Easter Books

It's a touching story and the illustration is beautiful. I'm glad I found this book on Amazon. But for now, I think I enjoy the book more than my 2 year old. May be in a couple years he can start to understand the meaning of the story.

There is something absolutely timeless about this story--that is probably where the "traditional folktale" bit comes in. I'm not sure just how old the story itself is but I can see why it is still loved today. Ms. Hunt does an incredible job retelling this meaningful and beautiful story of a connection with Jesus Christ through sweet, emotional prose and fantastic pictures. Definitely a keeper.

I love this book and so do my kids. I'm sure my grandkids will too. I was surprised at what excellent condition it was for a used book. Even the cover looked really good. Thanks much!

This is one of the best books ever; for children and adult. If you have Christian Beliefs, I highly recommend it.

This is a wonderful book for all ages! The meaning is beautiful. Highly recommend!!!

I just love this book, its addictive! When choosing a book to read my daughter before bed I usually end up picking this one!

Great for pre-schoolers. Some of the rhymes are a bit forced but it is charming nonetheless. A very fun read!

This has become one of our favorite books for our 6 mo old son. Everyone thinks its funny when we read it, including him. If only he could eat the pages!

It bores my son after a couple of weeks and he's not yet three. At first though, he did really like it. Cute rhymes that are easy to remember, and he loved screaming the responses at first.

A favorite read-aloud for toddlers and preschoolers! The simple questions, cadence and rhyme make it easy to read and remember. The board book version is excellent for little hands learning how to handle books.

Fast delivery, good quality, nice transaction, and product as advertised.
This book is a classic and the values inherent in the book are timeless.

I have an original hardcover that I have read every Easter, a gift in 1950 from my mother. I have read it to myself, my sons, and various Sunday school classes. The messages of humility,diligence,right priorities are much needed in this era where self-absorbed thinking is rampant. I am purchasing one for my grandchildren.

I read this book with my Dad during my childhood (pushing 40 now, so it's been a tiny little while ;)). I had forgotten all about it until I saw the cover in an Easter ad recently. It was amazing what a huge rush of memories that picture brought back. I immediately came to Amazon.com to find it and am thrilled it is still available. I only strongly remember 3 books I read as a child and this is one of them. I was enchanted with this story and the drawings as well. Now I hope that my own kids will love it as much as I did.

This is one of my favorite books from childhood--an absolutely charming, magical story that I will always remember.

The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes by DuBose Heyward and illustrated by Marjorie Hack has been around for yours. In fact, it made its first appearance in 1939 and has gone through several printings since that time. The latest one I could find was 1974, which is far too long ago, as this is one that we had better not loose.

Briefly, this is the story of a little brown country bunny that happens to be a female bunny. In this mythological story, as told by the author, there are actually five Easter Bunnies. These five bunnies are selected for being the kindest, swiftest and wisest bunnies in the whole wide world. Our little brown country girl bunny states that when she grows up, she wants to be one of the five chosen bunnies. The Big White Rich City Bunnies who live in the fine houses laugh at her, as do the male Jack Rabbits with their long legs.

When our little brown country bunny, whose name is Cottontail, grows up she finds herself the mother of twenty-one baby bunnies and responsible not only for their care, but the care of the house and all that goes with it. Cottontail trains her children to be very responsible. They help her with her house work, gardening, washing, sewing, cooking and other skills useful in living a full life. Word goes out that one of the five Easter Bunnies has grown too old to do his job (thus far, all the Easter Bunnies have all been males), and that a new Easter Bunny must be chosen by the Old Grandfather Bunny. This old rabbit, being rather wise above all others, of course, chooses our Mother Cottontail. The story goes on in a sweet way, almost a quest adventure and in the end we find that Mother Cottontail is not only the wisest, kindest and fastest bunny in the world, but also the bravest. Don't want any spoilers here, so will stop with the plot over view.

First, the art work. The artist, Marjorie Hack, has her bunnies dressed in late Victorian or possibly early Edwardian garb. It is quite detailed and quite fitting for the story. She has used very mellow colors and each picture is simple, while at the same time being extremely detailed. In many ways it is typical of the art work featured in children's literature, of that time, but then she throws in surprises, such as in the winter sequence where Cottontail climbs the mountain. The art here jumps way beyond its years. Actually, I cannot see why this art work would not appeal to everyone, young and old alike.

As to the message of the story; if you do a search or some advanced research on this particular book, you will find that it has had a profound influence on at least two, possibly three, generations of small children, following them all the way into adult life. This influence has been extremely positive. You must remember that this book was written in 1939 and you must remember what the world was like at that time.

This is the story of a little girl rabbit that overcame economic, racial, social and sexual biasness and fulfilled her dreams. This is simply an overall good message. I read this particular work to a group of seven year old children, and every single one of them was able to pick up on this theme. I was so proud of them. Now this book has been accused of having a strong feminist message (as if this were some sort of dirty word...how sad.) I suppose it does, indeed, deal quite well with this subject. Again, this is good. I would suggest that, in my humble opinion, if anyone has a problem with any of the messages this work projects, then they probably should move back into the cave they came out of.

This is a work we do not was to lose. Highly recommend this one.

After reading the author's first book, I prayed for a part two. To my disappointment this is not it!. It's as if an alien had possed the author and decided to re-write "ALL SOULS". Does this mean, the book was bad, no it does not mean that. It means that, the first book was written from such a different mindset (Night and day), has HUGE widespread appeal, and was so perfect (priceless): that somebody must have given this author some bad advice or false encourgement. Furthermore, while there are small parts that have that "wow effect" , the punk rock aspects, I overdosed on and sufficated this volume for me. If you ever read Mary Karr's "CHERRY" then I hope that will kind of enlighten you has to what my babble is trying to do, eventhough that was sort of a part two . In conclusion, while this author has a vast amount of heart, soul and talent and will most likely write more great books. It does not change the fact that I feel "Easter Rising" was a let down.

So sang Mission of Burma, whose final concert, among so many others in the early 80s, MacDonald attended, as he struggled to break out of his Boston confines. This brisk sequel to "All Souls" (also reviewed by me recently on Amazon) concentrates more on the writer himself, whereas the earlier book explained his family of ten siblings (nine surviving but three to die tragically as young men and a sister in a coma) in South Boston. I found lots that sounded familiar. The tour when he first saw the Clash was the same one I went to, and my first "real" concert too. He conveys the culture clash also, as Mikey Dread's patois reminds Mike of his grandfather's Kerry-accented chatter. He learns about English culture and European ideas through the then small alternative music papers and song lyrics guide him into Camus and Marx. His education, as a dropout from prestigious Boston Latin, takes him into a vividly described underground scene, as the caché of hanging out in clubs and shops leads him into the NYC squats and speed. I'm not sure how or if he manages to attend classes to completion at UMass-- this decision barely gets an aside. Mostly, Mike appears drawn to the same flirtation with the dangers that mark his family and his neighborhood. Finally, the darkness of his own family, after mental illness, bank robbery, and sudden trauma claim his siblings, snaps him back.

However, there's no easy escape from Southie. The narrative tends to jump forward, and without the previous book, you'd have a hard time filling in the gaps. This is my reason for four stars: not that the lacunae are unexplained, but for the skips in the chronology that make it difficult to keep track of what happens when to him over three decades.

Therefore, after Mike's accounts of punk, hanging out, and getting out of the Old Colony before succumbing to it, the story leaps to London, where he sees the sights on the cheap, and then two trips to Ireland. The first is to Donegal, and while the inside dust jacket promises "two healing journeys to Ireland that are unlike anything in Irish American literature," there's only a familiar, if well-observed, story of the strange intimacy many returning Yanks have. The woman who gives you a lift, figures out in her head you're her fourth (or fifth) cousin, then drops you off with a casual farewell as if this proved but an everyday occurrence on a rural back road. The crowds with women who all look like one's grandmother, and the faces that finally mirror your own. The 'green jumper' that all 'big fellas' from America supposedly stand out by as they tramp and gawk among the bemused natives. And, for Mike, the racial undertones that link the Irish to blacks as surely as they have separated them in his hometown.

The coda, as it were, finds himself at thirty-two accompanying his braying Ma as she in her "Irish whisper" plays the accordion to tunes denouncing the Black and Tans and praising the IRA in the streets of London, complains over her headphones about the English, and generally making a spectacle of herself in the manner that readers of "All Souls" will smile at again. Yet, when she sees her father's cottage in Kerry, her son notes her change. Deeper voice, bent back, slower gait. In the ruins of her ancestral house, she finds her mother's cauldron and the shards of what had furnished the cabin. "Standing next to the dusty heap on the floor, I looked at the perfectly preserved picture of the Sacred Family hanging above the fireplace, with a banner that read BLESS THIS HOME. It was the one intact thing in a house that was in ruins. I couldn't take my eyes off it." (241)

As in the first memoir, MacDonald tends to underplay such dramatic moments in favor of unadorned storytelling. I'm not sure if the audience which longs for shamrockery will take to Mike's more sober tales. This narrative moves efficiently, and MacDonald does not call attention to himself or his woe so much as place it in contexts-- of the club scene, of the pub milieu, and of the psychological devastation that takes him in and out of counselling, hospitals and therapy to ease his aching head. These encounters with the academic and then medical establishment do not, as you might expect, pit a rebel hero against an uncaring system in McMurphy vs. The Combine stereotypical countercultural conflict, but Mike learns self-reliance and gradual acceptance of his own power to overcome the demons that attack so many around him.

Somehow, this manages to be one of the few recent books about Irish sold in America that lacks a paean from Frank McCourt, although his brother's quote graced the back hardcover of "All Souls" and may this in paperback. Whereas the first book evidently took time, this one may have been hastened by the four writer's retreats that he acknowledges, and funded by his screenplay for "All Souls" that's been optioned.

I read and highly enjoyed MacDonald's previous autobiographical book, "All Souls", and was interested in his latest book. I was not disappointed. Whereas "All Souls" has more of a focus on the author's family and the events of the 70s and 80s, "Easter Rising" is about specifically how MacDonald was able to pull himself out of the cycle of poverty. Here are some of my own observations.

I found MacDonald's journey into punk music fascinating. After his schizophrenic brother Davey committed suicide, he was looking for a way out of his own world. In punk music, he saw the musicians looking to destroy their world and create something new, and he immediately identified with them, wanting to destroy his own world that suicide and violence had ruined. In addition, I thought it interesting that he learned more about politics and history from the lyrics of punk music than through his classes at Bostin Latin.

MacDonald's journeys to Ireland proved to be cathartic. When he was 19, he traveled to London and Paris and ran out of money. He called his grandfather for money, but he would only give it to him if he promised to visit Ireland and some of his relatives. He hates Ireland at first, but then grew to love it. When he saw his biological father, George Fox, at his funeral, he relates that since his father lived outside of South Boston, he was hoping that he had a connection to the outside world. That's ultimately what he found in his relatives in Ireland.

His journey from the mindset of "South Boston is the whole world" to wanting to get out of there is quite emotional. After the death of Davey, then many other of his family members, he wanted to escape. At first, he would venture into downtown Boston, then New York, then finally out of the country. Growing out of the tribal mindset of his hometown was an important part of his development.

In conclusion, "Easter Rising" is a must-have for anyone who enjoys autobiography and American history. It gives a more intimate portrait of the author than "All Souls" did. One needn't necessarily read "All Souls" before "Easter Rising," but it's helpful. Finally, it's a moving story of personal growth that has a wider appeal than to people from Boston.

I just finished Easter Rising, after disappointingly not hearing about it until very recently. What a gorgeous, powerful book. MacDonald is blunt when he needs to be blunt, and poetically detailed when it is worthwhile to do so, but without ever stumbling into flowery cliche. Everything I appreciate in a great storyteller. He brings you with him to feel the undeniable transcendence of a great punk show, just as he takes you along for that first eye-popping drive across Ireland.

A couple of spots hit me extra-hard. More than any one moment, the part where he met up with friends in line for tickets (Costello, was it?) after a tragedy at home -- that balance, or rather IMbalance, of wanting to tell someone without wanting to say anything, wanting human contact and company without having to explain things. And then to have the horrific near-death of a family member whittled down by friends to another "crazy" episode of life in the MacDonald family -- that really, really struck me. MacDonald does an incredibly adept job of illustrating what it feels like to rotate between leaning on family and leaning on the friends who are LIKE family, often looking to one for solace from the other.

There's this sort of odd juxtaposition in youth countercultures, where for a time, they save us. And then, at one point or another, we face the fact that they can't really save us, because they often aren't all they seem. Or they cease to be what they once were. Or we outgrow them. Or we're leaning on them too hard. Or there are inherent hypocrisies we can't overlook anymore. I don't know. But I know that I really related to MacDonald's love affair and disillusionment with the punk subculture, just as I echo his love and hate for the turbo-Irish enclave each of us grew up in.

And like so many of us, MacDonald loves and hates them like family who drive us up the wall sometimes. We know their flaws, and we know their limitations, but they are who WE are. And I so appreciate MacDonald telling (another) story that explains such complicated things so beautifully.

What's an old guy,72,reading a book abot an bunch of young people growing up in Southie,South Boston,in the 70's and 80's;in an area wracked with drugs,violence and with little else of interest than rock music? I remember the days when School Busing as a form of Intregation was creating great upheaval in America and much of the news about difficulties seemed to come our of South Boston. I had never read much about Southie;so thought that it might be of interest as I have read much about the struggles of ethnic groups making their way in America.Most cities have had ,and still do,their areas where people ended up ,who lived outside the "mainstream",and had to do whatever it took ,just to survive...but survive they did!
I must admit,I found the book a little outside my interest in music , performers ,songs and band names;but it still held my interest and I found it better and better as I continued.By the time I finished,I felt it was one of the better books that I had ever read on the life,struggle and success of someone who overcame obstacles and an enviroment that to someone like myself would find totally discouraging. What a training ground,and anyone who managed to survive had to be remarkably strong. It shows that for anyone to survive and succeed,inner strengths,family ,determination,and taking on responsibility for oneself are the roads to success and not the reliance on government programs and social agencies.
When you see what the author did to make a success out of what he had to start with ;anyone else who finds themselves in similar enviroment should ask themselves; "So,What's my problem?
I found the author to be a great new,for me, addition to my list of favorite "Irish" writers and I have now put him in the company of my favorites; the McCourts,Roddy Doyle,Brendan Behan,Liam O'Flaherty,Toby Harnden,Brendan O'Carroll,Morgan Llywelyn,Pete Hamill,and many others.
Particularly,when the author arrives in Ireland,and he gets to meet the locals and observe the Irish culture;it seems that great gift of writing really blossoms.The way he can write about people,and especially how he can bring that wonderful mother to life in his writing shows,without any doubt, that he is a "gifted Irish Writer" .That seems to be a skill one has to be born with and it has been a fundamental ingredient of Irish culture sice the beginning;where communication was done by storytelling as opposed to writing.
How's this for observing and writing for which the Irish are so good at?

"And when she came back to the silence of Danny's grave,she carried on in a great mood about what a beautiful spot it was.Then she did what she'd told Buddy she would do,pulling the accordian onto one raised knee and breaking into "Danny Boy".
This opened every water faucet that had been closed so tightly that evening.Hannah,Mikey,and Catherine stood frozen,staring at the gravestone with hands folded,their tears falling in steady streams.I was terrified,the way I always was when Ma opened people's faucets.I wasn't sure if Ma was being appropriate,since I didn't know Danny's family at all well. Buddy had requested the playing,but I figured Ma ould do it when we were at he grave alone. Ma's red hair flew in all directions with the wind,exposing gray streaks at her temples,which I was seeing for the first time.She struggled to hold up the heavy accordian while standing,raising one thigh to prop it,and was soon balancing the whole spectacle on one foot. It was just past twilight,the sky was a deep dark blue,and the white stone of the religious statues shone out against the the backdrop of evening. Saint Patrick leading the snakes out of Ireland,the three children of Fatima kneeling in front of a serene Mary,Jesus' crucified body floating above us,his wooden cross invisible in the night.
Ma wailed the verses and settled down to a lullaby for the last line,
"I simply sleep in peace until you come to me."
We stood quietly for a few moments. I wasn't sure we'd be welcomed back at the Riordan's that night. Catherine broke the long,uncomfortable silence by soaking us all in a parting spray of holy water.Then she doused the grave.And we all went back to the cars in what seemed like a sudden descent of pitch darkness."
I can't wait to read more from this wonderful author.Keep it up Michael,you're really gifted.

I realize that most of the readers of this review will be unable to carry out my suggestion but for those that can, I recommend this procedure to get the most out of the Liturgy of the Hours. After daily or even Sunday Mass, walk over to the rectory and suggest to the pastor that you would like to have the priests join and of course lead Morning Prayer in the Church before daily Mass. He will probably be overjoyed that you are that interested in praying 'his' prayers and will begin as soon as he can. In addition to the spiritual benefits of group prayer, you will be surprised how quickly you become expert in navigating the 'Breviary', even pointing out, diplomatically, the times the priests make a mistake. It becomes quite habit-forming and as others have said, your day will not be complete without it. Since we have two daily Masses, we are able to pray both Morning and Evening Prayer in common. The priests still pray the Office of Readings and Compline in private but who knows when we will join them for that. We have also printed up books with the Morning and Evening Prayers in them for those who do not wish to purchase the Liturgy. The only day we do not pray in unison is on Sunday and maybe someday we will bite that bullet. By the way, we are not the only parish that does this. I know of at least one other parish that recites the Morning and Evening Prayer and like us has a goodly number of participants. I do understand that work would preclude the majority of wage-earners from participating but for those who are retired or otherwise not working this does give you the chance to practice your faith. And finally, the daily reading of the Psalms mirrors so much of what is occurring in our modern life that it is almost scary. But then, considering the author, how else could it be?

It was just what I expected. It was given as a gift to a friend and I am so happy with the purchase. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to deepen their prayer life.

I wanted to buy the Liturgy of the Hours, but I wasn't able to buy all 4 volumes at once. So I've been buying them as the season for each comes. They are amazing! I used the Shorter Christian Prayer a little before, but each of these complete volumes is better. There is more variety in the prayers and it is great when it is a saint's feast day and you get to read about the saint. Not to mention the Office of Readings which often includes a homily from an early Church father! I recommend this to, well, anyone!

The Liturgy of the Hours is, after the Mass, THE universal prayer of the Church. Composed of Psalms, Biblical readings, intercessions, writings of the Church Fathers, and prayers specific to each day of the liturgical year, this beautiful prayer orders the day and unites each person to the other members of the Mystical Body of Christ, who are saying the same prayer the world over. I truly love this 4 volume set, finding it to be a deep well from which I daily draw the spiritual drink I need.

I previously used both Shorter Christian Prayer and Christian Prayer. Both are great additions to anyone's prayer life, but the complete Devine Office is even richer.

Someone has accurately stated the musical notes are not in this as they are in Christian Prayer, but I tend to say the hymns (like poetry) so it didn't make any difference to me. The nice thing here is much more is laid out for you and requires less jumping back and forth. A good example is the Antiphons. They are reprinted at the end of each Psalm so you do not have to turn back to read them from a previous page. And each day is nicely laid out so you can go thru the entire office if you choose (I try, but it is hard to work in the daytime prayers during the day at work - even though they are fairly short).

Perhaps the thing I have enjoyed the most is the complete Office of Readings. How wonderful to add to my daily prayers the readings from the Bible and from the early Church.


Now about this set...outstanding quality! I got the black leather set and it came quickly and very nicely packaged. Each of the four volumes were individually wrapped and they were fitted snugly in a solid box. I am very pleased with the volumes, the timeliness of receipt, and overall quality.

In conclusion, let me say this with open heart: if you are a Christian - Catholic or Protestant - and you want to jump start your prayer life or take it to a new level, you will find nothing better than praying the Devine Office (Liturgy of the Hours). Even praying just morning and evening prayers faithfully each day will draw you closer to God and enrich you.

This is a beautiful, fascinating book revealing the author's discoveries about a personal path to healing available to anyone, found within one's own dreams and imagination. The body believes in images and if the healing images are personal and come from the self, via dreams, they have more power to heal. Wanda tells use her story and inspires us to pay attention to our own story. She provides healing images we can borrow and make our own, and gives us guidelines on how to work with our dreams. I will give this book to anyone I know who faces a health challenge.

Wonderful book.
For those of us who have very active dream times... this book is so informative and for those who may not be heavy dreamers but are interested in the wisdom that our dreams can bring us, it is a must read. V

Dreaming is healing. Our bodies speak to us in dreams, giving us early warning of symptoms we might develop, showing us what they need to stay well. Dreams give us fresh and powerful images for self-healing. Dreams are also the language of the soul; they put us in touch with wells of memory and sources of creativity and energy far beyond the clutter and confusion of the little everyday mind. Beyond this, dreams are experiences of the soul, and can take us - sleeping or hyper-awake - into realms where we can have direct access to sacred healers and teachers.

These themes and possibilities come vividly alive in Wanda Burch's brave and beautiful book She Who Dreams, which is both the narrative of a personal journey into healing through dreaming and an incitement to bring the gifts of active dreaming into our everyday lives.

I have been sharing dreams with Wanda since early in 1987, and I know the depth of experience and the deeps of dreaming from which this book flows. Her dreams diagnosed a life-threatening illness (breast cancer) a year before the doctors found symptoms. Her dreams guided her choice of treatment, gave her powerful imagery for self-healing and recovery, enabled her to grow a creative relationship with her physicians and awakened her to a deeper life and a vital engagement with the world as a dreambringer - one of those who creates a safe space for others to open to the gifts of dreaming, and can bring a dream to someone in need of a dream.

Her personal story is quite fascinating. Her first dream mentor was her Irish-American grandmother, a "wise woman" of the Alabama hill country. Later she met the dreamers of the Iroquois, one of whom appeared at her back door in the form of a white wolf.

But it is the story of everyday trials, more than the extraordinary elements in this book, that will touch the hearts of many readers and bring them practical guidance that is urgently needed. Wanda shows how dreams can get us through. One of her most valuable contributions to the literature of healing and recovery is to show us how we can use the self-healing tools that flow from dreamwork to support conventional medical treatments, smoothing the process and reducing adverse side-effects. For this alone, She Who Dreams is an invaluable resource for healthcare professionals, therapists, healers and caregivers.

SHE WHO DREAMS is a powerful book. Wanda Easter Burch gives us a beautiful portrait of a life lived on many levels - as we all live - and, by offering the harrowing and hopeful details of her life, inspires us to look at our own lives with the same degree of curiosity and compassion.

With the quality of pacing and skillful foreshadowing that a seasoned novelist would offer, the author lays out her personal story. On one level it follows her roots in the American South to travels in Africa, important interactions with the Mohawk tribe and her home in a rural New York hamlet. We follow her struggle with cancer including her mastectomy, the emotional despair her chemotherapy induces and, ultimately, her path as one who heals. On another level it follows the story of her dreams. Her childhood is guided by a grandmother who understood the power of dreams to foretell and bring healing. Her adult life is blessed with the incomparable friendship of well-known author and dream explorer, Robert Moss - whom she first met in a childhood dream. The author's dreams insistently foretell of a cancer her doctors repeatedly ignore. As insistently, her dreams predict her death at age 43.

By actively following guidance her dreams provide, the author is led - and leads us - through a healing process that proves, beyond a shadow of doubt, the power of the spirit and the mind. And, even more profound, it leads to a rewriting of a life contract that, in its extension, offers us a writer whose unfolding talents provide unique inspiration that inside each of us lies the ability for our dreams to reveal our own infinite wisdom. Reading SHE WHO DREAMS may well change your life.

I confess that I came to this book as something of a skeptic. To my rational, scientific mind, the idea that one's dreams can affect or predict the future seemed pretty iffy. Yet it is hard to deny the truth of personal experience. Wanda Burch has a fascinating story to tell, and I was drawn in by it. She describes her life-and-death experiences in vivid detail, with honesty and insight that leap out from the page. The author is more than a survivor; she is clearly a woman of extraordinary courage.

For anyone who has struggled with special health challenges, or anyone who has wondered what their dreams mean, or for that matter anyone who just enjoys a good original biography, I highly recommend this book.

My children all grew up on this one, by not only learning animals, but being proud of who you are. I have been reading it every night to my 18 month old for a year. He wont go tho bed without it, and he has alredy learned how to recognize all the animals in the book.

I love this book. I read this book to my neice everytime she comes to visit. It has a wonderful moral to the story and kids are sure to really be engaged in the story everytime you read it!

My toddler son received this book as a gift for his first birthday. It came highly recommended from a teen friend who had treasured it as a childhood favorite. We weren't disappointed. I am not sure if it is the language, simple illustrations, or the premise but he never tires of It's Not Easy Being a Bunny. Not only do we recommend this book, we have already purchased it for other first birthday gifts. We give it an unequivocal A+ rating.

My little guy doesn't have any patience for books except for this one and "Put Me in the Zoo". We have to read this to him almost 4 times a day, and he can finish the ends of the sentences. It's so fun to see him enjoy books, and hopefully it will introduce him to other books too. I highly recommend this one. It's fun, helps with animal recognition, etc..

Now it's my daughter's (3 years old) favorite book.
I don't know how long it's going to last, but it's been at least 3 weeks that we read this book a couple of time every day.
She knows every word in it. And she loves the fun sounds I make( for Moose and to show the expression of P.J. when he tried to live with the skunks)
I don't know how deep she can understand it right now, but it's fun to read and our whole family enjoys it, bacause at least once a day my daughter asks everyone to listen to it.
I'm sure that it will be a nice book for early readers, because of the repetitive words.

My 4 and 5 year olds love Junie B. Jones. This is the first chapter book on cd we have purchased and they love it! They listen to it while they are going to bed at night. They even tell me which chapter they were on when they fell asleep:) Great buy!

Junie B., First Grader: Dumb Bunny (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))

I love all of Barbara Parks books about Junie B. Jones. I think they should make a movie of this book. I think this is the funniest of all the Junie B.books. If you have a little girl who loves to read or be read to, I cannot recommend all of the Junie B. books enough.

Would make a great addition to any Easter basket! This book is a little better than cheater pants!

My daughter has the whole collection she love keeping up with Junie B. I have not read a book in it's entire but from what I've read she is a very curious, funny little girl. I recommend this book and all the others also. My daughter was hooked after the 1st Barbara Parks books and althought she is older now she still cracks up laughing when reading. Totaling entertaining!

After more than 25 books, Barbara Park's series about a very loquacious first grader with a vocabulary far beyond her age (and the writing ability to go with it) is still going strong. So I suspended my disbelief and read JUNIE B., FIRST GRADER: DUMB BUNNY to my six-year-old.

In this adventure, the rich girl in class, Lucille, invites everyone over to her mansion to participate in an over-the-top Easter Egg Hunt that will result in a play date in Lucille's heated indoor swimming pool. Lucille wants her boyfriend Sheldon to win, but Junie B. and her arch-nemesis May (the original "dumb bunny" in the title until Junie B. gets something of a comeuppance later on) are ready to pounce, pound and scrabble their opponents in order to get a dip in that grand pool.

There is a lot of falling down and Batman-type expletives (WHOOSH! SMASH!), and the kids are none too nice to each other until Junie B., in a sudden acknowledgment of good judgment, makes a quick and well-appreciated sacrifice to save the day. We laughed at some of the pratfalls, and Lucille's annoyed Nanna character was amusing as well. Junie B. shares the stage with a lot of different people, but she is clearly the star of the show, the story told from her point of view.

Whether humiliated in a pink bunny suit or gloating over her lack of selfishness, Junie B. thinks in capital letters with lots of exclamation points and writes in her journal about what she has learned. The journal entries are cute and engaging, and spell out the moral of the story without being too pointed, which we appreciated.

If this is your first Junie B. foray, it might be helpful to go back and read some of the earlier books first to relax into her strange environment. Otherwise, DUMB BUNNY certainly will offer fans of the series more of what they have come to expect from this little girl and her friends.

--- Reviewed by Jana Siciliano

My daughter love this series. It's a little hard for me to read due to the poor grammar and name calling. Let's face it though most first graders have poor grammar. There are worse things that she could be reading. We have all of these books and they are well loved.

I picked this book up for me because of the beautiful artwork. The detail, color and composition make you wish you could take a seat in the woods and experience the forest first hand. But then, I realized this book also caught the attention of my son. At 12 months old, he began to bring books to my husband and I to read, and this was one of his selections often. To my delight, a few months later, he started imitating the actions of stretching, yawning, sneezing and scratching as I read. At 18-months old, he still gets excited to read this book, and I still love studying the artwork (to find the well-hidden McCue (the artist) signatures)...I've only found a few when there's a bouncing boy on your lap.

I love reading this book to my boys! We love the beautiful illustrations but I have no idea how to find the hidden McCues. At first I thought, is it that mouse? But he only makes a couple of appearances...it can't be the ladybugs and grasshoppers because those are obvious, so I guess they are actual words...but I have yet to find one!

The book and pictures are nice, but it is the puzzle of finding the 13 hidden "McCue" words painted into the pictures that is great. It usually takes me about 30 minutes to read this book to my kid because I spend so long straining my eyes to find the hidden words. Perhaps I need to upgrade from the board book version I have that has such small illustrations!

This is just the most precious book. The illustrations are beautiful and the story invites interaction with the child by having them make the sounds in the story, such as a bee buzzing or a sneeze. I can't imagine anyone not loving this book. But don't get all sentimental about bunnies and run out and get one for your young child- they require a lot of space and adult attention to be happy, so stick to the pictures in the book, unless you do your research on caring for bunnies and have lots of extra time on your hands (and who does, with young children?)

My 23 month old daughter LOVES this book - the first time I read it, she wanted to hear it again. I act out all the noises and actions in the book, and she thinks it's a charm. Highly recommended - I love Lisa McCue's illustrations.

This is one of the most emotional, powerful books I have ever read. I felt I was I there and that I knew these people personally. The author did some incredible research or else is the ghostly embodiment of all the men of high spirit involved.

This book is wonderful... I couldn't put it down, it was such a compelling read. Anyone who has any interest in the Emerald Isle must read this detailed, comprehensive account of the most important moment in Irish history. It is well-written, entertaining, enlightening, and will deepen the outsider's understanding of the Irish struggle throughout its history with Britain. It is told in an informative tone, yet brings history to life with all the fine details that surround the lives of the Irish heroes. It is by far the best book I have ever read, and I will read it again and again! I also agree that it is a screenplay waiting to be made!

The Easter Rebellion is the subject of this engrossing book. What makes the tale more interesting than so much of the patriotic gloss that has been so often repeated is the fact that the rising was so poorly planned that it was nothing short of a miracle that it proved to be ultimately successful in many of its long term aims.

Apart from the seizure of the General Post Office in Dublin, the rebels were unable to secure most of their objectives. British forces were able to suppress the revolt within a week. Due to disputes and internal squabbles between competing factions, many Irish militias simply refused to take any active role in the rising and the rebels in the GPO were hopelessly outnumbered from the start.

The revolt may have proven to have been unnecessary had Britain not chosen to suspend Irish Home Rule for the duration of World War One. John Redmond's long awaited legislation was enacted and then immediately placed on indefinite hold. Had Home Rule been permitted, it is quite possible that Ireland might be a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations today. Britain's refusal to implement Home Rule, despite its Parliamentary approval, gave rebel leaders the opportunity to plot a course for independence.

With British Army fully engaged on the Western Front, it was thought that assistance could be readily obtained from the Central Powers to arm the rebels. Roger Casement spent months in Berlin where he took part in a series of unproductive meetings with skeptical representatives of the Kaiser. An open revolt in Dublin would be a useful diversion, but the Germans were wary about committing significant resources to such a plan and to a motley crew of disorganized and impoverished revolutionaries.

Casement's efforts to raise a revolutionary brigade composed of captured Irish colonials who were being held as British prisoners of war in German camps proved to be futile as these soldiers overwhelmingly refused to defect. The promised weapons offered by Imperial Germany turned out to be a cargo of antiquated army surplus, including some obsolete cannons and mortars that probably dated back to the Franco-Prussian War. A single ship was provided to deliver the arms to the Irish coast.

After the disguised ship skillfully evaded the British naval blockade, the entire shipment was captured on the beach within mere minutes of its unloading. Casement, himself, was placed under arrest almost as soon as he arrived on shore. His betrayal was the work of a paid informer, a homosexual renter, who had been communicating with the English about Casement's activities and the shipment of arms for weeks.

Initially, many Dubliners had been enraged at the rebels both for the disruption of their daily lives and the destruction that had been visited upon their city. When the British imposed a brutal state of martial law, which included the summary execution of most of the captured rebels, Irish public sentiment changed abruptly. The rebels were no longer reviled as damned fools, but considered as martyrs to the cause of Irish freedom. Padraic Pearse had been vindicated. Out of the blood sacrifice of the rising on Easter Monday came heavy handed British reprisals which reignited the spirit of revolt on the part of the Irish people.

While not a historical novel, the book does contain some fictionalized dialogue mixed with actual quotations. This does not detract from fascinating and sometimes hilarious account of cowardice, heroism, idealism and stupidity that attended the birth of the Republic of Ireland.

We all realize the book is a bit fictionalized, but it's a better read that way, I think, and I've been studying the Easter Rising for 2 years now. All the information is accurate, and it gives you a good sense of the times. We can never truly know what these men were thinking, but this gives you a fairly good idea. I have a question though, there were two things I could not verify and since I'm researching this, it's quite important: does anyone know about the authenticity of Moira and Agna Connolly's existance? Most places say Connolly only had 6 children, but then they never give names, and the names of all his other children are accurate.

Rebels is wonderful book, encompassing the years leading up to the Rising, the events of the Rising, and the executions after the failed Rising. The book is rich in the characters of the major figures involved in the events of the Easter Rising. Pearse, the fatal idealistic, to the hard-nosed general Maxwell are beautifully protrayed. Rosa encompasses the whole view of what the rebellion meant the leaders, the British, and the people of Ireland. Also, Rosa shows the changing attitudes of the Irish people after the Rising. If you love Irish history, this book is a must read.