This book is clearly written, beautifully illustrated, and it provides for very enjoyable reading for adults as well as children.

The illustrations are a combination of watercolor artwork as well as sketches. The book is written in verse and makes a marvelous reading for young readers. I read it to my first grade class and they loved it.

Louise Borden's "A. Lincoln and Me" has the great good luck of being illustrated by Ted Lewin. Author and painter work quiet miracles herein, with Borden's young boy reflecting on Lincoln and the similarities they share (not the least of which includes the same birthday).

Lewin makes a powerful impression here with his pencil sketches of Lincoln shadowing the boy throughout the book. This deft use of pencil, juxtaposed with watercolor paintings of the boy, draw a subtle line between history and modernity, while the size differential (the boy is always smaller than is Lincoln) underscores Lincoln's importance, both in history and to the boy personally.

Really very highly recommended for any child, especially those who have an interest in either Lincoln or the Civil War.

This a wonderful children's book for early elementary teachers. It has so many possible uses. Some of these include: individual differences, historical fiction to interest children in history, and the introduction to money. Plus, the illustrations are simply fabulous. I just love this book!

I came across this book at the Dearborn Arab-American Festival, the largest Arab festival in North America. And I'm so glad I did. Vivid illustrations, and an engrossing storyline. Heide reveals a very realistic Cairo street life, unknown to most Western adults, and here very easy for kids to relate to through the eyes of the young child, Ahmed. I smiled as I read and saw different scenes, like the rose-water man, remembering walking through Cairo and seeing those very people. The scenes are gritty- not white-washed; yet also very relationally connected, with people caring for each other and showing true hospitality- kareem- the hallmarks of Cairo life. This child isn't a terrorist; it's a young child; it's real life. When he finally reveals his secret, it's the joy of a child first learning to read, just like any Western or American child. But he's also truly Egyptian- he presents his name in Arabic.

After we read this, I and the children in the library learned to write our names in Arabic, and then we *had* to get some rosewater ice cream, in order to fully immerse ourselves in the book. If you can get ahold of it, I would highly recommend!

An especially beautiful and thought-provoking book. The story transports us to Cairo, Egypt, where we are invited to observe a day in the life of a young Egyptian boy who sells gas canisters to help his family. A must read if you are interested in learning about other cultures, and about the lives of millions of children around the world. The authors capture the culture, a sense of the language (poetic), the spirit of the people, as well as their philosophy of life. We even get some idea of the geography and history of Egypt; and all of this in a children's book. This is truly an wholistic piece of work. The illustrator does a marvelous job of capturing the sights and colors of Cairo. I have been so impressed by this book as to have recommended it to countless students and teachers in the school system where I teach. I have even been moved to write and thank the authors, who graciously responded.

I love this book because it conveys better than any book I've seen the magic of the breakthrough to literacy. The excitement of this working class boy who will now embark upon a whole new world because he has the first tool captures a precious moment in every child's life - and all this is accomplished with a text and illustrations that are bright and alive.

The Diasappearing Island by Corrine Demas is the story of a nine year old girl. On the little girls ninth Birthday, here grandmother gives here a perfect sand dollar saying that they will sail to the disappearing island. An Island the grandmoher visited as a child. This is a beautiful book with stunning water color illustrations by Ted Lewin.

Based on actual events, this story is told by Grandmother to 9 year old Carrie, as they picnic on the remains of sunken Billingsgate Island, now visible only at low tide. Grandmother gives Carrie a sand dollar she collected on the island when she was Carrie's age. Carie collects a brick from the original lighthouse as proof that the island existed (for when she passes down Grandmother's oral history to her future granddaughter about the island that used to be). Illustrations by Ted Lewin, who won Caldecott Honor for "Peppe, the Lamplighter". Interesting author's note relates Billingsgate Island's fate to the sinking of Atlantis.

The illustrations are amazing, and the story is touching and reminds of my own childhood interactions with my grandparents in the mountains of Colorado. I'd recommend it almost anyone - the story was wonderful and makes me want to visit Cape Cod to see this "disappearing island"

The bond of grandson and grandfather in this handsome and heart-warming tale about a Tallit is indeed good for people of all ages and all faiths--girls and women, boys and men. It tells of the undying human urge for freedom and fulfillment and reinforces the importance of prayer, and the strength of tradition and family. Alyssa A. Lappen

I got this as a pre Bar Mitzvah gift and at first I thought it wasn't what I wanted because I figured it was for younger kids but when I read it I felt it was for everybody, even people who aren't Jewish. It was a story about a person's whole life and how they change which was pretty neat to think about especially when you are having a bar mitzvah. My grandmother gave it to me because she said it was like her dad's life. It is sort of getting me ready for my bar mitzvah to think about the importance of tradition in your life

This is a beautiful, moving story that was a gift for our son on his bris. (It moved me to tears when I first read it.) Exquisitely illustrated and well-told, the story celebrates values, tradition, and intergenerational relationships. It will be a great conversation starter with our son, when he is older, about our own family history. It would make a great gift for a bar mitzvah or any occasion.

I read this book with my 9 year old daughter....and we both cried....tears dried up but the pain lingered....
Why, oh why, did these animals have to suffer so much, they had'nt wronged anyone, they were not at war with anyone, papa? They needed to be looked after by humans, who had bought them here against their will, and those humans decided their fate with death? Why could'nt they be let loose in a jungle?
My daughter consulted an atlas, looked at the map of Japan and asked why could'nt the animals be taken to some remote part of the country which was less likely to be effected by war? Why was not the enemy told to stay away from the zoo which housed so many helpless and innocent animals, and for this the zoo could have been highlighted by placing lights or lighting fires all around it's boundary? Why did'nt mother nature come to their rescue? What must the animals have thought....their caretakers have become their killers....how betrayed and grief-stricken they must have felt? If the effects of war are so bad and sad, why is war not banned? I could feel her sadness....her turmoil...her helplessness. She was trying to find a way so that such things are not repeated, wars are stopped, and she came out with her own solution....she decided to type the whole story, word by word, and send it over email to all her friends and all email addresses that she could get hold of!! She also decided to set up a table beside her school gate, with this book on it, and request all visitors who came to attend the pet show being organised by her school on 4th Oct'02,which is the World Animal Welfare Day, to go through this book!
The questions she asked me were many....and many may have remained unasked in that young mind....I could feel her questioning justice, engaging her imagination and creativity to find alternative solutions, overflowing with compassion and empathy, maybe wondering about the indifference of mother nature, seeing the insanity and ravages of war, setting up of small but noble goals for herself....
This book conveys and wakens up more than just the futility and pain of war. Anti-war seeds have to be sown in an individual as she is the basic unit of society, changes there will ultimately change the society, and this has to be done at an early age. By what I saw in my daughter, the feelings this book evoked in her, I very very strongly recommend this book for everyone at every place.

The first time I read this was when I started studying Japan.This book tells about possible things that could happen in matters of war.I read this book almost every day.Although it's sad I can finnish the book.But I can never finish the book without tears in my eyes.

This book is a great tool to teach elements of writing. It includes great onomatopoeia, hyperbole, and fantastic descriptive language. It kept my 2nd grade students engaged and would be excellent for upper grades as well. It is also open-ended and has a great opportunity for a writing extension.

THIS IS SUCH A WARM, NOSTALGIC BOOK THAT TAKES YOU BACK TO YOUR GRANDMOTHER'S STORIES OF GROWING UP. THE PICTURES ARE DONE IN WARM COLORS - JUST PERFECT FOR A FROSTY DAY'S READING. IT SHOWS THE UNDERLYING LOVE OF A BROTHER AND SISTER THAT ONE ONLY REALIZES AS YOU GROW.

I got this book as a gift a number of years ago, but I lost it a while back. I've been looking for it, but now I've found it on Amazon, so I'm definitely ordering it. This book is excellent, with such a wide variety of styles and fabulous artwork that it would be hard to resist. If this were to be the only horse book you could have, you would NOT be unsatisfied.

The art work was fabulous! It makes me want to read more and more of his fine books. Thank you , for making those beautiful books! Amelia

I first read this book when it was published back in 1980 - I still have my original copy! I received it through my school's book order program. Even today, 19 years later, I still reread this book! What a treasure it is! Gail and her horse, Candlelight, are transported back in time to a neighboring estate. There she becomes friends with Hilary, a lonely girl who is vacationing for the summer. Although Gail realizes that she cannot stay in "Babylon" forever (although she does consider it on page 104!), she enjoys her brief journey through time. This is an incredible book! If you can get your hands on it, do not let it go!

I found this book at a thrift store and I still consider it one of my most valuable "finds." Three years later, it is still fresh in my mind. A story of time travel and how hard it is to start your life over in a new place. It tells of how hard it is to let go of something very dear to you, but how sometimes, you have to. Although I have not read it in two years, I still remember the feeling I got when I traveled back 100 years to a place long lost to time and space.

I first read this book when I was in the fourth grade. I must have read it about five times that year! But then the local library copy was lost and I never found it again. The point of all of this is that even though I am now a college freshman who has not seen this book for ten or so years, it continues to be fresh in my mind. It is a creepy, tantalizing tale of a girl who moves to what was once the caretaker's cottage on a huge estate called Babylon. The property includes a decrepit carriage house in which she finds various implements from the old Babylonian estate. Later, while exploring in the woods on her horse Candlelight she discovers an old gate. When she goes through it she is transported to the old Babylon, a hundred years ago, there to learn the story behind its fall and why it is calling her back through time.

I can't say enough about how wonderful and haunting this book is. It has followed me all these years, fragments of its text surfacing in my mind every so often. Even though I have never found it again, I know that Babylon is waiting for me, just behind the next tree.

I purchased this book for my husband for Father's Day (he's Italian American")--I didn't really think that our then 2.5 year old would really care for the book. But he loves it! It's a good story, although at times the messages can be a bit confusing for a very young child--but my son seems to enjoys the illustrations, the sounds of the Italian names, and of course the most elemental aspects of the story.

"Peppe the Lamplighter" combines a story by Elisa Bartone with illustrations by Ted Lewin. The story takes place "[a] long time ago when there was no electricity and the street lamps in Little Italy had to be lit by hand." The hero of the book is Peppe, who lives with his widowed father and sisters in a tenement. Peppe's decision to get a job as a lamplighter leads to conflict between Peppe and his father.

This is a good story that is greatly enhanced by Lewin's superb artwork. Most of the illustrations are two-page spreads that are packed full of energy and emotion. Lewin's realistic style is well-suited to capturing many colorful details: the sausages hanging in the butcher shop, a crowded street scene, the old-fashioned iron stove in Peppe's home, etc. Overall, a memorable celebration of Italian-American history.

I think this is a moving book which helps students think about the lives of many immigrants in early 20th century New York.

This book is SO good!!!!! Theres excitement in every chatpter! Someday I wish I could be a great writer like Jean! I'v never had a pony, but when I get one I want it to be exactly like Mokey,Ginny's pony. Winter Pony is a very good book. And I really think you should read it!

I LOVED both "Summer Pony" and "Winter Pony" as a young girl. Unfortunately, I lent my copies out and have never seen them again...hopefully some other young person is enjoying them as much as I did! I would love to re-purchase both books and sequels would be great too. I now have two young children and would like to share these wonderful stories of 'Mokey' and 'Ginny' with them when they're older. I HIGHLY recommend these books to young horse lovers as well as other young people too.

This is a nice sequel to "Summer Pony." Mokey (Ginny's pony) is going to have a foal, and Ginny and Pam are really excited. The book is fast-paced and enjoyable with lots of adventures. I only wish that there was a "Spring" and and "Autumn" pony as well!