Wood Books

This book has been a 5 star publication since it's inception! I have never seen a child not love this book! It is definitely a winner!

It's about monsters, for crying out loud! Why on earth would you want to plant the idea of fear and worry with your children just before bedtime? I remember being terrified of this book when I was a child. I will not read it with my kids. I know they will be introduced to it somewhere along the line, and I hope they are not frightened by it. I just do not understand everyone who says they love this book.

According to the characteristics of picture storybooks, this is a high quality book. The text and illustrations equally convey with the storyline. The shape and size of the book is rectangular and does not have page numbers. It includes all of the literary elements. The book's strength is its illustrations. The book received a Caldecott Medal for its illustrations. The author does a nice job of telling the story through the illustrations. The illustrations get larger as Max's imagination grows and start to decrease in size as he returns home. The colors in the beginning of the book are duller than the end of the book. As Max's feelings and mood change, the pictures get brighter. The book's reading level is 3.4 and geared toward a lower grade interest level, however, can be enjoyed by older ages. One concern is that there are monsters in the story even though it is a children's book. Introducing this book to primary students may lead to questions and misconceptions. One instructional activity to handle this situation would be to talk about the monsters. Ask Were they scary? Did they change? Show the pictures of Max being carried by the monsters and the way they dance and play. Talk about feelings and emotions (the monsters and Max were not sure about each other at first, but then they grew to like each other and play together). The students can then draw monster faces depicting an emotion.

Second best children's book ever. My 15 month old son LOVES it, as did his older siblings when they were little. The song "wild thing" fits in well when the wild rumpus begins... highly recommended!

After having read a copy of this to my oldest grandson, and having the pages worn and dog eared, I had to buy one each for my other 2 grandsons. They are as mesmerized as the 1st was. Can't get enough of it. Fascinated by the little boy's antics. Constantly amused.

This is a wonderful story and a great book I was able to share with my students. The only drawback with the book is that the pages are not in color, but the extremely low price allowed me to purchase the books for my students out of my own pocket.

Katherine Woods' translation is the only English-language version of The Little Prince which captures the beauty, simplicity, clarity, and profundity of the Antoine de St. Exupery's classic, penned in French.

(The newer translation is appallingly horrid and bland, mistaken, and frankly perplexing.)

This is really not a children's book, although older children will appreciate it.

Don't measure the value by the thickness of the book. De St. Exupery, himself a WWI pilot, writes with a great economy yet produces here the most beautiful poetry with a delightful playfulness and childlike innocence -- a fresh vision which thus sees clearly and does not obscure the profound.

Mr. Fred Rogers used to quote from de St. Exupery, whose image and illustrations once graced the 20-franc note (in the days before the euro).

There simply is no other work like this one. It is an exceptionally rare treasure, a masterpiece.

Be sure to read Katherine Woods' translation. Read it privately, when you have time to savor each word. And keep a box of tissues nearby.

The Little Prince has often been heralded as a youthful book, required reading in elementary and high schools alike. In delivering it this way I think The Little Prince is missed by the only audience that is likely to truly appreciate it, that is adults. It is not an uncommon misconception that this is a children's book. Indeed, I keep the pictures stored on my computer, and am often asked where they came from. I reply that they are from one of my favourite books, and without fail the response is along the lines of, 'I don't mean to be rude but is that a children's book?'. 'No', I explain, 'it is not'.

The Little Prince is most needed, I think, by adults. It is easy to be caught up in, as De Saint-Exupery describes it, 'matters of consequence' and forget that it is not these matters which bring meaning to life. By pointing out the futility of professions practised endlessly and in isolation of other people, it becomes clear that the Little Prince, with his rose, is the only character with a life of consequence.

This book is beautifully written and translated by Katherine Woods. It speaks volumes through its simple tale, strange though it seems that matters such as these only become clear when they are somewhat removed from reality. Matters such as love, innocence, imagination and priorities. The Little Prince is a gentle and stirring reminder to never forget to see the boa constrictor from the hat.

I was an adult when i read this book, and i really appreciated the lessons in life that Saint-Exupery shares through the Little Prince.

A great book, full of beautiful illustrations, easy to read, while fun and sad at the same time.

I personally read it as if Exupery is sharing with us the conversations he has with his own inner child, in the image of the Little Prince. That is why the Little Prince would ask many questions, but rarely answer the ones he was asked. Like all our inner children he's been hidden inside and kept silent for a long long time, and now that he was given his chance, he will speak. And we better listen, for he is an integral part of our psyche, who will take us through the most unbelievable adventures.

I popped in to a bookstore to buy this book and noticed that it was a new translation. New translation? Fortunately I had the foresight to thumb through it. I promptly left it behind and went straight to a second hand bookstore to buy a copy of the original translation. How could the publisher eliminate the wonderful poetic language? I read The Little Prince as a child ( which by the way wasn't so long ago) and I loved the language. Antoine De Saint-Exupery's work is all about painting pictures through language. This watered down mess is no better than an edition of Cliff Notes. I actually apologize to Cliff Notes. At least with Cliff Notes would have explained the intention and nature of the language. I am sorry to see that this publisher allowed the dumbing down of this beautiful classic.

this is one of those books where not only do the children in my life enjoy this book, but i do as well. for a kid's book, it's pretty existential. A boy goes through this world where nothing exists and with his purple crayon, creates his world. What makes it more than just a kids book, what gives it the philosophical premise is that even though harold starts the story with this crayon, and has the power to draw anything, become anything, because all he need do is draw whatever he wants to be or where ever he wants to go, even though he has this power, he is unsatisfied and goes on a journey. he uses his crayon to create the world as he goes through it and ultimately finds some contentment, a resting place if you will :P, but the fact that he can create is irrelevant, its a means to an end. The implied 'end' gives us something to think about, and though the children who are meant to be reading this book will not go into such depth with the symbolism or the philosophy, they will pick up on some of the questions the author asks, like what is harold looking for? why did he need to do all that stuff if he was just going to end up back at home? (though actually he didn't start at home). even if the kids don't burst their brains thinking about this, even if they don't come to any logical conclusion, even if they don't ask any questions to begin with, i think exposing our kids to this kind of story is important. aside from being very amusing, it provides intellectual stimulation for those who look for it and for those who don't, well one day they may look back on this story as an example of some conclusion or another they have drawn. Even if they never understand the story philosophically, the fact that they are exposed to it will register somewhere in their heads and what they know of it will teach them something about life (as does everything, which always gets me critical of the constant stream of nothing we shove down our kids throats, like the bastardisations of stories presented by disney and now barbie... and lets not even talk about pop culture).
anyways, the kids i read this to love it. its a great story, i recommend

This is a great book to get in hardcover because you will use it alot if you have children of your own. If you are a children's literature collector you will want to look at older hard to find copies to invest in. For the rest of us this is a beloved favorite baby gift, but an even better first grader book. If you have a slow reader this book will help those who are struggling to read the opportunity to read a BIG book and for reasons I do not know it is often a "boy" favorite. The language is not babyish or unfriendly to adults so it will be a great laptime read for uncles and aunts to read as fill in bedtime readers.

My five year old son loves this book. It inspires creativity in kids to create what they can dream up.

I just got my son his first library card (remember them?) at the age of two and this was the first book we took out. I had heard of it, but didn't have it as a child and wanted to have a read through before I considered purchasing it. I LOVE this book and so does my son. The very thing that reviewers complain about: the limited illustrations, is what makes this book so great. In a time where our kids are constantly overstimulated visually (ie. TV, computers, video games, etc.) it is so nice to have books that are simple, clever and inspire imagination.

As a working artist, I can appreciate the simple genius of this book, not only in it's illustrations, but also in it's encouragement to use our imaginations, or what's left of them.

I love this book and i just had to get it for center i work for!
It's a book no daycare center shold be without!

We absolutely love Yolen and Teague's 'Dinosaur' books. The text is fun and rhythmic and the pictures are just incredible. My son is eight years old and loves these books, just now when he came in as I was on the computer he pointed to the books and said "thanks!!!". We have only one comment. Please, please, please, make all of them available in large book editions. The board books are simply too small to appreciate the amazing detail in the illustrations.

My three year old has been into dinosaurs for a year and is still going strong. He received this for his third birthday and it quickly became his favorite bedtime story. We always end with a kiss and he roars a goodnight. Lol.

I like how the dinosaurs are named in the pictures because it not only teaches bedtime manners, but also dinosaur identification. Believe it or not, the boy can name dinosaurs better than he knows the alphabet.

If your little one is into dinosaurs, this is highly recommended for the collection.

WE REALLY LOVE THESE BOOKS WITH THE HUGE PICTURES OF REALLY REAL LOOKING PICTURES OF THE DINOS & WHAT IT MIGHT BE LIKE IF ONE WERE REALLY LIVING AS A HUMAN CHILD INSIDE A HUMAN'S HOUSE! FAST TO READ & GREAT EYE CANDY. THIS SERIES OF DINO BOOKS LEAVE U WANTING MORE! THERE ISN'T 1 AT ALL DISSAPPOINTING! WE HIDE THESE FROM GRANDMA SO THEY R ONLY TO BE READ BY ME & THE KIDS! THEY R OUR SECRET TREASURES WE ENJOY!
GRANDMA NEEDED TO FIND HER OWN TREASURES TO SHARE WITH THE KIDS...

My son was given this book as a gift. I was disturbed by the text. It makes children feel that they should just do what they are told like "good" little children. Children should be allowed to express their anxiety about bedtime, not just shut up and go right to sleep because their parents said so. Children ask for that one last drink, that one last story, etc, because they want to make sure their parents are there for them. They want to feel secure. Some children have a hard time transitioning at the end of the day and need those reassurances. That is why this book bothered me. I do think the illustrations are great, which is why I gave it 2 stars instead of one.

This book gets high marks for every aspect. The illustrations are really well done and so funny. My daughter loves the silly antics while my husband and I appreciate the looks on the faces of their human parents. Adults experienced in trying to get a little one to bed will appreciate the wry humor while children will love the general silliness. The absurdity of the huge dinosaurs in tiny human beds is greatly amusing to my daughters. The prose is also really well done and very easy to read, lending itself to some dramatics and a nice song-like rhythm.

I grew up with this book. I would read it over and over to myself and my siblings. When my family moved though It was lost with a couple of other books too. I just recently found it and bought it. I now read it to my daughter and she gets so excited to turn the pages and read the next phrase and see the next picture. I am enjoying both our childhoods. :)

My adult children list The Big Hungry Bear as one of their all time favorite books. In my 21 year old daughter's Children's Lit class at college, one of her assignments was to name her most beloved children's book and she said The Big Hungry Bear topped her list. I am on my second copy with our littlest three (all under 8) -- and they seem to be holding the same opinion as their older siblings. It is a wonderful book -- suspenseful and exciting! The best part is how it draws the reader into the story as a front row participant. We love this book! (And I bet you will too!!!!)

I read to my daughter literally since birth. I amassed an enormous library of all the kids' books I loved as a kid along with mounds of books which were new to me. We went to the library every week. I read, she read, we read.

My daughter is now turning 18 and I wanted to buy her a copy of her favorite book from those times and this is the one I pick -- the one she remembers the most, and so fondly! She still reads A LOT, is in her first year of college and got a perfect 800 on both verbal and writing SAT. I can only take credit for the fact that I bought this book for her 15 years ago :)

My two year old loves this story. I love the illustrations and the simplicity that fits a toddler.

Great book for preschool ages, just make sure you order the right size. I thought I was ordering a regular book, but this one (for around $27) is GIANT. It's like 2 1/2 feet by 2 1/2 feet. I didn't see that clearly listed in the description; I just typed in a search for this title and this was the first one to come up so I ordered it. I later found a regular size is also available through Amazon I think it was listed for around $10.

I have been an avid reader of baseball history for most of my life and I first purchased this book in the 80's and wore it out and purchased another copy. There isn't a season that goes by that I don't read it again. When you read the interviews of the ballplayers, recorded by Lawrence Ritter, it's as if you are a fly on the wall hearing the conversations first hand and the ghosts of seasons long past are brought back to life.

You get a first person account of some of the most famous moments in early baseball history through the fond recollections of some of the participants. Merkle's boner, Snodgrass' muff, Wambsgan's unassisted World Series Triple play are all recounted. The most entertaining parts of the book recount tales of Germany Schaefer stealing first base, the chronicles of Charles Victory Faust, and Wilbert Robinson attempting to catch a grapefruit dropped from an airplane. You get a glimpse of Ty Cobb from his teammates Davy Jones and Sam Crawford. You get several different takes on the great manager John McGraw from several different players who once played for him.

This is hands down the greatest sports book I have read. It's not only a great history of the early days of 20th century baseball but a wonderful piece of Americana. The book breaths humanity and paints a portrait of the ballplayers of the past who played for the love of the game unsullied by steroids and multimillion dollar contracts.

If you love the game of baseball as it once was and still should be this is a "must read"...some of the players interviewed by Ritter were unknown to me and I was fascinated to learn of their exploits...I ordered an additional three books and sent them to long time fans of the game...If I was a GM today in MLB I would have every member of the team read this book so that they might appreciate the game as it was in its infancy...the modern player (in most cases)doesn't realize how fortunate he is to wear a major league uniform and earn the money today for playing a "game"

This book was a lot of fun to read, it showed a different side of the sport of baseball other than statistic. Told by the people themselves who played the game and in their own words. The author just let them go on for as long as they pleased with any stories they might have to tell. If you enjoy baseball history this is a must read.

This superb oral history of baseball circa 1900-1920's contains many priceless tales. After Ty Cobb died in 1961 author Lawrence Ritter (1922-2004) took his tape recorder and traveled the USA to interview 22 surviving players from that remarkable era. We hear from top stars and established players, including Ed Roush, Sam Crawford, Smokey Joe Wood, Chief Meyers, Sam Jones, Bill Wambsganss, etc. Each player reminisces in his own way, recounting games, teammates, owners, managers, crowds, ballparks, etc. Some talk at length while others are briefer, but each is articulate and illuminating. I particularly liked Rube Marquard's memory of visiting the Chicago firehouse where he'd once slept as a transient, Stan Coveleski's view that baseball kept him from the coal mines, and the remembrances of Davy Jones and Jimmy Austin. It was also interesting to see how these players viewed superstars Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, Ty Cobb, and Babe Ruth. This book provides readers with a superb sense of baseball before night games, air travel, TV, radio (except after 1922), farm systems, and in some cities, Sunday baseball.

Ritter set a standard with this superb oral history. The players interviewed here have all departed (the last in 1988), but their memories live on in this superb book. Fans might also enjoy BASEBALL WHEN THE GRASS WAS REAL, a similar effort about a later era by Donald Honig.

Statistically, baseball back then couldn't be more at variance with the game now. Cy Young threw 511 career victories, and 750 complete games. In 1909, Ty Cobb led the majors both in batting average (.377) and home runs (9). Cobb's teammate Sam Crawford hit over 300 triples in his career.

What to make of such numbers? Lawrence S. Ritter's "The Glory Of Their Times" strips away the statistical confusion by getting to the heart of Major League Baseball's early days, the players themselves. An economics professor, Ritter invested his downtime from 1962-66 in interviewing elderly men, baseball players all who knew what it was like to face a Walter Johnson fastball, or have Ty Cobb slide into the base they were covering.

"People were more unique then, more unusual, more different from each other," says Davy Jones, who played on the Tigers with Cobb and Crawford. "Now people are all more or less alike, company men, security minded, conformity - that sort of stuff. In everything, not just baseball."

Transcriptions of Ritter's interviews with Jones and 21 other former players, including Crawford and two others then in the Hall of Fame, makes up the whole of "The Glory Of Their Times," published in 1966 and later extended with four more interviews in 1984. Nearly all the interviews offer both testimony and color for the game as it was then.

Bill Wambsganss tells us about his unassisted triple play in the 1920 World Series, and how Ring Lardner once used his last name to rhyme with "clam's chance" and "Ray Chapman's pants". Fred Snodgrass tells us about his famous muffed fly in the 1911 World Series, and how his New York Giants tried to psyche out the Philadelphia Athletics by sitting on the dugout bench, ostentatiously sharpening their spikes.

You hear so much about another famous World Series moment, the Merkle "boner" of 1908, that you feel like you were there on the field, too. There's a Rashomon-like quality to hearing various interviewees give their different takes on such things as the character of John McGraw and whether "Giant Killer" Harry Coveleski was run out of the league when he was caught chewing on bologna. (Snodgrass says so, while Harry's brother Stanley, a major-league pitcher himself, calls it "a lot of bull".

Not all the interviews are riveting. One wishes Ritter could have pushed some of the old players more, like the rumors that swirled around Smoky Joe Wood involving fixes. But allowing the subjects the reins probably drew more color out of them than a Grand Jury could have. I love how Crawford keeps telling Ritter he hasn't much time to talk, while giving Ritter one of the longest and most entertaining interviews in the book, describing how players would allow themselves to be rubbed down with "Go Fast," a noxious combination of Vaseline and Tabasco sauce that made them sweat like a sauna.

"I hope I haven't said anything I shouldn't," Crawford says at the end. "There are a lot of the old-timers still left,you know, and they're liable to say, 'That fathead, who the hell does he think he is, anyway, popping off like that!'"

If you like baseball even a little, you will enjoy "The Glory Of Their Times" quite a lot.

I am an elementary school teacher and this book is great to read to the kids within the first few weeks of school. It teaches them about the differences between people and how differences are ok. It is just the right length and repeats for easy reading. The video is also a great buy! Play it as a listening center for reading!

Great story for a child in elementary school or approaching. It touches on many levels the challenges of attending school for the first time. The author highlights Chrysanthemum and gives her depth. The school children that she meets also are made to be a challenge for Chrysanthemum.
The problem solving and the love of her parents touch on family values.
LOVE IT AND RECOMMEND.

I love this story! It's a great story for children to talk about bullying and getting teased in school. My first graders love it!

I love reading this to my three year old daughter. "Chysanthemum, Chysanthemum, Chysanthemum..." It's a charming story with emphasis on the strong bond between parents and children.

As a teacher, I would always share this book with my new class on their first day of school. Its magic worked like a charm. I like to start off the year by letting kids know that their uniqueness is to be celebrated, not made fun of. Chrysanthemum is the perfect example. She enters school, wrapped in the love of her attentive parents, who have always told her that her unique name is perfect, just like her. Then come her fellow students, who, by the way, have simple names like Bill, Sue, Tom, and Eve. Of course, they all giggle at her peculiar name and one even points out that it scarcely fits on her name tag (don't laugh, that's a big thing for a kid). Every night, Chrysanthemum returns home to her parents who assure her that she is perfect and special, but she is beginning to doubt that. One night she even dreams that her name was Jane. It was (according to Chrysanthemum) an extremely pleasant dream (I love it!) The teasing continues until one day, the class is introduced to their new beloved music teacher, who is also named after a flower - Delphinium. Suddenly, everyone wants a long, unique name and Chrysanthemum gets her self-esteem back. There's a clever little epilogue that always makes my students smile. The illustrations are absolutely adorable, filled with cute little details. I highly recommend any of Kevin Henkes' books, especially this sweet tale!

Another classic to add to the list of beloved library books we had renewed so often we decided to buy it. It is a timeless classic. My 3 year old son loves it. Also see the sequel- circus caps for sale.

I remember a teacher reading this book to the class (a long time ago!) and now I read it to my 27 month old granddaughter. She loves the story and likes to immitate the monkeys. It's one of her favorite books. Our book is a soft cover, which I didn't realize at the time of purchase. With all its use, I wish I would have purchased a hard cover or even as a board book if it's offered that way.

Caps for Sale is a wonderful classic that young readers love to hear. There is enough repetition to encourage children to "read" along. This can also be "acted out" to engage different learning modalities.

Captain Kangaroo read me this book some 40 years back. I remember laughing then. My kids, all teens now, liked the book which is not meant to be read so much as performed. Reading becomes action as one verbally plays the parts of the pedlar and the monkeys. My theory, at least, is that children will enjoy reading when it has more vitality than a pre-bedtime drone and learn that books are not dead repositories of information, but interact with our imaginations and become alive. Little books like this, a few moments of funny story, make a good impression on young minds------and are fun to read in their own right. This is cute and clever.

This vintage book is fabulous to act out as you are reading it. Kids love to mimic the monkeys and feel the frustration of the "peddler"(a new word for the current generation to learn!)In our family the third generation to read this book loves it as much as the first two generations did.

My alumnae group read this book to 3rd graders at an inner-city school and the kids loved it! We had a map and games to go with it and the program was a big success. I highly recommend this book for teachers.

My daughter told me that my young grandchildren love this book and the humorous way it was written. I found it through the reviews in here and wholeheartedly agree with the good ones and thank everyone for posting them. I haven't gotten to read it myself, as they are in another state...but I can assure you, it is a book to include in your little one's library! :D

This is a fun book and is a good way to get familiar with the States. My son enjoys reading it.

A hilariously told and illustrated story heart about appreciating where you are from and what you have. 'Scambled is a unique take on being in a state of discontent . Each State has its own (harmlessly and comically stereotyped) characteristics-- Wisconsin loves cheese, Texas hollers "YEEEHA!" The illustrations playfully keep your eye moving (the spreads are FULL of tiny side jokes) and the story keeps the pages turning. Lost along the way (and maybe why it's so successful) is that the reader will have learned some geography along the way. What an entertaining, engaging way to present fact and nonfiction to a child! A perfect companion to kids who are starting to learn about our country.

This book was fantastic for my 2nd grader to learn the names of the states. We started each state lesson by doing the Melissa & Doug USA Map 51-Piece Floor Puzzle. Then we would read "The Scrambled States of America" while the puzzle was made, so we could check where each state is located that the book mentions. After a day or two, my son loved to put together the Melissa and Doug USA puzzle, because it wasn't just pieces. Each state had a personality. So instead of just putting together a puzzle piece, the pieces would talk to each other. Nevada would be in one hand, and Mississippi would be in the other. "I love you", "And I love you". "I'll write to you every day. Bye" "Bye". Then he would put Nevada and Mississippi in their respective places. I should make a video of my kids doing the puzzle. It is hilarious. Even my four year old would get into it and talk about how Nevada and Mississippi were in love, and Arizona did not like the ocean ruining her hairdo.

This was one of my favorites as kid. Then, sadly, I forgot about it until stumbling across it in the school library. It is once again one of my favorites. Cynics might roll their eyes at this tribute to good ol' days gone by, but I personally appreciate the nostalgia and the house with its subtle face parts is adorable. You feel so bad for the cute little house! It is also an observation at the change of time. I don't know how intense that is as a theme, but I found it touching and Burton tells the tale with such heart and care.

We live in a very old house in the country and this book was such a cute story about just that. We enjoyed it.

Another timeless classic by this author. It's an amazing story about appreciation. Completely entertaining and like the other books in this series, the artwork is phenominal!!!

This was my favorite book as a child and I am so happy to find it again!! Now I will enjoy it as I read it to my grandchildren.

It was my favorite book when I was little, now it's time for my children to get know bout little house story. I got today from Amazon with free shipping. Great story book delivered to the door. Saving time to seaching at book store with carrying 2 little childrens especially summer hot day!
Thank god Amazon... I'm looking forward to reading this book tonight ^0^/