Children's Books

The story of Olive shows us how we all have strengths and those strengths are important even if they are different from others. It can teach us to be creative on how we can best use our strengths. Most of all it is a sweet story about a very sweet dog named Olive. I loved reading it as an adult and gave it to someone who also enjoyed it very much.

this is a great edition of Olive. the illustration is as wonderful as the story. it's one of my husband's favorites and he wasn't disappointed. the look of this book corresponds with the latest movie edition.

No other Christmas carol has such a hold on children's imaginations as "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer." (*see note) Even the youngest child understands the joke of this book's title.

When a little dog named Olive hears the lyrics "All of the other reindeer..." she thinks the line is, "Olive, the other reindeer" and concludes that she is in fact, a reindeer, not a dog. Hi-jinks ensue.

This tenth anniversary edition has scratch and sniff gumdrops, flaps to open, levers to pull and a pop-up scene at the end. Reading the "otto-biography" of Seibold on the Chronicle Books site, I learned that the names of his children (and their images) are tucked into the illustrations, shades of Marc Brown and his Arthur books.

Skip the video and enjoy this book. It is a charmer.

I got this for my 3 granddaughters, ages 6 and under. They loved it!

What a great book! My family and I loved the dog, Olive, that came with the book, too. I plan to read this book, and share the stuffed toy with the area school.

How can you say anything but "wonderful" when you review an Olivia series book??...Olivia is one of the most endearing characters in childrens' literature!

This is a great book to add to your Christmas collection or like my family - read year round.

I love all the Olivia books that I have collected so far for my daughter. This one is particularly cute, but a tad bit long for a children's book. However, I have to say, you can't go wrong with Olivia. My daughter loves her just as much as I do!

My daughter has become a fan of the Olivia books. We ordered this book and she thoroughly enjoyed it. The book allows children to infer about the reasons Olivia does the things that make her an exciting character.

This book is lots of fun and still a frequent requests by my child, even now that the Christmas season is over. Olivia is charming and precocious, hilarious and heartwarming. I highly recommend this book, and the Olivia series, to any child or child at heart.

Parents might worry that their child will find inappropriate sites on the Internet. It is important for parents to monitor their child's access to the World Wide Web and teach them proper use of it. This is not a television set with a limited number of channels. It is the information superhighway to the whole world. Think of it the same as traffic safety. You don't leave a young child playing unsupervised by a busy roadway. They could be hit by a car or kidnapped or attacked by a neighbor's dog. An older child after being taught basic principles is allowed more independence in that same situation.
Provide clear guidelines. Let your children know there are subjects or areas that you prefer to be off limits and explain why. Explore cyberspace with the child and talk about what they are seeing and doing.
Teach children safety rules for dealing with strangers online such as never giving out their full name, address or telephone number; never giving out a credit card number; or arranging to meet someone online without your permission. These are the same guidelines you probably use for telephone use in your home or for talking to strangers on the street.
Don't miss out on all the wonders of the World Wide Web. Take your child by the hand and set out on that information superhighway.

Our police department has worked with the author of this book in trying to help victims of cybercrimes. She really knows her stuff. She has even shared many things that my teens wish she hadn't. Now when they type POS, I know it means that they are telling their friends that their parent is looking over their shoulder.

When I don't know where to turn, I just turn to this book. I keep it next to my computer so my children can rely on it too. I was amazed that they enjoyed it as much as I did.

Next time, I'll buy the book BEFORE I buy the computer and set it up right.

a country mom.

I read this book when my mother bought it for me and my friends to read. I was very interested in what this person said about online safety and teens. Most talk about how terrible the internet is, but she thinks it's great for teens as long as we use it following safety rules.

My girlfriend was chatting with a boy she met online. He sent her pictures and said he loved her. She even talked to him on the phone. When he asked to meet her at the mall, I told her about the stories I read in this book, and gave her the book to read.

She didn't meet him after she read the stories about bad men who tried to trick girls into meeting them offline.

Her parents found out and found out that this boy wasn't really a boy.

Mrs. Aftab helps keep teens safe. I want to work for her group and help other teens.

Thank you Mrs. Parry Aftab for caring about teens. we love you!

a sixteen year old girl

My 12 year old daughter was stalked by someone online. I went to Cyberangels for help. Parry Aftab (the author) runs Cyberangels, which is the world's largest and best safety group. This book supports the group, and after Cyberangels helped me find the stalker (someone we knew!), we bought this book to read together. My daughter and her friends in Girl Scouts are now creating an online safety club, thanks to this book, and this incredible woman. Please buy it and support online safety and protect your family online.

I read Parry's first book, and all the other ones that copied it. This is by far the best book out there. It's got every answer to every conceivable questions, easy to understand and fun to read.

I'm a teacher and need to keep up on this subject, and no book, not even her first one, comes close to this book. It feels like she is giving you free tutoring on any question you have about your kids online, right at your side.

I recommend this to all the parents at our school. Trust me on this...only buy one book - this one. And if you have any questions, e-mail Parry, she answers all of them personally. parry@aftab.com (her name)

My son and my daughter both responded to this book when only 2 or 3 months old - the animals have big eyes and friendly smiles, and when they peek at the baby reader, the baby responds with smiles, coos, and wriggling. Perfect first book. Sturdier than most flap books, but will get lots of loving use, so why not buy 2?

We love this series! Large, colorful illustrations and full page flaps makes this a great book for little ones new to reading. A perfect gift too!

They used to read this book frequently at reading times in Ohio when my daughter was in baby laptime. She always loved it and I gave it to a friend as a gift. She says that her daughter is really enjoying it as well.

This book is great. I not only have my own children but I own a child franchise and I read this book to our 10-13 mo. olds and 12-15 mo. They just stare and smile and try to grab every page.
I love this book.

Your little one will have plenty of fun pulling down the flaps in this colorful book. However, the large flaps in Peek-a-Moo! are thick paper and therefore easily tear and crease. Also, if you have a toddler who does not want or understand to close the flap back up with each page (such as the case with our 14-month-old daughter), you need to make sure the flaps are back up before you turn the page. Otherwise, they will hang out the bottom of the book, vulnerable to further damage from the wrath of an active toddler. We have other lift-the-flap books that have smaller, thicker flaps that automatically close when you turn the page (such as Dear Zoo--highly recommended), which are in much better condition.

every teenager will like this book. If anybody has been through this experience. Then you will defintley love it. I know i did.

Remember Me is my favorite book! I think that all teenage girls will love it ! It's about a teenage girl, Leeanne, who steals a pair of earrings and gets community service at a Hospice. She meets a really great guy, Gabriel, that has a weak heart. This is a very sad love story that almost all girly girls will love. I sure did!!!!!!!
-Gabby-

Hey my name is Tami, Remeber me is one of my favorite books.
Remeber Me is about a girl named Leeanne who steals a pair of earrings while she is with her friends. She gets caught and has to do 300 hours of community service at what she thinks is a hospital, but it turns out to be a Hospice. A hospice is a place where ill people go to die. While she is working there she meets a guy named Gabriel who has an incurable illness. Gabe and Leeanne become very very close friends. This book is a very sad love story. If you want to find out what happens to Leeanne and Gabe's life the you need to read the book.

hi, i just finished reading this book today. It is one of the most touching books i've ever read in my entire life. It is sad, happy, and funny. It made me cry, smile, and laugh. It makes you realise how some people live. Some people, even though they are dying, still have a sense of humour, and they try to live life to the fullest.I would recommend this book for teens, and even adults. It really is truly touching!

The first time I read this book I was a sophomore in HS. I'm now a sophomore in college and still re-reading it! This was one of the most unforgettable teen books I've ever read. It made me laugh, cry, and taught me at a young age to not take the simple things in life for granted.

The story is about a girl, Leeanne, who gets caught shoplifting and is sentenced three hundred hours of community service. So of course she believes her life is over, and nothing could be worse. Until she meets Gabriel, who happens to reside in the hospice where Leeanne is placed for her community service. Gabriel has a weak heart and is dying, and at first Leeanne doesn't know how to react to him... especially since he isn't much older then she is. But throughout the story Gabriel begins to teach her how to really live, and what's really important.

The author did such a wonderful job of writing this story, that you're able to grow with the main character. Leeanne goes from being a spoiled brat, to an understanding loyal friend, who learns to love and to let go. A very bittersweet love story, that I will always remember!

"Spider-Man: The Ultimate Guide" is a must-have book for all the wall-crawler's fan! It has information about lots of characters and a fantastic spidey's time-line! The illustrations are as good as well, and you can even find information on alternative Spider-Man series, like Spider-Girl, and Spidey 2099. Although the book is very nicely done i still missed more detailed profiles, anyway you will sure not regret for buying this one!

I never read a Spider-man comic book, but I wanted to know all about Spidey, his allies, and his enemies. This ended my search!

We bought this book for our five year old who loves Spiderman, but our whole family has enjoyed learning more about the villains and other characters in Spidey's world. It is fun to learn the origin of characters we are familiar with and some we had never heard of before. There are lots and lots of illustrations to keep the kids' attention, and the stories and bios are interesting enough for adults as well. The binding has fallen apart on our book- which may have survived better under normal wear and tear- but that is mostly because my son takes it to bed with him since he loves this book so much. Overall, a great book for kids and adults too.

Tom De Falco's comprehensive SPIDER-MAN guide is one of my favourite spidey books, covering everything from the comic's origins in the 60s to the recent movies. With some great insight into the characters in the world of comics and good layout, this guide tells you all you need to know about Peter Parker, Mary Jane and assotment of villians (Green Goblin, Doc Ock, Venom et all). DeFalco's extensive research has paid off, making this an essential addition to the already bookshelf-breaking collection of comic book guides. This is a must-have book for any SPIDER-MAN enthusiast.

I have been a rabid Spider-Man fan, reader, and collector for the past 13 years. In that time, I've seen some of the best (1980's to 1993) and worst (Clone Saga) this hero has to offer. IN addition, I have collected every issue ever published. So, I'm very knowledgable about SPider-Man and his world. Still, this book is a delight to read. I didn't learn anything new, but it is well written, spectacularly illustrated with original comic art from some of Spidey's most legendary artists (Ditko, Romita Sr., Romita Jr., Frenz, Andru, Sal Buscema, Gil Kane, McFarlane, Bagley, Larsen). New fans will learn a lot from this book, but no matter how long you've been a fan of Spidey, this book is a treasure trove for you!!

Trial by Journal is one of the most intriguing and one of the best books I have ever read. Whomever would of thought that a town would actually allow a child on jury duty just because another child was involved in a murder. Well, she needs to pass [...] grade and the journal she keeps of her experiences helps her recieve and A+ from her teacher. This book is told in newspaper articles, maps, radio talk shows, newscasters, and ofcourse journal entries.

Trial by Journal was written by Kate Klise. It is a fantastic mystery that takes place in the mythical town of Tyleville, Missouri. The book is written in a very unique way. It is based on journal entries by Lilly Watson (the main character); newspaper articles from the local newspaper; transcripts from the local radio station; and personal letters

Trial by Journal is filled with never ending action and jokes by the quick witted Lilly Watson. Twelve year old Lilly Watson is a member of a jury attempting to solve the murder of Perry Keet. Perry is a twelve year old boy that works at the local zoo. Perry did not return home from work one day and his body was not found. His co-worker and friend of Lilly's, Bob White, is accused of Perry's murder. Lilly is selected to be on the jury because of a law that requires a juvenile to be on the jury of cases that involve children. The book chronicles Lilly's adventures as she tries to unravel the mystery of Perry Keet's murder. Other characters in the book include Lilly's co-jurors Fawn Papillon and Anna Conda; and the wealthy Rhett Tyle whose testimony is important to solving the mystery.

My favorite part of the book is when Lilly solves the mystery. I like this part because of the clever way that Lilly analyzed the clues and uncovered the truth. Trial by Journal was an exciting and thought-provoking mystery. The protagonist, Lilly Watson, is a bright, funny, and enthusiastic girl. I particularly enjoyed the way the author developed this character.

I give this book four out of five stars. It is a very enjoyable read. I became very involved with the characters and rooted hard for Lilly to solve the mystery. I recommend this book highly for people that enjoy good mysteries and humor. This book is suitable for anyone over nine years old. Adults may enjoy this book, but the complicated storyline may be too confusing for children under the age of nine.

Trial By Journal was written by Kate Klise. The illustrator for this wonderful book was M. Sarah Klise. Trial By Journal has 238 pages total in the book.

This book is about a 12 year old girl named Lily Watson who was put on to a jury to solve a murder of a sixth grader, who happens to be a boy named Perry Keet. The person who they thought was the murderer was Bob White. Her teacher Mr. Holms has asked her to keep a journal about what is going on with the case the whole time of jury duty. Mr. Holms has also told Lily that she will have to go to summer school for missing so much of school, but Lily doesn't think that is fair, because she never asked to be a juror.

Lily's problem is that she has to find out/solve the case and prove that Bob White is either innocent or guilty.

My favorite part in Trial By Journal is when we meet all of the jurors and we find
out their names. I like this part because the names are so funny. Some of the character's names are Perry Keet, Bob White, Fawn Papillon, and Anna Conda.


The genre of this book is realistic fiction because this could happen but I doubt the names. When I read Trial By Journal I felt like I was actually there to witness everything because the author had great description and I was really caught into it.

Trial By (Jury) Journal, By Kate Klise, Illustrated by Sarah Klise 256 pages


I read the book Trial by (Jury) Journal by Kate Klise. I think that this book is great! The author Kate Klise did a wonderful job of describing everything and making it all come alive. It seemed real! I would definitely recommend this book to other readers who like to read books that have fake letters, articles, and journal entries. It was a little hard to read because of all these things, but it was definitely easy to enjoy!

In this book a law is passed that if there is a child under 18 in a case, then a child under 18 has to be on the jury. The main character in this book is Lily, who gets chosen to be on the jury. While on Jury duty, Lily keeps a journal telling about her experiences in the courtroom and at the hotel where the whole jury is forced to stay during Jury duty. They can have no contact with others except fellow jurors.

My favorite part in this book was when Lily and her new Jury duty friend Fawn Papillion decide to let out all the birds in the hotel out of their cages. My other favorite part is when they discover the paintings in Priscilla the Gorilla's cage.

Although almost everything about being on Jury duty is tough, Lily makes the best of her free time off from school. She has many unforgettable experiences.

The case is hard and everyone thinks that one person did it. Bob White. But did he? If you want to find out you should read Trial by (Jury) Journal.

I think that anyone who likes a laugh, a good humored girl, and a bit of mystery would love this book because it's all of those things wrapped into one.

Kate Klise probably knows that her books will never win her any great big awards. If she receives recognition for her published works, by and large it's by children and not adults. Don't believe me? Check out the other reviews for this book down below. Who has written them? Kids. Lots and lots and lots of kids. And how do the kids feel about the author who has brought to the world books like, "Trial by Journal" and "Regarding the Fountain"? They worship at her feet. Even those kids who have NEVER read her, never even HEARD of the woman, gravitate to her novels like the books were singing a siren song to beat the band (and other mixed metaphors). I run a homeschooler bookgroup at my local library. The other day I gave the children a choice. They could choose an infinitely cool and relatively new fantasy novel with a shiny cover and the promise of magical creatures. Or they could read, "Trial By Journal". And unanimously they all reached for Klise's book. Not having read it myself, I quickly zipped through the story as quickly as I could do so. What I found was a book that contains horrid puns, contrived plot devices, so-so pictures, and a mystery. I also found a book that children will be lining up around the block to check out again and again and again from the library. She may not be the best writer you even encounter, but she'd certainly win a kiddie popularity contest beyond a shadow of a doubt.

There's trouble in Tyle County. Trouble like you wouldn't believe. Murder trouble. Yes, a perfectly nice twelve-year-old boy has undoubtedly been murdered by a creepy keeper at the local Tyle Park Zoo. Now there's to be a trial to determine whether or not Bob White is guilty of the murder of Perry Keet. In Tyleville, however, there's a new law that declares that when any crime is committed against a minor, a minor in turn must be on the jury panel. In this particular case, that juror is Perry's old classmate, Lily Watson. During the course of the trial Lily befriends an aging film star who is also on the jury, and keeps a journal of events in lieu of the schoolwork she's missing. As she remains sequestered from friends and family, Lily slowly begins to unravel the mystery of what actually happened to Perry. What she discovers will pit her against the most powerful man in town and mean that she must save the life of an innocent man jailed for a crime he did not commit.

The book is told in the form of journal entries, newspaper articles, letters, notes, and radio transcripts. That's Klise's schtick. Not only is it an appealing method of storytelling, but an eclectic one as well. When my homeschoolers (aged 8 to 12) picked up the book and randomly flipped through it, some were reduced to giggles when they saw a pretzel taped to the bottom of one of the journal pages. It was just an illustration of a pretzel, mind you, but the effect was instantaneous and effective. Most of Klise's books are put together in this way. You can talk all you want about the cool young adult titles written entirely in e-mails, but Klise was the first to do it this consistently with children.

Of course, her storytelling has to be fairly simple as well. There are always rather large plot gaps and stretches of plausibility. I'll try to avoid giving away any plot details, despite the fact that kids will probably figure them out long long long before Lily does. At one point out heroine encounters SOMEONE who is being held hostage by the story's villain. He rests the hope of escaping his imprisonment entirely on her shoulders. Then, to make certain he doesn't escape too soon in her tale, Klise writes in all sorts of peculiar details. Still, when you compare the book to "Regarding the Fountain", "Trial By Journal" is far better thought out.

The illustrations in this book are written by M. Sarah Klise, Kate's sister. She has illustrated all of Kate's books. They are a team. Peas in a pod. Two of a kind. For the most part, M. Sarah is a fine illustrator. She's created some highly amusing and intricate building and Tyleville landmarks at both the beginning and then end of the book. Unfortunately, she's not so hot with people. Even gorillas look pretty darn good when she draws them, but human beings by and large are grotesque. The villains are always obvious right from the start and the good guys don't fare much better. If M. Sarah could somehow avoid people altogether when she draws her elaborate concoctions, she'd be a perfect complement to Kate's tales. As it stands, she's only so-so.

You can't judge, "Trial By Journal" too harshly since it's clear that the Klise sisters are having a wonderful time writing their books and kids have a wonderful time reading 'em. More importantly, the book even manages to show exactly how trials work, defines terms for children to understand, and goes through the entire legal process in a fun and interesting way. They come for the kooky format, story, and mystery. They stay for the legalese.

This is my favorite book. When I think of it, I recall being touched deeply as a child and haunted ever-after as one can be after waking from the most precious of dreams, trying to relate that experience to the waking world and having no choice but to relinquish it. While this might be described as a children's fiction, I still cannot understand how Mr. Davidson could have invented this narrative experience without either strong inspiration from realms beyond this one, or (may I dare say) without having experienced such an unimaginable happening himself. I am very happy to find that this book is getting some recognition. May it continue to open imaginations to questions of what is tangible and what is possible.

I ordered this book because of the reviews on Amazon.com - I like kids' books even though it has been a long time since I was a kid. I also liked Rose of Tibet by the same author. Under Plum Lake is pretty strange - it's the classic tale of the Garden of Eden, or Shangri-La, the protagonist is shown paradise and then shown the door, cast back into his normal life. However, it has a tragic effect on him - he can't function in his real world anymore because he longs to go back to the underwater paradise, it's all he can think about. Well-written, very colorful, sad and even stressful - also it seemed a lot like an LSD trip. By the way, one of my favorite books as a kid that I found again as an adult is Tom's Midnight Garden, although it is meant for a younger reader it is just as engrossing and evocative as Under Plum Lake.

I read this book in [...] Now at [...] I still think about this book. This not only got me into reading for the first time ever, but it also let me know that it was okay to keep my imagination growing. At a time when it wasn't cool to play with toys anymore or dream about ridiculous things, this book kept me going. Great great book. As you will see.

This book was one of my favorites growing up and my brothers absolute favorite! Now 36, I thought of it when I was telling my 10 year old what I read when I was younger. At that time, she wasn't interested in reading a lot. I bought this for my brother and she took it and read it first and hasn't stopped reading for the past year! Now we can talk about other realities and about not taking 'normal' definitions of reality as the only definitions. This book has really opened up her thinking (as it did mine!) She has now read about 15 novels since Under Plum Lake and we can make references to this book and laugh and really share some special moments.

Like everyone else here --- I picked this book up when I was 10 or 11, and totally and completely fell in love with it! Although I was a total girly girl (I was reading Anne of Green Gables and Daddy-long-legs at the time) --- this book still captivated me. I read and re-read that book until it was in tatters. Finally, when I was 14 or 15, I donated during a book drive. Ever since then, I've regretted it! I'm glad to see that there are still some copies around in the "used" section --- I'm so placing my order today!!!

This is a wonderful story for girls. Read it aloud, savor it, laugh and even cry over it.Whatever you do, though, just get it! You'll be glad you did.

I had never heard of this book until it was listed in the AmblesideOnline curriculum. We checked it out and my girls fell in love with it. I finally bought them their own copy and they treasure it. We read it again, and now they argue over who owns it, and who gets to keep it for their own children.
Great read!

Understood Betsy" was one of my favorite books from childhood and I was happy to see that it was available from Amazon. Even though it was first published in 1917, it is very contemporary in it's message about the importance of gaining self-esteem through accomplishment. In this day and age when parents tend to hover and worry over every small concern, this book show how Betsy, when sent to a farm to live, became a very confident and happy child due to the adults in her life who let her stretch her wings. Many of the ways in which these adults gave her a new life are very subtle but moving. Highly recommended for mid-elementary girls.

The book came in exactly the described condition and the delivery was prompt. I definitely recommend this seller.

I was introduced to this book by a friend while staying at their vacation home on Lake Champlain in Vermont. It had rained most of the stay and I had exhausted my own supply of books and was wandering through their dusty library shelves when the dame of the home entered and knowing that I am an avid reader, recommended this book. She is a woman in her 70's and said that to this day she reads the book about once a year. I was instantly smitten and spent the next day and a half reading constantly, much to the chagrine of my husband who could not believe that I took the book in the tub, on the boat, to bed, and to a hidden spot in the servant's quarters in the attic to finally finish the text.

The writing is easy and eloquent. The story is funny and simple. I love how Ms. Fisher gives us the ability to see what's going on in Betsy's mind and the haughty-taughty little gal is a hoot! I found myself wishing I was 12 and had just read the book. I know I would put on the character and emulate the old-fashioned principles idealized in this quaint story!

My son is using this book as a reference for his drawing class and we all find it very helpful. There are facts here which are quite detailed and wondered how the author know all these stuff! Anyway, we love the book!

This Book has a lot of glear crisp pictures in it. Since I make Star Wars movie props (Lightsaber hilts, Helmets, Costumes) this book helped a lot. darth vader lightsaber is totally sweet and the moment I saw it in the book I said I gotta make that, so right now I'm in the process of making his and many others.
Again this is a great book so please don't hesitate a second. buy it!

RYAN J.

This guide was accurate, except for one thing: Solah is Padme's sister, and Jobal is her mother. This book portrays it as the other way around. But otherwise, a good reference book for the best movie ever!

This is the best book for any fan of the movies. It explains things you'll never learn about on screen. From their weapons, to their clothes and why they need and have them, it makes sense of things that don't make sense. Good book!

As a fan and someone who loves the props and weapons of Star Wars, this is a fun book. Star Wars the movie is a visual marvel and this book captures close up images of all your favorite characters and machines. The price is right so this book is a must have for any serious fan.