I chose the book because our family had stayed at a lighthouse in a big storm a couple of years ago. The wind was howling and the rain was coming down and it was very frightening to my kids.

So, when I saw this book, I thought wow - this could be good.

My daughter and I read this book together. I liked the story and the struggle that this young woman went through. The pictures were great!

Later in the week I saw her play on the play structure pretending it was a lighthouse. Obviously it touched her imagination - the mark of a good book.

As a professor of Creative Drama and Children's Theatre at the University of New Mexico, I am always looking for books that students in our children's classes will enjoy acting out. ABBIE AGAINST THE STORM is a rich and exciting source of dramatic action and historical fact as well as being a lively and moving reading experience. Abbie is a magnificently brave teen-age girl who struggles against her own fear and self-doubt as well as struggling with the raging forces of nature. Vaughan paints wonderful word pictures with sound and visual imagery. Her use of words suggest how spoken language may have sounded in the mid-nineteenth century. Bill Farnsworth's gorgeous illustrations are equally dramatic and embody the strong spirit of Abby, the wildness of the sea, and the individuality of each character. This is a wonderful book for young readers. It will introduce them to a different era through the eyes of a woman who lived over a century ago. The epilogue that gives historical facts about the real Abby is an excellent addition to the story and makes it resonate with even more meaning.

Abbie is a young girl who actually lived in another century. Her lighthouse did not have electricity but only whaleoil lamps. This made her job of polishing mirrors so important. The book describes the storm so well that you can almost hear the wind howling. Her courage in fighting against the storm and saving her family and her chickens are things that my grandson will relate to. The pictures make even an old person love Abbie Burgess because they illustrate her bravery.

Kissing Coyotes by Marcia Vaughan is a whimsical picture book about a big-mouthed rabbit who has to keep a dare to kiss coyotes. His escapade across the desert is filled with perilous adventure in a delightful and original tale which is whimsically illustrated by Kenneth J. Spengler in a full color "cartoony" style ideally suited for young readers.

Kissing Coyotes is the type of book that my grown sons would have loved as young readers. In your face illustrations full of action and color and a chase that will leave your little ones on the edge of their seats. Nice lesson about the consequences of being boastful all wrapped up in a delightful story, action prose and full page graphics. Another winner offered to us by Rising Moon Publishing.

I saw this book in a gift shop and just laughed and laughed! The words are so fun to say and the story is so lively and cute, this is a great book to read aloud to kids. The author made good use of alliteration, internal rhyme, and best of all--silly wild west words. It's a tall tale about a bragging jackrabbit and all the critters of the desert.

Don't buy it used!... Buy it NEW because you're going to read this book over and over.

Set in the years before the Civil War is this story of Lucy and her brother, whose parents have been sold as slaves. It's up to the siblings to help slaves escape to freedom using a 'quilt code' by the Underground Railroad: when he brother escapes as well, Lucy wonders if their family will ever unite. Good reading skills will lend to an appreciation of this pre-war saga.

Snap! by Marcia K. Vaughan is an engaging tale of what happens to baby Joey when he decides to go play while Mama Roo takes a nap. He meets lots of Australian animal friends and learns lots of new games, but Joey has to think of a game to save the day after Sly-tooth the crocodile invites the friends to play Snap! We used this book to study Australia during the Sydney Olympic Games and had loads of fun!

My five year old brought this delightful, rhythmic Caribbean folk tale home from the kindergarten library, and we spent several hours reading and rereading, singing, and talking about life in the tropics. The colorful watercolor illustrations of the exotic animals and the warm sun soaked environment of island life entranced both my children. The book's theme points out the critical need for caring and sharing, a concept that my five year old readily understood and patiently explained to her younger sister.

Immediately, after my children and I ended our first "reading" of this wonderful work, I set about finding other books by this author. As an English professor, I would not hesitate to recommend this charming book to any of my students for use in their own classrooms, especially if they want to emphasize cultural diversity. I also found it an easy and natural task to teach literary devices like repetition, onomatopoeia, and imagery. Bring in some sliced mangoes, a few stuffed animals, some cassette tapes of island music, and this book introduces kindergarten or first grade students to "Life in the Caribbean" with terrific ease!

This book is splendid. It makes you sing--literally (the tune is in the back of the book). A wombat is caught by a dingo and about to be made into wombat stew. Various Australian animals (emu, echidna, koala, etc.) come forth to suggest "improvements" on the stew. After each suggestion the dingo sings the very catchy "Wombat Stew" song. The illustrations are marvelous, and the ending is a hoot. If you love "Koala Lou" and "Possum Magic" by Mem Fox, you will certainly love this book. And because it is less esoteric and easier to understand than either of those books, it will appeal to toddlers as well as schoolchildren. It breaks my heart that it's currently out of print. Bring it back!

I love this silly book! It's Eewie Gooey Yummie Chewy! I just wish I could have a copy of my own....:(

You don't have to put on a goofy Australian accent to read this story in which a platypus and his animal friends outwit Dingo and save a hapless wombat from the bubbling billycan... but your kids will laugh even harder if you do!

We read this first when my son was 18 months old; ten years later, it still finds its way out of the bookshelf once in a while. How can such a classic be out of print?

I don't think it is the best Chinese New Year book on the market, but I can't wait to see the looks on my kindergartner's faces when I pull open the book to show them the Chinese dragon!

I have read this book to my daughter's nursery school class (of 2 - 6 year olds) for the last two Chinese New Year's. It is an accordian style book so you need to practice holding/reading it but quite worthwhile. The children were all interested in watching the dragon unfold and there is a good rhythm to the words. Nice preparation especially if they will have a parade of their own later. It does not make any pretense of explaining Chinese New Year. You would need look at additional books for that or the (animal) horoscopes.

Marcia Vaughan is one of our favorite children's writers, and here she has written a pleasant folk-tale about how a slow, but crafty, sloth avoids becoming crocodile lunch. Unfortunately the illustrations are are overly busy and a bit too cute, and do not bring out the simple strengths of the story...

I read this book and I was happy because I never see any stories about skateboarding and it is very fun to read.