Looking for a new planet to picnic on, Commander Toad and the crew of STAR WARTS descend to the planet and immediately discover that everywhere they step giant purple grapes sprout up. In no time at all, Commander Toad, Doc Peeper, Lieutenant Lily, and Mr. Hop are swallowed up by the giant purple grapes and are telling some of the worst grape jokes in the universe! And it looks like there's no way out!

Jane Yolen is an award-winning children's book author as well as a writer of adult science fiction and fantasy. She's earned the Caldecott-given for the most distinguished picture book, the Nebula-given to the most distinguished writing in the field of science fiction and fantasy, the Golden Kite-given by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and the World Fantasy Award. She's written seven Commander Toad Adventures, including COMMANDER TOAD AND THE LONG VOYAGE HOME, COMMANDER TOAD AND THE PLANET OF THE GRAPES, COMMANDER TOAD AND THE SPACE PIRATES, and COMMANDER TOAD AND THE BIG BLACK HOLE. With dozens of books written in many genres, Jane Yolen is a great author to introduce to young readers.

COMMANDER TOAD AND THE PLANET OF THE GRAPES is an absolute blast to read out loud to young readers or pre-readers. The short, descriptive sentences push the story along at a frantic and fun pace, and the color and black and white illustrations are great fun for a young audience.

With all the interest young kids today have in space-based programs on Cartoon Network, books like the Commander Toad series will bridge the gap between movies, video games, and the written word. Jane Yolen is an exemplary entertainer for young readers and parents willing to endorse the habit of reading.

This is another silly outer-space book in the Commander Toad series, which my sons, ages 4 and 8, thoroughly ENJOY. In _Planet of the Grapes_, the crew arrives on an unknown planet only to discover that it grows huges grapes the moment they touch their feet to its surface.

Due to a chance accident with a loaded syringe, Doc Peeper with the green grass hair discovers that the planet is allergic to *them*. It is Lieutenant Lily's sneezes which give him the clue. He was about to inject her with antihistamine, which is the reason for the syringe.

Complicated plot, lots of funny stuff. These books are enjoyable to both kids and adults.

One spring young Betsy is packed off with a trunk of clothes, three reading books and her silky blanket to stay with her grandparents while her mama and daddy wait for the new baby to be born. To keep her occupied Grandy and Nana show her three large glossy white eggs they found down by the river. Besty gets to take care of the Honker eggs, both before and after they hatch. At the end of the summer it will be time for Betsy to return home to her parents and for the Honkers to head south. But it being responsible for her "Honkers," Betsy learns a lot about life and what it means to be a parent. If your children enjoyed the movie "Fly Away Home," then they will probably enjoy "Honkers." Jane Yolen tells her tale with a charming and poetical simplicity and Leslie Baker provides soft watercolor illustrations that match the text. "Honkers" is an enjoyable tale about a child learning about both mothering and independence.

Betsy, a soon to be five year old sister must go visit her grandparents out of town until mother has the baby. Betsy transforms from a scared little girl who must travel on her own to a mothering, independent child. She changes when she has the opportunity to care for new born "honkers". I really liked this story because of the many emotional issues that the character experiences. Feelings of fear, loneliness, homesickness, independence, and acceptance are all introduced. Children can really relate to these emotions. This inspiring book portrays to students a child's journey towards acceptance. Experiences children go through growing up...accepting changes.

This is a good collection of grandmother/mother/daughter folktales [some well known, and some not-so-well known], but I found reading Yolen and Stemple's [often insipid and flawed] commentary a little tiring. Their dialogues only start to shine when they stop talking about folktales, and start talking about themselves, their daughters, mothers, and grandmothers.

Stories are grouped into thirteen "themes": Cinderella, Good Girls/Bad Girls, Bad Seeds, Sex and..., Persephone, Really Good Mothers, Hero Mothers, Grandmother, Rapunzel, Caring Daughters, Mothers-in-Law, Snow White, and Mixed Messages.

One must always take notice of any new work by Jane Yolen, especially someone like me who adores fairy tales. This collection of tales expands one of the most commonly explored themes in fairy tales--mother and daughter relationships. Yolen and Stemple include tales that present the dark relationships and the wonderful ones between mother and daughter. I recommend this book to anyone who is exploring this theme whether or not they are avidly interested in folklore. These tales present this relationship from various cultures and times that will inspire thought and discussion. Plus, it will just be fun to read with your mother or daughter.

Any book by Jane Yolen is sure to be good and this one is no different. My kids love the clever rhymes and lifting all the fun flaps. The pictures are bright and interesting and there is a wealth of details to be discovered on subsequent readings. The only suggestion I have (as in all flap books) is covering the flaps with clear contact which makes them a bit more durable! Lots of fun!

Yolen and Stemple have created a visual feast in their, "Color Me A Rhyme." As usual, Jane Yolen's poetry is excellent, but what sold me on the book were the amazing photographic layouts of natural images in green, grey, orange, purple....Each two page spread in the book has a Jane Yolen poem about the featured color, other names for the color (for white: chalk, snow, alabaster and bone), a literary quote about the color, and at least two lovely juxtaposed photos. You have to see the book to really appreciate its gorgeous layouts. This book would be excellent in the early grades, where teaching concepts is emphasized, or when teaching creative writing. Kids could all write their own color poems. I also think young artists would enjoy the varieties of color represented in the volume. How many kids know the varieties of blue? Some of its names are lovely and mysterious--cerulean, sapphire, azure and turquoise. Let them experience these colors in this fine book.

The Girl Who Loved the Wind is an original tale by Jane Yolen written in a style that reminds one of a Persian tale.

In a manner recalling the protection of the child Gautama(Buddha) from all sorrow, the merchant widower attempts to protect his only child, the lovely Danina, from any unpleasantness. When the wind sings to her of not always being kind, her father does not believe the wind can sing; thus, he punishes innocents who he believed impersonated the wind. But at last the wind succeeds in carrying Danina to freedom, to experiencing the world as both good and bad.

This is not a perfect modern fairy tale as the wind on the beach rescuing her is a bit contrived but it is an excellent story. The illustrations enhance the Persian flavor of the tale. I definately recommend the book.

I was first introduced to this book while student-teaching in a kindergarten classroom. We were studying poetry and Mother Goose. We had a guest speaker (Mother Goose) come visit and she brought with her this book. I was impressed with the book by not only the collection of Mother Goose rhymes, but by the traditional tunes that accompanied them. As I looked more closely at them, I realized they were the same tunes my mother sang to me when she was putting me to bed as a child. I find it priceless to have a collection of what my mother sang to me as she rocked me to sleep. I highly recommend this book!

As enchanting as Arthur's court in our own age, MERLIN's BOOKE lures readers of Arthuriana into a timeless myth of literary history--by its title alone. With breathtaking imagination and panoramic scope Jane Yolen delicately draws aside the veil surrounding The Matter of Britain. We may think we are familliar with the legends of the mysterious wizard, but she has skillfully embroidered her own versions of the basic mythos. Who can resist the call of the bejeweled Excalibar, held aloft in shimmering triumph by a dainty hand from beneath the waters of the lake?

Yolen has bequeathed to 20th century civilization this amazing collection of short stories, woven around the provocative and highly-disputed cult of Camelot's sorceror. Readers may expect unique versions of his birth, boyhood, the search for Guineviere, The Sword in the Stone and his sylvan demise. The ensemble is capped by her delightfully cynical scenario of a modern press conference, at which a fervent Arthurian anthropologist and the charming Prince of Wales attempt to convince skeptics of the validity of Merlin's life and death. Let your hearts and imagination run riot: surrender to the spell cast--not only by the wizard himself--but by this talented author, as she swirls the mists of time to reveal a new slant an on old friend.

I received Tea with the Dragon Lady as a gift after Iwasaccepted to Smith College. The illustrations are beautiful and thestory is endearing. I enjoyed the contrasting characters, Sophia Smith and a young girl. I know I will read this book to my future children!

The more my daughter and I read this book, the more we liked it! Jane Dyer's illustrations are beautifully detailed--who would have imagined the bears living in such an ornate little house! Apparently Goldi and the bears have become friends because they share photographs, go to each other's parties, and compare gardens. Children can relate to baby bear's feelings that he is "Too Old for Naps," his fears "In the Night," and his opinion that Daddy's lap makes the best chair at all. This is a wonderful book to read aloud to your child at bedtime--or anytime.