Childrens Days Books

I first heard of this book in the late 1980s, when I was at Western Kentucky University. Alfons Heck was touring universities with a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust, and together they would tell the stories. Mr. Heck was amazing -- a sweet, gentle old man, now not only horrified at what he had participated in, but very worried that this could happen again, that people could allow themselves to be twisted in such a way. It was his message over and over -- look for ways that you are being manipulated, think twice before you look for blame on how your life or the economy is going, or you get caught up in a movement, etc. I bought the book right then and there. It is not a very well-written book, true, but the honesty and detail are spell-binding and put this book in the five star range. It's a must-read for anyone wanting to try to understand how entire communities/nations can go so very wrong. I had him sign my copy, and he said at the time that the rights had been bought to make it into a movie. I asked him who he wanted to play his part. He looked up from the book, smiled, and said, "Someone good-looking!" The Jewish lady he was touring with came up at last and put her hand on his shoulder. "Alfons, Alfons, we must go now. We have to go." It was said with such affection.

This book is an autobiography of a young man of the Hitler Youth organization and explains the deep public support for Hitler, especially among young people. What is surprising is how long after the war it was before young Alfon saw and realized the depth and breath of the tragedy that the Nazi's inflicted on Germany, the Jews, and the world. It goes a long way to explain and reinforce how hard-headed the Germans really were in devotion to Hitler.

Mr heck's book gives the reader a true insight into life in a militarized society. His details--from family members to the region near his home, paint a vivid picture of what happened in a rural part of Germany. many of his descriptions--his home and town, his service, and his travels, have not changed all that much since 1945. Much like Charles MacDonald's "Company Commander", this book takes the reader directly to the action.

I think a book is good if it is thought provoking, enjoyable reading, written in an easy-to-read style. Although the style I found not so easy to read, I found this book very thought provoking and enjoyable. I was able to identify (somewhat tenuously) with this Nazi zealot. I was able to feel that "there but for the grace of God (went) I". This, despite the fact that his twin brother was not as zealous as he, that he saw his best friend taken away as a subhuman Jew, that even the people of his small town knew about concentration camps (what did he think went on there?), and that he witnessed a proud old German Jew WWI veteran, who had lost his leg in that war, punched in the nose till blood spurt forth merely because he complained that he could not get into the truck due to his missing a leg. I wish the author had written somewhat about how he managed to rationalize away these things he witnessed directly. But then, what can he say? We all want to see ourselves as superior to others and must work at learning that the ugly, the short,the blacks, homosexuals, women, the crippled, the retarded, the mentally ill etc. are just as good as we are. Certainly there are plenty of prejudices present here in the USA also and if we had gone through what Germany went through prior to Hitler's ascendancy, we might also be susceptible to a leader such as he. At any rate, I found this honest personal history very enlightening. One example: he says "I wish I could shoot the bastard who killed them (his dog and horse)" to which the General replies, "Nothing wrong with a desire for revenge." This sentiment seems so normal on the face of it, but he was a Catholic and don't they teach, "Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord"? I'd like to think an American general would say to me, "My boy, war is hell. They kill our loved ones and we kill their loved ones". At any rate,I thought this was a great book. I would recommend it for a book group, so that members would be prompted to discuss the issues it raises.

I enjoyed this book because Heck simply states the facts. There is not a lot of philosophizing - in straightforward language, he tells it as he experienced it. His story is interesting and moving and illustrates how children were used to further Hitler's goals. Heck died recently. I hope he has found peace.

The illustrations are cute and it captures the theme well!

Definitely a great gift!

So many types of love!-Identified and perfectly illustrated. This adorable book explores the many aspects of love. Many, I'd never thought of. A lot of these you've probably experienced and didn't know quite how to describe it. The illustrations are so fitting, but really, what else would we expect from Sandra Boynton?

This book is great for ANY age! Lots of humor that adults can appreciate, but still cute for kids too. Really great gift idea for valentines day, anniversary, wedding or, just because.

This was the third book by Boyton that I bought. I wish I could buy them all!
'Consider Love' is a romantic and funny book and I thouroughly reccomend it.

"Consider Love", is another delightfully charming book created by the talented Sandra Boynton. I have been buying her books to read to my daughter for years and I always find myself chuckling at the adorable illustrations and nice message tucked into her jaunty rhythmic style of writing. The best thing to do when first reading one of her books is to read it through once, then go back and look at each little character drawn, to capture their little expressions and mannerisms. My daughter is now nine years old and we both love "Consider Love". It is a colorful, fun,and interesting look at the many different forms that love may take. I highly recommend it to anyone who has little ones near by!

Consider Love by Sandra Boynton is 178 words in length. My review of this book will probably contain more words than the book it is reviewing. The first two sentences were 26 words already so I was already 1/7th of the way to equalling Boynton when this sentence began, but I digress.

This review is beginning to sound like a child's book report. By the way, including this sentence I am up to 75 words. 75 was actually the 74th word.

Sandra Boynton's book, Consider Love is an instant classic - Just add 178 words.

This review is very silly. So is Consider Love. So, according to many, is love (Pauk McCartney not withstanding). Boynton's signature style, humor, art and pathos make this volume a must have for collectors of 178 word books.

Just a note for those counting words right now, that my count of 178 words is for the main text alone. It does not include the back cover (front cover for that matter), title pages, library of congress info, dedication page nor does it include the inscription on the statue pictured on page 4 or the placard under tha painting on page 5.

My review is now officially longer than the book. I would say that even though I think this a fine review, that the book is even better and I recommend it highly to dentists who chew gum, to architects who get their project blueprints mixed up with their kid's posters, to Sandra Boynton herself, or to anyone who ever walked up a hill and actually came down a hill.

Before I started reading this book I had the impression that It would sum up all of the incidents and all the drama leading up to it. But, I was greatly disappointed. When the book ended I was thinking, did the real ending of the book fall out? Then I turned to page and saw the epilogue, so I thought, "Okay this should sum things up for me." But, It didn't. All it did was to leave me hanging on a string, and wondering if I misread something about a fifth book. I suggest that you don't read it unless you have prepared yourself for dissatisfation. But really, Is a fifth book coming out? Cause if it is, I'll change my review around completely.

I've just read all 4 books of @ Cafee for the second time, the first being 4 years ago! I've been searching for the 5th book ever since, everywhere! 4 years is a long time. the book is worth it but the suspence is killing me!
If anyone knows when and if the 5th book and beyond will be availeble do tell! Hope the auther will browse through the reviews and do something!

I thought this book was the best book i have read in a long time . It relates to me as i'm about the same age. If you are a teenager and are thinking of buying this book i would advise you to. The plot gets especially good at the end and i am reading the next one at the moment .

Elizabeth Craft certainly knows how to leave her readers on edge...I read this book when it first came out and I'm seriously disappointed that there isn't a #5 to satisfy my curiousity on WHAT HAPPENED! If you read this, Ms. (or is it Mrs.? ) Craft, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE write a #5...I bet Sam will end up with Hallie, Blue with Jason, Nat with Dylan, etc...but I need YOUR words to make it really happen. I want to know who Blue calls. In short, I want ANSWERS...please write another book soon...

OMG! Mz. Craft, where iz the fifth book? I can't find it on Amazon dot com, and I'm DYING to know what happenz! I have to know who Blue decided to call! Pleez, finish this series, or else get this website in order, and tell them to make the next book available to us readers! We're dying here, it's a TOTAL cliff hanger. To those of you that haven't read this book, MAKE SURE YOU CAN FIND THE FIFTH BOOK BEFORE YOU START READING ANY OF THEM!

i'm a kid and i loved this book. it was funny and i totally related to the kid david!!!!!!

I recently gave this book to a friend's 8 year old before she went to a drama camp. Although she's quite adventurous, she did love the book as she honestly related to the story so well. She's asking for other titles. Cheers to the beginning of a great series?

While my child is not yet old enough to attend summer camp, I thoroughly enjoyed this sweet and entertaining book. I saved it in a special place on my son's bookshelf for the years to come.

This was a delightful book that everyone who has been in that situation can relate to. I recommend it highly for all ages.

In this unforgiving and stressful world of childraising, finally someone has the honesty to tell a story we have all (or soon will) experience. Hilarious, real and universal. I can't wait for the second installment!

Molly Saves The Day

In 1944, during World War 2, loved ones were away fighting the war, gas was rationed and families couldn't travel far. They saved their gas for necessary trips. Families couldn't even see their relatives during the holidays.

In 1944-1945 it was common for parents to send their children to summer camp. The children could get away from the stress of everyday life, and enjoy the outdoors.

Molly and her friends Linda and Susan are very excited to go to camp Go-on-Again. They have many challenges to learn at camp. Molly finds that she is very afraid of swimming underwater. Susan is having difficulty paddling a canoe, and Linda is afraid of bugs. When the camp girls are divided into teams and challenged to capture the flag, Susan and Molly are placed in a canoe together. Susan has difficulty rowing and she loses her ore, when both girls reach for the ore, the canoe tips over, causing the girls to dunk under water.

Molly and Susan reach shore, only to find that their whole team has been captured by the other team, and the jailer is their own best friend, Linda.

Will Molly and Susan get away? Will Linda capture her own best friends? How can Molly and Susan rescue their whole team? Will the girls ever be able to resume their friendship?

My daughter Karen enjoyed dressing her Molly doll in her camp Go-on-Again outfit, with a white blouse, red shorts and a blue neck scarf.

Outfit Pattern Set 1 For American Girl Dolls

The American Girls, Molly, Doll Dress Patterns

Molly's Magnetic Mini World (The American Girls Collection)
Molly's Paper Dolls: Molly and Her Old-Fashioned Outfits for You to Cut Out (American Girls Pastimes)

Molly Mini Doll (American Girl)

Jill Ammon Vanderwood
author: Through the Rug
Through The Rug: Follow That Dog (Through the Rug)

Of all the American Girls, Molly's our favorite and Molly Saves the Day our favorite Molly book. My six year old recognized that Molly, Linda and Susan, while away together at sleep-away camp, each had fears that they were forced to try to overcome. Molly is a very well-rounded character, and the fact that she is somewhat overly competitive (this shows up clearly during the camp color-wars) only makes her more realistic. She is nonetheless very likeable. Beyond Molly's character, however, my daughter simply found the book very exciting.

this book was relly good. it was about a girl in this coler war she and her friend are on the blueteam and there other friend was on the red team and how ever got the other teams flag and the blue team wins

i read Molly saves the day when i was 9 now im 10 and i really injoyed it! I`ve allways whanted to go to summer camp! But im not allowed `till im a teen ager so reading molly saves the day sort-of prepaired me for what it might be like! I`ve allways wanted to be brave reading Molly saves the day Kind of got me to face my fears a bit more! Thanks!

Mia

Molly returns in "Molly Saves The Day" as an enthusiastic ten-year-old headed off to summer camp for the first time ever. Along with her best friends Linda and Susan, Molly enjoys meeting the challenges of camp. Well, almost all of them- Molly is afraid of swimming underwater after she fell off the dock during a swimming lesson. In the final days of camp, the counsellors organize a game of Capture the Flag, which pits Molly and Susan against Linda in an all-out battle. Molly's team's plan backfires and leaves Molly and Susan to save their team from losing the game. But to win, will Molly and Susan have to betray their best friend?

I liked this book because it was fast-paced with a good dose of adventure while retaining realistic content. Molly is, as always, lively and lovable and I really enjoyed this installment of her series. I highly recommend this book to any fans of WWII historical fiction or the Molly series.

"Rainy Day Games" by Andy McGuire proves that children's Christian books can move beyond educational to just be plain ol' fun.

McGuire, who is a fiction editor at a large Christian publishing house, is also a superb illustrator, and this (his first picture book) is a delight for the eyes. McGuire's (mostly) rhyming text is also funny and - in its way - thought-provoking. The first page of the book gives a four sentence summary of the story of Noah and his ark; then the author wonders aloud what it would be like to stay indoors for 40 long days. What, he asked, did all those animals do to pass the time?

Next we meet a young boy, bored on a rainy day. To make the day go faster, he imagines what Noah's animals might have done to amuse themselves on their long journey. He envisions playing hide-and-seek with a chameleon, mice using a zebra's stripes as a maze, a rhino lending his horns for a ring toss (and a not-so-thrilled snake acting as the ring), beavers playing Ping-Pong with their tails, a game of Twister among two giraffes, connect-the-dots with a cheetah's spots, and much more. Then we see the boy trying to imitate one of the games with his dog before settling back with a book until the rain subsides and "God's rainbow paints the sky."

What I Like: There are plenty of funny situations suggested in the book - things that both parents and kids will find amusing. The illustrations are detailed, realistic (or as realistic as an image showing yaks playing jacks can be!), and of high interest to children. As a bonus, the book encourages children to imagine what it might have been like to be stuck on Noah's ark for a long time.

What I Dislike: Although my three year old really likes this book, she's not familiar with many of the games mentioned (including Twister, jacks, Ping-Pong, tic-tac-toe, and tiddlywinks). Therefore, slightly older children will enjoy this book even more. The only trouble is the text is so simple it may be too "young" for some older children.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Kristina Seleshanko
Managing Editor
Christian Children's Book Review
www dot CCBReview at blogspot dot com

Rainy Day Games: Fun with the Animals of Noah's Ark is a unique children's picturebook loosely based on chapters 5-9 of Genesis. When a flood covered the world, the animals on Noah's ark had to entertain themselves through rainy days - how did they do it? Rhyming words and soft, captivating color illustrations in a realistic style enhance this wonderful read-aloud story ideal for parents and children to share during rainy days. "Pretend that Noah's ark floats by, / And watch the games that they would try. // Hide and seek can be a treat. / Chameleons can be tough to beat. // To tease your brain on stormy days, / You have to try a zebra maze."

McGuire explains the games that the animals must have played to pass the time in the ark. For instance, he mentions raccoons using their tails to play double dutch, giraffes playing twister, and tic-tac-turtle.
The tic-tac-turtle was Parish's favorite. They failed to see the humor in "Name That Stink" game. I thought that was hilarious. Isaac liked the snake that rolled up into a hoop to play ring toss.
Each page is a lot of fun. Of course, this is a great way to introduce Noah's Ark to toddlers and pre-schoolers. This is great for children's at-home library, Christian school library, and nursery library. It also would make a great gift.
Early readers will be able to sound out most of the words. Both boys and girls will equally enjoy the humor. We recommend this.

Rainy Day Games by Andy McGuire is a fantastic "read it again" story. The short couplets telling what the animals did to entertain themselves while shut up in Noah's Ark during the long rain are ideal both for reading to a young child and for early readers to enjoy themselves. The illustrations, cleverly drawn by the author, are enchanting and creative--imagine giraffes playing Twister and beavers using their tails as Ping Pong paddles! Highly recommended.

Not only is this an adorable, hilarious read-a-loud that practically guarantees quality time (after time, after time) with a child, this book could also stimulate creative ideas for other fun things a child could do (or imagine they could do) when stuck in-doors.

The book could also lead to deeper, more meaningful discussions with a child.

I found myself surprisingly and delightfully emotional at the end of the book (no worries, no spoiler here) because at its conclusion, it spoke much more than the story line of a little boy's house-bound imagination on a rainy day. My emotional response came out of the fact that there is a promise contained in a visual element at the end. A promise that, despite the storms and less than sunny times of life... well, you'll have to see the book for yourself.

Our children loved Richard Scarry when they were little, and they still do! This wonderful activity book is great for homeschooling families. The calendar and holiday pages are great for notebooking projects. Don't miss this one!

I had this book as a child and loved it. So, this Christmas I bought three copies for each of the 7 year olds in my family. I hope they enjoy it as much as I did. I used it for many years when I was little.

I have taught Kindergarten and never liked the use of activity books/sheets, etc... . My 4 yr old daughter loves busytown and asked for this when she saw it on Amazon. I bought it against my will only to find that it actually had some really nice things for her to do. It wasnt just filled with "practice" sheets; although there were some of those with tracing letters and numbers. It had a section for her to make a mobile, make a paper town and even had an assortment of national flags that she could decorate with. The ideas and projects are very traditional and most children dont get to do these kinds of projects or have ever heard of them. When she made the flags, other children that came to our home didnt even know that other countries had flags. She learned quite a bit from this book such as: flags to other countries, holiday pracitces, writing her letters and numbers, sequencing and patterning. There were pages that were just for coloring which she didnt have an interest in but I thought they were nice illustrations that most children would enjoy. Dot to dot was also in the book, as was making mothers day cards, fathers day cards, valentines day cards, and thank you cards which was nice to teach children to do after receiving something. There was also a place to make bookmarks, bookplates, and easter decorations (other holiday decorations too). Most of the projects, for my daughters age required me working with her as opposed to her working on her own, but it was enjoyable for me as well as Richard Scarry does a nice job with his writing and illustraions.

This $10 book is way underpriced. There are pages and pages of stuff in this book and has really inspired our two year nine month old to entertain herself for hours, coloring, cutting, making paper airplanes, paper dolls, etc. Really well thought out, well designed. High quality drawings (authentic Scarry, not his estate's). I am tempted to buy another one and have our child start over again. It's been three months but she still has about one third of activities left. HIGHLY recommended.

Though this activity book is just wonderful and full of great crafting and learning acitivities, it is an abridged version of the book we loved when we were kids. The book, organized around the 12 number-it-yourself calendar pages, includes seasonal connect the dots, a paper village to color and build, paperdolls, paper airplanes to fold, greeting cards, Valentines, and bookmarks. The Christmas activities are missing altogether.

We got this book when my son was 3 years old and he loved it. It tells the story in a way that brings glory to God in the midst of difficult circumstances. Highly recommend!

If you want your kids to really know the full story of the first Thanksgiving, then you cannot forego this book. Squanto is one of those stories that has not remained at the fore front of Thanksgiving tales. And, that fact is a crying shame. This story will not only speak facts, it will teach several moral lessons that the child in all of us needs to learn. It is a reminder of how we can be thankful no matter what life hands us in the way of trials. Read this book to your kids and inspire them to live their best lives!

This is an excellent book for teaching the history of Thanksgiving. The story is well told, and the writing is well crafted. The pictures are remarkable; you can spend a lot of time looking into the faces of the characters, which are rich with emotion and humanity and realism. This book is a great investment.

This is an excellent resource to teach children the true meaning of Thanksgiving and how much God loves each of his children and has a wonderful plan for all of them. I would definitely recommend this book!

This was an incredibly beautiful rendering of Squanto's life. I highly recommend the book to all ages.

If you have big noisy Thanksgiving Dinners, this book captures that atmosphere perfectly. The text is fairly simple, but the illustrations are great. There is a lot going on and to look at. My 4 year old and 6 year old both really enjoyed reading this book.

This sweet book describes Thanksgiving in a big family with folks continually pouring through the door. We are a BIG family, 11 kids, 25 grandkids, and we read this to the younger ones this year. They just loved it! Sweet and loving story, I returned to buy more copies!

I just love this book, it so perfectly covers Thanksgiving and families. I have read this book at least 20 times, and I still find something new. The author has thirty guests over for dinner. My boys and I have fun following a different character through the whole book. Very enjoyable!

The busy, whimsical illustrations tell much of the story in this book that kids will enjoy poring over. Grandma and Grandpa are up early to wrestle the turkey into the oven. Aunts, uncles and cousins start arriving, with assorted babies, pets, paraphernalia and packages.

The simple acts of peeling potatoes, setting the table, hunting for extra chairs, yakking, horseplay -- and several visual subplots --are joyfully depicted in this celebration of family gatherings.

Diane Goode went to a lot of large family gatherings when she was growing up, which is why when she asked herself "What happens at Thanksgiving?" the answer was "Why, everything!" This idea is important because you want to pay attention to the details in these pen-and-ink drawings with a watercolor wash that tell the story of what happens when twenty-eight friends and relatives arrive on Thanksgiving Day. It begins with Grandma and Grandpa rising early on Thanksgiving morning to get the turkey in the oven before the guests arrive to help, talk, and eat (not necessarily in that order). The story is told by young Maggie, who arrives with her family first, when it is time to peel the potatoes and roll out the dough. But then more people arrive, from Maggie's glamorous aunt and the uncle with a hairpiece that cannot stay in one place to the acrobatic cousin and the friendly dog that follow Maggie around. Intended for young readers age 3-8, being able to read the simple text of "Thanksgiving Is Here!" is only part of the fun. The main part comes from looking at the pictures and discovering what is in the surprise package, who might be interested in becoming more than friends, and several other things that can be learned only by carefully studying each and every illustration. "Thanksgiving Is Here!" is either a perfect reward for young readers who have helped prepare the food or set the table, or as a fun way of keeping them occupied while the adults have all the Turkey Day fun.

If you like books about adventure then you should read "The Top 10 Ways to Ruin the First Day of School" by Ken Derby.
The book takes place in Kansas City and New York. It is about Tony, Mo, Anna, and Mr. Gore. Ever since Tony can remember he has been watching The Late Show and wanting to be on it .Now he has the chance to get invited to the show. So he goes with his teacher and friends on an escapade but Tony, Anna, and Mo get lost. Do Tony and his friends find their teacher? Does he get to be on The Late Show? You just have to read this book to find out.
I would recommend this book because it is interesting and funny .I give this book4 stars because many exciting things happen.

This book is funny. My teacher is making us read 5 books but by far this is my favorite. Tony ( the "funny man" ) seems to always find a way to soak his teacher. You will love his lists at the end of each chapter. IMPORTANT: READ! IS VERY FUNNY!!!

Have you every messed up the first day of school with 10 good ways? We think that you should definitely read this book!! The way we felt about this book was that it was very funny and interesting. We give it five stars because it is a hilarious book. We recommend this book to all ages because it can cheer you up when you are feeling down. This awesome book is guaranteed to make you laugh.

Book review by: Lauren, Vaness, and Rebecca

The Top 10 Ways to Ruin the First Day of School

Do you like comedy books? If so, The Top 10 Ways to Ruin the First Day of school written by Ken Derby is for you. Tony Madison, (Tony Baloney or TB) Anna, Mo, and Mr. Gore are the main characters. The 3 (not including Mr. Gore) are always getting into trouble. They really bug their teacher. TB stops at nothing to get on The Late Show with David Letterman. One day on Halloween, he wears a bear suit at the Chiefs/Jets football game. Pretending to go to the restroom, TB, Anna, and Mo, sneaks down to the field to get a football autographed by a professional player. He runs out on the field, and runs away from the people on the field. He scores a fake touchdown. Will it make him famous? Will he make it to the Late Show? You'll just have to read and find out for yourself in the book The Top 10 Ways to Ruin the First Day of School. We recommend you to read this book, because it was good and no boring parts all the way through the entire book. That's why we give the book 5 out of 5 stars.
By: Jake, Robert, Nathan, Tyler

THIS IS A EXELENT BOOK I BOUGHT IT OF OF OUR SCOLASTIC BOOK OREDER THING AS A JOKE TO MY TEACHERS AND SAID"ILL USE THIS STUFF NEXT YEAR" THEN I READ IT AND I LOVED IT!!!!! IT IS HALARIOUS WHEN HE GETS INTO LOTS OF TROUBLE AND THINKS OF WAYS TO GET OUT OF IT I DONT THINK I SHOULD TELL YOU ANYMORE OR IT WILL SPOILL THE BOOK THANKS FOR READING MY REVIEW
AND ALSO I AM WAY KOOLER THAN YOU AND BETTER!!! JUST KIDDING

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My 11 Year old daughter is telling me what to write here:

This book is very funny! The book starts with Tony wanting to get on the David Letterman show. Tony writes some top 10 lists and sends them into David Lettermans show hoping that David will read them and invite Tony onto the show. Here is an example of one of the Top 10 Lists:

The Top 10 ways to ruin the 1st day of 5th grade:

10. Wear your pajamas to school instead of your favorite jeans and T-shirt.

9. Tell the rest of the class what a dork your teacher is when he is standing behind you.

8. Notice that your fly is down... After you have been in class for 3 hours!

7. Rush into the restroom, drop your pants, sit, and realize your in the wrong restroom.

6. Sneeze, and accidentally blow boogers all over your teachers desk.

5. Fall asleep in class and dream you are using the toilet.

4. Enjoy playing building blocks on the 1st day of school, only to wonder why you are a giant compared to the rest of the kids in the class.

3. Drop your lunch bag into an unflushed toilet.

2. Eat beans the night before the first day of school.

1. Get your foot stuck in the toilet in the boys restroom and then have to get rescued by the 911 guys.

That is a sample of what you will find in the book. David Letterman is surprised by how funny the lists are and invites Tony on the show. I wont tell you anymore cause I will give it all away, but you will enjoy the book if you read it!