1 comments about Here's to You, America! (Peanuts).

1. This cute little book (29 pages, excluding the title page and so forth) is another excellent example of the work of the incomparable Charles M. Schulz. This book places the Peanuts gang back in 1787, where they assist the Constitutional Convention. As they do their good deeds, they learn about the new American form of government.

   When I was a child, I absolutely loved the Peanuts, and I am so pleased that my own children have now fallen in love with those same funny characters. This book is large and attractive, with brightly colored pictures that are sure to please the young reader (and Peanuts fans of all ages). In particular we all had a laugh at Snoopy and Woodstock wearing 18th century powdered wigs! My children and I highly recommend this book to you!

4 comments about This Next New Year.

1. I read this beautifully illustrated book to my class of 25 preschoolers on Chinese New Year's day. They loved it! They could so identify with the young boy and his quest for good luck. One student exclaimed at the end of the book..."that's it, I'm going right home to clean my closet!" I overheard several children saying that their palms were itching. I have a very diverse group of children this year, from many countries, so this book really spoke to them.I highly reccommend it!



2. A great and interesting book for children age 3-7. Kids love it. Teaches children about different traditions, good habbits. Especially good for introducing your little ones to Asian culture.



3. I sent this to my grandson who is now living in Hong Kong and he loves it so much he sleeps with it. He is almost 3 and insists on having this read to him every night. I think it makes him feel more at home in this new place by incorporating the Chinese traditions that he experienced for the first time this year. Although I haven't read it, I can only comment on it from a child's point of view, and that should be a good barometer for other children.



4. My 4-yr-old son has three shelves of children's books in his closet, and out of all them this is my favorite. The beautiful flow of the text makes it a joy to read every time!

5 comments about Daddy's Lullaby.

1. This story about a daddy coming home to find his baby awake, then walking all around the house to see the rest of the family sleeping is wonderful. The illustrations are truly spectacular. My 12 month old son loves the pictures of the cat and the baby,particularly and I can always get him to giggle at the end when you find out where the baby and the daddy end up at the end of their journey. I would positively recommend this book to anyone.



2. This book really touched my heart. I don't agree with the reviewer that said it reinforces stereotypes - if it does, then I guess my family is a stereotype because the book fit our family perfectly! My husband often comes home very late to find us all sleeping. The illustrations are beautiful and the story is very sweet.



3. Daddy's Lullaby is a wonderful story about a Daddy who comes home from work late one night- and finds his whole family asleep - all except his youngest baby. So, Daddy and Baby take a stroll around the house, checking on all sleeping family members. Then they settle down and Daddy sings Baby a lullaby (to the tune of Rock-a-by Baby).
   The illustrations are beautiful and the story is really sweet.
   This is a wonderful gift for expectant and/or new dads. I've bought several copies to give as gifts this holiday.



4. My 21 month old loves this book, we read/sing it several times every night. He loves to point out the baby and the daddy and the cat. As a parent, I don't tire of it because the illustrations are really breathtaking. Highly reccommend!



5. My 17 month old son loves to have this book read over and over especially before bed. The pictures are so soft and beautiful and show the Daddy coming home, feeding the cat and comforting the sweet little one who is still awake long after the rest of the house is asleep. He takes the baby from room to room looking in on baby's big brother and mother until they finally fall asleep in the chair with daddy singing a lullaby and baby on daddy's chest. This is a sweet, loving story with pictures showing a daddy's gentle care.
   
   p.s. If this was a "stereotype from the 50's" as another reviewer said, daddy would not be helping with baby at all, mommy would be the one up in the night.

5 comments about My Mother Is Mine.

1. This book is terrific coming from a child to his/her mom. It teaches and at the same time shows appreciation. If you want to give a gift to a mother, this is the best and is worth more than I could say ..



2. I found this book at a book fair at my sons daycare and got it for myself as a Mothers Day gift. The words are very heart warming, and the pictures are wonderfully done. This book also came with a card which I found so moving that I have framed it. I would highly recommend it to any mother(or father) to read for their children, or just to keep for themselves as a little 'pick me up' when parenting gets tough.



3. This is a precious book. When I read it to my little ones, I confess I get a lump in my throat every time. It reminds me how precious a mother's love is to a child, and in it's own simple way, challenges me to be a better mother each time I read it. A special thrill has been watching my six year old learn to read and read this book back to me. Hearing him say these sweet words in his own voice is a treasure.



4. I got this for my daughter when she had her first child. Her eyes were teary the entire time. I now have a copy here at my house too!



5. I gave this to my Daughter for Christmas as she has a year old and she cried. She just loved the book and the idea behind it.

1 comments about Los Osos Berenstain y Demasiada Fiesta (First Time Books(R)).

1. Este libro es divertido leer. La hermana osa tendra seis anos. Su papa y hermano y ella le gusta una celebracion muy grande. Sin embargo, La hermana osa tiene demasiados cumpleanos.

2 comments about Horse Song: The Naadam of Mongolia.

1. This book is absolutely wonderful for children, teachers, parents, anthropologists, and Mongolia enthusiasts alike! Ted and Betsy Lewin creatively captured the spirit and splendor of Naadam, a vibrant festival showcasing Mongolia's talented sportsmen and women. This book transports readers to the vast Mongolian steppe and lets them imagine what it would be like to stand shoulder to shoulder with locals, cheering for horses and young jockeys crossing the finish line after an emotional and exhausting race.



2. The Naadam, an annual festival held throughout Mongolia that features horse racing, is thought to be one of the world's oldest sporting events, second only to the Olympics. Told from Ted and Betsy Lewin's point of view and based on events during their journey to Southern Mongolia, the story highlights one of those horse races across a fourteen-mile stretch of the Gobi Desert. At a camp of horse trainers about 800 miles away from the capital city of Ulaanbaatar, a nomad family has kindly offered the Lewins their hospitality. The reader also meets a nine-year old member of this family, Tamir, who is hard at work training his half-wild race horse in preparation for the upcoming Naadam. Much of the book chronicles the way of life for this family in the desert, the practice of "sweating up" the horses for the race, and the enormous excitement on race day.
   
   Although the book focuses on the horse race competition and the question of how Tamir will perfom as a jockey, the authors have carefully woven in a set of economics lessons related to natural and human resources. For example, the family members use the milk from their mares, sheep, cows, and goats to make a variety of food and drink items. Also, the abundance of horses in Mongolia (there may be three times as many horses as people), helps to explain the popularity of horse racing. The intricate illustrations further help to convey how the family maintains its livelihood in the desert. Children and adults alike will appreciate the book's exciting plot, strong substantive content, and unique focus on Mongolia.

1 comments about Earth Day (Rookie Read-About Holidays).

1. EARTH DAY (Rookie Read-About Holidays)is a book ideal for children up to age 3. It's describes perfectly the importance of caring for the Earth. The charming photos clearly tell the story or message. And the book is inexpensive enough to use as a distribution in a classroom or youth group.

1 comments about What Day Is It? (Green Light Readers Level 1).

1. Patti Trimble has done a nice job with sharing the feelings of a young person who thinks that they have been forgotten by friends. I, personally, found the title misleading. I was expecting to be able to use this book to teach the days of the week. I will say that it is quite a hook at the beginning and therefore you will not be disappointed, but you will want to keep looking.

2 comments about Arthur's Birthday Activity Book : With Reusable Vinyl Stickers!.

1. I gave this to my son for his 4th birthday. We were traveling to the in-laws, and this book kept him intertained on the long flight. I love that the stickers are reusable & can be moved around. My son isn't really interested in the story though. He just plays with the stickers, so this is why I gave it 4 stars, rather than 5.



2. MY DAUGHTER WENT FOR THE STICKERS FIRST THEN VENTURED INTO THE BOOK. SHE LIKES THE WORD FIND AND COLORING PAGES. SHE'S 4 AND A HALF SO MAYBE WHAT HELPED WAS DOING THE INSIDE OF THE BOOK WITH ME. LOTS OF GREAT STICKERS THAT ARE TRULY REUSABLE, UNLIKE MANY WHO SAY THEY ARE BUT AREN'T. COLORFUL TOO!

5 comments about The Shortest Day: Celebrating the Winter Solstice.

1. I was very pleased with this book and it's coverage of the Winter Solstice. I was looking for something to help my 4 year old son understand the concept as well as realize the historical importance of the sun and moon. We celebrate Christmas but are eager to incorporate the holiday of the Winter Solstice as well. Our traditions will certainly include reading this book each year.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   



2. (Review from 9 year old girl, dictated to mom)
   A great book! With a great amount of knowledge.
   This little book has science and history and is fun. I like this story so much, I want to read it every year while I am a child.



3. This book has lovely illustrations, but the text and content could have been so much better. It says for ages 4-8, but really I wouldn't recommend it for anyone over 6. It is pretty simplistic, and won't hold the attention of a child much older than that. I wish it had included a lot more detail about the history of the Solstice.



4. I purchased this book after reading reviews here at Amazon and then previewing the book at our local library. I was looking for a picture book for my 6 year old that explains the Winter Solstice as well as the human traditions with which it is associated. This book fits the bill better than anything else I found, and the delightful illustrations are a nice bonus.
   
   It may come as a surprise to many people that a book about Winter holidays does not mention Christmas or Hannukah. However, this book reaches back farther in time to festivals and celebrations based on natural phenomena that occur in the Winter (shorter days, plants losing leaves). These very early celebrations gave rise to many of the customs that we still follow (bringing evergreens into the home, giving gifts, lighting candles). I love the anthropological perspective (I'm trained in this field), and was thrilled to find the suggested activities at the end of the book for children to make simple scientific observations and hold a secular celebration of the Solstice.
   
   This book would make a wonderful classroom resource as well as a read-aloud picture book to read as a family. It may be a bit too easy a read for children at a 2nd grade reading level or higher, but I enjoy the simplicity even as an adult. I also find the secular perspective refreshing. I understand that many Christians believe the only winter holiday of importance is the celebration of Christ's birth, but this book shows how it is possible to celebrate Winter for it's own sake and to recognize why so many festivals are held in winter.



5. The solstice is not an easy concept to explain to children. To do it well, an author needs to explain the movements of the Earth relative to the Sun and how these movements create the seasons. Probably the best way to convey the concept is to use a globe or an orange to represent the Earth and a flashlight to represent the Sun. In this book, Wendy Pfeffer suggests an activity that involves a lamp as a stand in for the Sun, but she forgets to mention that the activity must be done in a dark room (and not all lamps will work as a beam of light is really required). Still she's made a good try.
   
   Most of the book is excellent. The illustrations are clear and kid-friendly, and the author covers a lot of ground. The activities at the end of the book are all pretty standard, but for the most part the author explains them well.
   
   The nicest thing about this book is the simplicity of the language and the clarity of the explanations.
   
   Ellen Jackson, author
   THE WINTER SOLSTICE
   www.ellenjackson.net