Amazon.com

"Over in the meadow / in the sand in the sun / Lived an old motherturtle / and her little turtle one. / Dig said the mother. / Wedig said the one. / So they dug all day / in the sand in the sun." Oliver A.Wadsworth's well-loved, late-19th-century counting rhyme transforms itself againin this gently endearing picture book Over in the Meadow, illustrated byAnna Vojtech. Preschoolers will be captivated by the soft, steady rhythms of thepoem and its serene expression of the mother-baby bond. Each spread, countingfrom 1 to 10, shows a mother animal and her young (two babies, three babies,four babies, etc.), but toddlers can also locate twosomes, threesomes, andfoursomes of other living creatures in the meadow scenes to count as well. Inthe "old mother owl" spread, there are three owl babies, three beetles, threeants, three acorns, and three caterpillars! What makes this book stand out froma sea of counting books are the spectacular, luminous illustrations--set offmasterfully by an elegant but playful design with generously sized type andclever illustrative accents (four little ratties, little bees five, etc.) Thisnew take on an old favorite belongs on every preschooler's shelf! (Baby topreschool) --Karin Snelson ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Wonderful story, pictures, rhymes
This is one of those sweet, gentle books that a child will remember for years to come. The pictures are beautiful, the rhymes almost lyrical and on top of it all, it teaches counting. It's especially fun when the child realizes that other animals in the picture also add up to the same number as the main animal (5 ladybugs, 5 leaves, 5 stones, etc.). My little boy has requested this book consistently for the past year and he's almost 4. Something we'll save for his children.

Cute Little Animals
This is my 3 year old daughter's favorite book. I read er, sing it to her several times a day. Each page is like a new treat, this book is beautifully illustrated. Each page has a certain number of animals, and the same number of other things for your child to find. On the four little rattie's page, there are 4 baby rats(which are adorable), there are also 4 ears of corn, 4 chickens, etc. It has been extrememly helpful for counting practice. Before my daughter knew the name of the book she called it the cute little animal book. After a month, this book still has top honor on my kids' bookshelf, with the fickleness of my children, that is saying a lot. ... Read more

Book Description

This beautiful board book features eight of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic poems with antique illustrations by some of the best-known children's book illustrators of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, including Charles Robinson, H. Willebeek Le Mair and Jessie Willcox Smith. An unforgettable treat for the very youngest readers. ... Read more

Book Description

American children's poetry began with Native American cradle songs, moved on to a rhymed alphabet, blossomed in the 19th century with "A Visit from St. Nicholas," expanded in the 20th century, and continues with vigor and inspiration into the new millennium. Some of the best of these poems, however, have been neglected or forgotten, or have simply disappeared. This book, by acclaimed children's author and poet Donald Hall, returns to us the forgotten treasures of American children's poetry. Featuring beautiful drawings from the best children's book illustrations through history--including arcival selections from rare and early editions--this state-of-the-art anthology revives not only the classic poems but also the atmosphere of the periods in which they were written and read.

Starting with a selection from the 1787 New England Primer, "Alphabet," the book spans two centuries to the 1990s with poems by Sandra Cisneros, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Janet S. Wong. Well-known American poets--including Edgar Allan Poe, T.S. Eliot, Carl Sandburg, and Robert Frost--are joined by lesser-known masters. Poems about holidays alternate with verses for recitation, nursery rhymes, poems for laughter, bedtime verses, scary poems, and animal poems. Multiculturalists will not be disappointed either--from anonymous Native- and African-American poets we step forward through the ages to admire the talent of Langston Hughes, Sonja Sanchez, and Francisco X. Alarcon. Both parents and teachers will delight in reading from this book to their children and students. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great Rhymes, Great pictures, Great puns
This is a book for the nursery rhyme set that erudite parents will enjoy as well. It has one or two standards (some not so standard) per page, cleverly illustrated with a wide range of the cutest anthropomorphicanimals since Walt Kelly's "Pogo". The rhymes and pictures alonewould make it a three-star book, a good standard collection. But there'smore. Mr. Tripp has his animals make little asides, much like the penguinin "Oliphant", and scatters sight gags liberally throughout hisillustrations.

For "Higglety-pigglety, my black hen, she lays eggsfor gentlemen", for instance, a happy bear admires the hen and says"egg-squisite".

A list of four dozen contestants at a pieeating contest includes "Sally Forth" and "RobinBanks".

Scattered about the clouds for "There was an old womantossed on a blanket" are a pretty complete set of milestones fromaviation history; spitfire, sopwith camel, X-1, mercury capsule, and afellow with a dozen swans in a silken harness.

I was glad I bought thehardcover edition; the paperback would have worn out. ... Read more

Book Description

Brilliantly colored and chock-full of ingenious mechanical devices, this is an eye-catching, toe-tapping interactive treat for preschoolers.Pull the tab and Old MacDonald¹s tractor roars to life with a chug, chug here and a chug, chug there. Turn the page and a flock of frisky sheep pop up with here¹s a baa, there¹s a baa, everywhere a baa, baa! Best of all, the rousing final spread boasts a clever text wheel that invites children to sing along. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

My Son and I love this book !!!!
This is a wonderful book, so cute, esp. the page which Old Macdonald driving its red tractor. My son just can't have enough of it but I agree, it's pretty delicate for a 2 years old to handle. whilst I'm typing this, my son just pointed at the book on the computer. Should definitley buy this book, if can afford it, should buy 2, one for the kid to play with, the other use to read it with him.

Great book (but delicate!)
My 15 month old LOVES this book. I had never sung this song to her before we bought it but now it is a big favourite. She learned the words farmer and tractor from the book. She learned e-i-e-i-o. She loves the flaps, the pull tabs and the dials. However, she decapitated the three little pigs in the first few days and ripped the farmer right out of his tractor in another unattended moment with the book. I now give it to her only under supervision so I can protect its moving parts. I don't know at what age toddlers become less destructive. However, it seems like this book might be better for older toddlers, since the younger ones like mine will probably love it to pieces!

E-I-E-I-O
E-I-E-I-O! Old McDonald Had a Farm brings to life the classic song through interactive, pop up cartoon pictures of a chugging tractor whose tires move, baaing sheep, clucking chicks, oinking pigs, and mooing cows who chew their cud and roll their eyes. Cony's use of pictures, which children can manipulate, adds zest to the experience of reading as children read (or sing along) to the tune of Old McDonald. It is a timeless song set apart by Cony's ingenious manipulation of the idea of a pop up children's book that will hold up to much use.

My 11 month old's favorite!
My baby learned to say "e-i-e-i-o" while chewing, tearing apart, and turning the pages of this book. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

An Indispensable Aid for Greek Students
Talking to other students of Greek, I'm fascinated by the ambivalence they feel for the Loeb series. For some, to read a Greek text in a Loeb edition is an act of sacrilege for which burning at the stake is not sufficient punishment. According to these Greek students, one should have only the Greek text furnished with an appropriately massive critical apparatus. Amusingly, the one person I know who is most vociferously against the Loeb series was quite upset when, a few months ago, I ran into him at a university bookstore and found, horror of horrors, that he was purchasing a Loeb. Needless to say, I have no such prejudice against the Loeb series and find certain volumes to be quite helpful in learning Greek.

Unfortunately, many of the translations that come alongside the Greek texts in the Loeb series are not particulalry faithful to the original text and are therefore useless if one is looking for a simple crib to help construe the meaning of this or that word or construction.

Fortunately, the translation for the Loeb edition of the Odyssey is a great crib. It is, for the most part, painstakingly faithful to the Greek, although there are a few strange lapses here and there where the translator(s) have decided to add a few words that are not in the Greek.

As for those who are Greekless and are simply looking for an accurate translation of the Odyssey, I'm not sure that I can recommend the translation. On the one hand, it is faithful to the sense of the text, but capture none of the sensuality of the text; that is to say, the rhythm and sound that make Homer so pleasurable are not reproduced in the translation. So, the translation is an excellent crib for construing the sense of Homer's text, but that's the extent of its merit.

A dated translation; a work that never ages
Every generation must have its own translations of Homer, but a good place for an aspiring translator to start will always be the Loeb library: translations facing the original Greek, a reasonable price, a cover design that doesn't try to look especially modern. Of course, if you're just looking to read Homer in English, there are better translations (my own personal favorite is Fagles). ... Read more

Reviews (1)

ADORABLE!
This book is excellent! My 18 month-old niece loves it! The story about the cute little ladybug is wonderful and my niece has to read this book everynight before bed! ... Read more

Book Description

The classic action rhyme, featuring Michael Hague's lovable bears, is now available in a sturdy board book format, perfect for sharing with the very young.

Reviews (1)

Teddy Bear Teddy Bear
My granddaughter enjoyed this book so much, that we have it out more than the Library has it in stock. One of the librairians is a neighbor and we had been to the library that day and we searched high and low for this book, to no avail. That evening the neighbor came with book in hand, and my 2 1/2yr old granddaughter was so excited to get her book back, she claims. She can't read but knows it by heart. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Ages 1 & up. A Mother Goose book for the nineties, Animal Crackers combines old-fashioned charm with modern sensibilities. Traditional poems and lullabies are seamlessly mixed with contemporary and multicultural works; the delightfully old-style illustrations are equally diverse. It's a lovely introduction to the world of nursery rhymes--and more. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A Nice Gift
I purchsed this as a baby gift. I wanted something the new parents could learn nursery rhymes from. This isn't really the book to do that as it doesn't contain very many "common" nursery rhymes. However it does have beautful pictures and made a nice gift anyway.

A Superb Collection of Nursery Rhymes
Intricate details and warm tones fill the illustrations throughout this superb collection of sixty-two nursery rhymes. Dyer has incorporated a wide variety of traditional nursery rhymes such as Little Jack Horner, Humpty Dumpty, and Peter Piper along with some not so traditional, such as Grandpa Bear's Lullaby, Animal Crackers, and All Asleep. She has divided this medley of rhymes into seven unique sections, including "Nursery Rhymes," "Animals, Animals," and "Lullaby and Good Night." These divisions make it easy to find rhymes for specific occasions or themes. Each rhyme is delightfully and intricately illustrated with warm watercolors which encompass the entire page. These illustrations invite the reader to become more involved in the story. This anthology of nursery rhymes is appropriate for the emergent reader because of the familiar text throughout the story. Dyer's intricate watercolors will help young children focus on the pictures to help create meaning. This well-designed collection of rhymes will be a valuable addition to any young child's personal library.

Wonderful Collection
I just received my copy of this book and can't wait to share it with my 2 year old daughter. Only problem - I purchased it for a gift and now need to buy one for her! The collection of nursery rhymes and poetry is beautifully illustrated, with oversized pages allowing maximum enjoyment for the non-reader. Definitely a must for every child's library.

Attractive poetry collection to please both child and parent
Jane Dyer's gentle watercolor paintings enhance a thoughtful selection of the best poems and nursery rhymes for young children. Collected in thematic sections ranging from alphabet and counting rhymes through the seasons, food, animals, and playtime to lullabies and night songs, the poems feature topics to tickle a young child's imagination while presenting rhythms and rhymes that encourage enthusiastic repetition through many read-aloud sessions. Loving parents, grandparents, and gift-givers of children ages 2 to 7 will delight in sharing these child-pleasing poems over and over. Most of the contents are of English heritage, but African, Danish, Brazilian, and German traditional lullabies are also included. Oversized pages allow plenty of interplay between text and art, while the book's slim (64-page) format keeps the volume manageable even in small hands. Dyer offers a broader variety than most collections for very young children, and if her art lacks the brash humor of a Rosemary Wells (My Very First Mother Goose), it offers instead a quietly satisfying world where children smile. A fun bonus: the artist has tucked in an unheralded self-portrait on page 22--and isn't that Barry Moser eating his peas with honey at the bottom of the same page? ... Read more

Book Description

Caldecott Award-winner Simms Taback infuses this favorite children's rhyme with his distinctive, creative flair and humor. His Jack builds a house like no other and fills it with cheeses from all nations, which of course attracts the rat that stirs up the cat. Taback takes the usual cast of characters in this classic cumulative rhyme and presents each in a funny new light that will keep readers laughing. His addition at the end neatly fits an appropriate character into Jack's story and makes his telling even more unique. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Let's Visit The House that Jack Built.....
As Simms Taback tells the reader at the end of this rollicking, fun-filled adventure: "This Is The House That Jack Built, a favorite rhyme for children for several centuries, was first published in 1755 and probably derived from an ancient Hebrew chant in the 16th century. It was illustrated by Randolph Caldecott in 1878." And now this old and popular chain of events story gets the brilliant Taback treatment. Each clever and creative two page spread dazzles with vibrant color, marvelous, eye-popping detail, and witty asides. Children will revel in all the joyous, manic fun as they linger and explore each intriguing page, finding something new and exciting each time they open the book. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, This Is The House That Jack Built is a timeless masterpiece the whole family can read, share, and laugh over together, and a picture book no home should be without.

a fantastic version
A colorful, busy, fun illustrated retelling of a classic tale. Each page bursts with so many details it would be difficult to list them all here, although I'll try. For example, on the cheese "that lay in the house that Jack built" page, ten cheeses are listed with the level of "smell" they give off, and on the "cat that ate the rat" page, many different types of felines are shown with a description of their personalities--and those are just the start of what is on each page. How does this tie in with the story? I'm not sure, but it doesn't really matter--it's so much fun finding all the details as well as hearing the repeating chant of the story over again makes for a fine time reading. Very fun and should keep a little one busy. I highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Book Description

This delightfully illustrated paperback and CD set contains more than seventy-five of the best-loved rhymes and songs of childhood, from soothing lullabies to schoolyard chants. Popular classics such as "Pat a Cake," "Humpty Dumpty," and "Jack and Jill" are joined by lesser-known rhymes and ditties from many different cultures. Kady MacDonald Denton"s illustrations add liveliness and humor. Together, parents and children will enjoy sharing this book and CD collection. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Just what I wanted.
I could remember the tunes but not all the words to some of those old rhymes.This book filled in the gaps plus it has lots of other rhymes, to share with my child.

My son LOVES this book!!
At the ripe age of one and a half, he's dog-eared this book and knows all the rhymes.When he wants to hear one, he'll start saying the first line.This book has a great collection of traditional rhymes and an interesting sprinkling of international rhymes, combined with wonderful illustrations.We never travel without this one.

The most complete of the many "colletions" books
I bought at least 4 books on collections of children's rhymes and this one is by far the most complete. The illustrations are good, although they lean a bit too much in the "Where the wild things are" direction formy taste. However, whereas some of the other collections books tend to befull of more illustrations than rhymes, this one fits the bill with aperfect balance between both.

Did you know that "Rockabye baby"actually has three verses, not one and that "Mary Had a LittleLamb" has eight verses, not four? Can you remember all the words to"This is the house that jack built" or "The Farmer takes awife" or "I had a cat and the cat pleased me"? If you'd liketo be able to answer yes to these questions, buy this book! It's truly yourbest choice in the "children's collection of rhymes" group.

Ofcourse, my toddler loves the book - it's a favorite for long car rides.

FULL of rhymes - charming illustrations
We borrowed this book from the library,and our just-about two-year-old will receive a copy for her birthday, as she would like to read it night and day.The illustrations are pretty, yet energetic and not overly sweet,and the content will last several years. Also, this book is very wellpriced ... Read more

Book Description

In this appealing collection of Scripture and rhymes, classic and much-loved passages from the Bible stand majestically alongside the classic rhythms and characters of traditional Mother Goose. Featuring a matte-laminated padded cover and a colorful ribbon bookmark, this sweetly illustrated volume makes a wonderful gift. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent! Reinforces Christian living
Both of my children love this book. We read it before bed.They learntreasured nursery rhymes and about Jesus in a delightful way. Great christening gift! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Play Rhymes
The illustrations are beautiful. The pictograms give parents great ideas to improvise, and create new movements. My 11 month-old baby enjoys the rhymes, even though she is not yet old enough to follow my moves as I sing or recite them, she tries to imitate me. We have a great time together and you can always get a smile from her when we sing "Wheels on the bus" or "I'm a little teapot." Fantastic book!!! ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (17)

The rhymes and silliness of this book make it a real winner!
Silly Sally is so very well done. My kids received it as a gift and it only took a couple of reads for them to be in love. They memorized the verse and began singing it through the house! What a delight -- even parents will have funn with this one as Silly Sally goes to town....

Neddy Buttercup walking forwards right side up!
A very fun book with great pictures. It is also really great for kids to act out and use their imagination. It can really get them moving. Bright pictures and rhyming text are just two of the many things I love this book and you should too! Can you rate higher than 5? =)

Great book for little ones!
My 7 1/2 month old adores this book. The sing song rhyming text amuses her like nothing else (I have memorized the story to tell when she's particularly grumpy). We love Audrey Wood and Silly Sally!

Easy words, easy reading!
This book is cute and funny to children and they can enjoy this book.

The pictures are adorable and the words rhyme and they love it.

Ellen

review for Silly Sally
Silly Sally is a great childrens book, it's a book for bigginer readers. It's fun and easy to read with an easy vocabulary and its rhyming format. The book Silly Sally is about a girl named Sally who goes to town walking backwards upside down. On her trip through town she meets different animals who she engages in different activities with. Then she meets Ned Buttercup who walks forward rightside up. Ned tickles all the animals as well as Sally who is sleeping. He wakes them up and they continue there journey together animals and all. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (14)

The best "non-page-turner"
This fun book has a great rhythm you will want to keep turning the pages and keep up with the beat, but if you read this to your children you won't get to turn the pages at your desired pace because they will love the pictures. The illustrations are great. Filled with animals and each one has a personality, as does the main character (she becomes more and more frustrated as the story moves along and her home is filled with animals who take over her house). There are so many cute details in the illustrations you children will find more things to discover with many repetitions of the book. You will read this book many times if you own it. Sometimes with your children and maybe even on your own without them there to distract you!

Funny Offbeat Story
This story adapts a traditional children's song by pulling it into our contemporary world. Most of us don't go to the market anymore to buy a whole pig or cow, and the illustrator highlights this gap in time by showing what happens when one woman does bring all these animals home. The result is both thoughtful and silly: I love a children's book that doesn't take itself too seriously!

As you can imagine, the animals run loose and create havoc in the kitchen while the overwhelmed woman goes back to the market for more things. Finally in desperation, she buys a bunch of vegetables and makes them all soup!

It's an artsy little story that you can read over and over again without getting bored. The illustrations are witty and creative throughout. I appreciate inventive touches in this book, like the black and white background juxtaposed against the color foreground. Also, I like the way the market background is reminiscient of an earlier time period, perhaps the 50's or 60's?

My kids love this one!
My 4 and 2 year old just love this book. It is a very simple book and I do think the illustrations are very interesting and detailed.I ordered this online and when I received it and read it myself, before I read it to them, I didn't think they would like it much, well, I was wrong! The 5 star rating is from my kids, and they are the ones who love it, and for a kids book ,that is all that matters!

Jiggety Jig
This is a wonderfully illustrated book. Your students/children will literally jiggety-jig because of the intensely humorous pictures. This is also a great book to use in conjunction with word family and rhyming lessons.

This is Hilarious
I just loved this book - both the story and illustrations are so much fun. My girls and I laughed through it - the funniest part was that it is almost like our house. My husband brings home a different animal every week and they are always getting into everything. I also liked that the woman bought brown rice and lots of healthy food - nice to see in children's books. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An interesting book to add to your children's shelf.
I bought this book to get a more worldly view of nursery rhymes. I wanted to read some of the rhymes that are told to children in other countries, and wanted to expose my future kids to other cultures.

The book does all of this with over 30 rhymes from various countries around the world. Some of the rhymes don't really rhyme as that was lost in translation, but it's still fun to see what is told to children in that country.

Each page is a colorful bonanza of illustrations to accompany the rhyme.

It's sure to keep your child's attention on the page as you read the rhymes.

I recommend this book to anyone wanting to inject a bit of worldly culture into their child's reading time. ... Read more

Book Description

Here is a lively retelling of three classic fairy tales, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, and The Boy Who Cried Wolf, expressed in an utterly contemporary way -- in fresh, fast, and funny rap.

Laugh as our hapless wolf tries desperately to find something to eat. First he meets up with a Red Riding Hood with attitude, then three pigs with guts, finally a boy who's in over his head.

David Vozar's text explodes in the vernacular of the '90s, and Betsy Lewin's hilarious illustrations are the perfect accompaniment.

An IRA-CBC Children's Choice, An NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Book in the Field of Social Studies. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Yo, Hungry Wolf!: A Nursery Rap
This is a wonderful book. I am a future elementary teacher and plan on buying this book for my classroom. I read it to my 10 year old son and he loved it. I think the age level is set too low, because I am 38 years old and I loved it also!

Saw book read on Sesame Street and thought it a cute version
I felt it gave a more understanding concept of the old fairy tale. It could be enhanced with animation of the reader. It allowed the participation of the listener as well. ... Read more

Book Description

Salley Mavor"s exquisitely detailed fabric illustrations tell the story of Mary and her little lamb and the story of the dish and the spoon and the cow who jumped over the moon. Children will love to find all of the tiny details in the illustrations as they listen along with the rhymes in these two board books. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This collection of Jack Prelutsky is delightfully nonsensical, as we've come to expect from the creator of The New Kid on the Block and more than 40 other equally zany collections. We were thinking of Edward Lear's The Jumblies as we read, "Jilliky Jolliky Jelliky Jee,/three little cooks in a coconut tree,/one cooked a peanut and one cooked a pea,/one brewed a thimble of cinnamon tea,/then they sat down to a dinner for three,/Jilliky Jolliky Jelliky Jee." If you've wondered why potatoes can't see even with all those eyes, or why poor Pennington Poe is weeping, this is the book for you and your kids. Garth Williams, illustrator of Charlotte's Web and Bedtime for Frances, enhances this lively collection with his whimsical, expressive paintings. (Ages 2 to 6) ... Read more

Reviews (8)

WONDERFUL CLASSIC
I read this book to all of my children (now grown) and have given it as a gift to an adult artist. The playful rhymes and beautiful illustrations have classic appeal for all generations. I think adults respond to the book because each carefully crafted yet simple rhyme (they roll off the tongue and are fun to read aloud) and illustration evokes something inside, perhaps just the simplicity of our childhood.They are also very funny. (Except for poor old Pennington Poe who has a truck stuck in the snow and his donkey is slow, we all have days like that.) I find myself occasionally remembering one of the rhymes with my kids, and we have a great laugh as we remember a particular rhyme! They are each relatively short, so you can make it through the book fairly quickly and it holds a young child's interest, unlike some of the more lengthy Shel Silverstein poems. I highly recommend this book- it is a classic that should be in every library. As many times as I have read it, it never tires.

Best rhymes since Mother Goose
Of all the books we read together, and there were many by the time my daughter was enough of an under-the-blanket reader to finish them on her own sometime before breakfast, this one, like few others (Wind in the Willows, Secret Garden, for example) never wore itself out. Ride a Purple Pelican was a trusty cue for wonderful bedtimes!

The back cover shows the splendid and heartbreaking image of a little boy on a silver stork in the sunset above the clouds, with the looming towers of the World Trade Center resolving into beautiful, grey sleep (sixteen years ago).

Fun Rhymes and colorful, silly illustrations.
The rhymes were a bit tricky to read and I'm not sure if my almost-four-year-old understood them all, but she enjoyed the sing-song sound of them, when I didn't flub reading! She liked the illustrations and I did to, as I have a particular fondness for Garth Williams, who has illustrated some great books from my childhood.

Grossly overrated!
I am so glad we checked this book out from the library rather than spend money on it. The "poems" are short and stupid; I cannot believe even a 2-year-old would find them funny. If you live in a major North American city, that city's name might appear in a poem and your child might find that neat; other than that, I see nothing here. Beware, if you have sensitive children who watched the WTC tragedy coverage--the last poem (which is the one the book is named for) is illustrated with what appears to be the Twin Towers.

Ride a Purple Pelican
My 2 year old daughter loves the rhymes in this book. They are very simple, and silly which is perfect for age. I love the fact that the author does not hesitate to use longer words and real places (like Saskatoon) in the text to help encourage interest in the world. ... Read more