Michael Rosen's five stories have captured the ephereal quality of the 'tween' age. The 11 and 12 year old main characters are no longer children, but not yet adults. One moment they are still childlike, the next moment they show great maturity and foresight. My 11 almost 12 year old daughter loved them as much I did... Our favorite was the first story of the boy who copes with physical problems as he swims with dolphins...

This book is great for older kids--all the stories are about people their age overcoming some sort of disability/shortcoming, etc. to make the world around them a better place. These five stories are wonderfully spun by Rosen in a way that are inspiring without falling into the trap of sappiness. I believe there needs to be more fiction like this for kids--material that teaches them about the unlimited capabilities of the human heart.

My 7-year old son has difficulties reading -- so getting him interested enough in any book to struggle through to the last page was, until Mission Ziffoid, a chore. But with it's everyday conversational style, kid-builds-his-own-spaceship-and-encounters-silly-aliens theme, great illustrations and direct, repeated hits on my child's funny bone, Mission Ziffoid was the first book to motivate him to WANT to read. For us, it was the "breakthrough" book, a true turning point. I strongly recommend it to anyone looking for the magic key to opening a child's interest in reading.

Our little boy loves this book, and we find it pretty entertaining too! It is very silly and fun to read.

This has to be the best poetry book ever written for kids. Micael Rosen tells funny tails about his baby and other things. Some poems are deep and delve into the world of the poorer English society, whereas others are just plain silly and make you laugh unstoppably.

I cannot believe that no one has reviewed this book before, and am stunned and saddened that it is now out of print! It's fantastic - I discovered it at the age of eight, and it is a book I regularly read aloud and have bought for children I know. The poems are funny, witty, and touch on subjects familiar to most children (stealing chocolate cake from the pantry in the middle of the night for example, or being caught jumping on the furniture!). This book can be either a family read or a private one - it's hilarious both ways. Whatever age you are, DO read it - I can't recommend it highly enough.

I think that all kids should read this book: it tells of the horrors of slavery in a way that younger readers will relate to. The narrator is wonderfully voiced, Rosen has done a great job at animating the owner of this amazing story. This book helps kids wrestle with difficult issues like human cruelty and social injustice by being allowed to experience this unique and compelling tale.

Pompey Walker is a very old man. At the dedication of a school in his honor Pompey tells his unusual life's story of slavery, brutality, freedom and being sold back into slavery for the sake of building a school for African American children in Ohio. Pompey and his white friend Jeremiah, sold Pompey to unwitting slave onwers thirty-nine times. Based on the true story of Gussie West, Pompey's poignant tale illustates how small injustices are sometimes necessary to overcome a greater social ill. The simplicity of the primitive art accompanying the story provides a deeper understanding of the harshness of Pompey's life. A School For Pompey Walker won the Simon Wiesenthal Children's Book Award for it's themes of equality of people, social justice and human dignity. The originality of the story and illustrations provide a vehicle for children to explore the complex ideas of breaking a law for the loftier goal of trying to help correct a greater social injustice, in this instance, slavery. The book is highly recommended for children ages 6-10 and for students in middle school studying 19th century United States history.

If you have ever had children, have children or have taught children, this book will truly have you laughing while it melts your heart. I heard my first Michael Rosen poem at a literacy conference almost ten years ago. It took me almost as long to find an edition of his poetry. His story-like poems about his adventures growing up and about his young children are incredibly touching and hilarious. If you are a teacher, sharing these poems with your students will garantee you a rapt audience and give them a whole new slant on what poetry can be. Now, if only the rest of his books were available.....

This neat book goes beyond the 20 contemporary stories of family cats - to include wonderful photographs of real cats and neat cartoons.

This book was edited by Michael J. Rosen who has a great eye to cat stories that tug at the heart.

The picture of the blue eyed white cat on the cover is almost reason alone for a cat lover to buy this book.

I really enjoyed it!

This book reveals how modern adoption suits should be handled. The answer was plain, simple, and correct--how ironic that the bird which symbolizes America could see it so easily.

This book contains one of the great dog stories of all time: THE DOG WHO BIT PEOPLE....... Scratch that ...... This book contains one of the great stories -- period -- of all time, THE DOG WHO BIT PEOPLE. Once you have read this story you will remember it forever. Isn't that the definition of a "great" story?

Any dog lover would enjoy this book. It is a treasure trove of masterfully crafted stories. There is very little sentimental sappiness, the collection focusing mainly on the ways dogs enhance the lives of humans. I applaud this book and hope to see more of the same caliber!

This book creates a magical world of turtles, crawdads, snails, bats and mallards. The illustrations are mesmerizing. I believe that this is a great books for kids because it makes them consider the environment around them, it teaches a respect that many kids might not consider otherwise. This book goes far beyond fishing.