This would have to be my favorite book ever, I remember begging my mother to read it to me when i was little,and I even memorized the whole thing. To this day i can quote my favorite lines. This is a book that i highly reccomend for anyone and their children. I am in my teens now and I still enjoy going back and reading "Bootsie Barker Bites"

Whenever I read this story to a group of children, I'm a librarian, they're on the edge of their seats waiting for the next horror from Bootsie. Everyone knows a Bootsie, has been a Bootsie, or lives with a Bootsie sibling. The ending is satisfying in that Bootsie doesn't reform but her victim uses her intelligence to solve her problem. (With some help from mom) A good read-aloud and a wonderful story.

Bootsie Barker Bites tells the familiar tale of the uncongenial playmate, but it provides a much les conventional, and much more satisfying, ending. The story is interesting, funny, and encompasses a useful lesson about coping with mean kids.

The narrator of Bootsie Barker Bites hates playing with Bootsie, but she has to, because Bootsie's mother is her mother's best friend. Bootsie is mean - she treats the narrator very badly, breaks her toys, tries to hurt her pet lizard, and claims she is a dinosaur who will eat the narrator right up. The narrator grits her teeth and bears it until she discovers Bootsie will be staying at her house for the night; then she thinks up a plan that turns the tables on her unpleasant playmate.

Most authors would have forced an unrealistic but ultrasweet ending from this plot by having Bootsie and the narrator become friends. Barbara Bottner knows that isn't how real life usually works, so she provides a different ending. Bootsie doesn't change; the narrator's ability to cope with Bootsie changes. In addition to being thoroughly satisfying, this ending gives kids a small, easy lesson on dealing with difficult people.

The illustrations in the book are energetic and fun. The artist has done an excellent job of making Bootsie look like the archetypal evil toddler. And the small details of the pictures - the toy turtle on every page, the changing expressions of the stuffed animals, etc. - help hold kids' attention and make the book fun to reread.

Overall, this is a solidly entertaining children's book that contains, but not does not force, a message. Bootsie Barker Bites is fun for reading out loud or privately; kids enjoy it, and so do adults.

How does a little boy train his big, brown, disobedient dog? When the boy commands SIT, his dog jumps up on him and slobbers. When he orders STAY, his dog chases a squirrel. FETCH seems to mean roll over to his dog; COME causes his furry friend to run away. This old canine just can't seem to get the hang of it. He won't give his paw, stay off the furniture, play catch, or stop howling and barking. Finally in total exasperation the boy commands BE BROWN, words his dog just can't ignore..... Barbara Bottner's minimal text, really just one word per page, is highlighted by Barry Gott's charming, bold, bright, and exuberant illustrations, and little ones are sure to giggle and enjoy all the silly antics of boy and dog. Be Brown! is an engaging and entertaining preschool, crowd pleaser, youngsters will beg to "help" you read again and again.

My 3.5-year-old son loved this hilarious story about a bossy boy and his disobedient dog. The way that the dog never listens to the orders that the boy is delivering is very amusing and so true to life. We laughed and laughed as we read this story. The ending where the little boy finally thinks up an order that the dog is able to obey works perfectly. We loved the way that they boy wants to celebrate his dog's "goodness" with a hug and some words of praise. The words and the pictures go together perfectly! All in all, this book is a great read and is sure to be a favorite with all children who have pets and those that want one.

Barbara Bottner's latest picture book proves once again how perfectly she understands children. A young boy is desperately trying to train his uncooperative dog. Ignoring command after command, the dog gloriously (and hilariously) avoids compliance. What's a boy to do? -- A perfectly satisfying ending!

Finally, a good kids book illustrating the beauty and sensitivity in shy children. Not only is it perseptive, but it's whimiscal and fun. Even our 2-year-old enjoys this book. The pictures are interesting and provide lots to talk about. Charlene is a cool chick once you get to know her.

A wonderful story for the shy person within all of us. Very, very sweet!
Think of all the money you'll save on future therapy if you read this book to your child.

This is an excellent book for chldren who are ready to read easy stories by themselves. This book has great illustrations and easy to follow dialogue. This is a good book for first graders and up to start reading. This is a great book to introduce to children who have just had a new baby brother or sister.

I have a baby brother. He always gets all the attention. I feel my mother doesnt' have time for me any more. After reading this book, I know my mother and even my baby brother really do like me.

The book made me feel good. You should read it.

I think that I might have read this book once.

To tell you the truth, I am confused with the story, probably because I'm not old enough to understand all that college stuff. But the story is clear. Brogan (she's the narrator, isn't she?) is in love with her teacher.

I guess that's all.

With the start of her second semester social studies class, Brogan's life becomes more complicated. For starters, the new teacher at Bellmont High School (in Brooklyn, New York) pretty much steals her heart on the first day of class. He's brilliant and attractive and shares a lot of the same ideas Brogan has about society and the world. Too bad he's grown more interested in Rosanna Dakis (the beautiful, popular senior in their class) to notice Brogan even exists.

At home, it's not much better. Her parents--who she refers to by their first names, Nan and Buster, not "Mom" and "Dad"--are on the verge of a divorce. They're constantly fighting; Nan feels stifled and Buster is looking for a mistress, a secret he shamelessly tells his daughter. And, of course, Brogan is caught in the middle, feeling completely helpless and angry.

Between home and school, Brogan tries to find some balance in her life. The biggest help of all is from Gracie Pevsner, an older woman she meets while volunteering at the senior citizens center. Gracie inspires Brogan to be proactive and overcome her own ineptness and misery.

"Let Me Tell You Everything" is a great book for teenage girls who are struggling with their own identities as feminists.

I was disappointed in this story. As I read the story I thought it was leading to something different than what is was. This story could be so much better.

First, the attitude in the beginning is all-or-nothing. The hired piano teacher is nasty to the young boy and calls him hopeless. Both illustrations of her show a frowning face. She is impatient with the boy and bangs the keys. Frankly if a piano teacher used such negative comments and was so miserable with my children I'd fire her. The boy thinks he is a failure at learning the piano and at first no one else tries to convince him otherwise (such as his mother or father-where are the parents in this book?). The boy loves baseball and has tunnel vision and wants to excel at baseball and quit playing the piano. The one appearance of the mother is when the boy asks to please quit piano lessons and she says "we don't have quitters in this family". I dislike the use of name calling here and don't understand why this mother pays a nasty teacher to verbally abuse the boy and why she insists on forcing him to continue with the piano lessons (or at least try a different teacher). Why can't a person be good at two things? Why is the family discouraging the baseball at times and pushing the piano when he isn't interested?

I very much disliked the use of the word stupid as an adjective as in "but I get an urge to sit down at the stupid piano". I am trying to teach my children to use the word appropriately and not as a derogatory adjective so I disapprove of the authors use of the word stupid in this children's book.

The boy cites his grandmother as a positive role model and that she is the only one who understands him. But when the boy complains that he doesn't have the talent to learn to play the piano it states the grandmother was silent. In other cases the boy puts himself down verbally and the grandmother does not refute his statements, which I thought was sad. I was hoping for some words of encouragement! Later on she does encourage him and give him honest feedback, thank goodness (but I'd rather have seen that consistent throughout the story). Despite my negative criticism, the good part of this story is of the close relationship between grandson and grandmother.

I am disappointed at the complete lack of presence of the boy's father and mother. Why don't the parents take care of (one of their) mothers? Why is a young boy sent to care for the grandmother and we never see the parent ever speaking to the grandmother? I like stories where the entire family unit is portrayed in a more harmonious manner.

In the end he is playing better and says his piano teacher is now his grandmother. They appear to have a close relationship and I think that is wonderful. Also in the end he is playing piano and playing baseball, when previously he didn't think he could do both things. I wished the book somehow stated more directly that it is possible to do well at two very different things and that with practice and the desire, one can learn and improve skills such as piano playing.

Lastly, I do like to see a rare instance where a children's book demonstrates that a family member can be a better teacher and the preferred teacher, than professional teachers.

As a piano teacher, I'm always interested in picture books that feature children playing the piano...I do think that this is a book worth reading to your kids. No, the example of the negative teacher at the beginning isn't good, and the parents ARE absent, but I don't think the author took on the challenge of telling us this boy's whole life story.

The book is about a young boy who has a bad experience with a piano teacher and then is motivated and inspired to play the piano by his "Nana Hannah". At the beginning, the boy wants to play baseball instead of piano. By the end of the book, he comes to understand that he can do both. The boy and his grandmother have a good relationship and enjoy sports and dancing AND piano together.

I loved reading this book which is an example of a boy who plays sports who also plays piano! I have 16 sports-minded boys in my own piano studio.

Happy reading!

"Nana Hannah's Piano" is a children's book that combines a story by Barbara Bottner with illustrations by Diana Cain Bluthenthal. The narrator of the story is a young boy who would rather play baseball than take the piano lessons that his mom insists he attend. But he warms up to the piano at the house of his grandmother, Nana Hannah. He spends time with the tango-loving Nana while she recovers from a twisted ankle, and the two watch the World Series together.

This book is a really wonderful story of grandmother-grandson bonding. I have had very special relationships with both my wonderful grandmothers, so I could really relate to the story. Bluthenthal's illustrations have a fun, cartoony quality to them, and are bursting with bright colors, friendly energy, and nice details (such as the cats always lounging around Nana's house). Nana is a great character. Highly recommended.

I enjoyed Bootsie Barker Bites and thought it genuinely clever; however, Bootsie Barker Ballerina is simply too agressive--and I do not generally consider myself to be politically correct about these things. Bootsie is mean to others and they are mean to her, which doesn't really teach positive moral values. And while morality isn't everything, the book lacks the spark that Bootsie Barker Bites had.

My six-year old enjoyed this book, but she did not ask me to read it again.

I checked this book out one day and started reading. There were some parts in the book that were stupid, but I kept on reading. But one part was so vulgar that I discontinued reading. It was a shame that this book was in the children's section of the library. Please do not read this book.