Baby Books

Pig-tailed Lulu is a little girl who shares her life with her parents, grandma, baby brother, older sister, and three pets. The up-beat, matter-of-fact text gives an overview of her life, and the bright close-ups of people's faces makes this book compelling for a young child. Very cute.

I agreed with all the reviews. This is my 18 month old's favorite by far. It is the first book she picks up in the morning for us to read together and the last book before she goes to bed.

In this book we get to meet Lulu's family. My 19 mo-old daughter loves to point out the mama and papa and look at Lulu's pets. With the sweet drawings and simple story, it is a frequent request.

My almost 2 year old daughter loves this book (and the other Lulu books ) so much that we now have to call her "NuNu" (close sister to Lulu) and braid her hair just like Lulu's.
These books rock. I love that the characters are multi-racial as well. Lulu's family looks much like ours ! (except that her Mama is cuter)

This is my six month old daughter's most favorite picture book. The introduction to Lulu's family members appeals to her love for bright colors and to her need for limited text. The "Lulu likes snack time at grandma's house" page tickles her fancy. I give this book my top rating and recommendation.

I remember reading all of the Beverly Cleary books as a child, and now I've bought these to read to my children. All of Cleary's books are literary gems, easy to read, and keep kids entertained with plots that they can relate to.

I clearly recall the 1950's style illustrations by Louis Darling in the books I used to read, which have since been replaced in these modern editions. At first I was dubious about the change because the Darling illustrations were so charming, but upon seeing these new illustrations and relating them to the content (which has NOT changed), it's clear that the new illustrator made a real effort to stay close to the original drawings. Additionally, Cleary's words in relation to the new, 'modern' illustrations, suprisingly still apply very well (aside from the 1950's prices and brand names). Regardless, it's easy to envision Henry, Beezus, and Ramona as children living in 2008 or 1950. What does that tell me about Beverly Cleary's books? They're absolutely timeless, and I hope that future generations continue to read and enjoy them as I have.

This is the second-to-last book in the "Henry Huggins" series (if you count "Ribsy," the solo story of his dog, and set aside the Ramona and Beezus books...)

In this volume, once again Henry shows his determination and pluck as he sets a goal and works hard, very hard, to attain it. Actually, he pursues two goals: to save enough money from his new paper route so that he can buy a sleeping bag, and to build a clubhouse with his friends Robert and Murph. Henry learns to balance work and play, and wins the respect of the adults in his world. He also has to contend with the ever-annoying Ramona, as well as her sister Beezus (whose feelings he hurts when he agrees to make the clubhouse a "no girls allowed" zone).

Once again, Beverly Cleary gives a glimpse into the world of children that is both entertaining and emotionally honest. The innocent, white-picket fence world of the Kennedy-era early '60s may be a far cry from what life is like now, but these stories are still fun to read and pleasantly free of a lot of the violence and other baggage that define more modern kid's fiction. Wholesome and all-American, also funny and human, these are timeless stories that can help open the world of literature to inquiring young minds. (ReadThatAgain children's book reviews)

Looking for books that will challenge an 8 year old boy that is a good reader but doesn't like fiction. The Henry Huggins series is just the ticket. Although the stories are somewhat dated, nevertheless they are well written. The stories have humor in them and they contain object lessons for their readers. I can say that a boy for sure will find them interesting.

I think Beverly Cleary did a good job writing Henry and the Club House. Henry and the Club House is part of a series of books. This book is about a 11 year old boy who has a paper route. But, some times he forgets his paper route. One day he forgets his route and his mother has to do it. He has lots of problems but his biggest problem his Ramona. Ramona is a four year old girl. Every day Ramona is upto something. Henry has to get an idea to get rid of Ramona. In Henry and the Club House Henry has to deal with Ramona and a clubhouse that he is working on with his two friends Robert and Murph. I think every one from 7-11 should read this book.

Another fine Henry Huggins book...and sadly we only have two left about Henry before we have exhausted this series. We simply love these books, my daughter is anxiously waiting until we get to the library tomorrow to pick up Henry and the Paper Route and we'll top off the series with Ribsy. Like other Henry Huggins books, this one is divided into chapters (7 to be exact) and each chapter is practically a short story in and of itself...the chapters build up to an overall theme/goal for Henry. In this particular book, it's building a clubhouse and buying a sleeping bag so he and his friends can sleep in the clubhouse.

The chapters start out with Henry forgetting about his paper route and winding up riding through town in a bathtub, then Henry and Ribsy making the acquaintance of the new neighborhood dog, we follow them on Halloween night, on a day of collection for his newspaper route, through his building of the clubhouse (with a strict No Girls policy) and his run in with Beezus and Ramona as a result (hilarious), Henry's clever "solution" to Ramona's pestering, and how he wound up with a little shadow! Overall the stories are clever and humorous in a way that I think kids genuinely appreciate and relate to!

Where does he find materials for his clubhouse? How does it turn out? What's up with that huge stuffed owl? What's it like to ride through town in a bathtub? How hard is a paper route? Will Henry ever get that sleeping bag? If you want to know you simply must read Henry and the Clubhouse, you won't be disappointed! These stories were written in the 1950's and 60's, so money matters are a bit off, but the rest is charming and the overall themes, humor, and childhood joys, frustrations and embarrassments have held up so wonderfully over the years...these books are great for girls and boys! I give this one an A+, another fine Henry Huggins adventure!

This is a great bedtime story in general, but it is even more applicable for those moms who travel for work and want to reassure their little ones that they will ALWAYS come home to them. (e.g. via airplane, riding a leopard, the space shuttle, etc) Wonderful illustrations! Also highly recommend her other book "I love you Stinky Face".

Kinda have to slow down reading it to my son as the pictures are so intricate and he likes to see every aspect of them, but a great story.

My granddaughter has chosen this as her second favorite book next to the original Stinky Face book..... as always it asks questions that are probably on the minds of children with whimsy answers that are reasurring... lovely pictures too!

Like other reviewers, we have two copies. One comes with me in my suitcase so I can read bedtime stories and the other one stays home so my sons can read along.

Several years ago my daughter and I saw this book on Between the Lions. We instantly fell in love with it. I missed the title and author. I've been looking for it for years. I finally found it! My daughter is now 6. She still loves it. I don't travel much, but we have family far away and are preparing her for her first extended stay with grandma. This book is perfect for reassuring her. There are books that I hope to give my daughter so that she will share with her children many years from now. This book is definitely one of them. This books portrays all the sentiments of what I would like to do for my daughter

This noevl The Kid from Tomkinsville, is a very interesting book. The author John R. Tunis tells us about Roy Tucker, a young man from Conneticut trying out to play for the Dodgers.

When I was in junior high, I was addicted to reading juvenile sports fiction. Shortly after beginning seventh grade, I went to the alphabetical beginning of the fiction section in the school library and began moving down the alphabet. As I went, I examined the books and read all that were sports related. In a little over two years, I had read every sports fiction book in the collection. Of all those books, the Kid From Tomkinsville was one of the most memorable.
While the background of the 1940's made the presentation difficult for someone in their early teens in the 1960’s, the descriptions of baseball more than made up for it. Roy Tucker is the title character and an excellent pitcher. However, immediately after one of his best games, he slips and cracks his pitching elbow. This finishes him as a pitcher and the main theme becomes his quest to come back as an outfielder.
He is initially very effective and believes success is assured. However, he soon begins to struggle and doubts creep in. The description of all of this is a combination of one of the best baseball stories as well as one of triumph as a combination of talent, hard work and persistence lead to his success. I still remember the scene where his manager comes to his room and tells him the problem is that he is playing for himself and not for his team.
John Tunis is one of the best writers of sports fiction that has ever lived. He makes baseball exciting, even when all the action is taking place off the field. While our society has moved on to a point quite different from the time period of the story, baseball is still a game where strategy, preparation and dedication can triumph over athletic ability. That has not changed, and the descriptions in this book will continue to keep the attention of baseball fans for decades to come.

Like another reviewer, I fell in love with John R. Tunis as a kid. Tunis has great characters and great stories. Perfect for the kid who loves baseball.

I was hardly a baseball fan at all when I began this book. Now baseball is one of my greatest loves. This book is terrific! Whether you love baseball or not you'll be pulled in as Roy-the main character-tries to overcome a freak injury and rejoin the Brooklyn Dodgers.

I read this book the first time back in the mid-80's in high school. I had a burgeoning love of baseball and fell deeply in love with Tunis' works. The point I got from this story is that there is always another door to get to your dream.

I read this book for a sample interview lesson for a Pre- K teaching position--I couldn't have picked a better book! It was very easy for early readers to follow. The fact that you could actually move the ladybug kept the children's interest as they waited to find out whether the ladybug would find a new home. The Pre-K'ers clapped at the end and a few asked me to read the book again.

This is the best book I have seen in awhile. My almost three year old loves it. We keep it under her pillow at night because she doesn't want it out of her sight.
What a neat idea having the slots in each page so the ladybug can travel through the book by my daughters, mine or Grandmas hand.

Thank you for this wonderful book.

Bonnie and Baby Emily

my baby (18 months) really love this book, she finds a little dificult to put the ladybug in the holes, but, I made them a little bigger, and add some tape to prevent it from get more bigger... and she love it, is a cool book.

My 2 year old is obsessed with this book. She loved it the first time we read it togther. It provides edless enjoyment to her to move the ladybug back and forth through the pages of the book. We use it as a bed time book, sending ladybug to bed under her leaf at the end of the book. Surprisingly the ladybug has held up well with all the use - the book even provides a template for a new bug should the original bug disappear. I highly recommend this book.

We got this book as a special treat for our (almost) 3-year old daughter while on vacation. She loves it! She giggles every time the ladybug slides under the door on one page and ends up right in front of the cat on the next page. We have't quite gotten to actually reading the story that goes along with all the ladybug's activities as our daughter is too involved with having the ladybug jump from one page to the next.

I didn't give this book a 5 for the following reasons:
-the slits that the ladybug slides through are not reinforced, so I anticipate a ripped page or two in our near future.
-the ladybug is also just thick paper, so probably not the best for longevity.
-the slits are also not very well marked and are almost exactly the size of the ladybug, so our daughter does have some difficulty with getting the ladybug through . Just a little difficult for toddler hands, so it is not the best book for her to manuever alone. Maybe in a few months or so it will be easier for her.

All in all, a great purchase, just a little more delicate than I would have expected. Would definitely purchase it again, and would recommend it!

Lose That Baby Fat: Bouncing Back The First Year After Having A Baby: A Mom-friendly Fitness Program by La Reine Chabut is an informative exploration and encouraging mapping and reference for women worried for not being able to lose their post-natal additional weight. Diligently guiding its readers through the expertise and knowledgeable strategies of the author, Lose That Baby Fat offers a thoroughly "reader friendly" understanding of how and what makes a body work to loose fat and weight after having a baby. Lose That Baby Fat is very highly recommended for all mothers and soon-to-be mothers as an easy-to-follow, helpful reference for quick and effective post-natal weight loss.

A very easy book to read with great, realistic exercises to get yourself going after having a baby!

This is very easy to read and fun to do the exercises.

this book is written with a great sense of humor and highlights a new body part to work on each month which makes it easy to discover you can be successful with your goals.

I had two babies 14 months apart and I can tell you that this book can and will improve the fitness life of even the busiest moms. It's great alone as a comprehensive fitness plan or even as a supplement to an already established routine. The workouts are simple, practical, and efficient, producing maximum results with relatively little effort.

I stumbled across this book by complete accident when i was pregnant with my son, i fell in love with it's wit and humor. It made me feel a little more connected to my little one in waiting as i would imagine him telling me this story. I love this book and it's my go to gift for baby showers. You can't go wrong with this book.

This book is an excellent gift for a mom-to-be. Written from the perspective of the fetus, it is funny and touching. I presented it to my pregnant friend during her baby shower as a gift from her unborn child and she loved it!

I bought this for my 3 year old son a week ago and I am now 37 weeks pregnant. This was a fantastic way of making the baby more of a reality to him by showing a baby inside Mommy's belly with a personality. He LOVES this book and has requested it as his bedtime story for the past 8 nights in a row. We totally scored big with this purchase and I highly recommend this book to anyone with a second child on the way.

Absolutely adorable and sure to give parents-to-be an instant case of the warm fuzzies. My fiancee and I picked up this book and ended up reading it out loud together in the middle of a bookstore. The verse is so catchy and the message so fresh and sweet. Told from the perspective of the growing fetus, the story lends personality to that ball of wiggles and kicks parents are so eager to meet.

Love this book--my husband and I read it together and enjoy thinking about what our little peanut is up to!

This simple, beautiful book highlights all of the aspects of attachment parenting. It is comforting to babies and reassuring to mommies. This would be a great gift for a new mother (with Papa Papa for the new dad).

This book (and Papa, Papa) are two of our favorites. I now give them for baby shower gifts!!!

I absolutely love this book. The illustrations are so serene, calming and beautiful. The rhymes sound great without risking good content. The message is really wholesome and sweet. My baby really enjoys this book.

This book (along with Papa, Papa) was given to me as a shower gift for my first daughter. It was always one of our favorites, and now my second daughter enjoys it as well. Both girls love the pictures and the rhymes....and I just love the last rhyme, it almost always makes me tear up. I am going to be giving these books to friends and feel confident they will love them as much as I do.
-L

I have never read seven sentences in a children's book, (besides my own) that have had such a powerful impact on me as this one has. It is very hard to find books that demonstrate attachment parenting but this one does it perfectly; a baby cheetah nurses on his Mama, a baby panda and her Mama are co-sleeping, and a koala Mama is "wearing" her baby! Each Mama and baby pictured is experiencing life together, in close contact. This book truly embraces the attachment parenting philosophy. My children love to read this book with me because they still call me Mama and are delighted that my name is in a book. They also like the repetitiveness of the verses and the sweet pictures of the animal babies and Mamas. This Mama and her babies are definitely "attached" to this book!

The product came to my attention during the Christmas Season.
I could not be happier with my decision to purchase it.
I have read it twice and I cannot count how many times my wife has read it.

If you are familiar with this song and realize that it was written by Mark Lowry then having this book also written by him and him performing the song is just great. He puts as much thought in this book as is in the song. They go hand in hand.

The words to this song is the story of the real Christmas. Such a talented man is Mark Lowry. I understand that it is the only song he ever wrote...with one like this one, who needs another one!

I bought this for myself and then went back and ordered more for Christmas gifts. Everyone who received it has commented on the story and the music. It is also a special treat for me to listen to every Christmas season. I just love it.

This CD and book is THE most beautiful and meaningful gift I've ever received. My husband heard the song on the radio and went searching for it at music store where he found the Mark Lowry book/CD. I couldn't stop crying the first time I heard it. To read the birth of Christ through the eyes of His mother, the most Holy Theotokos, brings a new perspective to this great and holy holiday. I encourage everyone reading this review to purchase one for yourself and one for someone you love.

When I was a working librarian, I read this books (and the others)to my storytimes. When I retired I started to volunteer in an inner city school. I was not certain how the children would react to the book. I am now in my sixth year reading to Preschool, Kindergarten and First Grade. They hear the first four books each year and they always ask me to repeat the books. The line about "no one had ever asked him to come in" always gets a great response. I think everyone should read these McDuff books. So many classes can't be wrong!

Dear old Rosemary Wells. If you've ever read her books about that famous bunny Max or classic titles like, "Morris' Disappearing Bag" then you know that her stories, while disjointed, can often be truly charming works of preschool art. So when I discovered the McDuff books (written by her but illustrated by someone else entirely) I was ill at ease. I mean, Wells draws such cute little bunnies. How could anyone else adapt to her words? On reading the first book of the McDuff series, "McDuff Moves In", I was amazed to find myself suddenly on the oposte side of the fence. The pictures in this book are really quite charming. From the cute little Scottie named McDuff to the 1950s setting, visually this story's a charmer. But strange as it may seem, Wells's words are out-of-place here. Though a brief tale with little in the way of plot, somehow this book is not as direct or understandable as it might be. A pity.

On our first view of little white McDuff, he's sitting in the back of a city pound truck. After a providential bump in the road and a quick escape, the solitary doggy goes down a nice suburban street in search of food and shelter. Door number one at the first house growls at him. Door number two at the second house hisses at him. But door number three at the third house is just right. There, a friendly couple take him in, feed him, give him a bath, then decide they haven't room for a doggy. Fortunately an attempted car ride to the pound proves that maybe this couple has grown a bit attached to their shaggy new friend. Happy ending and shortbread biscuits for all.

The book bears a striking resemblance to Lyn Rossiter McFarland's subsequent similarly plotted picture book, "Widget". The difference, however, is that "Widget" is the stronger story. Though I was with "McDuff" through the beginning, about the time he stumbles on the kindly couple I found my eyebrows slowly beginning to lift. For example, when McDuff appears outside the third home, the book says the following: "Somebody opened the door and asked him to come in. It was Lucy. 'This is Fred', said Lucy". Looking at the picture of both Fred and Lucy staring at the pup on their porch, I naturally assumed that now the dog was named Fred. Not so much. The text and the pictures don't mesh particularly well either. When the book says that Fred checks McDuff's collar, the picture shows Fred sitting on a chair with McDuff hiding underneath. Plus the language is oddly stilted. It ends with the words, " 'How happy we are!', they said in their dreams", which is half an inch shy of hokey and a sneeze away from outright saccharine. I don't think I'm conveying the book's inability to tell its story convincingly to you. Nevertheless, I strongly urge you to flip through this story long before you decide to buy it. Long before.

Which is not to say that the pictures don't almost make up for its narrative flaws. Illustrator Susan Jeffers has a Caldecott Honor Award under her belt and it shows. From Lucy's painted toenails and felt hat spotted bathrobe to the image of the three new friends happily munching on McDuff's shortbread biscuits at the tale's end, this book seeks to enchant. Seeks and, were it not for the words, would succeed. I loved the fabulous 40s-50s decor. I liked the scared little McDuff turning into a confident happy pup in a loving home. I liked how realistic these images were and how original the setting became. Obviously if Rosemary Wells had illustrated this tale herself she would've done it in an entirely different way. It's just her own bloody good luck that she found herself paired with such a supremely talented artist.

So it's entirely up to you. "McDuff Moves In" has much in its favor and much against it as well. Personally, I suggest that if you are looking for a tale of a cute little white Scottie finding a home then you should seek out "Widget" by Lyn Rossiter McFarland forthwith. If, however, you're a fan of the period picture book genre and you like Susan Jeffers's work, "McDuff" may be a great choice for you and yours. It is not Rosemary Wells's best writing and the story is pretty touch n' go. Still, there are things to recommend it. Definitely give it a trial run.

I am a 2nd grader at Anna Merritt Elementary School. My name is Ashleigh. I have been reading books by Rosemary Wells. My favorite book is McDUFF MOVES IN because it makes me feel happy when McDuff finds a home.

I own this book, as well as others in the series. They are just great! My mom owns a Westie, perfectly named Duffy(he got the name before we new about the books), and the illustrator captures the essence of the Westie. Every picture is perfectly drawn to show the character of a Westie. I love the author as well. I have been a teacher and have always read Ms. Wells' books to my students and the McDuff series is loved by all. McDuff moves in is just a fun book to read and I recommend it to all ages.

I am a 2nd grader. My name is Ashleigh. I have been reading books by Rosemary Wells. My favorite book is McDUFF MOVES IN. I like this book because it makes me feel happy when McDuff finds a home.