Knee Highs Books

I bought this book almost 8 years ago shortly after my daughter passed away. I had an older little girl who was 6 at the time of her sister's death. When I saw this book, I knew I had to have it. It brought comfort to my daughter and gave her something to believe in. She would always ask me what her sister was doing in Heaven and this book could help her make sense of something so tragic. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has had a child pass away and has another child left to ask the question why.

I was given this book to read my very preemie babies in the hospital by there great grandma. After reading 2 pages and realizing this book is about angel babies (hence the name). I shut it and read them Winnie the Pooh. Unfortunately our twins were only alive for 3 days. At there funeral my cousin read this book aloud. This book now means the world to me. I have collected many of these over the years and donated them to hospitals to give the families and friends of babies that have passed on. Unfortunately, these books are no longer published according to the publisher - if you see one, I highly recommend you pick it up.

We love this book! The pictures are very pretty and colorful.The angel babies really look like angel babies and they look like real babies. I'm 9 years old now and remember this book from when I was little. My mom read it to me and my sister (who is 8 now) so many times, we had it memorized. My mom said at first the whole family thought me and my sister could read at 1 and 2 years old! I loved this book, I still love it and we're searching for it for my 2 aunt's who are going to have babies soon. It is out of print, but we're determined to get it. The author and illustrator did such a wonderful job, you see it has made a lasting memory for us!

This is a charming bedtime story, and Jane Maday's illustrations are delightful. There is great variety in the appearance of the babies. My children have found babies that look like themselves, their cousins, and all their friends. Part of the bedtime routine is to read this book and point out all the babies that they "know".

For several months now, Mira James has been trailer-sitting for her friend Sunny in Battle Lake, Minnesota. And while her days have been occupied by working in the town library, Mira has also had to solve a few mysteries -- murder among them -- since her arrival in the spring. (See "May Day" and "June Bug.") She's gotten to know more than a few of the local characters and has even landed an extra gig as a reporter for the weekly Battle Lake Recall.

But now it's July, it's ungodly hot, and it's time for Wenonga Days. This year the townsfolk are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the installation of the Chief Wenonga statue that stands twenty-three feet tall and guards the shoreline of Battle Lake. Having a dismal past where intimate relationships are concerned, Mira has secretly projected her affections instead onto the Chief, whom she sees as the ultimate in Tall, Dark, Handsome, and Safe. He's the most stable man in her life.

And so it follows that Mira takes it personally when the fiberglass statue is stolen just before the holiday. Who could have done such an unthinkable thing, and how did they do it? Though Mira's attention is mildly diverted by real-life encounters with Johnny Leeson, the sexiest gardener she's ever met, she makes it her goal to find out just what's going on in Battle Lake. Does any guilt lie with that visiting professor who's campaigning for the rights of native peoples? What about Brando Erikkson, whose company originally made the Chief? And how is squirrelly business owner Les Pastner involved in the conspiracy? Was it part of his scalp that was found at the base of the statue?

Mira James is a quirky, likeable, and realistic protagonist / heroine. Her turns of phrase and sense of humor (especially when directed at herself) are laugh-out-loudable. Who knew that life in rural Minnesota could be so intriguing and so funny? Habitual mystery readers must leap into this series with both feet.

Although I am from Minnesota, you don't have to be to enjoy this series. I just finished Knee High by the Fourth of July and am anxious to start August Moon. It's going to be a long wait for me for September Morn (I think that's the title for the fifth book) but I will try to be patient. Keep 'em coming, Ms Lourey!

If you are in the market for a good laugh, at and with a local flare, Jess Lourey's "Knee High by the Fourth of July," the third installment of her 12-book Murder by Month series and follow up to "May Day" and "June Bug," may be the perfect end of summer book.

"The good news is that I'm proud of Knee High," she said. "It's fun, long on humor, romance, and red herrings."

Lourey's quirky humor plays throughout the book in her prose and dialogue, but more in her diversions on the normalcy and oddity of Battle Lake and Otter Tail County.

Lourey acknowledges her appreciation for the people and the area.

"I've been remiss in my earlier novels in not thanking the people of Battle Lake, who are good sports about the fun-poking and murder-creating I do in their beautiful town," she said.

Like the Mask of Bewildered Anger, which Lourey's protagonist sleuth Mira James describes as, "the official expression of rural Minnesotans confronted by liberal progressives."

Much like the faces of her many town characters who, in the midst of planning the celebration of Wenonga days, find the Chief himself has gone missing, a blow to Mira James, who suffers quite an obsession with the Chief.

Mira's second biggest crush, the organic gardening god and dead ringer for Brad Pitt--Johnny Leeson--has also disappeared. Her luck with men is running out, and a killer might be moving in. With something of her own to hide, Mira hopes she can avoid the police long enough to track down the object of her mega-crush--but is Mira trailing a statue-thief, a kidnapper, or a murderer?

The many characters running under Mira James' magnifying glass of suspicion range from the kooky to loony, so much so, a reader living in the area could easily mistake one of the characters for themselves.

While Lourey's book could be misconstrued, upon first glance, to appeal to women only, her humor transcends both genders and makes for a delightful romp through our own neighborhoods. But come looking for laughs. One thing about Lourey's humor, she demands the reader already have the sense to spot it or at the very least, have a clue.

My 17 month old daughter finds this book very entertaining. The pages are filled with simple and colorful illustration. Main character, Natasha, uses words that seem to be familiar and identifiable to my daughter. In fact, she loves to sit with the book and turn the pages, over and over. When it's story time and I select this book, my daughter is visibly filled with delight!

My 18 month old picks this book up and leafs through it herself, she loves the pictures of baby Natasha and likes the baby sounds that Natasha makes when I read the book to her. She imitates the sounds "da da and ma ma, this is my daddy and this is my mommy" for example. She usually prefers "lift the flap books" but sits through the entire reading of this cute book about the life of a baby. Simple but enjoyable, good illustrations.

There are those who form the catalysts in our lives, who lead in such a way
that they influence history. John Wilson was a keen observer of people who were genuine leaders and fairly portrayed their strengths and weaknesses.
As both an Indiana reporter, and a key player in the Justice Department, he
saw six decades of pivotal history in civil rights, Supreme Court rulings,
and tragic scandals. He reported at a time when reporters and office holders used tact and diplomacy before greedy scoops. His summations give credit to those who aided him through the years, instilling a sense of gentlemanly conduct. He longs for the days to return when both sides of a question are fairly debated. I could not put this book down and read it straight through.

Disclaimer: I was born and reared in Indianapolis and represented it in the U.S. House for 30 years. So naturally I savor this book about the people and places I know well. However, the book goes beyond the borders of my state, both because the author had two careers in Washington,D.C. and because the book is a beautiful ride in a time machine to palpable American history, styles, customs, attitudes, governmental policies and, yes, a fair amount of nievate about such things as tobbaco and slick sales scams.

In this little book we learn what ducklings love to do. Ducklings love jumping off a dock, or drinking from a birdbath, but most important duckling love YOU.
This book is chock full of adorable illustrations that will win your heart. A great little read.
Shirley Johnson

WE BOUGHT THIS BOOK FOR OUR THEN 8 MONTH OLD DAUGHTER BEFORE CHRISTMAS AND HAVE BEEN READING IT EVERYDAY SINCE. SHE LOVES IT!!! EVEN THOUGH ALL HER OTHER CHRISTMAS THEMED BOOKS WERE STORED AWAY AFTER THE HOLIDAYS WERE OVER, THIS ONE WAS A KEEPER. THE RHYMING AND THE BRIGHT COLORS ARE WHAT SHE SEEMS TO BE DRAWN TO, PLUS IT INCLUDES ALL THE SESAME STREET CHARACTERS, NOT JUST ELMO. PARENTS SHOULD APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT IT'S AN EASY READ, TOO.

this book is a boy called rudy, who is shipped off to camp, by his ununderstanding mother and father. he is not an outdoors lover, and he is miserable. he makes with another boy, who is called mike. rudy is fantastic in everything he does, but he just doesn't want to help his cabin, and his loudmouthed counsler Chip Booth. He made so many attempts to escape, people have to go to extra lenghts to insure that he stays at camp. He and his new friend Mike, try to bulid a dam, so that if by chance it ever rained, the camp would flood and they could go home. Even if you usually don't like stories about the outdoors, i think that you should read this book, because it is hilarious.

Do you remember the basketball player, Penny Hardaway? Do you rememer his extremely funny commercials with the puppet Lil' Penny, (the voice was Chris Rock)his alter ego? Remember "Can you do that for a brother?" Still with me? If you do remember then you know what this book is about. It's Lil Penny's life and times comlete with photos, and comments from friends and family. Somebody worked very hard to bring this character to life and it's an extremely witty piece of humor and satire.

Being on my third child, at this point I have read Mother Goose nursery rhymes so often I know them by heart. However, we needed a new edition of mother goose tales for our little one and I was thrilled to find that William Joyce had illustrated one! His softly colored, beautifully rounded pictures make reading the same old tales a fresh, new experience. A wonderful book for small children who also like to look at nice pictures!

Richly satisfying artwork, with text that rhymes. Out of a large basket of small books, our kids choose "Noah's Ark" by Amy Flynn & Linda Hayward to be read time and time again. A classic "chunky book".