To everyone, I wanted to take a moment to tell you how wonderful this book is. I first read it in Junior High School, I fell in love with it. I mustve read it 3 or 4 times since. Its a wonderful story, like all Steele books it leaves the reader spellbound at the end. The description says ages 9-12 but you can be MUCH MUCH older to enjoy this book. It is really a book for anyone with a sense of adventure and an imagination. :)

If you have a child under 12, read this tale of twists and turns. Kerby Maxwell and his brainy pal Fenton once again turn to the mysterious Mrs. Graymalkin and her seemingly magical chemistry set. Everything goes wrong in their plans, but all turns out rosy, with everyone a bit wiser.

I have always loved this book. The story is timeless and the illustrations are beautiful. If your children have not seen this book, they are missing a true treasure.

The familiar tales, The Three Little Pigs, The Three Bears, The Little Red Hen and Cat Goes Fiddle-i-fee can be found in many other editions, told and illustrated by many talented people, but it is in this treasury, in my opinion, that they truly shine as the beloved stories they are. Paul Galdone, winner of two Caldecott Honors, illustrated these tales with a deep committment to children and put so much lively humor into each drawing that they have been received with delight for decades. The expressions on the faces of the animals in the stories are so apt and evocative that they virtually tell the stories themselves. Large and colorful and filled with detail and activity they are perfect for holding the attention of young listeners.
Parents who may remember these gems from their own childhood will be interested in the short biography of this talented artist that is to be found at the beginning of the book. Whether you remember these stories and pictures from your own childhood or not, I guarantee you will delight in this treasury of stories and pictures that are a wonderful legacy for any child.

go ron roy i love this story and i know you will to yuor kids will laugh learn and have fun at the same time.belive me

I'm an elementary speech-language specialist and I use this book every year. I am picky in the books I choose to use in therapy, but this story allows for critical thinking, retelling, inferring, predicting..all the things that look for in interactive literature. Kids root for the turtle and love the "villian" characteristics in the monkey! Highly recommended. I have so much fun reading it that my kids can't help but catch the excitement! They all ran to the librarian begging to check out a copy!

Schatz's book has Whiskers' owner explaining in rollicking, tongue-twister rhyme that Whiskers is a "most changeable cat," becoming "a peeker, a poker, a padded-paw pryer" or a "fire-eyed prowler," as the mood takes him. Paul Galdone's pictures are delightful, but the rhythm of the words is the captivating thing about this book. Young children will not know the meaning of all of them, but they WILL enjoy the alliterative sounds and the joyous pictures.

My five year old is intrigued by this book. Although the book suggests using a magnifying glass to do so, the observations it asks the reader to make can largely be done by the eye. I read it to him at night and, lying in bed, he and I look at our own skins and spot the similarities and differences in a gentle game of observation. It encourages the act of looking at the familiar with a new and curious eye. And the information it gives is solid and uncondescending.

this isnt the best versoin of cinderella i've heard!
but it is all i could find for a school project
if there was any good pictures from the book that i could have down loaded it would get 5 stars

the Book was good but i do wish they showed the picuter of the second ball whith cinderella in her gown

Cinderella lived with her two step-sisters. They gave her the nickname Cinderseat. They were really mean to her and made her do things for them. The king's son was to give a ball and everyone was invited. When the day came Cinderella began to cry and her godmother appeared and made her get a pumpkin, which she turned into a coach. She then turned mice into horses, and a rat into a coachman. Then dressed her in a beautiful dress and glass slippers. When she arrived she danced with the prince, but she had to leave before midnight. She left without telling anyone her name or anything. The next night they went to another ball and she left right before midnight in rags, and left one glass slipper behind. He checked around trying the slipper on everyone. When Cinderella tried it on it fit her perfectly, and the prince realized she was the mysterious girl he had danced with before and they were to be married. I think this is a good story for kids to read, because Cinderella was really nice to her step-sisters who were always so mean to her after everything.

This version of Rumpelstiltskin is based on the second edition of the Grimms' work in 1819, with some language from later versions and a few additions by Mr. Zelinsky. All of this is detailed in the author's note at the end of the book. The high points here are the matchless, detailed illustrations that mimic oil paintings in delicate, detailed pastels. These images create a majesty and power that add to the mystery of this most powerful story. This version will leave some unsatisfied for the apparent foolishness of the miller and the needless cruelty of the king.

The miller visits the king and brags that his daughter can spin straw into gold. The king sends for her, and bids her to do this overnight, or be killed the following morning. She is locked up with a spinning wheel and straw. She weeps in despair because she has no idea of how to do that . . . until a little man comes in and offers to help. She trades her necklace for his aid, and soon the straw becomes golden bobbins of thread. The king likes this and demands that she do it again the next night. The little man again offers to help. She trades her ring this time for his assistance. The king then comes and says she must do it a third time or die. If she succeeds, he will marry her. With nothing left to pay the little man, she has to agree to his request for her first born child. After the child is born, the little man returns for his reward. She persuades him to give her three days to guess his name. If she succeeds, she does not have to give up her child. A servant follows him into the woods and hears him say, "Rumpelstiltskin is my name." The queen "guesses" correctly and he rides off on a spoon never to be heard from again.

This story always bothered me when I was a child. Why were the men all so unreasonable? I still find myself feeling that way 50 years later. I avoided reading this story to my children when they were little. I didn't think it had the redeeming values of most folk talkes.

The reason for reading this book is to enjoy the illustrations, so I recommend that you get it for yourself (rather than for your child) if you liked the story as a youngster. If you didn't like the story, even the illustrations won't save it for you.

The book won a Caldecott Honor for its illustrations.

After you finish reading the book or thinking about the story (if you don't read it), I suggest you consider your own conduct to locate any places where you make promises or say things that create problems for others. Be sure you aren't acting like the miller.

Act honorably, and inspire that in others!

This is a retelling of the famous children's "fairy" tale, first presented by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in the early 19th century. A young mother has to guess a gnome's name (he had been spinning straw into gold for her) in order to prevent him from taking her new-born babe. This book was a 1987 Caldecott Honor book (i.e., a runner-up to the Medal winner) for best illustrations in a book for children. Paul Zelinsky did considerable research to follow the original version of the tale and his art reflects the time period of the story. It is a beautiful book.

Rumpelstiltskin is a classic fairy tale and this is a beautiful retelling. The illustrations are lush and full of detail that adds to the story. The retelling is easy to read but does not talk down to children.

My daughters who are five love this book and we have read it dozens of times. I highly recommend this for fairy tale lovers. I was attracted by the illustrations which are beautiful but stayed for the story.