Festivals Books

So you are planning a party for your youngster and are trying to remember some fun games from way back, but your mind goes suddenly blank? Here is a collection of twenty fun and simple games for young children, that also very easily lend themselves to variations as you go along. The games described don't involve complicated rules or require elaborate preparations and are clearly and attractively presented. For each game, there is also some advice on safety issues and some ideas for variations. A very useful resource. Worked very well for my four year old's recent birthday party.

I recently gave a party for my 7 year old using games from this book. They had a blast! The games are VERY simple and definitely only for the age group that was recommended by Amazon. Most are the classics that you probably know already but when you sit down to think of things to do, you forget. Its a handy reference guide and not expensive. If you are looking for more complex or unique games, this isn't for you. But for the purpose it was intended, they nailed it. Oh, and it comes with the game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey...I bet that is at least $2-3 by itself in the store!

This is a great book from start to finish. My family enjoy the illustrations and the story. It has become a tradition each yr to read this.

This is the second book we own by this author. As parents we really love the message and the kids enjoy the story over and over again! Great illustrations and a wonderful message that is not based just on being a "Christmas" book. Great story.

This adorable story was enjoyed by the entire family! We laughed out loud when we first saw the book and we laughed out loud when we shared it with the children. It is clever and beautifully presented. Smiles lingered long after the story was over. Everything is marvelous: the title, the message, the text, and the illustrations. It has quickly become a favorite at our house and we were inspired to try out many of the dances, expecially the Conga Line. This book made a charming addition to our home library. In the Fall, Lily will be taking another trip...to my elementary school classroom! Applause, Applause for PRANCING DANCING LILY!!!

"Prancing, Dancing Lily" is bound to become a picture book classic. A perfect marriage between Marsha Arnold's charming text (complete with rhymed messages from her unsinkable cow heroine) and John Mander's laugh-out-loud illustrations, this book will have children prancing and dancing right along with Lily. And they'll even pick up a little geography along the way!

My 18 month old loves Little Bill. The shows and the books intrigue him and hold his attention. He loves identifying the characters in the books and listening to me read to him. I highly recommend the entire series.

This interactive book is great for toddler that want to participate in reading. Parents will love this book because of its content. This book was so great that I have purchase the others in the series. Check out the Saturday morning show too!

I read THE PROMISE and loved it. It's a great Christmas story for kids. I know they will love it too!

I read The Promise as a chapter book to my children (ages 3 to 7 yrs) at bedtime, around Christmas this year. I have never seen my children more anxious to get to bed than that week or two that it took to finsih the story. I was as interested as they were to find out how Sara, Jamie and Matt would make out on this Enchanted Christmas Eve. Great Story!

My 3-year-old granddaughters can't get enough of this book - we read it at bedtime, over and over, every night. They love the pictures and the rhymes, and recite them along with me. When is Simon Davies going to give up more of the same?

This book not only contains bright, spectacular illustrations, but includes large flaps and a variety of textures that will keep a toddler's interest and contains humor that a older sibling would enjoy. The theme is about kisses which makes it a perfect choice for Valentine's Day or any occasion.

This book tells the story of a pumpkin fair or pumpkin fest. The rhyming text describes about all the events at the fair- -the pumpkin band, pumpkin bowling, and pumpkin meals. The book is quite fun, but some kids may be unnerved by the broken pumpkins at the pumpkin basketball hoop (and some parents may not like the pumpkin stew being termed gooey and not edible). The rhymes and easy to read font will make this book a delight for beginning readers. The book contains about 550 words.

As a grower of giant pumpkins, I take exception to the professional review which dings this book for not having enough "bite" and (heavens!) not even mentioning Halloween. Pumpkins are fun and so is this book. There is something inherently charming about a small town pumpkin festival, and this one has a distinctly New England look to it that reminds me of when we used to live in New Hampshire. This celebration of a simple fruit, with fun for your pre-school and early grade school children is fun to read aloud, without succombing to the modern cultural prerequisite for a witch with a wart on nose. The writing does get a bit sing-song in places, but quite tolerable to my adult ear overall. Enjoy some good clean autumn fun and read this to your kids. God bless!

Mary Jo Roberts illustrates this celebration of the Pumpkin Fairy, who discovers her magic powers in defense of the pumpkins in the pumpkin patch. The Pumpkin Fairy will require parental assistance or good reading skills, but presents a fun and different story of Halloween and magic which will intrigue parents and kids alike.

A sweet story, my three children love it! The illustrations are amazing! Beautiful, bright with vivid color and wonderful detail. In a world where Halloween has received such a bad rap, finally a book to restore the magic of Halloween. I bought several for gifts. I Highly recommend it!

"The Pumpkin Patch" by Margaret McNamara. Illustrated by Mike Gordon.
Aladdin Paperbacks, Simon & Schuster, New York, 2003

This is a "Ready To Read" book that begins with Mrs. Connor bringing her first grade class to the "Pumpkin Patch" to pick out a pumpkin for Halloween, and Katie wanted to find the perfect pumpkin. All throughout the long bus ride (on a standard yellow school bus), Katie dreamed about the "perfect pumpkin". BUT! When she finally chose a pumpkin, Katie's ideal pumpkin did not meet the expectations of all the other kids, Emma and Ayanna and Neil and James. Not round! Not big! Not tall! Too, too small! Katie realized that her pumpkin was too small.

When Katie tells her father that she had picked a "... bad pumpkin", Dad knows just what to do. What they do together is the central theme of the entire book, and I will not tell you here how the father solves the dilemma. This is an excellent Halloween book, especially for individuals who are concerned that Halloween is really an ancient pagan Celtic feast. By the way, one of the reasons that we purchased this book for our granddaughter, Tabitha, is that my wife, a widow, was Mrs. Connor, a school teacher, before she married me, a widower.

My son reads at an early first grade level and found this book to be only slightly challenging and plenty of fun to read. The story was interesting, which is always an important motivator. The pages have colorful pictures and are not overly wordy, which can somtimes overwhelm beginners. Finally, most of the words are phonetic, with very few sight words, which was great for us, as my son gets frustrated when a story has too many new sight words that he doesn't know.

What a wonderful way to bring out the "budding artist" in little ones. Creativity needs to be nourished and encouraged and Lyle's book allows a child to freely express their own interpretation as they illustrate the pages. It also provides a venue for quality time shared. I thought the story was well written and I hope Lyle has more books "in the making".

This book is one of the best children's books I have ever read. The really fun part is that the child who is reading the book can become part of it by drawing in their own pictures. This book is a good book for a child who loves to draw. This is an wonderful book!!