I don't know why this book didn't get more attention. If I had to choose one children's book as my favorite, this may well be it. And it's never failed me when I've read it for children either - each time, a hush comes over the room.

What's interesting to me about this book, it's one of the few children's books that don't have any 'children' characters. Basically, it's the story about a lonely woman finding a dog, but, like all great books, there's all kinds of other things put in on top of that - old age, death, the memory of good friends and the lesson that you have to be willing to risk and lose in order to love and be happy.

Cynthia Rylant has written a very special book here and I urge you to get this book. You will not be disappointed.

This is a funny story of an old woman who has outlived all her friends. She has big hair, cowboy boots and crazy clothes like Ms. Frizzle. The only thing she gives a name are objects like her car Betsey because they won't get old and die. She looks like she would be a fun friend and doesn't act old at all. She finally finds a shy brown pup to be her friend and must name him or leave him at the pound. I wish the old woman had a name. Read this book if you love Grandma stories or dogs.
PS It's not sad!

I have a passion for children's books - my 3 year old daughter is so indulged. I found The Old Woman who Named Things whilst browsing this Sunday afternoon and had tears well up in my eyes whilst reading it in the shop! What a perfect and so real evocation of an elderly person's fears, lonliness and subsequent eccentricities. I rushed it home to my daughter and have read it 3 times this evening. She loves it - was amused by the naming of objects - wants to do the same around our house - fell in love with the dog and was so sad for the lady when the dog became lost. She felt the old woman couldn't truly be friends with him until she "named" him. It was so nice too to have a book with an elderly "heroine". My only quibble would be that the term "outlived" is probably beyond most young children - I would have used "died" somewhere to make it clearer. I know its subtlety is lovely but I have had to stop and explain outlived each time anyway.

Have you memorized Goodnight Moon? I have. And I read Owl Moon until I could hoot with the best of them too. But, beautiful as these books are, I was looking for something else to suggest when my two daughters (ages 6 and 2) screamed, "Goodnight Moon!" for the hundredth time. I found it. When Moon Fell Down is the perfect rhyming bedtime story. In lovely prose:

"The rye smelled sweet; the night winds whirled, circling moon in a misty wreath; And he gazed in awe at the wonderous world, the sky above and the earth beneath . . ."

When Moon Fell Down tells what would happen if the moon came down to earth one night. What would he see, and how would he see it? Sometimes soothing, sometimes surprising, this book's melodic text and dreamy artwork brings a smile to my children's faces and a tear to my eye.

When Moon Fell Down is one of the most lyrical books I've read lately. Smith's words have a musical quality about them, and when you read them out loud, they give satisfaction both to the tongue and to the ear. There's also a wonderful playfulness to the story. This one is going to be a classic.

"When moon fell down one night.../Fell upon a farmer's lawn,/Rolled about in sheer delight/On fields he'd only shined upon." So begins Linda Smith's lovely picture book about a night the moon fell to earth. Having seen everything from only above for so long, the moon is eager to see the world from another vantage point. "He'd never seen the trunks of trees/Or blades below the farmer's plow./Moon didn't know a horse had knees,/But things were strangely sideways now." Moon meets up with a friendly cow and travels the night away on a delightful adventure through this small farming town, until at dawn a perturbed farmer sends both back where they belong. "Moon! he cried. This isn't right!/Cow, how dare you roam!/A moon belongs in the sky at night,/And a cow belongs at home."..... Ms Smith's evocative, rhyming text is soft, soothing and full of imagery and magic and beautifully complemented by Kathryn Brown's subdued, detailed and expressive artwork. Together, they've authored a charming bedtime story the entire family will share and enjoy, again and again. Perfect for youngsters 3-7, When Moon Fell Down is a treasure and a book that's sure to become a classic in the years ahead.

This book has received an Award of Excellence for book design in the 2001 Southern Books Competition. "Lovely green cloth binding opens to stunning title page typography that sits upon faint leaves. The typographic design is classic without being boring. Details, like the screened-back ornaments on the Contents page speak to the refinement of the design." Congratulations to the author and illustrator, designer Ellen McKie, and the University of Texas Press.

If you are serious about learning more about plants, all forms of propogation, then this is the book for you. It gets technical, but again, if you are serious, then you can figure it out. Comprehensive, well organized, good drawings, good glossary (no pronunciation guide though)and good index. A must have reference. Thanks to Ms Nokes.

This is a charming book by a skilled Southern storyteller. Darrow takes what could be a lightweight folk tale and adds a sophisticated moral that doesn't underestimate its (young) readers. The illustrations nicely compliment the book, adding just the right amount of whimsy.

This was an wonderful story. My child loved the illustrations and the "fiddle-dee" and other repeated phrases throughout the book. It was a long story but flowed very well keeping my child's interest to the very end of the book. She loves the horse named Old Thunder and the tale about how the biscuits were made. We also plan to bake the biscuits from the recipe on the back cover. I recommend this book to anyone with small children with a love of horses and horse stories.

This is THE poetry book to have in your home. From the fanciful to the quiet, this book has it all. There are poems about make-believe and secret places. Funny poems and goodnight poems. It also includes a captivating introduction about reading and poetry that is not to be missed. If you ever knew and loved the book SIDE by SIDE -- this is the companion volume. Treat your children to the love of poetry with this treasure.

I bought this book for my daughter when she was only 4 months old. It is a great story about an adventurous little mole who keeps exploring her world despite her sisters' (Meeny and Miney) trying to dissuade and discredit her! The illustrations are beautiful!

This book is charming and well illustrated. My children sat completely engrossed in the story. It is truly a must have enchanting children's bedtime book!

I bought this book hot off the presses and sight unseen just because I like matryoshka dolls, and was not disappointed. My five-year-old enjoys it very much also. Both the story and illustrations are high quality. A Russian craftsman makes the nesting doll, then ships it to a toy store America, where the littlest doll is lost. A girl buys the dolls, takes them home, and eventually - accidentally- the littlest doll finds her sisters again in a rather implausible ending. Anyone who has ever loved a matryoshka doll will appreciate the story (those little ones do get lost easily)! The illustrations are brightly colored and realistic. Overall, an appealing book to own or give as a gift.

The best referance for the primary care physician to rapidly find the therapy.

I don't know where the breastfeeding manuals get the information that "97% of women can breastfeed" because my experience and that of many I've talked to is that one can try awfully hard to exclusively breastfeed and still fail. With both of my children, I've had to pump, supplement, use a lactation consultant, and still had to use both bottle and breast. My first child ended up dehydrated at one point and both lost weight until interventions were started. I ended up with neither the convenience of breastfeeding nor the flexibility of bottle feeding. The harder one tries, the more deflating and discouraging it is when breastfeeding never completely clicks.

So this book is a welcome find for those of us that don't fit into the so-called "97%". Its stories are real life successes and failures in breastfeeding, rather than theoretical or idealized examples. The variety of stories is so great that most mothers would find at least one story that resonates with their own experience. They reflect the true intensity of establishing breastfeeding and the hardships of the newborn period. The only mothers who might not care about these stories are those that never had any intention of breastfeeding.

I met the authors at a book signing and they are neat ladies. One has decided not to have another child given her first experience. Her example is an illustration of how overwhelming the experience of breastfeeding can be when it goes wrong.

I thought this book was absolutely fantastic. Even though it is not a "how-to" book, every situation and problem you could have breastfeeding is covered by one or more of the contributors. This book really helped me to continue with breastfeeding, even during the painful periods. I would highly recommend it. The only critique I have is that there are an awful lot of contributors from Decatur, Georgia (wherever that is!) - also the area where the authors are from. I would have liked to have at least seen more authors from different parts of the US.

This is a great book to educate parents-to-be, reassure nursing parents, and allow parents of older children to wax nostalgic. Some are funny, some are intensly emotional, and others are quite practical and prosaic. Although many of the essays tell of the joys of successful breastfeeding, others describe the pain that often accompanies nursing and even the satisfaction of giving up for the bottle. The essay format is perfect for new mothers, you can actually finish something during naptime!