Fiction Books - Page 6

The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room (A First Time Book)

Stan Berenstain, Jan Berenstain

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

Scientific Facts not Accurate 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I enjoyed this book (and others in the series) with my three girls when they were little who all are now twenty-somethings.

As a geologist, it was grating to see dinosaur model toys being referred to as being from the Pleistocene!! (the age of woolly mammoths, sabre-tooth tigers, dire wolfs etc.)

We wrote a letter to the Berenstains and got a cute letter reply from Papa Bear. He said they would correct the mistake in the next printing. OK, that was well over 20 years ago, and the book is still the same. Sigh! And people lament that our children are uninformed about science.

Now that my youngest daughter is about to get a teaching credential to teach science in elementary and middle school, maybe it's time for her to write another letter.

Editorial Review:

"The room shared by Brother and Sister is a mess because the cubs argue over who should neaten up instead of working together. Sure to make toddlers smile while they absorb an implied lesson."--Publishers Weekly.  

Polar Bears Past Bedtime (Magic Tree House)

Mary Pope Osborne

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

We Loved Polar Bears Past Bedtime 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

By Mr. Sondericker's 2nd Grade Class (Marilla Primary, Marilla, NY)

We loved Magic Tree House#12: Polar Bears Past Bedtime by Mary Pope Osborne. Jack and Annie had a challenging riddle to solve in the Arctic. They needed to solve the riddle to become master librarians. There was a lot of action in the story. Jack and Annie had to work together to get back home safely. We learned many interesting facts about the Inuit people, polar bears, and the Arctic. Mary Pope Osborne used descriptive language that helped us visualize. We loved the story and think you will too!

Review by Mitchell H. (8 Yrs. old) 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

You should read this book because it has good facts. Did you know that a 270 lbs female cub polar bear can go on thin ice without falling through? Is that cool or what? My favorite part is when Jack and Annie meet the cubs and play. It takes place in the Arctic. What do you think will happen to the two kids? Will they become frozen dinners to the bears or will they get save? Read the book to find out!

Editorial Review:

The Magic Tree House transportss Jack and Annie to the freezing Arctic. There, they must solve the final riddle to become master librarians. But it's not going to be easy--especially when they have cracking ice, a seal hunter, and a prodigious polar bear to deal with. Will they be able to solve the riddle before they get iced themselves?  

You Are My I Love You

Maryann Cusimano

Amazon Price: $11.55 List Price: $16.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Philomel Amazon Marketplace: 85 new & used starting at $1.93

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 107 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

An I Love You book that isn't sticky sweet 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book is heart moving and precious because it is so real. I can't read it without tears in my eyes.

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

LOVE THIS BOOK! It's a great kid-friendly story about the relationship between a parent and child. The pictures are wonderful also. Gave it as a baby shower gift to a good friend but will absolutely get another copy when I have my own children!

Heart Warming Book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book really warms your heart. Perfect for anyone - parents and children. I give it to all of my friends who had a baby or are having a baby... It made me cry after my daughter was born because the book is so touching, yet so simple. It is one my 18 month old daughters favorite books. ENJOY!

not just about parent/child love... 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book several years ago when Daniel Pinkwater reviewed it on Public Radio. It perfectly describes a relationship between parent and child, where the parent is the stable rock the child craves, the child the ingenuous spirit the adult has lost.

I don't see it as being limited to adults and children. I have many of the same feelings about some of my adult friends.

I do agree with the reviewer who suggested this is basically an adult book -- I don't think most children will understand what it's about.

The "professional" reviewer who found it overly sentimental seems to have little understanding of human relationships. This book expresses a significant aspect of them in a way I have not seen elsewhere.

Editorial Review:

I am your parent; you are my child.
I am your quiet place; you are my wild. . . .

A day in the life of parent and child-full of smiles and giggles, messes and meals, boundless energy and well-earned naps. Not to mention lots of love.

Illustrated by Satomi Ichikawa

The Berenstain Bears and the Blame Game (First Time Books(R))

Stan Berenstain, Jan Berenstain

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

The Berenstain Bears Are A Family Favorite 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

We own at lease 10 of these children's books! Each story teaches a different life lesson. "The Blame Game." teaches not to waste time blaming others for what is most likely, simply an accident. When sister bear breaks the window, she blames brother bear for pitching the ball so close to the house.

Finally, papa bear steps in to stop the bickering. Mother bear and papa bear work together to get the kids to act more responsibly and stop "the blame game." Great stories for kids!

Great basis for a family conversation 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

We love the Berenstain Bears in our household. We have 2 girls who are 2 years apart and starting the "blame game" and we found this book helpful. We'll read it with the girls and then discuss it. There are times when we just read it to keep the story fresh in their minds. I found it to be helpful to me also, it's a good reminder that yelling and shouting don't solve the problem at hand and to focus on a solution together is a more productive solution.

Editorial Review:

Who's to blame? That's what everyone always wants to know. But the kernal of wisdom at the heart of this latest First Time Book is who really cares? Because -- let's face it -- there's always enough blame to go around. What matters is how we work together to fix the problem.  

Wonder Bear

Tao Nyeu

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Giving the hues their dues. 4 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

As far as I know there are no hard and fast rules that govern an illustrator's debut picture book. No guidelines on what to do or what to avoid are written down for easy reference. If an illustrator were to ask me, however, I would probably advise against going wordless your first time out. The general buying public is comfortable with certain wordless books, all right. Anno's Journey and The Red Book and The Snowman, for example. But these are award winners or literary classics. By and large the general purchasing public isn't entirely certain what to do with the wordless. How on earth does one "read" when there is nothing to be "read" in the traditional sense of the word? But you know who didn't ask for my advice on the matter? Tao Nyeu. Ms. Nyeu just went out there and created the biggest, brightest, most imaginative wordless picture book I've seen in all of 2008. She did it without taking a drop of advice from me, and I'm bloody well glad she did. So artists everywhere, I implore you! Never listen to a single syllable that falls out of that gaping hole I dare to call a mouth. Whether the marketplace is ready for it or not, Wonder Bear is a remarkable debut appearance by a special creator adept at tuning into that portion of the brain directly connected to childhood.

A boy and a girl plant a garden. Not a particularly extraordinary event in and of itself, but as they lie dreaming that night a beanstalk, as thick and lush as any Jack ever climbed, shoots out of the ground to flower the next morning. Emerging from one such blossom is a white bear with a blue top hat. From this hat the bear pulls out a troop of high-spirited monkeys, bubbles that take the shape of wild animals, flying creatures that normally are relegated to the deep blue sea, and more. After a day of adventures the boy and the girl fall deeply asleep and tucked into bed by the bear and the monkeys before they themselves take off for parts unknown.

I found the color palette itself mildly fascinating. I've decided that deep green just doesn't get the attention it deserves. Nyeu gives the hue its due, alongside other colors I might not instinctively reach for myself. Deep blues I see a lot of, but oranges and yellow/oranges? That stands not within the prospect of belief! Much of the action, including the cover, is set against a pure white sky, the bear only distinguishing himself through his own outline. This could come off as dull and uninformative as a Eyewitness book, but fortunately Nyeu shakes things up enough by shifting backgrounds, angles, distant shots, and close-ups so that the read never comes off as stagnant. Really, these changes in perspective give the reader a sense of flying with the characters. Speaking of which, the characters in the book are fun, though it is clear that the monkeys steal the show. Nyeu is not averse to slipping in a little monkey-related detail here or there (check the back endpapers), and kids will have fun following the orange critters' adventures throughout the story. Sharp eyed readers will also spot a blue top hat on the seeds the boy plants (and the watermelons on the girl's side are full grown by the tale's end).

A quick word on the size of the book. Librarians will often groan when a publisher decides to put out a picture book of unusual dimensions. Yes yes, we understand the artistic inclinations at work here. Fellow artist Mo Willems can explain at length why Leonardo, the Terrible Monster is tall and thin while Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed is long and wide. That said a library's shelves are not eternally malleable things. We like our books to fit, you see. The oddly shaped or incredibly tall are too often doomed to the "OVERSIZED" section of the children's room where no one ever sees them and where they are bound to lay forgotten, maligned, and alone. Wonder Bear is eye catching and tall with a creamy whiteness and selectively shiny cover that is dazzling to the eye. This will serve it well in bookstores, where catching the eye is the whole point of the game and where shelves are flexible objects. In children's rooms in libraries, however, do not be surprised if it is difficult to find this book right off the bat. This is definitely an example of when art comes in conflict with use.

Artistic considerations aside (no small task) the easiest way to describe this book to parents would be to call it The Cat in the Hat meets The Snowman. Consider it. You have your top hatted animal character that pulls wild things from its headwear and takes two children (a boy and a girl) through remarkable adventures. That's a credit to Seuss. Then on the other side of the equation you have a large white, friendly polar entity coming to life and flying about through a dark night sky. Tip of the hat to Mr. Briggs. However, Nyeu eschews the near calamity and anarchy of The Cat while also not getting near Briggs' surprisingly sad ending. The result is a picture book as light and fluffy as a soap bubble without an emotional core. It's a comfort book, not a story with a greater purpose. Not all tales for children need this unsettling undercurrent, but maybe a little jolt or hint of conflict would not have been out of place here. Maybe.

My knowledge of the children's literary marketplace outside of America wouldn't fill half a flea's eardrum, y'know. Still, the international possibilities of this book cause one's jaw to drop slowly to the floor. I mean, the title itself already has the feel of a wordless import. It reads more like The Adventures of Polo than Jeannie Baker's Window. Some may not care for the title's systematic stream of consciousness while others wish it packed more of an emotional or narrative punch. I like it quite a bit, though I acknowledge that it does feel like a first book. But Ms. Nyeu is clearly a name to watch as her books grow and change over the years. Her sense of wide-eyed wonder is something no one will ever be able to copy or steal. A beautiful object and a very fun book. A visual winner, through and through.

Editorial Review:

Two kids plant mysterious seeds (all that’s pictured on the envelope is a blue top hat), and up grows a remarkable flowering vine, out of which emerges an even more remarkable big white bear. On his head is the top hat—a hat that allows him to work all kinds of magic that day. He pulls monkey after monkey from the hat, blows bubbles in amazing shapes, and transforms flowers into spectacular floating sea creatures.

The two kids are wide-eyed with wonder, and you will be too. This is a dazzling debut—a vibrant, welcoming, strikingly original picture book.

The Berenstain Bears and the Trouble with Friends (First Time Books(R))

Stan Berenstain, Jan Berenstain

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

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

This book is great. It shows that even the best of friends can fight at times. Also to take turns and there are some things that cannot be done alone. Also to be forgiving of each other.

Good 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Brother does not want to play tea party with Sister. Sister feels all alone. That is, until a new family of bears move in down the road. Sister meets Lizzy Bruin and they show their jump rope skills. They become friends and go play in the playground.

Sister likes her new friend but soon finds out that Lizzy is quite bossy. Lizzy always has to be teacher and treats Sister stupid (she doesn't know the Alphabet). They get into a fight, call each other names, and Sister storms out.

Mama Bear explains to the grumpy and hurt Sister Bear that it is fun to be alone but there a lot of things you cannot do alone...like riding on a seesaw.

Sister and Lizzy make up and soon are having fun again.

Editorial Review:

The new cub in the neighborhood, Lizzy Bruin, is the same age as Sister Bear--and she's also just as bossy. After a fight threatens their budding friendship, both cubs learn that you can't always have your own way if you want to have friends.  

Little Bear's Friend (An I Can Read Book)

Else Holmelund Minarik

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

charming beginning reader 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

These stories about Little Bear and his friend Emily are a charming introduction to the world of reading for beginners. Little Bear is a sweet child to his mother and father and a good friend to Duck, Hen, Owl and Cat. Minarik's simple narrative will be easy enough for early readers, and Sendak's illustrations will hold their attention. The four stories are: Little Bear and Emily, about the friends' meeting; Duck, Baby Sitter; The Party at Owl's House, in which Lucy falls from a tree; and "Your Friend, Little Bear", about Little Bear's coping when Emily goes away for the school year.

Another good Primer from Ms. Minarik - a review of "Little Bear's Friend" 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I am amazed at the sort of complex storytelling that Ms. Minarik can accomplish with fairly simple words. [Why can't more modern authors accomplish the same?!?]

In this book, Little Bear finds two new friends, a little girl named Emily and her doll, Lucy. Together they have adventures which include going to a party, a broken arm for Lucy, and tragedy of tragedies... Emily's having to go away at the end of summer to attend school.

Five Stars. Wonderful storytelling. Good Read-aloud. I would estimate that this "I Can Read" book is on the first grade level. [Other sources list it as a second grade reader: 2.2 Level.]

Principally the difficulty lies not in the vocabulary but in the fact that there is quite a bit of dialog and more words per page than is found in Ms. Minarik's earlier stories.

Editorial Review:

Little Bear meets Emily, a human girl, and her doll.‘Once again Little Bear proves himself to be as wistful and tender a little creature as exists in the child’s library.’ —K.

Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?

Bill Martin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 26 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Sorta Weird 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

My 2-year old twins like this book because they like to see the animals, but I think they'd get more out of it if more mainstream animals were used. I think they're a little thrown by animals like "macaroni penguin" - sounds like food to them. The dreaming child part is weird looking too.

I think it's great to use endangered animals, although my kids aren't exactly as concerned about animal endangerment as I am. It's not a bad book or anything, but honestly, if I had read it in a bookstore, I wouldn't have bought it.

Editorial Review:

New big books to share with a group!  Big books are ideal for use with a large group—they are oversized at 14-1/2 x 18 inches. A perfect way to enjoy Holt favorites with many children at once!
A collection of endangered animals appear in Bill Martin Jr’s rhythmic text with Eric Carle’s vibrant images, and all are watched over by our best hope for the future—a dreaming child.  Also available in big book format: The Colors of UsBy Karen Katz Here are My HandsBy Bill Martin Jr and John Archambault, illustrated by Ted Rand In the Small, Small PondBy Denise Fleming 

Corduroy 40th Anniversary Edition

Amazon Price: $13.59 List Price: $19.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Viking Juvenile Amazon Marketplace: 47 new & used starting at $6.95

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

Collector's item/memorabilia for adults, pages upside down 4 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.

I purchased this for my son, but I'm going to get another copy that ISN'T the anniversary addition. This version contains eight pages of information about the earlier version of the book, letters between the author and publisher, etc. This sort of stuff is more for those of us who remember the book from our childhoods than it is for the kids themselves.

Curiously, the first four pages of my copy of the book are bound in upside-down. Does anyone else have this in theirs? I might have a real collector's item indeed...

As for the story itself, it's a five-star kid's story. Wonderful. But if you are buying it for your kids, I'd get the other version.

Editorial Review:

In 1968, a girl named Lisa fell in love with a little brown bear wearing green overalls with one button missing, and thousands of readers followed suit, making Corduroy one of the best-loved children’s books of all time. Now, forty years later, Viking proudly celebrates Don Freeman’s classic with a very special anniversary edition. With an extra-large trim size and special features including an embossed cover and four bonus spreads of never-before-seen materials, this handsome volume is a must-have for any Corduroy fan.

Bedtime for Frances

Russell Hoban

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 58 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Great Book! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I loved this book when I was little and now my son loves it too. I was amazed at the negative comments regarding this book because of the spanking. It doesn't give my son nightmares - it's just a story and if anything it helps him realize that those noises he hears at night have reasonable explanations. I don't spank him - he equates that part with a time out but he does understand about spanking (there are many who still believe in spanking). A lot of literature has things that some consider undesirable - as a parent you don't hide those things but enjoy the art and explain anything that might be confusing to the child.

Be cautious of the heavy handed naysayers 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I first purchased Bedtime for Frances in 1975. It was for my oldest child. Subsequently we read it to all 5 of our children and it became their favorite bedtime book.

Some reviewers are cautious to a fault about the give and take that goes on between Frances and the parent, her not going to bed, the threat of a spanking and the gloomy characters in her bedroom. Well apparently they have never had the real life process of raising a child and sharing the experiences.

Frances became a way of talking to them about the things that aren't there in the dark, behaving themselves and even sounds that go on during the night. The book also shows the comfort of Mother and Father sharing a snack and with enough authority to enforce the rules, even on the monsters of Frances imagination.

Three years ago I bought a new copy of Frances for each of my children to share with their children(the new one is in color.) My original is still here for use with Grandchildren when they sleep over.

This is an extremely innocuous story about a little Badger's struggle with settling down for a good sleep...perhaps the worry worts ought to buy a copy and let it settle them down too.