Book Description

All Aboard!

Have your tickets ready for the most exciting ride of your life on the Dinosaur Train!

Reviews (5)

My 2 year old can read it to me!
This book has beautiful pictures! My 2 year old son loves trains and what boy doesn't love dinos? The perfect combo. My boy can read the book to me without missing a beat! I have had to tape pages back in in the paperback book we have because we have read it so many times! A favorite in our house!

My son's favorite
My 2 year old son loves this book! We borrowed it one day from the library and I have to get one of his own, because he doesn't want to give the library book back. It is a little short for bedtime reading, so I read it twice and he loves it. (...) I would recommend this book very highly to other parents.

Cute but not a favorite
This is a cute book but rather short. Doesn't make the cut for our nightly bedtime reading. Once in a great while my 5 year old will choose to sit down with it but definitely not one of his favorites.

All Aboard for Fun.....
"Thursday was a day much like any other for Jesse. Trains and dinosaurs. Dinosaurs and trains. Just before bed, Jesse drew one last picture. Suddenly there was a loud noise and the whole house began to shake..." Hop aboard! From the dining car, to the sky window, to the tunnel up ahead and more, join Jesse and his prehistoric friends for the ride of a lifetime on the dinosaur train..... John Steven Gurney really captures the essence of young dinosaur and train lovers in this endearing little picture book. His simple text is kept to a minimum, as he lets his vibrant and evocative artwork tell the story. Each dazzling two-page spread engages, and is filled with bold color, playful details, and marvelous facial expressions, that will captivate little ones, and send imaginations soaring. Perfect for preschoolers, Dinosaur Train is a read-aloud crowd pleaser, and is sure to become an instant favorite at your house.

Absolutely Wonderful!
Dinosaur Train is absolutely wonderful. What a perfect combination - trains and dinosaurs. The bright, bold illustrations capture your attention and draw you into the story. The illustrations are so creative and fun. Any child will love this book, especially those who love trains and dinosaurs! ... Read more

Book Description

Ships is a unique blend of imaginative activities, experiments and science facts that helps develop scientific thought. The vast "Make it Work" series teaches scientific principles through the hands-on process of making science work.It's an invaluable science series for school and home, mixing hobby and science in an effort to show kids how to observe, collate information, and reach conclusions. The easy-to-follow instructions and helpful color photos make it a great resource for children ages 8-11.

School Library Journal says the Make it Work! Science books are "A Great Series." ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Make it Work Ships, a Good Book.
This is a great book. It has lots of neat science projects for you to do. One of them is making a steam boat. It is easy and inexpensive to make all the experiments. It doesn't just tell you how to build it, it explains how to run it also. In the sailboat experiment , it even explains how to sail it. So, if you like to make things that work from everyday materials, this book is for you.

good for demonstrations
If you are a science teacher, these are some great demonstrations that can be used in class. I teach at the secondary level and find that my students enjoy seeing how boats work just as much as I am sure that the younger ones do. With short descriptions of how to build the boats, prep time making them at a minimum, and the use of easy to find materials by the author, its a good book. ... Read more

Book Description

A little black train goes down the track. Clickety clack, clickety clack. There are chatting yaks, seven tumbling acrobats, a troupe of ducks going quack quack quack, and even some elephants on the little black train going down the track. With each new stop, the train gets more and more crowded, and noisier and noisier. Unfortunately for Driver Zach, two little mice give him a headache attack! This bright and colorful ride is packed withrhymes that will have even the littlest passengers chiming along.

"The words bounce along to the rhythm of a train on its way, and the swell of the sound effects makes this a joy to read aloud."
-Kirkus Reviews ... Read more

Reviews (9)

So So
I hate to go against most of the other reviews but I wasn't all that excited by this one. My daughters who like trains weren't either.

The illustrations were warm and fun and the rhyming was well done. I guess I really didn't like the story line. It was a bit of a downer. Everyone is having fun on the train and the engineer says he's got a headache and unless everyone is quiet, he'll turn the train around. So by the end the engineer is happy but everyone else looks kind of sad.

OK, But not really for train freaks
I was hoping for something to placate the train lust of my two year old. This is really about the hubbub ON a train. But it doesn't really capture my little train freak's attention.

Great pictures and captions
Nice addition to our 'train' collection.

Wonderful story and great illustrations!
My 2 year-old loves this book. It flows so nicely that I often sing the story to her, with her bouncing along to the "beat." Within no time, she had the book memorized. Its a fun story and the illustrations are lively and colorful.

Rhythm and Rhyme
We stumbled upon this book at the California Train Museum in Sacramento about 5 months ago and have been completely entralled with this masterpiece ever since. Not only are the illustrations vibrant and entertaining, the text offers a very special attribute: the rhyme actually has a train rhythm. Pulling out of the station the train clicks along at a slow pace, "The little black train goes down the track. Clickety clack, clickety clack." As the text tells who is on the train (yaks, acrobats, ducks, elephants...) and what they are doing (talking, singing, quacking, stomping...) it builds to a frantic speed until "two mice light fireworks" and give Driver Zach a "headache attack." At that point the "rhythm" of the "train" begins to slow as the passengers calm down and behave themselves and the train settles into an even-paced canter and leaves Driver Zach with a smile on his face. My then pre-2 year old had this book memorized within the first week and still asks for it daily. Another thing we found fun is to read it while whispering -- the rhythm is accentuated when you whisper and my son thinks it is especially funny. I cannot give this book more than 5 stars, unfortunately, but think that one that includes great artwork, catchy rhyming text, and incorporates a train rhythm to boot should be at the top of any train and/or rhythm and rhyme lover's book list. ... Read more

Book Description

A new building is going up, and that means lots of noise-and lots of work. First the site is boarded off, then the construction begins. Soon the scaffolding goes up, next the building's skeleton is made, and finally it's time for the walls and the ceilings to be put in. With its simple text, labeled machinery, and cut-paper artwork, this book is a perfect introduction to the ins and outs of construction for curious children.

"This is clearly a book that will provide hours of rapt concentration and finger-pointing." (Booklist) ... Read more

Book Description

With 75 full-color reusable stickers, inviting scenes to decorate, and appealing, high-interest subjects, it's no wonder kids are stuck on Sticker Stories!Climb aboard! These passenger and freight trains are ready to go-speeding down the tracks, running through the city, climbing up mountains, and chugging back into the station! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Good for one time use only -- but still fun for a low price
Sticker Stories Trains

By Edward Miller
This paperback book tells a little story about trains (well, a loose story). There are 75 "reusable" stickers showing cartoon-like trains. There are all different trains, coaches, box cars, diesel engines, subways, steam engines, etc. The text is vague so the child can use their imagination and their own creativity to create their own trains and I think that is great. There are lots of different scenes that the children then paste the train cars onto the rails.

My complaint is that these stickers are not really re-usable. Even when we tried removing a sticker within minutes of putting it on the page it curled up onto itself, got all stuck, and had to be thrown away. Other times when we tried to re-stick it to the paper, it simply would not stick fully and peeled up by itself and made a mess. I really resent the marketing of these so-called reusable stickers (by this company and other publishers) when really they are not reusable. Also my 4 year-old son got very frustrated with them rolling up and getting ruined when he did not cause the problem! He wanted me to "fix it" but I simply could not.

Once the stickers are in place the book can be re-read and browsed as a completed book which is great.

Overall my children have played with this enough to have gotten good use of the 75 stickers for the low price... so I am granting it a 3 star rating. Other books with similar issues charge a much higher price and/or don't allow as much creativity as this book. This would make an excellent project for long car trips or air flights.

Great, realistic illustrations & tons of stickers!
My four year-old son LOVES trains, and this book is fantastic. Tons of realistic stickers that can be placed on various landscapes. He absolutely loves this book. I highly recommend this book and any others in this series. They are an excellent value! ... Read more

Book Description

Set in the late 1800s, when the Mississippi River was our country's grand highway, and the kind of the road was the steamboat, this fascinating picture-book biography tells the true story of Blanche Leathers, the first woman steamboat captain. Even as a young girl Blanche knew that navigating the mighty Mississippi required a special kind of river sense. But that didn't deter her. Blanche loved the Mississippi and held on to her dream. Years later this determined young woman took her pilot's exam, becoming the first woman to captain a steamboat. Judith Heide Gilliland's lyrical text and Holly Meade's distinctive art capture life on the Mississippi and the glory of the steamboat as they tell the story of a young girl who became a legend on the river when piloting one of these grand boats was the dream of boys everywhere. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Perfect Picture Book Biography Read Aloud!
Outstanding story! The writer brings the Mississippi River alive with passages that show children how to use personification. The illustrator helps to bring the past alive too, with unique illustrations. Gripping tale that young and old readers/listeners will sit for and enjoy! Highly recommended for grades 1-5.Wow! Wow! ... Read more

Reviews (8)

My son loves all the pictures
My nearly 3 year old son loves following along with all the pictures as the parts of the train unfold in the book. He knows them all by heart--we got it at the library and kept renewing it. They have a limit on renewals; we're happy to buy it.

Put it in your cart!
You won't be sorry. The text flows in such a rhythm, my 2 year old had it memorized after a few readings. It is a much requested story around here. A must for any little train lover!

Fun for All Ages
My son is almost two. He absolutely loves when I read him this book...over and over again. He even tries to read it with me. The rhyming and repetition keep his attention. He turns each page with great anticipation. He really loves the illustrations and pointing to all the pictures. It's one of his favorites and it's fun for parents to read, too! I HIGHLY recommend this to everyone.

Loads of pleasure for your child
My 16 month old loves this book. He would have us read it over and over again and never seems to tire of the story. The rhtyhm of the words and the simple and bold illustrations make this book an attention getter. As soon as I come home in the evening my son starts "choo-choo" and "clikkity-clak". He loves it.

Great Illustrations
Every child I have given this book to loves it-especially the wonderful illustrations by Donald Saaf-all of his books are illustrated beautifully,but this one is really superb. ... Read more

Book Description

Winner of Favorite Paperbacks for 1994-IRA/CBC and A Children'sBook-of- the-Month Club Selection. Ideals Children's Booksaward-winning Discovery Readers(r) Series was created to answerchildren's questions with fascinating facts and accurate illustrations.Each book has been reviewed by educational advisors and reading-leveltested. Easy-to-readtext explains how airplanes fly and also takes atrip through flying machine history. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Wonderful Men in Their Flying Machines.
This book answers many questions children have concerning flight. It is written in a simple matter and is wonderfully illustrated. The book not only explains how airplanes fly, but also gives a brief history of flight, and introduces new vocabulary words chidren may not have heard before. I used this book as the foundation of a science unit I taught my preschoolers about airplanes. ... Read more

Book Description

Lift the flaps, pull the tabs, turn the wheels— it’s motorized fun in a book! Children love large vehicles! Presented here in a sturdy book overflowing with both fun and solid information is one of children’s favorite heavy machines—a bulldozer. How much more fun children will find viewing a construction site, knowing how a bulldozer works—from shovel to gearshift and dipstick to wheels. Using the interactive features in these books, children will gain an immediate understanding of the inner workings of this massive machine. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

the neatest, most interactive book we've seen!
We were so surprised by the variety of "things" to move and do and see in this book! My brother sent it for our daughter as a surprise and we all love the book. The story is about a new bulldozer that the reader needs to help test......check the fluids, make sure the back hoe works, make sure the bucket works, turn the steering wheel and check the gears, turn the wheels to make sure all the parts work together smoothly. Very, very fun and neat book. Just a few words per page but does not detract from the fun at all. Probably better for the youngest bulldozer testers! Enjoy. ... Read more

Book Description

parents dreading the fidgeting and whining that usually accompany family airplane travel will welcome this unique new collection of at-the-seat activities. From designing your own airport to finding your way in the sky. . .from crossing time zones to understanding jet lag. . .from who's in the cockpit to what's in the black box. . .Just Plane Smart! is packed with fascinating facts, funny cartoons and riddles, brain-teasing puzzles, and high-flying things to do. Lap-sized, lighthearted, humorously illustrated, this fun-filled travel companion will stretch kids' imaginations, satisfy their curiosity, and keep them occupied--at 30,000 feet or at home on the ground. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Airplane fun for the road.
How to beat the wiggles in the seat for the plane ride? How nice to have a book full of fun things to do. Young travelers will love all these great activities.

All kinds of airport tests and games. Tell your parents thing they don't know about airport travel. Like where your bags go? Sometimes we wonder why there go to a different city. But this book is alot of fun.

This is a must for air travel.............. ... Read more

Book Description

Fully updated to include all the big games, including Super Bowl XXXVII, Eyewitness Super Bowl shows readers what goes on during the fun-filled week before the game; how the Super Bowl half-time show is created; who holds the most Super Bowl passing records; and much, much more. ... Read more

Book Description

New Look! Relaunched with new jackets and 8 pages of new text!

The story of Titanic's tragic maiden voyage still tugs at the heartstrings and sparks universal curiosity--Eyewitness Titanic discovers the story behind the story.From a Belfast shipyard to the ship's death in the icy Atlantic, the story comes alive through 30D renderings, photographs, and deck plans.Eyewitness Titanic is a compelling narrative of courage and cowardice, sacrifice and survival.See the wreck on the ocean floor, the Titanic's gigantic propeller, and the ship's luxurious interior.Learn how the survivors were rescued from the icy waters and how the shipwreck was located.Discover what caused the "unsinkable" Titanic to sink, the preservation techniques of underwater archeology, and much, much more. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

this titanic book is nice
I loved this because nice and i like this book
the pitures were nice and the facts were good i
want to say this book is favortite book

Great book for children
My 4 1/2 year old son loved this book. The facts were very interesting. He spends a lot of time looking at each picture and remembers the facts as I have read this book to him several times. Each time through it he finds different things to keep him excited. I would say it's his favorite book right now!

Childen might like it
This book gives the most childish facts. I guess to a young child who only began his/her interest in Titanic might find this book as a good start, otherwise it is pointless buying this book, since it gives nothing new and gives inaccurate drawings. To a more interested person, I really would not recomend this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Gordon crashes through the wall of Sir Topham Hatt's new train station. Toby gets washed downstream by a flash flood. Oliver's brakevan, Toad, careens out of control . . . backward! This collection of Thomas the Tank Engine stories is chock-full of runaways and rescues and illustrated with photos from the beloved TV show.
... Read more

Reviews (3)

fun lift-the-flap book with some flap issues
My son loves this book, and what's not to love! There are five large two-page spreads, each featuring a different kind of truck (moving van, fire engine, recycle truck, pickup in a farm setting, and dump trucks at a construction site). Each has about ten flaps to lift. Furthermore, the flaps are a cut above the usual, sometimes showing the same person in a different activity or the same object in a different pose (e.g. the fire engine ladder folded in the original but extended when the flap is lifted), and sometimes accompanied by explanatory text ("The rescue boom is a tall ladder that can reach five or six stories high. It can turn in every direction."). The pictures are filled with activity and there are enough flaps so that each time you and your child will find something new and interesting to look at.

I would give this book five stars if there weren't problems with the flaps. They are perforated but not already separated, and are difficult for a child to open initially. An adult should go through the book first and open them. Also, the flaps are thin cardboard and will tear easily if your child is so inclined.

flaps not easy to initially open, too few pages.
It was difficult to get the flaps open on all of the pieces without damaging them. We had to use a butter knife to initially open them, and then they did not hinge well. A few got ripped even when opening them with care because the perforations were not complete. Also, there are only 5 pages to this book (moving, fire, recycling, farm and dump trucks). It's not quite worth it considering the quality of the book's manufacture.

My son can't put it down
We just received this book today from Amazon and I have already read it with my 20 month old son more than ten times. He loves trucks and this book has all the favorites - big moving truck, dump truck, tractor - you get the picture. There is even a recycling truck where you can open the different compartments to see plastic, metal, etc. What I really like about this book is that it will grow with him because although he is interested in opening the flaps to find things he recognizes, there are interesting descriptions on each page to read that he will enjoy more when he is older. ... Read more

Book Description

16 colorful images of a backhoe-loader, wheeled cement mixer, mega bulldozer, and more will form an awesome parade of brawny machines across notebooks, desks, lockers, and other flat surfaces.
... Read more

Reviews (1)

Help with potty training
I've been trying to potty train my 3 year old for almost a year and finally I have something to get him excited about using his potty! He gets a Construction Truck sticker every time he goes and gets to put it on his "potty chart" (a big sheet of paper that I drew train tracks on). He also enjoys the train stickers very much. It's a lot of fun for him, seeing his trains get longer as he adds more cars. ... Read more

Book Description

Crisp, clear, full-color photographs show all the fascinating machines and earthmovers found at a construction site. Even the very youngest readers will want to put on hard hats!

"The roaring power of 13 construction machines is captured in clear, brilliantly colored photographs." -- Booklist ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Construction Zone Obsession
Construction Zone is the first "truck book" that I purchased for my son. I bought it for him when he was about 15 months. It is by far his favorite book. I need to purchase another one because the pages have been taped so many times. The only problem that I would have with the book is the quality of paper. It's not really sturdy for the age group that reads it. But I also should consider the HEAVY use that our copy receives. The photographs in it are perfect and it names each piece of equipment. It's a very basic book that shows all the basic construction equipment along with a garbage truck. I think it is a fine purchase.

Actual photographs of the construction stuff your kids love
My son loves trucks (he's 15 mos. old) and he loves this book. It is his favorite. Definitely buy it for your little truck lover too (whenever my son sees a bulldozer, he now says "bull" after reading this book over and over!). ... Read more

Book Description

"With minimal text and bright-color illustrations, Crews captures the essence of a plane journey."--Kirkus Reviews. "A satisfying adventure for very young children."--Booklist. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Donald Crews is a genius!
I highly recommend all of Mr. Crews' books. He writes in a style that is very easy for toddlers and pre-schoolers to relate to. Furthermore, his illustrations are positively delightful! However, I recommend this book even more because it was instrumental in easing my son's fear of flying and airplanes. I bought this book and read it to him before our airplane trips and I take it on the airplane and read it to him there as well. As the plane is in the various stages of flight, I show him that part of the book. I am not kidding, we went from a toddler who had to be carried on to the plane kicking and screaming to a kid that is excited about airtravel!

Great for toddlers about to fly
My 2 year old daughter loves this book, so I am buying a copy to take with us on an upcoming plane trip. She loves to hear it over & over, and I think it will give her a better understanding of what will happen when we are flying (especially the waiting on the runway). For Crews fans, take a look for pictures in this book representing well known Crews books (Freight Train, Truck, School Bus, etc.) Once I recognized one, I enjoyed looking for others.

Great for toddlers!
My 21 month old son loves this book! This is great for a child who is already interested in planes. The text is very simple, which makes it easy for a young child to "read"; simply by describing what he/she is seeing in the picture. The illustrations are also very clear and colorful.

My daughter enjoys this
My toddler really loves Donald Crews' books because they're very colorfully illustrated and the wording is minimal. She especially likes this book because she's been flying in a small plane several times and can "see" what's going on. What's especially fun is seeing how quickly she picks up what's going on in the text.

Also recommended Donald Crews' books: Freight Train, Parade.

Simple but pleasing for a small child.
Each picture has from one to four words describing it - from boarding to landing a plane, from the viewpoint of one watching, not riding. My son has every page memoraized! This is a good, simple book for a toddler who likes planes. There is not much 'meat' to the book; it's not meant to educate about planes or dazzle with rhythm or rhyme. ... Read more