My 2 1/2-year-old loves this book and was soon "reading" it back to me! Its simple rhymes relate a story of generosity and thoughtfulness. We read it every day for weeks, and return to it frequently after 4 months. Paperback version is not sturdy, though--pages fell out after repeated reading.

This is one of my favorite books. It is so simple and beautifully told, gently imparting an important message of selflessness. It is a modern fable. Each page is an amusing "chapter" to an adventure with a gratifying surprise ending. I love how the author respects kids' ability to be kind and creative without the prodding of adults. The illustrations, painstakingly, gorgeously rendered in cut paper, are facinating. Like the story, the pictures are a celebration of a conscientious approach to life.

what a wonderful book. I love the illustrations and the rhyming text. My 2 1/2 year old son (also named Benny!) loves to hear this book over and over. He has many parts memorized, too. It is nice to read a book in which the main character, who could easily spend the money on himself, finds something for his mother, brother, sister, cat, and dog, spending one of his five new shiny pennies on each of them. He gets nothing for himself, except many "thank you"s and that great feeling of giving!

This book brings back memories and is sure to make kids relate to thier school picture day! A sure hit with kids and teachers too!

This story is so funny! Just when you think the worst has happened to Bertie, something else happens. Bertie doesn't let anything get him down, and he makes the best of his troubles, at that. Everyone who has had messy hair or a missing tooth on "Picture Day" will relate to Bertie's experience and cheer his indomitable spirit.

Bertie is one of my favorite characters. I loved him in HOT FUDGE HERO and I'm thrilled to see him back in BERTIE'S PICTURE DAY. He knows how to take those unexpected setbacks and turn them into a positive outcome. A great message for kids!

Pat Brisson's Sky Memories is a poignant and brilliantly crafted story told with great sensitivity and insight.

Sky Memories is a touching story about Emily and the impending death of her mother from cancer. Together, the two collect scenes from the sky to remember and cherish, as the unthinkable event creeps closer. Impossible to put down, this slim volume speaks to young people and adults alike, who have had to confront such a loss and carry on. Beautifully illustrated with sensitive watercolors by Wendell Minor, this is a book to be cherished and shared. A reading specialist in Pa.

This is a tough book to review. It's touching, heart-warming, heart-wrenching, simple, complex, and I could go on. The funny thing about it is that it is only 70-something pages long and I picked it up randomly in the library and couldn't put it down. Of course, as the author intends, the book could be used to help prepare a child for the loss of a parent due to an illness. But it does something else, too. It helps the common person relate to an issue that may not happen to them at all, but to their neighbor, or their mailman, or their child's best friend. It's useful, yes, but it's beautiful, too. This one should be widely read.

Wonderful book focussing on responsibility and friendship. An important story for children of all ages. Well deserving of it's Christopher Medal.

I liked this book because I learned a lesson. The lesson I learned was that I should always think about the things that could happen if I did it. If the father didn't apoligze he could of never seen a garden. On the other hand he wouldn't of told his daughter the story so she didn't do it to if he didn't have a tomato fight.

A young boy recounts the story his father tells him every year about the time, when he was ten years old, the father succumbed to the irresistible temptation of ripe tomatoes growing in his neighbor's garden, and in the process of having a vegetable war with his friends,demolished the garden. The father goes on to relate how he finally made amends with the elderly neighbor, and forever after planted a garden each year. The illustrations combine with the text to provide a moving example of how children can learn from their errors, and see the value of control over their behavior, and respect for others as well as themselves. The story is well told without a hint of sermonizing.

.... The stories of sibling rivalry with occasional cooperation sound very familiar to our girls! The final story about Thunder Cookies will have your kids anxiously awaiting the next storm for a chance to try out the special recipe.

LITTLE SISTER, BIG SISTER is warm, funny, and honest. Brisson carefully balances the teasing and manipulative behavior that often goes on between siblings with their fierce loyalty, love, and caring. Hester and her little sister Edna are a delight from the first page to the last. Kids with sisters and brothers will instantly recognize themselves in these situations.

Wanda is a real heroine -- a girl who works hard in the face of big odds. Yet, Wanda is also the kind of heroine who helps us think we can be heros, too. She relies more on creative invention than fantastic luck. The idea of growing roses in a vacant lot is both beautiful and realistic. The illustrations convey the eccentric colorfulness of the story's characters and ideas.

I liked the book because it was a good story. Some people may not believe Wanda that her bush would not grow roses. But, Wanda believed it. The book made me laugh. The pictures are the kind that kids like because they are cartoonish and colorful. By Rachel grade 4

There are three stories in this chapter book. They are all about a boy named Bertie. The first story is about when Bertie makes friends with his neighbor. The second story is about when Bertie is learning how to play the saxophone. The third story is about when Bertie and his mom go bowling. I am in the second grade and I liked this book because the stories are fun. For example, in the third story Bertie's mom gobbles in the bowling alley. The only reason that I didn't give this book four or five stars is because the stories aren't as fun as others I've read.

Meet Bertie. He and his friend Isobel are off on adventures of the small-but-fun kind in "Hot Fudge Hero". Divided into chapters, each chapter being a small story, he had to get his favorite baseball back from the yard of his cranky neighbor (he has a dog named Attila); his fairy godfather helps him to learn to play the saxaphone (a magic hat helps him a lot), and he has to deal with an ugly, orange bowling ball and his gobble-like-a-turkey-for-good-luck mother at the bowling alley!

"Hot Fudge Hero" is an excellent choice for beginning readers who feel that they're getting ready to graduate to chapter books. Like the Henry and Mudge series or the Little Bill series by Cosby, each page is carefully illustrated and the sentences are short and easy to read. The text generally avoids contractions like "it's" and "they're", which may seem a bit akward when reading out loud-most English speakers will abbreviate common words to contractions when they can-but helps the developing reader by avoiding all those confusing apostrophes.

The stories are fun and the stuff of everyday life, which goes to show that you don't have to conquer the universe or swim the oceans to have a good time and enjoy reading! Besides, when you're done, you may even get to go out for a hot fudge yourself!

This book received two very special awards: The Parent's Choice HONOR Book Award, and one of the New York Public Library's "Best 100 Books for Reading and Sharing." This is a terrific, can't miss book.