This book has colorful photos and is an excellent in content. It is a great source for children who are trying to learn the concept of fractions/math. A great book and a fun way to learn.

My son really enjoyed this book. Quick and to the point!

This book is great for young children, from K-4 through about second grade. It takes the basic and simplest concept that a fraction is a part of a whole and that a whole can be divided equally into fractions (1/2, 1/3 and 1/4), and illustrates the concept. the illustrations are photographs of two children eating food, showing the food whole and then divided. The children are exuberant and their excitement seems to come through the very pages of the book. An excitement that is contagious!

A young child quickly grasps the fraction concept and can, after one or two times through the book, tell you what is a fraction. It's easy to expand and test understanding with simple questions like--if you had two muffins, how many thirds would you have? (My six year old got this right the first time through the book, just from the book, and without any previous introduction of fractions.) So the book is designed for immediate success, and hence self esteem and builds an "I can do it" attitude about math.

The recipes in the back look yummy, but I haven't tried them yet, so can't comment on them. But I do plan on trying them, and cutting the results into "fractions."

Bruce Macmillan's photography makes children "crave" to learn more about fractions. The photographs depict children sharing delicious treats by dividing them into equal parts. In the back of the book, Mr. Macmillan includes recipes for his tantalizing treats. This is an excellent book for teachers and parents to use to introduce fractions to young children.

between a granddaughter and grandfather. This is a simple story of a granddaughter who takes a ride on the trolley in which her grandfather is the trolley car operator. Beautiful images of the trolley ride. These were black and white photographs which had then been toned brown and then painted over with oil paints. There is a lovely blurred soft focus look to them. The little girl enjoys the ride and loves riding the trolley but most of all she loves spending time with her grandfather. Just a simple story about the ride and their relationship. Throughout the book there are sound-words such as clackety-clack and Ding gong! Ding gong! Anyone who has ridden a trolley is familiar with these sounds and will enjoy the book.

This book in no way is focused on actual trolleys, facts about trolleys, history of trolleys, etc. If you are a trolley buff you may be interested to know that the trolley pictured ran in New Haven, CT and bears the sign "Lighthouse via Forbes Ave". The car was built by J.M. Jones Sons in 1905 and is Connecticut Trolley 838. The author notes that the photographs were taken at the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine and that this trolley may be ridden there even today. The author clearly loves trolleys and mentions that his own grandfather was a trolley car operator.

I love the inclusion of trolleys in a beautiful picture book for young children and especially like to see a loving family relationship between grandfather and granddaughter. Applause for not making the child male which would have been more of the usual sexist pairing of boys with trains and trolleys.

The text consists of pairs of antonyms.
This is a simple pattern for students of English as a second language to follow.

This is one of the best factual books about animals I have seen for young children. The photographs are outstanding, and the rhyme scheme is perfect for the youngest child. However, there is enough new and interesting information to intrigue older children -- and even the adult who gets to read it over and over again! If you thought you knew the differences between puffins and penguins, you need to read this book with your kids!

This is a must have book for every preschool classroom (and home). The pictures are true to life and since tricycles are easiliy identifiable by children it was easy to get them activily involved in the story. The pictures tell the story and children can easily predict what can or might happen next without being able to read a single word. The book elicits much language development encouraging the children to generate ideas and use imaginative learning. This book will literally take your children (class) in a new direction developmentally. Let their imagination run away with them...

The text follows a pattern of an adjective, that adjective in its comparative form, and that adjective in its superlative form.
This is an easy pattern for students of English as a second language to follow.

Excellent photography brings to life the character,the brilliance, and the lifestyle of the flamingo. Photos are the heart of the essay with accompanying text providing specific information and brief "editiorial" comments. A must-have for flamingo lovers.

My daughter gave a presentation on Puffins for her 3rd grade class. This was an inspirational book for her. She was able to connect with the puffings and feel strongly about their plight. That enabled her to really get excited about her report. The pictures are beautiful and moving. It has some facts, although she used other sources for the bulk of her information. This book brings the real world to a child's level of understanding.

We have loved this book for years now, and I wish it was easier to get. I wanted to get a copy for each of my children as we just experienced the Night of the Pufflings ourselves, but it must be out of print. Bruce McMillan has managed to capture the event so realistically that we in fact used his book as a "how to" manual of sorts. He describes everything from how the children capture the pufflings to how and where they are released. It gives children - anywhere in the world - a wonderful look into how other children live! We also like, how he incorporated Icelandic words (and their pronounciations) into the book. A wonderfully written and illustrated book!

This is one of the loveliest children's books I've ever read -- not only because the photographs are so stunning -- gorgeously reproduced, and in turns beautiful, humorous, charming, or downright cute -- but also because it shows children working together to take care of the natural world. Really, really wonderful -- don't miss it.

This version of 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' is carefully and thoughtfully photo-illustrated by Bruce McMillan. The book's self-proclaimed purpose is to interpret 'a traditional verse in a contemporary manner'. McMillan therefore uses as his model for Mary an African-American first-grader whose loving lamb follows her to school. Special techniques were used to allow her glasses to be included in the illustrations, a rare depiction in children's books. The setting is much more traditional, including a schoolhouse with a bell and a Border Chaviot lamb who is captured well by McMillan's lens. A note at the end of the book gives a history of the poem, its original form, and it's use in early reading textbooks. McMillan uses colour and contrasts to draw the reader's eye. All in all, children should readily identify with this modern update, and it would be very useful when putting together a multicultural collection. Furthermore, the version I have is 9 by 10 inches, a good size for those sharing stories with several children at once. This could be a very special book for a child, for a storytime, or for a library collection.

Our daughter keeps asking to read this classic poem/song again and again. Mayor's illustrations are a masterpiece of three-dimensional textile work, combining many different techniques. She has also captured many historical details of the era in which the poem was originally written. The result adds depth and detail to a simple story, which makes it a pleasure to read again and again.

Mavor is a genius in using scraps of whatever to create a textural world that is as comfortable as this classic story poem. Look at each page, and look again, there seems no end to details that embellish these sewn illustrations. Yummies for your eye, and if only we could touch!

I homeschool my 4 1/2 year old son. We enjoy many different activities, but math is often a struggle! He is good at it, he just does not seem to find the time for it. After getting this book, however, we just spent 30 minutes in the dining room counting out coins and jelly beans. He can't wait to sit down and do math again(but I have to wait for his blood sugar to level out again!) The book gives very concrete examples of all the different coin combinations from 1 cent to 25 cents. We also enjoyed reading about how jelly beans are made. I got a kick out of this book as I grew up during the Reagan administration, when Jelly bellies were such a hit!

Buy this book, and a big bag of jelly beans and have fun with your kids for hours--they may even learn something:)

This is a wonderful book for elementary aged children but preschoolers can benefit too! The book teaches basic concepts of money and counting by illustrating how children exchange money for jelly beans. The book has lively photographs with coins and jelly beans that match children's outfits.

There is even a handy section in the back of the book with "The History of Jelly Beans" and "Presidents, Coins & Jelly Beans".

Also includes information for how elementary school teachers can obtain a classroom kit for jelly beans and counting - complete with stickers & a poster.