Childrens Days Books

This book had more than one surprise. When I first read it as a kid I was confused about which surprise the title was actually referring to. Some of these surprises included creative ideas for a thanksgiving project(the play was chosen), karen and her brother having 2 thanksgiving dinners on the same day, karen adding 3 more self-written verses for the song in the school play that she had a hand in co writing, and her grandparents all the way from nebraska showing up on thanksgiving.

that is the surprise! I was more surprised about her musical talent than anything, considering that she doesn't really have that in the other books in the series. A songwriter, singer, dancer and actress all in one! Karen could have been a triple threat! It was brilliant how she wrote the song and suggested that the class sings it instead of just walking onstage! It was even more surprising when she stole the show at the end by adding her own verse that no one knew about, right along with dance steps appropriate for the turkey role she was playing. I also liked reading about her thanksgiving dinners even though it was a disaster in the end.

this book is all about thanksgiving, emphasizing on the food the most. Like what they were all having for dinner, and karen being part of the thanksgiving play being the turkey and her classmates being other food. She even writes a song for them to sing onstage which worked really well.

The surprise of the book is basically karen writing a part all for herself as the turkey and not telling anyone about it.

karen's class put on a play about thanksgiving feature native americans, singing food and a surprise song and dance number from karen, who shows musical talent in this book with singing, dancing and songwriting(just for this book!). Then she has yummy thanksgiving food with her families

thanksgiving is coming up and karen's class is putting on a play about thanksgiving in which there will be a family and a bunch of classmates dressed like native americans and like food. Karen feels funny about wearing a turkey costume so she writes a poem that was turned into a song by the music teacher at school and they all sang that for the play. Karen also surprises everyone by singing and dancing her own solo at the end of the play but everyone loved it. I find it funny though how few books before in karen's grandmothers she was not into music and dancing at all and now all of a sudden she is into it, oh well it's still a great book. Also, there are two thanksgiving dinners for karen at the big house and the little house on the same day and karen ends up with a stomachache from eating too much but I love the way all the delicious food is described such as pecan pie, turkey, olives, butternut squash, apple pie, ice cream rice with vegetables and so on. Out of all the thanksgiving books written about karen, this one was the best one possibly cause it was the first one and had no other little sister thanksgiving book to live up to. Same with Karen's Wish, that was the best Christmas book about karen, and I guess you can almost consider it a sequel to this book since it came out right after this one.

I was sent this simple, but most heartwarming first novel by my new friend Tracy by another good friend at CFI to read and review a few weeks ago and I just finished it Sunday after Church. I started reading it while waiting for our 22 year old son going through intake at our local Lourdes PACT Team Counseling Service, as he has been suffering with mental illness since he was 15. This sensitve and cheerful story shows a brighter side of families dealing with Autism, but in the mid 50's when society shunned people afflicted with mental and physical disorders. Since I worked with people with these handicaps in a hospital environment, I came to understand and love these people. Having people of any age locked up in institutions, was inhumane, as I witnessed former patients placed in nursing homes that had been institutionalized, dam aged from shock therapy, etc, it hurt me. Our former bishop's second oldest son has three Autistic children and two are being mainstreamed this fall, which I think is super!!! And, this is my second novel on autism by an LDS author. The other book is Faraway Child by Amy Maida Wadsworth. I recommend this wonderfully, eye-opening novel to everyone.

What a heartwarming story that gives people who have children with handicaps and those who incounter children with handicaps in public a new perspective! The book was so well written I couldn't put it down until I was finished!

This is a deeply moving and very beautiful story.

Set in Indiana in 1955, Beverly and Warren are at a loss as how to raise their 5-year-old son, Keller who has autism. Marginally verbal, the boy is rigid about routines and has difficulty interacting. He also requires a lot of supervision.

Beverly luckily has a small support system in the form of a very kind malt shop owner and a neighbor who discloses her own secret anguish. Warren is a kind and loving husband and father who spurns his sexually predatory secretary's inappropriate advances and who turns a deaf ear to his father's sexist comments. His family and his 1953 Dodge Coronet are his pride and, to him, his best accomplishments.

Parts of this book are funny. Keller's special interest in elephants leads to an embarrassing episode in a grocery store where his drive to find toy elephants proves costly. He also demonstrates destructive behavior while visiting one of Beverly's friends.

Things come to a head in early 1956. Keller's behavior spirals out of control with some devastating consequences. Warren is forced to consider making a desperate, drastic decision.

A beautiful, deeply moving story set during an era when the word "autism" had only been coined little more than a decade earlier (1943), the delightful characters and rich descriptions as well as the history lessons contained throughout and within the story all work to make this a masterpiece.

Tracy Winegar has hit a home run with her first novel. Keeping Keller is a poignant tale that makes the reader think twice about children and relationships. I loved it and highly recommend it.

This wonderfully written novel is sure to take you in. I read it from cover to cover in a matter of 24 hours, I literally could not put it down! I thought the author was brilliant in her descriptions and the book flowed so smoothly that it was as if I was there witnessing it all with my own eyes. It opened for me, a window into a world I know almost nothing about, and as result of it, I hope to be more sensitive, and more compassionate in the future to people that deal with mental or physical disabilities.
Thank you for writing such an inspiring story, it has been a long time since I have been touched so deeply by a book.

Every parent should have this book for their child before starting Kindergarten! My son even took it to his first day of Kindergarten and his teacher read it to all the kids. She added a copy to her classroom library!

Totally well written and adorable, this book has been a great springboard for my daughter to open up about her concerns for starting kindergarten in a few weeks. Love it and recommend it to all parents of children entering kindergarten.

I bought Kindergarten Rocks! as a present for my nephew who is starting kindergarten in the fall. He was feeling a little anxiety, especially since he is an only child and has not seen an older sibling start kindergarten. The book is lighthearted and fun and the perfect way to give an only or oldest child some older-sibing advice about the big day. My nephew reads the book every night and he has also taken it to preschool show-and-tell to show all the kids that Kindergarten Rocks! I also got Welcome to Kindergarten, which is a fine book, but would be my second choice. For any anxious parents, I'd recommend The Mommy's and Daddy's Guide to Kindergarten, which my sister now reads every night before bed too :-)

I have a rising kindergartener and he loves this book, as does my 4 yr old.

My 5 year old son loved this book before starting kindergarten this year and still loves to read it. He really related to the story since he had the same apprehensions and fears about kindergarten as the boy in the book.

This story is so so so so so exciting. I just could not set the book down! First it is about how Kit thinks that she lives a dull life and she wants to do some thing that she would never forget and she did beacuse I don't think she will ever forget this ever! first she has this hobo come and spend the night at kits house for lots of nights and Kit has to do all the work for him and also for her. Then awhile later Kit and a few other boys are in a boxcar, a police thinks that they are all hobos the police takes them to......... JAIL! Will Kit get out and save the day or will they be stuck in jail for the rest of their lifes? Read this wounderful book and find out. You won't sst the book down.

Ten-year-old Kit Kittredge can't stand the fact that she never has the chance to experience any adventure or excitement. With her older brother, Charlie, away in Montana with the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps), having all sorts of fun and adventurous times, Kit feels left out of the loop, and begins to realize that the Great Depression is seriously cramping her style. Especially when her parents demand that she help out in the garden, and with tons of different chores, when she could be upstairs, clacking away on her typewriter, creating the newspapers that she loves so much. So when a young hobo named Will appears on Kit's doorstep, with tales of the hobo jungle, and riding the rails, Kit feels that her life just got more boring. It seems that everyone is doing something exciting besides her. And when Will informs Kit that girls just a bit younger than Kit are seen riding the rails all the time, Kit begins to fume. What she wouldn't give to do something so daring. So when Kit convinces her parents to allow her and Stirling to visit the hobo jungle, with some snacks for Will and the other starving hobos, she has no idea what she will encounter. Soon she sees that the hobo jungle isn't as exciting as she thought, with people suffering, and children going hungry each and every night. But when an acquaintance of Will's dares her to hop the rails, Kit feels that it's her duty to take the dare, and hop the train, even though it's illegal. But then something unexpected happens. Something that makes Kit realize the error of her ways, and it's up to her to save the day before something terrible happens.

Not since the original American Girl, Samantha, have I felt that I could so easily relate to one of the characters from the AMERICAN GIRLS series. However, since I discovered Kit, I find that I always have that feeling. Kit is a girl who could easily win anyone's heart. With her chipper personality, kindness, bravery, and nose for news, she's a wonderful role model for the girls of today. The introduction of a new character to the Kit series, known as Will, makes KIT SAVES THE DAY even more interesting than previous books in this series, giving readers an up-close glance at how horrible the life of a hobo is, as well as showing us just how many tragedies the Depression truly caused. Will is an exciting character, whose bright outlook on life - even given his situation - is admirable; while his determination to make a better life for himself is something that everyone will respect. Valerie Tripp has woven another exciting tale about Kit's life that is sure to leave readers craving more, and determined to have an adventure similar to that of our young heroine - sans the danger!

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

In Kit Saves the Day, ten-year-old Kit Kittredge is longing for adventure. She's tired of the monotony of life at home: always having to do chores for the boarders at the boardinghouse her family has set up and never having any real excitement. Kit fantasizes about the lives hoboes live. After all, who wouldn't love to see all of the United States while having adventures hopping freight trains, and camp out at night under the stars, eating stew and sharing songs and stories with others, with no chores or work?
Then, Will, a young hobo, comes to stay at the Kittredges, and Kit finds herself with an oppurtunity to have an adventure. But when all is said and done, Kit realizes that her idyllic fantasies about hobo life were far from reality.
Kit is one of my favorites out of the American Girls collection, and this book was a great addition to her collection of stories. Kit learns and grows a lot in this story, and the plot of the story is engaging, and will teach readers a lot about the Great Depression. This book is perfect for girls in their pre-teen and early teenage years, especially those who are fans of the American Girls collection.

Kit Saves the Day is easily the best book in the Kit series. Kit's Aunt Millie is staying at Kit's house and she has put Kit to work planting and caring for a garden. Kit is doing her chores in the garden one day when a young boy named Will walks into her yard. Aunt Millie sees him and immediatly invites him to join them for supper. Will tells Kit and her friend Stirling about the 'hobo jungle'. When Will leaves, Kit notices that she and Stirling didn't give him any food for his journey! Kit knew that Will would need food, so she and Stirling walk to the hobo jungle. There, they see ragged people with holey clothes and shoes. Kit meets Will's friend Lester. Lester persuades Kit and Stirling to hop a frieght train! The train is stopped because hopping trains is against the law. The police take Kit, Stirling, and Will to jail! Can Kit make it out of jail and save the day? Read this exciting book to find out! You won't be able to put it down!

Kit is sad this summer because her brother Charlie went off to college. One day a hobo named Will came to Kit's house. Will came from Texas. Kit's Mother invites Will to eat dinner with them that night. Will shows Kit and Stirling some hobo signs. Will tells them about the hobo stew. Kit wants to try the hobo stew. He also tells about the hobo jungle. That's where the hobos live. So the next day Kit and Stirling take food to the people who live at the hobo jungle . But while they are there, they learn about jumping rails. They do it and get sent to jail. Kit leans a very valuable lesson. I really liked this story. It shows how much we have to be thankful for. Kit won't be looking for adventure for a little while. This is one of my favorite Kit books ever!

My family loves this book. It's a wonderful blending of the story of St. Valentine and the struggle for racial equality today. The children and situations in the story are believeable and real. They provide a great premise for discussing predjudice with my children while also learning how the sacrificial love demonstrated by St. Valentine can apply to life situations today. We liked this book so much that when our first copy got accidentally destroyed, we hunted down another through Amazon.com to replace it.

While I agree with all that has been said on the this page about this book, I have to add that it would be appropriate for all elementary and even junior high school students as it deals with the issues of race and racial reconciliation in a powerful way.

I love this book because it presents a powerful message in a simple, unsentimental way. The illustrations are amazing -- I'm partial because my daughter and ex-husband were models for several of the illustrations that appear in the book! So thank you, Don Tate. You did a wonderful job, as did the author. A beautiful story about something most of us have a hard time doing: loving our enemies.

simply beautiful, both visually and linguistically...powerful meaning as well...I recommend it highly.

I bought one copy of the board version of the book and loved it. I promptly ordered 10 more copies and several copies of the hardcover book for the children in my church. The hardcover has more text and is even better than the board book. Both books talk about Christ; saint Valentine - who was a Christian who suffered in jail, but blessed and converted his jailers- about the civil rights movement and peaceful resistance, about familiy values and closeness, and EVEN ABOUT HOW TO DEAL WITH A SCHOOL BULLY. Its main message is that we should not fight evil with evil, but should bless our enemies. At the last page, Marcus, the boy in the story, stretches out his hand and asks the class bully to accept his friendship. It reminded me of Christ's call to humanity to accept Him and his salvation... it's up to each person to accept. I highly recommend the book, either version.

Great book for my purposes -- to use in a pre-school music class.

This book is absolutely adorable!!! A very sweet valentine book with fun, colorful pop-ups and a sweet valentine poem!! Such a great book!!!

I bought this book for my son this past Valentine's Day. He had gotten Halloween Bugs in October and had enjoyed that one so much I thought I would be good for him to have another.

Since my son is 2 we had to explain to him that you do not pull the flowers out. Once we got past that, he seemed to be content with leaving the pop-ups in the book. When we got finished reading it the first time he demanded that we read it again. Even after the tenth time in a row he did not get tired of it. I find I have to hide it sometimes in order to not have to read it 20 times in the same sitting, but it never gets old watching him enjoy it so much.

I bought this book years ago for my now 9 yr old,. Now my 3 yr old has rediscovered all of Carter's books & loves them. She is a girly girl & is usually afraid of bugs but these bugs are so cute, she loves them. Of course as with most pop-up books,it is short & fragile-not for the very young to play with on their own. But it is a must-have for anyone with kids.

The cutest valentine book ever! The pop ups are wonderfully designed and it is a real attention getter! My only complaint is that the book isn't longer!! I would love to see more!

The book "Love is ..." was literally a thoughtful gift from someone who treasures these words from the New Testament, and lives by them. Wendy Anderson Halperin's illustrations are a gift to all readers.

The tiny sketches & watercolor decorations are delightfully reminiscent of the art of Erik Blegvad who illustrated "The Borrowers" and many other children's favorites, and also an annual calendar for Women's Day magazine. Halperin was chosen as illustrator for many lucky writers, including Cynthia Rylant, Pete Seeger, Jane Yolen, Kathryn Lasky, Sarah Orne Jewett and also the 100th Anniversary reissue of Frances Hodgson Burnett's "The Racketty Packetty House."

Wendy Halperin as 'adapter' and illustrator says that "how we respond to any person ... object ... situation ... is our choice ... and we can choose to ACT WITH LOVE." Saint Paul's familiar words from his first Letter to the Corinthians date back to 56 A.D. yet never 'grow old'. Reviewer mcHaiku hopes that those who enjoy these interpretations will write some of their own and even share in "Comments." This book will bring much pleasure, especially for the oldest to share with the youngest. Discuss your own definitions of LOVE. Find your favorite of the miniature drawings and talk, for example, about the visionary & muscular work of sculptors, and also the way Love breathes Life into a house. Talk with children about change, and how each of us needs others to comfort and sustain us when change makes the going tough.

This is a beautifully encouraging book brimming with LOVE to share.

My son is getting married in August. We plan to use this book as their registry. Guests can sign inside the front and back cover with a short note to the couple. Can we get some insight into the crumbling house in the lower left corner? Thanks.

This picture book illustrates the apostle Paul's words from I Corinthians, chapter 13. For parents who want their children to be biblically literate, this is an excellent choice. The illustrations are detailed and thought provoking.

I was disappointed to find that the "Love Is" was not the same as those published in the newspapers quite a few years ago. The couples were different but cute. I had clipped all the Love Is items from the news but in moving to another state they were lost and I was hoping the ones in the book would be the same as those. There were so many new ones I had never heard before. Especially in the original there were none about children or couples after marriage. Those were new. I am happy with the book but still disappointed.

My two year old and I pour over this book every night noticing different things in the collage-like pages and having discussions about things like kindness and patience. It's a great springboard for introducing these ideas and inspiring to me to be more loving as I teach my daughter about love. I also appreciate that Halperin includes all kinds of people in her illustrations -- all different races, different cultures, people with disabilities, etc... Our life is a little richer thanks to this book.

Want to be involved in your child's day when you're separated by work and school schedules? Then pick up Love Notes in Lunchboxes for myriad ideas on keeping in touch with your child . . . not just emotionally but spiritually. This book teaches how to affirm your child and always be part of his life.

I like the helpful pages in the back giving templates in different shapes, sizes and designs. With these, you can trace or photocopy, cut out, and personalize "love notes" for your own child.

If you have young children who are not yet in school, try reading The Birth to Five Book: Confident Childrearing Right from the Start.

I really like this book and have been communicating with my daughter through her lunchbox for the past three months. After the first note, my daughter came home and said that all of her friends were jealous :-) She now looks forward to notes. I don't put notes in every day (just to keep her guessing). The other reviews tell you what is in the book, so I won't waste time rehashing. I just want to testify that the notes have brought my daughter and I closer together.

What a neat book! In Love Notes, Gilden offers enough lunchbox ideas to keep moms sending notes throughout their child's school years. She includes creative lists, games, coupons, recipes--even reproducible templates for notes. In addition, she gives moms suggestions on other times to send notes (camp, college, etc) and includes fun lunchbox trivia in each chapter. Throughout the book, kids who received notes in their lunches weigh in on the benefits they received.

Love Notes in Lunch Boxes, sub-titled "...and other ideas to color your child's day" is bound to lighten your `chore' in making and packing a lunch for the kids. Not to mention the fun the kids will have when they find little notes tucked in between the apple and the peanut-butter and jelly sandwich.

The book has 169 pages of all kinds of tips, hints, tid-bits, stories and vignettes that will bring a smile as you read.

For example, Chapter Two deals with Special Days - birthdays, holidays, silly days, like After a Hard Homework Day. Gilden mentions that 5th grade at their elementary school is a dreaded year. It is a year of transition for the children, with so much to learn, and the homework piles up. So, this little section gives some nice suggestions for inclusion into the lunch box, and a little note example that reads:
"Wish I could have been more help with your math homework last night. We didn't learn it that way in the good old days. Be sure to ask your teacher for a little extra help if you still need it. Remember 1+1+1+1= (Dad+Mom+Sis+you) = our family and it's the perfect answer!"

That's just one small taste of all that is offered. There is another chapter in which the author mentions "Colorful Love Notes and Lunchboxes" For a "Red Lunch" pack the lunchbox with a pizza slice with tomato sauce; radishes; a red Delicious Apple and red licorice stick. An "Orange Lunch" would include a sandwich with American cheese, carrots, cheese curls and orange slices.

The last pages of the book contain templates in different shapes, sizes and designs you can trace or photocopy, cut out, and personalize for your own special notes.

All in all, this book has a lot of good stuff. And, when you get right down to it, you don't need to be confined to just kids. Many husbands take lunches to work, too. Imagine the smile on hubby's face when he finds that special little note just for him.

Love Notes in Lunchboxes. Get your copy today and see how much fun you can have with your kids - and hubby!

I wish I had thought of putting love notes in my kids' lunch boxes. I got this book for my daughter so my grandchildren can benefit from it. In fact, I think it's a great book to keep on hand for baby shower gifts. It is packed with ideas about how to make lunches special with notes and other ways to make lunchtime special.

My son loves all of the Tree House Books.
They just keep getting better & better!

REVIEWED BY: Wayne S. Walker
The latest "Magic Tree House" book (#39) is now out. This time Jack and Annie are whisked back to the 1870s in the South Pacific to join the crew of the HMS Challenger on their scientific exploration of the dark depths of the ocean. They get to meet some real historical characters, such as scientist Henry Moseley and Professor Charles Wyville Thomson. From 1872 to 1876, the Challenger sailed nearly 70,000 miles around the world and found more than 4,000 new species of sea life. However, will Jack and Annie survive a raging storm at sea and the tentacles of a giant octopus to get back to Frog Creek, PA, with their new secret of happiness for Merlin?

We have been reading the Magic Tree House books since they first came out, and both of our boys have enjoyed them. What I like about them is that a lot of history and a good deal of geography, along with a little bit of traditional myth and legend, are included in a fictional story that appeals to children. So the books are educational, but they are also fun! While some of Jack and Annie's dialogue is a little stilted, for the most part these books do not talk down to children but challenge both their thinking and their vocabulary.

My grandchildren can't wait for the new books of this series. They wer so thrilled when I brought it over and it's read in one to two days. They already told me how much they liked it and wish the new one was on it's way. I told them it's on order for when it's released.

We have the complete series of MTH books, both the simpler paperback ones and the Merlin Series hardcovers. Currently my (almost) 8 year old son is ensconced in the books, but my 11 year old read this book as well just because she wanted to say she's read them all (granted, it took her less than an hour to finish the whole thing, but she is reading at the 7th grade level so no surprise). Both really enjoyed the story, said it is one of the better story lines in the Merlin Series, interesting, creative, etc. Highly recommend.

Mary Pope Osborne's 39th addition to her 'Magic Tree House' series, DARK DAY IN THE DEEP SEA tells of Jack and Annie, who have to find one of the four secrets of happiness to help save Merlin the magician. But when they find themselves on a misty island, they wonder how they can find anything - and when a pirate ship turns out to be the world's first floating science lab, an even more exciting expedition results.

Wonderful books. This chapter series of books are short and exciting. I read a couple of chapters a night to my 5 year old. Before I start reading I ask him where we left off and what he thinks will happen next. His comprehension is great because he likes the variety of topics. The books include glipses into history and wee bit into the future. I would highly recommend these books to any parent. Plus I'm hoping that in a couple of years he will reread all the books to me.

Wonderful books for beginning readers. This box set is great value.
I bought the first set of these books for my 6 year old nephew. He lives in the UK where these books are not so readily available as they are here. He is enjoying them very much, so my plan is to be a very cool aunt and keep him supplied with them until he has a complete set.

The Magic Tree House Series is a great learning tool for children to pick up on history, science, etc mixed in with some adventure and fantasy.

Our five year old son is an early reader, and one of the problems we've had is finding good books that are challenging enough, yet age appropriate and interesting. A lot of the chapter books we found to be written more for children 7 years or older, and these didn't hold much interest for him, maybe because the material was too complex. On the other side, if the material was age appropriate they were written in a repetitive style using simple words that he found too boring. These books are just the right mix of interesting, exciting, and age appropriate, and we're glad to have found them. He was becoming bored with reading anything other than magazines, and these books have re-sparked his interest, which is exactly what we were looking for.

I bought the Magic Tree House books 1 through 16 for my eight year old daughter. She loves them. She reads a book in two days. She can relate to the stories and has an easy time explaining what she read. This is a great start-reader for children. Mary Pope uses a healthy combination of every-day words and with some more advanced verbiage. Though my daugter doesn't always understand the big words, she is introduced to them. This challenges her comprehension. I would recommend this series to parents of children ages 7 to 9.