Birthdays Books

Chato's back. Having learned his lesson from his encounter with the mice in "Chato's Kitchen" this kitty cat is now at peace with every animal he encounters. So much so, in fact, that he is quite the partier. While attending the birthday celebration of the dog Chorizo, Chato discovers a sad fact about his buddy Novio Boy. Originally from the pound, Novio Boy never knew his mother and never had an official birthday. That's all the info Chato needs as an excuse to throw for Novio Boy one of the biggest birthday celebrations ever. He hires a dj, buys tons of food and presents, even purchases a gigantic blow-up dog to fight with. As the guests arrive, however, one fact remains alarmingly clear. Novio Boy was never invited to his own party! After some scrambling and a mistaken death everything turns out for the best and Novio Boy has one of the best pachangas a cat could hope for.

If you've never read a book that combines the effortless writing style of Gary Soto with the eye-popping grandeur of Susan Guevara, you're in for a treat. Like "Chato's Kitchen" this book provides a useful Spanish/English glossary for quick referencing. Spanish words pop up in appropriate places, never sounding forced or out of sync with the storyline. But illustrator Guevara has truly outdone herself here. In the previous Chato book the crazy energy and color of life was remarkable but not overwhelming. Here, on the other hand, Guevara's pulled out all the stops. From the guardian angel-like imagery of Novio Boy's mother that flies, unseen, from picture to picture, to Chorizo's beret and the repetitive phrase (which I loved ) "We are not a minority" that appears in a couple scenes in the background, this book has it all. Best of all is the moment in which each character (thinking Novio Boy dead) stands and thinks of what they liked best about him. As they do, Novio Boy appears on each person's head, acting out their compliments. Guevara also has a sense of movement that allows each character to slouch, run, relax, or dance in a natural free flowing way. It's a talent most illustrators pray they'll attain in their lifetimes.

Some people might be put off by the energy and dynamics in this book. If so, I am truly sorry. My advice would be to flip through this book to make sure you're up to the challenge of reading it to your kids. After all, if your reading style is flat and colorless, this is not the book to put your children to bed with. You are, in fact, unworthy of the text. If instead, however, you have a sense of style and flair that can match this eloquent book, definitely seek it out. Honestly, you've never seen anything like this before.

"Chato and the Party Animals" is a fun children's book by Gary Soto. The story is superbly complemented by Susan Guevara's illustrations. The book opens with a Spanish-English glossary. The text is in English, with Spanish words from the glossary ("comida," "el barrio," etc.) blended in.

Chato is a cat -- described as a "party animal since he was a kitten." But he's also a caring cat, and the story's plot is set into motion when Chato comes up with an idea to cheer up Novio Boy, a friend of his who is feeling sad.

"Chato" is really hilarious. In addition to the Spanish words, Soto spices up the dialogue by having the cats call each other "dude" and "Homecat." The story involves a nice mix of silliness and warmth, and ultimately celebrates friendship. Guevara's outrageous, colorful pictures are full of energy and packed with surreal details. Definitely something out of the ordinary, and something special.

This book is great on so many levels. I read it with students I tutor and they requested it again and again. At the end of the year I gave them each a copy as a gift. Both of them opened it and got wide-eyed as they saw what it was! One of them said, "This is my favorite book ever!" This was wonderful to hear from a kid who started out so reluctant to read. The story is great on so many levels; there is a message of friendship that is not sappy, but very sincere. Soto also skillfully weaves in the culture of the barrio with his use of Spanish and Mexican themes. What a lovely story.

Novio Boy is a tough kitty, but he does have one soft spot. He comes from the pound. He never knew his mami, and since he doesn't know when his birthday is, he's never had a party. When his best friend Chato realizes how sad this makes him, he decides to throw him a huge birthday party. This is a delightfully fun story of community and friendship. Soto cleverly intertwines Spanish and English, bringing in slang from both languages, creating a cool, hip atmosphere. These homecats kick back and say things like, "he was muy kind," and "the coolest carnal in all the barrio." The language gives us a true taste of barrio spanglish. When Soto's deliciously funny words marry Guevara's festively vibrant acrylic illustrations, the story truly becomes alive.

I have this book and it it really easy to learn. If your new to astrology and are interested in it I suggest this book. If your the type of person who worries constantly about the future I suggest you only read your yearly spread for the year you are in now. The reason why I gave this book four out of five stars is because of this. In the book there is a divorce card some of you out there who are married and are truly in love might find it kind of disturbing if you find a divorce card in your spread. I thought this was ok except for the fact that the book says that it will happen to you regardless. My thoughts on this is yes I believe in destiny but, I also believe that if you have a chance to see what is going to happen in the future then you can try to avoid it or make some kind of changes in your life. This book on the other hand basically says you have no options this is what is going to happen so deal with it. Other than that I love the book it's easy to learn and I'm going to purchase love cards soon.

I would recommend this book to anyone. Robert Camp could easily be the new self-help guru for the spiritually perplexed American. His system enables you to look at the issues, and challenges you are facing in your life and advice on how to turn them into positive experiences that will aid you in your growth toward a more fulfilled and rewarding life. Of course, on a less deep perspective the book is just absolutely entertaining in that you can look at your life and the lives of your acquaintances and see what's happening under the covers! Real life soap! Amazingly accurate. If you read this book you will want to get Love Cards also to help you understand yourself and the reason you pick your relationships. Last month I bought quite a few metaphysical & self help books to see what people had to say, Robert Camp goes right to the heart of the matter(s), his advice is practical and applicable, with instant results! (If you're ready.)I endorse all his publishings.

This book is EXCELLENT !!! The very best in accuracy, simplicity and an extremely valuable tool for psychic intuitives and therapists. A MUST GET !!!

As I have searched for good astrological and fate-finding related books, I have never seen a book so simple and effective! If you like to know more about yourself and others, this is the book to have! This shows you how you deal with people in different times in your life, as well as what you can do to make the best of it! Use this book in conjunction with Love Cards and you're sure to be a better person for it!

I JUST KEEP ADDING MORE AND MORE PEOPLE TO MY GIFT LIST THAT WOULD BE THRILLED TO GET SUCH A "COOL" GIFT. EACH PAGE MAKES ME SMILE. THE AUTHOR'S WORDS ARE SOOOO TRUE TO WHAT THE PHOTOGRAPHER SO PERFECTLY CAPTURED. THIS IS A PERFECT GIFT FOR ANY OCCASION, PARTICULARLY HOLIDAY TIME. IT MAILS EASILY (I'VE ALREADY MAILED 10!) AND WILL LOOK JUST GREAT UNDER ANYONE'S TREE. PERFECT BOOK, PERFECT TIME TO BUY SEVERAL; A REAL FUN BOOK!

THE BOOK HITS HOME WHEN IT COME TO OUR BEHAVIOR TOWARDS EACH OTHER. KIND OF MAKES YOU THINK. GOOD BOOK

DogSense is a delightful book to curl up with.Also makes a wonderful book to give as a gift.

A perfect "coffee-table" book. Cute pictures with great stories to go along. Who can resist dogs? (I'm not just saying this because me and my dog are in it!!)

My grandson's birthday is on Earth Day, so what more appropriate could this book be? Each child in his Kindergarten class donates a book to the class on their birthday, so I bought him this book to take to his class. You can not imagine what a hit it has turned out to be. The children read/sing it everyday. The pictures are fantasic and the narrative beautiful. This book rates 5++++ stars!!

Librarians and teachers looking for a great theme book to share on Earth Day will delight in this one. The lively rhyme may be sung to the tune of The Twelve Days of Christmas. The animals portrayed have all been brought back from the brink of extinction, which proves the effectiveness of conservation programs, and the gentle, detailed illustrations portray a dazzling variety of ecosystems. It will complement any teaching shelf.

Earth Day Birthday is a beautifully illustrated picture book for young readers, demonstrating the wonder and importance of the planet's varied environment and the amazing creatures who thrive in it. The text by Pattie Schnetzler is patterned after the popular "Twelve Days of Christmas" song; each two-page spread features lavish color illustrations and lyrics such as "On the eighth Earth Day Birthday the wide world gave to me... / Eight cranes a-dancing / six owls a-hooting / five spotted fawns / four salmon leaping / three panthers creeping / two grizzlies sleeping / and a bald eagle in a blue sky." The final two pages offer a brief history and incentive to celebrate Earth Day, as well as the simple music for singing aloud. Wonderfully enhanced with the artwork of Chad Wallace, Earth Day Birthday is a counting book classic to share with preschool and kindergarten age boys and girls.

A perfect way to celebrate Earth Day every day for you and your child. Earth Day Birthday shows twelve different species of animals in their natural habitats. The catchy sing-along text combined with the awesome action illustrations truly make this book a treasure!

When I went to introduce my preschooler to Winnie-the-Pooh, I bought the big book with the complete stories and poems. It didn't take long for me to figure out that it wasn't quite right for my 3-year-old. Reading a story out of the original works takes a good 15-20 minutes, which is more than one can really expect from a preschooler or toddler. Also, the original Pooh is a bit like Sesame Street, in that there are phrases and indeed entire sections of the stories that adults will find amusing but which will just go over a child's head.

And yet, I didn't want to break down and go the route of the Disney-fied Pooh books, with their cartoonish illustrations and watered-down plots and characters.

That's why I was so pleased to find the Easy-to-Read series. There are six easy-to-read titles from two publishers. They are:

Winnie-the-Pooh and Some Bees
Pooh Goes Visiting
Eeyore Has a Birthday
Tigger Comes to the Forest
Christopher Robin Leads an Expedition
Pooh Invents a New Game

Each book is based on one chapter from the complete works. These little books are divided into four chapters, although it should be no problem to read one from start to finish in one sitting.

The print is large and well spaced, and there are ample illustrations (the original drawings by E.H. Shepard) on every page spread to keep little eyes engaged in the story. Most important, the editor has removed most of the passages that aren't so kid friendly and has simplified the stories without giving them a Disney style candy coating. One could read the original story and then the easy-to-read version and get the same basic plot; when going from the Milne works to the Disney versions, the same is certainly not true.

I didn't give these books five stars because the editor retained some language and dialogue that may be a bit confusing for children in the intended age range. Nevertheless, these books are a wonderful introduction to a classic cast of characters for the preschool set.

I love eeyore he is my favorite charter. I loved his book. It was neato.

When all the characters in the imaginary world of Winnie the Pooh go on their day to day mischiefs, forgetting a friends special day, it makes one see how cartoon characters really portray real life situations. The full page of colors allows one to sit back and get the satisfaction of a children's book. Yet this book not only addresses a child's awareness nor is it an entertainment instrument but as well as a joyful piece of literature for any age group to admire

This little book is an exact reproduction of a chapter 6 in the original book, Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne, with the original illustrations by Shephard enhanced by judicious watercoloring. All the charm of the original, in a perfect size for reading to littler kids, who can feel satisfied at having been read "the whole story." Also good for children just starting to read all by themselves.

Beautifully bound and illustrated, this little book is part of a series of 10 such Pooh books published by Dutton. Don't confuse these 10 "storybooks" with the even smaller and abridged board-books for infant/toddlers.

I ordered this book to complete the set, half thinking I would use it only once. On a whim I took it to an art gallery/party (fun casual blast) and set it on the counter while I worked so guests could read it. Almost everyone stopped to check it out, and all said it was very close or dead on accurate. A lot of people wrote down the name and asked where I found it. Take this to a gathering, it will be appreciated.

When i first heard about this book,i was only mildly and atrabiliously interested in this latest horoscope book on the topic of 'personality-divination'.I didn't know what to think about it.I thought that it was just some kind of a door-stop for soothsayers. I saturninly investigated whether it was nonsense or something profound.This forecasting birthday book is amazingly accurate indeed! I was impressed by the foretelling essense of what one could expect for one's birthday.For the astrological based predictions,this book is metaphysically of high eminence.The tarot,numerology,color-codes and wiccan postulations are quite rational and persuadable.I analyzed all the days within the book,and was awestruck by the revelations for anyone's date of birth.This is not trite 'Horoscopus-Pocus'!I think this book was established and based upon the evidence ,of many other past authors, through the years gone-by.In the years to follow,this book will gain in popularity,i would attest to this.Simply because it will be proven orthodoxically correct for astrology scholars on dates of birth and their personality associations.I can't think of another birthday-divination tome around ,that could match this one yet.

This book was inspirational from the very moment I picked it up and turned to my Birthdate of November 18th, it described me perfectly, even nailing my choice of careers perfectly, and even knew about the fact that I am an inspiring writer as well, how refreshing to pick up a book and it tell you so much about yourself that you knew, but just wanted someone else to reaffirm for you. Perfect fit in my case! It nailed my wife's birthday as well. We plan on taking it with us to our family get togethers during Christmas and New Year's to see how accurate it is for our other family members. This book is highly recommended to all, although I recommend buying it at Barnes and Nobles, where you can get it for 20 bucks brandnew, instead of the 33 dollars that Amazon will charge you.

Theresa Chueng's book is brilliant! Her chart of my birthday and my family were spot on! For each of the 366 birthdays of the year, Chueng's book provides you with a birthday "theme", your challenges, people you are drawn to by birth date rage, your best and dark side attributes. You get a great synopsis of Love, Health, Career, and your Destiny. She also provides you with your sun sign, ruling planet, birth date ruler (planets), the Tarot Card related to your birth date (major arcana), your favourable numbers and your lucky days, lucky colours and your birthstone. I was very excited reading over my chart. My Higher Self made me feel the greatest joy, reaffirming myself to my Self. Enjoy the book! In Love and Light,

I read Emma Lea's Tea Party and was immediately moved to send it to my niece Emma. She is 4 years old. She absolutely loves the book and thinks it is about her. Such a beautiful tale with illustrations to match. A little girl can weave fantasies about this book. I can hardly wait until the next Emma Lea book!

I'm always looking for fun stories to read to the kids at our family get-togethers. I loved this book and so have the kids and adults with whom I've shared it. In this story Emma Lea is excited and feeling very grown-up because she has finally been invited to her Grammy's birthday party. Grammy's birthday is celebrated every year at a very special tea party with her mother and aunts. But the party doesn't turn out quite the way Emma Lea imagined it would. The way she handles the situation, with some wise support from her Grandpop, make this a valuable lesson for kids and adults alike. It's a sweet story and nicely illustrated too.

Beautifully written - beautifully illustrated. A wonderful book to be read with an adult or read alone.

This book is a great way to help kids learn to appreciate the world of tea. It's well written and most girls will be able to identify with Emma Lea.

I love this book! It is a well written, with the words and pictures supporting each other in the way that a picture book should. The dialog is realistic and the ending wonderful. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a picture book that offers humor, action, and a unlikely hero.

This is really the cutest book. The listeners can get involved with the repetition of key phrases. I found a stuffed possum that looks just like Epossumondas! There are a couple of other books about Epossumondas that are also great!

Coleen Salley's EPOSSUMONDAS SAVES THE DAY will reach ages 3-7, pairing Janet Stevens' lovely, fun drawings with the unique and lively tale of Epossumondas' birthday. Mama's whipping up his favorite biscuits - but she's out of sody sallyraytus (baking soda), leading Epossumondas on a chase to find the missing ingredient - facing a huge, ugly Louisiana snapping turtle in the process. A zany tale evolves.

I have 7 grandchildren who all LOVE the Epossumondas books. Every single time they come to visit those are the first books they want me to read to them.

I borrowed this book from the public library for my 3 year old daughter and after I returned it, she kept asking for the "flower book." The illustrations are beautiful and the concept is really nice.

We have a two-year-old daughter who picks this book out every day and every night to read. The illustrations are breathtaking. The story is simple but relevant; we follow every detail as the father and daughter walk the city street and ride the bus. We love to watch the daughter planting the flowers with her father; the mother coming home from school to see her birthday surprise. I have no doubt that this book will be with us for another generation or more (at least in our house). Thank you to the two wonderful artists who created such a special book.

I am a student teacher in a three year old preschool classroom. We recently planted mums outside our window, and afterwards read this story to the children. They loved the beautiful pictures and the contrast between the city flowerbox and our daycare garden.

my pre-school class found the book to be very exciting and could'nt wait for me to turn the next page.the bright colors of the cover and pages were so liking a good childrens book,that we planted a garden like described in the book.i have had parents ask where can they get this wonderful book for their own child. we really enjoyed it!this book described a family so close and loving,you can't help but smell the flowers and feel the love in that household.

My daughter (30 months) loves this book. We have to read it everyday. She is intrigued by Froggy putting together all of the ingredients to bake a cake. She also loves the "flop flop flop" of froggy "flopping" off to another area. It's a very charming story. I'm going to look into the other froggy books. (Illustrations are great!)

My son and I love to read FROGGY books. He's a cute, clumsy, and the funniest frog. What spectacular creativity on the Author's part. Wonderfully amusing!!!!!

We love Froggy! My almost three year old son just loves the Froggy stories and this newest one is by far his favorite. Join Froggy as he goes through the steps to bake a cake! Great story for Preschoolers!

My 23 month old loves this book! He thinks its funny that froggy spills as he makes this cake, this is one of his favorite books, well written and illustrated. Now I want to get more froggy books!