View Product Details & Features about Grumpy Bird Go! »

The art work is not great but you can read it with such animation it is a fun book. Great story for children about how you others can lift you up. JK

First let me say that this book is amazing. It is beautifully illastrated and written and my daughter loves it. Now, let me say this, the person I bought it from said that it was in “new” condition and it wasn’t, it was a severely used old library book and I was VERY disapointed in how poor the condition actually was. I will not buy from this supplier ever again.

Grumpy Bird and me, we got off to a rough start. I first laid eye on the impossibly irritable fowl one day while traipsing about a local bookstore. There on an upper shelf sat, “Grumpy Bird”. He was grumpy. He was a bird. With so many other books vying for my attention I slipped the book from the shelf and gave it a quick once over. Flip flip flip, back on the shelf it went, and I didn’t think of it again for many months. Really, not until a colleague essentially grabbed me by the lapels and said to me, “You MUST love this book! “, and proceeded to demonstrate the readability of the title did I have to concede that I had misjudged “Grumpy”. Worse still, what I had in my hands was an exceedingly rare addition to my collection of must-have readalouds. What on earth was I thinking when I didn’t pay Tankard’s book the proper amount of respect? So now I am here to right a great wrong. If you, like myself, have merely glimpsed at a copy of this book and then continued on with your sweet little lives, stop whatever it is that you are doing and give “Grumpy Bird” the attention he so desperately deserves.

This book is adorable with a great moral and fun artwork. I found it recommended in a couple write-ups in parenting magazines and bought it because of that. We are adding Boo Hoo Bird to our shelf next! I highly recommend this book!

This book is adorable! The story is cute and the artwork is very nice to look at, with the cartoon characters overtop of photographs.

I thought this was a very good children’s book and also for my grumpy bird Pookie. He likes when I read it to him.

Grumpy Bird, my new favorite matutinal misanthrope, passes Sheep, Rabbit, Raccoon, Beaver, and Fox, and they all ask him what he’s doing. Not surprisingly, he snaps back comments like, “‘Let me give you a hint . . . You do it by placing one foot in front of the other.’” The animals all manage to be fairly chipper in the mornings (an emotional state I cannot fathom for having just woken) and happily join him on his walk. When bird suddenly stops, so do all the animals. When he stands on one leg, so do they. When he jumps, so do they. “‘Hey, this is fun! . . . Let’s fly back to my nest for a snack,’” Grumpy Bird says, managing to be lifted from his Fog of Irritability by the mere presence of his friends and a bit of cheery camraderie. If the story itself sounds appealing to you, let me tell you: It. gets. even. better. Tankard’s mixed-media artwork is top-notch. Tankard uses real photographs in the backdrops of each spread (real trees, real houses, real clouds) and then superimposes upon those images his multi- and brightly-colored, kaleidoscopic designs. It’s absolutely beautiful. The animals themselves are composed of simple shapes with a heavy, black brushstroke outlining them. But I could pore over his trippy background designs forever. That cover doesn’t do justice to what you’ll see inside. Go read it. My favorite picture book thus far this year.

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View Product Details & Features about Owls in the Family Go! »

If you’re new to the writings of Farley Mowat, this book is a great place to start. You will love it. If you have kids, THEY will love it. Wol and Weeps, the two feathered protagonists, are two of the most lovable pets you’ll ever read about in print. Wol especially steals the show when it comes to dealing with crows, dogs, skunks, and a really mean French teacher called Fifi.Make no mistake, Owls in the Family is a family treasure that deserves to be read time and again. Pick it up without hesitation!

Granddaughter loved the book. Will read it myself. Perfect reading material for children.

Every year I read this book to my 5th graders and everyone in the class loves it. It is my favorite book to read to start the year. I even have kids who go on to read "The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be." The book is written in 1st person and the kids get really excited about owls because not only is it a story of the authors adventures with two owls, but it tells a lot of facts about owls and the northern praries.

In Owls in the Family there are three characters. Their names are Billy, Bruce, and Murray. In the book Billy finds an owl. Then later he finds another owl. Then Billy takes home the owls and takes care of them. Then a gopher bit the first owl.

I really like this book. I have read it about 4 times. The last time I read it was a year ago. It was a really good book! I really like Farley Mowat

This warm, poignant, funny book is a wonderful demonstration of how even ONE person can help wildlife in trouble. Even better to think that little boy grew up to be a world-class advocate of animal and eskimo rights. Farley Mowat is a treasure. Thank heaven the grade school teacher at a school in Temple, Texas assigned Owls as a class project. Thank heaven the only book left in the library was "Owls in the Family." Farley Mowat has brought great laughter and poignancy to my family and is spoken of as a friend. We always say — "Want to read a wonderful book (author) read "Owls in the Family" (Farley Mowat) !

In this perhaps slightly fictionalized account originally published in 1961 in The Atlantic Monthly, the author, who apparently went by the name Billy when he was a boy, tells how he and his friend Bruce and their dogs Mutt and Rex, who live on the prairie in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, find an owls’ nest with three baby owls in it while on a hike in the nearby bluffs. They determine to add owls to their collection of pets. At first, Mr. Mowat is against the idea because the boys already have enough pets, but when he realizes that the owls might eat Billy’s rats, rabbits, and gophers, he decides that maybe owls wouldn’t be so bad after all. Sometime later, after a bad storm, the boys, along with another friend named Murray, return to find the owl nest blown down and two of the now half-grown young owls dead. However, a third, probably the oldest, had survived in a pile of brush, so Billy adopts it and names it Wol. Shortly after that, he finds another owl that a couple of mean boys had captured and were tormenting.

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View Product Details & Features about A Blessing from Above (Family Storytime) Go! »

As an adoptive mother of two, I have been given a lot of books to read to my kids to help them understand the reasons behind adoption, why their birth mother couldn’t keep them, etc. This book beats them all, hands down. Written from the perspective of the adoptive mother (a childless kangaroo), it provides beautiful and simple answers to many of the questions our kids will have as they grow and leaves everyone satisfied with the entire process in the end. If you’re an adoptive parent, I highly recommend it.

I’m a children’s counselor, working mainly with foster and adoptive children…This book was a great way to introduce the concept of adoption to young children. It allows children to see adoption as being a positive thing, where a birth mother is happy for her child. Using animals makes the story less threatening for children, who may not be ready to face such a difficult topic.

Enjoyed this book a lot. It expressed how the “new” mom feels and how she felt sad before and how her prayers were answered. I enjoyed how it didn’t say things like “gave up” or “couldn’t take care of or keep” which made me happy as an adoptive parent. I also like how it showed that the biological mother (ie bird) was happy to see her baby with Mamma-Roo. The end was absolutely beautiful w/it thanking God for all their blessings.

Highly recommend this book too. Such a nice story, I read it before reading it to my son to make sure it was what I wanted and it was so sweet it made me cry. I think anyone wanting it to just be “no big deal” but at the same time just letting your child “know” so it is not a shock will love this book as well as the other one I bought God Gave us You.. Both were fantastic.

This book was recommended by our adoption social worker. I have given it to friends who adopted kids and birthmothers. I think it is a beautiful and simple story about adoption. It is not everyone’s story but what I particularly like is that it illustrates (albeit simply) that the birth mom (aka bird) loves the baby chick and wants what is best for the little bird. I LOVE the warm tribute in the front to the birthmothers. They too are blessings from above!

As an adoptive Mom let me just say … perfect. If you are looking for a wonderful gift for the adoptive-mom to be or a special adopted child in your life, this is it! I love this book. It paints adoption so wonderfully.

This is a wondeful book describing a mother kangaroo wanted to be a mother. A baby bird falls into her pouch. It wonderful for the parents to read and helps the adopted children understand how we felt.

This book makes clear that God agrees with adoptions and answered the mother kangaroo’s prayers. It is a gentle way to introduce the concept to your child of what adotion really is. It also beautifully includes the birth mother concept.

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View Product Details & Features about Snow Goose Go! »

Many lesser men did so as well. It is not unheard of that wild geese have become inseparably attached to humans. Certainly the snow goose in this story could easily have developed such a bond with Philip.There is quite a story here. And told in only 6000 super-match- quality words. It pleases me that it has been reprinted some 70- odd times since first published in 1941, and that it is still in print, and similar to the original format.I can’t see where some readers get the notion that "The Snow Goose" is a story for children – maybe because it is told in so few words. It is an entire and compelling story as told. There was nothing left to tell. If this story had been written by any one of several of the best-selling authors of today, it could easily have filled 500 "sea-of-ink" marginless pages instead of the 58 appealingly airy pages that it does. But we would wonder when closing it what it was about."The Snow Goose" is a book for everyone who can read.

Together they nurse the injured goose until it is able to fly north in spring. The following year the goose returns as does the young Frith. Over several years this cycle continues and the annual return of the bird acts as a catalyst in the developing relationship between the artist and the young woman. We see a lonely young man whose repugnant physical countenance has alienated him from society as he is slowly transformed by the restorative power of friendship and love. Over the years the birds’ visits extend for longer periods and by the spring of 1940 it becomes apparent that the bird will remain at the lighthouse. World War II comes to the quiet marsh in a most unusual way and the story takes a different tack. Although this book may be perceived as “chic-lit” it poses questions about the human spirit and the need for companionship that can be educational to all ages and both sexes. This small little book packs a great big wallop to the readers psyche and I heartily recommend it.

I am an avid birder,history buff and reader and have to say this is an exceptionally unusual and wonderful book for anyone at any age who enjoys life.I first read this book in 1992 and just picked up another copy to give to a friend.First published in April 1941 and by December 1942 had been reprinted fourteen times.The copy I just bought was the fifty-ninth printing in December 2000.That ought to tell you something..It is a small novella of only 59 pages and can easily be read in under an hour,and reread every so often.I strongly suggest you read the other reviews;they are all short,excellent and all have something worthwile to say. I might add that Paul Gallico also wrote The Poseiden Adventure.He died in 1976.

Paul Gallico is a master of words. The Snow Goose is a study what a person will do to help others, even if the one of the others is a goose. A girl finds the injured goose and takes it to the person she hopes will heal the goose. The man she takes the goose to, is in his own way just as injured. He has a disability, but he is willing to help. From there, he goes on in his small boat, to rescue victims of war. I won’t spoil the ending. The book is short, less than 100 pages. Read it, enjoy it. Mystery Writer

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View Product Details & Features about One Duck Stuck Go! »

It didn’t take long for my 2 1/2 year old son to start saying the words along with me. He loves saying the numbers and ” stuck in the muck…”. It is written in an amusing and rythmic fashion, so it is easy to read and remember. I originally got the book from the library, and my son loved it so much, I bought it. But, unfortunately, the board book is so abridged, that it leaves out all of the fun word play. Go for the original book. It will be a hit with any kid.

I have read this book to my children and all the neighborhood children! I have even brought this book into their classrooms when I was asked to read to the class. I made up flash cards for them to holler out the “help, help” etc. The students just LOVED it and by the end of the book they were all joining in! GREAT fun! for all ages!

One Duck Stuck is a darling children’s book — that moms and dads will love, too! We checked this out of the library, and liked it so much we went to amazon.com and bought 3!It’s rhythmic verse is enchanting and the kids recite it like a song. The alliteration is clever, as well.The illustrations are colorful and alive!The whole book just draws you in and makes you want to read it over and over again.It’s a feel-good, happy, sing-song little story the whole family will love.

One Duck Stuck is a wonderful story about a duck that needs help from his friends around the pond to get unstuck from the muck. Great book for repetitive text, counting, and naming animals around the pond. My preschoolers were very excited to help read the story.

I used this colorfully illustrated book to review counting with my students. They enjoyed reviewing their numbers as well as hearing the sing-song verse. It was a great way to warm up for a math lesson on counting groups of objects. Each page had a numbered grouping of animals that was easy to count.

My 2 1/2 year old loves calling out the rhyming words as we read through this book – duck, stuck, muck. Nicely illustrated. Be prepared to read this over and over.

My two-year-old son really enjoys this sturdy board book. He likes to hear all the different sound effects, like “pleep” and “spluck!” He asks to read it quite often. It’s a good buy!

This is one of my nephew’s favorite books and it hasn’t taken long for us all to memorize it. Fun to read, fun to hear, a good story of helping. Some have criticized the board book for leaving out some additional text, however, little ones will not notice, and you can always buy the longer book later.

Phyllis Root’s books are always great. I teach young children and I love the way she uses sounds and language to engage children in her stories. This one has lots of fun noises for children to make, as well as lots of animals to imitate and count as you go along, and big, colorful illustrations. It’s filled with details that enhance learning and curiosity. Excellent for early childhood professionals to read to their students!

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View Product Details & Features about Edward the Emu Go! »

I was both a 3rd and 5th grade teacher and always read this book to my classes. It has a strong social message and is so much fun! It is one of my favorite gift books.

This is a great book. Edward the emu is sick of the zoo…he’s got no place to go, he’s got nothing to do….so he tries out being a snake, lion, seal, etc. The pictures are absolutely hilarious…imagine an emu lounging on a branch like a lion, or curled up like a snake. Wonderful book for kids of all ages!

I love this story and so do my kids. The rhyming narrative is easy and energetic to read and supports the drama of the story. My kids have enjoyed memorising each page and reading it to me! The illustrations are clear and amusing and support the story beautifully. The story is positive and engaging and has a great message for kids about being themselves. I particularly like the little surprise twist at the end that finishes the story so well. Just a great fun, positive book for kids (and adults too).

I was introduced to this book while living in Australia, and it has now become a standard on my gift list for babies and young children. The rhyming helps children understand language, too.

Edward the Emu is just a precious story with the funniest illustrations! My kindergarten students love this book! It is one we keep out all year and read lots of times. Edward makes us all laugh, especially when he is trying to be a snake, they think that is a really funny thing for an Emu to be a snake! You will enjoy this book.

This book is for ages 3 to 6. The illistrations are amazing and the story is very cute.

This is a delightful story about an emu who thinks being himself just isn’t enough. In this book we spend several days with Edward as he tries to make himself more acceptable to others. He finally discovers that being himself is the best thing he can do. This book is a wonderful resource for teaching self-concept to young children, while at the same time offering an entertaining adventure for the older child. It is a must for all children’s libraries.

My kids and i loved this book. The illustrations are great, the rhyming is fun, and the story is adorable. You’ll love it.

Edward is an Emu. He’s an Emu at the Zoo. And he’s bored with being an Emu. (What do Emus do, anywho?) He overhears visitors at the Zoo extolling the merits of other animals and subsequently decides to become a Seal. Then a Lion. Then a Snake. And, finally, an Emu. And finds he’s been replaced. Which is a bit disconcerting. Yet satisfying.

I previously had a copy of this book and the children loved it so much that it eventually needed to be replaced. It is a great book and well worth adding to your collection

Edward the Emu was tired of the Zoo and tired of being an emu. The book chronicles Edward’s attempts at being something he is not – a seal, a lion, a snake etc. The illustrations are hilarious and the story captivates both old and young alike. This book is a perfect springboard in the classroom, and can be used as a prelude to a curriculum emphasis on positive self-image. So that all children realise that even though everyone is different, they are still a worthwhile and productive person, no matter what !

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View Product Details & Features about On the Far Side of the Mountain Go! »

Jean Craighead George’s book On the Far Side of the Mountain is one of my favorites. It is the sequel to My Side of the Mountain. This book is about Sam Gribley who runs away and lives on his own. His sister, Alice, lives nearby as she decides to live in the wilderness too. One day Alice is gone. Sam must leave his home to find her. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys adventure. It was a terrific book.

On the Far Side of the Mountain is a great book! I thought it was just as good as the first book, My Side of the Mountain. The author is Jean Craighead George and I wish there were more books to the series. I especially recommend it if you like action and adventure. There are lots of parts when you don’t know what’s going to happen. It is very exciting. It is about a boy who has to live in the wild. You should read the first book before you read this one. I give it 5 stars!

This book is about a boy who ran away and lives in the mountains who gets his falcon taken away by a conservation officer and his sister goes to find him another bird. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes interesting stories and excitement to pop out all the time. I liked the book because when I read the first one I wanted to hear the rest of the story because it sounds interesting and I like interesting stories where things are always exciting.

On The Far Side Of The Mountain, is sequel to My Side Of The Mountain. It is about a boy who runs away into the wilderness to live on his own. I liked this book because it is very adventourous and surprising. You never know what will happen next! If you have read Hatchet or My side of the Mountain you will love this book! You will also like it if you like action!

When we thought that Sam’s wilderness adventure was over, his sister, Alice, decided to run away also, their parents told Sam he could stay if he took good care of Alice. Still he had an independent wilderness adventure with her and his Falcon. Then the helpful Falcon, Frightful, was confiscated by a conservator officer and Alice decided to run away, without even talking to Sam, from the mountain to another mountain. Now Sam had find her with the help of a retired teacher but with out the help of his Falcons. Sam then is forced to make a difficult decision which will change his whole life in one second.

In this book Sam’s Falcon, Frightful is taken away by a conservation officer. Keeping Frightful or any other falcon is illegal. Sam is devastated. Frightful did everything for him and now she is gone. Sam hasn’t seen Alice for days. He has no idea were she is or what she is doing. Sam checks Alice’s tree house. There he finds a note on the ground. The note is from Alice and it says that she is leaving. Sam wonders where. He goes to his friend Brando’s cottage. He tells Brando about Alice and how she left without telling him. He asks Brando to help him find her and Frightful. Together they map out where Alice might be going. With the help of a compass left in a sandy marsh by Alice, they set out in search of her. Throughout their journey they track Alice trying desperately to find her because of the danger she could get into. Join Brando and Sam in their quest through upstate New York as they try to find Alice and Sam’s falcon, Frightful. I liked a lot of things in this book like the clues that Alice left for Sam and Brando.

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View Product Details & Features about Your Personal Penguin (Boynton on Board) Go! »

This Boynton Book comes with access to a free mp3 of a companion song, sung by Davey Jones of the Monkees. The book (and the song) are simply about a penguin who wants to be best friends with a hippo. The illustrations are hilarious and the song is a lot of fun. The book as a stand alone doesn’t seem all that interesting, but when you pair it with the song it is great! I have an 18 month-old who adores this book, but only when I sing it!

And my son does too … he thinks the penguin is both adorable and funny and we love reading this book together.

I love Sandra Boynton’s books and have several. Your Personal Penguin, is a sweet twist in her typical creative writing. You will need to download the song that goes with the book, in order for it to be complete; downloading is quick and easy. The story and song together create a very sweet and fun reading experience for everyone. I love this book too!

My 6 month old loves to sit in my lap as we play and sing the song while following along. He always laughs when he hears it. How addictive to have Davy Jones of the Monkees singing it. And the drawings make the book stand on its own! Love all the books by Boynton, but love the penguin the best!

The book is just another great Boynton tradition, for now I am my son’s personal penguin!~

Of all the Sandra Boyton books, this has to be my absolute favorite. I have read it to my little sister more times than I can count…we both have it memorized and whenever she wants me to read it to her…she just comes up and starts reciting it, “I like you a lot, you’re funny and kind.” I love everything about this book…from the adorable drawings…the witty dialouge to the perfect ending. “Please?” My little sister has completely grabbed ahold of the idea of being a personal penguin and wants to be my mom’s…really cute and touching! Buy this book…I cannot say enough great things about it…you won’t be disapointed! =]

I read this book with my little sister every day and I have practically memorized it. It is so good! This is the perfect book for little kids and I definitely recommend it.

Like But Not the Hippopotomus, there is more to I Want to be Your Personal Penguin than meets the eye at first. The book is about all of the traits of our closest companion. It is about the one who wants to love us when we aren’t particularly intersted in being loved. It is about the one who is with us during great adventure and also those moments when we think we may have even gone a little too far. It is about the one who is with us at night, and the one who is always actively listening to us. I’d say this is a very spiritual little book for those who choose to read with an open mind and open heart.

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View Product Details & Features about A Mother for Choco Go! »

This is a wonderful multiethnic adoption story. Kids easily connect with the animals in the book as well as the search-for-a-mother’s-love theme. My one year old responded to it by giving me a giant bear hug that just about brought me to tears. ‘Nuff said. I would recommend it to any adoptive family.

This book is great for families of international adoption. It teaches children that parents, children, brothers, and sisters do not need to look alike in order to be a family. Our children love it!

Another great book to help explain adoption, particularly transracial adoption, to very young children. Little Choco is all alone in the world. God only knows what happened to his first mother. In any event, he’s looking for a mother who looks just like him, but alas, cannot find one. Mrs. Giraffe doesn’t have wings, Mrs. Penguin doesn’t have plump cheeks, Mrs. Walrus doesn’t have striped blue feet. He sees Mrs. Bear picking apples and he KNOWS she can’t be his mother because she looks nothing like him. He starts to cry and lo and behold, Mrs. Bear mothers him. She kisses him just like a mother would, she hugs him just like a mother would, she cheers him up by singing and dancing with him, just like a mother would. Eventually, she invites him home for some apple pie. Turns out, she has some other children, a baby hippo (“hippy”) and a baby alligator (“allie”). Choco decides to stay for apple pie and more, happy that his new mother looks just the way she is.

I bought this book to add to my future adoptive daughter’s library to help me explain what adoption means. The book is a treasure with lovely illustrations that I think a preschooler can easily comprehend. Thank you Keiko Kasza!

If you have an adopted child or biological children and adopted childern this is a must. It is the sweetest book and really tells children in words and pictures that they can understand. The message we teach our adopted and biological children is that LOVE makes a family not DNA. Beatles said it best. Love is all you need… well that and formula, diapers, sleep and babysitters. Good luck.

We wanted to teach our Korean born son very early about the nature of adopted families. We wished to impress on him from the start that families are people who live together and love each other, not just those who look like each other. There are very, very few toddler friendly books on the topic of inter-racial adoption, and this one is simply excellent. It uses simple language and cute pictures that any young child will enjoy.(It’s also a great book to give your children’s friends as gifts to help them understand why their buddy looks different.) After three years with this book, I still can’t read it out loud to my son without crying at the end! If you’re still looking for another book, I also highly suggest “Horace”.

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View Product Details & Features about Owl Babies Go! »

We have been reading this book for about a year now. My now 2.5 year old boy-girl twins like it so much we read it once or twice a week at least. The illustrations are different from most books, it is definitely night in the story but not at all scary. The story is very smartly told. In the story the owl mother leaves the nest and her three babies, Sarah, Percy, and Bill discover that she is gone. Sarah and Percy and discuss where she is and when she might be back while Bill laments that he misses his mommy. Each of the three babies has their own personality and spin on mommy’s disapperance, which is one reason why I personally like the book. Also, they decide to stick together until she comes back, a good sibling lesson. In the end, the mother owl does return. I found this a good book during the times when I had a lot of out of town travel, I could read it, along with “Llama Llama Red Pajama” before leaving and explain that I will be back. In fact, when the kids were sad I was gone, their grandmother would remind them I would come back just like the owl mother .

My younger daughter always repeats – ‘I want my mommy’! I enjoyed the book along with my kids. The photography is excellent too.

My two year old LOVES this book. When I ask her “What does Bill say?” She eagerly exclaims “I want my mommy, said Bill!” I feel that this tale can teach our little ones that although your parents may leave, they will return. Great Book!

We bought this book for my 2.5 yr old and it instantly became one of her favorites. The text is simple yet humorous, the pictures are cute and the story is easy for young children to relate to. An excellent choice.

This is a good one! A simple plot (Where is Mommy?) Sweet pictures Gentle repetition in the text is very appealing to very young children Portrays realistic relationship between siblings Teaches about animals as they really are, not as pretend humans (Yes, owls are awake at night and asleep in the day. The mommy owls go out to hunt for food and bring it back to the babies.) We’ve had this book for years and still love it!

When we first received this book as a gift, the cover made me think we had yet another not-so-well-written book about animal babies. But once we read it I saw that we had received a treasure. A wonderful story, with a soothing rhythm and predictable words that our almost-3-year-old is learning by heart. A favorite bedtime read.

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