Birthdays Books

Spot the Dog books are a favourite with my girls. They love the simple stories that they can relate to (hiding, baking a cake, playing with others etc) and the lift-the-flaps always bring screams of delight even though we've read them many many times. As they grow I'm sure they'll be one of the books they learn to read with. The words are simple and the font easy to read. Lovely books to cuddle up with your children on your lap. They are also big enough to hold up and read to them as they sit in back seat on car trips.

The Fun with Spot series is about the daily activities of a puppy with all the characteristics of a preschool child. In this entry, Spot and his mom set out to bake a birthday cake for his dad. From shopping for ingredients to mixing them together, from cleaning up to decorating, and finally to presenting the cake to his dad, Spot takes his readers through cooking process. Little pop up features conceal the illustrations on each set of pages, adding to the fun, and the satisfactions inherent in accomplishing and giving are unspoken but evident. Recommended for toddlers to early readers.

Spot and his mom make a surprise birthday cake for daddy dog in this fun book. Kids love liftng the flaps and seeing what's underneath (mine liked the mouse who says "I need some cheese.")

After shopping for the ingredients and mixing them up back at home, Spot has great fun icing the cake with LOADS of chocolate--it gets all over the table as well. Festooned with multi-colored frosting and bones, the finished product is a delightful surprise for dad. You'll find this delightful as well! With 22 pages, 20 flaps, and big colorful pictures, this is a surefire hit for the toddler set!

I am a first grader in Lockport, NY. My name is Joshua. I have read all of the Spot lift-the-flap books. My favorite book is Spot Bakes a Cake. I liked when Spot helped his Mom bake the cake for Dad. I hope Eric Hill writes 500 more Spot lift-the-flap books!

Ever since I was a kid, I have been fascinated with miniature
life among the reeds of grass, and small dolls/ objects in
general. SUMMERTIME SONG'S illustrations allow me to
participate in that world. It's a thrill each time I pick it up!

This is a charming tale about a little girl who has magical adventures in her grandmother's garden. The book is beautifully illustrated, and the text is both simple yet poetic. Irene Haas recounts the wondrous happenings in the story, in which a little girl loses herself in the magic of the garden. The childhood world of magic and "adult" reality meet when she finds her grandmother's lost doll in the garden. This book is a must for "children" of all ages.

Lucy goes on a magical journey to a birthday party, finding friends, taming the owl "villian", and ultimately finding happy endings. My boy liked it for the action and the interesting illustrations; my girl liked the female heroine and sweetness. With lyrical poetry and beautiful illustrations, this is a great gift book -- a bedtime favorite.

This is by far, the best children's book I have ever read, and more importantly, shared with my children. I find myself sitting quietly with the book, intrigued with the illustrations, and looking at the details in all the little creatures. Not only is it beautiful to look at, it is also a delight to read. Charming, eventful, and beautifully written, Haas inter-twines the story with a touch of poetry, and the end result is astonishing.

As a credentialed sub, I find this an invaluable book.
It is full of historical and scientific tidbits of information, which can be easily introduced to the class as an intro to a substantive lesson, or as interesting filler, and even as the basis of a Jeopardy-type trivia quiz. Each of the book's entries has at least a few sentences of explanation, and some entries (such as Amelia Jenks Bloomer's birthday) expand to a half-page of history and lesson suggestions.
You won't regret getting this book! (Of course, you'd get the current edition now!)

After I purchased the Teacher's Calendar, I stayed up late into the night finding great things to share during the next school year. I shared it with my teaching partner so she and I could plan some activities. She took it on vacation and was going to get it back to me in a few weeks. She wasn't quite finished a few weeks ago. Today, she just called and said she was mailing me a check since she had so much marked - couldn't I just get another one. So, I am gladly purchasing another copy and I can't wait to use it next year. I am really excited that my partner and I see the benefit in the mini-lessons that this book provides on so many subjects.

Principals, Teachers, School Staff: LISTEN UP!

This book is an AWESOME resource. At our small school (staff of 18), we have a faculty meeting EVERY DAY. We start the day together with prayer (we're a religious-affiliated school), and a brief session with "The Teacher's Calendar." It's a hoot!

We share the trivia, guess at the famous people's birthdates and ages, and use the facts (every now & then) with students.

This can be great for current events, "this day in history" PA announcements, or use the special events to determine your "words for the day" (that's what we do over the PA at the end of every day), or just stay in tune with everyday events.

P.S.: Teachers & Staff: this would make a great "start of the school year" gift for your principal! (hint, hint).

This will be the second year I purchased this book! I use it every day of the school year as a basis for my grammar lessons. There are multiple historical and current events briefly explained (just a few sentences) for each day of the year. I choose an item that ties into my curriculum, or I just feel the kids should know about, and write it on the board filled with punctuation, spelling, syntax and gramatical errors. The kids are responsible for writing the passage correctly, fixing my errors, then we talk about spelling, homonyms, grammar rules, the subject itself, and I often use it to extend into social studies, science, etc. The other nice thing about the book is there are plenty of ideas and resources for extending into lessons and projects. Just be sure to look ahead in the book so you allow enough time for mail and research! I have all but ignored my other calendar resources because this has all I've needed!

While owning a dog is extremely rewarding, there are some basic things that kids need to know before getting a dog. "What's Up Willie? The Birthday Puppy!" teaches kids what being a responsible dog owner is all about (ex. the importance of dog tags). It has a sing-songy story with cute and colorful pictures and fun characters. "What's Up Willie?" even has a video on you-tube! Too funny! As a dog trainer, I think Dawn Culp did a nice job delivering a valuable message while managing to keep the story fun... with just enough pottie humor!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVNcUZYTyBw

The Birthday Puppy is perfect to introduce your children to what it means to be a dog owner. It doesn't get preachy. (which is perfect) It's cute and silly but gets them thinking as well. Without even trying it helps kids understand what it takes to be a good owner and more importantly how to not get hurt by a living breathing animal. I highly recommend this book to anybody with children (elementary ages) who is considering getting a dog.

This book is a great way to introduce your child to a realistic relationship with a new puppy. While the pictures and prose are light-hearted and child-friendly, the message is educational and clear... Puppies are more than just cute and furry, they require work and responsibility as well. Purchase the version with the CD reading. It includes a catchy, sweet soundtrack your children (and you!) will find yourselves singing along to!!!

This is a great story that teaches younger (and even not so young) children on the responsibilities of owning a dog. All of the things that a child who wants a pet may not think about. I really liked how it taught my daughters about how to interact with a new dog and how to safely get to know it.

I think the writing style is perfect for the younger audience and my daughters "got it" when they read this heart-warming story. A must have for anyone thinking about getting their child a puppy/dog.

This is one of my two-year-old son's favorite books. We first checked it out from the library, and he wouldn't let us take it back! We later gave it to him as a gift. Highly recommended for youngsters; the cake recipe in the back of the book gives the kids a chance to learn that cakes don't have to come from a box.

We love a good read-aloud book, and this one fits the bill! The rhymes are fun, the story is full of zany humor, and the bright and cheerful illustrations add more enjoyment in the details. My children have listened to the book, read the book to me, and insisted that Daddy should hear it, and we have been entertained each time.

My favorite part of the book is the phrase "traumatize the kitchen" -- it paints a vivid picture, and I love it when children's books don't shy away from words that children might not know yet. My least favorite parts of the book are the frequent Beverly Hillbillies-style asides at the ends of the verses, e.g., "(Ten bags, that is ...)." The repeated interruption of the book's rhythm is annoying after a while. The author's use of dialect doesn't bother me in the least; children recognize non-standard use of language as such, and it adds to the over-the-top atmosphere of the book.

We haven't yet tried the Whopper Cake recipe in the book, but my children love to read the recipe page, too!

Another great book from Karma Wilson. Grandpa bakes a HUGE cake for grandma because her heart is so big, she deserves it. The story is fun and the rhymes are original. My nearly 4 year old son laughs every time we read this. There are funny tag lines as you read the story, which my son now likes to throw in on his own, so it is great at encouraging participation. My only complaint is the use of improper grammar ("fetch me up an oar" and lots of words where the "g" is dropped from the "ing" - like "itchin"). I realize it is meant to be cute and quaint, but for a book designed to be read to children who are learning to speak properly, I think it's inappropriate. I actually went through our copy of the book and used a pen to correct everything, and the story is just as fun with proper English.

Great illustrations and a fun rhyme combine for another great book from Karma Wilson. I'm buying extra copies to give as gifts, it's the perfect birthday gift!

I found this to be a truly great book. However, it took me a while to get to this point because, as soon as I got it home, my wife fell in love with it and I couldn't tear it away from her for a long time. The historical perspective combined with the "love interest" capability make it both fun to read and remarkably useful. It is a reference work to be be cherished and used for years.

My small business is planning to give dozens as Christmas gifts to our clients.

Bought this book as a gift for my wife. She spent 2 hours revieweing all her friends' and relatives' birthdays and found most of them to right on the money. We had a dinner party and it was great fun to read everyone's information. A great entertaining book!

As I opened this book to see what it was about, I was quickly amazed to find that 'my reading' hit exactlly as it was foretold in this book. So I purchased it, though I read my father's reading and none of it was true, it was good to also know the events around his birthdate as well. My family quickly seized the book and every started looking at thier owns. This book is good for parties or get togethers. One can easily sit around a table drinking soda and popcorn as they read each others and compare to the lives they lead. In all, for the price of this book, one will spend hours going through it. =)

I purchased this excellent book while visiting New York.It covers every birthday sign from 1900 to 2001 and is written by 7 astrologers.At 864 pages fully illustrated it is fabulous value.
No dinner party is complete with out this huge source of reference as we discovered, everyone was looking up their birthday and reading it out then looking up their children ,parents and even grandparents.One of our guests became so engrossed we never heard from him the whole evening.
The entries are amazingly accurate the history and special reports fascinating, it also includes your love potential,your luck magnetism and your drive and amition.All the chinese signs are included and it even includes mystical cards.
I can really recommend the book if you have to make a speech at a birthday or special occasion it is invaluable.
I discovered this when making the speech for my mothers 79th birthday. All her history , destiny and personality were so accurate, the speech was a great success.

My 2 yr old daughter loves this! Its very colorful & she loves all the animals.. the stickers that come with it are a great idea!

Inexpensive and very cute. Constructed well, love that it has photo holders. My daughter loves animals, so this was an easy pick.

I was happy to see the appearance of hand painted detail and the product met my expectaions from what I saw online.

My 14 month old loves to look at out Sesame Street screen saver. Until I found this series, she didn't have any other real pictures to look at. She is always intrigued by this book. It combines her 2 favorite things: babies and the muppets.

... But my baby *adores* it. She literally giggles with delight when I get it out. She loves looking at the babies; and it is not just any babies, I have lots of books with babies. Something about the babies in THIS BOOK really just clicks with her. We have read it over, and over, and over again. BTW I started reading this book with my baby when she was about 6 months old and she is now 11 months old. :)

Well, if I had to pick out a book, I wouldn't have picked out this one, but all my kids have loved this one to pieces! That's all that counts so I give this a 5 star!

Hairy old Backbeard decides it's time for a new suit. It's a doozy but doesn't seem to inspire Backbeard to wash or cut his hair! Some pirates have a lot to learn. Very funny book that kids can identify with.

Often, I'll find myself sitting in the rocker with my two year-old daughter on my lap, reading a children's book of pirate stories. And although each book is entertaining, I'm left with a question I'm sure we've all pondered: Why hasn't anyone written a book about a pirate who shops for new clothes, yet? Fellow readers, our prayers have been answered! With clever illustrations and a very funny storyline, this book about the hairiest pirate ever hits the spot. My daughter loves it, and it's well worth the investment in pieces of eight.

I found this book to be entertaining and charming. Each time you read it you see something new and enticing in the illustrations, and Backbeard shows he is a gentle soul despite all the bluster.

This book is adorable and I've been buying this series for my 10 y/o niece. I got her started with #1 in the summer and she loved it right away. Then I got her the next two books, and I can tell they've been a good influence on her, because she's making good friends in her ballet class and becoming a little social butterfly. My niece loves the characters and identifies the most with Lisa, who's the shy girl learning to be more outgoing. She talks a lot about how much fun this book is, and she loved reading about their vacation in NYC. After reading this book #3, where the characters see Swan Lake, my niece became a little Swan Lake expert and has been telling everyone the story of the ballet. This book was educational as much as it was enjoyable, which is a real added bonus. Ballet Friends is a great series and I hope they come out with more ballet books with the characters seeing other famous ballets like The Nutcracker or Coppelia.

This summer we took our ten year old granddaughter to see "Swan Lake" in New York City. We bought her this book because the characters also go to New York City to see "Swan Lake" and we hoped it would make our trip more enjoyable for her. It did, and she had a lot more fun knowing the story of the ballet ahead of time, and doing everything in the book, like taking pictures at the fountain and buying t-shirts at the gift shop. She told us she loved the book and wants more of the series, so now we need to get her the others for Christmas, just in time for our trip to see "The Nutcracker" in the city!

I'm glad I got my daughter hooked on this series because it encouraged her to stay in ballet. She was about to drop ballet for good and go into cheerleading which requires a summer-long intensive boot camp at a gymnastics center, which I feel is much more dangerous than taking dance. But now she's sticking with ballet and I can take a big sigh of relief. She loves these books and I won't hesitate to buy her more of the series when they come out. She's very enthusiastic about this series because it's all ballet, very modern, and extremely funny. In this book three the group goes to New York City where they go to the ballet and throw a big birthday party for Bianca. My daughter said this was her favorite so far in the series. She absolutely loved the surprise ending. The review is from me, but the five stars are straight from my daughter!