Language Schools Books

this book has very nice illustrations, but there is hardly any text. my daughter likes to be read to, so this really doesn't work. i don't think it is that funny or clever.

This is one of my 18 month olds favorites - great illustrations. My husband loves it too (he is not a big reader) - he doesn't have to read it, but just describe what is going on in the pictures.

My 2 year old grandson laughed out loud when the book was read in an animated way. Delightful for me too.

From the balloon that gradually floats off toward the moon to the clock in the zookeeper's bedroom that marks the time it takes to get the animals all back into bed, there is a lot of subtle humor and fun in this book. My 2-year old can't get to sleep without it. She has learned the word "inconspicuous" in connection with the way the elephant looks before he's discovered in the bedroom. This is a special book - right up there with _Good Night Moon_.

All right, I'm giving this two stars because my kids seem to like it, but it is, in my opinion, a thoroughly one-star-or-less book.

It is incredibly lame. The pictures are simplistic and not very well-drawn, and the story is nonsensical bordering on retarded-and-troubling.

And I can handle nonsensical, in fact I think some of the best kids books recognize the sort of bizarre dream state that childhood is and use that to tell engaging narratives that dance happily past logic and convention to make kids laugh and wonder. See for instance most of the gently hallucinogenic tightrope walk over the Gulf of Madness that is the collective canon of Margaret Wise Brown. That stuff makes NO sense--COLOR KITTENS, LITTLE FUR FAMILY, and that one about the talking island--but it's all lyrical to the point of being beautiful, and it's fun.

GOOD NIGHT, GORILLA, on the other hand...ugh...man...I really, really hate this book. Seriously. I have two young kids, and as I said, they like this for some reason and ask me to read it to them all the time.

AND IT SUUUUUUUUUUUUCKS. Oh wow does it suck.

First of all there are almost no words, so you can't just shift into autopilot and read the wretched thing without thinking. You've got to narrate the damn thing, and since its story is mindless and its pictures are unexciting, well, here ya go, have fun.

GOOD NIGHT, GORILLA tells the story of a zookeeper named Joe who goes around checking on the zoo animals in their cages and saying good night to them, while unbeknownst to his apparently deaf and blind or at least unbelievably distracted self, the gorilla has stolen his keys and is quietly unlocking all the other animals' cages: the elephant, the lion, the giraffe, the armadillo, whatever. Then, because animals all apparently live in bad existential faith and don't know what to do with their own freedom once they have it, they docilely and quietly follow the zookeeper into his house to fall asleep in the zookeeper's tiny bedroom.

There, the zookeeper and his wife--who is apparently also deaf and blind and in fact not even able to feel the vibrations of a full-grown elephant stomping in through their narrow door and into their bedroom--turn out the lights and say good night to one another.

Then, all the animals say "Good Night!" as well, one at a time, showing a really freaky dark side to the whole story. THEY'RE KEPT LOCKED IN CAGES, BUT THEY CAN TALK! They're as sentient and intellectual as humans--in fact far more so than the staggeringly ignorant humans in this story--and they're being kept in cages! This is...slavery!

This is not charming--this is demented.

Anyway, this alerts the zookeeper's wife who leads all the talking animals back to their cages as if this happens all the time, but the gorilla grabs the keys again and sneaks back into the house where they climb into bed between the zookeeper and his wife and fall asleep. Because that's all animals want, to be with people. Oh, if only all wild animals could be kept in cages and/or beds, how happy they would be! What the zookeeper and his wife will say when they find the giant sleeping gorilla between them in the morning, I don't know. Probably something along the lines of, "Oh, our lives are so terrible and we are so stupid, someone should write a book about us and illustrate it with mundane, unexciting, uninspired drawings."

In conclusion: do not order this book for your kids unless you have a nanny robot that is raising them for you, because if you're the one who reads to them, this book will do nothing but make you hate life and the act of reading aloud to your children. Your children will continually ask you to read this book to them because something in it may appeal to their young minds that don't know any better, you will read it, they will sense your reluctance, they will perceive that you think reading is unexciting, they will no doubt inherit that belief, will grow up illiterate (or just as bad, aliterate), will not be able to hold a good job as a result, will find themselves homeless during a low point in the economy, and will probably die of exposure beneath a bridge somewhere. That's how bad this book is.

And really, there are so many actually GOOD kids books out there, just don't take that chance. This book is a horrific chore, and if you can avoid it, do. There is no joy to be found here, no joy at all.

The little mouse, the red ripe strawberry, and the big hungry bear is a really good book. My Little girl loves this book. It is easy to read and she enjoys the pictures in the story.

Ditto to my review of As Quick as a Cricket. AND
This book is so very cute and clever.

I have loved the Big Hungry Bear book since my children were little. My granddaughter now loves it and we have several copies. I also give it to friends as a shower gift. I even videotaped my now 23 yr old "reading" it to me about 20 years ago.

Hie my name is collin and I am 7

I like this book because is good for kids to

Praktis reding and my faberit part is wene put thum taks on the flor and rapist in chane and gards the key.

This book has to be my all time favorite. Beautiful pictures and a great little story that allows for lots of animation. A must have. Love, love, love it! I have this book in hardback and it will need replacing soon as it's been read so many times the cover is about to fall off!

I'm debating what book pieces seem to define Christmas for me. Oddly this is up there, maybe the story I like the most to reacquaint me with a tear or two, I never can get through it dry.
On the surface the Grinch is impossibly unlikely to undergo transformation into a better and kinder being. He's so delightfully bad, glad to stop Christmas from coming. With his lively old Max and his clumsy old sacks this fellows a far cry from the Saint Nick he represents. How fascinating that this Grinch could be used to compare/contrast with Santa Claus, an interesting thing for a teacher to try with a class....anyway just for me when I raised my children it was the 1st book I gave to a three month old 1st daughter inscribing it "mom's favorite." And my favorite part would be Cindy Lou Who, not more than two, as well as the line, "maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store, maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more." A message of peace for one.

I would think anyone would enjoy this, but I often underestimate my ability to be wrong. It's a pretty nifty piece to me.

When I was a child, I found the Dr. Seuss books a bit scary because I didn't much like abstract or surreal stuff. Fast forward many years and I have a daughter who is just learning to read so after seeing that she enjoyed a Dr. Seuss book in the doctor's office I thought I would order this book and give it a spin. This particular edition comes in a nice metallic finish green and red cover. It feels like a quality book.
After reading it to her the first night, I had to read it two more nights after that in succession. It was great fun for me too because the rhyming prose allows the reader (who may not be a great thespian) to do some role playing and added intonation. The illustrations are both unusual and vivid which helps stimulate the young reader's imagination. Finally, the essential story message which is to have a heart is a good one particularly in times such as these. Highly recommended!

the product arrived in a timely manner...and was much more elegant than i thought a "deluxe"' edition would be...i'm very pleased !!!

This was one of my favorite holiday stories when I was a child. Now I share that classic with my children, and I hope someday they will pass that along to theirs.

It's a wonderful, funny, and heartwarming story.

HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS!, by the incomparable Theodor Geisel - aka Dr. Seuss, is a true Christmas classic. It is a story of hope, faith, and epiphany, and of discovering the true meaning of Christmas. Who else but Seuss could tell such a story so entertainingly, in so few words, and all in rhyme?

That grumpy old Grinch thought Christmas was about presents... and food and decorations and things of that vane. But he stole everything, down to the crumbs too small for the mouses, and Christmas still came! It came joyfully, noisefully, loudy proclaimed! This made our grizzled old Grinch puzzle and puzzle until his puzzler was sore, and until he realized that Christmas was so much more. He returned all the presents and food for the feast, and then our grinny Grinch, himself, the Grinch carved the roast beast.

Only Dr. Seuss could spread the true, pure message of Christmas without any reference to religion. He communicated directly to children of all ages in his wonderfully wacky and wise rhyming, teaching us all about faith, hope, and love.

What a perfect book for this Christmas season. I introduced it this year to my 3 1/2 year old, who just loves it. As her new Christmas favorite, she requests it nightly. And I am happy to read it to her again and again.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

My 6th grade teach read this book aloud to us and it has always stuck with me. I clearly remember the story, but for years could not remember the title of the book and figured it was no longer in circulation. Then my daughter, who is now in 6th grade, was assigned the book to read. It's a great story with great lessons. I highly recommend it.

As other reviewers have said, this story has stayed with me my whole life. I read it and re-read it many, many times as a child. A wonderful story showing how a young boy faces a personal challenge and the strength he gains along the journey. For German Shepard lovers, Leader is a dog that will stay with you for a long time to come.

I first read this in third grade. And re-read it at least a dozen times. I was enthralled by how the dog was trained, how the kid learned to read braille... I even checked out books on braille and tried to make my own using a pin to bump up paper. I'm now in my mid30s and still have vivid memories of this book. Along with "From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler," it's in my Top 10 of Childhood. Buy it, read it, love it.

My 3rd grade teacher read this to our class and I remember it to this day, and I'm now 53!! Recommended it to my youngest son to read in 4/5th grade and he loved it. This book should be on a required/recommended booklist for everyone in elementary school.

I'm James Garfield's granddaughter. He dedicated the book to my mother, Carolyn Lazarus, who is now 81 years old. My granddad lived to be 102 years old, living half of his life blind. He had a seeing eye dog, Coral, a golden retriever who was the sweetest animal I've ever met and she was so very attentive to him. He would have been very flattered to read these reviews so I thank all of you who have taken the time to write about Follow My Leader.

The traditional religious view was that we were created by God in His image, separate from the animal kingdom and special. When Darwin formulated the theory of evolution, we were not immediately associated as being related to other animals however over time we bit the bullet and accepted our place in the animal kingdom with our closest relatives being the chimpanzees.

Despite admitting we are animals, the common viewpoint was that all other animals were effectively robots, merely responding to stimuli and showing no indication of intelligence. Thanks to the works of the likes of Fouts, we are now forced to admit that even animals have levels of intelligence which match our youngest children and instead of intelligence being a binary yes or no, there is a continuum.

Now that we know that chimpanzees are intelligent, we have to ask ourself serious ethical questions about the treatment of animals. Fouts leaves no doubt in the minds of his readers that chimpanzees, as intelligent animals, should not suffer at the hands of humans who keep them in small cages or by testing chemicals or drugs on them.

This book is a roller-coaster ride of emotion, (mostly heart-breaking) of a scientist with his experiment and buddy Washoe who challenge the status quo to fight for those who have no voice and to give them a voice in the form of American Sign Language.

Without the likes of Fouts and Jane Goodall, we humans would be much worse off and we need to preserve our next of kin, who are dwindling in numbers. It's also a reminder to scientists who can often ignore ethical concerns either due to lack of funding or obliviousness.

Twenty-five years ago I volunteered in a primate lab that was teaching chimpanzees a symbolic language. I eagerly anticipated meeting the famous chimpanzee, Sarah, whom I read about in my college psychology text book. She, however, was not eager to meet me or anyone else. Confined permanently, she was no longer learning language skills, and she was isolated from humans and chimps alike because she was too dangerous to interact except through the bars of her cage. I had had no idea that this was her fate. It never occurred to me that teaching chimps language might not be in their best interests. The results were so fascinating and taught us so much about ourselves as humans; it seemed benevolent.

Reading Next of Kin, we receive a rare glimpse into the lives of primates in research - even seemingly benign research like language acquisition - from a researcher himself. Dr. Fouts is exceptional: he's a rigorous scientist who is also compassionate toward his research subjects, recognizing their plight and working to stop the incarceration and cruel treatment of primates in labs. He risks his career and threatens his own family's welfare through his integrity, and he never abandons Washoe, the first chimp to whom he taught sign language.

This revealing book teaches us so much about who we are as humans, and who our closest genetic relatives are. It teaches us about integrity and dedication. It invites our compassion.

I'm adopting this book as required reading in our Master of Education program in Humane Education at the Institute for Humane Education ([...]). It's that good and that important.

Although I was warned not to get too close to Sarah's cage those many years ago, I wanted to befriend her. One day as she stood across from me behind her bars, I twirled my finger and said to Sarah, "Turn around and I'll scratch your back." Sure enough, Sarah turned, pressed her back to the bars, and sank down to sit on the floor. I walked up to her cage and scratched her back. Although I didn't understand chimp; Sarah understood English.

Zoe Weil, President
Institute for Humane Education
[...]
[...]

A very readable & enjoyable book. I especially enjoyed the chapter on autism & the origin of language. Fritjof Capra's book "Hidden Connections" referenced this informative & amusing text including the link between brain function involved with hand gesture, signing, & tongue movements that unexpectedly led to the promotion the uptake of speech in autistic.
There are many insights into the shared psychology of humans & other primates. Despite the physiological and genetic similarities of all primates that have made chimps attractive model organisms for research,it was interesting to read about the reluctance of biological scientists to accept the anthropomorphic traits of chimps. There can be little room for a claim to "value-free" objectivity by biomedical researchers who can apparently dismiss the psychological effects of enforced confinement & sensory deprivation, on the effectiveness of anti-viral medications, or a range of other pharmaceuticals. The author has shown considerable bravery & commitment to expanding this area of learning, despite the threats against his personal career by people with vested interests in ignoring or denying the contradictions to their implicit or explicit values.

A must-read for any animal lover. Roger Fouts and the recently deceased chimpanzee Washoe are my heroes.

"Next of Kin: My Conversations with Chimpanzees" is one of the most amazing, heartbreaking, and inspirational books I've ever read. The book is written by Roger Fouts, a primatologist who devoted his life to studying the language patterns of chimpanzees. While in graduate school, Roger was introduced to Washoe, a precocious young chimp who became fluent in American Sign Language. Eventually "Project Washoe" expanded to include many chimpanzees, all who learned to communicate with humans using ASL and demonstrated unique personalities, complex emotions, and astounding intelligence.

I've always been a big animal lover, but reading this book taught me so many things that I never knew before. Anyone who questions an animal's ability to think or feel will get a sharp reality check after reading this book. Chimpanzees are people, too, just as much as human beings are. Unfortunately, the majority if humans in this world don't agree with that logic, and thousands of animals, including chimpanzees, are routinely kidnapped from their natural habitats and bred in captivity for the sole purpose of participating in biomedical research. In many cases, medical laboratories house animals in appalling conditions and literally torture them to death. "Next of Kin" details the horrors that go on behind closed doors at biomedical laboratories, and chronicles the steps Fouts and other animal activists have taken to protect chimpanzees from being treated inhumanely.

I absolutely loved this book. Reading it made me feel close to Washoe and her chimpanzee friends, even though I never met any of them before. (Sadly, Washoe passed away last fall at the age of 42, but I hope to visit members of her family at the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute in Washington someday.) Parts of this book are incredibly depressing and difficult to read, but hopefully learning about the terrible ways animals are treated will inspire people to take action. I admire everything that Fouts, his family, and his colleagues have done to protect chimpanzees, who are our next of kin on the great evolutionary scale. I hope other readers get as much out of this book as I did.

A couple of people offhandedly told me I ought to read this book. I eventually got around to buying it -- and could not put the thing down. When I finished it, it didn't take long before I started it again; and ordered another book on POWs in Germany. Since then I've read about every book on this subject I can get my hands on; Brickhill did /that/ good of a job.

Admittedly, the men lack some characterization, but the story is so vibrant that can be passed over. (Try A Gallant Company: The True Story of the Man of "The Great Escape" for characters). Brickhill relays some of the other escapes that were pulled in the camp -- several unsuccessful and a couple "home runs". The story flows with the feel almost of fiction, it's so well-paced. You'll be drawn in by the story; it is at times funny, others tragic, but you won't let go. It's too Great.

The Real Deal! No "Steve Mcqueen" character, but everyone a true hero.The Great Escape

I love the movie the Great Escape and I loved reading the book it was based on. The movie did an excellant job of following the book but reading the book gave me so much more of an understanding of what these men went through and the courage they had. To truely understand the courage these men had and what they went through, you have to read the book.

If you want to know how to make something out of nothing, this is the book for you. I've been reading and re-reading this book since early childhood and that's how I learned to make a needed item out of just what was at hand. McGyver had NUTHIN' on these guys.

MRS. Dee Schauer
Texas

It's a shame the publisher decided to put a picture on the cover of Steve McQueen wrapped up in the barbed wire at the end of his big motorcycle escape attempt. Because, you see, that never happened in the TRUE story of the Great Escape contained in this book. The movie (while good) took serious dramatic license, while Brickhill's book presents the facts. And they are quite inspiring and thrilling enough without the addition of fictional elements such as McQueen's stunt riding.
I first read this book while in elementary school, and was hooked to the extent that I've read it many times since over the decades. A truly outstanding story.

This is a great book to introduce kids to simple words and concepts. Colorful dinosaurs illustrate "fierce" and "Meek" or "short" and "long." Smaller children will love the pictures while older toddlers and preschoolers will laugh at the story and may even recognize some of the simple words.

This board book has beautiful pictures and my daughter loves the rhythmic sentences. This was the first dinosaur book I bought her and she has since become fascinated with dinosaurs! She was 2 yrs old when I bought it for her, now that she is 3 1/2 yrs old she loves to read it to her little cousin!

I also highly recommend the "How do Dinosaurs..." series, especially "...say Goodnight, Play with Their Friends, and Clean Their Room.

My son is 4 and on the Autism Spectrum. He LOVES this book! We got it from his Scholastic Book Club. Amazing pictures and simple to understand! Great for learning/discussing opposites and adjectives.

Got this as a gift for my new son. Lot's of fun to read and make the dinosaur sounds. OK, so I'm a big kid. Highly recommended!

We got this book for my son when he was about 1 1/2 years old. In the past year, he has read it a ton, but he still likes to go through it every few nights. A couple months ago, we came across a pop-up version. It has the same words (Dinosaur roar, dinosaur squeak, etc...), but the dinosaurs are pop-up and each pop-up does something when you open/close the page. For example, one dino has his tongue go in and out, another lifts a boulder with his feet. The pop-up action makes this somewhat short book last much longer, as the kids move the dinos to make them 'do stuff.'

You can't go wrong with either one, but I'd search out the pop-up version for an even more enjoyable reading experience.

My son and I enjoy reading this book. Right up there with the Gruffalo..

This book was a gift for my 2 year old son. He sits rapt while I read the story and enjoys identifying the animals and noticing what has fallen off the witch's broom. I absolutely love the happy story, and it is pure pleasure to read out loud. The rhymes are great and the part about the dragon makes me giggle every time. I'm going to buy all Julia Donaldson's other books!

I was lent this book by an acquaintance and, having already read the Gruffalo and enjoyed that, I was looking forward to reading this one as well. I was not disappointed. In fact, the story appealed to me even more, if that's possible, than the Gruffalo. I liked the idea of a friendly witch who meets new friends on her journey to recover her hat, bow and wand and how, by working together, these friends overcome a greedy, red dragon. Personally, I think there is far too much emphasis in today's society on competition and having to be 'better' than others in order to be 'successful', and so any story that teaches children the value of cooperation is welcome. The story, whilst simple, has suspense and is wonderfully imaginative: the so-called 'monster', for example, is just a marvellous creation and brilliantly illustrated. And what child - or adult for that matter - can resist a bit of magic? It all results in a superb ending that had me smiling from ear to ear. As with the Gruffalo, the rhyming, repetitive verse makes the story very 'child friendly' and the wonderful rhythm captivates you from the word go and 'whooshes' you through the story (being a poet, myself, that is something I really do appreciate). As a child I would have loved to read this book and as an adult I loved reading it, because I've never grown out of that love of fantasy that makes a child's eyes shine (it's what inspires me today to write my own children's stories). I think this story is one that will tickle every child's fantasy. Highly recommended.

I love this book it has to be the best ever. It teaches children that when you work together as friends you can do anything.

We love all of Julia Donaldson's books! I have a 5 1/2 yr. old daughter and "Room On The Broom" is still one of her favorites to be read to her. She requested that I read it out loud to her class -- that, or "The Gruffalo"! They're clever, funny, moral and sweet, and the illustrations by Axel Scheffler are wonderful.

This is a great book for upper elementary students. They love to learn these 'big' words in this fun way.

It's been 15 years since I first encountered this book - part of a vocabulary challenge in the sixth grade. I still remember most of the stories, and I must have infuriated my parents using each word incessantly as I learned it. I can't recommend it highly enough.

I love this book.This book is one of the best books ever.The reason why I gave this book five stars because its funny and senstive. My favorite word was laxcity.Laxcity means that you dont even care about whats gioing on.I think that this book is good for all ages. I hope that you read this fantastic book.

This animated book gives children a new way to learn the definitions of words. It was highly recomended to me, and I loved it!

I use this book with my third grade students. We read a story per week. Many of their parents tell me it becomes a topic of conversation each week as the child teaches Mom and Dad a new word. It is fantastic.

Owen clearly has a problem. Kevin Henkes doesn't shy away from letting us know, through the illustrations, that his problem is a buttinsky neighbor.

Unfortunately, Owen's parents listen to their neighbor and keep taking her dubious advice about his blanket. Of course, Owen really *can't* bring his blanket to school - but his parents finally stop thinking of Mrs. Tweezers' view of things and come up with a bright idea - they turn Fuzzy into handkerchiefs! Perfect solution and everybody's happy.

Great ending, and I do love Owen's passive resistance to his parent's obsession.

We give children's books as presents for new babies. This is a special book that will be reserved for our daughter at the event (if) of her first child.

Absolutely love all the Kevin Henkes books we have, This is especially cute because we have a boy who loves his blankie. I know a lot of little girls who love Lilly...but I would definitely recommend this and Chester's Way for the boys!

I read Owen. I would recommend this book. The reason I would recommend it is because it was funny and it made me crack me up. In the book Owen, Owen and Fuzzy were playing captain plunger. They looked silly. This helped me convince me that it was a grate book.

for a child of any age that has a favorite blanket (blankey)
a plot a young child can follow and relate to.