Baby Books

This book is the perfect lap size. The illustrations are just beautiful. Both of my children (under 3 years old) love this book. This is the perfect addition to any collection...

We recently bought this book for our 15-month old and he loves it. The illustrations are lovely, the narrative is sweet and melodic, and it is short enough to be a book that holds his attention start to finish even when he is tired. A lovely find!

Time for bed is a wonderful bedtime story for children of all ages.
My granddaughters just love it and want it read over & over!

This is absolutely a lovely book. The illustrations are soothing for bedtime, and the rhythmic story makes for a perfect bedtime story. I have been reading this to my son since he was born, and he still loves it at 3 years old. Great bonding experience with this wonderful story.

This is a great book that I would recommend to all for those quite moments just before sleep. This gentle story leads you through an array of animals as they settle down for the night. I find the pictures great and the gentle rhythm of the book a delight. I could not as more of a bedtime story.

I started this book when I was pregnant with my second child, ended up miscarrying, but continued to read and finish it because of the respect and insight Peggy Vincent ignited in me for my own body. The learning and playful love I felt as I turned the pages outweighed my pangs of hurt and loss - I am so happy I stumbled upon this great book. Highly recommended, and although I'd wished I had found it before my first pregnancy, some women (and men) may want to wait until they have one birth under their belt as the images Ms. Vincent creates will definitly churn the emotions. Turned my western-culture hospital attitude on its head.

My best friend gave me this book as a thank-you gift for flying from Nor Cal (60 miles from Berkley, where most of the action is set) to Phoenix, AZ on a few hours' notice, five days ahead of schedule, in order to be her doula for her first baby. I had read it before I left for California again some days later.

Fast, engaging, memorable life experiences follow a decades-long parade of shifting ideas of how women give birth in our country, from "all stirrups-and-forceps, all the time!" (slight exaggeration... slight.) to the reemergence of midwifery care and homebirth. The chapters tend to be short, which is great if you've only got a few minutes to squeeze in some reading. The stories are exhilarating, often hilarious, sometimes terrifying.

One of my favorite books. I hope someday to meet Peggy and learn more from her as I also work with laboring women, and maybe even get to catch a few babies, myself.

I love that Peggy begins her career as a shy, girlish candy striper & goes on to become the take-charge, seasoned veteran she ultimately is. I love that she chose what appear to be the most exciting, interesting, poignant & pivotal birth stories of her professional career to share with us. She gives the people what we want - action! I've read lots of hum-drum, normal homebirth stories, so I found it refreshing to be riveted at every page.
BTW, Peggy, you got screwed & it's not fair! I was so spitting mad about her lawsuit that happened >20 years ago that I will rant about it whenever the topic comes up. A page-turner, but perhaps not for first-time pregnant mommies. If you're really into childbirth, like me, wait until your postpartum time, when you need something to get your heart racing & overemotional eyes pouring in happiness & sadness.

I was born in my house and witnessed the births of my two younger brothers. Yet I hate to say, I never imagined that I myself could deliver at home. All my friends were born at hospitals, so that must have been normal, right? I used a hospital midwife for my first child and had an amazing birth experience. If I hadn't, (and if I didn't already LOVE my current midwife who will also deliver in a hospital) I would certainly call up a local midwife and "do it at home."
I have to say, as much of an education this book was, it was FUNNY! Peggy Vincent has a great way with telling a story. Its one of those books where you laugh out loud, and then read the passage to whoever is in the room. Even my 20 year old brother laughed at the part when the husband is ready to catch the baby and started screaming.
Another thing I liked about this book is that the chapters are pretty short, so if you have other responsibilities (and really shouldn't be reading a book) you have several good stopping places.
If you are pregnant, or planning on becoming pregnant, or have already had children, are a nurse or doctor, or just want to be entertained, I would highly recommend this book.

I've read several births on midwifery and Peggy Vincent's is by far one of the most readable in terms of reaching a broad audience. If you reach for a midwifery book, in general you are pregnant and considering it as a birth option or interested in midwifery itself. There aren't a lot of general interest readers but Vincent's book is in a position to change it. It is both a memoir of a powerful personal journey and a piquant social commentary but beyond those two facets it is a testament to the power of women and the beautiful normalcy of birth. In fact, it's the stories of the women--both happy and sad--- that make the book so compelling, particularly because the author doesn't try to ignore or whitewash births that did not end as planned.
I recommend Babycatcher to any pregnant mom who wants a glimpse of her own birthing capabilities and to any women considering midwifery. I also recommend it to anyone else who wants a moving, informative, often funny adventure into the exciting world of baby catching.

This book is not for those with a weak stomach but is great for a first time parent to be. It shows week by week development of the unborn child. I would highly suggest it to any new parent.

This is an amazing book. I bought the first edition when I was pregnant with my first child and thought it was awesome. Now it has been reprinted and updated with photographs of the fetus using modern technology. I got the new one for my daughter who is expecting her first child. I just can't believe the photos in the new book! She is enjoying viewing and learning about her baby's development. This book is a compilation of amazing photos of the development of a child from conception to birth.

Beautiful full color images of all parts the pregnancy. I was referred to get this book by another teacher who said she gave it as a gift at a baby shower and it was a big hit. Includes images from a 3-D ultrasound, progression of baby growth, and other cool pictures.

Product very good, just as described. Shipping quite slow, but was still within the time frame described.

I absolutely LOVE this book!! The pictures are incredible! I have not seen anything else that compares. I received the order quickly, it was packaged well and in perfect condition. Love it!!

What a wonderful story! My daughter is 3 1/2 and after one reading this quickly became her favorite book. It is so much fun to read and she enjoys it. It is great at teaching kids about being patient and waiting for a parent when they call them from their room. Also, about teaching them that mama is close by and they don't have to be scared to be alone after lights out. Our favorite line from this book (and Llama Mad at Mama) - "stop all this llama drama!" We are so blessed by this wonderful story.

What a cute book. My daughter loves this book and red pajamas. What a fun book to read to your child.

This clever little book is my child's new favorite bedtime story, and the illustrations make me laugh out loud! We certainly know about Llama Drama around here, and my child is currently calling herself, "Little llama!"

My almost 2 year old daughter never sits for a whole book - until "llama llama red pajama". I picked it up, I didn't expect for it to get sooo much usage, but it does! We're going on 3 weeks and she's starting to remember the words and loves to shout "llama Mama!" all over the house. So, we purchased the second book, "llama llama mad at mama", this is a little more complex and may take some more time. However, this book has helped her become more patient when I am reading. Well, we're loving it and have introduced it at playdates. I can't say enough good things about this book.

The rhyming and the facial expressions are also very easy for her to interpret and understand, I appreciate that too.

My son received this book on his first birthday, and 3 months later was a die-hard fan :) I loves the illustrations and the cadence of the words. It's the book he brings to us when he wants to be read to. Highly recommended for your toddler!

Jubilee, my 7 month old grand baby loves this book! It always makes her smile. Check it out at your local library and then buy it for your favorite baby as I did :-]

My sister got this for my 7-month old daughter for Christmas. She loves it. It keeps her attention and she kicks her little legs in excitement each time I read it to her. I like how the pages give you a little hint as to what will be on the following page (cow print for cow, train tracks for train, etc...). I also like that it is nice and short, perfect for the attention span of my little one.

My two-year-old granddaughter loves this fun little book. It's sturdy enough to withstand her exuberant reading style. After a couple of days, she was able to "read" it to me. A child over three may find it too simple to keep her attention.

My 9 months old likes this but the 22 month old already seems to be past this stage. It is good for very young kids.

this book is great! my son loves the pictures and he wants read over and over again! Recommend for 9-18 months

I found this book at the library when searching for books for my preschool class. I had never read it before, but I love Don and Audrey Wood and I thought the children would enjoy the charming illustrations and the simple text in this book. Boy was I right! This book quickly became the favorite of the entire class. When choosing books for naptime, the children would inevitably argue over who would have this book on his or her cot so I began to read it to ALL of them before they went to sleep. Pretty soon they had memorized the text and would say it out loud with me. When it was time to take it back to the library we had a going away party, complete with mouse ears and, of course, red, ripe strawberries!

When I was transferred to another preschool with children from at-risk backgrounds, they too loved this book! Many of these children who already had very tough exteriors at ages 3 and 4 would simply melt for this book! My reciting the text of this story helped one little boy with multiple health conditions to remain calm during some pretty scary times.

Now, I've bought the book for Christmas for my nephew who just turned three. My sister just e-mailed me to tell me he absolutely loves it! He loves to say "Boom Boom Boom! Big hungry bear's coming!" This book is tried and true and will please ANY preschooler, and even older and younger children.

This book is great. I had it for my kids now I am buying it for my grandkids.

The Big Hungry Bear was a favorite of my grandchildren and I took great delight in reading it to them while they cuddled on my lap. They are grown now and I have a great grandchild on the way and bought the book as a gift for my grand daughter to read it to her new niece. It was the book I had my grandson (the father of the new baby) read to me when he first learned how to read. I'm sure the "greats' will enjoy this book as well as the Christmas Big Hungry Bear book too.

This has been one of my favorite books to read to children since I was young. It is just a really fun story!

My 6 year old son loves this book. It is a short story and keeps his attention.

My wife bought this book to read to our foster children. It has turned out to be our favorite book of all time for our kids! The words and meaning are so touching and true, very heartfelt. And the drawings are the most precious and endearing. They are just as great as the storyline. The most precious book for the most precious children! Every child should have one!

I bought this book several years ago when Daniel Pinkwater reviewed it on Public Radio. It perfectly describes a relationship between parent and child, where the parent is the stable rock the child craves, the child the ingenuous spirit the adult has lost.

I don't see it as being limited to adults and children. I have many of the same feelings about some of my adult friends.

I do agree with the reviewer who suggested this is basically an adult book -- I don't think most children will understand what it's about.

The "professional" reviewer who found it overly sentimental seems to have little understanding of human relationships. This book expresses a significant aspect of them in a way I have not seen elsewhere.

This book really warms your heart. Perfect for anyone - parents and children. I give it to all of my friends who had a baby or are having a baby... It made me cry after my daughter was born because the book is so touching, yet so simple. It is one my 18 month old daughters favorite books. ENJOY!

LOVE THIS BOOK! It's a great kid-friendly story about the relationship between a parent and child. The pictures are wonderful also. Gave it as a baby shower gift to a good friend but will absolutely get another copy when I have my own children!

This book is heart moving and precious because it is so real. I can't read it without tears in my eyes.

Our family LOVES the rhyming in this story! So cute! We find ourselves counting, "one berry, two berry, pick me a blueberry..." at random times! This is a fun one to read to kids and allows you to really ham it up and be really animated and silly. The pictures are very elaborate and detailed and fun to look at. The kind where you notice something there a second time that you never noticed there before. This is certainly becoming one of our all-time favorite children's books!

wonderful book . My daughter loves the rhyming words and the wonderful colorful illustrations. I would definitely recommend this book.

Just a delightful book. I remember reading this during library time when I was little, so I had fond memories of reading the playful words and looking at the fanciful illustrations. You'll enjoy the book if you like fun rhyming that doesn't necessarily use "perfect" words but creates an enjoyable experience for your child anyway. Although another reviewer gave this book one star because it wasn't "educational" enough due to its use of playful words, some books are just meant to be read and enjoyed without teaching a lesson. It's okay to let kids be kids and to foster their imagination!

Now I'm an adult with a toddler. I found "Jamberry" at our local library and checked it out to read to my daughter who was 12 months old at the time. She kept saying "again" whenever we'd finish it. Whenever we check it out at the library, she wants to read it everyday, multiple times, at least 3 times in a row. Although this may annoy me slightly (especially after the 15th time reading it in one day), I'm thrilled she's so excited about a book and am proud to help foster her love for reading at an early age.

As an aside, we haven't checked "Jamberry" out at the library in at least 2 months and tonight I said "One berry, two berry, pick me a blueberry" and our daughter wanted to read the book. We tried explaining to her that "Jamberry" was still at the library and she got pretty upset that the book wasn't here to read for the twenty-millionth time. Never making that mistake again! No quoting "Jamberry" unless you have the real thing to back it up. That's why I've gone ahead and put it on my daughter's wish list.

This was one of my daughter's favorites, and it's one I didn't mind reading again and again. It has a fun rhythm and innovative text, and is not repetitive or "moralizing" like many kids' books. It's not meant to teach a lesson, just fun-- and really, don't we all need that sometimes?

The first time I read this, I simply did not get it. But then I read it again with an open mind combined with my own fond memories of picking huckleberries in the Idaho mountains and soon was more acclimated to this charming little rhyme. The repetion of vowels is great for little ears and the pictures truly are wonderfully whimsical. I still don't get it, but it certainly is darling.

I remember this book from my childhood. I think I kept it checked out of my school library almost the whole year! I am so glad to find it again, since it obviously left quite an impression. It's such a wonderful, well-written book, and certainly not your run-of-the-mill fairy tale princess.

I first read this book when I was in elementary school. I remember reading it and not wanting to put it down. When my mother finally made me put it down and help with the dishes I explained everything I had read so far to her in detail and after I was finished helping my mother, I went back to reading and finished the entire book the same day I started it. Years later I tried to find this book but because i had read it when I was so young, I couldn't remember the title. I was thrilled when I found it and once again read the book the same day i got it. The book was still amazing(I had my worries because things that seem great when your young sometimes turn out to be pretty bad as a adult). I found the story of Amy heartwarming with a creative twist to the other princess stories we all know. I find the idea that Amy wasn't the image of a beautiful princess because she had freckles and straight hair charming. It makes you realize there is more to beauty than perfect complexions and blond hair. I think every little girl should read this story and plan to purchase it for my niece when she is older. Even as an adult I enjoy reading this fairy tale and highly recommend it for all young girls.

I wish I had this book when I was a child instead of filling my head with the traditional fairytales. I think we try to hard to live up to the impossible standards that these fairytales represent and when real life hits, we feel like a failure for not being able to fulfill them. Truly a great book to read to your child and one that has a little something for us as well.

This book emphasises that there are other virtues and qualities aside from aesthetics. It is difficult to describe. The book teaches that beings ones true self is what matters most and goes beyond valueing superficial signs of worth.

One may know the story of the servant girl who gets to go to the ball, the story of the beautiful girl that falls in love with the beast, the princess that is finally awakened by a kiss from a dashing prince. But, it is quite possible that one may go half of her life before ever hearing the story of another girl, a princess in fact, who was born once upon a time in a land called Phantasmorania. She was christened Her Serene and Royal Highness Princess Amethyst Alexandra Augusta Araminta Adelaide Aurelia Anne--a name fit for the most beautiful and exraordinary princess in all the land. Special gifts were bestowed upon the baby at this christening celebration by the magical fairies of the land. All seems to be heading straight for happily ever after until the last fairy bestows her idea of a gift on the princess: "You shall be ordinary!" The kingdom is turned upside down. An ordinary princess?

The king and queen may consider this gift a curse indeed, but it is what makes the story so endearing to readers. Traditional views of what makes someone noble and special are tried, especially what makes a woman beautiful and of worth. In a classically fairy-tale setting, a mythical land ruled by Oberon, king of the fairies, new-age ideas are considered and ultimately proven plausible. M.M. Kaye's story, The Ordinary Princess, is a refreshing new take on classical fairy-tale stories that enamors readers with its relatable characters all the while enchanting them with a somewhat fantastic plot and imagery. Because Princess Amy is so believable, readers are better able to walk along side-by-side with a princess and vicariously experience all her adventures instead of gazing longingly from afar.

Kaye's story brings ordinary and fantasy into beautiful harmony: it is what makes this story the most enchanting fairy-tale you might've never heard of. It's never too late for this kind of magic.

A princess is supposed to be fair, with hair golden, skin like wild rose petals and cream, and eyes as blue as larkspurs (3). A princess is supposed to be graceful, well-tempered, always behaving with the utmost dignity and poise. Kaye characterizes all six of Amethyst's sisters by nothing more than this description of what a royal princess should be. But, because of the gift bestowed on the little princess to be ordinary, Amy, as she was thereafter called (for "what could be more ordinary than that?"), is hardly those things at all (21). Amy was much more like us: she was imperfect. She had a stubbed-nose, freckles. She was gawky and had the "distressing habit of standing with her feet apart and her hands behind her back" (22). Already, an ordinary audience has come to relate to this ordinary princess. The audience can relate to physical imperfections, but the audience is inspired by the way Amy reacted to her imperfections and lived her life. It wasn't that Amy never was discouraged. Indeed, no. This facet of character makes her all the more relatable, realistic. But, she was optimistic about looking at things though and she enjoyed life, trying to look at the bad in a positive light. Amy was such an ordinary sort of girl that she would sneak out of her window to play in the Forest of Faraway. It is easy for the audience to like Amy for themselves and it is natural for them to empathize with her, but the people in the kingdom don't seem to like Amy and her manners very much at all. The reader finds acceptance and an embracing of his imperfections through the character of Peregrine, the "man-of-all-work" she meets a neighboring kingdom. He grows to love her for her ordinary self and her ordinary habits. She is not timid and delicate like a princess is expected to be and he loves her and all of her "imperfections," without even knowing that she is a princess. It is human, it is ordinary, to want to be loved for what we really are and Amy and Peregrine's story gives the reader hope that it can happen.

Their relationship manifests the harmony of the ordinary and the fantastic that Kaye uses to enthrall readers. Amy meets him in a very casual setting and they decide that they would like to be friends. They talk as friends. They are informal and playful in their dialogue. One day, when they are lounging in the forest as they often liked to do, he talks of having seen the princess that had come to visit the king of this far away kingdom where Amy had runaway and where she met Peregrine. She asked him, "What's she like?"

He answered her, "Like a princess." She didn't like this answer saying that it was silly, so she threw a blackberry at his nose. That's not the sort of thing Cinderella would do but it seems an ordinary thing for a modern girl today to do. Their conversations are full of silly, friendly dialogue and they almost always end their rendezvous walking hand in hand and laughing together. But, the fantastic part about it is that they truly love each other. This ordinary relationship turns into something real and something that can last. Even when the plot takes an unexpected turn, they still live happily ever after together. The coming together of the ordinary and the extraordinary in their relationship uplifts the ordinary reader, giving him or her evidence that fantastic is in the realm of possibility.

In addition to character development and plot in bringing a refreshing harmony to the work, M.M. Kaye cleverly and naturally manipulates simple, every-day words and assembles them in an enchanting way that creates the sweet, lovely undertone of the entire work. Instead of using extraordinary, sophisticated words to describe the beauty of a baby, she says simply, "she was as pink and white and gold as apple blossoms and the spring sunshine." In these simple words, the reader receives almost an entire idea of what this baby is like because the reader is able to imagine the softness of the babies skin like the petals of the blossom, the babies sweet smell like the scent of the blossom, and the warmth of the babies skin like clean spring sunshine. Kaye takes advantage of the readers' minds ability to make relationships to words and bring up images without the image being explicitly laid-out by the author through unnecessary wordiness. The images that Kaye creates using such simple words are so brilliant that it would seem that she were a fairy herself. Because she uses this simple diction to color her piece, all, young or old, are able to read her story as if it were meant for them, gleening from it what their mind imagines all on its own.

Even the illustrations that enliven the pages of Kaye's fairy-tale are enchanting. The simple and sometimes amusing black and white line drawings add a childlike intrigue to the book. The images look simple enough but they are beautiful and oftimes delightful caricatures of the people or the situations Kaye is describing, adding to the humorous, casual, friendly aspect of The Ordinary Princess.

This story is attractive to modern audiences because of the idea that what is traditionally valued by society is not always the most valuable thing to have. What Amy lacked in beauty and elegance, she certainly made up for in warm, gentle kindness and friendliness. Amy, like other fair-tale princesses, was so gentle that she had animal friends that kept her company, a crow and a squirrel. She was able to look past herself and think of others because she was not caught up in her appearance. She was straight-forward and sometimes rambunctious about the way she did things, something contrary to the traditional idea that a woman should be demure, and in this way attracts the modern reader whose idea of woman may be different. This story has the fantastic, enchanting aspect of a fairy tale but because Kaye chose to combine that with the ordinary aspect of humanity, it can attract and resonate with a wider audience.

The title of the book itself, The Ordinary Princess, brings too dissimilar things, ordinary which connotes mundane or down-to-earth, homely and the idea of a princess which is basically everything extraordinary, beautiful and noble and sophisticated. The title intrigues readers because of the juxtaposition of these two seemingly paradoxical ideas; the reader may question or dare to hope that these two characteristics aren't so contradictory after all. As the reader turns the pages of Kaye's tale, absorbing the character of Amy, the fun and childlike humor of the dialogue and the characters, and the mesmerizing illustrations one comes across every so often, they are increasingly enchanted with the idea that fantastic is in the realm of possibility. Amy is loved for her ordinary self. Being true to one self is more important than living by society's norms and that is when happily ever after can really happen.

We purchased The Beginner's Bible for our Daughter as a Christmas gift. She loves it and is very interesting to her. I think this is the perfect beginner's bible with all the illustrations it will keep kids attention and make it fun to learn.

I bought this as a Christmas gift for my 7-year-old daughter. She'd been begging for a bible of her own & after reading the reviews & seeing the recommended age of 4-8 I thought it would be great for her. I was a bit disappointed when the book came & I saw right on the back cover that it states: Ages 2-5.

The reading is o.k. for her age but the illustrations would be best for the younger age group as suggested by the publisher. Nevertheless the stories are still great & it's a nice book. My 5-year-old son will enjoy this a bit more though than the 7-year-old.

I would recommend this book but to the ages 2-5 rather than 4-8.

I had a chance to read this bible and the previous printed version. I liked this one better than the older copy. Although there is not too much of a difference. It was recommended to me by the Associate Pastor's wife of my church for my two year old daughter.

This is a wonderful Bible for small children or new readers to introduce them to the Bible stories. The language is age-appropriate and the illustrations are great - not scary like some children's Bibles. This has been the 'textbook' for my Sunday School class (ages infant-2yrs) for 6 years and I make sure that all of my sweet little students have one to read at home also. It is comprehensive enough to cover most all of the lessons that we cover each year. This book is broken up into Bible 'stories' which are just the right length for a Bible lesson or bed-time story. I have seen many children's Bibles and this is my favorite. (I tried to go back and rate this 5 stars, but couldn't change it)

I love this book and so do my children 7 and 3. We have also taken it to church and used it in our sunday school class. Very well done.