Minneapolis Simpkin wants a pet. She and her mother fight about it all the time. Then one day she finds one, but it is a monster. But how can she ask her mom for a monster? Minneapolis hides the monster in her basement. When it eats everything in her house, she does not know what to do.

This is a more humorous story, especially if you are the kind of person who wants a pet. I think Minneapolis learns a lesson, that maybe what you want is not always what you expected. I think all of us can pretty much relate to that. If you enjoy homor stories, this is the right book for you.

My daughter has a fascination for monsters, so I knew that she would adore this book. Now she has a book about a monster that I can read to her at bedtime without worry of bad dreams. It's a very cute story.

Title: No More Monsters for Me
Author: Peggy Parish
Favorite Characters: Monster, Mom

Minneapolis Simpkin wants a pet so bad that when she comes across a monster, she takes it home. Her mom said that she could not have any pets, but she didn't mention monsters. The problem is hiding the monster when it cries so much and continues to grow every time it eats. Things get even worse when the monster gets hiccups and eats everything in the basement.
Near the end, Minn tells her mom about the monster, but her mom doesn't seem to believe her. Her mom does make a certain promise to Minn if she gets rid of the monster. Read the book to find out what her mom promises.

bg

I am a part-time teacher, and I do a unit on Orchestras in the spring. I decided to pick up a copy of this book from the library (after reading some great reviews on it) so I could see for myself. I always preview materials cautiously since I have parents of 1st and 2nd graders that I have to answer to. Thank goodness I did my homework!

The first 10 pages (5 double-page spreads) show illustrations of people getting dressed. This includes illustrations of both men and women partially naked with only a small portion (the important parts) of their bodies covered. For example, it shows a man from the back pulling up his boxers, with part of his crack showing. It shows a woman snapping her bra on, with her breasts pointing sharply upward. It shows a woman with no clothes on pouring powder on her body, and only the spray of the powder covering her private parts. These are just a few specific examples of maybe 10 inappropriate illustrations. While this could have been done tastefully, it was NOT, in my opinion. I am not a prude. I just feel that a picture is worth a thousand words. Speaking of words...at one point the text talks about "13 women put on different kinds of complicated underwear: underpants, panty hose...and brassieres." Hello...what does this have to do with the Philharmonic???

All of that is a shame, since the text does continue on and have that intriguing quality that children love...telling about the everyday things that go on behind the scenes to prepare for a great event, the Philharmonic.

If you are a teacher, I do NOT recommend this book for your classroom. If you are a parent, preview this book from the library first before dishing out your money. There are MANY other better books that teach about the orchestra.

I am a music teacher and I was purchasing books for my classroom. I was very disappointed with my purchase. The illustrations would not be appropriate to show in any classroom without causing quite a few laughs.
I think I could share the book with my own children , but would not recommend this for any teachers out there.

Friday night, it's growing dark outside, and most people are on their way home from work. "And here and there, uptown and downtown and across the bridges of the city, one hundred and five people are getting dressed to go to work." Author Karla Kuskin follows the 105 members, ninety-two men and thirteen women, of the Philharmonic Orchestra as they prepare for their evening's work. Watch them bathe, powder, shave and dress, the men in their tuxedos and the women in long black dresses and skirts. See them put on their outerwear, coats, scarves, boots, hats, and gloves, pack up their cases of many shapes and sizes, say good-bye to family and friends, and head to the concert hall. At 8:25, 104 men and women are on stage with their instruments, seated, and ready to perform. Number 105, the conductor, enters, steps up on the podium, raises his baton and "the music floats and rises." "It is 8:30 on Friday night, and the one hundred and five men and women dressed completely in black and white have gone to work turning the black notes on white pages into a symphony. They are the members of the Philharmonic Orchestra, and their work is to play. Beautifully." Ms Kuskin and award winning illustrator, Marc Simont give readers a detailed, behind the scenes view of the musicians and all they do to get ready for an evening performance. The simple and straightforward text is fascinating and engaging, and complemented by Mr Simont's expressive and humorous cartoon-like artwork that brings out the personality of each and every musician. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, The Philharmonic Gets Dressed is a delightful little treasure all budding musicians will beg to read again and again. And as the conductor drops his baton and you turn the last page, you can almost hear the symphony begin.

It was an incredible easyreading book.Nate the Great is called by his friend to find a missing stamp from his stamp collection.Onthe way he finds some wet clues and finds the stamp in a wacky spot.What I liked about the chapter was that Nate's dog gives him the last clue to solve the mystery.What I didn't like about the story was that the mystery was absolutly dreadful.

Claude asks Nate to help him to find the missing stamp from his collection. He used some sticky clues along the way. This was an exciting story because Nate found the stamp in a very surprising place!

Nate the Great is a Great Detective! This book kept us interested! We liked when the dog had the shoe with the stamp on it! The Dog's name is Fang. We liked that the dogs were characters in the book. We recommend this book to other people!

This story tells about Nate entering his dog Sludge into "The Smartest Pet Contest". Rosamond loses the prize. Read this funny story of how Nate the Great and Sludge find the "Fishy Prize".

My daughter loves Nate the Great! She laughed through the whole book, "who wants a tuna fish can as a prize?" All the little characters in this book. I could see her trying to figure out where the tuna fish can went. A nice way to keep them interested through the whole book.

A short children's book about animals hibernating in the winter yet who come out to see a happy sight, a flower growing in the middle of the snow. Spring must be near! The book was a 1950 Caldecott Honor book (i.e., a runner-up to the Medal winner) for best illustration in a children's book.

This is one of the fine stories in the Nate the Great series. Clues start to build up as you read further into the story. Readers are prompted to solve Nate's case. Written in very simple English, it is a good reader for my nine-year old son, who is learning English as a second language. I have had difficulties in finding reading materials that do not only suit his interest but also his English language level. Nate the Great stories have given me lots of help.

When Nate the Great went to San Francisco to visit his cousin Olivia, he couldn't spot her feather boa in the crowd at the airport. Instead, a chauffeur named Willie with a sign that said NATE THE GREAT picked him up. Willie escorted Sludge and "Mr. Great" to the limo, explaining that Olivia is on a case. While Nate (Mr. Great)waited for Olivia, he answered her phone and decided to help on the case of Duncan's missing joke book, named Joke Stew. Readers will enjoy retracing Duncan's steps back to the pancake house, the bookstore, and finally finding the book in the cookbook section. Thus, it was no longer the end of the world for Duncan, who can meet his 2 o'clock deadline for telling a joke. Illustrations are colorful and attractive, and truly in the style of Marc Simont, maintaining the right feel for young readers. The challenge of staying one step ahead of Nate and Sludge, as well as the reading of this easy reader, will be a mind sharpener for beginning readers. Buy!

I am a title I reading teacher and I was looking for some books to recommend to my second graders. I bought some of the Nate the Great series books to look at. This book was the first one that I read and I found it to be very enjoyable. I know the children will enjoy it also, especially the characters, Nate and Rosamond. Boys and girls who are ages 5-8 will relate to Nate and Rosamond and the adventures they go through. If you are looking for fun, short chapter books for your first-third graders, I think they will really enjoy these.