For those who love San Francisco, and the big classic hotels like the St. Francis, this story also appeals to kids who like dogs! Illustrations are wonderful and colorful.

Kids love repetition, but after reading most children's books to my toddler, I am heartily sick of them. Not this one. It has a gentle but engaging plot and rhythmic phrases that your child will quickly remember and repeat along with you. The dialogue is fun and the characters memorable. My daughter now ranks "Nell Nugget" and "Nasty Galoot" right up there with "Madeline" in terms of favorite characters, and I think the books are on the same reading level. The age guideline is a little high -- my daughter is two and has no problem following the story and doesn't get antsy before the ending. This is one book you won't moan over when your child brings it to you for reading -- again and again!

I do not think of sheep as being particulary creepy, but that is just one of the charms of "Six Creepy Sheep," in which the six previously sleepy sheep are awake enough to decide to go trick or treating on a spooky Halloween night. John O'Brien was always one of my favorite contributors to "The New Yorker" and it is delightful to see him going all out in these illustrations as the six creepy sheep go a-haunting. But as they venture into the woods they meet a passel of pirates, a gaggle of goblins, and more, with each encounter sending one of the sheep scuryying away. Judith Ross Enderle and Stephanie Gordon Tessler come up with some tongue twisting prose for this cute little counting book, but it is O'Brien's detailed pen-and-ink illustrations that make this a winner for me.

I originally bought this book for my five yr. old but my one yr. old quickly made it his own. The dry humor and brevity of this book make it an extremely enjoyable read for kids. I'm just glad I can re-order one since our current copy is in shreds from so much use. What a great book!