Book Description

In a rainbow-colored station wagon that smelled like a real car, the relatives came. When they arrived, they hugged and hugged from the kitchen to the front room. All summer they tended the garden and ate up all the strawberries and melons. They plucked banjos and strummed guitars.

When they finally had to leave, they were sad, but not for long. They all knew they would be together next summer. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Hug after hug after hug!
This children's book is a joyous and hilarious visit by a very large family to relatives in another State. Although everything gets very hectic, when the relatives finally leave, everyone seems to miss the visitors right away and already are looking forward to the next visit. I think that every family can relate to this story. The book was illustrated by Stephen Gammell and it was a 1986 Caldecott Honor book (that is, a runner-up to the Medal winner) for best illustrations in a book for children.

Wonderful Memory of a Family Reunion
This is a delightful and sweet story of a family traveling to visit relatives. The illustrations really bring the book to life. This is a great summer story for any child, but is especially fun and perfect for my 5 year old son who does better with new situations if he is able to have a sort of preview of what it is going to be like. We originally checked this book out from the library but have purchased a copy to keep. He loves to read the book and look at our photos from our family reunion trip.

Reminds me.....
I and my family are from Virginia. This is just the way we are when we visit family in other states...we sleep on the floor, eat lots of food, everything! I am going to purchase this book to send to my niece. I hope that she remembers when her family comes from Virginia to do all the things in the book. When she misses us, she can read the story and think about us.

the relatives came
This is a great book for kids ages 3-9. It is a good book for young people because I think it teaches kids no matter what all ways love your family and they will love you back. I read this for English class and if I have a choice to read it again I would. It is about a family that comes from another state to visit their relatives, they get there hug for hours on end and eat dinner then go to bed. There's not enough beds for everyone so each person has a arm or leg on them but, they don't mind at all because there with family. I loved the book personally and I think kids would too. After the age 10 or so they might think the book is childish, any age 9 and under I think would love it.

Challenged Book
This book was selected to be included on a banned book list. While taking Children's Literature at West Virginia State College I was given the opportunity from Mr. Samples to explore the possible reasons why this book was challenged. After unlimited amount of time researching this book I never found a concrete answer why. Also, I did not find who had selected the book to be on the list. I did however have my own opinion of the possible reason. One of the illustrations in the book showed two cousins sleeping together, each were of the opposite sex. This would be the only "flaw" this book would have, overall this is a great book. I would highly recommend using this book with your students in a classroom. This book celebrates the meaning of family with hugs and more hugs. Please enjoy reading and re-reading The Relatives Came. ... Read more

Book Description

Walking corpses, dancing bones, knife-wielding madmen, and narrow escapes from death -- they're all here in this chilling collection of ghost stories. ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Don't pass this boxed set up!!!
Most of you that are glancing at this item are familiar with the "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" series, if you are not now is the time to familiarize yourself. These books are great scary children stories and the illustrations are beyond creepy and just as fun for the young adult reader. For those of you familiar with my reviews you know I can be a bit stinchy with my awarding stars to items, but this collection deserves it. The covers are even given a polished off modern look. I didn't like the metallic covers at first as they seemed to ruin the nostalgia, but this little addition makes the boxed set seem more like a collector's item. I'd still have to give the work itself a 3.75 stars so we'll just say 4, but the overall value and revamped look knock this terrific item up to 5 stars. If your a fan of the series or scary stories in general you can't miss this. GET IT!!!

VERY SPOOKY!! IT'LL GIVE YOU NIGHTMARES!!
This boxed set of "Scary Stories To Tell In the Dark" is absolutly incredible! I am now 18 years old and still can't get enough of this spooky stuff. The stories aren't too scary, but the illusions are very scary, morbid, eerie, and will give you nightmares!! Hey, ... these books still give me chills even after all these years. I love 'em. Stephen Gammell has given readers a rare treat with all the spooky and realistic black & white illusions. Alvin Schwartz is a heck of an author! These books are wonderful. Get em' all in this incredible boxed set. Enjoy it.

"Harold" still gives me chills, 10 years after I read it!!
I grew up loving these books, and have many a fond memory of reading them by flashlight at sleepovers and scaring my friends. I even had a scary-story themed birthdy party once, where we sat in the dark and my mom read some of the stories by flashlight and then passed around bowls of peeled grapes (eyeballs) and pasta (guts), even jell-o (brains). We had a lot of good screams that night!

I would reccomend these stories to any kid, or to any parent to buy for their kid. They're terrifying, the illustrations are gruesome, but they fuel the imagination unlike any other kid-themed horror story I've ever read, and I read 'em all in my day. I found that the story "Harold" disturbed me the most, and every now and then my mind will wander to it and I'll shudder. There's something to be said for a story that still has the power to unsettle ten years after it's been read.

So sad.
I had this once and I got rid of it!!!!!! I still regret it and I'm going to order a new one. DON'T pass this up! It's a great book. Has the old stories and some new ones(well, new twists from when it was made). It was a sad, sad day when I got rid of the box set I had. My brother was sad too. I think he may have hated me for a brief second.;)

Super Freaky!
First, of all I didn't give it a one because its horrible, I gave it a one because Alvin Schwartz stories are REALLY creepy. And I agree with danny the illustrations are freaky, those alone would make me want to burn the book. And I've reached the college level age and I'm still affraid of those books! lol I have a very low tollerence for horror of any kind....... Some stories aren't that scary their just pretty weird folklore...Like the story of the WolfGirl in vol. 3. Or the Hog... Though Harold was a freakish story....the pictures are the main reason though... ::shivers:: college student and still afraid...lol ... Read more

Book Description

This spooky addition to Alvin Schwartz's popular books on American folklore is filled with tales of eerie horror and dark revenge that will make you jump with fright.

There is a story here for everyone -- skeletons with torn and tangled flesh who roam the earth; a ghost who takes revenge on her murderer; and a haunted house where every night a bloody head falls down the chimney.

Stephen Gammell's splendidly creepy drawings perfectly capture the mood of more than two dozen scary stories -- and even scary songs -- all just right for reading alone or for telling aloud in the dark.

Reviews (54)

Stephen Gammel is a genius!
The first book I read out of the three in the series was "More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark," but this is my favorite one by far. No other scary story book(s) alive will EVER compete with this one and its two other sequels. Like almost everyone has said, it's not so much the stories that make this one and it's counterparts scary, it's the damn illustrations! Now let me tell you, Alvin Schwartz does do a very good job of putting stories of old folklore together with a couple of his own stories that he made up himself, but without the help of Stephen Gammel I highly doubt this book (and the other ones) would be so popular. These books are definitely not for the little ones, well maybe they would be if you don't show them the illustrations because there's a VERY good chance they will have nightmares. I swear though if I could draw and paint like Gammel does I would be a happy man, that's for sure! Anyhoo, let me get to the part of where I tell you why this book is my favorite. Not only does it have the best stories in it (in my opinion anyways) but out of the entire series this one has the most unbelieveably nightmarish drawings. "The Thing" and ESPECIALLY "The Haunted House" are VERY good examples! "The Thing"'s illustration is pretty scary but while reading "The Haunted House," I have to put a piece of paper over the illustration to cover it up while reading the story itself, it's that bad trust me. Overall, while I wish very badly that Alvin and Stephen would collaborate again to make more of these books (and I don't think they will, tis very sad) I am glad I have all three of these books, they are well worth the price. However I very rarely read them anymore, it's not like I'm tired of them or anything it's cuz they're too damn scary! I just read all of them yesterday and I predict it's gonna be another 3 years or so before I read them again. That being said, if you don't buy all 3 of these books ..., plain and simple.

Awesome
I read these books (all three of them) when I was in third grade. They were so popular at my school, the library had 4 copies of each book, and you still had to put your name on a waiting list. The first time i read them, I was totally freaked out (Steven Gammell's illustrations added imensly to the horror that Schwartz weaved), I remember not sleeping well the first night after I read them. Its now 8 years later (I'm a senior in high school) and I had completly forgotten that they existed. I stumbled upon them when I was searching for Stephen King (I've always been a fan of the horror genre) and ordered all three of them. If you're into fokelore and scary stories, these three books (Scary Stories, More Scary Stories and Scary Stories 3) are all must-haves in your collection. Enjoy, they're WICKED good :)

I am still totally creeped out.
So ten or fifteen years ago, when I was in elementary school, this was definitely the NUMBER ONE MOST FREQUENTLY CHECKED-OUT LIBRARY BOOK, EVER. If you wanted this book in your hot little hand for just two days, you had to stand at the counter and wait for someone to turn it back in, just so you could snatch it up before the librarian got it back onto the shelf. No joke.

America's a young country, of course, so our idea of "American folklore" often falls into the sphere of Urban Legend. That doesn't mean this book is any less literary, of course: children will learn what REAL short story pacing is, thanks to Alvin Schwartz's suspenseful collection of concise, tense, and often outright nightmarish stories.

But the real thing that will haunt kids a decade or two later will be Stephen Gammell's illustrations. Yipes! I've asked my peers, and not one of us has forgotten those awful, macabre, dripping-flesh-decay illustrations. Ick! Just remembering this book gives me the creeps!

But parents, don't worry: this book is a must-have for any well-rounded childhood, so long as you don't mind sharing your bed with your kid for a week or two.

Great collection of scary stories for kids
This is the greatest collection of scary stories for kids and pre teens ever. I have collected many scary stories books through out my childhood and this is the only one whos storys have actually stuck with me and the only ones i can remember. Every book in the series , this one , more scary storys to tell in the dark and scary stories 3 are all good. The storys were so creepy i can still remember them to this day and i have recently got the other scary stories books so i can see if they were as good as i remember and they are. I first got this book when i was about 10 years old and lost it over the years then i re ordered a copy and the stories still have same effect and value as i remember. They have great illustrations and even some songs in a couple of the books. I used to stay up at night and read this with my friend and we would read the stories to eachother , i was so excited cause the book was so good and most of the stories gave me chills and i was not one to scare easy. For 6 bucks this is well worth it and the memories and storys will last forever.

Scary Stories to tell in the Dark
My book is the best book ever! It is called Scary Stories to tell in the Dark. Since there is more than one story you can never get bored with it. There is a scary part of about 5 chapters long, and there is a funny part. (It is only one chapter.) One of the scary stories you will love is the White wolf. In this story a pack of wolves keep eating farmers' sheep. Then a butcher says he will help get rid of the sheep even though he has retired from hunting. I will not tell you any more of the story, you will just have to read it. One of the funny stories is the Viper. In this story a widower gets a phone call from the Viper, and he calls about 3 times. Then the widower calls the police. I will not tell you any more, but I will tell one more thing. I highly and truly recommend this book. On a scale of 0-10 I would give this a 9. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Once a song and dance man, Grandpa reclaims his youth and profession before the delighted eyes of his three grandchildren one afternoon. He simply cannot resist the urge to dress up in clothes left over from his vaudeville days--complete with top hat and gold-headed cane--and to perform tricks, play banjo and tell jokes. He taps, twirls and laughs himself to tears on a thrown-together stage in his attic. Artist Stephen Gammell takes full advantage of lamplight to render Grandpa in shadow and silhouette, trivializing the concept of age and creating a feeling of intense nostalgia. Related from the point of view of the children, the text in Song and Dance Man is soft and understated, and Gammell's artistry is superb. The book won the Caldecott Medal in 1989. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Colorful pictures
I always enjoy books that involve grandparents.This is such a colorful and fun picture book, but the fact that it shows children interacting with grandparents is the best.A great Caldecott winner

Hear the beat of dancing feet
I think there must be a whole old-people-dancing picture book genre out there.Tons of these books appear on the market every year and they bring in a steady profit time and time again.Perhaps the most successful of these (which is to say, it won an award) is Karen Ackerman's charming, "Song and Dance Man".A simple tale of a grandfather puttin' on a show for his grandchildren, the book is a touching tribute to the Vaudeville kings and queens of yore.

Three bright eyed urchins appear at their grandfather's door one day, to his evident delight.Without further ado he leads them up into the house's attic where he keeps a trunk of old treasures.It takes a little sifting and shifting to find exactly what he needs, but soon Grandpa's old taps are on his feet and the lamps in the attic become the spotlights of a makeshift stage.Grandpa begins with a shuffle footed tap solo then moves on to banjo playing/singing, magic tricks, and awful old jokes.The night's entertainment is topped off with a grand finale of tapping and dancing.The crowd (of three) goes wild and everything is put away again."But as he turns off the attic light, Grandpa glances back up the stairs, and we wonder how much he really misses that time on the vaudeville stage, when he was a song and dance man".

You've probably seen illustrations by Minnesota based artist Stephen Gammell before and just didn't know it.They've a kind of controlled insanity, though this book is not half as violent to the senses as his truly disturbing "Old Black Fly".Instead, this story comes off as merely messy, but with a vibrant undertone.The colors in the pictures are often of a sweet rainbow filled spectrum.Grandpa's nose, a permanent red, sits prominently on his kind face.I think the real joy of this book is that you know the main character is having the time of his life.He's truly enjoying reliving his days as a performer, a fact drilled home by the book's wistful final sentence.Thumbs up to author Karen Ackerman too for effectively creating such a great grandpa character.Who wouldn't want a talented guy like this in their family?

For a sweet intergenerational tale that doesn't focus (for a change) on wise advice or dealing with death, this book takes the cake.When you read a book that takes as much joy out of life as this one does, you know you're gonna find yourself going back to it again and again.Sentimental in only the best sense of the word.

Good Values, Good Fun
With a peep into the past, it's also the best of good old-fashioned values.A really warm, sweet, and simple story of just having fun - as a family, intergenerationally and without electronic noise.And the book is not heavy-handed, but the story sends a message about fun - and how we can all create fun without props and just our own voices and body and each other - is a good, and needed, one for both children and adults.I bought it for my 28-month-old and highly recommend this book - it leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling inside and is just a good, clean, nice story.

Song and Dance Man
The book helps us to think about what our grandparents could have done in the past.It makes us wonder about times before ours.The character is funny and caring, easy to like.The pictures help us to imagine what is going on.A good book to read with family.

Song and Dance Man
Song and Dance Man was about two grandchildren and their grandpa who used to be a song and dance man on the vaudeville stage.He takes the children up to the attic and shows them some of his old dances and costumes.He performs for them and the children feel just as if they were at the vaudeville stage watching this magnificent dance.This book shows the close relationship between grandparents and there grandchildren and is a wonderful book for children to read. ... Read more

Book Description

In this unique introduction to the Holocaust, Eve Bunting encourages young children to stand up for what they think is right, without waiting for others to join them. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Brief Reflections On Terrible Things
I stumbled upon this book whilst babysitting my niece and I'd like to give my thoughts on it. Many well-meaning liberal parents may buy this for their children, which I think is a mistake.

The reading level of this book is about 4-6. Children young enough to be entertained by this story should not know anything of the reality of the holocaust. Not until they are atleast 8 or 9. A child of 4 or 5 is simply too young to be forced to deal with what is, probably, the most horrendous evil of this or any century.

At first, since the subtitle reads: "an allegory of the holocaust", I was expecting something similiar to "Maus" but instead, I got something more akin to an allegorical re-telling of Martin Niemoeller's famous and oft-quoted phrase ("First they come for the communists, but I did not speak up...). First they come for the animals with tails (or something, I don't remember exactly) and then the squirrels and various other woodlawn creatures. Then the animals discuss never letting it happen again.

Now, it's a fine moral and one that needs to be learned. All I'm suggesting is that we don't let good intentions and liberal ideals push our children into the hard facts of adult existence too quickly. It's devastating enough to know that man is capable of such brutal cruelty when you're an adult.

Once you learn that there were people named Josef Mengele and Adolf Hitler, the world ceases to be the same happy place (and there's no going back... seraphim with flaming swords bar the gate to that Eden).

Let children prolong their naive ignorance of the fact that man can be a cruel and vicious animal for as long as it is socially responsible for you to do so. I suggest that this should be longer than 5-6 years.

Great Really Great
Brilliant! I really recommend this book to anyone who wants to teach there kids about holocaust things.

Terrible Things
Terrible Things is based on the Holocaust and what happened during that time. Animals are used instead of people, and a forest instead of Europe. It talks about how terrible things came into the woods and took away animals by what they were or what they had for a tail or feathers. The animals talked to one another about their friends being taken away after it happened and not trying to prevent it from happening again. I think it teaches that there are times when you should get involved with business that doesn't include you and times when you shouldn't.
I think the age level is maybe around 7-9 years. I think the book was interesting because it teaches history and is a story at the same time.

Martin Niemoeller's lesson turned into a parable for kids
I was curious to see how Eve Bunting would turn the Holocaust into an allegory appropriate for young children, but as soon as I started reading "Terrible Things" the inspiration for her story became clear. The Terrible Things first come to the forest for every creature with feathers on its back. The frogs, squirrels, and other animals quickly declare that they do not have feathers, that the forest is better without the birds, and that they are all glad that it was not them that the Terrible Things wanted.

Clearly Eve Bunting takes her text from the famous statement attributed to Martin Niemoeller. If I remember correctly Niemoeller was a pastor. He told about how in Germany the Nazis first came for the Communists, but since he was not a Communist he did not speak up. Then they came for the Jews, but again he did not speak up because he was not a Jew. The same rationale explained his silence when they came for the trade unionists and Catholics. "Then they came for me," Niemoeller said, "and by that time no one was left to speak up."

Niemoeller's words might be the most famous declaration about the Holocaust and its appropriateness for being the basis of an allegory for young children should be self-evident. Bunting is not talking as much about the mass exterminations by the Nazis as she is about the culpability of the ordinary citizens who looked the other way when terrible things happened in Germany. The rhetorical question Bunting asks is "If everybody had stood together at the first sign of evil would this have happened?" If young children do not know the answer to that question before they read "Terrible Things," they certainly will afterwards.

Before she tells the story, which is illustrated by Stephen Gammell with pencil drawings, Bunting provides the moral for her tale. Acknowledging that standing up for what you know is right is not always easy, especially when you are facing someone biggers and stronger than you are, Bunting admits to her readers that it is easier to look the other way, "But if you do, terrible things can happen." The strength of "Terrible Things" is that Bunting makes the lesson Niemoeller shared about the Holocaust easily recognizable and understandable to young children.

Terrible things
Terrible things is a very touching book. It tells the story of the Holocaust in a slightly less potent way, it tells the story with animals instead of people. The book is one of the best children's books I've read, it's really very well written. Yet the book is very sad.
This book is a great way to teach kids about the terrible holocaust. It's teaches a great lesson to children about racism and classifying people. I like how they made the Germans just a big terrible black thing. It was amazing to see how quick the animals turned there back on each other. This is a wonderful book and I recommend it to people of all ages. ... Read more

Book Description

All those who enjoyed shuddering their way through Alvin Schwartz's first volume of Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark will find a satisfyingly spooky sequel in this new collection of the macabre, the funny, and the fantastic.

Is it possible to die -- and not know it? What if a person is buried too soon? What happens to a thief foolish enough to rob a corpse, or to a murderer whose victim returns from the grave? Read about these terrifying predicaments as well as what happens when practical jokes produce gruesome consequences and initiations go awry.

Stephen Gammell's splendidly creepy drawings perfectly capture the mood of more than two dozen scary stories -- and even a scary song -- all just right for reading alone or for telling aloud in the dark.

Reviews (32)

This Amazing book More Scary Stories to tell in the dark
If you like scaring people out of their mind this is a book you would want to read. More Scary Stories to tell in Dark by Alvin Schwartz is a great book.
One story called 'The Wreck' takes place in the woods. Fred and Jeanne are at a dance and Jeanne wanted a ride home. She had run her car into a tree on the way to the dance and Fred ended up giving her a ride home. After he dropped her off he realized he didn't know her last name or her phone number, so on the way back something amazing happened. If you want to find out what happens remember to read this amazing collection of scary tales.

More Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark
Alvin Schwartz can write some really scary stories. While I was reading this book I kept getting scared. Some parts in this weren't very scary though. But most of the time the stories were scary or funny. I would recommend this book to people who like getting scared or like to read funny stories. I like the fact that this book has lots of short stories. They leave you wondering what will happen next.

this is a book for all ages , excitingly scary yet wonderful
Alvin Schwartz has created his folklore masterpiece that you can enjoy alone or with family . this book is way bettere than the first but not overshadowed by the third . all three are good but this one is the best by far . Stephen Gammell's art is one of the key parts that make this a classic . this gives a good look at the american horror mind . this is good for first graders and collage studants alike . buy this book .

The scaries book
This book is one of the books I enjoyed the most because it had many different kind of scary stories that had read in the past and made into one book. Some stories had picturess in them, and they lookedvery scary. The pictures help to tell you to know what going on in the book. It is best to read it in the dark whith your friend or whoever you read it to will be shaking and shivering from the first stories to the end of the book. I try it once and it made the book scarier. Tis is one of the scariest book I had read in the past two years. This book is terrifying, it's scarry and it will chill your bones.

More Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark
This book that I read is a magnificent book. It is also scary because I think some of the stories are real and some of them are fake. They also have many diffrent kind of stories, but the absolute favorite story is called The Drum. It's about a haunted house and two people that died there. Their souls are captured in the house then two people moved into that house every night they come out beating a drum. Every time the people that moved they never see nobody beating a drum. Every time they get out of bed they stop druming and when they go back to sleep they start to do it again. While they are beating the drum as hard as they can they also scream GET OUT OF OUR HOUSE! ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones
I think this is one of the best book that Alvin Schwartz has ever written. I really enjoyed his last two books so I decided to read this book and I was not disapointed. I really liked the short story form for the book because it left me wondering what would happen next. Some of the stories are some what alike. But all of them were still fun to read. I really enjoyed all the stories because they were really funny. I would recommend this book to everyone. I would especially recommend this book to people who has read the other books by Alvin Schwartz.

Still Scary, but not as rich
Scary Stories 3 offers up more tales of terror and madness, but it seems to me Schwartz has gone to the urban legends well for what should be the last time. While many of the stories are still suspenseful and scary, the same impact does not hold up against the first two volumes. Gammell's artwork is still wonderfully morbid, but I felt like I was reading stories which were only being written for another paycheck. Not as much heart. Don't get me wrong, I did still enjoy the book and WOULD recommend it to other readers, but feel, unfortunately, that a fourth volume would hold little for horror fans of all ages. Then again, maybe I just grew up.

The best of scary stories
Well, by the title you can probably tell what the book is about. This book is about scary stories.
There is an very interesting part of this book it is called Hello Kate! It is about a ghost named Kate. She had died last year. Tom Conners was going to a dance. He was walking through the woods when he heard a strange sound. When he turned around he saw Kate. Then all of a sudden he remembered Kate was dead. He turned back around again but faster this time and didn't see her.
People who would like this book best would be teenagers,people that are older, and older children. Little children who don't like scary stories would defiantly not like this book.
I would give this book 10 out of 10 stars because it is a very scary books is a good but scary book.

The Best Of Scary Stories
Scary Stories More Tales To Chill Your Bones by Alvin Schwartz
Well, by the title you can probably tell what the book is about. This book is about scary stories.
There is an very interesting part of this book it is called Hello Kate! It is about a ghost named Kate. She had died last year. Tom Conners was going to a dance. He was walking through the woods when he heard a strange sound. When he turned around he saw Kate. Then all of a sudden he remembered Kate was dead. He turned back around again but faster this time and didn't see her.
People who would like this book best would be teenagers,people that are older, and older children. Little children who don't like scary stories would defiantly not like this book.
I would give this book 10 out of 10 stars because it is a very scary book. This is a good but scary book.

so scary i couldve sworn my hair was turning gray!!!
this book is basically a bunch of stories by Alvin Schwartz that tell stories of ghosts,Haunted houses,poltergeists,and some funny/scary stories. my favorite one was the one called "A true story" it is about......well, if i told you it would give away the best part. if you like this one which i know you will if u like horrors, read the other two books by Alvin Scwartz, "Scary Stories to tell in the Dark" and "More Scary Stories to tell in the Dark. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Beautiful drawings, breath-taking narrative
My husband and I love this book -- fortunately our son (age 4 yrs) is finally able to listen to the whole story. He has shown great interest in the story and how it relates to his obsession with the transcon railway. (We call our son Train Brain).

He has been moved to draw after we have shared the book and we think that is wonderful, since it doesn't involve trains.

Seriously, it is a wonderful story and very well illustrated. We will probably donate this book to our son's classroom library later this year. We are grateful to have recieved it as gift from the artist in our family.

Story of an Indian boy and how he saves his tribe.
This book for children is about a young plains Indian boy who hears a folk tale about how buffaloes are formed at the bottom of a lake far to the south of the boy's village. He goes in search of the lake and, in so doing, saves his village from an attack by an enemy tribe. The book was illustrated by Stephen Gammell and it was a 1982 Caldecott Honor book (i.e., a runner-up to the Medal winner) for best illustration in a book for children. Any child will love to have the story read to them. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (5)

A Message for Everybody, Big People too!
I bought this book for my daughters because of the excellent illustrations by Stephen Gammell. Home, I sat on the sofa, girl on each side and read aloud. It didn't take long to finish this book that is written in verse. And it is a children's book, be assured of that. But, you know, the message here is one that would make this world a much better place if we adults would only open our eyes and see.

Sophie Cacique Gaul

Old Henry, I want to be like you!
It may not last forever, but this book has momentarily knocked Sherwood Anderson's "Winesburg, Ohio" into second place. "Old Henry" is now my favorite all time book, even after having owned it for about seven years. Oh, I used to read it all the time to the kids, but the moment I realized this book is now, for the time being, my all-time favorite book, is when I sat in the emergency room late one recent Saturday night.

My wife was in another room, discovering she had a broken foot from a slip earlier that day on a basement floor made wet by water leaking in through the walls.

I spend far too much time doing home maintenance these days, mopping up wet basement floors, calculating how the house will be sided or painted, deciding whether topaint or replace a garage door, trimming hedges and yanking weeds.

All of these ridiculous, no-win chores simply chip away at the time I want for reading, writing and drawing. It is not enough that parenthood justly requires so much time and energy -- we signed on for that -- but the treadmill that is home maintenance is a horror for anyone who likes to sit by the bird feeder and read magazines.

I envy, then, Old Henry, who wants only to move in, leave things be, and read and draw while his neighbors are concerned about the length of his grass.

My uncle once explained to me why he barely ever trims his bushes. "I want them to express themselves," he said, comparing his free-flowing shrubs to the neighbors' which were stiff and buzzcut as military sentries.

So I used to read "Old Henry" for my kids. Now it is at my bedside, along with the magazines and feng shui books, all reminders that if I want to nurture my mind, I'll have to give up the landscaping and such, and while the water in the basement must be mopped up lest anyone else break a bone, that we actually do have the freedom to surrendur to nature, let it grow and grow around us, and in that sweet surrendur, curl up defeatedly with a book.

Old Henry
I thought that this book was really good. I think that it will help kids understand how you should never judge people because that is what they did in the book. The neighbors judge Henry because he moved into a house and he did not fix it up so his neighbors cleaned his yard for him and was running him out. The neighbors did what they wanted but when he left the neighbors started to miss him. It shows that with him gone there was something special the people liked about him.

Old Henry
Old Henry is a great childrens book that also has a moral. The moral of the story is that you should not judge a person for how they look, dress, or live but how they are as a person. The neighbor's of Henry in the story do just this and drive Henry to move away. The neighbors end up missing him and feel guilty about how they treated him. A child can learn a lot from the book.

It is perfectly all right to be different, even eccentric!
A most unusual children's book, Old Henry can be enjoyed by adults as well as children. The illustrations are particularly lovely and subtle; this book can be looked at many times, for the pictures alone. Old Henry is especially suitable for a child with learning disabilities and/or a language problem, or any child he feels he "doesn't fit in." The text is in rhymed verse, making it easier to follow the rhythm of the spoken word, and especially suitable for reading out loud. Also, the message of the book is that it is all right to be different or eccentric, even a hermit (in fact, Old Henry is something of a "slob," who doesn't maintain the house he has moved into. He prefers to paint or read.) Henry knows who he is, and how he wishes to spend his time, and he isn't bothering anybody. In fact, when he moves away (the neighbors pester him mercilessly to conform to their ways), the people in the town discover that they really miss this rugged individualist! In a society where everyone is strongly encouraged to conform, Old Henry is a refreshing reminder that it is all right to be eccentric. Your child will love hearing that from you! ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (14)

Old Black Fly
Great book! This is one of my kinder's favorite books. The rhyming and chanting are so enjoyable for the kids. While the fly is being chased through the house and through the alphabet, the children are hearing the sounds of our language. It's an excellent book to help develop phonemic awareness and early literacy skills. More than anything, it's just plain fun!

We enjoyed the funny rhymes and ending.
We are a kindergarten class, and we loved this book. We especially liked when Old Black Fly gets swatted at the end of the story. We liked when we could read along with "shoo fly, shoo fly, shoo!" The pictures were funny too.

I know an old lady...
It's like the germs are flying off the page. If human eyes had the ability to see the diseases that flies spread, then this book is a fairly good indication of what the world would look like. This is, in essence, an alphabet book. On each and every page the naughty little fly (looking more like a Searle creation than anything else) bother and annoys every woman, child, and beast that crosses its path. This is not your sweet little baby alphabet book. No, this is an alphabet book of their nightmares. And it's pretty darn good.

Stephen Gemmell's illustrations look as if one hundred and fifty flies sneezed a rainbow of colors onto the pages. Kind of a colorized "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" for the toddler set. The best use of this book would probably be to those children that have somehow failed to learn their alphabet and feel that they are too old for the everyday humdrum "baby" abc books you so often see on the market. Don't get me wrong. There is a real beauty to these paintings. The splatters and messes filling each page are a messy child's fantasy realm. Who wouldn't want to do all the wonderful horrible things this fly is capable of? The fly itself is shockingly realistic. Hairy and gross to the extreme. He isn't given any human qualities or emotions. This is a very realistic old black fly, and because of this, the things he's going to do are going to be a little disgusting. Don't miss the second to last SWAT in a two-page spread of exploding pink and brown cake. Says the illustrator about this story, "This is the first book of the rest of the books I'll illustrate". I, for one, hope it isn't his last.

FUNNY
This was one of my kids favorite books. In fact, in our book club we always bring books to the expectant mother and this is always my first choice. It works for both genders and is VERY entertaining. Perfect addition to any kids library.

Gotta' have this book!
My young students enjoy this book every year. The antics of the fly are delightful. The "shoo fly" repetitious part encourages my kids to chant along. The color in the illustrations holds the attention of very young children. The author knows how to entertain 6-year olds as he taught first-graders for 25 years. If you really want to be able to get the full enjoyment of the story, invite Mr. Aylesworth to your school. He is an awesome speaker! He will "sing" Old Black Fly in a way that you will want to try to imitate! You'll hear "...sing it again, sing it again!" This book belongs in every elementary classroom. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Dy-Quill's Word
I think Air Mail to the Moon is an excellent book. I think it was an excellent book because she was going around acusing people of stealing her tooth. She said, "When I catch him or her, I am going to Air Mail them to the moon".

Tanazia's Review
I think Air Mail to the Moon is an excellent book. I think it was excellent because she thought everyone stole her tooth, but she had it all the time. It was such a funny book!

Andre Thinks
I think Air Mail to the Moon was a good book because she was thinking about all of the things she was going to get with her tooth from the tooth fairy.

This was one of my favorite books when I was little
I am 11 now and I still think that this is one of the greatest books I read when I was little. It is cute and I loved it I wanted my dad to read it to me over and over again. I still think that it is a good book.

laugh with your 6 year old !
This a book that you can read with your children and relate to in some sort of way. Explain the fact the tooth fairy FORGOT!!!. Oreo is the cutest if not the SWEETEST!!! My daughter would have reacted the same way. Keep Oreo close to your heart, she's Great!!!!!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

This book won the Minnesota Book Award, and, as the title may suggest,it's a Minnesota kind of book. Old Man Winter is an ornery ol' cuss in a rawhide hat, a kind of anti-Santa who spreads the fluffy white stuff across the land from the back of a magical flying truck. Stephen Gammell has won the CaldecottMedal and twice has been on the Caldecott honor list. His pastel-and-watercolor illustrations are richly colored, with a spiky quality that fits his grumbling hero perfectly. Purple and blue predominate--and white, of course--with the occasional smear of pale green. The text is extremely brief--rarely more than four or five words per double-page spread--and most of it is done by hand in a scratchy, irregular style that, like the illustrations themselves, are reminiscent of Ralph Steadman's deliberate messiness. Somewill be amused, others perplexed by the surprise ending--Old Man Winter is no more (or less) than a young girl's doll! Either way, this exuberant romp is a vivacious, visually glorious tribute to winter. Click to see a sample spread. Illustration is from Is That You Winter?, copyright ©1997 by Stephen Gammell, reproduced by permission of Harcourt Brace & Company. (Ages 3 to 6) ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Old Man Winter wants to know who he makes the snow for...
Up here in Northern Minnesota we always knew Old Man Winter had it out for us big time, but we never really knew why. Stephen Gammell provides an interesting explanation in his book "Is That You, Winter?" We discover that Old Man Winter is an ornery old cuss, who releases his icy blasts from the back of his truck. But Old Man Winter has a question: "Who do I make it snow for?" The answer is to be found in this book and you will not be surprised to learn it is an answer that makes even Old Man Winter happy.

How much you like this illustrated children's book is probably going to depend on how much you like Gammell's artwork, which strikes me and my limited knowledge of art as something of an impressionistic cartoon. Certainly the work is stylized and I would be willing to bet that children are going to find it more acceptable that some adults. I sort of like the way he depicts the snowstorm and you have to admit it is pretty distinctive.

May I introduce you to Old Man Winter?
Who ever thought there really WAS an old man, Winter? This story certainly makes one a believer after meeting Winter, an old man who also happens to be very grumpy. His morning goes from bad to worse as he wakes up in a bad mood, misplaces his hat, misses breakfast, and struggles with the eternal question, "Why do I always have to go to work?". His day is "saved", however, when he crashes to the ground into the world of a little girl who thinks of him as very improtant. She even defends him from her teasing playmates and makes Winter feel special again. With friends like this one, one can hardly stay grumpy for long- not even Winter! The pictures are absolutely hilarious. From the cowboy-like Winter, sporting a handlebar mustache and a ten-gallon hat, to his snow-creating dump truck, one cannto help but smile. The splashes of color and white, done in pastels, pencils, and watercolors, make the reader feel like he or she has run right into Old Man Winter- Brrrr!

Intresting book
Is That You, Winter? Is about an old, grumpy man who has to get up every day to go out and make it snow. While driving his truck of snow around, he begins to wonder for whom he makes it snow. Upon returning from his long day of work, he has a terrible accident and finds himself lying helpless in the snow. While the story in this book is amusing and well written, the illustrations do not seem to add to the experience of reading this book. The artwork appears to have been done by a five-year old. The colors seem to have been simply thrown onto the paper with no concern for what it is meant to look like. At times, the illustrations convey no sense of the emotions in the corresponding pages, and overall it seems that the illustrations were a mere afterthought thrown onto the pages in a rush. Perhaps a different method of illustrating would have added more to the telling of this book's story. However, even with the current illustrations, Is that You, Winter? is an interesting, and amusing story.

Wintry Reviews
The story, Is that you, Winter?, is about a petulant, old man who brings snow to the land from the back of his truck. He questions and grumbles about why he has to go to work, but foremost, he wonders for whom he makes it snow. The tale in itself, though brief and concise, has a heart-warming ending. The art work in the book paints vivid images of the wintry landscape. The illustrations, done in colored pencils and watercolors, are a thrown-together mixture of light and dark shades. The swirling colors provide the rough, scratchy text with more meaning than the words could possibly convey on their own. The child may only see pretty pictures and hear an interesting story, but deeper meanings could be contrived from the story itself. The tale shows that no matter how disdainfully a person views their work, they may generate the snow that warms someone's heart. The book is excellent, and I recommend it to anyone who wishes to read an intriguing story.

The swirling, surprising treatment of paint to page exactly
I love the handling of paint and color in this book. It goes so well with the character of Old Man Winter. The story as well as the illustrations are just the right surprising mix of cold and cranky, twisting and turning, swirling the reader right to the heart--just like Winter to do that! ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (7)

WONDERFUL!
My son, who is two, received this book as a gift, and it is one of his favorites. He always laughs hysterically when we read it, and he walks around reciting lines from the book. This book has become THE book that I buy for birthday presents, because it's great fun to read and to make the pancakes, too!

Hey, Pancakes! is a hit!!!
A few months ago my son had the opportunity to attend a book reading by Tamson Weston and we purchased an autographed copy of Hey, Pancakes. It has become the FAVORITE in our house. The simplicity of the story is captivating for my kids, even my 2 year old has memorized the words. In this day and age of high tech tv, computers and video games it's nice to curl up with a book the whole family loves! As the last sentence in the book states 'Let's go out into the world and give a pancake(or panshake as my two year old says!) cheer!' Tamson Weston has a winner with this book!!!

Wonderful Granchild Entertainment
I bought this book as part of my weekend entertainment plan for my 6 year old grandson. The stay was a success! I think, in great part, due to our sunday morning "Pancake Party". We read Hey Pancakes! the night before, I had pre-purchased the ingredients with, of course, real maple syrup and then we reviewed the recipe in the back of the book and discussed what and why of each ingredient and even had a little lesson in measuring. It was great fun for both Grandpa and Grandson. I think it'll be a weekend that'll be remembered.

A Delicious Book
Hey Pancakes by Tamson Weston, is a charming and delightful book for early readers. As an educator of young children ,I found my group squealing with delight as they got into the fun rhythm of the story. The imagination of the reader is spiked as he relates to the "pancake toll" The book is lively,and even the nonreader chimes in on the second reading as he anticipates the comfortable and natural rhyme. The whimsical ilustrations are very much in keeping with the spirit of the text. This book is a winner, and will delight young readers for years to come. I look forward to many more book from this very talented new author.P.S. The pancake recipe was yummy, and we did get our fingers sticky.

So much fun!
A delighful mix of story and art: my kids (ages 3 and 5) LOVED this book. Be warned: they'll be asking for pancakes every morning! ... Read more

Reviews (12)

an all-time favorite!
Not sure I understand the parents who are worried about their kids reading about bullies or maybe eating too much cake. What would they say about Maurice Sendak's Wild Things? Maybe he should rename it Tame Things? I think kids know the world is a wild and wooly place-- but if you have a loving mama -- even if she is a monster, as she points out to her son-- it's got to help. Great lines of dialogue, wild illustrations, what's not to love? Probably all this controversy proves it's a great book.

Monster Mamma
This book Monster Mamma is about a boy named Edward Patrick who has a monster for a mom. Dispite her being a monster she loves her son very much. Whenever he's in trouble his momma always comes to help him.This book is great because it shows kids that no matter who your mamma is she will always love you.

Have no fear...Mama is here!
A beautiful story about the all too familiar bully theme. My son and I could really relate to the bond of trust and protection between Patrick and his Mama. It's easy to pick on someone small in size, but the boys were cowards when confronted by Monster Mama. Mama's response gave Patrick the braveness and confidence he needed to stand up to the bullies, and stick up for her in turn. My son's reply at the end of the story was, "yeah,...nobody messes with Mama!" It made me laugh!

mixed feelings
The illustrations caught my eye, but the pictures can be confusing (one page appears to be a severed head, but is not). I still enjoy the story and I do read it to my two year old, but i leave out words like evil and death. The last page is a picture of a big monster giving a little boy a kiss. I think the book illustrates visually the way my son feels about me. lol.

Strawberries are my favorite
I like how Patrick stands up for his mama, and how his mama is not really a monster. ... Read more

Book Description

Only Theo's grandmother sees the truth about the boy: He's as spoiled as a rotten old apple!

That is why, on one of Theo's naughtiest, grabbiest, mouthiest days, Grandmother decides to bake him a pie.

Young Theo has never seen the like. Its crust is as big as a bedsheet; its filling of plums, cherries, peaches, pears, apples, and quince is as tempting as any sweet feast ever set before a boy. But when he greedily reaches out for a taste, little Theo bites off a lot more than he can chew!

Jennifer Donnelly's wise and funny tale has inspired pictures of modern-day wit and medieval charm from a master of artistic antics, Stephen Gammell. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A charming tale, beautifully illustrated!
A winning combination - a marvelous, imaginative, and funny story that teaches a lesson, together with stunning illustrations. A wonderful book to read aloud with your children or grandchildren on your lap. They'll want to hear it again and again. A fun read for adults, too!

Once in a great while, a book like this comes along...
A truly imaginative and enchanting tale. Great fun to read aloud and linger over the illustrations. You can't go wrong with a great story matched by amazing illustrations with a little sprinkle of morality. This is one of the classics that children will remember for a long time to come, as I remember Dr. Seuss and Where the Wild Things Are.

Let them eat Humble Pie!
This book is a rarity: a story with a moral that's fun (and funny!) for 21st century kids and their parents to read over and over again. Wonderful pictures, too -- the great Stephen Gammell's best. And you know what? I think it really works! I'll be darned if my own little Theos (...) aren't just little more considerate since they got a taste of Humble Pie!

Timeless
The kind of fairytale they rarely make anymore, but should. A hilarious and engaging story beautifully illustrated. Great fun for kids and the adults who read to them. This is a book that will be still be a favorite twenty years from now.

A wonderful fairy tale ---
This will be a classic... Fabulous story married to fabulous illustrations --- Great fun to read (Also for adults) --- hopefully there will be more to come from this terrific team... ... Read more

Book Description

A burger and a hot dog
One day had a nasty spat.
The burger got insulted
'Cause the hot dog called him flat...

So what happened after that? Well, you'll have to look inside this book to find out. Because, you see, there is a whole world out there in which burgers, hot dogs, sticky buns, ice-cream bars, bologna, popcorn, and all sorts of other food folks exist together and do and go through all the daily stuff we all do. But it's only folks like Jim Aylesworth, together with artist Stephen Gammell, who can bring to us that world in a collection of hilarious rhymes and pictures. After all, what happens when a bunch of sugar cookies give a bagel a hard time, or an ice-cream bar gets stranded on a beach, or a couple of pickles go out dancing?...Well, come on in and see! And when you're done, try to invent some food folks of your own. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Whimsical rhymes
The burger and hot dog had a fight one day - and other food groups soon enter the world of talking, walking foods. From boppin corn which loves to dance until they pop to an orange who falls in love with a lemon, Burger And The Hot Dog provides whimsical rhymes by Jim Aylesworth and Stephen Gammell's fun drawings. ... Read more