Jan Brett's illustrations are so colorful and richly drawn that you could tell the story without the words if you wanted to. Her illustrations are magical.
This book is a wonderful telling of the fairy tale. The true meaning of the tale comes shining through. The illustrations bring life to the printed words.
You will love this book.

Jan Brett's books are always richly and beautifully illustrated. There is always a little extra "story" in the illustrations. In this one, you will be watching the animal servants throughout the book. Pay close attention to the tapestries in the background to see who these animals really are. My favorite are the monkeys. This version is very much like the original French fairy fale, and is well told.

I got this book years ago when I worked for the publisher. I've given this book as a gift many times. The illustrations are just breathtaking and whimsical. You will find yourself stopping and searching the pictures in the middle of the story. The story is very nicely done and my kids enjoy it much more than the Dineyized version storybook they have.

I am 21 years old, and still remember being handed this book before going to the hospital when I was quite young. I remember feeling more comfortable with all of the things I would see, and feeling safer knowing that Grover did not have a scary time :) I would absolutely recommend this book to parents of children who will be having a hospital stay.

My son has had numerous surgeries, from open-heart surgery to the placement of ear tubes. This book was recommended to us by the Child Development Department at Boston Children's Hospital several years ago and it has become part of our pre-op routine. Prior to each surgery, we read this book over, and over, and over again! It is a terrific book for the toddler: the words are simple, the characters are very recognizable from Sesame Street, and Grover has a good experience. Our son takes the book, his Fisher Price medical kit, and Tickle Me Elmo whenever he goes into the hospital. Obviously, we highly recommend this book, regardless of the type of surgical experience.

I sent this book to my 4 yr old niece just before she went to have her tonsils removed. It really helped her without scaring her. She even brought it to the hospital so her parents could read it to her again! Perfect for this age group!

I realy like this book.Trust me and buy this book.

This was a good book i realy liked it.Trust me and buy this book.

All the little witch stories are cute and funny and much fun for children. I found this book on Barnes & Noble and experienced many fond memories of past readings in my childhood! Thank you!

My grandaughter, Meredith, is 2 years old and this is her absolute favorite book. We have read it so much that she can recite most of it. She lost her first copy and was so upset. I was so glad to find her a new one at amazon.com.

I can't believe this book is out of print, and I can't believe it was published in the 1970's. I read it as part of a review I'm doing on gay and lesbian fiction for young adults, and it is definitely one of the best I've read. I was a little disappointed with the lukewarm ending, but over all, the book's vermisimilitude is very impressive, and the courage of its message is considerable considering its time. The characters are the most believable I've encountered in most YA literature.

I was 15 when I first read this book (back in 1980) & it affected me very deeply. Until then I thought I was the only girl like me in the world & that I was somehow defective. Reading "Hey, Dollface" was a soul-satisfying revelation & gave me hope for my future. Truly, one of the ten most influential books of my life.

A charming story about emerging sexual identity. This book continued to cast it's spell over me for several days after finishing it, my only criticism being that it zips by far too quickly--I would gladly spend more time with these characters. May this one hurry back to press, and may Deborah Hautzig return to young adult fiction.

Thumbelina is not normal girl she is about the size of your thumb, but don't let her height mistake you she can do alot of things other people can't do. Like she can fit into small spaces that you can't. So if you like books that are about people doing extremely different things that you don't think that can do then this is the book right for you to read. This book will amaze your eyes with the colorful pictures inside, and with the amazing things Thumbelina can do.

Hans Christian Andersen's story of Thumbeline is so endearing that it's no wonder that so many authors have written their own versions of it and so many illustrators have had a go at making tiny Thumbeline come to life. This version, translated by Anthea Bell and illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger is brimming with charm, rustic folk sensibilities, kindness and compassion spiked with just the right amount of perilous adventure to make it interesting, and a lovely magical feel. The story is well told in satisfyingly descriptive language. The illustrations are superb! Zwerger does a wonderful job with all of the animal characters that Thumbeline encounters and manages to infuse them with emotion and intelligence as well as country charm. Little red-haired Thumbeline is delicate and sweet in several lovely costumes with a peasant feel to them. You know the tale...a woman tells a witch that she wants a "tiny child" and the magic gives her exactly what she wishes for, a tiny child no bigger than her thumb. Thumbeline is born from the heart of a tulip. She's so beautiful and sweet that every small suitor in the neighborhood wants her hand in marriage, including a toad, a mole and a June beetle. They are not interested in the fact that she does not want to marry them! She gets help from other wee folk in the woodland community and makes a good friend when she saves the life of a swallow. The story ends happily for Thumbeline. It may be desirable to point out to your young ones that not every unattached female needs to find a husband, especially very young ones like Thumbeline, and that kidnapping and force are not true ways to get a girl to marry you! Children are smart enough to know that but it's still a good idea to talk over the odd concepts that a child may be thinking about after you read this story. I love this old-fashioned story and this re-telling adds beautifully to its charm and therefore justifies its conception.

The familiar Hans Christian Andersen story of Thumbelina has received the royal treatment from Susan Jeffers. Her large, lovely pictures make this seem like you are stepping into the story for the first time. Thumbelina is so dainty and sweet that it's no wonder the toad wishes to marry her but poor Thumbelina has a harrowing time escaping from her warty suitor. Share a trumpet vine blossom with Thumbelina, a pair of hummingbirds and a fat bumble bee or take a ride with her on the back of a gallant swallow. This whole story is enchanting from start to finish and the pictures are a delight!

This book was a favorite of mine in my childhood, and, when I returned as an adult to re-read it to my own daughter, I discovered it all over again.

This is a story about a different kind of princess than one might imagine; a princess that is an orphan - lonely, cold, hungry and abused. Sara Crewe begins life as the beloved, pampered daughter of a rich man. When he dies a pauper, she is thrown on the non-existent mercy of her small-minded, mercenary boarding school mistress. Stripped of all her belongings but for one set of clothes and a doll, Sara becomes a servant of the household. Hated by the schoolmistress for her independent spirit, Sara becomes a pariah in the household, with only a few secretly loyal friends. But through her inner integrity and strength of will, Sara Crewe maintains the deportment, inner nobility and generous spirit of a "real" princess.

It is a fabulous story of the triumph of human will, and good over evil.

This story is a real classic, and needs no re-writing to be as enjoyable and readable today as it ever was. Ask my 8-year-old daughter, who has already re-read it twice. Accept no substitutes, re-writes, abridgements or copies! This is a work of art, and should not be tampered with.

The appeal of "A Little Princess" is only partly due to its plot. What child could resist the almost fairytale-like rags-to-riches, riches-to-rags twists in this novel? It has all the elements needed to be a "growing up book" read over and over by children and remembered fondly by adults.

At the beginning, Sara Crewe is a little girl so rich that she has her own French maid, a pony, and a rug that was once a live tiger (yes, the head is still on), all while attending boarding school. This school is run by Miss Minchin, one of the nastiest, yet still realistic, adult characters in children's fiction. While Sara is still rich, Miss Minchin is nothing but nice to her. After Sara loses her money, however, Miss Minchin shows her true colors and makes Sara work as a scullery maid in the school. To come through unhardened, Sara turns to faithful friends, to hope, and to her imagination.

Another reason that this novel is so well loved is simply Sara's character. Pardon this sweeping generalization, but I think that there isn't a girl alive who doesn't wish to be like Sara, if only a teeny, tiny bit. Sara is beautiful, intelligent, and so imaginative that she can make an entire schoolroom listen breathlessly to one of her yarns. She doesn't climb trees or skip stones . . . but no character is perfect.

A word of warning: Don't expect boarding school sketches worthy of "What Katy Did at School" by Susan Coolidge, "Little Men" by Louisa May Alcott, or even "And Both Were Young" by Madeleine L'Engle. Practically the entire story takes place in Sara's mind and she seems to block out the less rosy aspects of her environment. (Despite what anyone says, I'll warrant that she's a bit self-centered, too.) In the same way, Burnett refuses to let anything into this fictional world that hasn't been romanticized or idealized first. One thing this book has taught me is that there is actually such a thing as "too much imagination." If children become too dreamy-eyed after reading this book, get them into sports immediately.

Yet not even I can disparage the loving attention to detail by a writer who, very much like her protagonist, delighted in imagining the most romantic things and revealing them to an enraptured audience. Naturally, my favorite descriptions are those of Sara's pretty things. Even as a child, I could envision everything that Frances Hogdson Burnett described: streetlights shining through heavy London fog, a doll with a miniature opera glass, child-sized hats with ostrich plumes, golden sunsets seen from attic windows, furniture come all the way from India . . .

"A Little Princess" truly is a gateway to a whole other world. A few dips into it now and then ought to be fine.

If you remember seeing Shirley Temple in the 1939 "The Little Princess," this is the same basic plot with a wonderful new twist. The story is based on the beloved classic by the same author of The Secret Garden.

The movie opens with some stunningly beautiful scenes from India and all too suddenly Sara Crewe must leave with her father who is being called away for military duties. Sara has to go live in a New York boarding school. Through her experiences she learns to survive in the world and takes each day as it comes. Her vivid imagination is a pure delight and when she tells her magical stories, they are played out in a fairy tale like way onscreen. This contrasts with her real life at the school.

Sara's fun-loving spirit does get her into trouble from time to time. Overall, she is just used to living with her father and being free to do mostly what she likes. In her new school she has to follow many rules. She draws strength from her father's words to help her believe in herself. He tells her that she will always be his little princess.

A wonderful movie which shows that if we make the best of our circumstances, we will be blessed in the end. Five stars for storytelling magic!

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a classical story about a girl and her dog that get trapped in a twister. She wakes up in a magical land and asks how she can get home. They tell her she has to follow the yellow brick road. She meets people on her way to the Wizard. The Scarecrow needs brains, the Tinman needs a heart, the Lion needs courage and Dorothy needs to go home. They meet strange things on the way to The Good Witch of the South. I like the book because it's interesting and exciting and that's why I think you should read it.

The Wizard of Oz is about a girl named Dorothy who is a farm girl from Kansas. One day Dorothy is carried away by a cyclone to a magical land called Oz. While she is there she meets a tlaking scarecrow, a man made of tin, and a cowardly lion afraid of his own shadow. Dorothy and her friends follow a yellow brick road to the Emerald City where they hope to find the famous wizard that can grant each of their wishes. But the wicked witch keeps trying to ruin their trip to the Emerald City.
The setting of the book is in a magicla land full of little people called Munchkins, flying monkeys, and a wicked witch that will melt if touched with water. The characters have their separate reasons for wanting to see the wizard. As the story goes on, the reader can not help but fall in love with them.
The text gives great detail as to what everything looks like and with those details the whole world of Oz can come to life in the readers imagination.

The Wizard of Oz written by L. Frank Baum is a wonderful book about a young girl who goes on an adventure full of excitement and fun. Dorothy the main character lives on a small country farm in Kansas with her Aunt, Uncle, and small dog, Toto. One day a twister comes over their country farm and whisks Dorothy along with her little dog away to a make believe land called Oz. There she is greeted by the people who live there. She asks them how she can get home to Kansas. They tell her that the Great Oz will help get her home. But before she heads on her way to Oz the Good Witch of the North kisses her on the forehead and says that with that kiss no one can harm her. So she and Toto head on their way to Oz. On her way she meets The Scarecrow who wants a brain, a Woodman made of tin who wants a heart and a Cowardly Lion who wants courage. These four new friends eimbark on an adventure to the great city of Oz. Will they all get their wishes? Find out when you read the Wizard of Oz. I loved this book because not only did it have fantasy but it is a great book for all ages. I recomend it to anyone who loved being a child.

After hearing how excellent this book was, I decided to check it out of my school's library, and I read it all in one night. I was so engrossed by the main character's struggle that I just couldn't put the book down! It was so amazing and touching.

'Second Star to the Right' is a moving story about a fourteen year old Jewish girl named Leslie Hiller. Leslie is a perfectionist who resides in New York with her mother, who constantly worries; her father, who is a pianist; and her little brother. In an attempt to find happiness, Leslie decides to go on a diet. But quickly, it becomes more than just a diet; it becomes a gradual and painful death. Leslie is well aware of the fact that she is slowly killing herself, but she believes that she is incapable of climbing out of the complex web in which she has intangled herself in.

This book doesn't focus on the physical conditions of anorexia nervosa; but rather, the emotional and mental conditions of the victim. It's interesting how Leslie struggles to understand why she is starving herself to death. Also, her parents confusion as to why their daughter is going down this self destructive path is interesting as well. I just wanted to jump right into the book and embrace Leslie. I desperately wanted to assure her that everything would be alright. But, unfortunately, I couldn't do that because 1.) It's impossible to jump into a book. and 2.) It was up to Leslie to decide if everything was going to be alright. We don't find out if Leslie begins her journey down the 'road to recovery' because the book leaves us with Leslie trying to figure herself out in a hospital, but that doesn't matter. We're given plenty of details, so we can imagine how things turn out for Leslie. Personally, I believe she recovered, but I'll never actually know.

This story delves into the mind of an anorexic and helps you to understand them, to see things from their perspective. Anorexia is a dangerous and terrifying disease, and aside from really moving me, Leslie's struggle also frightened me. The confusion... the pain... the slow deterioration of body, mind, and soul. I recommend this book to anyone between the ages of twelve and sixteen. Even if you have never battled an eating disorder before, you'll still enjoy it. Deborah Hautzig did an excellent job at writing this magnificent story.

I too suffer from Anorexia. Leslie and I could be the same person. It was great to read a book about eating disorders that didn't focus on the PHYSICAL aspects of the disease, but on the person suffering and what their life is like. I spent a month in a hospital this summer. My guess is that I'll be back in the same program fairly soon. Leslie's conflict between recovery and the disease is one which I fight every day. Finally, there's a book that describes accurately how someone with and eating disorder feels!

Hautzig wrote Second Star to the Right beautifully. I have read many books describing anorexia and bulimia, but Second Star to the Right was by far the most detailed and beautiful. Leslie Hiller, the main character, deviates from a low self esteem to the craving to become skinny, to the frequent purging cycles of bulimia. From the first step towards her illness to the trigger of her realization of anorexia nervosa, this novel has sharp twists and turns through Leslie's bumpy life. I must say that Second Star to the Right is currently my favorite book. The suggested reader would probably be around the age of 10 and over. I RECOMMEND FOR PARENTS AND ADULTS TO READ THIS because it describes a serious subject that most people avoid learning more about. Read it, love it, and spread the word. That's my motto.