5 comments about Cookie's Week.

1. Cookie's Week is an all time favorite! Every year, every kid loves Cookie's Week. The kids love to ego read with me . . . "it went everywhere". It's a great gift for kids!



2. We've read this so many times together that my 2 year old daughter 'reads' herself to sleep every night with this book. The illustrations are lovely and Cookie is totally adorable.



3. My two daughters have loved this story ever since they were old enough to tell me so. Preschool and Kindergarten love when I read this story to their class. It is simple, sweet and teaches the days of the week.



4. This book was a wonderful way to help my kindergarten class learn the order of the days of the week. We enjoyed finding out what kind of trouble Cookie got into on a certain day. My class asks me to go back and read the story again when we have free time. Anyone who orders this book is getting their money's worth, it is not a waste.



5. Normally I try to avoid buying books for my 2yr old son that have very little story... but since we're trying to teach him the days of the week, I figured an approach involving a naughty cat couldn't hurt.
   
   This is a great book for storytime -- the illustrations and delay in seeing the cat sneak off somewhere and then seeing the mess it makes, works a treat. With a little extra commentary as I tell the story (a big 'ol cat screech when the curtains come crashing down, for instance), I can have my son in fits of giggles. As a result, he asks for this book every night at bed.

No comments about Bad Penny (Cat Dupree Novels).

5 comments about Cat and Mouse in a Haunted House (Geronimo Stilton, No. 3) (Geronimo Stilton).

1. It's smart, it's humourous and it's clumpsy most of the time!
   
   Kids of all age will love Geronimo. We have a quicker full set in Hong Kong printed in Chinese and I figure it's a great way to put the 2 language versions side by side to get kids interested in a 2nd / 3rd / 4th language! (Much easier than to get them sit down in front of TV in a foreign tongue.)
   
   Don't I wish that I know Italian as well to apprecitate the original version.



2. Boo! Hi,I'm the ghost of Casey Gray.I just read a book called Geronimo Stiltion, Cat and Mouse in the Haunted House. It's a furr-azing book. If you like this book, there are over 20 others!!! I give it two thumbs up.In the back of the book, there is a map of were Geronimo works, what city he lives in, and what island he lives on. Oh No!!! The books are runing away!!! Come on, they're fast.



3. Geronimo Stilton:
   Cat and Mouse in a Haunted House
   
   
   
   
   He's too fond of his fur! Cat and Mouse in a Haunted House is a spectacular book for anyone who loves fiction. The famous Geronimo Stilton, a mouse by the way, is also known for many other books such as the following: Curse of the Cheese Pyramid, Merry Christmas Geronimo and many others. On this adventure, Geronimo is off to see his great Aunt Sugarfur. On his way home, a storm blows in a Geronimo is stuck in the woods; which were deserted; or so he thought. That's when he discovers Cannycat Castle. Geronimo is a `fraidy mouse, but it's wet and cold outside and Geronimo is not liking the weather, so he decides to try out the castle. He finds the castle is haunted with past residents, including one with only one paw! He calls up his sister Thea, his cousin Trap, and his nephew Benjamin. Together they fight off ghouls, goblins and other creepy things to stay alive. If you like Harry Potter, you'll love this! This book is funny, scary, and action packed all rolled into one. It's number three in his fur-raising adventures, and another one you just don't want to miss.



4. I am in[..]and I read the Geronimo Stilton book called Cat and Mouse in the Haunted House for my final book report of the year. It was the best book ever! My favorite part about reading this Geronimo Stilton book was that it was very mysterious and had mummies, witches, and ghosts! That made the book even more exciting! I was holding my breath, waiting to see how the book would end. When I was reading, I could hardly wait to turn the page! I just couldn't read quick enough! Geronimo is a fun character, and I love reading about his adventures! Once I finished the book I was sad that it was over. I am so glad that there are many other books in the series! I definitely recommend this book and the rest of the Geronimo Stilton series to anyone reading this review. If you love great mysteries, I'm sure you will enjoy this book as much as I did! I hope my review was helpful and that you have a great time reading this book and other adventures about Geronimo!



5. I love this book!!! I think all of the Geronimo books I've read are funny. These are the funniest books ever!

5 comments about The Great Cat Massacre: And Other Episodes in French Cultural History.

1. Little Red Riding, of the Brothers Grimm, is really French, 17th century. The Huguenots brought folk tales to Germany when fleeing the prosecution of Louis XIV. Folk tales are historical documents. They have evolved over many centuries. There was a golden age of folklore research in France between the years of 1870 and 1914. Folklore is a nineteenth century neologism. Oral traditions have enormous staying power. Continuities in form and style outweigh variation of details.
   
   Village life, being a peasant, was a struggle in early modern France. Marriages lasted an average of fifteen years, terminated by death. The peasants lived in a world of stepmothers and orphans. The tales present a Malthusian picture. In the 1690's plague and famine decimated northern France when Perrault wrote 'Tom Thumb'. Wishing takes one form, the wishing for food. Meat is an extravagance. Fulfillment of the wish takes place in the everyday world. It is not an escape fantasy, but survival. In the tales daughters must be married off and sons may explore life on the road. There may be no land, no food, no work. There was danger on the road. English tales tend to be whimsical, French tales bawdy, realistic, comical, German tales supernatural, violent. French folk tales told the peasants how the world was put together and how to cope with it. In France, despite the distinction of social rank, there was a common stock of tales.
   
   The apprentice printers, who staged a cat massacre, delighted in performing the affair again and again--copies. Masters loved cats and, therefore, apprentices hated them. In the second half of the seventeenth century there was an oligarchy of printing masters. It was difficult for journeymen to rise to the rank of masters. The wail of a cat could mean witchcraft, cuckoldry. Killing the mistress's cat was a metonymic insult. The cat massacre was put into writing by Nicholas Contat. In the massacre one of the apprentices imitated a cat.
   
   A description of a French city, Montpellier, was written in 1768. The anonymous writer had an obsession with completeness. A sense of place is fundamental to our sense of orientation in life. The bourgeois was the owner of the modes of production and acquired class-consciousness. Except in Lille and a few other areas, a self-conscious industrializing class was absent prior to the Revolution. Thinkers belonged to the traditional elite. Montpellier was an administrative center. It had a commercial oligarchy. It was underdeveloped and wealthy people dominated the social and cultural life. It had a music academy and there was interest shown in science and technology. There were cabinets containing private natural history collections and private libraries. The ideal of the honest man had, in 1768, a bourgeois coloring.
   
   The author relates that a police officer in Paris, Joseph d'Hemery, inpected the book trade and the men who wrote books. In five years, 1748-1753, he wrote five hundred reports. Clergymen constituted twelve percent of the authors. Seventy percent came from the third estate. Ten percent were doctors or lawyers. Thirty six percent were journalists, tutors, librarians, secretaries. Many careers went from the garret to the gutter. Everyone in the files was seeking or dispensing protection. The police did not question influence peddling. Police agents picked up sedition talk. Diderot was singled out for atheism.
   
   Rousseau described reading and experienced it. He saw literature as an element of a power system. Rousseau initiated a new conception of an author--Prometheus. LA NOUVELLE HELOISE was probably the best seller of the century. Readers believed that Jean-Jacques had made them see deeper into the meaning of their lives. In thinking of how people read five centuries ago, it may be important to keep in mind the distinction between extensive reading and intensive reading. Rousseau taught readers to digest books and literature became absorbed in life.
   
   The notes at the back of the book are interesting and varied.



2. What a waste of the human soul, to stoop to depravities like that.



3. It occured to me while reading this book that the art of cultural history is a bit like photography, and extensive research allows the author to offer extensive & insightful commentary about the "episodes" in this case of French cultural history. The actual instance of cat massacre described is probably about as impressive in scope as a Poison concert today or maybe less, but it's clearly illustrative of the points that the author makes about that particular segment of society at the time, although I'm sure I've seen something similar to this in the early eighties.
   The Police Inspector sorts his file is also another great "episode" which gives a great viewpoint of the artistic world through the police lense. The author always takes great care to deflect misunderstanding, and details what a police inspector collecting files on artists really meant at the time for the state and the artists themselves, and of course much of the art, probably a good 50% is in the discovery of these files and the selection of this event for the book I would imagine.
   My one criticism would be of the first chapter which was good at first and certainly well written and all, but the peasants tales are brought to the fore, explained and dispatched one after another. I guess the point was to set the tone for the experience of the peasant, but if this was the point I got it halfway through the chapter.
   Anyway a pretty good book, and I found it a very useful read, and parts were highly illuminating to me about certain aspects of society.



4. I enjoyed this book immensely in the scholarly setting in which I read it. Several chapters are extremely engaging, particularly the chapter on the Great Cat Massacre which so poignantly highlights the tensions between the upper- and lower-classes at the time. The treatment of cultural fairy tales and their evolution over time was especially good. I do, however, find myself agreeing with the reviewer who noted that the book (though engaging in a scholarly setting) is not so engaging in a more casual out-of-school reading experience. It may simply be that the book seems better in the light of its scholarly peers, or it may be that the continued rise of popular history books has caused us to demand more entertainment from our tomes. Either way, the material here is not commonly found elsewhere, so it is still worth a look.



5. Leon Trotsky in his classic three-volume History of the Russian Revolution spent some time describing the small unresolved contradictions of everyday life that had accrued in pre-1917 Russia and that formed the underlying premises for that huge social explosion. Trotsky, using classic Marxist terminology, called that process the molecular process of the unfolding revolution. By that he meant that for long periods the unanswered grievances at the base of society (in that case, like in the French, an overwhelmingly peasant-based society in the process of facing some major changes) not only go unresolved but unnoticed to the naked eye. However, in retrospect it became easy to see that certain changes almost dictated that a social explosion was in the making. Robert Darnton in the present book makes that same kind of retrospective analysis of some unnoticed points on the pre- French revolutionary cultural map that led up to 1789.
   
   That said, it is rather ironic that Darnton himself is unaware of what he has uncovered. In his introduction and throughout his painstakingly documented work Darnton downgrades the effect that the material he has presented on that later event, the French Revolution. Intellectually, we can argue that point all day- the extent that the cultural superstructure of the old society when under attack can bring forth organizations, cultural phenomena, etc. that form the basis for a many times unconscious `oppositional' cultural structure that can form the basis of a new social outlook. But, we are still nevertheless looking at that old friend, the molecular process.
   
   Darnton has presented six different episode of cultural expression beginning in the early 18th century but most of the episodes coalesce around mid-century. In the course of this exploration he investigates the transformations of `fairy tales' the oral tradition of the peasantry to see what changes are wrought there over time and location. A key episode is the essay from which the book takes its title on the artisan response to changes in the structure of work as the pre-pre industrial age begins to take hold in France. In short, a look at the class struggle at the base that will reach its height in the emergence of the sans culottes in the 1790's. Thereafter Darnton investigates an old regime bourgeois's attempt to make sense out of a world (his city of Montpellier) that is starting ever so slightly to crumble and that can only be called a masterwork of organization and sociological insight for the period.
   
   The last three episodes detail the emergence of the modern intelligentsia that has since played a key role in many revolutions (and counter-revolutions, as well). Darnton, as is necessary when discussing the creation of a self-conscious intelligentsia tips his hat to Diderot and Rousseau the two emerging poles of intellectual discourse.In probably his most insightful essay Darnston describes the new reading habits of the provincial bourgeois- the very type whose break from the old regime is decisive in the early stages of the revolution. One, hopefully, can see by this summary what I mean when I state that Darnton does not fully appreciate the tremendous work that he has uncovered in search of the molecular process of revolution. Kudos, Professor.

5 comments about Poor Puppy.

1. If you love Bad Kitty - you need to get Poor Puppy that introduces numbers, ABCs and different places around the world!



2. This is one of my three-year-old son's favorite books. He has memorized most of it and can practically "read" it to me. It's an ABC and number book, but it is so much more fun to read than other ones out there. I particularly like the second part when puppy is sleeping and he plays games in different countries, because it adds a little geography lesson to the ABC's and 123's. Plus, it's fun to say "Apple Bobbing in Antartica" and so on.



3. Both my daughters (4 and 6) love to read this book to each other (making up their own version of what they are counting) and the entire family. Bruel's fantastic illustrations engages them to such a degree that the book never leaves the coffee table. I highly recommend it.



4. From a parent's point of view, this is a multipurpose book. I love the repetitive words such as "poor", "puppy", and "kitty". The just learning readers can see those and remember. This book also lists numbers and highlights letters which parents can point out for children to read.
   
   In Kitty's dreams, your child can travel around the world. The pictures will give children an insight into different cultures, such as windmills in the Netherlands and giraffes and elephants in Kenya.
   
   This book is perfect for ages 4-8.



5. The illustrations are awesome and this is one of my 2.5 yr olds favorite stories. I checked it out from the library 3 days ago and she already runs around quoting it.
   
   I gave it four stars because it is a bit lengthy for younger toddlers (which is what I have.) My daughter will sit through a long story, but since this one doesnt really have a plot (sort of just goes through the ABC's in a creative and memorable way,) she doesn't focus on it for long.
   
   
   I still plan on purchasing it for her at Christmastime, though.

3 comments about The Rabbi's Cat 2.

1. 
   
   
   
   Joann Sfar has created a narrative tapestry as rich as the culture and time frame his characters inhabit. The journeys of the 'pious' rabbi, the enigmatic cat, the pragmatic traveller, and the phony lion through Algiers and Afrrica of the 1930's are amazing.
   
   Where else can you mingle with a sheikh, dogmatic Jews, a lost 'tribe' in Africa, and still emerge joyous and filled with wonder? It's only through the creative eyes of Sfar that we are drawn into this exploration of life and knowledge. Things are not what they seem. Is the rabbi pious? Is the cat (and his curiosity) their avatar? Who are the true Jews?
   
   To call this book splendid is an understatement. It is a remarkable synergy of words and art such as only Sfar could present. Experience literary wonderment at its' best.
   
   www.pantheonbooks.com
   
   Tim Lasiuta
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   



2. This adult-themed graphics novel is set in 1930's Algeria, however most of the issues such as religion and race are still current and unsettled.
   
   The Rabbi's Cat 2 is the second book featuring the Rabbi and his nameless cat that narrators, and not only talks to certain persons and most animals but is multilingual.
   
   Initially I had mixed reactions to this my first graphic novel. However, after reading through the first story entitled "Heaven on Earth," a second time, I discovered its biting charm and cryptic humor. The cat, along with an old lion and a snake, have an ongoing conversation as they follow Malka, a cousin of the rabbis, around the desert. The animals'comments about the humans around them come out as little gems of wisdoms that remind you of Aesop's Fables.
   
   Malka the wandering storyteller and his lion are getting old, and he longs to become a legend and a man of mystery so that people will forever search the desert for his grave. When Malka returns to town and the cat returns to his rabbi, the story shifts the action to the religious and cultural differences in Algiers.
   
   "Africa's Jerusalem" was longer and a little difficult story to follow in places. The rabbi's daughter is unhappy with her husband, and a Russian painter is found as a stowaway in a box of books. All these events cause the entire town to become involved. With the help of the cat that can speak Russian, and another Russian living in Algiers, we learn that the painter is on a quest to find the black Jews and their city of Jerusalem in Africa. The expedition is launched with the painter, the Russian, the rabbi and his cat in an old truck. Much happens to this unlikely group on their pilgrimage â" some good, some not so good.
   
   Loved the art and the quirky faces of his characters. Their expressions often told the story without any conversations. You could just tell what they were thinking. My favorite character was the cat. He was such a sage and so Shakespearian-like in his assessment of human behaviors.
   
   Would I read another graphic novel about the Rabbi and his cat? Absolutely! With pleasure!
   
   Armchair Interviews says: Check out the new genre of graphic novels, stories with a comic book look.



3. Couple an interesting and varied art style with the adventures of a cat within a Jewish community and the results are a unique insight into the interesting flavours of the mind. The cat takes an approach that is typical of cats, that he has needs that are sometimes at odds with his human counterparts but in the process there comes to light circumstances that before had gone unnoticed due to dogmatic processes.
   This is a very fun book to read and look at. It gives the reader an appreciation of the middle eastern world and the lives within it and from a variety of viewpoints.

4 comments about The Storm (The Lighthouse Family).

1. We love all of Cynthia Rylant's books and series of books, and The Lighthouse Family series is our new favorite! We are anxious to read the next book as soon as it comes out so we can know what happens to Pandora the cat, Seabold the dog and their three little mice children. Rylant uses wonderful words in her books, painting a beautiful story of words. (the illustrations in this book are beautiful too!) This is for a little older readers than her Mr. Putter and Tabby, Henry and Mudge, Poppleton, or Little Whistle series, ALL of which I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!



2. The Storm introduces us to a new book series by Cynthis Rylant, one of my favorite children's authors. We are introduced to Seabold, a seafaring loner (and a dog), the cat Pandora, a lonely keeper of the lighthouse, and three mouse orphans. The text is melodic and never overwrought. The story is sweet, and though filled with virtue it is not moralistic. By the end of the book my son and I wanted to live with the lighthouse family, and share in their new life together. A sweet book, that I read to him, but equally appropriate for a mid-level independent reader. I would think the age group anywhere from 5-10 depending on who is doing the reading, an adult or the child herself.



3. The is the first book I have read my Rylant. Being a fan of lighthouses and children's books, I had to check this one out once I saw the cover. I was very impressed. The story is about 2 lonely animals,an adorable sheepdog and kitty cat, who love the sea and develop a deep friendship. They decide to tend a lighthouse together. The illustrations are some of the best I have seen in kids' books. This is definitely a cozy read for bedtime.



4. "The Storm" by Cynthia Rylant is one of the most joyful stories a writer could ever put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) to write. Finding Preston McDaniels to illustrate is probably a sign from heaven that this book was meant to be. It is perfect. That simple: "The Storm" is perfect. Because this is a ready-for-chapters book, a beginning reader has the story to practice reading skills. As a bonus, the story is didactic in teaching that solitude comes with a price and that friendship heals loneliness. Even if the young reader does not understand these concepts on a conscious level, surely the subconscious makes that registration.
   
   The adult cannot miss the themes of solitude and friendship and what each bring. This is one of those books that I would like to stand in the foyer of Wal-Mart and hand out to everyone who leaves. Rylant has a soft touch, a magical way with words that go straight to the heart.
   
   In children's books animals are often the characters. Why, you may ask? Studies explain the psychological use and also why they dress as humans. The first main character is Pandora, a cat who has accepted the loneliness that goes with living in a lighthouse, but her sole purpose in life is saving ships from crashing on the rocks. Enter Seabold, a loner dog who loves to sail the seas, who finds safe harbor one stormy night in the seas near Pandora's lighthouse. A dog and a cat living in the same house is difficult at first. He is a salty, crusty old dog, she is neat and tidy, a follower of rules. Their family is made complete with the rescue of three little mice.
   
   Think of it: how incongruous it is that three such disparate sets of persons could make a happy home, but they do. This statement may be a spoiler, but it is not. It is not the make up of the family that this story is about; rather, it is about love and acceptance and kindness and generosity of spirit. Mostly, it is about the magic of love in transforming people, in making them human.
   
   See what I mean. This book needs to be handed out at Wal-Mart. Pay it forward, make the world better. Another of Rylant's magically worded books is "Missing May," a Newbury Award winner. "The Storm" is the first in her Lighthouse Family series. Very highly recommended!

4 comments about Human Anatomy & Physiology Laboratory Manual: Cat Version.

1. I ordered straight from Amazon.com, best thing I couldve done, got the book in a timely manner, and the book was in great shape. I needed this book for a class and its perfect.



2. this book has good detail and explainations to help you understand the A&P if your teacher isnt good. helps me out in college!



3. AP Book: Book had more damage to it than thought. Mulitple red markings on back, ripped pages, and flimsy cover. Shipping was great.



4. I liked this manual for quick reference during the class. But when it comes to doing homework, it should be better. At the end of each chapter there is a homework. Sometimes these drawings are labeled differently than the drawings in the chapters themselves. Also, sometimes it's hard to find the answers for the homework questions. I supplemented the info with the textbook from the same author, which would sometimes leave me in the same confusion, or I would use the internet, or the other workbook.
   In overall is a decent instruction tool, but some people may find it very difficult. I got A's in both lab and lecture. But I worked hard.

5 comments about 100 Cats Who Changed Civilization: History's Most Influential Felines.

1. As a cat lover and history buff, Sam Stall's book is wildly entertaining. It's amazing to think that a cat can have so much of an impact. Mine mostly just eat, sleep and give me dirty looks! So, you can imagine my surprise to learn of the huge accomplishments the cats described in the book had on history. I was laughing hysterically all night, much to the confoundment of my husband. You will truly enjoy this book and you might even learn something about those frisky felines we call our friends!



2. This book kept me in stitches! I was really surprised to find that one cat is credited for destroying a whole species. It puts them right up there with man himself. On the other hand, I hope to see a sequel soon to include Hemingway's cats and maybe even a couple of my cats. No? Oh, well... If you're my friend, expect to get your own copy for Christmas!



3. I love this little book. You learn real historical facts about all kinds of kitty cats. Very informative and fun, I'm giving it to my sister as a birthday present. Anyone who loves cats would love this book!



4. Bought this for a cat loving gal pal in her 40's. She is a history buff, well read and intelligent. She has an appreciation for the species as I do. This is a great little book gift for a great price! Very well written, and interesting. Would buy again, would recommend.



5. This is an excellent book if you are looking for something to sit on your coffee table or desk at the office. I highly recommend it for children, or anyone that is a cat lover simply because these are true stories about some very famous felines.

5 comments about Cat Traps (Step-Into-Reading, Step 1).

1. This book is wonderful for early readers. It is repetative (necessary for children), but still fun. Every word in the book can be easily sounded out by a young reader. I find early reader books with words that children can not possibly read on their own to be counter-productive. This book is a self-esteem builder. My daughter read it on her own and then read it to my husband. She was very proud and so were we.



2. This was my sons first book. What I liked most was that it made him want to keep reading to see what happened next to the poor cat. The words are very short, perfect for beginers, and the repetition helped gave him plenty of practice.



3. This book is great fun! Cat wants a snack...cat sets a trap! Multiple traps. He gets into all sorts of scrapes as he tries to fulfill his feline craving for a live snack.
   
   My daughters and I are cat lovers, but the mayhem he caused for himself had us giggling together. In fact, it launched us into a discussion of the nature of black humor. We talked about how and why we could be laughing at this poor cat who wanted nothing more than to eat, about what made things funny (surprise) and what made ~this~ story particularly funny.
   
   Now, my little one is still quite the beginning reader, and she's struggling. But this book wasn't difficult for her. And, while it was ~for her~, her 9-yr-old sister enjoyed it too--and so did I!
   
   This is a brilliantly written and illustrated little book. Kudos to the author/illustrator for her ability to condense so funny a story into such a short-and-simple package.
   
   I'm buying CAT TRAPS for my little one for Christmas this year. She's wanted it since we saw it in a bookstore six months ago! I'm going to take a look at the other books in this series while I'm at it.
   
   Note to the author: I've worked as an English teacher, an author, an artist, and now I'm also a homeschooling mother. Send this review to your editor, Molly, and tell him/her I'm pleading for more of your books, books like this one! I'm off to search Amazon for anything else you've written!



4. The "Early Step into Reading Books" are meant for the earliest readers (preschoolers and kindergarteners). And unlike some other Series and books that make this claim, this book really is at the appropriate level for true beginners. The word choice is simple and the text is printed in a large font. An example follows:
   
   Cat wants a snack.
   Cat sets a trap.
   Cat gets a pig.
   Too big!
   
   As others have noted the story line is pretty cute and the artwork is bright and attractive. There are also `notes' for parents or other caregivers that give hints as to what to do to help the beginning reader to step into reading.
   
   Three Stars. A cute book suitable for real beginning readers, that does not talk-down to them. Affordable price.



5. I was introduced to this book by a young girl I was babysitting. She is six years old and loves the book. She can read it all by herself, which is important to build confidence.
   
   One thing we enjoyed was that each time Cat sets a trap, the reader is given a clue about what he might catch. She pointed out each clue and giggled.
   
   As an adult, it is easy to become bored or frustrated by a book that is too contrite; however, I thought this was a cute, enjoyable book.