General Books

Big Words for Little People

Jamie Lee Curtis

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Basic Concepts -> Words

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

I know some Big Words.
I'll teach them to you.
Although you are small,
you can use Big Words too.

Big Words aren't scary.
They're big fun to learn.
I was taught once
and now it's your turn.

The eighth hilarious picture book by the #1 New York Times bestselling team of Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell helps little people communicate in a big person's world. With grown-up words like cooperate, respect, patience and considerate, a big, boisterous and zany family celebrates the power of language and discovers that words—big or little—are the bridge that connects us all.

About the Author

Jamie Lee Curtis loves big words but doesn't know how to spell many of them. She adores her family life, which includes the amazing Annie, the miraculous Tom and the hilarious and loving Christopher. She advocates for children around the world and appreciates her friends, family and colleagues. She lives in stunning and sunny southern California with her rotund dog, Frances.

A Look Inside Big Words for Little People (Click on Images to Enlarge)

"I Know Some Big Words..."	"Perseverance Is to Try and to Try..."

If You Give a Cat a Cupcake (If You Give... Books)

Laura Numeroff

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 15 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Pure Delight 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

If you give a cat a cupcake, he'll ask for some sprinkles to go with it. When you give him the sprinkles, he might spill some on the floor. Cleaning up will make him hot, so you'll give him a bathing suit . . . and that's just the beginning!

This parable teaches kids that if you give a cat a cupcake then soon after the cat will expect much more. The cat just asks for sprinkles at first, but next thing you know, the cat's dragging the child to the beach, the amusement park, and the museum, forcing the child to carry all its stuff, and then making the child clean up the mess behind.

The lovable cat who first appeared in If You Give a Pig a Party now has his very own book! Written in the tradition of the bestselling If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond's newest story will show everyone that Cat is where it's at!

A must read for young and old. Fun illustrations and a cute story as well.

Editorial Review:

If you give a cat a cupcake, he'll ask for some sprinkles to go with it. When you give him the sprinkles, he might spill some on the floor. Cleaning up will make him hot, so you'll give him a bathing suit . . . and that's just the beginning!

The lovable cat who first appeared in If You Give a Pig a Party now has his very own book! Written in the tradition of the bestselling If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond's newest story will show everyone that Cat is where it's at!

The Little Yellow Leaf

Carin Berger

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

a stunning picture book 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.

There is something about this book which brings tears to my eyes every time I read it to my daughter. It just works on so many levels: stunning art, poetic text, a gentle, philosophical message about transformation and trust. As for my daughter, she loves tracing the little yellow (and scarlet) leaves' journeys once they finally let go and jump into the wind. Highly recommended.

The Little Yellow Leaf 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

The Little Yellow Leaf is a book to be read over and over again. As an ex east coaster and visual artist, I am immediately swept into the beauty and desolation of fall which is exquisitly rendered by Carin Berger from the simplicity of the story to the complexity of understanding of her medium. Not having a young child in the house, I enjoy the book from the point of view of an adult and an artist and am so happy that it arrived in the fall.

Editorial Review:

As all the other leaves float off and fly past, Little Yellow Leaf thinks, I'm not ready yet.

As the seasons change all around, Little Yellow Leaf holds on to the tree. Still not ready.

Will Little Yellow Leaf ever be ready?

This is a story for anyone who has ever been afraid of facing the unknown—and a celebration of the friends who help us take the leap.

Boynton's Greatest Hits: Volume II (The Going to Bed Book, Horns to Toes, Opposites, But Not the Hippopotamus)

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Animals -> Fiction

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The thinking's not fuzzy in these board books, but the animals certainly are. Sandra Boynton's familiar furry creatures introduce simple concepts in this bright collection of four books, replete with clever line drawings. In Horns and Toes and In Between, three horned monsters teach the parts of the body in rhyme: "...and we have a fuzzy TUMMY that we all like to pat / and a little BELLY BUTTON in the middle of that." The Going to Bed Book gets a Noah's Ark of animals organized for bed: "They hang their towels on the wall / and find pajamas, big and small." Opposites is just that: cute animals "high and low / fast and slow / heavy and light / day and night." In the rhyming reader But Not the Hippopotamus, a hippo finds himself on the outs as "a cat and two rats are trying on hats. / But not the hippopotamus. / A moose and a goose together have juice. / But not the hippopotamus." Rest assured the hippo finds love at the end. (Baby to preschool) --Claire Dederer

How to Draw 101 Animals (How to Draw)

Dan Green

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Arts & Music -> Art -> Drawing

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

A good idea, but probably not for children. In fact, probably not a good idea for adults either. 3 out of 5 stars.
12 of 15 people found this review helpful.

Well, it started out good enough. Owl, pig, dog, crab: easy peasy, mac and cheesy! I was in a drawing frenzy by animal number 8, which was a lion. I could draw a lion with my toes, and even then I could draw a decent one with only my left pinkie toes using one of those useless tiny stub pencils that you find in public libraries.

So then I turned the page and there was animal number 9: The Fishhawk. I had never seen a Fishhawk before, but there are a lot of animals I haven't seen. So I learned how to draw this half-fish half-hawk thing and continued on to number 10, which was a Fishbook. Now, Fishhawk, I'll buy. But I don't see how something could be fish and book all at once. Furthermore, the Fishbook was pictured as if it was reading about itself in a book called "Fishbooks: A True Story".

Well, there's a lot about science and zoology that I don't know, and I can't argue if there's a book out there called "Fishbooks: A True Story". So I drew this and continued on to number 11, which was, literally, the "Elevenosaur". Easy enough, I guess, but numbers 12-18 were, in order, the Twelvopotamus, Thirteentelope, Fourteencat, Goatifteen, Sixteengoose, Seventelephant, and Monkeighteen. Each of these was an anthropomorphized version of the number itself, only with some sort of vague animal resemblance.

Nineteen was actually just directions for writing the number "19". Under the side notes, called "Quick Hints," it says, "First draw the number 1 and then the number 9! Now combine them!" Number 20 was finally a real animal. It was some guy named Dave who, technically, is a human animal. However, 21 was "Doubledave" and 23 was "Tripledave" and so on until 29, "Polydave." Each of these was exactly the same drawing as the previous one, only with one more Dave.

The thirties were actually animals 1-10 again, but now with hats or actually themselves in the form of hats. For example, "Cat in a Hat" and "Lionhat" and "Dave wearing a pig hat." Although, I admit, #35 Crabhat looks pretty cool, but I don't see how it's kid-appropriate to have him injuring Dave's head with instructions on how to realistically draw arterial spray.

At this point, I started to skip ahead. Some of the notable animals in the remainder of the book are listed below:

#40. Beezoriite. A bunch of human-like bees coming out of a nest that looks like, I kid you not, the US Capitol Building. Bees aren't animals, but at this point I'm not going to nitpick. They are, however, illustrated with a strange accuracy. The queen is apparently Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, and several painstaking steps are included as how his "lipless smirk" should be precisely drawn.

#41. Jackelopemesopotamia. Described as "half jackrabbit, half antelope, half Mesopotamia".

#42. Dave, once again, but wearing a shirt that reads: "The Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything." I don't get it.

#52. The Syrripidon. The author took a full 80 pages to describe how to draw everything involving The Syrripidon. This apparently includes a pencil-like arm that the Syrripidon uses to draw other body parts onto itself. I supposed that explains why it has 4 beaks, 12 sets of legs, and something like 70 arm-like appendages that include a grappling hook, can opener, and "arm made of money". The final illustration is largely kid-inappropriate because the Syrripidon is pictured in a cartoon saying, in a vulgar and uncensored manner, how he cannot stop drawing things onto himself and that "no eraser can erase this pain."

As of the date of my writing this, Google cannot find one instance of the word "Syrripidon" on the internet.

#70. Cow. Strangely enough, these are well-written instructions on how to draw a pleasantly-cartoonish barnyard cow.

#72. Dogcow. Okay I see where this is going, all the way up to...

#79. Catdogcowcrabowlpigdavegooserabbit. As a "Quick Hint" the author instructs you that goose genes are the dominant phenotypes here, with rabbits coming in a close second.

#80-89. Multiple poses of the author's cat, Jinx, who is described as his "only friend now."

#90. A bottle of whiskey, but with arms. The bottle is drinking a smaller bottle of whiskey.

#98. The Authoridox. I believe this actually some sort of animal incarnation of the author. Included are several pages on how to draw everything from his "heart injured from the evil Exwifica", to his bloodshot eyes, and his "back, stabbed by the backstabbing best friend I once had." This is a very challenging animal to draw, which is probably why it's at the end of the book. I found the Authoridox's cirrhotic liver to be difficult to render, and I've never before attempted to illustrate the effects of a retrovirus-suppressed immune system.

#99. Daveasaurus Rex and Exwifica Regina. Well, this one really isn't child appropriate, and I don't see how the publisher failed to edit out this horrible, horrible image. There aren't even instructions on how to draw these "animals", but I don't see why you'd want to draw them anyway. Incidentally, Rex and Regina are the proper Latin words for king and queen, which tells me that a scary amount of thought went into this particular drawing.

Overall, I give this book a 3. I would have rated it lower, but it's difficult to fault a thorough, 900-page children's book for being incomplete. I would have rated it higher if not for giving me nightmares.

First the Egg (Caldecott Honor Book and Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book (Awards))

Laura Vaccaro Seeger

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A concept journey: egg or chicken? chicken or egg? 5 out of 5 stars.
29 of 31 people found this review helpful.

Which came first--the chicken or the egg? Finally, someone is here to tell us. But the answer later.

"First the egg," written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger, is a Caldecott honor winner for 2008 and an honor book for the Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) Award. What makes it special? Both the artwork and the story, or actually, in this case, concepts that lead from one transformation to the next. Two previous clever winners are Flotsam (Caldecott Medal Book) by David Wiesner and Black and White, an earlier Caldecott by David Macauley.

I took this book from a display in our bi-annual Book Fair. I read it in just one minute. Then reread it. And reread it. Every time I pick up this seemingly simple book, I see something else I missed. Even the covers are part of the story. This book is more than clever--it is brilliant, as in illuminating.

Listen, here is the story. Get comfortable and let me read it to you:

First the EGG
then the CHICKEN
First the TADPOLE
then the FROG
First the SEED
then the FLOWER
First the CATERPILLAR
then the BUTTERFLY
First the WORD
then the STORY
First the PAINT
then the PICTURE, First the CHICKEN
then the EGG!

Well? Exactly! Without the bold colors and almost in-your-face images in the background, the words are fine, but...? A Caldecott Award is given to the most distinguished picture book of the year. Please look at the cover image with this review. That gives an idea of the power of the colors and paint technique, which is impasto on canvas, providing two layers of texture. That is what this book has--texture: layers of texture in the art and the concepts.

Art? A creative, bold enterprise that can make the chicken or the egg first. Think it, do it. Create. That is exactly what Ms Seeger did. She created a bold, creative way to examine this age-old riddle.

"First the egg" is highly recommended, not only for children, who will adore it, but also for adults, who will be reminded of the grandeur of creation in all its many forms. Great children's books belong in the collection of adults as well as in children's.

Editorial Review:

WHICH CAME FIRST? The chicken or the egg? Simple die-cuts magically present transformation-- from seed to flower, tadpole to frog, caterpillar to butterfly. The acclaimed author of Black? White! Day? Night! and Lemons Are Not Red gives an entirely fresh and memorable presentation to the concepts of transformation and creatiity. Seed becomes flower, paint becomes picture, word becomes story--and the commonplace becomes extraordinary as children look through and turn the pages of this novel and winning book.

Boynton's Greatest Hits: Volume 1 (Boynton, Sandra. Boynton Board Books.)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 48 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Artist Sandra Boynton has been charming adults for decades with her whimsical, animal-centric greeting cards and her droll sense of humor. When Boynton transferred her weirdly wonderful critters to board books for babies, she made publishing history. These short, hilarious books are perfectly suited to toddler tastes, with their small size, few words, cheerful colors, funny jokes, and silly animals. Blue Hat, Green Hat is all about getting dressed, and stars a very silly turkey who just doesn't get it. (Feet in the hat, pants on the head, etc.) His continuing refrain is "Oops." Moo, Baa, LA LA LA! investigates the sounds animals make, including pigs who sing. Doggies is "a counting and barking book" about the many sounds dogs can make, and A to Z frolics through the alphabet with amusing animal antics from an aardvark admiring to a zebra zigzagging. Parents love Boynton as much as kids do, and these four books in a compact boxed set will no doubt become household favorites! (Baby to age 3) --Marcie Bovetz

Toes, Ears, & Nose! A Lift-the-Flap Book

Marion Dane Bauer, Karen Katz

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 90 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Perfect for YOUR little ones! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Five month old grandson loves these little books! Great way to spend time with your little ones - reading a great little book just for him/her. Sturdy, easy to clean and the perfect size for little hands & fingers. Can't go wrong with these little books for babyshower gifts or birthday gifts for little ones!

Another fun flap book. 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

We are on child #2 with this book and both of my kids have requested it over and over and over and over. My youngest, 19 months, is 'reading' it to us. It has even helped him learn a few body parts!

It is easy to understand, fun for the babies and easily read by my other kid. What could be better? Well, maybe a space age polymer that keeps the flaps on when an overzealous toddler continues to try and wrestle them off.

My daughter's favorite book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The summary: This book is a great combination of thick board pages, big cartoon people, bold colors and vivid images, and interesting interactive flaps. It's great for holding a babies attention and getting them engaged.
My daughter is 6 months old, and this has been her favorite book since she was 4 months (which is a really long time in baby age ). At first, she just watched me lift the flaps and her eyes would get wide. It was the only book that retained her attention. Now that she's a little older, she loves to try to open and close the flaps herself. Also, the colors are vivid and the pictures are interesting and bold, so she can stare at one page for several minutes and remain interested.
I've bought several of the other books by the same author that are the same theme: Where is baby's belly button; where is baby's mommy; Daddy and me. She likes all of them, but this is her favorite. Every page has a big picture of a child, which seems to be part of the tremendous appeal. And I like it too, so I don't mind reading it 4,000 times! :-)

Editorial Review:

Inside my boots I've got toes,

and beneath my scarf is a...

Baby is bundled in a mountain of clothes! Peek under the flaps of clothing to find out what's underneath, and play this fun peekaboo book again and again!

The Important Book

Margaret Wise Brown

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 39 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

How Do Dinosaurs Clean Their Rooms?

Jane Yolen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

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

My son loves dinosaurs this book really helps me to teach him how to properly clean his room.

we love the dinosaurs! :D 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I bought all of the Jane Yolen books I could find in here and had them shipped to my daughter for my grandchildren. She said that they are helping a lot and that the kids love them...and the kids told me they LOVE dinosaurs over the phone! :D The three year old is autistic and had a meltdown if anyone cleaned her room or moved anything...now, with the help of this book...she cleans it up with the dinosaurs ideas and she has no problem with the dinosaurs telling her what to do LOL. I do remember when my own daughter was a child, having Bert and Ernie puppets talk to her and tell her what they would like done and how well it worked. Well, this is the same theory and really helping with an autistic child especially.

Editorial Review:

Come along for some BIG fun as your favorite dinosaurs learn to pick up and put away their toys. How do dinosaurs clean their rooms? With trash cans and dusters and brooms!Now Jane Yolen's playful, read-aloud text and Mark Teague's hilarious illustrations show your own little dinosaurs just how fun and easy it can be. Brimming with the same infectious humor as the other HOW DO DINOSAURS tales, this new board book is a perfect companion to the immensely popular picture books and a great baby gift as well.