By Make Books

When my 7-year old son is fighting with my 9-year old daughter for his turn to read AMELIA RULES!, you know these books are going to be a hit. The artwork is beautiful, the dialogue full of great humor and pathos, the stories engaging. But what appeals most to the kids, I think, is the characters themselves. Amelia is out-and-out fascinating--a perfect combination of pre-teen girl and tomboy--and her friends are as lively and entertaining as any you'll find in American literature.

In fact, this IS literature, and if you're the kind of parent who thinks comics are no better for kids than TV, AMELIA RULES! will prove you completely and utterly wrong. Get these books. Your kids won't be able to put them down--and neither will you.

Simply put, there is no kids' comic book on the market
better than "Amelia Rules!" It is intelligently written,
beautifully drawn, and totally hilarious. The stories
contained in this volume are a cartooning tour de force.

I've read all eight books in the "As Dreamed by Itsy" series to my 5 and 7 year olds. They're wonderful, all eight of them, so when you look at the others, you'll find this same review for all eight.

My kids loved them and wanted to hear them over an over. I noticed that with each reading, they comprehended a little more about the story. Even the first reading they loved and picked up a lot of information from, but they were so interested in the story to pay much attention to the concepts. After all, they didn't view the story as a lesson in science. On later readings they showed a great deal of interest and even awe at that the world really operates in such ways.

And me - I'm not a scientist, am even afraid of science, but this was easy. I picked up more from these stories than I learned in high school. Of course the kids asked questions I couldn't answer (but not too many), but they ask such questions every time we go to the park or the supermarket. I just passed off their questions in the usual way. Now when I someone says something about the Big Bang Theory, molecules or such, I feel well enough informed that I no longer quickly change the subject.

I recommend the books and hope the publisher adds more titles soon.

This is the second "As Dreamed by Itsy" book for us. One of the neat things was the pictures Showing Itsy and the pirate doing things like sticking molecules together.

The story really came through well to my six year old daughter. She now knows that only a limited number of atoms can make so many different things. She likes cooking and using the example of a few ingredients letting a cook make so many different dishes really came through to her.

I'm sure she doesn't fully understand all she has learned about chemicals yet, but she has the foundation. I expect she'll use this foundation to build her knowledge as time goes by.

I've used this book over and over to decorate my home at Christmas with Southern style arrangements. Demonstrating these techniques for garden clubs and at libraries, I always found a ready audience for this and it was really easy. I learned it all from this book.
The supplies are easy to gather (pinecones, apples, oranges, holly, greenery, wire, ribbon, etc.). The results are spectacular. Your arrangements will look very professional!
Each page shows four or more drawings showing the steps for attaching the pieces to make a different decoration. It shows various wreaths, table decorations, swags, roping, corner accents for doors, mantel decorations and an herb kissing ball.
If you ever visited Williamsburg at Christmas, you will want to recreate these beautiful arrangements in your home. This website gives you an idea of the variety you can create:
http://www.history.org/christmas/dec_doors.html

I have seen this book at the publisher's and it is outstanding. The photographs are exceptional and the descriptions well composed and pertinent. You have, however, left out the name of the CO-AUTHOR, Mary Miley Theobald. I hope you will correct this as both professionals worked long and hard to assemble the edition.

This sequel about Harry (actually, Hxzltl, in Centipedish) and his friend George again takes the bugs out from down-under (ground, that is), into the forbidden Up-Pipe and the world of the HOO-MINS.

Here, the bug boys are caught in hard-air-prisons (jars), meet a tarantula, learn about rain and discover why it's important (sometimes) to listen to grown-ups.

I wasn't at all amused by their antics, but my opinion doesn't count. My 10-year old critter loves Harry and his friend. He likes animals, loves bugs, and adores rebellious characters. More than once, Harry has kept him up at night, reading under the covers. He's plowed through this book three times in the last month.

Perfect for second, third or fourth grade readers who prefer illustrated chapter books, the 180-page further adventures of a many-footed mischief-maker will delight kids of the same spirit. Alyssa A. Lappen

Harry the Poisonous Centipede's BIG Adventure.
Author:Lynne Reid Banks.
Harry (actually Hxzlt) and George get caught by a Hoo-Min. They plan an escape but get caught by a flying bird who tries to eat them. Then they get thrown into the sea. They manage to hold on somehow. Will they ever make it back to their home. Find out by reading this amazing book. Go on an adventure with Harry and George, two centipede's that will do anything to get home.
Review by: Frances

I've had this book for over a year and used it as the basis for a number of toys I've created. The instuctions are clear and concise. The plans are easy to follow and include scaled drawings for each toy. The author also includes a very useful discussion of materials and finishes appropriate for building children's toys and design ideas for building your own animated creations. These sections alone justify the purchase of the book. Be aware that most of the designs in the book are copyrighted and if you wish to build them for commercial purposes you will need to contact the author. My favorite plan is for a very simple to make wooden rattle based on a traditional folk art design (this is not copyrighted). I've built six rattles and presented them as gifts to new parents and have been delighted to see how much infants love to play with them. This is a great source for wooden toy makers.

Whenever I am looking to make a toy for someone, this book is invariably the first one I always reach for. The plans have heaps of detail and processes for making the toys are very well thought out. These toys are not only animated, but appear to be alive, David has put a lot of effort into making these toys realistic and the movement fun for children (and lots of us not so young). As an added bonus to heaps of great plans, David has gone to great pains to talk about the processes behind designing and building a good toy, this books is worth it for this alone.

You must buy this cookbook. In addition to the cookbook having great recipes and great pictures and great tips it also has the nutrition information on the bottom of each page. I'm amazed that there are so many delicious recipes that have less than 10grams of fat per serving.

I LOVE this cookbook. I checked it out from the library, renewed it 3 times and then decided that I just couldn't live without it. There is a picture of each recipe plus pictures of the preparation process. The recipes that I've made from it have turned out great!

Make Your First Quilt with M'Liss Rae Hawley: Beginner's Step-by-Step Guide - Fabulous Blocks - Tips & Techniques
easy to understand and simple cutting and sewing techniques

This is a great book - simple easy to understand steps. The color coded pictures are perfect to understand which fabric goes where. Love it!

Good book. Extremely in depth. This is one of the most helpful books on the topic of trust deed investing and hard money loans. I read the book once and still find myself regularly referring to this book as a guide book. It covers all of the fundamentals of trust deed investing and hard money. Although it is written with the novice in mind, I am sure that even an experienced investor will find some helpful nuggets of information in this book. I only wished I had this book when I was in my thirties!

First of all, let me preface this by saying that I am a mortgage broker and know many of the intracacies of the real estate and mortgage world. Before reading this book, I thought I had a really good grasp on hard money lending and trust deed investments... boy was I wrong!

The author really cracked his brain open and shared with us all of the benefits and details of trust deed investments. This book not only showed me the way to safely invest & build personal wealth, but it gave me great insight as a mortgage broker looking to place my clients with hard money loans.

So in summary, if you are looking to learn how to safely invest your money, earn great interest, or are a mortgage broker looking to expand your knowledge in hard money loans, this book is for you!

This is a great book. I checked it out from the Library and the illustrations are great. There are very simple projects that do not require a lot of supplies. Some of them can get more complicated if you are ambitious. But, some reallly great ideas that my daughters could understand since the instructions are basically pictures and few words. Really fun. I plan on looking into other books by these folks...

They did it again with this book! These two are hot on the trail to the Ultimate Kids Craft Book Collection! The Books tend to grow with the child and will make Fantastic hand me downs for their Children too! Get your Collection started today! The directions are ALL Clear and easy to fallow, the pics are colorful and are a great start piont for the end product! Keep it up Ladies!

My daughter LOVES mouse and his books. We have bought them all and wish there were more. Mouse makes reading concepts very fun and very easy to grasp. I home school and have shown these books to my other homeschooling friends. They have all been amazed at how cheap they are and how much information they deliver in a easy fun way.

This lovely little reader is as enjoyable as it is educational. In this book Mouse replaces vowels to magically make new words. This book is a simple, silly and fun way for kids to explore the roles vowels play in our language. My little K-4 friend loves to read the mouse books all by herself. I highly recommend this clever mouse reader.