No comments about Olive's Pirate Party.

4 comments about Witch Witch Come to My Party (Child's Play Library).

1. This book is a beautifully illustrated treat for children 4 and up, with a Halloween theme. It uses a repetitive word pattern so children can participate in the reading. The illustrations are a little scary for very sensitive children or those under 4. It was a big hit in our kindergarten last year!



2. Don't be scared off by the "Horn" review. This is a great Halloween book for children 4+ unless they are extremely sensitive. Most kids I know are fascinated by monsters and creepy things, and the illustrations in this book, while scary, are rich and beautiful. Any kid who can handle Roald Dahl will like this book.



3. My daughter 4-year old with English as second language, firstly being attracted by the mysterious but beautiful illustration of this book.Once we started the reading we found the story very attractive and non-stopable(fortunately only 30+ pages).After read together with her for triple, she is able to read aloud by herself. She enjoyed this book very much and likes to share with her friends to scare them.



4. I have the Spanish version of this book. I bought it before my child was born since i loved the pictures. Thought if I ever have a child this would be a really wild book to share. I just loved the illustrations. The pictures are scarry, but beautifully drawn. Now my child is 4, I showed it to him & he was fascinated...can't wait till my other friends kids are old enough to send a copy. If your child likes scary things, or if you are looking for a book to read on Halloween, this book is excellent. Hand drawn color illustrations, with a repetitive rhyme...

4 comments about St. Patrick's Day.

1. This book gives a thorough, yet simple explanation about St. Patrick's Day. Each page has beautiful illustrations and one to three sentences. It gives a simple 2 page intro, then spends 7 pages about who Saint Patrick was, then 14 pages of all the ways people celebrate/symbols (church, leprechauns, shillelagh, harp, cards, sweets, flowers, plays, meal, parties, and parardes), then two pages on celebrating it in the US, and then 3 pages of legends about Saint Patrick. A great introduction for young children.



2. This is a beautifully illustrated, well written, story about the life of St. Patrick and descriptions of how and why we celebrate this holiday. My daughter is very interested in her Irish heritage and read it to her Kindergarten class this year. It was a hit!



3. I'm always a five star kind of reviewer, figuring if it wasn't great why say anything. Actually that applies to how I approach people and situations too. Except it can get to a point where...it's not fair to me. I have a right now and again to notice and speak to situations as they are... This has to be written up review-wise as something that just went stale. And I'd much rather pretend otherwise. Basic honesty however precludes delusions.
   
   Today I read this to my 1st graders watching them for reaction and it's just not there. This was nothing more than beautiful green illustrations and a few facts. I am sorry but I lost 'em. And lately that's hard to do, they love stories. Go get Tomie De Poala, really. Not to be mean, I love other Gail Gibbons, but I think pages that say some people wear green or have parties is scraping for material. Yeah, we knew that, thanks. Wow, green huh? Why not teach twenty Irish expressions, or show some native dress, or discuss the crafts of Ireland, or the cities or perhaps get some facts on major contributions of the Isle to our fair land, or discuss the potato famine, or even tell about St. Patty parades. But maybe I'm being a bit picky. But still. Some "decorate with shamrocks". Okay even moon people know this. My second language kids were rolling upside down in sheer boredom. Not even recounting specifics about what foods....Irish foods? Why not list some and put in a nice soda bread recipe or corned beef recipe. Come on if we are going to try it let's get inspired. Rip out some content. Sheer a sheep if you have too. Speaking of which I really recommend Charlie's Cloak, De Poala. What a winner.
   
   Teachers can get stuck in those content poor zones now and again, disappointed with this or that, maybe it's all in striving for excellence.. Or maybe my grumpy-ness...maybe it's getting the third wave of fevers having been terribly ill this month or the news of the passing of a loved one...ah well for whatever reason the cover is actually delightful and certainly the pictures sound, the text slimmer. My biggest dread in U Pick It Read Aloud Time is the students asking to go get drinks. Today was a record, they all went.It's not easy to put together a solid holiday book. This one fell flat today leaving me hanging there like a limp rag.Albeit a wet one.I really think it's one I'll put in the home book bags.Sorry.



4. Most or many of the stories like his banishing all of the snakes from Ireland are false. They are the evidence of exaggerated storytelling. Actually he was born in Britain in the fourth century. He was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders and transported to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. He was guided by visions to become a missionary to convert the Irish to Christianity.
   
   Actually, his family were not deeply religious, but most Irish practiced a pagan religion. This was changed due to the activities and beliefs of this saint. Spinning exciting tales to remember history has always been a part of Irish life. I always thought that my mother, Lettie Lane, was Irish. After seeing the PBS special, I am sure of it, though she did not have the lilting dialect, coming from the mountains of Union County. She died when I was seven. Alec was born on March 17. His brother Eric is a 711 child. It is thought that St. Patrick died on this date.

2 comments about Toby Belfer and the High Holy Days.

1. Swaying on her suburban porch swing, Toby asks her best friend, Donna, for forgiveness. The High Holy Days are here, it is Rosh Hashana, and Toby heard her rabbi's sermon on the topic of repentence and change. She is sorry for teasing Donna's younger brother. Toby then explains to Donna the high holy days and their meaning, the synagogue in the city, apples and honey, Yom Kippur, Kol Nidre, challah (though the illustration doesn't draw it round), and the shofar. The book ends with a honey cake recipe from Toby's late Gram'.



2. Toby lives up to his rabbi's wishes to help others, give charity, and apologize for any hurts caused; and as she follows his instructions and explains her Jewish heritage to her best friend Donna, she discovers new meaning in her background and life in this warm story of self-discovery and confidences sparked by a Jewish tradition.

2 comments about Here Comes Holi: The Festival of Colors.

1. Written and illustrated by Meenal Pandya, Here Comes Holi: The Festival Of Colors retells the ancient East Indian folklore story about the young Prince Prahlad who dared to stand against his powerful and evil father King Hirnakasypu. This struggle of good and evil is associated with the annual festival of Holi that is celebrated throughout India today to welcome the spring. Vibrant color illustrations fully enhance this timeless adventure. Ideal for inclusion in school and community library multicultural picture book and folklore collections, Here Comes Holi: The Festival Of Colors is specially commended as being a most engaging and enjoyable storybook for young people everywhere.



2. Title: Here Comes Holi; The Festival of Colors
   Author: Meenal Pandya
   Publisher: MeeRa Publications
   ISBN: 0-9635539-3-3
   Review By: Diana Rohini LaVigne, Indian Life & Style Magazine
   
   Here Comes Holi is a modern-day story telling of an ancient and important story. Children and adults alike will enjoy reading this colorful and easy-to-read book and get a deeper understanding of one of Hindus most celebrated holidays in the calendar year.
   
   The colors, the illustrations and the well-worded text come together to form a beautiful introduction for children to learn more about Holi. Towards the back of the book, the author has put a quick-reference glossary and a short piece on how Holi is celebrated. These two parts are a beautiful addition to the story. `Here Comes Holi'
   gives the spirit of the festival and is a great book for any child's bookshelf.

No comments about Soft Shapes: My Shabbat (Soft Shapes).

3 comments about Lucky O'Leprechaun.

1. We really enjoyed this book and recommend it to all people, especially the Irish and people who love the mythology of the "Wee Folk"! The faces are wondefully drawn and kids will love the ingenuity of the children in the book. A magical delight people the world over should love!



2. First-rate illustrations are the best feature of this book. The story is entertaining but can be long for 4 and 5 year-olds.

   The story faults, in that it employs too many characters with no character development, which adds unnecessary confusion and clutter to the story. There is a little boy (Sean) and girl (Meghan), three very old ladies (the children's aunties), and a leprechaun exchanging dialogue in the same 1 or 2 pages, at different points throughout the book.

   As a parent reading to a child, who wants to present a different voice for each character so that the child can easliy identify who is speaking in the story, there are too many characters talking, but with no distinguishing personalities to make understanding easier.

   However, the story is somewhat entertaining despite its flaws.




3. Do you believe in leprechauns? Well, this is a great book for kids who believe in leprechauns! The books title is Lucky O' Leprechaun. This book was written and illustrated by Jana Dillon. This book took place in Louisiana.
   This book is about two children, Sean and Meghan, and their Aunties' are looking for very sly leprechauns during St. Patrick's Day. There are some interesting parts about this book. There is one type of language in this book. The language is English. But, there is some Irish dialect. There are very large pictures in this book as well. But, the pictures don't have very vivid colors. Lucky O' Leprechaun (A leprechaun) says "Top of the morning to you," many times. Sean and Meghan have three aunts helping them. There names are Moira, Kathleen, and Bridget. But there are many freaky things about this book as well. First, the eyes look pretty weird when you keep staring at them. They look like big bulging eyes. Most of all there are two annoying little leprechauns that keep saying "Top of the morning to you." So, it gets a little annoying. When you read it about five times it gets boring. Also when you look at the pictures too many times you will see the same color in your eyelid. But, despite the weird things, I would totally recommend this book! I would rate this book a 3 out of 5. So, for all you children who like St. Patrick's Day read this book! You can check this book at a library or a book store. So enjoy this book whenever you want to. I recommend this book for K-2. So be lucky and for all you know you might find a pot of gold

1 comments about Clap and Count!: Action Rhymes for the Jewish Year (Carolrhoda Picture Books).

1. This was bought for a Preschool to Kindergarten Sunday School class. The kids really loved that the book is interactive. They would remember the hand gestures from week to week.

1 comments about Purr-im Cat.

1. My cat told me to give this 5 stars so he'll be able to make more people laugh.
   
   As the author, I would like to say that the reading level for this book as stated is incorrect.
   Based on the response to my first book, Stealth Cat, I know that the many pictures of my cat in costumes make people aged 2 to 90 smile. However, I wrote the text for Purr-im Cat so it could be read to little children. Bright 6 and 7 year olds can read it by themselves.
   I hope you have fun with this book, I know I had fun making it.
   
   Wendy Gottlieb

No comments about Clatter Bash! A Day of the Dead Celebration.