the first graders in the class to participate along with the older students. I enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it for use in elementary classrooms.

The Greedy Triangle
I loved the Greedy Triangle, so did a tough group of 4th graders.I think it's an excellent tool to introduce Geometry in the classroom. It has a nice way of looking at everything as a shape and that shapes are Geometry, even though many students think they are just shapes. I would recommend this book to for all elementary grades.

Great book to help teach children shapes
I read this book to a group of second graders and they enjoyed it. This book is a wonderful book that teaches the names of shapes, points out different ways shapes are used and different places shapes can be found. When teaching children about shapes this is a good book to read to them. It could lead to a great discussion about shapes later.

It also has a good story line about being content with who you are and what you have. The Triangle changes shape several times in the story because he is unhappy and in the end he wants to go back to being a Triangle. He learned that he needed to be happy with who he his.

The pictures in this book were also very fun and colorful. It is nicely illustarted.

This is a great book to read with young children learning shapes and learning about growing a changing. I would recommend this book to anyone who has children or teaches children. ... Read more

Book Description

What does an elephant do? It stomps its foot. Can you? From the creator of such beloved classics as The Grouchy Ladybug and The Mixed-Up Chameleon comes this interactive story that invites kids to imitate animal movements. Watching giraffes bend their necks or monkeys wave their arms is fun, but nothing could be better than joining in. From their heads down to their toes, kids will be wriggling, jiggling, and giggling as they try to keep up with these animals!Alligators wiggle, elephants stop, gorillas thump, and giraffes bend. Can you do it? ‘ I can do it!’ is the confidence-building message of this fun-filled interactive picture book. A variety of familiar animals invite young children to copy their antics, and as they play, they will learn such important skills as careful listening, focusing attention, and following instructions. Just as alphabet books introduce the very young child to letters and simple words, From Head to Toe introduces the basic body parts and simple body movements. And in the same way that children progress from understanding simple words to reading and writing sentences and stories, so they will progress from simple body movements to dancing, gymnastics, and other sports and activities, with confidence and pleasure.

Eric Carle's colorful collages have delighted children for more than a generation. Each book provides hours of fun while encouraging them to stretch their imaginations. His matchless words and illustrations now send out a new challenge:
Are you ready?
Here we go!
Move yourself
From Head to Toe.

A Main Selection of the Children’s Book-of-the-Month Club ... Read more

Reviews (17)

What an entertaining book...!
My 16-month old daughter loves to turn her head, wave her arms, raise her shoulders, with the colorful animals in this book. Excellent book to teach children body parts, movements and animals. (She surprised us one day by thumping her chest when she saw a gorilla picuture somewhere else.) I also read this book to her classmates in a play group and they all loved it, too. Have fun "bending your knees" with your kids!

One of Eric Carle's best!
This is a fantastic book! The large, colorful pictures and the simple, clear text keep children bending and stretching right along with the animals! Still, unlike many of the reviewers who loved this for their one-year-olds, we found that this book didn't work for my active, not very verbal daughter when she was one (even though she sat for other books). We pulled it out again around the time she turned 2 and she LOVED IT. This book was a huge hit. Now at almost 4 it is still one of her favorites. Even if she's tired at bedtime she gets on the floor to do her donkey kicks along with the donkey! My older daughter also reported that this was one of her preschool teacher's favorite storytime books. I would say that for many children this book, despite it's deceptively simple pictures and text, is more appropriate for older children (age 2-4). This is a book I buy all the time for 2nd birthdays - It's always a hit! (especially good for active kids who prefer being "active" listeners!) This is an excellent choice for a book that will last kids for years!

A surprise favorite!
OK, I admit it. This book was a gift, and not one I would have bought for my son. I completely failed to see its charm.

That is, until I read it with my one-year-old son!

"From Head to Toe" was an instant hit and the first book that made Jack laugh out loud! He asks for it over and over again, and before too long, he was making the signs along with me as we read. And shortly after that I had to laugh out loud when I saw him "reading" the book to himself, making the signs and saying "I Can Do It!" on each page!

I highly recommend this book for older babies and toddlers. Mamma may not be enchanted at first -- but I'll bet your little one will shwo you just how much fun this book really is!

Gets kids who won't sit for books to ask for this one
This book worked wonders for my children when they were about 15 months old up through 24 months old. At that time neither were interested in sitting and listening to stories but this book was terrific -- it gets them up and moving while learning different body parts. Awesome!! They thought beating their chests like a gorilla was hilarious. Head to Toe was a wonderful introduction for our children on following a book from beginning to end and opened the door for bedtime stories and more.

Great book
Though I don't recommend it for bed time, this book is great fun for the kids to do the things asked of them in the book. They move their heads, kick feet, etc. My kids really enjoy it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

It's never too early to start kids reading. Even in infancy, young eyes can begin to make connections between images on a page and the real thing.White on Black is an ideal first book, and one that will continue to fascinate the very youngest readers as they grow. Exquisitely simple, solid white pictures of everyday objects--a banana, a duck, a bottle--against a black background provide high contrast for developing eyes. This wordless picture book encourages caregivers to engage the child as they "read" together: "Oh look, a boat, that looks like your bath toy, doesn't it?"

With White on Black's companion book, Black on White, Tana Hoban has created a striking pair of visual tools to increase the youngest readers' burgeoning powers of perception. In this complex world, it's a joy to find a book that sees the world in the simplest of terms. (Baby to Preschool) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Wonderful book to give as a baby present
This is one of the few books that I ALWAYS send as a baby present. It's fantastic---the black and white illustrations are great for a newborn and many of my friends have continued to "read" the book with their child even when he or she became a toddler.

Try her other book---which has black images on a white background as well.

Psychologist mom's ONLY shower gift
Before my first-born could speak or even SIT, all the adults around him could tell which page he liked most--true communication from an infant that didn't involve crying (or other intense and directed body language)! We were amazed that we all had noticed. The books got LOTS of attention from our wee one. Face it, there is just not a lot you CAN "read" to an infant those first six months of life. He loved them. I'm here buying my fifth or sixth set of these two books for yet another mom-to-be. They are so much more memorable than green and yellow clothing, for both parents and babes.

white on black
This book is wonderful for topic focused conversation with your infant. Sometimes it is hard to find things to talk about with an infant. This books helps to solve that problem so that we can expose our babies to the conversational language they need to learn how to speak.

The perfect gift for a newborn
These simple, familiar silhouettes held my baby's interest from the time he was a few weeks old until about his first birthday. For a while I propped the book open on his changing table, and it kept his attention occupied during diaper changes. I wish hospitals would send a copy home with every newborn, to help all infants get the early mental stimulation they need.

A great first book for a baby.
We "read" this book to our son when he was a few weeks old, not because he understood the pictures, but because he could track the black and white pictures. Reading is extremely important to any child and we wanted to start early. So, eventhough our 4 week old had no idea what the words meant, he would nestle as we described the pictures to him and turned the pages. How else does a child learn to love reading? When our son was approximately one year old he could begin to describe some of the pictures and he would sit on the floor and "read" this book himself. An excellent, excellent first book for your baby or for a gift. ... Read more

Book Description

With their engaging stories and clever illustrations, the Bob Books have ushered millions of kids into the world of reading. This relaunch of the popular series features a handy new chart on the back of each box that enables parents and educators to easily identify which set is best suited for their child's reading capabilities. Each set is color coded to indicate reading level and each story is carefully crafted to help children at different learning stages master essential reading skills. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

These books are great!
The Bob's Books are a great start for new readers! I couldn't find any other books simple enough to give my daughter confidence. Now she's in the 4th box (Level B, Set 2) and is starting to read OTHER books like Go Dog, Go and even the Cat in the Hat! When these books seem too much (because they're much longer) we go back to the Bob's books to gain more confidence. It's fun to listen to her read and help her learn in a very systematic way!

Thank You!!!
I can not say enough good things about these books. My 6 year old daughter has struggled with reading for a while. She would get frustrated and discouraged with other books. The BOB books are easy for her to decode, The illustrations are simple and not distracting.

she feels a sense of accomplishment when she completes the books. She brings one or two books with her where ever she goes and has started reading to everyone, she even calls her relatives out of state and reads them the stories over the phone! This is the best reading program I have ever seen! Thank you for developing this program!!!

Terrific Series for Emerging Readers
This is the same series as "More Bob Books," but it has been repackaged. It is a series of eight readers focusing on short vowels, consonant blends and compound words. My five year old started with "Bob Books First" and has progressed to this series. He finds the stories much more interesting but sometimes struggles with the new compound words. By the third time reading a book he had mastered it sufficiently to be anxious to begin reading the next. We could not be more pleased with the series. ... Read more

Amazon.com

There's a Wocket in my Pocket is yet another prime catch inthe vast sea of delectable Dr. Seuss books. It's difficult to find a Dr. Seussbook one wouldn't recommend highly, and this is no exception. Seuss's simplerhymes are consistently as amusing as they are useful; his books are bastions ofcreative nonsense that simultaneously encourage the joy of wordplay.

This edition of the 1974 treasure features vibrant full-color illustrations, with the addedbonus of a virtually indestructible board-book format. Kids can hunt for thezamp in the lamp, the jertain behind the curtain, even the nooth grush on thetoothbrush, and no matter how exuberant their exploring gets, the book willremain intact for the next reading. (Ages 0 to 4) ... Read more

Reviews (25)

There's a Wocket in my Pocket
The book "There's a Wocket In My Pocket" is just like any other Dr. Seuss book, it rhymes, its got weird words, and its funny. The Story is about a young boy whose house is filled with weird things, some of them are nice some of them are mean. He takes you through the house and shows you all the things in his house. There really isn't a lesson to be taught in this book, it's just a fun story. I would say that this book could be read by anybody and they could still find that's it's a good book.

Colorful rhymes with colorful illustrations
Dr. Suess is one of the greatest poets for kids. Some of his greatest books are "The Cat and the Hat" and "Green Eggs and Ham". All of his books has easy to read; the print is just as bold as the words and pictures in all of his books including this one"There's a Wocket in My Pocket". I have read all of the Dr. Suess books and they all make children want to learn to read, and have fun doing it. This book especially the great rhyme,almost sing-songy, helps children want to read along and follow the superb illustrations in the book too. The pictures look almost like hand-colored pencil drawings which makes it so fresh and lively for the children to want to read this book. I absolutely recommend this book along with all of the other Dr.Suess books; it's not only fun for the children it is also fun reading for the parents. Just about any age can really sit down and enjoy a Dr. Suess book like "There's a Wocket in My Pocket" just because it is pure fun to do so.

I still remember!!!
Well all I have to say about this book is that I am 29 years old and I can still recite most of it. Dr. Seuss is responsible for me learning how to read. This book specifically was read to me so often that I memorized it. Now I read it to my two children. Definitely a book that will entertain children for many years to come.

I love it....... but she doesn't
I love reading this book to my two year old - but she never lets me finish it - instead giving me a different book to read. I sincerely believe it is because she is at a stage of learning real words, and so many words with no meaning either don;t intrest her or she just doesn't understand. I think it is definitely for other kids, maybe 3-4 that can understand the difference between words they haven't learned yet and words that are just made up and not real.

What do you have in your pocket?
I don't have a wocket in my pocket, but I do have lots of other things! (A pencil, an eraser, calculator, pen, this book, a comfy chair, some snacks, a pair of earmuffs, all the usual things! just kidding!) Seriously, this book is wonderful! I LOVE all the made up animals, like the wocket! It is soooo original! ... Read more

Book Description

A is for Atlas

B is for Bagel

C is for Chrysler Building

An ABC book that pays tribute to a child's view of New York City

An ABC book unlike any other, ABC NYC reinvents the genre using an alphabet unique to New York City. From subway signs to building graffiti, NYC's letters are represented everywhere you walk: M is for Manhole cover, T is for Taxi. A child's guidebook to life in New York, ABC NYC beautifully captures the visual vocabulary of the city kid with bold black-and-white photographs and vibrant letters found in some of the most surprising places. Perfect for the youngest set learning the alphabet or collectors of New York memorabilia, ABC NYC is as striking and energetic as the city it reveals. AUTHOR BIO: Joanne Dugan is a New York based photographer whose work has been shown in museums and galleries throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan. She hand prints her limited edition fine art photographs in her darkroom in New York City's Union Square district. She is also the photographer behind the best-selling book Taxi Driver Wisdom and two fine art monographs. Pamela Hovland is a designer and educator whose work has been recognized by numerous national and international design organizations. Even though she learned her ABCs while growing up on a farm in Minnesota, she has lived and worked in New York City and Connecticut ever since. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Kids & NY-philes will love this
This is a beautiful and novel twist on the alphabet primer that will make learning the A-B-Cs more fun for both parents and kids.The compelling photographs capture the unique character of New York's letters and landmarks, and the "urban grid" design brings the photographs and text together perfectly.If you are a city parent with young kids or you just love New York, this book belongs in your home.The only trouble is you may not be able to decide whether it belongs on your child's nightstand or your coffee table. Bravo to author Dugan and designer Hovland!

this book gave me goosebumps
This book is a gorgeous tribute to New York City and raising kids there. I highly reccomend it for any parent of a young child living in New York, or in fact, any urban city. Finally, an ABC book that is fun to read aloud, beautiful to look at, intelligent and relevant to city kids. I just bought 4 more for gifts. Thank you Joanne and Pam!
... Read more

Book Description

Can you find what is round? What is square? In this timeless new split-pageboard book, children can find the bottom half of a page that matches the top half. Find the rightpairs, and you will learn to identify all kinds of shapes. From dome-shaped ladybugs to diamond- shaped kites, this clever board book makes learning fun. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Foot Book is a delightful tribute to the diverse and multifaceted world of feet. Not merely a realm of ankles, arches, and toes--as this self-proclaimed "Wacky Book of Opposites" attests--the podiatry province welcomes all kinds: "Slow feet/Quick feet/Well feet/Sick feet." Dr. Seuss has put his best foot forward here, in a whimsical approach to showcasing opposites. Wet feet contrast dry feet, and low feet contrast high feet. Though hot feet and cold feet aren't specifically referenced, we get the sense that those are okay too. As usual, the rhymes are quick and quirky, and Seuss's illustrations will knock kids' socks off. (Baby to preschool) ... Read more

Reviews (37)

The Foot Book
The Foot Book, is a great book for little children. This book teaches begining readers easy words to read, and opposites. By the time you finish this book you will be able to tell your right foot from your left foot, morning from night, small from big, up from down, high from low, dry from wet, and slow from quick. Kids will read this book over and over again, because its a fun read, it rhymes, and its so easy that kids can read it themselves with out any help. I recommend The Foot Book to anyone who is just begining and wants an easy and fun book to read.

Sure to Please
A typical Dr. Suess book: Some wacky illustrations that are really fun, great rhyming and rythm, easy to read, and fun.

I enjoy reading this book with my almost three year old and my 15 month old. They enjoy the rythm of the words. The words and the text match which makes reading this book that much more enjoyable. The exaggerations are funny and makes my three year old laugh.

We read this book and then think of the things we can do with our feet- walk, hop etc. and act them out.

Enjoy.

Great first listening book....
I didn't know what to expect when I purchased this book. I should have known, having grown up with Dr. Seuss myself.
This book kept my daughter's attention on more than one occassion and as she got older she was able to read the book herself.
Just the words themselves: Left foot, left foot, right foot right.... are enough to keep any child happy.
My daughter, who is now a teenager, still puts this book at the top of her list of all time favorites. She loves to purchase this book for the little children that she baby sits, so that they can enjoy the book as much as she had.

Dr. Seuss introduces young readers to the joy of adjectives
"The Foot Book: Dr. Seuss's Wacky Book of Opposites" is a board book adapted from the original Bright and Early Book for Beginning Readers, a series of books for the youngest of the young. The idea here is that the stories are brief and funny, the words are few and easy, and there is always a catchy sense of rhyme. Of course "The Foot Book" is about not only the foot (singular) but feet (plural). There are more references to feet (plural) than to feet (singular), if you happen to pay attention to such things (which, apparently, I did). But the key part of this book are all the adjectives that Dr. Seuss comes up with for all those feet.

This happens mostly in terms of oppositional pairs such as right and left, wet and dry, high and low, front and back, etc. Of course sometimes rhyme comes into play as well, such as when we go from small feet to big feet and then to pig feet. The illustrations all feature the strange hairy creatures that populate the imagination of Dr. Seuss, although you will see a pair of rather normal looking kids in the mix as well. Did you ever stop to think that Dr. Seuss is probably the most influential poet of his generation? He is certainly the most imitated, and behind all those silly rhymes was a deep desire to get kids to read. Once your beginning reader has read "The Foot Book," be sure to have them check out the sequel, "Fox in Sox."

disapointed
I was so disapointed in this book! My son (at age 2) loved this book in the original form we had; but he was a bit rough on it & I had to tape our copy a few times! So I searched everywhere for a board book version, and was so happy when I found one. I bought it without reading it first (which I almost never do) and was so disapointed in the quality! The pictures are poorly drawn (I think some of them may even be drawn by someone other than Dr. Seuss? maybe the original drawings could not be reprinted or something) and the rhymes were changed. They are awkward and I can't see why they needed to be changed in the first place! For example, changing "Feet in the morning...Feet at night" to "Feet in the day...Feet in the night". This is poor english, and what was wrong with it the way Dr. Seuss wrote it? Twice, they changed "Feet, feet, feet...how many, many feet you meet" to "how many different feet you meet". Again, why? It just sounds better the other way. And finally, why change "slow feet..quick feet...trick feet...sick feet" to "well feet"? It doesn't even make sense- what are Well Feet? The picture is a dog juggling balls- doing a "trick"! I am surprised that the Seuss trustees, who are usually so protective of Dr. Seuss' work would OK this book. ... Read more

Reviews (43)

What's that Smell?
The Gas We Pass by Shinta Cho, is a hilarious book of the reasons we pass gas. The illustrations are great. The color scheme of the pictures themselves helps the imagination grow, and suitable for children. It helps them learn the scientific concept of why gas is passed. It also tells which foods make gas stink, and how much gas actually comes out in a fart. It's really amazing what some never know. There is some inappropriate content in the book; it is a picture of a little boy and his father in the bathtub, both of whose genitals are exposed. Besides that, it is great for people of all ages. It is a book everyone should take the chance to read. I promise you, this book doesn't just let off gas; it's educational and funny and these are the two important elements of learning. So the next time you pass gas, you will think about how it happens, and there won't be anymore smell-raising questions. Enjoy!

Gas is Good
Book Review: The Gas We Pass What was Shinta Cho smoking when she wrote this ghastly book? The Gas We Pass is a very informative and educational book about farts, farts, and, yep, you guessed it, more farts. Everything you ever wanted to know about farts is in this book. It splurges into the stinky subject of why farts smell, why it is healthy to fart, and why you should not hold your farts. Cho even put a diagram of the human body in the book, which shows how farts are processed. The illustrations are fantastic if you have a sick sense of humor. They are of different animals farting and burping. The illustrations show a naked man and a naked boy in the bathtub together watching their farts bubble and rise to the surface. This book is suitable for two age groups: young pre-adolescent kids and teenage boys. If you have a problem with flatulence, do not go to the doctor, read this book. It will save you an expensive trip to the doctor's office.

Not that Great
This books starts off pretty good. I like the fart humor, but then it gets into the scientifics. i am not against kids learning the science of gas, but it almost feels like two different books. the beginning seems like a good book to give a young child who is just learning about bodily functions. but then it starts getting into specifics and it feels like it needs an older audience. it's not a bad book. it's just not the books i was expecting.

The Gas We Pass Review
This Book is sooo groovy! I loved the illistrations, that brought a smile to my face! :) This book was very informational. I actually learned more about my passing gas. I enjoyed reading this book because it brings me happiness and makes me even more individualed! I recamend this to people who want to get a smile goig on their face! Try it!

Only good as a joke good for nothing else
Yes people with a sense of humour or an 11 year old love to laugh at farts, and it seems this is the book to give them. All though it says its intended to teach kids about farting/gas the mere thought of this book acutally helping a child with that is farfecthed. It tells vertually nothing except when you eat you can fart/burp and that all animals fart. Infact i think this book would be bad for children as it shows a elpehant farting witch knocks its trainer over (again its joke purpose appears again) Also it shows a picture of a naked boy (its a drawing nothing graphic but still) I think most monkeys would know the facts in this book but its pictures are mildy ammuseing and its pretty funny as a joke to give to someone as a present. All in all its pretty funny as a gag but useless as giveing children information on farting. Its humour for ages 6 and up pretty much thats all i think the authour ment for it to be... ... Read more

Book Description

This 4-volume boxed set contains an alphabet book, a book of rhymes about each month, a counting book, and a cautionary tale all written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Includes the titles Alligators All Around, Chicken Soup with Rice, One Was Johnny, and Pierre. (Titles available separately in library and paperback editions.)

Notable Children's Books of 1940–1970 (ALA)

Reviews (11)

A Must for any child's library
My mom bought this for me when I was a child and we read them so much we wore them out. The second set she bought was for my children and we are well on our way to the third set. Nutshell means just that - child sized books that look just like Mom sized ones. We read all four 'lil books' every night. Your kids will love them too.

Delightful Series Exploring ABC's, Months of The Year, etc.
I re-discovered this collection two years ago, and took a very fond walk down memory lane - I loved these as a child. My two-year old recently became hooked, and I have now had the exquisite pleasure of revisiting "Chicken Soup with Rice", "One was Johnny", "Pierre", and "Alligators All Around" on a regular basis. With the same arch humor and sly drawings that Sendak brought to "Where the Wild Things Are", the four books in the Nutshell Library entertain as they instruct. The rhyming pattern makes it very easy to memorize (I've gotten to be a whiz at reading in semi-darkness circa bedtime...) - in fact, my daughter can "read" almost all of "Chicken Soup with Rice" now by associating the rhymes with the pictures. This collection is a rarity in children's books - it's fun for both kids and parents! Plus, it easily fits into a purse or diaper bag to take along on trips - whether to the supermarket, or Grandma's. And the kid-sized volumes are a delight for small hands. DON'T MISS IT!

Memories of a lifetime
I heard these books put to music when I was in first and second grade, and they have stuck with me and allowed me to teach them to my children. Finding them in book form is just amazing. These books are classic and belong in any child's library.

The joys of repetition
If you have children you know that they love to hear the same stories over and over and over again. If you are a good parent you'll be required to read the same books night after night after night. Some books can take it, others you'd put in the shredder if you had one handy, and were devious enough to blame the children themselves for losing it. To our shame, some of us have been that devious.
The Nutshell Library, however, can be read a thousand times and each time the reader finds truth, beauty, life lessons, and the best darn rhymes around. Even a shy parent finds the ability to read with verve and feeling, night after night after night. My personal favorite is Alligators All Around, unless I happen to be reading Pierre.

Nutshell Library
I remember reading these books some 40 years ago & I still can remember some of the rhymes. I loved them then but couldn't find them anywhere. So now I'm getting them for my grandchildren and great-nieces & -nephews to enjoy. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Did you ever wake up to one of those days where everything is a problem?You have 10 things to do, but only 30 minutes till thebus leaves.Is there enough time?You have 3 shirts and 2 pairs ofpants -- can you make 1 good outfit?Don't worry -- it's just the Math Curse striking! An amusing book about dealing with numbers in everyday life. ... Read more

Reviews (35)

A fun view of math anxiety and math ideas in everyday life.
I teach math to adults, and I use this book in my classes when I discuss math anxiety. I also use it to illustrate some major math ideas, such as base numbers (important in computers and video games), the Fibonacci series (important in natural science and a good illustration of how math developed in the abstract can often later be found to have practical application), logic, and combinations. The book is chock full of math concepts, all presented in the context of everyday circumstances, which makes it a very valuable tool in making the argument to my students for their need to study math. It is also a very, very entertaining book, and all of my students can relate to the girl's frustration and anxiety. My 9 year old son reads this book at least once a week (for the last year, now!), and still laughs when he reads it. It is wonderfully illustrated and well written, a true gem. I recommend it for children and adults alike, and especially for math teachers of all ages.

Great book, but Amazon.com has reading level listed wrong!
I have a computer science degree, so have taken a LOT of math, and enjoyed most of it. My two children, ages 9 and 11, have mixed feelings about math. All three of us enjoyed Math Curse immensely. The reviewer who said it would alienate children is dead wrong; and the one who complained about repetition must be missing a lot of the book. There's new surprises on every page. Even the price on the jacket is funny! One problem: Amazon.com recommends this book for ages 4-8. That should be corrected to grades 4-8. It's definitely not for the 'Goodnight Moon' set. I'm about to ignore the age/grade recommendations, anyway, and buy a copy for my math-loving teenage nephew. I'm betting he'll get a big kick out of its irreverence and math in-jokes.

Not all Curses Are Bad!
I absolutley loved this book. The illustrations along with the story line brings about a wonderfull method to get children (of all ages)thinking about math. Whether they like it or not, math is a part of their daily lives. This book makes math fun and gets kids thinking about how perhaps they will experience a "math curse" one day.

Math Curse Review
Math Curse was a big hit when I read it to a 4Th grade class I was observing. The pictures are vivid and grabbed their attention. It contains a lot of usefull information on everyday life, like how much time you have to get dressed, to eat, and how everything can be looked at like a math problem.I would definatly recommend Math Curse to children and adults of all ages.

Math Curse or Math Fun for All
This book is entertaining for all ages. It combines charts, riddles, terms, and more in an amusing tale of mathematical chaos that helps children to realize even math can be fun. Although the book looks skinny, it is actually filled with little lesson plans that are great for elementary classrooms. Not only is the story cleverly written, but the illustrations are fantastic as well. I assure you that whether you are young or just young at heart, you'll enjoy falling under this math curse. ... Read more

Book Description

The important thing about The Important Book--is that you let your child tell you what is important about the sun and the moon and the wind and the rain and a bug and a bee and a chair and a table and a pencil and a bear and a rainbow and a cat (if he wants to). For the important thing about The Important Book is that the book goes on long after it is closed.What is most important about many familiar things—like rain and wind, apples and daisies—is suggested in rhythmic words and vivid pictures. ‘A perfect book . . . the text establishes a word game which tiny children will accept with glee.’ —K.

... Read more

Reviews (9)

Great book
I used this book at the beginning of the school year to get my special ed students to write about what was important to them or about why the things in the book are important. They all loved the activity and it was one of their favorite picks for reading time.

affirming perceptions
This thoughtfull Brown book methodically affirms a small child's growing ability to construct opinions about his or her world. Misunderstood as asserting objective classifications, Brown instead elaborates on the ellusive season of child development when subjective and objective information are indistinguishable:
"the important thing about a daisy is that it is white" and air is "the color of air".
Recommended if you want the child in your life to catch Brown's vision of personal discovery.

Great author - mediocre book
This short volume has failed to spark much interest within me and my children. It lacks the poetic lilt of "Goodnight Moon" and the quiet force of "Runaway Bunny." The illustrations, many in black and white, seem from another era. Yet, they are not timeless and fail to inspire.

Brown's muddled characterization of the essence of everyday objects seems neither accurate nor absurd, neither artistic nor banal. Why, for example, are we told that the important thing about a shoe is that "you put your foot in it" when so many more relevant characteristics could have been chosen? (protects your foot from harm, keeps your foot warm, makes a fashion statement, leaves footprints, gets mud on the carpet, etc.)

Teach the"Main Idea"
We use this selection to teach the concept of the main idea. I start the entire year off using this book. I read the book aloud to the students.We discuss each aspect of the important or the main idea of each subject.After completing the book we then write a page about ourselves. Example: The important thing about Ellis is that he is a toehead,he loves computer games , he plays with his trucks and he always wears Carharts,but the important thing about Ellis is that he is a toehead. Ellis is a student that has the whitest hair you have ever seen...everyone always says something to him about his "toehead". The children (usually third graders) each do their own page and we publish our book for the classroom. We try to have this completed by our open house. The parents really enjoy it and they get to know their childs classmates in a special way. Just a thought!

Great for the beginning of the school year!
I use this book at a "getting to know you" starter for the 1st day of school. After reading the book, the students start to see the pattern. I then have them write something about themselves using the same pattern in the book. "The most important thing about Sue is that she likes to read. Sue has 3 cats, plays soccer and can pitch like Nolan Ryan, but the most important thing about Sue is that she likes to read." I then have them illustrate these things on manilla paper or with the computer, then bind all of the pages into a class book. The kids love getting to know each other this way. ... Read more

Amazon.com

How dull, to be one hippo all alone... until the one calls two other hippos on the phone. Soon three more hippos are at the door, bringing along another four. Before the night is through, a houseful of hippos (and one beast) has joined the one hippo for a boisterous bash.

All through the hippo night,
Hippos play with great delight.
But at the hippo break of day,
The hippos all must go away.

The well-loved Sandra Boynton wrote this tribute to silliness in 1977, inspiring generations of the very young to learn to count. Lively, cute newillustrations complement this edition, with big numbers (one through nine, and nine through one) boldly placed on the corner of each page. The sturdy board book will withstand lots of eager counting fingers, and maybe even a berserk hippo or two. Boynton's familiar style can be seen in scads of other delightfully nonsensical titles, including Barnyard Dance! and Moo, Baa, La La La!.(Ages 3 to 7) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Truly Berserk!
This book has all the elements of fun--one author, who obviously loves to write children's books, one subject (HIPPOS) and counting and you have the ingredients for a fun book. My 6 year old loves Hippos Go Berserk! and is learning to read it. She loves the counting as well. This book is in our Boynton collection (we must have the "Boynton Memorial Library" by now!) and it gets read weekly. We have to rotate through all the other Boynton books we have. It's a very good book and I recommend it, for children of ALL ages.

Tons of Hippo Fun
This is a delightful book! I bought it for my 6 month old son, who has a limited attention span for stories but LOVES this one. I also gave it to my 2 year old niece who, according to my sister-in-law, asks to have "Hippos Go Zerk!" read at least 16 times per day.

Boynton also adds some humorous touches that Mom and Dad can appreciate. Look for the Hippo Whistler's Mother!

My Daughter (& her father) loves this book!
My daughter, who is 5 months old, loves this book and pays attention through the whole book. She loves Daddy's expressions and excitement about the Hippo Party. I highly recommend Hippos go Berzerk.

One Hippo All Alone... a back and forth counting book
A wondrous counting book that tells of a lonely hippo who calls two others on the phone. Then larger and larger groups keep arriving (three though nine) until all 45 hippos and the beast (a guest of one of the groups) go berserk and party all through the hippo night. But at the hippo break of day, they all begin to go away (nine through two) until all that is left is the original one.

Most counting books only count in one direction. This fun book counts up and then back down again (although it doesn't use zero). It even makes mention of how many they add up to.

Typical Boynton illustrations add to the fun of this book.

It's a favorite!
My 18 month old son LOVES this book! All I need to say is..."One hippo all alone, calls two hippos on the phone" (First lines from book), and my son will search the house for the book until he finds it! It is a great book, the illustrations are top notch. He has about 30 other board books, but this is by far his favorite. Since I read it to him at least 5 times a day, I know it by heart! I can't wait to get more of Sandra Boynton's books. Since it is a board book, it is very durable! Go Berserk! You won't regret it! ... Read more

Book Description

It's the Grouchy Ladybug's 20th birthday. To celebrate, we are introducing a new, larger format edition with brighter, more colorful pages created from Eric Carle's original artwork using the latest reproduction technology. The Grouchy Ladybug is bigger and brigher, as irascible but irresistable as ever and will surely delight new generations of readers, as well as her devoted fans of all ages. Happy Birthday, Grouchy Ladybug!

Reviews (38)

Great for all ages!
I am a mother of 3 aged 5,3 & 1 year. All three of my children love this book. They think the Grouchy Ladybug is a silly bug. They enjoy "reading" along with me because the book is so repetitive! Even my one year old sits & listens intently to the pattern. "Ya' wanna fight! " "If you insist..." "Oh- you're not big enough." Repetition is the best tool in teaching to read & Eric Carle books are PERFECT for that! The other concepts he introduces in his books such as TIME & DAYS are helpful in teaching too. GREAT WORK, MR. CARLE!

The Wonderful World of Insects
The Grouchy Ladybug is a wonderful Eric Carle book. I love his mosiac illustrations, and the moral he projects. The grouchy ladybug is mean to all the other insects that he meets. He does not want to share the aphids on his leaf with the friendly ladybug. He ends up making no friends at all, and the animals he is rude to are getting bigger and fiercer as the book goes on. In the end the grouchy ladybug ends up on the same leaf he started out on, and shares the aphids.

Note to teachers: This is a great book to introduce a unit on insects. Most students probably don't understand what aphids are, and the ladybugs feed on them. You could also incorporate all of the other animals in the text to do a unit on animals. There are so many wonderful teaching oportunities with all of Eric Carle's books, but this is one of my favorites.

Wonderful book--one of my child's favorites
This is a great book and the repetition is great for a emerging young reader. My 3 year old can "read" this book to himself and his baby sister because he can anticipate what will happen when he turns the page. He has language delays due to hearing problems when he repeated ear infections and these repetitious books that Eric Carle has done have been wonderful with slowly introducing him to language.

Repetition, repetition, repetition....
After reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar to my son enough times to have it memorized, I bought this book thinking that it would be a nice change, and expecting The Grouchy Ladybug to have a moral somewhere along the lines of Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (if you haven't read that to your kids, get it). I found The Grouchy Ladybug to be repetative to the point of parental abuse. Eric Carle has good children's books, but this one was definitely not my favorite. The only thing my son has learned from it is "Hey, You, Wanna Fight?" It was okay to read once or twice, but the next garage sale, it's going to mysteriously vanish. I would suggest The Very Hungry Caterpillar instead, if you don't have it.

This book is crap
Eric Carle has done better. Read the "Very Quiet Cricket". This book is extremely repetitive and isn't really even a