Educational Books

If you like Good Night Moon, you will love this as well. I told my husband that when are girls are too big for bedtime stories, I will want him to read me these two books at bedtime. They are so soothing. My girls both love looking at the details of the pictures. This is a classic.

Illustrates animals going to bed! I love books that show everyone is going to sleep!

What a wonderful story! The rhyming text is a pleasure to read, and the book progresses from day to night, making it a perfect bedtime story. I've read it so many times to my five year old twins that we now know it by heart. Get it!!!

My son loves to read books, but this one does not keep his attention. He likes Goodnight Moon, the Boyton Books, and others, but this doesn't keep his interest. I do like that it shows various animals and their noises.

This is one of my favorite books to read to my son. The prose is beautiful, concise, and profound. It's a very subtle book and takes some quiet time to truly appreciate it. The Big Red Barn is a picture of utopia; animals coexisting in peace, playing throughout the day, and then resting at night.

The Great Brain is one of the best all time books for boys ever written. In my humble opinion of course. The prose is engaging capturing the attention. The stories are exciting and compelling. The chapters are just the right length. And it has all the elements that young boys love from Cowboys and Indians to cops and robbers. What more could you ask for?

But of course, looking back on my childhood as I place this book on the shelf for my own little boy, I realize that the moral lessons this book taught so covertly were lessons that stayed with me: tolerance for other cultures and religions, compassion for those less fortunate, love of family. These are foundational values and the Great Brain teaches them. And the thing is, as a young person, you don't realize you're getting a lesson, you just know you like the story.

In the book The Great Brain written by John D. Fitzgerld was awesome! The book takes place in Adenville, Utah. There are some main characters this book, Tom (T.D) who is known as the great brain, Swyen (S, D) who is the eldest and acts mature, John (J, D) who is the youngest and is always up to something, Abie who is a store owner, and Mr. Standish who is the new school house teacher who everyone hates. Tom, John, and Swyen's father ordered a water closet, which is a bathroom, and they let people see it if they paid one cent. They made forty cents total. When Swyen got the measles, John was jells because he had never gotten sick first and then got to rub it in his brothers face. So one day John decided he wanted to get sick. John went over to his friend Howard who has had the mumps. So he decided to sneak into his house and started breathing in Howard's sick breath, and what do you know, John got sick. Abie had fainted once, twice, Abie died from malnutrition. They had a funeral for him that very day. Mr. Standish was the new school house teacher. Mr. Standish had paddled Tom for not being a tattletale, and Tom swore he would get back to Mr. Standish. So anways Swyen had gone to a Cathloic school in Salt Lake City so Swyen was gone and it was now just Tom and John. Andy their friend had stepped on a rusty nail and had not been able to return back to school. He ended up getting a prosthetic leg.

I learned that you should not lie for any purpose. Like when Tom found a way to get rid of Mr. Standish and when Tom's father asked if he had known anything to know about it and Tom never spoke a word intill his mamma made him tell. I also learned in this book that helping people is good. Like when Tom helped Basil get out of a fight, or when Tom helped Andy play baseball.

I recommend this book to someone who likes smart kids and funny stories. Like the time John wanted to get sick and he got the mumps. Why I think that the book is funny because it is all about fun and making life worth living.

The is a wonderfully, great, terrific book! They need to re-release the Great Brain movie from 1978 starring little Jimmy Osmond! Also, if I may suggest, try reading the Adventures With Boys book series-- Just as good!!!;)

I poured through these books continuously in my youth. I would beg for a trip to the library so I could find just one more I hadn't read.

I had all but forgotten about them until my oldest showed a keenness for reading. Now I'm ordering them for her for Christmas. I hope she gleans as much joy as I did from them! I used to love to pretend that Papa was handing out his sage advice directly to me.

This is such a wonderfully written series for young readers. You really can't go wrong with them, and hopefully my daughter will review this for you some time after Christmas!

This book is a wonderful protrait of 19th century rural America, but people should be aware that it was written at a time when there was much more freedom of speech than we have today. Topics in the book include suicide, religious intolerance and fear of immigrants. There is a scene where the boys go skinny dipping and also one story concerns John mating his dog, so this book probably should not be brought to a public elementary school for fear it might offend someone. Also there are no African-Americans in the book, and while the book does portray Jews, Moromons, Protestants and Catholics coexisting, there are no Muslims in this book, so it is not very politically correct. Also the "I" word is used casually and no mention is made of the plight of native Americans, except to say that they are the only non-immigrants in America. Women are displayed in subservient roles, always cooking, cleaning and taking care of the sick, although all the boys are portrayed as having chores. [...]

this book is enjoyed by all my children aged 1 to 8, they find the rhyming attractive and love the images

A book designed to twist your tongue into contortions, kids love the wackiness and also seem to enjoy seeing the grown ups mess up. Not for lightweight adult readers.

My son read this book at the barber shop and loved it so much we ordered it for him. It is a great way to teach word recognition and promotes fast reading so they practice, then they enjoy challenging the whole family to read the book. As a homeschool mom I appreciate any book that encourages my boy to read! Love that Dr. Seuss

This was the funniest book I have ever read. I found it in the Doctors office and was going to check it out for my grandsons to see if I needed to order it. I sat in the office and laughed out loud, then came home and ordered the book. My daughter and son in law are also delighted with this book and enjoy reading to the grandchildren.

There's so much silliness and tongue twisting going on in "Fox in Socks" that my 5-year old and 4-year old end up rolling around in their beds because they laugh so hard.

This is one of my sons' favorite bedtime books. Initially, the book provided new vocabulary but, now they have got the book nearly memorized, the main attraction is the tongue-twisting rhymes Mr. Fox delivers.

You can't read "tweetle beetle puddle paddle battle" without any seriousness and that's the point of Dr. Suess books. Check the seriousness at the door and dive into the silliness with your children.

I recommend you add these Dr. Suess books to your kids' bookshelf:

One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
Green Eggs and Ham
Hop on Pop
The Foot Book
The Cat in the Hat

I loved this book! I have always had a fascination with animals and with photography, so this book was a delight. It has gorgeous pictures of many different kinds of animals. In response to the complaints that it didn't give enough information in the reviews, I would like to point out that the book SAYS it is a visual guide. If you are looking for more information on animals, and are not going to be satisfied with tidbits and pictures, this isn't the book for you. Kids will love it though, and so will anyone who isn't using it for scholastic means.

This book does favor mammalian species over any other kind of animal, but it does cover a fair amount of every type of animal, and the book does not claim to do more then it does. I got exactly what I thought I would get from the description. I think it's excellent!

so i bought this book a few weeks ago. i keep it next to my easy chair when i watch tv, because i like to watch wild life and nature shows.
today was the second time in about two weeks that something came on tv, and when i tried looking for it in the book , it wasnt there.
i kind of wonder how many animals i have to look for in the book before i find it.
all these pages and all these animals, and just the ones i'm looking for were left out of the book.
looks like i'll have to buy a second book, and hopefully it will cover some of the animals that this book missed.
im not even looking at animals in the north pole or antearctica, just your normal average united states deer or elk.

We bought this last Christmas for our then 8-year old daughter, who's obsessed with animals. We were thoroughly impressed with the the size of the book, as well as the beautiful photos throughout. In the course of the last year, our daughter has carried this book around with her everywhere, reading excerpts to friends and family as she marvels at the facts found within. She LOVES this book! It covers every animal imaginable and she loves discovering new ones - seeing the photos, seeing where they live, reading about their diets and behaviors - everything! In hindsight I wish we'd gotten her the hardback version simply because she lugs it all over the place, but we could not be more happy with the book itself. We highly recommended this book for anyone interested in animals, regardless of age. Young readers will cling to it for many years to come and adult readers will be amazed at the photos and information.

I always read reviews before purchasing and when I read the reviews on this book, I knew it would be a great book. My son is Autistic and has always been an animal lover. The fact that this book has superb pictures alone is the perfect choice for any child! Another bonus is the wonderful variety of animals and the extent of information provided. My son has carried the book to school almost every day, regardless of how much it weighs! You can't go wrong, I promise. Thank you to a fabulous author, David Burnie!

I wanted a book that showed all types of animals for my grandchildren to look at. This book has beautiful color pictures of every animal imaginable. As the children age (they are only 6 and 4 yrs old ) and are able to read at higher levels, they can learn about each animal in great detail.

The photography is beautiful, vivid colors, and explanations of everything is provided. I see them picking this book up as teenagers and still finding something they missed.

Review by Sherry North, Author, Because You Are My Baby

Bold artwork and simple text combine to offer an outstanding introduction to trains for young children. There are only a few words on each page, making it a quick read-aloud that will hold the attention of even very young toddlers. The text describes the different types of cars in a freight train, then follows the train through tunnels, past cities, in daylight and darkness. Satisfying and highly recommended.

My 3 yr old grandson loves this book. The "story" is so simple but allows the reader many way of expanding the story through sound effects, color recognition, parts of the locomotive, parts of the track bed, speeding train sounds, it's going,... going,... gone.

Freight Train/Tren de cargaSimple words with simple images. You can hear the "click clack" of the train coming down the track, the chugging sound of the steam engine, and the sound of the horn as it approaches and then moves away. My daughter loved this book before she could even say the words.

My oldest son loved this book. It was his favorite when he was little. It builds on vocabulary; you can count the cars, name the colors, and look at different scenarios. I learned a lot about trains by reading this book to them. I am raising my children bilingual and when I found it in English and Spanish I knew I had to get it for them. It also helped me remember the words in Spanish, which I had forgotten. I must have for any child that likes trains. Donald Crews again has delighted us with a masterpiece.

My 2 year old son is obsessed with trains - he loves this book. It is very short and the pictures are well drawn. This books shows the difference between a hopper car and a box car, etc so now when we see a real train he can tell me what kind of cars they are.

I saw this book in a shop while on vacation. Once home I ordered it for my grandson (18 mos) for part of his Christmas. I am always on the lookout for unique books for my grandchildren. Books with beautiful artwork, heartfelt stories, tactile pages, etc. This book starts a whole new genre in our "library"--animation!

My 3 year old daughter received this book as a gift from grandma, and I have since purchased multiple copies of this book and the Swing! book (companion book with sports theme) and have given it as a gift to children from infancy to age 3. It is very cool. Yes, the text leaves a lot to be desired, but it makes up for it with the pictures. I highly recommend both books. The cards, which are based on this book, are also neat, and come with stickers so that you can personalize them for a variety of occasions.

The good points of this book are simple:


1.This is a very original approach for a children's book. Instead of cartoon characters, pop-up pages or buttons for sounds, the book operates by just opening the cover, literally.

2.The text is large enough and simple enough to start toddlers reading early.

3.The pictures are cute and captivating. My son loves this book and interacts with it directly.

4.The animal sounds below the picture that you read are cute, but not baby speak.

5.The pages open with ease and are manipulated with no strain unlike many other 'thick-page' books like this.


Overall this is a very clever book and the absolute simplicity of it makes it that much better.

I saw this book at a friend's house, and had to get a copy for myself. I work with children, ages 2-3 years, and this has been a wonderful book for them. They are fascinated by the moving pictures and it is a great introduction to several animals. I'm sure older children (or adults!) will enjoy it as well. It's with me on all of my home visits.

Joann

The kids get a kick out of this moving picture book. I bought an extra copy for my next toddler birthday party. Good sturdy pages and common words for beginning readers.

I love the message of this book, but it is sad when we look around at our world today and see so much "country" turning into city. Loved this one as a child and am reading to my son now.

This was my favorite book when I was little and still is one of my favorite books for children. I add this book to every gift I give at baby showers. A good book with a good lesson!

This was one of my favorites as kid. Then, sadly, I forgot about it until stumbling across it in the school library. It is once again one of my favorites. Cynics might roll their eyes at this tribute to good ol' days gone by, but I personally appreciate the nostalgia and the house with its subtle face parts is adorable. You feel so bad for the cute little house! It is also an observation at the change of time. I don't know how intense that is as a theme, but I found it touching and Burton tells the tale with such heart and care.

We live in a very old house in the country and this book was such a cute story about just that. We enjoyed it.

Another timeless classic by this author. It's an amazing story about appreciation. Completely entertaining and like the other books in this series, the artwork is phenominal!!!

I love the Laura books, I can remember my mother reading them to me when I was young. Since then, I've read then again and it never ceases to delight me.
My only complaint though, is that the illistrations are pathetic. They don't even look real, so I had a hard time seeing Laura as a real person. For me, when I see lifelike drawings, it really makes get in touch with their character. The drawer, Garth Williams, is someone I wouldn't want to be doing my book! I like the illistrations for The Caroline Years. Oh well...still love the books.

I usually buy CD's but this time got the tape version, the first tape didn't even work. I ended up buying it again on CD. Stay away from tapes.

Now fifteen-years-old, Laura Ingalls can't help but crave getting a job in order to help her family. Ever since her first taste of earning her own money, she is determined to find another position that complements her skills. Besides, with Mary away at college, as much as Laura misses the companionship of her beloved sister, she can't help but feel compelled to assist her family in keeping Mary in a place where she is learning, and happier than ever. To do that, however, she'll have to do what she can to find the perfect job. Now that she has her teaching certificate, she'll be able to do just that.

It seems like only yesterday that Laura Ingalls was racing around the schoolyard with the boys, playing ball and sharing secrets with her friends; now she is basically all grown up, and beginning her career as a schoolteacher. But being a teacher isn't as easy as Laura hoped it would be - especially when many of the students are older than she is. And, to add insult to injury, she's forced to contend with boarding with a couple who spends the late nights hurling insults at one another, and living in miserable conditions. The only consolation is that Almanzo Wilder drives in to town each and ever Friday, to pick her up and bring her to her folks house for the weekend, before she must start another grueling week. It is during these long rides that Laura begins to spend more and more time with the older man. But it also makes her question why he is so willing to drive the twelve miles to her aid each week. Laura is unsure of his motives. She is also too tired and busy to spend much time thinking about them. Instead, she thinks of the paycheck that will soon come her way; and the beauty and splendor of the items she can buy for her family as time goes by.

With each and every book in the LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE series, I have seen Laura get older and older. I have also grown to love her as much as an old friend. Laura is such a responsible, mature individual - quite different from the little rascal she was during her younger years. She seems so caring, and eager to assist her family, and see that her sister gets the education she has always craved. It is so refreshing to see a character who puts others ahead of herself. Like in LITTLE TOWN ON THE PRAIRIE, the reader has the opportunity to learn more about Almanzo Wilder; however, the more you learn, the more you see just how much older he is than Laura, and how strangely the relationship between the two of them develops. Another winner from Ms. Ingalls-Wilder!

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

I love most of the Little House on the Prairie books, as well as the stories of Laura's great-grandmother, Martha, her grandmother, Charlotte, her mother, Caroline, and her daughter, Rose. I've read every one I can get my hands on. My all-time favorite of the all the series is These Happy Golden Years. This tells of Laura and Almanzo's courtship, and it is so chaste and sweet.

This book definitely belongs on my 10 favorite children's books.

I would rate this book 4.5 stars. It tells of Laura Ingalls years between the age of 15 to 18, and her first teaching job where she goes to live with a family where the wife doesn't treats her shabbily. It's a good story but it mostly told more of her and Almanzo than her teaching.

This book is perfect for the Halloween season, although it does not mention Halloween specificially. Because of this, I was able to read it to my son's school class for the "fall" season (his school tries not to focus on the Halloween holiday). The kids loved it. The main character is a friendly witch who gets out of a sticky situation thanks to the friends she has made along the way. A fun read.

My 2.5 year old daughter and I love this book! Although we skip the page with the dragon, the illustrations, rhyming and story make it fun!
My daughter loves the animals and loves to quote the book. Great reading for all ages.

As a Calif kindergarten teacher and mother of a 3 year old, I love this book. The story is engaging and witty; I find that I'm the one pulling out the book night after night (which also thrills my little one!). As a teacher, I love the rhymes (a challenging concept for my students in the first two months of school) and the predictable pattern keeps the children engaged and thinking about what comes next.

My 3 year old grandson loves this book. Nice art work and a good story. I think this book would be a great addition to any child's library. I was extremely pleased with the book we love reading this together. I hope I can find other nice books like this for him. His mother loved Witches Holiday by Alice Lowe when she was little and I think this is a equal.

This book is just great, entertaining, educating, fun reading and listening. It's a book about building friendship. I'll definitely buy more of her books. (I have a feeling my son will like "The Snail and The Whale" and "Where's My Mom?":) ) The only other book my son loved this much was "Hello! Is This Grandma?" by Ian Whybrow and Deborah Allwrigh but I think I love reading this one better due to the rhymes in it :)

The book is a great cautionary tale for young and old. The art work, beautifully spooky.

Ah, what a spectacular combination. The breath-taking artwork of DiTerlizzi with the sing-song poem-with-a-moral of Howitt. The art adds a new dimension to the already incredible poem with a noir style that is intricate and revealing to the story--not a distraction to Howitt's incredible poem. I only hope younger readers aren't turned off by the old-school voice.

This book is great! The illustrations are so impressive that even though they only black and white your children will love them. We spend time on each page just looking over the illustration each time we find something we didn't see before. And the story, WOW! This story is a must for every little girl. The story teaches young girls not to be niave and believe every little flattering word someone is telling you. In the end all that sweet talk may just be fooling you so someone else can get what they want, like the spider getting the fly. I will be reading this book more often to my daughters as they get older!

This style of the book reminds me of Edward Gorey. The illustrations are fabulous, if the matter is a bit dark. I have bought this for numerous friends after finding it at a unique bookstore in Portland, OR. Everyone who reads it ends up loving it.

wonderful story with a twist at the end. Wonderful illustrations. Don't in an old spooky way.