Baby Books

Little Critter and mouse return.

Little Critter is a cowboy who can lasso anything. Dad says "It's time for the cowboy to come inside and get ready for bed." Indoors; Little Critter, without his cowboy hat, boots, vest neckerchief and guns, sports a paper 'admiral's hat.' On the floor, his soldiers, tanks and mouse with a cannon look forward to their orders. "It's time for the general to take a bath."

An irritable Little Critter clothed in his 'jammies', toting his Bunny and none too anxious for bed is heading for the stairs on the cover of this Mercer Mayer work. Mouse is found sitting on the bottom tread. Just inside the cover on the title page we find another view, Little Critter is just as grumpy, however, the jammies are dragging on the floor behind Little Critter, stalwart mouse tramps at the side of buddy.

And so it goes, with his rocket in hand, Little Critter is a space cadet. Dad appears, and he carries the little space cadet to the bathroom where mouse is diving into a bubble filled tub. Before long; Little Critter is a sea monster doing violence to his bathtub ship. A slightly damp mouse is clinging to the ship when Dad appears holding LC's bath robe.

Snacktime finds Little Critter in the kitchen, peanut butter sandwich in one hand, chocolate chip cookie in the other. Mouse enjoys his cookie, surrounded by a horde of 'zoo animals' needing to be fed.

"Feeding time is over. Here are the zookeeper's pajamas."

Super Critter flies over the town, the train engineer is pursued by bandits. Once again Little Critter's patient dad reappears, little pajamas in hand, and a neckerchief masking his face.

"The bandit chief has caught you so put on your pajamas."

And, in a flash, a race car driver just speeds away.

A stern faced dad holds those pajamas, LC looks as though he may at last be bound for bed.

"I'm a bunny hopping around my garden."

Dad says, "Just go to bed!"

Protesting to the end, LC, quilt pulled up to his chin protests, "But I'm a bunny and bunnies don't sleep in a bed."

And the last page shows where a tired Little Critter bunny sleeps with his mouse buddy snoozing on his tummy.

I will admit, I read the Little Critter books a lot when my own children were little boys and again in my K - 1 classrooms in California. Because I love them as much as those children, I kept the books when I left teaching, perhaps forever, when husband and I moved away from California over a decade ago.

It wasn't long before I realized, 'you can take the teacher out of the class, but you cannot take the class out of the teacher,' or something like that. Every fall as the new school term rolled around the same old tug began. How hard, I wondered, will it be to turn a California Life Credential into one that will allow me to teach in Oklahoma... very hard I was told. So, filled with some trepidation I checked out the Oklahoma School site, downloaded the application and sent off my money order, found a position, and began teaching.

"You will hate it." I was told. "Kids today are a lot different."

I wondered whether to take Mercer Mayer with me to my classroom. These young, worldly wise, computer game playing kids may want something with a lot more jazz.

Yeah, right.

Little Critter, his family, Mouse et al are preferred as often as ever they were for 'free time reading,' for 'I'm the leader and I want this book read today,' and for anytime we have a little free time and choice is given as what to do.

"Read Little Critter to us." Is heard often and L O U D, in Mrs. Martin's first grade class.

The first graders in my class all giggle, talk about younger siblings or cousins doing precisely as does Little Critter when trying to prolong bed time. And, with sidelong glances they divulge that they too make use of countless of the maneuverings as well.

Mercer Mayer is a writer/illustrator who truly recognizes the psyche of young children. He presents child pleasing images adding to a most child pleasing read. Together that was an unconquerable combination twenty years ago, and it remains so today.

Permanent favorite Just Go To Bed is a must have for the pleasure reading shelf of little folks ages 2 - 6 and 7. Older kids may well sneak a peek when they think the grown ups are not watching. My former 4th graders, now 5th grade grown ups take pleasure in reading Mercer Mayer to 'the little kids.'

Happy to recommend Just Go To Bed for the classroom library, school, home school and public library catalogs.

Enjoyed the read, happy to recommend.

Molly Martin
Reviewer

There are other books on the subject that capture a child's interest better. Passable, but nothing to rush and buy.

Just Go To Bed was one of the first Little Critter books that I bought for our son. He was in so many ways our own "little critter". The character and our son felt the same way about going to bed and the frustrations and joys of growing up. Later we added a baby girl to the family and our own little critter also had a baby sister. Almost three decades later our little critter has his own son (who has a baby sister). All of the roles have shifted. Three generations in this family enjoy and appreciate "Little Critter" and his out-look on life.

My husband reads this to my kids ages 3 and 2 every night. My three year old has it memorized and reads it back to daddy too. Right after, they always go to bed!! It's the greatest book. They walk around the house pretending to be "little critter" telling everyone to put on their pajamas and "GO TO BED!"

My 3 year old daughter adores this book! We have literally worn out the cover. I am needing to buy another copy to keep this favorite alive. My daughter can recite the entire book and will look at the pictures even after we are done reading it before she falls asleep. It encourages the imagination and instills the message that everyone needs sleep. A must have!

Just add me to the pack of people who loved this book as a child, and who are now reading it to their own children.

One of the things I want to add to the accolades is that this makes a good book for children to read. It is particularly satisfying because it has a good story -- something that is sometimes lacking in beginning readers.

As far as level I would say that it is at a first grade level which is to say that the print is still fairly large, but that there are more sentences per page than the very beginning readers are used to.

Big Red got back up on the
bank.
I tried and tried to get there too.
But I could not.
My feet were cold.
My hands were cold.
I was cold all over.
"Help! Help!" I called.
But Big red could not help me.

Five Stars. Classic story with wonderful artwork.

10 Star First Reader for children just learning the value of friendship and the feelings of others. Ideal for learning compassion, how deeply felt are hurt feelings, and how to fix them. Weighs the importance of ego vs humility, easily discernable and also appeals to a child's sense of ineptitude which arises naturally from his or her vulnerability as a child. Always a "first choice" if it hasn't been read in a while, and always a great pick for instilling confidence on difficult days, reminding both parents and adults that everyone is special, and that everyone has value, and can be productive and useful. A wonderful story of intimacy and rescue to which children instantly relate and appreciate, setting a foundation for lifelong compassion in the dignity of others, and respect for their emotions.

This book was one of my first reads in the elementary school library. Little Black, should be in everyone's library. Very good illustrations. Easily read to little children. One of my better memories of childhood books and now hard to find.

I found this book while going through a collection of books that belonged to my Grandmother - a former elementary school teacher. I immediately showed it to my 3 year old son who LOVES horses. We read this book several times a week. It is hands down, his favorite. The book is written in such a way that it holds a child's attention endlessly. My son gets a wide array of expressions on his face as I read it to him and he looks at the neat pictures. It is too bad that this book is no longer in print. Books written like this nowadays are few and far between. A favorite, a classic, a keepsake!

I am angry that the reviews that are shown for this book are the ones for the original version, which appears to be out of print. This is *not* the original story with the wonderful pictures that I loved as a child, the ones that are mentioned in several of the reviews; this seems to be one "translated into Navajo" and with different illustrations. Judging from the cover, I don't like them. Be warned: This is *not* the book you remember.

I just bought these books for my four year old neighbor's granddaughter.
I used them with my son and he was reading and writing (albiet phonetically) by the time he was 3 1/2. Unless a child is dyslexic or has an auditory learning disability, McGuffey is The Way. This is how children learned to read before everyone got 'so smart'. The school systems would be be smarter if they went back to this.

I love the stories and poems. They warm the hearts of my children as well as my own. They are tender, thoughtful, wholesome, without any glut or glitter. But they do sparkle with beauty and they fill the mind with goodness.
Other reviewers have brought to light that there is an anti-semetic theme in some of the stories for older children. So far, I have not found even a hint of this type of sentiment. Even if there was, and if it was a minor allusion to such sentiment, rather than an overiding theme, I would teach my children that it's wrong.

I bought these for a friend who teaches an intro to teaching course. He uses them to emphasize a back to basics approach to reading and values. The binding is sturdy but a bit cheaper and flashier than I anticipated.

With all the reviews here, there isn't a need for another one lauding this series of readers. Our experience might prove helpful to some. Our oldest daughter completed reading the McGuffey Primer when she was three years and eight months old. She finished reading the First Eclectic Reader a couple of weeks before she turned four! [From there on she read at will and we didn't keep track of when she finished the rest of the books.]

The point is that this is a wonderful way for a parent to teach their son or daughter to read very early. You don't need to wait for an incompetent school system to teach reading; your bright child can already be reading and understanding what is read when he or she starts 'formal' education. As long as you make it fun, and show proper 'amazement' and pride when he or she sounds out a new word, your child will almost certainly want more lessons than you have time to give!

Finally, I can't say this will happen to your child, but when our daughter graduated from high school, Mensa (the group for people with IQs over 140) contacted her to join. She probably had a genetic marker for genius intelligence, but I am sure that part of the reason for her high IQ is due to the basics and discipline she learned by reading the McGuffey Readers before she started school.

The set of books will be beautiful, if I ever get the complete set. The set I was shipped was incomplete. Packed Incomplete from the publisher I assume. It is a seven book set and I was sent six. I was told another set was being sent to me, and I hope I live to see them. It has been over a month since this all started.

There is no excuse that I can think of for a set to be plastic wrapped from a source, and for the set to be incomplete.

I'm sure that this will not be posted.

I first read these books when they were originally published in 1983, I believe. I remember the frustration of waiting for each new installment to come out. Then I would devour the book in about a day, and begin the equally frustrating wait for the next issue. Imagine my delight to finally find copies of the entire series again! These books are a treasure! Of course, everything Michael McDowell wrote was special, and it is our great loss that he is no longer with us. I plan to buy several copies of ALL of his books, to make sure I always have a replacement when one wears out from being read over and over and over again. These are quite a find!!!

I had to reiterate what the others who reviewed this series have stated. This is one of the best, if not the best, serial novels I've ever read. It's well written, scary, and fascinating. Well worth the time and you'll read it quickly. In regards to the person who asked about the 6 books being published as one, it was already done. I found the book in hard cover (2 volumes) at a yard sale and of course bought it immediately. I've never seen it in hardcover since, but am glad that I have it. My whole family passes around this story every year for a re-reading. If you want a good read, then pick up the Blackwater series. You won't be disappointed. If anyone finds it on audiobook, let me know. Michael McDowell has definitely left behind a story that will live on through those of us who love it and will recommend it to anyone who will listen. Thanks.

Is this series flawed? Sure. You can't crank 'em out like MM did and not miss some problems. Still, there is much here to enjoy. McDowell's creation is very evocative of the part of Alabama he writes about (I used to live there), and his characters avoid for the most part becoming the one-dimensional "types" so typical of popular fiction.

The characters are all engagingly drawn, quite distinctly individual without clunky self-conscious quirks nailed to them and dragged around the room like you will often find in precious contemporary literary fiction. The characters sometime come off as movie characters, but no more than, say, a John Updike character does, or a Bellow character. They are graceful, cruel, funny, ambiguous, dramatic. We finish the series not know quite how to regard Elinor Caskey, the amphibious Lovecraftian creature that crawls out of the floodwaters and insinuates herself into the Caskey clan. At best, she amoral.

McDowell's prose is a treat to read. He is precise and elegant, a far better craftsman than most if not all of his better-known contemporaries.

In short, this series is a real treat. I read it when it first came out in the early 80's, 25 years ago. I remembered very little, except for a single image, really--the image that occurs near the beginning of the first volume when the preacher woman stumbles upon Elinor soaking in a pool of water--in her froglike state. I loved rediscovering this series.

'The Flood', the first installment of Michael McDowell's Blackwater series, introduces us to 1919 Perdido, Alabama. Yes, a flood wipes out the town. But in its aftermath a mysterious woman appears who befriends the town's most prosperous family. As the narrative unfolds it becomes clear 'The Flood' is actually a southern gothic novel, along the lines of Anne Rice novels.

The best thing about 'The Flood' is how it captures the feel of early twentieth century Alabama. Not sentimental but rather balanced. I also think the author does an excellent job with the characterizations. However in truth the story itself is, well, slow. Never boring, just a slow yet deliberate meandering.


Bottom line: a short novel which begs the reader to buy the next installment in the series, which I did. Recommended.

Reading all these reviews of Michael McDowell's "Blackwater" series on Amazon really was a revelation. I thought I was the only one who loved these books! Now I hear that the Sci-Fi Channel is going to produce a four-hour mini-series based on it and I have to say...it's about time! I don't think four hours can do it justice, though when you consider that "Gone With The Wind" runs under four hours, maybe it'll be great. More importantly, this masterpiece of horror will reach a much wider audience... maybe even to the point of Avon re-releasing the whole series as one large paperback, like Stephen King's "The Green Mile."
One aspect of the story that I love is the duality of the main character, Elinor. Is she good or evil? Monster or angel? The reader feels conficting (and changing) emotions regarding her throughout the story, right to the very end, thanks to the brilliance of Mr. McDowell's writing. That schizophrenia is evident also in the style of the prose; Most often it is languid and lazy, in slow motion, reflective of life as perceived in the Old South. But whenever the horror starts, the paragraphs get longer, the prose gets more acute, and the images evoked are burned into your mind...often unpleasantly so. Then it slows down again, to disarm you until the next time.
I read in one review that the late Michael McDowell referred to himself as a 'hack' writer of pulp horror. Mr. McDowell, where ever you are, please regard these reviews at Amazon, note the five-star average rating (higher than many 'classic' novels), and know that "Blackwater" is etched in our memories, even after twenty years.

My son received this as a gift when he was about 18 months old and absolutely loves it! It is a regular favorite... he loves the graphics and simple story line. He is almost two and loves to recite some of the lines and point out things in the nice, colorful yet simple pictures. Great book for boys!

Our twin toddlers love this book. The simple language and vivid illustrations are excellent.

My husband is a "car guy" through and through and he loves to read this book almost as much as my two year old does! They read it at least once a night - sometimes more! It's really adorable. Highly recommended especially for all gear-head mommies or daddies to share with their little boys or girls!

This is a great book if your child is obsessed with cars as ours is. It explains all the car parts, and is very colorful. It's a cute little book. Very general.

My 17 month old son loves having this book read to him and pretending to read it. He already loves cars, so the subject is great. It has bright colors, the pages aren't too busy, and the words are simple. Great book. We have the trucks book too. We also have the trains book, which he got for a gift and is also great.

I was looking for something for my daughter's first birthday. These cards are great - durable, colorful and fun. Each one has something textured for them to touch and feel. I'll definitely be purchasing another volume.

We've used these cards with my 18 month old grandchildren since they were about a year old and they love them. We have "flash card time" and it amazes me every time how much they have learned with these cards. Very sturdy cards, great pictures, and they love the touch and feel aspect of it.

We got these for our son when he was about 9mths. He is now 20mths old and he still plays with them. We have two other sets. The cards are very sturdy and hold up to a lot.

I gave this to my nieces who turned one and they love these cards. The parents love them even more. They are educational and the kids love the touch and feel part. Great gift!

Once again, I have purchased a product without holding it in my hands first. I need to learn to shop in person, and give up the convenience of online stores. These cards are too flimsy for the age group they are targeted for, and I can see they will not last long in this home. They are an excellent idea, but not thought out thoroughly as they should be before being put into production. The colors are vibrant, but there aren't enough included in the set. They fold in half very easily. The "touch and feel" portion of many of the cards are lousy, like they came up with a few good ones and used "filler" on the rest of the cards. They aren't textured, but just colored differently in the "texture" slot. Close, but not good enough.

Although they contain similar advice and this book is almost 20 years newer, it is not nearly as direct and helpful as Making Peace with Your Parents by Harold Md Bloomfield. I was looking for more specific advice on identifying issues and how to work through them rather than long passages about many peoples' situations with very little guidance on how to apply the advice and work through the issues. Disappointed and more appreciative of what a great book Dr. Bloomfield put together so long ago!

Nobody's Baby Now by Susan Newman, PhD. is Dr. Newman's twelfth book and a great help for working out personal conflicts between generations. As a family counselor Dr. Newman saw the need for this book, the only one which covers the problems between parent and adult children, dealing with the relationships from the point of view of the adult child. She offers many case studies and interviews which she documented over several years and which cover almost every conceivable relationship difficulty between grown children and their healthy, independent parents. (Other books cover problems with parents who need care and are dying.) These generational relationship problems are common to all adult children, and Dr. Newman offers numerous solutions which the adult child can use to develop a happy, appreciative, loving relationship with his or her parents in their older years so that they won't suffer regrets after the parent dies. This is an excellent book for every young adult to own and for every parent of adult children to read in order to make the best of this closest of all bonds, learning to treasure each other as peers and friends and letting go of old tapes and practices from childhood which are no longer appropriate.

The "generation gap" takes on an intensely personal meaning when you go "home" for a visit with your parents. Psychologists say something about the key to being a fully differentiated adult is being able to behave the same in or out of your parents' presence. It's harder than it sounds: many of us turn into rebellious or inadequate or withdrawn kids again. It helps a lot to aim for increased self-awareness. This clearly written book by Susan Newman offers a multitude of insights and anecdotes and much wisdom to help us get along better with those who used to get away with bossing us around. I also think reading this book would be a good way to get a handle on how our own kids will one day think about US. Eeek. Prevention is the better part of valor, or something like that.

As a professional in the field, what I like about Nobody's Baby Now is that the author gets to the point quickly and in clear, concise language. The author makes complicated problems and issues with parents easy to sort out and resolve. Her real life examples make you think she's talking about you and your parents. She has solutions for adult children who resort to child-like behavior when with parents, who allow parents to continue to run their adult lives or parents who put a wedge in their adult children's marriages. She's got a solid handle on in-laws and tells readers how to get their own; and she totally understands overly involved, judgemental grandparents. Her main points are highlighted in boxed areas for quick reference which tell you how to get a "grip" on the issues you may have with a parent.

This is a book that can save marriages from parents' destructive behaviors and put adult children in charge of their own lives by making them independent of Mommy and Daddy without severing this powerful and all important connection. It is must reading for all adult children - be their problems with their parents big or small.

A friend gave this book to me and once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. Susan Newman's Nobody's Baby Now is for any one of us "grownups" who has tried to sort through the complex range of Oh-not-that-again feelings that come up over and over when dealing with a parent(s). I found the insightful tips in Chapter 12, on friendship, especially helpful for breaking through those pesky patterns that land me in those old familiar territories of conflict.

My almost three year old friend Harrison just loves this book. He waits on the edge of his seat for the NOPE! from the littlest piggie. He fell asleep cuddling this book two naps in a row. This is a child that could not be torn away from books about trucks, especiallly trash trucks. The rhyming rythms of Charlotte Pomerantz saved Auntie Dawn from the rumble and roar of another front end loader!

This is a great book! I initially borrowed it from our local library. Our kids loved it. It's a great oratory book. I read it for a PreSchool class, in a Kindergarten Class, and for First Graders the book was loved by all who heard it. It has great rhythms, it's funny, it's cute, and the kids enjoy being a part of the story. When the smallest piggy mocks her parents and her brother by saying, "Nope!" in all of the circumstances there has been great participation by the children. It has quickly become one our favorite stories.

Crackling with lipsmackingly silly rhyme and hilarious James Marshall illustrations, this book is like read aloud popcorn -- I bet you can't stop after just one page.

my 19 yr olds favorite book as a baby...now she has a good copy for her kids(she is a preschool teacher)

This is my favorite book for storytime reading. Mainly preschool - but I've also had adults keep asking me to read one more page, too.

Charlotte Pomerantz has created a work of art - the ending and internal rhymes, the way she plays and puts words together, the right amount of repetition. This is why people think it's So Easy to write a children's book. This is a deceptively simple title, but if it were easy there would be more books out there like this one. This one of the few books I truly look forward to and love reading aloud - the words taste delicious!!

If you like this one check out "How many trucks can a tow truck tow" also by her.

My Special Education class loved this book. The pictures are delightful and the story is fun and exciting for my Kindergarten/First Grade Class. This book was selected by my department as a suggested book for use in my class.

The warmth and openness that the authors convey in this book makes you feel like you live in that neighborhood yourself. Cute story; beautiful artwork. Children as young as 2 are drawn in and fascinated by the magical storyline. Great read-aloud book!

This imaginative little fantasy is sure to bring a smile to the lips of the smallest children and start a playful exchange of ideas. This is beginning imagination at its coolest. However be sure that you playfully talk to them about the book and get their ideas on what happens to snowmen during the night. Do not leave them with thre impression that snowmen are animated.

Even though we live in Florida and don't have snow my 3 year old son enjoys this book. It has good rhythm and cute story. This book was one of his preschool teachers favorites so we bought it. I am glad we did.

I've received this book & given it as a gift several times. It is good for young childrem, simple to read & the illustrations are beautiful. It is a great gift for new parents or grandparents. Also the the other book Snowmen at
Christmas is just as great.

Ted Lawson's first-person tale of America's first blow back at the Empire of Japan is a "must read" for anyone interested in military history. The first book published on the Doolittle Raid, Lawson's narrative describes the genesis, preparation, and execution of the raid, and should be followed with a reading of Doolittle's autobiography, in which Doolittle describes his mission as well as his despair after bailing out of his B-25. Little did either of them suspect that a raid intended to boost American morale would have strategic consequences, and that Japan would divert badly needed resources to home defense that otherwise would have gone to the front lines.

Well told story of the Doolittle raid told by one of the pilots on the raid. The story is about the pre-raid, the raid itself, and the aftermath, which tells about the injuries sustained by Capt. Lawson and his crew and the help they received from missionaires and the Chinese in escaping capture by the Japanese. He also relates the stories of some of the other crews on the raid.

This is a tense account of the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo in the spring of 1942. World War II pilot Ted Lawson describes the pre-raid preparation, taking off from the aircraft carrier Hornet, attacking Tokyo, and crash landing his B-25 bomber in Japanese-occupied China. As many know, the B-25's took off farther out to sea than planned after the Hornet was spotted while approaching Japan. With too little fuel to reach the safety of Chinese lines, the crews bailed out or crash land in Japanese-occupied China. The surviving airmen then tried to avoid Japanese army patrols and find help from friendly Chinese. Most flyers did so despite the language barrier and survived. But Lawson was injured in the crash-landing, and when infection set in his leg was amputated in a field hospital. Lawson survived, returned to the USA, and wrote this book in a matter of days in 1943. The story is often gripping but loses a bit of steam later on - thus just four stars.

I read this book as a youngster for its thrill value without fully realizing that war is mostly tragedy rather than adventure. The book became a 1944 film starring Van Johnson, Robert Walker and Robert Mitchum. As for Lawson, he returned with his wife to California where he eventually ran a machine shop and he lived until 1992.

It a first person account of the Doolittle raid over Tokyo in 1942, written by one of the B-25 pilots from the raid. It covers his story from flight school all the way through his eventual return to the United States. Its an amazing story, especially the crews crash in China and the 5 month ordeal of evading the Japanese. It is a great book for younger readers with its fast pace and informaly written style.

I first read this book so many years ago that I can't remember, but I think it was about when I was in the eighth grade, say about 1955. I remember the book, and I remember the Van Johnson movie. The scene where the Chinese peasant brings Van Johnson the pair of slippers only to see that he has lost one leg stays with me even now. ==This is a classic book. It was written by one of the pilots on the Doolittle raid over Japan. In fact it was the character played by Van Johnson, Lt. Ted W. Lawson, that wrote this book.

This book, these men as much as any other that I can think of illustrates exactly what Tom Brokaw had in mind when he referred to them as the 'greatest generation.' Especially so when you talk to one of them and they invariably tell you they were not a hero. Heros were the ones who didn't come back. Heros were the other guys. I was just doing my job. Heros they were all.

Read this book. Read it again if you read it years ago. Give a copy to that youngster in your family or church that you think will appreciate it.