Birthdays Books

I am a sucker for Diane Goode's books, and "Mama's Perfect Present" is no exception. A young Parisian brother and sister set out to make their mama's birthday absolutely perfect, but run into bits of trouble along the way. When they finally show up at home with their gift, it turns out to incorporate all the trouble they ran into in putting it together--but in a most charming and unusual way. I don't want to say anything more detailed or I'll give it away!

Not only is the story charming (with all loose strings nicely tied up by the end), but the illustrations are up to Goode's usual high standards. The coloring is soft and washed-looking. The story is set in perhaps the 1920s or 1930s in Paris, with all the women having sleek, marcelled hair, fur stoles, and ghillie shoes--and the men sporting dapper moustaches, trim suits, and perfectly manicured hands. It's a visual treat to watch the children bounce from store to store, taking in all the undeniably French atmosphere, made vivid and real-yet-idealized through Goode's luscious pictures.

Two children and their dog set out to find THE perfect present for their mother. As we all know, finding the perfect present for a friend or relative can be quite an ordeal. The children visit many stores and find several lovely items that aren't quite what they want. Still, they search onward and we find out that the children have, in fact, found the perfect present for their mama.

This book's illustrations are fabulous. They are cheerful and soft looking. The children have such simple, yet sweet expressions. And, one of my favorite parts of this book is the spoof of George Seraut's "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte."

What a charming and delightful read! I also thoroughly enjoyed Where's our Mother? by Diane Goode.

This book is just beautiful. I thought the story was great and the pictures incredible. My little girl can stare at them for hours.

"In this impressive first effort from two newcomers, Manuela longs for a new yellow dress for her birthday."

"The text is gentle, a fine contrast to the striking paintings in gold, aqua, terra cotta, and green, which use decorative patterns to capture the flavor of Mexico and strong portraiture to show the loving relationships in the family. The images are so compelling that readers will want more time to savor them before the tension in the text forces them forward."

Thoroughly enjoyed the great ideas in this book. Each project is so well thought out you can't go wrong. Very helpful preparation is spelled out so doing the craft for a group goes smoothly. Tried the hand felted butterfly and the garden stepping stone so far.

The crafts in this book are great! Your groups will love these ideas.

This pictures in this book are beautiful. The story is a rhyming verse of a mouse crashing in on a child's birthday party. As the party continues, the mouse moves from room to room. Children enjoy finding the mouse on every page. The mouse is cleaverly hidden and mixed in amongst other "mouse like" items. This is a fun book to read as well as enjoy the detailed creative photos. A simpler variation of the "I Spy Books" with a delightful suspensful poem to carry the action along.

Now, normally a cat person, I also have a secret love for mice. They are just too adorable. When my cat found a mouse "in the house" a few months ago, I immediately let the poor thing go back outside hoping it would run back to its home in the fields.

Now in this story, a very mischievous mouse named Henrietta lives in a house and at times takes many long-distance expeditions in order to become an expert on cats and the cheeses of the world.

On the first page she is already up to no good, knocking over the ink and running right through the ink, so here she starts to leave a trail of paw prints on each page.

"On each page, in each room, I'll be doing my worst." -Henrietta

As you turn to the second page, suddenly she disappears, yet the paw prints tell exactly where she is, if you follow the right ones. The entire page is the garden room filled with potted bulbs, a wheelbarrow and watering can. Oh, and a few rather nibbled on apples.

Next, the delightful kitchen shelves become a mouse playground. Cheese, jelly, chocolate mice and where did she go? She is hidden quite well! Still in the kitchen, we see all the makings for cake and cookies for the birthday party. Looks delicious. Then, onto the hallway to hide safely while the cat is asleep.

While the birthday party is going on, little Henrietta has a feast of her own and is found nibbling on some cat cookies. Off to the playroom where she disappears almost entirely and then off to the bathroom to sail in a boat. By accident, she gets a bit of a bath. lol

"On to the attic, the best is for last! No one comes up-I can hide in the past." -Henrietta

Finally, the next morning she collects the rest of the party leftovers to furnish her nest and then suddenly she sees paws at the door!

"The cat seeks a mouse. I may have to move on-is there room in your house?" she says.

I can also highly recommend: The Country Mouse in the Town House in which the little country mouse receives an invitation to visit the little city mouse and you just know they are going to have some "scampering" good times.

Cute hide-and-seek books.

~The Rebecca Review

I know well these wonderful little books, as well as the Little Miss series too.
They're just the right size for little hands to hold.
The illustrations are brightly coloured and funny.
They're great for early readers and fun for adults too.
They are written in the UK, so an occasional explanation for certain words maybe necessary, but doesn't detract from the stories?

Just started collecting these for our two kids. They are adorable and are small so easy to store without creating much clutter.

This is a birthday/address book, and it's way cool. The top half of the book is where you write down birthdays that you want to remember. The bottom half of the book is the address book. There's space for you to write people's addresses, phone numbers, and even email addresses. The two halves of the book are very useful, because you can go to the birthday section on the top, and see who's birthday is coming up. Then you can go to the address section on the bottom, and look up their address. And you can do all that without having to lose your place! It's so easy, and really cool. At the back of the book, you can find great quotes to inspire you, your own zodiac astrology sign, each month's birthstones and flowers.. and even the history of the names of each month! There are very cute drawings all throughout the book too. Two thumbs way up! :)

This is a birthday/address book, and it's way cool. The top half of the book is where you write down birthdays that you want to remember. The bottom half of the book is the address book. There's space for you to write people's addresses, phone numbers, and even email addresses. The two halves of the book are very useful, because you can go to the birthday section on the top, and see who's birthday is coming up. Then you can go to the address section on the bottom, and look up their address. And you can do all that without having to lose your place! It's so easy, and really cool. At the back of the book, you can find great quotes to inspire you, your own zodiac astrology sign, each month's birthstones and flowers.. and even the history of the names of each month! There are very cute drawings all throughout the book too. Two thumbs way up! :)

My children were thrilled when I introduced them to Nacho. We can't wait for the next in the series . . . please tell me it is a series. The illustrations are amazing and really bring Nachos' story to life.

The best children's books are those that the kids love and the adults love to read. Nacho is both -- he's a lovable puppy with a worldly view and all sorts of tricks that kids will love. Stimulate your child's reading with Nacho -- the only risk is that you'll have to read it every day, but soon they'll be able to read it themselves. Vivid and colorful and multi-cultural, Nacho is every kid's favorite pet.

A preschool gave this book to my daughter as a gift. My daughter loved it and now I want to get it for other kids.

I got this book in Pre-K. It was excitng to read it. It is about a kid who tries to mail an elephant to a girl whose having a birthday party. What will happen next?

I bought this book long before I had children. I loved the way the author uses pictures in his books instead of all words. The characters are so lovable. I have this book plus PB Bear Treasure hunt. If they ever become available again I definately recommend them.

This is my absolute favorite P.B. Bear book. The inside covers have beautiful color pictures of all things party. This is a great learning tool for kids. You can teach them the names of all sorts of fun items.

The story starts in the morning with P.B. Bear in his cute pajamas. He doesn't want to stay in bed because today is his birthday. With a "Happy Birthday to Me" he heads for breakfast. Friends start arriving at his home and soon they all decide to go for a picnic. When you turn the page...you have to keep turning the page because the words go in a circle around some railroad tracks.

The picnic looks just fantastic, with cake and gummy bears and all sorts of yummy cucumber sandwiches. Then, he opens all his presents. They ride home in a train and the tired little bear goes right to sleep...but not before he brushes his teeth!

This book is just filled with pictures. Some of the words are missing in the sentences and the picture of the word appears. So, you can have lots of fun teaching words.

Totally Cute!

~The Rebecca Review

I've read the book... I think it's great, esp the illustrations.. Cause Paul's the best :)

This is a children's book that was written by the wife of Doobie Brother singer/guitarist Patrick Simmons. The story emphasizes a family doing something it likes together, which is motorcycling. The book also stresses safety, some of which applies to bicycling as well. The illustrations are nicely done and perfect for kids aged between 4 and 10.