General Books

Where the Wild Things Are

Maurice Sendak

Amazon Price: $12.21 List Price: $17.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: HARPER COLLINS PUBLISHERS - Model: 8771-2 Amazon Marketplace: 73 new & used starting at $5.99

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 358 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Wild! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

If you want something really wild read the Adventures With Boys series! It's as good as this book!

This was my favorite as a child :) 4 out of 5 stars.
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This one is a classic, of course. Chances are that you remember it from your own childhood, what more is there to say?

My nieces love this one. It's not too wordy, so it's great for very little children and for those nights where you really want everybody in bed five minutes ago! But the words that are there are perfectly selected, nothing is missing. Lyrical is the word I'd use.

And the story about Max having his time-out and repenting (or, for that matter, his mother changing her mind about her over-reaction) is one that most children can relate to, I think.

One of my favorites 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I loved this book as a child, so I bought it for my 4 year old. I had forgotten how great it is. It's truely a spectacular little adventure. Not too long to even read two or three times...you know how four year olds are...

Editorial Review:

The 1964 Caldecott Medal Winner for the Most Distinguished Picture Book of the Year by Maurice Sendak. Brian O'Doherty of The New York Times said the Mr. Sendak's work "disguised in fantasy, springs from his earliest self, from the vagrant child that lurks in the heart of all of us."

First Day Jitters

Julie Danneberg

Amazon Price: $6.95 List Price: $6.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: CHARLESBRIDGE PUBLISHING - Model: CB158089061X Amazon Marketplace: 14 new & used starting at $3.24

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Features:

• Made with the Best Quality Material with your child in mind.
• Top Quality Children's Item.

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 38 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Book about the first day in a new school - we all remember what that's like, right? 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

My nieces haven't read this one yet.

The book runs through the excuses Sarah makes to avoid going to her new school (note that she's nervous about switching schools), and she's steadily cajoled into the front of the class where our Surprise! Announcement! reveals (and I admit, I was surprised - this is really well-done) that she's the teacher.

Well, no doubt teachers do get nervous on the first day of school, same as anybody else does :) Kids are likely to be surprised and laugh at the ending too, maybe even not believe it.

I do find it a little off-putting that Sarah's husband and boss essentially talk to her (and, in the beginning, treat her) like she's a child, but that's necessary to make the reveal an actual surprise.

I found the conversation between Sarah and the other characters to be very realistic (maybe a little less so for an adult, but, remember, we have to be surprised at the end), just like the conversations I had with my parents as a kid about school some days.

Editorial Review:

First Day Jitters

Have You Filled a Bucket Today: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids

Carol McCloud

Amazon Price: $9.95 List Price: $9.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Ferne Press Amazon Marketplace: 21 new & used starting at $5.34

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Love this book! 5 out of 5 stars.
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This book is fantastic. I am an elementary school counselor and it was a big hit when I read it with the Kindergarteners and 1st graders at my school. After a month they are still talking about filling peoples buckets. The story and illustrations are very well done and it's easy for kids to understand. I highly recomend this book to any parent or educator. It's even a good read for adults!

GREAT lesson for children and adults! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Have you filled a bucket today is a wonderful book about being kind to others! Filling someone's bucket or bucket dipping is such an easy concept for children to understand. It has helped make my children aware of other people's feelings. I highly recommend Have you filled a bucket today! And I have heard fabulous things about "the bucket lady!"

Editorial Review:

Through simple prose and vivid illustrations, this heartwarming book encourages positive behavior as children see how rewarding it is to express daily kindness, appreciation, and love. Bucket filling and dipping are effective metaphors for understanding the effects of our actions and words on the well being of others and ourselves.

The Kissing Hand

Audrey Penn

Amazon Price: $11.53 List Price: $16.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Tanglewood Press Amazon Marketplace: 38 new & used starting at $9.57

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 111 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Chester Raccoon doesn't want to go to school--he wants to stay home with his mother. She assures him that he'll love school--with its promise of new friends, new toys, and new books. Even better, she has a special secret that's been in the family for years--the Kissing Hand. This secret, she tells him, will make school seem as cozy as home. She takes her son's hand, spreads his tiny fingers into a fan and kisses his palm--smack dab in the middle: "Chester felt his mother's kiss rush from his hand, up his arm, and into his heart." Whenever he feels lonely at school, all he has to do is press his hand to his cheek to feel the warmth of his mother's kiss. Chester is so pleased with his Kissing Hand that he--in a genuinely touching moment--gives his mom a Kissing Hand, too, to comfort her when he is away. Audrey Penn's The Kissing Hand, published by the Child Welfare League of America, is just the right book for any child taking that fledgling plunge into preschool--or for any youngster who is temporarily separated from home or loved ones. The rough but endearing raccoon illustrations are as satisfying and soothing for anxious children as the simple story. (Ages 5 and older) --Karin Snelson

Harold and the Purple Crayon 50th Anniversary Edition (Purple Crayon Books)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 148 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

"One night, after thinking it over for some time, Harold decided to go for a walk in the moonlight." So begins this gentle story that shows just how far your imagination can take you. Armed only with an oversized purple crayon, young Harold draws himself a landscape full of beauty and excitement. But this is no hare-brained, impulsive flight of fantasy. Cherubic, round-headed Harold conducts his adventure with the utmost prudence, letting his imagination run free, but keeping his wits about him all the while. He takes the necessary purple-crayon precautions: drawing landmarks to ensure he won't get lost; sketching a boat when he finds himself in deep water; and creating a purple pie picnic when he feels the first pangs of hunger.

Crockett Johnson's understated tribute to the imagination was first published in 1955, and has been inspiring readers of all ages ever since. Harold's quiet but magical journey reminds us of the marvels the mind can create, and also gives us the wondrous sense that anything is possible. (Ages 4 to 8)

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Judith Viorst

Amazon Price: $7.99 List Price: $7.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: INGRAM BOOK & DISTRIBUTOR - Model: ING0689711735 Amazon Marketplace: 63 new & used starting at $2.59

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• Made with the Best Quality Material with your child in mind.
• Top Quality Children's Item.

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 174 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

No redeeming qualities to this book 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I thought, after reading the description and some of the reviews, that at least there would be something positive to counteract Alexander's bad experiences throughout the day. The only trace of anything positive is at the very end of the book when it mentions that even in Australia some days are bad too.

This child has everything going wrong for him, from the time he got up in the morning...gum in hair, tripped on his skateboard, didn't get a toy in his breakfast cereal when his brothers did. He thinks he'll move to Australia.

On the way to school he doesn't get a window seat. At school the teacher liked someone else's picture of a sailboat over Alexander's invisible castle (he didn't draw anything). He left out the number 16 at counting time. He "could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day."

And on it goes. So far, his complaints are fairly innoculous. This kind of stuff can happen to any kid, but his behavior begins escalating into bad behavior. "I hope you sit on a tack, I said to Paul. I hope the next time you get a double-decker strawberry ice-cream cone the ice cream part falls off the cone part and lands in Australia."

More everyday "bad" stuff happens to him--he didn't get dessert in his lunch, a trip to the dentist reveals a cavity. Then at the car his brother made him fall and his other brother calls him a crybaby--so he punches him.

He makes a mess at his father's office. He hates lima beans (served at dinner). He hates kissing (saw it on TV). Bath was too hot. Soap in his eyes. Hates his pajamas. Goes to bed thinking of his terrible day, and his mom assures him some days are like that, even in Australia.

The whole thing is so negative. He's a grouch. Why should I read this to my child? (too late, I already did, but never again)

Editorial Review:

The story is about Alexander and his very bad day. Read about his best friend that deserted him, and no dessert in his lunch bag and lima beans for dinner and kissing on TV. Paperback.

What to Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Anxiety (What to Do Guides for Kids)

Dawn Huebner

Amazon Price: $10.85 List Price: $15.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Magination Press Amazon Marketplace: 22 new & used starting at $9.57

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 33 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

What to Do When You Worry Too Much 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book gave my 8 year old the tools necessary to understand and combat her worries. Within a week, we saw an amazing transformation in her ability to manage her worries as well as her body's reaction to those worries. Excellent resource.

a wonderful workbook for kids! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book is great for a child that worries more than the average kid. My daughter is 9 1/2 and she has always worried about things that she can't control (house catching on fire, tornados, lightning, etc). This book has been a blessing! I wish I had discovered it a few years ago. It is written on a kid-level with chances for them to write/draw about their own worries.

A Fantastic Parent/Teacher Resource 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is an excellent book. It acknowledges how worried children feel and gives them tools to deal with those feelings while still validating that this isn't always an easy task. It is in language kids can understand but also also gives the non anxious person insight into what it is like to be anxious. It doesn't blame or judge but rather has an accepting tone. The strategies it gives are actual cognitive behavioral techniques used with kids and adults. What an excellent resource for parents, teachers, and therapists of anxious children! I highly recommend this book!

Editorial Review:

Guides children and parents through the cognitive-behavioral techniques most often used in the treatment of anxiety. This interactive self-help book is the complete resource for educating, motivating, and empowering kids to overcome their overgrown worries.

Fancy Nancy

Jane O'connor

Amazon Price: $11.65 List Price: $17.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: HarperCollins Amazon Marketplace: 59 new & used starting at $9.37

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 158 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Fabulous book for my 3 year old daughter! 5 out of 5 stars.
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I bought this book for my daughter's 3rd birthday. She absolutely loves this book! Great illustrations and a fun story. She will request this book to be read to her. I have to talk her into reading another book just so we aren't reading "Fancy Nancy" 7 days a week. This book is interactive in the sense that there is soooooo much detail to the illustrations that you can spend so much more time on the pictures than just the words. I would recommend this book to all little girls that have a good imagination or need to spark their imagination. I think this will be a good book for my daughter for years to come! I can't wait to see what other "Fancy Nancy" books are out there to add to our library!

Editorial Review:

Meet Nancy, who believes that more is ALWAYS better when it comes to being fancy. From the top of her tiara down to her sparkly studded shoes, Nancy is determined to teach her family a thing or two about being fancy.

How Nancy transforms her parents and little sister for one enchanted evening makes for a story that is funny and warm -- with or without the frills.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Judi Barrett

Amazon Price: $6.99 List Price: $6.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Aladdin Amazon Marketplace: 64 new & used starting at $2.79

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 174 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great book! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Love this book! I remember borrowing this book from the library when I was growing up and I had to share it with my children. My 2 boys really enjoy this book, especially when the food is gigantic. I would highly recommend this book for children of all ages.

A timeless children's classic. 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Perfect. A great story well told and beautifully illustrated, in an appropriately sized format. Who doesn't fantasize about food? And how about food on a colossal scale? And as the weather itself? Good, good fun.

Lousy presentation 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The story is great, but I am returning the item because the book jacket is awful. I ordered a hardcover, and the book itself has no picture or title on the cover, only the book jacket shows the cover. That alone is odd, but this jacket is as thin as a piece of paper! It won't survive one year in my classroom. I've never seen such cheap, lazy packaging in my life. The pages are also thin and tender, they aren't strong glossy pages like most books. As much as I love this story, it's not worth the money because it won't last.

Editorial Review:

If food dropped like rain from the sky, wouldn't it be marvelous! Or would it? It could, after all, be messy. And you'd have no choice. What if you didn't like what fell? Or what if too much came? Have you ever thought of what it might be like to be squashed flat by a pancake?

The Important Book

Margaret Wise Brown

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 38 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

"The important thing about rain is/ that it is wet./ It falls out of the sky,/ and it sounds like rain,/ and makes things shiny,/ and it does not taste like anything,/ and is the color of air./ But the important thing about rain is that it is wet."

Goodnight Moon creator Margaret Wise Brown's The Important Book is a deceptively simple exercise--taking familiar things like an apple, spoon, or shoe, and finding the most basic association with those things. The most important thing about an apple? It is round. A spoon? You eat with it. A shoe? You put your foot in it. But why, according to Brown, is the most important thing about grass "that it is green," while the most important thing about an apple is "that it is round"? Why is "that it is white" the most important thing about snow and a daisy? Whether or not you'd distill these things in the same way that the author does, Brown makes us think about the essence of everyday entities in new ways. The illustrations, by Caldecott Medal winner Leonard Weisgard (The Little Island), perform the same function--capturing the spoonness of spoons, the roundness of an apple, the motion of wind.

Happily, Brown went on to create the companion Another Important Book, about the importance of being one, two, three, four, five, and six years old--published for the first time in 1999 with fabulous artwork by Caldecott Honor artist Chris Raschka (Yo! Yes?). Both of Brown's "important books" will endure the test of time as fresh, thought-provoking ways to examine the world around us. (Click to see a sample spread. Text copyright renewed 1977 by Roberta Brown Rauch. Illustrations copyright renewed 1977 by Leonard Weisgard. Permission from HarperCollins Publishers.) (Preschool and older) --Karin Snelson