Reviews (1)

Tom Kitten
My daughter loves the tale about Tom Kitten and his sisters, Moppet and Mittens.Their mother dresses them in fancy clothes for a tea party but the kittens mess-up and lose their clothes.It reminds me of when I was ayoung girl, and didn't quite enjoy wearing stiff, fancy clothes.Theantics of animals dressed in clothes appeals to the younger children. ... Read more

Amazon.com

"I cannot draw you a picture of Peter and Benjamin underneath the basket," writes Beatrix Potter in The Tale of Benjamin Bunny, "because it was quite dark, and because the smell of onions was fearful; it made Peter Rabbit and little Benjamin cry." Beatrix Potter's animal stories, the first of which was published in 1902, have been a joy to generations of young readers. This deluxe volume collects all of Beatrix Potter's 23 Peter Rabbit tales and verses together--complete and unabridged--in one book. All the original illustrations, both color and black and white, are included. The stories are arranged in the order in which they were first published to enable them to be read in the proper sequence, from A Tale of Peter Rabbit to The Tale of Little Pig Robinson. Beatrix Potter's tales were often connected with real places, people, or animals, so each story also includes a brief introductory note about its history. For example, "The story of naughty Peter Rabbit in Mr. McGregor's garden first appeared in a picture letter Beatrix Potter wrote to Noel Moore, the young son of her former governess, in 1893." In addition to the original 23 tales, this edition contains two early narrative picture sequences, Three Little Mice and The Rabbit's Christmas Party. And, there are two charming little stories, The Sly Old Cat and The Fox and the Stork, which were originally intended to be worked up into books, but remained unpublished. This beautiful introduction to the world of Beatrix Potter is sure to remain on the family bookshelf for generations to come. (Baby to Preschool) ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Very well done
This CD is an unabridged reading of the books of Beatrix Potter.They are read by Shelly Frasier and she does a great job.She has a real talent for voices and brings Miss Potters memorable characters to life.My son loves listening to this again and again.Because the reading is so well done, I don't mind having to listen to it again and again:

Timeless Book
I read the stories of Beatrix Potter when I was a child and now share them with my own kids.Also check out the book Original Animals by Michael Horton as a great bedtime storybook with morals and wonderful stories.You'll be happy you did!

always a kid
This is a wonderful book to have in your collection. The illustrations are lovely.

Gorgeous book!
Hubby & I bought this book for our 9 month old daughter. Beatrix Potter is my personal favorite in childrens books.We love the illustrations & the stories are wonderful.Baby loves this book!A must have for parents who are building a book collection for their child.A timeless classic. :)

Book for a lifetime of fun reading
I purchased these tales for my eldest, who's now 17, when she was four.They were and continue to be great stories for her.She reads them to children when she babysits!Now I've purchased this book for my youngest, who's four.She just loves hearing the stories.She looks forward to "reading time" in bed just before she falls asleep as she goes from one adventure to another.I HIGHLY recommend this book for young and old alike. ... Read more

Book Description

A landmark in children's literature, winner of the 1970 Newbery Medal and the basis of an acclaimed film, Sounder traces the keen sorrow and the abiding faith of a poor African-American boy in the 19th-century South.

Winner, 1970 Newbery Medal
Notable Children's Books of 1940–1970 (ALA)
1970 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book)
"Best of the Best" Children's Books 1966–1978 (SLJ)
Outstanding Children's Books of 1969 (NYT)
Best for Young Readers (NYTBR)
1970 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
Children's Books of 1969 (Library of Congress)
Children's Books of the Year (CSA)
Some Select Children's Books of 1969 (Publishers Weekly)
Notable Books for the Portrayal of the Black in Children's Literature (Top of the News)
Mark Twain Award (Missouri)
1973 Nene Award (Hawaii)
1975 Sue Hefley Children's Book Award (Louisiana) ... Read more

Reviews (163)

Sounder
I think the book, Sounder, by William H. Armstrong, was very good. The story is about a boy who has a dog named Sounder. The family is poor so the father must steal to feed his family. His father is taken to jail and Sounder tries to protect him but gets hurt. What I thought was interesting about this book is the story is based upon William Armstrong's teacher's life experience of this. I enjoyed the way it made me think about the story in different ways. I enjoyed the characters because they had distinct personalities. For instance, the boy was very determined to find his father, and the other characters thoughts and emotions were very well described. All of the story elements together helped me picture the story as if I had witnessed it. The setting was described in great detail just like the plot and the characters were also. It was amazing that everything about the book could seem so real. The thing I enjoyed most in the story was the way the dog's bark was described. It was described with beautifully written similes and metaphors to portray how it sounded. The dog, Sounder, was named for it's bark because people could hear the bark louder and richer than any other dog's bark. For all of these reasons I will highly recommend this book with five out of five stars. There were only two things in this story I did not like very much. One is the abruptness of the time periods. In one paragraph it went from seasons to years. Another is that not very much detail about the boy when he was searching for his father was given. Overall though, I felt this book was one that should be read more than once.

Sounder
This childrens book by William Howard Armstrong digs into the life of a young black boy, his father and their dog, Sounder. It is set in the old south and details the struggles of an African American family of this time. The usual struggles for this family are getting food and staying warm until one terriable night that changes the family forever. The father is taken to jail and Sounder is wounded in the struggle. From that night on the boys life is faced with even more struggles to survive, as he is hoisted to the head of the house. He worries about his fathers well being, which sends him onn many adventures looking for him. Through all of the bad the boy does manage to find the good in all occasions.
This would be a great read for fourth to eighth grade students. It is a truthful and detailed insight into the history of the African-American race.

Sounder
I think Sounder is a fairly boring book, and i should know i'm a book worm. i read about half the book then i started skimming, becaus it was so boring. i mean almost no one but the dog had a name. i believe you have to have a name not just a description to make an interesting person. also i belive that it is based on a true story, and i find most of those to be boring. i recommend this for adults, but not for kids. they'd probally get tired of it in the first two chapters.

Like a roller coaster - some parts are good - some parts suc
I had to read Sounder for a novel class. Judging by the cover I knew it will be a boring story and I was right. Some chapters didnt even make sense and it was confusing cuz the characters didnt have names except the dog Sounder. It was pretty boring. Only the end was good.

Sounder's Voice Is Heard
This book tells the story of a sharecropper's family and their dog, Sounder. The story happens in the 19th century American South.

More importantly, I feel this story tells about courage and determination during hard times.

The focus is on Sounder because he is a hunting dog and a major contributor to the families' food supply. however, I think Sounder is the only character named in this story for deeper reasons.

When the father is taken to jail on some trumped-up charge, Sounder is seriously wounded trying to protect him. Despite his crippling injury, Sounder returns home. Sounder's recovery and persistance is a symbol of what the family members want to do. When the father returns, also crippled, the old dog, previously silent, lets out one last resounding, triumphant bark.

This is a compassionate and compelling book, one I couldn't put down. Even though it was sad, it was full of love. ... Read more

Book Description

"Oh, Amelia Bedelia, your first day of work, and I can't be here. But I made a list for you. You do just what the list says," said Mrs. Rogers.

Five of the most popular Amelia Bedelia books on one tape!

Amelia Bedelia is the world's most literal-minded housekeeper, who causes quite a ruckus whenever she's given a chance. In Amelia Bedelia and the Surprise Shower, she arrives with a garden hose, and the party is turned into an uproarious mess. In Play Ball, Amelia Bedelia, her literal-mindedness adds a new dimension to the game of baseball, and Thank You, Amelia Bedelia features Amelia Bedelia pairing the vegetables and separating the eggs. In Come Back, Amelia Bedelia, Amelia Bedelia tries her hand at a variety of new jobs after Mrs. Rogers fires her for her muddles.

Book Description

Reviews (45)

Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Super Adventures of Wishbone)
The reason I gave this book 5 stars is because this story has lots of adventure and excitement. My favorite part in this story was when wishbone would go and tell the story when his owner was not there to say something. The real reason I liked the part were wishbone told the story because he would make the story so much more interesting then when the other charactors in the story would tell it from thier point of view. The part in the story that I did not really care for was when wishbone would talk about something really boaring instead of the story he was living.

Very Good Book!
This book is scary, classical, fun, and one of the best books. It's anything you would want. This book is the best!!!

Joe, Wishbone, Samantha, and David go on a scavenger hunt to win a $100 gift certificate for Oakdale sports and games.

This reminds Wishbone of the Classic tale, The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow by: Washington Irving. Then Wishbone imagines himself as Ichabod Crane, a superstitious person in the story.

Characters:

Joe Talbot
David Barnes
Samantha Kepler
Wanda Gilmore
Ellen Talbot
The Owner Of Oakdale sports and games.
Damont Jones
Jimmy
Marcus Finch
Milena

excellent story
this story is very exciting.I'm glad that Crane disappeared at the end,whatever his destiny is.The Sleepy Hollow is so secluded and beautiful that we don't allow anyone to spoil the beauty there.I view Crane as an intruder of the Tarry town.People there take story-telling,especially the horrable storys, as a pastime.This brings then some excitment.I myself brought up in the rural area, I can understand this.

the description is marvellous
Actually, I personlly think the story is not as attracting as I have imagined before reading. But what kept me continuing reading from the cover to the end? Curosity! The vivid and animated description often made me laugh, and I seemed to see the scene that is just before my eyes!The author`s precise and elaborate description and his master composing technic is what we can learn from. Though the story is told in the third person, but as if we are told by an intimate friend. I love this story, and also the charming place!

Classic, but...
While The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a timeless tale that has endured the ages and countless retellings from Disney to Tim Burton, the original work contains a rather large error in tone - a blatant one. The story is told in third person as though it's a journal - the sketch book of Diedrich Knickerbocker, in fact. This is fine, except for the climax scene in which Ichabod journeys home through the hollow from Van Tassel's house, and is confronted by the Headless Horseman. This scene is written with all the detailed minutia that characterizes Irving's style, but the obvious problem is that, of course, nobody was there to witness what happened to Ichabod Crane while he was alone in the wilderness, so therefore it could not possibly be communicated by means of somebody's journal - this person would never have known what actually happened in the Hollow since nobody was there to witness it, and apparently Ichabod never survived or stuck around to tell anyone. Irving never deals with this obvious problem in the text (a simple "This is what we think happened..." would've sufficed). The story probably would've worked much better with a traditional "God-perspective" narrator rather than a fictional character's journal. It is nonetheless, a classic work of American literature and should be read by everyone.

This is a fine edition and also includes Rip Van Winkle, another story of paranormal experience and also of the Knickerbocker sketch book. It's a similar tone to Sleepy Hollow, but the characters aren't as memorable. ... Read more

Book Description

For the first time on audio - all six in The Princess Tales series by Newbery Honor winner Gail Carson Levine

• The Fairy's Mistake
• The Princess Test
• Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep
• Cinderellis and the Glass Hill
• For Biddle's Sake
• The Fairy's Return

Reviews (5)

Each Story, Has Its Own Romance.
I love the way Gail Carson Levine has all of her chapters written in each different Princess story. The Fairy's Mistake, The Princess Test, and Princess Sonora and The Long Sleep are three different retellings of Cinderella/or Ella Enchanted, The Princess and The Pea and of course...Sleeping Beauty.

Maybe someday, another one of Gail Carson Levine's books besides Ella Enchanted, will become live action movies, too.

Very amusing, even for a young child!
I am reading these stories (both volume 1 & 2) to my 5 yr old who is completely enamored with princesses - mostly Disney. So I am exposing her to all sorts of princess stories - old and new. They have short chapters and lots of humor, making these books great read alouds. I am enjoying them just as much (if not more than) my daughter. The mixed up fairy tales, have the usual humble and pitiful beginnings and the famous happily everafter endings, but getting there is more than half the fun. Great stories for young and old alike.

The Princess Tales
This book was pretty good, but I think the stories should have extended longer. The three stories, The Fairy's Mistake, The Princess Test, and Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep, tell about girls back in time when fairies were real. Since I like these sort of things, I loved this book pretty much. The Fairy's Mistake kind of reminded me of Ella Enchanted, which is an excellent book. The Princess Test is a different tale of the Princess and the Pea, with a twist to it. Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep also is like another story, Sleeping Beauty, but also has a twist to it. These three stories are some I would recommend to anyone who likes pretty much all of Gail Carson Levine's books!!

Cute little stories
Gail Carson Levine is best known for "Ella Enchanted," a smart retelling of the Cinderella fairy tale. But she's also penned a series of short novellas, the Princess Tales. Now three of these cute stories are available in a three-for-one paperback, that fans of retold fairy tales will enjoy.

"The Princess Test" is tried on Lorelei when she stumbles onto a castle. There, all the girls who try out are tested as to whether they are "real" princesses, and the girl who is deemed most worthy will marry Prince Nicholas. But Nicholas wants a girl he loves!

"The Fairy's Mistake" is a definite problem. Two girls encounter the fairy Ethelinda, and she gives them what they deserve: Sweet Rosella has jewels and flowers fall from her mouth, while nasty Myrtle has snakes and toads. The mistake? Now Rosella is held captive by a greedy prince, and Myrtle is using her "gift" as blackmail.

"Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep" is a twist on a familiar tale -- spinning wheel, enchanted sleep, fairy gifts and curses. But there are a few elements that weren't there before -- balding sheep, a prince who doesn't work out, and fairies who are getting a little competitive.

These stories don't have the length to develop the depth of "Princesses of Bamarre" or "Ella Enchanted," but they're nice twists on the old fairy-tales. Her heroines are endearingly smart and independant, the love interests are likeable, and the twists on the stories are cute. (Such as the "Fairy's Mistake," where the blessing turns out to be more trouble than the curse)

If you like retold fables or smart heroines, then the three-pack "Princess Tales" are a good light read, especially for those who like a humorous ending.

tales fit for any princess
Gail Carson Levine has taken some of the classic tales of princesses and endowed them with her own magical imagination.
These stories of many generations of princesses of Biddle are
enchanting and delightful. Even though you may recognize the
basic stories of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Frog Prince and other tales, you will still enjoy the new twists. The narrator of this audiobook does an aadmirable job with voices and sound effects which add to the listener's enjoyment. These

stories are funny and endearing and are recommended for princesses and fairy tale lovers of all ages. ... Read more

Book Description

A modern classic now available in Spanish. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel is the story of a steam-shovel operator and his steam shovel - the beguiling Mary Anne - which he would not desert, even though competition from gas and diesel-motored shovels was ruining him. The solution to Mike's problem is classic in its simplicity. Under pressure to show Mary Anne at her best, Mike digs the foundation for the town hall of Popperville and in his haste forgets to leave a way for Mary Anne to get out! The ingenious townspeople suggest that Mary Anne be remodeled into a furnace and Mike be retained to keep her heart and boiler warm. This is a classic story of the old being replaced by the new and the nostalgia often felt for archaic things. Mary Anne and Mike are a team to be admired, and now their tale can be enjoyed and shared by Spanish- and English-speaking children alike. ... Read more

Reviews (53)

I Loved This Book!
Like so many other reviewers I have fond memories of reading this book as a child. I fondly recall being a child in the 1970's and of having had this book read to me and when I got older and could read on my own I read it myself and I enjoyed the story of Mike Mulligan and his beloved steam shovel Mary Anne and recall this book having positive messages as well as being an entertaining book for children. Mike Mulligan is a steam shovel operator who has named his machine Mary Anne and they have worked very hard for many years digging canels, etc but times have changed and with steam shovels being replaced by electric, gasoline and diesel shovels Mary Anne is thought of as being obsolete but Mike is a very positive and determined man who knows that he and Mary Anne still have what it takes and to prove that he agrees to dig the foundation for a new building but has to do it in one day but he knows that they are up for the challenge. Mike Mulligan And His Steam Shovel is a wonderful book for children and I think it's good for both boys and girls and I very highly recommend it.

A classic story with warm, active pictures
The cover of this book is the same as my old, dog-eared copy from my childhood 30 years ago. A Caldecott Award winner, the pictures drive the tale as much as the plot. An excellent book from cover-to-cover.

Re-reading it now brings back great memories and fascination of how Mike Mulligan and his beloved steam shovel worked hard to accomplish a fantastic task. Whenever people watched them dig, they always worked a little better and a little faster.

A modern John Henry, Mike faces the challenge of new technology. Undaunted, like the famous hammer-driving tall tale hero, he struggles to meet the task. Can he dig a hole faster than the new machine? Can he and his mighty red-metal friend do it by the end of the day?

A great story of perseverence and hard work, I fully recommend "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel." Place it on your shelf next to "Make Way for Dcklings" and "Where the Wild Things Are."

Anthony Trendl

I loved it as a child, my childern love it too.
I couldn't wait until my twins were old enough for Mike. They're now 2 1/2 and love hearing about Mike and Mary Anne. A great story of friendship, taking pride in one's work and problem solving. Never mind the 1939 date, this story works forever. I now get to read it at least twice a day and it never gets old.

A Tale of Two Friends
Just thinking about this delightful book makes me smile. I remember Captain Kangaroo reading it on his television show, and I checked it out from the Bookmobile with my own library card.
Mike Mulligan and Mary Ann are best friends and co-workers. They might be running out of work soon, though, since Mary Ann runs on steam--not as efficient as the diesel shovels. A bargain with the town of Popperville gives the twosome one last shot to strut their stuff, and as the town gathers, a few residents at a time, Mike and Mary Ann prove that friendship lasts, even when diesel shovels take over.
This book is equally appealing to boys and girls, and it will forever occupy a favored place in my memories. It's as wonderful a story today as it was when published in 1939. God bless Mike and Mary Ann.

Nobody can do it like a steam shovel
I tend to bring a lot of picture books into my home. My husband doesn't mind, but neither does he show an inordinate amount of interest in them. Enter "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel". Suddenly my husband was elated by the appearance of this book. "This was the only book we had in my Kindergarten class!", quoth he. After he'd picked through it once more, I had my chance to glance through the story. Admittedly, I did not know of the adventures of Mike Mulligan or trusty Mary Ann until rather late in life. But looking at my hubby's gleeful expression on seeing it again, I know that this is one of those classics that sits in the back of the memory for years and years and years.

Mike Mulligan (Irish, according to the book flap) runs a delightful steam shovel named Mary Ann. The opening spread shows Mike waving at the viewer, while meticulous arrows indicate every lever, cog, and line in Mary Ann's hull. In a rather John Henryish turn of events, Mary Ann is eventually determined to be obsolete in the face of the fancier gasoline, electric and Diesel shovels. Mike refuses to give up his precious steam shovel, however, and a race to prove that Mary Ann can dig as much in a day as a hundred men can dig in a week explodes in a riveting (ho ho) finish.

Books about trucks, construction equipment, and planes is commonplace today. But such modern day classics as "I Stink" owe a great debt to the path that "Mike Mulligan" paved. Here we have a beautifully illustrated (in color at that!) story about two of the best friends in the world. Those kids interested in the technical aspects of steam shovels will be in heaven. And those that just like a rip-roaring yarn about a race against the clock will have a ball as well. Interestingly, author/illustrator Virginia Lee Burton chooses not to close up on Mike Mulligan's face at any point. When we do see him, he's usually viewed at a distance, waving, weeping, and smoking to his heart's content. It's Mary Ann that get the full frontal treatment, and she's a joy. Who could have thought a steam shovel to be so eloquent and emotional? That's the joy of this story and the genius of Virginia Lee Burton's masterwork. ... Read more

Book Description

Harriet M. Welsch is a spy. In her notebook, she writes down everything she knows about everyone, even her classmates and her best friends. Then Harriet loses track of her notebook, and it ends up in the wrong hands. Before she can stop them, her friends have read the always truthful, sometimes awful things she’s written about each of them. Will Harriet find a way to put her life and her friendships back together?
... Read more

Reviews (113)

A must-read for kids 9-12! Highly enjoyable.
As many teachers do, I try to preview and read books before I introduce them into the classroom. This summer I read a slew of books and really enjoyed Harriet the Spy.

It was written like nothing I have ever read before. Harriet is a different breed altogether. She is going through great changes in her life and is not even that likable as a person. However, she is very real. Her situations and her explorations are strange, unique and funny. I wish I had read this in the fifth grade! I really think that my students are going to love and enjoy it when I read this book out loud to them this coming school year.

You'll enjoy Harriet's spying escapades, the characters she views and writes in her journal about and her outlook on friends and family. The other characters in the book are equally off-beat, real and hilarious. Harriet the Spy is a masterpiece of children's literature and one to be enjoyed for years to come I hope.

A book to read over and over through the years
When I was in fifth grade, Harriet The Spy came into movie theaters. My teacher had posters of the movie in the classroom, and everytime I walked to the restroon, I'd look at it. It looked like it'd be good, so I decided to see it. I LOVED it.

Almost immeadielty I bought the book, and loved it even more. What I loved most about the book and movie was that Harriet was so sly, yet determinted to know everything, everything and work on her long-term goal to become a writer.

I loved watching and reading about her observations recorded in her little compostion notebooks. I became so obessed with Harriet The Spy that I myself became an eleven-year-old spy. I got a notebook that was the same as the one in the movie (which was not easy, those flexible comp notebooks are HARD to find), wrote PRIVATE on the front cover, and created my own spy route. I'd spy on neighbors, family, even friends! And best of all I NEVER got caught! The best part was writing in my notebook and proudly stating no else could read it.

I've always wanted to become a writer, so being a spy in 5th-6th grades was so much fun. I even had the whole spy getup on, the belt with all the tools I'd need. The only thing I didn't like about the belt was the fact that running with the notebook under it was very uncomfortable, and it dug into my stomach, lol! Poor Michelle (Harriet) must have been in such pain whenever they did takes with the book under her belt!

Anyway, both the book and movie have inspired me to become a writer. I highly doubt I would have taken a more serious interest in writing if it were not for this movie/book. Of course now I no longer spy, (I stopped after sixth grade because it apparently caused some controversy with family and friends) but I still keep notebooks/journals/diaries whatever you want to call them, and I LOVE to write stories and poems. No matter how old I get, I'll ALWAYS, AWLAYS love Harriet The Spy. :0)

A Fabulous Book
(...) I have read the whole book of Harriet the Spy and as long as long as I live, I will love this book. This is the best book I have ever read, because it has very vivid writing and you can almost hear Harriet thinking and see what Harriet is doing (what everybody is doing). Harriet learns two things: First, sometimes you need to lie to your friends in order to keep them your friends. Second, friends are very important. I could read this book a thousand times more and not get bored with it. I would recommend over 70 people reading this book a month.

Harriet the Spy sparkles
I first knew about Harriet the Spy in 5th grade when the movie came out. I was entranced, enthralled and totally taken with such a moving film (no wonder it's called "One of the best children's movies ever!"), and I bought the book later that week - along with Fitzhugh's sequel The Long Secret. I became a "child spy" like Harriet because I found her lifestyle amazing, and Louise Fitzhugh is an excellent writer. Harriet the Spy sparkles as one of literature's best children's novels!

There's a girl who leads a life of danger
I have a theory about "Harriet the Spy". I suspect that no adult that read this book once (and only once) as a child remembers it correctly. For example, if you had asked me, prior to rereading it, what the plot of "Harriet the Spy" was, I could have summed it up like so: Harriet the Spy is about a girl who wants to be a spy. She spies on lots of different people and writes in a notebook, but one day all her friends read the notebook and none of them like her anymore. That is the plot of "Harriet the Spy". And I would be half right. Surprising to me, I found I was forgetting much much more.

In truth, "Harriet the Spy" is about class, loss, and being true to one's own self. Harriet M. Welch (the M. was her own invention) is the daughter of rather well-to-do socialites. Raised by her nurse Ole Golly until the ripe old age of eleven, Harriet must come to terms with Ole Golly's eventual abandonment. Ole Golly marries and leaves Harriet to her own devices just as the aforementioned tragedy involving her friends and the notebook occurs. The combination of the nurse's disappearance from Harriet's life (leaving behind such oh-so helpful pieces of advice as, "Don't cry", and the like) and the subsequent hatred directed at Harriet by her former friends makes Harriet into a veritable she-devil. A willful child from the start (punishments are few and far between in the Welch family) Harriet slowly spirals downward until a helpful note from Ole Golly gives her the advice she needs to carry on.

So many things about this book appeal to kids. The realistic nature of peer interactions is one. Harriet randomly despises various kids, even before her notebook is read. After making their lives terrible, she eventually has to experience what they themselves have had to deal with. Author Louise Fitzhugh is such a good writer, though, that even as you disapprove of Harriet's more nasty tendencies you sympathize with her. Honestly, who would want ink dumped down their back? As Harriet observes various people on her spy route, she writes her observations about them as well as about life itself. She hasn't quite figured out the differences between her life and the life of her best friend Sport (the son of an impoverished irresponsible writer) though she does briefly ponder if she herself is rich (the fact that she has her own private bath, nurse, and family cook never quite occurs to her). On the whole, the book contains a multitude of wonderful characters. Harriet's parents are both amusing and annoying, completely dedicated to their daughter and completely clueless about her needs. I was especially shocked by a section of the book in which Harriet asks her mother if she'll be allowed to eat dinner with her parents that night. Gaah!

Accompanying the text are Fitzhugh's own meticulous line drawings. They're fantastic and eerie. Combined with this timeless story (timeless in all the good ways) the book deserves its status as one of the best books for children. Read it again to remember. You'll find a whole lot more than you bargained for. ... Read more

Book Description

In seventeenth century England, a terrible accident forces orphaned Philip Marsham to flee London in fear for his life.Bred to the sea, he signs on with the "Rose of Devon," a dark frigate bound for the quiet shores of Newfoundland.

Philip's bold spirit and knowledge of the sea soon win him his captain's regard.But when the "Rose of Devon" is seized in midocean by a devious group of men plucked from a floating wreck, Philip is forced to accompany these "gentlemen of fortune" on their murderous expeditions.Like it or not, Philip Marsham is now a pirate--with only the hangman awaiting his return to England.

With its bloody battles, brutal buccaneers, and bold, spirited hero, this rousing tale will enthrall young listeners in search of seafaring adventure. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

hey Miss.O looky! (by Laura)
The Dark Frigate is a story about a boy who goes on a journey to start a new life. The setting of this story is in England, and on the rough seas and dirty roads. Philip Marsham's father is lost at sea and he runs away to where he finds Martain and they start out on a journey. Phil finds out that Martain is not the most popular person around. They sleep over at an inn type place and sleep in the barn. They almost get shot in the woods for being on someone else's property, but are let go free. They also sleep over at Old Mother Taylor's house and board a ship with Captain Candle. Because Phil grew up around ships, he was very good at sea. Unfortunatley, their ship is slowly filling up with water. They are forced to board a pirate ship called the Rose of Devon. Phil must become part of their crew! The Rose of Devon saves his life and helps him along his journey. One day the pirates are caught with the help of Phil, and they are taken to court. Phil goes free and finally finds his grandfather has left him a fortune! He fights in a war and is on the brink of death when something amazing happens. The most extraordinary thing that Phil could not believe. You'll have to read the book to find out what it is! I think this book was pretty good. It started our slow but picked up the pace during the middle and end. It was a little hard to understand at first, but once you get it, it's very interesting! I recommend this book to people who like the sea and adventure.

The Dark Frigate
By: Charles Boardmen Hawes

In seventeenth-century England Philip Marshman was suddenly orphaned when his father died at sea. Growing up around ships Philip runs from London and joins the frigate called "The Rose of Devon." In the middle of the voyage to Newfoundland the ship is seized by evil men, from a floating wreck, saved by the Rose of Devon's crew. Now Philip Marshman is a pirate joining these men on there bloody journey. With only his hanging awaiting him in London. Will he survive? Or suffer the same fate as his father.

Don't get discouraged, it gets pretty good!
"The Dark Frigate" was the 1923 Newbery Award winner. However, as I read the first few chapters I was thinking to myself, "Boy, the Newbery standards weren't very high back then." My chief problem was that it was written in a very archaic and verbose style. I understand that the author was trying to recreate a feeling of 17th century language for his readers, but any child under the age of 12 is going to get frustrated and I doubt many children over age 12 will enjoy wading through its difficult prose either. Also, this is a strange childrens book in that the main character is not a child, but a 19 yr old man with an eye for comely barmaids.

However, if one can get through the rather awkward writing style and the cursory introductions to key characters, "The Dark Frigate" becomes a real page turner when the pirates enter the story and remains one until the last couple of chapters when the author tries to wrap everything up a little too quickly. The chapters dealing with the pirates, though, make for an extremely entertaining and exciting tale. It's those chapters that made me understand why this book won the Newbery.

Although, written for children, "The Dark Frigate" is a rather grown-up book with murders being described in grisly detail, implied torture, hangings, and female characters who aren't exactly chaste maidens. I guess children in the 20's weren't handled with kid gloves when it came to describing the seedier elements of life.

Can Philip get away from the mutineers?
This book was winner of the 1924 Newbery Medal for best contribution to American children's literature (Unfortunately, Hawes died before the Medal was awarded). It focuses on an English lad named Philip Marsham in the 1640s who signs up for duty on a frigate. The ship is taken over by others and is converted into a pirate ship. Philip has to find a way off the ship and back to England. And, the adventures begin! Boy, I wish I had found this book when I was a kid. Iwould have loved it. Even now, as an adult, I enjoyed it.

Excellent pirate adventue.
Although I do not agree with the suggested reading ages (4-8), this is a wonderful selection of fiction which provides the reader with a proper sense of the 17th century life on the high seas. The book could easily become a household favorite if read aloud to younger children. The tale itself can be apprecited for its depth and quality by literally any age group. I highly recommend reading and sharing the Dark Frigate. ... Read more

Book Description

Adapted for theatre even before Dickens had finished writing his story, Nicholas Nickleby provides a delightful account of its hero's confrontations with the pressing issues of Victorian society.We see the growth of a hero, as a large and varied cast of characters with an aim to amuse lead Nicholas Nickleby on adventures up and down the countryside, punishing the wicked, befriending the helpless, and falling in love. ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Quintessential Dickens - satire, comedy, social commentary!
Fresh from his success on "Oliver Twist" as a political satirist of note, Dickens turns his sights toward the abuse of Yorkshire schools - a national disgrace - in which children were effectively abandoned for a fee. Neglect, physical abuse, malnourishment, cold, and ill health were endemic. This political attack becomes the setting for an expansive tale of the Nickleby family and their ongoing struggle against the evil of their uncle Ralph. The usual collection of sub-plots, comedy and Dickensian characters rounds out a lengthy but fulfilling read that nobody will be sorry they started.

"To have committed no fault, yet to be so entirely alone..."
NICHOLAS NICKLEBY is a significant Dickens in the uncannily absorbing way the narrative diversifies to various literary discourses. The protagonist's experiences and encounters in adverse milieu through life not only embody melodrama, comic relief, political satire, class comedy, social criticism, and domestic farce, they allow Dickens the opportunity to portray, to the minutest nuance, an extraordinary cast of rogues and eccentrics. The main frame of NICHOLAS NICKLEBY is a quintessential Dickens: a generic, virtuous man who concerns with the affair of establishing his identity as a gentleman and the pruning of whom entwines him in a checkered fate. Nicholas Nickleby has committed no fault and offenses, and yet he is to be entirely alone in the world, to be separated from the people he loves, and to be proscribed like a criminal. The more unbearable the ordeals and the more injudicious the deal of the hand from life, the more profusely the novel accentuates Dickens' outrage at the cruelty and social injustice.

When Nicholas Nickleby is left exiguous after his father's death, he turns to his hard-hearted uncle to solicit succor. But Ralph Nickleby, a most unscrupulous and avarious man he is, demonstrates that he is proof against all appeals of blood and kindred, and is steeled against every tale of distress and sorrows. The man will never fail to exert any resolution or cunning that will promise increase of money for there is scarcely anything he will not have hazarded to gratify his greed. It's not that he is unconscious of the baseness of the means with which he acquires his gains. He cares only for gratification of his passions of avarice and hatred. He might have from the beginning conceived dislike to his nephew whom he brazenly places in Squeers' Dotheboys Hall, a school for unwanted boys, as an assistant master.

The cruelty of Squeers, who's coarse and ruffian behavior even at his best temper, Nicholas has been an unwilling witness. The filthy condition of the school and the bodily distortion of the boys impart in him a dismal feeling. The thought of being a helper and abettor of such squalid practice fills his with honest disgust and indignation. The cruelties descend upon helpless infancy fuel this rightful indignation in Nicholas, who interferes with the schoolmaster's flogging a boy named Smike and astonishes everyone in school.

Not only does Ralph persuade Nicholas' family to renounce him for the atrocities to Squeers of which he is guilty, he also betrays his niece Kate into the company of some libertine men who are clients of his and who speak of her in a most casual, lecherous, ribald and vulgar terms. She is roused beyond all endurance by a profusion of compliments of which coarseness becomes humor and of which vulgarity softens down to the most charming eccentricity. The mutual hatred between uncle and nephew aggravates as Nicholas overhears conversations about his sister. The hidden feud further percolates to the surface and leads to a pitch to its malignity as he tries to rescue a girl from a marriage to which she has been impelled.

As the uncle insidiously hatches a scheme to retaliate against his nephew who has in every step of the way interceded and thwarted his plans for mercenary gains, Nicholas entwines with a cast of characters who are humorous, memorable, and true to life. Peripheral to his molding to become a gentleman are episodes of political satire, theatrical success, courtship, family farce, and chicanery. The most significant character is no doubt Smike, whom Nicholas saves from the hellish grip of the schoolmaster and has become his best friend. Nicholas' unfailing love and protectiveness toward the boy accentuates his being the novel's hero, whose domestic virtues, affections, compassion, and delicacy of feelings qualifies him to his later fortune and does him justice.

NICHOLAS NICKLEBY is a flamboyantly exuberant work in which Dickens wreaks the tension of his social satire to a pitch. Details on the Yorkshire school offer such magnifying vision of the cruelty, filthiness, and despotism in the boarding schools. Nor does he spare the rogues and the greedy, whose squeamishness he sarcastically embellishes as a common honesty and whose pride as self-respect. NICHOLAS NICKLEBY also evokes the subtle problem of human nature in establishing boundary of one's remorse. Although Ralph might feel no remorse in his betraying his niece to the temptation of his libertine clients, he hates them for doing what he has expected them to do.

In a sense, Nicholas is seen as the unswerving force that is determined to right the wrong of the society. He tries to appeal to the compassion and humanity of those who have gone astray and to lead them to consider the innocent and the helpless. Nicholas might embody energy for radicalism and ambition to challenge social injustice; his ultimate goal is the recovery of his ancestral position in the social hierarchy. But in the effort to undertake the good deeds, he is influenced by no selfish or personal consideration but by pity for the people he helps and detestation and abhorrence of the heartless schemes.In the same way he is determined to appeal to his uncle's humanity and not to wreak revenge on him. But Ralph's hatred for his nephew has been fed upon his own defeat, nourished on his interference with all his schemes.

NICHOLAS NICKLEBY is a sober social commentary woven with social and domestic issues. Woven in one man's aspiration to restore family's ancestral dignity is Dickens' own musing, monologues, teachings on the soul, the life, and the moral. The discourse at times assumes a voice of despondency, sobriety and indignation.

3 1/2.A good early effort
The important thing is to know that this is earlier Dickens- thus, not as good as some of the masterpieces that came later.I enjoyed this at times and found the comedy exceptional.However, sometimes the novel veers into outright sentimentality.The hero and Kate are overly perfect.I am not saying anything other critcs of Dickens haven't already said.What makes this book supremely fun is the assemblage of characters and the ridiculous situations.Mrs. Nickleby made me laughout loud.Read it and see the beginnings of Dickensian greatness.

An earlier triumph by a great author.
A lot of people think that "Nicholas Nickleby" is a bit of disorganized confusion, but I think it's a pretty good effort.It is one of Dickens' earlier works, and he certainly did get better as time went on, but there is greatness here too.Dickens is noted for his social commentaries with his books, and with this one he took shots at an actual private school -Dotheby's Hall and it's master Wackford Squeer - and the book actually did cause reforms to be implemented in the infamous school.The hero Nicholas is the handsome, warm-hearted son of a widow whose husband's death left her and her two children impoverished.With the help of a shrewd, miserly uncle, Nicholas obtains a post at Dotheby's Hall.Nicholas finds conditions at the school impossible to tolerate, so he thrashes his employer and quits in disgust.The rest of the book outlines Nicholas' life in London.There are a lot of characters in this book, and it's difficult to keep them all straight, but Dickens' skill for characterization shows itself even in this early work, and the reader gets to know and love each one.The plot is a bit melodramatic and complicated, but the characters almost carry that failing through.Certainly worth a read.

The good, the bad, and the extremely ugly
Dickens is as much a social critic as a storyteller in "Nicholas Nickleby," which basically pits the noble young man who gives the novel its title against his wickedly scheming rich uncle Ralph in a grand canvas of London and English society.At the beginning of the novel, Nicholas's father has just died, leaving his family destitute, and Uncle Ralph, a moneylender (specifically, a usurer) and a venture capitalist of sorts, greedy and callous by the requirements of the story, reluctantly feels obligated to help them, and does so by securing for Nicholas a position as headmaster's assistant at a school for boys in Yorkshire, and for Nicholas's sister Kate a job as a dressmaker for a foppish clown named Mr. Mantalini, while Nicholas and Kate's scatterbrained mother is left in her room to mutter incoherent reminiscences about random events in her life.

This Yorkshire school, called Dotheboys Hall, turns out to be little more than a prison in the way it is run by its headmaster, an improbably cruel cyclops named Wackford Squeers who badly mistreats and miseducates the students.Now, historical records indicate that while Squeers may be an exaggeration, his school is definitely not, Dickens intending to warn his readers of the day that some such places were indeed that bad.The duration at Dotheboys Hall constitutes only a small portion of the novel, but Squeers and his grotesque family reappear throughout the rest of the story like gremlins who are always causing bad things to happen to our hero.

Nicholas's fortunes after escaping from Dotheboys Hall with Smike, a particularly abused older boy whom Squeers had worked like a slave, revolve largely around the circumstances of Kate and Uncle Ralph, who is starting to view the young man as a nuisance inclined to interfere in his machinations.Having been vilified by Squeers for his brash conduct at the Hall, Nicholas takes to the road with Smike in tow, where in Portsmouth they meet a thespian named Vincent Crummles who persuades the fugitives to become actors in his theatrical troupe; this episode, the strangest of Nicholas's adventures, seems more than anything else to reflect Dickens's own interest in the theater.Eventually Nicholas returns to London and gets a job as a clerk at a counting-house owned by a pair of merchants, the cheery Cheeryble brothers, where he encounters a beautiful girl in distress who will become a major factor in the final showdown between Nicholas and his uncle.

The supporting characters are numerous and extremely colorful to the point of cartoonishness, such as Miss La Creevy, a talkative spinster and amateur painter; John Browdie, the gruff Yorkshireman whose dialect is so severe he needs a translator; Sir Mulberry Hawk, the arrogant suitor whom Kates tries to rebuff; Newman Noggs, Uncle Ralph's benevolent clerk who helps our hero when he can.In fact, the most curious thing about the characterization in this novel is that its main characters are almost completely devoid of personality; Nicholas and Kate, perhaps being by necessity innocuous paragons of virtue, are practically mere mannequins to whom people talk and things happen.Even the sickly and wretchedly humble Smike, the mystery of whose parentage becomes a part of the plot, does not induce as much pity as Dickens probably intended because he seems trapped in a story that doesn't really want him except as a device to expose even more of Uncle Ralph's villainy.

There is much to like in "Nicholas Nickleby":The prose is finely detailed, the satire of various types of characters is on target, the humor is sharp -- there is a particularly funny and suspenseful scene with an unexpected outcome in which Nicholas dispatches Newman to discover the identity of the mysterious beautiful girl.And there is much not to like:The plot coincidences are ridiculously contrived in typical Dickensian fashion; the drama is manipulative, designed to cheer the reader all the more when the author comes to rescue the heroes from their despair and hopelessness; the sentimentality is overwhelming -- by the end "Nicholas Nickleby" becomes so saccharine it makes "David Copperfield" look like "Blood Meridian."But Dickens remains eminently readable because of his flair for portraying and celebrating human oddity in all its varieties, his knowledge that life is all about taking the bad with the good, and his sense that fiction is all about maximizing the contrast. ... Read more

Book Description

"I will come by train. I will wear a yellow bonnet. I am plain and tall."

A heartwarming story about two children, Anna and Caleb, whose lives are changed forever when their widowed papa advertises for a mail-order bride. Sarah Elisabeth Wheaton from Maine answers the ad and agrees to come for a month. Sarah brings gifts from the sea, a cat named Seal, and singing and laughter to the quiet house. But will she like it enough to stay? Anna and Caleb wait and wonder -- and hope.

"Did Mama sing every day?" Caleb asks his sister Anna. "Every-single-day," she answers. "Papa too."

Winner, 1986 Newbery Medal
1986 Christopher Award
1986 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction for Children
1986 Golden Kite Award for Fiction (SCBW)
Notable Children's Book of 1985 (ALA)
1985 Children's Editors' Choices (BL)
Best Books of 1985 (SLJ)
Children's Choices for 1986 (IRA/CBC)
Outstanding Children's Books of 1985 (N.Y. Times Book Review)
International Board of Books for Young People Honor List for Writing, 1988
1986 Notable Trade Book in the Language Arts (NCTE)
1986 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book)
1985 Books for Children (Library of Congress)
1988 Garden State Children's Book Award (New Jersey)
1988 Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award (Arkansas)
100 Favorite Paperbacks 1989 (IRA/CBC)
Best of the 80's (BL)
1986 Christopher Award
1986 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction for Children
1986 Golden Kite Award for Fiction (SCBW)
Notable Children's Books of 1985 (ALA)
1985 Children's Editors' Choices (BL)
Best Books of 1985 (SLJ)
Children's Choices for 1986 (IRA/CBC)
Outstanding Children's Books of 1985 (NYTBR)
1986 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book)
1985 Children's Books (Library of Congress)
1988 Garden State Children's Book Award (New Jersey Library Association)
1988 Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award (Arkansas)
100 Favorite Paperbacks of 1989 (IRA/CBC)
Best of the '80s (BL)
1986 Notable Children's Trade Books in the Language Arts (NCTE)
1988 Choices (Association of Booksellers for Children)
1988 International Borad of Books for Young People Honor List for Writing
1986 Jefferson Cup Award (Virginia Library Association) ... Read more

Reviews (122)

Sarah and the plain review
She will be at the train station tonight and her name is Sarah and she's plain and tall.
This is a saying in the book that really got us reading. This was a really good book and when this book started it was very interesting. This was about three family members, papa, Anna, and Caleb. Their mom died when Caleb was born. Papa , Anna, and Caleb once got a letter from a lady named Sarah who wants to move in with them since she lives by herself. She meets them at the train station at night. Sarah came home with them and was homesick. One day papa taught sarah how to drive the wagon ,and one day sarah drove into town and bought Anna some colored pencils for Anna to draw the sea . This was a great book.

A Tender, Heartfelt Story
Sarah, Plain and Tall is a beautiful story with a poetic rhythm. Sadness fills Anna and her brother Caleb's house, due to the death of their mother the day after Caleb was born. Although haunted by his wife's memory, Papa recognizes Anna and Caleb's need for a mother. He puts an ad in the paper requesting a wife and receives an answer from Sarah Elisabeth Wheaton, of Maine. After exchanging letters with all of them, Sarah decides to come stay with them for a month. As Sarah lives with them, they slowly fall in love with her. Her refreshing openess brings joy to their sorrowful hearts, and they are captivated by her. But Sarah loves the sea. The lonely plains are a poor substitute for her beloved ocean waves. She misses her family. As Papa, Anna, and Caleb share their life on the plains with her, they wonder,"Will she stay?" This is a sweet story about the love of family, the need for a mother, and discovering home that you will not want to miss.

Boring, Terrible, Not Good At All
"Sarah, Plain and Tall" is a short and boring book. I, an eleven-year-old boy, had to read it for Accelerated Reader, and as the story progressed it became worse and worse. I thought Sarah's letters to her brother in Maine sounded like letters a four-year-old would write to their parents from camp. The book might have been better if it had been told by another character in the story, such as Caleb or Papa. I would never recommend this book to anyone, unless they are absolutely desperate for AR points. I am very surprised that it won the 1986 Newbery Medal. No offense to the author.

Review Of
This book was a book that I did not care for. The plot was poorly developed. There is very little detail. The story goes nowhere fast. My last comment is the book is too short. If you're a person who likes short books basically about the colors blue, gray, and green, and your between the ages of 7-10, knock yourself out.

Sarah, Plain, and Tall
Sarah came to the prairie, from Maine, to marry Papa (Jacob Witting). At firs it seemed like alot to us (Caleb Witting,and Anna Witting,or Jacobs childern) to have a new mother, years after our born mother had died.

These are the words of the spirt filled, child, Anna Witting.
Her mother died the day after her younger brother, Caleb Witting was born.To Caleb a mother was a mystery, unit Sarah came into there life. ... Read more

Book Description

Alice in Wonderland is a classic of children's literature, and is beloved by listeners of all ages. So, too, is Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll's companion volume to Alice. Join Alice in her adventures from her fall down the rabbit hole to the Mad Hatter's Tea Party, The Queen's croquet match and the trial of the Knave of Hearts. Listen as Tweedledee and Tweedledum resolve to have a battle and Humpty Dumpty explains the Jabberwocky. All of Carroll's famous characters come magically to life in this stellar double production from the BBC. ... Read more

Reviews (169)

A Wonderful Book
Wonderland is a truly fascinating place to read about.
I love the illustrations in the original versions---and HATE the later illustrations that were done as the book was published over and over. In fact, I once tried to read a copy from the 1980's but I couldn't go on with it because the pictures were bothering me. Luckily, there's really only one freaky illustration in the original version, and that's the picture where Alice's neck is very long. It's a bit disturbing.
But the book is well written and a good adventure story, too.
I love the characters. They're very interesting.

"'Well, then,' the Cat went on, 'you see a dog growls when it's angry, and wags its tail when it's pleased. Now I growl when I'm pleased, and wag my tail when I'm angry. Therefore I'm mad.'"
- "The Chesire Cat", Alice In Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll

Come to think of it, the Chesire cat illustration is actually quite creepy as well. But it's not a big deal or anything.
The whole book's just weird fun. Where in the world did Mr. Carroll think of all this? The Mad Hatter? The Queen of Hearts? The Duchess and her pig baby?
Alice herself is a considerably strange character.
All in all, aside from a couple of creepy illustrations, the book is wonderful. Everyone should read it once in their lifetime---it's worth it.

Brilliant fun, a little something for everyone.
Its hard to imagine anyone not enjoying this brilliant book. Whether you're a young child or an experienced reader, you can't help but marvel at the charm that Lewis Carrol creates. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass (The Alice books as they are often collectively referred to as) are two of the most enduring children's stories of all time. However, at the same time, they both are considered to be literary achievements in the adult crowd, due to the many societal critiques hidden withing the text.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland begins with the classic scene of young Alice falling down the rabbit hole. Soon she finds herself lost in an insane world. Drinking things make her grow into a giant or shrink to the size of a mouse. Best of all, are Alice's conversations with the many eclectic characters that inhabit Wonderland. Unfortunately, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland comes to an end within the one hundred page mark (it is a children's story, after all). Fortunately, this collection holds the book's sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass. In this Alice stumbles through a looking glass and finds herself in Wonderland again. This time around she becomes a pawn in a giant game of chess. The reader follows her adventures as he tries to become a queen by making it to the eighth square. This chessboard element proves a very intersting way of advancing the storyline.

What truly gives this book its lasting charm is its characters. Whether its the Mad Hatter telling Alice about his friend Time, or the disappearing Cheshire Cat, every character is impossible to forget. Many such as the White Rabbit, remain popular icons today, well over a century later. Conversations held with these characters often prove laugh out loud funny, as Alice tries to make sense of and explain herself to these characters. From beginning to end, the reader will have a goofy grin plastered across his or her face.

Behind all these fun adventures, Carroll manages to slip in a large amount of social commentary. Some characters represent types of people, such as the overzealous monarch, to display in an exaggerated sense the foolishness of such extremes. His many poems throughout the book often have larger meanings as well: The Walrus and the Carpenter are clearly a condemnation of modern religion. Even the wild effects of drinking and eating can be interpreted as a moral on temperence. As the Duchess in the Wonderland said "Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it." Likewise, Alice is rife with various morals.

So what makes this book a classic? Reading through other people's comments, its hard to find a single person that didn't give it five stars, much less didn't like it. However, it was hard to find a definite consensus on what made it so good. Some stated its entertainment value, other enjoyed the commentary. Perhaps what makes this book so brilliant is that it has whatever you're looking for. If you want escape and adventure, it has it. If you want to laugh, there's humor. If you want intellectual thought and prose thats there too. What will the reader take away from reading is whatever they are looking for. Definitely a book that deserves its recognition as a classic of English literature.

Beware the Jabberwocky!
I had seen this back in the 80's and was surprised as to the stars involved in the project. It almost plays out as a who's who of stars from the time. I especially liked Natalie Gregory as Alice. She played the role well as the naive little girl who wants to grow up but childhood wants to keep just a little longer. Sit down and enjoy it with your kids some rainy day and you all will enjoy the warm glow of family again

True to the story?
I give this version of Alice in Wonderland 5 stars because to date, it does the best job of following the actual story line (even dialogue) that is presented in the books. The cheesy acting and the casting can be forgiven, after all it was the 80s.

Brilliant film!
Brilliant film. I have Alice in Wonderland taped on video and i have been looking for Alice Through the Looking Glass for a long time. While watching it last week, I discovered that Part 2 is also on it, so I saw that for the first time the other day. What can i say? Brilliant acting from the whole cast, especially Natalie Gregory who plays Alice. i recommend it to anyone. Children and adults would love it. ... Read more

Book Description

This unabridged with music version of the Lewis Carroll lets listeners enjoy every moment of Alice's fantastic adventures down the rabbit hole and through the looking glass into a wonderland filled with nonsense and fun. Actor Christopher Plummer brings all the famous characters to life, including the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, the Queen of Hearts, and—of course—Alice herself.

... Read more

Reviews (3)

Entertaining but over-the-top
This is an entertaining if somewhat over-the-top rendition of the children's classic. Plummer varies his tone a bit too much for my comfort in the car - I keep having to turn the volume up and down. Some characters shout, while Alice speaks in a near-whisper. He also has some strange ways of handling the voices: the Mouse in the Pool sounds like John Cleese's Frenchman from Holy Grail, just to name one, though he nicely handles the Dodo's stammer (as a stand-in for Dodgson himself), and the Cheshire Cat is spot-on. Plummer also overdoes it a bit on the enthusiasm, reading descriptive passages with more relish than is strictly called for. Though he does seem to be enjoying himself, at least.

What I said about Wonderland goes for Looking Glass as well: entertaining but a bit over-the-top. The best example this time around is the tiger lily that sounds like Mae West. Still very enjoyable and includes the "wasp in a wig" segment at the end that was removed from the original and only found a few years ago. (As I recall, Tenniel refused to provide an illustration for such a scene.)

Alice in Wonderland...
I bought this copy not knowing how fabulous it is. Christopher Plummer is EXCELLENT, having different voices for the characters. Alice in Wonderland was particularly great. Children will love it...as well as adults. It's great on a long trip, which is how I heard it. I recommend it highly!!!

Delightful ear candy for all ages
I was never much of an "Alice in Wonderland" fan. As a child I found the tale's dense interweavings frustrating; as an adult my only exposure to it was vague memories of the Disney version. But my quest for unabridged books on tape led me to Christopher Plummer's marvelous reading of the story and fandom has arrived. My children have delighted in the tapes as much as I have - to the point that we've worn out our first set and need to buy a second! When Plummer reads the stories he pulls you down the rabbit hole with Alice. Every character's voice is distinctive and delightful. My only regret is that this perfomance is not available on CD. ... Read more

Book Description

‘Whether flying a kite or receiving a birthday hat that doesn’t fit, Frog and Toad persevere in their friendship. Lobel’s style is friendly, subtle, and entertaining. ’ —ALA Notable Children’s Books Committee. ‘This fourth book about a celebrated friendship is beautifully fashioned.’ —H.

Notable Children's Books of 1979 (ALA)
1980 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book)
Children's Books of 1979 (Library of Congress) ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Day with Frog and Toad
Hi, my name is George. I have just read a book named Day with Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel. It is about two frogs. They were together. They played together.

I liked this book because it is about friendship. Some of the parts are funny. This book is great for 2nd graders. I give this book five stars. I enjoyed this book.

Nostalgia
Even the title sounds a bit nostalgic. This is the last in the series about Frog and Toad, who are different but very good friends. Published in 1979, the two have not changed a whole lot, though the stories have gotten funnier - droll is perhaps a better word.

The pessimistic Toad is procrastinating in "Tomorrow" until he realizes that he's down in the dumps because of all he has to do tomorrow - so he does it all today and tires himself out.

In "The Kite," Frog's optomism pays off. "Shivers" has some scary tales that Frog enjoys telling, and Toad enjoys hearing. On Toad's birthday, in "the Hat" Frog gives a present that's a little too big, but Toad insists on keeping it. When Frog secretly fixes the problem while Toad is sleeping, Toad believes his head has grown. In the final story, "Alone," the two friends learn they can still be friends, even if they are alone sometimes.

In all the books, the stories are short, sweet and about friendship, but in a simple manner. Drawings of Frog and Toad are on almost every page, and are detailed enough to warrant a lengthy view and some comments from young readers. The words are understandable and readable enough for very young readers, yet they manage to tell a story with an amus