No comments about Disney/Pixar a Bug's Life Read-Along.

1 comments about See Santa Nap (Ready-to-Read).

1. This series (the Otto books by David Milgrim) are the first books my daughter could read on her own, and not only does she love them, I enjoy reading them over and over and over and over, unlike many kids books out there (especially many of the early readers). I buy them for our friends who are turning five or six and just starting to read, but the humor's good enough for older kids too. A smart babysitter could have a stash of these to bring with him/her and entertain the little ones a lot.

No comments about That Furball Puppy and Me.

1 comments about A Christmas Carol (Great Illustrated Classics).

1. One of the stories I really wanted to share with my children this season was A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. The children I particularly wanted to read this with were my 7-year-old daughter, and 8 and 11-year-old sons. While I wanted them to know the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge and his change of heart, I knew that the unabridged original version would probably be a bit much for my daughter to take in, and require a lot of explanations regarding the archaic language for my sons. So for us, The Great Illustration version of A Christmas Carol was perfect.
   
   This version has illustrations on just about every page, which was particularly important for my very visual younger children. This version stayed true to the original as I remembered it and kept the personality of Scrooge, from bitter old man to renewed and invigorated redeemed soul intact!
   
   I also felt that the use of modern English was not a disservice to the original. While reading about the death of Tiny Tim, I felt the same amount of emotion and pain as reading the original. In fact as my voice cracked and the tears started to well my little son, who is just beginning to truly appreciate the subtle nuances that make for a good reading said, "Great expression, mom!"
   
   I have read some of the reviews of other books in this series as being too watered down, and that may be. But for this particular age group, I think this book in particular fills a special need. I think reading it as a family this season will leave a special impression on their young minds and hearts and make them want to pick this story up again when they are a bit older and able to handle more of a reading challenge.

4 comments about The Bird In Santa's Beard: How A Christmas Legend Was Forever Changed (Big Belly Series).

1. Winter can be a cold, lonely and dangerous time for a bird that didn't fly south. But in The Bird in Santa's Beard, help comes from Santa Claus himself. Santa invites the cold and hungry bird to nest in the warm safety of his beard. During the long winter Santa and the bird develop a deep friendship. They solve problems and share the secret of Santa's helpers. And when Christmas morning arrives, Santa receives a grand gift just for him.
   
   The Bird in Santa's Beard is the story of an unlikely friendship between Santa and a bird and how a simple kindness makes a difference.
   
   I so enjoyed learning how Santa came to have all of his helpers. Children will enjoy this book with a subtle and important message. The photographs are wonderful and a nice change of pace from other illustrated books. The cover is exactly the way I have always pictured jolly old Santa.
   
   Armchair Interviews says: This is a splendid addition to a child's Christmas library.



2. Written by Jeffery L Schatzer with the assistance of Mark Bush and Don Rutt, The Bird In Santa's Beard: How A Christmas Legend Was Forever Changed is superbly and imaginatively illustrated by Ty Smith combinations of art and photography. This is the story of how a bird was given Santa's permission to nest in his beard in order to keep warm in the winter. Santa is having trouble making his rounds across the world. But with the help of the bird, he comes upon a solution that worked so well it is still the one used to this very day! Lively, colorful, original, and fun, The Bird In Santa's Beard is a wonderful contribution to the every growing library of Santa Claus lore and legend!



3. Written by Jeffery L Schatzer with the assistance of Mark Bush and Don Rutt, The Bird In Santa's Beard: How A Christmas Legend Was Forever Changed is superbly and imaginatively illustrated by Ty Smith combinations of art and photography. This is the story of how a bird was given Santa's permission to nest in his beard in order to keep warm in the winter. Santa is having trouble making his rounds across the world. But with the help of the bird, he comes upon a solution that worked so well it is still the one used to this very day! Lively, colorful, original, and fun, The Bird In Santa's Beard is a wonderful contribution to the every growing library of Santa Claus lore and legend!



4. 
   this is a terrific story for mom's and dad's who need to explain why there
   are so many "Santas" around at Christmas. My Grandkids love this book.
   I read it before I gave it to them and am pleased with the story, the
   illustrations, and the theme. Also, it's a nice hard cover book that will
   become a treasured keepsake for your child.
   
   I highly recommend this book to all the children who believe in the
   wonder of Santa.

5 comments about The Advent Book.

1. We've had our Advent Book for seven years. Opening it on December first every year has become tradition in our family - and one which our boys eagerly anticipate. It always seems to captivate our friends and neighbors, too, and has even become traditions in those homes where we've given them as gifts or when our friends have purchased their own copies. Thanks again, Stockmans!



2. We just got this book, and our kids (4 and 2) love it! It's a great way to introduce the REAL Christmas story to kids. It is a beautiful book and has doors that open for each day of Advent. It would be great for older kids, and even adults, too.



3. This is such a beautiful Advent book. We have used it for several years now. Beginning December first, you start with the first page. Every day you open a page and look behind the door for a piece of the Nativity Story. The next day you begin again, stopping each day on that day's date. The children learn the story so well with the repeatability. They eagerly take part. Even our youngest repeats after us to be included. We have a copy for each of our daughters so they will have a keepsake in their adult life. It is also a wonderful baby gift. The illustrations are lovely. This is a great opportunity with your family to prepare for Christmas.



4. My daughter and I enjoyed using this book very much during the Advent season. Nice quality, fun to open the doors.



5. I ORDERED THIS BOOK FROM AMAZON THE BEGINNING OF DECEMBER. AT THE TIME I ORDERED, THIS BOOK WAS STILL TEMP. OUT OF STOCK. AFTER PLACING ORDER I WAS TOLD IT WOULD BE DELIVERED AFTER JANUARY 19TH. AFTER NUMEROUS PHONE CALLS AND EMAILS TO AMAZON, I STILL DO NOT HAVE THIS BOOK. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH A SUPERVISOR ABOUT WHY THIS BOOK IS STILL BEING SOLD ON SITE IF THEY CAN'T EVEN GET A HOLD OF IT. IN DECEMBER I EMAILED THE ACTUAL WRITERS OF THE BOOK (JACK AND CATHY STOCKMAN-BECAUSE YOU COULD BUY A COPY FROM THEIR WEBSITE FOR JUST MORE MONEY)AND RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM THEM SAYING THAT THIS BOOK IS OUT OF PRINT NOW-THEY LOST THEIR PUBLISHING RIGHTS AND ARE IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING IT BACK IN PRINT. SO PLEASE DO NOT PLACE YOUR ORDER WITH AMAZON. IT IS NOW 2-26-08 AND I STILL DON'T HAVE THE BOOK. AND WHEN I ORDERED BACK IN DEC. THE BOOK WAS AROUND $23. AMAZON INCREASED THEIR PRICE AND THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO GET THESE BOOKS FOR A LONG TIME, IF AT ALL.

5 comments about Santa Claustrophobia (Picture Puffin Books).

1. My family and I have already enjoyed a couple of other books by Mike Reiss, and this one shares his lively wit and terrific way with language. The illustrations are gorgeous, and almost as funny as the text. If you read to your kids, and you've got "Santa Claustrophobia" on hand, you'll look forward to the story hour as much as they do.



2. Poor Santa is burned out. He asks for advice from Doc Holiday. Doc suggests a sunny vacation in Aruba. What about Christmas? No problem! The residents of Stinky Cigar agree to fill in for Santa. Stinky Cigar is the town where holiday icons like the Easter Bunny and April Fool rest in between their holiday duties. With good intentions but no organization, chaos insues. The Easter Bunny is painting little fire trucks easter egg pastels. Cupid is making romantic cards for xmas gifts? Of course, Santa comes back just in time to save xmas. He has a lovely tan and is 19 lbs. lighter. All of this is told in rhyme!! I bought 2 copies today. Both the adults and kids will laugh out loud.



3. What a great writer with an amazingly creative mind! How Murray Saved Christmas & Santa Claustrophobia are my 2 favorite Christmas books to read to our kids. I cannot recommend them enough. I have purchased them for my nieces and nephews too!



4. We bought "Santa Claustrophobia" for our annual Christmas book (year 12). The author has created another fun story with witty writing and wonderful illustrations. Kids and adults will find this book is filled with Christmas fun!
   I also recommend Mike Reiss' "How Murray Saved Christmas" ; you will not be disappointed!



5. When Santa needs a vacation, all the other holiday characters pitch in to help with Christmas. Reiss and Catrow make a great pair. A silly story with many tongue-in-cheek jokes makes this funny for both adults and kids. Be sure to look at the illustrations for further humor. Great detail in the artwork.

No comments about Who Is Stealing the 12 Days of Christmas? (Chickadee Court Mysteries).

2 comments about Through the Animals' Eyes: A Story of the First Christmas.

1. I bought this because I assumed by the title that it would be the Christmas Story from the animals' point of view. It definitely is not! It is the same story taken almost exactly word for word from the Bible with hardly any mention of animals at all. I guess the author/publisher figured that by just putting in some pictures of animals, that would count. The title is completely misleading! If you want a Christmas story about animals this is NOT the one.



2. In contrast to the other review, one reason I love this book is that the Christmas story is simply told, and the illustrations are an opportunity for the reader to quietly enter into the story through the eye of the critters who supposedly witnessed the chain of events which led to Christ's birth - it is a sort of quiet meditation on the story. If you are looking for talking animals or are not the meditative type, this book is not for you. If you love Wormell's other work or love linocut prints, then you will not be disappointed. It's probably as much for adult enjoyment as for kids. Wormell is best at Books which showcase animals (see his Alphabet of Animals, A Number of Animals, so of course he would do a Christmas book like this. Being a Wormell fan and a Christmas book junkie, I cannot help but give this 5 stars.

1 comments about Christmas Surprise! (Deluxe Coloring Book).

1. As a mom it has been so fun to introduce my little boy to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. I grew up watching Rudy every Christmas and it continues to be a tradition. This coloring book is an excellent example of how a coloring book should be! The illustrations are just like the animated feature. In fact, many of the pictures are taken directly from "scenes" from the cartoon.
   The quality of the book is great; strong pages, illustrations that pop out and just beg to be colored, captions on the bottom of each page also turns this into an on the spot reading time, which is always a good thing. Another added bonus is the puzzles, games and other activities sure to please little (and big) inquisitive minds.
   Plenty of hours of fun were spent coloring Rudolph, Santa, Clarice, the Island of Misfit Toys, and more.