The Million-Dollar Bear is the most entertaining story I have read for a while. It starts with two eccentric rich old men who both are absorbed in their collection of bears. But, they both want to own the first Teddy Bear - the million dollar bear. One actually steals the bear from the other and is pompous enough to admit it. I am drawn into the story by the "million-dollar" bear who only wants to be loved for who he is. Yet, he is kept in a temperature-controlled safe in the dark to preserve him. Then too, along the way, the author gives us "side-bars" of humor with episodes engaging the butler. A favorite bit of humor sneaks in when the child spies the eccentric millionaire wearing his false face disguise. This is a delightful story with a powerful impact for readers of all ages. The author weaves the story to bring a satisfying - yet, surprise ending. This book leaves me with a "warm and fuzzy" feeling.

With the help of wonderful illustrations and great storytelling ability, you can truly feel this wonderful teddy bear's loneliness and his ecstatic bliss of finally being loved...really loved. Besides the cute story on the surface, there is an underlying message about how being too materialistic can cause us to miss out on much of life's true rewards. It's a book for children of all ages!!

I first encountered this book during story time at the library. My 3 year old fell in love with it so we checked it out. Much to my delight, our one year old loved it too so we all read it together (or sing it together). It's fun! The book is great for early math too ... How many are still in the bed? How many are on the floor? Are there the same number of bears on the bed as on the floor? Which has more?. We have read the book over and over again. Alas, the book is due back to the library tomorrow but we all liked it so much that I'm ordering one for add to our own library. Highly recommended! Happy reading!

This is a book I read to my son at night. It is very repetitive and easy for babies or toddlers. A great first read to introduce counting.

McPhail, David. Tinker and Tom and the Star Baby. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1998. Zornado, Joseph. "Swaddling the Child in Children's Literature." Children's Literature Association Quarterly 22.3 (1997): 105-112.

Tinker and Tom and the Star Baby is a fantasy that takes the reader through an exciting adventure. One night, Tinker and Tom, a boy and a bear, can't get to sleep. They look out the window and see a star baby land in their backyard. Tinker and Tom decide that the Star Baby is lost and needs to find it's mother. Tinker and Tom venture into repairing the spaceship star baby arrived in, so that it can be sent home to it's mother. The fantastic element of the story creates excitement in the book. Many children dream about experiencing this fantastic element. Children only wish excitement, like the spaceship, would land in their backyard. The children grow up as adults never getting to experience these fantasies. Adult authors, such as David McPhail, write children's literature to relive their childhood fantasies. These authors are given the opportunity to explore a fantasy world they never experienced as a child. The fantasy created in Tinker and Tom and Star Baby allows McPhail to relive his childhood fantasies. In the article, "Swaddling the Child in Children's Literature," Joseph Zornado explores the concept that children's literature authors write to relive their childhood fantasies that they never got to experience. He proposes, " that children and adults all share the same pleasure" (105). This pleasure is experiencing a fantastic world. Children are given opportunities to explore this pleasure through pretend play, for example, but adults must forget about this pleasure. Zornado also says that children's literature is about finding what is "dead, buried and forgotten" in adults (105). David McPhail is an adult author who attempts to explore the fantasy world he never got to experience through Tinker and Tom and Star Baby. As Zornado states, McPhail is an author, who like other children's literature authors, chooses to relive his childhood through this story. The fantasy exists in the story in several ways. One way is through Tom, the bear, who lives with Tinker, the little boy. Tom can talk like a human and is Tinker's best friend. During childhood, many people pretend that animals can talk to them, and may even have an animal as their best friend. McPhail chooses to experience this element of fantasy through Tom. Another element of fantasy is found in Star Baby. Star Baby arrives by a spaceship. Star Baby cannot talk, but she does have magical powers. She has the power to make objects float around. In the book, Star Baby begins eating the cat's food. The cat starts to pounce on Star Baby, but Star Baby uses her magic and makes the cat float around the room by pointing at him. During childhood, many children fantasize about space. McPhail relives his childhood here through Star Baby. The last element of fantasy occurs with Tinker's father. The father hears all of the commotion occurring in the kitchen and comes downstairs to see what is happening. His father discovers Star Baby, but only stares and points at "it" in amazement. Star Baby points right back, causing Tinker's father begins to float back up the stairs, and does not bother Tinker and Tom for the rest of the night. This is the same fantastical element (Star Baby's magical powers) that occurred with Star Baby and the cat. Through the fantasy in the book, McPhail is able to revive the child that still lives in him. Children's literature is a means through which it's adult authors live through the world they never got to experience as a child. David McPhail is able to do this through Tinker and Tom and Star Baby because of the fantastic element written in the book.

This is a wonderful, whimsical book about a boy named Tinker, and his friend Tom, a very large bear. As they watch the stars one evening, they notice that one is falling to earth, right in their backyard! Tinker explains to Tom that it must be a "star baby" that has fallen and will need help getting back to its mother. The boy and the bear find the star baby, but also discover that the baby's star ship needs to be repaired before the star baby can return to its mother. Tinker and Tom decide to take the star ship and the baby inside, where Tinker proceeds to "fix" the star ship with things that he finds around the kitchen. Tinker almost gets himself into trouble when his dad wakes up, but the star baby takes care of him with its magical powers. Kids will enjoy seeing the things that Tinker uses to "fuel" up the star baby's space ship, and the way the baby takes care of the cat and the father. The illustrations are humorous and fun, and this is a great book that will be read over and over!

Well, what can I say. As a novice in relation to finance this book was indispensible in giving me tips that has turned a $2000 investment in March this year into over $6000. This man is a genius.

The Bears of Paris is a modern match for Dante's _Inferno_. The poems in this collection give us today's Man-in-the-city in the character of Fatslug dodging the slings and arrows of our fates, often pierced and wounded. Yet the poems reaffirm our essential humanity, the struggle to love and to be loved. While thoroughly rooted in our times, the poems also connect us with events from history, revealing the nature of suffering. Moore takes on the subject of evil and Man's inhumanity to man with Swiftian wit. Miles Moore has a deadly satiric eye for human failings, the interactions of daily life, intended and unintentional cruelties, and yet writes with much empathy of the consequent pain inflicted on the victims. Many of the poems such as "Two Men", "I love Barbie Taylor, T. Mc" and "Dead Boy in the Road at Fredericksburg" deserve to be included in anthologies of the best American poetry. "Dead Boy.." ends with this panoramic fade on the photograph from the Civil War: "Through the millenia the murdered march/ To someone else's tune and memory/ And through some other guy's triumphal arch./ You and they are no one. You're history./ Repeating rifles always bear repeating./ The silent beast that ate you keeps on eating."

This is a fascinating and satisfying collection with poetry that gives us much to ponder.

From the wonderful early readers series "A Bug, A Bear, and A Boy Go To School" encourages early reading skills along with providing early geography, spatial relationship, cause and effect, perspective skills, and directional skills in a story of friendship between a bug, a bear, and a boy and their adventures of a school day. Very cleverly planned and written and wonderful choice for parents to buy their child learning to read or practicing their early reading skills. Highly recommend this book along with the entire A Bug, A Bear, and A Boy series. A+ teaching material for early readers 3 1/2 - 7 years old.

This book is great for children. It teaches them to help other people and to give of themselves. My 6 year old daughter loves reading all the Elmer stories. She especially enjoys,Wilmer and his ventiloquist act.

Emma the bear and her parents are going on vacation. But mom and dad want to be tourists. Emma asks to hike a mountain near their rickety cabin, but dad drives. After a day at the speedy burger, a boat ride, tour bus, train ride and carnival rides, Emma refuses to leave the cabin again. She shows her parents how to take pleasure from a mountain stream, berry picking, tree climbing and story telling. The book's humerous tone with engaging artwork (the speedy burger restaurant is a giant burger!) entertains, while the storyline gentley reminds us a better way to spend our time.

VERY INTERESTING -- INDIAN LORE AS IT RELATES TO THE BEAR THROUGHOUT HUMAN HISTORY -- ROCKWELL ENCOMPASSES IT VERY WELL.

Once in a while a tape for children is produced that combines, fantasy, imagination and memorable music. A must for all children. This is a tape you will play over and over again.