Birthdays Books

While it is true that DuBois was "pro-Russia" and "pro-Stalin," so was much of the left at the time. That was the beef in the peace movement between the Trotskyists and the Stalinists that culminated in the infamous slander lawsuit by Lillian Hellman (another pro-Stalinist) against Mary McCarthy (a Trotskyist who severely criticized Hellman, claiming everything she said was a lie, or at least fiction... which had some credibility in regards to disputed "facts" in Hellman's disputed "memoires"). Just the same, the pro-Stalinist left was conflicted, yet rationalized their stance because of the aggressive stance by the U.S. against a socialist country which embodied, at least in theory, their sought-for political and social ideals.

As for DuBois, he finally did call a press conference in 1960 and join the Communist Party as well as renounce his citizenship because he was disgusted with having his passport taken away from him for many years on the premise that by criticizing racism in American society that he was somehow harming the image of America abroad. It did far more to harm America's image by suppressing such freedom of expression of one of its most renowned and accomplished African-Americans in history. The consequence, as he predicted, was erasure from the history books of his memory, except as a "Black scholar."

The poster below who didn't like the book (which he admits he didn't read) or DuBois himself (who he slanders) is obviously ignorant of the fact that DuBois' "later work" was in fact the _Encyclopedia Africana_ which is being completed with money from Microsoft Corp. under the guidance of Nigerian Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka and Harvard professors Kwame Anthony Appiah and Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

I haven't read the Dubois book, but the review by Anne O'Neill has the intellectual respectability of putting tin foil in your hat to protect your brain from Martian mind-control radiation.
First, Dubois was in fact a Marxist and a socialist, and a pro-Russian defender of Stalin and the Soviet Union at the time of this book. A decade later, in the 1960's, he joined the Communist Party, emigrated to Ghana, and renounced his American citizenship. These actions and beliefs constitute serious intellectual and moral failures which disqualify his later intellectual work from serious consideration. Belief in Marxism absolutely incapacitates one from serious historical or economic analysis, much as belief in a flat earth renders one incapable of responsible astronomy.
Second, some historical facts: 1) Dubois was not here a victim of "the McCarthy witchhunt of the 1950's." McCarthy did not chair any hearings until 1952, a year later. 2) The HUAC hearings in the 1940's demonstrated that the Communist Party of the USA was openly committed to the overthrow of the US constitution, was controlled by Stalin, had infiltrated high positions in the Federal Executive with agents of the Soviet Union, and was engaged in espionage and policy influence. The post-Cold War opening of archives on both sides of the defunct Iron Curtain has confirmed all of these facts in detail. [Read Ann Coulter's "Treason" for an entertaining introduction to the truth.] Surely these anti-American activities were less American than the HUAC's exposure of them. 3) The Peace Information Center was attacked for peddling Stalinist propaganda and supporting USSR government policies, not for questioning US government policy. Many non-Communists questioned the US government and its policies without becoming targets. 4) The Korean War was not part of a "liberation movement;" it was instigated and controlled personally by Stalin to test American resolve as a prelude to possible Soviet military aggression in Europe. [This is documented by former Soviet archives. Read Norman Friedman's "The Fifty-Year War" for details.]
Third, the phrase "Korean modern industrial evolution as it was retarded and hopelessly perverted to suit colonial demands" is patently silly. South Korean has over the last 50 years achieved democratic and economic freedoms which have given this small country an economy roughly the size of Russia's. By comparison, the still Stalinist North Korea cannot feed its own people. Even ex-communist Russia cannot now provide its people the wealth and freedom which South Koreans enjoy.
Finally, the central story of the 20th century is the triumph of humanity over the intellectual, moral, and practical disaster called socialism, in both its nationalist/facist and internationalist/soviet guises. In this struggle, in 1951, Dubois was on the side of the mass murderers, not freedom. The verdict is in: The Dubois analyses of the Korean War, and the governments his analysis defended, now deservedly reside in the dustbin of history, completely disproven and discredited by subsequent events and scholarship.

The ad hominem attack in the anonymous review of this work sheds no light on the content of the DuBois work or of its significance in a historical or political context outside of a narrow anticommunist ideological framework, and the comments are little more than a personal diatribe. It adds nothing to any knowledge of the work itself, and is completely useless as a "review," not to mention a knowledgeable "political analysis." Probably one of those CIA-wannabe MA students from the University of Washington - a program that produces "scholars" of whom a respectable high school would be ashamed to lay claim.

This is the little-known story of the American and International Peace Movement of the post-WWII period and up to the beginning of the Korean War. Dr. DuBois writes of his experience being incarcerated on his 83rd birthday and put on trial during the McCarthy witchhunt of the 1950s, chronicling his arrest as an 'unregistered foreign agent' by the unAmerican 'House unAmerican Activities Committee,' as part of the Cold War hysteria of the time. He decides to fight the charges in the name of fighting for American civil liberties and wins, but the story of the acquital still bore the headline, "Indicted." Dr. W.E.B. DuBois was the Vice-Chair of the Peace Information Center which the government tried to discredit because it forced the nation to look at itself and its policies - the continued threatened use of the atomic bomb and the drive to suppress postcolonial independence movements, such as the Korean conflict after that country's liberation from Japanese military rule and subsequent arbitrary division at the beginning of the Cold War (see 'Origins of the Korean War,' by Bruce Cumings). DuBois called the use of American military forces in Korea 'a tragic military adventure.' The current economic crisis is itself related to Korean modern industrial evolution as it was retarded and hopelessly perverted to suit colonial demands. By this historical fact, DuBois is truly exonerated by history in his analysis of the situation and its outcome.

I thought this was a cute idea but the books themselves are kind of boring. My 2-year-old doesn't even play with them as vehicles. The wheels get in the way on the bookshelf and the velcro holding them closed is a pain when you are looking at the book itself. Cute concept, but you're better off with some of the other great truck books out there that have a wider variety of pictures as well as some words.

Small children will really enjoy this book. It is also a toy. It contains pictures of a fire engine, fire chief's car, turntable ladder engine, airport fire engines, fire rescue truck, sky-lift engine and a water tender engine.

The pages are durable and there is a fastner to keep the book closed when it is used as a toy.

Not for children under 3.

This book is full of wonderful items about fire engines. It is easy to read to my son, and he loves that I add all the sound effects! There are also lots of things to point out as you are reading. "Fire truck" is one of his first words, and he stops and stares at the fire trucks at the fire house almost daily! This book is a great introduction to fire trucks.

My son absolutely loves this book. It is ALWAYS the first book that he searches out in his library. At 22 months now, he is able to name all of the objects on the pages, and enjoys the lighthearted story the pictures tell. The now ragged pages and binding attest to the popularity of the book. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

This book was smaller than a post-it note. I was very disappointed when I received this lilliputian sized thing. I (obviously) could not use this book during reading time for my students. I recommend that "odd" book sizes be disclosed in the description/condition. This was a waste of my money!

I was introduced to this book in kindergarten back in the late 80's and would even read it to my teacher. I loved the illustrations in it so much and my favourite parts were when moira ordered the 100 pizzas and 100 birthday cakes! Also I wanted all those presents she had, 100 presents!

all students in my school LOVE this book-I had to get a second copy as my own grandkids kept borrowing it! wonderful read-a-loud.

My name is Rachel. I am 6 years old. I love Moira's Birthday because it is so funny. The funniest part is when the entire school including kindergarten come rushing in the door to Moira's birthday party.The part when Moira orders 250 pizzas and cakes is hilarious. It makes me laugh. My whole family laughs. I also like other books by the same author.

Good Book. Sean Thompson's illustrations are great. ...

Just who do they think they are. W'ell show them. This is a great book to teach your kids about how The Maple Leafs are the only team to go for. Sure they haven't won in thirty years, but they're on the right track now,winning the Northeast division while the Has toil in last place. Bring up your kid with the Leafs and they'll love to share the memories of the Leafs upcoming Stanley Cup viocories.

A classic theme - hockey through the eyes of a child. This time, though, too young to remember The Rocket - it's #27 Sittler and his amazing feat one night against the Bruins. Great story for both fans of the game and kids just starting to appreciate its wonders. And it's a history lesson in disguise: "Daddy, who where the Atlanta Flames?" Fantastic artwork by Sean Thompson - worthy of framing and hanging above your TV during "Hockey Night in Canada".

this book is eerily like roch carrier's classic story, "the hockey sweater". the same themes occur, the same events, everything. of course, it was written 14 years later -- and, look! "hommage à roch carrier", in small type.

leave well enough alone, and write your own books; your other ones have been good, why do this?

The party accompanying a Latin girl's coming of age or sweet fifteen celebration is one of the highlights of her life, and in ONCE UPON A QUINCEANERA author Julia Alvarez attends the 'quince' of a young Queens woman to relate the confusion and planning over this special event, including interviews with other quince girls and her own memories to trace the origins and enactment of the ceremony. A top pick for any public lending library, especially those strong in Latin culture.

I just finished the book Once upon a Quinceanera by Julia Alvarez. I picked it up, hoping to gain more insight into the rituals and religious significance of the quince. When I've said this to people, they almost always tell me something to the effect of, "oh, that's easy. It's a hispanic girl's coming-of-age." Yeah. No kidding? I'm looking for a little more depth here.

If my encounters' answer was too vague (not to mention obvious), Alvarez's response was way too deep. It was not so much about the celebration itself, but more of an examination of the issues adolescent girls face in the US in general, compounded by the additional issues particular to young latinas. It was a very interesting study in the success and failure of said girls, feminism minus man-hating, and the pros and cons of the quinceanera. But not as an outsider looking in. Alvarez herself had a difficult time finding the balance between being the good Dominican girl, and pursuing her own dreams and interests-loyalty to la familia, pursuing her education and being an intellectual, staying afloat professionally in a male-dominated time where it was difficult to be hispanic, let alone a woman.

Though it was not what I was looking for, I liked it. Though I myself am not hispanic, I found myself identifying with Alvarez throughout the book. It was interesting and entertaining.

-kendra
Big Box Pro Video Productions
Corpus Christi, Texas

Award-winning novelist Julia Alvarez has turned her gift for human analysis toward some very real young people in ONCE UPON A QUINCEANERA, a probing and utterly readable look into the tradition of the "quinceanera," the coming-of-age party celebrated by Latina women around the globe.

In the wake of MTV's success with sweet 16 shows (in which young girls and their families spend wedding-sized amounts of money on a party where the bling outweighs any cultural significance the occasion might have) and the growing cost of a decent Bat/Bar Mitzvah in these concerned-with-wealth times in America, Alvarez looks at families, native and immigrant, who are still living below the well-to-do line and yet spend upwards of a year's mortgage payments or college tuition to make sure that their young daughter enters the "adult" world in style.

It's not just the money that disturbs Alvarez. Having come to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic around the time that she would have celebrated her own coming-of-age, she watches anxiously and sometimes enviously upon girls who don't seem to understand why this tradition is so important to young Latinas. Viewing it only as that --- a giant bling-filled party to impress their friends --- takes away from the rich traditions built into the ceremonies of the quinceanera: the changing of her shoes from flats to heels during the party, signifying her march into adulthood; the doll she carries, the last vestige of childish pursuits she's allowed to enjoy; and the church ceremony, where her grown-up responsibilities are acknowledged before God and the community.

Alvarez, who never had her own quince, delves with planners and family members into what, if anything, they remember from their own quinces and how they might incorporate the more stealthy values associated with the rituals into these girls' lives. When she speaks with the young women themselves, it's clear that most of them look upon this as their moment to become a "princess" --- indeed, one has her friends dress like Disney princess characters --- and that the money and energy that their parents, some of whom are struggling in this harsh economic system, are putting into this event is their right. They are, for good or bad, like the average American teen who thinks Beyonce is queen of the world and Jay-Z, her prince, is exactly what everyone should be looking for.

At times, it's devastating to read the accounts of how these children are so expectant but don't really understand the changes that this bash is supposed to represent --- and it's clear that Alvarez finds it sad as well. Traditions maintained are supposed to mean something --- but in present-day America, they can be just another excuse to act like overgrown kids or irresponsible adults. She keeps her cool and withholds serious judgment on these children of American entitlement, recognizing with poignancy the struggles of their parents to hold on to dear cultural strengths while trying to assimilate into the broader Bush-driven selfishness and extravagance.

The book's most appealing moments come from Alvarez's descriptive look at the craziness surrounding the day of the event and from her own recollections of growing up in the same area in Queens where she follows one family through this intense experience.

ONCE UPON A QUINCEANERA is a wonderful look at a tradition that is holding steadfast but changing at the same time. And, most of all, it's about the difficult job mothers and fathers have raising beautiful young daughters in these superficial times.

--- Reviewed by Jana Siciliano

This book was a disappointment to me. First, the book is disorganized. It isn't organized into particular chapters reflecting linear and organized observations. Rather, the book seems to embrace a stream-of-consciousness approach which is confusing and difficult to follow. Particular ideas and observations appear and reappear, rather than each being deeply examined in a section of the book devoted to their study.

The book is part personal reflection on the author's life, part description of one particular Quinceanera celebration, and a smattering of observations and inferences about feminism/cultural mixing/racism/consumerism thrown in to confuse (I'm sure the author meant to enhance) the overall "narrative".

The book's disorganization might be a result of the fact that the author did not seem to have a clearly defined audience in mind. I am not sure how many teenage Latinas will read it (as a public school teacher, I don't see many who would be able to digest the content). Thus, the more likely audience is more-educated people, probably educated women looking for insight and analysis of an important cultural ritual and its effects on individuals, families and society.

Personally, I had expected the book would be a cultural or anthropological study of the Quince ritual. There were many things I was hoping to learn from the book. I am always wondering what cultural influences lead these Latino/as to start families so young and be satisfied with low levels of education. I always presumed that their parents immigrated to this country, often dangerously and illegally, to give birth to these children here so they could have a better life than their parents. Why do these children (in the classroom at least) refuse to work hard and refuse to think about the future more than the present? As a white educator, I feel that understanding rituals such as Quince may help my understanding of the pressures of Latino culture. Sadly this book failed completely to help me understand these families' situations.

This may be in part because the author chose to spend half of the book recounting her own youth and immigration experience, which seems to bear little resemblance to the backgrounds of the majority of poor, uneducated Latino immigrants today. Her father was a doctor and the family emigrated to Queens in 1960. The author was sent to Abbot Academy in Massachussetts for high school, on scholarship (for the first year--in subsequent years the family paid full tuition as her father's income rose). It was here that the author began her life in academia (she is now an English professor) and where she was introduced to feminism.

Here is one of the primary conflicts buried in this book. The author's father was a doctor. Thus, the family had financial resources, and also valued education. The author went to private high school, and her parents paid for her to go to private college as well, where she embraced her inner feminist. To me, it seems that she actually has more in common with the backgrounds of privilege than with privation. Perhaps that is why she works so hard to express her support for the Quince ritual--embracing it allows her to be empowered by her Latino heritage, and her mythical working-class origins.

The author understands the Latino families' desire to celebrate their children. She is loath to condemn the spending or the sexualization of the Quince girl, although she expresses a mild disapproval at times. The author really seems to struggle to reconcile her need to embrace the traditions of "diverse" Latin cultures with her experiences with American feminism. Lost in this struggle is any elucidation on the effect the Quince ritual has on Latino youth in the US today.

Excellent finish to an terrific series. Must for all ring fans... This book has collection of 3 stories spaced at different time period in the ring universe. These stories fill the gaps and answers which previous books left out. Once again koji suzuki re-defines horror by taking you into depths of unkown...

enjoy..........

Recently, I worked my way through Koji Suzuki's "Ring" series and by the time I made it to "Birthday", the fourth and final book in the series, I had pretty much run out of steam. "Birthday" is made up of three short (50-100 page) stories that take place before, during and after the events of the "Ring" trilogy. The first story, "Floating Coffin", tells of what happened to Mai Takano after she went missing in the middle of "Spiral", the second book in the trilogy. The second story, "Lemon Heart" tells of Sadako's time with the theatre troupe she joined at age 18. These events are alluded to in "Ring", although this story is told as a flashback occuring in the middle of "Spiral". The final story, "Happy Birthday", is set after the events of "Loop" and provides the conclusion to the series.

After reading the entire "Ring" trilogy, I found these stories to be unnecessary. They didn't add anything to my understanding of the "Ring" universe, and they felt like scenes that had been deleted from the first three novels. In my opinion, this book is essentially just a grab for cash on the part of the author and has only minimal merit. I would only recommend it to people who feel the need to read everything that has ever been written about the "Ring", and even then, it will probably disappoint.

It's almost pointless to even mention the Ring films at this point, as they bare almost no resemblance to the story anymore by just book 2 (unless you count Rasen, but by the end of that it doesn't count anymore at all in the film universe). Ring 0: Birthday was loosely based on the second story in this book, Lemon Heart. The rest of the book is new.

This is an anthology based around three central characters in the trilogy (all female) and themes of birth relating to the storyline.

1. Floating Coffin
Plot: This, the first story, takes place in the middle of book 2, Spiral. We get a glimpse of Mai Takano, and what exactly happens when she gives birth to Sadako and dies.

Review: Of the three stories, this was by far my least favorite. It has no real relevance to progressing the story or showing anything. This one was a little bit of a bore. However, the next stories made me completely forget about this one's lack of interest.

2. Lemon Heart
Plot: Toyama, a middle-aged man, is approached by a detective that is looking for information on Yamamura Sadako. Toyama is one of the only survivors from a theater troupe that Sadako was in shortly before she disappeared. Toyama recounts being in love with her, and in the end of the story gets a surprise visit from a familiar face.

Review: My favorite of the three. Great story that sheds some more light on how Sadako was in life, and introduces some foreshadowing and dramatic irony that we know will lead to events that take place in "Ring" and "Spiral".

3. Happy Birthday
Plot: Reiko, still pregnant, is brought to New Mexico and informed of what exactly happened to Kaoru. She takes a look into the Loop world to see how he manages to get rid of Sadako and save the world, leading up to the birth of his child.

Review: Another great story. I sort of hoped it would be longer, as it was the conclusion to the entire series and I felt at first that it was much too short to be the ending. However, looking back, I see how the entire anthology was the ending. Although only one has a story that ends it, the others sort of bring the legend and story of Sadako to a full circle.

All in all, great anthology that is a must-read for fans of the first three books.

5 stars / 5

This was a really good book, and despite what another review says, this shows that youy don't have be a storm-blown house or a circus man in a balloon to defeat the Wicked Witch of the East - (I have still yet to find, order and get "How the Wizard Came to Oz"). The Wicked Witch of the East decrees that Birthdays are now a crime, and because this happens on the same day as Meezie & Tweeze's birthday, Glinda (who is NOT a Pre-teen, as she is described as a WOMAN in the story on most likely pg 5 of the story & not 10) helps them by taking them to her friend Old Tree, who then suggests the little Windbag. With him, a plan is then worked out to be-rid Oz of the Wicked Witch - and it works!! But then, something amazing happens and a miracle occurs . . . allowing Meezie and Tweeze to celebrate their birthday today.
One of the other reviews says that this story contradicts Baum's version; I say that we only see Oz through the Munchkins' view, as in "the Wonderful Wizard" we see it through Dorothy's point of view. But there are a few little things that are a tiny bit different, like the view of the landscape, Toto not being drawn and different Munchkins greeting Dorothy, but it doesn't really matter. The pictures by David Hohn look like that of Charles Santore, made from water-colouring (possibly both water-paint and/or water-pencil). The Munchkins' heads are slightly bigger than normal heads, and Dorothy looks like Charles Santore's version, but in a different dress, but I really like her house.
Even though the details of this book are in 44 pages, the Endpapers, Parent's Introduction, copyright and title pages don't count, so the story goes for 40 pages.
Someday, by 2010, hopefully when I have finally gotten into the Movie business, I would like to put this little story into the 'Oz-Prequel' I have planned.
Now, I would like to say that my review on "L. Frank Baum's the Wonderful Wizard of Oz with illustratiosn by Barry Moser" was cut short: the title was supposed to be "Barry Moser's (almost slightly) Gothic Oz", and I mentioend 2 sites where you could see 5 of his pictures and another site where you could read about "Forty-Seven Days to Oz", in which Barry Moser writes about how he made the illustrations for his 1986 Pennyroyal Press Edition, but Amazon.com cut them out. I also ordered "the Wonderful Wizard of Oz - Troll Illustrated Classics", but it was out-of-print so I couldn't get it, but I'll try on another site: Biblio-Quest.
Maybe next time then . . .

The "We Both Read" series works magic in persuading kids to read because both the parent and the child participate. I did not like this story, but it matters not at all. My son who hates to read, loves to share the reading task with me. I am always looking for me books in this series.

This is a very interesting idea that is called "We Both Read." Every opening contains a beautiful full-color painting by David Hohn, whose style is very attractive. The left-hand pages contain text for a parent to read to a child, and the right-hand pages contain cute verses for the child to read to the parent. All of the text is simple enough that the "parent" could as easily be an older friend or sibling. On the cover, it claims to be geared toward grades one and two. When I was seven, I was not a top reader, but I was enjoying far more sophisticated works than this. Still, it is a great learning aid for any child who loves Oz and has trouble reading.

The story takes place prior to Dorothy's first visit. The Witch of the East is still at large, and has made it illegal for the Munchkins to celebrate birthdays. This makes Meezie and Tweeze (two cute Munchkin twin children) very unhappy, as today is their birthday. So Meezie schemes with a breezy character named Windbag to overthrow the Witch by conjuring up a storm. It is obvious what happens next, but bear in mind the fact that, if you are reading this review, you probably are not five years old.

The plot is quite simplistic, but it is intended for very small children, so I can't hold that against it. On page ten, there is an illustration that looked at a glance to me like a little girl no older than nine. It turns out that this is supposed to be Glinda! Then I noticed the poppies on either side of her blonde head and realized that it is obviously Ozma. The author must have originally wrote about Ozma, got it illustrated, and then realized too late that Ozma would have been Tip at that time. So now Glinda is described with "golden hair" and depicted as a pre-teen. There is also an awkward conversation with Windbag in which he discloses the fact that he was responsible for bringing the Wicked Witch to Oz in the first place. He had blown her off course en route to France! And Dorothy's arrival contradicts Baum's version. Still, if one may theorize that Windbag was mistaken about the Witch's origin, and that Dorothy may have had an encounter with some different Munchkins after Tattypoo and the others left, this book is not too bad. And of course I can approve of anything that helps children learn to read. 2 stars.

THE BIRTHDAY BOOK is as simple as it sounds. Jan Yager has created a small journal with a calendar in which to keep track of loved ones' birthdays, an address book to store contact information, a space to record presents sent and received, and an additional section in the back for notes. There is even a list of each months' birthstones in case you would like to purchase somebody their birthstone as a gift. Somebody's birthday is one of the most important days of their year, and even in today's busy world, everybody deserves recognition for the day they came into the world. Dr. Yager's book is a cute and effective way of making sure you stay on top of the birthdays that matter to you. Not to mention it could make a great present.

Nothing like this has ever been written.

This book combines a book of days with an address book (that allows only 11/16" to write in 'name/address/phone/email', a birthday card/gift record, a holiday list (whose pages are the same as the b'day card/gift record), and a few pages for 'notes'. The typography is uninspired, the layout looks like an afterthought. For keeping track of birthdays (which is what I wanted to do in the first place), I recommend Sally Fox's 'Medieval Woman: Illuminated Book of Days'. Better production, higher quality, and (I believe) cheaper.

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.

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.

I received this book as a gift originally for my first child and then once i had another I got it as a gift from my Dad to compliment the first one. Then I had a third child and discovered the book was out of print and was lucky enough to find on Amazon. I had not used any of them until recently when I decided to start my middle child's book (as he was about to turn 3 and figured it'd be easy to catch up on). I completed his 3 yrs but when I went to put all the pages back in the book, it didn't fit. It is a post bound book and once I had scrapped the pages (there are 6 for EACH yr) they didn't fit back inside--and I added extra posts! nEedless to say, I was disappointed. I ended up buying 3 ring binders to use as covers but then as I was placing the pages inside the page protectors, I realized that I had cut down my 12 x 12 pgs to fit inside the book and now they kind of "float" around the 12 x 12 protectors-had to cut approx. 3/4" off the side to fit in book. Any then, I had to repunch the holes in the folders that coordinate with each yr so as to keep my story that I had written in the birthday memories section and the pocket that holds cards/invites/etc.. all together. Loved the "idea" of the book but the practicality of it is less than desireable. At least I know after only doing one child's first 3 yrs and can just do all the others on 12 x 12 paper and not cut them down first so they'll stay nicely in the pg protectors. But I had double the costs as I had to buy 3 new binders to accomodate the thickness of the pages.

I was so glad to find this scrapbook. The design is good for a boy or a girl (I have a boy) and other ones I had seen were to feminine. Now I just need to find the time to put something in it!

Fun Book for all you scrapbookers looking for Birthday ideas