2 comments about Biscuit Loves Father's Day (Biscuit).

1. Unlike BISCUIT'S GRADUATION, this holiday book goes right to the point. The-girl-with-the-purple-sneakers wakes up and tells Biscuit that it is Father's day.
   
   After giving dad a card, the rest of the book is spent doing one of Dad's favorite things (they even wish a father bird a happy Father's Day). In the end you can feel that the reader has some idea of what Father's Day is about and what it honors.
   
   The artwork is up to the usual cute standards of the series. The flaps are standard for the holiday books and reveal some of the surprises of what Biscuit is up to. A pretty good book.



2. The book begins on Father's Day morning and tracks the daily activities of a girl, her father, and her dog. The daily progression is easy for children to recognize and compare with their own. There are plenty of "woof woof"s, which my 3 year old and my 1 year old follow. My three year old can point out the words and my 1 year old can say them after me (and does so eagerly).
   
   My three year old daughter unfolds each flap for me to read.
   At the end of the book, she could tell me more than three things that happened in the book. One of the events was memorable to her even later that day.
   
   I have heard mothers say that their children love Biscuit. This was our first Biscuit book, but it was so perfectly balanced for preschoolers that we are eager to read others.

5 comments about Dragon Dance: A Chinese New Year LTF: A Chinese New Year Lift-the-Flap Book (Lift-the-Flap, Puffin).

1. I bought this book for my nieces and nephews, and my daughter's school, to give the kids some background on Chinese New Year in advance of parties at our house and school. My daughter is too young to understand the words, but loves to lift the flaps and the bright colors of the book.



2. My daughter is 2.5 years and loves this book. The text is simple, with flaps, and covers the very basic ideas behind CNY.



3. Read this story to my 2 year old twins this year, we are trying to learn about other cultures holidays, and they liked the story a great deal. We are not very familiar with Chinese culture so I am not sure how accurate it is but my kids loved the story. The pictures were colorful and clear, and information on the traditions was easy to understand. The kids were able to take what they saw in the book and use it in real life, we saw a Chinese dragon in a Thomas the Tank Engine video and they said "Chinese New Year".



4. I love the illustrations and narrative of this book. It's a rare find amongst a sea of books attempting, but failing, to capture the spirit of this special, cultural event. Most books on the subject are patronizing, offensive, or downright inaccurate. This one is not. I like details, such as the photo of the ancestors on the table with the fruit and flowers--a tasteful way to display Chinese ancestral worship, not just during the new year celebrations. I like the Chinese astrology wheel at the back of the book and the 'make your own dragon puppet' how-to instructions. Those extra touches were a special bonus.



5. My preschoolers enjoyed reading and flipping threw the tabs in this book. The pictures were stereotypical ancient China but it was colorful and vibrant. The story covers what happens in and around Chinese New Year, and the message was clear and simple.

5 comments about The Spring Equinox: Celebrating the Greening of the Earth.

1. great way to explain pagan rites to Children. We will use this in our children's circle. Also briefly mentions Christianity in relation to pagan symbols



2. These Equiox and the Solstice books are cute and fun to read, at the end of the book are crafts and ideas to do with your children for the Equinox. I also like all the history it has in it, I learned quite a bit myself!! :)



3. Another reviewer said this book has crafts or ideas at the end. NOPE!!! It is a set of 1 page stories about how different cultures in the past waited for the suns return. I liked the short tale at the end and the page that explains the science of what makes the seasons change.
   Overall, I found this book too boring to hold the attention of my kids. I expected some fun ideas for the season and the book didn't include any.
   
   Some of the facts were fun and the author nicely tied them to modern day.
   "Romans gave presents to their friends and relatives, like we do now at Christmas." The pictures were also nice and bright.
   This book is completely non-denominational, which is a nice change but not what I expected from the title and description. Sadly, I was kind of hoping that this book would be a good introduction to Yule for kids. It is not!
   The part about sacrificing llamas made my kids angry. I don't really like that they now have to bring that one point up every time we mention Yule.
   While this book isn't a total waste, it is not at all what I had hoped for. I look forward to seeing good books that will actually explain the old holidays to kids. This book just doesn't do it.



4. My son has family members that celebrate both Christian and Pagan holidays. I found this book and others are a great way to put all of our traditions in a historical and equal light. We've been reading it since he was four but I recommend it for 1st graders and older doing a few pages a night.



5. It would be nice to have the whole collection, which I plan to do for my granddaughters. Either to read to them, or have them read on their own, as it's easy to understand. I enjoyed reading it myself.

5 comments about When Mama Comes Home Tonight (Classic Board Books).

1. As a working mom, this was a book I couldn't resist. Of course, I don't bear much of a resemblance to the mama in this story, but I think my toddlers (both boys) get the picture. The comforting notion seems to resonate with them that after a long day, mama will come home to the sweet bedtime routine.



2. This is a sweet book, not too relevant in some places so I change the words, but it still works.



3. This is a must have for the libraries of children with working parents. This was a gift from my Mom, when I was pregnant with my first child. I love this book and so does he! The book is gender neutral, a big plus, and it conveys the message that Mama will be home suberbly. I started reading it to my son when he was 3 months old, he is 2 1/2 and it is one of his favorites.



4. My daughter and I have been reading this book together since she was one year old. I found it quite realistic as many of the things depicted in the book are things my daughter and I share daily- sipping tea, playing in the tubby with the ducky, watching cars out the window and hugging. Whatever the reason, she enjoyed it too. I felt it perhaps reassured her that I, Mama, would always be come from work. I think this is a good gift book for other working Mothers.



5. I really love that this book exists to show kids that Mama will come home after work! I love the drawings and how it illustrates the quality, memory-making things Mama and baby do together in the evening. The only thing I didn't like was that the book was so big and has a book cover. I took the book cover off...my 17 month old was too eager to rip it. The large book was also a tad unwieldy for him to hold and turn the pages. If it were a little smaller I'd love it completely!

1 comments about The Legend of the Kite: A Story of China (Make Friends Around the World).

1. Every spring the kite festival is celebrated in China. To celebrate this special day, a boy and his grandfather make a beautiful kite, but the string breaks and the kite sails away. The grandfather tells the boy the legend behind the festival and the boy is inspired to build a new kite. The Legend Of The Kite: A Story Of China is a splendidly written and drawn picturebook which will enchant young readers from first page to last.

2 comments about Monster Math.

1. This is an excellent teaching tool for beginning counters! I gave this book to a group of toddlers and they absolutely loved it! I have read this book over and over again. With the great rhyming words and great pictures, this book will surely help your child enjoy counting. This book tells a cute little story (while counting by ones, then tens, and then back down again) about a monster having a party that gets out of control in which the mother monster shoes them all away! It is a great book!



2. The idea of this book is great for teaching/reinforcing math skills for beginning counters. I did enjoy the text. One monster has a birthday party and more and more monsters show up and then leave. Your child is supposed to count the monsters. The book takes them up slowly from 1-10 and then jumps from 10 to 20 to 30 to 40 to 50 and back down quickly from 50 to 10 to 5, 4, 3, 2 to 1 (the birthday girl).
   
   Love the idea of this book; however, there is a major flaw in it surrounding the illustrations. While they are interesting and cute, they do not make for "easy" counting for little ones. For example, one of the monsters has two heads - does that count for one monster or two then? (counts for two) and some of the monsters, you can only see an arm, leg, or part of a head (like a horn), so it was confusing for the little kids who were actually trying to count them all. My children even mistook the pinata for a monster on one page. Also, the birthday girl's mother (who is a monster) is in some of the pages, but you are not supposed to count her as one of them - see what I mean? The rules, logic, and order are missing in the illustrations and that is the foundation of math. The pattern of 30 or 40 or 50 monsters on a page to count is so random that even I couldn't remember if I had counted "that one" yet or not. So this might be better suited for an older counter if you are just beginning with a younger child. I think when the kids are young, it is especially important to build their confidence and skills with consistency, simplicity and when they succeed by counting the right number, that positive success makes it more fun for them and they want to keep learning. This book made my 4 yr old twins frustrated. They kept counting and winding up with the wrong number and they are actually one year ahead in math, so I know it's simply the illustrations. Me having to explain that "technically" there are 41 monsters on that page, but you're not supposed to count the mother as a monster. And they retort, "But isn't she a monster, mom?" - well yes, she is. It ended up being more of a frustration than the great counting book it could have been. I hope someday they reillustrate the book and keep these things in mind.
   
   I'd recommend "Math for All Seasons" by Greg Tang for young children. In his book, the illustrations are clearly laid out and organized and make it fun for the kids to count and succeed.
   
   Check it out from your library before you spend the money on it. I'm glad I did.

No comments about Rabbit's Pajama Party (MathStart 1).

No comments about Dora's Summer Parade (Dora the Explorer).

1 comments about Biscuit's Fourth of July (Biscuit).

1. It is the Fourth of July and Biscuit is ready to learn about another holiday. The Girl-With-The-Purple-Sneakers starts out the day telling Biscuit it is America's birthday.
   
   The rest of the book shows all of the events and activities of the whole day, starting early with setting up decorations all the way to the final fireworks display. Biscuit gets to see lots of fun including picnic and parades.
   
   In the end we are left with a simple lesson in the meaning of the Fourth of July and traditional ways it is celebrated. The story is illustrated with the usual high-standard pictures that are always so adorable. A fun and informative read.

5 comments about DADDY, WILL YOU MISS ME?.

1. This is the kind of thing that's going to be read on Father's Day for a long time. A sweet story of a boy and his father and how difficult their separation is when dad has to go on a trip. I loved it.



2. My son and I read this book almost every night when his daddy was traveling for weeks at a time. It was a very difficult time. I think that my son could relate to the little boy in the story on how much he missed his daddy. When a young boy is away from his father for a long period of time, he begins to wonder if his daddy still loves him and misses him. This book helps to ease those fears and that it is all going to be "ok". We are giving this book to two little boys that are my son's friends who are losing their daddy for 8 months while he fights this "War on Terrorism" with the Army in Egypt. We think that maybe this book will help them to come up with their own rituals while their daddy is gone and maybe help to ease their fears.



3. My husband is in the military and I found this book when we found out he was going to Kuwait for six months. The message is beautiful and my husband and I cried together while reading it. Since my daughter is only 9 mos. old we wanted a way for her to think of her Dad every day. Each night we look at his photo and read this book. It's a special way for me to let her know that her daddy loves her and that he's coming home soon. This book is perfect for any family in a similar situation.



4. My husband is in the military and I bought this book for my 4 and 2 year old before he deployed. This book was an extreme comfort to my 4 yr. old. I read it to her when she had a hard time dealing with my husbands deployment. It became a nightly ritual while he was gone. If your spouse is in the military, this is a must. It really hits home with the feelings and it also talked about daddies feelings too. We used the idea of saving things to show daddy and my daughter loved it.



5. My husband is in the Navy and we bought this book to read to our children as he prepares to leave for 14 months. It is very good at explaining that Daddy will always love his kids, even when he is gone. The only reason that I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because it only deals with 1 month and a business trip. It differs from our situation, but overall it is a very good book.