I just picked up a copy of Cole's "Truelove" and it reminded me of her Beastly Birthday book which was a favorite read for me and the boys I babysat for. The book has fun pop up and pull out bonus features. For example, in the story the birthday boy- to-be invites everyone and everything he meets to his party ("...I'm sure my mom won't mind."). A rhino is on the guest list. With this page comes a removable "can" of Rhinoderant. "Just spray at charging rhino and rhino will fall about laughing". The cows invited are, of course, singing cows and come with a cow songbook. Cole loves to illustrate with lots of little details and witty ones at that. She puts her special touch on every page. (And hey, kids! This is IN ADDITION to all the little surprises like the two just mentioned. Bonus fun!)
Now remember that I havent read this book in years (the boys are getting older...sigh) but still I remember it fondly. It is so fun to share this book! Get really silly with it and kids will want to hear it over and over whether it's their birthday or unbirthday. Oh, the singing cow opera number ("moo moo bellisimo, vacca carrigio...")! The heavy metal band! (Read this page in your best Ozzy Osbourne Brit accent.) Robbers even! The grand finale pop-up with all the special guests! How could anyone NOT love this? It'd be a great b-day gift for any kid or fun loving grownup you know! I see now that it's out of print, though. :( I'd best buy me a copy for my collection of favorites before they're completely unavailable!

This is another book review from Wolfie and Kansas, the boonie dogs from Toto, Guam. "Babette Cole's Dogs" is an illustrated pop-up book for puppies. While it lacks the depth of plot found in many of the books we review, the pictures are outstanding. The drawings are cartoonish, but they nonetheless capture the inner essence of dogs. The drawing of a dog rolling in cow poop brings back many fond memories. In the words of one of the captions in this book, Babette Cole's pictures make us want to "sing a howling song" in appreciation of her fine art

Pass a copy of Babette Cole's Ponies at your next party. The horsepeople in the crowd will squeal! Anyone who loves pop-up books will laugh out loud. Only the best behaved of children deserve this book. And, perhaps, the most devilish of adults!

I first read this book to my nephew about ten years ago. Now I have a son of my own I was terribly disappointed to find it out of print. Bribing my nephew for his copy, which is so well loved the cover is hanging by a thread, has proved useless. No promises of money, video games etc. can pry this book out of his hands. I may have to resort to burglary...

This book has fun, colorful characters that seem to be from the imagination of a child. The rhym and rythm of the book are fun.

I have always been a huge fan of Babette Cole (Dr. Dog) and she has once again thrilled me and my child with her new book.Truelove is the name of the puppy in the book , and when the new baby comes the puppy feels ignored and "not loved". The images are a riot and wonderful , the message is wonderful. This is a hit with my daughters, and myself !

This is a book I read to my daughter on a frequent basis. It is a fun story, with a great play on words. It touches on love for horses, vegetarians, and living your dreams.

I never laugh so hard in my life, my class loved this book so much that I been reading it everyday since I brought it to read to my class. If your an adult you understand with the kids what they go through with their mother being differnt. The pictures within in the book makes it a page turn. If you want to buy a great author and a really funny book buy this one!

The Trouble with Mom is an illustrated children's book (first/second grade reading level) that takes a slightly skewed look at life from the point of view of a young child whose mother is refreshingly different from the rest of his classmates. The child doesn't find his mom's quirks at all refreshing though and is a little embarrassed by mom.

The mom wears lots of bright lipstick, funky pointed hats rimmed with rats, and she wears the most adorable high heels even when she's doing something as ordinary as stirring her bubbling cauldron. Her gothic looking home is outfitted in spooky décor and she keeps a giant furry bird, a creature that looks like a huggable alligator and a fuzzy tarantula as pets.

One day the child decides to invite his friends over for a visit. The "normal" parents, of course, are horrified at the suggestion and tell their kids they cannot go. The kids, being typical kids, ignore their parents, go anyway and have a fabulous time being "wild". When their parents discover where they've been they freak and call the "different" mom some hurtful names which make her sad.

When the school is ravaged by a terrible fire and the "witch" mom saves the day the other parents realize that, hey, maybe they were wrong and she's okay after all! A lesson is learned by all. The young child and the PTA members accept the unique mom for who she is and learn to co-exist quite nicely after their rough start.

This is a great story with some laugh out loud moments, comical illustrations and a thoughtful message. The words were all familiar or easy enough that my six year old beginning reader figured them out without becoming frustrated. He enjoyed reading the entire story to his little sister and read each word with enthusiasm. Being six, he particularly enjoyed the illustrations of the "Fear Factor-like" cupcakes his mom served to members of the PTA that were crawling with bugs and other various grossness (I got quite the laugh out of the horrified reactions of the parents too). This is a five star read in our house!

The narrator of this book, a child who can't understand why her well-meaning mom (complete with witch outfit, flying broom, caldron, and spells) just doesn't fit in among the other parents of children at her school, is a pitch-perfect example of a kid complaining about a somewhat embarrassing parent. The accompanying illustrations, which are superb in their way, turn the text into howlingly funny comedy that will send children of all ages into peals of laughter. Given the witch motif, it's a perfect accessible Holloween present for any child, and given the parental miotif, it's a great gift for any child who has dealt with embarrassment over some little something thier parent has pulled--pretty much every child, I'd think. And the book's happy ending helps make it clear that even the oddest parent can have something to offer, given the chance!

It was afew years ago that I read this book. This story is about a guy whom I believe was A reporter who tried to save A girl from the streets.

From the author of the equally amusing "Prince Cinders" comes a masterpiece suitable for Valentine's Day or anytime.

Ms. Cole gives us a glimpse into the origins of the (in)famous Cupid in her trademark style, with some hilarious insights about how the whole "shooting people" part came about.

The toddlers will love the colorful and stylistic illustrations and parents will enjoy the humor. Find this book at your local library or order it on Amazon and get ready for a fun read!

dr.dog is a very good book and who ever likes a funny book once in a while you should read or even buy the book. If you buy this book you'll never stop laughing at the funny things that happen to the Gumboyles. It's all up to dr.dog to save his family. I myself enjoy reading this book again and again. I hope you enjoy reading dr.dog and learn a lesson about the germs and how they affect our body. Enjoy.

I recently read Dr Dog to my 6 year old in a book shop. We were so helpless with laughter that another customer came up and said," Whatever it is, I have to buy it!" In the end we each bought two copies. I sent one to my father for Fathers Day. It is the most hilarious book children could possibly read about personal hygiene and bad habits. If you are at all stuffy, forget it and find something else. For children and parents alike it is very funny and very rude. My kids love it and I am just about to order a new copy from Amazon as requested by my mother-in-law.

I recently became acquainted with Dr.Dog, the drawing caught my eye because he looked like one of my dogs. My husband, who is a pediatrician, loved the book. We recently read it to our office staff at the end of our annual mandatory OSHA meeting. There was plenty of useful health advice in Dr.Dog, and the staff appreciated something so funny (and gross) not unlike many of our patients. Our office manager planned to get a copy to read (to the adults) at her two year olds birthday party! What a fun book!