Vacations Books

Sometimes a new children's book author/illustrator feels like a given. Well OF COURSE Suzy Becker has written a picture book. Sure, her only books until now have been "All I Need to Know I Learned from My Cat" and a humorous retelling of her own battle with cancer. But pick up, "Manny's Cows: The Niagara Falls Tale" and it feels like you've slipped into a comfortable pair of silly cow-related shoes. Becker is an ideal children's book illustrator. Her books are incredibly amusing, brilliantly penned, and now they've been oh-so-slightly tweaked to fit the picture book format. I don't know why it took Becker this long to bring us a book as wonderful as "Manny's Cows" and I don't care. What matters is that the book exists now. And it's wonderful.

You know what day Manny hates more than any other? The last day of school. "They should just cancel it", he grumbles. You see on the last day of school his teacher always asks the kids what they're going to do over their summer vacation. His answer? "Well, you can `t exactly go on vacation when you have five hundred cows". But when his teacher jokingly suggests he take the cows with him this year, Manny hits upon a plan. At first the cows are a little reluctant but once Manny's packed them into ten buses, they get into the swing of things. After the usual rest stops and ill-fated sing-a-longs the crew arrive at Niagara Falls. Unfortunately, one of the 500 cows is missing, so while the others go on a tour, Manny sets out to locate the missing bovine. She is, of course, parked in the bus enjoying the tiny television sets there. Unfortunately, this means that the remaining 499 cows have been raiding the gift store and Manny hasn't the pocket money to cover their purchases. It will require some ingenuity on the part of Buttercup and Bossy to find a way to cover their debts and arrive at home in style.

It's fun to keep track of the exact moment a book wins you over. For me, it was Page 2. While Manny explains to his class that cows require constant attention the page shows four different scenes. One is "My summer vacation", another, "My fall vacation", another, "My winter vacation", and finally, "My spring vacation". In each shot we see Manny milking a cow in the exact same position as the seasons change around him. And then there's the factual cow information sprinkled about the book. We learn that a cow must be milked two times a day and, in the course, of that milking, produces ten gallons of milk. Cows spend fourteen hours chewing and eat 100 pounds of food a day. These facts pop up at moments appropriate to the plot. So not only do you have an amusing book on your hands but you've also a (gasp, faint) learning experience to boot. Cow facts. Gotta love `em.

But wait. It gets better. It doesn't hurt in the least that Suzy Becker knows exactly how far to milk (ho ho) a joke. All the cows have very cow-like names, like Bossy, Clover, Flossie, Buttercup, etc. As you read the book through you also begin to get a sense of their personalities. Goldie (so called for the ring in her nose) loves the little TVs on the bus. Bossy has the cowbell around her neck and is in charge (insofar as that goes). Personally, my favorite moment was when the cows decide to sing, "Old MacDonald Had a Farm". They're pretty good at the cow part but when they get to the pigs they still say, "With a moo-moo here and a moo-moo there". Manny tries to inform them that pigs say "oink", sheep say "baah", and roosters say, "cock-a-doodle-doo". This proves to be too much for the cows. They collapse in hysterics. You have a full page shot of them yucking it up and calling to one another, "Bahkee Doody Doo!" or "Oinky Doodles to you!". Even by the end of the book, when they're riding home in their sweet cow-spotted rides, you can still hear them chortle, "Bahkeedoinkledoo!" to themselves. I loved that.

Summing up time. Let's see... you have wonderfully detailed pictures with amusing characters and a fabulous plot. Humor in abundance. A great premise AND factual information on the side. Yes sir, I dunno how you could pass this puppy up and I don't want to know. The next time some well-meaning parent or teacher comes up to me wanting non-fiction books on cows, I'll get them the information they want. But you can betcher bottom dollar I'll be sneaking in a little, "Manny's Cows" on the side. The best of the bovine, bar none.

this book is a really fun book, i start reading it and can't put it doing, i still laugh with it. I know everyone will enjoy this book, for me is full of good memories.

My family and I wanted a easy to use guide for our vacation to Maui. Something with a lot of photographs and a lot of special attention to detail. MAUI MILE BY MILE delivered! The mile by mile directions are a tremendous help in navigating the major roads of Maui's highway system. We especially loved the road to hana drive and the drive "beyond." They were real treats that I feel certain we'd have not experienced to the level we did without the aid of this guide. Even our son, who never leaves the house or his computer, loved the short hikes on the road to hana. Wow! We took along three guidebooks on our trip, and this is the only one that delivered the way we had hoped. There is NO other guide on the market that offers a photograph of each and every spot they detail. Their ratings are also right on the mark. We were fortunate in that we had enough time to stop and visit each stop, and sure enough, they never steered us wrong. If they said it was a good stop, it was. If they said it was a poor stop, sure enough, if was. Excellent guide book for Maui's major highways. I wouldn't leave home without it and I can only hope they produce more of these guides for the other islands of Hawaii.

I purchased a bunch of these books after moving to NYC for all my friends with kids and one for myself. They have been received with great enthusiasm. I find it very fun to have Miffy explore the city I love so much. A great memory if kids visited NYC themselves or a great preparation for what they will see after arrival. Lots of fun. It is not the original Miffy size though, which is too bad. ALso Miffy seems to be cut out of the other story books and pasted in NYC scenery. Not the best Miffy read ever, but certainly very charming and unique.

Do you need a vacation? Whether you enjoy the beach or the mountains or both, these two little devotional books will take you there. Take them with you if you really take a vacation or if you're just dreaming. Spend some time with God in your "vacation place".

Both of these books are extremely well written with seventy-five devotions in each book and each devotional only covers two pages, which is great to be used for a daily devotional.

Just reading will take you to the beach or mountains, each awesome devotion has a way of capturing an aspect of the beach or mountains and comparing it to life. For instance, in Beach Prayers one comparison is how the first time a child goes to the beach how frightening the ocean can be and how it takes Mom and Dad to help them enjoy the ocean then look how we sometimes are fearful of something God wants us to do, how we lack the confidence to proceed but God provides the way. A really great point is there are two scripture verses where usually most devotionals have only one. Also there is a quote from such people as Corrie ten Boom, Oswald Chambers, and Billy Graham that is as relevant as the scripture verses. Than the devotional is all tied together with a prayer that fits everything together perfectly that you've just read concerning that devotion.

What's really cool is the topical index in the back of the book that covers the themes of the devotions for whenever you need to take a "mini vacation" concerning a life problem or situation, under such headings as encouragement, fear and hope. Of course each book covers some of the same topics and some are only listed in one book.

Honor Books have done an exceptional job with these two little devotionals. This reviewer chose to review both books together because of the uniqueness of the subjects and how well they are written. But you can read one or both depending on your "vacation". Men, women and teens alike will be inspired by the teachings within the pages.

So enter in and get comfortable and get ready for an awesome "vacation" as God says it best in Jeremiah 34:25, "I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint" and these two devotional books do just that!

MY PARENTS AND I LOVED THESE STORIES. I THINK EVERYONE HAD OR SHOULD HAVE HAD A TEACHER LIKE MISS DAISY AT LEAST ONCE IN THEIR LIVES. IT BROUGHT BACK FOND MEMORIES OF A COUPLE OF VERY SPECIAL TEACHERS IN MY OWN PAST. KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK, MR. DAVIS

My son just turned three and we purchased three of these for his birthday. We have "My Car Trip" My Day" and "My Town". Of the three the My Day and My Car Trip have been his favorites. Infact he doesn't want me to read him anything else. The pictures in "My Town" are a little harder for him to identify (more obscure ideas like down, right, top and map). But he thinks these books are great because he gets to participate in the story and it really does keep his attention. I love the idea that long before he can actually read he may begin to identify words such as tree, cup, dog etc...
I was surprised at the negative editorial review on one of these books because he called the story "unoriginal". These stories are equipped to encourage a response from the child. These books are not intended to be fantastic stories but educational tools. I think the editor should read it in the manner in which it is intended. I will be purchasing more of these and would encourage parents of toddlers to do so as well.

i liked this book because we had visited the georgia aquarium last year but never developed the pictures we took, just occasionally looked at them on the camera - there is space for photos on several pages so my son and i put our photos in and he feels like this is his book now - he likes the colors and the jellyfish page, i like it because he does

This book is great for all children who visit the zoo. It is written in
such a way that it is unisex and ageless. My son absolutey loves the
vibrant colors and rhyming style. The spaces reserved for pictures is
a brillant idea; its like our own photo album for our zoo adventure. I highly recommend this book for all parents!

I will state upfront that I am a relation of JIm Koepke's because you all will figure it out if you happen to see my name on the review. HOWEVER, ask anyone that knows me, and they will tell you that I am one of the most straightforward people that you will ever meet. I am also one of the most upfront people because I tell my relatives when they do something good, and when they do something not so good. Sometimes, my relatives probably wish I would just shut my mouth.
That is why I can tell you all whole-heartedly that you all need to buy and read the book, My North Korea Vacation by Jim Koepke. It is a book that will hold your attention, keep you in suspense, and make you never want the story to end. You will feel like you are on the mission with "Jim" and the military man in the book. Jim Koepke injects humor, suspense, and in some cases, compassion for the human condition into the pages of this books expertly. The plot is extremely solid, and it makes you wish he would write a sequel so that you could continue the adventure. I give this book five stars.
If you do not believe me, then buy the book for yourself and you will see. Also, tell your friends and family what they are missing. A lot.
Respectfully
C. Koepke