In this colorful book, kids will delight in the tale of the pure, if someone what unlikely, friendship that develops between an old, lonely man and the house-trained flea he purchases from a petshop ("teeny tiny litter tray" and everything). The classic theme of friendships that break the usual mold is revitalized in this story by Mary Elizabeth Hanson with quirky and emotion-filled illustrations by David Webber Merrell.

While the old man is enjoying taking his tiny little friend to the movies, the beach and even a whale-watching cruise, the ever-skepital townspeople begin to whisper among themselves. "He's knotted his noodle." It's true that they mean well, but it seems that the townspeople would feel a bit more comfortable if they could actually see the pal the old man is chatting with.

This is a fun, fun book with a strong message about friendship that your kids will want you to read over and over. You'll gladly oblige.

Amazon is making a serious mistake in classifying this marvelous book a children's book. I will be 70 on my next birthday, and I fell in love with this book and bought it (full price) while visiting Taos, NM. I plan to share it with my grown children. The charm of this book lies in the inseperability of its wacky tale and fabulous illustrations. I predict that this combination of Mary Elizabeth Hanson and David Webber Merrell will take its place alongside Lewis Carroll and Sir John Tenniel.

The title of this "little gem of a story" is what captured my interest, but the illustrations by David Webber Merrell stole my heart. Gentle lessons and laugh out loud illustrations are a wonderful combination to this feel good picture book. A lonely old man finds friendship and companionship in a most unlikley pet...and she is a lovely shade of purple with a saucy yellow bow on her head. This is one story you will want to read to yourself after you have read it to the children or grandchilden.

We purchased this calendar/book set for our son when he was about 3 years old. He is just shy of 13 now and it is still a tradition to read this book before bed each night beginning on December 1st. When he was little and couldn't read, my husband and I took turns nightly reading to him. He has a very small tree in his room on his dresser where he would hang the book we read every night. Now that he is older, we still take turns reading every night (him included, of course). This calendar is a simple, yet meaningful way for the family to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ as well as count down the days until Christmas. My son will hand it down to his children one day and I will be purchasing one for my goddaughter who is just turning one. I highly recommend this!

We purchased this book several years ago and it has been the perfect thing to hold the interest of teenagers who have long ago lost interest in children's Advent calendars. The illustrations are child-like, not childish, rather like those of Tomie dePaolo, and the flow of the language is quite lovely. It helps our family to maintain our Advent and Christmas traditions even as our children mature. Also a great present for a family with pre-teen children.

We just finished reading the last little book and then hang it in the Christmas tree.
Our 3 1/2 year old daughter absolutely loved it and every morning was looking forward to read another little book.
It teaches the child the true spirit of Christmas and makes them understand the celebration of the birth of Baby Jesus.
I totally recommend it to anyone, even grown ups!

I love everything Mary Stewart has written. Her books are classics. This was the first book I read of her's, and to this day I think it is still her best. This Rough Magic is a truely charming story. When I think of the story I get a smile on my face. That's how good this book is. I highley recommend this book and all her others.

This Rough Magic is one of those perfect books-it draws you on with suspense, involves you deeply with jewel-cut prose, and unlike most Stewart novels, is quite funny in spots. I love this book for its lightheartedness and its tragedy and its lovely romance, if that makes any sense. This is perfect romantic suspense, great for constant rereading.

An out of work actress staying in Corfu with her rich pregnant sister becomes embroiled in a dangerous mystery after encountering a famous reclusive actor and his passionate son. Throw in a few murders and our heroine is out to determine the who and why. One of Ms Stewart's best novels, it is totally absorbing describing a country and lifestyle in such vivid detail, and impressing her characters with warmth, understanding and plenty of realism.

There are a lot of books on the market today that fall into the inspirational category. This one really lives up to the category because it is genuine. It is a real sharing of the things that make us human and its comforting to know that we are not alone in our struggles and our joys.

This book is truly a gift to all who need some time to stop and reflect for awhile. Through stories that make you want to laugh, and stories that bring you to tears, Mary enables the reader to see the humor, the irony and the sacred in everyday. A "must read" for parents and teachers and other "soul-journers."

it's an amazing book! I found myself laughing and crying throughout the whole book! lots of her experiences were my own, and her insight helped me see the humor and spirituality in everyday life!

My grandaughter loves your book and we would like to purchase more by Thomas Hood. Did he write anymore or is he about to??!!?? She's just two years old and is fascinated with all the little tricks and picture plays within the pictures. Please write more!! Deb Weber

Realistic, detailed pictures. Modern in the way of letting kids know they can be anything they want to be, and fun because it takes you many places, it's adventurous.

My 3 1/2 year old has loved this book since he was very little. The poem captivates his imagination and the pictures are wonderful to look at. He loves to show me which animal the boy is imagining and loves to find as many things from the poem in the picture on the last page. It's funny and sweet and kids discover new things every time they read it.

...The kids aren't always good.if you've ever read #59 you would know that.The girls do get bad hair days. The only reason the BSC is always thirteen is because people won't read the books if they were twenty or something.I have about 100 BSC books and I say they rule!

In Mary Anne and too many babies it shows the real life responsibility of being a parent just like Mary Anne and Logan and all the other babysitters had to do. It also shows that sometimes it is not possible to do everything at once, especially when you are looking after babies and small children at once. I think that the way all the babysitters handle the situation is something others should think about when in this position.

This is a good book. Not the best book out of The Babysitters Club Series but good. Ann M Martain is a brilliant autor. Her book are very entertaining for children aged 9 - 13 they ar e a must read

My daughter is now 24 and she still has her copy of Q is for Duck she has had since she was 2. She had the book memorized when she was 2 and we had to read book every day for as long as I remember. She kept her copy for her children. I now want all my grandchildren to enjoy this excellent book.

My one year old daughter absolutly loves this book! It's definatly her favorite. Because of this book, she learned the sounds to about 15 different animals. I would recommend this book to every one!!!

I did a story hour project for my Children's Literature class and this is one of the books I read to them. They really enjoyed it because it kept them guessing what the letters stood for. This book helps the child to expand their imagination because this book is not the usual alphabet books that says "A is for Apple". This book expands that horizon by incorporating the sounds the animals make. I would recommend this book to anyone.

I judge a good children's book, from the number of times my two-and-a-half year old daughter makes me read it to her. From a selection of 5-10 books borrowed from the library each month, the one that gets the most attention, are the ones worth writing a review about, but this one especially was a favorite! I must've read it about 40 times, and it she still asked "Read it again mommy"! The ending is really cute, the Barn Cat is enticed by many things throughout the story - crickets, butterflies, birds, etc.. - but she was not in the slightest bit interested in any of them... until... you'll have to read and see. Its a charming book, with a catchy rhyme and was definitely given the seal of approval.

Barn Cat is a well-illustrated book, which aims at teaching children to count. Throughout the book, Barn Cat is looking for something unknown to the reader. While the readers continue through the book to discover what item the cat is searching for, the cat sees one grasshopper, two crickets, and three butterflies, continuing until he sees ten sparrows. Being completely unaffected by most of the creatures with which he comes into contact, Barn Cat continues to sit at the red barn door until his owner pours his milk. In "On Some Burdens Carried by Pictures," David Topper states that well illustrated books are a source from which an array of information can be obtained in a clear and effective way. For him, a picture in a book is a "tour de force," meaning a strong convergence of emotional response and intellectual process by the reader. The exposure to pictures, which represent an important, specific object, will make the readers "catch," or in other words, learn, the idea. Barn Cat's illustrations employ this learning technique and help to teach the readers to learn to count. The readers of Barn Cat understand the printed word and see the visual images in the book, which aids in their understanding of counting and numbers. One technique used in Barn Cat, which helps readers to learn to count, is number recognition. Number recognition is emphasized with large, bold numerals appearing in black in the right hand corner of the pages. These numbers are not a part of the picture on the page, but instead are set aside, in order to be obvious to the readers. The viewers hear or read the word representing the number "seven," for example, then see the actual number on the same page. This ingrains the number into the readers' minds and associates the word with the visual image of the written number. This association is important for readers who are beginning to learn to the concept of numbers and counting. Topper emphasizes this importance when he says that the illustrations must be similar to the important issues expressed in the story. By this, he means that the illustrations must have an important purpose in the story. In Barn Cat, the purpose of the number illustrations is to help the readers learn to count. Another technique used in Barn Cat, which helps readers to learn to count, is the use of a specific number of objects on each page. The viewers read or hear the word representing the number "three," for example, then count the objects on the page from one to three. All of the objects are beautifully illustrated in colorful drawings, which help to capture in the readers' attention. For example, the readers count three golden butterflies that appear to be fluttering across the page. Now, the readers can associate the word "three" with the actual amount of objects on the page. Topper emphasizes the importance of this technique when he discusses that illustrations make the printed word concrete. This technique is especially useful to readers because they look through the cat's eyes into the cat's world and count the objects that the cat counts, which can draw the readers into the pages of the book. The readers have the feeling of looking through the cat's eyes because of the plot and illustrations of the book. The last technique used in Barn Cat to help readers learn to count is the use of the plot in the book. On each page, the narrator repeatedly asks, "Barn cat, what are you looking for?" The readers of the book make a journey with Barn Cat to discover the answer to this question. Throughout the search for what Barn Cat is looking for, the readers see the world and count the objects with the cat. For example, when the cat sees ten flying sparrows, his eyes are looking into the air. The readers follow the cat's gaze and are looking and counting with Barn Cat all ten sparrows in the air. Another example is when the cat sees "eight barking, leaping pups," he hisses. This makes the reader see the eight pups as frightening, like the cat sees them, rather than playful. The sequential order of numbers is also taught in this book through the plot. The question, "what are you looking for," which the narrator asks the cat, and indirectly the readers, makes the readers excitedly turn the pages to find the answer to the question with the cat. This emphasizes to the readers the sequential order of numbers from one to ten as the cat finds his milk. The viewers either read or hear the order of the numbers as they count the objects and see the numbers, both in word and numeral form, which reinforces the sequential order of the numbers. An example of this reinforcement is seen when the cat sees ten sparrows. The text reads, "A flock of sparrows-8, 9,10?" Each technique used in Barn Cat makes this a wonderful book for teaching the readers how to count. After reading this book, one should have knowledge and understanding about the numerals, amounts, words, and sequences associated with specific numbers, which are all necessary to know how to count.

What a wonderful book for your infant. Mary Azarian's illustrations are captivating for even the youngest reader. My son, who at 6 weeks barely sits through two pages of most books, is fascinated by the beautiful illustrations of butterflies, dragonflies, and sparrows (not to mention Barn cat himself). The story takes Barn cat on a hunt for something he is looking for and in the process introduces children to many different species of life in the country. Best of all, Saul goes beyond the typical cow, pig, and chicken and includes less popular but beautiful species that your child will love.

The reason why this book was like the best book Ive ever had is becauseit always got me thinking that one person did the basset hounds. Then I was thinking another person after that. What I liked about the book was that it complicated for me even though I'm the smartest person in my whole school.

THIS BOOK IS ABOUT LOSING 202 DOGS, ONE OF THEM IS CLUE MARY-KATE AND ASHILYS DOG.

I really liked this book, because the whole time, you were wondering what would happen next, what each clue meant, and when they would find another clue!

This is just a perfectly involving and cute holiday book for children but the illustrations appeal to all ages. And the price is right!

I love this picture book. My mother read it to me so many times (well over 20 years ago!) that I memorized the text! I loved cats as a child and was delighted with the story of Henry ("One smart cat") shushing along the snow on skis and poles he fashioned himself. The author tells the story so matter of factly that it seemed so real.

This is also a beautiful book to look at. The water color illustrations of the snowy landscapes are very well done. I remember this book fondly and look forward to sharing it with my own children.

A great story to read out loud!

Sorry to hear this is OOP. Another great read-aloud story. The adventures of Henry as he tries to make his way back home after being left-behind on the family vacation are both cute and funny at the same time. Anyone who loves cats will enjoy reading this book. This is definately one of our "family-favorites". If you can get your hands on a copy I would definately grab this one.