As a little girl I read this book when my dog was dying. It truly helped me deal with his death and realize that is okay to be sad. It is a wonderful tool to help children understand death a bit better. Few books since my childhood have made such an impression on me as this one, and it is the only book from my childhood I still keep on my shelf as a college student. In fact, my cat grew very sick of cancer and I read this book again to make myself feel better about the situation. And I have never forgotten to utter Hans Wilhelm's words into my pets' ears. And right before my cat died, I whispered "I will always love you" just as the little boy in the story did.

A boy and his chubby hound, Elfie are the closest friends. They share developmental milestones and secrets. The gentle illustrations show the bond between the two; in one picture, the boy, then barely more than an infant mounts a toilet seat while his dog tinkles on the floor. The parallel between the two and their developmental milestones from pup to dog and from toddler to older child are beautifully chronicled.

As Elfie ages, she is no longer able to romp and play. Her stiffened joints and fatigue are taxed on her advanced age. She is taken to a kindly vet, who says that he cannot treat her, but the best thing to do is make her happy and comfortable.

Elfie eventually dies and the boy sadly buries her after openly sharing his grief. He vows that he will tell every pet he owns that he will always love that animal.

A wonderful book of healing and bonding; truly the best book dealing with the death of a pet that I have come across. I think the message of telling a loved one, human or pet that you will always love them is a lesson worth learning.

Thank you, Mr. Wilhelm!

There are some books I think should be in every household, and if you have both children and pets, this is one of them. Dealing with the death of a beloved pet is difficult enough for anyone, let alone a child, but this book helps. In fact, I would recommend this book to adult pet owners as well. Nothing will stop the pain of the loss of course, but "I'll Always Love You" helps bring back the happiness and lets the healing begin. I have been a booster of this book for years and hope it NEVER goes out of print. Do yourself a favor and buy this warm story of Effie, "the best dog in the whole world" and her boy....

I only know the 2 characters by their German names: Petterson and Findus, and i find ALL of the books in this series to be a joy to listen to and to read. I wanted to offer my American nephew a copy and am completely shocked and dissappointed that you can no longer get a copy of these books...OR must pay $6o.oo and above for a used copy! ????

A farmer named Festus has a cat named Mercury, now "Mercury had a birthday 3 times a year because it was more fun that way".On every birthday he had a pancake pie, but
on one particular
birthday everything went wrong. . . no ingredients to make the pie, no way to get to the store, having to get past an angry bull etc. etc. A lot of laughs and some great pictures.

My son makes us read this book up to 3 or 4 times a day. The illustrations are brilliant. The first time my husband read it he laughed until he had tears in his eyes over the part where Farmer Hiram comes to visit Festus and the resulting misunderstanding as to exactly what Pancake Pie is! I had no idea Nordquist's books were so rare...It really is incredible and the attention to detail is painstaking. I can't believe such books are allowed to go out of print..Publishers should be ashamed. I wanted to buy more Nordquist for my son but this appears to be easier said than done.

All For The Best!: The Secret To Happiness is a picture book by Hans Wilhelm which is based upon a traditional Eastern folkstory. An old weaver stoically says that "It's all for the best" when one disaster after another befalls him - even when his grandson breaks his leg. Yet when the king's soldiers draft all able-bodied men in the town for war, his grandson is spared and the hidden bright side to seeming misfortune is revealed. A thoughtful tale and an important reminder to keep an upbeat outlook on life, All For The Best! would make an enduringly popular addition to any school and community library collection.

I am a Psychotherapist and work with adults, families and children. A large part of my practice is working with parents on parenting skills and helping parents encourage children to follow values that lead to happiness and fulfillment. I recently came across Hans Wilhelm's new book, All For the Best: The Secret to Happiness. This book teaches children to accept things "as the best" without reacting emotionally to what goes on and to maintain balance and stay focused on what they are doing -- primary values to happiness. The whimsical illustrations awaken the senses and highten the enjoyment. It's an excellent book to promote conversation with children on how to accept what comes, maintain balance and remain focused with the end result of happiness. As a therapist and grandparent, I recommend this book to any parent or grandparent to share with their children and grandchildren a message on how to be happy.

A really important message for children (and also for the rest of us), is not to get caught up in the fear or fuss in the minds of others but to keep our own balance, understanding that there is a perfection that exists behind appearances. This little book conveys that idea, as no other book for children does, to my knowledge. And this is particularly important today when fear has gotten so far out of control. I am planning to give copies of this book to the children in my family and in the families of my friends. Beautifully illustrated, simply told, the story will help them to establish a sense of tranquility and faith in the face of what appears to be terror and trauma.

Amazon says this book is currently not available -- track a copy down through your library or an out of print book service because this book is GREAT!

I wish I'd had this book back when my oldest kids were apprehensive about the first day of school! In Dinofours: It's Time for School, Steven Metzger, a preschool teacher as well as an author, offers first timers and their parents gentle reassurance about that momentous event. Albert, a four year old dinosaur who acts just like the four year old in my house, isn't quite sure he wants to go to school. 'Mommy, will you stay with me at school?' asked Albert. 'I'll stay for awhile,' said Albert's mother. 'And then, when you're ready, I'll leave.' 'I'll never be ready.' Once inside the classroom, Albert meets his teacher, Mrs. Dee, and his classmates, who could have been modeled on the kids in my son's class last year. There's the boy who never met a stranger, the girl who grabs all the cookies, the kids who love to giggle during storytime. The classroom is pretty much like what my son experienced: a sand table, a playdough table, a dress-up area, an art center, a reading nook, and lots of bright colors and age-appropriate toys. When Albert starts to cry because he misses his mom, Mrs. Dee asks for his help in comforting a sad little doll. Later, when Brendan bursts into tears, Albert uses the same technique to comfort his new friend. Hans Wilhelm's illustrations capture the personality of each Dinofour. In the beginning of the book, Albert clings to his mother's leg, while Brendan zooms around the room from activity to activity. After story time, when the Dinofours spot their parents and caregivers waiting at the door to take them home, each little face is lit with sheer joy!

I read this book to my shy, sensitive very young 3 year old before she started Pre-K 3. When the big day came she blew me a kiss and said " see-ya later mom". I recommended it to many other moms with children starting Pre-K 3 and it had the same effect. I have purchased all of the Dinofour books. They are her favorites. They all have an excellent message and lesson to share.

Originally, I bought this book because it looked cute. What I didn't realize was the depth of feeling it would convey to my pre-school son. He had just switched schools and was experiencing many of the thoughts and feelings expressed by Albert and Brendan.

Since that time, we have purchased four more Dinofours books and plan to get the whole series!

We bought this book when my youngest daughter was starting to read. Now, we have MEMORIZED it!! This is a superb choice.

We bought this book for my youngest daughter when she was just learning to read! She read it so often that now we have all memorised it! We will be riding in the car when someone starts by saying, "I Hate My Bow! By Hans Wilhelm. I hate my bow....." I highly recommend this book to all.

My five year old daughter just started to learn to read. She opened the book and read through most of it by herself! What words she did not know, she was able to guess. She was very excited to be able to read, and wanted to try to read other books. Excellent early reader book. Adorable story line.

My children love these books. I am a Pre-K teacher at a child care facility, Dinofours are a lifesaver. My class knows all the Dinosaurs names, they can relate to the topics, they have memorized almost all the ones that I have. Definitely at MUST HAVE!!!

my 6 year old says, "i liked the super duper after school cleanup crew. it is one of the best books. and i like danielle's teacher, mrs. dee."

This book was one of my daughter's favorites. We read it together every night before she started Pre-K 3. Being the busy mom with a full time demanding position I was late a couple of times picking her up at Pre-K. She is usually a very sensitive child and I thought she would be devastated. It did not phase her at all. Sometimes these situations can not be helped. This book helped prepare her for this situation.

Of all the stories my father read to me as a child, this was my favorite. Its endearing story of self-discovery is timeless, and not to mention quite humorous for a six year old boy. It reminds me of a time far less complicated and will thus always hold a special place of affection for me. This was the Catcher in the Rye of my Elementary years. I would highly recommend this to anyone with children looking for quite simply a flat out good story to read them that they will enjoy.

The Breman Town Musicians is a simple story that involves setting goals and team work. It has two things that children love, music and animals. What a combination!

As a 17 year childcare veteran, I highly recommmend this book. Kids today can use all the inspiration they can get. A great way to learn is to read. I read this book to my daughter when she was a child. Now I am getting a new copy for my grand daughter.

Anyone and everyone can enjoy this book or enjoy reading it to their children. When I was little, I read this book every day. This book is about an Easter Bunny who would rather play soccer then paint eggs. He lives in a colony of Easter Bunnies, who eventually get mad at him for playing so much soccer and won't let him play near them. When he goes to play soccer in a near-by field, he is captured and has to be rescued. He eventually comes up with a happy compromise and lives happily ever after.

What do you do with a bunny who causes trouble by playing soccer instead of helping to decorate those eggs? A cute book that finds a place for that bunny who just doesn't seem to fit in with the other egg painting bunnies.

Ullmann encyclopedia of IC is an excellent chemical guide for any person interested on chemical processes including pharmaceutical and food industries. The version we own is from year 1954 and is in german. Current edition is too expensive for any individual...I wonder how many libraries own a new edition. I am open to any further discussion about this collection...I am thinking on donate it...

I own the 2nd edition (from 1933) of this work, and I still use it almost weekly. I would love to buy the latest version, but cannot afford it.

If you were being bullied, how would you get it to stop? Find out how a little dinosaur learns how to get the bully to stop in Tyrone the Horrible by Hans Wilhelm. This book is about a tough bully picking on a little dinosaur who tries everything his friend's suggest to get the bully to quit.
Student from Grosse Pointe

I think that this book is really good. I like the caracter of Tyrone becuase he reminds me of myself. He is so mean to everyone around him. Especially when he is always mean to Boland the little dinosaur. He does everything mean to him that he can think of. Boland even tries to be nice to him and give him ice cream and other things. He also tries to be his frien and Tyrone is just a big bully. This book is very good. Especially the ending.

Josh V.

This book is terrific! With great pictures and humor it tells how Boland the dinosaur finally successfully handles the bullying Tyrone. This book steers clear of preachiness and sappiness and yet shows children that using your head (not your fists) is really the best way of dealing with bullies. Sometimes it is painfully honest in depicting what it is like to be bullied, but my son seemed to appreciate the realistic depiction. The ending is very funny and my son insists that I read it to him over and over again. I would highly recommend this book--especially to the parents of little boys!