Boards Books

sweet book. i plan to give some of these out as gifts. my son, 15 mos, likes it too. we also like global babies, little blessings series, what's on my head, smile, maisy and i love you this much board books.

A MUST for all children's libraries! I bought this book for my now 4-year-old when she was 18-months. She loved it then and has continued to enjoy it to this day. Now that she's a preschooler, she enjoys "acting it out." My 21-month-old has loved this book since she was around 8-months-old and she's very picky, but has always especially enjoyed books with pictures of kids and babies. I can remember her crawling across the floor to get to this book! The title was one of her first 2-word sentences. She, too, loves to act it out and we all know it so well we can sit around the dinner table and recite it together word for word.

We actually checked this book out from the library, and while I didn't think my 16-month-old daughter would be super impressed with this book, she proved me wrong. For the past 2 weeks, it's the book she demands to be read to her very first, before all other books. If it looks like she's not in the mood for book time, all I have to do is get this book out and she will instantly calm down and sit still for every single page. She loves mimicing the pictures: smearing finger paints, giving hugs, pat-a-cake, peek-a-boo, and waving hello and goodbye. She loves pointing to all the hands she can find, and since reading this book, she has taken a very keen interest in hands and fingers, which leads us to be able to practice counting our fingers. I would recommend this book to anyone, it's sure to be a favorite!

"Hands can clap while voices sing. Hands can do all kinds of things." Hands Can, by author Cheryl Willis Hudson and photographer John-Francis Bourke, is a celebration of the wonder of little hands.

Hands Can describes and shows children using their hands in a variety of activities. It also shows a variety of hands. There are girl hands, boy hands, toddler hands, "big-kid" hands and hands of many races.

Young children will love Hands Can, with its simple, rhyming text, bright colors and delightful photographs depicting children having fun with their hands. They will want to wave hello like the little boy in beginning of the story. They will want to play Peekaboo like the little girl near the end. They will want to read this book again and again.

The book was well laid out and very enticing for your readers. THe spread on the middle page with the kids hugging 'I love you was excellent!

Great work!

my son, 18 mos, loves this book. we read it several times during book time. he becomes shy and buries his head into me when he sees some of the illustrations of the little girls in the book, very cute. no regrets about this purchase.

Enjoyable to read and to listen to, with the added bonus of learning about body parts.

We started reading to my daughter when she was 2 months old. By three months she'd sorta figured out to actually look at the books while we were reading and was showing preferences (some got her wiggly and excited, some did not). She's 4 months now and this is probably her very favorite book. The two-page pictures are adorable, the rhyme is catchy, and body parts are one of the very few things in life she can relate to. I touch the matching body part (hands, feet, head, neck, and so on) as I read and she stares at the book as if greatly interested and wiggles and babbles when I touch the body part in question. There aren't many books for really little babies but this one does just fine. (I also highly recommend "Snail" by Fiona Watt and "Everyone's Sleepy" by Ed Vere.)

Somehow, my 14-month-old started identifying several of her own physical features (including "neck"!) by close approximations of their names after only 3 or 4 nights of reading this book before bed. Very shortly after, she started pointing out the same features in pictures of animals and people around the house. The illustrations are crystal clear in their intent, with only the last two pages presenting any difficulty (one covers elbow, arm and chin in one breath, and the other is for skin, which I imagine is tough to illustrate). I would recommend this book to anyone teaching the easy body parts to her/his child.

This book was a gift and will be a gift for others from us. It taught my 1 year old through it's wonderful sing song rhyme to it's beautifully colorful illustrations, her body parts in two days. She brings it to me and can't read it enough. We highly recommend this for any age.

This book is a good follow up to Z is fo Zamboni. It has numbers rather than letters, and the two would make a great gift together. As a stand alone book it is not as good as the Zamboni book though.

This is a great counting book for your little one who loves the game of Hockey. Even I learned a few things about Hockey from this.

I GOT THIS BOOK FOR CHIRSTMAS FOR OUR 3 YR OLD BUDDING HOCKEY FAN. HE HAS ASKED FOR IT EVERY NIGHT SINCE. IT HAS REALLY HELPED HIM GRASP THE IDEA OF COUNTING THE 20'S AND 30'S AND SO ON AS THEY ARE TALKED ABOUT IN THE BOOK. ONE PAGE HAS 80 JERSEYS WITH ALL OF THE DIFFERENT NUMBERS. MY SON LOVES THIS BOOK AND SO DO I.

My four year old loves hockey and really enjoys reading this book. He picks up on a lot of new hockey facts from it.

This picture book is darling, and holds the interest of the adult reading it to a child. If you have any connection to hockey,or Canada you will love this book which is beuatifully written and illustrated by two Canadians, Matt Napier and Melanie Rose.

My daughter loved this book as a toddler when I got it from the library and she still loves at 7 yrs old. So much so that she put it on her Christmas list because she doesn't want to borrow it from the library anymore. Cute illustrations and great easy to sing additional versus to a classic song.

I love this book and my daughter does too. We have a lot of Iza Trapani books and I'm on Amazon to buy another. This is the hardest one for me to sing in places but the story is so sweet and it teaches kids about doing nice things for others. The first few times I read it, it really did bring tears to my eyes. I get tired of reading a few of the Trapani books after enough days in a row but I may never get tired of this one.

iza trapani is the best. she's got wonderful imagination. every page is beautifully painted to take little minds and hearts out of this world. my son loves and remembers all her rhyme books since he was 3.

We (my husband, my sons and myself) love this book a lot, the story is great (see the other review) and our sons love it when we sing it out. It has became our standard gift for babyshower and small kids' birthday parties, whenever we can.

We felt that this book deserve more "promotions" -- too few people heard of it. Too few bookstores have it in stock -- I could not buy as a gift if I forgot to order it ahead of time. This book deserve to be in every kid's bookshelves. This is the first time I ever write a review because 3 reviews are just too few. I am sure more would give it 5 stars if only they get access to this book.

and the best will come back to you." (Unknown)

A cute little boy wants a doggie but doesn't have enough money. He has saved some money but it isn't enough. (Oh! I wish there were more books on saving money! Kids need them.) The pet store owner shows him other pets he can afford but the boy's mind is made up. He goes home and has a lemonade stand but it rains and he catches cold and can't do anything to make money to buy that doggie in the window. In the meantime, his sister, mom and dad each have a need that he can fill with some of his money and he gladly does so without hesitation. At the end of the week, he counts the money in his piggy bank and realizes he can't afford the doggie. He accepts this (another great lesson for kids to learn--to accept when they can't have something) and goes to visit the doggie just to say, "Hello." How sweet.

Good things happen to that little boy, I think, for the rest of his life with such a kind, giving heart. Thanks, Iza for a very special story with lots of takeaway value.

Soar!

John Butler books are my 3 year old son's absolute favorite. He is captivated by the beautiful soothing illustrations, and loves to chant along with the story being told. I have been reading this story to him since he was 6 months old, and have since bought all of the John Butler board books. They are lovely, and a wondeful bonding experience with your child!

We own many John Butler books. My 18 month old has loved them since the beginning. She is active and it is hard to get her to settle down for any old book, but this one does the trick. The pictures are wonderful and the simple flowing text of Hush Little Ones makes it a must have for any little one.

My daughter and I both love this book. The pictures are very sweet- each one includes a baby animal and the parent snuggled up for bed. My daughter picks this book and "While You Were Sleeping" also by John Butler, every night! I highly recommend them both.

John Butler is a great illustrator. I love how this books shows all the baby animals sleeping with their families, in their own habitats and how as you turn the pages the sky turns from a late sunset to evening on the last pages. This was one of my son's favorite bedtime books since he was 15 months old. Now that he is 3, we read it often and can talk about the different places where animals sleep and how they find shelter with one another.

I have been reading this book to my son at naps/bedtime since he was 8 months. Now, he's a good kid, but he doesn't sit still for EVERY book I try to read to him -- but this one he loves EVERY time. Even if he's fussy, this is the book I pick up first, and he usually settles down right away. If he's really fussy, he settles down by the "Zebra" page, guaranteed. You know that commercial for Staples with the red "easy" button? Well, for bedtime, this book is the "easy" button.

Even before he could understand the story or theme in a book, my son loved the "sing-song" of the text. The review on the back cover says it reads like a "lullaby", and that is a perfect description. Not too many words on a page (so he doesn't get bored), and the word choice and the rhyming make it perfect for bedtime! We rock in our rocker, with a soft lamp nearby, clean after his bath, warm in his pj's, and look at the book with the fuzzy animals in their soft bedtime environments... The pictures are simply beautiful, and John Butler adds a little, sweet, tender "character" to the face of each animal.

I loved this book so much I went out and bought several (3) of John Butler's other books, "Whose Nose and Toes," and others. However, I haven't been able to get my son as interested in them. They are a little more advanced, requiring interaction, memory, identification, etc. I think we will wait 4-5 months (when he's 2 years) before they will be age-appropriate. BUT, this book is perfect for babies and beyond! I will start reading it when our next child is 1 month old, and I am certain it will work!

I HIGHLY recommend this book for any small child. Reading to kids when they are young is ESSENTIAL for future success in school and beyond!

My little one year old boy LOVES this book! We have read it nightly since he was about 7 months old. He lifts the flaps and can now point to Jack and other items that we ask about in the story. It was our first book of the series that we purchased and we are now working to collect them all!

My 10 month old son loves this book. We read it every night at least 3 times before bed. The pictures are bright and vibrant and eye catching to a baby. The book keeps his attention and the pull down flaps make it a great interactive story. GREAT BOOK!

this is a great counting book. my 18 mo old loves it. it was a great help in teaching him to count and now he can count to 12. he found it exciting to pull down the number flaps to see what was underneath. its still among one of his favorite books.

This was the first book I bought from the series of "Jack" books - my 2 year old son loves them all! It has helped him learn to count and get ready for bed - I urge everyone to get the whole series of Jack books - you won't be disappointed.

Jack: It's Bedtime is a great first book for your little ones. The illustrations are bright and clear. The concepts covered are easy to grasp. Bedtime follows Jack as he gets ready for bed. He counts his slippers, toys, and stars in the sky. THe last page is a surprise pop up with all the things he counted. We read this book everynight.

I can rarely find Backyardigans merchandise for my son who just loves these guys! This book is really colorful and he just adores it! I highly recommend it for all Backyardigan fans!

I read a lot of books to my son, but he's not always too interested in actually looking at them. For some reason, he just loves this book. I think the bright colors capture his attention - very well done. Also, I like the padded cover and rounded corners, as my son loves to hold and chew on the books!!

My grandson loves anything backyardigans so I had to buy this book. It's small enough to fit in a diaper bag very colorful and there are enough details in the pictures that you can sit and point things out. Great for when you are stuck waiting someplace.

"Jungle Colors" is a simple but fun board-book featuring your backyard friends, The Backyardigans. In this book, the Backyardigans are on a jungle adventure, much like some of the ones seen on TV. But this jungle adventure is especially colorful. They encounter various colors as they make their journey, from brown to fabulous red rubies.

The colors are bright and cheerful. The illustrations go well with the fairly simply text. A nice book for basic learning about colors or for Backyardigans fans.This is a "Super Chubby" board-book by Simon Spotlight. That means that the front and back covers have a sort of squishy feel to them and the book won't easily slip out of little kids' hands.

Jungle Colors, feauring the Backyardigans, is a fun adventure. The Backyardigans explore the jungle, and the colors brown, purple, blue, white, yellow, green, black, orange, pink, red and gray. The book is well made and sturdy, a fun read for both adult and child.

This is certainly the best book so far in this series. The action is non-stop, and the tension just keeps increasing. We get a first-hand look at the operation of First Nation-owned gambling casinos, and the effects both good and bad that these facilities have on the First Nation tribes that have them. They bring prosperity and money for programs for the people, but they can also bring unsavoury people and companies to the casino because these people want to take advantage of he money that is being made. This book runs two parallel stories as usual. Father John is trying to determine what happened to an Arapaho who has disappeared. This Arapaho is the pit boss at the casino on the Wind River Reserve. Vicky is working as a lawyer for the casino and uncovers many secrets and frauds that get her into a pack of trouble. And of course, there are dead bodies along the way. The plot eventually melds together, and we have the formidable pair of Father John and Vicky Holden working together to uncover evil, dishonesty and also to unmask a murderer. This series keeps on getting better and better.

Excellent book if you like Native American thrillers. We read a lot of the Thurlo books and Margaret Coel's books are a lot like those. The book keeps you on you seat and guessing all the time about the plot. You won't be able to put the book down once you start.

Margaret Coel casts the dice to spin another tightly plotted mystery on the Wind River Reservation. Lean times force Vicki Holden to do some legal work for the new casino on the reservation though she has doubts as to the easy money flowing to the tribe.
Vickie's path crosses Father John's and their feelings for each other still cloud their judgement despite their best efforts to ignore the regard.
With all mysteries a body turns up that demands justice. Father John and Vicki, both find questions that need answers around the casino. But a new man proves them wrong in their assessment of him, and finds a place in Vickie's heart.
Pages turn till the very end, which provides clues for the next installment in the fine series.
Nash Black, author of TRAVELERS and SINS OF THE FATHERS.

Margaret Coel hits all the right notes in the latest book about Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden and the Wind River Reservation's priest, Father John. The discovery of a dead body at Double Dives brings Father John into an investigation, just as his friend Vicky is offered a job at the Indian reservation's gambling casino. Vicky has her doubts about the casino job, but she is convinced by Adam Lone Eagle, the other attorney at the casino that it would be beneficial to her people. Vicky has been barely making ends meet in her law practice, so she agrees to join Adam. As she learns more about the operation, Vicky becomes suspicious about the legality of some of its practices. The human side of gambling problems is revealed when one of Father John's employees becomes enmeshed in gambling debts. The delicate balancing act of Vicky and Father John's relationship is again addressed in this book, and the possibility of a new romance for Vicky causes them to face some issues that they have chosen to ignore in the past. The beautiful background of the Wyoming reservation, the well-defined characters, and the tightly-woven plot are all typical of this series.

This latests mystery was no exception. The plot involves a casino that has just opened on the Arapaho reservation in Wyoming. Vicki, an Arapaho lawyer, is desperate for work but not very excited when she gets offered some work by the casino -- she has some concerns about the place. In the meantime, Father John, Jesuit priest who runs the reservation mission, has been called on to say some prayers over a body that's been discovered. And that involvement leads to Father John's getting caught up in whatever is going on at the casino, as he attempts to locate someone who has gone missing. So -- you have both Father John and Vicki snooping around the casino, and since they have an unstated special regard for each other, you know their paths will cross -- and they do.

I don't know why I love Coel's mysteries so much, but it has to do with her portrayal of life on the reservation -- I feel like it's a place I know well, and that her fictional characters are real people I've met. The plotting is very good, but that's not why I read the books. My only complaints about her books are 1) enough of Vicki and Father John pining for each other -- Vicki needs to forget about him and find someone available; and 2) I don't like all the violence that usually marks the end of Coel's books -- this one being no exception.

I bought this book because the story line was so great and the illustrations were beautiful. I didn't know how my little 4-month-old was going to like it. After all, he was four-months-old! But he loved it! The repetition in the storyline is great and helps little listeners follow along. My son still enjoys reading it every night before we go to bed. We add sound effects and kisses as we read.

Personally, I am not a big fan of books that have very little written text (few words). I find that it makes the story different during each reading since the reader is left to comment and fill in her own words. This may work for older readers, however I think the good and substantial text of a book like this helps provide familiarity and consistency for young audiences. This is at least the case with my son.

Highly recommended! No child is too young!

The wind is howling and the rain is slamming down, but Mama Bear is getting Sam all cozy and warm and tucked into bed. The story is sweet, but the illustrations, in my opinion, make this book better than your average good-night story. The warmth and coziness jump off the pages, making the reader almost envious of Sam and his comfy, soft bed. My daughter (4 months old) is still too young to understand this book (I'm sure she's too young to even understand what's going on when I read to her!) but she will stare, mesmerized, at every page. This has been a really fun book for us!

Kiss Good Night (Sam Books)

As my grandson started wanting to be read to before bedtime. I found this book. He fell in love with Sam and has picked up the phrase" I'm waiting" when he wants a good night kiss. Also, Now all teddy bears are named Sam. I've told him he has to have his mommy take him to Sam's House now that he's started asking to go visit Sam & grandma is old and forgotten the way. He loves the book. He wants to play with sam.

You can almost hear the wind howl outside the little white house but inside it's warm & cozy. Sam can't get to sleep and his mother has to figure out what she's forgotten in the bedtime routine. My toddler loves the kissing part (he gets kisses at the same time) but the story is a bit complicated for him yet (he gets bored with the longer sentences). But he will happily point out Sam and looks forward to the ending (usually flips the pages to the parts he likes). This is a great series for a childs library and I've bought them for my children & nieces as well. Would make a nice baby gift or 1st birthday present. I would recommend anything by this illustrator as well - you really get the feel of the weather, the warmth of the house, the smells of his mother's baking and the taste of the warm milk.

This is a great book I read to my boys at night, and I kiss them each time the mama bear kisses Sam. They giggle and squirm and think it's so much fun. I love this message and sweet story.

My family loves this book. It's a wonderful blending of the story of St. Valentine and the struggle for racial equality today. The children and situations in the story are believeable and real. They provide a great premise for discussing predjudice with my children while also learning how the sacrificial love demonstrated by St. Valentine can apply to life situations today. We liked this book so much that when our first copy got accidentally destroyed, we hunted down another through Amazon.com to replace it.

While I agree with all that has been said on the this page about this book, I have to add that it would be appropriate for all elementary and even junior high school students as it deals with the issues of race and racial reconciliation in a powerful way.

I love this book because it presents a powerful message in a simple, unsentimental way. The illustrations are amazing -- I'm partial because my daughter and ex-husband were models for several of the illustrations that appear in the book! So thank you, Don Tate. You did a wonderful job, as did the author. A beautiful story about something most of us have a hard time doing: loving our enemies.

simply beautiful, both visually and linguistically...powerful meaning as well...I recommend it highly.

I bought one copy of the board version of the book and loved it. I promptly ordered 10 more copies and several copies of the hardcover book for the children in my church. The hardcover has more text and is even better than the board book. Both books talk about Christ; saint Valentine - who was a Christian who suffered in jail, but blessed and converted his jailers- about the civil rights movement and peaceful resistance, about familiy values and closeness, and EVEN ABOUT HOW TO DEAL WITH A SCHOOL BULLY. Its main message is that we should not fight evil with evil, but should bless our enemies. At the last page, Marcus, the boy in the story, stretches out his hand and asks the class bully to accept his friendship. It reminded me of Christ's call to humanity to accept Him and his salvation... it's up to each person to accept. I highly recommend the book, either version.