Book Description

Soft-to-Touch Full of crisp color photographs, these books capture the expressions and moods of babies throughout their busy days. The soft-padded format makes them safe and easy for little hands to handle. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

A big favorite
For some reason babies seem to be FASCINATED with pictures of other babies. This book provides a lot of cute baby faces with various expressions for your little one to look at. My 14 month old loves it - particularly the "baby peeks" page, which always starts up a peek-a-boo game. The text is not terribly exciting - just labels for the babies and their expressions. The photography is quite good, though, and that makes this an attractive book.

Fun for Young Babies!
We received this book as a gift from another mom. It has been a really great book! The babies are adorable and their expressions are fun to look at. My four month-old son loves to look at the faces and tries to turn the pages himself. He even likes the pictures on the front and back covers.

If your baby likes looking at faces, this is the right book for you.

My child likes it. I don't.
My child likes seeing the baby faces in this book. I'm not a big fan of the book, as although the concept is good, I think there are too many non-happy faces (eg. sad, worried, puzzled). If you're buying for baby's fun, go ahead. If you're buying for baby + parent fun, choose another. It gets hard to keep explaining the sad-looking faces.

Great first book for babies
This was my son's first book along with White on Black. Both were big hits with him while he was younger. He enjoyed looking at the faces and having me name the diferent expressions. He would be smiling as we were looking at the different pictures in the book and at 18 mos still enjoys looking at it. Babies are attracted to human faces and this book is perfect for that. It is pictures of little babies one is sad, surprised, happy, tired, etc. This is a perfect first book and I would reccommend it to anyone with a little baby.

Great book
My 18 month old daughter loves this book. Babies love looking at babies. We look at the book together and do the facial expressions and we both laugh. It's so cute to see her imitate the expressions. It has also helped her learn different moods so she can verbalize to me how she is feeling without getting frustrated, or having a tantrum. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A great series for early language acquisition
I have been using this entire series with my son since he was born, and he is now 14 months. He loves the pictures and turning the pages. The books use the format of one word per page and it gives both the English and Spanish form of the word. This is a great series for early language acquisition. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Nice book, but not a favorite...
Pictures are rudimentary - well, just not so great, let's say and the wording could have been more pleasing to the ear.Nothing for readers/listeners - especially very young ones - to catch on to!

Beautiful, large pictures and simple text.
This book was the only one my daughter wanted me to read to her formonths, even when she was under one.I would just recite the simple textof the book and it would make her smile.The book is great because of thelarge colorful pictures of adorable animals andthe unclutteredpages areeasy for a toddler to focus on.Be prepared to read it over and over! ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (7)

Lovin' Peekaboo
I took a chance and bought this- for far more- at a book store for my daughter who was 4 months old at the time. I couldn't believe how much she loved it and loves it still at 7 months. Rubbing the furry animals inside is her favorite part. I find myself getting into the book as well by making the sounds the animal would make. A good deal, price wise, too. The book store was almost double the cost! I plan to buy more of his books soon.

Good Bedtime Reading
My five month old is just learning the concept of peekaboo, and this book gives us both smiles each evening. The large font is good too.

Great for textures & teaching concept of object permanence
My 10 month old is in LOVE with this book. She squeals with delight when she touches the various animal's fur. Its a great way to introduce various textures, colors and animals. The other reason I bought it was b/c she was going through separation anxiety and playing peekaboo as well as reading peekaboo books has really helped her begin to feel less anxious about not always being able to see me.

Book Involves Sight, Sound and Touch.
"Peekaboo Kisses" by Barney Saltzberg.

Recently, I gave this book to my granddaughter, Tabitha, (22 months), who was obviously delighted. Each page brings up a different animal: kitten, puppy, sheep, duckling and then a mouse. As you say the words, "Peekaboo!", you open the flap of a page and there is the animal. Each animal has a tiny hole with the appropriate material: the "wool" for the sheep actually looks like some wool. The gray "fur" for the mouse, the last animal, is also a squeaker. An adult finger can cause the "Squeak!" every time, but Tabitha's little fingers had difficulty now and then.

Finally, you come to the last page. As it is opened (with the word, "Peekaboo!", of course), there is a metallic mirror where the young reader can recognize himself. When asked, "Who is that in the book?", my granddaughter would answer with her nickname, "Tabby". So, this book is excellent for both tactile training and self-recognition, while providing entertainment for both adult and child.

My son loves this book!
I bought this book for my son when he was 10 months old. He is now 16 months and still loves it. It's so tattered and torn that we had to buy him a new one. It't definitly a book you'll read over and over and over. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

Same great character, only younger!!
When my son David was born almost two years ago my best friend gave us the "No, David!" book.Of course, it wasn't very useful until he was a bit older, and we still have to be careful letting him look at it so that the pages don't get ripped or bent.Still, he loves hearing his name in the book!IF ONLY THESE Diaper David BOOKS HAD COME OUT SOONER!!!I think they are absolutely adorable, and VERY STURDY since they are board books.I can't bear to save them until his 2nd birthday in a couple of months, so he just got some extra books for no reason at all!If you love the original "David" books, these are a great addition to the collection for younger children! ... Read more

Book Description

A rhyming story of opposites that uses animal charactistics to help us explore ourselves and our feelings. ... Read more

Reviews (52)

Adorable, Colorful, and Funny.
The Story: A mouse is in the process of picking a red ripe strawberry when you, the reader, come upon him. You warn the mouse about "The Big Hungry Bear" who loves "Red Ripe Strawberries." Though the darling little mouse looks up at you with wide, worried eyes, he really wants that strawberry and continues to pick it and drag it back to his little home, where he tries hiding it, guarding it, disguising it, etc. Finally, the reader tells the little mouse the only way he can save his strawberry from the "Big Hungry Bear" is to "Cut it in two, share half with me, and we will eat it all up."

Your little mouse will love this book, and so will you. The illustrations are absolutely fantastic, and the mouse is one of the most expressively drawn characters in children's books. It's a quick read accompanied by bright, colorful, beautifully painted pages that will keep the attention of even the youngest child, and have your older child giggling and reading along with you.

Delightful, clever, and fun!
This is one of my 3 year old son's favorite books. The illustrations are GREAT; I recommend the larger hard cover book. This book starts with "Hello little mouse, what are you doing?", as you "catch" the mouse picking a strawberry. The adult gets to enjoy the mischief of the narrator, who tricks the mouse into sharing and eating the strawberry by convincing the mouse that the big hungry bear is on the way to eat the strawberry. The finer point that there probably is no bear is not necessary for the child to understand to enjoy and participate in the story. My son enjoyed from the age of 2 the clever ways in which the mouse tries to hide the strawberry, and always acts out his part of taking his half of the strawberry and eating it.

A PEACH OF A BOOK
This is one of my very favorite kids' books. There is no
particular moral, the story line is minimal, there is no bear!
But there is a little mouse with one of the most expressive
faces in all of kids' picture books, a huge strawberry, and a
very happy and satisfying ending.

Don and Audrey Wood are an extremely talented couple, both when
they work on separate projects and especially when they work
together.

Suspenseful without being scary
The Little Mouse book has a wonderful interplay between the reader and story as it introduces concepts of sharing and how to deal with the threat of a bully.

Pictures Make this Story - The Strawberry Seems Edible
Both my kids loved this book and I have given it to lots of people. I like the big hardcover because the pictures are so great (although the smaller Board Book is nice). In The mouse offers up the strawberry to the reader to share, and even Mom and Dad feel like they ought to take a piece. Simple story - and although the narrator tells the mouse he ought to take care of his strawberry or a great big hungry bear will eat it, my kids were never scared. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Beautiful book to personalize for your child
My 20-month old daughter loves this book, as do I. The illustrations are beautiful and allow you to tell the story however you choose (there is no text). It's a great way to personalize the "expecting a new baby" story. We talk about our doctor, our favorite toy store, our grandma coming to visit, ect. It's also fun to hear how Dad tells the story. A great book for toddlers who will soon be big brothers or sisters.

Don't Waste Your Money
I purchased this book to read to my 2 1/2 year old daughter as part of preparing her for an addition to the family. My daughter loves books and I enjoy reading them to her. The reading level is listed as Baby-Preschool and I was curious to see how the author would write about such a sensitve subject so that children of a young age would understand. To my surprise, I quickly realized that the "author" chose not to deal with the subject at all and the book consists only of pictures. While its easy enough for a parent to make up a story using the illustrations, there are so many other books out there that have illustrations AND pictures that I would suggest spending your money elsewhere. I also bought Our New Baby by Beth Atchison which I was very happy with. However, if you're considering buying that book please be advised that there are references to God, so if you're not a Christian it might not be for you. ... Read more

Book Description

Millions of children have been lulled to sleep by this classic bedtime tale. Now paired with a cuddly plush bunny, it is the perfect way to say "goodnight."

Reviews (4)

"One is good for a quiet talk...."
Unsurprisingly with a name like One, Two, Three!, this is a counting book, but it isn't the average counting book. This is a Boynton book we are talking about after all. In this book we are counting critters. "One is good for a quiet walk. Two is right for a quiet talk." Just like in Hippos Go Berserk, (another book by Sandra Boynton), we count up to ten, but this time we don't count down again and we aren't only counting hippos, although hippos appear many times in the book. (A plus in my mind.) Just like all those other Boynton books, this one rhymes and flows wonderfully. The pictures are excellent too: cute, bright, bold, and colorful. This book rates high on my list of favorite Boynton books.

Loggie-log-log-log

Good reading selection
I've had this book for my daughter since she was a newborn. She's now 15 months and loves it. The cutout on the front cover intrigues her endlessly. The rhymes are short and cute. She loves to turn the pages herself. This is a book she grabs over and over again to be read.

Wonderful
This is a wonderful book.

I love books for children that have simple pictures that aren't too distracting. When the pictures have too much going on in them, it's hard to get the story. This book has simple pictures.

I love books that lead to other activities using the book- for example, in this book we can count the animals, make the sounds of the animals, act like the animals are acting, etc. Wonderful.

My son LOVES the last bit- Loud Loud Loud! He gets very excited reading that part. I would say that this doesn't work as a night time book for us.

However, this is a wonderful book.

A Boynton classic that should be in your collection!
This book often sits next to "Goodnight Moon" and "Where the Wild Things Are" on our 18 month old's bookshelf, but according to him it's better than those classics. He loves identifying the characters, their actions, and their expressions. We have lots of fun reading this whimsical book over and over...especially the part about "ten makes a celebration LOUD, LOUD, LOUD...and one is wonderful after a crowd" because of the voice range you can use. A definite to have with or without a Boynton collection! ... Read more

Book Description

It's as easy as waving bye-bye!

Babies have a lot to say, even before they can actually speak. Baby Signs are simple gestures that allow babies and toddlers to communicate what they see, what they need, and even how they feel. Research has shown that Baby Signs decrease frustration and tantrums and help your baby talk sooner.

When to begin: When your child starts to wave bye-bye.

How to do it: Show your baby the sign and point to the picture. Always say the word as you make the sign.

Improvise: Make up your own signs -- your baby probably will too!

Reviews (7)

Great addition to learning baby signs
We started out with the "My first baby signs" board book, and once our daughter got a pretty good handle on those signs, I bought the mealtime and the animals books. I wish I'd bought the bedtime book while I was at it. The baby signs books are her favorite books to look at... and now that she knows the sign for "baby", she'll sign "baby" and then what she sees on the page. Even on the front cover of the Animals book, she signs cat because the baby is signing cat.

Some of the words in this book don't make a lot of sense to a baby. The "all gone" page, she doesn't sign "all gone" but she signs "drink" and says "ga ga" (means crackers) because that's what's on the page. But you know what, that's ok because 1. She enjoys these books immensely and 2. She's learned a LOT of signs from reading the books constantly.

She's been signing 1 month (17 mos old) and knows 35 signs. Once your baby gets a handle on signing, these books won't even be enough, you'll want to find signs for other things that aren't even in the books.

I would start with the "First Signs" board book, and see how your baby picks them up (some kids never get an interest in signing so I'm told). Or you can take a chance and buy all 4 books. Don't do what I did and just get a couple because then if your baby really starts catching on you'll be kicking yourself that you didn't get the rest.

This book is a great book, but I think the "first signs" book is a better introduction to get your baby interested in signing.

not real Sign Language
I feel there should be a disclaimer making it clear that these signs are not all the signs being used by the Deaf Community. We have Deaf people in our family so we would prefer to use real American Sign Language Signs to teach babies. In the event the baby encounters a real Deaf person, they would share the same signs.

Great for toddlers!
My son (16 months old) loves these board books. He is always bringing me one of them (we have mealtime, bedtime and animals) to read to him. Although some of the signs are different than the ones we have already learned, that doesn't seem to be a problem for him. His big brother(4 yrs old) enjoys 'reading' the books to him as well. I only wish they had a little box in the corner showing an adult making the sign, so I would be sure that I am doing it correctly).

Baby likes it but...
Baby likes it but not all of the signs are ASL. Usefulness depends on your decision to use made up signs with ASL. For example: HOT has blowing puffs of air instead of signing. Our house has babysigns as well as ASL, just as we speak clearly while Baby uses babytalk. I'm disappointed that I need to teach each member of the family how to supplement this board book. I would like to see a small ASL diagram in the corner for reference. On the other hand, the pictures (photos) engage Baby and this is clearly one of his favorites.

Good Book for Starters
I am a child development teacher with an emphasis in infants and toddlers. I have always fully supported the idea of teaching infants to sign and have seen wonderful results over and over. I recently found this book at my local bookstore and was very pleased with it. Although not all of the signs used are ASL, they are signs that young children are capable of. In general practice, many children will make up their own variations to any given sign. Most signs are approximations, but some are very different than the sign that was initially introduced, thus the ones that vary from ASL can be corrected once a child is learning to sign properly, if needed. The biggest rule for hearing children when signing is to always, I repeat, always say the word as you are signing it. This way the child is given a way to express themselves, but is also hearing the word that is associated with the need. I highly recommend this book for parents who want to teach their babies (starting age about 8 months) to sign. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

It makes my baby smile
My nine month old has responded to smilely faces since birth. Because of the clear and colorful drawings of people in this book, he is delighted with the illustations. The content is clever and humorous as well. Recommended!

Great book for the kids with short attention spans
This book is short on words and long on really great illustrations. Quiet Loud and Patricelli's other 2 books are perfect for kids who are just beginning to show an interest in books. The illustrations captivate their attention and the limited number of words doesn't require too much lingering. The illustrations lend themselves to acting out and being silly. This new little book is quickly becoming a favorite at my house!

Perfect for my toddler son!
My son was 15 months when we got these FABULOUS books and he loves them! He tends to be fairly lound himself so learning about what is quiet and what is loud is a good, continual lesson at our house-this book is the perfect tool and the illustrations are fantastic too. Be sure to check out Leslie Patricelli's other two books as well, Yummy/Yucky (our favorite!) and Big/Little-all are well worth the purchase and great for gifts too. ... Read more

Book Description

Here are
Little Guy,
Little Pumpkin,
and
Little Bird.

Their grownups
love them.
So will you.

Reviews (39)

A love story for your baby
I bought this book for my daughter, who is 18 months old. It took all of one reading to be added to her list of favorites--she constantly asks for "more more babies". The pictures are wonderful for toddlers, simple and brightly colored. Not only do little ones love the story--lots of repeated elements, little people like them--it's virtually impossible to read it to a child without cuddling. This has become part of my standard baby gift package.

Our whole family fell in love with this book!
This is a beautifully illustrated book with a sweet, touching text that should be "cooed" rather than read aloud. Author Williams tells anecdotes about parents and grandparents playing with and cuddling their babies. When my son was fifteen months old, this was his favorite book. He loved it so much, it soon became everyone's favorite book. One of my best memories is of listening to my husband reading the story of Little Guy being swung in the air by his daddy. Inevitably, when the story was over, my husband would swing his own little guy in the air.

However, don't believe the age range listed for this book in the on-line catalog. This is a book for and about BABIES. As soon as your little one has had enough of being known as "the Baby", you need to put this book aside and move on to another good book. My son outgrew this book with his toddler clothes.

Baby and Mom's favorite
We love this book. Super cute. It is written like you would talk to baby and you can do the cute things to your baby that the grown-ups in the book do to theirs-kiss toes, rock... I would get it!

I hate this book but my daughter loves it.
I have 20 month old twins and one absolutley loves this book while the other one could care less. The illustrations are what bug me. I know I should judge the book on its outdated artwork, but when you have to stare at it all day long and read it over and over it gets to you! The dad wears flip flops and short shorts. If you're a stickler for proper grammar, you'll hate this book.

Really cute book!
This book is different from most other children's books I've seen. I love it - hubby hates it. The grammer is creative (and described in other reviews) so it takes a few readings for it to be easy to read aloud, but the stories are sweet and multicultural, and each story has a nice, repetitive rhythm to it. We read this to our 4-month-old daughter as a bed time story, and she loves it. The rhythm is great for soothing her at bedtime. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

SO cute!
We bought this book with "That's Not My Tractor" by the same author to entertain our two-year-old on a trip. We have all enjoyed the darling illustrations and fun textures. It is one of those books that we read most frequently and that his friends pull out during play time. We plan on collecting more of this series for sure!

Best Baby Books!
We bought "that's not my dinosaur" in french while in europe last spring. Our son was only5 months old and immidiately squealed with delight and still does. It is his all time favourite book. I got online now to order another>

Thomas LOVES this book
My son Thomas (now 21 months) took to this book at 12 months and it is still is favorite. Very durable. He used to pet, and now he loves to show me the mouse on each page. I'm buying other Usborne books for an upcoming plane ride! He also has one in Spanish that he likes as much.

Great touch and feel book!
My niece loved this book, so we bought it for our daughter who we expect to arrive in just a few weeks! I think I like it even more because our little dog looks just like the one at the end! So I'm biased - I still think it's the best! :-)

Touchy Feely's Number One with Our Little Guy
All the Touchy-Feely Books have wonderful textures (soft, rough, shiny and more) that draw babies and toddlers into the story. They take delight in touching the textures, looking at the vibrant pictures and listening to your voice as you read the story.

These books are of exceptional quality - take it from the parents of young Malcolm. Malcolm chews on these board books, sucks on them and even turns his own pages. His books look like new! These are durable board books with thick and resilient pages. ... Read more

Book Description

The tow trucks, cement trucks, and newspaper delivery trucks pictured here all help people and will fascinate small children. This very simple picture book about transportation ‘will delight the youngest, and have enough meat for older preschoolers and beginning readers.’ —K.

... Read more

Reviews (5)

The best book ever! (in my 16-month-old's opinion)
My son has recently started saying "truck," and he says it every time he sees or hears a truck (or any other vehicle, for that matter). So I got this book yesterday, and he's already developed a near-obsession with it. We spent 25 minutes (a long time for a toddler) just turning the pages and looking at it this morning, sometimes with me reading, and sometimes with him just exclaiming "truck!" and pointing to every truck on every page. And then this afternoon we read it, oh, 25 times conservatively speaking. My son really wasn't that interested in books at all before a couple of weeks ago, so his fixation on this book is kind of funny. I think we'll get the Machines at Work book next.

A great beginning book
There really isn't much to this simple board book (other editions are currently out of print)--just some simple, geometric drawings in primary colors with a text consisting of basic words in short sentences. But what a great jump into books!

My two-year-old son loves to read this book over and over. We start with the text and then "read" the pictures. ("Where's the purple one going? In the tunnel? That's right!") My son knows all the words and "helps" me read it, which makes him quite proud of himself--and me of him.

A treasury of trucks for the beginning reader
"Trucks," by Byron Barton, is an educational treat for the youngest readers. A very simple text accompanies colorful illustrations of many kinds of trucks. We see a garbage truck, delivery truck, tow truck, dump truck, cement mixer, and more. The artwork of this book is distinctive: the crisp illustrations have an almost mathematical precision to them, and are rich in contrasting colors. I give the book an enthusiastic recommendation.

Excellent!
My two-year old son loves this book. He knows all of the trucks and can 'read' most of the book. When we are driving, he'll occasionally recite a line from the book when he sees a truck. He also loves Barton's 'Planes,' 'Trains,' and 'Boats.'

My son loves all the different types of trucks in the book.
How wonderful it is to have a book that your child wants to read several times a day! My son loves all the different types of trucks and what it is they are doing. I love that it is starting to teach him things like "over" and "through". Please also try "Trains" and "Boats" by the same author, you will enjoy! ... Read more

Book Description

ROAR! Elmo imagines what it's like to be a lion, a monkey, an elephant, and more! Little fingers can explore brightly colored tabs to find pages
featuring their favorite animal friends. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

2 year old loves it
She loves the book. her (and my four year old did before that). She especially love the last page where all of the characters appear (inlcuding cameos by Big Bird and Bert & Ernie).

A favorite with the little ones
This book is very popular with my one year old. First, he loves Elmo and he loves animals. Also, my busy little one does not sit still very long and this book is brief enough to complete in a very short time. It is sturdy and colorful and I am certain that our copy will wear out someday and we will be buying another one. ... Read more

Book Description

A "very" special package for a much-loved classic! Eric Carle's The Very Busy Spider, in a handsome miniature hardcover edition, comes boxed with a charming plush version of Eric Carle's Spider. Appealing to children of all ages, the plush Spider is from another Eric Carle classic. ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Beautifully illustrated story for young children.
I love this story of the determined spider who is blown on a fence and begins to weave her web, too busy to play with the other animals. She catches her fly at the end. The typical farm animals are represented and young children will be able to identify the animals by the pictures and can make the noises of the animals portrayed. The web can be felt with the fingertips, although my son was never and is still not impressed with this feat, although his mother is. Eric Carle is a masterful illustrator and story teller. If you have never read his books to young children and seen the fascination of a 2 year old sitting and waiting for the page to be turned, you are missing out. He does not have one bad book. His illustrations are stunning. We have a LOT of books at our house and this one is chosen at least once a week for a bedtime story. Highly highly recommended.

Terrific for toddlers
My two-year-old and I love this book. It's about a spider who blows in, lands on a fence post, and spends the entire day building a web. She keeps working as various animals tempt her to do other things. At the end of the day, she catches a fly in her web and then falls asleep, tuckered out from her busy day. This book has several things going for it. First, it is a very simple narrative, making it one of the first stories that your child will be able to understand. Second, it is repetitive. Toddlers LOVE repetition and it is good for them. It helps them stay focused on the story, and gives them a chance to "read" something themselves, because they will naturally recite the repetitive bits as you come to them. Last of all, this book has several animals and the noises they make--very important for that fund of knowledge you are building. Oh, and I forgot the kicker: The spider web is made of some sort of 3D glue, making it tactile. My son loves running his fingers along it. I would have given this book 5 stars, but I love Carle's THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR even more!

Cute
This is a cute story about a spider who drops in on a farm. All the farm animals greet her and invite her to play. But the spider spends the day building her web instead. The book is fun and informative, and not at all scary. The pages are doubled so they are easy to turn, but be careful, because inquisitive little fingers may reach inside the pages and rip them. The book has about 350 words.

silent
I liked this book but it was too short. I mostly liked this book because of the spiders web you get to feel. I wouldn't mind reading it again.

The Very Busy Spider
This book is about a spider that is spinning its web while alot of animals came and ask it to play.
The moral of the book is that after your done working you can have fun. It is a good book for young kids because it has colerful pictures and it teaches about spiders and what they do.
I woul say the age rating is 3 to 6. ... Read more

Book Description

For devoted fans of Rainbow Fish, this handsome gift edition features the original story, as well as a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Rainbow Fish-full of fun facts, a letter from Marcus Pfister on how it all began, and lots of sketches that show just how Rainbow Fish gets his bright scales and his sparkle. What better way to say Happy Holidays or Thanks for being our teacher? ... Read more

Reviews (116)

Wrong message
The author of this book has mis-directed the resentment against the Rainbow Fish. He wasn't disliked because he wouldn't give up his scales (only ONE FISH had expressed a desire for a scale!!) He was disliked for being arrogant and a jerk. This could have been a wonderful story about true friendship and how close friends confide one to another along with the consequences of gossip (something Pfister totally glossed over).

Although I can appreciate the author's intent in teaching a lesson on sharing, it seems the logical extent that he give up his scales in order to make a friend and to feel happy just doesn't work.

I suggest an alternate: Friendless, the Rainbow Fish becomes humble and asks the small fish for forgiveness for being a jerk. He tries to "buy" the small fish's friendship by first offering him a scale. The small fish sees through it and refuses the scale. The RF cries and confesses to being a jerk. The small fish seeing the pathetic state of the Rainbow Fish accepts the apology and they become best friends. At some point as their relationship grows, the Rainbow Fish, as a token of his true friendship gives the small fish one of his scales. The small fish is overjoyed, but he starts to feel bad. He told all the other fish what a jerk the Rainbow Fish was. He confesses to the Rainbow Fish what he told everyone. The small blue fish then, to make things better, goes and tells the other fish that Rainbow Fish is not like he used to be. In fact, RF gave the small fish a beautiful scale and RF did it not to MAKE a friend, but because he WAS a friend.

The other fish are impressed and decide if the small blue fish can be convinced, they will accept RF as a friend, too. The end.

Bad message for children.
My cousins, who live in a socialist European country, recently visited us in the U.S., and gave this book to my children as a gift. I love my cousins but think this is a horrible book. The message is clear: if you are better than anyone else, or rise above your peers in any way, no one will like you, and you will be lonely and miserable, as well as the target of envy and sometimes hatred. However, if you bring yourself down to their level, or pay them off, you will be most popular! The book reflects the mentality of the socialist, and demonstrates altruism at its worst. Everyone must be the same, and no one can excel at anything or in any way. The rainbow fish teaches children that it is good to strip yourself raw for the benefit of others, who were never your true friends to begin with, but only wanted something from you and based their acceptance of you on what you could provide for them. You know, kind of like that bad friend in school who loves you when you're down and out, but can't stand it when you lose weight and are looking good or happy or successful. Once the rainbow fish has taken off and given away all its beautiful scales, it is no longer the prettiest fish. The other fish, who each got a scale, are not elevated, but rather, they're all dragged down to the lowest common denominator. One scale each. Not enough to make anyone prettier than anyone else -- no one can really shine. It's not about sharing and love, but more like emotional bribery. I give this book one star, only because I have to, and the illustrations are pretty. Steer clear.

Under the sea
A great children's author (who, for the sake of her privacy, shall remain nameless) once commented that "The Rainbow Fish", was the third in the triumvirate of picture book mediocrity. The first two being, of course, "Love You Forever" and "The Giving Tree". I don't feel like explaining why this statement is not only brilliant but sublime, so instead I'm going to review this seemingly innocent little picture book. Here we have a very dull book with a very poor message. In my humble opinion, it hardly deserves much notice.

Originally a Swiss picture book (who knew?), "Rainbow Fish" tells the tale of a little sparkly fellow below the sea. The Rainbow Fish glitters and glides in the ocean's depths, ignoring the calls of the other fish to come out and play. One day a little fish asks for one of his shiny scales. The Rainbow Fish is not exactly polite in his refusal, but for some reason this is the comment that causes all the other fish to make him a social pariah. The Rainbow Fish is a little upset by this and asks the advice of a wise old octopus. Unfortunately the octopus is of the opinion that Rainbow Fish should give away the very things that make him special. His shiny scales. Once he has given a scale to all the other fishes he'll look exactly like everyone else and be happy. He does and then is. The end.

I suppose if you looked at this book from a religious context it might make a little more sense. But even then the moral would still run along the lines of give-up-your-worldly-possessions-and-everybody-will-like-you. Hm. What makes this book so offensive to some readers is the simple fact that it's is preaching a kind of same = good mentality. Tis better to meld with the crowd than to hold onto that which makes you an individual and unique, it sayeth. Then there are the illustrations to contend with. In an interesting marketing technique, the shiny scales Rainbow Fish sports are small hologram-ish cut-outs that line his body. Little kids will, presumably, see the shiny things on the cover of the book and immediately grab it. But how stand the rest of the illustrations? Certainly the colors in this tale are luminous and lovely. Pfister has developed a lovely watercolor technique wherein the blended shades of the scenes work perfectly within the context of the story. Unfortunately, the actual illustrations themselves are fairly hum drum. Don't expect the breathtaking loveliness of Eric Carle's "Mister Seahorse" or even the originality of a similar seaside tale, Irene Haas's, "The Maggie B.". Characters here never change expression (except that once in a while their little fishy mouths curl either up or down as appropriate). As a gimmick, the shiny scales work well. Just don't pay much attention to anything else in this tale.

The best advice I can give regarding "The Rainbow Fish" is to recommend Leo Lionni's classic picture book, "Swimmy". Like The Rainbow Fish, Swimmy's a little guppy who's different from everyone else. But rather than, oh say, changing his scale color to blend in, Swimmy uses his unique position in society to help those around him while remaining true to himself. A powerful statement that "The Rainbow Fish" sorely lacks. I'm not saying this is the worst picture book ever written, mind you. Just a mediocre one. With all the wonderful picture books out there, why not grab the best and leave the rest? Or, if we're going to take the advice of the Rainbow Fish to heart, do what everyone else is doing and strive for mediocrity. Hey, it worked for him!

Celebration of Appeasement and Mediocrity
We own this book only because my wife ordered it from a book club. Had we looked at the book, we never would have bought it. My two-year old has not seen it, nor will he. He has enough good books. And this book is bad. The book is so bad, destructive, immoral, and wrong that I have trouble figuring out where to start. Well, let's start with the "moral(s)" of the book, which can be summed up as follows: (1) being special is evil, and worthy of hatred; (2) if you do not give your possessions away to others on their demand and pursuant to their coercion, you will be rightfully hated; (3) you will be happy only if you are mediocre; (4) you need to bribe people to be your friends. And the message here is not about sharing. Notice, the Rainbow Fish does not "share" his scales (sharing would imply that his friends were going to give the scales back when they are done.) No, the Rainbow Fish is compelled (by emotional coercion) to give away that which makes him special. What part of this story is supposed to be edifying? It is garbage.

Pretty pictures, emotionally damaging story
I was relieved to see so many other bad reviews of this book, because I had thought I was crazy. I knew this was a very popular book (posters, puppets, etc.) so I bought it and was shocked at how bad the story was. When the Rainbow Fish chooses not to give his beautiful shining scales to another fish, all of the fish swim away and leave him "all alone". Thanks to a wise octopus, he discovers the only way to win friends and be the "happiest fish in the sea" is to give away his scales. I'm a teacher and a parent, and this is just a really bad lesson to be giving to a child, especially one under three years old who has little experience interacting with other people and forms ideas and expectations about the world based on books, tv, familial messages, etc. It is just beyond bad if your child is already sensitive and non-aggressive.

I changed the words to this book, but my daughter is almost three now and can pick out certain words (that she knows I'm not reading!) and asked me to read the "real" story. I explained that I wasn't crazy about the story, and promptly disposed of the book. I did not even consider donating it to the library or selling it to a used bookstore, because I don't want to be part of perpetuating this story! It is that bad.

Please do your children and society a favor and skip this book. Unless "give other kids all of your special, favorite things or else they'll all hate you and you'll be lonely and sad forever" is a moral lesson you want to teach your children, you'd be better off choosing one of the gazillion excellent children's books out there. Try anything by Richard Scarry, Byron Barton, Sandra Boynton, Eric Hill, Eric Carle, Dr. Seuss, etc. etc. etc................ ... Read more

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Reviews (18)

Love to paint them mousies, mousies what I love to paint
I'm curious. Why do the best picture books explaining color involve solely, and with few exceptions, mice? I mean, just consider Denise Fleming's fantastic "Lunch" or Ed Young's stunning, "Seven Blind Mice". For some reason, mice are just prone to well written color-infused storylines. "Mouse Paint" is no different.

Three adorable albino mice (able to hide from clever cats by standing on white pieces of paper) come across three jars of pain. On is red, one is yellow, and one is blue. Thinking, in a typical mousy fashion, that the jars of paint are Mouse Paint, the three climb in. Next, they set about dipping their toes in other colors, creating whole new combinations. Thus, kids learn that when a red mouse does a jig in a puddle of yellow paint, his feet will eventually turn a bright cheery orange. By the end of the tale, the mice are painting all sorts of colors hither and yon, mixing and matching shades in all sorts of new and exciting ways.

The book is made from a series of cut-paper collages. You wouldn't necessarily know this when looking at it, however. These mice have verve and pep. Their puddle dances are lively and entertaining. There are subtle in-jokes, such as the mice washing themselves clean in a large bowl that reads, "CAT". And to top it all off, they're pretty darn cute to boot. Though I've seen good books explaining colors to kids, this is the best I've seen that explains how to create a new color out of the combination of two others. All in all, it's a good read and an entertaining one as well.

Laugh and Learn!
We stumbled on this award-winning picture book by accident - but what a find! Three clever mice, illustrated by author Ellen Stoll Walsh in colorful cut-paper collage, discover three jars of "mouse paint." With childlike curiousity they dive right inside. And like children who can't resist splashing in puddles (mine included), the mice "splash" and "mix" and "dance" until they make a colorful mess. My daughters were already learning to identify colors. With Mouse Paint I was able to introduce the mixing of colors RED, BLUE, and YELLOW to create GREEN, ORANGE, and PURPLE - a concept they would not have learned until later.

Passes the kid test with flying colors!
I know...corny heading--but so true. My three year old loves this book, and my 20-month old goes crazy for it. We checked Mouse Paint out from the library, then rechecked it out, and finally ordered our own copy. When the book arrived, my toddler exclaimed, "Daddy! Mouse Paint!"

This is a cute and clever telling of how mixing paint colors brings new colors. The pictures are simple, but appealing, as is the text.

Bottom-line: If your children are 0-3 buy this book!

Great book for teaching kids about color!
This is a great book! I use it as an introduction to Kindergarten and Early Childhood students for color! They especially get a kick out of the book when they see the last page, wondering what the cat will do!

Short and Sweet
This book is perfect for little ones especially with their short attention spans. The pictures are appealing and a mommy or daddy can point out all the colors in the book. The story is cute and has great educational value teaching little ones about colors. My son (18 mos) really enjoys this book and sits on the floor and looks at the pictures by himself as much as he has me reading it to him. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Great for babies enchanted with cats
We have a dog and cats for pets, so I bought the baby einstein Dogs and baby Einstein Cats board books for her when she was a bit younger. She has always liked these books, and I think having cats on each page enforces the idea that there are different looking cats, and cats do different things. She likes to point at the pages and say "ga!" (or sign "cat") on each page.

This book was one of her favorites for quite awhile. I think the small size, which made it easy for her to look at by herself, as well as the familiar topic helped a lot. The pictures on the pages are great as well.

However, now that she's 17 months old and knows 35 baby signs, this book is a bit "rudamentary" for her, and she is clearly showing a preference for more complicated books. I would definitely get this book for a younger baby, as well as the Dogs board book and the Neighborhood Animals (baby Einstein) board book.

Disappointed...
I missed the dimensions of the book when I ordered it so I was surprised to see how tiny it was. I expected it to be the same size as the other Baby Einstein books (Shapes, Counting etc.). The other disappointing aspect is the illustrations. Some of the pictures are reproductions of artwork (rather than photographs of cats) and for a baby it's hard to see in those pictures where the cat is. (For example, a woman holding a cat on her lap). My son (14 months) likes the first page (child's drawing of a cat), the page showing the Baby Einstein calico cat (from the Neighborhood animals book) and then 3 pages that show the photographs of real cats. He doesn't like the artistic cats much at all. And on the last page it's hard for even me to find the cat in that painting. My son doesn't stay interested in the book very long and rarely picks it out himself to read. I was going to get the Dogs book, too, but not after seeing this one. I prefer the larger Baby Einstein books like Neighborhood Animals. My son loves to read those!

Perfect size for little hands!
I bought this book and Baby Einstein "Babies" for my 3 month old daughter. I placed them in a corner of her crib and when she began to roll around, she'd pick one up and play with it. Now she's 9 months old and she often plays with them after her nap or first thing in the morning. I've even caught her holding it open in her hands and looking at the pictures!! These books are a perfect size for my daughter to hold by herself and explore their shape and their pages.

Excellent for beginning bedtime reading with babies
I just ordered both this book and the Baby Einstein Dogs book. They arrived today and I was a little surprised by how small they were but I figured they were still good for my purposes. I have a newborn daughter (3 weeks old) and would like to start reading to her at bedtime. Most of the books I have are way too old for a little baby (better for 2 to 4 year olds). Board books seem to be much more appropriate. At any rate, these books are recommended for 1 month and up. Like I mentioned my daughter is only nearly 3 weeks old, and I doubt if she really understood at all what was going on or was able to focus on the pictures, but the fact that I was reading to her was soothing enough to put her to sleep. These books are an excellent way to start the habit of reading to your child at night.

Awesome Pictures
I bought this book when I was an education major. The first thing I really noticed were the pictures. The text is very simple, but the pictures; paintings, photos and drawings; really caught my eye. These are standard children's book illustrations. Each picture has different colors and different visible textures. Some have movement, some are still.

The best way to encourage a child to read is to have books in the home. ... Read more

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