Children's Books

This is destined to become a favorite story. It has the elements that make kids come back: happy endings, mystery & discovery, and love. The illustrations--done in oil--truly enhance the beauty of the book. This is a beautiful story that explains adoption without hitting the child over the head with the concept like many other books do. The narrative style allows the reader to embrace the idea, and not walk away saying "but that's not how I was adopted." Instead, you enjoy its uniqueness, sense the joy of Seaborne's arrival, and share in the excitement of the baby soon to arrive.

The Sea Chest is about an only child named Maita and her father, a light housekeeper. One night they face a terrible storm together. The next morning father and daughter find a sea chest washed up on the beach. Inside the sea chest they find an infant girl. The family adopts the child and the story goes on to tell how the two girls become inseparable and grow up together. Towards the end we discover that Maita is an old woman telling the story to her niece as they wait for the niece's newly adopted sister to arrive. As always Grandpre's illustrations are radiant and add new levels of intimacy to the story.

Preston McClear, ...

I recently sat down to read this to my daughter thinking it was just another children's book. Boy was I wrong! I could barely finish it, as I was all choked up. An amazing story, beautifully told.

Based on a legend, this book is very touching. Children are thoroughly engaged in this book whether they are reading it on their own or having it read to them. It is superbly illustrated which enhances the book. Children can easily connect with the emotions in the text. I like the lessons it teaches children about love, caring, and family. I bought this book to use a s a read aloud in my classroom this year. It will be one I will return to each year. This book was recommended to me at a teaching conference and I am happy I made the purchase. Definitely try this one.

Whenever we read this book my kids always ask 'Mommy, why are you crying?' It's a beautiful, touching tale about family, love, and adoption. I bought it because my family was formed through adoption, like the little girl's in the book, but I think this book could be appreciated by anyone. The pictures are gorgeous, the themes of the sea, the chest, and love carried throughout, and the writing is excellent.

If you are an adoptive parent this is a must-have for your child's library, particularly if, like the family in the book, your child comes from "so far across the wide Atlantic."

I don't own this book, but I just checked out from local library. He has got such a great imagination. Another great book he created. Awesome!

There is really no reason for me to review this book with 30 other reviews already here. I will just state that I loved it. I "read" it to my 4 year old and he wanted to read it again right away. If you look at each picture carefully and discuss with a young child what is going on before you turn the page, they will love it. And if they are like my boy, they will then read it when they are alone. I went to see him that night up in his room and he wanted to read it to me. We sat there while he described each picture and the story in surprising detail. I really think this is a great book with fantastic illustrations and a wonderful story. The author is brilliant.

If you like incredible artwork with an amazing story line than you will love Sector 7 by David Wiesner. Each of his books is absolutely incredible and this is no exception. I bought this(and others of his) for my daughter who is about to become an art teacher to use in her classes and she was thrilled! Enjoy!

This item was exactly as described in the item description. It was in the original packaging and is in excellent condition. I am very satisfied and I highly recommend this seller and product to everyone. This is an excellent book by an excellent author!

Flotsam and Freefall were the first two books I explored by David Wiesner. Sector 7 is not to be missed either. Wiesner's style and creativity are wonderful explorations for all humans(and especially children). M.C. Escher has an honored presence in this book, as he does in Freefall. The theme of flying is present here, as in all of Wiesner's books, and the fanciful creative nature of Wiesner's story and illustrations (paintings?) are not to be missed. Second language learners will immediately have something to say (in their own language) about this book. So will everyone else who reads it. Anyone who has taken the time to sit back and enjoy the show clouds put on will appreciate the ideas within this book. Don't hesitate!

One of my students wrote the following review:
If you are a baseball fan you should read this book. This book is about a kid with a power. He can go back in time. He goes to 1919 to make the White Sox win the World Series by not letting Shoeless Joe Jackson take money. What will happen next?
It was so fun to read it! I couldn't stop reading this book. It is a long book but it is fun when you read it. There are more books that this author wrote about baseball.
-Brian

The book I am reviewing is Shoeless Joe & Me written by Dan Gutman. I think this book deserves five stars because Dan Gutman doesn't stretch the book and he does not rush it. This book is about a boy named Joe Stoshack who can travel through time with baseball cards. The problem in this story is that when Joe had lost a game because of a bad call, he complains to the sponsor of his team, Flip Valetini. He says that it wasn't fair, and Flip tells him about the Black Sox sandal and Joe Jackson. Now he wants to fix it. But the rest... you will have to figure out. I would recommend this book to anyone from 3rd to 5th grade that loves fantasy books.

Shoeless Joe was a fun book to read. It was about baseball. He was a good player but did not have power. I liked this book because it was about baseball. He was a player on the White Sox. The story was in Chicago where Shoeless Joe was a famous baseball player.
The kid in the book went back in time. The boy wanted to meet Shoeless Joe, so he went to the store to buy the card. Then he packed his tooth brush and clothes. Then he went to his room. Then he hugged the card and went back to the past. This was the most exciting part of the book.

Shoeless Joe and Me is one of my favorite books! The book is about a kid who can Time-Travel by using Baseball Cards. He tries to go back in time to stop the Black Sox Scandal. The Black Sox Scandal was when 8 players on the White Sox were tricked by gamblers into losing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds on purpose.

Even if you don't like Baseball, I'm sure you will love this book. I loved it SO much that I couldn't take my face away from the book. I recommend this book to ANYONE, as long as they love a good book. It is part of a series, which include:

Honus and Me
Jackie and Me
Babe and Me
Mickey and Me
Abner and Me
Satch and Me

Haven't you ever wanted to go back in time to prevent something that happened to you? Shoeless Joe Jackson was one of the best baseball players in 1919. His career was destroyed by a gambling scandal. Joe Stoshack was a young boy and he heard about the famous player from a guy named Flip who worked at the baseball card shop he always went to. Flip told Joe that Jackson was not allowed to make the Hall of Fame because of the scandal he was in. Flip gave him Joe Jackson baseball card and the little boy thought to himself what it would be like to go back in time to see what the scandal was all about and even maybe prevent it from happening. He thought if it works in movies then it should work now. The next day Joe Stoshack found himself going back to the 1919's and found Joe Jackson at the stadium. He talked to Joe and asked him to leave the game before it started. He told Joe if he didn't something bad would happen. He told Joe he came back from the future and he knew that if the great Joe Jackson did anything to lose this game, he would never get all the rewards he deserved. He wanted to prevent the "Black Sox Scandal" from happening so Shoeless Joe Jackson could get into the Hall of Fame.
I would rate this book a 5, on a scale of 5, with 5 being the best. Grades 4th and up would love it and its great family story.

Wonder and Ashleigh make the best team in the world. Wonder is such a great filly who loves to race and win. It waz really great that Ashleigh got to ride Wonder in th Breeders Cup Classic due to Jilly's injury but Wonder couldnt have done it without Ashligh. Wonder runs like she is flying with wings. I really hated when Jennings and Brad tried to ruin Wonders chances in the race, but luckily they never harmed another horse, well Jennings. I give this book 5 stars cauz this is the last book where Wonder is the star and she sure showed she was one in this book. Wonder races in the Kentucky Derby and wins but loses in the Preakness Stakes cauz she was bumped and won the Belmon Stakes and Breeders Cup Classic with Ashleigh in the saddle. If it wasnt for her being bumped, Wonder would have been a Tripple Crown winner. But she still made us all proud except for Brad. Im sure Ashliegh was overwelmed when Clay Townsend gave her half intrest in Wonder and her offsprings. If that was me getting half intrest in Wonder, I would be bouncing off the walls. If u want to read a book of a lost filly almost loosing her chances in being a champion and a girl's dreams over flow, read Wonders Victory and u will just get your story. If u want to talk Thoroughbred, u can reach me at Blades60@aol.com

This is by far, the best Thoroughbred book. I actully think the first four Thoroughbred books are better than the rest, because they include Wonder, my favorite horse charector. I have almost the whole series and never get tired of reading: A Horse Called Wonder, Wonder's Promise, Wonder's First Race, Wonder's Victory and the Ashleigh series which come before the Thoroughbred series and take place before Ashleigh (Wonder's groom and half owner) and her family are still living at Edgardale (where they lived before Townsend Acres.)Definatly read the series and especially this book. GO WONDER!

This book is AWESOME! You should definatly read this book. I think this is the best Thoroughbred book there is. I have almost the whole series, and I never get tired of it. When Wonder's jockey is injured, who will ride Wonder? This book is filled with excitement and fun great for all horse-lovers.GO WONDER!
(and Jilly)

This book follows Ashleigh and Wonder as they make their way to the Breeder's Cup Classic. Beyond the fact that this world is well written and engrossing, probably the best part of this book is reading about Ashleigh and Mike's growing relationship. We finally see our self-consicous, horse crazy, fashion despising Ash fall for Mike. It's really great to see this side of Ash; the side that isn't always in control and doesn't always know what to do. I also found the "mystery" surrounding Wonder's freakish behavior before races to be really interesting. The conclusion of this book is just, well, wonderful...
This book is the perfect example of how you close a story and give the reader a sense of closure and satisfaction. It ends perfectly. After reading these great, old generation TB books, I'm even more saddened at the fact that the publisher, Harper Collins is planning on terminating the series abruptly after book #72. Please HELP SAVE THOROUGHBRED! Go to www.whitebrookfarm.com to find out more. I would hope that Harper will listen to the faithful readers of this series and give us the closure that we deserve. Don't end TB like this! We found out how it ended for Ash and Wonder, let us find out about Mel, Chris, Allie, and Sammy's twins too! Please SAVE TB!

This is one of my favorite Thoroughbred books ever. Everyone who ever doubted will see that she is a champion in this book. Wonder wins the Belmont and Breeders Cup Classic in a breeze. Ashleigh Wonder's favorite person rode her in the Breeders Cup Classic at the age of 15! The youngest ever I'm sure. Wonder proves to the world that she is a champion and that she is the best horse out there. This is the best book about Wonder ever written. Can't wait to see what her foals do.

This book was a wonderful discovery. My children loved it and so did I. As a collector of children's books, this one was a proud addition to my library.

every parent should read this to their child. even as adults we all need a reminder of how important it is to be truthful and good. this is an absolutely amazing book for kids of ALL ages. we are all still learning and growing. thought everyone should know and get a copy. if we lived by the lesson taught in this book wouldn't the world be a much better place!!! thanks,kim

I've had the opportunity to share this book with so many people and they all loved the book. Now I have children of my own, it certainly has become one of my favorite books to read to my kids and teach them to be truthful. This is a wonderful book to share with both adults and kids for all ages. I highly recommend it.

IT WAS SUCH A JOY TO SHARE THE MESSAGE OF THE BOOK WITH MY DAUGHTER. MY DAUGHTER AND I OFTEN DISCUSS THE IMPORTANCE OF TELLING THE TRUTH. THIS BOOK ONLY MADE IT A MORE JOYFUL EXPERIENCE IN DOING SO. I APPLAUD THE AUTHORS FOR THEIR WORK AND THANK THEM FOR HELPING ME GET THE MESSAGE OF TELLING THE TRUTH TO MY DAUGHTER IN A WAY THAT WAS EASY FOR HER TO UNDERSTAND. A MUST READ!!!

My mom recently bought me this book I think that I have read it one too many times. I still read it often to my friends and have even shared it with some of my teachers.

I love this book there's so many good charecter's (I like lowie the most in this book!!!!!!!!!!) and I love the theme park
so good bye for now

Alright, I know YJK is supposed to be for the younger set, but I'm 15 and really do enjoy them. They shed new light on the characters of Jacen and Jaina, who, until YJK came along, were portrayed as bratty wonder children who kept getting kidnapped and escaping by dumb luck. OK, on to the actual book, sorry to ramble. This is the second in the Under Black Sun trilogy, which will be the last of the YJK books, at least for the time being. The kids are invited by Lando to spend time on Cloud City, bringing Anja Gallandro along. When she was introduced, I immediately understood the significance, since I have read the original Han Solo adventures back from 1979 and 1980. They arrive to find Lando's partner murdered by agents of Czethros, the Black Sun operative controlling Anja and out to get the YJK. Through a series of discoveries and things, the kids find out about Black Sun's involvement through several parties, most notably Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes, who were supposed to be playing on CC. Concluding a bunch of near-death mishaps, the kids are reunited on Cloud City, but Anja is suffering Spice withdrawl, and the preview of Crisis at Crystal Reef indicates that she's really losing it. It's interesting that something that's a young adult book would deal with something like drug addiction, but it's well written and thoughtful. This is a good read for fans of the series, and even for you older folks looking for a nice light read.

Trouble on cloud city is an awesome continuation of the young Jedi Knights books. The way Kevin and Rebecca describe the character's feelings is what truly makes this book come alive. It brings out all of the subtle emotions that Tenel Ka feels towards Jacen and lets us know that deep down she really cares for him. This book is a must have and an excellent action packed read.

Well, I have to say that this was the best Young Jedi Knights book to come along in a while. Oh, but don't get me wrong, they're all good, but a few definitly stand above the others. Namely, Lightsabers, Jedi Under Siege, Jedi Bounty, and The Emperor's plague. And now Trouble on Cloud City has joined the ranks of the great. In this book, Lando askes Jacen, Jaina, Lowie, Tenel Ka, Anja, and Em Teedee to come with him to Cloud City to help supervise a new amusement park he is building there. When they get there however, they find that Lando's partner has been murdered, and they set out to find who did it. Anja knows of course, or at least guesses that her master Czethros is at work and she struggles on many moral points concerning her new friends, and her growing adiction to Andris Spice. Actually, in this book I found myself softening a bit towards Anja, who I previously hated. I still don't like her nearly as much as the other characters, but I began to realize that she is a victim is her own right, since it isn't her fault she was mislead and used and duped into Andris. Also, this book focused a lot on Tenel Ka, who is my favorite character in the series, and allowed us to get inside her, and see her thoughts and feelings in a way that has not been done since the masterpiece of Lightsabers. Her reaction when Jacen fell of Cloud City was heartbreaking, and I'll confess, that the scene where they all thought that they would never see him again almost had me in tears, and I never, EVER cry over books or movies or anything. I liked how this book let us see how much Tenel Ka truly cares about Jacen. Speaking of Jacen, his crush on Anja seems to have ended, which may in fact be what opened me up to her a bit, since I was always adamently against that. Anyway, I would recommend this series to any Star Wars fan, no matter what their age, even though they are generaly geared towards the 10-15 set. Also, this book would have a stronger effect on you and generally make more sense if you have read the previous twelve first, though if that is to much work, it is at least reccomeded that you read the one before it.

These are great books! This book is great for begginers. The story is great, the plot is great, it's very intriging. The book is about Jason, Jaina, and Tenel Ka, and Lobaca. Lando Calorisian is inviting the Young Jedi Knights to his Resort on Cloud City. The kids will come as long as they can bring their friend Anga Gilrado. But what they will find out is... You'll just have to read the book. It's a great book as a gift. It's a must for all Star Wars fans.

Awesome book! Great pictures, not too much text, opportunities to make animal noises. Our youngest adores this book and the older ones love to sit and "read" outloud making all the noises.

I've been reading this book to my son since he was 2 months old before bedtime and he LOVES it, especially when I say "boo... hooo... hoo". He smiles everytime I bring it out and looks at me funny if I bring something else out before bedtime. He loves to look at the pages and I do too! It's a simple, fun story that gives you the opportunity to perfect your mooing, mewing, barking and quacking skills. (I assume I'll be using these skills for a while).

I started reading this book to my daughter when she was 17-months-old. At that age, she was saying simple words, so she loved pointing at the pictures of the animals and saying "kitty" and "dog." I enjoyed making the animal sounds and having her repeat them. It's a fun story --- following the animals' attempts to soothe the crying baby --- and a fun book to read.

Great for your boo-hoo baby. Lots of animal noises, cute illustrations, a fun story and a happy ending for the sleepy sobbing baby. I read it to my son, and get lots of smiles.

My 11 month old baby requests this book everyday, several times a day. She selects it from 30 other books and brings it to us to read. She loves the illustrations, especially the depiction of baby's big head. She makes a "Zzzzz" sound in anticipation of the last page where all the characters except the baby is sleeping.

She likes it so much that if she is crying in the back seat of the car, I can calm her by reciting this book. (It's not hard for an adult to recite this book from memory.)

My daughter, aged 4, was a little bit confused at the book when it first arrived. She didn't like that it didn't have words. After "reading" it with her a couple of times, it has fast become one of her favorites.
More then once I have found her in bed "reading" this book by herself and she will still pick this book on occasion for one of her bedtime stories.

My boys, ages 5 and 7, love this book. It is the last book we look at each night. They read about two books and then want to look at the Zoom book for "quiet time" before they put their heads on the pillows. They have not grown tired of it. It brings such an amazing perspective to life! Some things aren't quite what they seem! Great lesson!

The book came in a very good condition and precisely at the time Amazon estimated. I was also satisfied with the careful packaging of the parcel. Well done!

I am a middle school teacher, and I use this book as a community building activity. It's great!

The series of pictures in Zoom are fascinating discussion prompters and for the adept trainer (in areas of communication, leadership, problem-solving, decision-making, etc.) they pose endless possibilities for engaging and meaningful workshops about not having the full picture, the importance of understanding the world around us, or utilizing specific communication or leadership techniques to solve problems.

What a great book I recommend it for anyone. Another great book I would love to recommend is The Secret by Rhonda Burns. Very inspirational nd motivating for everyone.

this book helps you help yourself, the directions are clear and easy to
follow, you just have to make the time to do what is instructed to do.
and beleive in it

Loved the book - very informative with lots of direction to start communicating with the Angelic realm. Loved the step by step instructions as well as the personal stories of students who rec'd messages from the angels. I highly recommend the book to anyone interested in this subject.

I could see and speak to angels before this book- my fortay. I loved them and still do. Everything happens for a reason. So, one day my best gf's mom was hosting a seminar on this book and invited me- several times. My parents too. I thought arragantly "naw, i can already speak to them, i don't need this class!" than my gaurdian and my other gf's gaurdian Caleb nugded me to read it. So i stopped being a little pest and read it. Very very wonderful. Understandable and opening. After reading this, its eaiser to sometimes speak with them and truly a help in my life even more than before.

I read this book almost a year ago and just recently took a class with one of the authors, Trudy Griswold. She is an incredible woman and helped me further to be able to talk with and write to my angels. It was one of the most amazing evenings, very emotional and helpful. I highly recommend this book to anyone and a class if they can find a facilitator or one of the authors nearby!

This was a candid autobiography by Greg Louganis. It discusses his struggles with coming out of the closet, being pushed to the limit by his father and diving coach, an abusive relationship, prejudice, being tested HIV positive, and other ordeals he had to live thru to get to where he is today. I learned a lot about Mr. Louganis by reading this book and hope you will too. It was that good.

Breaking the Surface is an autobiography of Greg Louganis's life. Louganis talks about the problems he encountered throughout his life and how he had to overcome them. He also talked about his accomplishments. His friends and family were there along the way, to protecting him from the world and the ones who tried to manipulate him. In this book Greg Louganis displays acts of courage and a true sense of self.
Louganis did a nice job writing his autobiography because he discussed his ups and downs. He didn't try to make himself look better than what he was. He just told the truth even if it was dissatisfying. Breaking the Surface has its flaws, like reading points of his life that maybe you didn't want to know about. Many people can relate to this book and Louganis was a one of a kind athlete that should be honored and held high. After reading Breaking the Surface you will appreciate your life and have more respect for other people and what they go through.

This book was about an Olympic diver that overcame many life difficulties such as is sexuality, depression,ect.. As an athleate Greg Louganis was the best diver ever in U.S. history. I thought this book was very interesting because i got to see how homosexual people view life. This book is easy to read and i think many people could relate to this book such as athletes or just people.

The reason that I first read this book was that I wanted to read a book written by a gay author. I knew nothing about Greg Louganis or the fact that he smacked his head during the Olympics. All I knew was that he was gay and was a swimmer. I checked it out from the library and ended up reading it in two days, which is a record for me because I procrastinate.

Greg and Eric put together Greg's story very well, never once causing me to wonder what was going on. From the very beginning I was amused by Greg's thoughts and concerned although he was talking about something that had happened over a decade ago (seven years ago when the book was written). Greg did not tell his story from a casual perspective. He was upfront with his emotions and I felt like I really got to know who this guy was and I came to care a great deal about him.

Greg Louganis is the sort of person that should be admired and respected not only for his athletic and acting (let's just think about Jeffrey here...) accomplishments but for his strength and courage. For someone who used to have such a distorted self-perception he grew into a rather wise and very beautiful man. He tells his life story with such compassion, humour, and care that it's difficult to believe he used to think so poorly of himself.

This man is one of my role models and I highly suggest that anyone and everyone read this book.

It took a lot of guts for Greg Louganis to reveal his gayness to his family and to the public. I remember when it happened, how surprised I was. A little angry too- I didn't approve of such a lifestyle at the time. Reading these memoirs made me appreciate the struggle he and other gays go through. As an African-IN-America, I have my own struggle, so I could certainly relate. The book is inspiring because with all the hardships, Greg Louganis has found happiness. All struggles should yield such results! Power to you Greg!