I was trying to find a story about Thanksgiving that was NOT the usual, dry pilgrim & indian fare and this book filled my requirements perfectly. My 4-year-old took it to pre-k to share and I arrived just as the teacher began reading it; it was interesting enough to keep the rapt interest of fourteen 4-year-olds right up until the last page which, I think, says a lot. It begins with a little boy, Max, picking out the Thanskgiving Turkey at the market and the story goes on from there with friends and relatives arriving one-by-one, bearing traditional holiday dinner dishes.

There's a surprise near the end that could ruin the day but (and here's the "moral") the message is clear that, even when things go wrong, as long as you are with the people you love the day can still be fun. The story is written in a way that reminds me of the Mother Goose rhyme "This is the house that Jack built" but it's not excessively repetitive. I would say that children ages 3 through 7 or 8 should enjoy this book.

My 5-year-old daughter absolutely LOVES this book! We have to read it every night before bed. It is incredibly hard finding books for a 5-year-old that don't give too many inappropriate details. This book is perfect for girls this age that may be starting to ask questions about where they came from.

Most children art taught at home and at school not to talk to strangers. In Who Is A Stranger And What Should I Do?, Linda Girard takes the idea further by explaining about "kind" strangers, the stranger who is not a child's friend, strangers in public places, "doorbell" strangers, and others. Girard's practical, well presented text is illustrated with the artwork of Helen Cogancherry to provide young readers ages 6 to 12 with visual reinforcement of sound and sensible narrative. Who Is A Stranger And What Should I Do? is enhanced for the reader with ten "what if" situations and topics for discussion with parents, teachers, and caregivers. Highly recommended for personal, school, and community library child safety collections.

Good for 4-8 yrs. The story is about two brothers, Yankel and Josef who shared, and worked together on a farm. Then hard times visit the two farm brothers when a drought hits. Both brothers, in need of food, worry more about the other brother's welfare. All turns out well in the end, and we're all better for having read this story!

This is a truely excellent story for children. The book only has one flaw, but it can be a big one with children. The illustrations are rather primitive, and don't seem to really capture the essence of the wonderful text. But the story is so good, it overshadows this flaw. Such a great message for children!

This Talmudic story of two brothers determined sacrifice their own needs to look after one another, reconstituted into an Eastern European setting, provides a classic ... lesson about the importance of charity and selflessness.

A happily married brother shares a farm with his single brother who pores over Torah and Talmud. Lean years that descend on the farm sends each brother secretly scurrying at night to the other's home with provisions he thinks the other needs more. "When a brother helps a brother, the angels in heaven weep tears of joy," their father had taught them. And indeed, the heavens open upon mutual discovery of the other's generosity.

The vibrant and fanciful illustrations evoke at turns the styles of Van Gogh and Chagall, including spirits flying over the fields.

Whatever your faith, this story will nourish your child's spirit. Alyssa A. Lappen

This is such a wonderful book! It has become my three-year-old daughter's absolute favorite bedtime story (I kept it from the library for six weeks before finally buying a copy!) The story is very moving and even manages to make the death of the father so tender and natural that I don't think most children would find it the least bit upsetting. The oil paintings are beautiful and colorful and complement the story perfectly. I would highly recommend this book!!

This is a cute story. My son was recently diagnosed with asthma. While he doesn't have to be on an inhaler nebulizer at this time, he does hate what asthma does to him. He has to stop running and wait until his medicine starts to work. We are able to read this book and talk a little about asthma (He's 2) and about what it means for him. This book is a great one for reassuring little kids that they are ok, that others have this, and that soon they can play again.

The only reason I rated this a four instead of a five is that I think the text is a little stilted at times.

This is a great book to help kids with Asthma realize that breathing treatments with a nebulizer are not always fun -- but they can turn it into fun just like the boy in the book. My daughter had a different view of the required breathing treatments after reading this book. We were lucky enough to come across it at our local library but Santa might just have to bring it for Christmas this year!

I was so happy to find this book to read to my 2 year old! He doesn't like the nebulizer mask and any picture with a child wearing one helps. A story of a little boy just like him is the icing on the cake! The simple facial expressions help my son relate to the feelings he has.

When I picked up "Somewhere Today: A Book of Peace," I assumed it was a recent publication, one of many focusing on helping children cope with the aftermath of September 11th. But this book by Shelley Moore Thomas with photographs by Eric Futran was published in 1998. Of course, it is so easy in these present times to forget that peace was a good idea way back then as well.

This book provides simple examples of ways in which both children and adults can bring about peace by doing things to help and care for one another and their world. It begins with the simple idea that "Somewhere today...someone is being a friend instead of fighting." Futran's color photographs reinforce the simple gestures that make peace possible, from making sure children do not get sick to fixing old toys to give to new friends. Young readers will certainly be able to relate to these simple ideas and incorporate them into their own lives. To underscore this idea the last pages shows a young boy reading "Somewhere Today" while the text adds "someone is reading a book about peace and thinking about making the world a better place." These simple proscriptive ideas are well worth sharing with your children or young students, who will probably have some equally good ideas to add to this list.

This is an excellent and accessible book for young readers which makes the concept of nonviolence a personal thing. Given the recent frightening episodes of violence in our schools and communities, this book contains a valuable lesson for us all, and has a thought-provoking ending which gives the text a real immediacy. The photographs are beautifully done and fully complement and extend the text. What a good job the author and photographer have done in bringing us this gentle and useful book!

It is time that we got back to teaching our children the basics of life -- love and kindness! This is a great book for parents to read WITH their children. What a better way to teach your children about life, than to read and learn with them.

You should read her first book -- "Putting the World to Sleep"

This is a wonderful author!

I am currently in the process of adopting two four year olds and thought the book would be helpful. Although it may be helpful to older children, I found it a bit depressing. I would worry after reading it my younger children they would start having some of the thoughts or symptoms described in the book just from hearing them.

We found this book a great way to introduce the idea of what being adopted really means to our almost-4-year-old daughter. Although some of the story line is above her level of understanding, she loves the book (as evidenced by its' dog-eared appearance). This is definitely her favorite for bedtime reading, and she will repeat phrases or concepts from the book at other times. We know she will have questions in the future that aren't addressed here, but this was a great place to start.

I read this book with my 9 year old adopted son. Even though he didn't comment, I felt it helped him feel alone in his feelings and questions about his adoption. The story is very realistic and discusses many of the questions he has had recently. I highly recommend this book for any adopted family, especially for those children adopted at birth. I think it would be a bit above the heads of some younger children.

We rent this from the library every year and hope to find a copy of our own. The stories are short, well-written and easy to relate to despite the very different lives these children lead. Exposes kids to other cultures & traditions w/o the gratuitous politically-correct overtones and stereotypes that ruin so many holiday books.

Another great Hanukkah book for the 6-10 age group: The Trees of the Dancing Goats by Patricia Polacco. A warm story of neighborly concern that leads to deeper understanding & subtly highlights the common underlying theme of the 2 December holidays. Also not a 'formula' story.

The illustrations are great and my three year old loves the rhymes. I start the sentences and he finishes them and each time he knows more of them. It's a very sweet Halloween book. We got it from the library and now want it for keeps!

As the parent of a boy adopted from Korea, I find this story follows ours quite closely. The process and the issues are the same for many adoptive families. The only thing missing from this book is any mention of a birth father. The birth mother's role is handled well, but there is no reference to a birth father. This book starts when Benjamin is nine years old. That's when the real questions about adoption can begin.