Nonfiction Books

Goodnight Moon

Margaret Wise Brown

Amazon Price: $6.99 List Price: $6.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: HARPER COLLINS PUBLISHERS - Model: HC0064430170 Amazon Marketplace: 195 new & used starting at $0.01

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• CHILDRENS BOOKS & MUSIC
• Childrens Books
• Language Arts

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 594 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

so small 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Didn't realize this was a mini-version of the book till I received it. It's about the size of an adult's hand (fingertip to palm). Doesn't make the best gift.

I have always loved this book! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The Christmas Edition
This was a bedtime favorite of my children. Now our oldest is about to have her own child (its a boy). So I bought a parcel of books for the baby. When Kimberly saw this book, tears sprang in her eyes remembering me reading this to her while she sat on my lap. In a few more months someone new will be in her arms on her lap, and she will be reading this book to him.

Editorial Review:

In a great green room, tucked away in bed, is a little bunny. "Goodnight room, goodnight moon." And to all the familiar things in the softly lit room--to the picture of the three little bears sitting in chairs, to the clocks and his socks, to the mittens and the kittens, to everything one by one--he says goodnight.

In this classic of modern children's literature, beloved by generations of readers and listeners, the quiet poetry of the words and the gentle, lulling illustrations combine to make a perfect book for the end of the day.

 

1988 Choices (Association of Booksellers for Children)
1995 "Pick of the Lists" (ABA)

The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread (Tale of Despereaux)

Kate Dicamillo

Amazon Price: $12.23 List Price: $17.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Candlewick Amazon Marketplace: 118 new & used starting at $2.13

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 376 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

WINNER OF THE NEWBERY MEDAL!

Kate DiCamillo introduces a hero for all time!

Welcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in the darkness and covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish. These three characters are about to embark on a journey that will lead them down into a horrible dungeon, up into a glittering castle, and, ultimately, into each other’s lives. And what happens then? As Kate DiCamillo would say: Reader, it is your destiny to find out.

From the master storyteller who brought us BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE comes another classic, a fairy tale full of quirky, unforgettable characters, featuring twenty-four stunning black-and-white illustrations by Timothy Basil Ering, in an elegant design that pays tribute to the best in classic children’s books and bookmaking traditions.

The beloved author of BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE enlightens us with a tale of adventure, despair, love, and soup.

Pat the Bunny (Touch and Feel Book)

Dorothy Kunhardt

Amazon Price: $9.99 List Price: $9.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Golden Books Amazon Marketplace: 63 new & used starting at $2.76

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 157 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Needs better construction 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

My son does love this book...especially the peek-a-boo page. However, I don't know why it's not constructed better. This book was about $10, and the pages are a thick paper instead of board book material. Since this book is geared towards the little ones, they really should make this into a board book. How much more expensive can that be? There are other touch and feel books that are board books that sell for $5 or $6.

disappointed 1 out of 5 stars.
0 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I was born and raised in another country, so I didn't grow up with this bunny, but I heard so much about it and was told it's a classic. I decided to purchase one for my son. I have to say it's a major disappointment because 1) it's poorly made that's not strong enough to sustain an infant's pulling, chewing, and abusing, 2) the sharp edge of the book always seems to hit my son's face (I'm afraid it will scratch his eyes one day...), 3) the fabric in the peek-a-boo page is very weak that it probably will come off in a few months, 4) the smell of the flowers is so storng (considering I try to buy everything organic and without perfume), 5) Daddy's scratchy face? it's a piece of sandpaper which is so rough that I would not let my son touch it in case it hurts his soft skin. Overall, I think it might have been a great concept in 1940, but time has changed and so should the construction of the book itself.

Editorial Review:

The original classic touch and feel book that has been entertaining babies for over 60 years.

Guess How Much I Love You

Sam McBratney

List Price: $16.95 By: Magi Publications Amazon Marketplace: 1 new & used starting at $59.48

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 293 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Children's Book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The book was a good price and was delivered promptly. Great service and experience as always.

Not for my two year old 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

My son who is two had no interest in this book and he loves all types of books from Dr Seuss to the Byron Barton vehicle series. This book was too wordy and slow moving. I also thought it was confusing that the character in the book is a "hare" which is a tough word for a toddler that is already figuring out why sometimes they're called rabbits and other times bunnies! Anyway, we'll save this one for later.

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

Not only did this book bring back wonderful memories of my mother and I reaching as far as we could reach to show how much we loved eachother, but my son absolutly loves it. It's all in how you read the book. The more fun you put into reading, the better the book will come across. As my 5 month old son gets older, I'm sure we will be standing on our tip-toes reaching up to the sky to show how much we love one another. Those crabby people that said this book only makes it seem like love is a compition, are the same people looking for fault in every childrens show/movie, in order to do what they do best, which is crab. They're looking too much into it. Children do not look at it that way. It's all in good fun!!

Editorial Review:

The American Booksellers Book of the Year nominee is available as a sturdy board book for the youngest of children. Little Nutbrown Hare wants to show Big Nutbrown Hare how very much he loves him - but love as big as his is very hard to measure!

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (If You Giveà)

Laura Joffe Numeroff

List Price: $24.95 By: Harpercollins Interactive Amazon Marketplace: 2 new & used starting at $19.50

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 129 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

THE TALE OF A VERY PUSHY MOUSE! 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

This is the first offering of a wonderfully delightful series of like stories for children. If You Give a Mouse A Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond tell the story, and the problems you might run into, if you should happen to give a overly active and demanding mouse a cookie. The story begins with a young boy innocently setting by his sidewalk in front of his house. A hungry mouse comes along and the problems begin.

This is a progressive type of tale, where one act of generosity keeps growing and growing. "If you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk. When you give him milk, he'll probably ask you for a straw. When you give him a straw, he will ask........." And it goes on and on and on until the poor kid pretty well has a completely trashed house and is exhausted trying to fulfill the escalating requests and the subsequent mess the requests ultimately cause. A pushy mouse and cookies, we find, are not a good combination!

The text is delightfully simple and keeps you turning the pages, page after page. You actually find you self wanting to see what the little rodent is going to ask for next. The story is simple and there is no bang, bang, crash crunch plot nor ending. The only problem I find in this aspect is that in this day and age, I find some children (and even more adults), who have the attention span of ferrets on coffee and if the story is in the least bit mellow, their minds simply cannot track. This is a minor problem though, if it is indeed a problem.

The art work by Felicia Bond is quite well done and goes perfectly with the text. The pictures are simple to understand, cute and quite eye catching. I liked them.

This is one of in a series of books by this team. Others include If you give a Moose a Muffin, If you give a Pig a Pancake, If you take a Mouse to the Movies, If you take a Mouse to School and If you give a Pig a Party. All are as well done. I have noted in reading this book and others in the series that the kids love them and will always ask for repeat readings.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

Editorial Review:

THIS CHARMING MOUSE AND HIS GENEROUS FRIEND HAVE CAPTURED THE HEARTS OF MORE THAN A MILLION YOUNG READERS. NOW ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR CHILDREN'S BOOKS OF ALL TIME COMES TO LIFE WITH CLEVER ANIMATION, AMUSING SOUND EFFECTS, AND SHOW-STOPPING ORIGINAL MUSICAL NUMBERS FEATURING THE FABULOUS COOKETTES, A HIP CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE BAND SINGING SUCH HITS AS "DO THE MOUSE COOKIE!". EACH SCREEN FEATURES FULL NARRATION - LET THE STORY BE READ TO YOU, OR CLICK ON THE WORD YOU WANT TO HEAR. YOU CAN EVEN BECOME PART OF THE ACTION. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: MACINTOSH, 5MB RAM (8MB RECOMMENDED); SYSTEM 7.0 OR LATER; CD-ROM DRIVE; 13" MONITOR OR LARGER SET AT 256 COLORS; HARD DRIVE; MOUSE.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Kate Dicamillo

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 226 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Beautiful tale, beautifully told 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I just finished reading this book to my 10 year old. I think it is an amazing, once in a hundred years kind of book. It is touching, honest and thought provoking. As an adult, you'll have to read it more than once to unfurl the layers and interpret the underlying meanings. Older children will pick up on the allegorical nature of the story, while younger children may be frightened by the sometimes harsh circumstances of Edward's life. I believe this book is ideal for children from 4th grade up. It should also be required reading for middle and high school English students as an fine example of the use of personification, metaphor and parable. Beautiful. Gives me the chills just thinking about it. I will read it again.

Editorial Review:

Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and for good reason: he was owned by a girl named Abilene, who adored him completely. And then, one day, he was lost. . . .

Kate DiCamillo takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the depths of the ocean to the net of a fisherman, from the bedside of an ailing child to the bustling streets of Memphis. Along the way, we are shown a miracle -- that even a heart of the most breakable kind can learn to love, to lose, and to love again.

The Runaway Bunny

Margaret Wise Brown

Amazon Price: $6.99 List Price: $6.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: HarperTrophy Amazon Marketplace: 192 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 140 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

The Runaway Bunny 2 out of 5 stars.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.

ISBN 0061074292 - I'm kind of surprised to find myself mostly up the middle on this book. Largely loved, it does have good points, but it's hardly the outstanding story I'd expected. I'd give it 2 1/2 stars but can't, so 2 it is.

A nameless little bunny says he's going to run away and his mother tells him she will follow him. As he plans to become various things to hide from her, she is equally imaginative in the ways she will find him.

There is a little of the stalker-mom in the mother bunny, but we're talking about (a) little kids and (b) bunnies. It is extraordinarily unlikely that the target age group of 0-3 is going to be freaked out by the idea that Mommy will do anything and go anywhere to keep you safe. That's actually a fairly comforting idea. It's the person who reads the book and the tone they use that makes the difference. Make "If you run away, I will run after you." sound like a threat and you've changed the entire sense of the book.

So it isn't the freaked out parents that make me two-star this book. It's actually the book itself. On the pages where there is text, the drawings are pleasant black and white drawings; where there is no text, the illustrations are almost all gaudily colored and badly drawn (with one exception, when the mother bunny is the tree that the baby bunny as a bird flies home to). The stark difference between these two styles just isn't attractive at all and, because a huge part of childrens' books is the illustrations, the board book edition of The Runaway Bunny just doesn't cut it.

Editorial Review:

Clement Hurd redrew some of his pictures for this new edition of the profoundly comforting story of a bunny's imaginary game of hide-and-seek and the lovingly steadfast mother who finds him every time.

Buenas Noches Luna / Goodnight Moon

Margaret Wise Brown

By: Demco Media Amazon Marketplace: 2 new & used starting at $20.39

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 37 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Does not lend itself to Spanish 2 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I was so excited to find Goodnight Moon in Spanish, as the English version was a favorite of my siblings 20 years ago, and my 15 month old son today. We have dozens of Spanish translations of English books, some of which work better than others. I had hoped this one would at least be okay, but for me, it seems very awkward and loses the charm of the original; and my son will not listen to even a page read in Spanish.

Others have commented that the book keeps the rhythm of the Spanish language, but I couldn't disagree more. I am hesitant to simply blame the translator--with such simple images, I think there is only so much a translator can do to preserve the feeling of the original, and perhaps this book just didn't lend itself. All the charming rhymes seem to be lost, without being replaced, and so the repetition that is so soothing, even to babies, just isn't there. In addition, the lines themselves feel so much longer in Spanish, as well, and my son, who adores the English, gets very impatient for the page to be turned.

Let me just provide a couple examples. From the first page to the second:
English: In the great green ROOM, there was a telephone, a red balLOON, and a picture of...the cow jumping over the MOON.
Okay, maybe "room" is a stretch there, but there is a rhythm to that rhyme.

Spanish: En la gran habitacion verde, hay un telefono, un globo rojo y un cuadro...de una vaquita que salta sobre la Luna.

Some other pages are slightly better:
English: 2 little kittens and a pair of mittens
Spanish: Dos gatitos juguetones, dos caletines y dos mitones

But followed by:
English: ...comb and a BRUSH and a bowl full of MUSH, and a quiet old lady who was whispering HUSH
Spanish: ...cepillo y un gran peine y papilla en un tazon, y una amable viejecita que teje muy calladita.


So is there some rhythm in the Spanish translation? Sure. But does it even approximate the English? No, I don't think so. Of course translations are not going to be perfect, but we own many Spanish texts [translated from English] that are virtually as good as (or even occasionally better than) the original. The awkwardness of this translation seems to present a bad example of the beauty and flow of Spanish, and unless reading the English version is not a possibility, I really don't recommend this book in Spanish--especially not with a baby or toddler. An older, school age child who wants to learn the Spanish vocabulary would, I think, be much more likely to enjoy this book (thus the 2 stars instead of 1).

Note for reference: Some board books we have enjoyed in Spanish include "Donde esta el ombliguito" by Karen Katz, and all the "Este no es mi..." books (Este no es mi dragon being a favorite among favorites, though, to be fair, some of the word choices are a bit odd, but that doesn't affect the overall flow of the book).

Redwall (Redwall, Book 1)

Brian Jacques

Amazon Price: $7.99 List Price: $7.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Ace Amazon Marketplace: 622 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 764 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

First Novel I ever read 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I started this series in 4th grade. I'm 24 now and I have read it over again about 4 times. This book was amazing when I was a child, and it still is. Brian Jacques does a fantastic job with his characters and scenery. The poems/riddles are great. The best of the series: Mattimeo. (3rd book)

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

Redwall (Tale of Redwall)Suitable for middle school youth. Good narrative with lots of action and imagination.

Beware 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Redwall is a great story about animals trying to defend themselves from the evil ones, but I would be careful who I recommend it to. I enjoyed most of it, with the exception of some of the rough scenes wherein someone dies or is tortured. The author doesn't make a great deal of it, yet they are descriptive and perhaps too much for younger readers, or listeners... an adult can handle it fine.
Anna del C.
Author of "The Elf and the Princess"
The Elf and The Princess: The Silent Warrior Trilogy - Book One (The Silent Warrior Trilogy)

Editorial Review:

"An animal world as compelling as of The Wind and the Willow...This epic adventure contains the elements of all grand quests, with heroic archetypes that will keep fans of Tolkien and King Arthur tales engaged to the final battle". -- Publishers Weekly

Velveteen Rabbit

Margery Williams

List Price: $5.99 By: Derrydale Amazon Marketplace: 142 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 101 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

"Restored by that Refining Fire" 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

"The Velveteen Rabbit" is a parable, a story about that refining fire: redemptive love. The Velveteen Rabbit gave himself in love to the little boy. In return, the little boy loved the rabbit completely. This love caused the rabbit to begin to look around and question what was real. In questioning what was real, the rabbit ultimately believes himself real and wishes himself real. Once real, he achieves a new life and he revisits the little boy in his new form. Despite this new form, a quiet act of recognition passes between the little boy and the rabbit. By the conclusion of the story, the reader is led to believe that the rabbit will continue to watch over the little boy protectively and love him as the little boy continues to grow.

First published in 1922, this was Margery Williams (Bianco)'s first children's book. Spanning a career of nearly 40 years, "The Velveteen Rabbit" was the most successful of her approximately 25 works. The dedication, "To Francesco Bianco from The Velveteen Rabbit" is addressed to Margery's husband. Margery collaborated with artist and illustrator, William Nicholson (Sir William Nicholson (1872-1949)), who was better known as a portrait painter in his later career, but was also known for the woodcuts and poster work he produced in partnership with his brother-in-law, James Pryde.

The illustrations were executed in pen and ink with watercolor wash and, for the most part, appear as full page illustrations, or in some cases, a two page spread. The illustrations of the rabbit, standing very tall and inert, with his paws stuck out straight in front of him, are very touching evoking feelings of sympathy for the rabbit just on sight. The use of strong light and contrasting shadow is also very convincing in conveying a feeling of melancholy and, in some spots, unreality. My favorite part of the book is when the rabbit sheds a real tear and at the instant the tear touches the ground, a mysterious flower begins to grow. That, too, is conveyed so well by way of illustration. This is a very lovely story well illustrated.

Editorial Review:

An enchanting classic about a small boy and his beloved toy rabbit, this enchanting tale is highlighted by full-color illustrations specially created for this all-new edition. 8 3/8" x 11".