Festivals Books

The story of Flora McFlimsey, the old doll who travels down from the attic on Christmas Eve, is too precious for words. Flora finds that she has the magic ability to move and goes to look at the Christmas tree. Once there, she finds herself unable to move and is put with the other toys by Santa as a gift for one of the children in the house. She realizes that she is old and shabby, and feels quite worthless when she gets a little angelic help.... and ends up being the most beautiful and beloved of all the Christmas toys. The pictures look water-colored and are so soft-looking and sweet.

My mom got this book at a library sale when we were little and it quickly became a family classic. She still has the book, but I wanted a copy of my own at my house to read to my 3yo daughter. I was pleasantly surprised in that the book I ordered was a reprint and was in PERFECT condition with a dust jacket (I didn't know there was ever a reprint so I just figured it was an old version since it didn't specify). Even though I love old things and old books, I was really glad that this was newer because this way it will last longer for my child, and even her children one day. When I read it to her for the first time I almost could not finish the book because all of my own childhood memories came back and I couldn't believe I was reading the same story to my daughter that my mom read to me so many times. It really got me choked up!

Anyway, like you wanted to hear my personal story.... But you will love this book and it is a great tradition to start reading it at Christmas time (especially on Christmas Eve)!!!

What a wonderful suprise! At last I have found Miss Flora McFlimsey, a special doll, after nearly forty years. This was a book that I checked out of our library until if finally fell apart, it was passed amongst the three families on our street with little girls and we all loved Miss Flora's adventures with Santa Claus and how she was rediscovered after being "lost" in the attic! Well, Miss Flora McFlimsey, there's a new generation out there just waiting to rediscover you again, and I plan to start with my nieces. That is, after I have bought copies for my sisters and all our middle-aged friends!! A definite recommendation for any little girl, no matter how young or old

This is a wonderful and funny book. We borrowed this from the library and had to go out and buy it, both my boys adore it. the pictures are great and it is simple and fun to read!

I have to say, that I just adore this book. Not only is the story cute, but the illustrations are bright. The book has a plush outer edge that is very tactile, and your child will adore carrying it around. All these extras encourage reading. What could be more fun than learning to read and enjoying Halloween at the same time!

initially underwhelmed when i received this as a gift, but the photos are almost other-worldly in their beauty and power. i've studied the images for hours. OH, but i love MOVIES. if you love movies, you will LOVE this book. and, clearly, good idea for a gift. lol

This is an amazing coffee table book - anyone who has lived in Chicago for anytime at all over the past 40 years will recognize the photos of Victor Skrebneski, most especially those done for the Chicago International Film Festival. The photos are sexy, energetic, and capture the human form like no one else. Highly, highly recommended for your own home or as a gift.

I had never heard of Mrs. Wishy Washy before but saw it on a list of books for purchase from my 3 year old daughter's preschool. We LOVE this book. We've had it about a month now and we read it at least twice per day. And the thing is, I love it too, not just my daughter. The rhymes are great, the pictures are fun and its such a cute story. It's a lot of fun to read out loud. I like this book so much I quickly ordered another Mrs. Wishy Washy book that turned out to be much shorter and not too great. So that was a disappointment, but this book of hers is really fun and children will love it.

As a Pre-K teacher my students and I are big fans of Mrs. Wishy Washy. This plot is similar to the original in that she is trying to bathe them so the children can really relate to it. When the animals have a good ole time bathing in Mrs. Washy's bathroom my class can't stop giggling. You can't go wrong with a Mrs. Wishy Washy book in an early childhood classroom.

Wonderful author. This is another great mystery. Not every book can make you feel like you are in the story, but this one does. Everyone should own a copy of this series. Down home good!!!!

I live in Wilmington, NC and I was thrilled to find this series, I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading mysteries and the scenic and historic coast of North Carolina.

Ashley Wilkes, a Wilmington Native, lived in Wilmington as a child and now works as a historic preservationists there as well as her sister Melanie who is a realtor. This books takes place right in the middle of the Azalea Festival in April and the book is so decriptive and informative you learn so much about this great town in it! Well everything was fine there, until some dead bodies show uup on the shore with no way to identify them and an actress from tv series "Dolphin's Cove" gets poisoned. Ashley was working on restoring a historic home called Moon Gate and seems to be in the middle of all the action. Does the house or the people in it have some connection to the Murder(S) at the Azalea Festival?

For any child who loves books and shape sorting, this book (as well as the original Shape Sorter Book) is the BEST! My 2-year-old son's speech therapist brings it to his sessions around Christmas time, and my son loves it! He loves it even when it's not Christmas time!!! What a great idea to combine two of the best kid activities - reading & shape sorting! Very creative! Cute, Cute, Cute!

I bought this book and the original shape sorter book for my 5 and 2 year old girls and they LOVE these books. They can play them over and over again and even the 2 year old understands the concept of finding the correct piece and positioning it just right to make it drop down into the catch-box. The only complaint I would have is that it needs to come with a backup set of pieces....they can be easily lost with little kids.

My granddaughter is 18 months old and this is her favorite book right now. She loves to sniff the goodies and tried to taste them the other day. My daughter has loved reading it to her over the Christmas season.

I really like this book. It has so many different textures as well as common secular Christmas things (Santa, reindeer, stockings, angels, ornaments, cookies, presents, candy canes, tree, etc...). The textures are truly unique (sticky, furry, bumpy, rough, velvet, satiny, etc...), plus you have all the different words. There is a new texture on about every page. All of the books in this series are great! I thought the price was a little high for this one, but my girls were 18 months at Christmas and really were into touch and feel books. They still love it, even though it is March!! This is a very secular Christmas book, but it is fun. We have many other books about Jesus and the true meaning of Christmas that can be found in Christian book stores, but this was just a fun touch and feel book for that time of year. I think it was worth the money.

I was looking for a simple book that explains the traditions of Hanukkah to my daughter's Kindergarten class. This book was perfect. It explains the traditions and customs of the holiday without providing too many details that could be confusing for young children of other faiths.

Truly a different kind of book than what is out there! The graphic art is striking, and really focuses on the lighting of the menorah. In fact, this book could be used AS a menorah. With a turn of the page, the next candle is lit... and in the proper order, while each night is numbered. Plus, all the great traditions of Hanukkah are included with little spots of art. Delightful! Children 2-5 won't be disappointed if Hanukkah Harry brings them "My First Menorah."

This beautiful board book by Tomie DePaola is one in a series that captures a wide range of holidays for young children. I am a big fan of the author and love the sensitivity of his art work and his writing. A great way to bring the idea of Thanksgiving to the little ones without being pompous or overly long...Highly recommended!

I wanted a simple book to teach my 2 year old the Thanksgiving story. This is perfect. Attractive illustrations, simple narration. Perfect for a toddler.

This really is perfect for babies and toddlers just learning about Valentine's Day. The illustrations are very cozy and cute. The text is simple but catchy.

My kids want to read it over and over, mostly just to take out all the valentine cards on each page and then put them back in when the story is finished. The cards all match the animals, so they have fun finding the right match. My three-year-old thinks the cards are funny, especially the squirrels', "I'm NUTS about you!" Very cute.

This was a nice book for the 1st Valentine's Day. It gave a small story and also showed the child the concept of a Valentine Card. My daughter loved to take the cards out of the envelopes.