Reviews (13)

Great Children's book
I thought this book was great - it was really colorful. The overall feel reminded me of the book "Now I Know the Ten Commandments". I recommend it to anyone.
Pictures worth a thousand words...
This book really does not need any words. It is so well illustrated that you can understand every part of the story. His detailing is stunning. Every time we read this book, we find new details. This is the best book of Noah's ark story!

Peter Spier's Children's Classic
Artist and author Peter Spier, provides books that can inspire, entertain and educate both the mind of children and adults alike. His intricate drawings are full of detail and his choice of topics always serve to spark curiosity and focus youth on stories that will last with them their entire lives.
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Subjects:  1. Bible stories    2. Children's 4-8 - Literature / Classics    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    4. Children: Grades 1-2    5. Juvenile literature    6. Noah's ark    7. O.T    8. Pictorial works    9. Religion - Bible - Stories    10. Juvenile Fiction / Religious / General   

Reviews (14)

Not outdated- just as relevant as ever
I got this book as a child and was one of my favorites.It is a beautiful celebration of diversity and universality in human cultures and appearance.
It may be Spier's best
Without moralizing or mawkishness, Spier here portrays something of the amazing variety of human life on Earth.He points out that "we come in many colors," with different-looking features; that we dress in different ways, enjoy different things, have different personalities, live in different homes, speak (and write) different languages (including a wonderful double-page spread showing samples of 40 separate writing systems!), keep different pets, celebrate different holidays and worship in different ways; that "some of us excel at things others could never do," that "there are more different ways of [earning a living] than you would believe."Yet, he quietly observes, "without a single exception, we all began quite small...and in the end we all must die."Though he never uses the phrase "the brotherhood of man," he manages to get across that, in the most important ways, we are all alike--and, at the same time, he celebrates our diversity ("Imagine how dreadfully dull this world of ours would be if everybody would look, think, eat, dress, and act the same!").He never exalts one way of life over another, but fills his pages with his trademark detailed, action-filled color sketches and gives each of his examples its moment in the sun.This is a book that not only the youngest kids, but teens coping with the Herd Instinct should read, and that adults can enjoy for its tone and beautiful artwork.Every home and library should own a copy of it.May it never go out of print!

Classic
Artist and author Peter Spier, provides books that can inspire, entertain and educate both the mind of children and adults alike. His intricate drawings are full of detail and his choice of topics always serve to spark curiosity and focus youth on stories that will last with them their entire lives.
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Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Sociology    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    3. Culture    4. Individuality    5. Juvenile literature    6. People & Places - General    7. Personality    8. Juvenile Fiction / People & Places / General   

Reviews (3)

The best circus book
Of the 100 children's circus books in our library, this is the best.We just had to have our own copy.It helps a child know what to expect and what to look for at the circus and to understand what goes on behind the scenes.After the show we remember more when we reread the book. The story is engaging and the pictures are delightfully detailed.

Enchants and Entertains Just Like a Circus Should!
My kids love this book. Peter Speir's Circus
This is my brothers absolute favorite book. The detail in the pictures is unbelivable. This is a must for every childs book shelf ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    2. Children: Grades 1-2    3. Circus    4. Fiction    5. General    6. Preschool Picture Story Books    7. Spier, Peter    8. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Reviews (3)

Educational
This book is great for young minds learning about the greathistory of America. It reminded my son and I of the opportunities we have here because of the freedom we enjoy and that is due to the many brave soldiers who have fought over the years for that very purpose. Also, wonderful illustrations!!!

Nicely detailed illustrations introduce our National Anthem
Peter Spier is one of my favorite illustrators of children's books. Here, his illustrations for three verses of Francis Scott Key's poem and song, "The Star-Spangled Banner," provide an excellent introduction for children to the meaning behind his famous lyrics. A book to inspire young patriots,
our four-year-old claims this is his FAVORITE book. Perhaps it is because his mother chokes up and tears drop to her cheeks as she reads this book.We have found that this is an excellent read-aloud and has stretched ourfour-year-old's language skills in many ways. As if The Star SpangledBanner weren't moving enough, the arrangement of pictures flows along withthe words of the song to create an image of heroics and bravery.Inaddition, little incidentals like soldiers feeding their horses and wetclothes hanging to dry aboard ship cause us to remember that these werereal people fighting.Peter Spier mixes history with the present as hecauses us to remember what these men were fighting for.We see schools andbusinesses,Arlington Cemetery and the Statue of Liberty, cities and ruralfarms, synagogues and churches,Amish buggies and a Friends Meeting Houseall as evidence of our cultural diversity.We also see that the fightcontinues as we witness a renovation project and scientists working in alab.The first, second and fourth verses are illustrated. The pictureshelp the capable parent define words such as "conceals" and "discloses."In addition, the artwork contains so muchinformation and story that conversation just develops as the book is read.There is an oustanding collection of Flags of America and a thoroughhistory of the War of 1812. The words to all four verses of the StarSpangled Banner and the music by J Stafford Smith follow.Peter Spier isbecoming our hero as the author of our favorite children's books. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    2. Children: Grades 2-3    3. Historical - United States - Colonial    4. History    5. Juvenile literature    6. Star-spangled banner (Song)    7. United States    8. War of 1812    9. Juvenile Fiction / Historical / United States / Colonial & Revolutionary Periods   

Reviews (14)

Wonderful memories, wonderful book
This book is a treasure from my childhood. I remember singing the song along with my dad and older sister. Since I was reading at age 3, I read this book by myself. I didn't find it too graphic then, nor do I now. The images didn't disturb me in the least. Music Enhances the Story
This book is the musical tale of a fox raiding the farmer's bin in order to feed his family of a wife and ten little foxes. The book has a long title, which is typically problematic for young children. In my house the book is known simply as "Fox". wonderful for speech delayed 4 year old
Wonderful illustrations to the well known classic song. Great for kids who love to sing or who learn well when things are in a song! Theillustrations area bit graphic, but at 4 years, I think it is fine. My son loves this book. We "sing" it together. Very goodfor speech therapy goals too, new words and situations. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Foxes    2. Children's 4-8    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    4. Children: Kindergarten    5. Folk songs, American    6. Folk-songs, English    7. Texts    8. United States    9. Juvenile Fiction / Animals / Foxes   

Subjects:  1. Children's Baby/Preschool    2. Children: Babies & Toddlers    3. Fiction    4. General    5. Rabbits    6. Specimens    7. Toy and movable books    8. Non-Classifiable   

Reviews (5)

The Little Riders by Margaretha Shemin
The Little Riders is a believable tale of the experience of one ten-year-old American girl caught up in World War II when blitzkrieg comes to the Netherlands while she is visiting her Dutch grandparents. The novella offers drama and excitement for young readers.As the reader follows the story of the small acts of resistance against the Nazi occupiers, the imagining of the trials and despair of the war become possible, yet the brutality is kept at a level that allows even a ten-year-old to read the book and emotionally cope.This is an excellent book for introducing World War II studies and for cultivating the understanding that courage is often shown by ordinary people in times of adversity, that creativity and standing together can defeat an enemy.I recommend this book for initial studies of World War II as well as for personal adventure reading.

The Little Riders
I think this is a great book for kids. It is a exciting on the edge of your seat book. I love this book!

I am very proud of my grandmother for writting it
The book was very good. I thought that it showed the real problems inHolland at that time and I am very proud of my grandmother for writting it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    2. Children: Grades 4-6    3. Fiction    4. General    5. History    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Netherlands    8. World War, 1939-1945    9. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Reviews (1)

A Bit of History, and A Bit of the Future
This is the first Peter Spier book I saw, the first I bought, and will probably always be my favorite (even though I've started collecting his books just for his terrific illustrations). Having lived in New York City, this wonderful (and I believe true) tale of the early Dutch settlement is very pleasing and intriguing. His pen and watercolor illustrations (true in most of his books) are loose, energetic, imaginative, beautiful, and seem very real, as if he really lived at that time and experienced that place and culture. Plus, he does historic research to give his drawings accuracy, so you actually learn a lot about the people, time and place just through the visual parts of this book. Read more

Subjects:  1. 1605-1663    2. Bogardus, Anneke Jans,    3. Children: Grades 4-6    4. Juvenile literature    5. New York (N.Y.)    6. Social life and customs    7. To 1775    8. Bogardus, Anneke Jans   

Reviews (5)

a fun classic
First published in 1978, Peter Spier's story of the well-meaning Noonan children stands up well even after 25 years.The story of the three children who overhear their parents talking about the house needing painting and decide to surprise them will have you and your children turning the pages with bated breath as you wait to see what that house looks like!It's worth the wait -- a laugh-and-a-half for kids and their adults.As you'd expect, the illustrations are colorful and fun.This would be a great companion book with Daniel Pinkwater's 'The Big Orange Splot'.

Great Preschool Book
I truly do wish this book would come back in print... We love it at Thanksgiving when we do our family unit.it is so difficult to get it from the library anymore, because there copies were either never returned or they are damaged from so much use.PLEASE REISSUE THIS BOOK

A WOW for First Grade
My copy is tattered and torn and all forlorn but it is still a hit in first grade.We use it as a jumping off point for creative writing...sometimes I copy the text and the children illustrate;sometimesI copy the pictures and we write our own text.We love it!Thisparticular book has set more readers on fire than I can count. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8    2. Children: Grades 1-2    3. Fiction    4. General    5. House painting    6. Non-Classifiable   

Subjects:  1. Cats    2. Children's 9-12    3. Children: Babies & Toddlers    4. Fiction    5. General    6. Specimens    7. Toy and movable books    8. Non-Classifiable   

Subjects:  1. Children: Babies & Toddlers    2. Dogs    3. Fiction    4. Specimens    5. Toy and movable books    6. Non-Classifiable   

Reviews (4)

Bring it back to print IMMEDIATELY!
You don't have to be a child to revel in Peter Spier's beautiful full-color art (and at age 55 I can speak from personal experience).Here he tells the story of a typical American Christmas season with never a printed word, beginning on December 13 and going on the following January 4.A family of five (plus dog and cat) shop the bedizened mall, make decorations, address and send out Christmas cards, choose and trim their tree, shop for and prepare their holiday feast, go to church, open their presents, and welcome grandparents for Christmas dinner.Nor does the artist fail to show the post-holiday chores--taking down the trims, vacuuming shed needles off the carpet, returning gifts and putting the denuded tree out on the curb.From the hectic (the mall scenes) to the beautiful (the family standing outside its own house to inspect the effect of the decorations, a streetscape showing neighboring homes including two that aren't decorated at all), the fun (a mass snowball fight) to the contemplative (Mom and Dad sitting before the fire on Christmas night after the grandparents have gone home and the kids are in bed) to the mischievous (the family cat tearing a piece of meat off the turkey carcass as it sits on the kitchen counter), it's all here.Spier's Christmas is a season of love and joy and peace, as we're told Christmas should be.This book should be tradition in every home that celebrates it.

Timeless Christmas sentiments from Mr. Spier
This is too delightful a book to be out of print!

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    2. Children: Grades 1-2    3. Christmas    4. Family - General    5. Family life    6. Fiction    7. Holidays & Celebrations - Christmas    8. Stories without words    9. Juvenile Fiction / Holidays & Festivals / Christmas   

Reviews (5)

Wonderful!
You can never say enough when it comes to Peter Spier: excellent illustrator and just the greatest storyteller. This particular story will take your children on a magnificent journey -- journey so exciting that they will want to hear it over and over and over again (don't worry the illustrations speak for themselves and there isn't all that much text. Me and my kids absolutely recommend this book!

The Mighty Flight
Bored-Nothing To Do is a fun-filled book. It tells of to very bored boys who can't find anything to until one of them decides that they should build an airplane. They take a bunch of their parents important things and build a high flying airplane and fly all across town. But when their parents notice that their windows, car engine, sheets and many other things have gone missing, they decide to go find their kids. That's when see them flying in the sky (...) This is one of my favorite books and I think that you will like it to. Many people only dream doing what these boys do which is one reason why this book gets five stars from me. Bored-Nothing To Do is a very fun adventure to read about.

Wonderful book for any age!
When I was a little girl my grandmother would sit and read this book to me.I loved every minute of it and dreamed, wondering if I could do something like the boys do.I highly recommend this book to people of all ages.Not only is it well written but the illustrations are awesome.I hope this review helps someone. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Airplanes    2. Boredom    3. Children's 4-8    4. Children: Kindergarten    5. Fiction    6. General    7. Non-Classifiable   

Subjects:  1. Children: Babies & Toddlers    2. Fiction    3. School stories    4. Schools   

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8    2. General    3. Non-Classifiable   

Reviews (2)

Classic American Education
Artist and author Peter Spier, provides books that can inspire, entertain and educate both the mind of children and adults alike. His intricate drawings are full of detail and his choice of topics always serve to spark curiosity and focus youth on stories that will last with them their entire lives.
Information without overload
I found this book a breath of fresh air for many reasons.I am a homeschooling mom of three children and have found that the topic of history in many books appears rather dry.This book is simply the Preambleof our Constitution with TONS of illustrations.These illustrationsvisually describe the Constitution much better than words ever could whichmakes this book appropriate for children of all ages. The pictures rangefrom early to modern times, showing the evolution of our country and howthe Constitution empowers and protects us even today.A short two pagehistory of the Constitution as well as a copy of the original document arealso included, only making this book all the more valuable to a family'slibrary.ENJOY! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    2. Children: Grades 3-4    3. Constitutional history    4. History - United States/General    5. Popular works    6. United States    7. Juvenile Fiction / Historical / United States / Colonial & Revolutionary Periods   

Reviews (2)

WARNING not the same text as the 1985 edition
The 1985 Doubleday editon of Jonah by Spier is a wonderful book.It merits 5 stars, and I agree with everything that reviewer Joan Koelle Snipes says about it - adding that the 1985 edition very closely paraphrases the text of Jonah from the bible, with great illustrations to match it. Excellent in every way!
This is a wonderful retelling of the story of Jonah.It's a good choice for preschoolers AND elementary school aged children.The illustrations are very detailed, so it is an especially good choice when you are reading aloud to just one or two children.(You need to be close to the book to see and talk about Spier's great pictures.)Our two daughters enjoyed this book when they were young, and I count it as a classic which should be in every home where parents want to teach Bible stories.As a parent and a long-time Sunday school teacher, I highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bible stories    2. Biography    3. Children's Baby - Bibles    4. Children: Kindergarten    5. General    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Juvenile literature    8. O.T    9. Prophets    10. Religion - Bible - Stories    11. Jonah   

Reviews (1)

Erie Canal
Thisbright, colorful book has full-page water-color illustrations that accurately depict the story. The book is the song "The Erie Canal" illustrated. One charming touch is the written music andaccompaniment on the back page. I highly recommend this book for those whoare looking for quality, entertaining books for their children. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children: Preschool    2. Folk songs    3. Folk songs, English    4. General    5. Juvenile Fiction    6. Nature / Field Guide Books    7. Texts    8. United States   

Reviews (3)

Spier strikes again!
"Rain" is yet another memorable work by Peter Spier.

a smiler. Mr.Spier shows us beauty in common things.
I want to own this book in hardcover.It is akeeper.You can look and look again seeing more each time you look at these scenes of family life and the natural world.Thanks, Mr. Spier. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    2. Children: Preschool    3. Fiction    4. General    5. Rain    6. Rain and rainfall    7. Stories without words    8. Non-Classifiable   

Subjects:  1. Children: Babies & Toddlers    2. Ducks    3. Fiction    4. Specimens    5. Toy and movable books    6. Non-Classifiable