This book came to our family as a hand-me-down from a neighbor for my 2-year-old son, and now we can't live with out it. The rhymes are so witty, entertaining and infectious that I can't tell people about the book without quoting verbatim. Krauss's playful use of language is eternally endearing and Sendaks quirky illustrations of chair-chomping lions and clumsy giants are a treasure. I had feared that this book would be out of print. Now that I have found it, I am buying it for every child (and parent) I know starting with my three-year-old nephew.

I LOVED this book as a child, so much that I asked for a copy as a birthday gift as an adult. This is the most visually entertaining, linguistically exciting, playful and joyful story I ever read in a children's book. Sendak's simple illustrations are profoundly expressive and appropriate for Kraus' self-indugent imaginary escapade. Yes, to most people it probably seems a little bit weird, but if you have an imaginitive child in your life....BUY HIM OR HER THIS BOOK!

...and it's just a house for me me me
At first reading, somewhat bizarre. So read it twice! It grows on you; it grew into our favorite children's book. It screams to be read aloud; the rhymes aren't Seuss-ly annoying, and the rhythms are interesting.
"...they and I are making music
and we're falling over laughing"
The simple illustrations (Sendak, I think?) are great. Krauss's expressions of child-ego are true-to-my-memory, and rang bells with my kids. I could not afford books back then; fortunately our children's librarian had my taste in books (I don't recall any Berenstain Bears!); but this was one book I HAD TO OWN. It makes a very JOYFUL noise. Read it, then find a copy of Pete Seeger's or Woody Guthries' folk songs for kids... a perfect hour.

I personally never liked Sendak's WTWTA. Or In the Night Kitchen. Or Chicken Soup with Rice. Or anything ever illustrated or written by him. So, I'm not a fan. Got it?

But WOW, was I ever wrong. I just didn't get it before, but listening to Tammy Grimes narrate and with the addition of Herr Mozart, it's like being transported into what must have been a fascinating mind who could write so well for children.

Buy this CD for your 4 year old + child with imagination to spare and he'll be begging for it. It's become a TREAT 'round these parts.

My siblings and I listened to this wonderful cassette as children and to this day treasure it. We have passed it's wonders onto our own young relatives and soon to our own children. It will stay with you forever for the words of Maurice Sendak make your imagination take flight and the voice of Tammy Grimes is so captivating; the best I have ever heard these fabulous stories read! The addition of the music of Mozart truly inspires the mind of children and adults alike.

The Sendak stories read by Tammy Grimes capture the spirit and fun of the text and pictures without "talking down" to children. My kids have loved it from age 18 months to 7 (and counting). A wonderful interpretation of wonderful stories.

What a lovely book! My daughter, 2, loves to "read" and lift the flaps. It's a treat for the reader. Unusual Flora & Fauna are beautifully illustrated. Great for the Biologist as well as 2 year's olds.

Morris the Mouse is looking for a new home, but each place he looks is already inhabited. He ends up happy at his old nest. This is a simple story which can be enjoyed by very young children. The illustrations are very well done - the colors are clear and bright, with small details such as butterflies or moths included on each page.

What really makes this book special, though, are the pop-ups. Each one is activated by opening a simple flap, but different motions occur which complement the illustration: a wren flaps its wing, a squirrel flicks its tail, a dormouse peeks out of a bush. The flaps themselves are well designed for little hands, as there are no pull tabs. The last page of the book is a full 2-page pop-up, which is activated simply by turning the page, and which moves nicely as the pages are flexed slightly.

My 21-month-old likes this book so much that I'm considering buying another one in the series.

What a lovely book! My daughter, 2, loves to "read" and lift the flaps. It's a treat for the reader. Unusual Flora & Fauna are beautifully illustrated. Great for the Biologist as well as 2 year's olds.

We started reading this book to our daughter when she was just over 1 year old, and she has enjoyed it greatly. Polly Polar Bear is trying to find out who splashed her on the nose and asks all of the Arctic animals that she encounters as she looks. There are flaps for the child to open to find each animal. The illustrations are beautifully done -- very realistic, especially the birds. The text is a little awkward. We tell a simplified version for our younger audience.

For many north american and japanese families, everyone must remember the legendary children book of their young age, "Where the wild things are" by Maurice Sendak. Well, Sendak didn't just draw and write his own children books. He did many other things before actually getting to the success he is at now.
The book goes in detail about Sendak's personal life growing up in Brooklyn, New York, from his very early stage of life as a Polish American child to his approach as an artist at teenage age. The author talks about his influence from his parents and siblings, as well their struggle to survive the recessive economy in America. The author treats Sendak as an artist, who explores mostly around the writings and illustrations of children. The book shows many rare prints and drawings of Sendak. How Sendak plays with art materials and his creativity into both pictorial children books and editorial illustrations. Near the end of the book it also talks about his plans and drawings for theatre art, especially the opera for "Where the Wild Things Are". Something not everyone knew about!
I would say this is a book for any illustration fan or artist to own. But don't get it for your kid, it is no children book, it is an artbook mostly aim for adults and collectors.

This book is the best book ever my children love it! The pictures are awesome nothing can compare to Maurice Sendak's pictures.

My son has tons of board books but hands down, Billy Bunny is his favorite! The pictures of the animals are so big and it is like their eyes are looking right at him. He especially loves the pages with Morris Mouse and Freddy Fox on them. He loves to scratch their noses b/c of the textures that are included in this book. This is a must have! Highly recommend!

We purchased Maurice Pledger board books (Oscar Otter, Olive Owl and Billy Bunny) for our child at 6 months and at 2 years old they are still favorites. Here are just some of what we love about them. The illustrations are spectacular. They accurately represent the wildlife being depicted. There is a great variety of textures to appeal to a child's desire to touch and feel. Our child's favorite page is the "sticky" plant in Olivia Owl. They encourage interaction with questions like "How many shiny beetles has he found on the rose bush?" (from Billy Bunny) and requests like "Tickle her orange tummy." (from Oscar Otter). They are oversized for board books (approx. 9x11 inches), which our child loves. They give children nice big pictures to look at.

All of Maurice Pledger's books are beautiful, and his Billy Bunny books are no exception to the rule. I'm a mom of 5 who homeschools using a literature based curriculum. Our home is overflowing with books. Pledger's stand out with the best for their beautiful artistry and their ability to educate as they entertain.

My seven year old, artistically creative daughter enjoys them as much as my book-chewing, 1 year old baby girl. My 3 year old son is an action hero in training---always on the go fighting pretend fires or climbing trees---and even he will sit still for Maurice Pledger's wonderous books!

Hooray to Maurice Pledger! We are so glad that we discovered your world!!!

Maurice Pledger's illustrations are beautiful. Board pages are good- children cannot rip or tear out. I also recommend 'An Adventure with Polly Polar Bear' and 'Bobby Bear's ABC's'.

For any family who's ever experienced the joyful expectation of a newborn baby.... with all the hope and promise for the child's life.... there are 2 titles by Rebecca Bond that are SURE to please! The warm illustrations.... rooms full of books (and no TVs!).... and the tender multi-generational love for new life --- it doesn't get any better than this! JUST LIKE A BABY and BRAVO MAURICE are the perfect "snuggle up and read-to-me" books. A word of advice: Your budding artists will want to duplicate the bright colors, textures and patterns.... Bond's art is contagious, so have the crayons, paper & paints ready!

Bravo Maurice is as charming as Bond's last book, Just Like A Baby. The illustrations are similar and the story equally as sweet and touching. Bravo Maurice seems to be geared towards older children- the 7-8 age range, compared to her last book, which the younger kids liked. My family and I are fans of Rebecca Bond and look forward to her next book!

Och, every Scots should have a copy!! Maurice Lindsay is a well-known poet, broadcaster and writer on many aspects of Scottish life and Literature (see his Castles of Scotland for one). He has written several on Burns already.

If it touched Burns, it's listed here. This is not a collection of Burns poems, but a companion to them. An excellent work for people just becoming acquainted with Scotland's beloved poet and need to understand the poetry better. Many editions of Burns works have glossaries to help with the Scots, but it still leaves the general reader or student with a lot of questions. This book fills in the gaps, so should be used as a study companion piece to books with Burns' complete works.

Highly recommended for fans of Burns wanting to understand the man and the period he lived.

Just about every person, place, or thing mentioned in the songs and poems of Robert Burns (1759-1796) is given a paragraph or two. Indispensible encyclopedia on the "most gifted British soul" of the 18th century.

This book is highly recommended for basic studies of the ancient Greek world. I would not recommend it for highly advanced studies, due to the fact that it's 37 years old, and is a bit behind current archaeological findings. But it's got some great images and it's very informative. This really is worth adding to anyone's collection of books on Ancient Greece.

This is one of the Time-Life Great Ages of Man series. It is absolutely first class. The pictures are stunning, and the writing is superb. The author clearly shows how Athens became predominant through success in the Persian wars, and how democracy was created and grew. Anyone who loves democracy will love this book. One quote says it all: "We are free and tolerant in our private lives; but in public affairs, we keep to the law...We give our obedience to those whom we put in positions of authority". No one in the subsequent 2,500 years has said it better. You need this book.