3 comments about It's Earth Day! (Little Critter).

1. It's Earth Day! (Little Critter)I am using this book with young children to increase awareness of ways they can help take care of the earth. It is both entertaining and informative. I recommend it for the classroom or for reading and discussing at home.



2. This book is nicely illustrated and I like the concept but the author misses some wonderful opportunities to teach more about what we can do to take care of the earth. One of the illustrations shows the main character standing in front of the refrigerator with the door wide open for what appears to be an extended period of time as he contemplates climate control. (seems counter intuitive} Then the main character makes a bunch of ice and uses an electric fan all day and into the night to blow air over the ice to cool the planet. Hmmmm... more waste of electricity. Would have been nice to include things we can do in our every day lives in our homes to reduce our carbon footprint like turning off lights, driving less, carpooling, changing light bulbs, solar power, etc etc I should note that the author does do a nice job of going over reduce, reuse, recylce, so it's not entirely bad, just misses the mark.



3. This is a great books to teach kids and adults alike how easy it is to recycle without requiring a major overhaul to one's life. There are tips about conserving water, using your community's curb side recycling service, planting trees and more.

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

1. "Not only did I get this book at the estimated arrival date, but it also came undamaged which is highly important if you appreciate books as I do. I would highly recommend nickthebooknut to everyone, he is a true professional."

5 comments about Daddy Hugs 1 2 3.

1. I brought Daddy Hugs for my great nephew.I thought it would be a nice birtday present for him. In looking at it, I know he'll enjoy my neice reading it to him. Thank you for a great book!



2. This is the perfect Daddy-Daughter read. My daughter and husband have enjoyed reading this since she was a year old and continues to love it at 2. It is especially great when my little girl wants attention from dad.



3. My 17 -month son and husband have such a great cuddle session when reading this book together before bedtime. It is really rare to find a book targeting the softer side of the male role, whether it be for children or adults, so it is a real pleasure to watch them enjoy this book over and over again, during his most formative years. Hopefully it will assist us in our efforts to raise him as a sensitive and warm individual.



4. My daughter really enjoys this book and I believe it has helped her bond with her dad. She asks to read it every night.



5. Another wonderful addition to your toddler library. My little girl loves all the Karen Katz books and brings them too me to read before bed time. Great choice!

5 comments about The Road to Mumbai.

1. My sister gave my 4 year old (and 9 mos old) this book. My 4 year old loves it and we have talked about the book alot. I like the illustrations as well. Recommended.



2. Little Shoba is on her way to a wedding in Mumbai but will she ever get there? With her pet monkey Fuzzy Patel, she sets out on her journey and discovers one interesting thing after another. A camel ride, a line of elephants, an over-crowded bus, laddos, jalebees will all help bring India to little book lovers. The illustrations are very colorful and add to the overall effect of the book.



3. This is a delightful little romp for the younger than Harry Potter set, but it will also cheer grown-ups seeking refuge from the white-bread po-faced world.
   
   It's wonderful when story-telling ability and drawing ability are present in the same author; Jeyaveeran has spades of talent.
   
   Libraries and parents (and probably a few Wall Street investors in need of lightening up) should buy this book, and Ruth Jeyaveeran should get to work on a sequel!



4. The Road to Mumbai is a wonderfully written, colorfully illustrated children's book, which adults can enjoy too.
   
   It is a cute and humorous tale of a little girl named Shoba and her monkey, Fuzzy Patel (insert smiles here) and their journey to Mumbai, via her bed and various other modes of transportation along the way. The story and pictures capture the essence of the people and animals they meet on the road to Fuzzy's cousin's wedding.
   
   Ms. Jeyaveeran has accomplished much in her first book. I look forward to her next one.



5. The author needs to fact check before publishing. Gujarati is not the major language of the people who live in Mumbai. It is Marathi.
   
   This carelessness mars the otherwise nice illustrations in this book.

1 comments about Daisy Jane, Best-Ever Flower Girl (Step into Reading).

1. My 6 year old daughter loves weddings and can't wait to be a flower girl one day. This book was perfect for her.

2 comments about Earth Day--Hooray! (MathStart 3).

1. My kids LOVE this book even though they are younger than the recommended age. Easy to follow story goes well with the math. Teaches how even kids can help clean up the earth. The kids ask for it to be read over and over again!



2. Earth Day - Hooray! is a book which combines the social studies topic of Earth Day and recycling with math ideas and place value. Kids enjoy the book as if it were a puzzle and the topic can be included in many topics, not just math. This is important because I teach ESOL and math isn't always considered a topic I am supposed to teach. The book allows me to cover social studies and language concepts and include math tips also.

No comments about Strawberry Shortcake's Country Fair Fun (Strawberry Shortcake).

3 comments about Grandpa and Me: A Lift-the-Flap Book (Lift-The-Flap Book (Little Simon)).

1. A sweet book about a little girl baking a pizza with her Grandpa. Nice lift the flap style for little hands. So far my 9 month old daughter has not been able to tear the flaps. Bright, vibrant colors.



2. My 18 month daughter absoulutly loves this book I also have a few others like Where's Baby's Mommy and Where's Baby Belly button they are all wonderful books my husband and I must read them to her atleast 5 times a day.



3. I have a couple of books by this author. Very cute--but this wasn't the smartest buy.
   The story basically has the little girl baking a pizza with Grandpa--which falls on my dad's to-do list right after getting a root canal and giving away all his tools. Just not gonna happen.
   So... unless you want to have your daughter expecting to be baking with Grandpa, choose different book.
   Anybody know a Grandpa and Me book that has them playing with tools?

5 comments about Donald Duk.

1. Growing up, there was always that one person you wanted to be. That one person you were reminded of everyday in the media that seemed so much more glamorous than your average lifestyle. For Donald Duk, being Chinese wasn't quite satisfying enough. He dreamt about being Fred Astaire, his Americanized idol. The whole novel bases its message on being happy with what you got, something I feel important growing up in a self-centered America.
   Donald is a 12 year old boy living in the streets of Chinatown in San Francisco. His life experiences are similar to the stereotyped foreigner. He gets made fun of by the Chinatown bullies, leaving him with no self-respect and dignity for himself. He realizes the stereotypical aspects of American-Chinese and it drives him to unhealthily hate himself. I think the message of this book can reach out to so many people who are in similar situations with their social life.
   The novel puts Donald in a period of life where self image starts to become an important thing. I could really connect to this because around the same period of my life, this was also important. He wants to just be American so bad that he has negativity for all things Chinese. Hatred is found in several ways including food, culture, and way of life. He hates the weird foods; he hates the embarrassing, easy to baffle names including his. Donald is constantly being made fun of by his ridiculous link to the Walt Disney Donald Duck. Even his mother's name is Daisy. He even hates his uncle who performs Chinese opera seldom at him school; imagine that. Even his best friend appreciates the culture more than he does. Basically he would do anything to be anything but Chinese. I know I've been so ungrateful at times. After reading this novel, you feel much more self-assured. You don't get that much in literature.
   This book contains good balance to imply the message with the introduction of Donald's father, King Duk. He is the wise, old man carrying mentoring features for Donald. If it weren't for his father, Donald would be lost in American culture. He shows him how to adapt instead of completely transform. He makes it important that instead of being laughed at, laugh with. You don't gain much knowledge with out experience.
   If you're not familiar with Chinese culture, some parts of the book can be a little cloudy. There were some parts that I could get completely lost in, but the ultimate message shined through. The dreams that he endures about being an underground rail-road builder in the 1800's is what turns him around. The dream sequences were my favorite, switching the story up with eccentric details. He finds out that the Chinese are just as creditable as anyone else and have received no recognition for it. He starts to appreciate where he has come from, becoming a happier person. The adaptation process starts to come easy to him, making him proud of his individualism.
   Sometimes you just need the help of others to see more clearly. For Donald, his dreams opened up the passageway for him. Also, through the help of his family and friends, he could actually start to enjoy himself. Chinese culture is one that holds a lot of values. Back in China, death could even result from breaking this. Throughout the book, the main values presented were family, respect, and righteousness. Frank Chin did a very good job of combining freedom of choice by America with the traditional values of Chinese. This is a book we could all learn a little from.



2. First of all, I am surprised that not many people have read or even heard of this book. Why is it that America eats up all the stereotypical, sell-out Asian-American literature and denies something as real and tangible as Frank Chin's "Donald Duk"? Instead we are force-fed Amy Tan. And don't get me wrong, I enjoy reading Amy Tan, she is a very engaging writer, however, the average reader does not know where to draw the line between fiction and fact. They assume that because Amy Tan is Asian, every word that spills across the pages of her works is the solid truth. It is important for people to understand this distinction before reading any literature, lest they mistake fiction writing for truth and buy into the stereotypes presented by the author. Unfortunately, most people cannot make this distinction and their knowledge of Asian/Asian-American culture is limited to what they read in "The Joy Luck Club" and other such works.
   
   Whew! That was quite a rant :) Back to the review:
   
   Frank Chin is NOT Amy Tan. On the surface, "Donald Duk" presents itself as a light-hearted, comedic read. In fact, the entire premise of this novel seems silly, as do the characters. However, beneath the surface lie some serious questions about culture, identity, and racism. With its rich portrayal of history and culture, "Donald Duk" challenges the abundant stereotypes and misrepresented histories often present in American culture. Paired with Chin's vibrant and crisp writing style (It took me a few pages before I warmed-up to his style, but once I did I was hooked), the end result is a novel that manages to be eye-opening without being preachy. A feat that is seldom accomplished. I don't say this often, but I love this book. "Donald Duk" is an entertaining, albeit important, novel that should be introduced to more readers.



3. this book was good. it was interesting to read. it has 2 messages that i found.



4. Frank Chin uses 3rd person to go through the novel. What? Is he trying to question our competancy? It's and incredibly dull and boring book and is about a boy who dislikes being chinese. He wants to be a famous dancer-- so why doesn't he just do it. I mean it doesn't matter if you're chinese or not. Really, the book is about a kid who is so emo over his ethnicity, it just sickens me. Shut up and quit complaining. Only a few interesting dreams but that's it.



5. pretty interesting but a kind of bad ending. the book has an interesting beginning though.

5 comments about Dance at Grandpa's (My First Little House).

1. My 2-year-old daughter loves this series (My First Little House Books). Dance at Grandpa's was her first and still her favorite. At 2, she is already fascinated by Laura, Mary, Pa, and Ma and their lives...just as I was by reading the Little House series when I was older. Dance at Grandpa's is a wonderful story with beautiful illustrations. I highly recommend it (and the other books) to all parents!



2. I have to admit that my daughter loves these books. But I think they are much less than they could have been. The illustrations are attractive but have no dramatic power and no personality. All the people look the same. The stories reveal no individuality in the characters. Everyone gets along and behaves well, and no desires conflict. I think the idyllic quality is part of what appeals to my daughter, but I think she also enjoys seeing some details of how people lived in a very different time.



3. It's almost magic, the way my daughter is fascinated by these First Little House books ...all of them, all the time. The illustrations are a delight, and prompt her to pointing, and naming the different kinds of animals, as well as "Pa," "Ma," and "Jack" the bulldog. The text is simple, but holds up under repeated readings, and keeps my two-year old captivated. DANCE AT GRANDPA'S, is a nice example of this picture book series, which captures the spirit of Wilder's chapter books in a way that can delight a very young audience. This book, and all we've read from the series, is well worth having on the shelf.



4. I'm reading the full Little House series to my 6-year-old, and my 3-year-old felt very left out. This book is perfect for her. It gives some of the sense of Little House, giving an entry to talking about the era and how it differs from now. And she really likes it.
   But it doesn't draw you in much -- you don't get any sense of the characters and it misses the beautiful details of the full Little House books.



5. These are great little books (there are several in the series). These are adaptations of the Little House books, formatted as picture books with full color illutrations that are inspired by Garth Williams original Little House artwork. Dance at Grandpa's is an abbreviated excerpt from the Ingalls Wilder novel Little House in the Big Wood. The fun pictures and straitforward text present the incident of a dance and celebration at Grandpa Ingalls' cabin - quite a story as presented in the original novel and adapted well here. The essential elements are presented here with perfectly matched illustrations. One of those books that you hope your kids will choose for you to read at bedtime