Book Description

This handsome edition brings all of Beatrix Potter's 23 tales and verses together in one book.Each story is complete and unabridged, and all the original illustrations, both color and black-and-white, are included.Potter's tales were often connected with real people, places and animals, so each story has a brief introductory note about its history.As an added bonus, The Complete Tales also includes four other works by Potter, which remained unpublished in her lifetime.

As part of Peter Rabbit's centennial celebration, the first printing of The Complete Tales will be published with a limited edition lithograph inside. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

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. :)

Irresistible cuddly animals with human personalities.
Beatrix Potter acquired her love and knowledge of animals and the countryside during family holidays in Scotland. She also had animals as her constant companions as a child. She sketched and observed them for hours at a time.

Beatrix Potter's books have never lost their popularity. They are sold by the millions and have been translated into over fifteen languages. While her first story in 1902, "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" was published in a small edition by Frederick Warne, within a year it was an instant best seller.

This deluxe volume is a collection of all twenty-three tales and some previously unpublished works. The stories are arranged in the order of publication as several are linked together by events or familiar characters.

Both the watercolors and black and white illustrations have been included. Children will adore the rhyming names of goosey gander and pig-wig. The animals seem to almost take on human personalities. In fact, these magical stories are often connected with real people places or animals.

Little girls who have a doll house will love "The Tale of Two Bad Mice," in which two hungry mice try to eat the artificial plaster doll food. Even at my age I found it irresistibly amusing. These little animals just have such great personalities.

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.

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

Serious silliness for all ages. Artist Sandra Boynton is back and better than ever with completely redrawnversions of her multi-million selling board books. These whimsical and hilarious books, featuringnontraditional texts and her famous animal characters, have been printed on thick board pages,and are sure to educate and entertain children of all ages. ... Read more

Reviews (39)

Fun for adult AND child!
Sandra Boynton writes some of the funniest children's stories. She must truly have a wonderful sense of humor. I have always loved her book "Cloe and Maude" and now that I am a mother I have discovered her books anew. I found "But Not the Hippopotamus" in the grocery store - it made me laugh out loud right there in the baby aisle. I had to buy two - one for my daughter (who is 5 months and loves it) and one for my best friend who is due with her first child in September. This book has such a great rhythm to it and the ending is too cute! Of course Boynton's drawings, as always, are adorable and full of personality. I think I have just about all of her books on my wish list! Really a must for the night-night library of a young baby. I never get tired of reading it.

But not the hippopotamus....
This is a great little book to read to the little people. The illustrations are humorous, and the rhythm and banter of this book is great. All of the Boynton board books are worth having, but this one is a particular gem.

If your child is to the age that they like the notion of call and response songs and books, they will LOVE this book. As you will see, everyone in this book is living it up, and we see them all doing fun things. But at the end of every little scenario you get, "But not the hippopotamus"

(It is amazing how quickly a child can learn to say hippopotamus, or what variations on that word a child will create!) But, don't fret for our poor hippo, he does get a happy ending, but....

READ THE BOOK! I won't give the spoiler.

Her top favorite
My 3 year old thinks this is by far the most hilarious book ever written. Next to Red Hat, Blue Hat it is her favorite Boynton book. We sing the line "But not the hippopotamus" in an opera voice and that seems to do the trick for making it fun!

a family favorite
We love this book so much we have 3 copies, 1 for each child! I know the book by heart, and my 5- and 2-year-old are close. We prompt our girls to finish the lines as we read along. They can even "read" the book to each other.

This book is filled with wonderful rhymes, and a silly story kids love. It also provides parents with an opportunity to teach kids an important lesson: be nice and include others when you play.

Absolute Perfection in a Board Book!
Sandra Boynton is an absolute genius with words and pictures.

Seriously!

BUT NOT THE HIPPOPOTAMUS is one of the cleverest -- driest -- most delightful of all of her board books for wee ones. All four of my children absolutely loved it.

You should hear my husband read it out loud. No, really. He's a master at Boynton-out-loud reading.

One disappointment of this newer edition of the book is that the language has been a bit "dumbed down." The first page of the original edition reads, "A hog and a frog cavort in a bog." I suppose Ms. Boynton's editors figured that a lot of people don't know what the word "cavort" means.

Well, they won't know, will they, if editors remove words like that from books??

At any rate, I highly recommend this -- and any -- Sandra Boynton board book for your toddler or preschooler. They are, each and every one of them, a refreshing move away from the cloying, poorly written, overly-cutesy garbage that is littering the bookshelves these days.

Trust me -- you and your child will BOTH be delighted by this book! ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Here there be dragons!
I bought this book for a friend's daughter for Christmas, and I hate to part with it! It is magical, gorgeous and stunning, from its rich, bejeweled cover to its many treasures within: beautiful illustrations, witty text, fun pull-outs, even samples of shed dragon skin, wing membranes and dragon dust (all lovely!) We learn much about dragons, from their life cycles and behaviors to their flying techniques ("A happy dragon is a dragon that loops") and how they're REALLY able to breathe fire (Ah, I'd always wondered....) And at the end, a wise message about caring for the world and its creatures lest they vanish....and another charming surprise that I won't give away. No serious dragonologist should be without this enchanting book! :-)

By the dragon!!!
Or is it "Buy the dragon!!!".

I was looking around the children's section when I spied this book. It is absolutely neat in everyway. If you are a dragon lover this is a MUST HAVE. Even better the Flight of Dragons, IMO.

It's not just for kids!!!
I bought this book for my adult sister who has a bit of an affinity for dragons, thinking it would be a "cute" little gift. When the book arrived, I was so impressed with the cover alone! It's a deep red, with red foil lined dragons and four "emeralds," alluding to the notion that dragons are attracted to gems. I couldn't help but read it myself...and I must say it will be hard to relinquish it to my sister! It's full of illustrations, as well as "samples" of dragon scales and dragon dust. It references some of our greats, such as Merlin, Marco Polo and Magnus...just to name a few. Yes, it's fiction. Yes, it's an easy read. Yet any adult who appreciates our old world legends will have a blast with this book!

Dragonology
I really like this book because it really shows you a different perspective on dragons.

Great Pictures, Great Story
I saw this book in a bookstore, and I just had to have it. I was drawn more to the pictures and the cover design, than the text inside, but when I read it I was amazed. I actually believed it was real, as if I could go out and find myself a dragon. This book is really amazing and can be enjoyed by everyone, young and old. It doesn't matter how old you are to believe and believing in magical beasts is what makes us stay young. Its a fabulous book!!! ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

What does an elephant do? It stomps its foot. Can you? From the creator of such beloved classics as The Grouchy Ladybug and The Mixed-Up Chameleon comes this interactive story that invites kids to imitate animal movements. Watching giraffes bend their necks or monkeys wave their arms is fun, but nothing could be better than joining in. From their heads down to their toes, kids will be wriggling, jiggling, and giggling as they try to keep up with these animals!Alligators wiggle, elephants stop, gorillas thump, and giraffes bend. Can you do it? ‘ I can do it!’ is the confidence-building message of this fun-filled interactive picture book. A variety of familiar animals invite young children to copy their antics, and as they play, they will learn such important skills as careful listening, focusing attention, and following instructions. Just as alphabet books introduce the very young child to letters and simple words, From Head to Toe introduces the basic body parts and simple body movements. And in the same way that children progress from understanding simple words to reading and writing sentences and stories, so they will progress from simple body movements to dancing, gymnastics, and other sports and activities, with confidence and pleasure.

Eric Carle's colorful collages have delighted children for more than a generation. Each book provides hours of fun while encouraging them to stretch their imaginations. His matchless words and illustrations now send out a new challenge:
Are you ready?
Here we go!
Move yourself
From Head to Toe.

A Main Selection of the Children’s Book-of-the-Month Club ... Read more

Reviews (17)

What an entertaining book...!
My 16-month old daughter loves to turn her head, wave her arms, raise her shoulders, with the colorful animals in this book. Excellent book to teach children body parts, movements and animals. (She surprised us one day by thumping her chest when she saw a gorilla picuture somewhere else.) I also read this book to her classmates in a play group and they all loved it, too. Have fun "bending your knees" with your kids!

One of Eric Carle's best!
This is a fantastic book! The large, colorful pictures and the simple, clear text keep children bending and stretching right along with the animals! Still, unlike many of the reviewers who loved this for their one-year-olds, we found that this book didn't work for my active, not very verbal daughter when she was one (even though she sat for other books). We pulled it out again around the time she turned 2 and she LOVED IT. This book was a huge hit. Now at almost 4 it is still one of her favorites. Even if she's tired at bedtime she gets on the floor to do her donkey kicks along with the donkey! My older daughter also reported that this was one of her preschool teacher's favorite storytime books. I would say that for many children this book, despite it's deceptively simple pictures and text, is more appropriate for older children (age 2-4). This is a book I buy all the time for 2nd birthdays - It's always a hit! (especially good for active kids who prefer being "active" listeners!) This is an excellent choice for a book that will last kids for years!

A surprise favorite!
OK, I admit it. This book was a gift, and not one I would have bought for my son. I completely failed to see its charm.

That is, until I read it with my one-year-old son!

"From Head to Toe" was an instant hit and the first book that made Jack laugh out loud! He asks for it over and over again, and before too long, he was making the signs along with me as we read. And shortly after that I had to laugh out loud when I saw him "reading" the book to himself, making the signs and saying "I Can Do It!" on each page!

I highly recommend this book for older babies and toddlers. Mamma may not be enchanted at first -- but I'll bet your little one will shwo you just how much fun this book really is!

Gets kids who won't sit for books to ask for this one
This book worked wonders for my children when they were about 15 months old up through 24 months old. At that time neither were interested in sitting and listening to stories but this book was terrific -- it gets them up and moving while learning different body parts. Awesome!! They thought beating their chests like a gorilla was hilarious. Head to Toe was a wonderful introduction for our children on following a book from beginning to end and opened the door for bedtime stories and more.

Great book
Though I don't recommend it for bed time, this book is great fun for the kids to do the things asked of them in the book. They move their heads, kick feet, etc. My kids really enjoy it. ... Read more

Amazon.com

More than 60 years have not dated this wonderfully absurd tale--itstill makes kids (and parents) laugh out loud. Poor Mr. Popper isn't exactly unhappy; he just wishes he had seen something of the world before meeting Mrs. Popper and settling down. Most of all, he wishes he had seen the Poles, and spends his spare time between house-painting jobs reading all about polar explorations. Admiral Drake, in response to Mr. Popper's fan letter, sends him a penguin; life at 432 Proudfoot Avenue is never the same again. From one penguin living in the icebox, the Popper family grows to include 12 penguins, all of whom must be fed. Thus is born "Popper's Performing Penguins, First Time on Any Stage, Direct from the South Pole." Their adventures while on tour are hilarious, with numerous slapstick moments as the penguins disrupt other acts and invade hotels. Classic chapter-a-night fun. (Ages 5 to 10) --Richard Farr ... Read more

Reviews (75)

A Journey With Penguins
Mr. Popper's Penguins is a light-hearted, happy-go-lucky story. Mr. Popper is a zany character. He works the entire summer as a house painter and interior decorator. During the winter he reads and dreams. Mr. Popper reads about all of the places he would like to visit. Among his favorite places to dream about is Antarctica. He reads the works of a famous explorer and even write letters to the explorer. His wife thinks he is crazy to communicate with the explorer, but when he gets a special gift from his hero, his wife knows he is crazy. The gift is a penguin, and he adores it. After one penguin turns into two and two becomes twelve, the house is full of penguins. The penguins carry Mr. Popper on a journey from the poor house, across the stage, through jail, and finaly to Antarctica. The best thing about this book is that even through the sad parts, the story remains humorous. This is a book for grades K - 6. In the lower grades the teacher or parent can read the story to the students. It will be a very popular read aloud book. In the upper elementary grades the students will be capable of enjoying the book on their own. I love and highly recommend this book for all readers.

This is the best book in the world
Mr. Poppers Penguin is the best book. The author is Richard and Florence Atwater. This is a Newbery Honor book. It is great for all ages because it is the funniest book in the world. My favorite part is when the penguins live in the freezer. The characters are Mr. Popper, Mrs. Popper, Admiral Drake, Mr. Greenbaum, Mr. Klein, Janie Popper and Bill Popper. The Penguins are Caption Cook, Greta, Columbus, Victoria, Nelson, Jenny, Magellan, Scott, Isabella, Ferdinand and Louisa. Hope you read this book.

Opus times twelve
I've lived 26 years on this earth. In those 26 years I've learned a lot about children's books. I've learned which ones are considered the holiest of holies and which are to be condemned and spat upon. So I was completely taken aback when I learned that there was a 1938 children's book that absolutely no one had ever told me to read before. "Mr. Popper's Penguins" was a delight to discover. Suddenly I was privy to reading a charming story of a man and his penguins, and I had never even heard a peep about this tale from anyone. What gives? Why isn't "Mr. Popper's Penguins" as well-known and well-read as "Cheaper by the Dozen" or "Stuart Little"? There is no answer to this question. There is only this wonderful book, well-illustrated and magnificently written for the younger set.

Mr. Popper is a house painter, and mostly a good one. True, he does sometimes fall into fits of fancy, dreaming about the Arctic explorers and the ice floes to the North and South. His wife and children don't necessarily understand his dreams, but that doesn't sway Mr. Popper. One day, out of the blue, he receives word that one of the great explorers he wrote, Admiral Drake, read his letter and is sending him a present. As any child who remembers the title of the book might guess, a penguin comes hopping out of a newly delivered crate the next day. Mr. Popper is charmed by the little guest, and names him Captain Cook. Cook is a curious beasty, and the Poppers do everything from outfitting their refrigerator to taking Captain Cook for walks. When the penguin falls into a deep depression it is only the delivery of a second penguin from the zoo, Gerta, that cheers him up. Soon the penguin pair lay some eggs and the Popper household is privy to ten more lovely jumpy penguins. With money hard to come by it takes a clever Mr. Popper to come up with a way to make his penguins not only profitable, but stars.

First of all, make certain that if you are reading a version of this story that you have grabbed one that has Robert Lawson's beautiful illustrations. The same illustrator that's responsible for the lovable picture book, "Ferdinand the Bull" has switched his focus from beef to fowl. These penguins are remarkably well drawn, from their inquisitive little eys to their ugly webbed feet. If you've never seen a Lawson illustration, here would be a good place to start. The writing of Richard and Florence Atwater is extremely readable for anyone of any age. The phrase, "they just don't make 'em like that anymore" is unfair, but also kind of true. There's something to the simplicity of this book that you just can't find anywhere else. It is, all in all, just fantastic. And with Lawson's adept renderings of all the characters and situations, you are left in no doubt that this is one of the best books of this or any other age.

So a great wrong has been righted. I am no longer in the dark regarding "Mr. Popper's Penguins". If you'd like to introduce your kids (or, heaven forfend, yourself) to a fantastic piece of penguin rookery, grab yourself a copy of this l'il number. It's bound to make you a fan.

Made me want my own penguin.
I read this book myself when I was very young and find myself coming back to it time and time again even though I'm much older now. I remember the delight I felt each time the penguins got into some kind of trouble and the sympathy I felt for poor Mr. Popper each time he had to deal with the trouble. Even though the book was written more than sixty years ago it has a timeless feel that all good children's books have. It's a great addition to any child's library, both for the love of literature it can inspire and the lessons it can teach about responsibility and loving kindness. Definitely buy this for your kids and put it on the shelf next to the Dr. Suess.

Penguin power!
Mr. Popper's Penguins By: Richard and Florence Atwater

Mr. Popper lived with his wife and two children, Janie and Bill.
Mr. Popper was a house painter and only worked spring-winter. Mr. Popper enjoyed reading books about Arctic life (mostly penguins). One day Mr. Popper received a penguin from the Arctic explorer Admiral Drake. Mr. Popper named his penguin Captain Cook. One day Captain Cook looked very sick and lonely. Mr. Popper called an aquarium and they sent another penguin named Greta. Soon Captain Cook and Greta had a family of their own. Now there were 12 penguins. The Poppers were short on money so they trained the penguins to do tricks. Soon the performing Popper penguins became famous.
The main characters of this book are: Mr. Popper, Mrs. Popper, Captain Cook, Greta, Janie and Bill. Mr. Popper is a house painter that enjoys reading about Arctic life. Captain Cook is a kind penguin that doesn't cause much trouble.
This book mostly takes place in the town of Stillwater. The genre of this book is kind of realistic fiction. What surprised me is the end, because the name of the chapter seemed melancholy but ended up being something different.
What the author did well is naming the chapters. They were good descriptions of what happens. I think the author's style was kind of humorous. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes to read about penguins. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (11)

WOW, even better than reading the "adult" version!
Over the years, I have thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Herriot's wonderful stories. When I found this book for my 7 year old daughter, I wasn't sure if she'd be able to follow along. What makes this book stand out is the fabulous drawings--they are full paged drawings, with not too much writing on each page. Each drawing is very detailed, perfectly matched to the accompanying text. I can't get over the talented illustrators (this book has two different ones, although the drawings are similar in appearance). I've loved re-reading these familiar stories and sharing them. This is one of the best books we've read this year, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it for a permanent library collection.

My children were mesmerized by these warm stories.
My children have loved this book for years (they are now five and seven). Because the stories use words from far-away places, and an earlier time, reading them together has been a painless way to introduce many new and wonderful words into their vocabularies. If you are a parent who likes to read to your children, buy this book! The beautiful illustrations and language will keep you interested as well as the kids.

Settle in for a Great Read!
James Harriot's story telling style conveys the life of an English country vet in vivid language at a pace that makes you and your little ones settle in for sheer enjoyment. His word choices connect with the reader on multiple levels engaging the mind and emotions. The illustrations are both beautifully realistic and immaginative. My children love the stories and frequently ask to hear them again. As a read aloud, it is appropriate from 3 years-old and up. Neither you nor they will ever tire of reading these stories.

All time favorite book for any age
This is our family's all time favorite book. James Herrriot's true stories paired with magnificent illustations make this a wonderful book to read to a variety of ages of children; adults find the stories equally enjoyable. We have frequently given this book as a "family gift"(a spread of ages and boys and girls), gift to siblings of a new baby and even to babies who have everything, but will later appreciate this lovely book.

James Herriott.. the most wonderful writer
I think I have not had a more pleasant reading experience than sitting down next to a burning fire place, listening to my favorite antique clock ticking.. the patter of rain on the window panes and reading James Herriott. It is a memory of that afternoon that all these years later I have never forgotten. James Herriott is the most pleasant, relaxing, refreshing writer. Forget all the worries and cares and escape for a few minutes into a quiet world where the animals speak their own language.. A wonderful book, a wonderful writer. Thank You James Herriott for the memories. ... Read more

Book Description

Snoozy Choosers Choose Snoozers

Here are seven different Boynton bedtime stories for little listeners. Guided by the colorful picture tabs, children can find whichever story they want to hear. And the next one. And then this one. Okay, now this one. And now this one. Ooo, and this. Oh, please, just ONEmore? ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Six Short Stories And a Song Lull Your Child To Sleep
This book makes for great bedtime reading and has help my daughter to go to sleep on many a night. Six cute little stories about bedtime and a nonsense song make up the contents which are illustrated by a whole bunch of Boynton animals. The contents are as follows:

Snoozers - A story of the Snoozers who can sleep anywhere and anytime (except bedtime).
I'm Not Tired - A little bear puts himself to sleep by fussing about not being tired.
The Big Yawn - Just what the title says. Beware.

Pajamas - Different animals like different types of pajamas. What kind of animal are you? My son is a piggy and my daughter is a moose (so am I).
Six Sleepy Sheep - A poem of the evening activities of the title characters as they get ready for sleep.
Night Sounds - All of the snores of the jungle as the animals sleep until...
Silly Lullaby - A really silly song.

Love this bedtime book
This was one of my favorite books to read to my daughter when she was 1. I could recite all the stories verbatim. We loved the animals' sounds of sleep; the cheetah = "chee-chee-taah', the monkeys = "chatter-choo chatter-choo". There's even a little silly lullaby you can sing at the end. Now my daughter, 2, can pick the stories she wants to hear from the tabs.

Not the best (or the worst) of Boynton
I'm a huge Boynton fan. Some of her childrens' books are pure magic and I still smile when I read them again and again (such as Barnyard Dance, Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaur and the Going to Bed Book). This one just didn't do anything for me. I love her silliness and whimsy but the total nonsense lullaby at the end was the worst. If it didn't cost so much to send it back, I would.

It also didn't hold my girls attention at all.

Oh well... I'll keep trying her other books. There's bound to be more gems out there.

very cute
Cute book for bed that is nice and fast for those children that don't SIT for books!!!

Great for Bedtime!
We read this EVERY night now before bedtime...and to tell the truth, I love it just as much as my little ones. A definite keeper. Also recommend The Gravel Drive thegraveldrive.com for parents - you will never look at your kids the same way again after reading it! ... Read more

Book Description

This storybook is a collection of entertaining stories and poemsinvolving celebrated children's book artist Richard Scarry's lovable cast ofanimal characters.These happy tales and lively illustrations make thistreasury of the very best of Scarry's work the best storybook ever. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Oodles of Richard Scarry and I Am a Bunny, Too!
Researchers constantly find that reading to children is valuable in a variety of ways, not least of which are instilling a love of reading and improved reading skills. With better parent-child bonding from reading, your child will also be more emotionally secure and able to relate better to others. Intellectual performance will expand as well. Spending time together watching television fails as a substitute.

To help other parents apply this advice, as a parent of four I consulted an expert, our youngest child, and asked her to share with me her favorite books that were read to her as a young child. Richard Scarry's Best Story Book Ever was one of her picks.

This book was my daughter's choice night after night during the years from ages 3-6. The stories are all vividly colored, humorous, and reasonably short. They just suited her perfectly.

She would plead after each one, "Just one more story, Dad." (This was after her mother had read to her, as well.) I would read until I had almost no voice left. Eventually, we negotiated that she could pick two stories from this book, and if I was in the mood (and in good voice) we could go up from there. Otherwise, bedtime would have been delayed for hours!

If you don't know Richard Scarry, he has a wonderful, light sense of humor. He usually features intelligent animals, but in human-like contexts. This makes the moral of the story easier for the youngster to swallow, while making the story more interesting. For example, A Castle in Denmark is about the rules that you should follow in a castle (or a house) such as not leaving things on the floor where people can trip on them. Who else would have come up with such a wonderful way to help establish household rules?

The stories in the book contain all the elements needed in a preschool book, with lots of alphabet, numbers, socialization, and charming stories with important lessons attached. The book includes one of my daughter's all time favorite stories, I Am a Bunny by Ole Rison. This story was repeated like a mantra around our house by all four children. It is a great beginning reader story.

The stories vary in sophistication from simple ones to mini-mysteries involving detectives. My daughter especially loved the mini-mysteries.

Here are her favorite stories in the book (in the order they appear):

The Rabbit Family's Home

I Am a Bunny

Work Machines

Pip Pip Goes to London

A Castle in Denmark

Couscous, the Algerian Detective

Officer Montey of Monaco

Pierre, the Paris Policeman

The Country Mouse and the City Mouse by Patricia Scarry

Schtoompah, the Funny Austrian

From a value perspective, it is much less expensive to buy these stories in this form than to get them in the various Richard Scarry books. Of all the story books we bought for our children, this one was definitely the best value. I suspect it only cost about a penny per hour used. Running the television costs more than that!

Some readers have complained about the binding. Ours is a little loose in back after four years of hard use. For such a thick book, that's about par for the course. If your child is a hard user of books, you may want to get a new copy at some point.

After you have finished enjoying this book for the 4,317th evening in a row (if you have a large family), I suggest that you think about how these stories could be made even funnier by changing the context. For example, a castle in Denmark could become Cinderella's castle after she married the prince. What rules do you suppose Cinderella would have wanted to have? In this way, you and your child can exercise your imagination to have even more fun.

Take great stories and build on them . . . together with your child!

An excellent choice for young readers!
Like many of the other customer reviewers, I loved this book when I was a child. This book has it all: classic nursery rhymes, stories that don't tax little ones' attention spans, and enchanting illustrations. Names of everyday objects, shapes, colors, numbers, etc. are presented in an entertaining manner - your child won't realize (s)he's being educated!

This book is great for getting your toddler interested in books. My two year old daughter loves reading her "Lellow Book" at bedtime every night, and I look forward to it as much as she does. (If I had the proverbial dime for every time I've read "Chipmunk's Birthday" I'd be richer than Jeff Bezos!)

The only complaint I have is that we've had to glue the spine to the pages several times. I suppose frequent use is a contributing factor, but other reviewers have noted similar binding problems from this publisher. If not for this one drawback, I would have rated this book 6 out of 5.

Best book ever!
This book was given to my sister when she was very young. It became the standard reading book in my family. Try as my mother did we always requested a story from this book. My favourite was "Egg in the hole". I loved this story and requested it night after night. After a while i knew it off by heart and would tell my parents off if they changes a word. Many years ago we discovered this book in a local bookshop and bought it for friends who had just had a baby - it became a sucess in their family as well. A friend of mine has a 1 year old and i was trying to think of a present for her. The daughter has enough cloths and toys when i thought of giving her a book and remembered how much my family had loved this book. I couldn't find it in any shops in Australia and am very excited to find that it is still in print and available. Although the child is only 1 this book will cover her all the way to school and i hope it becomes as much of a favourite with her as it did with me. Thanks Richard Scarry for some of the best stories ever.

Still have my copy from 1977
And I'm glad I do. Although much of the content is from previous Richard Scarry books -- it provides an excellent way to remember the funniest bits of those other books and has helped me decide which Richard Scarry books to get for my son.

A Wonderful Book
My two year old son loves this book. He asks for it every night before bed. We call it "The Lion Book." His vocabulary has increased ten-fold since we started reading it. He's learned about shapes, sizes, colors, numbers, animals, farms, planes, cars, trucks; just about everything that could attract a little one's attention. The stories are interesting and gentle and fun. A great book! ... Read more

Amazon.com

How dull, to be one hippo all alone... until the one calls two other hippos on the phone. Soon three more hippos are at the door, bringing along another four. Before the night is through, a houseful of hippos (and one beast) has joined the one hippo for a boisterous bash.

All through the hippo night,
Hippos play with great delight.
But at the hippo break of day,
The hippos all must go away.

The well-loved Sandra Boynton wrote this tribute to silliness in 1977, inspiring generations of the very young to learn to count. Lively, cute newillustrations complement this edition, with big numbers (one through nine, and nine through one) boldly placed on the corner of each page. The sturdy board book will withstand lots of eager counting fingers, and maybe even a berserk hippo or two. Boynton's familiar style can be seen in scads of other delightfully nonsensical titles, including Barnyard Dance! and Moo, Baa, La La La!.(Ages 3 to 7) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Truly Berserk!
This book has all the elements of fun--one author, who obviously loves to write children's books, one subject (HIPPOS) and counting and you have the ingredients for a fun book. My 6 year old loves Hippos Go Berserk! and is learning to read it. She loves the counting as well. This book is in our Boynton collection (we must have the "Boynton Memorial Library" by now!) and it gets read weekly. We have to rotate through all the other Boynton books we have. It's a very good book and I recommend it, for children of ALL ages.

Tons of Hippo Fun
This is a delightful book! I bought it for my 6 month old son, who has a limited attention span for stories but LOVES this one. I also gave it to my 2 year old niece who, according to my sister-in-law, asks to have "Hippos Go Zerk!" read at least 16 times per day.

Boynton also adds some humorous touches that Mom and Dad can appreciate. Look for the Hippo Whistler's Mother!

My Daughter (& her father) loves this book!
My daughter, who is 5 months old, loves this book and pays attention through the whole book. She loves Daddy's expressions and excitement about the Hippo Party. I highly recommend Hippos go Berzerk.

One Hippo All Alone... a back and forth counting book
A wondrous counting book that tells of a lonely hippo who calls two others on the phone. Then larger and larger groups keep arriving (three though nine) until all 45 hippos and the beast (a guest of one of the groups) go berserk and party all through the hippo night. But at the hippo break of day, they all begin to go away (nine through two) until all that is left is the original one.

Most counting books only count in one direction. This fun book counts up and then back down again (although it doesn't use zero). It even makes mention of how many they add up to.

Typical Boynton illustrations add to the fun of this book.

It's a favorite!
My 18 month old son LOVES this book! All I need to say is..."One hippo all alone, calls two hippos on the phone" (First lines from book), and my son will search the house for the book until he finds it! It is a great book, the illustrations are top notch. He has about 30 other board books, but this is by far his favorite. Since I read it to him at least 5 times a day, I know it by heart! I can't wait to get more of Sandra Boynton's books. Since it is a board book, it is very durable! Go Berserk! You won't regret it! ... Read more

Book Description

It's the Grouchy Ladybug's 20th birthday. To celebrate, we are introducing a new, larger format edition with brighter, more colorful pages created from Eric Carle's original artwork using the latest reproduction technology. The Grouchy Ladybug is bigger and brigher, as irascible but irresistable as ever and will surely delight new generations of readers, as well as her devoted fans of all ages. Happy Birthday, Grouchy Ladybug!

Reviews (38)

Great for all ages!
I am a mother of 3 aged 5,3 & 1 year. All three of my children love this book. They think the Grouchy Ladybug is a silly bug. They enjoy "reading" along with me because the book is so repetitive! Even my one year old sits & listens intently to the pattern. "Ya' wanna fight! " "If you insist..." "Oh- you're not big enough." Repetition is the best tool in teaching to read & Eric Carle books are PERFECT for that! The other concepts he introduces in his books such as TIME & DAYS are helpful in teaching too. GREAT WORK, MR. CARLE!

The Wonderful World of Insects
The Grouchy Ladybug is a wonderful Eric Carle book. I love his mosiac illustrations, and the moral he projects. The grouchy ladybug is mean to all the other insects that he meets. He does not want to share the aphids on his leaf with the friendly ladybug. He ends up making no friends at all, and the animals he is rude to are getting bigger and fiercer as the book goes on. In the end the grouchy ladybug ends up on the same leaf he started out on, and shares the aphids.

Note to teachers: This is a great book to introduce a unit on insects. Most students probably don't understand what aphids are, and the ladybugs feed on them. You could also incorporate all of the other animals in the text to do a unit on animals. There are so many wonderful teaching oportunities with all of Eric Carle's books, but this is one of my favorites.

Wonderful book--one of my child's favorites
This is a great book and the repetition is great for a emerging young reader. My 3 year old can "read" this book to himself and his baby sister because he can anticipate what will happen when he turns the page. He has language delays due to hearing problems when he repeated ear infections and these repetitious books that Eric Carle has done have been wonderful with slowly introducing him to language.

Repetition, repetition, repetition....
After reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar to my son enough times to have it memorized, I bought this book thinking that it would be a nice change, and expecting The Grouchy Ladybug to have a moral somewhere along the lines of Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (if you haven't read that to your kids, get it). I found The Grouchy Ladybug to be repetative to the point of parental abuse. Eric Carle has good children's books, but this one was definitely not my favorite. The only thing my son has learned from it is "Hey, You, Wanna Fight?" It was okay to read once or twice, but the next garage sale, it's going to mysteriously vanish. I would suggest The Very Hungry Caterpillar instead, if you don't have it.

This book is crap
Eric Carle has done better. Read the "Very Quiet Cricket". This book is extremely repetitive and isn't really even a story so much as an excuse for the mediocre illustrations and a kind of irritating gimmick of having differently sized pages. These pages are have for my son to turn also.

I love reading real children's stories to my kids, and I don't mind some repetition (e.g., "Guess how much I love you" and "Are you my Mother?" are great...) But the ladybug keeps saying the same thing over and over and over. Yeah, I've hid the book from my kids and they don't miss it. ... Read more

Book Description

It's the first day of kindergarten and Miss Bindergarten is hard at work getting the classroom ready for her twenty-six new students. Meanwhile, Adam Krupp wakes up, Brenda Heath brushes her teeth, and Christopher Beaker finds his sneaker. Miss Bindergarten puts the finishing touches on the room just in time, and the students arrive. Now the fun can begin! This rhyming, brightly illustrated book is the perfect way to practice the alphabet and to introduce young children to kindergarten.

"Multifaceted and appealing, this book can be enjoyed in many ways, at home and at school."
-The New York Times Book Review ... Read more

Reviews (11)

REview of Miss Bindergarten
Miss Bindergarten, a dog wakes up and gets ready for her first day back to school. She packs her car and prepares to fix her gloomy classroom. Her pupils are getting ready for their first day of kindergarten. Each student (animals) has a rhyme to go with their activity: "Beaver Heath brushes her teeth" and "Ian Lowe says, 'I won't go' ''. Some are excited and some, such as Ian, are upset. Meanwhile, Miss Bindergarten has transformed her room into a bright rainbow of colors. Ashley Wolff does a wonderful job of illustrating this book. The illustrations are done in watercolor-and-gouache. Depicting the animals realistically, she captures excitement, dispear, and love in their facial expressions. Each animal looks incredibly life like, even though they are portrayed with some human characteristics. I think that it is important for children's books to illustrate animals realistically. If children look at books that show purple elephants and blue horses they will believe can be any color. This way the children will be better able to identify the animal when they see it again. The colors used in this book are very vibrant. Every page contains busy animals and curved text, they fill every available space.

This book is delightful for teachers and children alike!
Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready For Kindergarten is a delightful book that should be a part of every kindergarten classroom! It is a good "ice breaker" story for the first day of school and gives the children an idea of what it is like for the teacher to prepare her classroom as well as exploring the various feelings that children may have about the first day of school.

The rhyming words and repetitive text throughtout the book provide the children with an opportunity to participate in the story, as well as enhancing their recall skills.

The illustrations are beautifully done and provide much for the children to look at. My personal favorite is the one in which Miss Bindergarten (who is a dog)applies lipstick right before school starts!

MISS BINDERGARTEN
I don't think this book gives an accurate veiw of what kindergarten is like. I teach pre-school and have been to kindergarten classes with the children. This book gives an idea of what pre-school is like.

Teachers work too
My pre-k and kindergarten students loved this book. They found all the animals dressed in clothing fascinating. It was a good introduction to centers around the room too. We talked about how much work had gone into preparing the room and how everyone should work together to keep it neat and tidy. Its a great "1st week of school" book, but revisiting it during the year when clean-up has become a problem helped too. The alphabet/animal connection is also useful and fun to work with during an animal unit.

A book for every child starting school
Looking at this book from the point of view of an adult, I didn't get it. The illustrations are decent, but nothing spectacular. The rhymes are not particularly inventive. And not much happens in the book, which simply shows a teacher getting her classroom ready for the first day of kindergarten, while students are getting ready in their own way - eating breakfast, saying good-bye (or clinging to mom), getting on the bus, and so forth. It's also an alphabet book. Each child in the class has a name that begins with a different letter of the alphabet. But there are hundreds of alphabet books on the market, I thought, and many of them are more clever or better illustrated than this one.

Boy, was I wrong. I got this book out of the library the summer before my daughter started kindergarten. She was a little nervous about starting. She's the type of kid who wants to stand back and observe every situation before she plunges in. That made her the perfect kid for this book. While we had it out of the library, she asked me to read it several times every day. I ended up buying a copy of the book before returning the library copy, because it would have broken her heart to be without it.

My daughter just finished kindergarten, and I have read this book literally hundreds of times. She still loves it, and I think I've finally figured out why it's so appealing. At the beginning of the book, you see a dark, empty, slightly scary looking classroom. For a child who's afraid of starting school, I think that's a pretty good image of her expectation. But a nice teacher comes in and adds blocks, play kitchen toys, mobiles, paint and brushes, posters, crayons and pencils, etc. and turns the classroom into a beautiful, inviting place. Little by little a child learns to see the classroom as a good place to be. Also, as the teacher adds each new thing, it gives the child a chance to see and talk about some of the new things she will discover when she gets there.

This book has already become a classic. It was the first book my daughter's kindergarten teacher read to the class (from talking to other parents, I've discovered that's true in a LOT of classes). And hearing a familiar and adored book the first day of school added to my daughter's sense of comfort.

If you have a child who has any apprehension about starting school, this book is probably the best tool available for helping him or her overcome it. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (21)

Terrific tactile tale!
Saltzberg has definitely created a "winner" in this his first book on Animal Kisses. From the outset, this book captures children's attention with vibrant colors and simple images, add to that, the appeal of differing textures and beginner's text for easy comprehension. "Do you like scratchy cat kisses?" The reader sees a large yellow cat, highly contrasted, on a red and violet background with its tongue sticking out, SANDPAPER - scratchy texture. Children find "touch and feel" books irresistible and love the expedition through tactile territory. Additional textures include: FELT - velvety cows nose, STICKY - dogs tongue, FUR - fuzzy bear kisses, PLASTIC - rubbery fish kisses, and VELVET - squeaky pig kisses. Oh, and Saltzberg earns BONUS points for placing an actual squeaker in the pigs nose! Terrific tactile tale! One-year and up.

My daughter's favorite book
My 15 month old daughter always brings me this book to read to her. She prefers interactive books (touch-and-feel, lift-a-flap) and that continues with this one. The bright and colorful pictures of this boardbook really capture her eye. The book has a scratchy cat kiss, a sticky dog kiss, a velvety cow kiss, a fuzzy bear kiss, a rubbery fish kiss and a squeeky pig kiss. The textures are great. She has enjoyed it so much that I am ordering it for a one year old's birthday gift.

My twins love this book!
One of my daughters will lean over and kiss every page. She won't let her sister turn the page until she's kissed the animal. The squeaky pig kiss is always a big hit! A minor warning, it may attract dogs that love squeaky toys.

You'll read it over and over.
My daughter loves this book. She has been "reading" it since she was nine months and is now 15 months old and still enjoys it. She loves feeling the different textures on each page on the animal and enjoys literally giving each animal a kiss. When we read it to her we pair it with the animal's sound. She has learned a lot from this simple yet captivating book.

My daughter loves the animals
My daughter loves to feel the scratchy, sticky, furry, velvety and squeaky kisses from these wonderful animals. She now knows all of the animals by name and can even make most of the sounds that each of the animals make. ... Read more

Book Description

Is there anything more memorable than the expression on a young child's face the first time he or she visits the farm? That sense of wonder and amazement is captured in Baby MacDonald on the Farm. Each page invites children to learn all about farm animals through engaging text, delightful illustrations, and real-life photos that are accompanied by unique touch-and-feel elements. Baby MacDonald on the Farm is a wonderful learning experience that is certain to engage young children for hours and hours of playtime learning. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

A memorable, exciting, educational book...and now abridged!
"What Do People Do All Day" is really a one-of-a-kind book. As a toddler and older child, I was enthralled by Scarry's colorful and highly detailed pictures and his fun characters, and I especially recall the sections on water treatment and electrical power generation. This book, unlike any other, certainly stimulated my early interest in a career. Speaking from experience, a kid can spend hours poring through this book, and he can remember details from it for years. Unfortunately, it seems that a few boneheads at the publisher don't share my exceptional feelings for the book and have abridged it, removing the two sections I have mentioned and more. Shame on them!

One of the best books of any kind
Like some other reviewers, I am disapointed the unabridged version is not available.

But, even abridged, this is one of the funniest and most absorbing books in print. This book is full of delightful cutaways showing the internals of houses, streets, and factories. Like most Richard Scarry books, this one explores and explains a world which is fun, colorful, comprehensible, and full of well meaning people.

Five stars is not enough.

Best Children's Book Ever
Wish I could give this 10 stars. I discovered this book as a preschooler in 1968. My mom would take me to the local library every week. I checked it out from the library and I was hooked. I wanted to check it out at every visit, so my mom had the library order a copy for me. I remember even before I could read the words, I completely understood the story from the illustrations. I still have that original edition. It is tatered but still intact. I bought another copy this year for my preschool sons. They absolutely love it as well as the other Scarry book I had as a child, Busy Busy World. The newer book is the abridged edition. The abridged edition has 63 pages as compared to the ~95 pages in the original. They removed 4 stories from the original: busy (stay at home) mom, water treatment plants, electricity and how we get it, and Sgt. Murphy the Busytown policman. Why? Somebody at the publisher must have had a lobotomy. Anyway, we keep the original up in a closet to read only with adult supervision. The new one is on the shelf, readily accesible to the kids.
This book (even the abridged edition) is an absolute classic.

Great pictures needs a bit of updating
I, like many other readers, remember and enjoyed this book as a child.
Now- with my own 3 year we are rediscovering the great pictures; the mechanics
of how things work and are built and what people do all day.

This is where I think it needs some updating. As a historic record
for the 1950's, it might be accurate. But what takes me one
tick down in the rating in re-reading this to my son is the overt
sexist roles. There are precisely 3 careers allowed for women in this
book- homemaker, nurse and secretary. I've taken to changing some of
the gender of the workers to make it a bit more realistic-

Don't get me wrong- the concept is great, the stories serve that
purpose of how things work- and my son loves this book- I just
get a bit tired trying not to perpetuate stereotpyes that didn't exist
when I was a child in the 1960's (at least in my family).

careers in Busytown examined
Set in Scarry's Busytown, this busy, colorful book is organized into eleven chapters that examine its citizens' jobs: Everyone is a worker; Building a new house; Mailing a letter; Firemen to the rescue; A visit to the hospital; The train trip; The story of seeds and how they grow; Wood and how we use it; Building a new road; A voyage on a ship; and, Where bread comes from.

Effective use of color and cross-sections can be confusing for very young kids, but is informative and enjoyable for the curious, and the funny pictures appeal to all. Also, everything is labelled, which is very nice for beginning readers. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Wonderful, classic children's instruction book.
As a kid, I loved to draw, and I loved this book! The author provides simple, step-by-step pictorial guidelines easy enough for young children to follow: if they can read the instructions, they can draw the animals in the book. At each step, there is a basic instruction such as "make a green triangle" or "add two squiggly lines." The instructions are accompanied by both a drawing of whatever it is to be added and a drawing of the animal-in-progress as a whole. Not only is this book fun for children, it's great for book reports and other school projects. Even adults will appreciate the ease at which this book helps them to produce realistic-looking animals while also enjoying the author's humorous style. This favorite book of childhood has become a cherished adult possession.

This is a wonderful book!
I remember owning and using this book constantly when I was a kid. I recently got it for my two young ones and now they are drawing all the time! They would get so frustrated when they couldn't make something look like it was supposed to, but with this book it is easy and teaches them about using basic shapes to draw anything. It is so easy to follow, my two are both five and are doing great! Looking forward to getting some more of his books for my kids to use and enjoy.

A Champion of Creativity
Those wretched art classes to which we were all subjected as children left me in daily agony - and of course wouldn't my older sister just have to be a spectacularly gifted artist. My mother took pity on my suffering and bought me this wonderful book when I was six. It was a balm to my artistic handicap and an immeasurable boost to my confidence when I finally drew the dragon! Looking back now, I believe that Mr. Emberley's books would benefit any child, whether naturally artistic or crying over watercolor class. In an era when children's imaginations are saturated with Disney and TV cartoon notions of art, Mr. Emberley can give them simple tools with which to carve a path back to their own creativity.

Excellent book that kids will love
I too loved this book as a kid, as opposed to other art books, this is easy to follow. I was imersed in every one of his art books and my greatest accomplishment in the 2nd grade was drawing that dragon! It took hours.

Ed Emberley's Drawing Book of Animals
Emberley's dedication of this book reads "For the boy I was, the book I could not find". I could not find a better description of this book if I tried! My six year old son longed for art books that would teach him how to draw. This book more than satisfied that longing. Emberley's animals are fanciful, fun and easy to draw. I have just ordered two more of his books. We can't wait to get out the colored pencils and start drawing! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

My baby loves these!
My baby loves his cards. We use them many times throughout the day. They are usually all over the place as he uses them to communicate with us as well (we saw fish at the aquarium and he pulled out all the fish cards). I wish we had purchased these sooner. My son is 12 months old but would have enjoyed these months ago. They are especially interesting if you have the accompanying DVD's.

We use these cards almost everyday.
I love that the cards are made of heavy paper and the pictures are very colorful. We own the whole series and use them almost everyday. The one thing that I did notice is that we seemed to lose them after they would get thrown everywhere. I solved this problem by single hole punching them and then using a binder ring to hold them all together. Now my son and I can just flip through the pictures.

The pictures are brilliant!
I love these cards! The pictures are great and the information on the back is wonderful. I only wish that the author had put the names of the animals in different languages as she did on the Language Discovery Cards. One small point, I am not sure why she has some broad category animals, such as "dog" and then more specific ones, such as a particular type of fish. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Who can resist the allure of the hidden wilderness water hole? Certainlynot one rhino. Not two tigers. No