Childrens Days Books

What's not to love about Carl? This is the best of the Carl books, save the original Good Dog Carl. In this book, Carl has to watch the baby and a new puppy in the park. The illustrations are multi-layer -- adults will pick up on things that kids won't (like the different art schools of the painters in the park). Adding the puppy is a fun twist. I was really glad to see this story in a board book for toddlers.

These are fanatastic books for any child (or adult!) who loves dogs. The illustrations are beautiful, and since the stories are told only in pictures, there is plenty of room for creativity when reading the book with your child(ren).

This is a book for very young children, but the illustrations are so lovely and detailed, and the situations depicted so full of wit and little hidden jokes, that I never get bored with it, even after "reading" it over and over and over again with my toddler. This is my very favorite of the Carl books, because the activities are totally non-materialistic and wholesome (riding a merry-go-round and a train, sharing an ice cream cone, getting sprayed by a hose), and because the park is recognizably inspired by beautiful Balboa Park in my native San Diego, where Alexandra Day lives. It's worth it to get both the board book and regular hardcover editions, just to appreciate the greater detail of the images in the larger format.

And I have to add just one more, mildly tongue-in-cheek comment: as for the "lesbian couple" alluded to in a veiled way by a previous reviewer -- well, I just have to giggle. Yes, there are two young, attractive women having a picnic on the grass as Carl and his charges go by. But it never would have occurred to me to impute homosexuality (or any kind of sexuality) to them. They're fully clothed (albeit in pants), and they're just sitting there -- hardly a lascivious scene no matter what your prejudices. Now if Tinky-Winky were pictured sitting with them, well, that would be a whole different story. I guess this just proves what everyone says is so wonderful about the Carl books -- you can interpret the images however you like.

I justed picked this book up at the library. I think it's great to have the majority of the book with no words, just gorgeous, colorful pictures. The more detail in the pictures, the better, as my almost-two year old loves to "find things" in them. With no words, he and I can make up our own story, it lets him decide whats happening. I plan to buy a few of the series to have around all the time.

Carl is such a great dog, and the pictures are just beautiful.

There is "no" story line with words so you can talk all about what Carl does or you can say as little as you like to.

Great series books!

Thank you for the hours of fun the kids have had search the 5 books we ordered.

Bought this book for my kids who are ages six and seven. Good mix of hard to find and easier to find items. We also bought I spy books for other kids that we know and they were hooked. Makes a nice gift.

My husband and I have more fun with these books whether it's with our grandson or our friends. We really get into it and found that it helps our eye coordination and our memory. I would highly recommend this to anyone at any age!

I find these books great mind stretchers, even for us older folks. This book especially is a learning tool because there is a page with all the letters of the alphabet surrounded by little objects that start with each letter. Another page groups things by category with overlapping categories. Really well done.

I love this series our daughter is about to enter kindergarten and she really enjoys finding all the items on each page!

This is the second book by Rob that I have collected and like the first, it is fun and creative.

I love this book! This is my kind of art: creative and colorful, realistic and impossible. I was expecting a little more from the writings inspired from the pictures, but because they are so short, they are the perfect length for a 2 and 3 year old. I also have imagine a night, and I read them to my kids at bedtime.

all i can say is... well read it. it's mostly pictures, so little to no effort on the reader, but it's worth it. there's a phrase on every page which enhances and ties together a collection of amazingly well done pictures. the pictures are somewhat surreal, like those pictures where there is a face and it can either be an old woman or a young woman, have we all been exposed to these? but optical illusions i guess. they are brightly coloured and imaginative and give the reader a lot to look at. the phrases don't exactly make a story out of the pictures, but there is a logical order to the presentation that can be almost thought provoking. it's a great book. to be flipped through by both young and old.

It is rare to find such a perfect combination of poetry and picture. Rob Gonsalves, a Canadian artist whose art evokes Escher and David Wiesner, pairs up with Sarah Thomson to create imaginative worlds of astonishing beauty and optimism. Gonsalves' painting of children walking across narrow wooden planks from skyscrapers to a picket fence in the garden are encapsulated in Thomson's "Imagine a day/...when you forget/ how to fall." And the last painting sums up the entire book: a library in which the books on the shelves are doors that open onto other worlds: "Imagine a day.../when a book swings open/ on silent hinges/ and a place you're never seen before/ welcomes you home." Truly a book for all ages.

This book consists of a wonderful collection of beautiful and creative drawings by Robert Gonslaves interspersed with poetic musings by Sarah Thompson. While most books listing an author and illustrator are mainly text, in this case the writing is superfluous at best, and annoying at worst. The sense of wonder inspired by the pictures needs no commentary, especially of the vacuous and meaningless stock thoughts written here. Don't get me wrong, the book is well worth the purchase price and can be looked at and enjoyed time and time again. Just next time, Gonslaves should strike out on his own with the art and perhaps some technical explanations of how he did what he did.

In Revere is the coming of age tale of Anthony Benedetto and his extended Italian-American family, yet it is also the account of the city of Revere, Massachusetts some forty odd years ago.

Merullo intertwines the two into one entity. Benedetto, orphaned at a young age becomes enmeshed with not only his sizable family of uncles, aunts and cousin's but within the atmosphere that defines Revere. In doing so he creates a conflict that Anthony has to comprehend to sort out the person he genuinely is.

The troupe of characters Merullo has tenderly created is difficult to abandon. The uncle with the oversized personality, who speaks with the grace of a bull and not a 'r' in sight! The Italian grandparents are drawn with out and out perfection, gracefully quiet, yet they have skillful unspoken wisdom that Merullo conveys to the reader with charm and lure.
(Yes, I'm from New England and yes, I had Italian grandparents!)

Revere itself will be a place difficult for the reader to leave behind, from the main street called Broadway, (I have many wicked memories of Broadway...especially during the Blizzard of '78!)...to the richly ornate church of St. Anthonys to the fine grains of sand of Revere Beach; all of these are calling cards to the young Anthony's experiences.

This book is a slice of modern, everday history. A well crafted, impeccably researched and laugh aloud story that is highly enjoyable regardless where you are from!

I am love with this story, the characters came to life, with the town of Revere playing a major character in itself. I identified with the character Anthony Benedetto and his family and laughed out loud many times as well as wiped away tears. I literally could not put this book down, and although I am a Bostonian I know this book will capture the heart of anyone anywhere. Roland Merullo is an excellent story teller, his other books are every bit as enjoyable as this one.

I haven't even finished In Revere, In Those Days, yet I already wanted to review it/recommend it. I am in love with this book. Merullo's writing is exceptional--he captures complex emotions in spare, concise sentences through his careful and perfect word choice. The characters are so well-developed they feel real--and wonderful and interesting. I would love to meet Grandpa Dom. Yes, this book is nostaligic and written like a sentimental memoir--that's part of its appeal to me. I hope I find Merullo's other books (I plan to read A Little Love Story next)as wonderful--perhaps it is this family's story specifically that draws me in. When I have finished the book, I'll re-check this assessment, but for now, I can not say enough about this novel if you enjoy beautiful and clean writing, a complete, well-drawn family, and nostaligic tales of how the dynamic of family relationships affects your life path.

Though I don't particularly love the two professional reviews listed here, I like the phrase "omniscient rememberance" that's used in one of them. That's part of the beauty of this novel: in addition to finely-drawn characters and places, and a lovely cadence to the sentences on the page, the author beautifully presents both the text and the subtext of the story at once, so that you are caught up in the richness of the lives that are presented within.

I loved this book for its nostalgia, for its acute observances of the life around the main character, Anthony, for the questions it brought up around my own family, and for the skilled technique in the writing itself.

A wonderful, wonderful work.

"In Revere, In Those Days" is the best novel I have read in years...sensitive, dreamy, with all the love and rough edges of growing up, and all the hopes and sorrows of adulthood. Merullo just draws you in to the Benedetto family and Revere. The story is told through Anthony's eyes and the family emerges and developes as Anthony matures and understands his clan with more clarity. Despite the troubles that surround his Uncle Peter and his cousin Rosalie the love and care that root the Benedettos are evident. It's a tale of another time, another place, that any baby-boomer will recognize.

Love it Love Love it! It was kind of sad when Abby didn't get the part she wanted. But then she helped rewrite the script(she's a great writer) so that made me happy and that definitly made her happy.

Have you ever been in a play? Abby had! This book is about Abby wanting to star in the play " PETER PAN ". ( Her teachers had planned it. )But she found out that she was only the Narrater. Miss Bunder told her to rewrite the " PETER PAN " so it would be less old fashion. ( If you want to read more ...... Read The Book!!! )
And I forget to tell you, this is also a very great book!

I love this series. It is apropreite for all ages from 1-100. It teaches morals and is funny at the same time. This book is about a girl named Abby Hayes who wants to be in a play to perform at her school when her grandmother is visiting. Most of the book is about her practicing for auditions but the end at the play is one of the best ending of any book.
I suggest that you read the first and second book of the series so you will understand it a little bit more.

I had fun reading this book. Ms. Bunder and Ms. Kantor are putting on a play. They let Abby do the job of rewriting the script.

The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes Reach for the stars is a great book. It is about a girl that is in fifth grade girl and her name is Abby. Abby has a writing class every Thursday. She loves the class because she loved to write in her journal. Abby's writing teacher decided to do a play. The play was Peter Pan. Abby got to rewrite the play. She was so happy about that. She practiced and practiced for the part that she wanted but she did not get it. Her teacher gave her the part of the narrator. Everyone loved the show she rewrote.
All of the Abby Hayes books are written in two kinds of print, black print and purple lettering. The black print is the author telling us the story and the purple lettering is Abby writing in journal. I love this series because I can relate to what she is going through. I think girls that keep journals would like this book a lot

Poor Abby Hayes! Every time she receives money she ends up spending it. She is having such a hard time saving up for her new rollerblades!

I like that Abby is not always spending her money on herself, but sometimes spends it on friends. Toward the end, this idea is again repeated when she has extra money that she chooses to spend on friends, teachers, and family. Appreciating others is a nice subtle message in this book.

The book has a mixture of text and diary like entries which makes it fun for kids to read. Abby tries a few different ways to earn money which are nicely woven into the story. I am always on the look out for books using a fictional story to teach children about money (as they seem to be fairly rare). This was certainly a worthy find.

I am a BIG fan of this series. This book acutally gave me the idea of having a garage sale. So,Abby wants new rollerblades,not Eva's(her SuperSis who is a twin)rollerblades. The ones that she wants are dark and shiney but best of all,they have purple wheels with a swirling,bright desing that would flash when they turned. Abby just has to have them...but how. She does her chores,looks on the streets for money,washes her dad's car and, takes care of Marshmallow(her neighbor's cat).She's going out of town for a week and when Heather(name of the neighbor) comes back she will give her $10.Perfect...until Marshmallow escapes. Uh-oh,wants a 10 year old girl to do? Read it for yourself.

This is a great book, although I HATE to play rollerblade. Abby planned a garage sale and save money to buy herself some rollerblades with purple wheels!( Purple was Abby's favourite colour. So am I!)

P.S.:Question:Do people actually save money to buy rollerblades?I wonder who.

Before the garage sale, Abby did many things, but she only got a few dollars. So at the gargage sale, she earned $162.75! She could buy rollerblades,new pads and presents for her friends
and family who had help her while she earn money. At the end, she still have little money for herself.(PHOO!)

In the fourth book in the series, Abby Hayes has hand-me-down rollerblades from her older SuperSis, Eva. Abby hates them, she can barely take them off! So she decides to save her money. Many unexpected things happen in the process, and someone in her family takes a trip to the emergency room! Abby finally gets an idea where she earns more than enough money to buy shiny purple rollerblades she has had her eye on for a while. I loved this book because it is so interesting to see how Abby resists the urge to spend money and how she finally accomplishes her goal. Read this book today!

This and the rest of the Abby Hayes series are amazing! The books are wonderful and very cool. There is one problem though: Anne Mazer (the writer) repeats the same thing over and over. Like about Abby's friend Jessica and how she has asthma. That kind of gets frustrating. But, overall, this book is great!

I used to read this book as a child at my Grandparents home during the holidays. I know others in the family have "dibs" on this book...so I've bought my own! It will become part of our family tradition to read this through the holiday season as well.

This is a great book to own and read every year. I love the moral of the book...don't judge a book by its cover! We also made a cranberry recipe (although not the one in the book)... it was fun and memorable!

This book has been a favorite in my family since my three children were little; we always read it at Thanksgiving time and made the special Cranberry bread, which is really delicious! Now that my children are grown up with children of their own, they are continuing the tradition. A very special book!

This book is very charming indeed! Maggie is a delightful young girl that knows looks aren't everything and befriends a man not based on his looks but based on his need for a friend. And when things start to fall apart at the Thanksgiving dinner she holds everyone together. I read this book to my children and we all loved it and are grateful to know there are others like it.

It is a great book that brings about the true spirit of thanksgiving with a little lesson thrown in, and the basis of the book...the secret Cranberry Bread recipe...is a delightful way to tie-in these fun and whimsical characters. And, to my delight, the recipe is included at the back of the book!

Great for parents to read and great for children to read!

This was one of my favorite books when I was a child. I loved the story tremendously, and the illustrations were mesmorizing. It always would put me in the mood for Thanksgiving, any time of year! I still read it today, and the pictures bring me back to a wonderful time. All of Harry Devlin's books are fantastic...and the Cranberry series is a must for children of all ages.

My fellow Protestants would do well to read the novels of Michael O'Brien, a gifted writer of literary fiction with a Christian worldview. The special effects-laden "Left Behind" series focused so much on the signs in the heavens accompanying the advent of the Antichrist, that we have overlooked the signs on earth, and the biblical warning that "many antichrists have arisen". O'Brien's "Children of the Last Days", while having to contend with the coming of the one Antichrist, also must deal with the "many" antichrists - the social and spiritual decline of the nations - that have paved the way for his rule.

"The Lord of the Rings" becomes a backdrop to "Plague Journal", and like that story, this novel follows a small band of travelers on a seemingly impossible mission to make their way through the darkness of their time without being overwhelmed by it. It's not essential to have read "Father Elijah" and "Strangers and Sojourners" first, but reading those two massive tomes is still time well spent.

Michael D. O'Brien is a masterful storyteller. He has compiled a stunning series, Children of the Last Days, of which Plague Journal is the second. I am now just beyond half way through Eclipse of the Sun, the third. I have two more to go, and by then perhaps he will have written some more. While I'm reviewing his work, I'd like to applaud his latest work : Island of the World. That was a "watershed" book for me.There are not words to convey the power and authority which which he strings words together. It is compelling fiction. Any one choosing to read Michael D. O'Brien's work will be in for a major treat as well as learning experience.

Michael O'Brien has a tendency to overwrite his books (one of his very few flaws as a writer). But in Plague Journal, he reined himself in (or finally got an editor who did) and the result is a book that is no less packed with plot tension, cultural criticism, and character development than his other tomes.

The middle book of a trilogy of books about the Delaney family (starting with Strangers and Sojourners and ending with Eclipse of the Sun), Plague Journal also fits within O'Brien's larger series, which he calls Children of the Last Days. The first of those is the explosive novel Father Elijah.

While Plague Journal is my personal favorite. I recommend reading it after Father Elijah and Strangers and Sojourners, since it needs the other two to provide its context in O'Brien's view of the Last Days.

And O'Brien's view is a bleak one. The government has become the tool of the antichrist, whether it knows it or not, and an honest journalist (even one who doesn't have a living faith in God) can't get an honest shake, but is hunted down.

Swift, sharp, and poigniant, O'Brien provides his readers with everything that Left Behind readers should have gotten but didn't and without all of the silly speculations. This is good literature that shapes the heart and the mind Christianly.

O'Brien's "Children of the Last Days" series shows what the apocalypse might be like through Catholic eyes. "Plague Journal" shows what an average man would go through when he sees the very land he loves slowly but surely choke off all joy and life in the name of an efficient government. The main character's actions and thoughts make you slow down and wonder what you'd do. Also, not all the characters automatically do the right thing. Each of their actions has a consequence, whether good or bad, and they have to put up with those consequences, which is more realistic. There's no flashy deux ex machina, but God works through the characters in a way that's somehow more majestic than simply suspending laws of nature to make sure the good guy wins. I highly recommend this book no matter what religion you follow. You will laugh, cry, and think.

As I'm sure most reviewers have said, be sure you read Strangers and Sojourners first; PJ is the second in the series. Also, it is good to read Father Elijah too; it occurs about the same time as PJ.

I read PJ in a week. It is one of the most moving books I've read, but I was reluctant to heed its message in the beginning. In this world of half-truths and deceptions where everyone is a partially educated philosopher and politician, PJ really does show the need to not believe everything we heard or read.

Should we be constantly paranoid? Not really. But a healthy skepticism is necessary.

Have not read this book yet, but I did receive it on time. Very happy about that.

I purchased this book for my daughter so she can read that anything is possible if you truly believe no matter who you are. We are now Big Grace fans !!!

I got the book as a gift for my grand daughter who likes to draw. The vivid colors and expressions on the characters faces should keep her interested for a while. The story line is an added bonus.

I liked this story because Grace can be Peter Pan if she put her mind to it. My favorite part is after the ballet. I would recommend this book to a friend because its about your imaginery. The book is amazing.

By: S.J.
Los Angeles
Age 5

This is a great story with a great message. It tells children there are no limits to what they can be. It tells children not to be deterred by sterotypes or opinions. You can be anything you set your mind to. I bought copies for both my son and my niece.

The book is easy to read. My daughter reads it to her brother. He loves the pictures. My daughter completed first grade and she related to Charlie's first day of first grade.

"Charlie's First Day in First Grade" uses humor and robust illustrations to tell the story of Charlie's attack of classroom performance anxiety. It is a cute story that can also be used as a launching point for discussing school anxiety with your children. We see the situation unfold through Charlie's eyes, complete with the cognitive distortions that feed anxiety: everyone is looking, everyone cares, everyone else knows the answer, everyone will remember this moment from now on. Of course, with just a little bit of time and advice from family, he is able to return to school and have a nice corrective experience, which he also distorts and amplifies in his mind but this time for good use.

I'd love to suggest a sequel, where Charlie masters a course of bio-feedback and goes on to a career as a virtuosic bassoonist. He goes on to marry a pagan librarian and together they discover the manuscripts of the lost Mozart bassoon concerti, but in the process inadvertently get themselves embroiled in an international conspiracy involving Russian submarines, Wal-Mart, Aer Lingus, and Larry King. Wait, wait, maybe I'll write that story. Never mind. You can't have it, Janice, I said it here first, August 15, 2007, M. Libman.

Beyond the value of the story and illustrations themselves, it is also a brisk read, so a very practical book to have around at bedtime when the children are clambering for just one more book.

Like Charlie, my little boy is starting first grade in just a few weeks now - and my little boy is experiencing anxiety even this far away from school and we are using Janice Savage's brightly illustrated, cleverly told story of Charlie to ease him into the idea that he will actually be in first grade soon, not kindergarten... that he will have a new teacher and some new friends... and it is ok to be scared, we understand.

Charlie is happy to be at school, it is a beautiful day surrounded by friends when the unthinkable happens - too many numbers and a question tossed his way that he can not immediately answer. (It reminds me of a recurring dream I had for years after I graduated from college, too, for that matter!)

None of his classmates are mean to him about it, though - they all continue to go about their business from what we see and read... and Charlie gets advice from his parents, which reminded me that one of the ways to help my little almost-to-be first grader is to tell stories of first grade, so he knows we have all gone through first grade and come out ok. Right now when we mention first grade, he has been known to lie on the couch and pull a blanket over his head.

So we leave "Charlie" on the coffee table where he can see it and pick it up when he is ready. The older children read it aloud so he can hear it but it isn't "pushed" on him. It engages even without him looking at the illustrations when we read it, but those illustrations are classic, exceptionally enjoyable.

Highly recommended.

Author and illustrator Janice V. Savage's second full-color story book is geared towards slightly older children than her debut book (I Have 4 Feet He Has 2). Charlie's First Day in First Grade is a perfect book for calming first day fears in school-age children. As a bonus, math problems are drawn in bold clarity on the chalkboard in Charlie's classroom, so young readers can solve the addition facts as well as follow along with the text.

Charlie's classmates have bright faces of all shades and shapes. Watch out for our hero's hair to stand on end in a particularly stressful (but funny) moment!

For children who are starting Kindergarten OR first grade, this is a cute, but somewhat repetitive 29 page set of ribald pictures and text featuring the fright of the little boy Charlie on his first day of First grade.

Aside from bright blues, greens, oranges and illustrations of chalk boards with arithmetic equations the frightened Charlie can't add, the book has some fearful feelings to which the very early student can easily relate.

The book doesn't deal with the anxiety about crowds, or caged public school stairwells, so much as that of not knowing the answers--which is a fear that strikes most kids later than First Grade.

Bur never mind. School is pretty anxiety producing when you're little--even if you HAVE already been to preschool or kindergarten.

This little book is sure to hold the attention of your new student this coming fall. Particularly if they're more fearful of answering wrong on the arithmetic than of the other kids.