Reviews (2)

verse loving mom of five
Does it get any better than this? In this creative collection of verses that even my thirteen year old son and his friends were laughing over, Cleary not only manages to offer a very readable, fun assortment of clever poetry that kids can enjoy reading themselves...or listening to...he's also added simple but informative footnotes aimed at younger readers that would make any English teacher add this book to their list of required reading. RAINBOW SOUP contains lots of laugh-out-loud humor that both my husband and I AND our 6 year old daughter can enjoy...but at the same time, it shows memorable examples clearly illustrating what a limerick is ~ or a pun, a haiku, palindromes, internal rhyme, parody, couplets, etc., etc. I only wish I'd had this book when I struggled through American Poetry in college! One of my children's favorites (which they've all committed to memory) is a piece Cleary says is "the shortest known poem in the world" called, "What I'd Do If A Burglar Broke Into My House." It goes like this: "I'd hide." There's even a poem meant to teach the villanelle form (something I was never taught) which includes the refrain: "We're going to the villa, Nell." I've purchased three copies (in addition to my own) for 2 friends and 1 relative, all school teachers. They all agree this book lives up to it's subtitle, "Adventures in Poetry." One of my favorites, which exemplifies Cleary's strengths as both teacher and humorist, is the ode to e.e. cummings (no capital letters of course) which ends: "thank you for undreary theory/ style, wit, and grace./your books are always on my shelf/tucked in my lower case." Kid tested, Mother approved - a solid five stars for Rainbow Soup.

A New Classic
This book is so much fun! One funny, clever poem after another with short explanations about the poetry thoughout this book makes this a blast to read and really easy to teach/learn from. I am a longtime admirer of Shel Silverstein's and my students love Jack Prelutsky. The book Mr. Cleary has delivered is of the same high quality as these two authors from which kids will recite poems aloud, having learned them with no assignment! From a cat who spends too much time on the internet (My Cat Bytes) to an uncle who prints money in his basement (as a result, the government has asked him to print license plates)this book is one smile after another. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

More of a picture book
Though the illustrations ARE lovely, the nursery rhymes are incomplete, shortened versions of the real thing. If you want a picture book, you can't go wrong with this one, but for the classic Mother Goose nursery rhymes, sadly, this book does not deliver.

My second perchase of the same book. Book #1 loved to rags.
This is the definative mursery rhyme book. It has all the classics and a few I was not familliar with. Either way, beautifully written. Illistrations you will want to frame, and the children are facinated by at an early age. This will be my 2nd purchase of this title since my grandchildren can't get enough. The more times I read it the closer we have become. This is an heirloom at our house. Hope you enjoy as much as we have. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Why I like Georgia Heard's books
All of the books I have read by Georgia Heard are very creative and fun and easy. These poems just flow from the beggining to end. They are simple to read yet bring on complex thoguhts. I recommend this book to anyone who'd like to read poems and just relax. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The author of GoodnightMoon wrote scores of poems for children in her short lifetime, many ofwhich were left unpublished until now. In this collection of 24 poems, MargaretWise Brown's virtuosity shines through with verses about simple childhoodpleasures and sorrows. Days later, readers young and old will find themselvesmuttering: "Hark to the sound / Of the sea-slung gong / Ding Dong Dong / DingDong Dong" or "Jig Big / jig little / jig little / Jig Big / Jig like a big PIG/ dancing a jig." Some poems are clearly more refined than others; if Brown werealive, she undoubtedly would have smoothed the rougher edges in "Pussycat andthe Pumpkin," for example. Teri L. Weidner's watercolor and colored-pencilillustrations in "Spring Madness" and "Colors" are sweet and natural, although"The Monkey Man" and "Christmas Song" are less appealing. When all is said anddone, though, fans of the legendary Margaret Wise Brown will be pleased atanother glimpse into her talented, imaginative world. (Ages 4 and older)--Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Poems perfect for the very young
Written with Margaret Wise Brown's uncanny knack for the ear of the youngest listeners and readers, these previously unpublished poems have found a match for their eyes with Teri Weidner's gentle, quietly glorious illustrations filling each page.For the title poem, a child looks wistfully out a rain-flecked window."Never has the grass been so green" is more cheeringly adorned with smiling leonine dandelions."Pig Jig" is genuinely funny in text and drawing.Adults won't be bored by the poetry or the pictures.The poems are short, set in short lines, not unlike "Goodnight Moon," comfortably reread often;the drawings are all a pleasure to view again;the size of the book (8 1/2 by 11) seems ideally suited to be held in chair or bed with children of the intended age -- "the very young."From our household, this charming volume gets an unqualifiedly favorable recommendation. ... Read more

Book Description

Illus. in color. "Riotous humor in picture and verse as an enterprising Seuss creature hunts uncommon eggs for a super deluxe dish."--Child Study Assn. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

TERRIFIC LIGHT VERSE!
This is a WONDERFUL book that deserves to be as widely read as Seuss' best-known books. The verbose, sprawling, exhuberant light verse is fantastic all by itself, and the illustrations are as strange and wonderful as any of Seuss'. One of the illustrations made me laugh out loud.

Certain myopic adults with no imagination will give themselves ulcers over the fact that this book describes (a) eating the eggs of fanciful birds, (b) cutting down a tree, and (c) knocking down a mountain. But children, and adults who are young at heart, will understand that it's all pretend.

If you enjoy light verse and Seuss' illustrations, Scrambled Eggs Super is not to be missed.

Still Super!
Even after 50 years, this is still one of Theodore Geisel's (aka Dr. Seuss) best books. I revisited it after the words "scrambled eggs super dee duper dee peter t hooper" just popped into my head at lunch one day. And as for the environmental whacko who wrote the one star review .... it's fiction and your kids WILL know the difference even if you don't!!!!! If you think Dr. Seuss was anything other than environmentally conscious then take a gander at the Lorax. It's a great book as well.

scrambled eggs definitely NOT super
The message in this book is very outdated and a nightmare to anyone interested in preserving the environment. I love Dr. Seuss and ordered many of the books for my son. This one however I have to send back. The little boy, not content with hens' eggs, travels far and wide to snatch the eggs of countless rare and exotic birds. He prys off a mountain top to get at one bird, and cuts down an enormous tree (old-growth dimensions) to get at another. And he collects literally thousands of eggs, just to cook up for himself and perhaps his family. This story may have been funny when it was written almost 50 years ago, but today it describes little more than environmental destruction and selfish waste. This is definitely not the message I want to give my son, and I am sending back this book.

Look Beyond the Ordinary to Capture Full Potential!
Peter T. Hooper (of The Cat in the Hat fame) addresses Liz. " . . . [S]peaking of cooks, I'm the best that there is!" He perceives opportunity. "[I]t's sort of a shame that scrambled eggs always taste always the same."

His recipe is more challenging than the Joy of Cooking's version. Hen eggs just won't cut it. You need hundreds of eggs from different kinds of birds (all that you've never heard of), 99 pans, 55 cans of beans, 2/3 cup of sugar, a small pinch of pepper, a pound of horseradish, some nuts, some ginger, nine prunes, three figs, 22 sprigs of parsley, 6 cinnamon sticks, and one clove.

And it's not just any different kinds of eggs. You need eggs from the Ruffle-Necked Sala-ma-goox, Kweet, Tizzle-Topped Grouse, Kwigger, South-West-Facing Crane, Grickily Gructus, Zumm, Bombastic Aghast, and many others. In fact, you have to go to so many places that you need a lot of helpers.

When you're done, you've got Scrambled Eggs Super-dee-Dooper-dee-Booper Special de luxe a-la-Peter T. Hooper. And that's what they taste like, too!

Reading this book reminded me of all the ways that children like to brag. I remember going to a camp picnic, and seeing that the can of pork and beans I had brought looked better with the top opened than the others. I began waxing eloquently about how carefully I had chosen my can of beans. Then, another boy noted that the only reason my beans looked better was because he had stirred them up with a spoon to bring the beans to the top of the can! I became much more humble about my grocery shopping skills after that experience. Peter T. Hooper hasn't been brought to ground yet.

A fun thing to use this book for is to think with your youngster about how favorite dishes could be made even better. Then, you can go on to consider how to add variety to other things that you do. This imagining will expand your child's intellect, and help both of you to lead more purposeful, interesting lives!

Be super!

A book that will take you to many thrilling places!
I remember this book as one of my favorites. As a child I would read it over and over. Now that I have two sons, I have gone to the library several times to borrow it. I recently asked the school library to acquire it and was amazed when they received word that it was out of print. Browsing through a book store this Christmas I stumbled upon a copy of it and snatched it up quickly! Now, I can read this wonderful story to my children anytime they want, and can take it to their classrooms and read it to their friends! I'm delighted to be an owner of this book. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A poetic narrative of the immigrant child's experience
This book presents a fabulous bilingual presentation of a Mexican child's experience in school in the United States. The poems tell of both the kindnesses and cruelties that the Mexican immigrant child faces in school. The translations are well done, and the poems can be read singly or as a narrative. I highly recommend this book as a staple of every bilingual classroom. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Although I'm Not Going to Get Up Today! is aimed at young readers, it just gets better as you get older. Only after you've weathered more than few world-weary years can you fully appreciate this book's profound and universal message: "The alarm can ring. The birds can peep. My bed is warm. My pillow's deep. Today's the day I'm going to sleep!" But the rhyming words of Dr. Seuss and goofy illustrations from James Stevenson will surely get more than a few giggles from the old and the young, as everyone in town--from brothers and sisters to the police and the Marines--conspires to get our little hero out of bed.But, as the sleepy boy says, "nobody's going to get me up, no matter what he does." (Not with tickling nor shaking nor cold water on the head.) "Nothing's going to get me up. Why can't you understand! You'll only waste your money if you hire a big brass band." (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes ... Read more

Reviews (9)

A Lesson Sometimes Missed
As a middle school social studies teacher, I was given the challenge to teach a lesson using a picture book. During my search for the perfect history related picture book, I came across this book instead. The lesson I found in it was one perfect for the first day of class. While the synopsis tells the story of a boy who does not want to get up, I feel it is the last two pages that are most important. In these pages, since the boy will not get out of bed, the mother gives his breakfast to someone else. The lesson I pass on to my students is that I will do everything in my power to help them learn. I will bring in marching bands if that will help, but I can not force them. They must get up and reach for what they want (ie do homework and study) or someone else will get the reward (an A). Please buy this book for your children (young and old) with the lesson that they have the option of being lazy, but they just might miss out on something they want or need.

Dr. Seuss hits rock bottom
My wife and I finally stored this book away, because there is nothing redeeming about the message, and it's not particularly creative in any respect either. The book dwells on a boy's obstinance/refusal to get out of bed for an entire day...what a wonderful thought to put in the head of our children. The kid refuses entreaties from his mother and even the police to get out of bed and go to school, and in the end, they just let the kid stay in bed and sleep. So...the message for my 2 year old is: defy your parents long enough, engage in anti-social behavior, and they will give in and let you have your way. I still have to wonder whether Dr. Seuss actually wrote this one. It's just horrid, and the rhymes are like a 6th grader's first attempt at poetry. Blech!

I am not going to get up today
I am not going to get up today is an exciting, silly story. It is about a boy who doesn't want to get up for school, and he swears that nothing in your wildest imagination will get him up. Seuss, the author, has some crazy ideas as to what would normally wake people up, but in this case, nothing will make this imaginative child get out of bed.

This is a MUST HAVE
There's got to be a starting point to reading with your child and this should be the place. All my kids loved this book, it has humor they instantly identify with and are always entertained by. They never get bored with this one.

Book Review
This book uses very good discriptions, it also rymes and the illistrations go along with the the words good. It makes you keep reading and reading because the words are discriptive. I would suggest this book to all kids. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Things I Have To Tell You Comments
The book Things I Have To Tell You was an exciting book for me. Its about a girls lives today and how they deal with them. They expressed themselves and showed there view points and life with the world by writing poetry. The poems were different than any other poetry book. They had live stories and told truth, they did not hold back on any information. These girls i think have wrote outstanding poems and i hope they keep doing so and making more books like this one.
I loved this book. I thought it inspired me and made me think a lot. I could not put the book down. I read the whole thing i even took it to lunch one day in school just to finish it. The poems were like my own life it made sence because they are everyday things that happen. Like teenages get pressured with and deal with. Love, Hate, Beauty, Friends,and Family all take place in this book and take place in an everyday lifestyle. Well at least mine and my friends lives. Im so glad i read this book because it has helped me with my own life.
I reconmend this book to teenagers mostly! Girls i think would be a lot more interested in this book but if guys want to know about girls and find problems maybe they have then they should read it too. I suggest every teenager reads this outstanding book. So check into this book i promise you, you will not regret reading it. Thanks for reading this.

- Margie Mae Sanders ... Read more

Amazon.com

McElligot's Pool is a Seuss classic from the distant era before even The Cat In The Hat. It's a single poetic variation on the theme of adult skepticism that's no match for childhood faith and daydreaming. A small boy is fishing in the tiny, unpromising McElligot's Pool, a puddle that (as a passing farmer informs our diminutive hero) is nothing but a hole where people dispose of their junk. But the boy is all optimism: what if the pool is deeper than anyone thinks? What if it connects to an underground stream that flows under the town to the sea? Might not all sorts of fish then swim up the stream and be caught here? "I might catch an eel... (Well, I might. It depends.) A long twisting eel with a lot of strange bends. And, oddly enough, with a head at both ends!" The moral of the story is straightforward: "If I wait long enough, if I'm patient and cool,/ Who knows what I'll catch in McElligot's pool?"(Ages 4 to 8) --Richard Farr ... Read more

Reviews (11)

McElligot's Pool
As Dr. Seuss books go, this one has a story with both it's feet still firmly rooted on the ground. It is about a young boy who is fishing in a small pool. When an old man tells him that he won't catch anything if he waits 50 years, he imagines that the pool might be joined to an underground river, connected to the sea, where all sorts of wonderful fish live. There is no escaping however that this book is by Dr Seuss. The fish he dreams up are as whimsical as ever anybody has imagined. It is typical Seuss, is he really a Dr. by the way, to imagine a fish that is partly a cow, or an Australian fish with a pouch on it's belly. The pictures, pencil and water colour, are in the same inimitable style as he always uses, however the colours didn't seem to be as vibrant as usual. This may be partly because copy I saw was in poor condition, but some of the pictures were in black and white, which wasn't. The language has the distinctive pattern and rhythm of the Cat in the Hat, or Green Eggs and Ham. The rhymes are not as well crafted as in some of his other work, he sometimes seems to be putting lines in just to make a rhyme. I might see a sea horse (Now mightn't I now) I might see a fish That is partly a cow. This said most of the rhyming is good, and the story is very funny. He uses quite a lot of pronouns and descriptive language as he is creating his fantastical fish. Knowing the story behind Dr. Seuss's first book leads me to think that this may be deliberate. The story seems to peak to a crescendo, although the pictures do not reflect this. The book is about the child's imagination. He is not confined to thinking in the same down to earth terms as the old man. It about hope and optimism. The little boy will keep on trying to fish in Mc Elligot's Pool, because however unlikely, he might just catch the most amazing fish you will ever see. If someone was to make it into a cartoon it would make quite a good lottery advert.

Look at all the fish you can catch!
The earlier reviewer is right; who cannot like a book by Dr. Seuss? This classic children's story is about a boy fishing in a small pool and imagining all types of fish that he might catch, most of them quite fanciful. I still remember laughing when I first read it as a child. The book was a 1948 Caldecott Honor book (i.e., a runner-up to the Medal winner) for best illustration in a children's book.

The Best Seuss Ever!
I read this energetic, imaginative story to my children, and now I get to read it to my grandchildren - that means all the big and little fish will become alive again! The pictures are big - big with personality - and if anyone thought fish were boring, well, think again. My daughter learned to read on this book, and it was the one book she would "read" to me (by memory) - all I did was turn the pages. This is a hard-to-find Seuss book, and well worth the search.

A must-have - McElligott's Pool!
This book is the first book Seuss has written- the cat in the hat came later. This book is often overlooked because people haven't heard of it. I think this is the best Seuss book ever. If you like this book I also reccomend you to buy "In Search of Dr. Seuss." It shows a reporter (Kathy Najimy) trying to find out more about Dr. Seuss. It shows McElligot's Pool as the first Seuss. The other must-have Dr. Seuss book is The Lorax. I LOVE LOVE that book!

Ecellent!!!
This was the best Dr. Seuss book of them all! I read this book when I was a little kid and I still read it now! This is the best book you could buy! ... Read more

Reviews (8)

A great book!
I pulled this book off the shelf in our house and was suprised how much i enjoyed it! I actually read it for an English porject for 10th grade. I wish there were some other reviews of this book that were more critical because that's what i needed for the project...too bad, it is too good a book to say anything bad about it!!

Highly Recommended For Out Loud Reading
In 1972, I chose several poems from Reflections... for a poetry anthology I compiled as a project for my Children's Literature course. This course was an elective course I took while earning my B.A. in teaching. For many years, this book was part of my classroom. Yesterday, I read "Crossing" by Philip Booth (about watching a train at a railroad crossing) from that book at a variety show at my church. Today, four people requested the title of the book I read that poem from! For 30 years, I have recommended this book -- I should get a commission on the number of copies I have sold! Makes a wonderful birthday, holiday, etc. gift for any child.

Reflections on the gift of a fantastic collection of poetry
This colection is one that every poetry lover should purchase, the poems are strickingly simple and moving, they are ones that have stuck in my head for a long long time. I read this book cover to cover during an 8th form poetry project and fell in love with it. It goes on my list of fantastic poetry. There are many metaphores and similies in it that have stuck in my mind for the past year since I read this book (the concept of an apartment building as a filing cabenit of people's lives, the poem about the plums that is so simple yet so complex in its simplicity and the final poems line of "when unicorns were still possible" have all stuck with me for the past 11 months as I trad through life without this book before rediscovering it.) I hope that everyone gets a chance to read this book.
Peace to you

A delightful collection of modern poetry
I was given this book as a gift when I was ten. I have read and reread the poems over the years and find myself returning to this collection whenever a younger friend has a report or paper to do on poetry--and then I end up reading it again. e.e.cummings, Carl Sandburg, Robert Frost...a delightful book to own.

good book, pleasing poetry for young readers
i had to do a project of poetry and this book made it more fun and enjoyable and i'm in 9th grade! ... Read more

Book Description

From spring"s first thaw to autumn"s chill, the world of the pond is a dramatic place. Though seemingly quiet, ponds are teeming with life and full of surprises. Their denizens—from peepers to painted turtles, duckweed to diving beetles—lead secret and fascinating lives.

A unique blend of whimsy, science, poetry, and hand-colored woodcuts, this collection invites us to take a closer look at our hidden ponds and wetlands. Here is a celebration of their beauty and their mystery. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Robert Frost's well-known poem takes on new life in its first picture-book adaptation.The poem--long appreciated for its strong rhythm and evocative images--leaves readerswondering, "Where was the man going on the darkest night of the year?" and"Why on earth did he stop by the woods in a snowstorm?" Artist Susan Jeffersanswers these questions visually--the kindly older gentleman who narrates the poem stops hissleigh to feed the forest birds and creatures. He stops once more to visit his daughter andgrandchildren, then is off again through a blizzard, with many miles to go before he can sleep.The silent beauty of a snowy night shines through Jeffers's artwork; the man's clothing andblanket are the only bright touches of color in the white and wintry world of the woods. Thisquiet yet powerful book has a magic all its own. (Ages 4 to 7) ... Read more

Reviews (10)

A Gift of Poetry & Beauty
Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening is Susan Jeffers' illustrated book of the Robert Frost poem. It is a beautifully illustrated book which can be enjoyed by the parent as a child sits snugly on their lap.

I think it is a book that shows a great deal of respect. It respects the intelligence of the child by introducing beautiful "adult" poetry to the young. Simultaneously it is respectful of the adult reader allowing them to read something which is jointly appealing. This is ideally how an illustrated book should be. It should have appeal to both the reader and the listener and this book is a perfect example of that.

Susan Jeffers illustrations are exquisite. She captures the quiet beauty of the woods on a snowy evening. Animals peak from behind trees and bushes watching the man and his sleigh. There is plenty to be observed by child and parent while reading this book . It will be a thrill to find and name the animals while reading the book. Every page is a work of art.

The illustrations also work to tell a story within a story providing possible explanations for why the man is in the woods on that particular evening. Children will have some fun seeing the kinds of this this old gentleman does when no one is watching.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening is a wonderful wintertime book, but will make an excellent read in any season. What a wonderful gift for an adult to make for a child, a gift of poetry and beauty.

Quiet Beauty
This perfect blend of poetry and artistry makes a memorable reading experience for readers of any age. Susan Jeffers' illustrations not only capture the mood of the poem but also add her own unique, sometimes humorous, twist. Children will especially love looking for the animals "hidden" in the pencil drawings.

Just as I pictured it
When illustrators provide their visual representation of a well-loved story or poem, I'm often disappointed. That's not how I pictured it, I complain.

Well, not in this case. I love this poem dearly, with both "promises to keep" and "miles to go before I sleep" being recurring themes in how I think about what I need to get done each week. And behind the philosopy is the image of a bearded man driving his carriage through the snow on the way home to his waiting family. My father, I think, is the guy in my mental images of this.

The artwork in this book is absolutely delightful, and serves to make more vivid the images that were already in my mind. I love the poem, I love the art, and I love sharing these things with my daughter, who also loves this book.

Gorgeous, captivating
This gorgeously illustrated book with the classic Frost poem is a beautiful way to share poetry with children. When kids get older they can be introduced to deeper ideas behind the poem -- this book is a wonderful introduction to the poem, and Frost's work in general. Poetry-snobs will probably look down on this book, which is all the more reason to like it, buy it, and share it with every kid around.

A Fine Way to Treat Your Children to Robert Frost
Please read the poem to your children out loud if they're old enough to follow it. Allow them the intense pleasure of visualizing the scene on their own before sharing another person's visualization with them. By all means, share this book, a beautiful, atmospheric slice of winter with them. Susan Jeffers has done such a splendid job on the illustrations. They are a hushed, crunchy-cold excursion into the dark solstice night in the deep woods. The only bits of color come from the living beings, the colorful man and his grandchildren and the shy forest animals he comes to feed. The stark, snow covered tree branches are illuminated to perfection and the big feathery snowflakes float down about you as you read. My favorite picture is the second to last one but I won't spoil it by telling you about it, except to say, see if it doesn't perfectly capture the reality you remember. This is a lovely book in and of itself, regardless of others that may have come before. Enjoy! ... Read more

Book Description

Find your fun! "Fun isn't something or somewhere or who. It's a feeling of joy that lives inside of you." ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Fun Is A Feeling
...Savor that smile as it slips onto your face and let the merriment begin with this refreshing and insightful narrative about the feelings of a child. This book is both adorable and wise, and it teaches children to look at everything and every situation in a different way. Fun Is A Feeling tells us that fun is where we find it and shows us how to look for it; however, it also reminds us that sometimes we have to put that fun there.

Inside this book, children will discover things that will delight their imagination and wisdom that can only come from within. Fantasy and whimsy permeate, fill, and overflow these pages. That isn't simply a sprinkle of rain pitter-pattering on the upturned faces of children! Who would settle for rain when it can be turned into tiny little kisses - from raindrops that were looking just for them? And what about that bug that lands on their nose? Isn't it there just to give them a hug?

Stardust sparkles and swirls from page to page, sweeping us along with pure joy. Trees stretch their arms wide to let the smiles of children sail through their branches and tickle their leaves. The clear blue waters of a stream giggle their way through a forest glade, while colorful little fish leap as high as they can to peek out at the glorious scenery. What child could resist such beautiful illustrations, or fail to understand the most important message carried within this story...children are very special and their joy can light up the universe.

This is a wonderful book. Sweep up some of its stardust, put it in your pocket, and let its magical message change the way you look at your world - and when that happens, it will change your life...

Reviewed by Ruth Wilson

Another great childrens book from the Curtis & Aldrich team!
...Fun isn't something or somewhere or who... it's a feeling a joy that lives inside of you!...

An absolutely wonderful book, full of joy and of course... FUN! Awesome illustrations and great for kids even below the suggested age group (suggested age group: 4-8). Our son is 2 1/2 and adores this as well as our 1 yr. old daughter!

This book teaches about feelings (sad, happy, angry) and how each and every one of them are healthy and ok, including the feeling, fun. Nice suggestions for older kids are included like having fun by imagining .. "vacuuming the hall with an elephants snout" and so forth.

Our kids enjoy this book every time we read it, which is almost every day incidentally. Not to mention, how much my husband and I enjoy reading it with them.

Colorful way to teach a valuable lesson
The rhymes are catchy-- And the colors real bright-- Read this book and-- Get it right!! Fun is a feeling, Don't you see? Put your 'tude on happy-- And live blissfully!!

Chara Curtis wrote it better! Wish I had this gentle knock on the head when I was a greedy little brat (not like your kids, right?) ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Kids INDEED pick the funniest poems.
This collection of poetry should be in every elementary classroom and should be read aloud to the students. This book has never failed to help me get the attention of my students, they like it and I like it too. This book covers many subjects kids need to address in school and in life.

Kids pick the Funniest Poems
As a No.1 fan of Bruce lansky, I LOVE this book. the poems in it was not only funny and humorous, but also very inspiring. Unfortunately, I am not able to purchase such a book as there aren't any copies in Hong Kong except in the library in the city. I hoe that there will be more of your books sent to Hong Kong so as to let more of us Hong Kong people to know more about you and enjoy the joy of reading poetry! ... Read more

Book Description

Illus. in full color. The meanings of "up" are conveyed with merry verse and illustrations in a happy book that celebrates the joy of life. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Dr. Seuss let's somebody else draw his book on "Up"
"Great Day for Up" is a unique Dr. Seuss book and you can tell this just by looking at the cover. That is because while the book is written by Dr. Seuss it features the jolly drawings of the English artist Quentin Blake. Until this point every time I have read a book written by Dr. Seuss it was also illustrated by Dr. Seuss and when somebody else did the drawings Dr. Seuss used the name Theo. LeSieg (which is "Geisel" backwards). So the fact that this is a real "Dr. Seuss" book drawn by somebody else is pretty special.

This Bright and Early Book provides rhymed text and illustrations introducing the many meanings of the word "up" as Seuss and Blake show beginning readers that this is a "Great day for up!" You get the point half way through the book but little kids should be able to hand on longer, especially when they are reading the book for themselves. Besides, by the end of "Great Day for Up" we get to the point where "EVERYONE on Earth is up!" (with one very important and rather ironic exception).

As with all of the Bright and Early Books for Beginning Beginners what you have here is a brief and funny story, where the words are few and easy, there is a catchy rhythm, and the pictures are happy and colorful clues to the text. These are designed for an even lower age group than the Bright and Early Books that followed "The Cat in the Hat," which was the "Harry Potter" of its day when it came to encouraging even pre-schoolers to discover the delights of reading for themselves. This is not one of the most interesting volumes in the series, but overall these books were a delight.

Great book for beginning readers.
Ya, ya, ya so this book teaches about the meanings of the word "up". But, to me that takes a backseat to the fun rhythm and rhymes that make a child WANT to be able to read the book by themselves. The small vocabulary, phonetically spelled words and visual clues are wonderful for early readers. My step-son enjoys reading this book together at bedtime and can actually read it to US now. I love the "bright and early" books from Dr. Seuss for building early reading skills.

Great day for up
The book was about everyone waking up, getting outside, and having fun. All the characters interacted together, the played outside, and everyone made new friends. I enjoyed reading this book, just he way Dr. Seuss wrote it makes you want to keep reading it. It kept me entertained even though I'm not a little kid. Children between the ages of 4-8 will love this book. It teaches kids to wake up, get out and play, and just have fun; instead of just wasting their time inside doing nothing and watching T.V. If the kids couldn't read then this would be a good book to help them out with because there's not a lot of writing and the words are easy. I loved the ending of the book but you'll have to read it to find out!!

good day
I think this book was a good book. I would recamend it to everyone. it was a fun book. it was a favorite of mine.

A below-average Dr. Seuss Book
Dr. Seuss has some really brilliant books. This book is just a so-so Dr. Seuss. As a parent who is familiar with about 15 Dr. Seuss books, this is one of my least favorite books.

The book attempts to teach the child what "Up" means. There is a terrific amount of repetition, and the cleverness in the rhyming and pictures is not "Up!" to par with other Dr. Seuss books.

My 6-month old children are too young to understand this book, but I think that Mommy and Daddy will tire of the book long before they have gotten the very simple and trivial message in this book : what is the difference between Up and Down ... ... Read more

Amazon.com

What on earth is a concrete poem? Well, for one thing, it's a lot moreplayful than a regular poem. The arrangement of letters or words, or the way thetype--and even blank space--is placed on the page, or the typefaces chosen...all of these things can contribute to the creation of a concrete poem. In thismarvelous collection selected by Paul B. Janeczko (Very Best (Almost) Friends,etc.) and illustrated by Caldecott Honor artist Chris Raschka (Yo! Yes?, etc.), you never knowwhat might happen from page to page. In John Agard's "Skipping Rope Spell," forexample, the words are shaped into four spirals, representing the motions ofhands as they turn the jump rope. "A Seeing Poem," by Robert Froman, is printedin the shape of a light bulb. The words of the poem in conventional order golike this: "A seeing poem happens when words take a shape that helps them toturn on a light in someone's mind." And Monica Kulling's "Tennis Anyone?" coverstwo pages. The poem is split down the middle, so readers must swivel their headsback and forth as if they were watching a match! Raschka's unique, terrificallycaptivating illustrations, done in watercolor, ink, and torn paper, are aperfect match for the wackiness and joy of the poetry. (Ages 5 and older)--Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Hold onto your imagination...it may just run away from you!
Concrete poems force you to dance, shimmy, and shake when read. These are not poems that tiptoe around a subject. They stomp! They laugh out loud...and this laughter is contagious! I find myself going back to the book time and time again...just one more peek, I tell myself for the 37th time.

This collection of poems is a language lover's dream! It is a juggler throwing words up in the air just to see how they come down again, only to be caught, and returned to the air.

This is a book that will not allow you to sit still. Children will catch the excitement of poetry as well. May they run with it and have a blast!

this is a great book
I love this book. It is my favorite book ever. I dont think you need to understand the poems in order to enjoy them. I really recommend it

Buyers should beware of reader criticisms
Readers who state that concrete poetry is too advanced for children are unaware of how stilted that thinking is. If the children were writing the criticisms, you would surely get a different view.

Poetry does not exist to be "gotten" (or understood) by it's readers, or pigeon-holed into one interpretation. Do not underestimate the capacity of a child to comprehend a poet's message. This book is a wonderful opportunity for children to learn to love and appreciate poetry. Children learn to write by using a combination of writing and drawing (driting). So this book is the perfect segway into a genre that many children never learn to appreciate, because it is force-fed to them from the beginning as something that has one purpose. They are led to believe the goal of reading poetry is to discover "the meaning," and in the process the joy is taken away. Maybe that is why so many adults cannot appreciate poetry. They do not know how. This thinking is not a way to promote literacy.

If you want poems that are dumbed-down to meet what you think a child can appreciate about poetry at an early age, then do not buy this book.

Otherwise, do your child an incredible favor and allow them to explore, at their own pace, this book and this genre.

playing with poetry and form!
Concrete poems are different from other poems, as the editor Mr. Janeczko notes at the beginning of "A Poke in the I". In many cases, the poems type font or the way it is laid out on the page determines the poem. Many of the poems take a specific shape in the way they're laid out on the page. For example, a beautiful poem called "Eskimo Pie" is in the shape of that frozen desert, with the words themselves forming the arched top and "stick". Some poems rotate around in spirals or take the shape of animals. Some poems leap around the page and it is the words themselves that show the action of the poem.

While many poems could stand alone by themselves, Mr. Raschka has given them all additional illustrations. His illustration style of broad lines, bright colors and bold patterns in the manner of Eric Carle augments each poem beautifully whether it's about rain softly falling, a danelion blowing in the wind or two people watching a train go by.

It is, of course, singularly difficult to review a book of this type because it's impossible to duplicate the exact layout of these poems which stretch, splish and splash across the pages. To put the poems into single lines stacked on top of one another in word-processor format would be to ruin them and take all the fun out of this splendid work. You therefore have to see them in all their glory on the page with Mr. Raschka's illustrations.

I've used this book a few times in my own classroom to inspire students who are less than enthusiastic about writing poetry. Making concrete poetry (or "form poetry" as I called it in school) offers readers and students a different perspective on what is often considered a mundane form of writing. A lot of fun and highly recommended!

Not for little kids
This book is not for little kids. I ordered it for my four-year-old cousin, but after seeing the book I would rather return it than give it to him. He is a good reader and has a very good vocabulary, but I don't think he would "get" most of the poems. I also think that the visual effects created by many of the the poems are too subtle for a child. ... Read more

Book Description

Knopf is proud to reissue the complete and unabridged Arnold Lobel-illustrated treasury of Mother Goose rhymes, originally published in 1986 as The Random House Book of Mother Goose and unavailable for several years. Reviewers were unanimous in their acclaim of a collection "brimming over with energy...distinguished by abundant humor and a rich variety of moods and styles" (School Library Journal, starred review). The beloved creator of the Frog and Toad books included 306 nursery rhymes--several hundred more than any other quality edition of Mother Goose--and "all are illustrated in a cornucopia of drawings which demonstrates the range of [his] technique and imagination" (Kirkus Reviews).The New York Times Book Review called it "brilliant," while The Washington Post Book World praised it as "surely one of the most satisfying nursery-rhyme books ever made." ... Read more

Reviews (4)

London Bridge is something down...
In the long and varied history of Ms. Mother Goose, so many collections and books of nursery rhymes have been made that it's a wonder anyone keeps track anymore. Certainly I was a child when this particular treasury originally came out and until my current grown state I'd never even heard of it. Illustrated by Arnold Lobel (the nice man who introduced the world to "Frog and Toad") this book is nothing if not extensive. It runs the gamut of rhymes, from classics like "Three Blind Mice" to limericks to tongue-twisters. It is a breathtaking achievement.

Many a nursery rhyme book, if extensive, will place two or three rhymes on a page and choose to illustrate only one. Not so Mr. Lobel. It is with great manual dexterity that he has found ways to merge, combine and bring together like-rhymes so as to combine their illustrations into a single motif. Consider his page containing romantic poems. Under around and through a single arbor dwell characters that act out such poems as "Something old, something new", "I love coffee", "Roses are red", and "If you love me, love me true". Poems about the weather, food, and royalty are similarly grouped. Longer poems, such as the classic "Partridge in a pear tree" are given full page multi-spreads. Lobel is nothing if not meticulous in his craft.

I did have an occasional objection. Though the book is expertly indexed, there is not so much as an author's note or preface explaining where he got these poems. The title page merely reads, "Selected and illustrated by Arnold Lobel", with scant attention to exactly WHERE he got them. This isn't idle curiosity either. More than one of these poems contains wordings different from those known to the pubic at large. For example, instead of the poem "London Bridge is falling down" we read that "London Bridge is broken down". Or smaller changes, such as making a ha' penny a half penny in "Christmas is coming".

Diligent parents beware. This book abounds with capital punishment and death. Much like the early fairy tales, nursery rhymes weren't always for the kiddie set. Adults liked them just as much. In the edition I happened to borrow from the library, some extraordinarily concerned parents took offense to a couple phrases in "This is the house that Jack built" (changing "That killed the rat" to "That bumped the rat" and "That waked the priest all shaved and shorn" to "That waked the minister all shaved and shorn"). Oog.

In the end, this is really a fabulous collection. The illustrations are adept (containing some very funny interpretations as well) and the rhymes not only familiar but enjoyable. If you don't mind the occasional change to the text here and there it is well worth your casual perusal and enjoyment.

A treasury of more than 300 classic nursery rhymes
Formerly published as "The Random House Book of Mother Goose" in 1986, this new hardback reissue pays homage to the late Arnold Lobel, the famed Caldecott winning illustrator of the beloved "Frog and Toad" books, "On Market Street" and more than 100 others. This treasury of more than 300 classic nursery rhymes represents more than three years of toil for Lobel, and was the crowning achievement of his amazing career in children's literature. Despite the massive undertaking, Lobel never skimped here. Every rhyme - no matter how brief -- has a beautiful corresponding drawing, and many, many entries feature six or more images. Even for lengthy poems like "The First Day of Christmas" and "The House That Jack Built," he refused to take shortcuts, and so drew increasingly complicated images for each and every verse. Not everything was taken literally, however, and so the pages for other poems offer a rich diversity of characters. On one double-page spread, for instance, Lobel cleverly grouped unrelated verses and united them by drawing a variety of pigs for each disparate scene. Even as presented in this unabridged new edition today -- nearly two decades since the illustrations were created -- the fun, colorful and imaginative drawings are fresh, offering a delightful introduction to the classic 18th Century Mother Goose rhymes and assorted other gems for generations of children to come.

Lots of rhymes, but not the mother goose I remember!
There are lots of rhymes in this book, but I wouldn't consider them all Mother Goose (the itsy bitsy spider, yankee doodle etc.) Also some of the rhymes don't seem quite right-- the end of "Ring around the Rosies" is "hush, hush, hush, hush, we've all tumbled down". Some of the differences hurt the rhythm of the rhymes, too. Maybe these are just regional variations, but it wasn't what I expected. The illustrations are nice, though.

Lovely complete collection!
I bought this when my son was a baby, but just brought it out now that he is three. Both of us have really enjoyed it. It has all the rythmes I was familair with plus so many I didn't know. I also now found an old source (Mother Goose) of some Barney songs we know! I particularly like that the illustrations are beautiful and truly representative of the rythme. So many other books dress animals up like people to illustrate Mother Goose. I like rythmes about little boys to show little boys and not pigs! This has confused my son. I highly recommend it and have since given it to several friends with small children. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Naomi Shihab Nye is a philanthropist, poet, educator...
We are living in a time where being Arab, Muslim, or Southeast Asian makes one a "terror suspect." In this age of fear and ignorance, it is more important than ever for educators and readers of poetry to take a look at Nye's touching portraits of Arab and Arab American life. If these poems reveal the beauty, intelligence, and vitality of Arab and Arab Americans, then -- to the seething reader from Denver, CO-- you may find Nye guilty of being truthful: All human life is precious, and all human beings are capable of exceeding our expectations.

I first fell in love with Nye's poetry through "The Words Beneath the Words" and recommend all of her works. Educators, activists, lovers of poetry, please read and share Nye's work. They are more important then ever in creating peaceful relationships for the future.

Looking at the space between our footsteps
This is a wonderful book. It is full of the imagery and feelings that in turn, delight, amuse and sadden. Naomi Nye has compiled a collection of writers from various countries within the Middle East. Although the writers come from many countries and competing nationalities, there is a common commitment to peace. Since the poems are translated,rather than presented in the original languages, the reader does not have the benefit of the natural rhythms of the languages the poems were taken from. What the translations lack in terms of rhyme is more than made up by the poets' use of Metaphor. One poet talks about "drinking in the melancholy of morning". Another talks about being passed by trains with eyes looking back at you. The language is effective and persuasive. Many of the poems deal with loss. They deal with the loss of loved ones, the loss of time, the loss of relationships, but more importantly, they deal with the loss of basic human rights and something as basic as a homeland. The book has many fine paintings that supplement the text. They are all very well done and add to the feeling of the book. The reader of this book will not only read, but will also have an experience. All the senses except hearing will be involved. I recommend this book to anyone, particularly to Young Adults.

Beautiful and sensitive collection not just for children
This book has room in its heart for the passions and longings of writers from all of the Middle East. It offers readers, in beautiful poetry, the longings for place, for a loved past, for a more secure future, felt by Lebanese, Syrians, Israelis, Turks, Palestinians, Iraqis, Saudis, Egyptians, and more. Meticulously designed and printed, it offers art from across the Middle East that illuminates these poems and helps us learn with our children important lessons about that part of the world.

An exquisite book, and not just for kids.
I bought this book from amazon.com, fell in love with it & wrote the following review for The Capital Times, Madison WI's afternoon newspaper:

That this exquisitely beautiful, painfully direct and ultimately joyful book, "The Space Between Our Footsteps,'' is published under the imprint of Simon & Schuster's Books for Young Readers is an example of how badly we adults need to learn the lessons we try to teach our children.

The poems and paintings of more than 100 writers and artists from 19 countries are loosely grouped by theme,without a condescending preface or explanations of how to feel when we read or view them...This book is an ideal gift for anyone old enough to read "The Diary of Anne Frank,'' and to know that just as, for Anne, life went on as war went on, so it does today. It is for anyone who thinks he or she understands the conflicts in the Middle East, and for anyone whose life needs a sudden rush of beauty.

(Lin Seagren teaches in Stoughton WI and for the UW-Extension.) ... Read more