Interactive Books

My 2 1/2 yr old son pretty much loves all things Thomas, but he especially loves this book! I think it's the combo of Thomas plus funny animals plus lift-the-flap that made it an instant favorite. We have only owned it for a little over a week but he has asked me to read it to him at least twice a day since the minute he received it. Overall I think it's a cute book and is sturdier than I would have expected for a paperback. I definitely recommend it for any little Thomas fans out there!

This book is really great. It has lots of flaps and fun pictures. My son loves it. Really great!

Almost any Thomas book will be a hit with Thomas fans, but my boys do seem to enjoy this one a great deal. They find the mild humor (monkeys wearing clothes, seals throwing objects, a bear eating lots of tuna) beyond hilarious. They like (and I like) the way the lift-a-flaps are set up, so they really change the picture around when opened. If you have a Thomas fan 5 or under, I would consider this book.

This is a great visual discrimination book. In it, a new zoo is getting ready to open. James and Thomas take the animals to their new home, but many things go wrong: Edward has a bear eating all the fish, the monkeys in Thomas's coach are unlocking the gate to their cage, and Thomas runs out of water. Get this silly book today and write a review about it.

My two year old grandson is totally in love with trains, especially Thomas and friends. He loves anything with trains. This was a perfect fit for him.

Good Morning Engines is a Play-a-Sound book which features 7 sound buttons: Thomas, a rooster crowing, band music, Percy, ZZZZZZ's (sleeping sound), a ticking clock, and the sound of trains chugging on the track.

This is a glossy, board book with 8 pages that encourages children to push sound buttons at appropriate times in the story (indicated by a square symbol of the sound button). There is a royal parade on the Island of Sodor, but James has overslept! Thomas and Percy come to the rescue, but will the passengers get to the royal parade on time?

Note: the batteries for the sound buttons are replaceable, but you'll have to send in a check for $5.99. You'll then receive two sets of three replacement batteries, plus a free screwdriver and replacement screw. How long the initial batteries last depend on how much your child pushes them. My son has had this book for over a year, and the sound buttons are still going strong.

Grandson, age 2 loves anything with that "cheeky" Thomas the Train. A quality book with great music - we never get tired of the songs.

My 2 1/2 yr-old boy loves the book. It's the right size for a toddler to hold and carry along. The pages are sturdy and the sounds are fun to listen to. I hope more in the same series are coming.

For the price you can't beat the price. I got it for less then $6 and there is more pages then $5 books on Amazon. The pictures are big, detailed, and there is a lot to color on each page.

My 2 year-old loves this coloring book. In fact, he's colored and re-colored so many times into the one we got him for Christmas (just shy of his second birthday) that I recently ordered him another.

The book has over 200 pages to color, which is 7 times more than many of the other Thomas coloring books available on Amazon. If your child is young, likes to color, and enjoys Thomas & Friends, you can't go wrong with this coloring book.

I also recommend checking out:

1.) The other books in this "Jumbo" collection such as this Disney one that we also own: Ultimate Movie Mix (Jumbo Coloring Book) .

2.) The Melissa & Doug tri-crayons: Melissa & Doug Jumbo Triangular Crayons (10 pc) .

As the previous reviewer noted, you get a lot of coloring for the money with this book. I ordered 3 other coloring books in the same order, and this one had more than 10 times the pages for less money than one other book I received. I bought this for my 2 1/2 year old, who is just getting into coloring, and I think the images are a little complex for this age. But any child who loves Thomas will love this book.

This is a cute coloring book that has over 200 pages of Thomas and Friends fun. Printed on the standard not-so-great coloring book paper, this book is divided into 5 different sections, four of which incorporate different educational activities.

This means that not only can your child color, but if you sit down with them this book can be used to teach them something too. The five sections are outlined below.

Section 1 -- is all about the ABC's. These pages show large upper and lower case letters in the upper left hand corners, along with a sentence that uses them. For example, `Annie sees the apple tree', and `Edward pulls an elephant'.

Section 2 -- has connect-the-dots fun. Some are simple and some are more complicated but keep children `paying attention' and practicing counting.

Section 3 - has objects hidden in the pictures. There are about 5 objects per picture that are hidden, and there is an answer key beginning on page 142 should you need it.

Section 4 - is entitled "Learn to Read with Thomas the Tank Engine", but in fact it is not real primer material. What you will find are fun sentences that more advanced readers might be able to read, and which a caregiver can use to talk about rhyme and letter sounds. Examples follow below so you can judge for yourself:

A train in the rain.
Drive by a hive.
A toad in the road.
Some jam for a Tram.

Finally, section 5 is just about coloring. Or that would be true except for the fact that the book recounts key episodes from various Thomas adventures. Entitled "Really Useful Engines" , you will find pictures depicting Thomas when he bursts through the wall into the Station Master's kitchen, and Henry when he left the station without his conductor.

Five stars. A pretty neat coloring book featuring Thomas and his friends. Definitely a plus are the neat features one finds that allow for a little brainwork as well as fine motor skill.

We've had this book from the library for almost a month now, and I'm pretty sure we've read it EVERY night. Our youngest daughter wouldn't think of going to bed now until she'd been tickled. (Even our 10 and 11 year old daughters will come in just to get in on the tickle action!) She likes to trade places in the story, and some nights she's the ticklemonster and I'm Tough Teddy. It really is like a little play they put on while they're listening to the book. We will be giving this book to her for Christmas, sentencing ourselves to what will probably be months of reading the same book over and over....oh to be 3 again!

My kids (ages 7, 4 & 4) all LOVED this book when brought it home from the library. It is such a treat for them when I get a fave for them to keep as their own The problem now--who gets to have it? A wonderful book with lively, colorful illustrations.

My kids (ages 7, 4 & 4) all LOVED this book when I brought it home from the library. It is such a treat for them when I get a fave for them to keep as their own. The problem now--who gets to have it? A wonderful book with lively, colorful illustrations.

My childrens day would not be complete without this book!! They adore to be tickled and beg me every bedtime to tickle them!! I would definatly reccomend this book to people whose children love to be tickled, like mine!

The book is a little different that I expected. It will be good as a gift for a single person.

Educational book using multiple art media. Kids like it and it keeps adult's interest, too.

Excellent quality book. Great Price, I bought this for my eight-year old nephew and he loved it. The information inside is wonderful and the pop-up of the ship as well as other items are really cool. Great book.

This version of Titanic is by far the most graphic and fact ridden of the many books I have read about the magnificent ship. It amazes children ages 5-100! It is the kind of book that doesn't have to be read in one sitting, but keeps pulling me back to its pages.

This book has a wide variety of treasure hunts from those for pre-readers to more complicated ones that even adults can enjoy. Included are the clues and where to hide them, and also pockets to store them in. I really enjoyed the indoor ones and am looking forward to trying the outdoor ones as soon as the weather turns. These are fun for rainy days, or for parties as well. There is a total of 12 treasure hunts included. The first 3 are geared more to the pre-readers, and get more difficult with picture puzzles, and scrambled words as well as riddles and codes. It is a fun book, everyone can enjoy

This book has tear out clues to hide all over the house. Each clue leads you to the next clue. I have a 4 and 6 year old girls who love doing the hunts. Some are to complicated for them. Some are too easy for older kids. So this is a good product for a family. It's well worth the money.

This book arrived today, and I am so thrilled, it is better than I imagined. There are 11 treasure hunts with the clues provided, suitable for all ages. I will keep the book hidden and use one for the Easter Egg Hunt. We'll do another for my daughters 8th birthday party with her friends, and the best thing is, we can use them again and again. I know this is going to be one of those books that is borrowed often!

My 4 year old loves Treasure hunts, puzzles, etc... When I saw this, I knew it was for her! There are treasure hunts of all levels in this book. In the hunts at the first of the book, the clue may be as easy as a picture of the next place you should look. It progresses in difficulty to clues that you need to hold up to a mirror to read - and riddles that you must solve. So, it is equally fun for an older crowd of kids as well. The hunt is so much fun, the kids might not even need a treasure! The cards can be torn out of the book and kept in the pockets inside the covers, then used again. Klutz does it again!

This book is an excellent source for trivia buffs and helpful tips for everyday life. My wife complains that I spend way too much time in the bathroom, which is true because I can't put the book down.

This is one great book for reading the short thoughtful and sometimes very funny, and perhaps even serious stories while in the bathroom.

I usually read it a story at a time when evacuating myself (if you know what I mean... and NO, you cannot ask for pictures). The stories and text seems to be perfected timed and written to allow for the initial sit down, to push, to rest, to push, to another rest, to the five minute half time, to push, rest, the final push for any remanants, and the final TP cleaning process. Perfect length of the stories timed to your numbers two's. This rates the book five stars all by itself.

Signed,
Erica Phillips
(My septic tank in Decatur is frozen, ask for pictures)

p.s. Some of the topics include:

1. celebrity museums
3. where Hitler's nephew lived in New York
7. how to do an authentic rain dance
19. two time toilet tomeinging
2. pop culture
5. forgotten history
88. really strange butt true lawsuits
20. really weird noises heard where else.. in the bathroom
72. unknown origins of things

I rate this book as FIVE WHOLE COMPLETE STARS and SO WILL YOU.

Goodbye again.

I have bought my boyfriend a few of these books...the first as house-warming gift. I thought between him and his room mate that they would love it. But by far, this is his favorite. If you love these books, this one is a must.

When I opened the package I was surprised that this book was so big. I was expecting something a lot smaller. Then when I started reading I was surprised that it held my attention as long as it did. Some of the items take up a page or two, and some only take up a paragraph or two. They say my mind jumps around a lot and that is what this book does, it jumps around a lot and for me it is interesting reading and it holds my attention when few books are able to do that. At the price these books are selling for used right now you can't go wrong on this one.

I bought this book for my 9 year old son and 12 year old daughter for Halloween. It was so neat that I went ahead and gave it to them early. They love this book! It has all sorts of neat little notes and windows to open up. My son loved the wolf hair. Great book for kids and adults.

This book is the lost journal of a vampire hunter, Cornelius Van Helsing, related to the Van Helsing from Bram Stoker's Dracula. In involves references to Johnathan and Mina Harker with a twist. The book's layout is similar to that of the Ology books (dragonology, wizardology, Egyptology, and Pirateology). This book explores the legend and lore of the vampire from which Bram Stoker himself created his novel. It seems like something for a kid but it's imaginative design makes it worth it to get for teens and adults as well. There is also a surprise at the end so read the pages carefully.

Cornelius Van Helsing has no intention of following in his famous brother's footsteps, until his brother falls prey to a mysterious illness which Cornelius suspects may be due to a Vampyre. And so, this reluctant adventurer sets out with his man-servant Gustav to discover if his brother's arch nemesis is truly dead. This "journal" alternates between Cornelius and Gustav, providing different takes on the sinister events that unfold. The book is beautifully presented with plenty of interactives like hidden letters which you have to rub in order to access their secrets, and wonderfully detailed pop-ups. I would highly recommend this to any vampyre enthusiast whether they be in the 9-12 year old range or even adults.

Okay, I'm 34 and I bought this for myself. I was a little surprised to see that it is aimed at the 9-12 crowd. I LOVE it though. Finished it quickly and then went through it again to take in all the details. Nice stuff. A little dark for the young'uns though. I enjoyed that it is presented as a story rather than a "fact" book. Lots of goodies to enjoy. Highly recommended!

A very interesting, and yet clear to read and follow book. "Where the action is" was a reading reference for my qualifier exam and after reading it I was hooked up to HCI forever. Very exciting and a "must read" for all HCI researchers.

This is a major work on the redesign of the human/computer interface. It is well written but very deep. Excellent academic research is clearly demonstrate throughout. I would not say, however, that it is an easy read.

Engineering research does not generally have to be as strongly academically founded as scientific research. The controlling factor is "does it work," not how does it relate to previous work. This tendency leads to problems when it is necessary to do multidisciplinary work involving both engineering and science. The redesign of the human/computer interface is just such a problem.

As an engineer working independently in this field, I have often wished for the time and resources to do proper academic studies. Paul Dourish has now done them for me. All my future publications will have to show consistency with this book, show they are clearly outside the area covered by this book, or show the book is wrong. The last alternative is most unlikely. I think I can show my work, based on Darwinism and ontology, complies with the first option. I am certain that my work will be stronger for this effort.

One of the strong sides of this book is that it makes it really easy for the reader - things are generally summarised and repeated exactly in the right places. It can serve as an introduction to the world of phenomenology, sociology and philosophy as pertaining to Human-Computer Interfaces.
It felt more like a mixture between a proposal and an introductory philosophical treatise than an overview of the current state of the field (it carries the word "foundations" in its title for a reason).
After reading it however, I still wasn't convinced that "social computing", "tangible computing" and "embodied interaction" really add up to a construct that can effectively inform the design of new HCI devices even though this claim was repeated throughout the book almost like a prayer wheel.
Interestingly, while the book points out the meaning of embodyment in already existing work practices, it fails to give any strategies on how these theories can actually be applied to the design of effective new HCI devices that go beyond the shiny toys produced at MIT Media Lab.
The loophole seems to be that embodied practices can only arise once the tools are defined, so that it is hard to predict what practices will be used once it's out there - since the way we use tools is largely improvisatory, as Dourish points out.
I also can not stop to wonder if the term "embodyment" is akin to "multi-media" - a belief system that can mean so many things that it effectively desintegrates sooner or later.

So, while it left me not exactly sure that there really is another end to it, it was certainly worth and inspiring to work through this book in a thorough manner - I now feel courageous enough to put my nose into "Being and Time" by Heidegger.
A friendly way to get your brain going!

This is one of the more influential books to grace the HCI academic's shelf in recent years. Dourish's thesis, that tangible and social computing have their genesis in a sense of embeddedness in our real world and not some foreign, constructed environment known as "The OS," is stimulating material but does not dramatically change my outlook on the topic. However, it does a good job of providing useful terms and theory to support our intuition surrounding why TUIs and CSCW are useful things. I also believe that the author's goal of providing a sound philosophical and theoretical groundwork for HCI in general is a great idea, as there are few works that deliver well on this promise. As someone with limited exposure to computer-supported cooperative work before reading this book, I have to say that Dourish also has some excellent (and very readable) reviews of the most important literature in both tangible and social computing, giving a newcomer solid ground from which to consider new research.

This is not my favorite book. I don't like the pictures and the flaps are flimsy. But this book has something my daughter loves. She picks it every time. She loves finding Stretch in every picture and is thoroughly entertained by the story. If only I didn't have to suffer through it! We bought it when she was one and she's now two and still wants it read to her.

We love dachshunds in this family. This is a very cute book and the grandchildren love it. They love finding the dachsie in each picture.

Children love lift-the-flap books. Children love dogs. Author Karen Pandell and Illustrator Jill McElmurry successfully combine the two in "Where's Stretch?" a charming book that young readers will adore.

The family of Stretch, the dog, is getting ready for laundry day when they decide to give Stretch a bath. Of course, Stretch makes himself scarce and the search for Stretch begins. Is he in the closet? No. Is he in the bathtub? No. Where can that dog be? Your children will delight in the search for Stretch and will love the surprise at the end when Stretch's hiding place is revealed.

The text is effectively presented as family dialogue, bringing the reader into the search for Stretch and eliminating a lot of unnecessary words that would detract from the story and make things harder for the beginning reader. The story was so compelling and easy to follow, my 2-and-a-half year old memorized the book after having it only half a day. A few months later, after the newness has worn off, it is still one of her favorite books.

McElmurry's illustrations show the family searching for Stretch as they get ready for their day. The pictures, which fill the pages with scenes from Stretch's family's home, invite the reader in to participate in finding Stretch.

I highly recommend "Where's Stretch?" Your children will want to read it again and again; so will you. You will enjoy seeing your children's delight with each lift of a flap and the story is short and sweet so it won't drive you crazy the 150th time you read it.

My daughter loved this book from the moment she opened it. Now almost two, she's had the book for a couple of months and still wants to read it over and over. She especially enjoys finding the hidden stretch in each picture (Hint: check the laundry for body parts sticking out). We have to read it before bed every night now, and sometimes before her nap.
The flaps seem quite sturdy, and show no sign yet of pulling off. The art seems a little dated (retro forties?), and this adds extremely well to the charm of the story.
If your child likes lift-a-flap books, this is a good one to add to your library. If you're not sure, this is a good one to try: dogs and hidden objects-what more could a child want?