Readers Books

In the 106 pages of THE BURNING TIME, Carol Matas is able to take you through tremendous tragedy. And hope.

Rose's mother is a midwife who is known for her great gift of healing, and Rose oftentimes helps her mother. Rose's father dies unexpectedly, leaving just she and her mother to take care of themselves and the land he left them in his will.

Her father's relatives are not happy that they did not receive the land upon Rose's father's death. One uncle in particular feels it should be his and is willing to do about anything to get the land for himself. This is where the historical travesty against women during that time period becomes so real--Rose's mother is accused of being a witch. If you think you know what happened to women accused of being witches during that time, you will still be moved by what happens in this book.

Carol Matas has taken such a historical event and put such closeness to it with her characters. No longer is France in the 16th century something read about in a history book, but rather real people let us into their lives and we experience a different kind of world. A different kind of society.

As a teacher I recommend this book often and every student of mine who has read it absolutely loves it. It is a quick read with a powerful punch.

Reviewed by: Dianna Geers

[Quote]very interesting book but later when it got to the to tourture I thought that that like come on ok thats enough! but then again at a point I was interested in what they were doing to the women back then . overall its a very good book i reccommend it for girls and boys 12 and over[/Quote]

I dont understand what you mean by torture since there isnt alot in this book. Two quick segments and the rest of the book is child free. Your a noob.

on a winter day my teacher thought about reading us a book so she picked this one, the burning time; when she started off it seemed like a very interesting book but later when it got to the to tourture I thought that that like come on ok thats enough! but then again at a point I was interested in what they were doing to the women back then . overall its a very good book i reccommend it for girls and boys 12 and over.

A touching, sad, suspenseful and truth-filled story of a teenager named Rose, and her mother who helps to heal people. And an angry group of people against them. And a terrible, powerfull man who comes to their town.
This is story involves risk, love, betrayal, you name it... This book has it all. I highly reccomend it.
However, only for teenagers and very mature children. It is based on the horrid witch hunts and does include some disturbing things.
If you have a chance to read it, do! I could hardly put it down. The suspence will catch you and hold you. A great tale.
It also brings truth to what really happened in the witch hunts so long ago... A must-read.
Enjoy!

Carol Matas, best known for the "Of Two Minds" novels and her various Holocaust fictions, has created a shocking novella about two women who find themselves trapped in a witch hunt in Renaissance France.

Suzanne Rives, a beautiful and fiercely independent widow and skilled midwife, refuses advances from two men to live with her daughter, the main character Rose. People have already been suspicious of her herbal treatments, but when a witch hunter spreads terror in the town comes, Suzanne's fate is sealed.

However, Rose still has some allies: Sylvie, a plucky castle maid whose motives are revealed later, and Raymond, a young man. Suzanne is subjected to horrifying torture by the cruel witch hunters and fanatics.

The violence is bloody and shocking, but never goes over the top. This book is well written, taut and poignant, about a mother-daughter relationship that must overcome the cruelties of the day.

This is one of the only books i remember from my childhood. I can remember some of the vivid illustrations to this very day. Highly recommended book for young children.

This book was read to me over and over again when I was little. Back when it did cost all of 95 cents. The illustrations are what I love the most. They cover all the pages through out the book with no space left blank. We would spend our time pointing out all the things that we saw. And since the book was covered like a Where's Waldo Book, there was always something new to spot everytime! A definite childhood favorite of mine!

Beautiful and interesting illustrations--Lots for my 2 1/2 year old to look at. He loves this book-and finds new things everytime he looks at it.

This book was one of the first books my daughter received from the RIF program (Reading is Fundamental). We spent hours on it, not only reading it, but looking at the people as they moved throughout their day. It brings back many wonderful memories of us together, looking, reading, talking, oohing and ahhing. Lat year I did a thourough search on the net for it and couldn't find it...Now, it seems to have made a comeback. I am so happy! I hope to get a copy for my daughter for Christmas. She is 32...but sh!...don't tell her I found it...I want it to be a surprise! :)

I recommend this book to everyone. The illustrations are captivating and fun. I remember looking through this book for hours. Wishing I was a part of the "Busy World" I would spot the same characters in different situations throughout the pages. That was sooooooo much fun.

I just found out the author's name tonight and I am excited! See I lost this book when I was a child. And plan on getting the story in my possesion again!:-)

Naturally I am thrilled, so get this book for your children. Because they will always remember the beautiful captivating "Busy People" and their "Busy Day" :-)

The book i raed is called "Cam Jansen and the Ghostly mystery". I reccomend this book to children of all ages because its really fun and the story is very interesting. Its about how a girl named cam. Well her real name is Jennifer Jansen, but they started calling her "The Camera" because of her photographic memory. Then, "The Camera got shortened to Cam. She solves a mystery about a man and a lady who robbed the ticket box, for the t-tops show. She helps the cops solve the mystery and she did exellent at it, too. I really liked this book and enjoyed reading it because it was an interesting story and it kept my attention. I think that if you read this book you will enjoy it a lot, just like i did.

I just read Cam Jansen and the Ghostly Mystery. It is a good mystery. Be sure to read this book if you like to read mysteries. A ticket booth was robbed at a Triceratops Pops concert. Who was it? Cam and Eric try to solve the mystery. Did they solve it? How did the kids get tickets to the concert? You have to read the book to find out.

I just read Cam Jansen and the Ghostly Mystery.In the beginning Cam, Aunt Molly and Eric were in line to get concert tickets for a T-Pops concert. A ghost came and scared everybody. He scared an old man, and he faked a heart attack. Meanwhile the ticket seller was robbed. Cam and Eric were looking all around. Did they find the robbers?

I just read a book called CAM JANSEN AND THE GHOSTLY MYSTERY. The author of the book is David A. Adler. Cam and Eric went to the ticket line and a ghost came and scared people. Then there was a robbery. Who do you think is the robber? I give this book five stars because you can find clues to help solve the mystery.

You have to love Cam Jansen. When you're a kid, you read all of these stories about magic powers, mystery, and adventure. But everyone tells you magic can't exist. Cam Jansen manages to solve every case without the use of magic... she's a real girl. That's what makes her special and what makes you want to red more and more. Cam Jansen is a real kid superhero, and the thought that a person like her could actually exist... makes her the best kid detective ever!

I thought this was one of the best books in the EQ series, and coming from me thats saying quite a bit, oh and Winnowill is a subject worth thinking about.

ElfQuest is a wounderful series for anyone whom reads it. It is full of some of the personal expierences from Wendy and Richard Pini's own life, it contains moral lessons, it has incredible insight, a dynamic story and georgeous artwork, do not pass this book up! IT ROCKS!!!

If you are new to the world of elfquest this is the third book in the elfquest line.Before it comes the books Fire and Flight(book #1)and the Forbbiden Grove(book #2). In this book, you meet the Gliders, a group of elves that claims to be the High Ones. You also meet the dark and evil Winnowill, a healer but one which uses her powers for hurting rather then healing.Lastly you learn the secret of the Wolfriders... I won't give away the story but I do reccomend you buy this book for its art,story and feeling...

This is the third book out of four collections of the original quest which are, in my opinion, works of genius!! The first book is Fire and Flight, the second - The Forbidden Grove, and the last (In my opinion, as the stuff that follows doesn't really seem like Elfquest to me) is the Quest's End. I have been reading those same four books over and over again for 15 years and I feel that they have enriched my life.

Of course, being an ElfQuest fan, I love pretty much everything ElfQuest, including this book, and so will you if you like ElfQuest in general.

However, this is the paperback/black and white edition-don't buy it! Warp and Marvel comics are coming out with hardback, color editions of I believe all of the ElfQuest storyline, just slightly re-organized from the last hardcover/color edition of their graphic novels that they released- heads up, don't go paying fifty bucks online for someone's used old copy! Unless you're really impatient don't go buying this! The next one to be redone in color and hardback should be #3! They've done 1 and 2!

Although it will be more expensive that way, if you're going to bother getting into something that is primarily a visual medium, why not in color as it was meant to be seen? Nothing "artistic" about this kind of B&W, it just loses.

Carnival at Candlelight is an awesome book. It takes place in Venice, Italy, 260 years ago on the night of the annual Carnival celebration. It starts out when Jack and Annie recieve a note from Merlin that says they have to save the Grand Lady of the Lagoon from a terrible disaster!

When Jack and Annie get to Venice, they travel to the Carnival in a gondola. Then they walk around and get into trouble from guards and go up flights of stairs, look at maps, and see statues, all the while thinking about their crazy mission. It isn't making any sense!

They go out into Saint Mark's Square and look in their research book for help. The note from Merlin says to find a tower with two men and a bell, climb it, and get on a king of a jungle. Wandering in the crowd, they spot the tower and race up it. Then they spot the lion and use one of their magic rhymes to make the lion come to life. Then they go out over the sea to spot Neptune, the god of the sea.

They learn that the Grand Lady of the Lagoon is Venice, Italy, and they have to save it from a flood. They spot Neptune and tell him to stop the flood. He does and their mission is over.

I am just a kid, but I recomend this book for any fans od the Magic Tree House series. I got this book for Easter of 2005 and read it that day and enjoyed it.

Magic Tree House #33: Carnival at Candlelight is the book for young readers.

I think the author, Mary Pope Osborne, states things clearly in her books and the pictures explain them better. Mary Pope Osborne, in my opinion, is the best author in the world.

Want to hear a book that's really cool? Well, the book Magic Tree House Carnival at the Candle Light will do the trick! This book is amazing. It's about two Aencheris kids Jack and Annie who goes to Venice to save a mysterious person the Grand Lady of the lagoon. But, once they found out about that person it wasn't what they had expected! Jack and Annie figured that this job was getting harder and harder.

Jack and Annie have some wild stuff happening in this wacky book. That's why I'm telling you to read this book! What I most really like about this book is when Jack and Annie said a spell and got to ride on a Golden, shinning, flying, lion. That part was Awesome!

I would recommend this book to someone who loves and who totally enjoys mysteries, because this book has spells, a mystery, and Magic stuff. Well, that's all. I hope you will adore this book.

Mission: to save the Grand Lady of the Lagoon. Place: Venice Italy. When: 260 years back in time on the night of 'Carnival'.

Jack and Annie of Frog Creek are off again on a new mission in the Merlin Series #33. Odds of surviving a dungeon: Fair to Good... i.e., if the 'book of magic' has something to help them, and Merlin's apprentices Kathleen and Teddy, too.

Mary Pope Osborne never fails to create magic in her stories, with backgrounds of historical places, and supporting the suspense that follows Annie and Jack as they follow the instructions in a letter from Merlin -- "...When waters rise beneath the moon,/Visit the Grand Lady of the Lagoon." The heroes meet grouchy guards, a son of a famous painter, climb the Giants' Stairs, fly the sky on a Golden Lion, and meet Neptune.

Osborne visited Venice and of the city she writes: "...no photographs can truly do Venice justice. No notes or diagrams can truly capture her. Venice lives best in memory, stirring the deep waters of the imagination."

Other Recommendation: Night of the New Magicians by Mary Pope Osborne

Carnival at Candlelight is a funfilled book. It all starts when Jack and Annie of FrogCreek has the same dreams. (Which was sent by Teddy and kethleen). They decide to go to the TreeHouse
and finds teddy and kethleen fast asleep. 'Then later they wake up and they said that they will not be going with them on their adventure.' 'Oh No!' Said Annie 'But what if we need your magic?' Teddy Said 'Morgon thinks that you are ready to use magic your own.''Really?' said Jack 'Yep'. Said Teddy 'But we don't know any magic.' said Annie 'Remember what I said if we work together we can do anything.' said Teddy 'Anything is possible but you just said you were'nt coming with us'. said Annie 'Thats true thats why we give you this Wow a 10 magic rhymes book!' said Jack 'Yes,they are ment to last for your four journeys.' said teddy 'Each line is in Teddy's language, and one in mine the language of the seal people.' said kethleen. my opinion is that this is a fantastic adventures book.

"Carnival at Candlelight" by Mary Pope Osborne was a delight to read. I generally don't like the fantasy genre but I absolutely love the "Magic Tree House" series. One of the things that I love about this series of books is the author's ability to blend factual knowledge with adventure and excitement. As a teacher I appreciate this ability because I believe that students will learn a lot of facts from these books plus they will be enjoying a grand adventure too.
"Carnival at Candlelight" is the fifth book in a group of Magic Tree House books called the "Merlin Missions." Jack and Annie (the main characters) have a fantasy adventure in real places in real times. In this book they travel to the city of Venice, Italy. There they discover the mystery and magic of Venice.
This book is filled with factual informations such as, "Instead of roads, Venice has waterways called canals. People glide along the canals in shallow boats called gondolas."
Not only is this book filled with adventure and factual knowledge but it also has great illustrations. The illustrations in this book make the story come alive. The illustrations really give you an idea of how Jack and Annie feel during key moments in the story.
This is a great book for second graders as a read-aloud. Third graders could read it by themselves.

Patrick Doyle's "The Castle Tower Lighthouse" is a delightful summer mystery for young readers. Patrick Doyle presents the tale of Edgar Font's Hunt for a House to Haunt (making the full title of the book a real mouthful, but a fun one). The book is fun through and through, down to a puzzle at the end for the reader to solve on their own. It's cleverly illustrated, and its tale-within-a-tale is engaging.

Doyle uses the conceit that the story has been given to him by Edgar Font, as recorded by Edgar Font's two grandchildren, Audrey and Garrett. Edgar Font is a capricious adventurer, somehow past his prime yet ready to take on anything--including his two grandchildren, who are precocious but overall _unadventuresome_ children. Edgar's answer to that is to drive them into the waters of adventure by making them integral to his summer's quest.

Edgar introduces them to the world of ghosts, as he outlines their intended journey--while not dead yet (and it's hard to imagine such a formidable person "passing on"), he wants to find a singular place to live out his eternity. The grandchildren are appropriately skeptical to begin with, but by the end of the book they're reasonably well converted--all in the span of a day.

It's a quick read, much more fluid than "wandering around the house and picking up clues" might suggest. The characters are fleshed out, for the age range, and I expect we'll learn much more about them in further installments, as they learn more about themselves. We're not told where they'll adventure to next, but there's a photograph marked, "Exploring the site for Adventure Two" in the back, and an arrow showing that it's "just over yonder". (And a glimpse at Amazon tells us that Adventure Two takes us to The Fakersville Power Station; and that that will be available July 1st!)

I heartily recommend this for the young (it's marked ages 9 and up), and the young at heart.

An enchanting story that introduces Garrett and Audrey to some pretty wondrous adventures that delivers a positive message to children everywhere. Garret and Audrey are brother and sister, and as they head to China to join their father they have no clue of the great adventure that lies ahead. The children usually stay with their aunt while their father is off on his trips as an architect but this year the children's aunt is asked to join their father for the summer in China. The children end up spending most of their time with Edgar Font, their grandfather. Edgar is on a quest of finding the perfect place to haunt when he passes away, and their summer adventures begin, their adventures will be remembered a lifetime. Their first adventure begins at an abandoned lighthouse which is full of puzzles, ghosts and mystery. As their adventure continues through the lighthouse they must rely on everything they know and the lessons that they have learned along the way to ensure they will make it out without being harmed.

The Castle Tower Lighthouse is a children's book that everyone will fall in love with no matter your age. The author writes with such skill that lights an imaginitative spark in the reader. The illustrations are absolutely wonderful and the message the story delivers is of a positive one. This is sure to be a series you will want to keep and treasure for years to come. I intend to collect each in the series for my grandson to enjoy, which I am sure will ignite another book lover in our family. I cannot wait until Edgar Font's Hunt For a House To Haunt Adventure Two: The Fakersville Power Station comes out in July. I am ready to enjoy another great adventure with Edgar Font on his search for the perfect place to haunt.

You will not want to miss the website and blog devoted to Edgar Font, they will add to your enjoyment, check them out at:

http://edgarfont.com

http://edgarfont.blogspot.com

The blogspot gives you so much informative information, which includes how the author came up with the story. Here you will find the information about Edgar Font, Audrey and Garrett. Be sure to read the top 10 questions that are asked relating to the story as you will find some very interesting facts.

The Edgar Font series is highly recommended for everyone. It has been such an honor and a pleasure to be able to review such a treasure that will be added to my collection to pass on from generation to generation. A message to the author: not only have you created such a great story for children, you have accomplished reaching readers of all ages with this series and need to be commended. I personally thank you, Bravo!

The author has created a treasured collection for readers of all ages!!!!!

If I told you this story began with an old man pointing the way to a secret door in a dream, what would you say? Yet, that is exactly how Patrick H.T. Doyle discovered the leatherbound journal in the attic of his home. Inside he read the most wonderful stories, each describing the adventures of a trusted grandpa and two adoring grandchildren, Audrey and Garrett. Through his imagination and incredible storytelling abilities, Doyle has delivered a new kind of adventure book, that is destined to be a favorite for young and old alike.

The last time the kids had seen grandpa was three years earlier, at their Mother's funeral. Garrett remembered his bushy moustache and that he lived in a tree house on an island somewhere. Audrey recalled the fantastic stories he had shared during their visits. How he explored pyramids in Egypt, surfed waves in Australia and climbed Mount Everest, twice. Yes, Grandpa was a true explorer. Now everyone referred to him as eccentric. Which of course to the kids simply meant he was weird. Now they would be spending the entire summer with him at his apartment in The Sterling Oaks Retirement Village. Translated into kids english - "boring, boring, and boring." But, they could not have been more wrong. This would be a summer they would never forget.

Sir Edgar Font has lived an exciting life and certainly intends to continue his quirky ways after he passes from this world into the next. So begins his search for the perfect house to haunt. The Retirement Village was filled with lonely, bored ghosts and that was no place for him. As grandpa explained his plans to his wide eyed grandchildren he was met with skeptisim and questions.
Later that night after having seen a ghost at the dinner table, they exited down the emergency steps and made their way to the "Adventure Wagon." This wagon will take us anywhere we want to go and our first destination will be the Lighthouse, grandpa told them.

The Castle Tower Lighthouse holds many puzzles, secrets, and mysteries, each waiting to be discovered. Beyond all the games there are life lessons being taught through out this book. Dealing with the loss of someone you love, like the death of Audrey and Garrett's Mother and learning to look beyond that which seems obvious, are only two of the many wonderfully woven stories that both entertain and teach. As a companion and beautifully complimenting the adventures within the book, the website offers many hours of fun and puzzle solving.

Patrick H.T. Doyle has delivered a truly new and refreshing alternative to the books currently available.This could easily be a review filled with all the raving adjectives, because each and every one has been earned. Excellent, engaging, suspense filled, action packed, I could list them all. However, it is far more important to point out that this is not just a children's book or for young adults. For all the parents out there who have searched for a great story to read to your children before bed, this is it! I have no doubt, children everywhere will be asking, "is it bed-time yet"? For all the children looking for an affordable book that is entertaining and fun, here it is! And lastly for all the adults who enjoy discovering a new author that has truly created something different, look no further, you have found it! And with the second book in this adventure series available in July, this is the perfect time to get introduced to Sir Edgar Font.

Happy Reading!
RJ McGill (3Rs)
Real Reader Reviews

I came across this book by chance, so my wife and I bought a copy for our neice. We read it first and absolutly loved it, with that said we kept the copy and bought another just for her...
We can't wait for the next adventure!!

My family and I enjoyed this book immensely. I bought several as gifts for kids (and their families) ranging from 8 1/2 to 13 years old - everyone loved it! Can't wait for the next big adventure.

This dictionary is a gem. I have found it to include nearly every word I've looked for, including specialized legal vocabulary and slang from various countries. The example sentences are extremely helpful.

It's really a shame that this gem of a dictionary is not readily available through Amazon. Clave strikes a remarkable balance of thoroughness and simplicity, which makes it the most useful and enjoyable Spanish dictionary I own.

There are not many Spanish words which Clave does not include. Each entry is defined in the simplest way possible, referring to the most common contemporary usages of each word, and every definition comes with a sample sentence in italics.

Students of Spanish should make it their aim to switch from an English/Spanish dictionary to an all-Spanish dictionary as soon as possible, and Clave is "the" dictionary to move up to. It's so well-written that students will find it enjoyable just to browse through at leisure to improve their vocabulary. People who are already well-versed in Spanish will find it very useful as well. The Manuel Seco and María Moliner dictionary sets are more thorough and certainly not to be dismissed (like Clave, they borrow liberally from the DRAE without being enslaved to it), but for most practical purposes Clave fits the bill of an excellent arm's-reach dictionary. Seco and Moliner are like owning a Humvee, the ultimate vehicle that will do just about anything but is rather large and difficult to park. Clave is like the Ford Taurus that gets you to work and around on errands efficiently, providing you with a decent amount of comfort and amenities along the way.

Now, how to acquire a copy? Clave is readily available in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries in either the paperback or CD-ROM version, and the paperback version seems to be available from some Amazon sites by special order. The book version is easier for just leafing through and building vocabulary, but the CD-ROM version is very handy as a reference if you work at your computer a lot. One little drawback to the CD-ROM version is that the entry box does not erase or reset itself like other dictionaries, i.e. to look up the next word you have to hold down the backspace button and erase the previous word-- weird. Speaking of the CD-ROM format, Editorial Gredos has just released a second version of Moliner on CD-ROM, for those who want its thoroughness without the bulk of the paper version.

This is my first Spanish dictionary, after several years of making do with translationaries. Making the switch was definitely a good idea. This dictionary is nice because, compared to its competitors, it is compact, and reasonably priced. It clearly marks which words are accepted by the RAE and which are not. The introduction by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is wonderful.

I heartily concur with the praise heaped upon this dictionary. I've taken to recommending it to my upper-division (undergraduate) Spanish students as a way of weaning them away from Spanish-English dictionaries. Many of them really do want to take their Spanish further, and this dictionary's definitions and usage examples are so clear that, in most cases, students can understand them without feeling the need to sneak a peak at a bilingual dictionary. In that way it's a tremendous confidence builder, as well as an excellent reference tool.

It's really a shame the comparatively affordable paperback version isn't available through Amazon.

Clave Diccionario is a very good dictionary. Particularly nice is its clear distinction of words you may hear and words you should use--e.g., privacidad (anglicism) vs. intimidad. I recommend it for all the reasons stated in the comments below.

One caveat, however, if you do obtain a copy. Do your darndest to check that the volume is complete. My copy, printed in March of 2000, is missing pages 77 - 124 and has duplicates of pages 125 - 172.

I purchased this book at the recommendation of Brad Scott of Wildbranch Ministries. It is an excellant book having most biblical words that one would look up. Most words also have the 3 letter root derivative and the root defined. It is a great book for those that do not know how to extract the 3 letter hebrew root from a word (like me), I use it in conjunction with the programs Dvar3, InterLinear Scripture Analyzer 2 and E-sword all freeware and the Etymological Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew by Matityahu Clark which only contains hebrew roots. Rick

Felix Klein's masterpiece of scholarship is an unmatched resource for connecting Hebrew words to each other and to sources in other languages. I have found no other dictionary, either in Hebrew or English, of comparable scope and quality. Particularly useful to me has been Klein's coverage of words with Greek origins, something that has helped me find surprising links between Hebrew and English. Hebrew-Aramaic connections have also helped improve my Aramaic. I've used Klein to lock in vocabulary found everywhere from classical rabbinic commentaries to Hebrew editions of Harry Potter. Because the dictionary is printed overseas, for years it was available new only through relatively obscure specialty sources (if you could find it at all) or as a used book for hundreds of dollars. I am glad to find it in the Amazon catalog. The book isn't cheap, but you get much more than you pay for.

This dictionary contains may child words other dictionaries donot making it easier to find a word. This dictionary states the time period for the word and where the word comes from. I have seen nothing better.

This is a must-have book alongside Reuben Alcalay's dictionary and Matityahu Clark's Etymological dictionary of Biblical Hebrew. With these three dictionaries, I consider my collection of Hebrew dictionaries complete.

I purchased my copy of Klein's masterpiece about 15 years ago, and it has remained a true and trusty friend over the years. I view it as a standard reference which falls somewhere between Reuben Alcalay's straightforward _Complete Hebrew-English Dictionary_, and Wilhelm Gesenius's technical _Hebrew and English Lexicon_. Klein usually compares Semetic roots or terms (primarily Akkadian, Aramaic and Arabic), although he will sometimes turn to Egyptian and/or Greek. Each page is comprised of three columns of text, and the layout is very clear and easy to use with very legible type.

I bought this for my "almost" grandson's first birthday. I remember it from my farm and ranch childhood and now it will enchant another generation. It is somewhat "Dick and Jane"--very easy to memorize. Also it is nice to now have the board book for the really little ones.

My 14-month-old loves this book. We read it over and over again! We live in a fairly rural area and we walk every day to see horses. The book's simple drawings of horses (and cowboys) working and going about their day capitvates my daughter. It's suggested for kids around four, but it's a real hit with our toddler. I wish they had a Cowgirl Small, but that's just me.

My 3 yr. old son LOVES the Lois Lenski books, this being one of his (and my) favorites. We started reading it when he was just 2, and we have also read all the other cowboy books we can find. In my opinion, this is the one to get for a toddler. My son loves to ride around the house on his stick horse playing Cowboy Small. Timeless.

You can't go wrong with Cowboy Small. Even if your child isn't into being a cowboy, they will like this story. My 2 girls (now ages 22 and nearly 13) both LOVED Cowboy Small! I read it over and over and over and over...we had it on permanent checkout from the library it seems!! Then the library gave it to us when they were clearing out worn books...we were thrilled and treasured this book! I read this book so much I can still recite most of it. My son is 7 and he likes to play cowboy and he likes his reissue copy of Cowboy Small, but it is interesting that my girls asked for it to be read to them much more often. Our children's bouncy horse even got named Cactus in honor of Cowboy Small's horse. I recently gave this book to a 60+ yr. old friend who has horses and dresses in cowboy clothes, and he loved it! He has it displayed on a shelf in his livingroom and reads it to his grandchildren when they visit. I repeat: you just cannot go wrong with Cowboy Small. It has a simple but great story, nice pictures, and is a whole lot of fun. So glad it is available for today's children.

This is a great book, very light hearted and catchy. Be prepared to keep it handy, it's one of those books you will read it to your child, niece, nephew.... over and over again.

Title: Cyrus the Unsinkable Sea Serpent
Author: Bill Peet
Favorite Characters: Cyrus, Caption

Cyrus is board and wants to find something to do. A shark told him to go wreck a ship and when Cyrus follows a ship out to see, he ends up saving it! First, he blew the ship out of the doldrums. Than he kept it floating trough a storm and after that, he saved the ship from pirates!
Cyrus than noticed that the ships sails were torn off because of the pirates. The people would be stranded at sea for ever if he didn't do something. He was clever enough to figure out what to do. You should figure out what he did your self by reading this book.
...

Title: Cyrus the Unsinkable Sea Serpent
Author: Bill Peet
Favorite Characters: Cyrus, Caption

Cyrus is board and wants to find something to do. A shark told him to go wreck a ship and when Cyrus follows a ship out to see, he ends up saving it! First, he blew the ship out of the doldrums. Than he kept it floating trough a storm and after that, he saved the ship from pirates!
Cyrus than noticed that the ships sails were torn off because of the pirates. The people would be stranded at sea for ever if he didnýt do something. He was clever enough to figure out what to do. You should figure out what he did your self by reading this book.

Once again, Bill Peet has captivated his audience with yet another unique and imaginative tale! As with every one of his books, Cyrus the Sea Serpeant is a delight to read and presents a lesson in creature kindness, no matter what shape or size. Through adversity and prejudice, a determined Cyrus proves to be an unlikely hero. Certain to bring a smile to all faces and a pure joy to read!

I've read elsewhere that this book is about resisting peer pressure. That sub-story is over in the first few pages and really does little but set the scene. What this story is really about is courage, self-sacrifice, and the protection of innocent life against a world that often is far too dangerous. Many adults could benefit from giving this a read and taking it to heart, and yet it's not preachy or over the heads of the children it is targetted towards. Add to this the absolutely gorgeous colored-pencil artwork (Bill Peet worked for Disney for a while; his character designs give the original 101 Dalmations and the Sword in the Stone much of their charm) and some truly memorable characters, and you have my favorite children's book, ever.

This charming story is certain to bring a smile to your face. I love it even more than my son does. The drawings are delightfully done. Bill Peet is one of the very rare children's book authors who are able to produce both an excellent story and great pictures. All of his books are good, but some are better than others; Cyrus is one of his best.