Birthdays Books

Our daughter is 18 months old. This has been one of her favorite books for the last few months. She likes all of the books in the Otto series. The Otto books are filled with bright colors, silliness and a message at the end. The books generally start out with things not going Otto's way, but as Otto keeps trying, eventually things work out in the end. Anytime I find a book that captivates my daughter, I have to give it five stars.

Our 20 month old daughter loves her Otto books. They are filled with cute illustrations and easy to follow stories, with good messages.

My 2 1/2 year old daughter loves this book. She laughs at all of the strange things (two shoes, a cootie bug) that Otto puts in his birthday cake. Lately, I've been buying her mostly books with longer stories than this so I would probably recommend this for a 2 year old or older chiildren who don't like long books.

PARTY GAMES
WHITNEY LYLES
YA Romance

Rating: 3.5 Enchantments

Sara Sullivan is always finding herself at the coolest parties. That's because she works as the assistant for her mother's hugely successful party planning business. She may only be fifteen-going-on-sixteen, but she's well on her way to becoming like her mom. She doesn't even mind much that she'll be spending most of her summer planning other people's parties instead of having fun with her best friend Allie - that is, until she meets Ian.

Ian is a talented guitarist for an upcoming band called On the Verge. On top of that, he's super hot and super sweet. Sara finds herself obsessing over her new crush, constantly wondering if he's as interested in her as she is in him.

But Sara's daydreams will have to wait. She's gotten involved with planning the sweet-sixteen birthday bash for uber-spoiled and beautiful Dakota London. It's Sara's job to fulfill Dakota's every want and need regarding the party, no matter how ridiculous or impossible the task. Sara has just about had it with serving Dakota, especially when Dakota tells Sara to make sure Ian is Dakota's date. With Sara's feelings on the line, will she be able to pull off this party?

I am a big fan of the Simon Pulse Romantic Comedies; however PARTY GAMES did not rank among my favorites. This was because in the first half of the book, the plot seemed to wander around with no real point. The story did pick up, though, especially towards the end. I was rooting for Sara to get the guy, but it was mildly annoying that Sara kept on putting the party business before her own love life, and I was glad when she finally learned her lesson in the end. I was a little disappointed that Ian's character wasn't as well-developed as Sara's. In the end, PARTY GAMES was slightly enjoyable but it didn't completely wow me.

PARTY GAMES is Whitney Lyles' first young adult novel, though she has written several novels for adults. You can visit her online at her website: www.whitneylyles.com or on MySpace: www.myspace.com/whitney_lyles .

Rachael Stein
Enchanting Reviews
August 2008

i loved this book! it was good to see that just because you're rich, beautiful, and "popular"...you don't always get what you want.
i didn't like the way the author put it in a third-person perspective. i would've loved to see what was going on in sara's mind.

Sara helps her mother run a party planning business. She's so good at it, her mother decides to give her one account - which happens to be the Sweet Sixteen party of the ultra-popular Dakota London.

Soon, Dakota is calling her 24/7 with demands. She even wants Sara to convince a boy to be her date for the party, but not just any boy - she wants the one that Sara's crushing over.

Torn, Sara doesn't know what to do. She doesn't want to see Ian with Dakota, but she doesn't want to be fired, either. Sara's stuck between a rock and a hard place and agonizes over her decision.

PARTY GAMES takes responsibility to a new level, with a twist of fun and a dash of romance.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel

Saw it on Broadway and just love it on tape! Hearing it just brings me right back. Oh, Wendy, I miss you!

And even if you didn't see the play you should still listen to this! Then just close your eyes and imagine!

The Sisters Rosensweig is a terrific, sweet and very humane play about a gathering of people, in particular three Jewish American sisters in London in 1991. Each of the sisters is stuck in some way, trapped by time in their mid-lives. They are joined at oldest sister Sara's London home by Sara's daughter, and several male suitors/friends.

Throughout Wasserstein keeps the tone light and the wit cracking. Everyone of these characters is intelligent and visible, knows the world yet remains perplexed by their own lives.

To me this is the type of affirming family bound play that warms, and though life remains elusive in many ways, the sisters know they have each other and use that love and charity to sweet degrees.

Recommended, smart and funny.

Reading a play by Wendy Wasserstien is always a delight, but even though all of her writings are to be savored, The Sisters Rosensweig exhibits an important mark in the author's maturing style. In spite of this maturation, however, the story line never grows stale and Ms. Wasserstein never fails to draw from her reader a smile and a laugh, and give to give us a refreshed sense of the type of person we want to be--it's self-help through fiction!

The Sisters Rosensweig follows the reunion of three Jewish sisters who come together for a visit in Queen Anne's Gate, London, and the joys and struggles they share concerning romance, careers, childhood, and family--joys and struggles with which we all identify, not only as women but as human beings. Thank you, Ms. Wasserstien, for another delightful treat!

My grandma first read this book to me when I was four (many, many years ago). She died not long after, but the name of this favorite book always stayed with me and I searched high and low for it. Eventually, it came back into print -- just in time for me to share it with my niece and nephew. They love it -- and its message of the satisfaction derived from selfless acts -- as much as I did and do. I can almost hear my grandma's voice as I read...

Snipp, Snapp and Snurr, the three Swedish boys, want to get their mother a gift for her birthday. They do not know what to get her (all of their suggestions are really for kid's things). Then they find out that their mother would love a pair of red shoes lined in gold.

The boys decide their mother must have the shoes. They cannot get enough money out of their piggy bank so they must go out and earn more.

Each boy finds a job (painter, chimney sweep, miller) and together earn just enough to buy the shoes (as well as each getting dirty in a different way). Together they giver her the gift she never expected.

Each pair of pages has the story on the left and a painted illustration by the author on the right. A rather amusing and fun tale. Read all of the Snipp, Snapp and Snurr books.

55 years ago, when I was in first grade, I could hardly wait for the bookmobile to come every-other week, so that I could check out this book or others in the series. Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and Flicka, Ricka and Dicka had many wonderful adventures and the illustrations are beautiful. I was always happy after reading one of these books and thought of them often over the years when my children were growing up.

How thrilled I was to see them back in print! The stories are simple, yet each one sends a message of value to a child.

Grandparents, your little ones should have the joy of visiting with Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and Flicka, Ricka, and Dicka.

This book comes right down to the very point you needed to read. Good job

Surviving Holidays, Birthdays & Anniversaries: A Guide For Grieving During Special Occasions is a simple bereavement guide, written by expert and creator of the www.griefsteps.com program Brook Noel, that especially focuses on coping with the particular challenges brought by special occassions. Holidays are normally a time of good cheer and laughter, but those experiencing profound grief or the loss of a loved one are beset by the opposite of these emotions, often at a magnified effect. Chapters offer advice on what to expect in plain and simple terms, such as learning to avoid additional stressors during the holiday season, never try to outspend grief, shop online, don't hide from life, beware of self-medicating, and more. Suggested strategies for coping include taking a moment of silence when needed, freewriting, taking a time out, specific exercises to calm oneself, and more. A strongly recommended guide for anyone struggling with memories of a loved one at difficult times.

Holidays, Christmas, birthdays, family gatherings--they will never be the same again. Having lost my 27 year old son, my "family occasions" have been changed forever. Brook Noel brings sensitivity and positive ideas to this agonizing fact. I'm glad I have this book to comfort and to guide me and my family.

I need give out much of the plot but its important to note that this is by far the one of the best plays i have ever read. It is the sentimentality that holds the entire play together and the love for the characters. I recomend this play to anyone as well as the movie.

I directed this show last year and it was to date the most enriching theatrical experience that I have ever had. The show is pure genius. Anyone who is not moved by it must reevaluate their emotional landscape.

nice and touching bk with lovely stor

I was looking forward to getting this book.I was disappointed that it has alot of the same cakes and ideas that several of my other books already have.If you don't have any books on fondant or only have a couple, then i would suggest getting this book.It has lots of picture's & does a good job on explaining what to do.

I just recieved this book about a month ago, and how amazed I was. There are so many wonderful ideas in this book. It's a must for any cake decorator to have in there collection! It has full, easy to follow, color page instructions for each of the cakes, including recipes for cakes and icings used. There's a Volts Wagen cake that they shaped out of regular square cake. Awesome! The barbie cake is so beautiful, any little girl would fall in love with it. I could keep going on and on. I totally recommend this book, and hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

This book is one of my favorites. Birthday cakes are covered for children, adults, men, women. There are a variety of ideas and also a good number of basic skills that can be used to design and create your own cakes. Cakes ranging from easy to more difficult are shown which allows this book to be an asset no matter the level of the decorator.

I bought this book to give to a long time friend who was the guest of honor at a surprise birthday party. While it is funny, some of the remarks are a little off-color. Also it is really aimed at men (which the guest of honor was, fortunately.) I don't think women would find the jokes about balding and impotence funny.

60 is the new 40, or so I've concluded from this punchy joke book for the well over 50 set. A fun book that will surely produce knowing groans for those of us closing in on our second adulthood.

An entertaining look at the aging process. The author has a keen eye and sharp wit when it comes to our obsession with staying young. There are lots of memorable quotes and quips to share with friends and family. I found it to to be a nice little conversation piece and welcome addition to our coffee table. Guaranteed to amuse and highly recommended for all!

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!

My 3 year old twins adore anything to do with birthday parties and presents and this charming book supplies that along with the virtues of hard work - a wonderful book for young children.

You can purchase this identical book NEW ! It has been retitled "Angelina's Birthday". The two books are identical in every way except the title! Don't purchase both (like I did) thinking you're going to get two different stories!

It is a cute book, with another nice moral: Angelina has a bicycling accident which ruins her old bike, then spends the week working to earn money to purchase a new one. All her friends and family see how hard she has worked and pitch in to buy the bike and give it to her as a birthday surprise.