I love this book - it holds a special place in my heart. I used this book to lull my new baby to sleep for the first time in his crib. First, I read the story so he could hear all the words. Then, I sang the story to him. In the back of the book the words are repeated with music. After I sang all verses of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star ... he fell asleep. Just a beautiful book all around.

This is a beautifully illustrated story complete with gold highlights and lots of vibrant colors. It is set to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." Iza adds verses to make it a wonderful story: A little girl sits at her bedroom window and gazes out at the first star she sees and says "...How I wish that I could fly, And visit you up in the sky. I wish I may I wish I might, Have the wish I wish tonight." The star appears at her window and says "...I'll take you on a magic ride. So come with me--I'll be your guide..." I won't share the whole journey but it is definitely magical!

On the last page of the book it includes the verses and music notes to the song. (But I doubt you'll need it; most of us have this song memorized!) Sometimes I sing the story other times I don't; it reads like a poem so you don't need to sing it unless you want to.

I will probably end up with all of Iza's books to read/sing to my daughter. I love them as much as she does! I highly recommend this book as well as "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider." (The only two I own at this point.) You won't be disappointed with Iza!

Thanks Iza!

I received this book when my daughter was 3 months old. After having it only a few weeks, I ordered "I'm a Little Tea Pot" and " The Itsy Bitsy Spider". All of Iza Trapani's books have wonderful illustrations that children enjoy (even 3 month olds!). What I enjoy the most are the extra verses Iza creates for each book. I sang these books to my daughter countless times. Now she is 2 years old and still loves the books. These books have helped me sing her to sleep almost everyday because she can imagine the pictures as I sing and soon she is off to dream land. A steal at this price for both books! These are also great baby gifts!! I would have given more than 5 stars if I could have. Hooray, Iza!!!! (Getting ready to order "Row Row Row Your Boat" and "Shoo Fly"!)

Iza Trapani remains to be one of my favorite authors and illustrators! She is very talented and knows how to capture children's attention through story and song. My girls own every book she has written and they all remain their favorites as well. I would highly recommend these books to parents of young children. My girls have owned these books since they were very young and still enjoy them as they age. I plan on putting these up for my grandchildren.

...The book has the thick, laminated pages - the kind not easily bent or torn. It has held up well through many, many readings. The book is wonderfully written and illustrated with sing-song verses and questions for little ones...to answer. It's an interactive book...It'll be a favorite... for years to come.

I'M A LITTLE TEAPOT is delightful--another winner by the great Iza Trapani!

Here are the adventures that the children (brother and sister) share with the Little Teapot: 1) flying a dragon kite as they row their boat to China; 2) the kids keep score as the little matadour teapot fights the bull in Mexico; 3) the little teapot is a spaceship and takes the kids to another planet and they are astronauts and meet an alien "eye to eye"; 4) the little teapot takes them to the opera and she plays in the orchestra while the kids are the opera singers; 5) the kids are pirates and the little teapot is the sailing ship on a windy day; 6) the kids and the little teapot go horsebackriding together all on one horse, with lots of hound dogs on a fox hunt; 7) and the final adventure is a game of hide-and-go-seek in the jungle! 8) The ending with a big tea party is perfect!

What I love best about this book, besides Iza's consistently amazing illustrations, are the adventures! I'M A LITTLE TEAPOT ENCOURAGES YOUR CHILD'S CREATIVITY AND IMAGINATION and even better still, it ENCOURAGES YOUR CHILD to be like the Little Teapot and SHARE/EXPRESS HIS/HER DREAMS! In my opinion, what makes a book great is if it can succeed in teaching a lesson while being fun at the same time! This book does just that! It doesn't get any better than this-- I highly recommend! You will not be disappointed!

SHARE YOUR DREAMS!

I am a mother of 2 little girls and have a teaching degree. I love this book as much as my daughters do. We read "My Jack" at least 4 times a week and we have a lot of books to choose from. Iza Tranpani is our favorite author and illustrator. I have ordered the rest of Iza Trapani's books that we don't have, because they make Christmas gifts, gifts that last a lifetime. The rest of her books are just as good.

Iza Trapani just keeps getting better with each book. The first time I read My Jack I fell in love with it and so did my children. The text and illustrations are brillant. Trapani is one of my favorite children's authors.

Trapani incorporates wonderful pictures in with her text. This is a picture story book lover's dream, especially if you are a dog lover. I read this book to my daughter several times, and she loves it. It is one of her all time favorites. She repeats the words in the book and adds her own dogs name in the place of Jack's. It is a wonderful story about the friendship between a child and her pet, and I guarantee it will touch your heart.

Froggie Went A-courtin' is a thoroughly delightful and highly recommended children's picture book by Iza Trapani and based on the traditional, merry song of the same name. Warm and jubilant color illustrations by Trapani bring to life this simple and enjoyable tale about a frog searching for someone to be his wife, until a lady frog comes to him. The final page presents a simple, sheet music rendition of the popular ditty for budding musicians.

Move over Rhett Butler, step aside Romeo, there's a new heartthrob out and about - Froggie, Iza Trapani's adorable lovesick frog is on the prowl. As the Bard put it, the course of true love never runs smooth - surely apt in Froggie's case. Nonetheless, he has gumption and, as nother said, hope springs eternal!

Trapani sets her search for the perfect mate to song, sure to appeal to young ones, ages 2-7. Her endearing and mirthful illustrations make this a romance story to remember.

Remember, you may have to kiss a frog to find a prince but you just have to read this book for loads of enjoyment.

- Gail Cooke

We checked this book out from our Library and my 16 mo. old daughter loves it so much. Since we could only renew this book twice I had to buy our own copy. She loves to point out the fact that the dog is juggling in one picture. And she is so sad when the little boy discovers that the doggie is gone ("Some people stopped by and bought that dog for there very special young son. They wanted to thank him for all the nice things he had done.") but is elated when we turn the page and discover that the doggie is now his ("Oh what a surprise I never figured that lucking young boy would be me!")

I am a Pre-K director and buy many children's books. This was terrific! The first few times I sang it to my students, and after hearing it several times, they enjoyed singing it with me. I had no idea a book could be so much fun! I came on line to find other books by this author and I will most certainly buy the others for our nursery school library.

Absolutely wonderful book! Perfect for children! I am currently in the field of early childhood education and my children loved it! You can use this as a sing-along story. Wonderfully age appropriate for preschoolers. GREAT book!

Bought this book when my first born was about 1 1/2 years old. Until then she would not sit and listen to stories. She (and I) fell in love with "Oh Where Oh Where...". She is now five and still will pull it off the bookshelf often. Now her two younger siblings are joining the fun of singing the story. We have a whole collection of Iza Trapani books but this is still our favorite.

A wonderful book that will capture the imagination of messy children everywhere. This is an appealing story of an independent little girl whose messy habits cause problems with her Mother. Tracy's character comes alive through the author's delightful rhymes. The colorful illustrations engage young readers in the storey. This book is a greeat favorite of my own children. The only drawback is that they demand that it be read again and again. Your children will be delighted with Tracy's story.

Tracy'sMess is a funny true to life book. Tracy attempts to clean her room, by cramming all her toys under her bed. The story is told in rhyme , which makes it enjoyable for the very young reader. And with it's colorful illustrations, and funny dialogue, older children will be sure to enjoy it. My child loved looking for the mouse on each page! I'm sure all children will identify with the main character.

Baa, Baa Black sheep have you any wool? So goes the age old rhymn.But did you know it had verses about dogs, pigs cats and even a horse. Everyone is knocking on black sheeps door but all sheep wants to do is knit, knit, knit. The other animals feel black sheep is not being a good friend and neighbor but are they all too quick to judge their woolly pal? Children and adults alike will smile when they see what black sheep has been up to.THIS is my favorite of Iza Trapani's books. A must have!

As an Early Childhood Education major at Clemson University, I was given the task to review this book for my Children's Literature class. This picture book, written and illustrated by Iza Trapani, is a playful account of a song that everyone is familiar with, Shoo Fly. By the use of many characteristics such as language, illustrations, and overall appeal to young readers, Trapani has written a book that is very marketable for success. First of all, the language in Shoo Fly! is developed throughout the book as being like that of a "sing song" tone. The words are simple and can be easily comprehended. They also flow together being that they are written in a form of meter. An example of this is, "I think the coast is clear - no more buzzing in my ear." It is very important for a young reader to be able to easily grasp what is being presented in any book. North quotes Dorothy Butler in her article as saying, "If children are to love poetry later, they need to discover early the satisfaction, which comes from experiencing form in language." This holds true with Trapani's work because she captures the attention of the readers with her use of fluid language and the form in which she writes. Another facet of the book that allows for comprehension and peaked interest is the illustrations. Trapani uses very vivid colors to depict background scenes where the main character, a mouse, is bothered by a pesky fly that is plaguing him. The images have very soft color schemes and are rounded. These round images allow the reader to have a better grasp of the playful tone of the book. North states in her article that it has been proven that children who are introduced to books in their preschool years, the assumed audience for Shoo Fly!, have a greater advantage than those children who do not have such a literary background. In order to capture the attention of an age group such as that a book must be pleasing and of interest. Trapani succeeds in this manner with the way in which she presents her work. Most importantly, Shoo Fly! does indeed appeal to young readers. This book was taken to a community center and read to children of a preschool age. They enjoyed it and seemed to comprehend what was being said. As North cited, children need to be introduced to these literary works at a young age so that they can further their intellectual base as they get older. Books such as Trapani's help in this quest because in order to introduce the literature to children, such as preschoolers, you must first capture their attention. Through language, illustrations, and overall appeal, Iza Trapani has written a very successful book. She has picked out what appeals to children and elaborated on those areas throughout her work. Attention can be easily given to book that provides humor and effect to adults, but many things have to go into the process of gaining the interest of a child. Shoo Fly! Exemplifies Sue North's principles of introducing books at an early age will benefit the children later.

This book is a wonderful addition to any home library, if you can get it onto a bookshelf that is. I am the mother of three girls, a 5 year old and 3 year old twins. My girls love all of Iza's books, but this has remained a "the faviorite" by them all. They sleep with her books, we have two copies of Itsy Bitsy Spider, one being the paperback now covered in packing tape to help preserve it and the new edition the board book in hopes of a lasting bedtime cuddle mate. If you can get your hands on the author reading her books on audio I suggest it greatly. No matter how well you read the audio cassette is still better. Good Luck getting your child to put this one down! (not that we would want that.)

This is a "keeper" and one book that will be read many times to young children. The children may have learned the first verse but will delight in the additional verses that take Itsy Bitsy to several locations in her new adventurous travels. The illustrations in this book are eye catching and amusing with vivid colors and action packed animation. Music is included on the last page with all the verses. A treasure!

We bought this book for our son Frederick, for his first birthday, figuring it may sit for a while before he could get "into it". Well, we were wrong! He has loved that book from day one, and now, at fifteen months, he demands that we read it to him, sometimes over and over again! We keep it on a shelf that he can't reach, because it is not printed on the cardboard pages like other toddler books. He loves to be read to, but when he walks to the shelf and points his little finger way above his head, we know it either "Itsy Bitsy Spider" or "I'm a Little Teapot", and that's it! Thanks Ms. Trapini for the wonderful book!