Festivals Books

Richard Paul Evans has written the most wonderful children's books. Your children will enjoy them so much.

Alexander would have never dreamth in his whole life that this day would come. After setting off to Noel to see the lighting of the christmas torch he encounters an old man lying in the snow shivering. Then he stops to help him and he would have never guessed as long as he lived that this day would come.

This story takes place in Noel many years in the past. Alexander really wants to light the christmas torch, but he has to have the best gift, so he just put's the thought of lighting it out of his mind and waits for someone else to light it. Little kids would like this book because it will teach them the true meaning of christmas and they might not grow up to be as selfish as they would have.

This book is amazing. Our family loves it! Our priest read it to the entire parish on Christmas Eve a few years ago -- truly reminds all of us the true meaning of Christmas. You won't be disappointed!

I have a tradition of purchasing a new Christmas book for my two boys each year, which I allow them to open on Christmas Eve to read. This was my book of choice for Christmas 2004, and I was certainly not disappointed. It is the story of a young boy who has a very difficult decision to make, especially for a child. He has to decide between taking part in a Christmas event that he looks forward to every year or listening to his heart and taking care of another important situation that he has come upon. He listens to his heart and is rewarded for it in the end. A story with a wonderful moral to share with your children.

This story has become my family's favorite as well as my Sunday school class. What a beautiful way to begin the holiday and to share the true spirit of Christmas. Richard Paul Evans is blessed with writing such beautiful pieces. I recommend his other Christmas stories -- The Christmas Candle and The Spyglass.

Mortimer is a mouse, living in a dark hole under the stairs. In his opinion, his hole is "too cold, too cramped, too creepy." One night, as he's sneaking around the big house looking for crumbs that the human family may have left behind, Mortimer finds what he thinks will be a perfect new home for him -- the stable in a Nativity scene. The excited mouse struggles to drag all the Nativity figures out of this stable, and he nestles himself down in the manger. The next day, as he's out prowling for crumbs, he comes back to find that someone has put the figures back into the stable! Annoyed, he drags them out again, and so it goes for several days, until one evening, Mortimer overhears the human father reading the Christmas story to his children, about how there was no room for them in the inn. The little Mouse realizes that the statue he has been dragging out of the manger each day is a statue of baby Jesus. Touched by the story, Mortimer decides that he wants to make room for the baby Jesus, and carefully puts all the figures back in their places. And in the end, Mortimer own prayer is granted. He finds a home that is just right for him!

So cute!!!! The story is so fun to read and my twin girls age 6 loved to listen to it. We all loved the pictures. This will be a favorite Christmas treasure for years!!

Mortimer's Christmas is a wonderful story about giving unselfishly and the birth of Jesus and it is told in a way even the younger children can enjoy. I read this during a Preschool Story Time at our library and several parents and grandparents asked where they could get copies. The illustations were great and the story moved along quickly. Karma Wilson has found a way to share the true meaning Christmas with the little ones.

My preschoolers sat quietly and eagerly waited to hear the whole story. An awesome story that brings in the real meaning of Christmas.

This is perhaps the most powerful story about the Nativity outside of the New Testament. Kudos to Karma for the way she crafted a simple yet elegant story about one of the most important events in history. And the art? Jane is splendid. This is an all-star team who have created one of the most wonderful children's books I've ever come across. I now have a gift for everyone I know with small children. Keep 'em coming!

I love this book I have a really old copy from at least 17 years ago and since I've come to see its out of print, boy do I handle it gingerly! This story is so touching for the Holiday season or all year round. It's a tad long for some 2 year olds but my toddler doesn't care she just can't wait to see if the puppy finds a boy! "Puppy who wanted a boy" is sure to be the kind of story you carry with you always.

The Puppy who wanted a Boy is a book by Jane Thayer is a wonderful Story. It's a good story for kindergartners through second graders. The story is about a puppy that's looking for a boy. This book has a lot of things first graders will especially enjoy.

The illustrations are the cutest part .The illustrator, Lisa Mcue, did a great job. She made them so cute. It looks so realistic! Most of the pictures tell more of the story than the words do!

The puppy, whose name was Petey, is looking for a dog who'll give his boy away. But, he has no luck. All of them say, "NO"! What will Petey do? His mommy tries to help, but she had no luck either.What's Petey going to do? Read the story to find out.

Remember, this book is easy to read. A kindergartener can read it (with a little help from mom and dad of course)! There are a few hard words like perhaps, frighten, and thought. Other than that, I highly recommend it. It's a must-read!

The Puppy who wanted a Boy is the book to read. Kids who like a cute little puppy should totally take this book to consideration. Shoot, with a those cute animals you'll love it, especially if you're an animal lover! After you read it once, you'll read it again and again! Kids should definitely read this book.

This was one of my favorite books when I was little, it's so cute it's almost disgusting (it's not, though!). The illustrations are very well done, as well as the whole idea of the story itself. A great children's book for the holidays, or any other day for that matter.

This book was fun to read. Dogs looking for a boy/that's so funny! My favorite part is when the dog is chasing a car. You should really buy this book!!

This book is called The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy. It's by Jane Thayer. I liked this book because, the puppy wanted a boy really bad, and he told his mom that he was good. He wasn't good though, he was a little bad. I liked it because he only wanted a boy, and in the end he ended up with a lot of boys.

Three generations have loved The Animals' Merry Christmas by Richard Scary. For a while, it seemed to have disappeared from the shops. Now it's back in all its glory, ready for a new generation of young readers to love!

There are lots of great memories here with wonderful illustrations to bring them back to life for you!

My sister and I had this book when we were kids in the '80s. We broke it out every Christmas and read the delightful stories of "The Naughty Teddy Bear" and "The Snow Shoe Rabbits" until the insomnia of Christmas Eve gave in to sleep. The illustrations really make the book for me. I'm so glad this book is back in production. This year I bought a copy for my nieces and nephew and they love it too.

Four stars because this book is so wonderful, but Golden Books has a nasty habit of making some deletions when reprinting their classics. There are also a few pages missing from the reprinted "Santa's Toy Shop," another Christmas favorite.

Four stars anyway because the deleted stories were not particular favorites of mine, but people who remember the original will be disappointed. Better this, however, than no Richard Scarry, and I do not want to discourage anyone from purchasing this marvelous book and reading it to the current generation of children. This is my 60th Christmas, and few of my Christmas memories are more precious than those wrapped up with this book.

My three year old twins are enjoying this new book. So far their favorite stories are "The Naughty Reindeer" and "Terrible Teddy Bear". I can see that this will book will be read during the Christmas season for many years to come!

My husband and I love this book for the old illustrations from when we were kids. The colors and pictures are vibrant and captures the eyes of even our 2 year old. Lots of fun poems and short stories. This is such a cozy book that brings back old fond memories.

Loved the book. It's a very sweet story about a basset hound and his friend and sends a great message of sharing no matter what age you are.
I received the book in perfect condition and it was sent promptly by the vendor.

Our copy of Claude was torn and so well worn.
We were happy to have a new version! Even though my kids are 10 and 13, we still love this short story every year!

The message is fantastic, especially for a Christmas book. Claude the Dog shares his gifts with a less fortunate dog. But the writing is a bit short and the pictures aren't as colourful as they could be. All in all I'm glad I bought it but I would probably choose a different book to give away as a gift.

What a lovely way to teach children `tis better to give than receive.' With few words and no rhymes - except for the author/illustrator's name, of course, and delightful black/white/aqua pictures of Claude the Basset and his homeless friend Bummer, all ages can delight in the spirit of kindness and compassion at Christmastime. But am I the only one bummed because Bummer didn't get a home for Christmas?

/TundraVision, Amazon reviewer.

this was book really good. i liked that claude was really nice to bummer. he have him all of those gifts. what a nice dog. the author did a good job saying that it is better give than get. he used a good example also by useing dogs. overall this is one of the best children books there are. so if you want to read a good book read this one.

Claude The Dog by dick gackenbach

I used to read this book as a child at my Grandparents home during the holidays. I know others in the family have "dibs" on this book...so I've bought my own! It will become part of our family tradition to read this through the holiday season as well.

This is a great book to own and read every year. I love the moral of the book...don't judge a book by its cover! We also made a cranberry recipe (although not the one in the book)... it was fun and memorable!

This book has been a favorite in my family since my three children were little; we always read it at Thanksgiving time and made the special Cranberry bread, which is really delicious! Now that my children are grown up with children of their own, they are continuing the tradition. A very special book!

This book is very charming indeed! Maggie is a delightful young girl that knows looks aren't everything and befriends a man not based on his looks but based on his need for a friend. And when things start to fall apart at the Thanksgiving dinner she holds everyone together. I read this book to my children and we all loved it and are grateful to know there are others like it.

It is a great book that brings about the true spirit of thanksgiving with a little lesson thrown in, and the basis of the book...the secret Cranberry Bread recipe...is a delightful way to tie-in these fun and whimsical characters. And, to my delight, the recipe is included at the back of the book!

Great for parents to read and great for children to read!

This was one of my favorite books when I was a child. I loved the story tremendously, and the illustrations were mesmorizing. It always would put me in the mood for Thanksgiving, any time of year! I still read it today, and the pictures bring me back to a wonderful time. All of Harry Devlin's books are fantastic...and the Cranberry series is a must for children of all ages.

I got this book because someone who reviewed my book HALLELUJAH, A CAT COMES BACK, said they liked it so much. I couldn't agree more. I almost like it as much as my own book. My grandchildren had to side with me of course, but they loved Jasper too. Not preachy, just perfect. A. B. Curtiss, author of HALLELUJAH, A CAT COMES BACK.

I agree with everyone here.. I now look at my cats twinkling eyes & know they are sending me eyes kisses.. This is up there with my favorite dog book Timbuktu : A Novel (Paperback)
-- a book from the dog's perspective

This is a good book for a young reader that loves cats. The story is entertaining and not violent but has a good storyline that holds the attention. It is not long so would be good reading for age group 8-12 and a good story for parents to read to young ones.

Jasper was a good book, but it was sort of sad. Me being a tad sensitive, I, er, bawled my eyes out(i like using that expression). I would have givin it 4 stars if it wasn't so sad. I still think it should have a sequel, but Michelle Groce, please don't make it so sad. It was a quick read, being 174 pages, but filled with emotions: sadness, fear, happiness, and surprise. I would recommend this book to people who are not sensitive, and have never cried reading any book.

P.S. I liked the warriors(READ THEM!!! They're about cats by erin hunter) better, but this was a good book to read while i waited for the new book to come out.

I have read all of the 10 reviews above and agree with every one of them! So, I just want to add my 5 stars to a beautiful, inciteful book which would be a wonderful gift to all animal lovers from 10 to 100 and beyond.

If you liked the Jolly Postman, you will love this book too! It's all the fun of opening up your favorite fairy tale characters' mail with a Christmas theme! This book is super cute. I love opening up the letters from their individual envelopes. I am also always amazed by the art work. Every time I look through this book, I notice new little details that I didn't see before. Two big thumbs up!

This book is adoreable and great for anyone over age 4. When I read it with my son I realized that he doesn't know his fairy tales and nursery rhymes very well, so some of it was lost on him, but it was still a fun read. He loved pulling out the letters and discovering what surprises were inside.

What a great book! Lots of play on fairytale characters. The book has 'envelopes' with really fun items to discover stuffed inside on each page. I enjoyed exploring this book as much as my son did.

I am a 2nd grade school teacher that purchased this book several years ago to read to my class each year around Christmas. The children have always enjoyed this book tremendously and have begged me to read it over and over, as well as asking to bring it home for their parents to see.
I am now a grandmother and although my two grandbabies are too young to enjoy the book for now, I purchased it anyway and will put it up for when they are older. While ordering for my grandchildren, I decided to inform the parents in my class of what I was doing and offered to order for their child too if they decided. I had 5 students order this book and had 2 parents write me notes after receiving the book saying how much they enjoyed it.

This book is one of the most adorable books I have ever seen! It is so clever. Only an adult will truly appreciate the humor!

Recently, I went to pick up my 3.5 year old daughter at preschool. As I helped her pack up her lunch, she pulled me to the carpet and begged me to read her this book. I was intrigued by the triangular shape and as I began reading, 5 of her schoolmates sat down on top of or next to me to listen. They remained silent through the entire book (despite the melee of parents and kids bustling around us). I loved both the illustrations and the message. A week later, as I was kissing my daughter goodnight, she suddenly asked, "Mommy? Could you get me that book? The triangle one about the pine tree? I'd like to have it in my room to read." So here I am ordering it--and spreading the word about what a special book it is.

I read the book The Lonesome Pine by Jane West. This book is about a pine tree that wants to become a christmas tree but instead grows to be something greater. I enjoyed this book because the pictures were beautiful and the author brought the story to life..
The illustrations by Monique Luijan Bakerink were outstanding. She used light fluffy colors when the part of the book was happy. However, when a part of the book was intense, the illustrater would use dark and bold colors. The lush colors swirled through my head as I read the interesting text from this book.
The authors bitter and sweet text from this book brought the book to life. The verbs and adjectives really "spiced this book up."
I think that kids over four should have this book read to them even though this book has some words that are challenging. So remember, if you want to read a great book, read Jane West's The Lonesome Pine.

While the shape and beautiful illustrations immediately catch a child's eye, the theme of this book is just as much for adults --a la the more sophisticated of Dr. Seuss books. The life lesson of losing out on what you've trained for, worked for, and wanted so badly , but in the end finding where you really belong is lovingly presented by a Lonesome Pine quite literally put through the mill. How nice to say to a disappointed child who doesn't get picked for a team, audition, etc. "Remember the Lonesome Pine". What a gift to remember it myself. Our whole family enjoys this book and the CD as well.

I purchased The Lonesome Pine over the internet as it was recommended to me by a friend in the USA. My little daughter has many books but I have never seen anything as original or as inventive as The Lonesome Pine. What Disney did to cartoon fairytales, Ms West has done for children's books. It's the first time I have read a book to Jessie with such excitement in her (and my!) eyes. She was enthralled. It could be read on any level. We couldn't wait to turn the next page! This entertaining story would twist and turn and I had no idea how it was going to end. I have never written a review before, but I was so impressed I felt I had to. I only have one thing to say - Please bring the book to England!

My thanks to a thinking, feeling author who can take her little (and not so little )readers on a safe but emotional journey that lasts a lifetime. As one little reader said to me 'I can never give this book away because it really is my tree.'
I think I know how she felt.
It's a wonderful book, but where are the rest? I can't believe this is a one book only,(for children) author.

This is a really cute book for toddlers/preschoolers/K-2 kids. It helps with colors for the really little ones, then with short sentences to read or write later. I actually bought this for my 10 year old daughter - lol - she always loved this book. I guess the bright colors and sparkle of the foil cut outs of the eggs appealed to her in Kindergarten when she saw it in the school library - she's checked it out every year at least 6 times ever since (4th grade now). Every kid has a few books that they just adore and can't get enough of, so I got it for her to keep and give her own kid(s) some day (she has my old copy of "Bambi's Fragrant Forest" - a 1970's scratch 'n sniff book). It's a visually pleasing book and little ones will enjoy it.

I love the illustrations in this book!!! My 2-year-old may be a little too young for the story, but she loves looking at the pictures.

My son learned his colors because of this book! Each page has a different color of egg, the story rhymes so well, and its a lift-the-flap book! The pictures have so much detail sometimes we spend extra time looking in the background for other animals and talking about what they are doing. We've had this book for a year and it is still very popular at our house!

I purchased this book for my nephew and he absolutely loves it. Beautiful illustrations and a very cute story for children from 1-6 years old. However, the book seemed a bit warped when I purchased it but I attributed it due to the delivery process.

One of the nicest things about this book is how well it is designed. Children love beautiful materials and this book delivers. Today, electronic media is so prevelant in childrens' lives. This book, though, offers children the opportunity to relax and read pages filled with awe and wonder. Quality colors, papers and decorations invite children into the Natural Easter world of the forest and imagination. It's beautifully adorned with sparkling, jeweled pages made to entertain and peak interest.