Editorial Review

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Reviews (12)

I Am Not Going To Get Up Today! (Beginner Books(R))
What can I say?Seuss is always great!

Worst Dr. Seuss book ever!
I can't believe this book is written by Dr. Seuss!It is so boring, dull, and has the weirdest ending ever.It teaches bad lessons to kids - all day long the kid refuses to get up and in the end his Mom looks at him sheepishly along with his two siblings while he smiles triumphantly in his bed."I guess he really means it,"says Mom.Huh? What kind of lesson is that?The poetry is not clever, fun or catchy like most of his other works.The illustrations are not done by Dr. Seuss and they are not very interesting or coloful.Very, very ho-hum!

Don't woozy-snooze through this!
Have you ever had one of those mornings when you just can't get out of bed? This video might not help that, but it is very funny. In I Am NOT Getting Up Today a small boy almost begs his family and friends to just leave him alone so he can sleep. I think The Shape of Me and Other Stuff is educational, because it talks about shapes. Great Day for UP is very clever. I sometimes find myself jumping whenever the word "up" is metioned. In A People House is one of the more humorous stories. When a couple come home to see a bird and a mouse exploring their house they actually throw them out. It's very funny. So, don't get drowsy, buy this Begginer Book video. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Beds    2. Children's 4-8 - Fiction - General    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    4. Children: Grades 2-3    5. Fiction    6. Humorous Stories    7. Readers - Beginner    8. Sleep    9. Stories in rhyme    10. Juvenile Fiction / Humorous Stories   

Editorial Review

This exuberant valise of verse bulges with more than 100 poems about things you've never thought about, such as Underwater Wibbles who dine exclusively on cheese, and things you probably Read more

Reviews (12)

Poems kids love!
This book introduced my son to poetry at age eight and he became an avid fan. He became so enthralled with poetry that he began to write poetry himself. He even wrote a very insightful poem as one of his college entrance essays. Prelutsky retains his inner child and writes from a child's point of view--hard for children to resist. A must have for your home library.

Poetry can be fun!
I think that this a great way to introduce poetry to kids that may believe it to be boring or stuffy. My son would ask me to read these to him over and over. We did a lot of giggling over some of them.

The New Kid on the Block
Although occasionally funny, most of the poems in this book are gross, disturbing, or just plain dumb. "The New Kid on the Block" is okay, but not the best children's poetry book out there. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American poetry    2. Children's 4-8 - Poetry / Plays    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    4. Children's poetry, American    5. Children: Grades 2-3    6. Humorous poetry    7. Poetry - General    8. Juvenile Nonfiction / Poetry / General   

Reviews (16)

A Pizza as Large as the Sun - terrific for my granddaughter
I gave this book to my granddaughter who is nine and loves to read. When she opened the Christmas present, she sat right down and started to read. She shared some poems with me. They express a different way of looking at a regular thing in a funny way. Days later, she was still glued to the book. It definately kept her interest.

Bravo to Jack Prelutsky
This is a fine poetry book brimming with kid-friendly verses.This is one of my favorite poetry books for children, along with Brian P. Cleary's RAINBOW SOUP; ADVENTURES IN POETRY and the late Shel Silverstein's WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDSand A LIGHT IN THE ATTIC.

A Pizza the size of the Sun
It is a wonderful book full of entertaining poetry for children and adults. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American poetry    2. Children's 4-8 - Poetry / Plays    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Nonfiction    4. Children's poetry, American    5. Children: Grades 3-4    6. Humorous poetry    7. Poetry - General    8. English literature: poetry texts & anthologies    9. Fiction    10. Juvenile Nonfiction / Poetry / General   

Editorial Review

In this delightful companion to Jack Prelutsky's Read more

Reviews (8)

Wonderful, Clever, Catchy poems
I first read this book when I was about 10 years old (I'm now 22.)Though I haven't even laid eyes on this book in at least 6 or 7 years, Ican still recite by memory several of the poems, including "Something Big Has Been Here", "The Early Worm" and "I Wave Goodbye When Butter Flies."
Perfect for teachers
This is an awesome book.The poems are very clever, funny and appealing to kids, along the lines of Shel Silverstein.The difference is the very sophisticated vocabulary that Prelutsky uses.I use a poem per week from this book for my remedial middle school students for oral reading fluency, plus I create our weekly vocabulary word list from words from the weekly poem.

Silly, goofy and fun fun fun!
This collection of Jack Prelutsky's silly and goofy poems is a must-have in any self-respecting poetry collection. The subjects of the poems range from mask-wearing earthworms to a room-trashing robot; from wishes to be bigger, to fishing in the desert. Children will laugh at the fearsome pirate "Captain Conniption," terror of the seas, who always obeys his mother. Many will sympathize with the longing of the boy in "My Brother is a Quarterback" who yearns to be a great athlete like his brother is.Read more

Subjects:  1. American poetry    2. Children's 4-8    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    4. Children's poetry    5. Children's poetry, American    6. Children: Kindergarten    7. General    8. Humorous poetry    9. Juvenile Nonfiction / Poetry / General   

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    2. Children: Preschool    3. Fiction    4. General    5. Old age    6. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Reviews (6)

This Book ROCKS!!!
This book is narrated by a rock-collector's son. He starts off telling how his father worked at a gas station. He displayed his large rock collection at the station where he worked. Many people came to talk, look at the rocks, and play chess with the father. Then the Great Depression started and the father had one job a day. He still found time to go to the museum and look at rocks. The museum manager noticed him and she gave him a job as a janitor there. Then he was found switching the rock labels because he knew they were wrong. After this happened he was moved up to museum currator. I like this book because to me, it is about following your dreams.

Historical story
This book tells the life story of the narrator's father, a self-educated man who managed to become museum curator due to his passion for rocks.When the narrator's father was a young boy, he collected rocks everywhere he went.When he grew up, he ran a gas station and kept his rocks on shelves for customers to look at.The gas station went under during the Depression.After hunting around, the man eventually stumbled into a job as a night janitor at the Museum of Science.He was quite happy with this job because he got to polish the rocks in the exhibits.Eventually he was even promoted to the position of curator of the museum because of his expertise with the rocks, even though he lacked a college education.The story is quite appealing for older kids.With 1250 words, it may be a bit long for the young ones.

Wonderful Book
My children , ages 8 and 6, love this book.I like the message of following your dreams and passions through hard times and no matter what other people may say.We also used the book to discuss the Great Depression and rocks and minerals.I highly recommend this book!!. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1929    2. Business, Careers, Occupations    3. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    4. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    5. Children: Grades 1-2    6. Collection and preservation    7. Depressions    8. Fiction    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. Nature & the Natural World - General    11. Rocks    12. Science & Technology - Earth Science    13. Social Issues - General    14. Social Situations - General    15. Juvenile Nonfiction / Family / Parents   

Reviews (9)

Fun Book to Read
I'm always looking for little stories that encourage my children to bounce back from the hits that life can dish out sometimes.This little book did that in a fun way. The little old grandpa has a "bounce back" attitude, he's got a great sense of humor, and he's going to pass it on to his grandchildren.After reading the book, my young daughter had fun making up her own version of the story and proclaiming over and over, "It could be worse!"

James Stevenson at His Best
This is one of James Stevenson's cleverest and most outrageous books, even though it follows a familiar formula:Once again, grandchildren Mary Ann and Louie visit their unflappable "Grandpa" with a problem, and he tells them a tall tale to put things into perspective--albeit a very wacky perspective! The kids complain of a splinter, a lost kite, and a flat tire, and Grandpa responds each time with the seemingly boring "Could be worse..."The two grandchildren think that this nonresponsive reply is due to the boring life Grandpa leads.
A Must Have Book
I loved this book as a first grader and still do 26 years later.I could relate to the grandpa in the story - he seemed identical to mine.I enjoyed Stevenson's imagination and creativity and still appreciate the life message "could be worse" as an adult.Having read this book helped me through some of life's greatest challenges knowing that no matter how bad things seem, it truly COULD BE WORSE!!!They're words to live by!I now share this book with my first graders.It truly inspires their own creativity and opens up their minds.They too have learned that things could always be worse! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bedtime & Dreams    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Kindergarten    4. Dreams    5. Family - Multigenerational    6. Fiction    7. Juvenile Fiction / Family / Multigenerational   

Editorial Review

Eight-year-old Kate is a tomboy, but not your typical tomboy.She lovesbaseball and hates wearing dresses, but she can often be found in her room reading agood old fairy tale and imagining herself as the beautiful princess. One day, whiledreamily staring at the princess's crown, Kate magically wishes herself into the fairy tale.Now Kate is the princess and she will soon find out that being royalty isn't all that it'scracked up to be.After rescuing herself from the evil knight (the "wimp" ofa prince couldn't manage this on his own), teaching a witch and troll to play jacks, andtraining her ladies-in-waiting in the art of baseball, Kate finds the princess life pretty dulland wishes her way back home. Kate realizes that being her old tomboy self, minus thecrown, isn't so bad, and in fact it's pretty great. Author Anna Quindlen's charming storywill appeal to all children interested in dragons, knights, adventures, and living happilyever after. Read more

Reviews (3)

A BEAUTY OF A BOOK
She's adorable; she's audacious; she's fairy-tale-loving, tomboy Kate in Pulitzer Prize winning Anna Quindlen's Happily Ever After, illus. by James Stevenson. And You Thought She was a Normal Girl
I loved Happily Ever After. I think that Kate spoke very differently from the people in the story and she taught them a lot.

A Great Fairy Tale for Girls
I love this book and have read it more than 10 times.One reason I like this book is because the main character, Kate, has mixed interests.She's a good athlete, and a tomboy, but also likes fairy tales.She's a real girl and not a goody two-shoes.The plot has lots of twists but is fun tofollow.Kate is funny and shows the medieval court subjects that girls canbe more than princesses.Every time I read this book, I feel like I am inthe story, watching Kate.This book is like eating my favorite dessert andI love it! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    2. Children: Grades 2-3    3. Fiction    4. General    5. Juvenile Fiction    6. Middles Ages    7. Princesses    8. Readers - Chapter Books    9. Royalty (kingsqueensprincesprincessesknightsetc.)    10. Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic    11. Time travel    12. Fantasy    13. Juvenile Fiction / Science Fiction, Fantasy, Magic    14. Monarchs & royalty    15. Science fiction   

Editorial Review

Going off to the countryside to visit a relative you've never seenbefore can be a daunting prospect, especially for a little city girl likeJanetta. The last place she wants to be is at her grandaddy's rickety farmhousewith its bare dirt yard and mean-looking animals everywhere. But as Janetta soonlearns, how you feel about the world depends on how you look at things. What atfirst seems strange and frightening becomes wondrous when filtered through theprism of Grandaddy's wry humor. No matter what the situation, Grandaddy has somedelightful tall tale to offer, whether he's talking about worms or dancinginsects. It's soon obvious that, like the stars in the sky, Grandaddy andJanetta belong together.Read more

Reviews (1)

A sweet and satisfying read
Janetta, a city girl, is not certain that she will like visiting her grandfather in rural Georgia.She's never been in the country before and everything--including the mule--frightens her. Grandaddy, however, is a gentle man wise to feelings and needs of little girls.He soon puts her at ease by telling outrageous tall tales.Their relationship grows closer throughout a series of visits.Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    2. Children: Grades 2-3    3. City and town life    4. Family - Multigenerational    5. Farm life    6. Fiction    7. Grandfathers    8. Humorous Stories    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. Readers - Chapter Books   

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Animals - General    3. Boxes    4. Children's 4-8 - Fiction - Mystery    5. Children: Grades 2-3    6. Curiosity    7. Fiction    8. Mysteries, Espionage, & Detective Stories    9. Readers - Beginner    10. Crime & mystery   

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8    2. Children: Grades 2-3    3. Fiction    4. General    5. Humorous stories    6. Vacations   

Reviews (2)

A history lover....
This book has all sorts of information I had not see before - for example the important African-American entrepreneur in old San Francisco, Leidersdorf, is buried at Mission Dolores in San Francisco.This book has very helpful background information for students for each mission.The model section has layouts for all of the missions and ideas for making a model which come from actual models created by a parent, using styrofoam.

California Missions - History and Model Building Ideas for C
The book was poorly written.The model building idea was half-baked. The book is a dissappointment. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. California    3. Christianity - Catholicism    4. Christianity - History - Catholic    5. History    6. Indians of North America    7. Juvenile literature    8. Missions    9. Missions & Missionary Work    10. Missions, Spanish    11. Models and modelmaking    12. Religion - Classic Works    13. Christian mission & evangelism    14. Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholic Church   

Reviews (2)

a really funny book (a review by Eli age 7)
This is a really funny book.The tow main characters are Freddy Fafnaffer (the nice one) and Mr. Frimdimpny (who is in charge of this book).I like Freddy Fafnaffer the most because he is very funny.the book has a few funny stories in it.My favorites are "a nice nap" and "The best dressed man".I like the cartooning illustrations.This is a great book.

A LAUGH PROVOKING STORY

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Subjects:  1. Animals - Alligators & Crocodiles    2. Animals - General    3. Behavior    4. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    5. Children's Books/Baby-Preschool    6. Children: Kindergarten    7. Crocodiles    8. Fiction    9. General    10. Humorous Stories    11. Juvenile Fiction    12. Laughter    13. Pigs    14. Stevenson, James    15. Juvenile Fiction / Humorous Stories   

Reviews (1)

Touching and heart warming.
Reading this book to your child will remind you of how loving and caring your child is in his or her own way.How children love to imitate theadults around thembecause they admire them, want to spend time with them, and love to help.But most of all how in their innocense they can persiveour state of mind and and give us in a simple act more love than we ever thought possible. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    2. Children: Babies & Toddlers    3. Family - Multigenerational    4. Fiction    5. Grandfathers    6. Music    7. Nature   

Reviews (1)

An exciting and humorous adventure for train lovers!
My son is a train fanatic and now that he is four he can really appreciate this book. It's comic book style and repitition have also encouraged him to read parts of it (a word here and there). The book has enough depth tostimulate discussions about time, how people lived "in the olddays", etc. From this starting point we have branchedout to read asmany Stevenson books as the library has to offer, since they all have hiswonderful sense of humor and offer a sympathetic view of the world andchildren. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adventure and adventurers    2. Children's 4-8    3. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    4. Children: Preschool    5. Fiction    6. General    7. Mice    8. Railroads    9. Trains   

Reviews (1)

Popcorn Fun!
I thought that this book of poems was great!The poems werereally interesting and could be really useful in a classroom.It is areally good way to get children interested in the poetry genre.It isrelatively inexspensive and I would recommend that every teacher buy this book for their class. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American poetry    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction    3. Children's poetry, American    4. Children: Grades 3-4    5. Juvenile Nonfiction    6. Poetry - General    7. English literature: poetry texts & anthologies    8. Juvenile Nonfiction / Poetry / General   

Reviews (1)

WWII Comes Alive for Small Children
I am a retired first grade teacher who grew up during WWII.This book is an accurate account of all the things that young children heard, saw, thought about, and participated in during this historical event.Readingit to my classes each December 7 brought back memories and tears that I hadforgotten.The children were spellbound and full of questions as I readaloud, often using war mementoes-dog tags, a silver ID bracelet, rationstamps, uniform patches, saving stamps bought in school, balls of chewinggum wrappers, etc.- to help describe this time in history.The reading ofthis book encouraged many children to go home and question theirgrandparents, often finding that their grandfathers served in WWII.Thebook led to map studies of countries involved.I can't begin to tell youhow important this book is to children who are just beginning to learnabout our country.I was invited by a fifth grade teacher to present Don'tYou Know There's A War On? to her class.They loved it! This bookshould take it's place with other children's classics in every library andbecome a "must read" as part of a child's education about thiscountry and its brave and patriotic citizens. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1929-    2. 20th century    3. Authors, American    4. Biography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Childhood and youth    7. Children's 4-8    8. General    9. Illustrators    10. Juvenile literature    11. Personal narratives, American    12. Stevenson, James,    13. United States    14. World War, 1939-1945   

Reviews (1)

Granpa and hockey
This is a comforting book about the warm relationship between a grandfather and his grandson, and sharing the love of hockey. The author manages to capture the exhilirating sights and sounds at a hockey game soaccurately and the emotions of Matt and his grandad so vividly. Togetherwith the whimsical drawings and colours, it all adds up to a delightfulbook that we all enjoy. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business, Careers, Occupations    2. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    3. Children: Kindergarten    4. Family - Multigenerational    5. Fiction    6. Grandfathers    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Skating rinks    9. Sports & Recreation - Hockey    10. Sports & Recreation - Winter Sports    11. Zambonis (Trademark)    12. Picture books   

Reviews (2)

4 �*A Christmas Medley
James Stevenson, one of my favorite children's authors, presents a series of short (most are 3-4 pages, except for the epic 9-page "Christmas Eve," and the poetic 2-page "Cookies"), stylish vignettes of animal concerns in the days just before Christmas. The subjects range from who will go as Santa to the vicissitudes of gift giving. Another Fun Book about the lovable citizens of Mud Flat
A wonderful romp with the animals of Mud Flat as they prepare for a party.This book is cheering and festive -- the characters are very human (even as animals) and identifiable -- the harried Freddie and charming Priscilla the snail.An easy chapter book for new readers.The second graders I read to loved its humor and the illustrations.James Stevenson really has the corner on what children think is funny and it shows in Christmas at Mud Flat. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Animals - General    3. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    4. Children: Grades 3-4    5. Christmas    6. Fiction    7. Holidays & Celebrations - Christmas    8. Humorous Stories    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. Juvenile Fiction / Humorous Stories   

Reviews (1)

A great cartoon book, and a great Halloween story!
Since I first stumbled across this book at Halloween when my daughter was 5, we have gotten it out of the library as a Halloween tradition every year. It's been 4 years now, and I don't think we'll be losing interest anyHalloween in the next few years!Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    2. Children: Preschool    3. Fiction    4. General    5. Halloween