I simply loved this book! No other book can compete with it not even Harry Potter. The book is great for 10 upwards. If you like travelling, exploring, playing football, sailing, painting, learning from other people and making things, then this is the book for you. It all started with the arrival of a letter that changed the lives of Michael's Family in turn made the parents lose their jobs. After many harsh months of poverty, the father gets an idea of sailing round the whole world with a sailing boat called "Peggy Sue." The family battles through storms and towering waves but most of the time loves doing fun things onboard. (let me go to the point, I'm writing too much) Soon afterwards we find Michael on a tropical island in the Pacific, where we find out that it's inhabitated by an old man called Kensuke,a Japanese. They both teach each other new things. Michael teaches Kensuke how to speak English while the other teaches him how to be resourceful. That's not all. At one point, each one had a story to tell. Stories on how they got stranded on the island. This makes it more amusing. We also find cute creatures called orangutan. Well there's too much to tell about the book. If you find this book, buy it, it will be a treasure for your library.

hi, my name is sandy jones. i read this book when i was 9 and the only thing that stopped me from reading it, was to sleep. it is a faboulous book for all ages.

When i was forced to read this book for a quiz i thought that it would be very boring. Boy was i wrong. It is my favourite book, i have read it several times since and it is so good that each time i read it i have to read it all in one night, i can't put it down.
When Michaels parents are made redundant, they buy a boat, The Peggy Sue, and sail round the world. When they are in the pacific ocean, Michael and his dog, Stella Artois, fall over board whilst Michaels parents are asleep. They drift onto an island, but they can't find any food. Michael expects that they will die of hunger, until someone on the uninhabited island leaves them food. Who is this kind person? How will Michael get home?

This book is one of my favorite books I have ever read. It is one of those gems you find that no one else seems to know about. The illustrations are fun, the story is comical, not in a silly, stupid way that some "funny" stories can be, but in a way that will actually make you laugh out loud. And the story is actually a very nice story, ending without giving you the sense that other books can of, "Well, it had some nice parts, but what was the point?" I enjoyed it as a child, and I still enjoy it as an adult (well, semi-adult). I only hope that my copy will survive for my own children.

I chose this book because it is by my fourth favorite comedien, Terry Jones. It is about a boy named Nicobobinus and his friend Rosie, who go to find the land of the Dragons, because Nicobobinus can do anything. My favorite character is the Golden man, because it is funny that a gold statue walks, talks, and has servents.

This book is a great one for any young, or old person who is looking for a wonderful, and adventurous story. I read this book a long time ago and couldn't help but look it up to see if there were more readers who felt the same way about it.It is about a young boy and girl who go on a long journey to find dragons blood.They have a very close call many times, but they finaly find it and continue on their journey safely.I can't wait to read it again.

What an outstanding book! I had to order it in paperback from the UK where sadly, Foreman's evocative pictures were reduced and reproduced in black & white. This should be in every school library. Foreman's story is based on a true incident. My students loved the soccer connection and felt empathy for the four young men who face the reality of war and the joy of one very special day.

This is a rare book for anyone who loves to teach and learn about history. Michael Foreman has taken a remarkable event (i.e. The Christmas Day Truce of WWI)and created a timeless tale. His book is packed with wonderful illustrations, and contains many facts about the Great War. Foreman has also woven primary documents from the time period throughout the book; most of which are in the form of propaganda posters. Overall, this book comes highly recommended, and it will be a shame if it is not re-printed soon!

Michael Foreman writes as beautifully as he draws. This is an evocative story of a Christmas truce during WW1 in which German and British soldiers become friends, singing carols and playing soccer together, learning to see one another as friends and fellow human beings. When the truce ends, each side deliberately fires over the heads of the other, unable to kill men they now regard as comrades. The German command learns of the game...War Game is a classic war story and should be in print.

Presented alongside captivating illustrations, Alderson's charming version of the Arabian Nights is one that I would most highly recommend for reading by today's children. Although not a large book, it retains the tales-within-tales complexity of the original, and the flavor of the exotic that we have come to expect from the 1,001 Nights. Most of the more famous tales are included (Alladin, Ali Baba & 40 Thieves, an abbreviated Sindbad, etc). The language is accessible, yet not overly simplified, in a way that I think shows respect for young readers' intelligence.

I also appreciated Alderson's de-emphasis of cruelty, and I did not mind in the least the discreet references to sex (e.g., "after taking their pleasure together..."), but other people will have to judge for themselves what they would like to expose their children to. Personally, I think physical attraction is a lot healthier topic for children than violence, so I will have no problem sharing this version with my daughter when she learns to read.

Another important aspect of this translation of the Tales is that, while clearly modified for modern readers, this version retains the flowery and excessive references to the Majesty and Mystery of Allah -- in a manner which I think is totally appropriate for the topic and a necessary element for their appearance of authenticity.

The VERY BEST of all amazing stories!! daaaaamn this book is really AMAZING!!! you GOTTA read it!!

This book is a wonderful edition with excellent pictures. An edition definitely worth adding to your collection of classics.

These are stunningly well told versions of the plays.

They give not only the story, but a wonderful sense of the theatrical - you read and enjoy a visual sensation as well as the speech of Shakespeare (all the words 'spoken' are taken directly from Shakespeare's scripts).

Romeo and Juliet, for example, sweats in the heat of Verona. There is a fantastic image of wasps fighting! You go directly into the story - and moral considerations are there.

The pictures support the text well- giving yet another dimension to the book.

Forget Lamb!

I've used these stories in the classroom for many years now - partly because young people (11 through to much older!) relate to them -but also because I really enjoy re-reading them.

(There is a whole set of Abridged Shakspeare by Garfield too - and wonderful Animations done with Russian animators!)

When I took my long service leave, I bought Garfield's books of Shakespeare's Stories (both volumes) and I hired videos of Shakespeare's plays. Working with these and the texts of the plays, I gave myself a course in Shakespeare's plays. It was one of the highlights of my life.

I had supposed the Laurence Olivier was some pompous old fart with a plum in his mouth. He is ELECTRIC. His Hamlet is a study in depression. His voice in "To be or not to be" is scarcely audible but carries so much emotion.

In all, I watched 22 different plays - my favourites, Richard 11 and Hamlet, in several different versions. I followed the BBC series which uses the same actors from one play to the next so that the Duke of Gloucester in one play is played by the same actor who later becomes Richard 11 in the next play.

Leon Garfield's story-telling with its light touch of irony and its perfect choice of words opened a door that I had assumed was marked "Other people only". Garfield wrote marvellous children's book and I've read them all but these books are the best of his achievements and they've made a big difference to my life.

Excellent choice for English teachers who want to review Shakespeare's classics with students. I have also used this with my middle school students to introduce them to Shakespeare. The stories are written in clear language so that students will be able to understand the wonderful stories of the bard without being intimidated by Shakespearean language A must for all English teachers!

This is simply a wonderful book. The story is charming and captivating. the illustrations really come to life.

What really struck me a native new yorker was how well he captured the new york cityscape. everyone has admired the ny skyline to the point that many pictures of it almost seem trite. These illustrations (such as water tanks on top of mid-level apartment buildings) capture the intimate visual details new yorkers know and love.

When I was six in 1986, I was often read this book at school. I loved the way the pictures seemed real. And to this day when I see a caged bird I think of the singing canary in the story.

This book is one I must have for my future grandchildren. It is an older book that will never be old. I'm so thankful to have found it again. It offers quite an emotional pull as the reader/listener hopes the sandhorse will be liberated from the sand in order to join its fellow horses who gallop in the seafoam.

I am a great admirer of the work of Michael Forman, and am particularly fond of this book, as it is set in Penwith, the part of Cornwall. I have read this book to children lots of times and I have found it one of the easiest books I have encountered to read well aloud. I don't know whether this is because the book is well written, or because it means something to me. I imagine it is partly both. The story is of an artist who, inspired by the froth at the crest of the waves, which are known as white horses, creates a sand sculpture, of a horse on it's side. The white horses of the waves start calling to Sand Horse to come and join them. This he does, and travels with them to the beaches around the peninsular. The pictures in the book are all rectangular framed double page spreads, with text beneath them. Forman has used subtle pastel colours to create his familiar seascapes. They do encapsulate something of the essence of a hazy summer day in Cornwall. He captures well the form and motion, particularly the motion of the breaking waves, with curvature of his brush strokes. I feel that the colours should have been bolder, more vibrant, if they were to do true justice to the Cornish coastline. This is especially true of the sea, which is a deep rich azure in summer, and a bleak ultramarine in the stormy winter. Compare this to the muted hues which Forman uses. This is not to say that I do not like the pictures, I think they are impressive and portray what he wants them to, they do not however give the reader an truly accurate image of Cornwall. But then I guess I am biased.

This book is great, the rhymes, the illustrations, the whole book is fantastic, I love it

This is such a nice, simple book with very clever pop-ups that really work after many readings. My son, who is not quite three, loves to read this book to me. It has definitey been one of our favorites.

In this story, there is a very selfish giant. He hates kids and won't let them play in his garden. This causes spring not to come. This goes on for years; no children playing, no spring. Finally, one day, many many years later, the children just play in the garden without permission, and spring comes. All of the kids are climbing trees, except for one little boy. Something amazing happens, but you have to read the story to find out what it is.
I think this story is trying to teach us that kindness goes a long way. If you are mean and grumpy all the time, you will have no joys in your life now, or even after death. If you are nice, loving, and caring, that will go along way, and you will be rewarded for that later. Everyone should remember, what you do now, will eventually come back to you, in some way or form. Treat others how you wanted to be treated back.

I don't know very much about Oscar Wilde. I was drawn to the book by its illustrations. I purchased a copy for my then-four son and read it to him one evening. When I reached the end I was pretty stunned. The beautiful artwork conveyed the story so beautifully and at the end when I realized WHO the little boy was -- I had a hard time finishing the story.

I cannot recommend this book enough. I have purchased multiple copies as gifts. This is not a book you read once and leave on the floor in the kids' room to become damaged. It stays in a nice place where it will be passed from generation-to-generation.

WARNING - I may say something offensive here - I have absolutely NO problem with "the religious overtones" (as put by some other reviews - and for those who don't understand the significance, the one mention means nothing anyway). After years of academia's cold influence on the nature of man, sin, and redemption, a hint of Hope is not unforgiveable.

Beautiful, beautiful piece of artwork. My hat is off to the author and brilliant illustrator.

- Dr. T.A.B.

"Every afternoon, as they were coming from school, the children used to go and play in the Giant's garden..." So begins Oscar Wilde's timeless classic. The children love the Giant's garden, its soft grass, beautiful flowers, tall climbing trees, and singing birds. But when the Giant returns from a seven year visit and sees all the children playing happily, he is angry. "My own garden is my own garden," said the Giant. "Anyone can understand that, and I will allow nobody to play in it but myself." He selfishly builds a high, high wall around the garden and puts up a "Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted" sign. The children were very sad. They had nowhere to play and spent their days remembering the Giant's wonderful garden. Inside the high wall, the birds stayed away, and the flowers would not bloom. Winter had come to stay. Snow, Frost, Hail, and the North Wind now lived in the garden. There was no Spring, Summer, or Autumn. And then one day, the Giant noticed a small boy had entered his cold and wintry garden, and he began to feel very sorry for what he had done. As the little boy began to cry, the Giant's heart melted..... Originally published in 1888, The Selfish Giant is as magical today as it was well over a hundred years ago. Oscar Wilde's simple, yet eloquent text, with its gentle message of love and generosity, is charming, engaging, and begs to be read aloud. But it's Saelig Gallagher's marvelously detailed and evocative illustrations that really make this picture book stand out and sparkle. Perfect for youngsters of all ages, The Selfish Giant, with its satisfying, happily-ever-after ending, is a masterpiece to share with friends and family now, and with future generations in the years to come.

I discovered this book 31 years ago, for my daughter and it is still loved by all the family. The illustrations are wonderful, warm, charming and delightful and bring a special meaning to the story. We still read it to all the young children on Christmas Eve and for adults we read the story and pass a grab bag gift every time the word THE is mentioned. It would not be Christmas without this book. It is magical.

We have an inexpensive paperback version (see our reviews) of this classic poem, and we said that's enough for us. That was before we looked through this beautifully illustrated (by Bruce Whatley) edition of The Night Before Christmas.

The lyrics are the same, from book to book, but the fanciful illustrations in this one are enough to engage adults and children as they read this book together.

The perfect gift for any family whose Christmas tradition includes reading this classic!

This beautiful book was in my family as a hard cover edition for many years and was a Christmas Eve tradition for my four sons when they were growing up. It's poor battered body disappeared some time after the last of my little ones went off into the adult world. I am so delighted to see it back again, though this time as a nicely affordable soft cover. Clement C. Moore's enchanting story poem already provides an atmosphere filled with warmth and joyful expectation and with the addition of Tasha Tudor's quaint, nostalgic water-colors from an antique New England the Christmas magic is complete!
The winter landscapes fill our senses and Tasha's own gray tabby cat and Welsh Corgi welcome us into this charming world.
Tasha's Santa that you will meet in this book has been portrayed as the poem describes him...a right jolly old elf. He's not that much larger than the corgi and his team really consists of eight "tiny" reindeer. His pointy ears and his Eskimo mukluks add to the delightful ambiance of the book. He dances with the toys and with the happy animals and we can truly believe it will be a happy Christmas for all.
I hope this book becomes a Christmas Eve tradition for many, many more families.