Beginners Books

An excellent picture book by a fantastic writer and illustrator. All of her picture books are consistently great. Use of pattern and language which make children want to hear the story over and over. Pictures are excellent with lots to look at

My almost-3-year old son has loved this book for the past year. We've read it so many times that he, my husband, and I can recite whole sections of it. The rhymes are infectious, and the language is great -- not dumbed-down for kids.

My daughter got this book when she was 3 years old and she still remembers all the words. This well-loved book won't make it to another child. I never knew that there were more Slinky Malinki books until I found this one online. I will definitely buy those ones also.

My favorite cat name to recite from "Harry Maclary, Scattercat" has always been "Slinky Malinki..." Turns out I am not alone, and Lynley Dodd graduated the ebony meowser from footnote to full-on protagonist, with a series of his own.... This is the first volume of the S. Malinki saga, in which a kleptomaniac kitty-cat goes prowling through the neighborhood, kiping old gloves, sneakers and bits of string. When his pile of trashy treasures topples over at home, Slinky's secret is discovered, and he has to quit his klepto ways. Once again, Lynley Dodd's artwork is a delight, and the bouncy rhymes propel us along as well. A fun book, even if the protagonist is a sneak thief...

I'm 18 and a freshman in college and I was read this book all the time when I was a kid. I still love it. After a discussion about children's books, I remembered how much I'd loved this particular book and came to Amazon to buy a copy.

The SLJ review made me sad. I read all the time as a young child. I was a strong reader before even starting kindergarten and spent at least six days of the week at the library. I can't remember the huge majority of books I've read, but this one stands out to me. I adored this book as a child and it made enough of an impression on me to come looking for it 14 years later.

Her humor is great, and my wife and I have enjoyed many of the recipes -- Stayabed Stew (made in a crockpot), is among our favorites for cold winter days.

This book is probably one of the reasons I love to cook today. My mother got this book when I was in highschool and together we looked through the recipes and laughed till we hurt. Stayabed Stew was my favorite. My mom is gone now, but I have her copy and it keeps her near as I thumb through the (slightly) spattered pages. I learned to cook using this book, the Doubleday Cookbook and the Joy of Cooking.

I write cookbooks, and I collect cookbooks, and this is my hands-down favorite. Bracken writes incredibly well; she's both clear and very funny. The recipes are for real food the family will like. Bracken addresses all sorts of real-life food situations -- the family get-together, the casual gathering after the kids' soccer game, the late night snack, the potluck supper. She makes the valuable points that recipes are resilient, that you can and should go with your own tastes, cutting back or leaving out what you don't like, adding more of what you do. She demystifies cooking, something that is essential for the currently generation of young adults who grew up in non-cooking households.

And the food tastes good.

I openly admit that several of the recipes that have appeared in my cookbooks are adaptations (usually for nutritional purposes) of recipes I got from Peg Bracken. Imitation is definitely the sincerest form of flattery. I only hope to be as good a cookbook writer as she.

You want this book. You need this book. Buy this book now.

This book is extremely funny even if you enjoy cooking, as I do. Some of her recipes reflect the time in which the book was written (lots of canned food) but most of them are actually quite tasty. It's fun to read even if you never cook one of the recipes.

The "I Hate to Cook", full of witty wisdom that goes far beyond the kitchen. This book is worth buying for its humor alone, but the common sense advice and cooking directions/recipes are a real prize whether you are a nouveau cook or a skilled chef.

I believe the first "I Hate to Cook Book" was published back in 1960. As a new bride, I bought my own version in 1965, along with Craig Claiborne's "Herb and Spice" cookbook. These two books have stood well in the test of time and formed a solid base for my own culinary adventures.

"I Hate to Cook", is my favorite gift for people who are getting married, moving into their first apartment or place ,going to college, or whatever; this book is "the bomb", as the younguns now say. Not only does, "I Hate to Cook" give good culinary advice but the recipes are quick, easy and delicious. I have made most of the recipes in this book and they all work and taste good.

Give someone you like or love the gift of laughter and success in the kitchen. You may reap a whole lifetime of cookies and pot roasts.

Lois Lowry has really saved the day in this house more than once with her great Gooney Bird books. In this book, the first of the Gooney Bird series, Gooney Bird is introduced to her new class. She's confident and smart and has a good time in life and the class does an effective job of welcoming their new member. The "conflict" in these stories is some intellectual problem that one or more of the characters needs to solve, rather than having conflict with each other. This is perfect for us, because we have one daughter that doesn't care for conflict between characters in her fiction. The fact that Gooney is such a great character is stupendous (she likes big words and her dictionary!).

This is a clever book that will keep the parent entertained as well. Well worth every penny and then some!

Lois Lowry is a gifted writer of fiction who is passing on that gift to young readers with Gooney Bird Greene!

Children will learn the art of creating a story as they are enthralled by the tales told by Lowry's funny, pig-tailed heroine.

This book is tremendously entertaining and valuable as a teaching tool!

Another great children's book by Lowry! This book is absolutely hilarious and educational, too. Great to integrate into an English lesson(s) about writing stories. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Lowry or anyone who loves the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary.... the books contain great energy & lots of humor.... all with some lessons learned along the way. :)

I teach second grade and love to use this book as a read aloud to inspire my students to write interesting stories. After we finish the book, we then write our own stories from our life, and use all of Gooney Bird's tips for writing. I also like to use it as a visualization lesson, where we draw the picture in our head before Gooney Bird tells a story, and then the picture in our head after she finishes her story. (very different)Gooney Bird also has some great characters to analyze, as we learn about the different classmates through their interaction with Gooney Bird as she tells each of her stories. It is a treasure!

I read this book to my fourth graders, and they loved it! Gooney Bird is an original thinker who always tells the truth! We had fun speculating exactly how her "wild" tales could be true, before we read on.

Gooney Bird also discusses the ways to make writing better, and kids can learn from that as well. The book would be good to use in writing classes. Plus, it's just plain fun!

We found this little wandering good feeling in a library in 1967. The whole family loved it, from the adults all the way down to 4 year old me. The Brute Family's daily feeding of Stick and Stone Stew and Sand and Gravel Porridge became part of our family's vernacular. It still makes me giggle to say the phrases. I was absolutely delighted to find the book again - time had erased the book title and author, but I decided to google "sand and gravel" and voila! I caught that lost happy feeling and ordered my books on line! Enjoy!!!

This book is so simple and sweet. It's pure poetry. I love Russell Hoban, and this is definitely a must if you enjoy the Frances books. Baby Brute finds a "litte wandering lost good feeling" in a field of daisies and she puts it in her tiny pocket. How wonderful.

The Little Brute family lives a miserable existence...even has to eat sand and gravel porridge...but something wonderful happens and the family
undergoes a magical transformation...this book is so well written it will be a family favorite for years to come..Every mother can relate to Mama Brute who stays home to "bang the pots, thump the furniture, and scold the baby."

This book was one of my absolute favorites as a child so I just purchased it for my children who also love it. I'm hoping that it will be one of their favorites when they are adults remembering fond memories of reading books with Mom and Dad. A great message about manners and attitude! You have to love Russell Hoban's books.

Every child wonders why certain peers are mean. This book paints the story of those unhappy families, with unhappy children, and offers the grand hope they may change! Among the Brute family, parents and children suffer a self-perpetuating attitude malignancy until a solitary "good feeling" enters the picture. When everyone gives "being nice" a try things change quickly and permanently for the better.

I WISH this book was required reading in EVERY school in America. The book shows that each and every child can be a catalyst for kindness. Fathers and Mothers aren't happy when they aren't providing for their children. Children aren't happy when their parents are miserable. Its a vicious circle. And, happy kids in every school will recognize the Brute families they encounter. However, the Hobans' message to TRY BEING NICE as a platform for uplifting and contagious change works for the Brutes, who stage a quick turn-around! One's living conditions are as much about one's attitude as about conditions.

I bet the Brutes (I mean the Nices) even planted a flower or two next to their doorstep ... together!

my 4 year old loves this book. it's a quick read. very cute and funny, especially if you like popcorn!

I loved this book when I was little and seeing the cover now brings back many memories. I still have this book in my collection to share with my future children and I'm sure they'll enjoy it as well.

Great illustrations and a fun story. I always loved the house full of popcorn!

I love using this book to teach my class. And it provides the perfect opportunity for a popcorn party!

brings back memories of when my mom used to read this story to my little brother and I. The mini edition is VERY small - smaller than I thought it would be. but a great gift idea to go with something.... like a popcorn machine!!!! that is why i purchased these...i did popcorn themed gift baskets. Awesome!

I loved this book as a kid and have been searching libraries and used book stores for it so my own kids could enjoy it, too. Finally it has been reprinted and it is exactly the same story and illustrations. My kids love it.

One of our family's all-time favorites. Sweet, simple, profound story of the essence of Christmas as shown in drawings of figures of the nativity story giving real love and service. Perfect gift for children and adults.

Amazing...Stocked full of pictures that spell out a beautiful story. Little people can "read" on their own or discuss with a parent.
My children love it...OK... I love looking at it too. You don't even realize that you aren't actually reading because the feelings portrayed are so strong.
A great gift!

This book is outstanding. A clearly defines the true meaning of Christmas and the holiday spirit.

What a wonderful way to "read" a book with a young child.....sharing the pictures and thoughts together is a great way to fire up their young minds, by putting their own thoughts into each picture. Love the story's moral as well.

Anyone who has looked thru my precious book always gives it back to me with tears in their eyes.

What a heartwarming story -- a fairy tale that could almost come true; and you kind of wish it would!!

The illustrations in this book come alive with a powerful simplicity.

The artwork is the kind that leads your eye into all its multi-faceted (yet simply rendered) details, and each time I look at it, I am rewarded with more details that I had missed before.

I can almost hear the anticipatory almost-sacred hush on that village's cold, snowy, almost deserted streets on this very special, last day before Christmas.

A VERY special book!!

Watercolor painting can be discouraging for the beginner because of
its delicate and difficult technique. A complex sketch that took a
long time to develop can be ruined in two minutes when the novice
painter starts putting watercolor on it, therefore wasting precious
time and effort plus some expensive paper and paint. That's why Jack
Reid, a fine painter with a great instructional sense, suggest
approaching watercolor by learning-by-practice four basic techniques:
flat wash & glazing, graded wash, wet-on-wet and dry brush. Mr. Reid
proposes practicing these techniques on exercises a learner will be
glad to try: nice looking pictures based on very simple sketches,
appealing enough to be stimulating but simple enough to avoid lazyness
and frustration. Also, the exercises proposed can be made in small
format, thus relieving the distress of wasting materials that often
makes the beginner repress from practicing. It's indeed a delight
working on that simple projects and finding that Mr. Reid's advices do
work. Along these exercises the beginner will adquire a practical
knowledge about how things are done in watercolor.

Once the beginner is supposed to manage the basics, the second half of
the book goes into the general problems of painting: value, colour and
composition. Again, every subject is accompanied by exercises of
increasing difficulty that the learner may be willing to reproduce.

In summary, the book is brief but worth every paragraph and
illustration. It makes those of us painting for some time as
self-learners to stop for a while and think seriously about changing
the way we focus our work. The only doubt it poses is if Mr. Reid's
approach is valid for general watercolor painting or just for
"Reid-ish watercolor". Anyway, one's style can only be develop by hard
work; a book can only give directions on the basics. And this book is
great for that.

This book is for the "Very Beginer". It tells you what to purchase to start...ie..which brushes, what paint colors, and paper type. It then goes on to show you step by step how to use those supplies to create a picture.

I am teaching myself watercolor painting and this book has helped me tremendously. The step by step exercises make is so easy to learn technique and the reasons for different techniques. It has also helped me to learn to draw better. I highly recommend it to any beginner!

After looking at the library copy of Jack Reid's books on water color tecnniques, I knew it was the best way to learn and feel confident that I can do it! I had to have a copy of my own. The illustrations are great as the painting develops step-by-step, gently leading me to a new skill. Enjoyable confidence builder. Also, Mr. Reid's approach on materials is easy on the budget and makes the picture more important than the kind of brush that paints it. Styrofoam and twigs are right up my alley.

I would recommend this book to everyone to get so that you can practice watercolor techniques. Like all the other books in this series, you can't go wrong adding it to your collection.

I bought this book with "The King's Stilts" (see my review). I think this is one of the best kids' books ever, and my kids loved it when they were small. It was a sad day when our record of it got buckled by being left in the sun. Unavailable as a book when my kids were little, this is a delightful story with a typical Dr Seuss moral ending - change is not always for the best and novelty is fraught with peril. Get it for your kids, or your grandkids - they will love it, just as I, my kids, and my grandkids do!

This book was one of my all-time favorites when I was a kid! It was so exciting... very mysterious and magical. And full of goo! What kid doesn't love goo? Every kid needs a book like this.

An excellent item and although the cost to get it here quickly was expensive, it was worth it. Thank you

I had loved the book as a child myself. So I bought it for my neice. We read it together and she loves it as well. I haven't met a child (or adult) that doesn't like Dr. Seuss!

This was a gift for my niece. The adults in the room enjoyed it as much as she did.

We bought this book and take it everywhere we go! Our child has always loved books and reading. This book is very durable and the large pictures and print are perfect for our child. It is by far his favorite. He took it to daycare with him one day and it was the hit toy of the day! We also love First 100 Animals. I highly recommend this book. our child was 15MO when we introduced it to him and 3 months later he still loves it.

My 16 month old son loves this book. He started out pointing to the pics and I told him what they were. Now, I ask him to point to the items and he does it. I recommend this book for babies.

We've had this since he was still in utero and from the time he could crawl over to the bookshelf and pull out a book, it's been his favorite. He loves looking at all the pictures and having us say the word that goes with the picture. One of the advantages of a book this simple is that you can do a lot with it (what color is the jacket? Is the boy wearing a shirt? Where does a bear live? etc. etc.) We have several more books from the Priddy Books series and my son loves them all. They have helped him learn a ton of words and at almost 2, he has the language ability and vocabulary of a 3-year-old. Can't recommend this highly enough, or other books in the series (100 animals, My Big Word Book, etc.).

This book captures my 7-month-old's attention. There are lots of "real" babies...my son loves the "familiar faces." I like using the pictures of real things to practice sign language with the baby (colors, animals, baby activities like eating, bath time and meal time).

I have numerous picture word books but I feel this is the best one in my son's library. The pictures are clear, colorful, and large enough for my son to identify. He loves to touch the pages and will actually sit for this book.

I used to read Bony Legs when I was little. I was so excited when I saw it on Amazon. It's a silly story about a girl named Sasha and a witch who wants to eat her...good verses evil. Sasha helps some creatures along the way, and it turn, they help her escape the evil witch.
It's a quick read and it's lots of fun!

I have purchased this book for my neices usually around Halloween time.
It is a book not many have heard of, but always enjoy.

Tracy

This book by the Magic School Bus author is really fun to read. It is a russian fairy tale of a witch named Bony Legs who likes to eat children. The story is about a little girl who escapes because of all the good deeds she has done to help others -- a cat, a dog and a gate. My kids (5 and 3 years) really enjoyed it.

My four year old son REALLY enjoys this book. It's a fun read and reinforces the value of being kind to others. It's also a great introduction into Russian folklore.

I wouldn't normally bother to add a review when so many others have already written reviews, but I do have some noteworthy information for people considering buying this book. I'm a teacher advisor for a large public school program serving kids in grades K-12 who are out of regular school due to medical conditions. I have to tell you--this book is a HIT! It's an easy reader, but it's not babyish at all. I've had kids in grades K-8 like it, including middle school kids who are poor readers (often for ESL reasons). The story is just scary enough to be intriguing, but it has a happy ending; there's also an excellent theme of how kindness pays and a fantastic chase scene at the end. As a fairy tale connoisseur, I'm convinced that Baba Yaga--from the Russian tradition--is THE coolest, scariest witch ever. (For a longer variation of this story, see Baba Yaga and Vasilissa the Brave, retold by Marianna Mayer and illustrated by K.Y. Craft.) I only wish there were more stories told this simply and effectively, with this kind of broad appeal.