Baby Books

This book is a surprising gem.

The one line review that I've been passing on to friends is "This is what Ursula K. Le Guin would write, if she did something light."

On the surface, it's light but well-written storylines woven together in a sci-fi/fantasy twist.

But the book forces you to shift perspective, to move between different points of view, and to think.

I picked it up because I figured anything that got a Newberry Honor medal was probably worth reading, and I wasn't disappointed.

This is a re-read from my youth and I am glad that it has been reissued. I love all of Engdahl's work and I only wish that she would write more after her long dry period. A well-writte intelligent and charming female protagonist learns and grows within a setting much like early (good) Andre Norton- reminiscent of Ice Crown, in fact.

This is an interesting book. I like the three different voices she uses to narrate the three different worlds, and the way the most advanced world, being the most self-aware, is done in first person.

Interesting questions are raised and about truth, right/wrong, etc. I do not agree with everything the author seems to believe, but this book would be a good springboard for discussion of questions like, "What is truth?" and "What/who is God?" and "Is there anything beyond what we can see and study with traditional science?"

There are a lot of other interesting questions that can be pondered that the book raises but does not answer. For instance, was Alana's father exploiting her young heart and propensity to fall in love in order to save the world of Andrecia and, if so, is that a morally defensible thing?

Not the absolute best book I have ever read, but worth reading, and probably worth reading more than once.

Having read Sylvia Engdahl's excellent novel, The Far Side of Evil, several years ago, I approached this book with a positive outlook that it would be just as thought-provoking and well told. I wasn't disappointed, though this novel is indeed different in tone.

The Enchantress of the title is Elana, whose exact age is never given but can be assumed to be in her late teens or early twenties. Elana, looking for adventure and real life experience, stows away on board a starship that is sent to Andrecia, a medieval planet that is currently being colonized by a more advanced society. Once her presence is known, her father and boyfriend decide that Elana can indeed help with the plan to oust the invaders, which will allow Andrecia to continue to develop at its own pace. Elana becomes the "Enchantress"; she befriends two locals who are off to fight the "Dragon" (a massive rock-chewing machine), and helps them by awakening their own skills so that their quest will be successful. In the process, Elana finds herself falling for the local known as Georgyn, and in her inexperience, putting them both in grave danger.

This book moves seamlessly between points of view, which gives it a much more universal feel than had we only known Elana's side of the story. When Georyn's voice takes over, the story almost becomes a fairy tale; indeed, that is how he sees Elana and the invaders who have come to his world. Elana is, of course, young and inexperienced but desperate to do the right thing; and Jarel is the lone voice of the invaders, unsure of his world's plans but unable to do anything to stop them.

I enjoyed this novel but did feel that at times it was a bit on the fantastic side. I felt the plans Elana's father made to dupe the invaders weren't necessarily believable, but I was able to keep in mind that this is indeed a fantasy. Elana could be infuriating in her lack of knowledge and her headstrong ways, and her poor boyfriend Evrek is relegated to the background while Elana forges ahead with a relationship with Georyn. Overall, however, this is a well-written novel and Engdahl has a gift for telling a tale that will pull you in from the first pages. Over thirty years since its debut, this thought-provoking novel holds up well and is just as relevant today. Recommended for lovers of fantasy.

Please keep in mind that I really liked this book. "Enchantress" is well written and enjoyable. That being said, I could not entirely enjoy the story because I had a problem with the heroine. I know this probably says more about me than her but...

The heroine, as thoughtful and insightful as she is, is a bit of a hypocrite. She "suffers" enormously with guilt about even the smallest of lies she is forced to tell her "poor primitive" lover.

On the other hand she only feels a twinge of condescending pity for her fiancé whom she has been more-or-less betraying by concealing her "forbidden love" for the "primitive" for most the book.

And when it comes to lying to her father and sneaking around behind his back; forget about it! She doesn't even hesitate a second and even takes a certain pleasure in it, even when, inevitably, her "disobedience" endangers entire civilizations.

There are only four main characters in this book. The heroine, her male father, her male fiancé, and her male lover. I found myself many times wishing she had a mother, sister, or best friend to whack her upside the head and tell her to stop acting so ridiculous.

The one woman who COULD and WOULD have set her straight was killed as the book opened. (Actually there WAS one other female in the book; a practically-unconscious sacrifice victim being "delivered to the dragon.")

Anyway enough about my problems. If you didn't even notice the things I had issues with, (and you probably didn't) "Enchantress" is a good read.

Absolutely delightful! Jeanne Carley takes an already super-cute pet, and makes it even cuter! How DOES she do it? Simply amazing, especially when you consider how energetic and wiggly ferrets are. Excellent quality and superb creativity, a must-have for every ferret lover.

I have been ordering Jeanne Carley's Ferret Calendar for years now; my ferrets have both passed (and someday I will get new ones, once my daughter is a little older), but I will keep ordering two calendars each year: one for me and one for my sister over in Europe, who eagerly awaits the calendar each Christmas.
Jeanne takes the most wonderful, unique pictures. Having had ferrets, I know how hard it is to take good pictures, let alone great ones!

love the calander buy them every year for xmas gifts. my ferrets are gone now, but at least i get to have memorys.

I bought Jeanne's calendar the first year it came out...and have ever since! I write this with one of my ferrets curled up in my lap admiring yet another beautiful product. Jeanne really knows how to capture ferrets at their best. I wish mine always looked that sweet and charming...!

(I'm mildly surprised that no one has used that title for a review.)

I've been hooked on Jeanne Carley's ferret calendars for years. They always go up in my work space, and they always go on my Christmas gift list. The little fur-critters come off looking so natural. There is a certain amount of photoshopping, but it's minimal and pretty difficult to detect.

The 2006 Ferret Babies calendar is up to Ms. Carley's usual high standards. She obviously loves her chosen subjects, and such sweet subjects they are!

Highly recommended for ferret lovers, calendar lovers, and lovers of fine photography.

Of all the books I received as baby gifts, this book has had the longest lifespan. It was my daughter's favorite book as soon as she was old enough to turn regular pages, and almost a year later, it still is. Unlike shorter board books which become very repetitive, this book still has poems that seem "fresh" to me. Everytime we read it's a different experience, depending how many pages we turn at a time. It can be a short book or a long book, depending on the day. The illustrations are incredibly detailed. Even after what seems like a thousand reads, I'm finding clever twists and recognizing characters from elsewhere in the book. This book is a classic and offers lots of bang for your buck.

The illustrations for the rhymes are all of cats and other animals as stand in for humans and are very cute. As for the rhymes, there are not many of them and some are truncated.

When my kids were small, I went into a "Mother Goose" kick. I bought and checked out from the Library every Mother Goose I could find, we read them all, and THIS was by far our favorite. The selection of poems was varied, with old favorites and new poems I'd never heard from my childhood as well. The illustrations are beautiful and very fun, Rosemary Wells knows just how kids minds work!

This is a very good book, but it's not quite what I'd imagined. Most of the rhymes were not familiar to me. The illustrations are beautiful, though, and it's fun to read. We enjoy it, but if I had seen it before buying, I probably wouldn't have bought it.

This has been one of our kids' very favorite books since they were about 6 months old, edited by the clever Iona Opie and illustrated by the author of the Max and Ruby books. The sing-song rhythms enchanted them as babies, and the entertaining (and adorable) animal-based interpretations of the words have kept the kids coming back to pull this off the shelf. The collection is really well-chosen, with most of the "classic" nursery rhymes here; my only complaint is that the editor seems to opt for only one verse of most rhymes where in some cases I'm pretty sure there's more to it than that. The division into "chapters" makes it a little easier to find a closure point, since they keep wanting to hear/see "just one more!" A great baby gift.

This is a book for the young, but it is also a good book for the parents and everyone in between.
I had this book w/record when I was a little girl and the meaning behind this very small simple book came to mind many times through my life... (middle aged now) It resonated with me because I perceived my family didn't believe in me, didn't think I would amount to anything, treated me as if I was stupid and laughed at me, my dreams... so I grew up trying to be my own "cheerleader"... which was daunting at times... yet, like this boy planting the carrot seed, I also somehow knew (trusted?) inside me there was a seed that would grow with enough positive energy, light and love. It is my passion to cheer my fellow humans on... believe in yourself, believe in your children, believe in the people around you and they will believe in themselves and so on and so on and so on...
We all came here with a gift (seed)... let it move through you (grow) and do not listen to the negative voices/opinions around you, no matter how "influential" they are.
"My story" is done, coaching session over ;-) Cheers to ya!

My 3 year old son knows this book word for word. It is a superb story about patience and tenacity. Yet another library book that become so beloved we turned to amazon....

This book is a wonderful portrayal of perserverence and faith. Delightful to young and old!

i was happy to receive the book. it is exactly the book i remembered and its nice because it is hard.

thank you

This book had a huge impact on me as a child.

Everyone told the boy his carrot seed would not come up. Even the adults. My reaction was this: adults know everything, so why is this boy still trying? I was truly surprised when the carrot seed sprouted, and I clapped and cheered. My next reaction was this: maybe *I* shouldn't give up, even when other people tell me to. This is one of the greatest lessons I've ever learned.

I read this book to my own kids now, and they love it as much as I do.

This is a great road map to surviving the death of a baby. I would recommend this book to parents, family or friends who have lost a baby due to miscarriage, pregnancy interruption, stillbirth or SUID.

I purchased this book on the recommendation of a friend after the loss of my son, which was the culmination of a series of increasingly cruel and difficult miscarriages. More than any other book, this one helped me sort through all of my losses and deal with the grief and make some sort of sense of it. I especially liked how the book, although it has a religious tone, isn't overly preachy and the chapter for husbands was also something my husband thought was good. I have passed my copy on to a friend who lost her son, but since then have encountered a number of friends and colleagues who, sadly, also have had similar experiences. I have taken to having an extra copy at all times so that when a friend does open up to me about a loss (I'm very open about my son) I have one to pass on.

After our fourth daughter was stillborn January 2008, I thought that no one or nothing could relate to how I felt. I was wrong after I read this book. This book accurately describes
my feelings of guilt, helplessness, fears, etc. It is very comforting to know that I am not crazy for thinking the way I do.I have read a lot of books on this subject (which is so sad for it happens way too often to so many people) but this one is the best so far. I am going
to recommend it to a local hospital for anyone who (god forbid), has this tragic event in their lives as well. Deb Davis writes knowing my thoughts
and my questions, realizing at the same time that we will never know the answer why after 36 healthy weeks, her spirit was chosen to leave this earth. I love you so much...... and miss you...... we will meet again someday.

After our son was stillborn in April of 2006, we were looking for any support we could find. We went to the beach and I read this book out loud to my husband cover to cover in 1 day. Everything we were feeling was covered in this book. It was to the point and very validating. We referred to this book daily. I have purchased several of these for our support group and the hospital where our son was born. We felt like this was something parents should leave with and for that matter a book the nursing and hospital staff should have as required reading. During our darkest days this book helped us work through the many emotions that come with the death of a child. If you have suffered the same fate or know someone who has I highly recommend this book.

Our first child, our son Wyatt, was stillborn and it has been the most devastating event of our entire lives. I bought this book after a fellow angel parent recommended it and absolutely loved it. It is so "nice" to see all the thoughts and feelings you have after losing a child right there in print. It makes you realize you're not going crazy, that those thoughts and feelings are legitimate, and that you are not alone. I carried this book everywhere with me and would highlight phrases that were personal to me. It really helped me understand the loss of our son and give me strength and courage to go on with our lives while still keeping his memory alive. I'm so sorry to those of you having to look at this book, but I hope it can help you as much as it has helped me.

This book has been a family favorite for many years. My children love the rhymes and the whimsical story and love to picture a giant sandwich being constructed. I got this book for all my nieces and nephews this year and it was a big hit.

"The Giant Jam Sandwich" is great for any kid with a vivid imagination its laid out in such a way that it flows like honey or in the case of this book STRAWBERRY JAM! The basis of this book is the town of "Itching Down" has one serious dilemma, one day in flew 4 million wasps and of course they were wreaking havoc for everyone and everything so what do you do to try to get rid of these pesky wasps? why build a giant jam sandwich and trap them in it!
From what I see this book came out 30yrs ago its has a fun rhyming text, the illustrations are great I love the expressions of the townsfolk and it showcases a community really coming together to solve a big buzzing problem. A great food fun book a lot like "Cloudy with a chance of meatballs" which I also highly recommend. This book is complete fun for the family a great story to bring along for picnics just don't forget to pack your own jam sandwiches!

My son who is graduating from high school requested this book as a graduation gift. It is one of his favorite memories from childhood and may have even influenced his decision to become a professional pilot. A charming story told in rhyme accompanied by whimsical illustrations. An asset for any child's library.

I grew up with this book and am rapt that amazon could find it for me.
I love the simplicity of the book, the story, pictures etc.
I am now able to read it to my children.

This was a favorite of mine as a child, so I was excited when my daughter was the right age to read it. She enjoys it immensely and loves to point out and name all the details in the colorful pictures.

Opus is listening to the same (boring) story he's heard zillions of times before when he departs from the text, in quite a spectacular way - flying through the milky way, going diving with Abe Lincoln's statue, nearly crashing into an airplane...!

It does go on and on for a while. Not for kiddos with short attention spans.

I am a homeschool mother. Homeschooling was recommended to me for my 8 year old by an educational consortium of public school administrators, psychologists, and independent Dr.'s in the fields of child development, biology, and classic studies. This book, "Goodnight Opus", is hands down, my favorite children's book. I have bought countless copies for friends and aquaintances. I have read it to grown men who keep my yard, neighbor ladies, and numbers of children in the kid sections of 4 local libraries. While it would be silly to correlate this book to my child's level, know my child - now 15 - is working on her 2nd college degree. My original copy is displayed in my library on it's own library stand. 1993 should be ignored completely - the book is timeless. Berkeley Breathed should be one of my closest friends!!

Both charming and mesmerizing, Berkeley Breathed has created an endearing bedtime story for his greatest creation, Opus. Even at 30+ years old, I can still sit down on any given night, and take 10 minutes out of my evening to be swept away to to the marvelous Milky Way and remind myself that sometimes, it is perfectly normal and quite a bit of fun to depart from the text, even if just for awhile.

love the pictures in this!! its got so many little details- you notice something new every time. and its crazy imagination that today's children's books are seriously lacking. my favorite part is with abe lincoln- "he said he himself had chased a few dreams. now that he's marble- he wished for small things. "and what," i said "would you most like to do?" "a swan dive" he said- so we stripped and did two...

Wonderful story, fantastic art. A childrens book from my favorite cartoonist in the whole world, and my two year old son won't go to bed without a reading. This book is an instant classic.

An ingenious, droll little children's book intended to teach them about colors. At ten months, my son is too young to appreciate it very much, but I read it to him anyway just so I get the chance to enjoy its storytelling, artwork, didactic skill, and humor.

Very cute illustrations and simple text introduces color mixing. Yellow and blue make green, etc. I always read this story to my kindergarten children and then we experiment with finger paints. Great activity!

This is the best "color" book I've ever read. I love that it has an actual storyline, and a clever one at that! The text is perfectly concise, and the illustrations are simple but engaging. My 5-month-old daughter loves it!

Ellen Stoll Walsh teaches color mixing in this entertaining story about 3 white mice who find three jars of primary colored paint. I read this book to my kinders before they did their own color mixing art project and they just loved it!

The pictures, created with cut-paper, are just darling. This is worth having in any classroom or home library.

As a mom I love Mouse Paint! There is depth to the story. In addition, the innovative introduction of concepts with primary colors is just plain fun. Reading for reading is always good. But reading to teach information opens up new horizons for lifelong learning. The whole book has me smiling all the way through. It is short so when it becomes a beloved favorite -- and it will be a favorite guaranteed! -- you can easily get through it to the satisfaction of all. This is the type of book I tell my friends about.

This edition in hardback would be nice as a gift.

The Water Hole is an amazing book. The illustrations are pieces of art and the message is one of great importance. If you love wildlife and animals, this is a book for you. My daughters love looking for the hidden animals in each picture. I bought it as a Christmas gift for my daughters, but I think I purchased it more for myself.

Another beautiful and entertaining book by Graeme Base! I enjoyed every page and bought more to share with my favorite young readers.

enjoyed by children learning to count and by kids that love to find the hidden animals. What I like is how my 3 and 7 year olds both love it and I can make story time long or short depending on if I just read it or if we search out all the animals. also has a great message.

Don't get me wrong, this is a really great book. This book was just not what I expected. Illustrations were great and words in this book were minimal - very appropriate for preschool kids. I had intended this for my school-age kids and it was too simplistic for them. Also, this book make it sound like the earth will restore itself on its own (raining solving drought problem) when in fact, the earth needs our help to restore it by not wrecking havoc Mother Nature.

I give this book to children all the time and the joy is given ten fold back

My 3 1/2 son loved it. It's beautifully illustrated and just fun to open the flaps to find the poop. The end is spectacular and a surprise!

Our 2 1/2 yr old LOVES finding the poop in the book. She will ask me where the poop is and go through each flap saying 'that's not it'. When she finds it she gets excited and yells 'there's the poop!'. Kind of a gross book, but it has really helped her with potty training. Would definitely recommend and plan to use on our baby girl when she arrives and is ready to potty train.

My 19 months old daughter loves it and she likes to lift the flaps and finding animals so much!

This book has been so entertaining for my newly potty trained daughter and her older sister who loves reading it with her. They laugh hysterically at the end. My two year old was still resisting going poop in the potty and I believe this book helped to change her mind.

My son is two years old, and he absolutely loves this book! When I ask him to chose a book to read, this one is always in the running. The title of the book "Where's the Poop" is not a phrase that is used throughout the book (as it would seem) But it is implied that parents can/should use the phrase when reading with their child. This book is definitely useful for potty training. In fact, so helpful that now my child is extremely curious when our cat goes to the bathroom in the liter box, or the dog going to the bathroom in the yard. It was almost like a light bulb went off, and my son realized that every living thing has a proper place for poop. Potty training is going very well, by the way. I highly recommend this book for children who are curious by nature. It definitely helped a lot with my son.