Book Description

Pip and her friends are excited to go trick-or-treating, but her grandmas could spoil Halloween! Grandma Sal loves to dress up and insists on playing tricks. Grandma Nan, on the other hand, refuses to wear a costume and insists on good manners. While the grandmas argue, Pip and her friends decide to play their own trick -- and run straight into some scary surprises that make this a Halloween they will never forget.

First introduced in The Grandma Mix-Up, Pip and her grandmas return for a fourth book to add suspense and excitement to one of beginning readers' favorite holidays -- Halloween.

Book Description

AHOY MATEYS -- WELCOME TO CAMP BUCCANEER!

The sign said learn to be a CARD-CARRYING PIRATE IN THREE WEEKS. Well, no one had to tell Marlon twice-she had only been dressing up as a pirate every Halloween since she could remember. And what better way to spend an otherwise boring summer than with plank-walking, deck-swabbing, treasure-hunting, honest-to-goodness pirates?

Join Marlon as she plunges headfirst into a summer full of adventure and discovers that there is more to becoming a pirate than sailing the high seas! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Read this book or walk the plank !!
What a fun book to read !! I didn't even realize I was learning about self esteem issues. It's so great to find a book that inspires kids in a good way without preaching and makes you excited about the story. This book is a great find !!
Pirate camp will be all the rage next summer.

I want to go to Camp Buccaneer too!
I want to go to Camp Buccaneer too!This is a terrific book, funny and loads of fun. The illustrations are a riot! Argh!

Great Fun for Kids
Pam Smallcomb is sure to have a wonderful career in children's literature. My household of kids are looking forward to what she'll come up with next.Thanks Pam for writing a book for this age group that is NOT about a commercial product that my children have all enjoyed reading. This kind of imaginative fun is hard to find in early readers and Ms. Smallcomb has thrilled MY early chapter book readers! ... Read more

Book Description

Cory is turning seven, and his best friend convinces him to "investigate" the birthday present his mother has hidden away.But when they open it and it doesn't work they're afraid they've broken it!As if that isn't bad enough, the class bully tries to ruin Cory's birthday party at the skating rink.It looks as if second grade is off to a bad start for Cory Coleman.
... Read more

Book Description

On the ice and around the house where he lives with his eleven adopted siblings and distracted parents, Boot, the Wings’ premier left wing, is most comfortable cruising the margins and sneaking in his best shots when they’re least expected. But midway through his first Squirt season Boot discovers that a new weapon is allowed, one that appeals to everyone but him: bodychecking. Suddenly, surrounded by the threat of being hit by anyone at any angle at any speed, Boot finds his game is in big trouble. He can’t check—or won’t. The team is upset and everyone but Boot is getting creamed. Will he hold back so long that he loses not only his teammates’ respect—but his place on the ice as a Wing?

... Read more

Reviews (2)

Boot
Boot, the Wings great right wing is great crusing the margins and sneaking in a shot when least expected. But midway body checking is allowed. Boot will not hit and he is the only one on the team that is being creamed. Will he hold back as long so he doesnt get respect or even worselose his place on the Wings?

Fun Book to Read
Boot is the Woolfbay Wings right wing.He likes to sneak in his great shoots in games. But in the squirt season bodycheacking is allowed.Boot finds this hard and his game suffers. Will Boot find a way past thisProblem?

The Wolfbay Wings collection is great for young hockey fans orplayers. ... Read more

Book Description

Rumpus at the Vet chronicles Hairy’s escapades with "miserable dogs and cantankerous cats, a rabbit with pimples and rickety rats." ... Read more

Reviews (16)

The first "Hairy Maclary" book
This is the first of the "Hairy Maclary" books. And while it's not the best "Hairy Maclary" book (my favorites are HAIRY MACLARY'S RUMPUS AT THE VET, HAIRY MACLARY'S CATERWAUL CAPER, and SLINKY MALINKI), it's an essential "Hairy Maclary" book; it's the one where all the major characters are introduced. In fact, that's pretty much all the book is, an extremely entertaining introduction--and that's not a bad thing at all! We meet among others, Harry Maclary "from Donaldson's Dairy" (some sort of terrier), Bottomley Potts "covered in spots" (dalmation), and Muffin McLay "like a bundle of hay" (English sheepdog). Once the dogs are all introduced, they head to town where they run into Scarface Claw, "the toughest Tom in town", who frightens them all away. My son, who is two and a half, really loves this book. He is always on alert for Schnitzel von Krumms (dachschunds) and Muffin McLays when we go out for walks. Also, we've been inspired from time to time to make up our own rhymes about these dogs. Bitzer Maloney, for example, "loves to eat baloney". And Hercules Morse "eats roast beef, of course". It's hard not to love a book that can do all that for you!

You'll love it too...
Kids love this "building" story - Hairy Macleary from Donaldson's Dairy (a tangley little black dog) goes for a walk, and is gradually joined by lots of other dogs with impossible rhyming names. The dogs increase until Disaster! - they meet Scarface Claw, the toughest tomcat in town. (A screetchy meow is necessary at this point.)

Lynley Dodd has a wonderful tumpity-tum rhythm throughout the book that makes it great fun to read. It also makes a good flannelboard for storytimes (not too many pieces to make, either).

The only caveat is that if you buy this book you will be made to read it over and over - although it's fun to try and remember all of the dogs' names: Schnitzel Von Krum (with a *very* low tum), Bottomley Potts (all covered in spots), Hercules Morse (as big as a horse)...

Ignore the editorial reviews above - they relate to "Hairy Macleary : rumpus at the vet" and "Dragon in a wagon"

hairy maclary
As an expat New Zealander now living in the US I am delighted to finally be able to get these books here.
I have been reading them to kids for 15 years and now have a son of my own and he already has the entire collection of Hairy Maclary related books (14 and Counting....)
This is one of my all time favourite books. Every child I have read or given these to has become addicted to that scruffy black dog. His is an everyday New Zealand kind of life. The illustrations are typical NZ scenery, great for those who have been there and remember fondly the backdrop to these great tales.
Lynley Dodd has also written several other great kids books, so check her out on the web. The other reviews tell you how great the book is, I wanted to let you know that if you love this book there are many more to discover.

Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy
My sons - 4 years old and 18 months both adore this book. The rhyming text keeps them engrossed as I animatedly read about the adventures of Hairy Maclary and his friends. My 4 year old asks lots of questions about the different dogs that are introduced, so it is also very educational.

Straight back home to BED!
Our toddler WILL NOT GO TO BED until we've done Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy, or more recently, some of Hairy's other exploits (especially Hairy Maclary's BONE and the CATERWAUL CAPER).

Unfortunately for yours truly, these are pretty dull books to read night after night, so you have to be very imaginative about how you read them: I find allocating each of the dogs a different accent (sometimes rotating accents each night) or spoonerising the text as you go along keeps the old fellow happy as the young one is still entranced.

On the other hand, the rhymes kick along quite nicely, and the illustrations - which are an unintentionally dead-on representation of the mind numbingly mundane world of semi-rural New Zealand - are great.

The final line - I don't think it's spoiling anything to reveal that it's "straight back home to bed!" - is an unfailing cue for young sir to lie down, close his eyes, and refrain from screaming the neighbourhood down should father deign to switch off the light. As there is nothing else on this dear earth I have found which will do that, Lynley Dodd has truly earned my heartfelt gratitude and respect.

My one literary nitpick is that Dodd has wholesale nicked the character Scarface Claw off the great New Zealand cartoonist Murray Ball, whose long-running newspaper strip "Footrot Flats" featured a timid sheepdog and its travails with a truly ferocious, semi-feral tomcat by the name of Horse.

And as for being the "toughest tom in town" - pshaw - Horse would have Scarface, any day of the week. ... Read more

Book Description

In Wally Walrus the focus is on the vowel team sounds of al, aw, au, and augh. Wally Walrus is scared of bully Squawky Hawk...until Wally wins him over in a spectacular way.32 pages, 6 1/2 x 9, Audio Cassette: Side A: Read-Along, Side B: Listening, Ages 4-8 ... Read more

Book Description

• Teaches children to respect others

• Offers a positive response to bullying

• Encourages children to be compassionate and helpful ... Read more

Book Description

Having fun while addressing the concerns of younger people, the well-known Sudbury, Ontario Patches is a great storyteller with Radio and Television experience. Share her with your children today. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

HUMONGOUS HIT!
This is a totally awesome book...is what my son said after he read it. And then I read it and I agree! I love Mr. Cousins writing and I wish he would write more! The wonderful detail and use of actual science in this imaginative treasure is astounding! The issue of bullying in this book is sensitively portrayed and also dealt with humor and insight. I think this should be required reading in all schools. It brought up topics around the dinner table for discussion from bugs to treating others with respect and usually back to bugs again. Boys are like that.

Frankenbug by Steven Cousins
Unlike the other kids in his fifth grade class, Adam Cricklestein lives in his own little world of bugs and insects from all over the world. Adam is the first to admit that he is a little bit weird, but this hobby is just innocent fun that doesn't hurt anyone else. But because Jeb McCallister, the sixth grade bully, enjoys torturing Adam and his bugs every chance he gets, Adam is forced to 'create' a bug to protect him from his nemesis. Frankenbug is not only entertaining, but also extremely educational in a conspicuous way that will spark the scientific interests in young readers. Steven Cousins definitely did his homework before writing this book in order to obtain the countless facts about many rare types of 'bugs'. For example, his description of the male and female lightening bug's photinus carolinus (flash pattern used when mating) that Adam used to bring Frankenbug to life was precisely informative. The story line is also set up well, with the reader pulling for Adam (and Frankenbug) to come out ahead of Jeb right down to the very end. This culminates with Jeb's bullying being exposed and Frankenbug being released to live out his life with Adam in his zoo-like bedroom. The only drawback to this book was the lack of depth given to many of the characters. Because Adam was portrayed as the class nerd, children will be reluctant to identify with his character. The introduction of a classmate who was a true-blue type friend to Adam, in spite of his strange hobby, may have been useful to draw in a larger audience. Overall, this is an informative, educational, and entertaining book that many children should enjoy.

Frankenbug is a great book!
I really, really enjoyed the book Frankenbug. I think Mr. Cousins's idea of telling it from the boy's point of view was great and easy to follow. And this was the kind of book where you could easily follow what was going on, and it was just really fun to read!

An Exciting and Unusual story!!
Frankenbug is a really great book that tells the story of a boy who creates a monster bug after seeing the movie Frankenstein. Also mixed into the exciting story are hilarious jokes and good facts about bugs. This is also very realistic because it is told in a real 11 year old boy's voice and is not that complicated. I think that this is a VERY good book and you shouldn't miss out on it. ... Read more

Book Description

Poor Arnold, the class wimp, is being picked on by the meanest bullies in school. When the bullies begin to pick on his sister, too, he finds a few tricks up his sleeves that surprise everyone, even himself. ... Read more

Book Description

Sent to Salem Town to be educated, Josiah dreams of becoming a sailor. Nothing is going to stop him.or so he thinks! Josiah is drawn to the dock, where he sneaks into the cargo hold of one of the vessels. In a moment, someone is on him, dangling a huge rat over his face. He's been discovered! Desperate to stay out of trouble, Josiah strikes a deal his conscience tells him isn't right. Meanwhile, Josiah's sister, Hope, is accused of stealing a gold chain. What will happen to Josiah? Can Josiah convince everyone that Hope is not guilty? ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A GREAT BOOK
Arvy is terrifed to start the fifth grade. Fifth grade means Mr. Henson's class and Mr. Henson means WRITING. Add to that that Raymond Taylor--the world's worst class bully--is back at school and Arvy is ready to run away and join circus. With the help of his wacky best friend Chloe and the rest of their gang, Arvy manages to get through the first week and conquer his fear of writing. This is such a great book for kids between the ages of 8 and 12. Give it a try. You'll love it.

These first-time authors are in touch with kids! It's real!
This book is based on an issue that is very real for kids -- writing. In a light-hearted yet realistic manner, the authors allow kids to watch the character confront and overcome his aversion to writing. Kids will be drawn in by the dialogue and fun banter, not noticing that there is also a real message here about learning to love expressing oneself through the written word! Great!

Wonderful book for kids on the joys of writing!
Best friends discover the joy of writing in this delightful first novel by Kelly C. McAndrew and Jeff Fluharty. Arvy loves to read but the thought of writing something on his own terrifies him. His best friend Chloe and the members of their secret club Skoob lead him to the discovery that writing isn't so hard if you write what you know. McAndrew and Fluharty have a wonderful gift for getting into the minds and hearts of children, treating them like the intelligent people they are. A great novel for ages 8-11 for any child that loves to read! Also appropriate for school cirriculum. ... Read more