Kids Books

This book is a great read. Full of suspense and action. A great way to put the kids to bed at night - read a chapter just before bed (just like the author did with his children). Looking forward to the next book in the series.

I was so engrossed and captivated I had to read it in one sitting. It was exciting and fun, without ever becoming dark. I can't wait for the sequal.

I read this book one chapter at a time over successive nights to my four boys, and they loved it! From John's amazing gadget-equipped race car to the cast of villains and aliens, the author's wonderful imagination was evident. Since each chapter ended with a cliff hanger, my boys could barely wait for the next night's installment. They sat enthralled at each reading. Overall it was an exciting, imaginative and engaging story that seemed tailor made for young boys. Well done!

A very well thought out, exciting, adventurous story that is fun to read to young children. You get to make a lot of car noises too!!!

I bought this book for my nephew, who is 8 yrs old, and I believe that kids of all ages will want to find out more about John Fastramp and the Dakota 3000 Challenge. I don't think that the book will stay on the shelves once kids found out how good it is!

My daughter is almost 6 and she loves doing these puzzles. It was a nice surprise to give her during our recent vacation to keep her busy in the evenings. She needed extra help in the beginning to understand how crossword puzzles work, but now she just needs help when the clues are a little confusing to her. If your child can read well, he/she will probably be able to learn how to do these quickly.

I gave this book and the other KAPD book, Crazy Critters, as gifts recently to a 4-year-old and an 8-year-old. I was kind of worried about the older boy, but he thought it was cool. The 4-year-old might still be a bit young for it, but when she see's her brother doing it with Mommy or Daddy, she'll want to get into it. The themes, travel and animals, are so universal, you can't go wrong.

My 5-year old requests these every night and cried when I lost the first one while we were travelling. He loves getting the answers (and you'll be surprised by the ones they'll get). These aren't challenging for parents--kids will often get the down ones, too--but that's not what this is about: it's about doing puzzles with your kids.

Great idea.

This is really different! My first grader LOVES doing these puzzles with me. She feels great knowing answers that Mom isn't quite sure of without her. I think she likes even better sitting close, shoulder to shoulder when we do the puzzles. It is really helping with her spelling and encourages her to focus on something other than TV. They're great for "quiet time" or for the long family road trip, too. ... Plus, there are STICKERS in the book. Those are fun for my preschooler, too.

What a smart concept! These puzzles challenge parents and kids alike, while encouraging thought and discussion. But most importantly, the books are fun. They make great gifts. Afterall, what's more satisfying than completing a crossword puzzle?!

I think children of all ages will love it!!

Kids are so cute and this book lets you know it. It's the cuttest book I've read in a long time. I'll be waiting for the next one to come out.

This is a truly funny book that never gets old and tired. nicely compiled and truley a great gift for anyone age 0-1,000. I couldn,t stop laughing. This book shows that Kids Are Really Punny

I have this book in my classroom and every student has read every joke. Your kids will love it! Tara Winslow

All profits from the sale of this book go to the ForAllKids Foundation dedicated to children's charities. If that isn't reason enough to purchase this wonderful book, just know that you and your children will have countless laughs because of it.

I have three girls myself, and they absolutely love this book. The whole family enjoys the countless hours of entertainment that it provides.

Over the years, Rosie O'Donnell has received an amazing amount of jokes that children all over the world sent to "The Rosie O'Donnell Show." In this hysterically cute book, O'Donnell compiles a bunch of her favorites that she guarantees to bring smiles and laughter to your day. Each page of this book is loaded with humorous jokes that children took the time to send in. The jokes are often complimented with funny drawings, that give the book a much needed personal touch.

This book is a real winner, and a must for any family with children. It will not dissappoint.

This book gave a lot of information and ideas. We liked using it!

This book flows like the campfire. From gathering the supplies, to lighting the fire, to the blaze, to the dieing fire, to the embers it's an enjoyable experience.

It has lots of activities: stories, songs, skits, etc. to make your campfire an enjoyable experience.

I wish I had owned this book when I taught a Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation for teaching Cub Scout Adults about making a successful overnight campout.

This book has been added to my library and will be suggested at all future BALOO trainings.

I just bought this recently, and it is much better than I even expected. I have a bunch of camping books in my library, and this one is better than many more expensive adult books. It has great advice even for adults, but is indespensible for camping with kids. It teaches you how to build a fire safely, cooking on the fire, (great kid favorites recipes), dealing with bugs, how to pick a camp site, what kind of Lots of safety tips too. The fun drawings make this a pleasure as well.

The authors show you how to make a reflector oven. The main feature if this book is the fun activities for around the fire such as stories songs, games, etc. Teaches kids how to identify the stars easily and even identify features on the face of the moon. I plan to use this with our Cub Scouts.

I recieved this book in the mail... Then used it two hours later that is how useful it was for me... If I could give it 10 stars I would. It is written in a way that is easy to understand so that if you wanted to give it to a child you could, yet it is comprehensive enough for an adult... I would rate this as a good use of my money...

When our family decided to go camping this year, I felt a little bit overwhelmed with the idea that my 5 year old son would not have anything to do. I went on line and bought several books about camping with children and found that this was my most helpful It not only covers the basics like making a fire and food preparation but also the fun side of camping like the games and sing alongs. It gave me a refresher course on camping and at the same time opened up the door to have some camping fun! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has children. I can't wait until we go on our trip next month. This book has given me so many ideas that I know my son will not be bored.

This book has a stiff, wraparound cover with a magnetic closure which makes it very difficult to hold the book open to read it. This is not visible in the photos.

The book is written for younger kids. I'd say ages 9-14.

This is a PERFECT resource for kids or teachers - anyone who wants to help kids get into to philanthropic giving early on! Easy to understand, but doesn't sugarcoat the needs of our world. HIGHLY reccomended!

" A Kid's Guide to Giving" is a great resource to encourage a child to give back. It discusses the value of giving, how to give (not just donating money), and descriptions of many nonprofit organizations young people can relate to. The page layout and use of quotes from other young philanthropists makes it ideal for kids.

Freddi Zeiler has put together a truly inspiring, powerful book. People like Freddi Zeiler are a credit to the human race. I think every household should have a copy, and in fact, I think it's selfish not to. Teaching children about giving to those less fortunate is not only a great idea, it's a necessary one. Lets raise the next generation (the people who will run our country) to be a compassionate one, and lets start with this book. Congratulations to the author for moving us in the right direction.

I loved this book, beautifully written, easy to understand and so informative. What wonderful Christmas gift for all the kids on your list. Very inspiring!

Prompted by hundreds of probing questions from school-aged children from the United States and Canada, 'Kids to Space: A Space Traveler's Guide' is destined to become a 'must have' classroom guide and reference manual for science teachers and space enthusiasts alike.

The manuscript is imaginatively illustrated by the kids' own artwork. Their detailed questions, covering just about everything associated with spaceflight and space exploration, have been fielded by true notables in their respective technical fields -- the real 'rocket scientists' -- astronomers, astrophysicists, physicians, scientists, and, yes, even some astronauts.

Seldom, if ever has so much interesting and inspiring information about spaceflight and space exploration been packed into such a compelling, readable and useful volume. No doubt teachers and their students will thoroughly enjoy diving into this users' guide to spaceflight.

Kudos to the author, Lonnie Jones Schorer!

As an elementary educator for 31 years, I give this book 5 stars! Children from America and Canada were asked to submit questions about their ideas of Space, Exploration, and Space Travel knowing that experts in these fields would answer their questions. Hundreds of answers and beautiful artwork from the children are included in the book. For the younger children, a story line with larger print begins each chapter. This book is for children of ALL ages and could be used as a wonderful resource for reports and research papers, too. I feel this book needs to get into the hands of this next generation who will hopefully, become our next astronauts, Moon and Mars explorers, and the engineers, mathematicians, and scientists who will get them there. This book can provide that needed inspiration and joy of discovery.

I have developed space science materials for children and I have reviewed such work by other scientists. What sets 'Kids to Space' apart from those fine efforts is the simple fact that the students, not the educators, set the agenda: kids wrote and illustrated the questions with the curiosity and imagination that comes so naturally to young people. It was fun and often very challenging to respond to those questions because they got quickly and simply to the fundamentals of many areas of the science and technology of space and space travel. 'Kids to Space' and its innovative approach are a fabulous and remarkably thorough resource for teachers, students, and anyone interested in outer space and the issues and intricacies surrounding its exploration.

This is a beautiful book but most importantly, it demystifies the subject for children. It is comprehensive, clear, contains lovely illustrations by children, and offers an enormous amount of information in very manageable (bite size) portions. This is a must for any teacher who wants to bring this subject into the classroom in a way that students can understand. With our Space Shuttle missions in progress, it's the perfect teaching tool to bring both students and adults up to speed (possibly Mach 1?) with the space program.

Lonnie Jones Schorer has written a book with a mission. A critical mission. Turning the next generation of kids--your kids and mine--into space-farers. Inspiring our kids to dream of vacationing in orbit, of kicking up dust on the moon, of living in places life has never gone, and of being the Johnny Appleseeds of the solar system. Schorer has written a book to turn today's kids into the generation that realizes Star Trek's dreams.

Moving into space is as vital as reducing carbon emissions. Our planet is so fragile that it has experienced 146 mass extinctions--all without smokestack industries and human beings. So taking life to as many nooks and crannies of the cosmos as we can is crucial to the survival of the plants, animals, and even the bacteria who are our cousins in the family of DNA.

Schorer has given kids a personal stake in the big jump to space. She's asked 6,000 students in the US and Canada to imagine planning a trip to the moon or to a space hotel, then to think of the questions whose answers they'd want before they packed their bags and prepared for the big trek, the adventure of their lives.

The students posed a total of 18,000 questions, questions Schorer took to 80 experts, some of the top experts in their field. The contributors she snagged for Kids to Space include Richard Branson, Arthur C. Clark, Buzz Aldrin, Robert Bigelow (who launched the first inflatable hotel prototype into orbit July 14, 2006), Burt Rutan (who won the X-Prize in October, 2004, for designing, building, and launching the first privately-financed human-piloted rocket into suborbital space, landing it safely, then launching and landing it a second time in a single week), Neil deGrasse Tyson (Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City), Norman Mineta (a Democrat who served as Secretary of Transportation for President George W. Bush), and Esther Dyson (one of the world's leading emerging-technology experts).

Then Schorer tied her questions and answers together with a storyline that you can read to your kids when they're young ...and with in-depth information you and your kids can dive into as your children grow older and more curious.

Want your kids to have high aspirations, some of the highest ever dreamed by humankind? Kids to Space: A Space Traveler's Guide is the book to fire space-fever in their minds.

Howard Bloom--author of The Lucifer Principle: A Scientific Expedition Into the Forces of History and of Global Brain: The Evolution of Mass Mind From the Big Bang to the 21st Century

This was different from most of the books we read. It's nice to include some non-fiction. My daughter wanted to read it 3 times in a row! She loved the danger of the crow because it was so dramatic compared to most kids' books - yet still not over the top scary. She likes to finish the sentences and guess what's wrong with each tail the skink tries. The activity is fun at the end and I think she'll enjoy it in a different way when she's older (using it like a real map with the letters and numbers). She's 3 yrs old. She likes to point to all the letters and sing the alphabet at the end and she loves finding the paw prints.

Grab your kids head to a reading ASAP! It's an interactive good time for both kids and adults. Janet, her husband Tom and daughter Laura make the book come alive.If you're lucky you'll get to play a part in the book. I was an (wise)owl.

This charming story is about Little Skink, a lizard, who's enjoying a nice peaceful day...that is, until she goes hunting for ants for breakfast. A hungry crow goes after Little Skink's distinctive blue tail. In order to save herself from becoming Crow's breakfast, Little Skink snaps off her blue tail. Her tail continues to wiggle, keeping Crow's attention. Little Skink uses the opportunity to save herself by hiding under a log.

Little Skink is sad about losing her tail, so she starts to wonder what it would be like to have a tail like one of the other animals in the forest. Every day, she imagines she has the tail of whatever animal walks by her. No tail is suitable, and she's sure she'll never find "just the right tail" to replace her lost bright blue one. The story ends on an upbeat note, sure to please the reader.

Author Janet Halfmann's precise text makes this a fun story to read. Coupled with the outstanding illustrations by Laurie Allen Klein, the reader is provided with excellent visuals to see Little Skink in the assorted tails she sports while trying to find "just the right tail". This scientifically accurate book has a "For Creative Minds" section at the end of the story with a unique Footprint Map to help children recognize the distinct footprints of several animals, as well as a "Tail Matching" Activity to help the reader remember and correctly identify the tails of the animals portrayed in this story. As always, Sylvan Dell Publishing has printed a quality, beautiful, fun, and scientifically accurate book for children. Author Janet Halfmann's text urges children to think in a logical, creative way; add in the colorful, crisp images created by Laurie Allen Klein, this book is a sure bet to stimulate the minds of animal-loving children everywhere!
In addition, readers can find cross-curricular "Teaching Activities," an audio reading, child-friendly "Learning Links," and comprehension and math quizzes for free at www.SylvanDellPublishing.com

By: Gayle Jacobson-Huset
Assistant Editor
Stories for Children Magazine

A hungry crow tries to make Little Skink's Tail a meal. Little Skink tricks the crow by dropping her beautiful tail and hiding. Little Skink then imagines what she would look like with various types of tails of other animals in her woodland habitat. After considering how the other tails would look on her body, Little Skink discovers that her tail has grown back just the right size for a Skink!

The students in my fifth grade class had been creating their own story plots about an animal they had been researching. They included information about predator/prey relationships, habitats, ecosystems, behaviors and food needs. The students had done much thinking about a problem that their story's main character would need to confront.

When I read them, Little Skink's Tail by Janet Halfmann, the students were delighted. They recognized the plot
and enjoyed how the Little Skink imagined wearing other tails. The students thought it was "neat" how Janet Halfmann took factual science information and developed it into a "tale" touched by a bit of magic and wit.

Even though the students realized that the audience was most likely intended for 5-7 year olds, they felt the plot was interesting enough for older students. The students enjoyed the illustrations by Laurie Klein that extended their understanding of habitats and animal interrelationships. They also enjoyed the activities at the end and wanted to try them out.

As a teacher, I appreciated the clarity of the plot line, the accuracy of the information, and the simplicity of the theme. The story does not overwhelm the students with too much information, but highlights how a plot can be developed around one significant event.

Oh no, Little Skink's Tail is stolen! She is scared and sad. Can she get another tail? What kind of tail would she like next? A skunk's tail, a turtle's tail, an owl's tail? No tails she sees in the forest seems just right. Luckily, she is a lizard. Do you know how lizards get their tails? This book will tell you.
Author Janet Halfmann and Illustrator Laurie Allen Klein do a splendid job in telling this tale and in painting not only Little Skink, but also all of the forest and its inhabitants. Therefore, the young reader will learn all about a whole woodland habitat. One matching activity in the back goes further in explaining the uses of many other animal's tails, for instance a rabbit raises its cottontail to tell other rabbits about trouble ahead. This book is a terrific addition to a home or classroom, ages 5 - 8. Just think how wonderful a forest or lizard unit would be in a classroom. One can just see a diorama created by children based on the book!

The authorship of this book was clearly a monumental task. In reporting on the young people who form the core of the work, Ms. Lewnes was faced with the task of first gaining the trust of her subjects, then retaining that trust as she interacted with the parents, social workers and other authority figures who were at least nominally in charge of the subjects' care.

The book has three biographical segments. Each part deals with one or two misplaced children, who Ms. Lewnes follows through the streets, the social services system and often the courts. In each case both the circumstances and the subjects' reactions to them are different, which helps the reader understand the broad scope of the problem at hand. On the surface, the issue occasionally appears to be little more than a severe case of disaffected youth, but it becomes apparent that this can be a defense mechanism employeed by an otherwise intelligent but immature and frustrated child wandering aimlessly in (and out) of a system too complicated for someone so young to navigate.

Misplaced is far more than just a narrative. The book is filled with information about the services available and their benefits and limitations. In this manner, it serves as a reference guide for designing programs and procedures to streamline the care and guidance of children who have fallen through the cracks of the existing system. I would highly recommend that anyone involved in policymaking in youth social services read this book.

A warning to the faint of stomach: this book does not sugarcoat life on the streets. The subjects are at times thieves, drug addicts or dealers, and, when necessary, prostitutes. They are abused and beaten and suffer drug overdoses. The reality of their day-to-day lives can and should disturb the reader.

Alexia Lewnes is a writer for the United Nations Children's Fund, and in Misplaced: New York City's Street Kids she follows five street children from their homes to their street corners and the harsh realities of their world: drug addiction, lack of shelter, the underlying threat of violence, and worse. Especially recommended reading for child welfare advocates and governmental policy makers, Misplaced is a highly personal and revealing testimony of a very real social problem rampant in every major America city today.

As a transplanted New Yorker, I read this book about the troubled lives of kids living in the streets and was completly shocked about the things that were going on right in front of me. In day to day life we find ourselves closing ourselves off to those fending for themselves on the streets. If anything, we avoid them as much as possible. This book gives an penetrating look at what these kids "fringes of society" are truly having to deal with to survive. There seems to be no limit to what one will do to get through a day. This author appears to have spent several years living in their world and has given a raw look at what drives these kids into the streets and how society has dealt with it. If anyone would like a eye opening look at these kids lives in the streets read this book! You will embrace these kids as you see what hurdles are placed in front of them and how they struggle to get over them. I know that I will never look at a street kid the same way again. This book will open your eyes!

Anyone who is raising children should read this book. It is a reminder of how critical it is to love our children and provide them with the support they need to grow as individuals. No one believes that their child will run away, but Ms. Lewnes reminds us that all our children could be at risk.

Misplaced is a remarkable account of the lives of children who are living on the streets of New York. These homeless kids are invisible to most of society. They come from all economic backgrounds, but they all suffer from low self-esteem. And, these kids have all been abandoned in someway by the people who they loved and relied upon.

While this book is a wake-up call for all parents, it is also a testament to the extraordinary resilience of those kids who are already on the streets. These kids survive daily acts of violence and humiliation as they struggle to maintain their dignity and hold onto their dream of making something of their lives. While some fail, others triumph in the end.

Misplaced covers difficult issues yet leaves the reader inspired.

Misplaced is the most informative book I have read since David McCullough's biography of John Adams.

This book should be read by anyone who wants to know what is really going on in today's world with homeless children.

Great service. The book was great and in perfect condition when it arrived in good time.

This was a fun little book involving idioms. My little girl did not appreciate the comments nor the answers to the artwork.

She did like looking at the pictures as the artwork interesting and there is much to find in each pictures.

She was a little young for the idioms so she was not interested in reading the book several times.

One of the most original and droll presentations of idioms you will ever find. The detailed illustrations are beautiful and very, very funny. Mr. Edwards invites interaction by hiding a monkey within each one so that even though a toddler may not appreciate the sophisticated humor of the picture, he can still enjoy what he sees while searching for (and usually finding) the monkey. All ages will love this book. Wallace Edwards is a master illustrator.

As a former kindergarten teacher of 25 years, this is one of the most unique books I have ever read. My 7 yr old grandson and I were held captive by Edwards' ability to bring humor to two generations with "cliches" and incredible artwork that stimulates the mind of both adult and child. Incredible!

This is an excellent book to use when working with children on idioms! This book contains just about every idiom I can think of. The pictures portray the idiom as a child would think of it (i.e. dog eat dog world shows a dog eating a hot dog!) but at the very end of the book it tells what each idiom really means. I think this book is appropriate for grades 2 and up. The pictures are all wonderfully done. A great book all around!

This is exactly the bank I was looking for. There is a place to save for church, savings, and fun stuff. The bank is large enough to hold plenty of money and it is also easy to get the money out. We are very happy with the bank!

Awesome tool to teach your kids at a very young age (about age 3) how to begin dividing up their money. Works great for us!!

Just a basic bank, what came in the box is just like the picture and description - a bank with three slots in it. The stickers came on a sheet that you had to peel off and stick on the bank, and they were a little hard to get off, but then again, maybe I'm sticker-challenged!

Wonderful tool to help even small children understand saving, spending and tithing. We bought one for a 3 year old and a 5 year old. They both love the bank and understand how to use it.

I have heard wonderful things about this giving bank and finally decided to implement it with my 5 year old daughter and 2 year old son. Obviously the 2 year old is a little young for the concept, but I drew up a chore chart and at the end of the week they each get $3.00 and each dollar goes into the separate banks. I explained each bank and my 5 year old cannot wait to give her money to "those who don't have any". It's a great teaching tool!