Stevenson, James Books

My Dog May Be a Genius

Jack Prelutsky

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Hilarious and superbly written - terrific poems for kids and adults 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

We got this book at a school book fair and it's by far the best discovery in ages.. These kids' poems are hilarious and superbly well-written, with all the craft and subtlety of Edward Lear or Ogden Nash, but they're immediately accessible to kids and to adults.

You may think poetry's not your thing, but your child will love the pieces in this book which make great bedtime reading as well. My daughter memorized one - "A Letter from Camp" - last year for a school event and she got laughs like a standup comic - it was such a hit that kids and other teachers asked her to do it over and over again.

Light verse may seem like a lost art, but the poems here couldn't be better - five stars plus and hats off to a terrific poet, Jack Prelutsky, the best poet for children in a long, long time...

Editorial Review:

Have you ever encountered an underwater marching band, a pig in a bathing suit, a pet orangutan, or a witch in a hardware store? Have you ever sat with a skunk in a courtroom, shopped for a dinosaur, or conversed with a Bupple, a Wosstrus, a Violinnet, or a Celloon? You will have, once you've read this exuberant collaboration from Jack Prelutsky and his "partner in crime"* James Stevenson.

The "reigning czars of silliness"* have once again teamed up to bring readers an irresistible collection of poems that will have tongues twisting, imaginations soaring, and sides aching with laughter. The result is genius, indeed.

^*Publishers Weekly (starred review)

I Am Not Going To Get Up Today! (Beginner Books(R))

Dr. Seuss

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

fine children's book that helps them learn so much... 5 out of 5 stars.
12 of 14 people found this review helpful.

I Am Not Going To Get Up Today (Beginner Books) by Dr. Seuss is a whimsical fantasy tale that should appeal to very young children. As another reviewer notes, young kids are full of energy; they don't truly want to stay in bed and this book won't encourage them to do that, either. However, the story makes a great fantasy and the book is also a solid educational tool for children learning to read.

The story is relatively simple; a young boy is tired and he wants to take the day off and lounge in bed. He is rather obstinate; even his mother and a cop can't get him out of bed! Along the way, the young child learns a lot about the English language and reading--and that's great.

Children are introduced to names of places including Paris, Massachusetts, Berlin, Alaska, China, Spain and more! This can easily generate a conversation with your child about what foreign (or distant) places are like; and the child can get a good basic understanding that the world is really a very large place with many different cultures.

This book also teaches children the sounds that some things make. For example, the book, usually through the use of text that rhymes, mentions how birds "peep;" how an alarm clock "rings;" how a bed can be "warm" and how a pillow can be "deep." Great!

I suppose that for some very active children the idea of a child taking a rest in bed could show them an example of the importance of learning to rest.

Overall, I Am Not Going To Get Up Today is another fine children's book by the great Dr. Seuss; and I recommend this book heartily for parents to read with their very young children. The book is an excellent educational tool that helps children learn to read and understand words, places and other concepts like "warm" and "deep."

Great job, Dr. Seuss!

Editorial Review:

Although I'm Not Going to Get Up Today! is aimed at young readers, it just gets better as you get older. Only after you've weathered more than few world-weary years can you fully appreciate this book's profound and universal message: "The alarm can ring. The birds can peep. My bed is warm. My pillow's deep. Today's the day I'm going to sleep!" But the rhyming words of Dr. Seuss and goofy illustrations from James Stevenson will surely get more than a few giggles from the old and the young, as everyone in town--from brothers and sisters to the police and the Marines--conspires to get our little hero out of bed. But, as the sleepy boy says, "nobody's going to get me up, no matter what he does." (Not with tickling nor shaking nor cold water on the head.) "Nothing's going to get me up. Why can't you understand! You'll only waste your money if you hire a big brass band." (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes

Going, Going, Gone! with the Pain and the Great One (Pain & the Great One)

Judy Blume

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A great CD for a trip 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Our 6 and 8 year old children eagerly look forward to releases of "The Pain and The Great One" cds. They can really relate to the stories. No childhood secrets are ruined (like in Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing), but the stories are very realistic and the emotions are, too.

Editorial Review:

THE PAIN AND the Great One are going places! In these new stories the kids are on the go—the Pain needs a trip to the emergency room; the family goes to the mall and not everyone stays together; the kids visit a county fair and want to ride the Super Slide; and a beach outing includes a boogie board. Lots more action and adventure for the dynamic duo who never stay still.

"Could Be Worse!"

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

James Stevenson at His Best 5 out of 5 stars.
13 of 13 people found this review helpful.

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.

It's the perfect set-up for the signature Stevenson story, in which Grandpa matter-of-factly tells them about an incredible adventure he once had. (Often these stories involve his little brother Wainey, although he does not appear in this story). Grandpa, while eating breakfast with the kids, begins"

"Last night, when I was asleep, a large bird pulled me out of bed and took me for a long ride [the reader turns the page] and dropped me in the mountains." In this same unflappable style, Grandpa weaves together a story that includes an abominable snowman, a scaly beast who crushes him, a blob of marmalade (!) who chases him, a gigantic ostrich who kicks him into the sea, an "enormous goldfish," a safe refuge in a large cup, a "gigantic lobster," and a sea turtle who rescues him. Finally, he discovers a giant newspaper upon which he flies back home. He asks the kids "Now what do you think of that?" On the last page, they hug him and shout: "COULD BE WORSE!" By the way, on the next page, young hands had written in pencil "it could."

What's interesting here is how Stevenson's tone makes this all sound like it really happened, even though a dream is strongly implied. The vivid pictures (these are among Stevenson's best, he mixes rich pictures with other illustrations that display his more typical minimalist style), the detail, and the fun impossibility of it all make the reader "suspend" his or her incredulity. If you read enough of these books, these characters takes on a familiarity and warmth that make them seem like old friends.

One other great Stevenson touch: The "dream" is populated by beings and items seen as Grandpa eats breakfast and begins his story: His newspaper, orange marmalade, coffee cup-even the "giant something-or-other" resembles his dog, and the sea turtle resembles his toast. Spotting these correlates is more fun and sophisticated then finding "Waldo," and the smile on the family's faces (including the dog, of course) makes this both a fun and an endearing book. While one should never write in a book that one doesn't own, the writing I found suggested strongly that Stevenson (a renowned illustrator for the New Yorker, and the author of many excellent kids' books) had once again captivated his audience. Look for his many other books as well!

Editorial Review:

"Unexcitable Gramps surprises everyone with a whopping tale of derring-do that proves there's life in the old boy yet. Stevenson's watercolors couldn't be better."--School Library Journal.

The New Kid on the Block

Jack Prelutsky

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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 have thought about, such as sneezing oysters and the dot-gobbling Flotz. Jack Prelutsky, one of the premier children's poets of our time, manages to be deadpan and goofy simultaneously and in perfect rhythm right up to the pleasantly unpredictable punch lines of his poems.

Take "Jellyfish Stew." "You're soggy, you're smelly, / you taste like shampoo, / you bog down my belly / with oodles of goo, / yet I would glue noodles / and prunes to my shoe, / for one oozy spoonful / of jellyfish stew." Poems about greedy grannies, exploding Bloders, and hypothetical situations such as having your nose unfortunately situated between your toes are guaranteed to delight you and your favorite kids. Quirky, surprising, and always delightful, Prelutsky's poems make us wish we'd grown up with his books in hand. Illustrator James Stevenson's loose pen-and-ink sketches are lively and fluid, waltzing along perfectly with Prelutsky's playful poetry. Once you and your children have howled your way through this ALA Notable Book, you'll be happy to discover that this talented pair has created two other meaty collections, including Something BIG Has Been Here and A Pizza the Size of the Sun. (Ages 4 to 12)

Soupy Saturdays with the Pain and the Great One (Pain & the Great One)

Judy Blume

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

SOUPY SATURDAYS evolves a fun set of brother/sister encounters. 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 7 people found this review helpful.

Judy Blume's SOUPY SATURDAYS WITH THE PAIN AND THE GREAT ONE offers up seven new stories centered around how brothers and sisters relate to one another. From math woes to parties and bike riding, SOUPY SATURDAYS evolves a fun set of brother/sister encounters.

book review Soupy Saturdays with the Pain and the Great One 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

My nine year old son is a big Judy Blume fan and thoroughly enjoyed this one. He read it straight through over two days.

A great audio book for a car ride 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Our family (both the parents, the kindergartner and the first-grader) enjoys listening to books on our longer car rides. We have exhausted the Ramona books (wonderful) and listened to a couple of Little House books (also wonderful), as well as a smattering of others (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Rabbit Tales, Magic Tree House, etc.). I was so pleased to find this book. Besides being wildly appropriate for siblings of a certain age, it is a fun book for everyone to listen to. (In fact, I've listened to it 3 times in the last 2 days!) The readers' deliveries are true to the characters and very entertaining. The situations are identifiable. I'm on Amazon tonight to order more Judy Blumes!

Editorial Review:

MEET THE PAIN:
My sister's name is Abigail. I call her The Great One because she thinks she's so great. Who cares if she's in third grade and I'm just in first?

MEET THE GREAT ONE:
My brother's name is Jacob Edward, but everyone calls him Jake. Everyone but me. I call him The Pain because that's what he is. He's a first-grade pain. I'll always know exactly what he's thinking. That's just the way it is.

These seven warm-hearted stories will give readers a peek at how a brother and sister relate to each other.

A Pizza the Size of the Sun

Jack Prelutsky

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

For All Ages 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

A Pizza the Size of the Sun was by far my favorite book of poetry when I was a child. I memorized "I'm Usually a Speedy Horse" for an audition for a play once. Recently, I saw this book in a store and immediately snatched it up (along with an "It's Raining Pigs and Noodles" umbrella). Reading through it again, I found that the poems aren't just for children. Granted the themes maybe be childish, the language itself is more sophisticated. Some poems are very adult (not in an obscene way, of course) such as "I'm Drifting Through Negative Space" and "When I Am Full of Silence." I adore this book once again and I recommend it for all. Five stars, six if I could!

Editorial Review:

Jack Prelutsky is widely acknowledged as the poet laureate of the younger generation. (And many people would happily see him crowned with no age qualification.) The New Kid on the Block and Something Big Has Been Here are household words wherever there are kids.

Here is another wondrously rich, varied, clever - and always funny - collection. Meet Miss Misinformation, Swami Gourami, and Gladiola Gloppe (and her Soup Shoppe), and delight in a backwards poem, a poem that ever ends, and scores of others that will be changed, read, and loved by readers of every age. The Prelutsky-Stevenson duo is irresistible. Whether you begin at the beginning or just open the book at random, you won't stop smiling.

Something Big Has Been Here

Jack Prelutsky

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

In this delightful companion to Jack Prelutsky's The New Kid on the Block, an early worm frightens the early bird, four vain and ancient tortoises race to see who can get to the finish line last, and outrageous imaginary characters such as the "Know-Nothing Neebies" ("We're perfectly pompous, / indelibly dense, / we haven't a trace / of a semblance of sense") pop up as magically as any creature from The Phantom Tollbooth or The Wizard of Oz ever did.

In "Captain Conniption," young readers will giggle to meet the self-professed "scourge of the sea." "I'm Captain Conniption, / and up to no good, / you'll soon walk the plank / if I think that you should, / I'd show you right now / how I vanquish a foe, / but I hear my mother, / so I have to go." Other subjects near and dear to children's hearts make fabulous fodder for fun, including sibling rivalry, bad table manners, meatloaf, and bats. Illustrator James Stevenson's lively line drawings capture Prelutsky's goofy poetic antics perfectly, making this collection another essential addition to any child's library. (Ages 4 to 12)

I Know a Lady

Charlotte Zolotow

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Editorial Review:

If you are lucky you know someone like the elderly lady in this book. Whenever she sees you--coming home from school, trick-or-treating at Halloween, or walking with your dog in the wood--she makes you feel special. She is someone you admire. She is someone you love.

Happily Ever After (Puffin Chapters)

Anna Quindlen

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

Editorial Review:

Eight-year-old Kate is a tomboy, but not your typical tomboy. She loves baseball and hates wearing dresses, but she can often be found in her room reading a good old fairy tale and imagining herself as the beautiful princess. One day, while dreamily 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's cracked up to be. After rescuing herself from the evil knight (the "wimp" of a prince couldn't manage this on his own), teaching a witch and troll to play jacks, and training her ladies-in-waiting in the art of baseball, Kate finds the princess life pretty dull and wishes her way back home. Kate realizes that being her old tomboy self, minus the crown, isn't so bad, and in fact it's pretty great. Author Anna Quindlen's charming story will appeal to all children interested in dragons, knights, adventures, and living happily ever after. (Ages 5 to 9)