Baby Books

My granddaughter was very attached to her "paci" this book seemed to help her put it away.

This book helped my daughter get ready to say "bye bye" to her
pacifier. She still likes to read the book even now that the pacifier is gone.

I bought my daughter this book two weeks ago. She is two months shy of 3 years old. She has always been tremendously comforted by her binky. We have been limiting her binky use to naps and bedtime and extreme distress for quite a while now, but have been anxious for her to get rid of it. After a week of reading this book, she turned to me and said, "I'm not ready, Mommy." I told her she'd be ready one day. One week later, yesterday morning, she woke up saying, "Mommy, I'm ready to say Bye Bye Binky!" I am convinced it's because of this book. I asked her what she wanted to do with the binky and she said "Throw it in the trash." And that she did. She was aware that Baby Miss Piggy doesn't throw hers in the trash, but we kind of glossed over that part. My daughter appreciated that the first time Nanny suggests that Baby Piggy is too old for the pacifier, she said she still wanted it and did get it back. I think it helps, too, that the book has a part where Baby Piggy says she feels kind of silly because her friends don't use a pacifier anymore. I know my daughter gave up her binky on her own two months ago at preschool for that very reason. At first I thought this book would be too babyish for my daughter, but it clearly wasn't.

Baby Piggy loves her pacifier. She uses it every day. Then, one day, her baby-sitter asks her if she can play without it. Piggy tries to play without it for a few minutes, but she gets upset, so her baby-sitter gives it back. Until one day, Piggy realizes that none of her friends use a pacifier. From that day on, Piggy gave up her pacifier and her baby-sitter took it away. I got this book from our old local library and it helped my sister to say bye-bye to her pacifier.

Santa sent this book to my son when he was three and still using his pacifier. When I read this cute book to my son that Santa sent, he imediatly threw away his pacie and never said anything about it again. I believe he made this decission because the book came from Santa. It was signed in the back of the book, " Dear Tony , you are a big boy now and it is time to say Bye Bye to your pacifier, Love, Santa Clause. Thanks Santa, for a wonderful book that helped solve a little problem.

JIM, who ran away from his nurse and was eaten by a lion.

It's small wonder that Edward Gorey chose to illustrate Belloc's verses, written nearly a century ago - in fact, they were such a clear and strong influence on his work, it's hard to believe he didn't write them himself. 'Cautionary Tales' is a literary work that was years ahead of its time, parodying the overtly-strict educational children's verses of the time with tales of children whose punishment is wholly disproportioned to their crime. Gorey's illustrations, published only after his death in 2000, complete the ghoulish verses with his trademark naïve and refined black and white crosshatching. Already in his seventies, Gorey has lost none of his charm and style and these illustrations are as nasty and sarcastic as anything he's done, perfectly complimenting the ironic text.

'Cautionary Tales' is the first work of Gorey's published after his death, and it's a perfect conclusion to his illustrious career, and one of his finest works. It's an essential to any fan of this great artist.

This was one of the loved books of my childhood in the original edition, of course.

I hadn't seen it for a very long time and was anxious to haev a copy for my younger grandchildren. Though old people can enjoy it as well.

Now plesed to have it on my own shelves

I got this to read to my nephews, and it did not disappoint when the time came to pick a story to read. I highly recommend this and the Gashlycrumb Tinies to anyone with children or nephews....

I just gave this to a friends' one year old for her birthday. In the inscription I wrote that she ought to read and learn, as whatever she does in life will come back to haunt her. My friend thought the book hysterical. Her husband thinks we're both odd...

One can imagine Edward Gorey mulling over these "Cautionary Tales",subsequently creating succinct Goreyesque illustrations for them. Then years later after presenting his family to us in "The Willowdale Handcar" he undoubtedbly mulled over ideas about families & children and came up with my personal favorite Gorey: The Gashleycrumb Tinies. If you like Gorey & you like the Tinies, you'll enjoy "Cautionary Tales".

4 stars only because I happen to like the devilishly wonderful "Tinies" better.

Joan and Marc wrote on an interesting subject in a different sort of style -- stories mixed with poetry. I'm married and I enjoyed reading this book! I shook my head at stories that could have been my own, as well as remember the joy of realizing love.

Inspirational, guiding and at times comforting. A bedside companion...a new found friend...a cat without the fur.

Among the plethora of self-help books on fixing a broken romance, Celebrating Single stands out as a relevant, brilliant, humorous, down-to-earth approach to improving one's self-esteem by finding the right mate, rather than settling for a dysfunctional relationship to avoid loneliness. It is a definite must-read for any adult. And it is highly readable. Joan and Marc's friendly, conversational styles--interspersed with testimonies from "real people" and poignant poetry--make this book an entertaining and riveting read. I look forward to seeing Celebrating Single on Oprah's Booklist some day.

I read the book celebrating single and getting love right in one day. I was rivited to it. The writing style was easy to follow and made it difficult to put down. The writers really came across truthful, and it is apparent that they really researched their topic well. I look forward to reading the next book written by Ms allen, and Dr kusinitz. This is a must have item. It is really helpful for the singles who keep making the same mistakes over and over in relationships, and are not happy with themselves. If you find that life is not going the way you would like for yourself, then Celebrating Single is the answer. I am giving this book as a gift for some of my friends.Oprah needs to add this one to her book list.

Wow! What a great book! I read it in a flash. It flows beautifully and the stories and poems are interesting and helpful. It even had some good suggestions for an old guy like me. I liked the conversational style with just the right amount of humor and kidding back and forth between the two authors. Their unusual writeing style was very effective and added to the enjoyment of the book. After reading the book Joan & Marc seem like my close friends.

This was a well written and charming book that I felt as if I was there on the journey with Alex too. She was quite honest not only about the happy times but also the not so happy times and the fears and emotions she went through before, during and after the birth of her child.

As a woman who is about to embark on the SMC venture herself, I found this book to be very entertaining. I really liked it because it wasn't a step by step plan she followed. She jumped in and lived it and it worked out.

I recently read a wonderful interview with the late Grace Paley. She said, "I struggle to be truthful to myself. I think that's what literature is about; it's the struggle for truth. It's the struggle for what you don't understand." These words came to me again and again as I read Alexandra Soieth's book because although it is a clear and focused work on the decision to have a baby, it also exhibits the mark of the best kind of writing: the author seeks, explores and celebrates truth. Honest, forthright and entirely readable, this book made me proud to be a woman. It captures all the fluctuations of self-esteem and self-love we face, all the courage and cowardice we experience, all the depth in the recognition of our power to make life. I am officially inspired.

I found this book a page turner. As the mother of a young child myself, I couldn't wait to read the book and find out how the writer made the decision to have a baby on her own. What I learned about the author as a person made me care about her and made her decision that much more interesting. This book is compelling. I highly recommend it.

I don't remember the last time I stayed up all night reading because I couldn't put a book down, and then walked around bleary-eyed the next day thinking about it. Alexandra Soiseth's "Choosing You" is so beautifully written and so honest -- every parent should read it. I have two children who are older, but it brought back memories of the thrill and terror of deciding to have a child as if it were yesterday. This book won't disappoint you!!!

In every BSC book I've read so far, Martin has always tended to write the main story with a secondary story that runs somewhat parallel and ties in at the end. This book doesn't seem to have that secondary story, which was too bad - I thought there were several chances for it, especially with Cathy, Claudia's hospital roommate. It didn't detract from the story, though.

When a call comes in to the BSC from a new client, the girls voice some suspicion - the Sobak's live in an area where people usually use other sitters - so Claudia, who has taken the job, asks around. Told by other sitters that Betsy's a handful, and a practical joker, Claudia believes she's prepared. She has no idea! A practical joke goes badly and Claudia ends up with a badly broken leg.

Missing a lot of school is not a good thing for a student like Claudia, who has to work hard just to keep up. With little to do, Claudia's mind dwells on her accident and she begins to wonder if babysitting is too dangerous. What if she had broken her arm or hand and couldn't do her art anymore? Prepared to quit the BSC if necessary, Claudia turns to her grandmother Mimi, who believes that her fear is really of not being in control.

The girls set out to teach Betsy that practical jokes are not always funny - and they go a few rounds with the girl before she finally gets it. Betsy does learn, and Claudia does heal but will Claudia really quit the BSC?

The practical jokes battles were amusing, and it was good that the girls were aware that they probably shouldn't be engaging Betsy in them. It was also nice that Stacey hasn't been forgotten. Martin always seems to do a very good job with those details.

When Claudia has to baby sit for a practicaljoker nemed, Betsy, Claudia has nothing to worry about. Until it becomes bad...

Ann M. Martin brings together books that only a imaginitive person could. The book, CLAUDIA AND THE BAD JOKE, brings forth problems in everyday, human life. Practical jokes, babysitting, and the common teenager problem:study-or-fail are combined in this fabulous book. So read read read it!!!!!!

Claudia's not worried when she hears her newest baby-sitting charge, Betsy Sobak, is a great practical joker.After all, how much harm can one little girl do? Plenty. Claudia breaks her leg as a result of one of Betsy's mean jokes...and now she's talking about quitting the club. "Baby-Sitting," she says, "is too dangerous." Kristy thinks Betsy needs to be taught a lesson. She also thinks the Baby-Sitters are just the ones to do it. Wath out, Betsy Sobak! The joke war is on!

I liked this book. Claudia was my favorite of the original quartet, so naturally I enjoyed this book. I love the descriptions of Claudia's cleverly put together ensembles and her appreciation for art. That speaks to sensitivity and creativity.

Betsy Sobak, Claudia's young charge is a virtuoso in the fine art of practical jokes. Her jokes are hostile and are always at the expense of another person. During Claudia's first sitting stint with Betsy, she falls from a tire swing and breaks her leg. Luckily for Claudia, her trio of sitting pals come through like the Cavalry by out-joking Betsy (in a safe way, of course) to teach her an object lesson in how to treat people in a humane fashion. Lesson: It is only kidding or funny if all sides are enjoying it, but if one side is not having fun, it is no longer kidding, it is mean.

I liked Betsy. The description given of her sounds like a cute kid with a vivid imagination. Ann Martin has a real gift for descriptions, dialogs, character development and I like the way the charges have a parallel plot running to the central plot the sitters are contending with. Ms. Martin has a real gift for the voices and feelings of kids.

The Story Of This book happens in Halley Broddock's house. When Claudia baby-sits for Haley, Haley starts lying about her homework. Can Claudia make Haley stop making lyings about her homework?

I liked this book a lot. I think that it was very funny and the book taught you a good lesson. I think Haley was a good charcter to use in this situation becuase she isn't shown much. It would be hard to see Charlotte Johansson doing this.

This book was preaty good. I thought Hally's lies were funny the way they where so ridiculous. No one could really believe them. Once she admitted why she had been lying you felt bad.

I think that this novel is one of the greatest pieces of literature of our time. Claudia's exposé of "the little liar" is symbolically exposing modern man's deluded preconceptions of ethics and delves deeply into attempting to define what "truth" really is.

It all starts when Claudia baby-sit's Haley Braddock, one of the B.S.C.'s client's. Haley starts lying about her homework. Cann claudia fix the homework problem? Read this book to find out!

This book has achieved suprisingly long-lived popularity among my two kids, who are now ages 6 and 4. They've enjoyed this book on and off for years. While other books will get some attention and then are dropped, this is one they seem to keep coming back to.

Though it's only 10 pages, there's a lot here: shapes, colors, numbers, letter and basic nursery rhymes. The kids love the tactical fun of the lift-a-flap discoveries, and that's a good way for them to learn.

This is an excellent board book for the all those little children who love Clifford the Big Red Dog. Clifford stands out on the front of the book. I highly recommend this book.

My 22 month old really likes this book and it is fun and educational. A good learning tool!

Highly recommend it....my son loves opening the flaps and having me read them. Clifford books are great!

Clifford is a wonderful children's character. Before Clifford was a Big Red Dog, he was a small red puppy. This is a good book for 3-100. It is about a big red dog that went to live with a girl named Emily Elizabeth who raised him and showed Clifford how to have a big heart. I think this book is wonderful for kids while learning to read.


I loved this book when I was 3 years old and I still love it and now I am 12. I just think that it is a fun book to read because it feels like you are with Clifford when he goes on his adventures. My favorite book of the ones that Bridwell has written is definitely Clifford's Schoolhouse. I just love the pictures and the flaps to the book. It comes in hard cover and paperback.


I really hope that my book review helped. I hope that you will buy this book for your child. I promise you they will like it for years to come.

- Vic Wharton

I first read this book to my son at bedtime 26 years ago. With its amazing pictures and lovely message, it was our favorite bedtime story. Since then I buy it for every babyshower I attend. I wish it was still available new, but fortunately I am able to find good used copies!

My aunt bought me this book for Christmas when I was about three or four, back in the late 70's when it was new. I loved it. It was my favorite book. My mom used to read it to me over and over again. I still have it, even though saddly the original cover is no longer with it. And I will never get rid of it. To this day I still every once in a while pull it off the shelf and read it, remembering those nights long ago when my mom was reading it to me. This is a great book, and if you can find a copy of it somewhere, I would highly recomend picking it up.

This was my favorite book when I was little. My father read it to me over and over again until I had it memorized! The repetition is wonderful for young readers; even if your children can't read, Jeffers' illustrations are enough to make anyone a little sleepier. I still dream of ending up in the treehouse at the end of the book. It's a pity Close Your Eyes is no longer in print.

My son loves this book and it's a great way to prepare him for bed. Its words are simple and easy to remember. He's already memorized parts of the book (as have we). And the pictures are great. Colorful and full of recognizable objects and animals. My son actually anticipates each page. I'd recommend this book to anyone who uses reading stories as part of the bedtime ritual.

Over the years of reading books to my children, Close Your Eyes became both my favorite and my daughter's. The lyrical story is told on two levels, perfectly complimented by the illustrations. As a father, I identify with the dad in the story. My daughter is in college now, but we occasionally recite the story to eachother in our correspondence, and still treasure the countless bedtimes that we read this book together. It is, indeed, the perfect gift for new parents.

Dirty Sally
I bought this book for my oldest daughter but it offered so much more for her. I can't stand it when someone makes an ignorant comment about how different my children look. Our family is very diverse and we are always faced with justifying our ethnic legitimacy. If I hear, "She's cute to be dark" one more time. I don't know what I will do. This book is very encouraging for children all over the world who feel like they are "different". Oftentimes, biracial children pose that heartbreaking question, "why was I born?" in Colors come from God ...just like me, the author does an excellent job making those who are different feel validated. "God made my goldfish swim round and round, And God made me a beautiful brown". God made us all beautiful, just the way we are and I commend Mrs. Forche for helping young people to achieve self worth through biblical scriptures. I highly recommend this book.
I am an author myself and I have written a book entitled Dirty Sally...The untold stories of mixed race children who find a new identity, love, faith and forgiveness through God. This Christian based children's book seeks to raise awareness within the bi-racial community. Allegorical tales detail the unspoken realities facing multiracial children, and encourage young readers on how they might make better choices by referring to biblical scripture as a teaching tool. I am also available on Amazon.com. Thank you for your support. God Bless
Myrtice J. Edwards
For more information or to contact the author, Myrtice J. Edwards visit
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Carolyn Forche's book for children has a message that all adults need to learn. This wonderful book should be shared with every child with every parent.

In rhythmical verse that children will love, Carolyn celebrates the variety of God's creation.

The book captures the feeling we all should have for one another.

The illustrations in the book make it a work of art.

My family is blended, my husband and I are white. We have 2 biological kids and two adopted African-American kids. We need bridges between two different looks, this book helped. Also, great for families who are African-American and families who are white or Asian or whatever. Starts discussion with kids about skin color and what it does or doesn't mean. Does it in a spiritual, not religious way.

I love this book. My favorite uncle used to say that all people are God's masterpieces because God sometimes mixes colors to make bonus colors and more beautiful people. "God picked out our colors," this very astute and loving man used to say. "He wanted more beauty for the world so He was always thinking up more beautiful colors to add to it."

This book affirms that sentiment; this book is a very good reflection on diversity, individuality and being human. Three cheers for this book!

I bought this book for my son, but it focuses on a girl throughout. If I had a daughter, it would be great. As the title has God in it, it is very bible and religion oriented which might not be for some people. I just wish I had realized that it wouldn't have drawings of girls and boys. Doesn't really get the message I wanted to convey across to my son.

No story. Just counting. Very few words. I was hoping it was more like the original book with an actual story.

My toddler has been reading this book for 2 years and now we need a new copy for his little sister (the first being quite worn out by now). He loves to count the objects on each page, especially the 4 trucks. The bear and other characters are charmingly illustrated and fun for young children.

Cute little book of just 12 pages, with colorful illustrations by Lisa McCue. Board book pages are always great for the not-yet-reading set to the beginner-reader, who will do unspeakable things to books - and board books can handle it!

Corduroy counts his way through his day, from 1 bear to 10 bubbles. Little kids will quickly learn to count along, because the text is simple and the story is laid out in illustrations they can relate to easily. The text mentions 6 cupcakes, and there they are - to be counted! And, of course, one of the bonuses of Corduroy is that there are other books he stars in, and your kids will want those, too. Hooked on reading before they know what's happening!

This book is a fun way to teach young children how to count. The pictures are very cute and colorful to hold ones interest. And the large print is a lot easier to read. The board cover is a very good idea also since children are often messy.

The colors and pictures of Corduroy are beautiful in this book. My daughter loves it! Other than Dr. Seuss books, this is one that she really loves and always wants to read.