Shepard Books

My daughter loved this book starting at age 1 1/2. The simple text and colorful photos really pulled her in, and we read it again and again. Her 3-year old sister was interested too, although not as much so. I like this book because of the international, multi-cultural images, which are not abundant in children's literature.

This is just a really simple book showing how children travel around the world. Each page has 1 photo and 1 or 2 sentences so it's perfect for begining readers. There is a index in the back of the book that tells where each photo was taken and then on the last page a map showing where each photo was taken.

This is a really nice book that can show your child how people in other countries travel about and how we might look different, but we do some of the very same things. And also opens up a chance to discuss how people in different cultures live and how it might be the same or different.

Here's a list of the places and photos in this book
Boats - from Peru, Hong Kong, Somalia, Australia & the US
Bicycles - India, Nigeria
Walking/ Carrying - Ghana, Hong Kong, Bali, India, Germany
Buses- Germany, Egypt,
Trains - Germany, Denmark, Monorail - US
Planes, Germany, US & Space Shuttle

Little One Eye, Two Eyes, and Three Eyes was always one of my favorite fairy tales when I was growing up, so seeing it in its own picture book was just heaven to me.

And this version lives up to the one I grew up with, too.

Little Two-Eyes is despised by her sisters for being "different" (in the version I grew up with, it was for being normal, which makes more sense, but being "different" makes for a funnier punch line in the end) by having two eyes instead of one or three like they do. (Weirdly, they're shown watching TV with odd-eyed people.)

So they treat her like the classic red-headed stepchild - leftovers and rags - until she cries and cries. You can work out the gist of the end now, I'm sure :)

Very funny, and neat illustrations.

Just when you've read your kid Cinderella for the million zillionth time, along comes Aaron Shepard to the rescue with this retelling of a less well known but very fun fairy tale. Poor little Two-Eyes is the weird kid in her family since she has an even number of eyes; her older sisters One-Eyes and Three-Eyes are, of course, perfectly lovely by cultural standards in the neighborhood. Two-Eyes must dress in rags, do all the dirty work, and eat only leftovers--until the goat she tends turns out to be magic and starts giving her food to eat. When Two-Eyes seems well fed for a change, her suspicious sisters decide to spy on her. All I can say is that if you're going to put your sisters to sleep with a magic charm, be sure to count their eyes VERY carefully first! Artist Gary Clement has a lot of fun with this tale, throwing in anachronisms such as a microwave and a box of tissues. Did I mention the fairy godmother, the magic apple tree, and the handsome knight/prince? Let your two-eyed child take a look at this story!

Cpl. Norton C. Shepard was the fifth member of his family to enlist in the Union Army. He was in the 146th New York Volunteer Infantry also known as the Fifth Oneida, or Garrards Zouaves. At the Battle of the Wilderness he was wounded in the right shoulder, right side, and through the right elbow joint, breaking the bone and shattering the joint. He was left in this condition behind enemy lines.
The story that follows tells of his conversations and interactions with the Rebels as well as his incredible survival. It is filled with details of his experience and makes for a great read.

This is one of the best narratives of a common Civil War soldier's experiences in battle that I've ever read. Shepard was a member of the 146th New York Volunteer Infantry, also know as Garrard's Zouaves or the Fifth Oneida. Shepard was one of the many casualties the 146th suffered in Saunder's Field on the first day of the Battle of the Wilderness. He recounts not only the battle, but his wounding and being taken prisoner. When I visited the Wilderness battlefield I took the book with me and re-read it as I literally walked in Shepard's footsteps on the very site where most of the narrative takes place.

I wasn't that take with this book at first, but my two girls (2 and 4) loved it from the start and frequently ask to have it read again. It is beautifully illustrated, and if you look at it you know exactly where the girls bedroom window is from what you can see outside it.

This is the story of three toys Loopy, little Gee and Me (me is the monkey who narrates the story), they go out at night to play in the park, but is scary "through the haunty hall, trying to look small' - but they get to the park and swing and play until somehting comes along and they run (it is a train) -

They make it back to the house and you see them all tucked up with the little girl.

It is anice story to talk about fears in the night, and how they are not anything but our imagination, and it is also night from an imagination point of view of what their toys do and play once they have gone to sleep for the night.

As I said before, these are lovey illustrations, they are on a par with the best I have seen. The story is told in loose rhyme with the EEE sound Loopy, litte Gee, Me, etc -

I also note that Waddell has written one of my other favourite children's books, Farmer Duck, that one illustrated by the wonderful Helen Oxenbury - also a nice slyly humourous book which parents will enjoy. I keep an eye out for his books now as they are generally excellent.

Just lovely and recommended for children aged 2 and up.

As a child daycare provider, I am always looking for great kids books. This one has it all! The pictures are just the right amount of spooky, and the antics of "Loopy, Little Gee and me- all three" are sure to delight your little ones. A book my kids want to hear again and again.

and that's awfully good. If only video cameras had been around during her time. If you google her you will find a great site dedicated to her and her writings.

This is a pleasurable, surprising, sunshine-filled, leisurely, and -- dare I say it again -- charming book. It's a little dated, but retains its wonderful capacity to evoke a time and place filled with the sights, scents, and sounds of stone masons, oil presses, village fetes, kitchen knives, bursting gardens, market days, voluble peasants, and one indomitable Fiat.

This is a charming and thoroughly engaging book. Lady Winifred describes the trials and tribulations of an English couple who move to Provence in the 30s. Her descriptions of the people and the area are so vivid that by the end of the book you feel as if you, too, live in Provence. When I finished the book, I felt homesick and wanted to return as soon as possible!

In my opinion, this book is well worth having and a must for serious students of Interior Design and the Decorative Arts. Written in a scholarly fashion with beautiful photos, it is a marvelous resource affording the reader the opportunity to view period rooms in context. Arrived promptly in good condition, as described.

This book is one of the most helpful architecture and furniture books I have found. The met has put together a wide variety of periods and locations to let us look into the rooms of times past. The pictures are stunning and the descriptions are very informative.

This is a very good book! It has bright colors and very large words that makes it easy to read. My 5-month old daughter likes it very very much. She chooses it out of her other books. It is absolutely our favorite book!

I am a long time fan of Classic Pooh, and my husband bought this for our son and myself to read together.
We have probably read it 500 times since March! My son loves the pictures, and love to point out Pooh and Piglet, and all the other characters to grace this beautiful book.

Also, the words are BIG,, a good first choice for when he is ready to learn to read on his own. Until then I will read it ten times a day! It's just as sweet as Piglet himself!

A.A. Milne was born in England in 1882 and wrote some delightful books about Winnie-the-Pooh and Christopher Robin. Pooh was actually inspired by a teddy bear belonging to Milne's son, Christopher. His books have been translated into over two dozen languages are favorites of children and adults throughout the world.

So wherever I am, there's always Pooh,
There's always Pooh and Me.
"What would I do?" I said to Pooh,
"If it wasn't for you," and Pooh said: "True,
It isn't much fun for One, but Two
Can stick together," says Pooh, says he.
"That's how it is," says Pooh.
-Us Two, pg. 3

Ernest H. Shepard illustrated the Pooh books and Milne was so pleased with the drawings for the first book that he invited Shepard out to his home in Surrey, England so he could sketch the actual woodland settings for the stories.

In this book we find "Us Two," "Winnie-The-Pooh And Some Bees," "Sneezles"and "An Expotition To the North Pole" followed by two poems and then a story about Tiger coming to the forest and a prayer.

In the first story, Pooh falls out of a tree and it wasn't quite what he meant to do. He really just wanted some honey. "Sneezles" is about Christopher Robin which is a real tongue twister. In the next story after a simple meal of marmalade spread lightly over a honeycomb or two, Pooh goes off to see if Christopher Robin wants to go off on an "Expotition." Yes, that is the spelling.

Then, I the middle of the night, Winnie-the-Pooh woke up suddenly and found a tiger named Tigger. The two have a hilarious little conversation and then after breakfast they go off to see piglet, Eeyore and Kanga.

These are the most delightful stories to read to children and have that added touch of charming humor that will delight adults and children alike. The illustrations are quite cute and the rhymes invariably silly.

~The Rebecca Review

Far more wieldy than the complete works of Pooh, I heartily recommend this for wee ones who are just being introduced to AA Milne`s Winnie the Pooh. This slim, light volume with an assortment of three stories and five poems and color illustrations on every page, (varying in size from one-eighth to two-thirds of a page,) is easy to hold and view. My boys, now five and seven, still find the big book rather daunting, and will ask for the "bee and balloon story," or the "Tigger story" or the "North Pole" story from this book, rather than the larger dust collector. And I should mention that the poem "Sneezles" is a favorite whenever we have to lie in bed with a cold, and this is far easier to take to bed and less lumpy to sleep on.

In Finland, it is tradition for men to choose their brides by cutting down a tree and walking in the direction it points until they find their true love. When Mikko, a farmer's son, cuts down his tree, it points into the forest where the only talking being he comes across is a friendly mouse. The mouse convinces Mikko to let her be his sweetheart, but when the wedding day arrives, the guests are astonished by his choice. His scoffing older brother throws the mouse into the river. Suddenly, the creature turns into a princess and after the wedding ceremony, takes Mikko back to her castle to live.

Aaron Shepard's book is an endearing love story that teaches readers not to look solely on a person's outward appearance. The story is simply yet well written and the illustrations are both unique and appropriate for the Scandinavian setting. Children and adults alike would enjoy this folktale.

"The Princess Mouse: A Tale of Finland" begins with a simple premise, which is that in Mikko's family when young men get to the age when it is time for them to marry they find their future brides by cutting down a tree and following it points. It so happens that in this particular farm family the two sons are old enough to marry so the father instructs them to follow the family tradition, declaring, "That's how we've done it, and that's how we always well." The older son knows exactly who he wants to marry and cuts down the true so that it points right to her door, but when the younger son, Mikko, cuts down his tree it points into the deep forest. His brother mocks him, wondering if Mikko's sweetheart will be a wolf or a fox. But Mikko walks off into the forest declaring "I'll find who I find."

What Mikko finds is a mouse who is more than happy to be his sweetheart. Strangely enough, Mikko agrees and returns home to tell his father he has found a sweetheart. The tale now becomes interesting because Mikko's father has arranged a series of tests for the sweethearts of his two sons to take to prove their worth (do not ask why, you know what the father will say). From the title of the this story being told by Aaron Shepard you can probably guess how it is going to turn out in the end, but that does not distract all that much from the charm of this tale which is illustrated by Leonid Gore. You have many of the traditional elements of such folktales, but there are some nice unexpected twists that will delight readers of all ages.

Shepherd based his retelling of this tale mostly on story of "The Forest Bride," which I actually prefer as a title, but also on the story of "The Mouse Bride." In the back of the book you will find the simple music for "The Song of the Princess Mouse," written by Shepard. In fact, if you visit Shepard's homepage you can find not only a recording of the tune for this song but a reader's theater script along with another test of the brothers' sweethearts. So there are some nice resources to go with this folktale for teachers to use. Shepard has authored other folktales, including "The Maiden of Northland: A Hero Tale of Finland."

Helen's book is a wealth of information on art and craft materials you can make at home. The supplies necessary are easy to find, many of which are found commonly in the home, and most of which are non-toxic. This book is especially great for parents who have young children experimenting in the art world, and they will save money by making their own materials over buying commercial products. Helen Sattler's recipes cover paints, glues, many common and unusual modelling clay compounds, inks, papier mache, and some unusual materials such as crystal garden growing compound and stamp glue. Budding artists young and old will find this book to be an intriguing and resourceful compilation. It's also a great gift for teachers and other people who work with young children.

This is the ultimate book for scout leaders, creative teachers, youth leaders, anyone with kids who wants to make those common things that we get off the shelf. In here, you can find recipes for ink, paint, glue, clay in any form. The kids' reaction is something along the lines of "WOW!", "I didn't know you could make that," " Is that how it's done?" The book shows us mere mortals how to make magic. Great fun for kids of all ages!