Pig Books

Once again, an Angelina winner! My granddaughter's favorite character, after Angelina herself, is Alice so she is delighted to find a whole book about just the two of them. As usual, a small crisis (a hiccup the Aussies would call it) and then as usual, a happy ending. Loud applause from a delighted child and her grandmother.

Don't pay $45 dollars for this new book with character doll. I was told it was discontinued by a local book store today, 12/7. I went to two other stores and found 1 Angelina and Alice with the character doll. There were a couple Angelina Ballerinas left too. It only cost me $27.95. Shame on the book store listed on this website charging $45! Check your bookstores they are going fast.

This is a wonderful book and we have enjoyed it very much. I have checked it out of the library repeatedly. So I very much wanted the book with the doll to give to my daughter for Christmas. Thankfully, I didn't give up today!

beautifully illustrated, heartwarming childrens stories. Even though the Angelina stories are geared towards girls, my little boy, at 8, enjoyed these as well, especially when mom read to him. These are good stories to read to your child at bedtime.

The artwork is detailed and delightful to look at-you'll see new things each time you look, and children love that that every scene is filled with many little mice.

This Angelina story deals with how it feels when we are sometimes left out, bullied, or when a "best friend" chooses to play with other children. Each book is filled with wonderful life lessons told in a gentle, non preachy way.

I highly recommend this series for any child.
5 stars!

Whoa, has Amazon got the age range wrong here. I think some teenage girls might even enjoy this story. Certainly my children did -- 3 and 5 years of age.

"Angelina and Alice" is a lovely story about friendship and how even the best of friendships can hit a bump or two along the road. In this tale Angelina is made fun of because she can't do a decent handstand. The older girls hurt her feelings by laughing at her efforts on the playground, but what really makes her sad is when Alice joins the other girls in making fun of her.

We don't know what thoughts Alice has, but soon she repents her harsh actions and is back to help Angelina as she practices and practices to get the handstand just right. And when the school puts on a show at the Village Festival even the older girls have to give a hand to the great performance of Angelina and Alice.

Five Stars. A good read-aloud and a fine story of friendship. I particularly like the fact that importance of practicing is emphasized. And far from being a book for preschoolers, I think this is a book for 5 year olds on up. In fact, even a mommy can enjoy it.

That's exactly what this book is. Cute. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful, and the story is enjoyable. Angelina and Alice are both mice. One day they meet each other and become friends because they both like the same things. When other kids (mice) at school begin making fun of Angelina, Alice joins in. Angelina is left with no friends, and no partner in gym. I won't tell you what happens in the end. You'll have to find out for yourself.

I recommend this book to children and adults alike.

Even kids too young to read the simple text will delight in reading Bloom's eloquent facial expressions and body language -- especially the tantrum this piggie throws after being abandoned by a flighty love. Adults will identify with Bloom's experience: the devoted suitor in the mud puddle comes to mean more than the flashier yet fickle fellow who initially catches Bloom's eye. This life-lesson is deftly delivered by van Lieshout's nimble pen and her sparing use of color washes to express the extremes of Bloom's passions. BLOOM is a pithy operetta in picture-book form. BRAVO! I hope this little diva returns for an encore!

Love lends itself to the picture book format with remarkably variegated results. Sometimes you get a straight love story like Sara Pennypacker's Pierre In Love. Sometimes you've something a little sadder, if more honest, like Russell Hoban's, The Marzipan Pig. And sometimes you've a title that is oddly sweet like Maria Van Lieshout's, "Bloom". A story of both infatuation and love, Van Lieshout presents a short, infinitely adorable book that packs a wallop with apparent ease.

Though she is urged to play in a puddle, the soft pink piglet Bloom decides to go off and do her own thing one day. And since she loves flowers so much, down she lies beneath a canopy of lovely petals. To her amazement, a butterfly or "flying flower" swoops by and it's love at first sight. Bloom is immediately entranced, but despite her protestations of adoration the flying flower leaves her. When her friend sees her upset by her sudden abandonment he brings her the loveliest flower he can find and then leads her to a puddle where he has scattered the blooms all about. Charmed, Bloom agrees to play in that puddle, not even noticing the fickle butterfly swooping not far above.

The book isn't judgmental, which is interesting. Bloom falls for a butterfly, but there isn't a kind of "stick to your own kind" of message to be had here. In fact, we're never entirely certain that the butterfly itself wasn't leading Bloom on. I mean, when she sees it for the first time the text reads, "They looked into each other's eyes for a long time." But the minute Bloom brings up the L-word, that butterfly is out of there faster n' lightning. It doesn't have a face or appear as anything but your standard wings and antennae, but I label this flying flower a fly by night lover if ever there was one.

On the back cover of this book it says that Ms. Van Lieshout is originally from Holland and has since settled in San Francisco. I wouldn't have pegged her style as particularly Dutch, but when I found out where she was originally from it seemed natural. This book is all thin black lines and understated swoops of the pen. Van Lieshout then combines pen-and-inks, watercolors, and crayons at strategic points. The result is sometimes very spare and often quite striking. Emotions tend to be indicated by either a slight reddening in a character's face or, in moment of extreme emotion, the entire page will match what someone is feeling. When Bloom blushes it sometimes causes a whole sea of red to erupt around her. The blue butterfly she falls in love with is the only color in this book that isn't red-based, and I was particularly fond of the moment when it disappears above. As Bloom stands, four feet apart, nose pointed up in the air, only the smallest dot of blue is visible in a clear white sky above. And when she screams on the next page, a crayon cloud of anger and frustration emerges from her, reminding the reader of the pigeon's temper tantrum in Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!. This is a little book too, coming in at a mere 7" X 7". Smart move, since I don't think a large format could have supported the artist's spare style.

"Bloom" is in serious danger of coming across as an adult title in picture book form. Falling in love and then finding that the object of your affection doesn't love you back? Everyone gets that, though the romantic aspects are definitely post-pubescent. But I think "Bloom" leaves the door open enough to introduce other aspects of love. Kids who adore cats that don't love them back, for example. An editor once wondered whether or not kids would even dig a book about romantic love. But even if readers don't extrapolate this into other types of adoration, I could still see a serious audience for it. I was one of those kids obsessed with the notion of romantic love. I'd watch shows like Sesame Street with an eye on certain characters, hoping they'd hook up (and back then, they did). So yes. Love is very much a picture book friendly concept. Not everyone is gonna dig it, but not everyone digs train or dinosaur stories either and those tend to do pretty well.

When reviewers use the term "nice" it's widely considered to be backhanded praise. "Nice" suggests that the book in question is fine but not particularly literary. I would make an exception in the case of "Bloom", which I happened to find beautifully drawn, finely honed, and nice. Nice and sweet, this is best described as a gentle little sigh of a book. Worth reading.

Bloom is one of my new favorites!
I fell instantly in love with Bloom's character. She is someone we can all relate to, as each of us has fallen in love with something in our lives. Children have fallen in love with moments in time, or pets, or their favorite snack and adults with all of the above and more!
Maria has done such a lovely job with her lite drawing lines and splotches of color. The design by Molly Leach compliments everything Maria has created. There is such life and animation in little Bloom. I want to know what she does next..... Will she find a bigger flower to love?
I am sure we can all relate to her young feelings of love. I know both children and adults will fall in love with Bloom. I did.... and I am not quite as fickle as Bloom.

What fun. A delightful book about friendship and love. A perfect present for kids or adults any time of year, especially Valentines Day.
The wonderful illustrations capture Bloom's changing emotions with whimsy and heart. Infatuation, love, frustration, anger. And a satisfying ending the reader can really sink into.

Bloom! is one of those rare children's books that works on so many levels that adults are bound to love it, too. Maria van Lieshout has created an adorable and enduring character in Bloom, the little pig who doesn't see love when it is right in front of her snout.
Children will love this book for the simple, elegant art work and will identify with the raw emotions the main character experiences when she wants something just out of her reach. Adults will love it for the universal nature of its theme (after all, do we ever stop looking for love in all the wrong places?) and its perfect resolution of this porcine romance.
Bloom is a perfect gift for the child you love or the love of your life.
(And a clever alternative to chocolates on Valentine's Day.)
It's dangerous to predict what book will become a classic, but this just might be one!

This whole series is such a sweet story of friendship. I purchased them for my little girl and have enjoyed them as much as she has.

The Clarence and Smokey books are some of the funnest children's books we have found. My 7-year-old daughter loves them and has been reading them regularly for years.

In this installment, we find our western horse and city pig travelling back home to the city. Along the way, they meet an old dog with a passion for dancing. My students loved reading about Clarence in the first book and flipped over this selection. Really is a must for any collection!

I am delighted that author/illustrator, Jean Ekman Adams, has returned Clarence to his devoted fans with a second book. Clarence stole our hearts with his first adventure, "Clarence Goes Out West and Meets a Purple Horse." Now he and Smokey are off on another adventure and they have taken a dancing doggie along with them. The same endearing illustrations are found throughout this second offering and "the great surprise"...well is a great surprise. Clarence and friends are gentle souls with silent lessons abounding throughout their stories and illustrations, all of which will delight readers of every age. I eagerly look forward to the next adventure.

When we last saw Clarence, the pig, and Smoky, the purple horse, they were about to leave the dude ranch and head back to the big city where Clarence lives. They've packed their bags and are ready to begin their long journey, over the mountains and across the desert. "Clarence can hardly wait. But first, Smoky is going to show Clarence a great surprise. Clarence loves surprises." They travel, and picnic, they sleep under the stars in a tent, go fishing, nap, watch the clouds roll by, and even get to stay in a hotel. "Clarence loves the hotel. He really loves room service. Smoky orders hay." But best of all, they meet a new and special friend along the way. Old Edgar, the dog, hums and dances. In fact, he is such an amazing and energetic dancer that Smoky warns Clarence, "You'll have to watch him to make sure he doesn't twirl away." And as the three friends travel on to see the great surprise, that's exactly what happens..... For those who loved Clarence Goes Out West And Meets A Purple Horse, Jean Ekman Adams is back with another Clarence and Smoky adventure that's sure to warm your heart and tickle your funny bone. Her engaging text, with its simple message of friendship, loyalty, and acceptance is filled with gentle humor and begs to be read aloud. But it's Ms Adam's marvelously bold and bright artwork, rich in witty western detail, that makes this picture book sparkle, and brings these endearing characters to life. With a satisfying, happily-ever-after ending to complete the story, Clarence And The Great Surprise is perfect for youngsters 3-7, and is a sweet little treasure of a book, you don't want to miss.

My 19 month-old twins adore this book. They love to lift the flaps and often start laughing before they even get to their fave page...the "Who's hiding behind the sofa...Big Pig" bit! I have to hide the book before bedtime or else there's plenty of fighting over who holds it and who lifts flap. Should've bought two! Lets have more Wibbly flap ones coming out. Fantastic pictures and well...aren't the pigs gorgeous. Tiny Pig just does it for me!

My daughter simply loves this book. She loves Wibbly and all the other characters, especially Big Pig, who for some reason she always smacks. I never get tired of reading it to her and she never gets tired of having it read to her, she loves it.

My daughter loves this book because of the lift the flaps! She absolutely loves all lift the flap books.

We love this book and so does our daughter. She loves the flaps to find all of the pigs. She has loved it from the first time she saw it (6 months old). The illustrations are great and it is a good length to keep her interested,(though we usually have to read it three times before we can put it away).

My kids, twins aged 18 months, scream "Wibbly Pig" everytime I try to sneak the book into the room. Their little faces light up. Indeed, "Wibbly Pig" was the among the first words spoken by both of them. Simply a marvelous treat for me and them, every time.

My 19 month-old twins adore this book. They love to lift the flaps and often start laughing before they even get to their fave page...the "Who's hiding behind the sofa...Big Pig" bit! I have to hide the book before bedtime or else there's plenty of fighting over who holds it and who lifts flap. Should've bought two! Lets have more Wibbly flap ones coming out. Fantastic pictures and well...aren't the pigs gorgeous. Tiny Pig just does it for me!

My daughter simply loves this book. She loves Wibbly and all the other characters, especially Big Pig, who for some reason she always smacks. I never get tired of reading it to her and she never gets tired of having it read to her, she loves it.

My daughter loves this book because of the lift the flaps! She absolutely loves all lift the flap books.

We love this book and so does our daughter. She loves the flaps to find all of the pigs. She has loved it from the first time she saw it (6 months old). The illustrations are great and it is a good length to keep her interested,(though we usually have to read it three times before we can put it away).

My kids, twins aged 18 months, scream "Wibbly Pig" everytime I try to sneak the book into the room. Their little faces light up. Indeed, "Wibbly Pig" was the among the first words spoken by both of them. Simply a marvelous treat for me and them, every time.

A two page essay on why the toilet seat should be kept down at all times - just one of the many offbeat short bursts of entertaining writing you'll find in "Evil Super-Villains Need Love, Too...: And Other Important Wisdom". Covering a wide variety of strange and confusing subjects most people encounter in their day to day lives but never really think about, topics such as Bovine Resorts, French Pirates, and how Judas was really the best disciple that Jesus could have asked for. "Evil Super-Villains Need Love, Too...: And Other Important Wisdom" is highly recommended for community library humor shelves and for anyone who just wants to be imparted with some sensible nonsensical ramblings of a hilarious writer.

During any particular period seated in a restroom this is the one that I will continue to go back to for short, thoughtful entertainment. Pretty funny stuff.

I had no idea what was in store for me when I purchased, "Evil Super Villians Need Love, Too And Other Important Wisdom." The non stop insights into human nature is truly remarkable. The pearls of wisdom are similar to the, "Rest of the Story." The stories are laugh out loud FUNNY!!

Typically I won't put my electronic Yahtzee game away while I am in the bathroom. This book was so much better than any electronic Yahtzee experience I have ever had.

It looks like Amazon doesn't stop you from reviewing your own book, and I know I'll have at least one really good one. Listen: My book is great! you'll be absolutely astounded by all of the things that I know and you don't. You should get it right now and one copy for everybody in your local phone book. If you don't believe me, just read all of the other reviews by friends, family and acquaintences that I've arranged.

My daughter is 9 going on 10 and is tearing through all the Stiltons, including this one. We love them.

This was a Christmas gift for my niece. I read another book in this series and enjoyed it.

I love all of the Geronimo Stilton books! I especially liked the part when Pinky Pick got to give away 1 million of her magazines with the Crunchrat Cheesy Chips! It is a great book and fun to read with all of the interesting fonts. You will like it too!

The big G Geronimo has done it again with a great adventure story, Attack of the Bandit Cats. The illustrator of Attack of the Bandit Cats is Matt Wolf. Can't imagine it? Well believe it the writer of a book with a mouse had a guy with wolf in his name illustrate. Also captured by cats was probably Geronimo, Thea, Trap, and Benjamin's the five main mice worst nightmare.

Thea, Benjamin, and Trap convince Geronimo Stilton to go with them to Silver Island,but instead they get captured by cat bandits. The bandit cats want to cook Geronimo and his friends so they can eat them for dinner. They manage to set a fire and scare the cats so bad that they forget that the ship was made of metal and they still jump off their ship. Geronimo, Thea, Benjamin, and Trap discover the treasure room were they find the first quarter to mouse kind. Then they become famous, but they don't keep all the money.

This book is great and I can't believe this book wasn't out already when I was born. It has great illustration with fancy words. Incredible gold or even platinum sentence fluency.[She sounded as if her tail was stuck in slobbertooths high speed blender!]This book is out of this world and can't be beat,five star not three or four five!

It all started when Trap invited Geronimo to solve a mystery on Pirate Island. So they used this hot air balloon. Before long, they realize that they are being shot by...CATS!

Readers versed in the Wodehouse canon will recall a delightful episode titled "Extricating Young Gussie." This installment in the Blandings Castle saga could be titled "Gally extricates everyone." It's not much about Lord Emsworth, and the perennially prize winning pig, Empress of Blandings, features only in a bit part. The usual bevy of imperious aunts cause the usual sackfuls of trouble for numerous tangled hearts. But the plot, such as it is, turns on Lord Emsworth's resourceful brother, the loveable rogue, Galahad Threepwood, and his Jeeves- like power to make things come right. While some of Lord Emsworth's behavior seems uncharacteristic, this later novel from 1965 is nevertheless prime Wodehouse and a ripping good read.

This story by P.G. Wodehouse is very entertaining and a really good read. A great escape into the magical world of Wodehouse.

Galahad at Blandings is a book part of the Blandings Castle series, but I wouldn't call it Wodehouse's best book. It is a about a couple, Sam and Sandy, and how they come together. They have a fight, and Sam comes to Blandings Castle as an imposter, to resolve the fight, as Sandy won't talk to him at all. Then in the end, money is given, fights are resolved, and everyone is happy. It is a tremendously funny book, as many of the main character are quite eccentric, so I suggest you pick up a copy quickly. Enjoy!!! Cheers!!!!!!!!! : )

The Hon. Galahad Threepwood is back. This time he has assigned himself the dubious task of bringing three different couples together. The setting is England, Blandings Castle, of course, complete with the amiable dunce Lord Emsworth and his prize-winning porker, the Empress, infamous for her role in `PIG-HOO-EY'.

On his way to London to pick up his brother Clarence (Lord Emsworth), Galahad, a dapper middle-aged man eyes the name on a sinister package that Lord Emsworth's secretary Sandy Callendar has asked him to post. The parcel is addressed to a chap named Bagshott. This detail excites Galahad's curiosity because he used to be bosom with a fellow named Bagshott. But the Bagshott that the Hon. Galahad knew (Boko) had long since retired from the earth. Discovering that the contents of said package are a pile of letters that will effectively sunder Sandy Callendar's relationship with Boko's son, Samuel Galahad Bagshott, Gally becomes determined to keep the sparring couple afloat. Having been staunchly opposed to sundered hearts since he was a boy, Galahad Threepwood is resolved to put matters right.

Sam and Sandy's dispute happens to be related to gambling and, well, naturally, the Drones Club. You see Sam stands to gain a sackful in a sweep if Tipton Plimsoll (fellow Drones Club member) weds the pretty dolt Veronica Wedge, Lord Emsworth's niece. But Sandy is diametrically opposed to the whole enterprise, urging Sam to part with the debatably generous syndicate offer. And she still hasn't forgiven Sam for telling her that she looks like a "horror from outer space" with a particular pair of glasses on. Plus, Sandy is a redhead, making the task for Gally that much more difficult - as we all know, redheaded women have short and irrational tempers. Enter the "pint-sized bozo," Wilfred Allsop, cousin of Veronica Wedge. On a bender one night in New York with his new friend Tipton Plimsoll, Willie, who somewhat "resembles the poet Shelley," reveals his affections for Lord Emsworth's pig lady, Monica Simmons. Tipton Plimsoll endorses the arrangement despite his belief that Ms. Simmons has the appearance of an "all-in wrestler."

As it is, all three of these impending alliances are dependent upon each other and the Hon. Galahad Threepwood knows it. You'll have to read the story to find out whether or not Gally is successful with his scheme to reunite the warring couples. Just know that he is a skilled raconteur and "teller of the tale." Gally will never miss a beat and he stays on top of it all, undoubtedly aided by his fondness for cocktails at all hours.

Galahad has many passions in life. One is to protect the reputation of one of his oldest and greatest friends, whiskey. Disgusted and offended by "coloured slides" and "temperance lectures" Gally goes on an anti-Tea tirade, accusing "the muck" as he calls it, of being responsible for the death of his poor, dear old friend Buffy Struggles, who "got run over by a hansom cab as he was crossing Piccadilly." Evidently, tea had sapped Buffy's strength.

Recalling another seemingly outrageous send-up, the Hon. Galahad exclaims, "The only safe way to get through life is to pickle your system thoroughly in alcohol." The story to prove the aforementioned theory involved two brothers, Freddie and Eustace Potts. Their French chef once served them a hedgehog while pretending that it was a chicken just to save some money. Well, Eustace, who was a "teetotaler" nearly died, but Freddie, who "had lived mostly on whiskey since early boyhood" showed no ill effects at all after consuming the carcass.

A large part of Gally wishes he could go back to his days at the Pelican Club. There, he would fascinate the members with his inimitable wit, and tireless devotion to mopping the sauce up like a vacuum cleaner in London pubs. Galahad happily recalls his days of getting pinched by the gendarmerie for being drunken and disorderly, vaunting that it would always take three of them to drag him away to the jug.

I recommend this book, especially as a device for teaching English. As the plot thickens, and it does thicken, especially when the Empress gets pie-eyed, and Gally is stretched not quite to his limits, the reader becomes aware that the Hon. Galahad could have been the Prime Minister if he had wanted to. Threepwood is a leader of the first rank - truly a man that we can all look up to. What Ho, Gally?

P.G. Wodehouse once said that you could write about life as it is or as musical comedy. He chose to do the latter. As a result, I strongly prefer to listen to audio recordings of Mr. Wodehouse's novels. The dramatic portrayals add a great deal to the humor of the stories. This is the first one that I have heard by Jeremy Sinden. He is very talented and flexible in his characterizations, moving easily from men to women, from one English class to another, and even to including Americans.

If you are familiar with the stories about Jeeves and the gentleman he serves, Bertram (Bertie) Wooster, which Mr. Wodehouse also wrote, you will feel at home with this tale, as well. Galahad plays the Jeeves-like role, but with greater elan than Jeeves ever did. You'll like Galahad. He's never let a pal down, and he has lots of them from his days carousing at the old Pelican Club. He's the bright, ne'er-do-well younger brother of Clarence, Lord Emsworth (who is fond of pigs, especially his prize-winning, Empress of Blandings, and his peace and quiet).

The story begins with a misunderstanding (not unlike the ones that Shakespeare used in his comedies -- it must be something about the water in England). An American millionaire, Tipton Plimsoe (I apologize for the fact I may have the spellings wrong in this review, since I have only heard the audio cassettes), runs into his fiancee's cousin, and they imbibe a bit too much. In the middle of the night, he awakens to find himself in jail. Someone has taken the millionaire's wallet, so he has no money to post bail. The cousin remembers that Lord Emsworth is in New York, staying at the Plaza, so they call him. Lord Emsworth is a little simple and has a poor memory. Although he dispatches the $20 by messenger to release the two, he mistakenly interprets this as meaning that the millionnaire has lost all of his money in the stock market crash of 1929 (the backdrop of this story).

The consequences of this misunderstanding almost cause three sets of lovers to be kept apart and Lord Emsworth to become engaged to a most unsuitable person. Worse yet, the Empress of Blandings herself is put at risk!

You might think that such a story would have a very predictable plot. Nothing could be less true. Just when the plot seems to be comfortably taking you left, Wodehouse puts in a complication that suddenly causes a u-turn. Then, when you get settled into that direction, he sends you off suddenly at a 45 degree angle. And pretty soon, you are overwhelmed with complications to keep you amusingly occupied with how in the world this can ever be straightened out . . . even though you have a pretty good idea of how things must turn out eventually.

But the complications serve an important purpose beyond keeping up the suspense. They also provide wonderful chances to show the true nature of the characters, and to flesh them out. This I found to be particularly well done in this book. Basically, Wodehouse likes to contrast those who care about others in a sincere way with those who are only concerned with their self-interest. The self-obsessed people unwittingly do themselves in, while the caring people somehow muddle through. The caring people have to also clean up the messes the self-interested ones make.

This book includes two of P.G. Wodehouse's most intimidating and unstoppable older women, Clarence's and Galahad's sister, Lady Hermione, and her friend, Dame Daphne Winkworth, who has her eye on Clarence. The upper class men are, as usual, very unintelligent (except for Galahad), which makes for much of the humor.

I suggest that you use your experience with hearing the narration of this story to think of a story that you would like to read aloud to a child you know. Then do so. Be sure to pick one that you can make very entertaining and which teaches valuable lessons.

See the humor . . . even in the worst circumstances!

It's February 3rd, and Groundhog is feeling genuinely unappreciated. People pay attention to him for only one day a year, and he has so much more to offer! He tells his story to the readers and to an on-the-page audience of three: a crow, a squirrel, and a young groundhog who's a reporter and a fan. Groundhog covers the topics of alternate names (whistle pig, woodchuck), his rodent classification, digging prowess, eating habits, and hibernation. The young groundhog takes notes and photos as Groundhog pontificates. Initially skeptical, the crow and squirrel are gradually won over, convinced that Groundhog's not so bad after all. By the last page -- even the front and rear end papers are part of the story -- we see that the young groundhog has written this very book in our hands, as a way to promote his idol. "Groundhog Gets a Say" isn't quite about Groundhog Day, but it's still a great supplement to the holiday genre, with many asides and tidbits to point out on every page.

It's February 3rd and Groundhog is fed up: yesterday he was hot news; today he is nothing. He's tired of one-day fame, and he's determined to promote Groundhog Appreciation Month! Denise Brunkus provides the funny drawings as Groundhog displays his many talents other than weather prediction.

In Pam Swallow's delightful picture book, charmingly illustrated by the amazingly talented Denise Brunkus, the lowly groundhog hog finally gets his say. With wit and humor, author and artist present a tale of this much maligned creature. Who would have known that ground hogs whistle, can move about seven hundred pounds of dirt in a day and have their own indoor plumbing? It's fascinating. Kids, parents, and teachers will love this book. After reading it, I agree with the groundhog - he/she deserves not just a day of recognition, but a month. A year!

I am an elementary school librarian. I used this book in a lesson on Groundhog Day. The story does an excellent job of weaving lots of facts into a cute story. The kids (and I) learned many facts about groundhogs. However, I found this story to be a little too complicated for kindergarten and first grade. The book includes so much non-fiction alongside the 120-year-old folktale about a marmot predicting the weather that little kids have trouble sorting out what's real and what's not. I was afraid that they'd come to school in shorts when Phil didn't see his shadow.
This is a fantastic story to use with 2nd grade and beyond, but I recommend something less complex (like Pat Miller's Substitute Groundhog) for younger kids.

This is a real winner - and a nice change from the typical Groundhog stories you find this time of year. Groundhog is smart, funny and gives a lot of neat information about groundhogs to curious young readers. I will be adding this book to my first grade read-aloud list for early February from now on. And did I mention that the illustrations are terrific too!

I saw this book while I was on a trip to Italy and wished that I had bought it. I was pleased to find it on Amazon, so I ordered it. The kids love it and so do I. It is a cute story with a good moral message. The illustrations are great as well!

I love this book! It is easy for me to read and I like the story and it's rhyming. It's very kid friendly.

The most likable rat in Venice has to be Guido. Guido is the owner of a little gondola which everyone loves to ride. With his huge heart and expressive eyes, Guido thrives on making others happy. Yet, little bit by little bit, he begins listening to a few people's advice as they insist bigger is always better. Children will be delighted as they follow Guido because as each page is turned, they know before Guido does the trouble he's heading into. But, it appears that Guido only listens to those that say bigger is better. The beautiful, water-color illustrations capture Guido's zest and aim to please. Guido's Gondola is a wonderful, morality tale of tranquility and peace versus greed. Though the message is obvious to adults, children will learn from the tale without even realizing a message is being taught. Children will be eager each time they listen to find out if 'bigger and better' really will make Guido happier.

How hard is it for us to learn to be happy with what we have and realize that peace and contentment come with that attitude? This delightful book written in rhyme teaches just that to younger children while they fall in love with Guido, the young rat who loves to guide his gondola for tourists. Students love books with rhyme and rhythm. I loved these books, bought them for my library and shared them with over 400 students! My primary students were thrilled with the books! Many of the children bought this book after hearing the charming story. The pictures are captivating. Kudos to Renee Riva and Steve Bjorkman. We also love her other book, Izzy the Lizzy!

Does having more and bigger stuff really make a young rat happy? Follow Guido on his adventure and find out. It's a message parents will want to share, written in a way their children will want to hear.