Researchers constantly find that reading to children is valuable in a variety of ways, not least of which are instilling a love of reading and improved reading skills. With better parent-child bonding from reading, your child will also be more emotionally secure and able to relate better to others. Intellectual performance will expand as well. Spending time together watching television fails as a substitute.

To help other parents apply this advice, as a parent of four I consulted an expert, our youngest child, and asked her to share with me her favorite books that were read to her as a young child. A Letter to Santa Claus was one of her picks.

Charlotte was a young girl who was always keeping busy. The town she lived in was so small . . . it wasn't even a town. The child she had to play with was her baby brother. So, she was always learning by copying what the adults did.

If her Mother or Father wrote a note, she would beautifully copy the note and add some illustrations. The only problem was . . . she couldn't read what she wrote.

Since Christmas was coming, Charlotte wanted to send a letter to Santa Claus. She wanted him to know what she would like for Christmas and to warn him that she would be in her brother's room rather than hers. Her grandparents would be visiting, and they would be in her room.

Her Mother wrote out a letter for Charlotte to copy. And she did so. Then she copied out the list of what she wanted. But she got busy and knocked several papers on the floor. She picked one up and put it in with her letter to Santa. But it was the wrong one!

The rest of the story nicely develops around the theme of giving as the way to receive.

The illustrations in this book are very noteworthy for their lively pastel watercolors. They create a wonderful mood of loving and caring that you and your child will enjoy very much.

I especially like this story because the plot has the most original twist I have seen on the "letter to Santa" theme. The book also moves away from "how can I get more?" -- which permeates most letters to Santa stories.

Although the book appears to be out of print at the moment, I suggest you track it down anyway. You'll be glad you did, if you are like me in your enjoyment of this beautiful holiday story.

After you finish enjoying this book with your child, I suggest a project of writing a letter to Santa on behalf of someone who may not be remembered by Santa. Then, you can take the gift that arrives to be shared with others on Christmas Day.

May the true spirit of Christmas always be with you!

This book is a wonderful learning resource for children. Using simple verses and rhymes Sue Porter teaches the basics of English grammar and spelling. She's at it from the word go, with the titular "One Potatoe, Too Potatoe, Three Potatoe, For", and she follows that with the punchy "Bar Bar Blak Sheep". Verses such as "Hump Tea, Dump Tea" and "The Grand owld Deooke ov York" are cleverly illustrated, and the seminal "Mairee Mayooreee Qwite Contrayoree" rounds off this wonderful teaching tool. Not to be missed.

A very sturdy book for small children. Easy to read for an older child reading to little brother or sister. I found the quality of the paper to be a lot better than in similar books where lift-flaps have been used and these seem to be much sturdier and will delight children with the picture-surprises under them. It also teaches children the dangers of what can happen if you don't obey your parents, etc., hence the "runaway tractor". My 2 and 4 year old grandsons should both enjoy many years of this simple but adorable book.

this is one of my 10 month old's favorite books. He loves to peak under the various "doors" in the book, to see what's underneath. He loves to pat the little teddy bear they find at the end of the book. I like the drawings, too.

This is a great book for people interested in acting and don't know where to start. It is written in a language that is easy to understand.This book takes you step by step, from just starting out to being an established actor. I would recommend this for all aspirating actors and actresses.

I read the book Island of the Aunts by Eva Ibbotson. It was fairly enjoyable though a bit boring in some parts. The story is about 3 aunts who live on a magical island, and are worried about what will happen to the creautres when they die, so they kidnap two children Minette and Fabio. The story then goes on to be about what happens when they come, and problems with the kidnapping. Girls and Boys ages 10 - 13.

I reviewed this book earlier, but I just reread it so I had to review it again.

1. This book looks impressing, but its really just because there are three books inside it. The pages are also thick, so its really not that bad.

2. You should get this book because it is very fresh and refreshing. It seems like you get more out of the book because there are three stories, so there are three plots, three expositions, three rising actions, three climaxes, and three resolutions.

3.Eva Ibbotson uses creative plots to get your attention. I was very surprised at the plots of the stories, but it was a pleasant surprise.

4. You REALLY should GET this BOOK!!!!!!!!

I DEFINETELY recommend this book to you!!!!!!!!!!

This book was really good! I was waiting for the next Harry Potter book to come out when I saw this book. I was really glad I got it. It wasn't just filler. I really liked the way Eva Ibbotson made a whole different world, but it still felt like that world might actually be there. In Island of the Aunts, she shows how important it is to conserve nature and it's wonders. She was able to give that message without being depressing, like other books sometimes are.

This book was written years before Harry ever wound up on a publisher's desk, and it should not be viewed in comparison to J.K. Rowling's books. The value of Platform 13 comes in the delightful opportunities for imagination and discussion when an adult and a child read it together. We used this book for a mother/daughter group and had wonderfully creative time addressing points in Ms. Ibbotson's book. What atmosphere is the best place for a gump, and where would be the best place to find a gump in this country? If YOUR child was stolen, who would you send to rescue him or her - Odge and her friends or the harpies? (Moms had a surprising answer for this one.) Is it true that "when children behave badly it is nearly always the fault of those who bring them up"? Other quotes that sparked spirited debate included, "when you have worked and worked for something, it is almost impossible to believe that you can fail", and "it doesn't matter what your home is like - it's that it's yours that matters". This is an ingeniously creative fantasy for pre-teens, and for those adults who can still see magic in the art of storytelling. If you open your mind and your imagination you'll love this book for what it offers, and not find it necessary to make comparisons. Oh yes, if you're all grown up, don't forget to check out the harpie with a handbag, who bears a curious resemblance to a former prime minister...

An enjoyable English fantasy romp, "Platform" is far more mature than the goofy, fun "Which Witch?" It employs things that are eerily similar to Harry Potter plot devices, such as the sensitive giant, enchanted train platform, and spoiled boy vs. abused hero. However, don't compare the two books-they are totally dissimilar and Platform came first. Okay?

Nine years ago, the "gump" (sort of a dimensional portal) was open into London from the Island, a magical, beautiful place. Three nurses took the little baby Prince to London-but a desperate rich woman stole him. Nine years have passed. Now, an oddball expedition is setting out to find him composed of a dizzy fey, a fairly pretty hag, a sensitive giant, and a crotchety wizard.

Unfortunately, nine years of luxurious living with the Trottles have turned young Raymond into... well, someone not fit to be prince. The oddball four teams up with a compassionate servant boy named Ben to bring Raymond to the gump and return him. Time is running out for them to return, before the gump seals itself for another nine years.

And was I the only one getting chills about the lady with the stiletto knitting needles?

The main characters are not all there is-there's a hefty addition of many magical creatures living in and around London, including merrows, water nymphs, banshees, mistmakers, ogres, harpies, flower fairies, and so on. Ibbotson has a charming, very English style of writing without being condescending, and this tale has a great deal of magic hovering around it like a mistmaker's mist. If you're a fantasy buff, this book is a must-have!

There is life afer Harry Potter. I didn't think I would find anything to delight me in the same way, but thankfully I was wrong. This is clever and funny and quite magical. As an adult who unashamedly loves fantasy and magic for all ages, Platform 13 turned out to be one of the best of all times. Give yourself, your children and your fantasy loving friends a real treat. Buy them this book! The characters are delightfully funny, the story has great charm,and I had the pleasure of laughing out loud and being enchanted all at the same time. Bless the English for being so very good at children's story telling.

This book was a gift to my daughter from some UK relatives, and she has asked us to read it over and over again. She loves to lift the flaps to see the different animals in action.The only confusing thing for me is that all the animal friends help "Blanket" (the horse) find her lost "pink blanket", but my daughter doesn't seem to mind at all. It's a great lesson on how friends can chip in to help each other.

My 20 month old received this book as a Christmas gift. She loves anything with the lift-a-flap feature, and Parsnip is no different. The story starts out well, with a flap on each page. We are introduced to the lamb and to several animals inside a farm house. However, the end of the story really trails off, with a rushed look at two other barn animals before Parsnip is reunited with her mother. Without the flaps, I doubt if the story would hold my daughter's interest for very long.

This book dosen't have much in the way of techniques and it certainly isn't worth fifty dollars! While there is some useful information, the book is obscenely overpriced.The book dosen't really show you how to accomplish any of the drawings that are in the book. There's also a lot of boring, pompous text. Buying this book was a very big disappointment.