Birthdays Books

Another great American Girls set. You can't go wrong with these! Any little girl will love them all.

I bought this pack of the American Girl Felicity Collection since I remember reading it as a young girl. When I read the first book, it was like remembering a great dream. It's easy to read, and the pages in the back include facts about what it was like to grow up in colonial America. I love this collection and had always wanted it. Now I have it and I plan to keep it for when I have children so they will love Felicity as well.

american girl is the way to go it combines history with growning up if i had children i would buy these book for them but instead my nieces get them. Way better gift idea than barbie and debrats.

I bought this series for our granddaughter who is 10 years old. She read this collection of Felicity books in 7 days. Now she is requesting other books from the American Girl series. It is wonderful to see her reading instead of watching TV or playing video games.

I am a 22 year woman who fell in love with Felicity and the other American Girls when I was about 9 years old. The American Girls Collection is why I love history and am pursuing a career in the field. I've enjoyed passing my collection of books onto my younger sisters, each of whom equally fell in love with the stories and the time periods. I am expecting my first child shortly, a girl, and I can not wait until she is old enough to enjoy these stories as I and my siblings have. These books are a must for any young girl and they are sure to become favorites for your family for generations to come.

Honestly, when starting this book I had hoped for an interesting read, but instead I struggled to finish. It was really hard to actually go through the entire book because the writer did not make me want to continue. But because I refuse to ever not finish a book, I got through it. Of course, the ending had a lot to say and there were a lot of great points the author made. It's the way that she included them in the text that made it hard to follow. Okay plot, but not a reread.

It's a mystery with humor and practical kid stuff happens. The writer did a great job describing the characters and their personalities.
Excellent book I would reccomend to all middle school aged kids to read.
Matthew

This book is the best book, I have ever read! After reading it I wish I knew Jeremy, Lizzy, but I really wish I knew Mr. Oswald. PLEASE read this book, it's great, fantastic, amazing, wonderful, exciting, fun, and it turns your life around!!!!!

"What is the meaning of life?" If you have the answer, please share it. That one question that we begin to ask ourselves when we start on the road the emotional and spiritual maturity is the hardest of all to answer, so, I'm asking you, could I get a little help here?!

In attempting to explore the depth of this question and its answer, author Wendy Mass has written a story of soon-to-be thirteen-year-old Jeremy Fink, a boy who receives a mysterious gift from his deceased father. The story is about the wooden box Jeremy receives and about his pursuit of the keys that will open the box and reveal the treasure inside. The gift, however, is not the box; instead, the gift is the journey that leads to discoveries Jeremy makes about himself and, naturally, about life. Some of those lessons will resonate quite deeply for older readers; I fear that many teen readers will not comprehend the true beauty of some of Mass's subtler lessons.

While the book tends to hit a couple of bumps along the way in its narrative progression, its ultimate climax and resolution are entirely satisfying -- indeed, they allow Jeremy to glimpse into his own future.

I highly recommend this book for seventh-graders in particular as they are at the same age as Jeremy (first-person narrator) and his best friend Lizzy, and are also at the age when they can begin to appreciate the depth of the themes of this thoughtful, but adventure-filled book.

We have a 10 year old daughter, a Reader...she picks up books when she wakes up, at meals, in the car, at downtimes, at bedtime, when we don't know where she is...if you have a child like that, you recognize her. :) She reads all the time, books above and below her "level".

This book upset her - not in a good way. The father consulted a psychic and found out when he would die; the kids contacted neighbors who used a Ouija board; many psychic elements contributed to the kids' Search...if you're comfortable with occultish stuff, this book will be fine. It's well written. If your child is imaginative, and if she's experienced death in the family as ours has, you might think twice about it. We've certainly removed it from our bookshelf.

This book is beautiful and inventive as everyone says, but ours is missing the letter "g." How does that happen? The facing pages have earthworms entertaining fireflies as they fandango, then on to hummingbirds hiding inside irises. Where's the g? If we got a bad book, how does that work? All of the other letters are there. It seems like there'd be another missing letter to balance things out. Nope. Just "g."

This book is amazing! It is absolutely beautiful. The pages and drawings are breathtaking. My 2 year old son (just turned two) loves it and asks us to read it again and again.

I think the letters are perfectly easy to read and he now knows most of his alphabet. He knew several letters before but after having this book for only a week, he has learned almost all his letters and can call them by name.

He loves the "Shhhh" part at the end, in anticipation for the "Suprise- Happy Birthday!" All the different bugs keep his interest as well.

The book is written in a style that sounds so lyrical and flows beautifully. I would completely recommend this book for preschool learning and for simple enjoyment of hearing a nice story.

I received this book as a baby gift when my daughter was born. It was my favorite book to read her as an infant, she seemed mesmerized by the bright pictures even when she was only a few months old. The illustrations are bright and beautiful. Now as a toddler, she still loves to read it, making the "shhhh" motion and clapping and giggling at the "suprise" at the end. We own the board book version and even so our pages show a lot of wear. I think this book is so wonderful for babies that I have purchased several copies as baby gifts as well.

I will note, if you're looking for the perfect ABC book to teach your preschooler his/her alphabet, this probably isn't the book you want. The letters are a little curly-que and only capitol letters are shown. However, it a great book for introduction to the alphabet and is very entertaining for children. I also recommend purchasing the board book version on its own (not as part of the set). The board book is much sturdier and the books in the set are a bit more abbreviated in their illustrations--which to me are the best part of this series. Of course the hardcover version has paper pages, which is impractical for a toddler to whom this book is well-suited.

Wonderful book and highly recommended!

i bought this for my 14 month old daughter and she loves it!! although she is a fan of the miss spider tv show too. her big brother, 6 years old reads it to her which i love to see. it is colorful and not too big so i can take it in my bag when we go out and she can hold it herself. nicole

My kids love this engaging abc book. Its artwork is beautiful, and its bug theme is fun. My son learned the whole upper case alphabet (at the age of 3) just from having this book read to him (he wanted it again and again).

As an Ansel Adams fan, this was a perfect calender for my office. All of the months demonstrate different and beautiful landscapes across the U.S.

All of the pictures are black and white but they are amazing.

Has anyone else noticed that March and April are the same photo? Or maybe it is just in mine.

I love this series. I had the 2005, 2006, 2007, and now 2008 versions of the calendar. The calendar has cool black and white photography. There's plenty of space for me to write down birthdays/etc. Also, it's well made as far as calendars go...durable metal coil binding and thick paper.

Have been buying them since 1990 - THE BEST!!!!! You will not be sorry if you purchase one! Jeannie Bordenave, BS, MFA, MSW

I searched everywhere for this specific calender and I could only find it online! Ansel Adams is a timeless classic. Anyone who appreciates black and white photos will love this. He captures breathtaking scenery.

This book is amazing! Every single story is a joy to read! I'm largely a fan of her "Hainish" work, and the stories set in that universe are a real treat. Le Guin applies her usual intelligence to all of these stories, but she also succeeds in giving voice to some of these characters. She develops theme without sacrificing character. This is evident in "Mountain Ways" and "Solitude", where she gives us glimpses of these societies and their customs, yet she also gives us access to the characters and what motivates them. At Le Guin's current age, some writers have reached their peak and slowed down (or even have stopped altogether). However, Le Guin's still going very strong, even stronger, as this collection of novellas shows considerable growth in her writing since those important novels from decades ago. Also, she's been quite prolific over the past few years, also a very good sign.

Sci-fi book covers can be problematic at times. Some of them are downright cheesy. However, the design of this cover is brilliant! A human face with the eyes obscured doesn't allude to any particular character in any story. Plus, it is difficult to tell if the face is male or female, black or white. The face is simply human, and it emphasizes the humanity of the characters, which is very present in all the stories.

Overall, a must read! You won't be sorry!

This book is brilliant, a perfect combination of revisits to old worlds (Gethen, Werel and O) and introductions to completely new ones. "Unchosen Love" was just beautiful, as was "Paradises Lost", and the tales from Seggri were fascinating, if slightly disturbing. Although "Old Music..." (actually Werel in general) didn't do much for me, I've read all the others over and over. Highly recommended - I think this is easily on par with "The Left Hand of Darkness" and "The Dispossessed".

Le Guin is a fantastic writer who deftly weaves a beautiful story of characters, plot, and setting with wholesome, open-minded moral messages. You feel like she's exploring the moral issues alongside you. Her explorations of gender, sexuality and diverse sexual relationships strike a chord with me as a gay man. Le Guin approaches diverse arrangements with an open mind, repeatedly bringing us to the point that love in any form is a wonderful thing.

Her story about a generation ship, Paradises Lost, turns the sc-fi cliche on its head. Living in such different conditions than we do today would certainly change a people in much the fashion that Le Guin imagines.

A highly evocative read, I don't just suggest you read this, I feel it should be required reading for everyone. It would certainly open many minds.

I tend to prefer novels to short story collections. I find short stories to largely be less satisfying and engrossing than novels. However, as a great fan of Ursula K. Le Guin, I could not help but pick up this collection. I recommend this book for fans of Le Guin's novels set in the Hainish universe. 6 of the 8 stories are set in different planets of the universe, some of which have been visted in previous works. If you haven't read Le Guin before, I recommend you pick up some of her earlier works, particularly The Left Hand of Darkness, before reading this one, to familarize yourself with the concepts, because she doesn't fully explain them here.

I like to term Le Guin's work as "creative anthropology." Ever since I read some of her nonfiction works about her life, particulary growing up with an anthropologist father, her fiction has made more and more sense to me. Instead of writing about actual societies, she invents societies and gets us inside of them, exposes to us essentialities of human nature via the alienness of different cultures. The stories are not plot-focused; instead you spend a great deal of time just getting to know these different places and people.

"Coming of Age in Karhide"
This story is a perfect complement to fans of The Left Hand of Darkness, as it takes place on the same planet of Gethen, where no one is either male or female; instead they take on male or female characteristics during "kemmer," 3 days of the month during which they mate. The rest of the time they are genderless and do not have sex. The story concerns the first kemmer of a young child on Gethen. The story is mainly a lighthearted look into Gethenian society, a somewhat different perspective than The Left Hand of Darkness.

"The Matter of Seggri"
This takes place on a world in which females vastly outnumber males. The sexes are strictly segregated and "men have all the privilege while women have all the power." It comes together in snippets from different Ekumen visits to Seggri and some inhabitents of the planet themselves, exposing the situation from several different angles. To me this story exemplifies the cruelty of trying to fit people into gender-based boxes, preventing them from growing into who they really are.

"Unchosen Love" and "Mountain Ways"
Both of these stories take place on the planet of O, in which marriages consist of four people (2 women, 2 men). Le Guin masterfully untangles the world of people for whom marriage is intertwining love triangles, exposing the core of emotion within.

"Solitude"
Le Guin terms this story a tribute to introverts. The people on this planet gain their energy from being alone rather than being together. For the Hainish mother of two children who comes to study this strange society, it is stifling, but her younger daughter manages to find the meaning in the solitude.

"Old Music and the Slave Women"
For me the most difficult to get into of the collection, this story takes place on Werel, which Le Guin previously wrote about in her collection Four Ways to Forgiveness. I think had I read that, I would have enjoyed this story more. It takes place on a world broken by civil war, a civil war focused on (you guessed it) slavery.

"The Birthday of the World"
Le Guin flips her usual trend of looking at other societies from the aliens' point of view, and instead looks at the aliens from the native's point of view in this story.

"Paradises Lost"
Although not at all similar to the other stories in a number of ways, this novella-length story is the gem of this collection. A group of colonists from earth is seeking a new planet to live on hundreds of light years away. But instead of putting themselves in deep freeze during the flight like in so many movies, Le Guin questions what if actually lived out their lives on the ship--bore children, died, then their children bore children and died, and by the time the ship reaches its destination, none of the people on board remember anything about life outside of the ship. A fascinating premise, this story is written in a totally different style than the rest of the collection and could probably stand on its own.

"Birthday of the World" isn't up to the usual standard of Ms. LeGuin's writing -- not in its present form, at any rate.

So, you might be asking: why do I feel this way?

Simple. It's too graphic in spots, and it's way too violent, and finally, the "f-word" is used repeatedly in a jarring manner for no apparent reason other than to shock.

Ms. LeGuin is above this sort of thing; she doesn't _need_ to make her points this way, and further, it wasn't at all what I expected when I opened this collection.

I'm a big fan of her work; I love "Lathe of Heaven" and "The Left Hand of Darkness" and "The Dispossessed" and "The Wizard of Earthsea," and enjoyed everything else she's ever written.

And I suspect that if I had encountered these stories one on one, I would have liked them very much, and would have considered them thought-provoking and interesting (and probably wouldn't have been as put off by the graphic violence and swearing, either).

However, only three of these stories _work_ in this collection; the one about the kemmerhouse and the two about the folks living on O (the ones who make four-sided marriages). The other five all need expansion, in my opinion, and four of the five look like they could and should have been made into novels. The fifth, the final story (a novella, "Paradises Lost"), also needed at least 5,000 more words to explain various things left unfinished in the story, such as why the woman in it made the marriage she did and the like.

Those five stories, if I'd read them separately, might have evoked some of the same responses -- after all, I'm not _used_ to graphic violence in Ms. LeGuin's work, and I don't like the unnecessary bad language, either. But all five of 'em put together made me viscerally dislike and despise this book far more than I have disliked anything in the past ten years, mostly because there's just _too much_ going on.

Also, there's an odd juxtaposition of "message stories" going on. Simply put: I do not need to be bludgeoned about the head and shoulders to get the point, and so many "message stories" and stuff being _told_ to me rather than being _shown_ to me was distracting and displeasing.

And finally, between all the swearing (really, why did Ms. LeGuin have to use the term "f***ery" anyway? Why not just say "male brothel?" It's the same thing!) and the unnecessary uses of the term "be aware" in the last four stories (in one story, fine, but all the rest of 'em? Please!) which threw me right out of the reader's trance every time I saw it, I absolutely cannot recommend this work.

If you want to read it anyway, be aware that there is graphic violence in at least three of the stories, bad language in most of 'em, and that it is absolutely _not_ recommended for children under age 16 without parental supervision.

And if you're still insistent on reading it, my advice is to take these stories separately, and read 'em one at a time. Preferably one every few days to a week; that way you won't be _as_ upset when you're done reading this book.

Two stars.

Barb Caffrey

Who can resist a turn into the clasic world of the kind of bully that doesnt beat--just ignores? The narrator is having the birthday party of the century and has no plans to invite Hooper Humperdink.

As the guest list grows (via the alphabet) the party becomes just as extravagant--and it is just mean to ignore poor Hooper.


Besides being an alphabet book on the surface, this holds a great message of including others.

I had no idea this book existed (nor did I know that Dr. Seuss wrote books that he didn't illustrate). But my three-year-old found it at the library one day several months ago and she loves it. We've maxed out our renewals and now need our own copy! The story has a great message of inclusion and how silly it is to exclude people because they're a little different - Hooper's fault appears to be that he likes jazz. Highly recommended!

This is my 2 year old son's favorite book and I really believe it is the reason that he knew his ABC's by 18 months. We had the 1970's printing from when I was a kid and I started reading it to him at about 15 months. Through lots of use that one began to wear so I bought this one. The story is still the same but the pictures are not as whimsical and intricate as the previous printing. We still love this book and hope that he will pass it on to his children one day.

We stayed at a friend's beach house this summer and my 2 1/2 year old daughter found this book on their bookshelf. It was the older version with incredible illustrations--not these newer illustrations, which I do not care for as much...

Anyway, I must have read it to her about 100 times during the two weeks we were at the beach and had to find her a copy (of the older version) when we got home.

It seemed a little sad the first few times I read it, but actually it teaches a lot about acceptance.

A great book!

What a shame they've changed the author's name (Dr. Suess did write it, but did so under his pen name Theo. LeSieg, which was his practice when he didn't illustrate the book.) An even bigger pity: that they should have a different illustrator. Charles Martin illustrated the original and did a fine job at that.

We really liked this book alot! It has a very nice story with a good meaningful message. The illustrations are excellent. This is one of our very favorite books! It is the type of book that really stays on your mind. Kitty is a wonderful character - she has many admirable qualities! To the author who wrote this very fine book - excellent job! It has really made an impact! Kitty in the City is a book of true lasting quality!

It's been a real joy reading Kitty in the City! I think the story is excellent! How true it is, the very best gifts do come from the heart. Having this book in our home has been wonderful, we've read it many times and think of it often!!

Kitty in the City is very fine book! The story, characters, writing, and illustrations are fantastic! It is so wonderful to find a book with a nice meaningful story that is also very fun to read! I think Kitty in the City is a real winner!!

Kitty in the City is one of my very favorite books for children. Kitty, the central character is a wonderful young girl - thoughtful, respectful, and very charming! It has been my pleasure to give this book as a gift on several occasions. I really love it very much!!

This book could have been written by my five year old. The story is beyond basic and did not captivate her attention. We read books over and over, this one got one pass through and has never been requested again. Definitely not worth the money.

What a fun and original book!
The ideas are great and it was not at all what I expected by the title. There are really creative and original ideas for everyday celebration and fun. This book is really creative and you can branch off to your own ideas. You will use this book often so keep it close at hand! :)

This is a great party book for folks with kids 10 and under. There are some games that can be adapted for older kids as well, but the crafts and themes would not work for most kids over the age of 11. Parent participation is a big part of making these partys work, so be plan your event accordingly. There are ideas here for block partys, olympics, and all kinds of holiday events.

This book is great.There are lots of fun theme party ideas
for kids of all ages. There is a nice selection of recipes from
"junk food " to healthier selections that are still appealing to kids. I hosted the tea party for my 3 year old,s birthday .It went smoothly and was loads of fun!

I use this book for every birthday party I throw. I take their ideas and adapt them to fit my parties. So far all my parties have been a huge success and are often referred to as the parties you don't want to miss!

I love this book. I borrowed this book from a friend and did not want to give it back--so I had to buy my own. I used the barnyard bash and everyone there thought I was so creative. I am very limited in time, being a working mom, and I pulled this party off the night before. Great book, creative ideas, highly motivational pictures. Great book altogether--backyard parties are now new and different!!

I purchased this book to use with 7th grade students to do a lesson on light. The students got a kick out of it. I love being able to use picture books as much as possible within the classroom.

I have always loved Eric Carle's books, but this one is a particular favorite. First of all, it involves a fox (which happens to be my last name), but it also handles a subject most children's books don't touch - opposite colors. You could even use it for older kids to teach about the cone cells in your eyes, but for little kids it's a really fun "optical illusion" that helps them see the opposite colors. It's art, it's science, and it capitalizes on a child's curiosity.

This short book is an excellent tool to use in a psychology class, in the area of biopsychology, and study of the brain, sensation, and perception. It is a fun book that engages the students immediately - no matter what age level they may be!

IT WAS SO GOOD WE EVEN KEPT THE DUPLICATE SHIPMENT.
GOOD BOOK, GOOD SERVICE.
KEEP IT UP.

This is one of my favorite authors and he never lets me down. This book has an interesting story and is so creative. When we look at the pictures we have lots of fun waiting to see the animals change color but I am also getting my kids to count anywhere from 10 to 20 each time we turn the page which is great for preschoolers. To make it easier to see, we found that once we count to our designated number, we blink quickly and then the new color appears. Buy this for your kids and you won't regret it!

I bought this for my 4-year-old granddaughter, who describes her own cat as a "biting machine." Grandma would get rid of the cat if it were her choice. Anyway, the book is very cool; Reese and Grandma give it two thumbs up!

This book is pure catnip for all cat lovers!

If you have never read one of children's books written by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond, you have a treat ahead of you. This top team knows how to create fantasy, fun, and foolishness in just the right measures by letting . . . one thing lead to another in a wacky way. In the process, children begin to see life from an adult's perspective as treating a cat well leads to one demand and issue after another. It's a welcome way to cross the generational divide.

The cat first showed up in If You Give a Pig a Party. Perhaps the biggest surprise in this terrific series is that it didn't have a story featuring a cat before this one.

I'm sure that all cat lovers have missed a chance to see what indulging a cat can lead to. This story will tickle your whispers!

"If you give a cat a cupcake, he'll ask for some sprinkles to go with it."

"When you give him some sprinkles, he might spill some on the floor."

"Cleaning him up will make him hot, so you'll give him a bathing suit."

and on the story goes as a little blond girl waits on her male cat who lives life like it's, well, the cat's pajamas!

The illustrations make this story rise above your everyday cat in the beach blanket book. Even something as simple as getting sand off becomes as active as watching the chorus line at Radio City Music Hall.

While some might prefer other books in the series, I think the illustrations make this story as good as any of the goofiest Numeroff/Bond outings.

Warm a pan of milk to share with your cat, make some hot chocolate, and enjoy!

The book was sent almost overnite. When given as a birthday gift, Fia loved it and had us read it over and over. She just turned 4.

I did think that the illustrations were sweet and the concept was nice but it is did not flow well. In comparison to " If you give a Mouse a cookie" and " If you give a Pig a party " it does not meet my high expectations.

I love all of the books in this series, so when I saw this one, I had to have it!!!