Here we are, Chase Riley (e-mail alias ChaseR), 14, moves 60 miles away from hometown Colombus to live hours from who-knows-where & five minutes from your neighbors (I'm five seconds away, if you're slow). His 90-acre land is being plagues by cicadias, mammoth bugs that come out once every 17 years. His e-mails to friends are often halarious, &, with Rosen's good writing skills, you, the reader, can easily dictate what life is like in the Riley house.

I have to admit, some of his newletters (letters in newspaper-like form to a wide selection of addresses) are HALARIOUS!!! I'm just wondering is that BEAVER CREEK BEACON stuff is true.

Although some of the stuff is funny, the actual plot isn't very exciting. I don't know how much more exciting it could get, given that the book was written in e-mails. That, however doesn't take away from the book's overall good-ness. (in my opinion)

Among other things, you can learn cool smileys.
Mouse: <: 3 )~~~~~~~

If you've ever looked at the "Snail-Mail No More" book(s, I think), & thought that it was a good idea, DON'T pick it up. Yeah, sure it LOOKS cool, but, to the males of this earth, MAKE THIS THE ALTERNATIVE! ( note: surere, girls can read this, too.

Whether you've read all of my blabber or not, BUY THIS BOOK!!!!

I too disagree with the Publisher's Weekly review of this book. I am a middle school educator. I know my students well, and this qualifies me to say that this book does a wonderful job of representing the adolescent mind. It is unfortunate that the reviewer from Publisher's Weekly disparages the impact of e-mail on young lives and fails to recognize its effectiveness in telling a unique story. E-mail is second only to verbalizing for communication (and in many cases, e-mail allows the expression of what cannot be communicated verbally). Therefore, the format of this novel WORKS. Young people will not only relate well to the novel's format, but they will enjoy reading the funny, brief, sometimes emotional chapters. This would be an especially effective book for resistant or struggling readers, as it is extremely engaging and easy to identify with.

The protagonist is endearing and his inner struggle is realistically portrayed. I believe that adolescents will relate to Chase's challenges, especially his feeling of isolation being so far from his friends and from what is familiar to him. I believe too that Chase's idealism is something that young readers will recognize as a quality that they share.

One of the most interesting aspects of this novel is its brilliance in convincingly representing one side of the conflict (the anti-hunting side), then putting the reader "into the shoes" of someone on the other side (the pro-hunting side). This sets up a situation where readers must examine their own stance on the issue, then weigh and evaluate both sides, as Chase (the protagonist) does. This process is an important developmental step for young people, one that they will be faced with throughout their lives. It is important for adolescents to have experiences that develop their ability to look at both sides of an issue and make informed choices for their own actions. The engaging story will lead readers into this learning process, leaving them with a more fully developed ability to look at similar difficult issues from a variety of perspectives. This also sets up a great forum for classroom discussion.

I am 34 years old and a professional, yet I enjoyed this book greatly. I read it to consider its inclusion in a unit I am designing for my classroom. I am looking forward to sharing this book with my students in the fall, and I hope that many other educators will do the same.

I don't exactly agree with the Publisher's Weekly review of this book, I thought the email form worked great. It was an inventive and dynamic way to express the mindset of a city kid readjusting to a rural environment. I found a review of this book in The Horn Book and I thought they put it nicely: "The book's email format work well, emphasizing the isolation and loneliness of a contemporary computer kid transplanted into a rustic, old-fashioned setting." At the heart of the book, though, is the conflict between us and nature, raising questions about what rights we have to exploit our surroundings. It is for this reason that I think this is an important book for kids to read, both city-slicker and rural alike.

This book is hours of fun outdoors for both kids and adults. The pieces are written with a genuine enthusiasm and the illustrations are great. I have given this book as a gift several times and all have enjoyed it just as much as I have. I am eager to recommend this book to you as well!

This is the kind of book I longed for as a child. I'm no longer a child. No matter. This book sits proudly among my other books--something I pull out now and again when I need some verbal refreshment. The words and colorful illustrations from a variety of authors and illustrators soothe and comfort as we wend our way through different plants and vegetation--from creeping ivy to the branches of an old apple tree.

This book makes for great bedtime reading for young children as well. Great job!

Down to Earth is a great addition to my library. As an adult I thoroughly enjoyed it and related to many of the authors' memories. Touching, humorous, creative. Both entertaining and practical (activities are outstanding). A great gift, a great book to share with a child -- to do the activities together, to discuss the various authors' experiences. Both young and not so young would find value in this book. My 28 year old son and his wife will love it. I'm so glad I stumbled upon it. As an added bonus, proceeds benefit Share Our Strength, the nation's leading antihunger organization.

There is plenty of fun to be had in this fast-paced, romping tale. The alphabet grows out of control, going from the ends of the universe back to Zippy, the dog of the boy who threw the snowball that started the whole delightful mess. This is a fun way for kids to learn the alphabet and how to play with words. I highly recommend it!

A fun and silly story about an avalanche that manages toinclude all the letters of the alphabet! The illustrations are wildand whimsical too.

I truly enjoyed this book. The careful storytelling draws the reader in and tenderly takes us inside a very unique family. The boundaries of language are overcome through the bonds that love and loss of a pet form. The relationship between girl and dog described in 'Bonesy and Isabel' is unforgettable. Rich illustrations, compelling story.

A wonderful and gentle book about love in action. A couple shows love towards animals in need by taking them in and giving them a home. They also adopt a young girl from a South America. The story is told through this girl's eyes.

Wisely chosen and beautifully illustrated,this book shows how entertaining and exciting poetry can be. It instantly held the attention of my six year old. He wanted to write a thank you note to Lord Byron!

Michael Rosen's collection of poetry refuses to talk down to children. He has selected classic poems from the seventeenth century to modern day, poems (and poets) that children will hear references to for the rest of their lives. From Shakespeare to Shelley to T. S. Eliot and many more, Rosen has gathered a mixture of beautiful, fun, and significant poetry, complete with biographical information about each of the poets, as well as information on individual poems and poetic forms.

It is Paul Howard's lovely, intriging illustrations that will first grab your attention, however. His illustrations capture the mood of each poem and make them come alive for young readers.

A must for children who love poetry and for parents who want to share poetry with their children.

This book is a very tenderly written creation story that inspires kids to use their imagination on a grand scale. The awe the reader feels at seeing this creation unfold is not at all solemn; there is a sense of dynamism and joy on each page. This book helps kids to appreciate other culture's oral traditions as well as the natural beauty of our world.

This retelling of a Kato Indian legend is beautifully written, and its illustrations are both apt and marvelous. A wonderful creation story. It is a book I'd have loved as a child, and will love on into the rest of my old age.

James Thurber is undoubtably one of America's greatest writers ever. "The Thurber Carnival" is an brilliant collection of his works.

I was introduced to Thurber's works two years ago,by a short story of his that was included in my English textbook. I was instantly charmed by his writing. Ever since, I have read everything of Thurber's that I can get my hands on. Through my readings, I have discovered several key things:

1. James Thurber was NOT just a humorist/satirist. Of course, I have stayed up late reading his stories laughing out loud, yet there is more to the stories. Thurber not only chronicled people of his time, but people of all times. His works show that the little eccentricities most people possess are the very things that make them interesting. Take this excerpt from the story "Recollections of the Gas Buggy", included in "The Thurber Carnival":

'Years ago, an aunt of my father's came to visit us one winter in Columbus, Ohio. She enjoyed the hallucination, among others, that she was able to drive a car. I was riding with her one December day when I discovered, to my horror, that she thought the red and green lights on the traffic signals had been put up by the municipality as a gay and expansive manifestation of the Yuletide spirit. Although we finally reached home safely, I never completely recovered from the adventure, and could not be induced, after that day, to ride in a car on holidays.'

2. That excerpt brings me to my next discovery: James Thurber had quite a way with words, which to my knowledge, no author since has been able to near. Thurber's words transport you to another world, an amazing world, where everyone even slightly insane is portrayed with kindly satire. The character Briggs Beall, from the story "The Night the Bed Fell," is a perfect example of Thurber's wit.

3. An additional point I discovered is that Thurber's works need to be shared. I treasure this book so much that I brought it with me as traveled to Nebraska to visit my friend, just so I could read parts of it aloud to her. Whether it is a driving adventure with a Russian boat specialist("A Ride With Olympy"), an amusing maid("What Do You Mean It Was Brillig?"), or the light bulb smashing Elliot Vereker("Something to Say"), Thurber's stories need to be shared.

For these reasons, as well as others, "The Thurber Carnival" is a most wonderful book. James Thurber's writing is nearly magical, as well as his characters. This is a great book to pick up again and again, if only to read one of its great stories.

"The Thurber Carnival" was a beloved companion of my early youth; I laughed out loud again and again at the stories of "My Life and Hard Times," the hilarious "Fables for Our Time," "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," and other classics. What was really important to me about Thurber was that he came from the same part of Ohio that I did, and actually had had relatives and attended family reunions in Sugar Grove, Ohio, where I grew up. That meant all the world to me, because it showed me that someone who had ties to Sugar Grove could be a famous writer. Now, I love Thurber's work more than ever; as an adult, I can better appreciate the nuances of a story like "The Catbird Seat." Thurber's work is a precise, funny, yet deeply serious portrait of an America which had just recently completed the transition from a frontier to an urban society. Women, having just won the right to vote, were flexing new-found muscles; men, divorced from the need to wrest a living from the soil, felt suddenly unmoored and emasculated; a new breed of self-help authors arose to make a quick buck from the newly uncertain populace; and oceans of alcohol fueled the newly stirred resentments between the sexes.Thurber recorded it all, in a prose style as elegant and lucid as any in the history of American literature. "The Catbird Seat," "Fables for Our Time" and the self-help parodies of "Let Your Mind Alone!" are every bit as fresh and pertinent as when Thurber wrote them 60-odd years ago. Unfortunately, some aspects of his work--most glaringly his portrayal of African-Americans--have not stood up so well. But one can only say of Thurber what the Duc de Saint-Simon said of Louis XIV: "His virtues were his own, his faults were his times'." The best of James Thurber ranks with the best of Mark Twain, Ring Lardner, Woody Allen and any other American humorist you can name.

I grew up with this book. First published in the mid-40s, it lived in the center of a built-in bookcase over my father's desk in the family room, and I was drawn to it time and time again during my childhood.

At first, I was convulsed by Thurber's uniquely hilarious cartoons. His dogs and his women are priceless...drawn in a style that nobody has ever been able to duplicate or capture.

It was only later, as I grew older, that I could appreciate Thurber's written humor. The "Thurber Carnival" (and it is) is a compilation of essays and excerpts from "My World--and Welcome to It," "The Middle Aged Man on the Flying Trapeze," and others. These were Thurber's earlier works that were very much a product of their times, but oh, so funny! Thurber was one of the great commentators on the vagaries of everyday life. Along with Robert Benchly et al., he set the tone for an entire generation. I still have this book, and I absolutely cherish it. It's hard to do Thurber justice in a review. All I can say is--buy this book and wallow in it. You'll be glad you did.

Michael Rosen's "We're Going On A Bear Hunt" is a cute tale suitable for any beginning reader or elementary level class. It has a repetitive and rhythmic verse. The story is a light-hearted adventure, with a fun twist at the conclusion for childrens enjoyment. The illustrations suited the text well, as they were not eccentric but not dull. I used the book for a lesson on sequencing for a first grade class. It can also be used to foster reading skills because of it's textual predictability and repetition. Overall, a helpful tool for fun activities and learning in the classroom.

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This story has to be one of the more exciting and fun stories for young children. The tempo and rhythm can't fail to grab a child's attention.

It's got the perfect mix of pace, suspense and humour.

A really neat touch from the illustrator (Helen Oxenbury) is the alternation between color and black and white pages. The monochrome pages coincide with the recognition of the various obstacles along the way.

Another attractive effect is the way the early pages are bright and colorful and as the family gets closer to the bear, the scenes become darker and gloomier.

A key scene is where the children's dog comes face to face with the bear. The expressions on the animal's faces are superb.

The link between the story and the illustrations is at its best when the family has to quickly retrace their steps with the bear in hot pursuit. To heighten the pace we now get three frames per page.

The penultimate page is a double spread with everybody (including the dog) safely at home under the covers. Meanwhile poor old bear heads off back to his cave.

With head down and shuffling along the beach despondently you might just think he wanted to be friends with everybody.

Many children's books are a torture for parents of toddlers to reread over and over as this age group requires. This is the exception. Our family of six wore out this book and I am ordering another copy for the up and coming crop of readers. The older ones love to read it to the young ones and my two year old has it memorized. We all love to add our own nuances to the sing-song pattern to the story. I rarely buy books new (we haunt used book stores) but I have bought this one new twice now. It must be everyone's favorite- I have never seen it for resale. A definite must have for childhood!

This is one of the funniest books I have read as a child and that I read to my children. It is about a rabbit whole boops animals on the head and is given three chances by the goo fairy to change. If he doesnt he gets turned into a goonie. Well little nauty rabbit foo foo doesnt listen and ends up being a goonie. Great pictures and theme that can be played like a song.

A hilarious story that my son could 'read' before he was three because he knew the words off by heart! The pictures are wonderful and the good fairy sorts out the naughty rabbit in the end by turning him into a goonie (sort of green and small!) One of my favourites too!

This book is one of the funniest childrens books that I have ever read, I work as a nanny and am also expecting my first and this is a favourite of all the children that I have looked after, I would thouroughly recommend it to any parent starting to read bedtime stories to their children.