Children's Books

I am a new mom (5 month old baby) and found this book amazing. I really enjoyed reading it and I love that it covers both the theory and the practical side of how a child develops emotionally. It is very well organized; the first part covers the goals for emotional development, and the second part covers the challenges one encounters. Each chapter finishes with a very specific list of tips for parents, which are summarized at the end by theme, with a note of age relevance for quick reference. You can't get better organized than that!

Absolutely wonderful and very psychologically-sound! Helps you understand your baby's feelings, needs, and temperament. Provides great advice to help your baby grow up with a secure attachment. Well-researched and well-organized. It is a must read!

My daughter is only three months old and already the information I've learned and applied from this book are working wonders. She's just such a happy baby and I believe that this book has made that possible. From the beginning she's been a sweet heart but from what I've read thus far I'm able to keep her smiling and understand what it is she need's from me. Every night I read this aloud to my hubby and we are just amazed how simple but effect the teachings in this book are. You may say that don't have the time to read this book but after reading just a few pages this book will make you want to find time to read it.

If you are like most new moms, you will not have time to read this book. I have to read through a few pages just to get one piece of good advice from it. That's time that I just don't have to spare. This book is not good as a how-to book and is not organized well enough for anyone with children.

I have 2 babies. One 5 months old and the other 2 years old. This book it is helpul because can help in both cases. It is very easy to read and very simple make those little things that makes the big difference. Thanks. You are fantastic.

I am an elementary school teacher and this book is great to read to the kids within the first few weeks of school. It teaches them about the differences between people and how differences are ok. It is just the right length and repeats for easy reading. The video is also a great buy! Play it as a listening center for reading!

Great story for a child in elementary school or approaching. It touches on many levels the challenges of attending school for the first time. The author highlights Chrysanthemum and gives her depth. The school children that she meets also are made to be a challenge for Chrysanthemum.
The problem solving and the love of her parents touch on family values.
LOVE IT AND RECOMMEND.

I love this story! It's a great story for children to talk about bullying and getting teased in school. My first graders love it!

I love reading this to my three year old daughter. "Chysanthemum, Chysanthemum, Chysanthemum..." It's a charming story with emphasis on the strong bond between parents and children.

As a teacher, I would always share this book with my new class on their first day of school. Its magic worked like a charm. I like to start off the year by letting kids know that their uniqueness is to be celebrated, not made fun of. Chrysanthemum is the perfect example. She enters school, wrapped in the love of her attentive parents, who have always told her that her unique name is perfect, just like her. Then come her fellow students, who, by the way, have simple names like Bill, Sue, Tom, and Eve. Of course, they all giggle at her peculiar name and one even points out that it scarcely fits on her name tag (don't laugh, that's a big thing for a kid). Every night, Chrysanthemum returns home to her parents who assure her that she is perfect and special, but she is beginning to doubt that. One night she even dreams that her name was Jane. It was (according to Chrysanthemum) an extremely pleasant dream (I love it!) The teasing continues until one day, the class is introduced to their new beloved music teacher, who is also named after a flower - Delphinium. Suddenly, everyone wants a long, unique name and Chrysanthemum gets her self-esteem back. There's a clever little epilogue that always makes my students smile. The illustrations are absolutely adorable, filled with cute little details. I highly recommend any of Kevin Henkes' books, especially this sweet tale!

All of the Erin Hunter books are great! I just love them and have read them many times over. I am not a reader, I hate to read!!! But give me a Warrior series book and leave me alone for a few days. They are the best. Thanks Erin for opening up a new world for me.

Nice how the Clans could come together, and not rip each others throat out.
My fave bit would have to be when Crowpaw/feather said he wasn't afraid of dying because Feathertail would be waiting for him.
Kind of longish, but still good.

Pre-teen and early teen girls love the series. It has my 10 year olds attention. She is reading like never before.

This is the third installment of the New Prophecy series, the books based on Firestar's ( the hero of our Erin Hunter's first series )and Sandstorm's children, and Tigerclaw's children. ( Tigerclaw was the bloodthirsty villian on the last series ). In this book, our characters Brambleclaw, Squirrelflight, Crowfeather, Stormfur, and Tawnypelt all return from the long, sorrowful, and dangerous journey. They are missing a gentle soul though- Stormfur's sister, Feathertail, died in the second book.
If you haven't read any of these nooks yet, they are superbly written and star cats- my favorite animal! These cats live in four Clans, or tribes. They do not live with humans, but live in the forest.
Life is dangerous in the forest, as not all the Clans are always friendly. Especially now, since the humans are ripping up the Clan's territory and killing and capruring cats. When or heroes return to their home, each must cinvince their Clans to move out of the woods- and into a safe territory.
I suggest that you but every book in the series and devour them within 24 hours.I absoulutely love these books, though they contain heart breaking parts.
This review should have helped you decide to buy this book and every other one is each series. No matter the price, these books are solid gold to me!!!
Just another Amazon reader and reviewer,
Moonwhisker

"Today is a good day to die, but tomorrow is better. Unless, those doing the dying are six foot, mutated chipmunks with blaster rifles. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I should start at the beginning. If you ask me, the end makes a fine beginning. Things come together and things fall apart, and the fur flies a little easier with the help of a Rolling Thunderä shotgun, as long as that fur isn't mine, and I'm the one pulling the trigger. Yep, it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, but I ain't Mr. Rogers."

"But, I should introduce myself, you can call me Ishmael. Just kidding, bit of classical allusion there. Call me Hobo, warrior, poet, and one fine-looking feline, that's me. See, all cats are warriors, at least at heart, and that's why I'm the best one to introduce the series, Warriors."

Warriors is a book series first published in 2003 by Kate Cary and Cherith Baldry, under the pen name Erin Hunter, and introduced to me by cat and book lover Billy Waltz. The second series was written under the title Warriors: The New Prophecy. The third series, The Power of Three, and two more books, Firestar's Quest and Secrets of the Clans, are coming in 2007.

The series starts off with Into the Wild and a young "kitty pet"(house cat) name Rusty who yearns for adventure and has vivid dreams of the wilds. He meets a young feral cat, and this meeting leads to a chance to join a clan of wild cats called Thunderclan. He's renamed Firepaw and becomes an apprentice warrior. He finds himself in the middle of a tribal war with three other clans who coexist and compete for food and resources.

Allegiances are constantly shifting among the clans of warrior cats that roam the forest. With tensions so delicately balanced, former friends can become enemies overnight, and some cats are willing to kill to get what they want. Our young protagonist quickly moves from apprentice to warrior, to second-in-command, to leader of his clan. He must learn wisdom, deal with betrayal, and ultimately save his clan and the forest way of life.

The author has created an intriguing world with an intricate structure and mythology. There is intrigue, themes of loyalty, friendship and death, and an engaging young hero. The difficult life of a feral cat is described in some detail. (Oct. 16 is national feral cat day. Check out www.nationalferalcatday.org ) The cats, anthropomorphism aside, are true to their feline nature, which should delight cat and animal lovers alike. There is some violence. Some characters are killed through fighting and natural disasters, and there is treachery, betrayal and traitors, and even murder among the cats and clans, though it is crucial to the plot and not excessive.

Overall, I believe readers will find a fun-to-read series of books. Though not as elegantly written as Brian Jacques' Redwall series. The superb storytelling drew me into a realm so vivid that it could almost be real and I really came to care about the characters I found myself staying up late, with the old flashlight under the cover trick, to finish the books, and that Sand Storm sounds like a babe. Wonder what she's doing Saturday night? Hey, this cat is a fighter and a lover....

Author of "Hobo Finds A Home" editor "Of A Predatory Heart"

love this book. it gently opens a discussion about what being a mom to a child really means. we dont always "look" like our children and this book addresses that. specifically good for adopted children.

I love this book and my adopted daughter loves this book. Granted she is about to turn 2, however, she still will pick this book up for me to read regularly. I have recommended this book as well to the adoption forums I belong too. Great message we are all different and it is about the love.

My three-year-old adopted son from Ethiopia loves this book! Warning, though, the grumpy Mrs. Walrus has kind of freaked him out. I have to read her line with a really happy lilt to my voice. Depending on how sensitive your child is you may want to edit Mrs. Walrus's words/tone the first time you read it to your child. I don't think my son can imagine how/why an "adult" would say to a child, "Now go away. Leave me alone."

I bought this book a couple of weeks ago and he has, a few times since then, talked about being sad when he had no mommy and no daddy in Ethiopia. He was just a few months old when he was adopted and was in excellent care while living there so I'm guessing that this book has put that idea into his head. Not a bad thing...just be aware that it might bring out emotions in your child that he or she hasn't discussed before.

It is a great adoption book that both the parents and the children will enjoy. It is a simple but well done story about a bird that is looking for his parents. My daughter loves it.

I absolutely adore this book. My sister gave it to us before we traveled to China to adopt our daughter. She's just over two now and has read this book with me dozens of times. We both love the illustrations, and even at a very young age, she "gets" the idea that Choco finds a mother in Mrs. Bear, regardless of the fact that they look nothing alike. (I confess I still get misty every time I read it.) The message is delightfully done--not schmaltzy, not overdone. I would recommend this to any family--adoptive or not.

This third installment in the beloved Anne series is one of my favorites. Having just completed two years of teaching in Avonlea, Anne, along with friends Gilbert and Charlie, is ready to leave the Island and make her way to Redmond College. Her four years there offer quaint-seeming insights into college life a hundred years ago. After spending her freshman year in a boarding house, Anne and chums Priscilla, Stella, and Philippa move into a little house called Patty's Place. Even though they are committed to their studies, life is never dull. Anne has no lack of suitors, turning down no fewer than five proposals during the course of the story. And her summers are full of adventure, whether it's back in dear Avonlea or teaching as a country schoolmarm.

I've read Anne of the Island each year I've been in college, and as I finished it this time, I couldn't help but relate to Anne's excitement for the future, mingled with regretful nostalgia about the college life she was leaving behind. College is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Having attended a small Christian university, I relate to Anne's old-fashioned values and the safe, wholesome environment of Redmond.

Montgomery has such a pungent writing voice, alive to the quirks of human nature and the beauties of outdoor nature. She brings spice, optimism, and a touch of cynicism to the story and the characters. Anne's most personal experiences are recounted with poignancy, and are rooted in reality, although they may seem whimsical to modern readers. The ending is sweet and satisfying. I just love Anne, and especially this tale of her college experiences. Don't miss it.

Anne of the Island is the third installment of the smash Anne of Green Gables series. The book begins with Anne leaving for college to further her education the second time. When she arrives, she encounters a slew of minor domestic problems, a new group of friends, and Love. All of which she deals with using that famous atypical personality of a "Kindred spirit"



Although the book deals with more serious subject matter than the preceding books, as a reflection upon Anne's growing older, the book starts with the lighthearted catchy fun that made Anne famous in her prequels. Most of this fun is centered on the Anne's encounters with her roommate cats Rusty, Joseph, and Sarah-Cat. Anne's exclamations of fear at being stalked by the docile house cats is classic Anne and delicious fun.



The Book also dives into more serious matter, with Lets be friends-Lets be more than friends-Lets be friends-I hate you-Marry me! Gilbert abandoning his indecisiveness and aggressively courting Anne. Although this relation is of little interest to male readers, it is made a key plot element, most likely because it is attractive to the books target demographic, pre-teen girls. Luckily, most of the content on Anne's romance does nothing to affect other parts of the story much and as a result are harmless to skip when they become drab.



Anne of the Island is a solid installment in the Anne series. Although not equaling or surpassing Anne of Green Gables, "Of the Island" leaves little to be desired besides not having a near constant usage of the word "eh". If you an Anne fan, pick up her third book. Eh.

"Anne of the Island" is my favorite Anne book, and the last chapters of my copy are worn and torn because I have read it so many times. I loved it as a young girl, and I loved it again when I read it from my college dorm room (in fact, I think it's time for another rereading!). Plus, of course, a college education makes many of the literary references more relevant than they were at age 11.

Anne fans already know how wonderful are these chapters of Anne's life. This book outlines an important epoch in the series and answers the all important question of whether they will or they won't--a turning point on which the next five books hinge. And since you must start at "Anne of Green Gables" to appreciate any of it, this review cannot convince to you read just book three. It is just one more love letter to "Anne of the Island" added to this review panel.

The story of Anne continues with this work and the author stays true to her style, story line and character developement. This, like the other books in this series, have a rather timeless nature about them and a comforting charm. The reader, of course, must remember the time they were written and the style and syntax used at that time. From my own point of view, this is great. I enjoy this type of writing and certainly enjoy Ms. Montgomery's story telling abilities. In this work, Anne goes off to Redman College and her adventure continues. Recommend these books for readers of all ages. Wish there were more works out there like it.

this book never gets old. i've had it for so long and now i'm off to college and i still enjoy reading it cover to cover. anne is a great character, one who is easy to love and who explains herself well. the other characters are also quirky. something about this book is very universal, which i think explains why even in this century i still find myself being able to relate to Anne. the plot, while essentially a love story, is not overly sappy. and while most people would probably expect the ending, the twists and turns throughout the novel keep you entertained and engaged.

Bought this book for my 16 month old granddaughter who liked it. However, my 3 1/2 yo granddaughter LOVED it. She caught right on (while I was reading it to her) and was then able to "read" it all herself - while laughing hysterically. She thought the book was really funny and was "reading" it over and over again. Learning more and more about the words. What a great book! Thank you once again to Sandry Boynton.

Boynton is fun to read (for parents) and a joy for children. Can't go wrong with a Boynton book.

My daughter enjoys this book a lot, and I enjoy watching her enjoy it. The reviewer that gave this book 1 star said that the book does not teach kids anything and is therefore boring and useless, I disagree: it teaches names of clothes, body parts they are meant to be worn on, colors, and animals. I think it's an awful lot for a tiny little book with very few words! It is very effective, too, after about a month of having this, my 20-months old "read" one of the pages on her own: "hat, hat, hat, oh-oh". :-) I don't know about you, but sounds like she totally got it for me!
The one criticism that I do agree with is the poor choice of "oops" animal - it's a turkey, and it does look like it has a sock draped over its face, I can see my little one hesitate every once in a while on that one... I wish the artist would have either done a better job on that or picked a simpler animal. But I am not sure it's worthy of taking away a star, if I could take away a half - maybe...

My 4.5 year old and 1.5 year old both adore this book and will read it together over and over. The simple and adorable illustrations beautifully complement the brief text. My kids laugh hysterically at the end, where the turkey dives into the pool.

We read this book daily. It's just great.

I received this item in a timely manner and was happy to find that the person who told me about this book being a good book for little ones was honest. My kids and I enjoy the book and read it frequently.

Thanks,

Wynema Pierson
Wynema's Daycare

I remembering absolutley loving this book as a kid, even though for the life of me I cannot quite remember why. But as far as pointless folktales go, this one really hits the spot. And how can I ignore those amazing illustrations and those silly monkeys? Not much in the way of plot, but somehow the book manages to be incredibly entertaining for some reason unknownst to me. Oh well. Maybe that is its charm.

Another classic to add to the list of beloved library books we had renewed so often we decided to buy it. It is a timeless classic. My 3 year old son loves it. Also see the sequel- circus caps for sale.

I remember a teacher reading this book to the class (a long time ago!) and now I read it to my 27 month old granddaughter. She loves the story and likes to immitate the monkeys. It's one of her favorite books. Our book is a soft cover, which I didn't realize at the time of purchase. With all its use, I wish I would have purchased a hard cover or even as a board book if it's offered that way.

Caps for Sale is a wonderful classic that young readers love to hear. There is enough repetition to encourage children to "read" along. This can also be "acted out" to engage different learning modalities.

Captain Kangaroo read me this book some 40 years back. I remember laughing then. My kids, all teens now, liked the book which is not meant to be read so much as performed. Reading becomes action as one verbally plays the parts of the pedlar and the monkeys. My theory, at least, is that children will enjoy reading when it has more vitality than a pre-bedtime drone and learn that books are not dead repositories of information, but interact with our imaginations and become alive. Little books like this, a few moments of funny story, make a good impression on young minds------and are fun to read in their own right. This is cute and clever.

Pre-teen and early teen girls love the series. It has my 10 year olds attention. She is reading like never before.

this book was a very good read. i would highly reccomend the series to any cat lover. you should always read the books in order, and NEVER read the backs or the character lists of a book ahead of you!!!! I found out something that you will find out in book #6 when I was reading book #4. it kind of ruined book #5 in a way. This book is definately good

As will all the Warrior series, I loved this book as well. It is leading up to the big finale of the 6th book and many dangers face the cats in this book. As usual, it kept me up at night reading to find out what would happen next and how the cats would ever get out of each new situation they found themselves in. A great read as always. Can't get enough of the Warrior books. Love each and every one of them and you don't have to be a "kit" to enjoy them. I am 48 and look forward to the next book whenever I finish one.

Fireheart is leading his clan through the dark times. He used to be a kittypet and others still tease him. It's hard for him to be a deputy when his leader is going crazy. It's also hard for him to believe other cats sometimes, but he will have to in order to save his from an evil Shadow clan leader.

I would recommend this book because it's very exciting. Sometimes it's sad, sometimes it's happy, and sometimes it's a little bit scary. This is a great book for anyone who loves animals, especially cats.

The book that I'm reviewing is Warriors: Into the Wild by Erin Hunter. There are thirteen books of Warriors, this is one of the four that books that I've already read. I didn't really like it. The best book that I've read was Warriors: Fire and Ice. If you're a person who likes action, drama, and mystery, this is the series for you.
Warriors are cats who live in the forest. The cats are divided in to five clans when their born. They're Thunderclans, Waterclans, Windclans, Shawdoclans, and Starclans. The clans are in big tribes, which means big protectors which are called warriors. Cats have to be seven moons old to be a warrior. The following names are in the book that I'm reviewing Fireheart, Rusty, Bluestar, Sandstorm, Cloudpaw, Yellowfang and Tigerclaw. There are so many more names in Warriors. The Warriors books are fun and exciting to read.

By Bennett

Wonderful illustrations and a book that will not bore an adult. Great learning tool for young readers.

This book was recommended to me on a recent sailing trip thru the Great Lakes. I bought it for my hometown library as it was a wonderful geography lesson. Truely a dateless book and a lovely present for a child or library.

I couldn't say enough good things about this book and the series.

I have used this book as a child, with my children, as a teacher, and now with my grandchildren.
The book offers many educational experiences, entwined within a fine story.

I read Paddle-to-the-Sea as a child (I was born in 1942), and its story, illustrations and maps have left lasting impresssions on me. It blends social studies, geography, 20th Century American history and wonderful artwork into a gentle, loving tale. It ought to be required reading for all American youths.

I LOVE all of Holling Clancy Holling's books, but I have to admit that Paddle to the Sea is my favorite. The story of a little boy who carved a little man in a wooden canoe, and the adventures encounterd by the little man just captured my imagination. I never knew the Great Lakes until after feeling as though I had been there with Paddle to the Sea. H.C. Holling books are works of art packed with wonderful facts from science and geography. Any teacher's dream curriculum because you'll have the children enrapt attention! My sons love them as much as I do, and even now, they remember reading them as great memories.

I can't remember the last time I had so much fun reading a book. At the age of twenty six I still remember my favorite childhood tales while I read regular adult stuff but when I picked up Toonies I was in for a fantastic surprise, a book for children that an adult can love too! Of course whether I really feel like an adult is another story...

Toonies is an amazing adventure, vividly woven by a masterful story teller, Betty Dravis. Her language, imagination, in your face color and action shimmer brightly on every page. The rich and far out characters that possessed an aura of authenticity, I could almost imagine myself living through this story because it was very real but also incredibly magical. The story line was also extremely exciting, I had an incredibly tough time putting the book down and once I got time to read, forget it, nothing else existed until I finally reached the last page. I might also have to add that the cover art and the inner art work were perfect for the book! What I imagined while reading was only supported by the vivid artwork, which I liked so much that I kept looking at the cover every once in a while to envelop myself in the story even more. If all children's books were this good I would probably have to quite my job so I had more time to read!

In a nutshell the story is about a young boy named Jeremy Kern who lives in the Silicon Valley with his parents Arthur and Jessica. Even thought I am a girl I could relate easily to his childhood, with the parents fighting often Jeremy escaped into his own world, the cartoon strip he drew for the local paper on his Orange Computer. In the fantasy Cartoon Land the main character was Doog, a whimsical boy with red hair and fantastic personality. One day during a bad fighter at dinner, Jeremy excused himself only to run to his room and lose himself in his art. Little did he know that this beloved character was not only real but ready to help him out. Betty Dravis has outdone herself in the imagination department, I have never read such on original idea in any kind of a book, where the characters jump out of the computer, flat paper figures with feather, clothing, glowing edges, wearing funky clothing ready to do good and bad, depending on their character. Once the good guys get out of the screen to help Jeremy out the bad ones, called the Backgrounders are close behind, where there's good, evil surely lurks! The real adventure begins when Jeremy's dad releases something out of the computer that should never have the freedom to exist in the real world, something sinister, evil and truly dark. Together the family must stop the bird like creatures that followed orders delivered by a truly wicked character of Dab, I have no doubt that any reader will be truly taken by him. I found it truly incredible how Betty would portray the good and the bad with her imagination, giving each a real breath of life that simply jumped out of each page! Dab has a devilish plan to take over the world, spilling evil characters out of computer screens unless Jeremy and his family with the help of his darling friends and other Cartooon Land characters can stop him!

As the good and bad characters escape the computer and make Jeremy and his parents busy with a mission that requires team work and a secure and strong family to solve the problem, their fights and misunderstandings cease to exist to make room for solutions and peace. This story has some fantastic family values interwoven, I can see kids reading this and really feeling the true meaning to the story, feeling warmth and support, love and helping them see the world in a new light. Betty is a warm and fabulous person and her love spills through her writing, not only giving kids and adults entertainment but bringing back the morals and good, pure values into the tale, reaching the reader that life has a golden road that once found can be followed to a happy way of being.

Once I find a book I really love I can't wait to read it again and this is one of them. I wish there were many volumes to this tale. For those who think that Harry Potter is the only tale that kids and adults can read, this is the real awakening. Toonies is simply super, I cannot express how much I love it and how it touched me, the colors, the magic, the writing, the characters and the dialog were simply out of this world and I am really looking forward to reading it again as soon as I have some time.

I know that when I have children I will make sure they grow up reading this story, it will make them think and see things in a new light and I just know that they will love it. Stories such as this one make me realize how precious the gift of reading is, to dip into the pool of the authors imagination and take the swim in their magical world is an experience humans should be proud to behold because once the pages of this book are open nothing else matters!

- Kasia S.

"The day the Toonie leaped out of Jeremy Kern's computer and landed smack-dab in the middle of his life, he thought he was going nuts." From this very first line, Betty Dravis had me captivated and dying to know just how the story of a computer whiz kid from Silicon Valley and his cartoon friends would play out.

Troubled by his parents' recent incessant arguing, Jeremy escapes to his computer one night to discover that Doog, a teenage Toonie Jeremy created for his weekly comic strip, has come to life when Jeremy needed him most. Shortly thereafter, Uncle Wom, the lovable old leader of Cartoon Land, also befriends Jeremy and informs him that all is not well in the Toonies' homeland. The evil Dab, an ape-like bird creature, and his band of Mischief-Makers are on a mission to escape from Cartoon Land, whatever the cost, and take over the humanoid world.

With the help of his best friend, Buddy, and Buddy's twin sister, Ashley, Jeremy pledges to keep the secrets of Cartoon Land safe and never do anything that would allow Dab to escape. Everything is going fine for the three children and their new Toonie friends until Jeremy's dad, Arthur, accidentally releases Dab and his hench-birds...and chaos invades Silicon Valley.

Will Jeremy and his friends be able to defeat the evil ape-bird? Or will Dab and his followers be the victors of the climactic battle at Orange Computer's supply building and thereby unleash their reign of terror on our world?

There are so many lovable and endearing characters in "Toonies," but my favorite would have to be Third, the sweet little Mischief-Maker turned hero. I loved his interactions with Jeremy's mom, Jessica, especially the white flag incident. And you *must* read this gem of a novel to find out what I'm talking about! ;)

Betty Dravis has crafted an endlessly inventive, highly original, and entertaining tale that will appeal to readers of all ages. Don't miss it! :D

Melika

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R26ASIHOICC8KV While reading through the pages of The Toonies Invade Silicon Valley, The Toonies were looking me right in the eyes.
Author Betty Dravis has conjured up a masterpiece anyone will forget about ordinary life and be come involved. I was plucked out of my routine by Jeremy, a young cartoonist who made The Toonie.
He alone has the ability of controlling The Toonies.
The tittle of the book was what captured my attention span and held it until the end of the book.I adore this book.
It is aimed for young adults, but anyone who loves vivid imagery and cartoons coming to life will be planted into a new exciting place.
I'm not telling the rest. You must read The Toonies Invade Silicon Valley for yourself. A place and characters you'll stay attached to way after reading this book.
I recommend this with a guarantee of opening up your hearts to The Toonies and expanding your horizons with this fantastic fantasy tale.
I guarantee you'll be smiling the whole time you read it.And you'll think alot too.

THE TOONIES INVADE SILICON VALLEY is probably one of the most charming, surprising, vivid and vibrant books I have ever read. And that statement includes everything I read as a child, and everything I've read so far as a "grown-up" (which is more of a physical classification than a mental one for me, at this point in my life... *smile*).

Betty Dravis' novel introduces readers to thirteen-year-old Jeremy Kern, who lives with his parents in Silicon Valley. As his parents' arguments get louder and more frequent, Jeremy retreats into his bedroom, working at his computer on cartoons about a boy named Doog. Creating a world and a life for Doog allows Jeremy to escape from his own troubles...but the last thing he expects is for Doog's world to merge with his own! But a chance touch in the corner of a cartoon eye, and poof! suddenly Doog is out of the computer, on Jeremy's desk, his red hair shining impossibly brightly and his eyes twinkling whimsically. Jeremy and his friends are utterly taken with Doog and, later, with Uncle Wom, the leader of Cartoon Land, who follows Doog out of the computer to retrieve him. Uncle Wom is clear to express the dangers of traveling between the worlds, warning Jeremy to be wary of prying eyes on the computer screen. Uncle Wom and Doog tell Jeremy and his friends about the Mischief-Makers and their leader, Dab, the evil ape-bird feared by everyone in Cartoon Land. Under no circumstances, Uncle Wom asserts, must Dab be released from the world behind the computer screen.

Unfortunately, Jeremy's father isn't around to heed this warning. Arthur inadvertently releases Dab and his followers from the computer and immediately, Dab seeks to put his evil plan into action: to take over Orange Computer, and then take over all the computers all over the world, giving him ultimate power and control over the human race. It will take a whole team of humans and good Toonies, including the help of a "Wise Old Zen," to defeat Dab and his followers and restore order both to Silicon Valley, and to Cartoon Land.

THE TOONIES INVADE SILICON VALLEY is, at its core, a story of good vs. bad. But you've never read a more creative take on that popular theme, I guarantee it! In Betty Dravis' world, "good vs. bad" becomes Doog vs. Dab, and the warriors are cartoons. From the first page to the last, TOONIES is pure entertainment, a joy to read. The text is accompanied by beautiful illustrations, serving to bring Dravis' characters and world even more to life. The prose is lively, and the descriptions are brilliant -- bright and dazzling and evocative of something magical. Dravis brings a world of color to a page of black and white, and her warmth and genuineness shine through in her writing. Deeply interwoven in the story is a larger theme of the importance of family. In a world where moral values are often overlooked, Dravis has written a novel that supports the good things in life: family, love, courage, fellowship. TOONIES is a book for both kids and adults to read and reread with fondness. The characters, human and toonie alike, are ones you'll want to keep coming back to again and again.

THE TOONIES INVADE SILICON VALLEY is a rewarding, fun, dazzling and wholesome book. I recommend it completely, for kids from 1 to 99!

Three cheers for Betty Dravis!

Combining the elements and themes of a classic fantasy with freshly imagined characters in a thoroughly modern setting, the author has created an engaging children's story that will hopefully become a series. I have to believe that most children in this computer-driven age would really get into this "animated" book. Parents will appreciate the message and underlying values.

(I'd love to take my grandchildren to see the Toonies movie!)

Star-Crossed