Tarantala Shoes

I really like this book because it was funny.A kid is living in Texas and then all of a sudden they are going to Kentucty.This book is very good because I read it.You should read the book.Sometimes it can get exciting and you will want to keep on reading the book.

"Tarantula Shoes" is great! Tom Birdseye is aWONDERFUL author. He makes you feel like you are there. When I read"Tatantula Shoes" I could really see how Ryan O'Keefe felt when moving and meeting new kids. I recommend this book because it is funny, but it also shows you real life problems and how to solve them.

My little brother loved reading this book. It's about a boy who accidently gets transported back in time and is treated like a wizard by the primitive people there. Then he tries to defeat a monster and get back to his own home.

It's a cool book that fantasy fans will like!

I am a member of the Oregon Coast 5th grade class Tom Birdseye wrote this book about!! I've been looking for it forever. It is a very funny book and kids will surely enjoy it. If the author reads this: this is Treena from "laura and treena" fame. I remember how you would always say you were going to write this book, and congratulations on your success as an author!!

I went through a stack of library books looking for one to help my toddler (2 1/2) understand that we were going to have a new baby in the family soon. This was the absolute best one! It's all from the point of view of the toddler and what the baby will mean to them. I ended up buying it and I also give it as a "soon to be big brother" or a "big sister" gift. You and your child/children will love it! (I'd say 2-5 year old siblings-to-be would get the most out of it.)

This book is very well written for older children without getting "religious."

I was looking for a book that would discuss different religions in a literature-type of way and this book does that without overwhelming the reader. It is also interesting from a cultural point of view. Readers also get a feeling about how a family of a different culture lives. Even though all the children are living in Oregon, they still have ties to their "roots."

My children and I read and discussed the various aspects of each religion we read about in this book.

I give it two thumbs up!

I think Air Mail to the Moon was a good book because she was thinking about all of the things she was going to get with her tooth from the tooth fairy.

I think Air Mail to the Moon is an excellent book. I think it was an excellent book because she was going around acusing people of stealing her tooth. She said, "When I catch him or her, I am going to Air Mail them to the moon".

I think Air Mail to the Moon is an excellent book. I think it was excellent because she thought everyone stole her tooth, but she had it all the time. It was such a funny book!

This hilarious Appalachian folktale was voted the Washington (State) Children's Choice Picture Book Award in 1996. I've read it aloud to 2nd graders in my school library to their delight.

Forgetful Plug goes to the store for his mother, repeating the phrase, "Soap! Soap! Don't forget the soap!" But with each encounter he forgets the phrase, picking up a new one, getting into trouble, and getting dirtier each time. By the time he remembers the soap, he is in desperate need of it when he gets home.

Click on the cover illustration to get an idea of Tom Birdseye's humorous style.

This book is a fun piece of entertainment, but I gave it 4 stars, since there are certainly more memorable folktales out there.

My 2 year old son runs around the house yelling Soap! Soap! Don't Forget the Soap! We loved the characters in the story, and the colorful illustrations are captivating.

I really did enjoy this book. I thought it gave really good insight into what a real southwestern elementary school is like. I had one real big problem with the book though, I didn't like the use of wetback in the story. I know that is what a lot of white people call people from Mexico and farther south, but I don't think young children need to hear or see that kind of language. It's like your showing them (the children) another derogatory word they can use around their friends and family. Other than that I really liked the book.

If you thought one of your favorite fables ended when Jack slew the giant and the huge oaf fell to the bottom of the bean stalk, best you think again. Thanks to the creative mind of Tom Birdseye brave little Jack has another giant to face.

Remember when Jack thought he had it made with the hen that laid golden eggs, the magic harp and the bag of coins? Well no such luck. The late giant has a brother, an even bigger brother, who is furious with Jack. So, Jack takes his mother, his loot and boards a ship for the U.S. of A.

He finds a pleasant farm in the mountains of North Carolina, believing the giant will never find him there. Not only that but Jack is now raising prize-winning roses. Ah, life is good until one temperature topping day in August. Why, it was so hot that Jack had to surround the hen with ice "to keep her from laying hard-boiled eggs instead of golden ones." Then, just as he was taking his ease and a big gulp of lemonade he heard a loud, threatening bellow - it was the giant!

Can Jack outsmart and outrun another giant?

Will Hillenbrand's marvelously warm and funny illustrations were created with a mix of media - wooden pencils, inks, egg tempera, colored pencils, oils. They're the perfect partner for this fun and fantastic tale.

Youngsters will enjoy this continuation of a favorite story, while adults will chuckle at Jack's antics.

- Gail Cooke

I bought this book thinking how cool it would be for an 8-year-old nephew. But I am blown away by the number of ways a kid could get hurt or even killed by following the advice in this book. After a very brief and largely useless "safety first" warning, the author goes on to suggest such things as snow forts that use car hoods and other heavy objects as the roof -- with snow packed on top, no less. If the kid isn't crushed or suffocated in his nifty new fort, he probably will die of lock-jaw from the cut he gets on the rusty edge of the car hood -- or from the old windows that the author suggests are the perfect thing for lean-to forts. Does this guy live next to a junk yard? There are several cool ideas in the book, but none that a kid probably couldn't come up with on his own -- especially if mom and dad say, "Yeah, go ahead. Anything and everything you can find to drag into the backyard is ok with us." Several of the tee-pee/wigwam forts are just fine if a kid is in the woods with lots of deadfall. Otherwise, the environment is going to take a hit -- as are the $180 trees that the neighbors just planted last spring. Which is nothing compared to the hospital bill you'll have for the 19 stitches required to close up the gash from the suggested use of a scythe or weed cutter to "gather handfuls of grass or hay no shorter than 15 inches." Send 'em over to my yard; my lawn needs mowing. Seriously, folks. This book should be recalled.

As a mother of three and a a daycare provider I highly recommend this "get up and build" book. The ideas for fort building will spark your childs imagination and they'll go back time and again to look for ideas for indoor and outdoor forts. This book can save a mom on a snow day- as long as you don't mind what will be created!

We got a copy of this book from the library. When it was time to return it my son begged for his own copy. Great book.