With a gentle and reassuring folk-tale feeling, this story, set in India, will delight children, who, like the main characters, must wrestle with doubts and fears at the start of new enterprises.

First day jitters afflict a just-graduated plumber, a small schoolboy, a newly trained traffic policeman, a young farmer bringing the first harvest to town, and a sanyasin (sanYASin --- traditional ascetic holy man who has given up all possesions to wander, meditate, and pray; deftly and simply explained in the book). Readers watch each nervously confront his or her own anxiety, and continue forward bravely, if uncertainly, through their respective first days. Our kids related instantly, and found the story very satisfying.

Each character, as it happens, does make a small mistake --- yet, as the reader alone can see --- each of these mistakes makes possible a fortuitous occurence in the lives of one of the other neophytes.

The underlying point (that even when one can't see how, things have a serendipitous way of working out far better than could have been imagined) is powerful and spiritual. Yet it is subtly, gently stated, not preachy, full of charm and good humor.

Rich, funny, and comforting, an added plus is that these interweaving stories twist and travel through the crowded maze of colorful, detailed contemporary Indian village life --- markets, elephants, colorful sarees, oxen pulling piled carts, a lively, busy population. Catherine Stock's joyous watercolor-collage illustrations capture the book's feeling and geography very well. Multi-culuralism at its best! Children will enjoy picking out the details in both text and features again and again, as the absorb both the cultural differences and universal sameness of human life and endeavor.

This is a truly lovely story about a woman who discovers a passion late in life for swimming--in the ocean no less. Lasky has created a Grandma I would like to have (the character's relationship with her grandchildren is wonderful) who serves as a terrific example of a smart, thoughtful, life-loving older adult--someone not often seen in modern literature of any kind. It's a shame that it's out of print.

Lovely look at Thanksgiving from the eyes of a small boy. He wants to help with the preparations, but there just doesn't seem to be anything for a small child to do. He feels alone during the hustle and bustle of Thanksgiving Day. Grandpa takes him to a special place and they are able to give the family a wonderful Thanksgiving treat.

The illustrations are warm and inviting. My 3 year old daughter loves this book. It is her favorite snuggle up with hot chocolate and a book, story.

riecken does a great job showing how each one in the family deals with the father being gone. you see a lot of love and the need for a united family. also, it's realistic. i have been to mexico and know that those kind of things happen. the pictures are beautiful and captivating. i recommend it!

Carol Ra has done an excellent job in extending the importance of reading to your child or grandchild. She includes hints to further enhance these precious moments for both of you.

This is one of my favorite books for young children. It raises the "Waldo" and "I Spy" concept into the realm of Art, while telling a lovely story about an African girl and her way of life. It encompasses a lot of real-world wildlife education, a little mystery (Where is Manyoni going?), and gentle multicultural comparisons which open up great conversations during and after reading. One of my children loved this book when she was 2, another is still reading it at 5, and my 9 year old used it recently to research what a wildebeest looks like. It is informative without being "teachy", and the pronunciation guide at the back makes it accessible for reading-aloud parents! Stock's illustrations are beautiful, and her gentle telling of a simple but profound story is perfect. I'll be treasuring this book for years, and giving it as a gift to little friends as long as I can!

Ashley and Rebecca were real little girls who lived in Rochester, New York, and they were best friends. They spent many happy hours together at ballet class and playing at each other's homes. Ashley's mother, Christine, commemorated that loving friendship with this book.

Joanie and Teddy have a cat, a dog, and a parrot. The house is just the right size for all of them. One day, they bring a baby home. The pets are confused at what type of pet this is. They finally figure out it is a baby, but they still feel left out. They try anything to get attention. Read this and find out what finally gets it.

I reall enjoyed this book. When my younger siblings were born, I felt left out and just wanted attention. This book made me feel like I could relate to the animals. If your child is feeling left out, I would suggest this book.

The book was fun to read! I hope that you like it as much as I did. It didn't take that long to read and it was intertaining. The characters at first didn't really like the change and they were cerious to find out what it was. They didn't know at first but soon would find out. It kinda suprised me, because I thought that it was going to be something else. If you read this book, you will then find out what the new pet is!
Brandon M.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! i'm currently enrolled in a children's literature class as a sophomore in college. This was one of the books I picked up to read as part of our assignment. I love the illustrations, the prose, and the message that this book is trying to convey. Whether you are a mother or father that works the graveyard shift or a stay at home parent, this book can be enjoyed by all!

Justin and the best biscuits in the world is about a little boy named Justin. Justin is not very tidy at all. When his grandpa comes to stay Justin gets to go back with his grandpa who lives on a ranch. When he believes in him self and tries he did all the stuff he could not do before.

I had my fifth graders read this book and they loved it. They couldn't put it down. It's an excellent look at an all too unknown group of people in history--Black Cowboys. It's also a wonderful coming of age story. It comes highly recommended from the students of St. Malachy School.

This is a great book about an African-American boy named Justin. Over the course of a stay with his cowboy grandfather, he learns that there is no such thing as women's work, you can do anything once you learn how, and a cool history lesson about black cowboys. My 4th grade students loved it and we had a great debate over whether there is a such thing as women's work!