I liked this book because Rosie doesn't get frustrated. Also, Rosie has a good imagination. She, in her mind sends a letter to her summer vacation spot, the lake. Thus the title, Letter to the Lake.

This wonderful picture book is both beautiful and informative. It takes the reader to the homes of eight unforgettable children from around the world. A memorable book for children of any age.

There are certain characteristics that come with living in a small town. Everybody knows everbody. Gossip spreads like wildfire. But a characteristic not often expressd is one of feeling like you're trapped--like you can't ever get out. In the poems contained in the book SODA JERK, by Cynthia Rylant, a young boy expresses his feelings of being trapped in his small Virginia town. This book focuses mainly on the unseen reality of small town life. I used a cutting of this book in high school speech team and went to the state competition with it. This book is very insightful and helped me to realize more of what is there than just meets the eye.

As a school media specialist and the mom of two kids adopted from Korea, I am always looking for new books with an adoption theme. This one immediately caught my attention and actually made me cry as I read it! The sequence, starting with the son as a graduate and working backwards to his joyous arrival, is refreshing and thought provoking without being maudlin. The soothing text combines comfortably with the soft illustrations which depict a child with dark skin and black hair who could be Asian or Latino (at the end, a banner reading "welcome home Enrique" infers that he is of Latino heritage). The message that adopted children are so wanted is reinforced throughout this beautiful celebration of a family.

A favorite to check-out at the library and to give as a gift. This book is wonderfully illustrated and the text opens the door for a history lesson. I still get goose-bumps when I read it aloud to a child!

For preschool teachers and parents who like books which address reality (and issues)this story subtly addresses the pro's and con's of a work-at-home parent. It also shows Mom working at he computer and Dad as an artist. Very nice.

I am in fifth grade. My library teacher read "The Painter" to us. It was confusing at first but the more we got into the book the more interesting it got. The pictures were wonderful and the story was super! It's about a little girl who wants to play with her father. He won't let her into his studio until she finally asks to paint with him. If you want to find out what happens next, you'll have to read Peter Catalanotto's, "The Painter." He came to our school and told us how he writes and illustrates his books. He was the best visiting author ever!

An absolutely beautiful book! This picture book is a favorite with my kindergartners each year. The watercolored illustrations allow us to peek at the artist's life, "meet" his family, and share in the joy of art. We love to study the paintings and look for the subtleties which Catalanotto includes in his work, (students are excited to see a picture of the dalmatian from Dylan's Day Out on the studio wall). We talk about the daughter's disappointment when daddy can't play because he's painting, but we feel her happiness when he's dancing with her after lunch (the most breathtaking painting in the book). Young readers love the watercolor by the daughter at the end; my kindergartners are inspired to paint the same rainbow and birds for the rest of the school year! Every primary teacher should have this wonderful book as part of the classroom library. Curriculum connection: art, family, love, artists and painters, parents who work at home.

"If we observe the behavior of an animal we can only describe it from the outside. In a book on zoology you can read that bees build their cells in a certain way, their queen behaves in such and such a way, and so on. The physical activity of the insect or animal is described, but if we presume that such behavior is meaningful for the bees, then we have projected something onto them. We can only say that this is the way they appear to behave, and so far, we have no means of seeing how the thing looks from the point of view of the animal. We do not know what kind of emotion the queen bee has when producing her eggs. We can assume a great deal, but we cannot scientifically observe it." One of the most fortunate and unfortunate experiences of this magical living of a human life is that in that this same phenomenon comes into play in our many and varied interactions with fellow members of our species. It may seem to us in the realm of the physical that this or that person is reacting to this or that stimulus in this or that manner, usually based on our own personal experience with that particular stimulus. We assume that the people around us, most particularly the people we love, are experiencing the situation we are experiencing in the same or a similar manner. Not so, Oh friends. I am continually taken aback by the astonishing fact that what I see is not what you see. Usually this shock comes to me with all the pleasantness of those cups of ice-cold water my father used to toss over the shower curtain on me in the middle of my lengthy morning ablutions during my teen-age years. Cynthia Rylant, thankfully, has a lighter touch. With her characteristic grace, she reveals the fortunate aspect of disparate perceptions existing withing the same sphere. (Ah la, You say tuh-may-ato, I say tuh-mah-to..) Reading this one always makes me feel like I'm sitting in a warm quiet spot of sun. A fine job all 'round.

When we first found this book at the library; the beautiful cover illustration first caught three-year-old Matthew's eye. Once home, it became his favorite book among the 20 or so that we had borrowed that week. I am not sure, nor can he verbally elaborate for me the draw of this book for him, but I will offer my own opinion. The tender, loving approach of the painter to the shy young boy, Charlie, is quite appealing. That the painter is male is all the more special as he becomes a wonderful role model for young boys bombarded by so many conflicting messages in the popular media. Matthew seemed to identify with the child in the story and began walking around with a pencil behind his ear, just the way Charlie and the painter do in the book. He also wanted to "get my paints, Mama" after reading the book. Lastly, the awakening of the affective and expressive side of this boy is a lovely process to observe and is elaborated beautifully by the watercolor illustrations throughout. I am confident that these too led Matthew to love this sweet, gentle book.

This is a fun book! Don't forget to study the illustrations thoroughly. The scene in the doctor's office is worth the price of the book all by itself.

I thought that Mr. Mumble was a great book and it can be enjoyed by kids of all ages. It's not only a good book it is also a comedy. Who would have ever thought that Mr. Mumble would go the whole day not knowing that he had a bird down his throat. Also, i think it is so funny how when he goes do his shopping he asks for something and they always give him something that he didn't ask for like when he asks for bagels they give him a beegle. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Thank You
Lauren Smith

Talking With Artists volume.3

This book is pretty interesting. It is about artists who share what they like to draw and about their lives. They are asked questions such as, "Do you have any kids or pets?" The illustrators show some of pictures that they drew when they were children. They also show how the children illustrators got their inspiration to draw.

I liked this book because it was neat to see how good some of the kids are at drawing and then to see them draw as they are older. Also that was cool it showed how to draw pictures in the back of the book. I recommend this book to people who are just stating to draw and people that want to read an interesting book.

I got this book at the library for my children, but I think I enjoyed it as much as they did! (I plan to buy a copy of my own!) Instead of a cool, impersonal presentation of artists and their work, this book provides a refreshingly personal view. The artists talk about their childhoods, how they spend their days (the answers are fun & honest!), their families, and best of all, they give us peeks inside their studios. I don't know about you, but I love seeing inside of an artist's private workspace! It's like a glimpse inside his/her mind.
The styles of the artists are very diverse and they use many different techniques that kids and adults alike would like to try out. I highly recommend this book!

Dad and Me is a great book. I like the story because sometimes my dad comes home and he is a little grouchy like the dad in the book. But in the end, the dad feels better and plays with his son, Tommy. The pictures are amazing and my favorite is of the dad's sad eyes in the rearview mirror. My favorite sentence is about the baby brother, "the alien." I think everyone should buy this book because it tells kids not to feel bad when their dad or mom are angry at something else. Thank you for writing this book, Mr. Catalanotto.

It is an absolute insult when customers are subjected to rants such as Wendy's above. When someone admits to buying a book without reading it, and then spews angry words to discredit the contents, I am wary. In this instance I must set the record straight, because the book is so powerful and intelligently illustrated. Dad and Me is a sophisticated picture book that deals with the relationship between a child and his less-than-perfect father. It is not a happy-go-lucky Father's Day book; it's a book about families. The father works, and the child wants; attention, a relationship, time. Centered on the space walk of 1963, the story moves the father from a man preoccupied with work ("No, we can't listen to the space walk together") to one who tenderly reaches out to his child after a disagreement. What's so appalling about that? The illustrations are nothing less than brilliant, the car used as a metaphor for the father's work, not a vehicle that beeps throughout a neighborhood. If you're not a thinker, or if you come from a perfect family this is not a book for you, but if you are someone who can identify with the ups and downs of the real parent-child world, and would like a story to share, indulge.

What a powerful book! For any parent who has been in a bad mood and sometimes forgets how it can effect his or her child. Catalanotto captures Tommy's emotional twists in words and pictures perfectly. This book isn't for those who like to live with their heads in the sand. It's an honest, direct look at real parent-child relationships. This book can open up wonderful discussions between adults and children on human behavior and help kids understand how parents can get overwhelmed by their careers. Bravo, Catalanotto, for continuing to create thought provoking literature for children. Your tremendous respect for children's feelings is ever evident!