Aruego, Jose Books

Leo the Late Bloomer

Robert Kraus

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 31 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

This is a horrible book to give a kid 1 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

My parents gave this book to me when I was a kid because I was a "late bloomer". I really think that was the beginning of my self esteem issues. I was unaware that I was a "late bloomer" until they pointed it out to me by giving me the book. I can remember being so sad reading it and thinking there was something wrong with me. Now that my daughter is a bit of a late bloomer, it's gotten me thinking about this book. Please don't buy it for your kid. If you do, please explain to them why you're giving it to them. Don't leave it to them to draw their own conclusions that they are like Leo they can't do anything right.

Classic Must-have 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

A wonderful resource to have as part of your professional library when working with children.

Editorial Review:

Leo isnt reading, or writing, or drawing, or even speaking, and his father is concerned. But Leos mother isnt. She knows her son will do all those things, and more, when hes ready. Reassuring for other late bloomers, this book is illustrated with beguiling pictures.Saturday Review.\n

Gregory, the Terrible Eater (Reading Rainbow)

Mitchell Sharmat

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Disappointing 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 10 people found this review helpful.

This book is a disappointment. Kids may get a laugh out of it, but they won't learn anything about eating well. I hesitate to give it to any of my grandchildren!

Gregory the Terrible Eater 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This is one of my favorite children's books. There are lots of lessons for ongoing analogies. But the best part is that the book is funny and loved by kids.

Very Disappointing 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I did not find this book very funny or amusing. There's nothing wrong with enjoying healthy food -- whether you're a goat or a child.

Hey, that's my name! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

First of all, I'm a little biased. My name is Gregory, so as a child, I naturally loved anything that had the same name as me. This book made me laugh and now, probably 10-15 years later, I randomly thought of this book at work and thought "hey' I'll check Amazon!". (Something which didn't exist when I read this book)

I don't know if this book will teach anybody anything, but I do know that I read it growing up and I turned out pretty good. The eating of violins and tires is funny to the childish mind. Heck I still find it funny. Heh heh.

If you have children (and especially if their names are Greg) then buy this book.

If you don't have children (and your name is Greg) then you may still want to consider buying this book.

Editorial Review:

A very picky eater, Gregory the goat refuses the usual goat diet staples of shoes and tincans in favor of fruits, vegetables, eggs, and orange juice.

Antarctic Antics: A Book of Penguin Poems

Judy Sierra

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Judy Sierra, author of the well-loved picture books Counting Crocodiles and The House That Drac Built, delights young readers again, this time paying poetic tribute to the distinguished-yet-waddling emperor penguin of icy Antarctica. Comical, cartoonish paintings by accomplished illustrators (and penguin lovers) Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey combined with Sierra's lively poems will have your favorite kids giggling and, perhaps, wanting a pet baby penguin of their own!

Youngsters will dive, swim, and glide through playful poems such as "My Father's Feet," which begins: "To keep myself up on the ice,/I find my father's feet are nice./I snuggle in his belly fluff,/And that's how I stay warm enough." "Penguin's Swim" starts, "Ten little penguins all in a line--/One jumps in and now there are nine./Nine little penguins, how they hesitate--/One tumbles in and now there are eight." Sierra's poems are based on the lives and habits of emperor penguins, so your kids will learn about life in the Antarctic from a penguin's perspective. This book is as irresistible as the fish-slurping, huddling, fidgeting, waddling, ker-plopping penguins themselves! (Ideal for reading aloud, but perfect for early readers ages 4 to 8.)

Whose Mouse Are You?

Robert Kraus

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

I still have it memorized! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

My favorite illustration is the one where the mother mouse is feeding her son (or daughter?) an impossibly large cheese banquet, much to his/her great delight. A wonderful book!

Classic funny book for preschoolers and a bit older 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

A clever funny and warm little story that reads quicky. Bright, simple and charming drawings highlight the adventures of a small mouse who triumphs over troubles to bring his family together. A very satisfying ending and a book that kids will want to hear again, and again, and again...

Editorial Review:

In a series of delightfully imaginary achievements, "nobody's mouse" transforms himself into the beloved hero of his mother, father, sister, and brand-new baby brother. In their very first collaboration, now celebrating its 30th anniversary, Robert Kraus and Jose Aruego give charm and validity to one of childhood's more difficult experiences. Tender and catchy, Robert Kraus's rhyming text, combined with Jose Aruego's large, vibrantly clever illustrations, makes for a storytime classic. This happy picture book is brusting with wit, tenderness, and joyful ingenuity.

Alligator Arrived With Apples : A Potluck Alphabet Feast

Crescent Dragonwagon

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Not just another alphabet book! 5 out of 5 stars.
12 of 13 people found this review helpful.

As a kindergarten teacher I am always on the lookout for alphabet books that portray letters and sounds in a different way than I read just the day before, while keeping to the same concepts. We really enjoyed the illustrations here. Several of my students noticed that this illustrator drew the ducks in the book we used on our first day of school because the pictures are simple, clear, and not too ornate. We enjoyed this work, and heartily recommend you stop by to have lunch or dinner with these folks while learning the a, b, c's.

A FUN Feast ! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Alligator Arrived with Apples: A Potluck Alphabet Feast is an endearing story. It is so cute; it begs to be read repeatedly. The illustrations are adorable, and they remind me of a cross between Sandra Boynton's crazy characters, and Richards Scarry's Busytown animals. Technically speaking, the illustrations are very basic with simple washes of color, but the personalities of the animals are so droll the pictures are irresistible.
I wasn't sure how my son would react to this book. He's in Kindergarten, thus, he's outgrown alphabet books, but he adored this Thanksgiving tale. Many of the food items are new to his young eyes, and he was curious about each one. The copyright page is a two-page spread that features all the menu items. The food is in alphabetic order, and labeled accordingly. I think we discussed this page four separate times. We also poured over the picture where the tables are set, and the place cards are aligned in front of the each place setting. My son wanted to address each animal, and was distraught when he discovered there wasn't an animal for the letter "R". He kept telling me that the Pigs should have invited a rabbit. What could I do but agree with him?

Parents will like reading this short, 40-page tale because it's clever, and amusing. The vegetarians will be pleased as well, because all the food choices are vegan. The book doesn't offer an age recommendation, but I think 3 to 6 years is probably appropriate. This is an unexpected holiday delight.

Editorial Review:

There's going to be a feast! And everyone is here with food from A to Z! There is Elderberry Elixir from Elephant and Mocha Mousse made by Mouse. By the time Zebra Zips in with his Zaftig Zucchini, there will be enough food to feed a zoo! So come and join the party and don't forget your appetite!

Five Little Ducks

Raffi

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Wonderful book with beautiful pictures 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is the well-known and loved five little ducks story, but the artwork is absolutely charming and my daughter loves to notice new details each time we read it. Definitely a book that will get read and re-read, but you won't tire of it since it is so beautifully done.

Great book for reading readiness... 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This book lets you teach 18 vowel-spellings with 40 vocabulary words.

Raffi - Five Little Ducks 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I bought this as a follow up to "Wheels on the Bus" which my daughter just loves. The story/song is really cute to read, but I'm disappointed with the illustrations. Still a good buy.

Editorial Review:

First published in 1989, this charming Raffi Songs to Read/reg/ has fresh appeal as a board book that the youngest child can hold. With sweet illustrations by veteran children's book artists Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey, this lovely counting song will invoke squeals of delight from babies and toddlers. They'll love counting down as first five little ducks, then four, then three, then two, then one go out to play, not to return. Sadly, Mother Duck waits alone through all four seasons until spring returns and with it her five ducks, all grown up-along with their new families of baby ducks.

How Chipmunk Got His Stripes (Picture Puffins)

Joseph Bruchac, James Bruchac

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Native American legend of how Bear gave Chipmunk his stripes 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

There is an entire sub-genre of myth and folklore consisting of stories that explain the distinctive qualities of animals. "How Chipmunk Got His Stripes" is a Native American story told along the East Coast, and in the Author's Notes for this volume we learn that while there are Cherokee, Abenaki and Mohawk versions, the earliest written one to be found is of Iroquois origin. What the father and son team of Joseph Bruchac and James Bruchac provide here is a longer and more detailed than what might be found elsewhere, the story having grown in the telling over the years.

The story begins with Bear out walking and bragging that he is the biggest, strongest, and loudest of the animals. Hearing his boasts, a little Brown Squirrel asks Bear is he can really do anything. Bear insists that he can, and so the little Brown Squirrel asks Bear to tell the sun not to rise tomorrow morning. Bear has never tried this before but is sure he can do it and tells the sun in the western sky not to come up tomorrow. The sun disappears behind the hills and Bear is sure that the sun if running away from him because it is afraid.

That night the Bear turned towards the east and instead of sleeping spent the night saying "The sun will not come up, hummph" over and over again. But as the night went on the little brown squirrel began to say "The sun is going to rise, oooh." This goes on and on all night long, and while the Bear and little Brown Squirrel keeping saying the same thing over and over again, the other animals gather around them to see who would be right. Now, whether you are a young reader or an older one, you might be able to figure out what is going to happen next and how that might end up with the chipmunk getting his stripes. Think about how you ancient storytellers could begin with the distinctive stripes of the chipmunk, come up with a perfectly logical reason for the look, and then have to invent a story that provides the motivation.

This charming story has colorful pictures by Jose Arugeo and Arianne Dewey ("Mushroom in the Rain," "We Hide You Seek") done with pen-and-ink and watercolor that was then scanner-separated and reproduced as red, blue, yellow and black halftones. I especially like their use of orange in the artwork, especially when it serves as a background to their pictures of Bear. As for the Bruchacs, they have also collaborated on "Native American Games" and a collection of Native American monster stories, "When the Chenoo Howls."

Editorial Review:

Bear brags that he can do anything-even stop the sun from rising. Brown Squirrel doesn't believe him, so the two wait all night to see if the sun will rise. Sure enough, the sky reddens and the sun appears. Brown Squirrel is so happy to be right that he teases Bear. What happens when a little brown squirrel teases a big black bear? Brown Squirrel gets stripes and is called chipmunk from that day forward . . . Joseph and James Bruchac join forces to create this buoyant picture book, based on a Native American folktale.

Illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey.

Look What I Can Do

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A Fifteen Word Book 2 out of 5 stars.
15 of 18 people found this review helpful.

At the end of the excellent 400-page text/program "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons," twenty books are recommended for children who now (according to the text) read at a second-grade level. This is the third book on the list of twenty. The fourth page of this book, "Look What I Can Do," has five words, "Look what I can do!" On page 7, there are five more words, "I can do it too!" The last page has the same five words as the first page, "Look what I can do!" In between, there are a lot of pictures. If you would like your child to read more than 15 words, you might think about getting a different book.

Look What I Can Do 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Two show-offs compete to come up with a better antic. This creates havoc for the animals in their paths and eventually both of them! Execellent facial expressions and a fun ending make this a book for all ages.

Editorial Review:

"Look what I can do!" "I can do it too!" And so begins a lively contest between two water buffalo that ends up being a bigger adventure than either of them had imagined!

This simple, nearly wordless picture book is one that the very youngest children will be eager to "read" all by themselves.

The Chick and the Duckling (Aladdin Books)

Mirra Ginsburg

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great for Early Childhood students. 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

This book is great for showing how chicks and ducks are the same, and different, in an entertaining way. It is an emergent reader book, that uses repetition and predictability to help young readers along. My Kindergarten class really loves this book. I've seen it in Big Book format, but can't find it here. Oh, well! Buy this one if you don't have it.

Scooty scoot scoot 4 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

It probably would have made more sense to name this book, "The Duckling and the Chick" rather than the other way around, but I guess there's no accounting for taste. In this world there are picture books written for every worry, hope, fear, and joy a child could conceive of. One of the more realistic dramas children face is the appearance of a new sibling. Now, there are some great picture books out there on the subject. There's "Ginger" by Charlotte Voake and "Julius, the Baby of the World" by Kevin Henkes, but long before either of these modern classics were written there was "The Chick and the Duckling". It's a kind of sibling-worship tale taken to its logical extreme and illustrated by the incredible Jose and Ariane Aruego.

One day a duckling hatches out of its shell with a triumphant, "I am out!". Immediately following out of its own shell is a small chick who is quick to add, "Me too". For every action the duckling takes, the chick is right behind to copy. If the duckling wishes to find a worm, the chick finds the same one. If the duckling wants to catch a butterfly, the chick catches one too. Finally the duckling announces its intention of going for a swim. Quicker than you can say, "Me too", the chick (having forgotten, I guess, that chicks are not waterfowl) sinks to the bottom of the pond. Patiently the duckling retrieves the sodden ball of yellow fuzz before announcing, "I'm going for another swim". "Not me", replies the wiser and now butterfly-distracted chick.

This book could probably be a good way of letting younger siblings know to give their older adored brothers and sisters a little breathing space now and again. After all, they don't want to end up like a half-drowned chicken, do they? What is interesting in this story is that the duckling at no point shows even the slightest annoyance with its close yellow shadow. The duck even goes so far as to rescue its oppressor, leading to a happy ending for one and all. If the book strikes a familiar cord with you, it may be because this pairing of Russian author V. Suteyev and the Aruego illustrators is not a new one. An equally interesting and delightful creation is their intriguing, "Mushroom in the Rain", which I highly recommend. Illustrator Jose Aruego also created the slightly better known, "Leo the Late Bloomer", a book which has been comforting the slow learners of the world for years and years. In this particular outing, the Aruegos have not imbued this book with as much color or originality as "Leo". Just the same, there is a great deal of life and humor to the pictures. From the bright and colorful pink, yellow, and orange flowers that cluster in the fields to the pink, purple, and orange butterflies that dot the skies, the book is awash in movement, energy, and color.

A classic to its bones, "The Chick and the Duckling" remains in the readers' mind long after the tale has ended. A delightful way to teach kids about space, siblings, and getting along with others. Fine frolicsome reading.

Editorial Review:

As Duckling sets off to explore the world, Chick is close behind, mimicking each of his actions with a perky "Me too." But when Duckling decides to go for a swim, his friend is in for a surprise.

This charming tale, with brightly colored illustrations by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey, will delight small children who are also discovering the world around them.

Mushroom in the Rain

Mirra Ginsburg, Russian by Mirra Ginsburg

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

It's a shame this book is no longer in print 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

As I look back, this book is one of my fondest memories. I remember having it read to me as child, knowing the words by heart, the beautiful pictures drawing me into the world of the story. I can still see those pictures in my mind and they bring a smile to my face even now all these many years later. If you can find it for your child either used or in a library, get it. It will be a favorite, guaranteed.

One side makes you taller, the other side makes you small 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

A somewhat oblique tale about how sharing/love/goodwill towards your fellow man leads to an increase in even more sharing/love/goodwill. Adapted from the Russion of a one V. Suteyev, this soggy tale follows a small ant in the rain. When the sky begins to pour, the little ant has only just enough room to fit under a tiny mushroom. Soon, more and more creatures arrive to take refuge under the fungus. Finally, the animals band together to hide a rabbit from a hungry fox, making their toil well worth the effort. As the rain abates, the little ant ponders why it is that the mushroom was able to accommodate so many woodland creatures, and he learns a little about what mushrooms do in the rain.

The story is illustrated by the talented Jose Aruego (of "Leo the Late Bloomer" fame) and is rather amusing. Colorful too, in a sense, though nothing compared to "Leo". Aruego has a good sense of humor. As each animal or insect crawls under the mushroom, we are privy to a montage of different positions and poses as the other creatures move about to accommodate him/her. This is especially amusing when the fox inspects the mushroom's inhabitants for its bunny prey. He pokes and prods and even goes so far as to lift the entire mushroom onto one side (with the rabbit cleverly ensconced on the other). I was half expecting this story to turn out like so many other animals-trying-to-fit-in-a-small-space books. Usually this kind of story would end with the mushroom exploding into a million pieces with all the animals getting wet. Not so here. I give author Ginsburg/Suteyev a lot of credit for not taking the easy ending on this tale. It's much easier to end a story with a big ole explosion than with a quiet understated moral. All in all, successful.

Editorial Review:

Caught out in the rain, an ant takes shelter under a very tiny mushroom. Soon, a wet butterfly, then a drenched mouse, a dripping sparrow, and even a rain-soaked rabbit each beg to join him under his miniature umbrella. How can the ant let the others in when there is barely room enough for one? But as the rain comes down and down, they all somehow manage to squeeze together and share the tiny shelter. And when the sun finally comes out, the ant discovers a magical secret of just what happens to mushrooms in the rain!