Birthdays Books

Whatever happened to poetry? Growing up it was the (only) highlight of my Language Arts classes. Then I hit college and it seemed that poetry lost its flavor and popularity. Johnson's book has brought good poetry back into my life and I am grateful for it. With my busy schedule I know that I can rely on her book to help me drift away at any given time.

Michael James D'Amato, author of "The Classroom"

HOT and Bothered By It does have its moments. But the poems don't have much substance. While I understand this book is meant solely for humor, the writing is paper-thin and the few smiles it provides are not worth paying for. Often, the humor just falls flat.

The writing is amateurish and just high school literary magazine worthy. Being a rhyme Nazi, when I read rhyme, I must see it done well or not at all; in "Senior Discount", the rhyme falters and is very noticeable. The author can't decide whether she wants to rhyme or not in "Hopscotch and Double Dutch". "Like the Essence of a Fine Wine" is out of place in collection of humor poems, and the author goes out of her way to walk the reader through the metaphor of flowers and women. "Pucker Up" is difficult to read; any established meter is trampled on by the end of the poem. A few of the poems end awkwardly.

If you want a quick diversion, there are better poetry books, but Ms. Johnson does give a few good dashes of humor. If you are considering buying, HOT and Bothered By It is good for a long Sunday morning. Please, just buy it at bargain bin discount.

Great gift. I bought two copies, one for my mom and one for my aunt (Mom's sister). They enjoyed the read and there was a lot of nodding and laughing from what I hear.

It made such a great gift I've ordered one more extra one --- for my best friend who has a "landmark" birthday coming soon.

Thanks for the laughs Phyllis. Life is so serious --- laughter is a priceless gift.

I absolutely loved this book! My friends and I are experiencing this lovely phenomenon--either through our own direct experiences or with a loved one in our lives. You will be in stitches, and you'll relate! ~Very clever, so much fun!

As a male poet I found the poems to be telling -- particularly as I have a midlife wife. I'm midlife too so I found material for me as well. A great book to start a group discussion.

Ezra Jack Keats was really good at writing books about every day experiences.

Peter in this book wants to invite - gasp - a *girl* to his birthday party. Amy. But he can't just call her, he has to *mail* an invitation.

Naturally, she almost sees, and he sorta snaps at her. Luckily, Amy doesn't hold a grudge, everybody's happy at the end.

It seems like so little, but this sort of thing - a special occasion, a fight with a friend - is very big to children. This book really captures a typical reaction to these events.

Great book. My almost [...] loves this book along with Peter's Chair. The pictures are beautiful and the story relatable to little ones. We plan on getting more Peter books.

This book in the Ezra Jack Keats series is wonderful. I am relatively new to this author but have fallen for all the books that my 3 year old and I have read so far. It is wonderfully illustrated and the simple text makes it a winner. A great addition to any childs library and a series that merits collecting.

This is a story of Peter who is having a birthday. He writes a special letter to Amy to invite her to the party. The other guests will be boys so he just asked them. As Peter went out to mail his letter Amy almost saw. He was not nice to her and thought see might not come to his party. The day for the party came and finally Amy arrived. The boys didn't like it because a girl was at the party. I thought this book would be a wonderful story to read in my first grade classroom. I could use it for a mini-lesson on how to write invitations and addressing envelopes. Also, it could be used to promote friendships between boys and girls.

My two year old loves Whistle for Willie, and Goggles, both by Ezra Jack Keats. I brought home _A Letter To Amy_ from the library to let him have a look.

_A Letter To Amy_ is the story of Peter, who has an upcoming birthday. He wants to invite Amy with a letter, because she's a special friend. Peter is worried that the boys at his party won't like Amy because she's a girl. He writes a letter to Amy, and tries to mail it.

This book has the same illustration style as Whistle for Willie... very patchy, abstract, and easy to enjoy. The story is great. I know that older kids love Ezra Jack Keats' picture books-- and I'm telling you my 2 year old does, too!

He calls this book AMY BOOK, and we read it over and over again.

ken32

Rhymes of the Times is one of the best poetry books that I have ever read. I particularly liked the poems " Fasten Your Seatbelt " and " I can't find it. " The author Harold Nash opens with an introduction that you will never forget. Harold Nash condemns drugs in the poems " The Martian and the Wino " " I Pray, " and " The Space Age Pimp. "
There are also some very beautiful poems about the seasons that I found to be fascinating. Harold Matthew Nash is one of the best poets of modern times. Rhymes Of The Times is a treasure, a collectors item, and a coversation piece that every home should have.

Harold Nash and Charla Hultmann are both talented poets with lots of interesting life experiences. This gives their poetry an honest, authentic tone that will inspire the reader to think about life in new ways. I especially enjoyed reading the personal stories the authors put in the book, which gave me perspective from which to read the poetry. I also had the privilege of hearing Harold Nash read his poetry, and if you get the opportunity, I would highly recomend it! He brings the words to life in a unique and special way.

Rhymes Of The Times is a thought-provoking collection of poems designed to spur original thought and stir deep emotion. In it, Harold Nash provides the reader with an unflinching look at the world from a soul borne of pain and skepticism. The view is all at once jaded, cynical, resounding, and optimistic, and the poet's perspective is one of seasoned wisdom.

Consider, for example, this passage from "I Pray":

"I do not pray for luxury - nor for a pay increase.
I only pray for noble things - I pray for love and peace.

I pray that this is reasonable - that God would take my breath;
and take away two vicious things - crack cocaine and meth."


And this passage from "Love":

"Love has many synonyms, like happiness and joy. It
sometimes makes an elderly man feel like a little boy.

It will enhance your social life - if you just believe. But first
you have to give some love before you can retrieve."


Such sentiments undoubtedly reflect the hearts and minds of dozens of individuals the world over, and they obviously emanate from the well of common experience deep within Nash, which facilitates his ability to express them so effectively.

More than just a collection of poignant introspection, though, Rhymes Of The Times has a sharp political undercurrent that ebbs & flows throughout the opus. Nash is particularly critical of the current American president, whom he flays in passages such as this one from "W Stands for Wrong":

"Lord knows why we let this man become The Executive Chief.
Rich men get much richer. And the poor men reap much grief.

He's stubborn as a mule. he [sic] ain't nothing nice. The only
person he listens to is Condoleezza Rice."


And this one from "Shattered Dreams":

"Here I am upon this day, oh Lord I come to you and pray.
All I see is much damnation, that plagues the most of your
creation.

Most of us are down and out. Democrats just lost a bout.
Half the country feels dejected. George Bush was re-elected."


Clearly, Nash doesn't mind expressing how he truly feels about the policies and legacy of George W. Bush, thus giving poetic voice to the silent chorus of numerous others who also hold the president in the same regard.

Rhymes Of The Times is further bolstered by the inclusion of a few pieces by guest poet Charla Hultmann, who lends a tender touch with passages such as this one from the poem "Visions":

"Visions of joy, visions of peace.
Guidance God has given me.

Life is what I choose freely.
Whether it be good or bad - it is mine."


And this one from "Light":

"I praise the Alpha, Omega for allowing
me to see
This beautiful rich light that all can
wish to be.
It brings me to my knees seeing you
change your life for me.
Thank you Jesus, praise be.
Thank you ever so much for loving me."


The lightness of Hultmann's approach adds a complementary counterbalance to Nash's straight-ahead polemics, which does much to round out Rhymes, giving it an harmonic overall tone.

Rhymes Of The Times is a short, but effective tool of poetic enlightenment. Through it, Harold Nash and Charla Hultmann compel the reader to see the world from an invaluable perspective that he/she may not have previously considered, and, with such a feat being the ultimate goal of all literature - mission accomplished.


Wendy Paulson
Apex Reviews

Rhymes of the Times encapsulates a multifaceted reality. Harold Nash's poetry is witty and real; he speaks of love, hate, simplicity, disappointment, and complexity. Some of my favorite poems are "The Martian and the Wino, "Resentment (The Essence of Hatred)," and "Fasten Your Seatbelt." Although Harold's poetry is well-rounded and involves many emotions, I think the most interesting and complex are the poems that reflect the darkness of life, many of which reveal important lessons learned. I would be curious to see some of these poems evolve into short stories about Harold's life, I have a feeling they would be quite fascinating.

I particularly liked the first few pages of this book where the poet acknowledges those who have helped him and tells us something about his life. Too often writing is a lonely task and poetry so personal that it excludes others until they read the final result. But both poets and audiences are intimately involved in the process. Readers are not consumers looking for a pair of shoes, but people trying to discover something about how they feel, as well as understand the emotions of the person writing the poem. This spirit of openness and participation is right here from the start in this collection.

Harold is one of nine children, raised by his mother. In the Introduction he tells us about public moments that have shaped his life (Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, Muhammad Ali's "I can float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.") as well as very private ones like attending the wedding of a girl he was still very much in love with. This not only gives us an insight into the person behind these poems, it helps us understand their inspiration and connection to things outside of the words. "The Bee in the Web" draws on the "butterfly"/"bee" of Ali's boast, yet expands on it to a message of racial harmony as opposed to one of militant aggression and separatism.

There are some great titles ("The Martian and the Wino," "W Stands for Wrong", "Fasten Your Seatbelt") and lines that make us think ("Sometimes I feel that life's a curse, has front-wheel drive and no reverse" and the very poignant "I hate in order to protect yourself--you pack a gun or mace. So why don't I say what the hell and hate the human race.") There are also some bad lines: "Her skin is cream, her body is slim. Looking at her makes the average saint sin."--perhaps, but what or who is "the average saint"? The book ends with a sweet poem by Charla Angeline Hultmann (and I really like the candor of her bio) called "Gift" and "giving" is the real spirit of this book of poetry.

I will be honest, I am not a fan of rhyme. There is a delight in adjacent sounds rubbing together--vowels held and savored, consonants clicking in a row--but "easy" rhymes ("head"/"dead"; "love"/"dove"; "moon"/"prune") tend to overshadow poetic subtleties, determine word choice and the words themselves lose their meaning, becoming clichés. But this is the music of this poet's generation, and there is no denying that poetry is more alive, more meaningful and more accessible than it has ever been at any other time during my life. PS I do love the "Osama" "mama" rhyme. In general I think it would benefit Harold Nash's development to read more of the published contemporary Black poets.

But form aside, this is an honest (courageous and unflinching) look at life today--one we need to share together for the survival of us all. That is "Rhymes of the Times" message. And it is a good one.

My daughter loves lift-a-flap books, and Karen Katz's are great. She has really enjoyed reading this new book which thankfully has replaced reading Where Are Baby's Easter Eggs? every day.

My son has loved these flip books since he was 3 months old and he is now 1 year old and still loves them!

My son LOVES peek-a-boo and this is a fun book. My only concern is the durability of the flaps due to the weight of the paper used, especially in combination with the size and location of some. We'll have fun with it though.

The bright colors and interactive lifting of flaps makes this book a favorite of my Grandson.

I bought this for my granddaughters first birthday. She loved it and three months later is still trying to blow the candles out!
Beautifully illustrated I would recommend this book highly.

Not up to the standard of the Betsy and Tacy series, but it does allow one more visit to Deep Valley for those who long to go there.

When Maud Hart Lovelace first wrote the "Betsy-Tacy" series, did she know how much so many people, from children to adults, would love them? The series has at least one book that anyone of any age can relate to. 10-year-olds will love "Over the big Hill," high-schoolers will love the books about when Betsy was attending Deep Valley High, etc. And it doesn't end there! Even if you're not the age that Betsy was in one of the books, you can still love all of them! Maud has a way of capturing real feelings and experiences--even bad ones--and turning them into works of art. The "Betsy-Tacy" series really is a work of art, even if it was painted with a pen, and not a paintbrush.

After many years, I finally tracked down a library copy of "Winona's Pony Cart," and I am glad to have read it. It's a nice look at Winona's home life at the age of 8, when the "main" characters haven't really encountered Winona yet. What a riot of a character she is! I've always liked her character in the rest of the series, so I was happy to get a peek into her life, meeting her sisters and parents. And she really is kind of a funny character, all on her own. I hope this book comes back into print eventually, I would buy several copies!

Thank goodness Harper has brought this Maud Hart Lovelace gem back into print! This book offers a glimpse of Betsy Ray's friend Winona Root at age 7, planning her 8th birthday party. Winona is such an outgoing girl that the guest list just keeps growing, and there is much merriment involved. Adult readers will be delighted to discover Winona at an early age, and I am reading this new editon aloud to my three year old niece who keeps begging for another look at all the Vera Neville illustrations.

Fans of the Betsy-Tacy books will enjoy a look at Winona's homelife. Winona is having a birthday party and the guest list keeps growing! With Vera Neville's illustrations, this book is a joy!

Like all of the "Angelina Ballerina" series, this one is beautifully illustrated and has content interesting to pre-schoolers, including the idea that children can do some work to earn something they really want. Angelina and her friend Alice have set-backs and successes with, of course, a happy and satisfying ending.

Unlike previous books, however, the cover has shiny silver among the lovely pastel colors making it a must-touch book among others on the shelf. "Angelina" is my granddaughters' favorite book but they are too young to write their own reviews so I have done it for them.

If you already own 'Angelina's Birthday Surprise', don't buy this book! It is identical in every way. I know because I purchased both to complete my daughter's Angelina book collection, since there we no details on either book at the time. It is another cute Angelina book. This one is about Angelina having a bicycling accident which ruins her old bike, then getting a new one as a surprise birthday gift after working hard to earn the money to purchase it herself.

Angelina loved her bicycle and rode it everywhere. Her best friend was Alice. This year for her birthday they were going to have a picnic. Angelina and Alice went to the village to buy some decorations for her party. On the way back they raced, and Angelina hit a rock and crashed. She hurt her leg and ruined her favorite bike. Angelina and Alice started doing odd jobs to earn money so Angelina could buy a new bike. They mowed grass, picked apples, hung laundry, watered the garden, planted raspberries and strawberries, and washed floors. Angelina still didn�t have enough money to buy a bike. On their walk back from the village to buy more balloons, Angelina saw the best bike ever in the window of the bicycle shop and she wished she had enough money to buy it. The day of her party came and Angelina received hair ribbons, books, a ballerina, and a silver horn for her new bike. Everyone had pitched in to buy Angelina the bike she had wanted. She was so surprised and decided to take everyone on a bicycle ride through the hills. I think this was a good book because Angelina worked to buy herself a new bike, and in the end everyone realized how hard she had worked so they decided to get her it for her birthday. ~ Katelyn Carson

In this next book in the Angelina Ballerina series, Angelina prepares for her birthday. However, getting into a bike race with her Alice, Angelina hits a rock and damages her bike beyond repair. When her mother suggests that she can work to raise the money for a new bike, Angelina throws herself wholeheartedly into her work, and birthday are such wonderful times...

Such a wonderful book! I do love Katherine Holabird's work! Although I should say hers, and Helen Craig's, for the illustrations do make this book come so alive. My daughter and I love this book, and recommend it to you.

This calendar is now where I keep track of all birthdays and anniversaries for friends, family and my church family. I have used an electronic calendar for about the last ten years only to lose my son-in-law's b'day as well as a couple of others more than once. Not Good! Anyway, this is a very simple tool where I keep everyone listed. I check the upcoming month about 10 days before the end of the current month. I prepare all cards at that time and write the date I want to mail it under where the stamp will eventually go. No more missed celebrations for me! My only complain is that I would like it to be about 20% larger so I can get more names on a particular date. On one where I have 4 b'days on the same day, it is a little crowded.

I give this as Birthday gifts, and people love it.
Now they have figured out, how I can remember everyones birthdays!

As an NICU nurse I love Anne Geddes books and calendars so when I was looking for a birthday calendar and saw that she had published one, I knew I had to have it. This is a great calendar for remembering birthdays every month and of course the pictures are just darling. If you like Anne Geddes then you won't be disappointed with this birthday calendar.

Very cute pictures and can use year after year. A reminder of all birthdays near and dear to you.

First of all, this is NOT a sequel to "What Will Fat Cat Sit On?" I have no idea where the previous reviewer got that idea. Second, this book isn't nearly as earth-shattering great as it's made out to be. It's an OK book, and I'm sure the kids at my storytime will enjoy it. But come on now. It's fairy average, with no memorable characters, and is something that the kids will probably only want to hear one time. Jan Thomas isn't some new genius of picture books. The art she uses in her books looks like the free images you get on MS Word's clip art, the dialog is boring, and her two stories have been disappointments. "A Birthday For Cow!" is an improvement over "What Will Fat Cat Sit On?" but it still isn't great. And don't even think of compairing Thomas to Mo Willems. Kids actually do "get" his books and I am constantly bombarded with requests for Pigeon books. No kid has ever asked for Fat Cat books, and I doubt one ever will. As someone who wasn't paid to write a review of this book, I will finish by saying that the book isn't terrible, but it certainly isn't great, and is basically only good if you're pressed for a light read to give the kids at storytime.

A while back we worried what Fat Cat would sit on. Now Jan Thomas has us concerned about Cow's birthday. She sure keeps us on pins and needles, that Jan Thomas!

Things start out beautifully in this short, short picture book. It's cow's birthday, and her friends Pig, Mouse and Duck are going to make her the best birthday cake EVER. Pig and Mouse put the necessary sugar, flour and eggs in a big bowl. But just as they are about to stir, Duck asks if he can add a turnip. Who ever heard of a turnip in a birthday cake? Pig and Mouse know this is just plain wrong, so every time Duck suggests it they turn him down.

Duck is a bit obsessed with that turnip. Which is of course what makes the book so hysterically funny. On just about every page he's asking if he can add that silly turnip, much to the dismay of Mouse and Pig, who are sensible creatures. They keep refusing, until a twist in the simple plot causes them to rethink turnips and birthday cakes altogether.

Jan Thomas has a real talent for writing and illustrating super short books. Do you know how hard it is to tell a story in less than 100 words? Trust us, it's tough! We admire her for that alone. But the woman can draw funny pictures as well. And while we don't know too much about text type, we do know that we love the text type Eatwell Chubby and Chaloops. Because honestly, how can you NOT love the something called Eatwell Chubby and Chaloops?

This is the perfect birthday gift for the preschool crowd. Serve it up with milk and turnips!

Here's another book about the lovable animal characters we first met in What Will Fat Cat Sit On. Jan Thomas has done it again. This time Pig and Mouse are in the kitchen happily whipping up a birthday cake for Cow, but they are constantly interrupted by Duck who insists that they must add a turnip to the recipe. It's a ridiculous and really funny situation. Thomas' skill at drawing facial expressions adds to our pleasure in these delightful animals. The surprise ending is wonderful and the final picture a gem. It is another witty and charming story guaranteed to please both children and adults. I look forward to the further adventures of these appealing characters.

It's funny to think that even though we have all been kids, so few adults amongst us actually get them. Grown-ups like to think that children are merely shrunken versions of themselves. They forget that a child's sense of humor is a difficult thing to determine. It's easy to say, "Well kids think farts are funny so I'll just write a whole book about farting," and leave it at that, but in the end it's the lazy way to do things. Certain picture book author/illustrators have figured out how to speak to a child's sense of humor without dumbing things down or patronizing the kids they are presenting to. Mo Willems is a good example of this. Jules Feiffer has his moments. Mara Bergman knows her stuff. And one of the newest additions to this laudable crew is Jan Thomas. Thomas burst onto the scene last year with her seemingly simple, What Will Fat Cat Sit On? and it proved an immediate success. Now she's back with another book that is, shockingly, as good and maybe even better than its predecessor. "A Birthday for Cow!" shows that even when Jan Thomas GETS kid humor, she also knows how to write a tale that'll charm adult readers as well.

Open the book and the first thing you see on the endpapers is a two-page spread of Duck carefully crossing out the days on the calendar until he has reached "Cow's Birthday". You see, cow's birthday is today and Mouse and Pig have got everything under control. They're gonna make the best cake ever with flour, and sugar, and eggs . . . . "AND A TURNIP?" Duck whips out a turnip to the shock of his friends who inform him, very patiently, "No, Duck. We will not put in a turnip." Fair enough. So next they mix it all with . . . "A TURNIP!" Again, Duck has to be told that turnips are not a part of the process. On it goes until the cake is ready. Cow walks in the room, takes one look at his friends and the cake, and exclaims with sheer heartfelt love and glee, "A TURNIP!" All works out well in the end with Pig and Mouse devouring the cake and Duck discussing with Cow his favorite methods of using turnips. "Sometime I brush my teeth using a turnip." "Really? Me, too!"

Like "What Will Fat Cat Sit On?" this puppy is built for reading aloud. You just hunker down, get ready, and when you get to the word "Turnip", you let rip for all you're worth. Now there was some concern here in New York that some kids who will be read this book won't know what a turnip is. That's a legitimate worry, I guess. You get a lot of kids around here that are not exactly as well versed in their root vegetables as they might be. The concern, however, is minor because it really doesn't matter what kind of food Duck is promoting. First of all, until you read the book aloud you're never going to notice how funny the word "Turnip" is. We all knew that "rutabaga" was funny. And maybe if Duck kept throwing the word "rutabaga" in everyone's face it would have a charm of his own, but there's something that feels just right about that blatant word "turnip". It's the "er" sound, I think. It's funny. And as long as you see Cow eating it later (which you do) then it doesn't matter if kids are intimately familiar with turnips or not.

The art of Ms. Thomas is done entirely on computers with text types set in names like "Eatwell Chubby and Chaloops". The book retains the manic glee of its predecessor, though many will be sad to find that the Fat Cat is unfortunately absent from this story. Still, it has the same gleeful goofiness present in the first book. These animals sport big round eyes and grins that make them look just a little too happy. Like those people you meet at parties who are so intense and focused on what you're saying that you suddenly loose your train of thought. It's that look. And for a picture book for small children, that's exactly what is going to capture the attention of even the most ADD of kids. The color scheme is fabulous as well. These characters are all thick black lines against blue, green, pink, and purple backgrounds. A graduate course in children's literature would do well to examine exactly why it is that Thomas uses one color or another at certain points of the book (particularly the purple).

Like all sequels, there will be people who moan that "A Birthday for Cow!" doesn't have the same sense of manic danger that Thomas' first book had. Pfui. As a sequel I tell you that it doesn't disappoint. If you liked her first book, you'll love the second and if you never even read the first you will ADORE the second. For an artist who works in a misleadingly upfront style, it's clear that Jan Thomas has a few aces up her sleeve yet. Just a great creation.

During a charity dinner, a well known ex cowboy star is murdered in front of a room full of Wyoming's rich and famous. Then one by one, a whole family of ruthless land grabbers are murdered. There seems to be a connection with Las Vegas and Lilly enlists the help of her brother and some other old and new friends to solve the murders.

As always, this series features heiress, PI, and US Marshall Lilly Bennett. As unrealistic as the series is, it is very entertaining. The book is full of colorful and fun characters, from crazy ranchers to transexual rodeo stars. Great fun!

I found the first Lilly Bennett book by accident during a browse of the library....and have read them all as fast as she can get them published. I want to be LILLY! Who else has money, a great office, a family that provides comic relief at just the right moments, a husband who picks YOU over a Las Vegas showgirl,AND a badge? If you enjoy your mysteries with a pinch of danger, unusual characters, and a whole lot of fun....read this series! Start at the beginning, or start with this one...you'll be glad you did!

A boring tribute party quickly gets exciting when a commando dressed intruder blows a large hole in Clay Parker, hasbeen cowboy star, before U.S. Marshall Lilly Bennett Jerome can react. Soon Lilly is involved with visiting Las Vegas showgirls, missing Faberge eggs that belong to a former flame of Lilly's and current Mafioso, family feuds over land use, and brother Elias Bennett's pending marriage. And murder after murder.

As satisfying as the previous Bennett books, with more than normal confusion. Lilly's family, friends and associates are a delight, but at the rate people in Roundup are dying, it won't be long until only the Bennetts will be left.

This is my first read by Kelloggand what a kick! One murder afteranother keep US Marshal LilyBennett with no clues but pressureby Janet Reno to get the casessolved. Wyoming has lots of landand lots of people scheming underthe table to get that land. Theauthor tosses humor into the mixand finally puts all the piecestogether to solve them all. Ihad no idea who was behind themurders and there is plenty ofsuspense to keep you reading right up to the end and you finish the book with a smile onyour face knowing that the birthday gal ends up far awayfrom where the party was to beheld. This s just the book toread between the more seriousmurder-mysteries. I intend to readmore of Marne Kellogg's books.

I purchased this book for my seven-year-old niece who rides for Christmas.
In scanning it, I thought it was just the thing for a young girl very interested in horses. Had I more time I might have given it a read myself.

The Birthday Pony
By Gillian

The Birthday Pony by Jessie Haas is about a horse being born the same day as a little girl! The birthday ponies theme is helping because the little girl Jane and Grandma Aggie helped Popcorn` s mother from the woods. I think the message is never give up you should never give up gust like when the girl gave up on taking care of popcorn. In this storey Popcorn changes a lot because everyone changes his life when Jane takes care of him. Letting Popcorn go is a symbol I think this because Jane has to let Popcorn and Sweatpea go. The problem is Jane is to far away to ride horses and the solution is her father got a new job a few blocks away. Now Jane can ride the horses. Before I read the Birthday Pony I thought no one could take care of a wild pony but now that I have read it my schema has change and I know that people can even take care of 2 ponies. I recommend this book for kids that ride horses or have a horse or love horse because it is all about loving horses.

I love Birthday Pony! It's a good book for horse lovers! It's about horses! The book gives you tips like sit deep in the saddle. You could use that for when you ride a horse! It's pretty easy for beginners to read! Especially girls in second grade would like this book. I think most girls would like this book if they like horses! By Erin, age 7

Jane is the main character in the book. Her grandmother buys a pony that she had sold years ago and gives it to Jane for her birthday. The horse is named Popcorn and he's trouble. Jane has to send him to a camp to get trained so that she can ride him. Meanwhile Jane takes riding lessons to become a better rider. The horse learns to take commands and Jane learns to give them well. The are together again and even win a ribbon in a horse show.

The book has large print text. This is good for young readers.

I would recommend this book to girls who are interested in horses. Girls ages 7-10 will relate to the main character Jane well.