I really liked the book because it talks about some kids that play baseball togheter and when the second base was stollen they decided to look for it. Nate the Great worked hard to find it. He found it behind the bookcase in Oliver's house. I also liked the name he gave his dog: Sludge. I think he is a great detective because he was able to solve the case.

I love the "Nate the Great" books by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat. They keep my daughter's interest and she loves the characters and Nate always having his pancakes. She tries to read the books herself and I love any book that challenges her to do that. I hope to see more books by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat. I feel she's a talented author and should be applauded for her children's works.

Nate the Great, the youngest detective to ever deliver tough guy lines, is summoned to his newest case by his next door neighbor, Oliver. Oliver is something of a pest because he follows people. It doesn't matter who they are or where they're going, if they catch Oliver's eye he will follow them. He's followed Nate the Great around on a lot of the cases Nate has been given to find things his friends have lost. Oliver's problem sets Nate on his first night case as a detective. Someone is stealing from Oliver's garbage can and dumping the rest all over the place. Reluctantly, Nate the Great takes the case and is followed by Oliver. Along the way, Nate finds out what Rosamond's four cats will eat. It is a very long list, and not at all what Nate needs to know. Researching the case also leads Nate to the local library to study nocturnal animals. However, the real culprit who is stealing Oliver's garbage is a major surprise!

Marjorie Weinman Sharmat is the author of over twenty Nate the Great adventures, including NATE THE GREAT STALKS STUPIDWEED, NATE THE GREAT AND THE BORING BEACH BAG, NATE THE GREAT AND THE HALLOWEEN HUNT, and NATE THE GREAT AND THE MUSHY VALENTINE. She has written dozens of books for young readers. She named Nate the Great after her father. Her books have been named as Children's Choice books and Junior Literary Guild selections, and been picked as Books of the Year by the Library of Congress.

As usual, Majorie Weinman Sharmat writes a sharp and smartly told tale. Nate the Great is one of the best fictional heroes to ever come about for young readers and pre-readers. Reading one of the Nate the Great books to a pre-reader is a fantastic privilege. The first-person, clipped dialogue is pure pleasure for the reader willing to do "voices." Annie and her dog Fang were absent from this adventure and long-time readers will miss them, but Oliver and Rosamond are there, as well as the usual stumbling blocks Nate encounters. And pancakes-lots and lots of pancakes. The author's clues are there, though, and many alert readers will figure out the solution to the garbage-snatching mystery one step ahead of Nate, which is the best place to figure those things out. Marc Simont's artwork is simple and elegant as always, adding to the enjoyment.

Young readers will enjoy the whole Nate the Great series because the tales are told in a familiar fashion and involve a solid cast of characters that return book after book. These books are also some of the best to choose for read-alouds to pre-readers or for the last story before bedtime because they can be read in just a few moments. The Nate the Great mysteries are fun and addictive for both parent and child.

Nate the Great is a cool detective who solves lots of mysteries. In this story he is trying to find out who is dumping Oliver's trash. We liked it when Nate the Great went undercover to solve the case. The best part was when Nate runs into a "Stinky Surprise"! We think this is a great book for all second graders.

I love this song. Although made famous by Peter, Paul and Mary, the creative genius stems from Willy Welch. He perfectly captures the memories and emotions of the young daydreaming ballplayer in all of us. This is truly a magical book, and I recommend for any parent or grandparent.

Every man who ever played any form of baseball needs to read this book to a youngster,especially if he was always the last chosen for a team. If "Playing Right Field" by Willy Welch doesn't stir the reader's emotional caulderon, be sure and check their pulse. Not only do I relate to this work in my own childhood, but also as a former baseball coach. Welch captured the essence of how one might reflect on those childhood days, filled with a mixture of happy and painful memories. How well I remember being chosen last for the team, being last to bat, playing right field...and of catching a difficult popup-fly ball. The artistic work of illustrator Marc Simont beautifully adds to "Playing Right Field." And the poetry was a natural to be matched with music, and is performed by folk artists Peter, Paul and Mary, on their albums "No Easy Walk to Freedom" and "Peter, Paul and Mommy Two." I rank this on the top rung of children's poetry, along with such greats as "Where The Sidewalk Ends" and "The Butterfly Jar." This is a book everyone should own!

A fantastic story of good things happening to an unassuming work horse who quietly lives her life in the shadow of three very spoiled and malicious show horses. A story that shows us that it is very easy to take the good things in our lives for granted. The number of times my mother read this story to me as a kid are countless. I only hope that my own children will remember this story as well as I do when they are grown up. A story to be passed on for generations.

Polly's Oats is a truly wonderful tale about a poor old work horse who saves the day and the other posh horses that live on the farm. This book demonstrates that goodness always prevails in the end. I am now 34 years old and think of my grandmother reading this book to me often. It was my favorite childhood story. I own this book in its original hardcover form, yet have searched out to obtain another copy only to find it was out of print. This is a joy to find!! I'm grinning ear -to-ear. In order for my husband to marry me, he had to read this delightful tale to me the night before our wedding. God bless you for putting this back in circulation. Aside from the story line I also have always enjoyed the pencil drawing illustrations in this little jem.

Mr. McCord was my grandfather's best friend throughout life, so his books were always around. Every Time I Climb a Tree has been my favorite of his children's poetry. His poetry creates a child's experience of life. "The Pickety Fence" and "Pen and Pencil" as well as the ladybug poem are wonderful.

I was fascinated by the idea that Charlotte Zolotow's "If You Listen" had been originally published in 1980 with different illustrations than those provided by Stefano Vitale for 2002 edition. You do not think of a children's book as having different illustrations; I mean, "Goodnight Moon" would not be the same classic book with different illustrations. But as I never read the "original" "If You Listen" (and could not find it around town) I cannot comment on a comparison of the artists.

"If You Listen" is a sensitive story about a young girl who misses her father who is far, far away and will not be coming home soon. The young girl asks her mother how she can know if her father still loves her, and her mother tells her to listen inside herself and she will feel his love. Zolotow paints lyrical pictures with her words of simple but enduring images of what you can hear if you really listen and Vitale actualizes these images with paintings down on wood, which provide a compelling texture to the art. There is a simple elegance to "If You Listen" that will make it a memorable reading experience for young children (ages 4-8) who are separated from a parent because of circumstances beyond their control. Of course, in this age of e-mail and phone cards Zolotow's solution may now be somewhat obsolete, but there is still a simple truth behind it that remains compelling.

I liked The Knight of the Golden Plain because it was mysterious and it also was great. I would give it 500 stars if I could. I am almost 8 years old.

I'm disappointed to learn that the book, Martin's Hats is out of print. When my son, who is now 14 and my daughter, who is now 12, were about 4 or 5, they insisted on reading the book at least daily. As I remember, Martin goes on adventures associated with a variety of hats he has at his disposal. Since my 4 year old goes on imaginary adventures constantly throughout the day, I know he would love the book. I was hoping to purchase a new copy for him, since Martin's Hats is one of the best children's books I've come across.

Rosamond's present slid off of her sled. Nate the Great walked to her house and noticed that there were 6 cartons of milk on the table. Rosamond had only 4 cats and each cat drank a single bottle of milk. What could the other 2 bottles be for? Nate followed the tracks from Rosamond's sled in the snow. This led him to a tree by the tracks. He looked up into the tree and found his present, a cat named Super-Duper Hex. You will enjoy this book if you like Nate the Great. I liked it because it was a tricky mystery to solve.

This book is about a Chinese girl named Shirley. She had to move China to Brooklyn New york when she was about ten years old. It was difficult for her to move to America because she was Chinese and didn't speak very good English, and she didn't have that many friends. The book tells about how she comes to love baseball and how her favorite player is Jackie Robinson. At the end of the book she gets to meet Jackie Robinson. This book is ok, but not great. The interesting parts are when it is about baseball. For example, Shirley listens to the radio when it tells about the baseball game. The games she listens to are the Brooklyn Dodgers games and she especially likes hearing about Jackie Robinson. You can learn a lot about Jackie Robinson by reading those parts of the book. When it isn't about baseball the book isn't as interesting. I recommend to people who want to know what Jackie Robinson did. It also tells about what it is like to be a Chinese person in America and that might be interesting for some people to read about.

"In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" is about a Chinese girl named Shirley Temple Wong who moves from China to America by ship to join her father.

When she gets there, she does not like it. She cannot speak English. She is the only 8 year-old and goes into the fifth grade because she thinks she is 10.

Shirley eventually makes friends and learns about baseball. Jackie Robinson is not one of the main characters but he means a lot to Shirley.

She gets beat up a lot by a girl named Mable with surprising results.

It is a good book that I would recommend to people who like real life stories.

This book is about a little girl named Shirley Temple Wong, who lived in China for most of her life with all her relatives. But then she and her mother move to America to live with her father. It is very different for Shirley there and at first people are mean to her. But Shirley makes two good friends and she likes her friends a lot.

Shirley's favorite thing about America is that there is baseball and Shirley falls in love with baseball. ESPECIALLY Jackie Robinson!

I recommend this book to people who like books that are set in an earlier time than now. I also recommend this book to people who like baseball, because this book has a lot of baseball in it.