Toy Books

I am not a teen anymore, but a decade ago, I was. I never went to a public school, or delt with teenage dating, drugs, suicide, sneaking around, or all of that drama. I purchased this for a special teen in my life who has had to go to public school and face all of that. I read it before I gave it to her, and I think I learned some things that enter into the "average teen's" life. I hope she enjoys it, and learns, laughs and grows as I did.

This book was a wonderful and uplifting read. A lot of the passages will be in the back of my mind for a long time. The stories with love, hope and forgiveness really hit home for me. The only thing that I would like to see more in this book is poetry.

You would like this book if you love the feeling of being thankful of what you have. It makes me think to be kinder to people and to be happy that people are how they are and no one should try to change them. That some people are there to help and some people are there to be helped by people. I just think that this book will make so many people's lives so much brighter after having read it.

The thing that really got me was one of the stories that had a little brother that had cancer and it made me think of my little brother and what would my life be like without him. The day I read that story I went home and gave him a big hug and I told him that I loved him.

The parts with thoughtful words and deep thoughts always make me think. I love to read about people's problems and how they overcome them. I just think that it is good to know that someone might be going through the same problems with boys, parents, school, drugs and tons more things that make your head spin every day, and things that you feel like there is no way out of that situation.

All in all I thought it was a good book.

My daughter started reading this book at age 12, and has had it for 2 years. She still loves to go back and read selections of love, hope, courage. Give your teenager something worth reading! :)

I bought this book as a gift for my 16yr old niece. The very next day, she told me how much she loved the book. She even cried reading it. I think it's nice to find reading materials that can move the minds and feelings of teenagers.

I skimmed through the book before I gave it to my granddaughter who just turned 13. I thought it had some well written stories that a teenager can relate to and a lot of food for thought. She was so happy to get it, since she had the one for pre-teens also and really liked it.

My daughter loved this book for months. We started reading it to her when she was about 6 months old (or younger) and by 12 months she was identifying many of the animals and colors along with us. At 19-months its not her favorite book, but she still asks us to read it from time to time.

Simple, engaging, beautiful illustrations, genuis rhyming pattern that makes sense, and gets child excited to turn the page to see what's next. A teacher's and parent's dream. Just a wonderful book that is engaging and teaches words/sounds. Doesn't get better than this.

I love the bright colors that catches my daughter's attention, and the pages are thick enough that she can turn the pages herself. This is a family favorite.

Wonderful addition to my classroom collection. Students love to read along and act out this story.

We've used this for learning colors, rhyme and animals. It's predictable so even the youngest can figure out what comes next. We often sing a song with it and use a flannel story as well.

Every young child should have this book read to them over and over again.

*taken from my review at goodreads

I am baffled there are this many positive reviews for this product. Either you are allowing your passion for Star Wars blind you or you have placed your book in a special quiet place and look at it from afar. I am only comforted by the fact my mother bought this book for my son, or I would be demanding my money back.

My mother saw this online will searching for another Star Wars product and my son and I were both excited when it came. Although he is only four, he loves Star Wars and we use it as a way to learn about other things. This book fell apart the first time we used it. The middle designs in particular are hard to compact, making the book impossible to put away or even get to other pages. The lightsabers go on and off when they want to...or maybe when you use the force.

Listen, I'm an educated man with a calm mind and a passion for Lucas products. I have actually thrown this book away because I was so tired of trying to make something poorly designed cherished just because it is a Star Wars Product. I find it hard to believe of the hundreds of reviews there are no other complaints.

Save your money and buy other products with the same information.

Any child with even a passing interest in Star Wars will love this incredible book.

This is the PERFECT book for Star wars fans. I can't say a single bad thing about it. I cannot find a single flaw. In addition to giving you information about the movies, there are stunning, unbelievably gourgeous pop-ups coviring each page. Also, bgecause pop-up books are normally geared toward children, I want to say that this is for everyone. It is not only for children. It will provide hours of enjoyment and I recommend it to anyone who wants a stunning new addition to their Star Wars collection or who wants to learn more about Star Wars.

got this book for my sons 8th birthday, he loves this book and was delighted by all the different sections.
family and friends also loved it. It's very well made and has several intricate sections on each page. The working light savers in the book are great.
I would recommend this book to any one makes a grate gift.

The little guy LOVED this pop-up book. The perfect Grandma gift. If your kid is a Wii fan of Star Wars, this is terrific! Dad reads it to him and they share the book. Can't tell who likes it better.

Having read this book previously I bought it so I could display it proudly on my bookshelf.
It is now sitting in the front row position looking marvelous!

The story is magnificent, the presentation is breath taking, and the book keeps popping up in conversations all over the place.
I just keep recommending this book as a great read what ever age!

Definitely worth a look!

This book teaches us to celebrate our uniqueness! Great for teachers who deal with bullies or low self esteem issues with their students. I also love the illustrations.

I bought this book first for a friend's daughter, a second-grader who was having some trouble feeling like she "fit in" with the other girls in her class. Worried that she might be "too big" for a picture book, but she LOVED the story and was able to relate to it and find the deeper meaning, with her mom's guidance. Now I have bought more to give away to other friends and family!!!!

It's just a great book with beautiful illustrations and a beautiful, important message. I ordered the hard cover/paper book for my son's first birthday. He received the board book from his aunt/uncle/cousins for the same birthday. He loves it! Flips the pages and just stares at the pictures.

I first heard about this book at a Women's Retreat in 2008. Even though this was written for children, a woman's husband bought it for his wife, who seemed very insecure. I absolutely loved it and before going home, bought it for my 17 year old daughter. Since then I have written a Play along with music to match for our women to do in raising money for the next Womens Retreat. I totally, 100% recommend this book! Hats off to Max Lucado on a well written book!

this book has very nice illustrations, but there is hardly any text. my daughter likes to be read to, so this really doesn't work. i don't think it is that funny or clever.

This is one of my 18 month olds favorites - great illustrations. My husband loves it too (he is not a big reader) - he doesn't have to read it, but just describe what is going on in the pictures.

My 2 year old grandson laughed out loud when the book was read in an animated way. Delightful for me too.

From the balloon that gradually floats off toward the moon to the clock in the zookeeper's bedroom that marks the time it takes to get the animals all back into bed, there is a lot of subtle humor and fun in this book. My 2-year old can't get to sleep without it. She has learned the word "inconspicuous" in connection with the way the elephant looks before he's discovered in the bedroom. This is a special book - right up there with _Good Night Moon_.

All right, I'm giving this two stars because my kids seem to like it, but it is, in my opinion, a thoroughly one-star-or-less book.

It is incredibly lame. The pictures are simplistic and not very well-drawn, and the story is nonsensical bordering on retarded-and-troubling.

And I can handle nonsensical, in fact I think some of the best kids books recognize the sort of bizarre dream state that childhood is and use that to tell engaging narratives that dance happily past logic and convention to make kids laugh and wonder. See for instance most of the gently hallucinogenic tightrope walk over the Gulf of Madness that is the collective canon of Margaret Wise Brown. That stuff makes NO sense--COLOR KITTENS, LITTLE FUR FAMILY, and that one about the talking island--but it's all lyrical to the point of being beautiful, and it's fun.

GOOD NIGHT, GORILLA, on the other hand...ugh...man...I really, really hate this book. Seriously. I have two young kids, and as I said, they like this for some reason and ask me to read it to them all the time.

AND IT SUUUUUUUUUUUUCKS. Oh wow does it suck.

First of all there are almost no words, so you can't just shift into autopilot and read the wretched thing without thinking. You've got to narrate the damn thing, and since its story is mindless and its pictures are unexciting, well, here ya go, have fun.

GOOD NIGHT, GORILLA tells the story of a zookeeper named Joe who goes around checking on the zoo animals in their cages and saying good night to them, while unbeknownst to his apparently deaf and blind or at least unbelievably distracted self, the gorilla has stolen his keys and is quietly unlocking all the other animals' cages: the elephant, the lion, the giraffe, the armadillo, whatever. Then, because animals all apparently live in bad existential faith and don't know what to do with their own freedom once they have it, they docilely and quietly follow the zookeeper into his house to fall asleep in the zookeeper's tiny bedroom.

There, the zookeeper and his wife--who is apparently also deaf and blind and in fact not even able to feel the vibrations of a full-grown elephant stomping in through their narrow door and into their bedroom--turn out the lights and say good night to one another.

Then, all the animals say "Good Night!" as well, one at a time, showing a really freaky dark side to the whole story. THEY'RE KEPT LOCKED IN CAGES, BUT THEY CAN TALK! They're as sentient and intellectual as humans--in fact far more so than the staggeringly ignorant humans in this story--and they're being kept in cages! This is...slavery!

This is not charming--this is demented.

Anyway, this alerts the zookeeper's wife who leads all the talking animals back to their cages as if this happens all the time, but the gorilla grabs the keys again and sneaks back into the house where they climb into bed between the zookeeper and his wife and fall asleep. Because that's all animals want, to be with people. Oh, if only all wild animals could be kept in cages and/or beds, how happy they would be! What the zookeeper and his wife will say when they find the giant sleeping gorilla between them in the morning, I don't know. Probably something along the lines of, "Oh, our lives are so terrible and we are so stupid, someone should write a book about us and illustrate it with mundane, unexciting, uninspired drawings."

In conclusion: do not order this book for your kids unless you have a nanny robot that is raising them for you, because if you're the one who reads to them, this book will do nothing but make you hate life and the act of reading aloud to your children. Your children will continually ask you to read this book to them because something in it may appeal to their young minds that don't know any better, you will read it, they will sense your reluctance, they will perceive that you think reading is unexciting, they will no doubt inherit that belief, will grow up illiterate (or just as bad, aliterate), will not be able to hold a good job as a result, will find themselves homeless during a low point in the economy, and will probably die of exposure beneath a bridge somewhere. That's how bad this book is.

And really, there are so many actually GOOD kids books out there, just don't take that chance. This book is a horrific chore, and if you can avoid it, do. There is no joy to be found here, no joy at all.

When a student in my pre-K class brought this book i remembered how much i liked it as a child. So i had the children sit down and I read it to them. Normally my class, 16 five year olds, wwould not sit still while i am reading a book, but this one they were hooked. After i finished they had me read it 2 more times, I would recommend this book to anyone with children, its great

Normally I steer clear of books about TV characters because of their low story quality. This story, however, is a hilarious page-by-page running joke, in which Grover, after reading the title, begs the reader not to turn the pages because he is afraid of meeting the monster. He erects barriers to page-turning which are destroyed as pages are turned, and when the last page is turned he discovers that he is the monster referred to in the title.

The humor turns on the fact that the author draws attention to the book context of interaction by having Grover directly address the reader, and by depicting physical objects ostensibly intended to block the pages from turning. Children will tremendously enjoy the feeling of knowing something Grover doesn't know, and will savor the situation comedy of Grover's failed attempts to resist their overwhelming page-turning force. The story ends with a moment of delicious irony in which Grover claims "I told you and told you there was nothing to be afraid of," but then his thought bubble appears: "Oh, I am so embarrassed."

This book does come in a board book format, but by the time a child is ready for this level of humor they will have outgrown board books, so I recommend the paper version.

This book is one of those classic books. My husband had it as a kid and loved it so he had me purchase it. My 7 and 2 year olds absolutely love it. The Monster at the End of the Book has become a bedtime ritual. Great book to add to any kid's collection.

This is the favorite book of my 3 kids, I have a grandson now, and ordered it for him. It arrived promptly and in excellent condition.

This is a short and sweet book perfect for bedtime unless your little one actually listens to Grover's please to not turn the page! Lots of opportunities for sound effects - huffing and puffing, pounding with a hammer, crashing down a brick wall, simply fun.

This is a girly-girl book for your little princess. Nancy is fancy and much to her chagrin must instruct her family in how to be fancy.

I really dislike these Fancy Nancy books. The character is pretentious and conceited, and looks down on her parents for their simple style. I think books like these tend to perpetuate a value system that places looks ahead of character. I love it when my daughter dresses up, but I don't want her to buy into a materialistic, mass-consumption lifestyle that I think is shallow.

I think this is the first in a delightful series that takes a fresh look at a young child's imagination and creativity. What makes the book captivating is that it is based in the real world. There is the makeover of a simple bedroom and the makeover of an ordinary family going to a fast food restaurant. Who would have thought this simple beginning could morph into the wonderful world of Fancy Nancy. The only problem I encountered was that my 3 1/2 year old granddaughter could not really enjoy this title in the series because there is so much emphasis on "parents" and "family". She is struggling to understand why her parents are no longer together and getting divorced. The book turned out to be too painful for her to read, but she loves Fancy Nancy with all her heart.

I absolutely love this book. I am not fancy. My four girls are not fancy. But we adore this book. It is about a girl who has passion and wants to share it with the world. Go for it Nancy! Even when things don't go as planned, the family rallies around her and life goes on. This book is about much more than fanciness.
I love the illustrations. The image of the family making an "entrance" to the restaurant is a classic!
I admit that we tried a fancy excursion to the miniature golf course. I don't think the kids particularly liked their mom and dad all dressed up but we had a ball.

I don't think Nancy is bratty or conceited - I think she's a little girl who, like many young children, likes shiny and "fancy" things. And she has remarkably supportive parents - just look at their shopping list! Milk, eggs, bread, fuschia hair mousse.

The pictures are... interesting. They really accurately capture the moods of the characters - the little sister copying her big sister (or grumbling as the crown is patiently taped back on her head!), the kid jumping for excitement. All the same, the actual pictures of the characters seems a little off to me. Like the scene where we see Nancy peeking from behind the fridge door after she taped the poster on it. Realistic? Yes. Do I like it? For some reason, no. It's just a matter of simple preference, and not something I'd rate down for.

I will rate down for the text. It's a bit dull, and while I appreciate the effort to cram new vocabulary words in (Posh is a fancy word for fancy!) I find it all to be a excessively... what is that fancy word? Oh yes, didactic. I found this method of teaching to be condescending when I was a child, and now that I'm *reading* to kids I don't like it any more.

The storyline's a bit bland, too. How many stories do we need about children having minor mishaps and getting hugged? Nothing against it, but surely the market must be glutted by now? (Which reminds me, I'm also not a fan of all the merchandising surrounding this book, but that's an unrelated issue.) And as for "there isn't a fancier or better way of saying I love you", I get the point, but sure there is! My nieces come up with them every day! "You're my sunshine" and "You make me happy whenever I'm with you" and "Your smile brightens cloudy days" and "When you cry, it hurts my heart", and my personal favorite, "You're the BEST, Connie!", accompanied by a BIG HUG. (Not to mention all the nonverbal ways of saying you love somebody - hugging them, snuggling them, being fancy for them, getting them something nice just because you know it'll make them happy, giving them the last piece of cake instead of squabbling over it, covering up for your sister's mistake by claiming YOU scribbled on the wall and not her (not something I want to encourage, but it's the thought, right?), asking your aunt if your sister can come out of time-out because you don't REALLY mind that she hit you, you forgive her - lots of ways!)

My nieces enjoy this book, I guess, although it isn't their favorite.

None of my friends warned me that this book is dangerously addictive.

It started off innocently enough. When I brought it home, our 20-month-old daughter was curious as she always is whenever she reads a new book for the first time. I was captivated as well by the combination of illustrations against photos of Brooklyn (where we live). As we went along, our daughter started to cry when she saw how upset Trixie was -- big tears and bawling from both little girls. All was well when Trixie was reunited with her Knuffle Bunny; our daughter laughed and grabbed her cherished giraffe.

Then she wanted to read it again, and again, and again...It has been a week since we got Knuffle Bunny and we've read nothing else. She started asking for "Nuff Bunny." Now it's "Trixie! Trixie!" as soon as she gets up in the morning. Last night, I had to resort to hiding the book and pulling out as many old favorites as possible. After reading Knuffle Bunny 15+ times a day (with my daughter going to daycare 9 hours a day 5 days a week), I feel I must caution parents about this book!

Mo Willems has created an exceptional book that taps perfectly into my child's world, from trying to make herself understood to her love for her "Raff" to her anxiety when Raff is seemingly lost ("Trixie crying!") to finding Raff again ("Hug Bunny").

I will be buying this book as presents and slapping a warning label on it.

My son and I went into this book not expecting much. However, he loved it when she started saying "Aggle Flaggle Blaggle!!!!" And because I thought the best funniest part was when she went "boneless" (I can SOOO relate to that!) I read it kind of like I would read the word "BOING!!!" and he giggles for the rest of the book. This really is a good book. I thought it would be too juvenile for my almost 4 year old but he really likes it after reading it 2-3 times now.

Exactly as described; shipping excellent. My Grandson loves the book. I would recommend seller and book to anyone. A+++ Knuffle Bunny: Cautionary Tale (Bccb Blue Ribbon Picture Book Awards (Awards))

This book, and it's sequel, are fantastic. My 2-year-old just loves them. We read them every night!

My 3½ year old little daughter LOVES the Pigeon books by Mo Willems, and she hoped to use her Christmas gift card to buy another Pigeon book. But it turns out that we own them all. She was looking extremely sad and disappointed, until she spied another Mo Willems classic on the rack - KNUFFLE BUNNY. She was immediately drawn to the cover with the little girl, Trixie, carrying her "snuggle bunny." My wee one carries her version of a snuggle bunny, BeeWee, with her everywhere. She had an instant connection with KNUFFLE BUNNY, and she could not wait to get it home.

In KUFFLE BUNNY, daddy takes Trixie on an errand to the laundromat. Trixie and daddy have a great time, and they actually get the laundry in the washing machine. On the way home, Trixie suddenly discovers that her KUFFLE BUNNY is missing! She tries to tell daddy what is wrong, but Trixie is too young to talk. In tears and full of frustration, daddy and Trixie finally make it back home. Mommy opens the door and immediately knows what is wrong. KNUFFLE BUNNY is missing! The entire family rushes back to the laundromat, and, eventually, KNUFFLE BUNNY is found. Trixie is so excited that she says her first words, "KNUFFLE BUNNY."

My daughter and I both relate to this story in so many ways. "BeeWee" is my daughter's version of KNUFFLE BUNNY, and BeeWee goes every where my child does. It IS a crisis when BeeWee is missing (although less and less of one the older she gets). My youngest clearly understood what Trixie was feeling when KNUFFLE BUNNY went missing; there were tears in her eyes, along with genuine concern. And she was very, very happy, too, when KNUFFLE BUNNY was found. And the ending brought a smile to my face, remembering that my child's first word was "BeeWee."

The artwork in KNUFFLE BUNNY is very unique and interesting. Trixie, mommy, daddy, and KNUFFLE BUNNY are all cartoons drawn on real black and white photographs of a small neighborhood. This really makes these characters pop and helps young eyes focus in on the action. I found it very clever and effective.

KNUFFLE BUNNY is a Caldecott Honor Book and quite deserving of that honor. KNUFFLE BUNNY is that special kind of book that can be thoroughly enjoyed by both preschoolers and their parents. A rare treat, indeed. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Just wanted to say that this is a great book for young and old (although parental guidance is recommended for the little ones as the pop-ups can be fragile) Most pop-up books are limited in page number to accommodate the thickness of each page (due to the layers of folded paper) but this book side-steps that detail by having smaller pop-ups in the corner of most of the pages, increasing the amount of pop-up goodness. Great stylish illustrations make this a real stand-out (or up) among books of this type. I recommend it highly.

May not be the best gift for a toddler because it is delicate but it is a beautiful book filled with dino facts.

These are the adjectives I heard within the first few minutes of my nephew opening this book. It is amazing, magical and delightful for both kids and adults. I purchased this book for both my nephews as a Christmas present. They live in 2 different states and their families have very different lifestyles and yet this book appealed to them both equally. I did not get to read it but have gotten positive feedback on content (besides the pop-up part) already. I do have to mention, both my nephews are "careful" and I noticed right away how gently/slowly my nephew turned the page to be sure the picture folded properly. He did a better job than I would have. When I give a gift I don't stress if it gets broken but if you are going to be upset if the child rips something, unless the young person "knows how to be careful" best to wait or only take it out when you can read it with them. I think the pictures/pop ups make this book well worth the price...they are magical.

My son and every boy I know loved this pop up book! Not to mention the pop up book collector in me!

I bought this book for my grandson who has been collecting all kinds of dinosauer toys. I think he really enjoys this book.

Dragonology is really, really cool. My eight year-old daughter got sucked into this book--along with a couple of other -ology books--and I fell in right behind her.

Dragonology is well-written and packed with imaginative and creative fictional facts (how's that for contradiction). You can almost believe that dragons exist based on the presentation of their habitat, behavior, and history in this book. There are scales, ash, and other little tidbits to elicit tactile response; the pictures and drawings are great.

The book is squeaky clean and doesn't go overboard with biological details or feeding habits. Kids that like magic, monsters, and fantasy stuff will dig this tome.

My 11 year old daughter loves everything dragon, books etc. I have an older niece who loves everything Fairies (Fairyopolis Series) and she suggested this book as a gift. Great advice! Great book! She loves the codes, pictures and "scientific and historical" reading.

Dragonology, like Wizardology, is a truly magical book for all ages. If you love Dragons (as I do) you want to add this book to your collection.

This was a Christmas Present for my Son. He is really into Wizards and Dragons and all of that stuff. He said he couldn't wait to read it. He was very impressed with it.

Steer has evidently decided to take a cherished creature of myth, ignore all of the mythology surrounding it, and make up his stories from scratch. Call me old fashioned, but I think that any book on dragons should include actual agreed-upon "facts" about dragons, not just one man's (and the absurd Ology company's) musings.

I bought this and the Monsterology book for my daughter--she's 3 years old but very interested in mythology--and she loves them. But after actually reading them through I found myself angry. Don't get me wrong, they're decent, and I do read them to her, but I find myself wondering why this man put in taxonomical classifications for his dragons when he OBVIOUSLY did not bother researching taxonomy. At. All. The very idea that such dissimilar creatures as all varieties of dragon (not to mention wyverns) are of the same genus is preposterous.

Now you all may say I expect too much of a children's book, but I maintain that even in a simple presentation, the context of one's work should be accurate and professional, even in the realm of the imagination.