Animal Books

I am a K-5 school librarian and am always looking for good books to recommend to my students. This series is truly excellent!

This second book of the "Underland Chronicles" continues the journey of Gregor and his baby sister Boots. Meeting new characters and encountering more tests for all involved. The author weaves a wonderful tale and my son absolutely adores all the characters. I also enjoy reading this series to him, we both become very caught up within the stories and with all the characters...it's hard to put down!

For the third time, Gregor and his little sister Boots descend to the Underland to fulfill an ancient prophecy. In this story the Curse of the Warm-bloods is a terrible plague that threatens every mammal in the Underland. On their journey to find cure, the heroes encounter Luxa, her bat Aurora and Hamnet, Luxa`s long-lost uncle. Although I enjoyed it, the story jumps around far too often and also fails to answer questions from previous books. As one and two were okay but not great and this one is only so-so I don't think I'll read any others.

I've read the last two Gregors and when I finished them i couldn't wait until the third. Collins is a genius. The last two have been about the usual stuff you read in these kind of books today but this took it to a whole new level. Theres plenty of violence for those of you who don't like sissy books and plenty of action that will keep you on the edge of your seat through the whole book. This in my opinion and out of all the books I've read this could be the book of the year.

Having listened to the first two books on audio and loved them, I continued with the third book "curse of the warmbloods" On CD. I love it when a childrens series continues to grow, in both content , character maturity and overall plot wise. I have read books before that seem to go nowhere with ever installment and I quickly tire of those.

This book, is my favorite out of the three so far. The first one "Gregor the Overlander" correctly laid out the mythos and introduced the characters in a nonconfusing way (there are so many and types!) It made you want to read more. The second book "Prophecy of the Bane" continued where the first left off but wasnt as exciting or compelling. This third book launches Gregor back into the underland for another adventure and its all about true realities, growth, family and way darker than the first two, much like Prisoner of Azkaban is to the Harry Potter series.

Gregors family isnt just chilling in the overland allowing him to sew his wild oats underground, they are struggling with mental illness (because his father was tortured by the rats) Money issues (his mom has to be the sole breadwinner) His sister is scared to death of losing her family wouldnt you be if three of them just dissappeared underground and came back talking of giant rats, squids, roaches, and bats? The underlanders of course eventually need Gregor, but his Mother puts her foot down and says NO! Not even to help them out with a Plague that is killing them and Gregor is the "one" to find the cure according to another prophecy.

What takes place after that is truly scary, and exciting and heartwarming. More characters are introduced, and we lose more along the way. I rushed out and got the fourth Audio CD's as soon as I could!

I received this book as a gift from my mother. It was in a pile of books my mom found at a yard sale and sent prior to the birth of our first baby. I never looked at the book until the first day that our son was home from the hospital. I picked up the book to read it to that sweet new little life. I wept tears of joy as I read each page. It is truly a beautiful and poetic book, and one I will treasure always. I've given this book now several times to expecting friends and family.

I wish I had read the description closer. I wanted a board book. Oh well - Great book!!

This book has beautiful pictures to accompany the wonderful words that I, as a mother, truly mean every time I read them to my sweet girls. I first found this book in the library, and just had to own it. I also bought the board book as a gift for a friend.

This is the best book to give your child or grandchild. Small children love being read this book!

This is my favorite book to gift to new parents. Whether they've been blessed with a baby boy or girl, this is the perfect book to start off a life-time of reading. My other favorites are "Cookies Bite-Size Life Lessons" and "Jamberry"...there's just something so special about picture books, isn't there?

this is probably my favorite book of the whole series!(not that i've read them all) It's great, great, great! So...I would defintely reccomend this to any1!

A boy, Digory, and a girl, Polly, are friends who have a secret place by Digory's uncle's attic, and they accidentally stumble into his attic. Digory's uncle is a magician and he uses Digory and Polly as an experiment on his newest trick. He brought them to a different world and when they came back, Digory's uncle went with them for a second trip and ended up in a place called Narnia. They met talking animals and the king of the beasts have a mission for Digory and Polly. When they finish, they find out a witch has followed them and she is trying to take over that world. Digory and Polly make things a little easier on the animals, and bring Digory's uncle back home. Digory's mother was very sick, so he and Polly went back and got some healing medicine for her, but will it work?

Ashleigh is worried about Wonder after failing to get trained by somebody other than Ashleigh. When Wonder's trainer gives up, Ashleigh tries to train Wonder and soon she succeeds. At first Ashleigh was worried because Wonder threw her. It was hard for her to believe that the horse she had raised would do such a thing. When Wonder proved she could be a racehorse like her owner had hoped, he agreed to let Ashleigh train her thoroughly. Asheigh couldn't have been more happier till a jockey friend, Jilly, was chosen to race Wonder. The End.

This is a amazing book about hope for a little filly that only one girl has. Any horse crazy girl should read this book.

This is the second installment in the amazing Thoroughbred series. In this book, Wonder has been put into yearling training under a rough trainer. Jennings thinks that Wonder has been babied all her life and it's high time she learned to be treated like a race horse. Wonder becomes a totally different horse as she he manhandled and whipped. Ashleigh and Charlie can see that this sort of "training" is ruining Wonder before she even has a chance to prove herself on the track.

When Charlie and Ashleigh are given permission to exercise Wonder over the winter, they begin to plan a way to undo all that Wonder had been through. Ashleigh was terrified of her filly at first because Wonder was beyond control. It took a lot of guts and perseverance for her to climb up on that filly's back after she'd been thrown. The end result of all their hard work? Wonder was able to turn around and become the amazing horse that Charlie and Ashleigh had seen since the day she was born.

This book is a perfect example of why the Thoroughbred series must be saved! This series began with so much promise during the Ashleigh/Sammy years. Yes, the series has changed many authors and there have been some major bumps in the road, but the faithful readers of the TB series can see through all that to what promise the series still has. There are new characters and plots that could be made into great new books, but Harper Collins is planning to end publishment of this series after book #72. If you want to help save this amazing series, go to www.whitebrookfarm.com to find out more. Be sure to sign the petition also (only once please!). Ashleigh knew Wonder had the potential to be great and we know that the TB series has the potential to bring great stories and characters back too! HELP SAVE THOROUGHBRED!

I am a first time Greyhound adopter and I'm so glad this is one of the books that was a pre-adoption requirement. I enjoy how Cynthia is so in tune with these wonderful dogs and she gives you the info directly from her heart! They said any book by Cynthia Branigan is worth purchasing, so I'm going to buy her other book on Greyhounds next.

This book was such a help as the breed was new to me. I knew nothing about the personality of the breed or what to expect. This book will help any one interested in adopting a Grey through the first months and the life of the pet. The medical information is invaluble as these are things some vets don't know let alone the pet owner. The book not only assists you in knowing the breed before you bring one home, but can greatly assist you in deciding if this is the right pet for you.

this book is a must if you are planning to adopt a greyhound for a companion...great information to help you make the right decision to see if a greyhound is the right "new family member" for you and your family.

Great book -- if I only had one book on the subject, this would be it.

The narrative style made the book enjoyable for me to read (yet difficult to skim). The book offered me plenty of practical advice and opinion based on the author's experience.

The "dummies book" is has better illustrations, but this book wins-out for its consistent organization and easy readability. (I've also reviewed the Dummies book on Amazon in more detail: 3 of 5 stars).

This is absolutely the best book to read if you are interested in finding out more about greyhound adoption. The information is clear, accurate, and very well written. Consider this your greyhound "Bible".

While this is Mark Stevens' first novel, you'd never know it. Stevens exhibits a mastery of storytelling and a thorough knowledge of the Colorado Rockies where the story is set.

Allison Coil, recovering from the trauma of surviving a commerical airline crash, leaves her fast-paced world and finds herself working as a hunting guide on horseback in the Eagle-Vail area. A blinding snowstorm doesn't stop animal rights activists from camping out and protesting, and Allison also forges her way home from a camp when a shot rings out. She sees something suspicious in the distance, but can't be sure of what it means. However, it soon becomes clear that a protestor and another hunting guide are both missing. While risking her life and facing real threats, she acts on instinct and slowly begins to unravel the mysteries to find the truth.

A plot filled with twists and nasty, greedy characters keep the suspense at a high level and are nicely interwoven in an easy style with good character development and a terrific setting. Mark Stevens as an author to watch - a great read!

Superb! Mark Stevens develops a group of interesting characters and thrusts them into a compelling story set in the fascinating world of guided Elk hunts (about which I previously knew nothing, but which I enjoyed learning about). For me, the book was a real page-turner in two respects: I eagerly turned the pages forward as I became engrossed in the story, and I found myself turning them backward to re-read Stevens' moving descriptions of the mountains and the ever-changing Colorado weather. This book would be particularly absorbing if read while traveling on an airplane (for reasons related to the plot that I will not divulge here), or if read within sight of the spectacular terrain that Stevens describes so well.

I went on a guided trip into the flat tops last summer. Wish I would have had the book with me. It would have made the trip that much more enjoyable. I liked Allison the main character. Her strength and charater were easy to imagine in that setting. The book is a real page turner. As a hunter and lover of mysteries, I found this book to be enjoyable on many levels. It is a must read for anyone that loves outfitting and guided hunts.

Mark Stevens brings a new voice to fiction wtih Antler Dust. Allison Coil was believable and tough even with all the high country mayhem.

Hooray for Mark Stevens in setting an evocative, fast paced, groundbreaking crime-adventure story in the gorgeous and storied Flattops of Colorado. The country breathes and lives in this new novel--you can smell the fir trees and hear the strange echoes of hoof on stone in the high country bowls. Stevens knows this country by heart and he takes you there with expertly crafted prose. Groundbreaking because the heroine is a hunting guide--a female hunting guide in a world of tough--and in this case--often ruthless men. The characters are great. They speak as they were born to speak and the reader gets sucked right into this high country drama. I welcome this brave new practitioner for making this crack-the-case story fresh and fun and gripping. Bravo.

Who doesn't love George and Martha with their dry sense of humor and deep affection for each other.
Great investment and pleasure to read over and over again.

I have always loved the George and Martha stories and couldn't wait to read them to my two boys. They are as good as I remembered. The stories are short but not too cute with storylines that are as much fun for the adults as for the kids. James Marshall manages to pack an awful lot into just a few words. And this book has them all! All the stories in the original size (the new "reader" books have shrunk the pictures). A great book and a fantastic value!

My son loved this Christmas gift! We've had to read a few stories every night since he opened it. It is a great value!! Mommy enjoys the stories too!

After reading a few of these stories to my 5-year-old. I found that we both could enjoy and appreciate the messages within them. This led me to want to buy the entire collection. This is rare for me! Brilliant series!

It's hard to know what is better about George and Martha: the absurdist art or the simple but funny and sweet text. (My favorite case in point: George, an enormous hippo, standing in a tiny hot-air balloon basket, announcing "I'm going to be the first of my species to fly!") My children loved reading it, and I enjoyed reading it to them. Every now and again, my ten year-old still cracks it open for a read. The "complete stories" contains all the G+M books within it so it is not only more economical than buying all the separate books, it is less clutter producing as well.

My daughter was a little bit afraid of big trucks, I though this book would help a little bit, and it did. It is a cute story, I don't know that it is worded the best that it could be, but the illustrations are cute and overall it is a good book!

My almost 3 yr old grandson loves this book. We have read it many times. He knows most of it by heart. Often he will say "Round and round, the wheels they roll. Round and round into a hole!" This is the start of a game with his Pappy. Pappy will then say the beginning of another line from the book such as "No need to panic!" and our grandson will reply back with "Here come a tow truck with a mechanic." Geat fun!

I bought this expecting the same rhytmic verse as Chugga Chugga Choo Choo which we really enjoy reading. This book fell short and it is very choppy to read. However, the art is nice.

This is a great book. My son loves the truck and all the helpful vehicles that come along. I also love the artwork!

We originally found this book at a little girlfriend's home and my son absolutely loved it. Bought it for him last Christmas, and he still loves it. Great book. Very smartly written and a lot of fun! Buy it if your little one (boy or girl) loves trucks and/or animals!

This is one of my favorite children's book and I love to give it as a gift.
As a Kindergarten teacher it is my pick!

My family loves this book. My husband reads it to my children, ages 13, 5, and 1. They love it, he does the voices of the characters, which is great fun for everyone. My oldest says this is her favorite book from when she was little. I'm buying copies for my toddler aged neice and nephew.

Gritch the Witch was pining for some special snacks. Piggie Pie is all that would do! The problem was the main ingredient was 8 plump piggies and she had none at hand. Off to Old MacDonald's farm on her broom to find them, to no avail!

Howard Fine's great illustrations of all the piggies disguised as other animals and even Old MacDonald, himself, will make young children laugh out loud! This book is lots of fun and will be requested over and over again. And, there's plenty of sly humor that adults will tremendously enjoy.

This is a great book for kids 5 and up.

This fractured folktale is about a witch that is craving some `Piggie Pie.' She goes through her pantry and finds she has everything she needs except for that all important ingredient--PIGGIES! At first she is outraged but eventually composes herself and devises a plan. Where can she find a piggy? The zoo? The circus? She finally decides that the best place to secure some pigs would be on a farm. After looking through the yellow pages, she travels to Old MacDonald's farm to grab the missing ingredient. She gives her victims a warning as she writes in the clouds, "Surrender Piggies!" The pigs devise their own plan; they plot to outsmart the witch by dressing up as other farm animals. They fool her by disguising themselves as ducks, cows, chickens, and even old MacDonald. When the big bad wolf happens to come along, he offers advice to the witch and tells her to give up--after all, he remembers those 3 pig brothers! Now, her taste changes from piggie to wolf and she graciously invites him over for `lunch'...
Piggie Pie is a delightful story that incorporates several classic folktales including The Three Little Pigs, Old MacDonald nursery rhyme, the traditional evil witch as the villain, and the famous three little pigs. Due to the structure of this book, students will improve their understanding of the different subcategories of traditional literature. The author includes descriptive language such as repetition, alliteration, expressive language, and affective adjectives that highlight the text and bring the story to life. Such examples include the witch describing her tasty meal options with phrases like "boiled, black, buzzed feet" and "plump, juicy, pink piggies." This whimsical, witty story will capture student's attention and can be used as a model to enhance their understanding of what it means to read like a writer.
Throughout the book, Palatini's text enhances student's vocabulary and contains repetitive phonemes that enrich their growth as a reader. As Cunningham describes, tongue twisters, like ones found in the text, play a crucial role in developing students' phonemic awareness. For example, "eight plump piggies for piggie pie" is a silly and fun phrase that the students will enjoy saying and simultaneously will develop their oral language. Students will be exposed to new vocabulary words, such as curdle, passel, and muttered. Encourage students to use elements of Palatini's writing and transfer her techniques over when creating their own literature.

Though Palatini's books are billed as read-alouds for a younger audience, my fourth graders can't get enough! The books are simple enough for even my lowest readers to tackle independently, yet clever enough that my high readers choose them as well. The humor appeals to all ages. In fact, there are many things my kids "get" that younger children don't. My students recommend Palatini books to each other all the time, and I can't keep them on my shelves. I am on my third copy of Piggie Pie and currently need to replace my worn-out copy of Moosetache. They've simply been "read to death". There is no higher praise for a children's book!

Very humorous account of our dogs less than civilized behavior. Great little gift for the novice dog owner.

This is a great book for animal lovers. If you have a dog you may not miss Why Do Dogs Drink Out of the Toilet. You can lern so much about dogs behaviour, etc. Very much recommended reading. I also liked
The Dog Who Rescues Cats: True Story of Ginny, The

This book not only taught us things about our dog, it did it with a laugh. There were so many different things stated in the book that my husband and I were suprised. Where I live sometimes there is a lot of thunder. The book explained to make the noise of the thunder game time so our dog does not get scared. We do that now. It is great. Whe does not get scared and we do not lose that much sleep. If it was not for the book, she would still be a little freaky about thunder type noises. We appreciate the humor of the book and the education it offers.

Marty Becker, DVM, combines his encyclopedic knowledge of dogs and a great sense of humor into a book that is both funny and useful in informing us of why dogs do and don't do certain things. The reasons for their different behaviors are explained in simple and easy to understand terms, but in a way that amuses us while it informs us. This book makes a great gift or Christmas present for yourself and the dog lovers in your life.

This book has helped me understand my dog, and I think he is happier too!

Following right where they left off, Wonder is flying through her training once she gets the right handling. I think alot of horse people out there can relate with ashleigh about the frustration of watching someone push a horse to far but we can also relate with her never giving up. Good read, reccomend for any horse lover.

"Townsend Prince and Mercy Man are running nose and nose, straining to catch her. What a finish! Can the filly do it? Can this courageous little filly hold them off? They're coming down to the wire..."

In book three Ashleigh, Wonder, and Charlie are headed for the biggest race of their lives. The Kentucky Derby. This book is one of my favorites because of the way that it is written. We learn so much about Brad Townsend, and I can't help but glare when I think about him. Campbell does an amazing job creating a "villain" that has depth and character. You really grow to hate Brad! We also get glimpses of characters that will play a major role in the future of Thoroughbred, like Mike Reese.

Probably the best asset of this book is the race scenes. Each race that is written seems to come alive to me as I read. I can picture Wonder and Jilly struggling down the stretch in the Blue Grass trying valiantly to hang on to the lead under the onslaught of Townsend Prince and Silverghost. The climax of this book is the Kentucky Derby where Wonder is pitted against the greatest colts in the country and her own half brother Prince (who is Brad's colt). This race is one of my most favorite in the whole series. I was on the edge on my seat as I read. I couldn't seem to turn the pages fast enough! Every time I read this book I get excited all over again.

Wonder's First Race is one of the finest books in the series. When I think of how great this series is, I'm terribly saddened at the fact that Harper Collins is planning to end the series after #72. Unfortunately the faithful readers will not get the chance to experience another race as gripping as Wonder's Derby if the books will no longer be printed...Please reconsider Harper! If you want to HELP SAVE THE THOROUGHBRED SERIES, go to www.whitebrookfarm.com to find out more. Please help keep the spirit of Ashleigh and Wonder alive! PLEASE SAVE THOROUGHBRED!!

In this book Wonder is injured by Brad Townsend during an icy workout.Her Derby chances go downhill when she is injured. Ashleigh meets Mike Reese and he asks her on a date.Wonder and Prince make it to the Derby. Wonder makes it to the wire first with Jilly Gordon up. Unfortunately this most remarkable series is coming to an end at #72 Legacy's Gift.Please go to www.whitebrookfarm.com to find out how you can help to try to save this beloved series.

Wonder's First Race is one of my favorite TB books. I'm 20 and I still get a kick out of reading them.
This is where things start to get exciting. We see Wonder race for the first time, Ashliegh start to show an interest in boys and much much more!
Please, please don't end this series! The new books are not as good as this one was, but I still read them.

This was the first Thoroughbred book I ever read and still holds a special place in my heart. This is a truly well-written book that I have enjoyed upon many re-readings. Unfortunately, Harper Collins has decided to end the series abruptly after #72. With such a dedicated following and online fan base with members from all over the world, this is a classic and beloved series that has inspired many people and provided horse fans with vicarious thrills and adventure. Ashleigh saved Wonder, now it's up to you to help save Thoroughbred. [...].