Baby Books

The magical Prince Krishna, who is uncle to Eddy and Elanor Hall, has built a summerhouse in their backyard. Eddy and Elanor are warned they may use any opening in the summerhouse except the one entitled "Grow Up Now." They agree, and hang a swing in the middle of the summerhouse. Eddy and Elanor use it to swing into all of the other openings, having magical adventures. But what happens when someone goes through the forbidden archway? Read this book and find out! It is suspenseful, well-written, and above all, a wonderful book. I highly reccomend to other kids, and any grown-ups who are young at heart.

This book had a great influence on me as a child. I found it in a library and read it to my own children. If it was back in print, I'd buy it in a second.

I highly recommend it.

Yes! It's back in print . . . but nostalgia hounds, beware. The 2001 paperback edition does not include Erik Blegvad's illustrations (except for the frontispiece.) How unfortunate they chose to reprint it this way; the illustrations were such a huge part of what made this book special and memorable. Well, maybe the next edition will get the proper treatment this incredible book deserves.

I read the first three books of the Hall Family Chronicles when I was a girl. I was lucky enough to find hardcover copies of all three at the same library used book sale in 1982. I decided to reread them all again over this past weekend.

Prince Krishna has built a lovely summerhouse for Eleanor and Eddy Hall. This is no ordinary summerhouse. There's a magical adventure built into each archway. You enter the adventure by jumping off the swing. Once the magic starts, there's only so many swings until the summerhouse disappears forever. The bugs haven't been worked out of the last adventure before Prince Krishna has to fly back to his native country to avert war. Prince Krishna takes precautions by boarding up the archway, painting "KEEP OUT" on the boards, getting Eddy and Eleanor to promise they won't go through that archway, and not putting a swing in the summerhouse.

Prince Krishna's precautions are in vain. Eddy hangs a swing in the summerhouse. Of course Eddy wouldn't break his promise, but his obnoxious friend, Oliver, didn't promise anything. Oliver sees the "keep out" notice as a challenge. He swings until he breaks the boards with his feet, then sails off the swing -- and vanishes! What's poor Eddy going to do? Oliver's parents are very worried, but he can't tell them that Oliver jumped off the swing and disappeared into thin air. They'd think he was nuts. Eddy can't go through the SAME archway because of his promise, but that doesn't mean he can't go through the OTHER archways.

Meanwhile, Eleanor is very suspicious of Uncle Fred's new student, Mrs. Dorian, who has moved next door along with her little girl, Georgie, who isn't even in school yet. Eleanor is sure that Mrs. Dorian is a witch and has bewitched Uncle Freddy, because her uncle acts so silly around her. If you're older than Eleanor, you can probably figure out why.

Eleanor and Eddy don't get along as well as they did in THE DIAMOND IN THE WINDOW. Eddy has become a normal, messy boy who loves junk. He makes Eleanor so mad because she's become a prissy prig. Eleanor can hardly wait until she's old enough to wear pretty dresses and go to dances. She hates the fact that her uncle's school isn't making them rich because Uncle Freddy cares more about teaching than making money. Will the summerhouse show Eleanor the error of her ways?

My favorite archway adventure was "Make New Worlds". Sure, the man-castle and the big clipper ship were neat and the giant cash-register can teach you how much you're worth, but what's that compared to having the worlds you create come alive? (If you don't like the world of Princess Cinderellanor, wait until it's invaded by Eddy and Georgie's worlds!)

Time goes by. There's a tick-tock every time the swing is swung. All the adventures before the dangerous one have been tried, but Oliver is still missing. Eddy boarded up the archway after his friend disappeared, but Georgie is tempted. Georgie wants so much to be able to read and add two and two. Georgie is sure that she'll get what she wants if SHE breaks the boards and goes through. Will she? Of course she will. Who's going to rescue her (not to mention Oliver)? Eddy and Eleanor don't know it, but time is running out....

Edited February of 2002--Finally, this book is back in print!!!! I read this book so many times as a child and as an adult. I probably borrowed it from the library more often than anyone else in my town. I am buying this book today now that it's back in print!

This is the book you're thinking of. I too read this book as a child and was fascinated by it. There were a number of areas the kids could jump out to through the windows in the Gazebo. I particularly remember one where the children end up inside another person looking out through his eyes. And the last window was "Grow Up Now." I've been looking for a copy of this book for years. Recently I wrote a letter to HarperCollins asking them to consider reprinting it. It's odd that they'd reprint Diamond in the Window but not this one.

I really don't care of teletubbies. But boy did both of my kids. They loved this book because they ask questions like who's hiding behind the tree and the kids would flip it up or down and find who it was. They were anxious. A very enjoyable book to read and fun!

It's a great book for older kids. My daughter tore all the pop up parts out of the book so now we pretend that it's peek-a-boo.

This pop-up book asks you who's hiding behind different things, with the Teletubbies being behind the first four hiding places. Then comes Noo-noo & finally all the Teletubbies are hidden. While 1 or 2 year olds who like the show will probably get some giggles out of it, the book's art work is lacking. It's pretty stale fare, especially the sky. Couldn't they have put at least one bird, or maybe the sun with the baby's face in it up there? This seems to be a rush-job to capitalize on the popularity of the tv show. Looks like it worked - the copy we have is a 5th edition. There's many other pop-up books out there that are done much better, but if your little kiddies love the Tubbies, I'm sure they'll dig this.

I know most parents cringe at the thought of the Teletubbies,me too, but my one year old loves them. In "Teletubbies Play Hide and Seek" little ones are asked to find the Teletubbies under the flaps. After just a couple of readings she understood how to wait until mommy reads the words before she lifts the flap. She also learned the word boo. It's a little word, but it's a start. You might not enjoy the Teletubbies, but it's worth it to watch your child's face light up.

My 8-month old daughter LOVES this book! It makes her laugh out loud and she already has figured out how to lift the flaps on her own when we read it! It's a cute little book for babies and toddlers. I don't mind the Teletubbies so much anymore! :-)

I read this book many times as a child and loved in. I am so pleased to see it's return! I hope that they also reprint the sequel that followed it. I read that one also!!

I have a hardcover of this book - first edition - and where my kids have long since destroyed the dust jacket, the book sits amongst other treasured stories of my youth. I loved this book so much, I 'borrowed' this copy from a friend and never returned it -- another story in and of itself. But the book haunted me, as did the transgression, and when I finally offered to return the book to her some 30 years later, she told me to enjoy the book and give it to my children! Few books today capture a child's love of time travel like this one. Read and enjoy Susan's journey.

I read and re-read this book as a kid. Recently a student of mine ased abotu books on time traveling and I thought of this one and another book, "The Root Cellar" that could be of interest.
I loved Time At The Top, Susan was a great character and I truly loved to read about her comprehension of her situation and her strong decisisons to help the family she comes to know...

I never thought I'd find it again! Lovely plot, great characterization, a heroine you feel strongly for, and an unforgettable ending. By mere chance I found this title on a recommendation list and knew it was the book I'd half-forgotten. Now I get to recommend it to my nieces, nephews and someday my daughter!

I purchased this book to pre-read for my 8 1/2 year old advanced reader. I couldn't put the book down! The book was very well written with several fun twists and turns. Books with age appropriate content that are challenging to read are often hard to find for her age group. I can't wait for her to read this one.

This lovely book is both warm and silly. Grumpy bear dearly needs a friend and happy go-lucky mouse is most insistent that he shall be that friend -- despite bear's many, many efforts to divert mouse. The pictures are well-executed with a joyful twist and the writing is perfect. A wonderful book to read aloud.

Outstanding story, great illustrations, wonderful book for adults to read to kids. Enjoyable for all.

This is an adorable book that my son loves and I'm sure we will love for many years. At a young age, readers can find the mouse and admire the artwork. As a child is older, this story is a wonderful example of sweetly polite dialogue. Then, later, a lesson is learned - friends are necessary and to be cherished.

A Visitor for Bear is the delightful and satisfying story of two fully realized characters and how they become friends. It is not only abundant with humor, but also explores the complexity of feelings that come with making friends and the risk one takes to do so. My 5-year-old daughter asks for this book frequently, and it is such a good out-loud read that I've caught my teenage sons enjoying it from the hallway outside her bedroom. It is truly a family favorite, even for this family who reads dozens of new books every month, and is destined to become a classic.

"A Visitor for Bear" is a perfect story for preschoolers and anyone else for that matter. It tells the story of Bear, a rather reclusive character who prefers to live alone, undisturbed and even posts a sign on his front door "No Visitors Allowed". Things change when bear gets a visit -from a persistent, cute little mouse who just won't take NO for an answer and keeps popping up in the unlikeliest of places, much to the disgruntled Bear's annoyance. What happens eventually is the sweetest thing - friendship.

The book deftly handles the themes of loneliness and friendship, and the sentences are simply written - perfect for preschoolers. The illustrations are in watercolor and very beautiful with touches of humor, depicting the extremely annoyed Bear and the ever persistent Mouse to such an effect that one can't help but laugh out loud at their antics. Highly recommended and perfect for reading aloud.

I liked this book, it has some valuable perspectives on helping your kids learn to express themselves and handle their emotions. It provided me useful insights into how some typical parent behaviors can have unexpected undesirable side effects on the child's development.

I found the cover and title misleading, I think I was expecting something about the secret language of babies that might be helpful in the first year or two. This is more of a methodology of child rearing in the attachment parenting vein. On the plus side I think the techniques would continue to be useful long after your child learns to talk.

This is a very interesting and informative book.Its a good guide book to deal with a infant. I am parent for the first time and its helping me a lot to reshape my behaviour towards my baby. I am more calm, focused and less irritated when my baby is fussy or angry. Its because the books gives you insight about the infant mind which is otherwise difficult to read for ordinary people. So this is a must buy book for parents.

I am not the most perceptive person when it comes to understanding my baby's emotions, so this book was very helpful to me. I often mistook fear for surprise, or didn't always notice disgust or shame, etc. This book describes the actual physical facial characteristics so that I can easily understand which emotion he is displaying. It also has great information on relating to your baby in general.

On the last day of my developmental psychology class, just before I completed my degree, my professor ended the class with one sentence: "I know all of you have wondered at some point during the semester what you will some day do as parents. My advice is simple. Read What Babies Say Before They Can Talk." I frantically jotted this down in my planner and went on with life. A while later when we were expecting our son, I gladly ordered this book and was blown away at how far above and beyond it exceeded my expectations.

I must admit after completing the book I am very jealous. I worked extremely hard on my school's pre-medical psychology degree track to obtain pieces of the knowledge presented in this book. While I had to also learn names, theory and cite endless laboratory proof just to come away with the "good stuff", like how to be a thoughtful and effective parent, it seems a teensy bit unfair that this one small book could give parents the same arsenal of knowledge I am coming into parenthood with after years of extensive study. Nevertheless, I whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone who is wanting to break the bonds of over-protective, bossy, traditional parenthood roles and allow their children to truly grow with wise and empowering guidance. If I had to pick only one parenting book to read, this would be it. I think you'll find your fears of turining into your parents (or having out-of-control toddlers) melt away with each page that you turn.

(For anyone, psychology-degreed or not, who is interested in reading further on the subject of non-judgemental parenting, may I also recommend "Redirecting Children's Behavior" by Kathryn J. Kvols. This gives you the skills to parent beyond the baby years into the toddler and teenage years with wisdom that could not be learned by yourself in a thousand lifetimes of raising children.)

The saying "a picture is worth a thousand words," is very true...especially when it comes to facial expressions. How many times have you looked at a baby's face and wondered what they were thinking? How frustrating it must be for them to want to verbally communicate with others, but being too young to know how. What if you could "read" a baby's cues, and know exactly what they were feeling?

In the book, "What Babies Say Before They Can Talk: The Nine Signals Infants Use to Express Their Feelings," Paul C. Holinger, M.D., M.P.H., discusses nine simple "signals" that babies use to express their feelings: These signals are: interest, enjoyment, surprise, distress, anger, fear, shame, disgust, and dissmell. The author explains how children are born knowing how to communicate their feelings with these symbols, and that adults need to take the time to understand and learn how their child communicates using these symbols.

This book also includes much information about parenting, helping your children develop high self-esteem, and explains the nine signals in detail.

MyParenTime.com highly recommends this book -- learning how a baby communicates creates better understanding, better interaction, and a better relationship between parent and child. In addition, responding to a child's needs early on, makes happier and healthier parents and children.

we pick up this book from our local library for my 4-year-old daughter, and she made me read it over and over again, and i tried to read this book with both my daughter and my 3-month-old son once, he totally loved it too, he kept his eyes on the book the whole time, so i am going to buy one for sure.

I love this book. It's a great "find-the-hidden-things" kind of book that kids love, and it teaches vocabulary in a fun way. Kids can learn the names of many different kinds of animals, as well as the descriptive words that illustrate them (e.g. who has horns, who is backward, who is sleeping, etc.) Finding the hidden descriptors is not super obvious even to adults, so it also teaches them to look closely at details when finding things.

I recommend this book to anyone with young kids - the kids love it and it's a great teaching tool as well!

The Mom's Choice Awards® honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of The Just For Mom Foundation(tm) and the Mom's Choice Awards®. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards® seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book has been honored by this distinguished award.

Awesome, awesome book. Great for memory skill building, great for noticing detail, fun for interacting together. This is a book we all look forward to at our house! Love, love it. Wish there were more books like it. Love the illustrations too, and the clean modern design. Just awesome, you won't regret buying this one- the sooner the better!

I was a little disappointed. THis book doesn't keep my almost-two-year olds attention as well as I thought. He prefers his Sandra Boyton books much better. I do love the colorful pictures though. Maybe in a year or so he'll be more interested.

Great condition but didn't realise the book contained several stories. Just wanted the one story "Why the chimes rang."It was bought as a gift and the reciever was totally thrilled

I remember this book from long ago. It has a wonderful message. Not only can love make the bells ring, love can change the world! The illustration are just perfect for the story. This would make the perfect holday gift for young people, or even not so young people who want to regain the Christmas spirit of giving and service.

Destined to be a Christmas classic:Christmas Gifts, Christmas Voices--echoes the message of Why the Chimes Rang.

Growing up in a small town in Indiana, I got to listen to my paternal grandfather read this story to the assembled family every Christmas Eve. My father has continued the tradition within our family, reading from an original 1906 edition of the book. Every year like clockwork, my mother cries as she looks around the room at her sons, their families and the dogs. My partner and I are adopting a boy and a girl from Guatemala this year, and I can't wait to begin this tradition in our home. This is a truly glorious story about Christmas. Read it and share it with your own family. And make sure it's read aloud by the family member with the most sonorous voice.

lovely pictures and great story
nice to find a childrens christmas book that isnt a popular character of the month
adults will enjoy also, so makes reading together the experience it should be

What a delight to find this classic from my childhood. Our parents read to us at bedtime. This story of love and sharing relates universal values. Thank you for making it available.

If you are mom-to-be on the job this book is must have! What Greenfield has done is skillfully weave a complete pregnancy, birth, and postpartum guide with all the tricks of the trade working moms want to know for how to successfully combine career and pregnancy. In addition to very well written sections on prenatal health info, readers will also learn how to handle such issues as maternity clothing choices, spreading the good news to coworkers, and dealing with backache while at work. Especially helpful are sections dealing with job rights for pregnant women, how to negotiate a maternity leave (and what current law says about maternity leave), and tips for breastfeeding at work. Greenfield also includes numerous quotes from real working women about how they survived pregnancy. She includes interviews with women from many different walks of life -- from a Fed Ex delivery driver to former Governor of Massachusetts Jane Swift! I have to say, as a former resident of Massachusetts, I was fascinated by how honest Swift was about her experiences while pregnant with twins -- and serving as Lt. Governor. It made for captivating reading. All these first person stories add to the book's chatty, warm tone.

This is a wonderful book that helps guide the journey from preconception through pregnancy and beyond. It answers all of your questions about trying to find the balance between work and being a Mom. You won't find a better reference for expectant Moms out there. It has great (sometimes funny) tips given in quotes throughout the book from Mom's in all different types of work environments. It has all the important information from the doctor's standpoint but it also fun to read and won't put you to sleep. I have already recommended this book to all of my girlfriends and family members.

This book fills a valuable niche in the spectrum of pregnancy books. It provides everything the working woman needs to get through the whole process, from planning the pregnancy to delivery to working out post partum logistics. It assumes that the reader is a thinking, rationale person and provides sound medical advice but also has a warm and pleasant voice. Great read and very necessary!

You known how sometimes when you read a novel you just skip down the page reading the conversation in quotes? I did the same thing with this one because the quotes from other working moms were so entertaining. They really flesh out the main points and also show the variety of normal experience. I also loved, loved, loved the first chapter--the quiz about "Are You (Even) Ready to Have a Baby". Lots of working women aren't sure.

Dr. Greenfield's book is a complete informative book that provides pertinent information and comfort to those women considering or experiencing pregnancy.
Her facts are accurate and reflect the latest "state-of-the-art" medical and technical knowledge.
She addresses issues about the human emotional element that are sometimes forgotten in books of this nature.
I highly recommend this book to all women of child-bearing age.

I never really liked Abbey when she came into the BSC but after this book it really shows that Abbey has the power of a mum,a babysitter and a good freind all rooled into one!

I'm not going to tell the ending because it would ruin it for anybody who hasn't read it.For the people who have all of the questions are all answered.Anybody who has read a Baby-Sitters Club Book definitly has to read this one

When Abby comes from school one day and finds a baby on her front porch, she's completely mystified. Where did the baby come from. And why did they leave it at the Stevensons' front porch. Abby's mom convinces the authorities to let the baby, whom the family dubbs Eli, stay at their house. Abby and the BSC Needs more ansewrs for Eli!

One day, Abby (a BSC member) comes home to find a baby on her front porch. She naturally calls the police, but the police have no idea where the baby came from. It's up to Abby and the rest of the BSC to discover the origin of the mystery baby, whom Abby, sister Anna, and mother dubbed Eli. The truth about the baby is startling, yet pleasing to Abby and Anna.

Abby and the Mystery Baby was really, really good. One of my friends gave it to me, and I couldn't put it down. It has an incredibly surprising ending, and you would never know that Abby's mom was in on the whole thing!!!

I love reading this book to my 7 month old. The illustrations are gorgeous for adults to enjoy and whimsical and fun for children to gaze at. Every time we read it, I find something new I hadn't seen before -- it's such an inventive book with a lovely little "storyline" and connections between pages. We'll never get bored with it!

I bought this book for my 3 year-old son and he loves it. The illustrations are really beautiful and it is a sturdy book that is perfect for young children. I highly recommend this book.

I recently discovered _A B C: A Child's First Alphabet Book_ by Alison Jay. What a delight! Each letter of the alphabet is given a full page, if not a two-page spread. The text is very simple, following the "A is for apple" format. Both upper- and lowercase versions of the target letter are shown.

The art, however, is extraordinary! It usually occupies most of the page with the target object most prominent. The subtleties, though, are what give this book its whimsical charm: other objects on the page that begin with the same letter (they are all listed on the last page) and the recurrence of objects throughout the book. Nearly every page contains as a small, obscure detail the object that will be prominently featured with the next letter of the alphabet. Sometimes these are embedded secondary details -- in the pattern of a plate, for example, or on the cover of a book.

Jay's book contains all the seeds for the discovery and excitement that prompt a child to exclaim, "Look! That's just like . . ." and scurry back through the pages, searching for the remembered image. The suggestion of a story line is there, too, with an explorer, a map, and a treasure chest.

I am so grateful to have discovered Alison Jay (both author and illustrator). _A B C: A Child's First Alphabet Book_ is the first book I have bought for my first grandchild, due to be born next month.

For a format so simple, there is so much to see, and a story reveals itself within the pictures. I admit that I loved this book more than my daughter who was 18 months old or so at the time. She was too young to appreciate the story aspect. It is a high-quality book that I suspect children will find engaging as they grow older.

This book and its companion by Alison Jay, "Picture This," are two of our daughter's favorites books. The illustrations are beautiful and capture her attention. She loves pointing out all the characters and toys, especially as they repeat onto pages throughout the book. I also love how each letter page will have many things starting with the same letter that may not be immediately obvious. For example, the "D" page is for "Dog," but the Dog is Dancing, there is also a Donut on a Dish on the table, with a Duck in the picture on the wall, a Doll on the shelf, a Doorknob on the Door, Diamond shapes in the floor, etc. The more we look at these pictures, the more we see! We've given this pair of books to several new parents with rave reviews. You can't go wrong.