5 comments about The 12 Days of Christmas Anniversary Edition: A Pop-up Celebration.

1. One can't help singing along with the wonderful illustrations. Robert Sabuda is a pop-up maven without peer.



2. Let me first say that I did NOT purchase my copy through Amazon. I did, however, purchase from a reputable merchant. I carefully looked through our copy. We have several of Sabuda's other books and they're excellent, so I knew the quality to expect. This copy had spots where the color was transferred to other pages and what seemed like glue was showing in various places throughout. The main disappointment, however, was the Christmas tree on the last page. We opened it carefully, but it was not possible to fold the page back down to close the book! We had several adults try and no one could close the book!
   
   This appeared to be an effort to rush through to get the volume out in time for Christmas. Very disappointing. It COULD have been another beautiful volume of Sabuda's!



3. I purchased this from Amazon some time ago and it's a lovely book. Another great work of Robert Sabuda's.



4. My grandson's were in awe over this book and loved the last page where the Christmas tree lights up.



5. The song is inaccurate. I bought this because this is my favorite Christmas song and was wowed by the art work, yet disappointed that the song was botched! Twelve drummers drumming, Eleven Pipers Piping, Ten Lords a Leaping, and Nine Ladies Dancing were all mixed up in this edition. Very disappointing.

2 comments about Babar and Father Christmas (Babar Books (Random House)).

1. Babar and Father Christmas is such a wondeerful Christmas Story. Santa Claus Gave us a copy for christmas a long time ago. In this book, Babar's Children heard about father christmas from somebody. They write him a letter and ask him to come to Celestesville. Father Christmas forgot to write back, so King Babar goes to man's country and looks for him, finally finds him at the north pole. We want to buy a copy as a gift. Please ask the publisher to reprint it.



2. This book was originally published in 1940 and the end notes tell us that it was the last one written by Jean de Brunhoff before his untimely death at age 37. The story and line drawings were finished but the illustrations still needed to be colored. Jean's brother took care of that with the help of Jean's son who was only 12 years old when his father died. I like the fact that Jean's son had a hand in the coloring of this wonderful story of a father's love and special efforts on behalf of his children at Christmastime.
   This book has all the lively and humorous characteristics of the other Babar the Elephant stories, the brightly colored, warm and friendly drawings of our beloved elephant royalty, the antics and adventures of the elephants themselves and of course, our hero, King Babar once again, saving the day, in this book, a most important day, Christmas!
   Arthur, Pom, Flora and Alexander, the royal elephant children , together with their monkey pal, Zephir, write Father Christmas a wish list letter and are disappointed when they don't get a reply. This ultimately leads to Babar's realization that the Elephants' Country needs to be included in Santa's regular route, so he goes to heroic lengths to make his childrens' wishes come true. Babar and Father Christmas become fast friends and Father Christmas even gets to take a much needed rest in the tropical climate of Babar's country. The way de Brunhoff has drawn Father Christmas is quirky and jolly and rather different from the image we have of him today but entirely captures the essence of this wonderful holiday icon. If you have loved other Babar stories or if this is your first, you are sure to love it and make it a part of your Christmas tradition.

5 comments about Merry Christmas: Big Hungry Bear!.

1. We meet the liitle mouse again (first book is The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear) This time the little mouse finds the big hunger bear has no friends and no presents on christmas. The little mouse dresses as Santa and brings gifts to the big hungry bear. This a wonderfully delightful book. The pictures are so beautiful. This a great book!



2. We loved the strawberry book, and were very excited to see this one, but it was disappointing. The drawings are great, but the story lacks the charm and depth of the original.



3. I loved the little details in the illistrations in this book. It is a great story for children at Christmas!



4. With beautifully detailed, expressive and humorous illustrations, and minimal, open-ended text, Little Mouse learns about caring and giving. This book encourages discussion and interpretation. I have read and talked about it countless times with my 2-year-old granddaughter, who will no doubt understand it in new ways as she grows. An excellent, delightful book.



5. I hate to leave a negative review, however, this book was a let down after their first BIG HUNGRY BEAR book.
   
   My nieces and nephews are BIGGER than huge fans of the first book and when I needed to get one of them a Christmas present (ya know, the one that has everything!) I thought of this.
   
   The book does talk about sharing, but doesn't have the cadence that draws the children in like the original.

3 comments about Christmas Carols for a Kid's Heart (Focus on the Family) (Focus on the Family).

1. I was pleased to find this book, and we are happy to include it as a part of our family holiday devotions. There are 12 songs, so we read and sing one a night. I especially like the section that explains the meaning of some of the phrases a child might have trouble understanding, such as "born to raise the sons of earth" from "Hark The Herald Angels Sing". In fact, a lot of adults could stand to read this book, too!
   
   It loses stars on the CD. The kids sing well in tune (which is sadly refreshing for today's day and age), but quite frankly their tone quality, while also sadly better than most of today's CDs, is lacking and it's due in large part to their poor vowel pronuciation. Children can be taught to sing better than that. I get a little weary of people who market CDs with so-so children's choirs when there are better ones out there.
   
   The adult women's voices are not really to my taste (which I understand is just a matter of personal preference), and the arrangements sometimes lean toward the goofily dramatic. My husband and I can't listen to the first cut on the CD with a straight face for that reason.
   
   All told, I would have rather just bought the book and paid less. I prefer for my children to have better vocal models to listen to. We can sing the songs ourselves, anyway.



2. I have used this book throughout the Christmas season as our morning devotional with my four kids ages 8, 6, 4 & almost 3. We have all thoroughly enjoyed the stories that enhance the carols and singing the carols themselves. The kids continue to sing throughout the day with the CD. (I especially love listening to my almost 3 year old singing Glo-o-o-o-o-o-RIA! in excelsis deo!-it's a riot!) What a joy!
   
   Not only do the authors cover the content of the carol in the reading, but also share a brief history of the composer/lyricist. We have used the other books in this series (and highly recommend them too) and were happy to revisit some favorite composers like Isaac Watts. In contrast to the other books in the series, this book has only one reading where Volumes 1 & 2 have two separate readings: one about the composer, the other a more personal application. I have found that these books are not only helpful in encouraging us in our faith, but they are also an excellent resource for music appreciation, and music history.
   
   The length of the readings are just right for the ages of my children and the content is interesting and inspiring even to me as an adult. It's a great way to spend time as a family together growing to love these wonderful Christmas carols.
   
   As a side note- this series is my kids' first introduction to co-author Joni Eareckson Tada, a quadriplegic, and they have been inspired by her own story as well!



3. Kids love this book. We use it for our music at Christmas time and for a little music lesson in our homeschool. Love it!

No comments about Priscilla and the Great Santa Search.

3 comments about Stanley's Christmas Adventure (Flat Stanley).

1. Great addition to the Flat Stanley collection. Stanley really appeals more to 1st and 2nd Graders and children a little older who are reading at a lower level. They are always intrigued about "being flat?"



2. More flat stanley was on his christmas list, and he has spent more hours reading and re-reading the 6 books in this series than on any of his other also much requested christmas presents. He does love his legos but half of the sets are being opened only now, a month on, while these were his evening companions right away -- totally sweet stories with two little boys in a nice family that a beginning reader can relate to.
   
   He finds them more amusing and adventurous than horrible harry or junie B which for the most part are restricted to a classroom environment. He does like those, or Jigsaw Jones etc, but none of them so firmly captured his imagination that he actually chose to read these books rather than request video game time ! the ultimate test!!! ...



3. Not the best books in the world, but if you know a child who's into the Flat Stanleys, this is a nice Christmas gift.

4 comments about Christmas In The Country (Scholastic Bookshelf).

1. Deep in the heart of most people who celebrate Christmas lurks the archetypal
   holiday, the one depicted nostalgically in Truman Capote's "A Christmas Memory," and
   Dylan Thomas's "A Child's Christmas in Wales."
   In the archetype, ritual is important, family and friends are important, snow is
   good, and a tangerine in a stocking is enough to inspire oohs and ahs of delight.
   "Christmas in the Country" is a worthy addition to the genre.
   In it, our pony-tailed heroine lives in the country with Grandma and Grandpa in a
   house that is "small and white. It had an old coal stove to keep us warm and a tiny little
   kitchen for supper and a nice back porch for the dogs."
   In the country, spring is for walks, summer for tomatoes, and fall for apples. In
   winter, "The snow slows everything down. Birds are silent and serious. Dogs stay in their
   warm houses. Children want cocoa and blankets. Everyone is ready for something really
   special."
   And - hooray - the something special has nothing to do with the mall or even
   Wal-mart. Instead Grandpa will cut the tree in the forest, and the narrator and Grandma
   will take the precious old ornaments from the closet that "smells like wool and mothballs."
   Diane Goode's illustrations are just right - simple and energetic. Everyone's hair is
   windblown at all times, as if country folk have better things to do than spray, mousse or
   pin.



2. The children and I were happy with this wonderful story. It is about a little girl who lives with her grandparents and her memories of happy Christmas days. The illustrations are wonderful and realistic. A must have for your Christmas collection.



3. Our son is 4, and we gave him this book on the first day of Advent in 2006. We have all loved it so much that we read it daily during December. It is a precious book about the anticipation and joys of Christmas seen through a little girl's eyes during a simpler, quieter time. I love how it talks about the special joys and memories of each season. It helped us all put away the ornaments and take down the tree with less sadness this year, understanding the comings and goings of Christmas and each season. Ms. Rylant's books are wonderful. We also have "The Relatives Came" and "When I Was Young in the Mountains" and they are treasures, too.



4. I just love the Appalachian culture and if you do, too, you will love ALL of Cynthia Rylant's books for children. I believe she grew up in West Virginia and these are stories from her youth....another place and time. All of her stories are filled with love and acceptance and the joy of belonging to a loving family. She has written MANY books and I would suggest you read them all. I have bought about 7 books so far, and they are so sweet, I can sit down and read them all by myself and totally enjoy them.....but my grandkids think they are GREAT!!! The artwork is very enjoyable and it just makes one yearn to go back to "the good ol' days"!!! This book will not disappoint!

No comments about There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Bell!.

5 comments about The Night of Las Posadas (Picture Puffins).

1. Mr. DePaola has outdone himself this time. All of his books are wonderful, but this Christmas story is more than that. The illustrations are pure DePaola; they are clear and colorful. The story is simple, yet for children, unpredicable. The story is set in Santa Fe and shares an Hispanic custom with the reader; the Posadas held at Christmas time. I teach a whole class of Mexican ESL students and this book is perfect for my Christmas collection of books with Hispanic characters. This book, along with other DePaola books, and others, will add to my students' enjoyment.



2. a wonderfu story with beautiful illustrations by Tomie DePaola. Share it with your children. you will both enjoy it!

   Feilz Navidad!




3. I bought this book for our Lutheran church library. It is excellent. It tells about the Hispanic Christmas custom of Las Posadas, Mary and Joseph's search for a place to stay the night of Jesus' birth. Lupe and Roberto, two townspeople, are selected to play Jose and Maria in the Las Posadas celebration, but when their pickup gets bogged down in the snow in the mountains above Santa Fe, two strangers come to play Jose and Maria instead, leaving the readers to wonder at the miraculous event --who were those two? What a lovely book.
   
   Tomie, you never disappoint, whether your stories are religious, autobiographical, or just plain funny. Thank you for consistently sharing your talents with us lucky readers over the years. You bring us so much joy, laughter, comfort and peace!



4. Tomie dePaola has the unequaled ability to tell a story and weave into it profound elements of faith that can touch children and adults with equal depth.
   This book is yet another "must have" for every family's and every church's bookshelf.



5. I thought this would be helpful for teaching second graders about Las Posadas. The language was a too high for them. I don't plan on using this book next year. Overall, the book has a beautiful story and illustrations, but I will save it for my own kids, not my students.

5 comments about Angela and the Baby Jesus: (Children's Edition).

1. Enjoyed reading it to the grandchildren but pictures were a little dark for the younger ones.



2. my entire family loved this book! My son's received it first & thought it would be a great gift for our uncle who is a priest! The only difference between the children's version & the adult is the art work. It's a lovely story!



3. We loved this story for its message about the real reason for the Christmas season. In today's culture of "political correctness" and not wanting to offend anyone that often is missing. The artwork is soft and beautiful. It will be a book that is set out for Christmas reading for many years to come.



4. This book is short and very appealing to young readers. The message is universal. It's about love.



5. I LOVE Frank McCourt's books. There is no story more emotionally riveting and profound than "Angela's Ashes". I just wish his newer books had better endings. This most recent book just dwindles away at the end. I was waiting for something more, and it merely dropped off. Frank is truly the best story teller of our lifetime. I hope he writes many more books about Ireland.