This book is sweet and honest. When Faye decides to give up her usual nap on her 4th birthday, she stumbles her way through this important milestone in her short little life. Her sense of pride and determination is adorable, as is her sweet and innocent way of handling obstacles. Ms. Zagone has captured age four in this timeless and beautiful picture book.

This children's book teaches children (and adults) to use their imaginations to create their own fun and avoid boredom. Frances's parent teaches him to carry a stone around in his pocket so that when he is bored with "nothing to do," he can rub the stone and concentrate until he has an idea of something fun to do. Frances finds that this idea works for him and teaches the technique to his little sister.

In these days of constant stimulation via video games, television, music, and other media, children still find themselves "bored." This book reminds them that their imaginations are the best tools for life. It also teaches them self-reliance--rather than dependence upon adults for solutions to their problems.

I became acquainted with this book in 1969 after discovering it in one of my sisters' rooms. I read it and presented the story to my high school speech class for a grade. It was quite a hit with my classmates and I received an A on my speech. It's well worth reading, if you can find it, and deserves a reprint for this generation of "bored" children and adults.

When I was about seven years old, I read this book until the pages fell out. It's a very sweet story about a mouse named Vanessa who overcomes her shyness. The illustrations are very nice.

My brother and I received this book when we were about six years old. A library was having a sale, and it came in a box of other childrens books. Out of all of the books, this is the one that we read the most. This is a wonderful, simple tale, about a boy who, when faced with a problem, knows there are always two "handles" on the situation. One is bad, the other is good. This book helps children learn how to make good choices. I am in my twenties now, and I haven't read "Tom and the two handles" in many years. But the story has remained with me over the years, and I'm sure it will have the same impact on children today.

Miriam Cohen explores what it means to "be a reader" through her delightful class of first graders. Jim wonders when he will learn to read. His holistic teacher points out to him that he is already reading many things such as familiar books, classroom signs and so on. As young children enjoy reading (or listening) about Jim's exploration, they also are learning about reading and what it means to be a reader. This book helps children understand that reading is developmental and depends on the social context. A great book for Pre-K to 1st graders. I use it with a unit called "I Can Read" that helps children appreciate their early reading abilities. Also a good choice for older children who are working with young readers as reading buddies or partners. This book is also a good choice for open house or parent meetings- to help anxious first grade parents to relax. If you haven't read any of the other books in this series, check them out too!

My daughters, ages 7 and nearly 6, are entranced by the storyline of this book. A couple of second grade classmates decide to find out where their teacher goes after school. They shadow her for several days, trying to figure out where she lives. My girls--like some of the characters in the book--had never thought to wonder if teachers had a life outside of school, and they find the story quite suspenseful. There is just enough text, but not too much, for someone who reads on about a 1-2 grade level.

This is an excellent book. I read it when I was little and I related well with Frances. Recently when I found a china tea set (with pictures in blue) I remembered this book and bought the china tea set for my niece and then bought the book to accompany it. Perfect gift I was told by the mother.

This series is charming and sweet without being too saccharine, and this is my personal favorite of the bunch. As far as the infamous $3 tea set ... if you can suspend disbelief enough to believe in talking badgers, it's only a stone's throw from there.

Despite its unlikely-looking cover, this is perhaps the finest I Can Read Book ever written. I had no idea it was a treasure when one of the kids grabbed it off the shelf at the local library. Written by Russell Hoban and illustrated by Lillian Hoban, it hilariously tells the story of a sweet and trusting little racoon who keeps getting the short end of the stick from a certain playmate.

When that playmate swindles her out of her savings, Frances doesn't go home and lick her wounds. No sir. She devises an ingenious plan to set matters straight and re-establishes the friendship on a more equitably basis.

Moms, if people tend to take advantage of your child (or someone else you know), this is a must-have book. Frances' resolution of the problem still thrills and inspires me every time I read it.

This is definently a must read- although more mature readers may find it a bit babyish. It taught me to be independant and not always tag along with my friends (in the book it was Elizabeth who did not want to lose her sister, Jessica). Also it was not like a fairy tale it was not something that you could not relate to. All the episodes in the book were things that could happen to anybody. I thought that the Author should have stuck to one story line instead of using two- Elizabeth and Jessica growing up and Ballet classes. I think that it should of been just about them growing up and how they changed in Middle School when Jessica started getting worried about her appearance and what the popular crowd thought of her. Jessica started putting her popular freinds in the Unicorn club ( which she manages to get into) before her very own identical twin sister. This makes Elizabeth very upset as she doesn't really like all those glamorous girls! And they should've made another book about their ballet classes and joined it to the sequal. But all in all I loved the book. I am a great fan of Sweet Valley.

Elizabeth and Jessica have dressed alike for who knows how long. But now the are growing apart...

Jessica wants to spend all her time with the Unicorn club, which consists of girls who are snobby and poplular, while Elizabeth is dying to write for the Sixers, the first-ever sixth grade newspaper. When Jessica joins the Unicorns, Elizabeth is worried that Jessica won't have time for her. So she starts writing for the Sixers. But then, Jessica impersonates her twin and does something horrible to Lois Waller, Elizabeth's friend. Now the whole school is laughing at Lois. How can Elizabeth tell Lois that she didn't pull the prank, that Jessica impersonated her?

My favorite part was when Elizabeth, Amy, and Lois got back at the Unicorns for teasing her.

This book was so marvelous I just couldn't put it down. I've read it many times, and each time I read it, the story gets better and better. I recommend it to all Sweet Valley fans.

This book is a great book to begin a fabulous series. Jessica and Elizabeth, identical twins sisters have shared everything for 12 years. Now Elizabeth thinks that they are growing apart. After all, Jessica wants to join the snobbiest group of girls who are in a club that is called the Unicorn club. Elizabeth on the other hand thinks the club is silly after she attends just one of their meetings. They just talk about her least favorite subjects: boys, clothes, and make-up... boring. So what it's just one little thing right? Well it's alot worse than that. Elizabeth is starting a sixth grade newspaper called the Sixers. Jessica thinks this idea is boring. She would rather spend her time with her popular friends. Elizabth is really hurt when Jessica says no to the paper. Soon the twins aren't even dressing alike. What will happen to the twins?

This is my absolute favorite title on the four seasons, as the approach is from a kid's perspective. The language is simple, but there is a rhythm to the text that is poetic, making it appealing for a wide age range. I have found myself saying the words from the book out loud in different situations: while bundling up my son, "Winter is a lot of stuff to put on and a lot of stuff to get off!" The book is an excellent launching point for kids to talk about what the different seasons mean to them and what they like best about each one.

Better get out your caps, hats, socks, and mittens for the wintertime. What a better way to learn about the seasons than in a childhood book. In this book children will learn about Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter and how they rotate. If your getting discourged because your children are forgetting which season comes after which than this book is perfect for you. It's filled with fun information and lots of repetition and rhymes for the whole year and many more to come. The illustrations are colorful and very detailed with the storyline.

I want to add my own positive review to the others. This book is essentially a quest story. The mouse and his child start their lives in a toy store next to a beautiful toy house. After they are sold and broken, their quest for a home, family, and self-determination begins. Of course, there is the evil rat who wants to smash them to bits, a philosophical turtle who teaches them where to search for their home, and other assorted animals and insects who help them on their way. The mouse and child survive war, rampaging theater critics, and a muskrat searching for the elusive X of life. It is a story about perseverance and hope. In the end, however, it is a story about what makes us happy. A story for the young and young at heart. Highly recommended.

Russell Hoban has been cranking out some of the best literature for all age groups over the last 30 years, and yet during that time he has failed to acquire any recognition here in the states. Most of his books are continuously out of print despite their critical acclaim. The very first of these was The Mouse and his Child, and it lays the ground work for a lot of his other books. His masterpiece, Riddley Walker, is in many ways a creative rehash of many of the themes he presents here, some 15 years earlier. But Hoban should also be acknowledged here for being one of only a handful of authors who really expects something from his readers, and this is especially rare in children literature. Although it is easy to assume the Mouse and his Child is not really a childrens' story at all, this is only due to our low expectations. Hoban manages to address questions loaded with symbolism and philosophical implications. There is far too much going on in this book to list it all. As noted in other reviews, it is in places very dark and depressing, but also funny and deeply rewarding. Probably one of the best books for children written in this half of the century and criminally out of print (but what by Hoban is not except for the Francis books?) Also, find the movie if you can, as it actually holds true to the book marvelously.

When I first heard that Mouse and his Child was coming back into print I was happy but not elated. I already own a few copies I tend to loan to those who need to read slightly warped children literature, and I was also skeptical about the new illustrations. Although Mouse and his Child marked the last joint project between Russell and Lillian Hoban, the illustration matched the text perfectly, and one is stuck asking 'if it already works, why fix it?' With that, I put the book out of my mind and didn't think of it again until I happened upon it at a local book store. Given a chance to peruse through this book I was immediately convinced about the quality of this reissue. The new illustrations are as perfect as Lillian's (though with their own particular bent, eschewing both the comedic and dark aspects of the story) while the book is in all other respects put together beautifully. For those who have been dealing with beat-up paperback copies, your long years of wait are over. The cover cannot be truly appreciated from the small pic on Amazon's page (no slight to them, but you simply need to pick up the book and examine it to see how wonderful it is.) Once you remove the dust jacket, Small's beautiful sketch is found to take the WHOLE of the cover, wrapping around from back to front, while the inside cover shows a series of sketches depicting the constant rotations of the 'mouse and child' toy. I imagine that taste may very in regards to Small's drawings, but they are tasteful and do not depart from the spirit of the story. Its a beautifully crafted book.
As to the story itself, I refered to this as an American classic, and it truly is, though perhaps a classic never appreciated in its place of origin. Mouse and his Child was widely hailed as such throughout Europe but seemed to scare kids in the US (perhaps because Mouse was not intended as a children story but rather got marketed as such.) It remains among the likes of other stories for all ages (its regularly compared to Tolkien, Richard Adams...personally I'd be more likely to compare it to a strange amalgamation of Kenneth Graham and Herman Melville) and addresses difficult issues while posessing a potentially terrifying plot (though black humor abounds). It is hard to think that while Twain's Huck Finn is claimed as one of the pillars of our national identity that we do not equally embrace Hoban's Mouse, for both are journey's through our cultural landscape, both dark and at times frightening, yet ultimately rewarding. Whether 'Mouse' will reach a new generation with this reprinting is hard to say, but it is still good to see this one back on the shelves.