Short Stories Books

When I was a child I loved reading the stories of Julio Verne. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Centre of the Earth and Around the World in 80 Days were my favorites. This new translation based on the original French texts is amazing, it moves quickly and I discovered things that I had never read in other English versions. You get more of Verne's politics here than in earlier translations including such memeorable phrases as: "The world needs no new continents, it needs new people."

The characters are well developed and you can indentify with all of them and how they view their effective captivity aboard the Nautilus. Captain Nemo is a wonderful character and Verne gives the reader just enough information about him to keep you enthralled but not enough to remove the mystery. The intro relates that Nemo was supposed to be a Polish aristocrat, getting back at the world for the the atrocities the Russians had commited against his family. But when Hetzel his publisher balked at the idea because of the new Franco Russian alliance Verne decided to remove any trace of nationality.

What else can be said? The English is not archaic!! This restored and annotated version, is a VAST improvement over previous English editions. The translation is very well done, and the annotations explain what has been changed and what previous translations accomplished. The wealth of background information also makes this one of the best English translations of this adventure I have ever read.

One of the great problems with Jules Verne is that in the English speaking world he is relagated to the category of "Boys' Own Adventures". On the Continent, however, he is considered a brilliant social commentator, and biting satirist, AND a man who predicted the future. This is a volume that helps set matters to the right.

If you know of "20,000 Leagues" already, you will find little different at first. The plot is still the plot. Nemo is still Nemo, Prof. Aronnax is still pompous and fascinated by the Nautilus and Ned Land....

Ned Land is a flaming socialist.

This is one of the major shifts between the original French and the "cleaned up" English editions. Most of the science of the day was pulled out as a "dull read" and all the Socialism, anti-English remarks, and other commentaries of a "questionable nature" were excised. We Americans have unfortunately been until only very recently only able to find these poor early translations, or translations based on these poor translations. There is much more to Verne than submarines and diving suits. He is a man with a vision of his times, both scientific and political, and his books underline this strongly.

English readers, demand your Verne well-translated! Do not allow yourself to be fobbed off with bowlderized versions! To be able to read as he wrote himself (well, in English, for those of us who don't read French...) is a greater pleasure than merely an amusing old science-fiction story from the 19th century. Reading this book, as Verne /meant/ it to be read, if a pleasure, but also a struggle to understand ourselves and our relationship to the oceans themselves.

The other reviewers have noted how the editors...both experts on Verne and the Victorian era science that guided him.. have gone back to the original French manuscripts, collated them to use the best, most reliable, paragraphs and phrases from each, and annotated the book to reflect on Verne's social, political and technical background as if affects the story.

If all this sounds like the book is some kind of dull scholarly treatise, rest assured that the novel as STORY is not harmed, but actually improved by the editors' restorations and fix-ups.

My own path to Nemo and the Nautilus was watching the Disney film version when I was 11, then getting the Classic Comics version, and finally going to the available butchered translation. Even that version captivated me, and sent me to the dictionary to decipher some of the hifalutin 19th century phrases.

Now, as then, I gloss over the endless catalogues of marine biology classification --- Verne as well as Victorian science fans were captivated by the then new interest in categorizing flora and fauna into genus, species, sub-species, varieties, etc. This stuff can be skipped without losing the story.

What interests me is the adventure under the sea, and the way in which these fellows are able to watch the wonders of the deep through the window of a plush 1860s salon. I am also interested in how Verne envisioned the workings of the sub. Interestingly, in 1904, just before his death, he wrote an article for Popular Mechanics in which he updated his thoughts on the future of the submarine, based on the Simon Lake and John Holland boats of that day. He had to explain to readers that he was NOT the inventor of the submarine, as popularly believed.

All in all, the editors have done a wonderful service in bringing the real "20, 000 Leagues" to light. I hope it will attract the interest of many bright and curious young boys and girls of the 21st century when the Sea Wolf and Virginia class subs of the USN have finally equalled the performance of the Nautilus of 1870.

My (10 year old) daughter got interested in '20,000 leagues' after reading the "Wishbone" version (go ahead and laugh). I went searching for the real thing to read with her, and came across this edition. With all of the missing content recovered, plus the annotations to fill in all sorts of additional information, the result is fascinating for adult readers. If you read the usual (butchered) version as a kid, you really owe yourself this one. All of the critiques of Verne over the years that tried to belittle his knowledge of science turn out to have been based on translations that whacked out what Verne really said -- they thought it was too dry and boring. Reading what he really said, plus the extensive footnotes that describe the state of knowledge at the time, make Verne's brilliance all the more astonishing. Just consider that he wrote about the Nautilus at a time when the Hunley was the state of the art!

Verne's prophetic masterpiece still thrills readers over 100 years after its publication. In this adventure, French naturalist Pierre Aronnax is taken aboard the Nautilus, a secret high-technology submarine capable of high speeds. Aronnax meets the enigmatic Captain Nemo, a renegade against society with a strong desire for revenge against the enemy that drove him under the sea. This novel is one of the first examples of modern science fiction. The world of science fiction owes Jules Verne a great debt.

This edition is particularly valuable. Most people aren't aware that the standard English translation is filled with lots of translation errors which botch the science of Verne's masterpiece. Also, the standard version cuts about 25% of the original French novel. This translation fixes the errors, and returns 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea's scientific accuracy (for that time). Also, the cut parts have been restored, so we can now enjoy reading a complete version of Verne's novel.

If you love classic books, and you're interested in reading about one of the greatest characters in science fiction, you have to read this. Also fans of science fiction should read this to understand where their genre came from. If you've read the old standard translation, you have to read this edition to see it the way it was meant to be.

Not only is this book a must-have for all of the lovers of short stories, it's a discovery of some of the finest works out there in the World of Literature.

The artful styles and imaginative imagery are only the beginning of this collection, of which I have recommended to everyone inquiring on my favorite reads.

I recently read a review of the KGB Bar Anthology in the Hungry Mind Review by Gary Amdahl, and as a consequence I went out and bought the book to read the stories he spoke highly of, Christine Schutt's "Sickish" and Lydia Davis's "Old Grouch," and he was right: they are the best of the lot and teach us the difference "between working a trick and the trick working you." The anthology is worth buying for these stories alone. Then go out and find other books by the same authors. I plan to do just that.

Thank you Ken Foster! A must for any serious reader's collection

Though individual pieces may seem forbidding, this collection coheres - with story after story giving you the momentum to read on. By the end, you reach short pieces that actually teach you how to live - something stories and memoirs rarely achieve, even for those of us who consider ourselves serious and openhearted readers. Here is an anthology for the long haul.

I bought this after reading a great review in The New Yorker, and found the writing much more exciting than what I've found lately in the annual 'Best of' anthologies that come out every fall. Jacqueline Woodson's opening story "Fire" is stunning, and each piece that follows took me into another writer's world. This is what my friends will be getting this Christmas.

I'd never heard of or read Laddie until I reached 39 yrs of age, and though it seems it was written for youth I can think of many adults that would benefit from taking in such earnest literature. The cynical part of me wants to call this book dated, but in truth I find the story's lack of modern day cynicism refreshing. Enjoy this hidden jewel.

I loved this book. What a great example of good old-fashioned character and family values. My family and I love these kind of books for family reading time. What a great way to teach character.

By far the author of Laddie (Straton-Porter) is an outstanding story teller. Its warm, entertaining, one of the best books anyone could ever read for themselves or to their young children!!! In my life, this is one book I'm VERY GLAD I READ!!!!!!!

If you want to remember what the world looked like through a child's eyes, you'll want to read this book. Educators, naturalists and Theologians will be inspired by GSP's ideas. If you are interested in the author, visit the Gene Stratton-Porter Historic Sites in Geneva and Rome City Indiana. The story of "Laddie" has many similarities to the author's own childhood, making it even more interesting.

I chose this classic to read because it was listed as a "must-read" in the book A Thomas Jefferson Education to help parents and teachers learn how to mentor their children through reading of the Classics. I haven't yet finished it, but every spare minute I have (which is hard with three toddlers in the house!), I'm devoting to find out Little Sister's next adventure. I can't wait to see what happens with the Princess and Laddie, and am so glad when things go well for the family.

So vivid a story, I am pleased to be reading this as an adult. Somehow I wasn't required to read it in public school growing up, and therefore just didn't.

I read technical and business publications for work and enjoyment. Very rarely do I pick up fiction, but Last Call was an exception. Each story in the book kept me turning the pages and entertained me from start to finish. It's a fantastic piece of work by Blair Oliver and I recommend it highly, even to those who seldom read fiction.

Reviewed by Danielle Feliciano for Reader Views (12/07)

Let me start with a confession: I am not at all a fan of short stories. I have tried over and over to be open to this genre but I can count on one hand the number of times that I have actually been able to finish a collection of short stories. Blair Oliver has restored my rapidly dwindling faith in the possibility of ever finding a short story collection I actually enjoy.

In his book "Last Call," Oliver strips away all pretenses and forces the reader to face that we are, in fact, human. We all make mistakes, and those mistakes affect not only us, but those around us. Man or woman, everyone faces the same basic themes in life (love, loss, betrayal, redemption), but how we choose to deal with those life themes is what is at the core. Do we ignore life and watch it pass by or do we choose to actively live?

Some of the actions of the men in this collection are hard to like. Starting with the boy who plans to use his father's rare coins to pay for a date and continuing with infidelity and lack of love, it would be obvious to detest these characters and place the blame on them. However, Oliver brilliantly manages to get the reader, if not to feel sorry for, to at least understand these men and the choices they make. It would be easy to judge, easy to say "how horrible," easy to say "I'd never do that," but as you are reading, it's not so easy to imagine yourself being any better than the characters.

The main theme throughout each story seems to be of disconnect, not only the disconnect from child or spouse, but the disconnect from one's self. Each of the main characters seems to be an observer rather than a participant in his own life. He finds himself married to someone whom he doesn't like. He finds himself a father to a child he has nothing in common with. He finds himself waking up each day and saying to himself "How did I get here?" without ever really seeking the answer to that question.

The stories in this collection are bleak and raw but in the end, Blair Oliver finds humor in the black hole his characters have created for themselves. He makes it possible for us to see ourselves mirrored in the depressing circumstances, yet in the safety of an outsider's opinion, find a small silver lining. I am honestly stunned by this collection and the stories in "Last Call" will stay with me for a long time to come.

Blair Oliver's "Last Call" is a rare, intelligent glimpse into the psyches of complex, introspective men who ask themselves difficult questions and struggle to live with or without the answers. Reconciliation with the self is central to these stories, and it doesn't come easy. Oliver's men approach significant transitions in their lives, whether it's that first awkward date, the elusive missing component of a marriage, or a conversation with a father who prefers martinis to fly fishing, and somehow, each man falls short but not without holding himself accountable. These stories resonate, linger. The best ones, in my opinion, are "Precious Metals," "Missing Things," and "Last Call," the title story.

LAST CALL is a small book that packs a big punch. Although set in the American Rocky Mountain West, the short stories carry an Irishness, a thematic concern that colors all the tales. Oliver's writing makes me think of Joyce's "The Dead" and Doyle's "The Van" -- painful, yet honest, glimpses of a character's search for meaning in life, marriage, fatherhood, and friendship.

These are very readable, entertaining stories about the complications of love, lust, and family. The main characters dig holes for themselves and don't just fall in -- they dive. They lie and cheat but won't look at the answer to the crossword puzzle. Somehow it's a lot of fun, reading about it.

As the back cover tells us: "About the Author--
Donn Taylor led an Infantry rifle platoon in Korea, served with Army aviation in Vietnam, and worked with air reconnaisance and intelligence collection in Europe and Asia...."

Donn Taylor is qualified to write a story with intense intrigue. He does so, masterfully, and with occasional humorous zingers from fascinating, well-rounded characters, some of them in love. You get attached and really hate to lose any of them--!

Langley, VA, 1975. Another agent is dead. So many lost recently. Is there a mole in the agency? Who can be trusted? These are questions CIA agent Dub Minden had to ask, even of the close-knit group he'd worked with for years. What was going on? Losing this last agent meant The Agency's project in the Caribbean was about to die with him unless they could insert another man-and soon. And Dub knew just the man-one who was already dead.

Mark Daniel, shot down in Thailand and presumed dead, fit the bill perfectly for the Caribbean project for reasons known only to Dub. Complicated and `need-to-know' steps were taken to protect Mark's identity and get him into the region. Code name: Lazarus. Appropriately named, but would it work?

Medellin, Columbia, 1977. After two years, Mark Daniel, now known as Carlos Ortiz, freelance pilot for sale to the highest bidder, has made contact with one of the drug warlords to smoke out the leaders of a huge drug ring the Agency has been trying to put out of business for years--the same cartel that had managed to ferret out and kill the previous agents planted in their midst before Mark. Only Dub Minden and one other know Mark's real identity and where he is.

Carlos plays a dangerous game which becomes even more so when he is sky-jacked at gun-point and forced to fly into Bogota to rescue the lovely Sol Agueda de Roca from a kidnapping attempt. Because of this flight, Carlos misses a crucial appointment with Paolo Guzman, a dangerous man Carlos hopes will put him in touch with the next man up the line. Can he explain and still meet the contact he needs? Can he even stay alive?

When Sol de Roca becomes the victim of an assassination attempt and Carlos is once again drawn into their lives, things heat up at a rapid pace and soon we find Sol and Carlos running for their lives in the mountains of Columbia.

THE LAZARUS FILE has some unexpected twists and turns that make you turn the pages, though it does get bogged down from time to time. Still, Donn Taylor shows skillful writing and a wry humor in the character of Ramon, Sol's dedicated but devious body guard. He kept me guessing all the way through. I loved him. Great characterization.

I did have a problem with the quality of the book itself, though. I haven't broken the spine of a book since I was a kid, but about half-way through this one the binding let loose and a few pages fell out. One of the hazards of small press publication. All in all, though, if you like spy/thriller novels, you might want to try to find a copy of THE LAZARUS FILE.

Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Author: Donn Taylor
Book: The Lazarus File
Publisher: Panther Creek Press
ISBN-9678343-9-2
Rated: PG 13

The Lazarus File by Donn Taylor is the author's first novel as well as the first book of a planned trilogy about subversion in Central America and the Caribbean. According to Gwyneth Atlee, author of Canyon Song, "...it features a man of his word and a woman of convictions, compelling characters that readers will follow eagerly through a world of shifting loyalties and deadly intrigues." It is indeed that and a lot more.
I always enjoy a book that teaches me something, painlessly, while the plot and characters are entertaining me. In The Lazarus File, Donn Taylor paints an accurate picture of life in the Cold War years of the early 70's. Since he was both a participant in military operations and a college teacher, he demonstrates both passion and accuracy for the topic. Donn Taylor's is the non-revisionist version of how it was when Communism was a very real threat to world peace and when some in leadership did not take it seriously enough. While never preachy, he definitely expresses convictions that have been lost in the tranquility of détente.
The story is written in the third person, which allows us to move from Columbia to Costa Rica, from Cuba to CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia. We can track Communist guerrillas carrying out a plot to take over various countries, while U.S. agents work to uncover the mole that has been compromising our undercover operatives.
One of these operatives is Mark Daniels, who took almost two years to establish himself as a renegade pilot, re-named Carlos Ortiz. He claims to be motivated only by money, thus feigning disinterest in politics and non-allegiance to America.
As pilot for a powerful drug lord, Mark uncovers an unholy alliance that has been formed between his boss, Paolo Guzman and political activist, Raul Tizon. Between them they have put into action a grand design to establish military bases around the Caribbean in order aid the Communists in their quest for world domination.
In contrast to ruthless drug dealers and vicious soldiers, Mark meets a wise and benevolent businessman and his beautiful, noble wife. She and her servants become valuable allies when subversives cut Mark off from communication with his contacts in the States. So, along with the intrigue and adventure, we are treated to a lesson about the people and their culture. Peasants and patriarchs who are trying to carry on amidst the chaos that was threatening not only their government but their very existence as well.
The last eighty pages will keep you on the edge of your chair or up way past your bedtime. I never doubted that the good guys would win but seeing how they accomplish it against seemingly impossible odds just could not wait until tomorrow!
As for the technical aspects of The Lazarus File, by Donn Taylor, I appreciated the fact that there was hardly any profanity used; so refreshing to see the language work sufficiently without it. However, I would like to see a little more personal style by the author and less grammatical formality. And, in fact, that began to happen by the end of the book. So I am definitely looking forward to the next installment in this trilogy.
The Lazarus File by Donn Taylor is an exciting story of adventure, suspense, love and relationships and can be found on Amazon.com...P>About the Reviewer: Maggie Harding is a substance abuse counselor in Phoenix, AZ. Who wanted to be Brenda Starr before life intervened. Her reviews can be heard every Wednesday on BookCrazy.net...

Donn Taylor slowly develops his characters and I loved it. You get to know his characters and become comfortable with them. The villians are evil and after 9/11 we know these people do exist. His research on Columbia was extensive and I felt I was in Columbia and could feel the cold in the mountains at night. I was cheering for the hero and being a Vietnam veteran, I knew his choices were hard. Donn Taylor has a realistic, well planned plot and a great twist toward the end. Buy, read, and enyoy.

I don't think I have ever before read a spy thriller, but if action, intrigue, and an ingenious plot are the criteria for such books, then this is a good one even without regard to its deeper values. (But aren't deeper values rare in this genre?) Since Donn Taylor is an old friend of mine, it doesn't surprise me that the two main characters of "The Lazarus File" actually deserve to be called the hero and heroine, that both are not only brave but highly moral, and that loyalty to country and loved ones motivates them both. Don't worry that those qualities might make them dull, though. These characters are as tough as any of the communists and other Caribbean and Andean villains who keep trying to cause their deaths or worse and who also hope to create big trouble for the United States. The throat-slashings, stranglings, blowings-up, and shootings are frequent, explicit, and usually deserved. In short, this book keeps you interested and leaves you satisfied. I imagine that those, too, are criteria of the genre.

Surprising this hasn't been reviewed since 2005.

This is an awesome book. Doesn't matter this is written by and about black folks, it is fully accesible to everyone. Its a joy to read and I'm not the fastest reader, but I ripped through this collection of stories and enjoyed the wit and wisdom inside each telling.

Folksy and down home, like a summer day in the country: hearing the cicadas, a porch, rockin' chair, a tall glass of sun tea and this book: perfection.

The narration is like flowing poetry, and really takes you into the character's world! It's hard to put the book down and not want to keep reading more!

In these short stories, Randall Kenan makes the people of Tims Creek so real that one expects to take a map and go meet them. These are "real" people with a history, with folklore, with religion, with complex relationships. The stories explore a variety of situations - the hypocritical preacher, the family accepting the sexual orientation of a son, the "perfect woman" snapping under the pressures of "perfection," the double-crossed and financially strapped worker, religious law vs. the reality of a hard-scramble life, new life from a May-December affair ... It is in the selection of detail that Kenan excells - the history of Tims Creek refers to well known gospel hymns that perfectly identify the tone of community. Or the mother proud of her son, a medical research doctor in Salt Lake City who would be more proud if he'd stayed in North Carolina. Or the cadences of a southern preacher in internal dialogue - " Fire. Nostrils. The four winds. Breath. Her breath. Some days atale, some days swwet, some days stinking of fish and onions."

These are stories that stay with the reader, begging to be read and reread.

I was lucky enough to have Randall Kenan as a teacher for a college fiction class, some seven years ago. I have read books by former teachers which I have not been enthralled with, and then there's Let The Dead Bury Their Dead. Seven years have gone by, and there are aspects of the stories contained in this collection that are never far from my mind. The elderly woman teacher, Mabel, who is going crazy. Mabel, Mabel, Mabel. The woman whose grandson dies, who then meets his lover, and struggles. The woman luxuriating in the bathtub, listening to Al Green sing Let's Stay Together, as she thinks of her young lover. One measure of a book is how it stays with you. I assume I will take Let The Dead Bury Their Dead to the grave.

What can I say? From the first story to the last (my favorite, a mesmerizing tale about a former slave who achieves a mythic quality to his life) this collection of stories is brilliant. It is a consistently inventive, intelligent, and passionate account of the fantastic, mystical, and ordinary lives in a small Southern town. Keep writing, Mr. Kenan. I, for one, await a follow-up to this book.

A must-read for "feline-ophiles" and anyone who has ever wondered what really goes on inside the mind of a cat. Not to mention that it's a love story, too. The authors have perfect captured the essence of "felineness" as epitomized by those two artistes of the keyboard, Cleo and Tyrone. Their unique outlook on life is hilarious and insightful both to cats and humans too.

A charming and insightful book, filled with a hilarious feline view of the world. Everyone (not just cat-lovers) will appreciate the wit and wisdom of Cleo and Tyrone. After reading their adventures, pet owner may find themselves putting a "password-protect" on their computer before leaving the house!

This is the present you should buy for yourself and every other cat lover you know. It's funny, it's touching, and it gets inside the minds of two extraordinary felines. If you were ever wondering what your cat was thinking when you weren't around (or even when you are!), this book explains it all to you. A really must-own book, and I hope all the cat world becomes aware of it. Even ailurophobes (hope I spelled that right!) will have their fears confirmed: Cats really ARE smarter than most of us and this book proves it! I am looking forward to seeing Cleo's screenplay made into a major motion picture!

I ended up reading it myself and wondering why, in all of literature, I had never before seen a chapter headed "Moving, Metamucil and Mengele." Seems like such a natural. Anywahy, I got this for a cat-loving friend, then my kids saw it, and because we have a cat that climbs on my keyboard, they assumed it was about our cat and proceeded to pick it up, smearing it with peanut butter and rendering it useless as a gift. So I started to read some of it to them as a rest between Harry Potter installments. They liked it and so did I. Though I got a lot more of the jokes than they did. works on two levels the way the old bullwinkle shows do and the way we like to think the new grinch movie does. anyway, cleo makes me laugh. it';s just a great comedy name. cleo. has "k" sound in it, you know.

Let's get this over with I do not like cats. Dogs are much more loyal, always happy to see you and some dogs actually work. You never hear of a cat rescuing anyone from frozen terrain.

With that out of the way, lets talk about the most refreshing, humorous book to hit the bookshelves. If you ever wanted to know a "Feline's perspective on love, life and litter", this book is for you. It's one of those rare books that you can share with your children.

Cleo and Tyrone spend the days dreaming, emailing each other, plotting ways to drive their Mommies and the dog, Loopy Ole Chester, nuts. They views of the world will have you laughing out loud.

Now if only Linda Hamner and L.Virginia Browne would write another Cleo and Tyrone novel... solving mystery?

This is a family favorite. My children pick it up often, even if no one is reading to them and look through the pages. I like that some of the stories are old classics, but many are tales I've never read before. The variety is terrific.

We really love this book for bedtimes. It has a great multicultural focus and the stories are engaging and promote good lessons in character training. My kids love them and ask for them over and over again. Definately a keeper!

My daughter, age 6, loves this book. She is an avid reader, so she reads the stories on her own but loves them so much she begs me to read them to her as well. They are good, entertaining stories, and we like that the table of contents lists what country the stories originated. Also, the stories are pretty short so when your child begs for "one more story" before bed, you can actually say ok.

We checked this book out of the library & I just HAD to get one of my own. I am reading it with my 5-year-old son for the second time through now - we both adore it. It is especially written to be read aloud & you can tell. Charming stories from all over the world give us a glimpse into those cultures. We are buying them for ALL the nieces, nephews and cousins for Christmas this year!!

These stories are timeless; they relate complex moral truths in a palatable symbolic form. They are well written for interesting and animated storytelling. They are not very long. In a nutshell, this book contains the perfect recipe for my active three-year-old! And you'll love the stories, too!

Our young daughter asks us to read this book on a daily basis. So, although this book has been around for decades, it seems to transcend time.

There is something so warm and comforting about the illustrations and the gentle, fun dialog. Somehow the pictures give a sense of stability and safety. It is a brilliant marriage of text and illustration.

The understanding and humor that passes between the three generations speaks to the intricacy of relationships and the intelligence that young children possess. The author knew how to communicate her story without being condescending to children or adults.

I highly recommend this book. It is especially effective as a bedtime book because it has such a calming effect.

Another fun, sweet story about little bear and his family. My son (almost 3 years old) and I have been reading this book every night since I gave it to him.

My kids have been captivated by this book from the time they were barely old enough to look at the pictures. My oldest is almost five, and she still asks me to read this book, even though she has it memorized! It is a charming tale of Little Bear's visit to his grandparents' house. The love in this bear family is so heartwarming, and the sense of fun so nicely realized that adults will love it too. Maurice Sendak's illustrations, which have a 19th Century feel, are the perfect complement to this story. My only complaint is I can't find this book in hardback, and our paperback version is worn out! Two other books in this series - Little Bear and Little Bear's Friend are also great for kids from age 2 to around 7.

Our 3-year-old granddaughter just spent almost two weeks with us. Reading to her has been both a daily (several times a day!) ritual since she was a baby...as well as a source of delight for both her and us. Her favorite story is still the "Goblin Story," which appears in this book. You can easily read it to your young one so that he or she is excited, giggling, and having a wonderful experience with you!

There are four separate but related stories in this "I CAN READ Book" and they are all delightful. They flow from one to the other so that first story has Little Bear visiting his grandparents, while the second and third stories are tales that Little Bear's grandmother and then grandfather tell him. And the final story has Little Bear's parents coming to take him home after a wonderful, but tiring day of fun.

To parents and other caregivers this structure means is that we can read/or be read to big chunks or small.

Contents:

Grandmother and Grandfather Bear
Mother Bear's Robin
Goblin Story
Not Tired

Now my children like all these stories but there favorite is the one about the goblin who jumps out of his shoes. It never fails to get a howls of laughter from them.

Five Stars. Great artwork by Maurice Sendak. The stories are heart touching and humorous. The book is a Great Read-aloud and a more challenging reader for young children.

The reading level on this book is higher than some of the other Little Bear books and it is listed as 2.3 or suitable for a child reading at the second grade level. There is more vocabulary, more dialog, and more text per page.

~a review by Pam T.~

If I ever have children, I would make sure that Eleanor Farjeon's "The Little Bookroom" will be part of their library and their childhood. Happy days could end with a story of a "Young Kate" who sang and danced and planted flowers, then a good night kiss and then a tuck into bed. Difficult days could be made better with the story of the Little Dressmaker and her dresses , a tight hug and a warm glass of milk.

Eleanor's stories are not just tales to be read then forgotten, they are springboards of the imagination and of lively discussion. In the tale of the "Seventh Princess," would you rather be one of the six princesses or the seventh? Do you love a toy as much as Célestine was loved in the story of "San Fairy Ann?" If you were one of the Princes in "Leaving Paradise," would you?

Some stories are funny, like "Westwoods," and some are heartbreaking, like "the Lovebirds," but all of them magically transport the reader to another world. I have no doubt this book will be read until it was tattered, torn, dog-eared and stained with sticky candy.

The King and the Corn - Simple Willie tells the story of a boy (or is he the boy?) who values his father's cornfield above all the riches of Egypt's Pharaoh.

The King's Daughter Cries for the Moon - The Disappearance of the Princess results in a comedy of errors where even night and day are turned upside-down.

Young Kate - Kate finds the freedom and time to sing, dance and plant flowers, for which she is rewarded 50 times over.

The Flower Without a Name - Adam forgot to name one of God's flowers.

The Goldfish - For some, happiness comes from a world more suited to their size.

The Clumber Pup - A young, kind-hearted woodcutter finds love with the help of a dog, a cat and an old woodcutter. Best love letter ever: "My Love! I love you because you are lovely like my Pup."

The Miracle of the Poor Island - A girl's sacrifice is repaid in kind by a miracle that saves the people of the island.

The Girl who Kissed the Peach-Tree - A girl's love of her peach-tree saves a village from a volcano's wrath.

Westwoods - A young Prince woos Princesses with funny rhymes. He finds his true love in the dream country of Westwoods.

The Barrel-Organ - A barrel-organ in an unlikely place lifts up a Traveller's spirit and helps him find his way.

The Giant and the Mite - When a giant with great strength is paired with a mite of great mind, catastrophe occurs.

The Little Dressmaker - What sounds like a traditional fairy tale love story twists into something more delightful. A queen giving her nephew pencil-cases makes me chuckle.

The Lady's Room - A lady keeps changing her mind about her room's decoration. Is this a fable about the dangers of discontent or a cautionary tale against fairies as interior decorators?

The Seventh Princess - Would you pass on to your child a beautiful park and castle or freedom in the wide world?

The Little Lady's Roses - Friendship is kindled with roses.

In Those Days - A soldier guards a barren spot. A fable about following orders when the reason is long gone.

The Connemara Donkey - Danny believes in his heart the tales of Finnigan O' Flannagan, his white donkey in Connemara.

The Tims - In times of distress, the villagers turn to the Tims for advice.

Pennyworth - How much fun can be had for a penny?

And I Dance Mine Own Child - This sweet story of how a book keeps a child and her grandma together is my favorite of the bunch.

The Lovebirds - A poor child's happiest moment is given her by a lovebird.

San Fairy Ann - A well-loved doll introduces a sad child to a foster mom.

The Glass Peacock - Kind Annar-Mariar shares her christmas tree ornaments with the children of the neighborhood. I love Annar-Mariar's love for her baby brother Willyum.

The Kind Farmer - A recognition of kindness transforms a hard, tightfisted farmer into the village philanthropist.

Old Surly and the Boy - A winter's miracle unites an old shepherd and a potential apprentice.

Pannychis - A story inspired by Andre Chenier's Pannychis. Don't hold a beloved too tightly.

I was given this book in 1955 and still have my well-read copy. I loved the stories and read and re-read them when I was around eight years old. I especially loved Westwood and the descriptions of the wonderful ball gowns that were made - each one more marvellous that the last. I also loved the story of San FairyAnn. I am going to get a copy for my granddaughter who loves to read and I hope she will be as enthralled with the stories as I was at her age. The stories are magical and transport the reader to a different world and I still remember them to this day.

It's a crying shame that this enchanting book is out of print. Perhaps tastes have deteriorated so much that the delicate, the lovely, the merely marvelous are no longer fashionable. Perhaps Eleanor Farjeon's sensibility, nurtured in the late Victorian period, and flowering in the 1920's and 1930's, is simply not able to connect with modern readers. But I don't believe it. I believe that the right child can still be entranced by her writing, and touched, even moved by her stories. Of particular note: "The King's Daughter Cries for the Moon," "Westwoods," "The Barrel-Organ," "Leaving Paradise," "And I Dance Mine Own Child," and the exquisitely poignant "The Glass Peacock." It seems unlikely that publishers comb these reviews for hints at what the public might buy, and less likely that one would see the value in this quiet masterpiece, but should one stumble across it I hope they pay attention and bring this book back to a new generation.

The child who gets the chance to read this book is lucky indeed, because they will be touched by magic. The story about the goldfish who fell in love with the moon was in one of my elementary school readers in the '60s, but I did not learn where it came from until I was about 12, when I discovered an original copy of this book from the '50s in my school library. I especially loved the stories of the Clumber Pup (I have learned there really is such a dog breed)and the boy who planted a kernel of corn from the pyramid. I got goosebumps when I first read "San Fairy Ann", and every time I re-read it the goosebumps come back. Eleanor Farjeon is the only author who has really captured for me the magic of time passing, and generations passing. I love to think that children are still changed for life by reading this book. I know I was.

I read The Little Bookroom when I was about 10 or so. I have never forgotten some of the stories, and I am thrilled to have found it available for sale still. All the stories are wonderful and teach good lessons. Perhaps the one that has stuck with me the most is the one about the lady who kept changing her mind about what color she wanted her room to be. I loved (soaked up!) the detailed metaphoric descriptions of each room and to this day, I remember the ending, "The trouble with you, lady, is you don't know WHAT you want!" That said, the little fairy kicks her feet back and forth briskly and the room disintegrates and the picky lady is left standing in the night, with no. . . .room . . .at . . .all. . . Heh! Now, is that a life lesson or what? Buy this book and read these stories to your children or grandchildren. They don't write 'em like this anymore!