Titles Books

One of our all time favorites, along with the sequel: Feliciana Meets d'Loup Garou. We took these books out of the library repeatedly when I was still reading to my children. Jump ahead 5 years and now my 12 year old and I just had an emergency need to read these stories again. Luckily they were at the library, and reading them (as other reviewers, with a Cajun accent) was such a wonderful time. Now we feel we must buy these books, because they are treasures. One of the great reasons to become a parent is to get to read such books to children!

I've read this one to a class of 2nd graders who were begging for more by the end. The only complaint I got was that I only read the dialogue with a Cajun accent instead of the entire book! I'm watching for more books by this author and plan to buy every one.

This book is one that you can read over and over again to the children. There's is even a song that goes with the book by Johnette Downing! The kid's in my class love this book and most of them own it by the end of the year.

This book is one that you can read over and over again to the children. There's is even a song that goes with the book by Johnette Downing! The kid's in my class love this book and most of them own it by the end of the year.

My kids (8, 5, and 3) love this story, and it's a book that's fun for a parent to read, especially if you enjoy putting on just a bit of an accent when you read. The language in this story is wonderful, and the book comes complete with a one-page Cajun glossary and pronunciation guide, to help your kids learn just a little about Cajun culture.

Feliciana is a wonderful little girl, strong, spunky, and definitely more spice than sugar. She has a whole passel of brothers, who keep her on her toes.

The story, set in a Cajun bayou, is one that little boys and girls from everywhere will enjoy, since it involves a hungry alligator, who bites off more than he can chew when he goes after Feliciana Feydra LeRoux.

The drawings in this book are terrific. Colorful, funny, and whimsical -- they bring the story to life.

This is a great book that has the rare ability to both entertain and teach, and I highly recommend it.

I am writting this review for my seven year old sister,Taylor. Here is what she has to say about this book: "I got this from the library at school and I LOVED it! It was a book-sensation celebration. It was a very cute story. I think it's better than the real version of Goldie Locks. In this book Goldie is picky and I usually don't like picky people, but she is picky in a funny, funny way. I love it! I am so happy I found it on amazon.com and now I want to buy it to keep."

A delightful retelling of a children's classic enhanced by vibrant illustrations. Finally you have the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears from Goldie's perspective. Stanley's Goldie is humorous and warm-hearted.

Our daughter, now 5, loves reading this book. The resoluion of the story just seemed much more real and satisfying to her that the traditional version. This book and Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity are on heavy bedtime rotation.
One small nitpick though: Alicia, the snobby girl, has two right hands!

My two year old daughter LOVES this book! I checked it out from the library and it was a sad day when we had to return it. The story is so sweet. Much more friendly than the original. It has a wonderful ending. I highly recommend this to all parents of little ones.

I like this. A modern, suburban twist on the old Three Bears fairy tale. Now, in sync with the Zeitgeist, the character herself is never really in any danger. It's a painless cute story for the kids. But her parents worry if she'll socialize right. You see, this Goldie is what we call a "willful" child, she "knew exactly what she liked- and what she didn't." Her parents worried about her making friends. They tried to encourage her to make play-dates, but "Jenny was too boring, Penny was too rough, Alicia was too snobby, and Sylvia wouldn't come." She explains to her parents that she is not looking for perfection, "She just wanted someone she could love with all her heart." But, at least, she does love her teddy bear.

When she gets lost and wanders into the three little bear's house, and the story follows the original, with Goldie sampling food, trying out every chair, and eventually settling in for a siesta in the little bear's bed. The books only moment of potential tension, when she's discovered and the little bear lunges in for the kill (no teeth, looks more cross than carnivorous), is affably fleeting, over before you know it. Turn the page, and you see that the little bear lands on the bed in front of Goldie, sending her flying in the air. When Goldie lands, the little bear bounces up, and- you guessed it- the two begin trampolining back and forth and having a phenomenal time. Just 3 pages after the books only touch of terror, and Goldie is seen calling her mother from the three bear's kitchen, looking lovingly into the eyes of her new best friend as the Momma bear, wearing a salmon dress and a string of pearls, looks down with affection. My favorite line in the book: "The bears were very understanding about the sandwiches and the chairs and everything." And, as you have already deduced, the little bear turns out to be the friend worth waiting for, the friend worthy of Goldie's discerning taste.

The illustrations are nice. Perhaps a little more Anglo-Saxon staleness in the neatness of the pictures than I like, but nothing to really complain about. There are some nice little details, like the parallel between Goldie's stuffed bear and the Little Bear's lovie, a stuffed human, and a blond Caucasoid at that. Thumbs up, worthy of a read and re-read or two.

Les trois premiers livres de la serie m'ont epate mais celui-ci "WOW". L'histoire est tellement pleine de rebondissements imprevus et quelle fin, c'est tout un revirement!

Reading this book wasn't just fun, but it really helped me in my French. I learned more in reading it than I have in all of my classes combined. There are some little changes in it, but that is because of the language difference and my over-reading the English version led me to know its wording too well. Still, that only made it more fun. I'd recommend this to any French student.

I never really liked to read. It was just too boring. Reading all those pages that had no effect on me. Then I heard about Harry Potter. Everyone really liked it. I wanted to see what the big deal was. I read the first book. I thought to myself how imaginative it was. The creatures, the characters, and the plot. They were all like a puzzle fit perfectly together. It made my mind run wild. I had to read the second book. I went through that like a person going after 1 billion dollars. It was so amazing. The third book was next. That was better than the first and second books. Finally the forth. Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. That was the best of all. My favorite character is Ron. He reminds me of me. All except the looks. I look a lot better than him. This book is filled with creativity, mystery, fantasy, and love. All in one. Thats why I got hooked on all these things.

Then, Harry and the Weasley's go to the train station. Then they say goodbye to everyonne and get on the bus. They meet their new teacher and their best (not) friend, Malfred. Their is a special game instead of quidditch this year and only people over 18 years of age can enter to win. Three schools are coming to play but only 3 people, one from each school, can play. Harry plays. But he's not 18 so a lot of people get mad. I won't tell you what else happens, so get the book and read it!

I gave this a 5 'cause this is a grat book and it lets out your imagination!

I have to admit that I enjoyed book four less than the other three--when I read it in English. For some reason the story seemed fragmentary, overly complex, and poorly focused. I felt the movie brought a greater sense of direction and theme to the story. After having read the book again in French, however, I'm inclined to feel I misjudged it. I suppose, having to focus my own attention more closely to read the material in a foreign language, I saw the mental lines along which the story was constructed more clearly. The author is truely brilliant.

As before, this book in French, too, is a wonderful way to learn the language. Book four is definitely more complex in vocabularly and gramatical structure than the earlier books, just as it is in English, but also as in English, it coaxes the reader along, encouraging him or her to stretch a little bit to understand that word or that sentence, to be just a bit more patient and put it all together. Reading Harry in French gave me once again that same sense of joy I had when learning to read in the first place.

I bought the French translation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire for my son who began his first year of French this year in Middle School. It has been great fun and encouragement for him. His teacher found it fun as well, reading short excerpts from it to the French class. Everyone loves Harry!

I enjoyed this book in general but I was turned off by the main character's tendency to be rude to her neighbor when she turned down the tea that was offered and when her neighbor was hesitant to join the Mormon Church. The neighbor became her best friend. But in real life I'm not so sure that would have been the case.
But the story was interesting and had fun twists and turns and the characters were well drawn and usually very likeable. So other then my pet peeve, I would recommend this book to Mormon friends.

This book was a great book and I enjoyed reading it very much. I loved the characters, they were very endearing and immeadiatly likeable. Kate and Mark were thrown together in very odd circumstances but they coped very well. The book was also not all about the mystery, and there were quite a few lighthearted moments in it. It was a good combonation of romance and suspense and a tale about small-town life. Miss Eugenia was the funniest charecter I've read about in quite a while, but I liked her a lot for all her odd quirkyness. She was so much of a mother / grandmother to Kate when she really needed someone and couldn't be in touch with her real family. And it is obviously an LDS story, but it is not overpowering in religious message and someone who was not LDS could read it without becoming really annoyed. But for me, (I am LDS), It was a nice element and made the characters more real real for me. There were serveral very suprising twists in the book that I did not see coming and I was unable to put the book down, and read it in one sitting. I highly recommend Hearts in Hiding to anyone who wants a very good, clean, exciting read.

I loved this book. The characters Kate and Mark were great. I loved reading about them and their romance. Really great book. Suspenseful too.

This was the first book of hers I read and it is the best book. Here is a breif rundown of what the book is about. Kates husband Tony is in the FBI and is killed. Her life is threatened, so the FBI gives her a new life and a new husband (Mark Iverson). She marries Mark and the both assume new identities in a new town with some FUN and intersting neighbors. They must find a way to keep eachother alive and solve a mystery. This book is so much fun and a great love story. After you read it you will want to read more of Betsys books. Definaly read this book before you read (Above Suspision). Kate & Mark Iverson along with the ladies from Haggerty are in that book too. They are also in (Until Proven Guilty), but not as much. Hope this helps.

This is a great mystery story. I had the unabridged audio tape and I found myself hating to get out of the car. It is a book that had a great story without the bad language and raw sex scenes. I wish more mystery writers would take this approach and focus on great writing that leaves you hanging on until the final chapter. It was an excellent book. I hope this writer will continue to write all these lines. She shows you can write good books without the filth thrown in. 6 stars for Ms. Green.

A good friend of mine lent me a copy of this book to share with my little ballerinas (ages 3-6) during our summer dance camp. I must say, I probably enjoyed reading this story more than my students enjoyed listening to it. (We all loved it!) It is nice to find a book written based upon the ballet "Swan Lake" that children can relate to. Through Mimi, this book teaches with a little practice and persistance you never know what might prevail. Good life lessons that any child can benefit from. A great book!

We got this from the library by accident, and now I am going to buy it. My daughter (4 1/2) and my son (2 1/2) both loved it. Mimi's pluck is great, and her travails are hysterical. A real plus for me was that I was able to use her as an example of the benefits of practicing. (A tough concept for a 4 year old.) When Mimi's perserverence finally gets her onstage, she performs beautifully because she had practiced all of the ballet moves. "Nice shoes dear!" whispers one of the ballerinas.

"Honk!" reminds me of those old Barbara Streisand films, "Funny Girl" and "Funny Lady," where the determined--but klutzy--performer becomes the star of the show. Here Mimi Swan drives her animal friends in the Parisian pond crazy with all her ballet practice. After watching a ballet with the pigeons through the Opera House window where she notices, "They're all pretending to be me," she does everything she can to get in, much to the agitation of the manager.

"Honk!" is a delightful introduction to ballet for youngsters, but be prepared to pronounce the proper French ballet terminology, such as "en pointe" and "demi-plied" (with an accent over the e). And while the title of the ballet is never mentioned, Pamela Duncan Edwards' sense of humor is not wasted on those who recognize it as "Swan Lake!"

I just read this enjoyable title to a class of second-graders in our school library who really enjoyed it.

A good friend of mine lent me a copy of this book to share with my little ballerinas (ages 3-6) during our summer dance camp. I must say, I probably enjoyed reading this story more than my students enjoyed listening to it. (We all loved it!) It is nice to find a book written based upon the ballet "Swan Lake" that children can relate to. Through Mimi, this book teaches with a little practice and persistance you never know what might prevail. Good life lessons that any child can benefit from. A great book!

Just the title alone is enough to have your child want to read this book over and over. But what I love about this book, is that through hard work perseverance and persistance this lovable swan realizes her dream, even when it seemed impossible. Not such bad things to be teaching your child in this age of Pokémon and World Federation Wrestling!

Great book. He displays how to cartoon men, women, children, elderly and many types of animals. He does it in an extremely visual way that even a child could follow along. This book is packed with 95% illustrations and 5% text. To me, that's a winner. The 5% text that is in there is invaluable. The print is nice and large and easy to read. I am very happy I bought this book. It is a keeper.

From the beginning of this book to the end, it is filled with (finally) basic, step-by-step instructions on drawing cartoon people, body parts, the "action line", body language and style. And then it starts all over again with animals! Mostly dogs, cats, and different fowl, it also includes less common animals, like beaver, porcupine, raccoon and many sea animals. Can't forget the great alligators and dragon. Finally, the book spends time on placing the characters, reference lines and specialty shots and the all-important "balloon". Another great one by C. Hart. I think I own most of his books and they are all worth great merit, better than the other books I've seen out there by far.

A few years ago, on a whim, I decided to start drawing. I didn't know where to begin so I bought this book. I really believed I couldn't draw. The techniques in this book were so easy to learn that soon I went from drawing stick figures to expressive cartoon characters. My confidence went up and I took on more complicated projects. Now, I work part-time doing illustrations and it all started here!

Christopher Hart has truly done an excellent job with this book. Filled to the rim with illustrations, techniques, explanations and inside information, if you've ever wanted to learn about humorous illustration or cartooning, put this on your list. You'll be glad you did. :o)

This is an excellent book for any beginning artist or anyone else wanting to learn cartooning. Chris Hart publishes some of the best books on art that I've ever seen. This book gives good details on drawing that is easy to follow and understand. All in all, this is one book that should be in every artist's library.

This story of love between a boy and a blind Canada goose is a beautiful one and sadly, a connection that society is destroying with lies. We need to seek to connect with animals again because our lives depend on it; this world needs love, not hatred, not war. I highly recommend this book for all ages!

As an elementary school librarian, I had the pleasure ofintroducing this treasure to many classes the last few years. All ofthe above reviews are valid for me. While discussing how unique each person is, I always get asked about Stephanie. I promised the students I would go to Lake Merrit and look for her, see if she truly exists and if so, if she's still there. Yesterday (5/22/00) was the magic day. She and Ms. Polocco have been close friends for years, and it was right that the author write about the warmth of Stephanie's character. I could not have been welcomed more graciously, and Stephanie, on her own time, will be meeting with the students at my school. I also learned that the other main character, Fondo, is connected with Ms. Polacco's nephew to whom the book is dedicated. If you can take only one fiction (?) book with you on a desert island, each time you reread this, you will have new joy in your heart.

This is a beautiful book, very moving and life-affirming. I would recommend this to anyone; young or old. The illustrations are very charming and heart-felt as is the story. This is what a children's book should be: timeless, personal yet universal in its themes of love, hope
and kindness. This is a book for all the dreamers in the world, and those
for whom compassion and gentleness is a way of life.

I use this book in my classroom where I work with kids who have ADHD and other learning diabilities. I first discovered this book while searching for another by the same author. My daughter and I sat in the floor and read it. She is a child who has never felt like she fits in. She said that Fondo was like her. When Fondo miraculously finds his place in life I told her that all of us have a place in this world, it just takes some of us longer to find it. The other day I read this book to my class, sharing the same message with them. I noticed a girl crying afterwards. She raised her hand and said, "This book tells me that there is hope for me. I can belong somewhere." Now, there is no way that the kids in my class see her as they did before. They have reached out to her. This book has an important message for us all.

This book is a great book for starting discussions in literature circles. It pairs nicely with other picture books like Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting and Way Home by Libby Hathorn (unfortunately out of print). Paula Fox's chapter book "Monkey Island" also connects nicely.

It was the most wonderful book I ever read. About a girl who loves here dog and has such a strong realationship with him. When Cheddar was hit by the I coundn't stop reading! This book was filled with sadness,and happyness but yet still a little bit of mystery in it too. This book inspired me to write a story of my own and I hope if you read it will inspire you too!

I would recommend this book to other people because it is very detailed and it is also very curious too. Some parts of this book were exciting or scared or curious. I think a lot of people would like to read this wonderful book. If Cheddar did not get hit by a car I think none of the horrible things would have happened. I also think that some of Kat's reactions were not very good choices. I think that Kat should not have gone to the hospital because she could go to the hospital after school. When the bike was found, I was very curious about who stole the bikes. To me, this is a very well written book and I hope many people will read it!

This book was the best I have ever read! It is a wonderful book filled with sorrow, humor, and everyday situations.

If you love pets the way I do and you'll do anything in the world to take care of them and make sure they're all right, then you'll be right there with Kat and her dog, Cheddar in Pam Swallow's well-written story about them! This is a funny and sometimes serious look at a girl who does the wrong things for the right reasons - a girl I could sure identify with and I think you will, too. You'll want Kat for your friend.

It is wonderful to read a story about a character I can relate to. Kat is not a bad kid. She does something wrong, but she does it for the right reason. And then she pays for her mistake. A reader can see how one mistake can mushroom into something big, and that a person's reputation can be affected. But the reader can also learn, the way Kat does, that people can be so different than you imagined they are, once you get below the surface. Kat is a caring person, and that quality shines through. I was with her all the way!

This was my favorite book as a child and I still love the idea for the story--working hard to enjoy the fruits of your work, while those who do not contribute cannot expect to enjoy those same rewards. Last year I started a small project of giving this book to everyone I know who has small children. I even sent stacks to friends in other states who then gave them out to people they knew. I received some very kind thank you's and comments from people I did not know who appreciated the message of the book. I would recommend this book to both children and adults.

Growing up my mom read this to me and my brother. I had forgotten how much I loved this story until we unearthed this book for my sons. Now they love it too! They loved it so much that I am forced to order another copy because my copy is worn out!

This book has a lovely repetitive rhythm that engages children to remember and repeat.
It is simple and gives a nice message about helping, the simplicity of the story also makes this a good book for beginner readers.

I'm surprised anyone still reads this. It is about the value of working and teaches the lesson that those who don't work should not share in the efforts of those who do work. If the major media and the federal government find out that people are still reading this you can expect it to be attacked or banned.

This very cheerful story shows the childern that if they don't work they will not be able to reap the rewards. It is about a hen who finds a grain of wheat. She wants to grow the wheat but no one will help her, so she decides to do it all herself. the pictures are also very colorful and detailed. Everytime is see the pictures I see something new. this book is a must for young children because it teaches them responsability, and to do there share of the work. I really enjoyed this book and im sure your children will to.

By Grant (who rulz!!!!)

This is a great book to read. As soon as I started reading this book and could not stop. When I was reading THE TEDDY BEAR HABIT it felt like a movie and if I stopped reading, I missed the whole book. I also read the sequel called RICH AND FAMOUS and it was also good. I think that THE TEDDY BEAR HABIT is better because it has a new character and a new plot. This book is funny and sad. Once again you should definetly read this book-and it's sequel!!!!

George Stable has a problem. George is twelve and still needs his teddy bear to make him not nervous when he sings. George wants to become a rock starbut on his journey he discovers a problem. There's a case of stolen jewels. I really liked this book because it was like a roller coaster. There were some really good parts and some really bad parts. You can't tell what happens around the corner! I would recommend this book to people who like teddy bears. I can't wait to get the sequal.

This is my favorite book from childhood.
George Stable is an amazing character. He is introspective and self-depricatory, creative and extremely perceptive. Somehow Collier makes his character believable despite George's young age.
I love the humor in the book; the crazed bohemian artist of a father, the strange world inhabited by child performers and their dreadful parents, and criminals who can never seem to do anything right.
The illustrations by Lee Lorenz are wonderful. Mr. Lorenz was a cartoonist for the New Yorker AND had graduated from my high school. I decided to use an excerpt from the book as my Senior Year Book quote.

Back when I was in grammar school (I'm 45 now), my teacher asked me what I would like to read. I had friends who liked Tom Swift and Nancy Drew but I did not have a preference nor a love of reading. She handed me this book and said I would like it. She was absolutely right. I was so wrapped up in it that I read it over one weekend and asked if I could borrow it again. I read the book three times and was hooked. It was the first time that I was able to "see" the story as I was reading.

Within a few months I was devouring every book I could get my hands on and have every since. Seeing this entry made me very nostalgic. A great, great book for getting your kids to read.

I had this book (1973 edition illustrated by L. Lorenz) as a child and recently dragged it out to read to my 9-year-old son at bedtime. He typically prefers nonfiction (yes, we read that too), but I thought he might like this one. He's loving it! I've had to explain a few things -- like the late 60's slang sprinkled through, and why live TV was such a big deal, and George's dad's obsession with Jackson Pollack -- but he gets it, and we've had some great discussions about popular culture, modern art, self-confidence, placebos, and what makes a family. We are both amused by George's frequent exaggerations, like "Pop would have me drawn and quartered on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and tortured on opposite days." And then, of course, there's the gripping story of George's run-in with jewel thieves. Will he get out of this alive? Will the teddy? Will George ever become a winner? Of course -- and so is this book.