Reviews (1)

Nicely written book
I love books like this, even though I can very rarely solve the mysteries. What I like about the books in this series is that unlike some mysteries, where key elements aren't revealed, the stories give you all the information you need to solve them. This is a great book for anyone who is a fan of mysteries, short stories, or both. ... Read more

Book Description

Mama"s out dancing, and Lulu, the babysitter, is in charge. The Five Little Monkeys are supposed to go to bed, but they convince Lulu there"s time for just one game of hide-and-seek first . . . and then another, and another . . . until they discover the ultimate hiding place. Lulu is frantic; where can those monkeys be? Vibrant, expressive illustrations in Eileen Christelow"s signature style accompany a catchy rhymed text that"s great for reading aloud. The refrain invites children to join in; as Lulu counts to 10, 24, and finally 104, young listeners will count along with her. And what little monkey can resist the idea of mischief at bedtime? ... Read more

Book Description

Welcome to Look-Alike Land, where the more you look, the more you see! Like its predecessor, Look-Alikes Jr. features 3-D picture puzzles, but this time invites even the youngest child to join in the fun by featuring simpler, easier-to-find look-alikes in childlike settings. There are 11 scenes - house, parlor, kitchen, bedroom, school bus, classroom, construction site, movie lobby, train, farm, and rocket - each with 50+ objects to identify (700+ in total). Look for a cement mixer made out of a mustard bottle, kitchen cabinets made out of cakes of soap, and a bed built with crayons and pasta! Fun for all ages. This best-selling book is back with a brand new series design and a striking new cover. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Fascinating for all ages!
I haven't purchased this yet, just have the library copy here. I heard about the adult version when it first came out, but didn't know there was a Look-Alikes for kids. I don't know what the age recommendation on this it, but my 3 1/2-yr-old is absolutely fascinated by it! Guess what he's getting for Christmas! And since I love things like this, everytime he says, "Mommy, come look at my library picture book" I drop what I'm doing and sit down with him. To me, that is the ultimate compliment - this book has prompted me to sit and concentrate on spending time with my child more often, and that's priceless. And believe it or not, most of the objects in the pictures aren't that obvious to adults, so when I point them out to him (excited that I myself found them), he's absolutely delighted. We've tried to push toys on our son that are not passive, where he sits and watches a battery-operated thingy do whatever it does, toys that encourage active participation and imagination, and I can't imagine anything better than this book. Just my thought, but I think this book and the original Look-Alikes are invaluable tools for teaching people of all ages to thing outside the box, shift your perception, and that's something that's good for all of us! Guess you can tell that I can't say enough good things about this, Ms. Steiner is an absolute genius.

This book is awesome!
I bought a number of copies of this book, one for me and the rest for gifts. I also bought the original Look-Alikes book in multiple quantities. I hate to admit it, but I'm 44, an engineer, and keep both books in my office. I'm sure the kids love them, but hey aren't we all little kids at heart! Enjoy!

The more you look, the more you like!
What a wonderful book! I bought the book as a gift for my nephew and enjoyed it so much I nearly didn't want to give it away! Needless to say my nephew was delighted and loves the book. It's a great way to spend quality time with the younger generation, you will get as much pleasure as they do, finding all the cleverly arranged objects. A great way to wile away a cold winter's eve.

Attention
This book is a great tool to help your child closely observe details. A short attention span can quickly be expanded by both child and parent as you turn each page of this book.

I have used it with my daughter from age 5-8 and now with my 3 year old son. I usually ask them to find items on the page and then discuss how it is neat how the item was used to represent something entirely different. This is great to help them expand their imagination and see outside of the box.

Sometimes when you just don't feel like reading some night this gives you a great break. This is a great book and much better than Where's Waldo.

An utterly engrossing way to spend several hours
Joan Steiner's "Look-Alikes, Jr." is a wonderful follow-up to her 1998 "Look-Alikes." This self-taught artist employs everyday items from chess pieces to lasagna noodles, from nail polish bottles to keys, from crackers to ink pens, to construct the most completely realistic little scenes. There are spaceships blasting off towards outer space; middle-class living rooms; classrooms; general stores, and more, all of which are chock-full of items Steiner employs to look like something else. The aforementioned lasagna noodles? Yes, they're here--as curtains! And they look improbably wonderful as curtains!

This is certainly a treat for kids. But you may find that the adults end up buying their own copies of "Look-Alikes, Jr." just so they can sit in peace and be engrossed for hours on their own without having to share this wonderful book with the younger set! Highly recommended! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Read Again and Again
My 3 1/2 year old son loves this book. The pictures are so detailed, he can alwasy discover something new. When he first read it, we looked for butterflies on each page. Now, he enjoys looking for snails. The text and illustrations make it suitable for much older children, so I know he will continue to enjoy it for years to come.

Beautifully illustrated by Ian Jackson
EDC Publishing offers three outstanding Usborne "picture puzzle" titles beautifully illustrated by Ian Jackson for children with an interest in nature and wildlife that are as fun and they are informative. In The Great Animal Search (0746017391, ...) there are some 100 animals to spot and identify on every double-page of this oversized book. Each scenario showcases a different part of the world and the wildlife that lives there. In addition to countless hours of puzzle solving fun, there is a wealth of fascinating animal facts presented in succinct, easy-to-read captions. The Big Bug Search (0746027036, ...) follows the same format, only this time for insects ranging from hairy spiders and black slugs to dragonflies and leafcutter ants. With The Great Undersea Search (0746023413, ...) the focus in on live under water in the various puzzle pictures ranging from coral reef to ocean depths to sunken pirate ship, and more. With all three books, should young readers (or their parents!) get stuck trying to find all the hidden things, their are answers in the back. This wonderfully presented, magnificently illustrated series is especially recommended for home schooling curriculums, rainy day pastimes, or long road trip diversions.

Great book to give as a prize for finding software bugs
Great book to give as a prize for finding software bugs (beats "A Bug's Life" merchandise hands down). ... Read more

Amazon.com

From the creator of theI Spy books and the award-winning, irresistibly aquaticADrop of Water comes Walter Wick's Optical Tricks. Optical illusions abound in Wick's stunning color photographs--tricking the brain into pursuing phantom images. In the opening spread, entitled "First Impressions," we see a white glob of smashed clay, with sunken impressions of objects such as buttons, screws, and chess pieces. But when you turn the page upside down, the clay impressions seem to pop out! In the second spread, "Mirror Magic," you see a collection of objects such as a billiard ball, a die, and a wooden block in the shape of the number 4. The billiard ball, also a number 4, is reflected backward in the mirror, but the block number 4 is not. Why not? Fortunately, readers can flip to the back of the book, where Wick explains the illusions in his refreshingly straightforward and concise manner.

Brilliantly composed photographs of simple props, expert lighting, and myriad mirrors baffle us page after page: a "Tricky Triangle" that has a peculiar twist; a bogus box; Escher-like visual deceptions; and more. Wick explains, "As much as possible, the photographs are designed to challenge readers to compare true perceptions (the objects as they really exist) with false perceptions (the illusions) as a way to cultivate visual logic skills and to sharpen powers of observation." This visually maddening, mind-bending book will challenge and entertain even the keenest young observers. Is it all smoke and mirrors? Most certainly. (Ages 7 and older) --Karin Snelson ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Elusive illusions
Goofiness. Utter utter goofiness. Using 4" x 5 " and 8" x 10" view cameras, photographer Walter Wick has done what many would have thought was well nigh impossible. He has systematically photographed some of the world's best known optical illusions. Happen to like the M.C. Escher print where people walk up stairs to a balcony equal in height as to where they started? It's in here. How about cubes whose arms twist in depth defying ways? In here too. Walter Wick is best known for his I Spy book series. With this book, however, he has created a series of amazing oracular photographs that are just as interesting to figure out as they are to look at. Fortunately for the reader, Wicks has included short explanations of how some tricks work and how others fool the eye. He explains how he created his photographs and why some of them work as well as they do. For any child (or, heck, adult) interested in some true to life optical illusions, this is the best book on the market today. But bear in mind, even when Wick's explanations are said and done, some of these photos bear some going over. I, personally, had to read the following sentence five times: "The balcony is attached to the arches in the foreground, but the top of the foreground archway is cut at an angle that matches the angle of the walkway's bottom edge". I'll be honest. I still don't quite know what that means. So if your kid doesn't mind reading some fairly complex explanations like the one above, this book is ideal reading material. If they do mind, best that you find them something a little less brain/word twisting.

tHiS wAs So CoOl
This was a cool book cause kids can also read it and try to figure out the optical illusions. It could help them with skool, and its also fun!

Amazing is right!
This book is wonderful and it goes to show you what meets the eye. I am a big fan of Walter Wick's, purchased this book for a gift, and had to keep it myself and get another copy to give. This is a wonderful collection to any library and really makes to think...and wonder.... Excellent Job!

Amazing...Great to train operators of printing press
I first ordered this book as an nice addition to my library. Nonetheless, once I got it I found an interesting use that I had not thought of before. I decided to show it to different printing press operators at the plant that I help run as a way to convice them of the importance of using a densitometer. Before showing them this book they were reluctant to use them because "we've always done it this way and nobody's complained". With this book I think they now understand that our eyes are not as reliable as we would hope. This book has made my job as plant supervisor easier and in the long run, will definitely help out product's quality assurance. ... Read more

Book Description

Innovative games promote learning through play -- the proven path to success in school.

At last Dorling Kindersley quality is available in a new group of games designed for the younger set. Full-color photos and bold graphics plus traditional and original, specially created games make these the playthings children will return to again and again.

My First Number Pairs: Preschool number recognition game. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

terrific memory game
I bought this first as a gift for a friend's child and like it so much that I'm buying another box for my own son. The stiff board cards are quite durable and a great way to play the memory game with a child who is learning his numbers. Besides, its a terrific way to just spend some one on one time with your little ones ... Read more

Book Description

A hands-on book of backseat puzzles and games, including a sliding block puzzle, pinball baseball game and lift-the-acetate Magic Writer.All in all, an awful lot of all-quiet-on-the-backseat miles. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Too short
This book is supposed to have Thousands of Miles Worth of Hands-On Games and Activities, and yet it is only 18 pages long. This book'll last you for less than 100 miles before you get bored of it, I reccomend Kids Travel instead.

Dont read this reveiw!
Its one of my favorite books. It gives me hours of interactive entertainment. Stories,board games,contests,logic, and more. I think kids aged 7-12 would enjoy this

Its Good!
A hands-on activity book that even amazed me! From intriguing logic puzzles to spine-tingling surprizes. Fun games for the whole family.

Great Book, but not quite enough to do...
I like the book a lot! All the games they have in there are really fun, but can get boring after awhile. They should've put in more games, or at least make the games a little more interesting. All in all it's a well designed book, sturdy, durable and all the pieces are well contained!

Fun! Fun! Fun!
This book is an absolutley excellent choice for a long car trip. It keeps kids entertained for hours. It's nice for you to get some peace and quiet while they are playing games like finger twister and coin races. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (3)

Kids love wordplay and it's a brain-builder, too
The flexibility of the English language lends itself to lots of fun stuff as veteran teacher, writer and lecturer Richard Lederer knows so well. Kids love funny jokes and play on words--why not introduce them to the fun side of English.

The "Tairy Fales" shows how Spoonerisms or reversing sounds on pairs of words can yield some madcap results. (And don't forget, Butterfly was once Flutterby, but we just couldn't get it straight.) Riddles are great for long car rides--rhymes will tempt even the most lackluster reader to stretch their abilities. This is a must for homeschoolers and reading to the kids in the evening--fun, too.

Great for my 3rd Grader
My third-grade daughter couldn't put this book down! Absolutely loved the "Pun Fun" section and the "'Let's play a Game' said Tom Swiftly" section. The booked is marked up and dog-eared.

Fun for all ages
In this highly entertaining book, punmaster Richard Lederer reveals the tricks of the punster's trade while challenging readers to create original wordplay of their own. In sixteen chapters, with titles such as "Calling on the Homophone," "Puns That Babylon," and "Tairy Fales," the author explains how to use homophones, homographs, and spoonerisms for comical effect while exploring knock-knock jokes, Tom Swifties, and other types of jokes and riddles based on the deft manipulation of sound and meaning. The author presents a clear and simple explanation of each form, provides numerous examples, and then invites readers to create original jokes, rhymes, and puzzles of their own. Language-lovers of all ages will appreciate the wealth of wit and humor presented on these pages. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Kids' Outdoor Parties
The book has lots of great ideas for 35 themed parties. Each party includes ideas for invitations, costumes, decorations, food, games and other activities, favors and a theme-related cake. The games, and activities (mostly crafts) have easy to follow directions and are fun and creative. Costume ideas range from a suggestion they come in casual clothes to an actual costume wear to the party or one you provide.

For most parties there are a range of options that fit a variety of price ranges. You could splurge on a high cost favor idea and save on a less expensive invitation idea. Each party suggests an age range for which it is appropriate and most are for the upper end, say 7-12. ... Read more

Book Description

large size, simply drawn illustrations invite youngsters to connect the dots and create pictures of a snail, bunny, bird, star and other subjects.
... Read more

Reviews (1)

extremely good value for little connect-the-dotters
This is a terrific first connect-the-dot book for young children, and a great value.Thirty illustrations increase in complexity from 7 dots all the way up to twenty, as little ones draw a boat, star, dinosaur, train, etc.Pictures are suitable for coloring afterward. ... Read more

Book Description

BradyGames' Megaman Zero 3 Official Strategy Guide includes the following:

Platform: Game Boy Advance

Genre: Action/Adventure

This product is available for sale in North America only.

Book Description

Following the success of the previous My First Games, here comes two new formats sure to delight -- large floor puzzles and playboards.

Young children will love these colorful, shaped jigsaw puzzles -- each one designed to keep little hands busy. Dorling Kindersley's stunning photographic jigsaw puzzles promote manual dexterity, hand-eye coordination and sequencing skills.

My First Puzzle: Animals contains a Ducklings puzzle, a Puppy puzzle, and a Tiger Cub puzzle. ... Read more

Book Description

Illus. in full color. The Cat in the Hat challenges readers with seemingly silly questions: Do pineapples grow on pine or apple trees? Do roosters sleep on their backs or sides? Kids will pick up a host of oddball facts, have fun juggling sense and nonsense, and exercise their imaginations. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Everybody Passes . . . and Learns Thinking and Reading, Too!
This book clearly deserves more than five stars, and is one of the very best Dr. Seuss books for beginning readers. The only thing that's missing are the rhymes!

"Here is Ziggy Zozzfozzel with his sister Zizzy."

"They got every question wrong.

Are YOU smarter than a Zozzfozzel?"

Aw, if school had only been full of challenges like that, everyone would have focused on learning instead of grades. Some may object that by setting the standard low, accomplishment is stilted. I think it is enhanced, because children will want to get as many more right as they can versus the Zozzfozzels.

By the way, although this is a book of quiz questions (nicely feeding into the mania of shows like Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?), this is the teacher's edition. The answers can be found on pages 58-62.

Let me begin by praising this book as a beginning reader. Each item is well illustrated so that a child can associate the words with the images. There is a lot of variety in short words (only a few words are long, like the nonsensical name, Zozzfozzel). So a youngster can learn more words from this book than from 2 or 3 of most beginning readers. That makes the book more valuable. Also, the context of asking questions makes the words and images more vivid and memorable, which should speed memorization and learning. Your child can clearly grow into this book over a period of time. The book has mostly pre-school words, but it also has words up to about 2nd grade level.

What just bowls me over about this book is the discipline in the quiz questions. First, there are lots of them. So for most children, you will take just a few at one sitting. You could probably work on this book for a week or more the first time you go through it, doing a little bit every day. By the time you pick any page up again, it will seem fresh.

Second, the questions test a variety of thinking methods. Mostly the quizzes fall into these categories:

Common sense -- Are freckles catching?

Spatial puzzles -- gears, ropes, and mazes to study

Observing -- Do eyebrows or mustaches grow faster?

Word meaning -- How many kings are women?

Nature facts -- Which ends of a bee does the stinging?

Games -- On a tic tac toe board, who will win?

What If? -- Imagine that you jump up in the air and don't come down. What should you do?

As you can see, these kinds of questions are perfect for using a few Socratic questions to help guide the youngster down a thinking path that can lead to a correct answer. This means you have a chance to help your child with problem-solving strategies. You can also introduce learning resources (like pictures of a bee in a book) as ways to locate a correct answer.

Further, you will get a sense of where your child takes to things like a duck to water . . . and where it is harder for her or him. Then you can spend more time on those trickier areas to boost skill and confidence.

Although the questions hardly make the book into a Mensa qualifying test (for high IQ people), many of them are interesting enough to keep the adults alert. Also, there is a lot of potential for more than one correct answer (especially with the "what if" questions). This provides a chance to exercise imagination and to expose ambiguity.

After you have exhausted and worn out this quiz, you can go on to create new quiz questions for one another. I suggest that you keep it a competition against getting them all wrong, rather than indirectly setting up any other kind of comparison.

Now, where do pineapples come from (besides the grocery store)?

Classic Cat
One of my earliest memories is going to the library and checking this book out, My older sister and I would sit and look at this book for hours and hours and although the quizzes were easy enough to solve they were so amusing that you didn't mind repeating them time after time. I imagine that we must have worn that poor book out with all the love and attention we gave it which is just the kind of fate any great book deserves.

good more than once
True, once you have read this book once, you will already know the answers to the questions. This is no worse, however, than knowing what happens next in any other Suess book. The rhyming and the wonderful Suess pictures are still there. I still find it entertaining to read again and again, and so does my 5-month-old son. ... Read more

Book Description

Following the success of the Parents' Choice award-winning Amazing Game Board Book comes a fabulous companion for the younger child, My First Amazing Game Board Book. Written by Shereen Rutman, an early childhood educator, this engaging book is the ultimate portable game board book for the six and under crowd. It is filled with endless hours of fun and learning with something guaranteed for every child. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Amazing Game Board Book
I originally purchased this book (...), I bought 4 of them.I plan on buying many more.This book is a must if you have children!We plan many long car rides and this book helps keep the kids entertained and quiet.The book itself is quite impressive with many games and puzzles all self contained within the book which is also well constructed for wear and tear.I now give them as birthday presents and I have had so many calls from mothers thanking me and asking me where to find them.This book is a must if you do a lot of traveling!

Amazing-Amazing Game Board Book!
This book truly is an Amazing game board book! With its magnetic pieces, dry-erase color boards, foam-board chinese checkers (and much much more, of course!), this book truly has it all! The Amazing Game Board Book also has many different variation for almost all the games it has, with clear and consise instructions.

I bought this book for my friend who had to go on a long airplane trip from Califorina to Taiwan. It certainly was Amazingly Entertaining!

An Excellent (Amazing) buy for any age! So if you're bored, stick this book in your shopping cart and start ordering.

Excellent
An excellent book! You could say that this book has no age limits, with the dry-erase drawing boards that are fit for any age, whether you are 1 year old or 100. I was surprised at the great quality of this book, and most things are magnetic, such as the tangrams and Checkers pieces. There are clear instructions on how to play the games in the book, sometimes with neat variations. With this book, you can save a lot of money buying this book than buying all the games this book provides seprately. Very much an excellent buy.

No age limits!
This book contains timeless board games and activities that suit any age range.Although the text is geared toward children, many of the games can be enjoyed by both children and their parents.Some of the games includeChinese Checkers, Checkers, Tangrams, and other timeless favorites thathave no specific age range to them at all.When I bought this book therewas a sticker on the cover that said "Ages 6 to 99" and Icertainly think that is true.Any kid or teen will appreciate and enjoythis book on the road or just at home.The price is spectacularconcidering all that is inside:you get EVERYTHING you need to play thegames, nothing is left out.And best of all, everything is magnetic orsticks into the game board, so there is no chance of the car coming to ahalt and all the playing pieces flying all over.I would reccomend thisbook for everyone.

Level
I believe you be misleading purchasers on the age levelappropriateness of this book/game.It is not for baby-preschool, butrather K-1st and 2nd grade. Even with the new standards the comprehension of the games are beyond the baby-preschool level unless they are gifted.

Thank you. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Teletubbies Play Hide-and-Seek
My one year old daughter loves this book! It is a very delightful book. It is fun to lift the flaps on each page. She picks this book most often for me to read to her.

Toddlers love this book!
This book is great for small children on several levels. I bought it when my son was a little over a year old; he's now almost two and still loves it. At first he was happy to watch the teletubbies "appear" when I lifted the flaps. Now he can do it himself! He likes to guess who's behind the flap, and can identify other items in each picture. We loaned it to his 20-month-old friend, whose parents were relieved that it entertained him for an entire 3 1/2 hour car trip.

Good For Tubbie-Fanatic Toddlers
This pop-up book asks you who's hiding behind different things, with the Teletubbies being behind the first four hiding places. Then comes Noo-noo & finally all the Teletubbies are hidden. While 1 or 2 year olds who like the show will probably get some giggles out of it, the book's art work is lacking. It's pretty stale fare, especially the sky. Couldn't they have put at least one bird, or maybe the sun with the baby's face in it up there? This seems to be a rush-job to capitalize on the popularity of the tv show. Looks like it worked - the copy we have is a 5th edition. There's many other pop-up books out there that are done much better, but if your little kiddies love the Tubbies, I'm sure they'll dig this.

Teletubbies Play Hide-and-Seek
My 8-month old daughter LOVES this book! It makes her laugh out loud and she already has figured out how to lift the flaps on her own when we read it! It's a cute little book for babies and toddlers. I don't mind the Teletubbies so much anymore! :-)

Teletubbies play hide and seek
I know most parents cringe at the thought of the Teletubbies,me too, but my one year old loves them. In "Teletubbies Play Hide and Seek" little ones are asked to find the Teletubbies under the flaps. After just a couple of readings she understood how to wait until mommy reads the words before she lifts the flap. She also learned the word boo. It's a little word, but it's a start. You might not enjoy the Teletubbies, but it's worth it to watch your child's face light up. ... Read more

Book Description

Designed to help teachers and group leaders create dynamic and supportive play environments, this book features completely different games than the first one. These improvisational, noncompetitive games encourage involvement and cooperation — the participants gain as much as they contribute. By expressing themselves physically and emotionally and by exploring a range of possibilities, players gain self-confidence and a greater awareness of the feelings and experiences of others. 39 black-and-white illustrations are included. ... Read more