5 comments about Frosty the Snowman.

1. I sing the original Frosty the Snowman song with my preschool class every year, but it's always been difficult finding a book to go along with the song. Well, my worries are gone now as this book is done with the original words. I first spotted this book in a Scholastic book flyer and I tought it looked nice, but when I went to the bookstore and saw it on display it was stunning! The colors are vibrant and the pictures are absolutely beautiful, this is a must have for any early childhood classroom.



2. The illustrations in this book do not follow the text at all, so it can't hold my daughter's attention. She has lots of books, most of which she loves. This one is among the worst. The pictures are not even a bit interesting.



3. This book is beautifully illustrated, easy to read and sooo traditional. I highly recommend it for all ages!



4. My children loved this book. We especially liked the lyrics and pictures and how they went hand-in-hand. Just what I was looking for, but now I'm looking for a board book version.



5. I have used this book for several years with 3 & 4 year olds and they love it. It has wonderful old fashioned pictures.

5 comments about Morris' Disappearing Bag (Picture Puffins).

1. Ok so i was sitting in my kid's pediatricians office waiting (as usual) and reading one of the books in the room to my child. it was one of the Max books by Rosemary Wells. So, i'm sitting there looking at the book thinking...gosh! this art work looks soooo familiar! what it is about this book...then an old story comes to mind that i can barely recall. but it kept bugging me and in moments I recall this book i had as a kid about a bunny or something (looked a lot like the Max charactor in the authors more recent books) that got a magic bag for xmas. I couldn't rmember the title though. it's been on my mind on and off since then and I just found the authors name a minute ago on amazon while looking for kids books and decided i was going to investigate and surely find out if she is connected to that old favorite of mine. i could have whooped out loud when I finally spotted "morrie's Disappearing bag" on the list! i'd found it! now I HAVE to buy it for my two littlw ones! I love this book! it's so cute! funny thing is...my little boys name is max! not that this book is about max the bunny.....anyway, i highly recommend this cute book!



2. Now a quick note: In the original publication of "Morris's Disappearing Bag", Morris is a little white bunny. He has now been colored brown. Very interesting choice on the part of the publisher.

   I hereby nominate Rosemary Wells the winner of the Cute But Never Saccharine Picture Book Award printed between the years of 1800-2589. You are familiar with her work, even if you have never read it. Best known for her early board books starring the irascible Max and his patient elder sibling, the author also did slightly older fare. In every book, however, Wells takes the side of the underdog. The littlest sibling. The one most prone to feeling left out. In "Morris's Disappearing Bag" this theme has become all encompassing. Here is a story that truly captures what it feels like to be ignored and unwanted by your siblings.
   
   It is Christmas Day and Morris is delighted. As he and his three elder siblings open their presents, each rabbit (for so they are) is enraptured by their gift. Victor gets a hockey outfit, Rose a beauty kit, and Betty (just to smash a couple stereotypes while we're at it) a chemistry set. Morris gets a lovely bear, but it soon occurs to him that his siblings don't appreciate his present. While they switch one another's gifts and experiment with them, Morris is left all alone. No one wants to play with his bear. It isn't until Morris locates an extra unwrapped present containing a bag of invisibility that Morris finally has a gift cool enough to lure his elder sibs with.

   Is there a moral to be learned here? I dunno. If there was it would probably be something along the lines of "Get a better toy and win the love of your fellow man". I don't buy it, personally. I think this is just a fun adorable tale illustrated with Rosemary Wells's fantastic pictures. No one draws adorable bunnies like this woman. Or so perfectly evokes a child feeling sorry for himself. Morris sitting all by himself with his ears at half mast is so simultaneously cute and pitiful, you just want to give his roly-poly little body a big big hug. All in all, this is a fantastic book (the older brother applying make-up to his face is worth the price of admission alone). A great story for Christmas, and a wonderful tale for all the year round. Grab yourself a copy.




3. Another classic from Rosemary Wells! Here, youngest sibling of four, Morris, is not permitted to play with his older siblings' exciting Christmas presents, and no one wants anything to do with Morris's babyish teddy bear until Morris discovers a magic disappearing bag and everyone wants to play with his toy. Any younger sibling -- or even just a young child who feels powerless sometimes -- will relate. I like how Morris gets to live the fantasy of making his siblings "disappear" and getting to play with all their stuff in a gentle, non-violent way. The Christmas aspect of this story makes it extra fun around the holidays, but we read it all year long.



4. What if you were the youngest rabbit in the family and nobody wanted to play with your Christmas bear because it was too babyish? Would you feel left out if your sisters and brother said you were too little to play with THEIR presents? Would you sit in the corner with your ears drooping in sadness?
   
   If that tugs at your heartstrings, meet Morris. He's the dearest little bunny you ever saw, and SO sad on Christmas morning. He loves his new bear but he's too little to play with Rose's beauty kit, Victor's hockey stick, and Betty's chemistry set. While they are having fun, Morris crawls under the tree and finds ONE FORGOTTEN PRESENT, a bag. He pulls himself into the bag and -- DISAPPEARS!
   
   Oho! Now the other bunnies are singing a different song. They all want to share their presents with Morris while they try out his disappearing bag. Who can blame them? Wouldn't we all like a disappearing bag from time to time? Such a fine present. Morris generously gives turns with his bag and has a go with the other presents. He's got the most coveted Christmas gift of all, but all he wants is a little consideration, to be part of the crowd, to be included.
   
   Rosemary Wells writes a terrific story and her illustrations are sheer delight. Little droopy bunny ears, puffy cotton tails sticking out of the bag, hilarious bunny play with the chemicals, the makeup, the hockey kit -- and precious little Morris with all his feelings worn on his sleeve.
   
   I've had this book since my sons were little, and given it to a number of children. I always buy a new copy for myself, just in case I need it. My favorite!
   
   Linda Bulger, 2008



5. It's Christmas morning and Morris gets a teddy bear while his brother and sisters get great gifts that Morris isn't allowed to play with. While Morris mopes he finds a disappearing bag. Suddenly no one can find him. But when he's finally discovered, he gladly shares it with his siblings, who stuff themselves into it all at the same time. While they use the bag he has a fabulous time playing with their toys.
   This is a great book. It's one of my all time favorite Rosemary Wells books that isn't related to her famous Max and Ruby. My children really enjoy it and wish they had a bag just like it!

5 comments about The Little Match Girl.

1. Book was sent in great condition and in a timely manner. I would use the service again.



2. This is one of my favorite stories to hear at Christmas-time. It really reminds you to be thankful of all that you have. My grandmother read this story to all of her grandchildren every year on Christmas Day. This story holds fond memories for me. Since she is no longer here to read the story to us, and now all of the grandchildren are adults, I wanted to have a copy of the story so that when I have children one day, I can read it to them. I want to carry on the tradition.



3. I want to agree with another reviewer that the meaning of the book for me was to look within for our own rich resources. That we can transform our own world if we transform our minds. The young girl used her imagination to picture herself out of the situation until it happened. Law of Attraction? Maybe from today's perspective. I just took it to mean that in this time in my life I have to go within to transform my own situation. God knows, I tried everything else :)
   
   I was read the Spanish version "La Pequena Vendedora de Fosforos."



4. I first saw this story as a cartoon on tv. It made me cry a lot. It's a very sad story. However, it has a very powerful messages in terms of love, care, poverty, cruelty and dreams. I gave an assignment to my ELD students in high school and some students even told me how touchy the story was. I love the pictures in this book. It's really creative. Overall it's a great, sad story for all ages.



5. Summary: A poor, barefoot, little girl is sent out on New Year's Eve to sell matches. As the cold and hungry girl awaits a sell, she lights the matches to keep warm. With the matches lit, illusions occur. As with all illusions, the light goes out on them and the little girl is faced with a grim reality.
   The classic author depicts a memorable theme. The setting the author uses is intricately depicted giving the reader an almost live impression of the book's reality. As the character leaves reality and passes into fantasy, the author further impresses the setting with careful detail. The time of "New Year" stabs at the reader's soul with their own memories of Christmas.
   The movie is equally wonderful.~The Tales of Hans Christian Andersen (The Red Shoes / The Little Match Girl)

5 comments about Santa, Are You For Real?.

1. We bought this book ( Santa ) because we have the Easter Bunny Book (which we love). The Santa book does a great job explaining the story of the real St. Nick. After telling the story and explaining that Christmas is about giving, they show a picture of a Santa Claus winking. I found this to be very confusing The reason I wanted the book was to take the focus away from Santa and on to Jesus. I felt this book really contradicted itself at the end. I will continue to read this book to my children , but will not include the last page and wording.



2. This is a must-read for Christian children at Christmas. A child hears kids on the street say Santa isn't real, and goes inside to ask his father. The dad tells him that St. Nicholas was a real person who, because he loved Jesus, gave gifts to the poor. The boy is inspired by the story and decides to share with others, like St. Nick did. The book ends with a cheerful picture of Santa: "As the family sat around and talked half the night, Todd thought he saw, in the snow and moonlight...a bright-eyed Saint Nicholas with his sack looking in, and wide across his face, a jolly old grin." Children will know that the real Santa is now in heaven, but people still rememeber him today because of his generous spirit. The book tells the "truth" about Santa, while also allowing for a child's imagination and sense of joy to remain intact over who Santa was.



3. Is Santa real? Well, yes and no.
   
   Myra does a really nice job of explaining where the Santa legend came from, and how St. Nicholas loved God and people. Myra's story point kids to St. Nicholas' Lord, and shows them they do not need to sacrifice the magic and imagination in order to worship Him.
   
   Nicely illustrated too.
   
   I buy two or three of these every year for 4-6 year olds.



4. I really liked this book and how it explained the truth about the real St. Nick, but I still came away feeling like it was a half truth. I guess I wanted more of Jesus in the story. I do still read it to my kids every year, though. The other day in the grocery store my 3 year old was acting up and someone said, "Santa is watching you" to help calm him down. My 5 year old looked at her as if she were crazy and said, "Santa is in heaven with Jesus" - so I think she gets it. I'm pretty sure that is a direct quote from the book. Overall, I would recommend it, although I don't read some of the text and add my own on some pages - like the last page.



5. This is a great book about the real santa. I grew up not believing in Santa but my husband did. I did not want my children believing in only santa but Jesus also and this book satisfied me as far as beliving in santa and the true meaning of Christmas.

1 comments about Christmas Fun Mad Libs.

1. Mad Libs are HILARIOUS-- this collection will truly get you in the X-mas Spirit!

5 comments about Shall I Knit You a Hat?: A Christmas Yarn.

1. I was pleased by this book on two counts. As a knitter I loved the creative and fanciful designs of mother rabbit's hats. I could totally relate to her knitting frenzy during the Christmas holiday.
   
   Secondly, as a mother of three children, I was surprised at how enthralled my children were by the simple story. Well, my 10 year old son (Harry Potter fan that he is) was a little bored by the charming story, but both my 8 yo daughter and 6 yr old son loved the book and fought over who got to look at the pictures after I was finished reading the book out loud. They especially liked trying to figure out which hat was going to which animal when mother rabbit was knitting them. The illustrations are especially captivating and full of detail. Altogether I loved this book and it is sure to be a year-round favorite, not just at Christmas!



2. Reviewed by Patty Inglish
   
   A severe winter blizzard is coming for Christmas and it alarms the rabbit family to hear it on the TV nightly news. Mother Rabbit asks Little Rabbit if he would appreciate a hand-knit hat, and he agrees that it would be a wonderful gift for him. After receiving his warm and delightful gift, Little Rabbit suggests that all of their friends need hats as well.
   
   Mother Rabbit and Little Rabbit use their creativity to make practical warm gifts for all of their friends to protect them from the storm. They take the Little Rabbit designer hats to town on a sled and distribute them to the other citizens. The townsfolk look doubtfully in the mirror as they don the hats and caps, but thank the Rabbits anyway.
   
   When the snow begins to fly, Horse appreciates his blanket hat and Goose comes to love her neck-wrapping hat, while Deer sees the utility of his lovely antler-covering hat. Sophisticated cat falls in love with hers as well - it makes her look like a lion - and the townsfolk rush after the Rabbits to express profuse thanks.
   
   Back at their home hutch in the storm, the Rabbits have forgotten gifts for each other, but they are happy to have given freely of Little Rabbit's ideas and Mother rabbit's wool, and they celebrate Christmas with a nice warm carrot cake in front of the fire.
   
   If everyone gave something lovely and warm to someone else, no one would want for anything in the storm.
   
   Shall I Knit You a Hat? is a warm and colorful story for children, families, and adults during the holiday season. The story is enchanting and the illustrations are colorful whimsy that is very engaging. With a complete Rabbit hat pattern for infant through age 3 years included, needle artists will particularly love it.
   
   Armchair Interviews says: Special book for the holiday.



3. NICE COLORFUL & IMAGINATION-FULL ENJOYABLE EASY TO READ BOOK!(HATS-OFF!)
   THE PICTURES REALLY R VERY PRETTY & WE LIKE TO LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT SHAPES OF HATS ON THE ANIMALS! (MAKES THE BOYS LAUGH)



4. I bought this one for my granddaughter. It is a sweet little story that any child will love. I am a knitter, and my granddaughter (at age 2 1/2 yr.) is already trying to "help" me knit. So for a child who sees someone he/she loves knitting, this book will have even more meaning.



5. I bought this book for my granddaughter and she was totally enthralled by it. She loved the pictures, asked questions about everything and, because I am a knitter, she carefully studied the different hats for the characters. She had to nap with it after I had read it-a sure sign of a great kids' tale!

No comments about Jungle Fury Mantor Menace (Power Rangers).

5 comments about The Legend of St. Nicholas: A Story of Christmas Giving.

1. In The Legend of St. Nicholas, a beautifully-illustrated picture book for kids in the four-to-eight range, young Nick comes to realize that Christmas is about more than amassing material possessions. On a last-minute shopping excursion with his father, Nick is drawn in by a store Santa's recounting of the Saint Nicholas legend. The other Nick's decision to dedicate his life to giving, rather than receiving, serves as a strong inspiration for our modern-day Nick, showing him the Christian meaning behind a religious holiday that many now experience only in a commercial, secular sense. It also uses Saint Nick's story-within-the-story to draw a clever connection between Santa Clause and Christ's birthday. My five-year-old loved this book, insisting that I give it five stars. I agree that this would make a great addition to your family's holiday book collection.
   
   -Kevin Joseph (as reviewed for TCM Reviews)



2. It's easy to assume that St. Nicholas is just a fairy tale, but there is a historical basis for the legend. Dandi Daley Mackall, a wonderful children's author, tells the story simply and effectively. A boy shopping for presents for his brothers overhears the tale being told by a shopping mall Santa. He is so inspired by the story of the real St. Nicholas that he follows his example by giving gifts in recognition of the greatest gift: the gift of God's son.
   
   As is usual with the Legend series by Zonderkidz, the book is beautifully illustrated. Inspire someone by giving this book as a gift.
   
   Cindy Thomson
   Author of Brigid of Ireland



3. You might think it would be easy to translate the real story of Saint Nicholas of Myra into picture book form so that it can be shared with children. But the task is more complex than it first appears. If you research the origins of our Santa Claus, you either come up with voluminous information about travels, miracles, and patronage; or you land on a single statement that insists that no confirmed historical facts exist about him. It's tough to boil down the facts, such as they are, and figure out an engaging way to present them to young people.
   
   Dandi Daley Mackall takes a stab at the assignment with THE LEGEND OF ST. NICHOLAS, which puts a contemporary twist on the historical account. The book begins with a boy named Nick who goes last-minute Christmas shopping with his father. Nick is more focused on what he'd like to get for himself, not on presents for his little brothers. But he overhears a department-store Santa retelling the story of Saint Nicholas. He learns a bit about a young man who saw suffering and had enough wealth of his own to help out his friends and deposit anonymous gifts at their homes. When he later saw how much his gifts were appreciated, Saint Nicholas decided to celebrate Christmas in that fashion from that point on. Hearing this tale had its effect on real-time Nick, and in no time he was busy figuring out what to get for his family members.
   
   The plot is nicely done, even if we don't believe that a young person can be turned around so quickly these days. Guy Porfirio's illustrations are rich in color and expression (though the text mentions that Nick is ogling CDs, not the DVDs that he is seen holding in one scene). Children might be stunned at first to see Saint Nicholas depicted as a handsome young man, not much older than themselves. But of course that's the point! And I think it is well made here. Good job!
   
   Mackall and Porfirio are not the first ones to tackle this subject, and they surely won't be the last. Other good picture book treatments include: Marianna Mayer's "The Real Santa Claus," which provides a detailed history of Nicholas' life; Demi's "The Legend of Saint Nicholas," which streamlines a similar history and features iconic illustrations; and "The Baker's Dozen: A Saint Nicholas Tale" by Aaron Shepard and Wendy Edelson, which brings to life a simple and colorful American folktale of gratitude, inspired by the saint. Each one is worthy of sharing with a child during the holiday season.



4. This story of Saint Nicholas is simple and perfect for reading to children on Christmas eve. The language is simple and easy for them to understand. The story is simple as it tells the story of Nicholas, a boy of the fourth century who unselfishly gives his belongings to his friends on Christmas day, vowing to do so ever after in honor of the Christ. The pictures are well done and the story tells us of another Nicholas who learns the true meaning of Christmas from Santa Claus. Simply put,if you are looking for a way to explain Santa Claus and Christmas, I feel this simple book will help.



5. We focused on this book last Christmas and can't wait to read it as a family this Christmas. It's now part of our tradition. This is an absolutely wonderful retelling of the best parts of the life of Saint Nicholas.

4 comments about Mary Engelbreit's A Merry Little Christmas: Celebrate from A to Z.

1. Mary Engelbreit's A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS has quickly become my children's favorite holiday book. An A-to-Z story covering everything from angels to letters to Santa to a zillion ways that Christmas brings cheer, this is a wonderful story for either a beginning reader or any child at heart.
   
   With absolutely beautiful illustrations and a rhyming storyline, A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS is a wonderful addition to any home library--or a perfect present for the child on your gift list. It's sure to please and bring a smile to the face of anyone who receives it; the fact that it's so cheerful will only add to your own holiday spirit!
   
   Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"



2. Mary Engelbreit has won a place in my heart over the years with her colorful illustrations, and lovable, oft-times zany characters. However, with A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS, Engelbreit has managed to combine each and every cheerful thing that accompanies the holidays, and place them all into one very unique, beautifully illustrated rhyming tale, that manages to give a child a lesson in the alphabet due to the fact that it is CELEBRATING FROM A TO Z.
   
   If you are searching for a holiday book that will stay popular throughout the year, you can't go wrong with Mary Engelbreit's latest. The cheerful prose coupled with the breathtaking illustrations of a little mouse family preparing for the coming holiday will make readers young and old smile, while tossing them headfirst into the holiday spirit. An irresistible holiday book that must hold a place in everyone's home library!
   
   Erika Sorocco



3. My children constantly picked up the book to page through it. The illustrations are very sweet and the book was easy for my 4 and 6 year olds to read and enjoy on their own.



4. This book is absolutely beautiful!! The illustrations are just adorable. I love to read this book to my daughter. The illustrations are just captivating, you can stare at them for hours. It truly just takes you to a place of warmth, comfort and joy, and after all isnt that what the holidays are suppose to be about!!! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book. The Night Before Christmas is absolutely gorgeous as well!!

No comments about Best Christmas Crafts Ever!.