1 comments about Spunky Monkeys on Parade (MathStart 2).

1. My children really enjoy Stuart Murphy's Math Start series. They introduce children to simple math concepts in a colorful format. Of course, you can't expect your children to learn all of their math skills by reading picture books, but they are great supplemental material. And they are great to read to preschoolers so that when it does come time to learn math in school, it is not a completely foreign subject. Spunky Monkeys on Parade is a fun book!

5 comments about Groundhog Day!.

1. A bit wordy for three year-olds but very informative with great illustrations. I definitely recommend it.



2. This reissue of a popular holiday title is perfect for celebrating Goundhog Day so if you missed adding it to your collection, here's another chance. Libraries strong in holiday books for grades 2-4 will find GROUNDHOG DAY a fine blend of visual drawings and history surveying the day's origins and facts about the groundhog. A wonderful choice highly recommended for any collection strong in holiday titles.



3. This is a nicely illustrated and informational book. It of course covers Groundhog day on Feb 2, but also covers information about the groundhog, or whistlepig as he is called in much of Pennsylvania.
   
   Author of "Hobo Finds A Home" editor "Of A Predatory Heart"



4. I gave this as a gift to two different children. One was 2 1/2, and the other was 3 years old. Neither were interested in the book. I think this is a fine book, but just for kids that are a little older.



5. The book was of the quality that I expect from Gail Gibbons. My birthday is on Groundhog Day and this book helped me share that day with my granddaughter. She is young and we used mostly the pictures but she can enjoy this book all through her first school years.

1 comments about Happy Mother's Day, Mami!.

1. Happy Mother's Day, Mami! tells the story of Dora finding the ingedients she needs in order to make a special Mother's Day cake for her Mami. There are 3 recipe cards laid out, and Dora asks the reader "Do you see the recipe card that has bananas, nuts, and chocolate?"
   
   Dora doesn't have the needed ingredients, so with the help of trusty Map, she ventures to the Banana Grove, through the Nutty Forest, and finally arrives at the Chocolate Tree. Along the way, she encounters her friends Boots, Tico the squirrel, Benny the bull, and Isa the iguana...all who have created beautiful presents for their Mothers in celebration of El Dia de las Madres.
   
   Of course, no Dora story would be complete without sneaky Swiper the fox trying to swipe something...and in this case, it's Isa's bouquet of flowers that she's about to give to her Mom for Mother's Day.
   
   Dora brings back the needed ingredients, and her papi (father) helps mix the batter for the special cake. Mami thinks the cake tastes delicioso!
   
   This fun story teaches children several Spanish words, including how to count one through six in Spanish. In fact, the inside front cover features a chart featuring 13 English words, the Spanish term, and the Spanish pronunciation of each.

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 That's What Leprechauns Do.

1. Three leprechauns have an important job: they must dig up the pot of gold before the rainbow comes to expose their hiding place - but on the way they can't resist some mischief involving farm animals, putting the pot of gold in danger. A fun story of animal encounters and lessons learned evolves.



2. I bought this book to read to my grandchildren and their classmates. It was a huge success!

1 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.

4 comments about Happy 4th of July, Jenny Sweeney.

1. I looked for a while trying to find a 4th of July to read to younger kids that was interesting, had good illustrations and is short enough to keep thier interest. Believe it or not most 4th of July storybooks are somewhat wordy. Then I found this book and my quest had ended. The story follows a young girl through the day and shows different activities that people in her town do for the holiday. The stroy is concise and enjoyable and the illustrations are sharp and colorful. Far and away the best children's storybook I have read about the 4th of July.



2. Happy 4th of July, Jenny Sweeney is a pleasant read. The author attempts to rhyme, but the beat feels forced in areas. Kimmelman, mostly known for How Do I Love You, keeps the sentences short and sweet. In fact, although available in hardcover only, the 32-paged book could be enjoyed by a 2-year old. As an appendix to the book, the author ends with a short explanation of the Declaration of Independence, the Liberty Bell, and the National Bird. Nancy Cote's artwork is run of the mill, yet I like it. The pictures tell the story better than the Kimmelman's words, and there's loads of details to uncover. The watercolor images are bright, colorful, and very expressive. William's enjoyed Happy 4th of July, Jenny Sweeney because it's simple, and easy for a child to grasp. In addition, the doggy antics add charm, and appeal. Kimmelman's attempt to educate our youngsters at the end earns her bonus points, plus, I appreciate the diversity aspects as well.



3. I highly recommend this book, it is very educational for children. I love these books, because you always want to have a book to read about the different holidays for extra emphasis and this is a very nice book.



4. This book does a good job of presenting a variety of 4th of July activities, such as grilling, parades, and fireworks. The colors are bright, and the rhymes are cute. It's not overly wordy, and it holds my toddler's attention. I appreciate the variety of Americans shown--people of many ethnicities and even a family of new citizens.

1 comments about A Birthday for Cow!.

1. It's funny to think that even though we have all been kids, so few adults amongst us actually get them. Grown-ups like to think that children are merely shrunken versions of themselves. They forget that a child's sense of humor is a difficult thing to determine. It's easy to say, "Well kids think farts are funny so I'll just write a whole book about farting," and leave it at that, but in the end it's the lazy way to do things. Certain picture book author/illustrators have figured out how to speak to a child's sense of humor without dumbing things down or patronizing the kids they are presenting to. Mo Willems is a good example of this. Jules Feiffer has his moments. Mara Bergman knows her stuff. And one of the newest additions to this laudable crew is Jan Thomas. Thomas burst onto the scene last year with her seemingly simple, What Will Fat Cat Sit On? and it proved an immediate success. Now she's back with another book that is, shockingly, as good and maybe even better than its predecessor. "A Birthday for Cow!" shows that even when Jan Thomas GETS kid humor, she also knows how to write a tale that'll charm adult readers as well.
   
   Open the book and the first thing you see on the endpapers is a two-page spread of Duck carefully crossing out the days on the calendar until he has reached "Cow's Birthday". You see, cow's birthday is today and Mouse and Pig have got everything under control. They're gonna make the best cake ever with flour, and sugar, and eggs . . . . "AND A TURNIP?" Duck whips out a turnip to the shock of his friends who inform him, very patiently, "No, Duck. We will not put in a turnip." Fair enough. So next they mix it all with . . . "A TURNIP!" Again, Duck has to be told that turnips are not a part of the process. On it goes until the cake is ready. Cow walks in the room, takes one look at his friends and the cake, and exclaims with sheer heartfelt love and glee, "A TURNIP!" All works out well in the end with Pig and Mouse devouring the cake and Duck discussing with Cow his favorite methods of using turnips. "Sometime I brush my teeth using a turnip." "Really? Me, too!"
   
   Like "What Will Fat Cat Sit On?" this puppy is built for reading aloud. You just hunker down, get ready, and when you get to the word "Turnip", you let rip for all you're worth. Now there was some concern here in New York that some kids who will be read this book won't know what a turnip is. That's a legitimate worry, I guess. You get a lot of kids around here that are not exactly as well versed in their root vegetables as they might be. The concern, however, is minor because it really doesn't matter what kind of food Duck is promoting. First of all, until you read the book aloud you're never going to notice how funny the word "Turnip" is. We all knew that "rutabaga" was funny. And maybe if Duck kept throwing the word "rutabaga" in everyone's face it would have a charm of his own, but there's something that feels just right about that blatant word "turnip". It's the "er" sound, I think. It's funny. And as long as you see Cow eating it later (which you do) then it doesn't matter if kids are intimately familiar with turnips or not.
   
   The art of Ms. Thomas is done entirely on computers with text types set in names like "Eatwell Chubby and Chaloops". The book retains the manic glee of its predecessor, though many will be sad to find that the Fat Cat is unfortunately absent from this story. Still, it has the same gleeful goofiness present in the first book. These animals sport big round eyes and grins that make them look just a little too happy. Like those people you meet at parties who are so intense and focused on what you're saying that you suddenly loose your train of thought. It's that look. And for a picture book for small children, that's exactly what is going to capture the attention of even the most ADD of kids. The color scheme is fabulous as well. These characters are all thick black lines against blue, green, pink, and purple backgrounds. A graduate course in children's literature would do well to examine exactly why it is that Thomas uses one color or another at certain points of the book (particularly the purple).
   
   Like all sequels, there will be people who moan that "A Birthday for Cow!" doesn't have the same sense of manic danger that Thomas' first book had. Pfui. As a sequel I tell you that it doesn't disappoint. If you liked her first book, you'll love the second and if you never even read the first you will ADORE the second. For an artist who works in a misleadingly upfront style, it's clear that Jan Thomas has a few aces up her sleeve yet. Just a great creation.

2 comments about Froggy's Day With Dad (Froggy).

1. Seriously...the lady at the grocery store recommend this book for our toddler and I can't tell you how much he seems to like it. It's nice to get a chance to read a children's book that doesn't insult children's intelligences.



2. I have an autistic son and he loves all of the Froggy books. Froggy's Day With Dad is his new favorite. It is a great book about fathers and sons. I highly recommend this book.

1 comments about Houndsley and Catina and the Birthday Surprise: Candlewick Sparks.

1. Houndsley is sad. He doesn't know what date his birthday is on. When he tells Catina, she seems sad, too. She doesn't know, either. In fact, she doesn't know what day to celebrate her birthday, either.
   
   Houndsley didn't mean to make Catina sad, so he decides to make her a surprise. Little does he know that Catina has a plan, too!
   
   Young readers will get a lot out of this book. Birthdays are so important to children that they tend to obsess about it. What about those who don't get to be so excited for their birthdays (for whatever reason)? After reading this short chapter book, kids may be inspired to do something special for others. Even if they aren't, they will still enjoy the sweet illustrations and kind message.
   
   Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
   03/05/2007