Animal Books

Hello, I'm StoryMaker. While glancing at the bookshelf, I spotted The World of Pooh - an old, brown copy with no dust jacket - and was inspired to review it.

The World of Pooh is a very good book. It is the original, classic, A. A. Milne Pooh, and a lot of it. Timeless & simple, it is a must for young & old. The red-shirt-free, non-Disney, classic Pooh books by A. A. Milne are old, but to this very day satisfy young children. That's the magic about it.

Why is the classic Pooh better than the Disney Pooh? Well, there are plenty of reasons.

First of all, the characters are better. They are not exaggerated like Disney's. They are kinder yet still quite funny. They are really more charming and really better. As some would say, they have higher quality.

Second, A. A. Milne's stories are timeless. You'd think a kid wouldn't care, but seriously. They satisfy generation after generation and don't change over time. (And I'm not talking about the change of the cover and binding and amount of wear & tear!) Look at the changes of Disney's Pooh. First classic animation, then puppets, then CGI. As the world changes, so does Disney Pooh. But A. A. Milne's classics are timeless and can be loved age to age. They're Grandpappy approved! XD

The World of Pooh gathers many Pooh classic stories and puts them in one book. I have a young cousin & his parents have introduced him to A. A. Milne's Pooh and aren't sure they will show him Disney. Good for them! These stories are better. If you have a youngster, I recommend you do the same. You can get The World of Pooh for pretty cheap nowadays, so why not? Also check out A. A. Milne's poem books, When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six. You'll love 'em, too! Signed, StoryMaker. "Gotta trust the kid's review!"

I've been reading a chapter each night before bed to my 4yr old since
receiving the book. We both love all of the stories.

I think that "The World of Pooh" was a wonderful book. I especially liked it because I love Winne the Pooh. He is so funny, and with his friends by his side they can do anything. One of my favorite parts is the part where Pooh gets stuck in Rabbit's Rabbit Hole. And when everyone throws a party for Pooh and Eeyore thinks the party is for him. The World of Pooh is a great book and it is funny as well. I could not put the book down. It is just simply amazing. Piglet and Winnie the Pooh are best of friends.

I love this book. Written well, the drawings are great, I takes me back to a wonderful place to be.

For the Gopher fans, Gopher is not in this, he came later in the tv shows.

We had a very old copy of The World of Pooh in the house when I was growing up, long since lost. I was so happy to find this when looking for gifts for an on-the-way niece or nephew. Sure, TV/Disney Pooh is cute, but this is the way Pooh stories are supposed to be told, with the classic illustrations and language. This is a perfect storybook for all ages, young and old, and I hope it is always available in this version. The simple series of stories revolving around a young boy's imagination is something I look forward to reliving over and over again, and it brings back extremely fond childhood memories, first of being read to, then of holding the book in my lap and pouring over it for many, many hours.

MY kids liked this book pretty good. It is a bit hefty in pricve but it is good.

Book arrived when expected and how expected - can't expect much more than than!

My 5 year-old niece loves this book!!! I was introduced to it around Halloween. Ever since she is constantly asking for me to read this book, she never gets tired of the story. I personally find the story very delightful !!

My four year old daughter and I love this book. If you're looking to buy a preschooler a story for Halloween--this is the one. It has witches, magic, and some not too scary mischief. It's quite satisfying and teaches that what goes around comes around. The book is even endorsed by former President Jimmy Carter!

Magic and wizardry are just some of the thing's you'll find in the book called Alice and Greta by Steven J.Simmons. This story is about Alice who is a wich and does nice thing's for people and girl named Greta who is also a wich and does mean thing's to people.
So if you like magic, you'll like this book. I like this book because everything that Greta did to people comes back to her in the end. So the lesson you learn is it doesn't matter what you do to people it will always comes back to you.

the type of reading material most grandparents search for to excite and encourage our youngsters' reading and interests.

I bought this book of poems while doing a them on Penguins. The children read Mr. Popper's Penguins and I used the Teachers printables for the unit. The poems were used during Writing to immerse the children in poems and cross theme with Penguins. This poem book and them can be used across all grades and guided reading levels. My 5 year old even loves it.

This book gives good basic information on penguins in a very fun format. The poems are catchy. I teach 3-6 year olds and I caught them repeating the phrases they liked the best. I highly recommend it for this age group.

I bought this book for my son since he is interested in penguins. Most penguin story books are promoted to toddlers or are penguin science books; not books for fictional reading for older children. Normally he doesn't choose to read but when he received this book for christmas, he immediately put down his other items and began to look through the book. Later that evening, before bedtime, he chose to read his book before going to sleep. He also liked that the book had poems; something he's been studying in school and hasn't seen how it could be fun to read. Now he likes them a little more. I'm glad it will help to promote more reading for him.

First of all, I love this book because I love penguins. However, as a piece of children's literature, it's so much more. This is an excellent example of how literature (poetry) and science can go hand and hand. There are some poems in this book that seem written just for fun, (e.g. "Be My Penguin"). However, most of the poems in this book are written about and around actual behaviors that penguins exhibit: from regurgiating their food to feed the young ("Regurgitate") to the motherly instincts of father penguins ("A Hatchling's Song" and "My Father's Feet") to poetic riddles about penguin predators (sea lion, killer whale). The book is charming, easy to read, and full of delightful penguin illustrations. A great gift for any child interesting in science or literature or anyone who (like me) just loves penguins.

I had heard about this story and it seemed almost impossible that anyone would be brave enough to do what this man did - go to Iraq in the middle of the war to save the animals of the Baghdad zoo. I found this book at my local library and read it almost in one sitting - it's a good read, well-written, but it's the story itself that is amazing. The book tells the story in vivid detail, a sadder, scarier and more horrifying story than I had imagined, yet told with some humor, and with many examples of how the decency and courage of individuals does make a difference. Here's an average guy - just like you and me - ok, maybe not all of us run nature preserves in Africa - but still, not a soldier, not a person trained to survive in the chaos of war. He arrives in this chaos, recognizes it's worse than he had imagined, but instead of saying "big mistake, I'm getting out of here," he draws that line in the sand: "I'm here, I committed myself, I'm going to do something about it." And then carries through. If this were a movie, I'd be applauding.

After reading the graphic novel "Pride of Baghdad," I was very interested in what happened to the zoo in Baghdad, so I tracked down this book by Lawrence Anthony.

From this book I learned a lot about what it was/is like in Iraq from an outsider's perspective at the heart of Baghdad just after the invasion - the hardships, violence, lack of sanitation, futility, and destruction. This one man's battle to save the remaining animals that were not stolen or killed in the zoo is an amazing documentation of courage, compassion, and determination. Lawrence Anthony has a big heart and an impressive amount of "liver," so to speak. ;)

I was struck by many things in this book - first the quick degradation of humanity in a situation where law and order has gone out the window. So many people rely on the innate good nature of mankind to somehow overcome and make our own peace, yet as soon as the police and established enforcement were gone in Baghdad, theft and vandalism took over. Left to our own devices, we are a sick sad species, bent on taking for ourselves at the expense of others. If you think your country would do anything less once the law was dispelled, you are mistaken. It makes me think of all the riots that have taken place in U.S. history. The inclination of the majority is to pillage and loot rather than organize and construct. It's no wonder the world is being increasingly destroyed. We are innately screwed up.

This book also showed me the hopeful side of humanity though - those willing to take a stand and brave the odds to bring order and safety back. Those courageous Iraqis who worked so hard alongside Anthony were an inspiration and an honorable representation of the human race. The risks all of them took to help the helpless should be lauded by everyone as an act of the utmost heroism.

There is so much frustration in this book - difficult to read at times as you experience yourself the sinking hope and exhaustion those few stubborn men (and women). But through it all they endure and ultimately succeed in their efforts.

I liked this book because of the insight into both the lightness and the darkness of humanity, as well as tangibly real descriptions of situations that make it easy to imagine you're there. Anthony also keeps things interesting by interjecting little snippets of his own history and other people's experiences into the flow of things.

The ending turns into a big lecture on global warming and the destruction of the planet, but I guess that's to be expected. And really, even if you are reluctant to run after the green bandwagon, you cannot deny that our planet does need our help. If not the weather (which it may very well be too difficult to change) the life we are continuing to mow down and extinguish (often permanently). We may like to think that this world is too big for measly old us to make a dent in, but that same logic is what made the bison and passenger pigeons go from populations of millions to extinction (or the verge of it for the bison).
It is important also, however, not to forget that people should not be ignored as we try to improve things. Just like Lawrence has to make sure the Iraqi workers were fed first, we should not put such a priority on ecological improvements that the poor and desperately starving are trampled or further impoverished by those efforts. There has to be a balance of compassion.

Thanks, Anthony Lawrence, for passing on your experience to the rest of us. I hope everyone who reads your writings learns as much if not more than I did, and takes inspiration from your kind and peace-making attitude.

Anthony, a South African elephant conservationist, was appalled when he heard that the animals at the Kabul zoo were killed in the war in Afghanistan. When the war in Iraq started, he decided to go to Baghdad and help save the animals at the Baghdad zoo from the same fate. Anthony got a real education walking into a war zone and finding the zoo completely looted and all but 30 of the creatures dead or missing. Slowly, and with the help of brave Iraqi vets and zookeepers, concerned American soldiers, and one crazy taxi driver, Anthony helped lead the zoo's recovery into a safe place for the animals and a haven of normalcy for Baghdad families.

If a story like this is competently told, it really can't miss, and this one hits the mark. Anthony has many interesting things to say, good stories, and the right combination of indignation and MASH-style humor.
The last chapter bogs down in hopeless idealism about international cooperation (IMHO), but this book will be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in the topic or the experiences of an ordinary civilian trying to get something done in a war zone.

Reviewer: Liz Clare, co-author of the historical novel To the Ends of the Earth: The Last Journey of Lewis and Clark.

Great! a gripping account of how one man spearheaded a rescue attempt on the Baghdad zoo. Well written. Amazing what can be done when the passion and the will to do come together in a man who loved animals and who understood what it took to make a zoo happen in spite of a violent war being fought on all sides.

I truly enjoyed reading "Babylon's Ark." The news is often full of disheartening examples of man's inhumanity to man and to animals. It's wonderful to see examples of courage and love that show us man's great humanity. Such is the case of Lawrence Anthony, a conservationist from South Africa, who felt compelled to rescue the animals in the Baghdad zoo.

Anthony pulled many strings to be able to enter a war zone in his eagerness to save these animals, but he was unprepared for the terrible condition of the animals and the places they lived. I loved his philosophy " whatever happens finish the task you start." It was his ability to concentrate on one task at a time that kept him from being overwhelmed.

The stories of individual animals are sometimes tragic and sometimes heartwarming and always interesting. And when Anthony set out to do the impossible, others joined in. A great story!

I can't believe how Heather Vogel Frederick does this! This book has everything I like in it, mice and mysteries. When I first started it, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, but after a few chapters, I was hooked. The story is awesome, I love Glory and the "muffins," and it has the perfect mice vs. rats plot. I have bought the book and like to read it over and over again. It has become my favorite book! Mice rule!

Oz and D.B. meet Gloria spy agent mouse. When Gloria breaks the mouse code and talks to humans, opportunities spring up for both parties. Gloria can help Oz by scaring the sharks, the bullies at his school. Oz can help her with the evil rats. I had a hard time starting this book, but once I got into it, I enjoyed it immensely.

This fun filled, action packed book seems to come alive as you read. Join Oz, D.B, Glory, and friends as they help each other defeat their enemies. But they do not know that the evil Dupont and his army of rats are planing to attack Glory and the other Mice but they manage to foile their plans. I recommend this book to Kids 7-12. I loved this book and I hope you will to.

Miles L. (age 10)

An amazing book for thrill-seeking readers! It was the fastest I've ever read and I very much enjoyed it.

Have you ever wanted to be James Bond? Are you a person who loves gadgets? Then Spy Mice: The Black Paw is the book for you. Oz Levinson and his mouse friend, Morning Glory, along with a host of other people and mice provide loads of 007 fun complete with gadgets of all kinds. Be sure and read Spy Mice either before or AFTER a trip to Washington, D.C.'s Spy Museum. The whole thing really comes to life. This is a great adventure book for upper elementary readers. Enjoy!

My 3 year old Grand Daughter, Lola, loved to check this book out from our local library. Whenever she had to return it, she would tell her Mom that the book would "miss her".
On Christmas Day when she opened her gift and it was her favorite book, she was very happy. It really is a good book for children, and my Lola loves it!

I got this book for my husband who loves cats. We have three - two black Lamont Cranston, Dust Bunny and one that is white with a couple black stops Wendi Darling.

The book was very touching and so typical of cats. The pictures were lovely. It was a bit sad, but I enjoyed it before I sent it to him.

This book is really beautiful and the story is amazing. It's abaout a cat and a woman. The images are staged sets photographed with Hasselblad, the colours are very nice, the characters are sculpture made of clay. My daughter loves the book and always ask me to read it. It is based on a true story. I hope that Ms Von Buhler will make another one soon and that it will be translated in italian.

This is an absolutely delightful, touching story that is visually beautiful and cleverly executed. All of us cat lovers have experienced elusive cats that we would like to have closer to us. Friends of mine live in a Victorian house that looks a whole lot like the one in the story, and they have a cat in their yard they feed who won't come inside. (Fortunately we live in California so no snow to contend with, as in the book.) When I heard about this book in Cat Fancy magazine I bought it to give them but wanted to keep it too. You can't miss if you buy this book.

The Cat Who Wouldn't Come Inside is a touching story of trust, patience, friendship and love, thoughtfully written and exquisitely illustrated by Cynthia von Buhler with such warmth and detail that you feel like you too have been invited inside the charming Victorian home. The Cat Who Wouldn't Come Inside is the story of a little Victorian girl who leaves warm milk on her porch for a stray cat she invites inside, but the cat will not come in. Each day the girl leaves gifts for the cat on the porch, and again invites the cat inside. Each day the cat declines her invitation. Children will delight in the repetition of the story, while parents enjoy the artistry of the illustrations and the variation as the gifts build in grandeur from a simple bowl of milk to elaborate Victorian furnishings. With patience and time, the cat comes to trust the little girl and eventually shows her affection by inviting the little girl into the cat's home they have built on the porch. This storybook and the true story of Olympus, the stray cat von Buhler rescued which inspired her tale, will touch everyone's heart.

The Cat Who Wouldn't Come Inside is complemented by von Buhler's website, [...] which has been skillfully crafted to showcase her storybook with the same attention to detail and beautiful illustrations. Click on your mouse to discover personal information about von Buhler and the inspiration for her story, an inside look at the making of the book and the Victorian house (von Buhler's childhood dollhouse), step-by-step instructions for young readers to make and showcase their own clay kitty and reviews, and valuable information for saving other cats.

Both The Cat Who Wouldn't Come Inside and its complementary website, [...], are extraordinary!

This book is weird when the fish fly onto land; that makes it cool. It's really, really weird when the boat flies. The pictures are great!

I adore this book. I find it absolutely enthralling.

I love the quiet poetry, the calm illustrations, the strange details (flying sail boats? A sand fish (that looks like a cat on the side) that comes to life?) - everything.

Unfortunately, my nieces (5 and 2.5) don't love it quite as much as I do. Maybe they'll grow into it? I suspect they find it somewhat lacking in story.

The artwork in this fantastic tale of a boy 'saling' off to a magical island to frolic with lions and sea creatures make the book. My son (3) and I love it.

Eric Rohmann's imagination is a place I'd like to live in. His imagery is stunning in The Cinder-Eyed Cats. He has created a book that you will pick up again and again, if only to flip through the beautiful images. It will become a well-loved part of your library.

This book is a small boy's dreamlike journey to an island inhabited by the cats. He flies there in a boat and falls asleep. That's when the wonderous events begin.

You'll see flying fish, slinky cats, all revolving around and around in giddy circles. When the morning comes, the boy must return home and the cats get their rest.

Parents will have a good time reading this book to their younger children, while slightly older (5 - 8) will enjoy reading it to themselves.

Rohmann is also the creator of Time Flies, a Caldecott Honor Book, that is just as beautiful as this one.

Kimberly Pauley
YA Books Goddess @ Young Adult Books Central

...thoroughly enjoy the pictures and the story. The art work is fabulous. Great for any age.

This book was funny and informative. I read his freshwater guide and loved it. He tells lots of useful information with pictures! Read this book!!

First I would like to start off by saying this book is extremely informative. It tells you everything you need to know about setting up a saltwater tank. The information that is provided in this book is very up to date unlike many other beginner books I have read. Not only is the book Chock full of GREAT info, but it also has great pictures, great suggestions on extra reading materials, and even some fishy humor added in. To top it off after purchasing this book I later found out that the author worked at my local Aquarium store in Randallstown, MD! Whats even better is that I know many people that are in this book and I see many of the examples in the store everytime I visit it. So if you are looking for an all around great book check this one out.

I have read several books, and this one was by far the easiest to read! But don't let that fool you! Despite this, it is full of great information! If you are looking into getting saltwater fish, and don't want a book which sounds like a college chemistry book, this is the one for you!

This is a GREAT book for a person who knows absolutely nothing about aquariums. It gives great details in explaining everything from beginning to completion in simple terms that anyone can understand. It was most helpful in helping to set up my first and only aquarium.

As a novice aquarist, I have to say that this book is GREAT! Ihad read many books on the subject, but this one gave me the courageto actually set up my dream marine aquarium. It has been eight months, and I now have a tank to be proud of. It has inspired several friends and family to start their own. They also have learned a great deal from this book. It is now well worn from use. It continues to be my bible for any questions I may have.

Lydia Hiby is a phenomenon. This book about her experiences and process is fascinating. As we have had past and current clients (cats) in our family, this book answers questions that we just never got around to asking...and then some. If you are cynic, this probably won't change you mind (though it should). Highly recommended.

I have used Lydia's communicating services in helping my cats through behaviorial problems and even the death of a cat. I was anxious to read her book and when it arrived in the mail and I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. The stories are heartwarming and inspirational to all who love animals. I strongly recommend this book to every animal lover, who like myself, wishes to talk to animals.

What an awakening Ms Hiby's book provided me. She can help us all regain some basics from our earliest childhood. There's a whole world of communication and thought going on among the animals, and we miss most of it because we've grown up parroting what we were told..."they can't talk", "we don't really hear them". Well, fortunatly for me, Lydia Hiby in her simple, honest, and loving book, has reopened my mind and 'ears'. I DO remember talking with dogs and cats and cows and ducks and pigs when I was a little girl on my folks' farm. It was just part of life. That WAS my first language. Then I went to elementary school and all my focus was shifted to humans and what I now consider my second language...English. So, as I read her book and absorbed each additional example of the compassion, and understanding that the non-human creatures have of our limited and egocentric species, I remembered. The very simple awareness that reopens this 'hidden world' for us was pointed out by this lovely book, and generously shared by this talented author and communicator. I'm thankful and enriched.

I got this book as a gift from a friend who had Lydia do a reading on her horse. I have always been facinated with anyone who can talk to the animals and was thrilled to find a section where I could learn how to do it! I had previously purchased "how to" video tapes and was very dissappointed to find that they had no instructional value and were just testimonials about the communicator. This book was a facinating read and a great guideline! My dog and I are most grateful!

This book is written from the heart! The experiences are insightful and moving. It opens the mind to the potential within us to deepen our bond not only with our own companions, but with all animals on this planet. The techniques outlined are the building blocks to develop the "communicator" inside us all. Lydia and her book have opened a new world for me. She has dedicated her life to her gift and has inspired me to follow in her footsteps. Everyone has their own talent and path and none of us is perfect. It is through our humanity that we learn and grow every day. This book has made a monumental difference in my life and has taught me that all is possible if you come from a loving place in your heart!

This book talks about friends putting on a magic show for Hank's cousins. Frankie, one of Hank's friends, is the magician. He remembers that he wants to see a monster movie so Hank says he's going to record it.But he presses the wrong button. Frankie gets mad when they get home. Hank is so sorry he takes the cable box apart. They buy a new one the guy for the cable company has a copy of the movie that Hank didn't record. Then Hank invites Frankie over to see the movie.I like this book because it has a good ending and it like he's talking to you.

This is a good book because it has a lot of action. The book has a lot of action because Hank thought his sister iguana laid eggs in a cable box. Read on to see what happens.

The Day of the Iguana tells the story of a fourth grader named Hank Zipzer and his sister's iguana. Science projects are coming due for Hank, so he has to find a project and fast. He gets the idea to take apart his cable box and see what's inside. Wha† he didn't count on is his sister Emily's iguaua laying 23 eggs.
This book gives you a look at a boy called Hank Zipzer and how he gets through a few months of fourth grade with his best friend Frankie and his sister Emily and her iguana Catharine. The story starts in the beautiful modern city of New York. Hank has to put on a magic show for his twin cousins and promises Frankie to tape a monster movie when there doing the show but he accidentally presses the wrong button and tapes something else. Hank feels so guilty that he decides to take apart a cable box and see if he can prevent that from happening in the future. My favorite part in the book is when the baby iguanas are born. They are so cute. I recommend this book to children and family because it is about honor and trust. It is a great book and teaches kids that iguana birth can make a big change to your life. It also teaches you how to be a great friend.
W.S.

A story about three friends Hank, Frankie, and Ashley. Hank and his friends are a magic act they call themselves The Magik 3. Hank's twin cousins are turning four years old. The twin's parents hire a clown but the clown gets sick. Hank's aunt needs to find an act for the birthday party. She askes Hank if he and his friends would perform. Hank and his friends agree to perform. Then Frankie remembers that there is a monster movie marthon that he can't miss. Read the book to see what happens.

The way I see it, any book that can keep a 10 year old boy away from his video games, gets 5 stars and then some. "Day of the Iguana" and the other eight books will do for boys what "The Babysitters Club" did for girls. I've been waiting a long time for something boys can relate to other than "Yu Gi Oh" comic books and "Captain Underpants." Henry Winkler has done that with Hank Zipzer and his friends, he's made reading fun for boys. You can count on Hank getting himself in a situation that would be best handled being straightforward and you can count on him going out of his way being anything but. The best part is watching you kid choose Hank over the TV. Parents all over will understand just what an accomplishment that is.