Readers Books

Love it Love Love it! It was kind of sad when Abby didn't get the part she wanted. But then she helped rewrite the script(she's a great writer) so that made me happy and that definitly made her happy.

Have you ever been in a play? Abby had! This book is about Abby wanting to star in the play " PETER PAN ". ( Her teachers had planned it. )But she found out that she was only the Narrater. Miss Bunder told her to rewrite the " PETER PAN " so it would be less old fashion. ( If you want to read more ...... Read The Book!!! )
And I forget to tell you, this is also a very great book!

I love this series. It is apropreite for all ages from 1-100. It teaches morals and is funny at the same time. This book is about a girl named Abby Hayes who wants to be in a play to perform at her school when her grandmother is visiting. Most of the book is about her practicing for auditions but the end at the play is one of the best ending of any book.
I suggest that you read the first and second book of the series so you will understand it a little bit more.

I had fun reading this book. Ms. Bunder and Ms. Kantor are putting on a play. They let Abby do the job of rewriting the script.

The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes Reach for the stars is a great book. It is about a girl that is in fifth grade girl and her name is Abby. Abby has a writing class every Thursday. She loves the class because she loved to write in her journal. Abby's writing teacher decided to do a play. The play was Peter Pan. Abby got to rewrite the play. She was so happy about that. She practiced and practiced for the part that she wanted but she did not get it. Her teacher gave her the part of the narrator. Everyone loved the show she rewrote.
All of the Abby Hayes books are written in two kinds of print, black print and purple lettering. The black print is the author telling us the story and the purple lettering is Abby writing in journal. I love this series because I can relate to what she is going through. I think girls that keep journals would like this book a lot

The Red Balloon is a wonderful story with an adorable little boy as the star character. I bought both the book and the DVD to give as a present to younger children (4 yrs old). I think they will enjoy if only for the visuals. The film is produced in French language but there is so little dialogue that not understanding the script doesn't affect the enjoyment of watching the film. Overall, it is a fun story with a good feel to it. There were only a couple of situations in the story that I thought might be a little sensitive or a bit scary to younger kids .. one being a group of boys chasing the little boy trying to take the balloon away from him. The other a very quick scene where a school headmaster is upset with the chaos going on and he puts the little boy in a room and locks the door. These are minor to the overall upbeat feel of the story but parents may want to review first to consider their own fast forward editing or explanations. In my case, the quality of the DVD was not great. It's an old film so perhaps the age is showing a bit in the reproductions.

Great story....grew up watching the short film and checking this same book out from our local library. Now that I'm a mom, I have introduced this video and book to my kids, and they're infatuated with everything about it. Great, well-made books with lively photos and storyline that holds little ones' attentions.

this book was written some decades ago but the excellence of the writing and the very skilful, thoughtful & sensitive photography which integrates very successfully with the story, are such that I believe this book will be deservedly popular with very many generations of children in the future. I believe that it is a masterpiece of children's literature and I strongly recommend it as a gift to be given by any parent - or grandparent.

I must have checked this book out a hundred times when I was in Elementary school as it was such a favorite. What a joy it was to find it still in print and telling it's charming story to future generations. This is a classic, and a book that I would recommend to all children and adults that want to hold a piece of their treasured childhood memories. This story was told in film on the International Children's Film Festival, hosted by Kookla, Fran and Olie, and further helps to bring this story to life.
Treat yourself and your children to the story of a boy and his friend, the red balloon.

The photographs, the text and presentation are remarkable. A piece that makes a good complement of the movie.

The book Sammy Keys and the Psycho Kitty Queen written by Wendelin Van Drannen is an exciting adventure! I would give this book 5 stars because it was a page turner and there were exciting events in every chapter. I just couldn't put this book down.
Join Sammy on a quest to find a mischievous cat killer. On the way she is chased down an alley by a man with a butcher knife and gets hosed down by a psycho kitty queen. If that isn't enough her archenemy Heather Ascota has the same birthday as her! Heather's brother gives Sammy a lucky horseshoe and Heather will do anything to get it back- even fight Sammy for it.
If you're looking for a story filled with adventure, laughs, and a psycho kitty queen, this is the book to pick!

Sammy Keyes and the Psycho Kitty Queen was written by Wendlin Van Draanen. It all started when Sammy found a dead cat in the dumpster. She thought a lot about the cats after she found another one in the garbage. After her own cat went missing, Sammy had to see what was going on.
This book was exciting and suspenseful because of all the action. I liked the ending because the problem was solved. Sometimes I find myself a lot like Sammy and I can picture myself as her in the book. The main problem was very unique, weird, and interesting because the author used dead cats. The characters seemed very real to me because the whole book was realistic fiction.
Wendling Van Draanen uses a deep voice throughout the book. Very few of the words she used were unknown to me. It was interesting that every time I came to an unusual word she described it. Unlike other authors, Wendling ended every chapter in a suspenseful way. I think she has a lot of creativity to come up with this great book.
Out of all the books I've read, this one is one of my favorites. I liked it because between the rising action there are many problems. Every time Sammy solved a problem, I thought the book was going to be over. I recommend this book because it's suspenseful, thrilling, and funny.
Sammy Keyes and the Psycho Kitty Queen might be a little weird at the beginning. You'll want to stop reading because a couple of cats died and there's a weird wrestler that doesn't take off his cat suit. There's a reason to all that, and you need to find out.

The book Sammy Keys and the Psycho Kitty Queen written by Wendelin Van Drannen is an exciting adventure! I would give this book 5 stars because it was a page turner and there were exciting events in every chapter. I just couldn't put this book down.
Join Sammy on a quest to find a mischievous cat killer. On the way she is chased down an alley by a man with a butcher knife and gets hosed down by a psycho kitty queen. If that isn't enough her archenemy Heather Ascota has the same birthday as her! Heather's brother gives Sammy a lucky horseshoe and Heather will do anything to get it back- even fight Sammy for it.
If you're looking for a story filled with adventure, laughs, and a psycho kitty queen, this is the book to pick!

This book is written very well and the end is, as always pretty surprising. Now to the story...Sammy's life is a disaster: She lives in her Grams' apartment which is only for seniors, so she always has to sneak up the fire escape. Her mom left her for a career in Hollywood and then suddenly she shows up on Sammy's birthday. She came to tell Sammy that she isn't turning fourteen, she's turning 13 because her mom had made a fake birth certificate. Sammy is really upset but then she and her friend Holly find dead cats all over town in garbage cans and they start solving the mystery. At a new wrestling school, Slammin' Dave's,(where Sammy also learns some nice wrestling moves) there's a wrestler, El Gato who looks very scary since he always has a cat mask and costume on and never takes it off, so Sammy and Holly become very suspicious. In the end El Gato turns out to be someone totally different than they would have thougt. How they solve the mystery and find out who the cat killer was, will grab you and make you want to keep reading and reading. I really enjoyed the book and read it in only two days and I recommend it to anyone who likes mysteries. The characters are described good and likable except for Heather and her friends,Sammy enemies. The book is also a real page-turner and i would recommend the other Sammy Keyes books as well. I hope this review helped and that you enjoy the book as much as I did.

sammy keys and the psycho kitty queen was one of the best books I have ever read. If you haven't read it READ IT! I have read it over and over again and each time it gets better. Other sammy keys books are good but this one is the best. I cannot wait for the next book to come out.

As my name says, I am a "cookbook junkie" and have over 300 or so cookbooks. I have to say that this book will definitely be one I don't just browse and file. It is packed with so many delicious (and usually simple) recipes that you will have trouble deciding which one to make first! The pictures are mouth-watering and each recipe has some personal quotes by the person(s) submitting it, just as a friend would do if sending you their favorite recipe. These can tell you different ways to prepare it, short-cuts or substitutions or just relate how their family liked it. There are "from scratch" recipes as well as ones using convenience foods- something for everyone. I have several "collection" cookbooks from many magazines and would say this is the best one I've ever seen! The only thing missing would be nutritional info and, for some of the recipes, I really appreciate not knowing! They are out of this world! You will not regret buying this book--in fact, I'm ordering a second copy for my daughter!

I have been using this book for over a year. The copy I bought on Amazon was a gift for my mom. It has a combination of classic Southern favorites and newer updated recipes. Many of the classics are the exact same recipes published in The Southern Living Cookbook (1985) and The All New Ultimate Southern Living cookbook (1999).

Every recipe has at least one Cooks Chat blurb saying how good the recipe is, and sometimes a new variation that makes it even better or a preparation tip. The recipes are easy and several use convenience items such as mixes, frozen pie crusts, refrigerated dough, canned and bottled items, and pre-packaged produce.

I love this cookbook!!! All the recipes have that extra something that makes you want to get out the good china.

I own a LOT of cookbooks (more than 400) and am both a serious home cook and an inveterate "arm chair" cook. Some cookbooks are great for reading; some are great for cooking. A very few are great for both. This one fits in the latter category. But even more importantly, EVERY recipe I've tried from this book during the first week I owned it, deserved to go into my "keeper" box--things I'll make again and again and that I would be proud to serve not just to my family, but to guests. If you are going to own only one Southern Living cookbook (which I do not advise; the more of these you own, the better a home cook you are likely to be!), make it this one.

this has quickly become my favorite cookbook. i had borrowed this book from the library and made a couple of the recipes prior to buying it. i had to have it. love, love, love everything i have made from it. a must have.

Dr Seuss comes through again. Fun to read, good morals, excellent story.
Lots of fun!!

This is my favorite Dr Seuss book (even though I discovered it only a few months ago). The story and pictures are excellent and (importantly) it is particularly easy and fun to read aloud.

Unfortunately, this book is advertised as being suitable for 5-8 year olds only - NOT TRUE! This book is for ANYONE of ANY AGE who enjoys stories.

This book is so appropriate today, maybe more than when it was written in 1948 (a response to the New Deal, perhaps?)! I'm sure I appreciate the message (beware of freeloaders!!) more than my kids, but they enjoy the story and the pictures (as always) are priceless. Dr. Seuss was a national treasure and his books are all terrific.

This book should be in every child's library (and most adults as well). This is the starter book for Orwell's Animal Farm.

I first read this book when I was a little girl. I was really impressed with it then, of all the Dr. Seuss books I thought it was the best because of the message. The poor moose is so soft-hearted, he lets everyone take advantage of him. It has a wonderful message for children to learn about "users". If you only read one Dr. Seuss book to your children, read them this one.

This book is really a great book. I couldn't stop reading it. This is a good book because it tells you what its like for a divorced parent to get married again. It tells about the struggles and the ups and downs of a parent getting remarried. I liked this book because it was very well written

"To Have and to Hold" is a very good Madison Finn book. I really enjoyed it, and had to keep reading. I finished it in three days! This book is mainly about Maddie's dad getting married with Stephanie, in Texas! Madison doesn't want to leave Phinnie, her friends, and her mom. And then, Maddie finds out that she has to do a reading in front of a hundred people! Meanwhile, back home, something very bad happens to Fiona's father, and Maddie wishes she could be back home. Maddie doesn't want to meet Stephanie's huge Texas family.....especially a Posion Ivy like cousin. Will Maddie get through this wedding? What about everybody back home?

This is the BEST Madison finn book EVER! Madison;s dad and Stephanie are getting married! And Madison is a little overwhelmed, and then, she is asked to go and be a bridesmaid in Texas! So she turns to Bigwheels for advice, then, Fiona's dad has a heart attack, and is in the hospital! Will this wedding turn out okay, or will this New Yorker get more than what she can Have and to Hold?

Summer Vacation is on and Madison's dad drops a bombshell. He is got engaged to his girlfriend, Steph and they are getting married in two weeks. Plus, they want Madison to be junior maid of honour and recite a poem at the wedding. Dad says that there will only be 30 people at the wedding. Then Steph's mom gets carried away with the guest list. Before long the wedding goes to 300 hundred people and about five different affairs. How is madison going to survive?

Madison Finn is back! And in a whole new, exciting way. On the first page, the book just sucks you in, wanting you to read more. It begins with Maddie's Dad announcing his engagement to his long-time girlfriend, Stephanie. Suddenly, Madison's world turns topsy turvy, and she's become part of the wedding rush. As if her Dad getting married wasn't enough...it's going to be far away from home...in Texas! Think things can't get any worse? Well, it does. Stephanie's niece, Tiff, acts like a total spoiled brat towards Maddie. Will Madison's luck change? Or will this whole ordeal turn out a disaster...just like Madison thinks it will? Find out in 'To Have and to Hold'.

In today's fast-paced world, the dinner choice for many is something from the nearest fast food restaurant. Fortunately for us, Tony Casillo wanted better for his daughters. Casillo wrote Tony Casillo's Family Cookbook: A Treasure Trove of Recipes and Cooking Advice From a Dad to His Daughters as a gift for his girls, to remind them how quick and easy it can be to prepare "decent, wholesome food."

Casillo's family emigrated to America from Italy when he was 12 years old, so the dishes are predominantly Italian. There are recipes for tasty, simple dishes like Bruschetta, Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil, Beef with Tomatoes, Gina's Salmon Parcels, Grandma Casillo's Zucchini, Brown Sugar Potatoes and Almond Biscotti. Osso Buco, Gina's Roast Pork with Mushrooms and Marsala, Lamb Ambruzzi Style, Elegant Livorno Fish Stew, Artichokes Roman Style and Neopolitan Ricotta Pie are some of the more elegant dishes which are perfectly suited for family celebrations. Of course, there are also recipes for great Italian classics such as Antipasto, Risotto, Lasagne, Flour Gnocchi and Zabaglione.

Part of the appeal of Tony Casillo's Family Cookbook is Casillo's relaxed attitude toward cooking. In the notes accompanying a recipe for Chicken Cacciatore, Casillo writes "if you don't like anchovies, leave them out...If you don't like olives, leave those out as well." There are variations listed for many of the recipes; eight variations are provided for Crushed Tomato Sauce alone. Casillo even includes a "basic formula for vegetable soup, so you can make your own creations." What truly makes this book a treasure, however, are the many old family photos and anecdotes sprinkled throughout the pages.

The recipes are easy to follow and Casillo's fatherly advice regarding ingredient selection and preparation is always helpful. With its emphasis on enjoying good meals as part of our everyday lives, Tony Casillo's Family Cookbook is an excellent cookbook for novices and advanced cooks alike.

It's so wonderful to have this delicious recipe collection at last. I grew up running in and out of the Casillo family household, snacking and dining regularly at their generous table. Whether it was breakfast, lunch or dinner, each dish was always a treat. This is the kind of cookbook that you will reach for time and again, week after week. Tony, thank you for sharing!

Unless you are fortunate enough to be sitting at table with Tony sharing a meal he has cooked, it doesn't get better than this. Tony's visits to our house over the years have been increasingly punctuated with spectacular food that has always made me wonder where he learned to do what he does with just basic ingredients. During my sister's visits home over the period Tony was compiling his recipes, she would frequently cook something extraordinary and we'd beg to know how it was made. Without fail, she would tell us it was from Tony's book. Now that it's published and I have a copy at my fingertips, I am impressing my own guests by cooking many of these dishes from both sides of our families. The monologue that entwines the recipes with their origin as well as memories of meals past and relatives fondly remembered, places this cookbook apart from the ordinary fare and brings the reader into our family circle. After I finished reading Tony's cookbook I had no choice but to say arrivederci to the bottled lemon juice and jarred minced garlic that I have always kept on hand in my refrigerator. Again, Tony, great job!

Tony's cook book is a must for all kitchens and when you get to know this man through his writing and pictures you find out that Tony is a humble man that has a passion for food that goes deep within. Those of us who share the passion, know what that is like!! There are few things in life that are better gifts then that of food . Tony brings the greatest of cooking to all, a book that he intended for his daughters as a gift and what a gift it is.I tell you ;you will not be disapointed with this book! Thanks for a great simple book that all can relate too!! If you ever get to see him cook live don't miss it!

I have been collecting cookbooks for over 30 Years. At first, I joined a cookbook club in order to expand upon the cooking experience I had both at home and at school (back when Home Economics meant learning how to sew a button on a shirt and make a white sauce). From there I progressed to cookbooks that let me learn how to cook for two (I come from a BIG family ) to how to economically feed a family of four. My collection includes the requisite Fanny Farmer Cookbook as well as the Pillsbury, Betty Crocker and Better Homes and Gardens series. The past few years, however, my criteria for choosing which cookbook to buy has changed. Not only must a cookbook contain reliable recipes made without exotic ingredients, but it must also read well as a BOOK. The text and the pictures are as important to me as the recipes. Having heard some time ago that Tony Casillo was writing a book for his daughters, I was eagerly awaiting this book. I was not disappointed. Above and beyond the recipes, which are presented as a way to bring the family into the kitchen, I found this book to be a charming reflection of growing up in a large Italian family. The recipes are straight-forward and easy to follow. But the family photos and remembered faily observations make this a special book for me. A self-taught cook, Tony Casillo presents recipes to be made in a loving family environment. Above and beyond the recipes (I look forward to making his Cassata cake recipe -- the one I make at work is slightly different) I enjoyed this book as a testament to growing up in a large famil, where putting food on the table was not just a necessity but a shared, loving experience.

My 4 and 6 year old love this book. We checked it out at the library so many times, we finally decided we needed to add it to our collection. Humorous and interesting enough so that the parents don't mind reading it a million times.

This is a great book for boys or girls. It is funny, smart and very engaging for kids. Plus the illustrations are beautiful. This is a great gift for any child 2 and up. Don't limit yourself to non-readers or early readers - this book (and any beautifully illustrated and written picture book) is a wonderful addition to the library of any primary-school aged child.

This book was recommended to me by a fellow mom of boys. My son (age 4) enjoys this book, and we parents get a kick out of the more subtle humor that goes over the heads of preschoolers.

My boys (ages 5 & 2.5) have enjoyed this book so much that we quicky hurried back to the bookstore hoping that Mini Grey had written a sequel! A definite winner!

Traction Man is Here is so fun I had to read it to my grandson 5 times one day! The illustrations are clever, colorful and so interesting you notice something different every time you read it.

Great "Scandinavian" book for a Norwegian like me to share with my children.
My daughter loves all of Jan Brett's books.

I have enjoyed this book with my 6yr old great grandson. The pictures are so bright and interesting and all the small ones on the sides enable a lot of conversation and questions to be asked and answered. I like all of Jan Brett's books. She is a wonderful author. I hope to acquire many more.
Carol Leighton

A little girl named Treva tells her story wen she had trouble with trolls. She lives on the slopes of Mount Baldy and was hiking it to visit her cousin who lives on the other side. With her is her dog Tuffi. Trouble happens along the way as a troll will jump out and declare "I want dog"

She tricks them into taking pieces of her clothing but eventually she reaches the top and discovers they still want the dog. She declares she can fly with her skies but needs all her cloths back. She asks for a push but they can't since they are holding Tuffi. She offers to hold the dog and away she skis to the cries of "Dog, Dog, Dog!"

This is a fun little story and my little girl has taken to it. Probably because the artwork is very good!

There is also a small side story of a hedgehog who wanders into the home of the trolls.

This is a sweet well written and drawn story that will make for any child's bedtime reading. Be prepared to hand over the book so the pictures may be viewed.

Treva lives on the slopes of Mount Baldy. One day she goes to visit a relative on the other side. She will climb up with her dog and then ski down the other side. But on the way up she runs into the trolls. Each troll she meets is interested in her dog. Treva manages to trick each of them into taking some of her clothing instead (mittens, hat, sweater, boots). But just at the top the trolls decide they still want the dog. Treva has one more trick up her sleeve and winds up same with her dog and all of her clothing. The ultimate fate of the trolls is quite interesting.

This is a very nice story with an intelligent and quick-thinking protagonist. Troll legend has been change a little. There is no mention of the trolls wanting to eat the dog (a la Billy Goats Gruff) but instead to help warm them and act as a pack animal. Their fate is also one I am unfamiliar with. Many stories have trolls turn to stone in the sunlight but this transformation is quite interesting.

The illustrations are just what you expect from Jan Brett; beautiful and packed with detail. Earrings and hair ribbons should be paid attention to as well as the happy hedgehog who invades the trolls' home. A truly delightful story from an author who has written more stories about clothes than you can imagine (The Hat, The Mitten, Armadillo Rodeo, Etc).

As parents, bibliophiles, and teachers, we are always on the lookout for good children's books and books with positive girl characters are always needed. This one is fabulous. Treva is smart, creative, courageous, loving, strong, competent and clever. This is exactly the kind of child that we would want our 2 1/2 year old son to be exposed to. It's a fun adventure story that shows how a child can be creative and use their imagination and other intellectual abilities to problem solve and come up with a plan in a tough situation (without resorting to physical force) and then use their physical and creative skills in executing their plan. The last few sentences of the book also add a more abstract, creative idea that expands the depth of the book depending on the age and abilities of the child who's hearing the story. The illustrations are well done - they're good and easy to follow and help the child to understand the story, They also provide additional details and threads for the child to explore. And, something I'm always on the lookout for, it was a great alternative troll story. On the chance that most of his fellow schoolmates would be talking about pirates, superheroes, fairy tale characters and such, I didn't want my son to have no idea what others were referring to simply because we tended to avoid such stories because they tend to be completely objectionable in terms of their values and characters. So, I'm always on the lookout for good alternatives, and this was a very positive way to introduce him to a troll. (As a side note, a good alternative for superheroes is "Max" by Bob Grahm; for pirates try "Pirate Pete", "Edward and the Pirates" and "Pirate Pink"; and there are many fractured fairy tales which are clear winners over the traditional sexist, violent, etc fairy tales, e.g. "The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig", "Wolf" by Becky Bloom, "The Big Bad Wolf is Good", "The Emperor [Penguin] has no clothes", and on video - CinderElmo - where Elmo goes to the Princesses ball). This was my first exposure to Jan Brett and I'm looking forward to more books.

This is a neat book about animals and how they move. The book is amusing and imaginative, and informative on a level that the 2-4 year old crowd can handle. The book is not at all scary, and quite popular with animal lovers. It has about 60 words.

I originally bought this for a friend's child. When I had my son this year I had to buy it for him. My husband and I love this book and will walk around the house saying, "Who Hops?..... no they don't!!" This is such a cute book with fun illustrations and a nice rhythm to the story.

I got this book for my 2 year old daughter and she LOVES it! She really enjoys "reading" it herself. The illustrations are simple and very bright and colorful. The repetitive nature of it, makes it easier for her to "read" and remember. GREAT JOB - Katie Davis !

This is a MUST HAVE book for any toddler.

The colors are bright and the illustrations are funny. This alone keeps my son's attention. The repitions make it easy for my son to remember and help me "read" the book.

Sometimes we play this as a game at the park. My son will start 'hopping' like a bunny and I'll tell him to hop like a kangaroo, horse and fish. He'll stop and say "nooooo, fish hop". I think it's fun and so does he.

I loved using "Who Hops" in my first grade classroom where the children delighted at the silly pictures and the simple text was perfect for their emerging reading skills. Now that I am a mother of a one year old I have fallen in love with this book all over again. My little guy thrills at the bold bright illustrations and the text is fast paced enough to hold his attention through several readings. This book is an all time favorite of mine and a must for any little person's library!