Reviews (49)

Recommended with Caution!
My daughter was also very upset by this book when it was read to her in Kindergarten. My mother was terminally ill at the time and this book (because of its ending) was very hard for her to take. She had nightmares about "the little old lady" for months after hearing this story. While it is a good example of early literary rhythm and ryhme, there are lots of other good ones too, including take offs on this book minus the depressing ending.

Excellent visuals!
I couldn't resist buying this book for my 1 1/2 year old son, even though I new it would be ripped to shreds in the hands of a toddler. Well, it has become shreds, but not out of destruction. He carries this book everywhere and we find him flipping th pages on his own! He LOVES it and so does my husband and I because the visuals are so colorful and stimulating. You can see through the woman's stomach, you can see all of the animals, you can sing the book. It is definitely a family favorite! I'm buying a second copy to save for his elementary years.

A well loved favourite
I adored this book as a child and my daughter does too. The only fault of this book is that it is quite large and heavy, yet my daughter manages to drag it around anyhow. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Kindergarten    4. Folk songs    5. Folk songs, English    6. Humorous Stories    7. Specimens    8. Texts    9. Toy and movable books    10. Juvenile Fiction / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Adaptations    11. Nursery rhymes    12. Picture books   

Editorial Review

When Joseph's favorite overcoat gets old and worn, he makes a jacket out of it. When the jacket is more patches than jacket, Joseph turns it into a vest. When the vest's number is up, Joseph makes a scarf. This thrifty industry continues until there's nothing left of the original garment. But clever Joseph manages to make something out of nothing! (And that's the foreshadowed moral of the story.)Read more

Reviews (42)

A piece for all Ages
In 1977 Simms Taback wrote Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, but for many years after its initial publication he remained disappointed with the overall presentation of the story (Publishers Weekly 10/99) and in 1999 created a newly illustrated version which won the prestigious Caldecott Medal.The story is based on a favorite Yiddish folktale from the author's youth entitled, "I had a Little Overcoat".The general plot is relatively straightforward and quickly becomes quite comical as time progresses.Joseph, the main character, transforms a ratty old overcoat into a variety of different clothing items.He changes the coat into a jacket, a vest, a scarf, a tie, a handkerchief, and finally, a button.As the story concludes, Joseph loses the button, and rather than giving up completely, he decides to create a book about it, proving to his readers that you can always make something out of nothing.The story's theme directly correlates with the author's own illustrative style as he creates Joseph's unique world from an assortment of parts and pieces using a range of media. Beautiful!!
This book is so beautifully and creatively illustrated!The story is meaningful and touching and has a moral important to remember for children and adults.It's a treasure.

Buy this book
Wonderful story, with a cheeky moral.Colourful illustrations, simple text.I read it to my group of children at toddler story time and they sat entranced.Not difficult to get enthusiastic about this book - you must buy it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    2. Children: Preschool    3. Classics    4. Europe, Eastern    5. Folklore    6. General    7. Jews    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Specimens    10. Toy and movable books    11. Juvenile Fiction / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Single Title    12. Picture books   

Reviews (3)

Excellent book for readers of all ages
I got this book originally from the library for my son who was then just turning 2. We absolutely loved it. It is the kind of book that doesn't get old no matter how many times we read it together. He is not nearly 3, and he loves to sit down and read (recite) this book. Everyone who sees it loves the illustrations and the story itself.One of the touches that I like the most is the lettering.It all appears as a collage, making it very fun to look at.5 very enthusiastic stars.

Let's Visit The House that Jack Built.....
As Simms Taback tells the reader at the end of this rollicking, fun-filled adventure:"This Is The House That Jack Built, a favorite rhyme for children for several centuries, was first published in 1755 and probably derived from an ancient Hebrew chant in the 16th century.It was illustrated by Randolph Caldecott in 1878."And now this old and popular chain of events story gets the brilliant Taback treatment.Each clever and creative two page spread dazzles with vibrant color, marvelous, eye-popping detail, and witty asides.Children will revel in all the joyous, manic fun as they linger and explore each intriguing page, finding something new and exciting each time they open the book.Perfect for youngsters 4-8, This Is The House That Jack Built is a timeless masterpiece the whole family can read, share, and laugh over together, and a picture book no home should be without.

a fantastic version
A colorful, busy, fun illustrated retelling of a classic tale. Each page bursts with so many details it would be difficult to list them all here, although I'll try. For example, on the cheese "that lay in the house that Jack built" page, ten cheeses are listed with the level of "smell" they give off, and on the "cat that ate the rat" page, many different types of felines are shown with a description of their personalities--and those are just the start of what is on each page. How does this tie in with the story? I'm not sure, but it doesn't really matter--it's so much fun finding all the details as well as hearing the repeating chant of the story over again makes for a fine time reading. Very fun and should keep a little one busy. I highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    2. Children's poetry    3. Children: Grades 1-2    4. General    5. Juvenile Nonfiction    6. Nursery rhymes    7. Readers - Beginner    8. Juvenile Fiction / Classics   

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Reviews (2)

THE PERFECT GIFT
Although this book is considered a childrens book,it reaches all ages.Short stories giving meaning to common Yiddish words through short humorous stories and magnificent illustrations. I gave the book to a 6 year old who loved it; a thirteen year old boy roared with laughter and a 50 year old non-Jewish woman who loved seeing words that she had heard but was not sure of their meanings.What a find!I highly recommend this book.

Schlemiels and Schmendricks for your enjoyment and gezundt
With kinetic Jewish drawings and a book design that only Taback can achieve, the author retells 13 stories that were told to him by his zayda.The inside front and back covers are filled with famous Yiddish axioms in primary colors (well, most are Yiddishisms, others might be from Poor Richard's Alamanac).Idioms include From the lowly potato you get the choicest latke; Words are like arrows - both deliver with speedy aim;Words should be weighed and not counted; "Keep you eye on the bagel, and not the hole; and It is easier to be a critic than an author.Each of the 13 stories is followed by axiom.Each story is about 2 pages, maybe 4, but who's counting?One story is about a fish monger, and his neighbors (they all have to put in their two cents cuz they are kibitzers.)Another is about a shnayder, a tailor. Is he a genius, or just bad?One story is about a sick chicken(look closely at the thermometer).Some stories seem like they are from Chelm, one might be from Mel Brooks (hehe); but all have a twist.Of course, there is a well drawn colorful story about the difference between a shlemiel and a shliMazel.In a story about two brothers, God has an important insight into the human condition.In one story we find out when a Labish Noodleman can be a Yankel.My faves: If I Were a Rockefeller; and The Caretaker.The book closes with a glossary of over 45 words, including cheder; meshugge; megilla; klug; Gottenyu; and even gonif. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Kindergarten    4. Europe, Eastern    5. Fairy Tales & Folklore - Country/Ethnic-General    6. Folklore    7. Humorous Stories    8. Jews    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. Preschool Folk Tales    11. Preschool Picture Story Books    12. Religious - Jewish    13. Tales    14. Juvenile Fiction / Humorous Stories    15. Bargain   

Reviews (4)

My Favorite Book
This was my favorite book when I was little.I made my mother read it to me at least one hundred times a day.Now that I have children of my own, I want to share it with them.My 3 year old son knows most of the book by heart now.I look forward to cuddling up with my children every night before bed to read this story together.

Wonderful book for discussing loud and soft sounds
As an elementary music teacher, I have found that Too Much Noise is an excellent story to read in music class when discussing dynamics (louds and softs) to first graders.After learning sound effects, i.e. "creaking","squeaking", "swish", "hiss" and animal noises, my students get swept up in the gradual crescendo of the story.The sudden quiet effect that occurs in the room when all the animals leave the old man's house is breath-taking and mesmerizing to the children.One can literally hear a pin drop.Such is the power of great story-telling!

The absolute best!!
This was one of my favorite stories as a kid, and still is as an adult. The text is easy to read with good repetition, without being dull. My daughter loves it as much as I do. As an amature storyteller, I can say this story is always a hit. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 1-2    4. Concepts - Senses & Sensation    5. Fiction    6. Humorous Stories    7. Noise    8. Juvenile Fiction / Concepts / Senses & Sensation   

Reviews (1)

Great story, wonderful pictures
My child loves this book.We have been reading it almost every day since we got it.The book has a very engaging structure - counting to 10 - and it leads up to a not too scary climax with a Halloween "monster"that is very thrilling.The rhythm of the book makes it pleasing to read,and the illustrations are great: both colorful and amusing. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Baby-Preschool    2. Children: Preschool    3. Counting    4. Fiction    5. General    6. Halloween    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Juvenile Fiction / Holidays & Festivals / Halloween   

Reviews (2)

Best Book Ever
This book is so incredible. I can't believe the one other review of this book is +negative because my daughter is not even two and has memorized every single picture in this book. She started out before she was even a year old recognizing things like a ball and reciting the word with the picture and now she sits down and "reads" the pages and makes a different action or movement to coincide with each picture. For instance, she pretends to eat popcorn off of the popcorn page. I recommend this book to EVERYONE who wants their child to advance with motor skills and cognitive learning. She loves to read books in general and I attribute it to reading this book and similar ones for her in the very beginning. As far as manipulating the pages goes, my daughter has never had a problem doing so and she has had this book since before she was a year old. I can't imagine why it would be difficult.

Not good for Toddlers...
While I can certainly appreciate the sketches and the broad choice of words the author chose to include in this book, I don't think it is at all appropriate for toddlers who are just learning to speak.First of all, my child has a much easier time manipulating board book pages than he does these thin, glossy ones.Second of all, the renderings take some slight artistic license...making it very difficult for my child to recognize the objects and associate them with things in the "real world."In my opinion, this book is better suited for the higher end of toddlers and preschoolers only...and young toddlers should stick to books that use actual photographs. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/Baby-Preschool    2. Children: Preschool    3. Concepts - First Words    4. Concepts - General    5. Juvenile Nonfiction    6. Juvenile literature    7. Preschool Concepts    8. Vocabulary    9. Juvenile Nonfiction / General    10. Life Skills & Personal Awareness, General Studies   

Reviews (15)

THIS IS MY FAVORITE COOKBOOK!!
This was a wedding gift for my husband and me, who love to cook.This is a good balance of both meatless and meat recipes.We have learned to cook so many different "beans and rice" recipes that are delicious - and the ingredients match the basics we have in our pantry.We have often resorted to this book for "last-minute" dinners when we haven't been to the store or made up a menu.Our kids love the recipes, since Ms. Urvater thoughtfully mentions ways to work in milder versions of many recipes.Finally, the ideas for leftovers that follow many recipes are invaluable.I would highly recommend this cookbook and is a favorite one to give as a gift.

Great for Inexperienced Cooks!!
I have about 10 cookbooks (including popular "The New Basics") and this one is by far my favorite.As someone fairly new to cooking in general, it meets all my major requirements:1) not too many ingredients per recipe; 2) ingredients you can actually find in the grocery store (or even in the pantry); 3) simple instructions (no fancy cooking skills necessary to produce high-quality end product); 4) recipes don't take hours to complete; and 5) includes suggestions for things to eat with the dish & what to do with leftovers.
Life Changing Experience
Who knew that one cookbook would add variety to my diet, make me look forward to food shopping, teach me how to make quick, nutritious meals, and enable me to throw a wonderful dinner party! I highly recommend Ms. Urvater's book to anyone who loves food and has a hectic schedule.Her recipes make any novice seem like an expert.They are also Weight Watcher friendly for any members looking for flavor and options.Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. General    5. Cooking / General    6. General cookery   

Subjects:  1. Childrens   

Reviews (9)

A Constant Favorite
My son is one of the most fickle readers I have ever come across.He pushes away the old books in favor of new ones.However, Who Said Moo? has been a constant favorite for over a year.I wish I had it sooner.

My 2-year-old's favorite book right now
Perfectly adorable. This is the first book that he can recite in its entirety by heart.Like some others have said, he never tires of yelling out the animal sounds when flipping the flaps on each page to reveal the animal hidden underneath. I am buying a second copy just in case.

A Favorite at Our House
My son received this book as a gift when he was just a baby.He loved it then--so much so that some of the flaps were "loved" off the pages--and he loves it now. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animal sounds    2. Animals - General    3. Children's Books/Baby-Preschool    4. Children: Grades 2-3    5. Domestic animals    6. Fiction    7. General    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Specimens    10. Toy and movable books    11. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Subjects:  1. Buses    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Grades 1-2    4. Fiction    5. Readers - Beginner    6. Juvenile Fiction / Readers / Beginner   

Subjects:  1. Children's Books/All Ages    2. Children: Kindergarten    3. Family - New Baby    4. Family - Parents    5. General    6. Juvenile Fiction    7. Fiction   

Reviews (3)

A hit with the 2 year old
She loves this lift the flap book that teaches the terms for baby animals and animal sounds.I like it because the flaps are all shaped differently and are at odd angles.The illustration is cute too, and the last page has all the animals lined up so you can count them, and review names and sounds.

Favorite book
My son is now 1 year but this has been a FAVORITE book since he was 3 months and we have alot of books.The pages are thick cardboard, the flaps are easy for him to turn, the pictures are bright and adorable!

Where is my baby?
This book makes wonderful use of flaps.The momma animal says, "Where is my baby?" with a sad look on her face on the left side of the page.A partial flap on the right side covers the baby animal, butnot the rest of the picture, making the flap easy to grab and turn.Thewords under the flap says, "Here is my _____." [it fills in theblank with the appropriate name of the baby animal]It has been one of myson's favorite books since he was 12 months old!The pages are made ofsturdy material helping it hold up to many "self" readings by myson!The lively colored art keeps both child and parents' attention.Amust buy!I am giving it to every child on our Holiday list this year. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Animals - General    3. Children's Books/Baby-Preschool    4. Children: Grades 2-3    5. Family - Multigenerational    6. Fiction    7. General    8. Infancy    9. Juvenile Fiction    10. Specimens    11. Toy and movable books    12. Toys, Dolls, & Puppets    13. Vocabulary    14. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Editorial Review

For children who are passionate about machines, especially the reallybig ones, Read more

Reviews (8)

My 2 Year Old Always Asks for this one
He doesn't get sick of it! He loves pointing out all the different types of trucks, finding the boss, and talking about the road builders going to build their next road.

The best book for Truck obsessed toddlers!
I bought this book second hand for 1.50 and wow, 1 year later it is still his favorite book. Our copy is held together with packing tape and glue. Every time I get bored with it and hide it, he still manages to find it. My two year old will never part with his road builders book

My boy loves this book!
If your little one is interested in construction machines, this book is a must.It is great.My boy memorized the words to this book when he was three and it helped him learn to read.The pictures are wonderful-- colorful and cartoonish yet very detailed as well. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    2. Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction    3. Children: Kindergarten    4. Design and construction    5. Juvenile literature    6. Machinery    7. Road machinery    8. Roads    9. Science & Technology    10. Transportation - General    11. Juvenile Fiction / Concepts / General    12. Primary / junior schools   

Subjects:  1. Animal locomotion    2. Animals - Zoos    3. Children's Books/Baby-Preschool    4. Children: Grades 2-3    5. Concepts - General    6. Fiction    7. General    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Stories in rhyme    10. Zoo animals    11. Zoos    12. Board books    13. Juvenile Fiction / Concepts / General    14. Picture books   

Subjects:  1. Animal sounds    2. Animals - General    3. Children's Books/Baby-Preschool    4. Children: Preschool    5. Fiction    6. Forest animals    7. General    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Preschool Concepts    10. Stories in rhyme    11. Non-Classifiable   

Subjects:  1. Animals    2. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Fiction    3. Children's Books/Baby-Preschool    4. Children: Kindergarten    5. Fiction    6. General    7. Habitations    8. Juvenile Fiction    9. Specimens    10. Toy and movable books    11. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Subjects:  1. Animal communication    2. Animal sounds    3. Animals - General    4. Children's 4-8    5. Children: Preschool    6. Fiction    7. General    8. Stories in rhyme   

Reviews (1)

Old american folk-tune, illustrated with charming pictures.
I don't know how this could be considered "re-told" as it says on the cover. These words are not new. They are the lyrics to an old folk song.The illustrations, however, are original, and they illustrate the song in a folk art style that synchronises nicely with the story that the lyrics tell. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Action & Adventure    2. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks    3. Folk songs    4. Folk songs, English    5. Music    6. Social Situations - Emigration & Immigration    7. Texts    8. United States