Charlotte Zolotow graces the pages of this gentle book of poetry with imagery and magic as she details the changing seasons from a child's point of view. From Winter Bits "There is a special kind of quiet/every household knows/we hear it in our sleep/the first night it snows." and Spring Things "There is a wind/light as a feather/against your skin/a soft wind/gentle as a dove." to Summer Thoughts "One night I saw/flying low/a little flash of fire/like a star/fallen from the sky./"Look," my mother said./"a firefly!" and finally The Feel of Fall "There is a strong fresh wind/like an eagle flying by./It snatches someone's kite/and keeps it flying high.", Ms Zolotow's simple, easy to read verses are clever and joyous, sometimes playful and witty, often quiet and dreamy, but always captivating and engaging as they celebrate special moments in each passing season. Erik Blegvad's evocative pen and ink illustrations complement each poem with insight and wonder, and help bring it to life on the page. Perfect for emerging readers, or as a cozy read aloud for younger children, Seasons is a warm and inviting collection to share with friends and family now, and future generations in the years to come

An amazing book filled with all sorts of superstitions from all around the world!

With tales such as The Blue Mountains, The Cat and the Mouse in Partnership, The Dragon and His Grandmother, Fairer-than-a-Fairy, The Flower Queen's Daughter, The Glass Axe, How To Tell a True Princess, and many others how can anyone not find this book fun to read? Once again, Lang edits a book full of fairy tales from many lands that will entertain children and adults. The black and white illustrations are also superb.

When our third child died, my husband and I looked for books to help us talk with our older children, then 5 and 4, about death, and this book was recommended to us. It's a really nice book if a pet has died, but since the tenth good thing is that as Barney rots he helps the flowers grow, it's not the best for dealing with the death of a person--the thought of a loved one rotting can be really disturbing for a child.

The little boy who is the narrator of this book has just had his pet cat Barney die. He can only think of nine good things about Barney, until the day after the funeral, when he spends the day in the garden with his father. The plot is extremely simple and spare, but the book depicts grief very well, and so we understand just how broken-hearted the little boy is, and how much he loved his cat. The Tenth Good Thing About Barney is an excellent springboard for families of every religious persuasion (including agnostics and atheists) to discuss what they feel happens after we die. My bright, perceptive and sensitive four-year-old has been asking a lot of questions lately -- about birth and death -- and I used this book to explain death to him. The book was extremely powerful for him, and helped him to put into words many questions that he had, and helped me to answer them for him as best I could. The writing is excellent, and perfectly captures the voice of a young boy, and the illustrations are elegant. It's a classic book, and belongs in every library.

This book is absolutely, without a doubt, a great book for younger children to cope with the loss of a pet. This book, however, would not be appropriate for the loss of a human life. The author lets the reader know that it is OK to feel sad, to not want to watch TV, or to eat or to go outside and play. But most important of all, that it is OK to cry and feel sad.

The mother and father hold a backyard funeral for Barney, the beloved deceased cat, and the little boy comes up with nine good things to say about Barney. Afterwards, when they plant flowers, he can come up with the tenth good thing about Barney.

Older children will find this too 'babyish', I believe, but this book was perfect for my younger children when our beloved dog, Snowball died. Our vet gave us this book, along with the Rainbow Bridge poem. It was very comforting.

The book conveys that we have to honor the grieving and the questions of children as they mourn their beloved pet, whether it is a fish, a dog, a cow, a horse, or whatever pet is important to them. The value of a 'ceremony' is just as important for closure.

I highly recommend this tender book.

The illistrations are delightful, with much detail. There is almost a second story line in the antics of the small black cat found on most of the pages -- very nice when reading to kids; it allows them to make up a story of their own to go along with the main story. The humor in the story line is great for grown-ups, but I'm not sure all kids would understand the punchline on the last page. It's a fun story even if the last bit has to be explained, though!

The illustrations are beautiful and entertaining, look for the cat in the illustrations, and the rhyme is easy to remember. My daughter loves this book. I get it out every fall to help me organize for winter, as the first cool winds start to blow out of the north.
This book is an entertaining and fun way to get ready for the dark winter months.

This is a charming story of a country wife getting ready for winter while her lazy husband gives lots of instructions, but does no work. Don't worry, she gets him back in a very humorous way at the end of the book. Easy to read, nice rhyming pattern and wonderful illustrations. A fun book to be read over and over again. A favorite in our house.

Carol Kendall once said, "Children are a marvelous audience . . . they remember what they have read! Sometimes they remember it all their lives!" Adults who read The Gammage Cup as children will probably agree. The book is memorable because it's about self-discovery as well as external adventure and because the five outcasts from the conformist society of Slipper-on-the-Water are all appealing in different ways: Walter the Earl (the scholar), Curley Green (the artist), Gummy (the poet), Mingy (the curmudgeon), and Muggles, the average Minnipin who finds the rebel within. When they turn out to be the only defenders of the Land between the Mountains from an impending invasion of cannibalistic Mushrooms, they prove themselves to be spiritual descendants of Fooley the Magnificent, the Minnipin who hundreds of years earlier ventured in a balloon out of the valley into the Land Beyond the Mountains. Among the souvenirs Fooley brought back with him from the outside world -- our world -- was an odd list of abbreviations, including Ltd., Co., Bros., Geo., that his literal descendants, who call themselves the Periods, took as their own names, making up pronunciations for these exotic words -- Litted, Coe, Bross, Gee-oh. The conceit will please young readers who themselves may be at the age where such abbreviations in the grown-up world puzzle and amuse them. It is also revealing to discover that Fooley was himself originally an outcast like the five adventurers, mythologized into an acceptable kind of hero by his dull descendants. The world that Kendall creates in this book is a kind of pre-industrial village society -- beautifully depicted in Erik Blegvad's drawings, which include a map of the valley and a bird's-eye view of Slipper-on-the-Water with houses and other buildings labeled. If there is such a thing as a cozy adventure, this is it. After all, the five outcasts don't even venture far from home, only into the mountains that surround their isolated valley, though even that is unknown territory to most Minnipins and fraught with real danger. The story is sure to appeal to imaginative children in the target age range of 9-12 not only because of its sympathetic characters but because its unobtrusive lesson about individuality is just what preteens are beginning to struggle with in their own lives. And it's so well written that adults will enjoy it, too.

How rare indeed to find a book to be enjoyed throughout a lifetime-- and worthy for many more! I first read this book when I was 12... I am now 18, and believe me, I've read loads of fantasy, but the Gammage Cup has a sparkle and a wit to stay brilliant and fresh with each new reading, out loud or to self. I have read this book aloud about ten times, and it is fascinating to me how every person interperets something different between it's fluid pages. For me, I think that the simple fact that it covers so many facets, is the very reason it holds me so. Carol Kendall allows me to become every character in the book, to rise and fall with their life's undulations, to breath as Muggles, to walk as Gummy, to feel the steady heart of Walter the Earl. And yet, though there are steariotypes to be seen at first glance, beneath those verbal exteriors lie real people, so real that you get to know them better and better with each reading. Indeed, on the surface you will see a charming story with colorful characters, an exciting plot, bouncing rhythm. But to chip at this jewel is to uncover a deeper self, endless allusions to all facets of life, an unplumbed sea of rhythmic words. It is a book about discovering one's self and standing firm for something-- of loyalty and friendship, of various personality. From maxims to bursting verse, it speaks with the depth of a chess master-- Truly, a book for the ageless.

When I first read "The Gammage Cup," I fell in love with the five misfits of Slipper-On-the-Water: I knew exactly how they felt. Through elementary school and middle school, I was always the odd one out, my peculiarities carefully noted by the mainstream group and mercilessly persecuted. The message was quite clear: if you do not comform, you are not welcome. For that reason, it was with particular joy that I watched Muggles, Mingy, Gummy, Curley Green, and Walter the Earl refuse to conform to the stultifying sameness of their village, and in fact use their outsider status to save the Minnipins. Foremost in "The Gammage Cup" is the message that difference is to be valued, not squelched, and that those who dare to be individual are the true heroes; philosophy aside, "The Gammage Cup" is a wild and wonderful read, full of humor, adventure, danger, some peculiar poetry, several proverbs, and even a bit of romance. The characters, even those you can't stand, are vividly drawn; the five main characters are colorful, eccentric, and thoroughly likable. The isolated world of the Land Between the Mountains is a great place to visit time and time again--though you might not want to live there. Give it a try if you haven't yet. "Hail, hail, to our outlaws bold..."

My daughter asks to hear this book over and over. It is a story about how a young boy comes up with a way to amuse himself when his friend cannot come to visit.

Rainy Day Kate brings back a lot of memories for me. I remember going to the public library with my mom and always getting that book, if I didn't have it checked out already. I'd get Mom to read it to me all the time. I loved that book, and was really disappointed to hear that it was out of print.

The Fledgling

Book review by Maddie

I read the book The Fledgling, by Jane Langton. She illustrated and wrote it. The genre is fantasy, which I have much sympathy for. For it may be easy to just make up any old thing out of your head and write it down, but I have learned from writing fantasy books, (because they are my favorite genre) that having a limit of magical powers is important. Because if you say at the beginning of your brilliant story, "There was a guy named Henry. Henry was unpopular. The special thing about Henry was he could fly." Then later in your story you have Henry get stuck in an icky, dirty, dungeon and he can't reach the open window, then you have to change that. Because I bet the readers know or still remember that Henry can easily fly out the window.
This story is about a young girl named Georgie. Georgie thinks she knows how to fly. After finding out she can jump down twelve steps in two graceful bounds she's sure she can fly.
Then one night a Canadian goose appears outside her window. It seems like the bird is telling her, "Come, climb onto my back and I'll teach you how to really fly." It seemed to Georgie that the only thing to do was to climb on his white and black, fluffy and soft, back and have a fascinating adventure flying over the whole town.
She meets the goose every night. She seemed to trust his shiny, black eyes. Soon she's flying all by herself. But there's one problem, this terrible Ralph Preek will do anything to stop her goose from coming. Hunting season is coming up, Ralph Preek gets all hands on his gun... To see what happens next, you'll have to read this amazing, fantastic book!!!
The story takes place in a little town near Walden Pond. The geese are stopping at Walden Pond because that's part of their migration. Georgie lives at No.4o Walden Street.
Georgie is a very creative little girl that is not one of those fancy girls that walks around in a perfectly sewed velvet dress that doesn't have a speck of dirt on it. She's more casual type. She has a little "bush house" that she plays tea party in. The rocks are cups, the leaves make good seats, and the one big rock in the middle is the table.
Eleanor is a happy, determined young girl who never gives up. She cheers Georgie up, and even tries to get Georgie a friend. Eleanor still has her bad times too. She once made a beautiful yellow dress with orange spots on it. She was positive everyone at school would like her new dress!!! When she came home from school, she ripped her dress up and screamed, "A giraffe! I look like a giraffe! Robert Toby called me a giraffe!" (On page 115).
Eddy is a very supportive brother. He always seems to know what to say at the right time. When Georgie put to much frosting on the cake, Eddy says, "You can't have to much frosting on a cake!" (On page 115). Eddy always has a new way to look at things. One time Georgie jumps down the stairs, but she falls. Eddy then explains to her that nobody can fly, but you can leap. Then he shows her how to leap down the stairs.
This book is a very nicely written book. It really has a way to get to you. Like when it says, "and hunting season was over." You get a sigh of relief, because you know, "Yes! Now Ralph Preek can't kill the goose!" but then Ralph sets his watch five minutes slow so hunting season is still going! You become overwhelmed with things to say like, "That's not fair!" or, "That's against the law!" you get extremely intense. I think that shows a good book, because that must be hard to do.
Eleanor reminds me of my sister. Always standing up for me, and never scared to try something new. She can get mad, but she's mostly nice, just like Eleanor.
Georgie reminds me of Stanley, in the beginning of the book Holes. Stanley is unpopular and he doesn't have any friends. Georgie is really unpopular also, and she wouldn't even think of having friends.
Its funny, when I read the sentence "Hard work was something Miss Prawn knew how to do", on page 36, the first think I thought of was my mom and dad. They work their heads off taking impeccable care of me and three other children.
I don't think that you will ever find a book like this one, so if you want a good book to read, pick this one. Don't worry, it has an interesting ending, which is like no other book I've read, so I don't think I can relate to any other book. You'll have to read this supreme book that is definitely worth reading.

The Fledgling is a great book about a girl named Georgie who thinks she can fly. One day, a Canadian Goose goes to her house and Georgie climbs on its back and flies away! The only problem is that many people don't want her flying and they will do anything to stop her. To find out if she stops flying, read The Fledgling by Jane Langton.

I loved this book. It's a story of a girl who discovers she could fly. One night when a Canada goose came to her window she climbed on its back and went off with him to learn how to really fly. But, Ralph wants to stop her from flying, he wants to stop the lovely Goose Prince from coming. Chelsea - 10 years old

Three children go out for a walk on a cold day. They spend time jumping, walking backwards, counting birds and just doing whatever comes to mind. Then they notice there is something at the top of a hedge. At first they think that it might be a shoe or a sock. But then they discover a brown knitted bear who has nothing to wear on a wintry day. English author Ruth Craft has written a charming little tale, told in a simple rhymed style. The colored illustrations are by Danish artist Erik Blegvad who succeeds in capturing the look of the country. I especially like when the pictures where it has begun to snow and the kids head home to find something for the cold winter bear to wear. Children will like the simple story and the elegant pictures, as well at the idea that a lost teddy bear will always be able to find a new home.

I especially loved the language and pleasant pictures of this story of children finding a lost stuffed bear out in the winter weather....a nice cozy story for parent and child in 1988, and now again for me as grandparent and child in 1999.

My kids keep coming back to this book to their favorites to find the clue that reveals the answer. The book jacket mentions that the riddles "recall more ancient queries-the question rhymes from Mother Goose . . . or the riddle game between Bilbo baggins and Gollum in _The Hobbit_." They also reminded me of Beatrix Potters' _The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin_. The illustrations and actions in this book also give clues just like that story. Some clues are deliberately misleading, like seeing live horses galloping into the ocean when the real answer--seahorse--is instead carefully sculpted into the clouds. There is a pleasing mix of solving ability. My 5 year old was successful at a few, while a couple were a bit difficult for me. I would wait for the lower priced paperback edition to come out, as there are only 26 riddles.