I bought this book for my daughter when she was about six months old and my husband and I read it to her quite a few times daily. My daughter absolutely loved this book! I liked ready it to her and showing her the pictures. She played with this book soo much that I now need to replace it with another. Great book!!!

My daughter loves the sound effects in this book. The idea that Pippa helps her mother with the daily tasks is very appealing, as my daughter loves to help me. She also loves that Pippa completes a new task all by herself. My daughter is 17 months old and learned to recognize herself as "me" from this book, as Pippa recognizes herself at the end of the book. I love the bright eyes on Pippa and her mother and the decorations in the mouse-hole house.

This realistic fiction book not only shows what kids go through during divorce, but also how to deal with it. Little Casey is definitely going through a hard time. Her mom and Dad are trying their hardest to get her through it. The nice illustrations by Deborah Bargo contribute to the setting and plot where she fakes the chicken pox for her dad to come back, hiding under a shade tree, or just staying with Elmer Elephant, her stuffed animal, to keep her comapany. The way the story was told could be a personal memoir or just to prove a point, but basically it was a normal book...told in sentences. I have read this story over and over again because my parents divorced when I was a very young age. If any childs parents get divorced, this book will help them through it, and be read over and over again!

This beautifully told story, with its enchanting illustrations, tells of a little kitten named Miou. Little Miou is in the care of the wise, old Oshiva, living in a great castle of cats. Miou observes and plays with the other cats in the castle, all of whom live in the castle at different stages in their lives. Some are young, some are old, and some are in-between. Miou gets a bit scared when she sees some of the older cats doing big things, like leaving home on their own.

The young kitten shows the fear that many children have about doing things on their own. Most children have worries about the big steps in life, that are so close, yet far away enough to seem extremely daunting. For a small child, things like middle school must be intimidating, much less the notions of driving and leaving home someday.

Miou's worries are similar -- and she is comforted by Oshiva's wisdom. Oshiva lets the little one know that the big steps will only come when you are ready for them to come, taking the fear and apprehension out of change.

This book is a jewel. My mother must have read this beautiful book to me every night for years. The illustrations are so lovely, and the castle is captivating. If I owned only a single book for my own children, it would be this one. Enjoy.