Gammell, Stephen Books

The Relatives Came

Cynthia Rylant

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 37 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

I love this book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book to use for a discussion about how authors can paint pictures with their words. My first graders loved this book and we were able to talk about our favorite parts in the book and all the children can relate because they have either gone to visit relatives or relatives have come to visit them. They loved the pictures and the story!

I've given it as a gift twice 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

We're from a large family and the images and descriptions of the family reunion really touched home. I've given it to two different sets of nieces and nephews, and hope they'll have the same great stories to tell about our family that Cynthia Rylant relates.

Editorial Review:

In a rainbow-colored station wagon that smelled like a real car, the relatives came. When they arrived, they hugged and hugged from the kitchen to the front room. All summer they tended the garden and ate up all the strawberries and melons. They plucked banjos and strummed guitars.

When they finally had to leave, they were sad, but not for long. They all knew they would be together next summer.

Scary Stories Boxed Set

Alvin Schwartz

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 68 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

These are Not for the Faint of Heart 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

The stories you will find in these books are the most terrifying I have ever read. As I understand it, they originate from American Folklore. This, in addition to Gammell's truly disturbing artwork, adds the minute shot of realism that transforms harmless fiction to something that reads more like a short, historical, tale of warning. They are told in a simple, blunt manner, giving the reader the impression that they are hearing a historical account. As a kid I was addicted to horror, but these were the tales that led to literally months of sleepless nights. If you are buying them for a child with a vivid imagination, prepare his or her parents' for the ensuing insomnia.

Memories of being scared to go to sleep 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I loved these books when I was little- this is what got me started off on my love for scary books/movies/tv shows. I still remember some of the stories from the books, especially one where the dark is creeping over the ceiling and walls, and they always seem to come to mind when I'm in the dark trying to sleep. The pictures still scare me and I'm 26 now. I'd recommend these books for anyone who loves scary stories- get those kids started off early! And they'll scare adults too...

Editorial Review:

Schwartz's three best-selling collections of scary folklore--Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and Scary Stories 3--are made available in a three-volume boxed set.

Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust

Eve Bunting

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

Review Terrible Things 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This book tells about how the Holocaust could happen. So many times when things go wrong or don't look right, people have a tendancy to look the other way, not get involved, or "I better not help as I may have a problem too." In this book the different animals are removed one by one by the "terrible things." Everyone looks the other way- the only one to question why is a little rabbit and he is told not to get involved by his elders. In the end there is no one left,except the little rabbit who hid,- and the meadow is left silent and barren. Just as in the Holocaust years ago, if people had banded together, maybe this wouldn't have happened. I read this book to my LD 4th grade class. By the end of the book, outside of being able to hear a pin drop in the classroom, the kids asked "Why didn't anyone do anything?" I guess the author really got her point across!

Editorial Review:

In this unique introduction to the Holocaust, Eve Bunting encourages young children to stand up for what they think is right, without waiting for others to join them.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark 25th Anniversary Edition: Collected from American Folklore

Alvin Schwartz

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 87 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Scary but fun 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

My five year old went through a phase of liking scary books. These are the best collection out there once you are past the "easy reader" scary stories. The stories are short and some are even funny and so my five year old was able to handle them despite the fact that they are listed for a 9+ age group. Do note that many stories are very scary/morbid and if your child is easily frightened, wait till they are older.

Editorial Review:

This spooky addition to Alvin Schwartz's popular books on American folklore is filled with tales of eerie horror and dark revenge that will make you jump with fright.

There is a story here for everyone -- skeletons with torn and tangled flesh who roam the earth; a ghost who takes revenge on her murderer; and a haunted house where every night a bloody head falls down the chimney.

Stephen Gammell's splendidly creepy drawings perfectly capture the mood of more than two dozen scary stories -- and even scary songs -- all just right for reading alone or for telling aloud in the dark.

If You Dare!

More Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark

Alvin Schwartz

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 45 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Inspired me 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

When I was three or four, my older sister would show me the pictures in this book and being so scared, I would cry. The images are so strong, they really make the book what it is. When I was 8, I sat there for hours.. staring at the images, afraid that just maybe they were staring back at me too. They hold so much life and creativity, they inspired me. I'm a photographer, and looking at my gallery, I can see where each picture was inspired by this book somehow (my drawings, too).

The stories themselves aren't all that scary, but exciting and morbid. They're descriptive enough, but without going overboard for children.

It gets five stars for being so inspiring to me. One (well, three) of my favorite books ever.

Editorial Review:

All those who enjoyed shuddering their way through Alvin Schwartz's first volume of Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark will find a satisfyingly spooky sequel in this new collection of the macabre, the funny, and the fantastic.

Is it possible to die -- and not know it? What if a person is buried too soon? What happens to a thief foolish enough to rob a corpse, or to a murderer whose victim returns from the grave? Read about these terrifying predicaments as well as what happens when practical jokes produce gruesome consequences and initiations go awry.

Stephen Gammell's splendidly creepy drawings perfectly capture the mood of more than two dozen scary stories -- and even a scary song -- all just right for reading alone or for telling aloud in the dark.

If You Dare!

The Secret Science Project That Almost Ate the School (Paula Wiseman Books)

Judy Sierra

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Hilarious tale. 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 9 people found this review helpful.

Judy Sierra's THE SECRET SCIENCE PROJECT THAT ALMOST ATE THE SCHOOL enjoys lively drawings by Stephen Gammell as it tells of mutant slime which nearly proves the downfall of a young scientist. A strange box of Super Slime for the science fair consumes cats, ants, and grows way too big: disaster is in the making in this hilarious tale.

Absolutely Hilarious 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

I just heard this book read on NPR and can't believe how funny it is. It's the kind of book that adults will enjoy reading to kids over and over and over.

A True Delight 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

It's one of the best childrens books in ages. I read it to my adult children (out of town) and friends. We all bought the book. It is one I don't mind being asked to read over and over.

Deliciously Funny 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This is an excellent read for both you and your children! No one gets injured and it is funny and carries you from beginning to end. Your children will love to read this with you.

Editorial Review:

Students, heed this little rhyme:

When it's science project time,

Do not make goop,

or glop,

or grime,

And never mess with

mutant slime.

Scary Stories Treasury; Three Books to Chill Your Bones: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark/ More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark/ Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones

Alvin Schwartz

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Awesome 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I remember this from when i was younger, the stories scared me so much. now that i am grown, i have all three books in one and i like to read the stores sometimes to remember the times when i was a child.

Scary Stories Treasury: Omnibus review 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I think Scary Stories Treasury: Omnibus was scary, yet funny in a way.I really liked the stories. I have all of Alvin Schwartz's books, and there all very good. I recommend them all to you.

-John

Song and Dance Man

Karen Ackerman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Hear the beat of dancing feet 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I think there must be a whole old-people-dancing picture book genre out there. Tons of these books appear on the market every year and they bring in a steady profit time and time again. Perhaps the most successful of these (which is to say, it won an award) is Karen Ackerman's charming, "Song and Dance Man". A simple tale of a grandfather puttin' on a show for his grandchildren, the book is a touching tribute to the Vaudeville kings and queens of yore.

Three bright eyed urchins appear at their grandfather's door one day, to his evident delight. Without further ado he leads them up into the house's attic where he keeps a trunk of old treasures. It takes a little sifting and shifting to find exactly what he needs, but soon Grandpa's old taps are on his feet and the lamps in the attic become the spotlights of a makeshift stage. Grandpa begins with a shuffle footed tap solo then moves on to banjo playing/singing, magic tricks, and awful old jokes. The night's entertainment is topped off with a grand finale of tapping and dancing. The crowd (of three) goes wild and everything is put away again. "But as he turns off the attic light, Grandpa glances back up the stairs, and we wonder how much he really misses that time on the vaudeville stage, when he was a song and dance man".

You've probably seen illustrations by Minnesota based artist Stephen Gammell before and just didn't know it. They've a kind of controlled insanity, though this book is not half as violent to the senses as his truly disturbing "Old Black Fly". Instead, this story comes off as merely messy, but with a vibrant undertone. The colors in the pictures are often of a sweet rainbow filled spectrum. Grandpa's nose, a permanent red, sits prominently on his kind face. I think the real joy of this book is that you know the main character is having the time of his life. He's truly enjoying reliving his days as a performer, a fact drilled home by the book's wistful final sentence. Thumbs up to author Karen Ackerman too for effectively creating such a great grandpa character. Who wouldn't want a talented guy like this in their family?

For a sweet intergenerational tale that doesn't focus (for a change) on wise advice or dealing with death, this book takes the cake. When you read a book that takes as much joy out of life as this one does, you know you're gonna find yourself going back to it again and again. Sentimental in only the best sense of the word.

Editorial Review:

Once a song and dance man, Grandpa reclaims his youth and profession before the delighted eyes of his three grandchildren one afternoon. He simply cannot resist the urge to dress up in clothes left over from his vaudeville days--complete with top hat and gold-headed cane--and to perform tricks, play banjo and tell jokes. He taps, twirls and laughs himself to tears on a thrown-together stage in his attic. Artist Stephen Gammell takes full advantage of lamplight to render Grandpa in shadow and silhouette, trivializing the concept of age and creating a feeling of intense nostalgia. Related from the point of view of the children, the text in Song and Dance Man is soft and understated, and Gammell's artistry is superb. The book won the Caldecott Medal in 1989.

Thunder at Gettysburg

Patricia Lee Gauch

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

Great Read Aloud Intro to Battle of Gettysburg 4 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

Read this to your children in the car as you drive into Gettysburg. It is a great intro to the battle. I read it to 7, 9 and 10 year olds and the adults enjoyed it, too. It's about the experience of an adolescent girl who leaves her home for the day to help babysit some neighbor children and gets inadvertently caught behind battle lines in the famous battle at Gettysburg.

Incidents, places and people in this short book (read it in 20 minutes) are easily found in the actual Gettysburg area - making the story come alive and giving the kids concrete concepts to "hang" the sights on: For example, the main character flees to the Weikert farm for safety - there is a Weikert tombstone in the cemetary just opposite the Visitor's Center; she meets a General Weed, and his photo is prominent on the Park Service's explanation at the auto pull-off for Big Round Top; she lives in a red house with two linden trees in the yard, and many Civil War era houses can be found in town, several with linden trees, and so on.

The prose is very well constructed, exceptionally so for a children's book - and it reads almost like poetry. It looks like a simple little children's chapter book, but it really is a treasure.

Editorial Review:

Fourteen-year-old Tillie becomes involved in the tragic battle of July 1-3, 1863.

Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones

Alvin Schwartz

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 35 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

BEWARE!!! 1 out of 5 stars.
4 of 16 people found this review helpful.

Why would any adult let a child aged 9-12 read a story where a wife takes the liver of the dead lady next door and feeds it to her mean husband? Why would anyone with any common sense of decency allow any child to read about killing dogs, children getting a gun to scare off a ghost, and an adult KILLING A CHILD slowly & painfully because of grudge by using a "voodoo" type spell for revenge. What is wrong with the man who wrote these books? My opinion is that Mr. Schwartz is a disturbed and depraved person and he should seek help - not write childrens books. Even more is wrong with the reviewer who decided these disgusting and morally void stories were appropriate for young children. It seems to me that Mr. Schwartz gets his thrills by taking away the innocence of a young and naive audience. I hope he's happy with the psychological damage he is responsible for. PARENTS BEWARE of this author in your home, your schools & your public library.

Editorial Review:

Storytellers know -- just as they have for hundreds and hundreds of years -- that everyone enjoys a good, scary story!

Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories 3 joins his other popular collections of scary folklore, Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark and More Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, to give readers spooky, funny and fantastic tales guaranteed to raise goose bumps.

Who is the Wolf girl? Why is a hearse filled with men with yellow glowing eyes? Can a nightmare become reality? How do you avoid an appointment with Death?

Stephen Gammell's splendidly creepy drawings perfectly capture the mood of more than two dozens scary stories -- and even a scary song -- all just right for reading along or for telling aloud in the dark..