No comments about Theo and Balthazar at the North Pole.

2 comments about 10 Christmas Lights.

1. My son is 1 yr old and we've been reading this together every night right before he goes to sleep since he was 2 months old. I dim the lights just enough to see the book and the little lights are very relaxing. I think he knows by just looking at the book that it's bedtime. I would recommend it and plan on buying Beetle Bugs Party by the same author....it also lights up!



2. I recently seen this book at work in a basket auction.I came home and had to order one online. I thought it was neat that it lights up...and know my daughter would love it also.
   
   Great gift idea!!!

5 comments about A Christmas Without Elizabeth (Sweet Valley Twins).

1. Elizabeth Wakefield has been put in charge of her school's party money. But Elizabeth decides that a poor family needs the money more, and gives it to them, hoping her friends will understand. But her plan backfires when the family still doesn't have the money to move into the apartment, and her friends are furious with her. So Elizabeth, upset, goes to the Sweet valley Mall and silently wishes that she had never been born.
   Elizabeth meets up with a girl who claims to be her guardian angel, who shows her how important she really is.
   By far one of the more touching books in the Sweet Valley Twins series, "A Christmas Without Elizabeth" is a touching yet funny story about Christmas.



2. Elizabeth Wakefield plays a modern-day Robin Hood,taking money from a party fund and giving it to a poor,homeless family at Christmas time.When she is caught she feels absolutely awful,everyone is mad at her and she whispers,"I wish I had never been born."Enter her guardian angel,Laura,a wise-cracking hippy chick from the 1960's.Just like in the classic film,It's a Wonderful Life,Elizabethh will be shown what life would be like without her,and realizes that we are all here for a reason and that she is very special.Also,Laura is fun to read about as she is so funny!



3. Elizabeth takes The Unicorns treasury money to give to a family to pay for a new apartment for the holidays,She feels guilty.Elizabeth Wishes she had never been born,so a hippy guardian angel named Laura takes her on an Adventure she'll never forget. Mary would have never Been Mary Wallace If not Elizabeth had reunited Mary with her mother. Denny Jacobson died of a surfing accident,because Elizabeth wasn't there to save him,so did Sarah Thomas,She died too,of falling down the stairs. Elizabeth did lots of things.



4. Elizabeth takes the Unicorns party money so a homeless family can have a good Christmas.Jessica finds out,and wishes she never had a twin.Elizabeth is heartbroken,so she decides to run away.She wishes she were never born.A 60's style gaurdian angel named Laura shows her what it would be like.Denny Jacabson and Sarah Thomas would be dead,her parents would be divorced,much more.But when Jessica falls off a building,Elizabeth decides the world needs her after all.This wonderful story made me cry.It is my favorite book.



5. In this book Elizabeth does something really bad, and every one hates her for it. She gets really sad and wishes she was never born. Lucky (or unlucky)for her her guardian angel Laura is listening, and shows her what Sweet Valley would be like with out her. Laura is really funny, and she is the best part of the book! You should really read this book!!!

2 comments about Cecil's New Year's Eve Tail.

1. What a wonderful book to share with children during the holidays! There are so few books out there that cover New Year's as a holiday, and Cecil's Tail, is one you'll love to add to your library.
   
   Cecil lives in Manhattan, and is a highly respected citizen. His family was wealthy and well thought of in England. The Queen even knighted his grandfather for his services to the court. But one day, Cecil finds himself an outcast among his peers when he receives an invitation to a New Year's Eve Ball. All the guests are asked to wear their finest things and patent leather dancing shoes. Cecil is beside himself because he doesn't own a pair of patent leather dancing shoes. Why doesn't he just buy a pair? This is easier said than done. You see, Cecil is a Snake!
   
   Cecil's New Year's Eve Tail is the second book in Marie Fritz Perry's career that she has written and illustrated. The illustrations are done in wonderful watercolor, ink, and colored pencil - all of which bring the story to life. Perry's also done a wonderful job wrapping us with her words about the craziness of finding the perfect outfit for a party, wanting to hide from our problems, and reminding us that our friends like us no matter who we are.
   
   Stories for Children Editor, VS Grenier



2. Set on the east side of Manhattan, Cecil's New Year's Eve Tail is a children's picturebook following Cecil the wealthy and well-dressed snake. Though Cecil carries himself with impeccable poise, he is distressed that the human world seems to reject him. Just as he is on the verge of giving up, his friends remind him to take part in their holiday celebration - and Cecil learns that fitting in the human world is not as important as being oneself in the company of true friends. A glossary of words that may be unfamiliar to young people rounds out this kindly holiday tale, featuring simple color illustrations of a snake who tries to dress like humans.

No comments about Merry Christmas! My First Mad Libs.

No comments about The Secret of the Twelve Days of Christmas.

No comments about Gertie the Goldfish and the Christmas Surprise.

No comments about Pooh's Jingle Bells (Disney's My Very First Winnie the Pooh).

1 comments about My Gingerbread House (Carry Along).

1. Lovely drawings and poetry designed to trigger a young girl's imagination. A fantastic bedtime story and Christmas book.
   
   Because it has a handle and looks like a purse, it's an ideal take-a-long book. But make sure you (or yours) don't leave it behind - because it will be even more expensive to replace.
   
   I thought these prices were expensive until I checked e-bay ($12 more) and alibris ($7 more)
   
   FIVE STAR!!! A SUPERB BOOK. (I must have rolled the wheel on top of my muse so 2 stars came up and I can't change that.)

5 comments about Star Bright: A Christmas Story.

1. Greeley's Irish Chicago meets sexy lay Russian Orthodox women's Christian mysticism somewhere between Boston College and Harvard Yard. Its improbability viz the Greeley corpus actually helps him compress a short, simple, yet spiritually sublime plot-and-reflections. (No Ryan family-tree to keep straight in your head!) If Odessa/Tatiana doesn't "seduce" you in many different (good!) ways, get your head, heart, spirit, and hormone-levels examined!

   This book is little, but read it nice and slow, sometimes a page a day when herself is showing boyfriend Jack, his disgruntled family, and us a truer world-next-door spiritually. And read it over and over...maybe every December during the crush of the holidays. (Deeper than that Christmas pageant story they put on TV back in the '80s.) You'll find more than one new gem each time through--'pearls of great price,' for no great price! And it might just improve your life...and that of your significant others! Give it to a friend or two, too.

   Profound, fun, cross-cultural, sexy but not "steamy" (Darn!), not a murder mystery but that's OK; further developments in Greeley's study and reporting of 'normal' Christians' approach to life. Technically, some typos and words missing, but it's usually clear what it is, so you lose no meaning. And stay with the meaning, because it's overflowing with it! And hardback is OK because it'll get used over and over for years to come. Sounds like he's working on a series of compressed, reflective, theological Christmas-y novels; great idea!




2. Andrew Greeley has written a magical tale of love, keeping in tune with the Christmas spirit. Greeley is one of my all time favorite authors, and I have yet to read one of his books, which has not captivated me and given me food for thought.

   The reader will find this heartwarming a tale a quick read, as the reader is held in suspense until the very end. Greeley weaves his wit, charm and mystical musings into the romantic tale of Jack, an Irish Catholic lad meeting a beautiful Russian college student at Harvard. Odessa, a bit of a Russian mystic, weaves her own kind of magic with everyone who comes into her presence. Her charming and innocent ways at looking at life incorporate the mystical and spirituality of her culture.

   Jack decides to bring Odessa home to Chicago to meet his family for Christmas. With her simplicity, innocence, charm, and grace, Odessa manages to mend the uptight Flanigan family and bring them closer together than anyone thought was possible!

   This is a wonderful tale and helps to bring home the message that people come into our lives for a reason, as God reveals him/her self to us in those that we meet.

   Another uplifting winner from Farther Andrew Greeley!




3. I'm a sucker for a Christmas story, and an admirer of Greeley's work. No one makes family dynamics more fascinating, or has a greater appreciation for women. This is an offbeat little love story, with love being the operative word. Tatiana, the Russian student Irish Catholic Jack takes home to meet the folks in Chicago for Christmas, is a magical heroine who brings joy and hope to a dysfunctional family. It leaves you smiling and believing in the wonder of the season.



4. Wow! A wonderful immersion into both the Irish-American Catholic and the Russian Orthodox cultures, this little book is full of Christmas spirit! While taking a class over at Harvard University, Boston College student Jack Flanigan meets an enchanting beauty named Tatiana. The two strike up an unlikely but sweetly romantic friendship. Jack reluctantly invites her to Chicago to spend Christmas with his large and quite boisterous family, fearing that the deeply religious Tatiana will be turned off by the commercialism and overwhelmed by the dysfunctional crowd. But as Tatiana has found a way into confirmed bachelor Jack's heart, she also manages to win over his family.
   
   There are no words to describe how much I loved this story. It was very well-written, with wonderful characterizations, descriptive settings, and positive dialogue. This couple, who personify true love, as well as the irresistable Flanigan family, will stay with me long after I put this book down.



5. Did not like this book. It is not up to the standard I usually read from Andrew Greeley.