Children Books

This is a copy for our 3 year old because our 10 year old wants to keep his forever!
What a fun story to read to any child!

My two nieces and I read this one all the time.

Gritch the Witch needs piggies to make the piggy pie she craves. But pigs are very clever animals (trufax!), and they quickly disguise themselves.

Every time Gritch asks one of the (disguised) animals where the pigs are, they hilariously quack quack, moo moo, and cluck cluck her all over the farm! Eventually she stops before the Old MacDonald, the man himself, for him to look look here, look look there, etc. and tell her the same as everybody else - no piggies!

All her tantrums don't help. She can't have piggy pie :(

Even the Big Bad Wolf sympathizes, while both of them plot, at the end, to eat the other.

Very funny book. Every page, every word and illustration. My nieces (5 and 2.5) even act this one out!

Only thing is that sometimes they get scared of it, occasionally for a week or two at a time. Other times they bring it out to me and request it, but sometimes they're scared and won't have anything to do with it. Kinda like a roller coaster, maybe?

Check this one out at the library, see if it suits your child's temperment, and consider that it might be better meant for an older child.

Also, be aware that Gritch, being a Wicked Witch, isn't a very nice person. Aside from her tantrums, she insults nearly everybody in the book when they give her the bad news - dumb duck, lousy seed spreader, walking milk machine - and threatens them as well. If this sort of thing concerns you, please be aware of it.

This fractured folktale is about a witch that is craving some `Piggie Pie.' She goes through her pantry and finds she has everything she needs except for that all important ingredient--PIGGIES! At first she is outraged but eventually composes herself and devises a plan. Where can she find a piggy? The zoo? The circus? She finally decides that the best place to secure some pigs would be on a farm. After looking through the yellow pages, she travels to Old MacDonald's farm to grab the missing ingredient. She gives her victims a warning as she writes in the clouds, "Surrender Piggies!" The pigs devise their own plan; they plot to outsmart the witch by dressing up as other farm animals. They fool her by disguising themselves as ducks, cows, chickens, and even old MacDonald. When the big bad wolf happens to come along, he offers advice to the witch and tells her to give up--after all, he remembers those 3 pig brothers! Now, her taste changes from piggie to wolf and she graciously invites him over for `lunch'...
Piggie Pie is a delightful story that incorporates several classic folktales including The Three Little Pigs, Old MacDonald nursery rhyme, the traditional evil witch as the villain, and the famous three little pigs. Due to the structure of this book, students will improve their understanding of the different subcategories of traditional literature. The author includes descriptive language such as repetition, alliteration, expressive language, and affective adjectives that highlight the text and bring the story to life. Such examples include the witch describing her tasty meal options with phrases like "boiled, black, buzzed feet" and "plump, juicy, pink piggies." This whimsical, witty story will capture student's attention and can be used as a model to enhance their understanding of what it means to read like a writer.
Throughout the book, Palatini's text enhances student's vocabulary and contains repetitive phonemes that enrich their growth as a reader. As Cunningham describes, tongue twisters, like ones found in the text, play a crucial role in developing students' phonemic awareness. For example, "eight plump piggies for piggie pie" is a silly and fun phrase that the students will enjoy saying and simultaneously will develop their oral language. Students will be exposed to new vocabulary words, such as curdle, passel, and muttered. Encourage students to use elements of Palatini's writing and transfer her techniques over when creating their own literature.

This is one of my favorite children's book and I love to give it as a gift.
As a Kindergarten teacher it is my pick!

My family loves this book. My husband reads it to my children, ages 13, 5, and 1. They love it, he does the voices of the characters, which is great fun for everyone. My oldest says this is her favorite book from when she was little. I'm buying copies for my toddler aged neice and nephew.

u know this is by far the most exciting bookk i've read till now in the nacy drew and hardy boys super myteries. but i do think that nancy should leave ned and frank shuld leave calie cuz nancy and frank r so much alike and they r truly made 4 each other so caroline keene plz if u get upon this review do consider this cuz most of us wanty nancy/frank relationship and they shuld just 4get callie and ned.

I think that Nancy and Frank should dump their boyfriends and girlfriends and stay together. I mean they are obviosly perfect for each other. The best parts are when they almost kiss. But when they kiss, that was good too!!! This is the best book ever!!!

I think Nacy and Frank should get together, they would make the perfect couple. I loved the part where they kissed, but the best parts are where they almost kiss. I hope someone will sell me there copy, because I love this book!!!!!!

I think that Nacy & Frank should get together, They would make the perfect couple. The best part is when they almost kiss. even though I love it when they kiss!!!!!!

i loved this book a lot. BEsides the nancy and frank aspect, there was a lot of action, bombs, knives, terrorsits etc..of course the nancy frank thing convinced me to buy the book, but i enjoyed the mystery a lot too. I also likes how nancy is portrayed in this book, not like in Operation titanic or royal revenge, she is very clever. also Unlke all other super mysteries, Frank's thoughts and feelings are portrayed deeper than all other characthers. And there are some funnny things and comments going on between the brothers.

What an unrelentingly gripping series of stories -- life, death, animals, boys, girls, men, women, horses, snakes, water, wind, earth, blood, fire and sky. Mark Spragg's style is a bit like David Hockney doing his photograph collages. He doesn't show you everything, just bits and pieces to make the whole. He lets you put some of the pieces in place. What a style. It's shot through with his own strong character and some compelling scenes of raw Wyoming life. The stories follow an amazing arc that you don't see coming until the last chapter and then you just kind of want to start all over again, and meet the boy that became the man. Beautiful stuff. Look, I'm not really out here trying to sell my book at every corner but the people who told me about Mark Spragg are readers of my book, "Antler Dust." I had three recommendations from "Antler Dust" readers to check out Mark Spragg, mostly because, I believe, of the detailed outdoors action and the fact that my book takes place in a neighboring state, Colorado. I am going to read more Mark Spragg but for others who like him, please also consider Antler Dust.

Mark Spragg writes beautifully, even poetically, of teenage life in a Wyoming family struggling to make ends meet by catering to "dudes" come West for the seasonal fishing and hunting. His collection of stories is varied, but all are tied to the splendor of unshod love for the land and for the horses he rides through a journey that will steal your heart.

These are two feelings I got from reading this memoir. Life in NW Wyoming is not easy. Days are spent with horses and one's life is taken by horses. In fact, if you love horses this is a great book.

One thing that kept creeping into this book is the distance the author had toward his parents, especially his father. Little but dialogue is written about the father, but he comes across as callous and more worried of turning the boy into a real man. The boy, in turn, writes about his concerns about the man he will become. At times that dragged on too much.

Still, it's wonderful prose written in a manly tone. For rugged cowboys and ranchers it's a perfect read.

I'd worry about peope who don't hurt themselves laughing while reading Wapiti School. My goodness, these stories are terrific, sometimes tough and bitter, sometimes perfect poetry. Just wonderful.

The author writes excellent prose with innumerable well turned phrases and descriptions. The subject matter is primarily his adolescence on a Wyoming dude ranch and hunting guide service that his family, Pennsylvania expatriates, operated in the 1960s, some vignettes from his adult life and descriptions of friends and conditions in windswept Wyoming. The chapters are actually a series of essays rather than a progressive narrative with the ones about life and work on and around his father's ranch, where he essentially lived as a hired hand in the bunkhouse with hardened wranglers from about the age of fourteen, being the most interesting.

I enjoyed the book principally due to the excellent writing and colorful recounting of the author's experiences as a real "cowboy" in an era when most of us male baby boomers only experienced the same thing through ubiquitous western TV shows and movies of the 50s and 60s. It was a life in another era when so many of us grew up in boring suburbia. I recommend it for these reasons.

But maybe I missed something because I never came across any explanation for the author's seeming sense of hurt, isolation, melancholy and general unhappiness that begins, for unstated reasons, during his college years.

I didn't like this book at first, because it was kind of simple, and my young son didn't really like it at all.

But the other night he cut his finger and got very upset, and I grabbed this book off the dusty shelf. It calmed him immediately, and I saw its beauty. I really like it.

This book is very nice, although my ds is a bit young to understand it fully, he still appreciates the beautiful pictures in it. I am sure it will be a treasured book for many years to come.

I purchased this book for my granddaughter and I cannot wait to read it to her.
This is an absolutely wonderful book. The content is exceptionally written and the illustrations are breathtaking. This is a "children's" book that has no bounds; anyone at any age will be moved from reading it. It's message is profound.

As a mother of a 15 month old daughter, I was looking for a book that I could read to her that would teach her that she is connected to the universe. I believe that all of our energy combined is God (for a lack of a better word)...and this book says this beautifully. I think I would have loved this book as a child as much as I do as a mother. This is my new favorite children's book after reading it to my daughter for the first time today. I almost had tears in my eyes it is so wonderfully written. I'm looking forward to giving this book as a gift to other spiritual mommy's that I know. The illustrations are lovely and kept my daughters attention the whole time. I will be reading this to her very frequently.

Both the poetry and pictures make this a children's classic. It highlights the theme of spiritual connectivity, and so presents a very liberal or interfaith spiritual vision, and those with more orthodox views might not like it. Although the text is general enough to support any religious denomination, it does have a more general spiritual message about valuing your own inner wisdom. I thought it might be too abstract for my four-year old daughter, but she loved it - the rhyming and bright pictures captured her interest.

Amy Candler arrives at Wilderness Adventure. For one full week, she's going to be doing extreme ports. Whether is rock-climbing, mountain-biking, or hand gliding, it's all going to be a great time. Only Tasha and Eric know why things are so easy for her. But something is about to happen that isn't so easy. Mysterious freak accidents begin to happen to Amy, almost causing her to die. Then some scary things begin to happen to the other kids. This definitely is not a safe place. Will Amy be able to survive a place that once seemed so much fun?

This is the first special edition in the series. To be honest, I don't think it really is that special. Sure, there's much more pages than a normal Replica book, but it's quality, not quantity. However, I really did like the novel. We get to learn more about Amy's past, and Amy meets someone who may not be as nice as he seems. This is a book you should check out, and definitely a must-read for Replica fans.

I never knew there were boy clones to come in this series and I never expected it. Reading it, I thought that Brooke was being mean to Tasha by telling Amy that she could be with Andy and Tasha could be with Willard.
I thought Eric was also being mean to his girlfriend because he wouldn't listen to her when she wanted to tell him about Andy. It wasn't really nice from Miss Perfect to kiss Andy, though.
I really enjoyed reading this book and I am looking foward to reading the next ones that are not out yet where I live.
This book was really good. I highly recommend it.

If and I mean if you have read the past five books read this one but if you havn't DO NOT read the summary or even get near this book. Okay, okay I admitt I am being a little forceful but the book gives a little more info about the history of Project Cresent then told. However the title gives it away. "And the Two Shall Meet" well if you look at the second page, the second cover page, there is a pic of a boy. His name is Andy, Amy, get it...anyway he was one of the first batch of clones done in the project of Project Cresent, cresent moon.
So Amy, Eric, and Tasha go to this Wilderness Adventure and the two conselers are weird. One gets killed supposedly by the other one, according to Andy, Andy kisses Amy, a big no no since Amy is going out with Eric, Tasha falls in love with the killer, big mystery(supposedly the organization has something to do with this mysterious junk), Andy and Amy run away, and well it just gets pretty confusing. That is why it gets four stars instead of five.
If you love the books read this if not well I don't care it is up to you. But it is good.

This book is great! Not only this one, but all the books in Replica. After I read the very first book. I can't stop reading. Normally a book that's about 150 pages can take me a week or two. This book only took me a day to finish, it even scared myself. I have never been reading this fast before. I love it! You got to get these books!

This is the 6th book in the amazing Replica series. In this book, Amy goes on a wilderness adventure for a couple weeks with her best friend Tasha and her boyfriend Eric. While there, Amy meet Andy, and sees that he has the same cresant moon birthmark on his shoulder blade that she has, meaning that he is a clone! Sparks fly and to conclude, great book! The first were we see Andy and certainly not the last! A must read for any YA book or Replica fan. Highly Recommended!

My lil' guy's favortie song is Baby Beluga so this was a perfect gift. At the end of the book is the music with notes so my hubsnad learned to play it on the guitar and sing to him.

This book was an instant hit, and we have sung it many times each day for my 12 month old grandson. The board book form is especially important for a book so "loved" by toddlers.

While the song is adorable and the pages are nice and sturdy, what I really like about this book are the illustrations. They are vibrant and clear and my son loves looking at this book over and over again. He is 16 months, so it is easy for him to point out animals and ask what they are. I like how the whale goes from being a baby, to a larger whale in the book and how different pages are shown with different perspectives. One page has a view from where the bird is flying in the sky--so the bird is large and the whale is small because he is swimming in the sea below. Another page has a broad view of the icebergs, sea, sky and northern lights. I am very impressed with the clarity and creativity of the illustrations in this book--and of course the song itself is fun to sing!

I love this book and the accompaning CD. My grandsons who are now 13 had this book when they were infants, and were still singing the songs when they were 5. I gave it as a gift to my God Daughter, and this one was a gift for my first Great Grandson. Raffi writes stories and songs that children should grow up with. I am positive I will give this book and CD again.

This book is great even if you don't know the music. My little guy 'reads' along while listening to the Raffi CD, but you don't need the CD to enjoy the book. The pictures are terrific for the child and adult. My son insists on reading this every night at bedtime, and that's okay with me!

Boynton's books have been a favorite of my 4 year old grandson his whole life. He has memorized Snuggle Puppy, and several other books.

Blue Moo and Dog Train were Christmas presents this year. Today is January 1st and he has listened to these CDs at least three times per day, the entire CD at one sitting. He has followed along in the books, thanks to the song numbering in the book and the DVD displaying the track #. He thinks his dance moves have improved greatly!;-)

The songs are catchy and entertaining for all. I have frequently overheard him singing the songs to himself throughout the day. It is great to see his love of music.

Terrific CDs for children of all ages.

I bought this for a child'd birthday gift. Since it's a winner with all 4 of my kids I figured it would please just about any child, and parents too. Lots of old-time-sounding rock and roll songs, and the kids love every track, as do I. "One Shoe Blues" is probably my favorite though.

I bought this for my 2 year old. We have other favorite Sandra Boynton books. She absolutely loves it. My husband loves it as well and will choose to listen to it.

Heard this CD at a friends house and LOVED it! Knew I had to get it for another friend of mine for Xmas.

Sandra Boynton's "Blue Moo" is a great book and CD for kids. My 18 month old son really gets a kick out of the opening song, "Singing in the Shower." What's refreshing about the music is that adults can really like it too. It's not your typical kid music. Reminiscient of the 50's and 60's so maybe grandma will like it too. Need to know the words to your kid's fave song on the CD? It's all in the book, along with the great illustrations by Boynton we've become accustomed to. Worth the money!

YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK< IT ROCKS!
Caution!!!>May not be able to put book down

Put it down. I dare you

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-10

This very well could be the world's first YA Hispanic Mystery novel, I don't know. When I picked it up and read the back, I immediately categorized it as one (as in "let's see what stereotypes we can check off the list today") and dismissed it. But it kept showing up at our local writers' group meetings, so I eventually picked it up and started reading. Twelve pages later, people were calling my name. "DeAnna...DeAnna...it's time for your critiques. Are you ready?" Wha? No more read book? Where book go?

So when I met Ron Cree at a writers' conference, I told him I planned to pick up the book, because I kept reading it when I saw it. He handed me over a copy, which totally floored me. Look, it's the first time this kind of thing has happened to me, all right?

--But enough about how I got the book. Here's the setup:

When the famous Nick Hernandez, star of the hit police action show Desert Blood, adopted Gus Gonzalez a couple of years ago, everybody said his career was going to tank. It certainly opened the door for even more nasty tabloid action than he'd had to face before. But now someone's making threats against Nick and Gus, and Gus is having trouble sorting through all the plots and lies around him to find out who's out to wreck both their lives.

I have to say, I successfully did not suspect Gus. I suspected everyone else, and I had no idea who was guilty until the end. I finished the book in one straight sitting, too -- just as soon as I thought about putting it down, there'd be another hook to pull me along.

Here's the beginning. The rest of the book is just as sarcastic and fun:

"In big, bold letters, the front-page tabloid headline announced that I'd been abducted by aliens: HERNANDEZ HEARTBREAK! ADOPTED SON TAKEN CAPTIVE ABOARD FLYING SAUCER..."

"I was sitting on the edge of my bed, scanning the details of my unfortunate abduction and wondering at the same time if I had a clean shirt to wear."

Desert Blood Author Ronald Cree

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Review Date: 2007-10-06

I'm not a kid anymore, but it wasn't long ago that my two were teenagers who experienced angst at every turn. So it wasn't hard to relate to this boy raised in a foster home who seemingly makes good only to feel his new love and security ripped from his reach at every turn. Amid his celebrity status, hero father, teenager Gus Gonzales emerges the true hero of this story, a worthy, smart protagonist and amateur sleuth of amazing proportions. For anyone who loves to see character growth, among an amazing California backdrop of celebrities, glamour and a page-turning who dun it, Desert Blood is a fantastic read and one I couldn't put down.

Action Pack!

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Review Date: 2007-10-05

I was hooked right away, even with the prologue. Nicely done.
Rich and well-developed characters. I never guessed who done it.

~Leni Checkas
Writer

An entertaining read

Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-21

I am a librarian who runs a small public library in rural New Mexico and who loves to read teen literature and mysteries. Once I started Desert Blood 10pm/9c, I found it difficult to put down. I quickly came to care about the main characters, Nick and Gus and Lalo. Nick's movie star status and the fast pace of the mystery as it evolves have appeal for teens. This is an entertaining book that I will be recommending to our teen readers during this year's summer reading program. It is great fun and I will be looking forward to any sequels to get to know Nick and Gus better.