This is a fantastic book. We have checked it out from the library repeatedly, and now I am buying a copy to to add to our family's collection of children's book. My two boys, ages 3 and 5, love this book. They love just about any book about trains, but what is so special about this one is the setting, the sights and more than anything, the sounds. As an adult, I too am captivated by how well the author has taken just a few moments in time and brought them vividly to life by describing the sights and sounds of this country scene. No words are spoken between boy and grandson; as readers we participate in this scene through the illustrations, the descriptions of the sounds before, during and after the train passes and our own imaginations. I highly recommend this book!

My 3 year-old son and I read this book every night before bed. The poetic tone and vivid descriptions are captivating. This is a wonderful book for train lovers as well as appreciators of quality children's literature. Ayelsworth and Rand have ensured that young ones will forever delight in the "clang, clang" of the railroad crossing.

It took 3 or 4 readings for me to start really loving this book, and my boys now ask for it often. It's such a simple tale---a father and son riding an old car at night on a remote wooded road, and a train going by--they stop at the crossing and watch it. However, it is told so well and the pictures are so peaceful (except when the train is going right by!) that you feel relaxed just reading it, and wish that somehow you could hop into the book and go to that long ago night and place. My 5 and 2 year olds listen with interest over and over to this book!

I think that the Tale Of Tricky Fox is a wonderful, well-written children's book. It teaches the youngsters who read it a valuable lesson through a cute, exaggerated story about a clever fox who tries to trick adorable elderly women into getting what he wants, a big fat pig.
To Tricky Fox, "stealing chickens is too easy." He plans on getting himself a plump pig to eat. How might he go about doing that, Brother Fox questions him. "I will fool a human into putting one into my sack for me!" Tricky Fox has a witty idea up his sleeve.
He pretends that his is an old, tired, feeble Fox who needs a warm place to sleep. Each night, he finds a new woman to take part in his sly scheme.
Everything seems to being going well for Tricky Fox. He is right on his way to getting the "big fat pig" he dreamed of. However, the last old woman he tries to trick is a school teacher. Everyone knows that teachers are much smarter than "regular humans" and this teacher has a feeling that Tricky Fox is up to something.
In the end, well, I can't spoil the story, now can I?
I highly recommend this story for children of all ages. I, myself, enjoyed the lesson-teaching storyline, the quirky rhymes, the lovable characters, the crafty twist of an ending, and the old-fashioned illustrations. I believe that any good-hearted person will find this an amusing, silly masterpiece of children's literature.

Completely delightful story of a cute, clever, cocky fox who plays tricks on unsuspecting women just to win a bet with his cousin. One of the unsuspecting women, however, manages to return Tricky Fox's cleverness with a little trick of her own... Read and find out all the entertaining details! Kids and adults both will find the story fun and satisfying, and the illustrations well-detailed and expressive.

Tricky Fox is tired of stealing and eating chickens. It's just too easy and not all that fun anymore. He decides what he really wants is a pig and tells his brother that he can trick any human into giving him one. But, Brother Fox isn't so sure and takes the bet. "I'll eat my hat if you do!" he tells his tricky brother and the games begin. Carrying a sack and acting old and tired, Tricky Fox talks his way into three cottages, asking each little old lady homeowner to guard his sack while he sleeps. He adds that they mustn't look inside and of course, as soon as he falls asleep, that's exactly what they each do. The first night he puts a log in the sack and claims the next morning that his loaf of bread is gone. His hostess, embarrassed that she took a peek, quickly gets him a loaf of her own bread and says nothing, even though she knows it was a log in the sack. The next night he does the same thing with the bread, claiming the next morning that his chicken is missing, with the same results. But on his final evening, he tries to trick a teacher (and everyone knows that teachers are smarter than most humans) and learns a big lesson the hard way..... Jim Aylesworth has taken this old folktale and given it new life. His charming and amusing text is full of energy, rhythm and rhyme. Barbara McClintock's wonderfully old fashioned, detailed illustrations add just the right touch and together, this dynamic duo have authored a story that pulls your youngsters into the story, captures their imaginations and includes them in all the fun. Perfect for kids 4-8, The Tale of Tricky Fox is a winner!

I used the book with my students and they really enjoyed it. They learned about the Pennsylvania Dutch and their life style along with the alphabet. A new word, "row", was introduced and lead to a wonderful dictionary lesson.

Better than the usual A-Z teaching tool in that it's a well-written piece of prose--how surprising. Lovely illustrations with an Amish theme. Will please adults as well as the young.

I have read this book more than any other!! My children love to hear run run run as fast as you can.... that they chant with me! Great classic book!!

Run as fast as you can, and get this book! The illustrations are fantastic, and the rhythm and rhyming are far better than "The Ginger Bread Boy"! I have purchased copies of both, and my 3 year old enjoys this one MUCH more! This is a book that every child should have in their room! Even if the "Ginger Bread Man" does get eaten in the end, he is after all, just a cookie! This is a fun book to read to your children, and I highly recomend it!

This is a delightful story about a boy and his four bears at bedtime. The bears experience all the fears that children do including hearing noise outside, thinking there is a monster under the bed, that there is a boogey man in the closet, and being afraid of the dark. The little boy explains to them all why their fears are unnecessary (like a parent would) and comforts them. This book was so sweet! I wanted to cry!

This is such a wonderful book, not just for small children, but for anyone (young or old) who enjoys well written and illustrated books. I found this book at the library and my young daughter wouldn't let me return it for over a month. The illustrations are beautiful and really help to draw the readers attention to what is happening in the story. The story itself is a very calming story to read to your child, not just at bedtime, but anytime during the day when things are getting a little crazy. It is truly a book that encourages snuggle-time with your little ones.

The burger and hot dog had a fight one day - and other food groups soon enter the world of talking, walking foods. From boppin corn which loves to dance until they pop to an orange who falls in love with a lemon, Burger And The Hot Dog provides whimsical rhymes by Jim Aylesworth and Stephen Gammell's fun drawings.

Hannah is a smart and savvy mountain woman. When her prime hog is stolen, she uses her cleverness to outsmart the theif and teach him a lasting lesson. Plenty of, "Sooey! Soo Pig!", makes this tale a great read aloud. I have read and reread this book since I first heard the author read it five years ago. It makes an excellent gift and a necessary part of any folk tale collection.

This book is good from Ed to John.The John part is familiar from somewhere,except I don't really know where.For some reason my sister (who also read it) finds it boring,she only likes 2 of the girls.My 3 year old brother LOVED it as much as I did!My mom says he likes the rythem she read it in.Well I mostly liked the children from Ed to John.(In case you haven't noticed,Ed is 1st and John is the last.

When I saw this book I thought my son would not sit through it, as he was still little(2&1/2). He loves the book and has most of it memorized. It's a book of funny words great rhymes and lots of fun for young kids to associate with. Definite Thumps Up!!!!

I am a mom and a former children's librarian. I highly recommend this book for preschool-Kindergarten age children.

What an absolutely fun and enjoyable read. To go through the whole "clock strikes" sequence not only helps my daughter learn numbers, but we were able to get up close and personal with the famous mouse. The author came up with some fantastic new nursery rhymes, holding true to the fun-to-say "Hickory Dickory Dock!" We loved reading this book over and over again because the words really move along easily. The illustrator added great visual characterization of such a fun tale. Great job, it's fun to see the nursery rhymes take on new and energetic life! The mouse and his adventures endeared me to this modern version of the nursery rhyme forever. I'd love to see more by Mr. Aylesworth.

This has been my daughter's favorite book since she was six months old. We read it "Motown Style" with lots of back beat. The rhythm is great and now, at ten months, she spends time looking at the pictures -- looking for the bad old fly, the baby, the cat and the dog. Even when I forgot the book on a trip, I was able to use the rhyme (and alphabet) to make up my own story about Old Black Fly. Buy it, you'll love it!

Great book! This is one of my kinder's favorite books. The rhyming and chanting are so enjoyable for the kids. While the fly is being chased through the house and through the alphabet, the children are hearing the sounds of our language. It's an excellent book to help develop phonemic awareness and early literacy skills. More than anything, it's just plain fun!

This book is just plain fun to read -- over and over again! It was one of the first books that my toddler would actually sit and listen to, and now at 18 months he's an active participant -- searching for the old black fly on each page and giving him a playful SWAT! I definitely recommend purchasing this book in hardcover, as the soft binding is simply no match for its popularity.