Baby Books

While the pictures are great and it is a good concept, it has not been a big hit with my 17 month old daughter yet.

This book is beautifully illustrated. It would be a terrific accompaniment to a trip to an aquarium.

Over in the Ocean is one of our families favorite books to read/sing (and give as gifts). There is always something new to discover, learn, find, and count. We never tire of reading this one or Over in the Jungle. The artwork is gorgeous, the stories wonderfully written. It should be in every child's book collection!

This is a really nice book. It has really nice texture and is very beautiful. My son absolutely loves it.

Over in the Ocean: In a Coral Reef

This is a great gift for baby shower, or first birthday - kids love this sing songy book with great illustrations. So good that I also ordered
'Over in the Jungle'.

Since when has information about aging been so much fun to read? This fast paced book is chock full of useful information, the questions it answers hit the spot and most of the time you'll have a smile on your face when you're reading as well. (When you can remember where you've put the book down). It reminded me of the film in which Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson become "older" lovers and at one point mistakenly wear each other's glasses. Except that here, the author is firmly in control! I'm going to buy a copy for all my friends...

With my 50th birthday looming large later this year I've been stockpiling books about dealing with aging parents and my own aging. None of these have been pleasure reads...until Ms. Padwa's book came along! Thanks to Lynette Padwa I'm a bit less fearful, and a lot more prepared to face mid-life armed with humor and essential information. And now I know what I'll be getting all my friends for their 50th birthday! Midlife need not be a crisis anymore and it's gals like Ms. Padwa who'll spread that message for all to hear! Thank-you!

As an avid reader its rare that a book that lands on my desk actually lives up to the title. This one does. The author literally covers hundreds of topics in a factual as well as a witty way, which makes the book a joy to read and one of those rare books one doesn't want to put down.

The authors writes about prostates, penis', what men/women really look for in a partner, finances, scents that men/women like most, face lifts, what's better coffee or wine, fitness, baldness (most women don't care), viagra, mind and stress, why do bones creak, medical tests over age 50, digestion, wills, life insurance, medicare, elderly parents and money concerns, job changes, retirement communities, cohousing, sex and dating and much much more.

When I read the table of contents of this gem of a how-to book and found that I kept flipping to page 50 for the topics I wanted, I knew I really could benefit from Lynette Padwa's advice -- as I had from her other wonderful books. I actually thought I could skim a lot Quick, Answer Me because, smarty-panties that I am, I've been 50 for some #*@$ years and have been studying and paying attention along the way. But I must have taken a lot of vacation days. If this book were a test, I'd have to go back to being 30. (I wish.) I highly recommend this book for readers on both sides of the 50. Thank you, Lynette, for giving us the answers AND the questions about what's happened before and why, what will happen next and why, and what is happening to our friends and spouses and significants and why. Thanks for making me laugh out loud about subjects that could make most future geezers cry. Thanks for making the publisher use a decent-sized typeface. You thought of everything!

Lynette Padwa's "...Everything You Need To Know About Turning 50" is the literary equivalent of a Woody Allen movie--smart, fast-paced, and omigod, is it funny. She takes on all the important issues concerning life, love, sex and aging, and still leaves us laughing. Don't miss this nugget.

As a mom, I love Signs for Little Hands. It's not only fun to listen to (I even find myself listening to it in the car-sans children!), but it teaches you so many useful signs to help you and your baby communicate. It makes a GREAT baby shower gift! The songs are fun, and the accompanying flash cards are clear and fun to use. I also use the CD in my preschool class. The kids love the original and classic songs to sing and sign to. I recommend the CD to all my parents. Here in the Bay Area, we are lucky enough to have the singer/songwriter, Susan Z perform her songs and teach the accompanying signs to our kids each week- we are blessed to have such a talented person be part of our children's lives!

We love Susan Z's CD...my 23 month old has been listening to it for almost a year now and it's always a pleaser when we put it on. Even though he was an early talker, he still uses sign language to emphasize or clarify his point! Susan's voice is a delight to hear while singing and signing with my little guy :)

My (almost) two year old daughter loves this CD! She can't get enough of The Potty Song or I Rest My Head and asks for this disc whenever we are in the car. Susan has such a pleasant voice and the songs are really catchy. Definitely a must have!

I bought this for my 2 year old daughter as she loves songs with moves and we taught her signing when she was smaller and she loves it! Plus the songs are really easy to learn so now we can do them wherever even if we don't have the CD with us. And the pictures show you really clearly how to make the signs. It's a lot of fun and I highly recommend it! The only thing I would change if I could is to make it spiral bound so it's easier to keep the pages open as you're trying to do the signs.

This CD is fabulous with its one fault being that there isn't enough of it!! The songs are catchy and fun and the instruction book with the accompanying signs is clear and very easy to understand. I love the update to the classic Itsy Bitsy Spider and the original songs by Susan Z always make my baby smile! The signs will help us to communicate better long before she can talk. We've seen it work for other parents to prevent tantrums because you can more easily meet the childs needs...or at least understand what they are asking for!

Thank you Mr Makichen for a wonderful book. We have been trying to become parents for many years and this book has given us another perspective and a lot of hopes. We recommend this book to any person who needs to understand the importance of life, respect, love, past and present relationships between parents and babies.

i loved this book. i couldn't put it down. i highly recommend that anyone trying to have kids or already has them read it. it gives you lots of stuff to think about.

Touching book about conceiving and the messages and lessons our children-to-be have for each of us. A gem of a book filled with wonderful stories that make you realize there is so much more to being born and coming into the world. What a gift to read and share. Great insight into abortion, adoption, pregnancy and fertility issues.

I purchased this book because the name caught my eye. I have been trying to concieve for a few years and i am trying to figure out why i haven't been successful. Though i cannot say i am pregnant yet (i haven't had a chance yet since i just got the book a few weeks ago!), it is well worth reading. The author gives lot of examples of couples and their "babies" and different reasons the babies weren't coming. It is easy to read and i finished it in just a few days. Anyone who wonders why they were adopted or what happens when a miscarriage occurs should read this book.

This is an absolutely excellent book, it was referred to us after the loss of our twin boys at 23 weeks. Even my husband, the biggest skeptic in the world loves this book. I would have given it 5 stars, but I found the chants a bit airy fairy. We often feel the presence of our sons and feel that they will visit us again in the future when their time has come. There really is something in here for every parent, adoptive parents, parents who have lost a child, parents trying to concieve.

I'm thrilled to find even used copies available. My family wore out our original copy; we bought the Spanish version (Historias Que Jesus Conto / Stories Jesus Told) when we couldn't find the English version in print. We speak only a little Spanish, but it is worth having anyway.

The stories are simply written, illustrated in a fun way, yet they do not diminish or water down the Bible story. We like this better than any other children's Bible story book we've owned.

We're buying a used copy now, but would gladly buy the new one if it comes out in print again!

I found out this book is still being sold by Amazon on their Canadian and U.K. websites (amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk). If you're in the U.S. you can order it from those sites, but the postage will be a little higher. There are lots of other Nick Butterworth books on those sites as well - some which you can't get on the U.S. site.

Stories Jesus Told is a fantastic book with clever and humorous illustrations. It impacted me and my children through the stories and vivid illustrations. My kids just keep asking to hear the stories over and over again. That in itself speaks volumes. The stories gave me a deeper understanding of the spiritual principles Jesus taught in the scriptures.

Great story rhythm. Pictures are charming, mixing the past with the familiar present items the children will recognize easily. Just the right mix of text and pictures. I read this to my son when he was 5 or 6 years old and when he could read, he read this by himself. Now I want to give my grandkids the chance to read and fall in love with this book, just like we did so many years ago. It is a classic!!

I purchased several copies of this book years ago for my own children and to give as gifts. It is my godchild's favorite book to read at night. The familiar parables are given an amusing twist with illustrations which enhance the story line and strengthen the underlying lesson. I love this book for both the content and the illustrations and would love to see it reprinted.

I recently purchased this book at a book fair and thought it sounded interesting. The topic matter, dwarfism, is not something seen in everyday children's fiction. I decided to read the book before putting it on the shelves...and I'm glad that I did!

The story centers are George Washington...no, not the president. George Washington is the protagonist of the story. He's four foot tall and endures sitting in front of Jeanie the Meany on a daily basis. His life gets worse when his parents announce that he will be a big brother. His worries about the baby taking his place in his parent's heart, a fight with his best friend, and constantly being talked to and prodded by Jeanie make for an interesting school year. To top it all off, he has to be Abraham Lincoln, the tallest president, in the Presidential play! What could be worse?

This funny, light-hearted read was well written. Dwarfism did not consume the plot of this book, but rather was used as a nice jumping off platform. It is a great book to teach children that people who are "different" have the same day-to-day drama that everyone else has.

Highly recommended!

Could anything else go wrong for a small boy? Georgie's parents are having a baby that will soon be bigger than him, Georgie has to walk poodles that are too stuck up for themselves, he is paired with his enemy "Jeanie the Meanie" for a school project, and he is having a problem holding together his only friendship. To top it all off Georgie is a dwarf!
A first time author Lisa Graff has only one other book out, "The Life and Times of Burnet Wallflower." When I read this book I was right there with the characters waiting for my parents in my friend's house. This book is filled with questions and therefore makes a great book club book. I would recommend this book for ages 7 and up. This is a great book to make mothers cry and children laugh.

I'm reading this to my fourth grade class and the kids are riveted. They have even asked to "hear more Georgie" rather than have extra time outside. It has sparked some very thoughtful discussion. I enthusiastically recommend it!!

The thing about Georgie is that he is one of the most endearing characters you'll ever meet. He's got the normal problems of a boy growing up: jealousy when his best friend befriends another boy and wants to include the new best friend in the dog-walking business that Georgie masterminded; the worry that his parents will like the new baby they're expecting better than they like him; and being assigned to a project in school with the meanest and most non-participatory student in class--Meanie Jeannie. While Georgie explores the trials and tribulations of growing up, the narrator tugs at the reader's conscience regarding the other thing about Georgie. Georgie doesn't dwell on it because there's nothing he can do about it, and the narrator wants to heighten the reader's awareness, not their sympathy. You'll come away from this book empowered for having read it and fallen in love with Georgie, and his family and his friends, who lovingly raise their own consciousness against the enemy of discrimination.

The Thing About Georgie by Lisa Graff is about a boy (Georgie) who is a dwarf and his mom is having a baby. Georgie refers to the baby as "Baby Godzilla." To make things worse, Georgie and his friend (Andy) get into a fight. Georgie thinks that nothing can get worse but some how or rather it does. How will Georgie's life get better?

Also in the beginning of some chapters Lisa Graff asks you favors so you can understand about what dwarves can and can't do.

Do you want to hear more? Well, read the book to find out more.

I really think Lisa Graff has a talent. I recommend The Thing About Georgie.

Review by G.C.

This lighthearted look at whining and the cure(s) for it, is my idea of a terrific bathroom book! Let me explain. A bathroom book is one that I pick up and put down on a daily basis while I'm in a fixed seated position. (I'm trying to be delicate, here.) Each whine is discussed and the cure for it is offered within one page. Therefore, one page could be read, and the book put down, or if you have more time, you could read on.

Each whine is placed into one of the top ten categories. Some are serious whines with serious suggestions, while others are quite funny. To paraphrase, when a child whines "He's still looking at me" make them both wear sunglasses. I chuckled as I read this one. Who knows? It could work.

There are definitions when needed: "Mother-in-law: A woman who destroys her son- and daughter-in-law's peace of mind by giving them a piece of hers."

Amusing celebrity quotes are included. I like books that give me cause to chuckle.

Great read. I loved the positive attitude. I hope this isn't the last book by January Jones. Perfect Holiday gift!!

I never thought too much about whining (except when my children were small)...until I read this funny, informative, clever book. It covers every excuse you could give about why you are whining and 'best yet' it give a possible solution! What a great book to read while traveling, fits well in a purse. Not the least of importance, the jacket of the book is appealing with the warmth of the colors chosen for the content of the warm humor. Thanks January Jones for writing this fun book. Some people have a way of leaving smiles behind.

I'm already feeling better, looking better, and almost 100% cured of whining. This book is a light-hearted read full of laughter for the whiner deep within you.

If you're a parent with kids who know at least two words, you hate whining. It was absolutely amazing how the kids could push all my buttons with that simple act. But now, it seems like nearly all of society has picked up on whining as being the preferred form of communication these days. January Jones takes a humorous look at this phenomenon in her book Thou Shalt Not Whine: The Eleventh Commandment: What We Whine About, Why We Do It and How to Stop. Along with pointing out the most common whiners and their offenses, she also offers up ways to stop the whiner in their tracks... even if the whiner is you.

Contents:
Introductory Lesson: Flying without Whining
Top Ten Whines From:
Children
Teenagers
Parents
Couples
Singles
Baby Boomers
Seniors
Women
Men
Best Friends
Grandparents
Post Script: Win, Don't Whine
Appendix: Woe Is Me - I'm a Celebrity
About The Author
Acknowledgments
MORE Thou Shalt Not Whine - Submit Your Own Whining Data

I'm guessing you'll find a match or two in the table of contents list... :)

Each of the chapters starts out with a brief description of the target audience, along with where the whining tends to be focused for them. Then you get the top ten list of whines. Let's take couples for example... The top ten are money, jobs, each other (stage 1), each other (stage 2), in-laws, sharing chores, entertaining, lack of romance, closet space, and pillows. For each of those whines, you get a couple examples ("your stuff's on my side" and "how many shoes do you need?") along with why this whine happens and how to cure it. Since I picked on closets here, the "why" is that there is no closet that can blissfully accommodate both a man and a woman. It's been like that since Adam and Eve. No matter how much room she has, she'll need more. The cure is to try for separate closets if the room will accommodate it. If not, then try to use the closet at separate times so you don't have to listen to the other person whine. She hands out this advice with a VERY large helping of humor and sarcasm, which helps to lighten the tone and the tension if this is something you're seriously trying to deal with.

I had a lot of fun reading Thou Shalt Not Whine. Even though much of it is meant to be laughed at, I was still surprised as how much whining has gotten to be part and parcel of our daily communication. If awareness is the first step towards dealing with a problem, Whine is most assuredly the first (humorous) step in that journey.

My son is 2 1/2 yrs old, and absolutely loves this book. It is simple with only one sentence per page, so he doesn't lose interest before turning a page. I checked it out from the library when he was not quite two, he had to take it to bed with him every night for the full three weeks we had it. It has been checked out ever since to other people. So I got it for him for Christmas. He still loves it, and wants it read to him every night before bed 2-3 times. I would highly recommend this book for those little boys out there who love trucks!

We receieved this as a shower gift and it quickly became a favorite. My son is now 20 months old and continues to love this book. It is regularly requested before naptime and/or nighttime sleep. He just received Trains by the same author and likewise it is a big hit. I highly recommend Trucks and Trains.

Review by Sherry North, Author, Because You Are My Baby

When my son was 2, he could not get enough of this book - he asked for it every day and even carried it with him in the car. Of the many truck books for young boys, this one is especially appealing for a few reasons:
-Simple, bold illustrations are easy to look at.
-Just one sentence per page makes the book great for short attention spans.
-In very simple language, the book introduces different kinds of trucks and their purpose. (Oil truck, bucket truck, cement mixer, etc.)

Besides appealing to toddlers, I think this would be an excellent choice for boys who are beginning to read on their own.

We like this one... story is pretty cute, great drawings. Good book for toddler boys... my son enjoyed it from 18 months on.

Love this book for a 1, 2, or even 3 yo. Both my boys love(d) it. We just bought it as a gift.

I came across this book while breastfeeding my third child and I wish I had found it sooner! The real life examples make moms realize that they are not alone in any problem they might experience. There's also a lot of practical advice, including how to deal with hospital staff, doctors, and family and friends who might not be completely supportive of nursing.
This will definitely be on my gift list for new moms-to-be!

This is a great book for mother's how are breastfeeding. I have read other books about breastfeed, and this one by far is the best. It answers all questions that you may have about breastfeeding. It answered most of my questions that I had about breastfeeding my daugther.

"THE ABC'S OF BREASTFEDING" by Stacey H. Rubin is a MUST READ for any woman planning to breastfeed her first baby or her last. The unique approach in which Ms Rubin tells of her personal experiences as a Mom, a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner and a Lactation Consultant, is informative,educational and truly fun to read. As a Neonatal RN, I have come away with an expanded knowledge base that I can use on a daily basis with the parents and babies I care for in the NICU.

I read this book cover to cover when I was about 3 months pregnant. I had many worries being this was my first pregnancy. I had many questions about breastfeeding and I also had some concerns about the birth itself and the hospital experience. This book covered all my questions regarding breastfeeding and had many important tips. The layout of the book is extremely user-friendly and the text is intriguing and informative all at once. Also, I was pleasantly surprised to find a lot of information in this book about having a fulfilling birth experience. My pregnancy has its share of complications but this book gave me the confidence to ask the right questions and the knowledge to know what to request to make this birth a positive experience for me and my baby. I actually switched to a baby-friendly hospital at 20 weeks after finding that their standard care lines up perfectly with the ideas that Stacy Rubin recommends for developing a positive breastfeeding experience. I would never have known what to ask for or what was important if I didn't have this handy resource to rely upon. If you are breastfeeding or considering breastfeeding, get this book! It is a must-have! Better yet - it makes a wonderful gift to any expectant mom.

This book is great for women who are serious breastfeeders.Most books on breastfeeding are so basic that they're useless once you're really into breastfeeding.This book has substance to it;I'm breastfeeding my second child and I can still refer to it without feeling that my intelligence is insulted.Sometimes it's nice to have a more medical-based explanation, and this book gives that as well as the easier-to-understand version.The scenarios are realistic,too,and Stacey Rubin's remedies are as well. A useful tool for breastfeeding moms!

I finally found this book on Amazon after remembering it from my childhood. It is a classic and both my boys love having it read to them. It is a cute story of a little boy named Danny searching for a gift for his mother's birthday. He enlists the help of some friendly animals....

This book is part of the curriculum for 3 year-old children at private Carden schools, along with Good Night Moon. Both are Classics and belong in every child's library. The pictures, although sketches, look like the real animals, which is a plus compared to many cartoons, and the premise Disney's more modern Baby Einstein is based on too. It introduces children to the Real World. It also teaches the quality of being giving and sharing what you have, and how a gift doesn't always have to be tangible, since a hug can be a great gift to give and receive too.

Ask Mr. Bear is a wonderful little classic. I like to read it but more important, my 3 littlest cherubs love to have it read to them. It has a good storyline and the older artwork adds variety. They love the ending -- a big bear hug for mom! It is a favorite at our house with the under 7 year old group.

Wonderful children's classic to add to your child's collection. Heartwarming story about a little boy wanting to buy his mom a birthday gift and along the way he asks all his animal friends. The end is sweet and endearing.

I loved this book as a child, now my children love it. It gets them thinking about gifts they can give, and understand that a hug and a kiss for Mom is one of the best presents they can give. I've gotten a lot more of them since reading this book to them.