Book Description

1990 Grammy Award for "Best Recording for Children." 6 original lullabies: Rock-A-Bye (MalloryÕs Song) ¥ May All Your Dreams Come True ¥ Dreamland Concerto ¥ and more. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

For years it's been playing every night at our house!
Our oldest son is 5yrs, and still reminds us to turn it on at bedtime. And if he awakens during the night he will go turn it on again. We have 3 kids and they all love it. One night they weren't able to listen to it because it accidentally got broken. They've all listened to it since they were born. But our 5yr old decided that night he could sing it to his 3yr. old brother and 2yr. old sister. I heard him on the baby monitor and it was so heartwarming!! I promised him I'd replace it soon and he hasn't forgotten that!

Rock A Bye Vol 2
While so many children's CDs are corny or condescending, this is really beautiful music. My son is five now, and we still love this collection of CDs, and play them often, sometimes at dinner or even while floating in the pool. The songs are so soothing, so touching, and so well sung, that we love them as much as he does--and will do so for years! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

My favorite kids book/audiotape !!!!
This is truly a wonderful book and audiotape (don't just get the book). My daughter and I love listening and reading along. The music is very enjoyable and almost puts you into the story. I highly recommend them for gifts, too!

Excellent, fun and educational
This book and cassette are excellent. My younger sister listened/read this cassette/book 8 years ago, and now that my sister is older, my own young kids have enjoyed this wonderful story and the sweet accompanying narration and music.

The story is beautifully narrated and the background tunes are catchy and fun. I would have liked the music better if it were a real orchestra instead of a sampler/synthesizer, but it is really enjoyable nonetheless. There is a good range of instruments and musical styles to listen to, and the story is interesting and engaging for children. I highly recommend this book for any young child. (And if the cassette is not included, then I would recommend buying that as well).

Every family should have this book and tape set!
What a wonderful, engaging book and tape to open the world of music to our children! It is a lifesaver in the car that even the driver will enjoy! The story is sweet, the illustrations beautiful and the music is rich! Thank-you Catherine Meyrick and Michael Twinn!! What a gift!!

Pure delight!
This tape, based on the lovely book of the same title, is a wonderful way to introduce children to the world of music. The original compositions are beautiful, and the naration, provided by Patrick Macnee (Steed from "The Avengers" TV series) is perfection-full of warmth and love and whimsy, as if he's talking directly to his own grandchildren sitting on his lap. Our daughter loves this tape, and my wife and I never tire of listening to it either.

Tells of Gustav's musical life from infancy to adulthood.
I am a music teacher and absolutly love this book! While it can be shared with almost any primary class, I saved it for my second graders and used it with the cassette. The story tells of Gustav's musical life from infancy to adulthood. On a quest to find his "musical self" he discovers jazz, classical, big band music and much more. Following the story, we play a game that I developed using segments from the cassette. My students had a great time identifying the different instruments played in the story. I would recommend this book and cassette to all! Enjoy! ... Read more

Book Description

Troy Billings is seventeen, 296 pounds, friendless, utterly miserable,and about to step off a New York subway platform in front of an oncoming train. Until hemeets Curt MacCrae, an emaciated, semi-homeless, high school dropout guitar genius,the stuff of which Lower East Side punk rock legends are made. Never mind that Troy’sdad thinks Curt’s a drug addict and Troy’s brother thinks Troy’s the biggest (literally)loser in Manhattan. Soon, Curt’s recruited Troy as his new drummer—even though Troycan’t play the drums. Together, Curt and Troy will change the world of punk, and Troy’sown life, forever. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Fun with Fat Kid
From the first sentence of "Fat kid" I was hooked.
KL Going gives us sights, sounds, smells, and a vivid telling of a tale of two mismatched friends and their adventure to form a band and play a successful gig. The first person telling took me into Troy's (the fat kid) mind and heart and allowed me to peer into his world. Living the good and the bad experiences in the tumultious weeks spent with him.

I enjoyed reading this story and found myself laughing out loud often. I think we've all known a Troy in our lives. Here we get to walk with him and get his thoughts on the situations he finds himself in. Including the whirlwind his new friend Curt takes him on. All the while wondering if Curt is for real, after all, who could like the fat kid?
We all do Troy, we all do.

I recommend this story to anyone interested in a fun uplifting tale about life, music, and personal triumph. 5 stars.

Fat Kid Rules!
This is an impressive debut novel from author, K. L. Going. Curt and Troy (aka Fat Kid) have formed an unlikely partnership to start a new punk rock band. Curt is already a legend and inexplicably has chosen Troy to be his new drummer. Curt's decision seems odd considering the fact that Troy doesn't know how to play drums and is consumed with self loathing over his obesity. But Curt keeps the faith, even after a memorable debut performance during which Troy vomits profusely over his drum set. But Troy isn't the only one consumed with fear. Curt is homeless and barely surviving living on the street, but he refuses to allow anyone to help him for long. Curt and Troy are both on a journey to learn how to conquer their inner demons. This is a story about faith, family, and conquering the fear that paralyzes you from accomplishing your dreams.

Excellent!
I loved this book! I fell in love with the characters. I actually laughed out loud and cried.

checkers 1
Yes! Yes! Yes! Finally there is a book that interests me in rock and a hard life. K.L. Going is going to go far with this book. Troy is a troubled fat kid with no friends. Curt is an awesome guitar player and becomes friends with Troy. Troy then learns to play the drums and they form a band(there is twice as much exciting events). This book is awesome. It is very suspenseful, exciting, and it has the talk of a teenager. Like they swear and they smoke but its all part of a real life rock band, and it is a life of a teenager. There better be a sequel. 5 STARS!!!

Nirvana + One Fat Kid =
The ultimate love letter to a rocker long dead. Remembering reading a myriad of different reviews for this book when it first came out, I can recall some of the strongest criticism of it at the time. "Oh the book's too adoring of Kurt Cobain". "Oh the book spends too much time idealizing a dead drugged out rocker". "Oh the book can't be good because it's subject is so grimy". I'm paraphrasing of course, but these were the general comments directed at K.L. Going's first young adult novel. So I picked it up and read it and found that I relearned something that I need to constantly be reminded of time and again. Sometimes reviewers haven't a clue about really well written and worthwhile material. With that statement in mind (and me perfectly aware that I'm going to follow it up with, bum bum ba dum, a review) I present to you a book that I felt was deeply moving, touching, and downright hilarious.

We open with our hero, Troy Billings, contemplating whether or not his suicide in front of a subway train will be amusing to the passersby. Troy is, after all, gargantuan. He's seventeen, six feet tall, and about three hundred pounds. He's lived his life in the face of constant ridicule and for once he's contemplating ending it there and then. His life is spared, however, by a chance meeting with a dirty grungy krustypunk kid sitting on the ground. This kid, as it turns out, is Curt MacCrae, local dropout rock god. An unlikely friendship blooms between these two, and Curt becomes absolutely 100 percent convinced that Troy is the drummer for him. Troy, of course, hasn't touched drums since the seventh grade, but Curt is oblivious to the problem. As the book follows these characters, Curt saves Troy's life in a myriad of different ways and Troy, ultimately, finds a way to save Curt's.

This is the ultimate anti-b.s. book. Troy says exactly what he's thinking without fooling either himself or the reader. No fool, Troy is constantly aware that people find him peculiar to look at. To the book's credit, when Troy is convinced that something is going to fail he sometimes does. And Troy is capable of some magnificent failures in this story. At the same time, he's witty and urbane. And [attractive]. This guy is like any other seventeen year-old boy, and he's really got a thing for the wrists of attractive waitresses. The book uses slang without sounding dated or affected, and there's enough good natured profanity to lure kids into reading it. Curt is also the perfect spaz foil to Troy's oversized self. A sneaky slimy but ultimately fantastic friend to T (as he likes to call Troy) Curt is what Kurt Cobain could have become if he'd just befriended someone like the T-man at age twenty. You never doubt Curt's love for his new friend, even though his steadfast acceptance of Troy and all of Troy's fears is somewhat difficult to understand. Troy himself doesn't understand it fully, but it's everything he's ever wanted. This is the story of the unpopular fat kid getting picked by the popular punk at school and how it changes both their lives.

I was hoping to get all the way through the book without hitting any snags or plot devices. For the most part, this book's pretty snag free. Sadly, though the book was written by a woman, the women portrayed in the story are few and far between. They pretty much end up being either waitresses or groupies. Hopefully Going's next book will give her gender a little more breathing room. Also, after reading through this tale I did end up wishing that Going had left it up to the reader to understand why Troy gained weight after his mother's death without explaining it, but it ties in nicely with the ways in which Troy's dad and brother also dealt with the tragedy. I loved how Troy could detect fear or emotional distress while watching others eat. And I just liked Troy. He's a likable guy, which is a huge bonus if you're going to read a book like this. If you didn't like either Troy or Curt you'd have a rough time getting through the story. Fortunately, Going is a skilled enough writer that you can read Troy's many worries and fears about his size without finding him whiny or oppressive. He has a sardonic sense of humor that saves him every time. I was disappointed by the ending of the book, though. Up until then, I had been pleased to see that Going wasn't making anything easy for her characters. Unfortunately the finale (and I won't give it away) seems a bit too pat. Too neat. And, in a way, too easy. I didn't want an unhappy ending, mind you, but I didn't like the way in which Troy instantly becomes close to his father and brother after years of estrangement.

One last note on Going's writing. This is a woman who knows how to write a good musical sequence. I haven't read such poetic descriptions of rock since Emma Bull's lively, "War of the Oaks". This is a woman who knows how to make the pages wail with sound and color. When Troy feels elated at his first concert, you stand right there feeling elated with him. The book's all right. It's perhaps not the best teen novel out there these days, but it's a pretty good one just the same. I suggest you try it on for size. Even if you can't stand rock or Nirvana, this tale has the ability to take you out of yourself and into the head of a three hundred pound boy. It's an experience to enjoy. ... Read more

Book Description

A Musical Fiesta

Join the fun with this jubilant celebration of Latin American music, hosted by Michele Valeri, composer of the best-selling Dinosaur Rock. Young listeners will love to sing along with Michele and her unforgettable characters--Gunther, Maria Elena, and a friendly cucaracha named Juanito. With songs in both Spanish and English, this lively introduction to Latin American customs and music is a toe-tapping, hand-clapping delight.

... Read more

Reviews (1)

Terrific bilingual kids' fun!
I was so happy to find that Amazon.com had this tape in stock. I loaned our original copy to a friend and have never gotten it back. (I don't blame my friend!) Michele Valeri and her ensemble have put together a rollicking, narrative journey through much of Latin America, using little skits (I believe in her live act she used puppets for some characters) and original songs with a Latin beat. She sings in English and Spanish, jumping from one language to another, but always in a way that helps English-speaking children understand the meaning of the Spanish phrases from their context or her explanation. For example, the title track's chorus goes: "Mi casa es su casa [my house is your house], Whenever you are here, Mi casa es su casa, Sit down and rest my dear." My children had more fun listening to this tape. And as they got older, it even kept a carpool of 5 young boys absorbed on a 15-minute ride to school for days at a time! I can't recommend this gentle, fun, musical journey "south of the border" highly enough for all kids, not just those studying Spanish or kids (like 2 of mine) who came to us from Latin American countries speaking Spanish, and had to make a transition from one language to another. Muchas gracias, Michele! ... Read more

Book Description

The fun and upbeat music in this new recording celebrates learning and growing - from birthdays to the inside growing of finding good ways of dealing with feelings. The audio cassette begins and ends with the familiar Neighborhood opening and closing songs. In between are many Mister Rogers favorites, including "You're Growing," "When the Baby Comes," "You've Got to Do It," "You Can Never Go Down the Drain," "Sometimes People Are Good," and eight other popular Neighborhood songs. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Mamma Mia! What a great way to introduce Italian
I can't say enough great things about this method. The combination of Italian conversation and easy to follow songs is fabulous. The songs exclusively in Italian are catchy and easy to pick up and the use of typical american songs in half english and half Italian is a great learning tool for kids to understand what the words mean. My 3 1/2 year old has mastered the alphabet, the days of the week and the numbers as well as all of the songs in an amazingly short period of time....My only regret is that there is no volume 2!!

Enjoyable nursery rhyme style story and songbook
This was the perfect introduction to Italian for my one year old. With a simple story of one girls day, numbers 1 - 10, the days of the week, and other basic vocabulary are introduced in a format that is completely entertaining. Childrens songs are sung in both English and Italian with a companion coloring book. At 18 months of age this was my son's favorite cassette to listen to in the morning. ... Read more

Book Description

Great for beginners. Songs that teach the alphabet, farm animals, counting, family members, parts of the body, days of the week, colors, fruit, opposites and shapes in French. Packaged with an activity/lyrics book. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Not for True Beginners, But Excellent Nonetheless!
It is true that this set is not for those who are completely unfamiliar with the French language. It is important that the adult (parent or teacher) have a basic familiarity with the French language. That said, this set is a real value. First of all, the learning is based around activity-centered songs--which children adore. They learn to sing the alphabet in French, the days of the week, counting, animals, body parts and more. My kids really enjoy the interactive nature of the songs and since all children love to sing, I think it helps them to remember the words and associate them with the appropriate things. If you are a teacher, this set would be terrific to use in a classroom setting with young children. Although the set says it is good for any age, I would suggest it is optimal for children under 10.

The teacher needs to know french!
It was with great anticipation that my daughters and I awaited this book and tape set. We couldn't wait to learn French! It was a great disappointment however, when we opened it up and found not a word of English. The teacher needs to know French in order to use this product as there is no English to use as a comparison. The pictures are not very good and the words go way too fast. I gave two stars becuase I imagine this set will be useful once we know French and need some review.

The kids remember everything taught because of these songs.
Only by chance did I come to know about these wonderful tapes. I was vacationing in Quebec one summer, and a friend, knowing that I teach French to young children (my own children included), bought this tape for me as a gift. I couldn't have meen more pleased with Francais pour debutants.

I teach French and Spanish to English-speaking children as an enrichment program in several public and private schools, and I am always looking for lively materials to use in my classes. I teach children how to speak French and Spanish in a way that they learned their own language, i.e. though a natural method of conversation, through songs, and through game playing.

My classes being with a song because this seems to lighten the atmosphere of the classroom. My favorite song that we sing is "Comptons les animaux." I make stick puppets for all my students, and as we sing about one of the animals, we hold up the puppet as we're singing. Each student has a complete "barnyard" of the ten animals and they enjoy singing as they hold up the particular animal. When we sing "Les parties du corps," we point to that part of the body we are singing about, and we dance as we sing. The children always request to sing " L'alphabet". What is evident is that the children remember the vocabulary that is being taught because these songs are so lively and full of fun.

This may seem almost hard to believe, but I only teach each of my classes one hour, one day per week, and the children remember everything that is taught to them by means of these these songs. ... Read more

Product Description

Create paintings, play games, and learn all aspects of music from composition to interpretation while you record it all in your own "journal". REQUIREMENTS: Windows 3.1 or later; 486SX, running at least 33 Mhz; 4 MB RAM; 4 MB free hard drive space; 256-color VGA monitor; sound card; cd-rom drive & mouse. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

one of an excellent series
I started buying this series for my 6 year old one year ago. She received "Mr Bach comes to Call" for her seventh birthday. She has spent hours listening to it and then to other Bach CDs. The music is well selected and the historical content is described quite well. Her imagination has really been excited. As we live in Germany for the moment she has expressed a wish to visit Liepzig to see Bach's grave. We have four in this series now and think they are brilliant. All of us enjoy listening especially on long car journeys. Great entertainment with educational value. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Not as good as the original
I bought this collection for my little one because I really loved it when I was her age. Although the songs are all the same, I was disappointed to discover that the singers and arrangements have changed. Some of the new voices are so annoying and caricature-like that it's difficult to sing along. I wish they would have just re-released the original! My daughter seems to like "Veggie Tales" and "Not for Kids Only" much better.

A Wonderful Selection of Silly Songs
My Sister and I when we were little used to love to sing along with Books and Tapes in the Wee Sing Series, especially this one, because we have always loved to laugh. The Wee Sing books and tapes will take children into a world of fun, they can learn wonderful things from these tapes. However, it never has to seem like learning. That's part of the magic. For on these recorded tours, your childrens tourguides are singers and actors. If you have children be sure to buy this tape you'll laugh your head off with them. My sister and I eventually outgrew these tapes, but I kept them, even copied them onto blank audiotapes so I could give them as gifts to people who have children. Now if only Pam Beall and Susan Nipp could make a sequel to this one and call it Wee Sing More Silly Songs. ... Read more

Book Description

I Feel Like a Giggle--God Made Me to Laugh and Sing!

These 30-minute cassettes and compact discs from best-selling author Karyn Henley are filled with delightful songs for children ages 2 to 5. Companions to the video series, each title features 11 songs and a fun story related to a theme. Five Little Ladybugs, I Feel Like a Giggle, and Kitchen Band Parade will help young children explore important concepts through music, movement, and imagination.

With I Feel Like a Giggle children celebrate the joy of knowing God loves and takes care of them. Songs include: Come Along, I Feel Like a Giggle, What Am I?, The Mice Go Tiptoe, Happy Kids, All Kinds of Hats, You Can Come and Play, Rock-a-My Soul Medley, Silly Jack Story, God Will Never Stop Loving Me, Praise the Lord. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Delightful!
My kids absolutely LOVED this from age 2 to about 5 or so. The songs are upbeat and easy for them to sing along with, and the stories just capture their attention. Great for the car or anytime. I'm looking for more Karyn Henley CD's for my 3yo now. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (25)

Lovely and Imaginative Illustrations
The premise of the story is silly: King Bidgood is having so much fun in the bath that he won't get out. Whenever anyone tries to lure him away to other activities, he carries out the activities in the tub - fishing, eating, celebrating, etc.. Courtiers join him in full dress, and have a merry time while the page tries desperately to get the king to get out of the bath.

These are some of the most beautiful and detailed illustrations I have ever seen! My favorite is the page on which King Bidgood is fishing in the tub. There are water grasses, lilies, fish, and an amazing array of colors. All the pictures are lovely! It's a great book for sparking kids' imaginations because the illustrations are realistic although the story is fanciful.

I would recommend this book for any child who loves detailed pictures. There is always something else to be found, no matter how many times a child examines the pages. And, it's a great book for dreamers or kids who don't like to get out of the bath!

This will make you laugh!
When I was in 5th grade, I read King Bidgood's in the Bathtub, and got to hear the tape with it. It was so good, my brother and I would read it constantly. We would even walk to school singing the song (at the top of our lungs, of course!). A great children's book, all in all, with beautiful illustrations. The absurdity of fishing in a tub, going to war in a tub, eating lunch, and even having a royal ball in a bathtub will have you laughing in no time. Get it for the kids in you life, but I bet some adults will like it too!

Fun-filled and Satisfactory for Readers of All Ages
I am 20 and babysit my nephew (he's 3) weekly. I remember reading this book in Elementary School and being captivated by the beautifully done and action packed illustrations. Now it is a favorite of my nephew. The rhythm and pattern of the writing is just as fun to read as it is to listen to. He loves to try to remember every page and always chimes in with "King Bidgood's in the bathtub and he won't get out! Oh who knows what to do?" Kids can relate to this kooky king in wanting to stay in the tub, the story is imaginative and the vocabulary is kid-friendly but also helps kids to learn new words. I appreciate books that don't get old fast because children love to hear favorites again and again. King Bidgood, like Heggledy Pegg is a keeper.

We know what to do!
King Bidgood's in the bath tub and he won't get out cries the page who knows what to do. The queen, the duke the knite and the court all try to get the king out of the bath tub. instead of helping the page, it makes more for for him. Until the page knows what to do, he pulls the plug, glub glub glub! The pictures are beautiful! You have to spend time looking at the pictures because they are so detailed. My so loves this book. It gose in our favorite pile.

Audrey Wood is great
She did it again with this book. A cute story with good illistrations. The only thing I didn't like was that the book was a little dark. I usually like bright vibrant colors. My children enjoy the book and ask me to read it often. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An On-the-Road Christmas Eve Tradition
Our family has made a tradition of listening to this audiocassette of holiday stories once a year as we travel over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house on Christmas Eve. "Winter Cherries" is the favorite, but the others are enjoyable as well--and varied. One line from "Winter Cherries" never fails to "get" me--"he flew through his mind back to..." The accents and voices enhance the stories (we don't find them difficult to understand at all--in fact, sometimes one of us will mimic one of the voices suddenly in mid-July, and we all smile). The coordination of the music and voice is impressive. This audiocassette has made the car trip on Christmas Eve a shared experience that we all look forward to. Give it a try! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Grrrrreat
This song book is great! My mom bought it for me numerous years ago, and still sing songs from it today! One of my favorites is the song about the chicken, it's great! If you are dubious about buying this for yourself or your children, I'm telling you right now that you should, you won't regret it. The songs are great and everyone can sing along to them like When the Saints Go Marching In, I mean everyone knows that song and I promise you that your experience in the car will get much better once you put this tape in the cassette player! I hope you take my advice! ... Read more

Book Description

Features 8 songs, including: Backwards Land * Zany Zoo * Billy Blotsky's Birthday Bash * and more. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

truly terrific
mr. bodkin is an amazing talent. this story takes you to another place and time. wonderful for the imagination, my kids ( now 5 and 3 1/2 years old ) love it so much that we are going to purchase other little proto audio books. also, my son is fascinated with dinosaurs and enjoys finding the dinosaurs that mr. bodkin animates in dinosaur books, documentaries, and figurines. we love it!

A Great Story!
I have 3 boys 12,9, and 5. My oldest listened to this over and over again when he became interested in dinosaurs when he was about 5. 7 years later, I am finding my youngest can't get enough of this tape and my oldest is still enthralled with the story! A great tape to save for those long car rides!

Fantastic
I think this is a wonderful work. I listen to it at least monthly with my 6 year old son, and I find it amazing that Mr. Bodkin performs this with only a 12 string guitar. A MUST HAVE if you have children in your house.

Wonderful, imaginative, and high quality
I listen to this tape weekly with my 3 1/2 year old daughter. The theme of a child wandering into an off-limits area to find a grandfather figure is fantastic. Odds is a great storyteller, and the songs will stick with you long after the story is over. A great story to listen to with children, especially to develop imagination and wean away from TV.

It's not scary and won't inspire bad dreams.

PERFECT for the child dino enthusiast!!
This story tape is a treat. It is fun, suspenseful and heart warming. It is a wonderful choice for the first time (child) story audio tape listener. I would say a good age range for this story is as young as 4 or 5 and as old as 7 or 8. Perfect for the yougsters that loves dinosaurs. If you've never heard Odds Bodkin's story telling, try him out, you won't be diapointed. ... Read more