Why do some of the best kid's books go out of print?

This precious story tells of the differences between families through the voice of a small boy--clearly an accepting and loving one.

"Staying at Sam's house," he opens, "is like visiting another planet. You wouldn't believe the things they do. First of all there's all the kissing. It starts as soon as you walk in the door....

"I've never seen so much kissing in one family, not even on holidays. In my family, hardly anyone kisses....

"If you're lucky, you can keep it down to a kiss a minute."

Some of the other familiarities at Sam's house, he says, wouldn't be seen "at our place in a million years!"

But the craziest thing is the fact that the kids all pile into their parents' bed--Sam, the baby, the cat--"even me."

When the boy invites Sam to his house next time, Sam replies: "Great. It's always fun at your house. Kind of like being on another planet."

Don't you love it? Alyssa A. Lappen

I first read this, or, rather, had it read to me when I was just three years old. That night was the first time I visited 'the Yammi of Yawn', but certainly not the last. Even now I sometimes visit his wonderful castle in my dreams. I still have my original copy of Wide-awake Jake, and would recommend it to anyone, but especially people with children who, like Jake, can't sleep

I thought the book was funny when the witch came and knocked on David's door and said, "I am an expert at testing muffins. The other funny part was when the witch went back to the tree and started to cry because David won't let her have some burnt muffins.

I would give this book six stars if I could. It is one of my favorite books of all time. More than any other book I have ever read I learned about the subject of the biography (Hogarth in this case) because of the beautiful way the author placed him in his time. By learning about Hogarth's world we can learn so much about the artistic fashions of his time and how that influenced the way he made his art. We also learn about the influence Hogarth's artistic genius had in re-shaping that world and the artists who followed him.

We learn about his family ties to the court and his failed ambitions there. But his ambitions for his art were even higher and there he succeeded to our great benefit. We also learn about his quirky personality, how his friends described him, and their wonderful stories of their life with him. Hogarth was as amazing a character as any he drew.

The book is also full of wonderfully reproduced art in black and white and a generous number of works are reproduced in color. Ms Uglow gives us in depth and wonderfully insightful instruction about all these works. It is a big book, but one I believe you will always treasure having read. It is brilliantly written. This book has a prominent place in my library and one I urge everyone to read. It is a treasure.

Jenny Uglow chose wisely when she decided to write her Hogarth biography as an old-fashioned life-and-times.

Hogarth recorded his life in his art rather than in literary documents, but fortunately for his biographers, his art everywhere displayed his attitudes to, and his interaction with, his times. It's not surprising, therefore, that Uglow's sub-title is "A Life and a World".

And she renders that world of eighteenth-century London superbly. Want to know about deism, the Bangorian Controversy, the culturr of procuresses and brothels, the attitudes to women? Go for it - it's all there. Or perhaps you've forgotten what little you knew about the political system of the times, its aesthetic theories, the influence of The Spectator, or the impact of the opera on cultural life? Good - that's also there.

Not only is it there but it is also insinuated so smoothly into the biographical narrative that you're scarcely aware you're being instructed. Moreover, if the reviews I've read are representative, you may also be unaware that some of this instruction is couched in ravishingly beautiful prose. Re-read the sections on Gay's "The Beggar's Opera", Walpole's reputation and the culture of refinement and politeness, for example. Are you not in the hands of a writer who has the rhythms of classic English prose throbbing through her veins? Not convinced? Read it aloud.

At his best, Hogarth was a portraitist of genius. At her best, so is Jenny Uglow. Gaze upon her brilliant joint portrait of Hogarth and Fielding in Chapter 9, but be sure to gaze in awe.

And the mention of Henry Fielding is a reminder that Uglow has already written a study of him, as well as biographies of Elizabeth Gaskell and George Eliot. Presumably, she has been steeped in the culture of English literature. And it shows. Her analyses of Hogarth's works are infused with that attention to detailed perception and critical interpretation that dominated academic "close reading" literary criticism decades ago. They draw attention to details you've never noticed before and fill in historical and biographical background you've never been privy to.

This biography is a wonderful read for anyone interested in Hogarth the artist, or for anyone fascinated by Hogarth, the tough-minded, opportunistic, satirical subversive. William Hazlitt captured the essence of the artist in eight words when he said Hogarth was "carried away by a passion for the ridiculous" - a point well supported by the dozens of reproductions threaded through the text. Jenny Uglow boils down the essence of the man when she says that obedience and submissiveness were never his virtues, a point supported by the sharply written anecdotes that pepper the narrative.

She needs more space to capture the spirit of the times, but capture it she does in the many passages of historical background and the pen portraits of London. (Don't miss the street walk at the beginning of Chapter 15.)

After spending 20 hours or so in Jenny Uglow's model of Hogarth's world, you may, like me, be reluctant to the real one...of cooking and cleaning and...oh, no! ...I can't stand it: I'm going back to Southwark Fair and the Harlot's Progress and, yes, even to Satan, Sin and Death!

Packed with facts and figures, this book is an interesting insight into the life and times of an early 18th century London artist and philanthropist.

My mum used to read this book to my brother and I when we were kids and I remember it being a firm favourite of his. This version has different illustrations to those in the one that we used to have but my own 3yo daughter (a lion lover) is as entranced with the story as my brother used to be. I think the new illustrations are great too and has a lovely message about the power of imagination. As for the "jarringly British dialogue", this book is actually from New Zealand not UK. However, I do agree that the text is a bit funny at times but it doesn't seem to bother my daughter at all (who can recite most of the dialogue off by heart after numerous readings of this book).

This book is a frequently-requested bedtime read for my 2-year old. The illustrations have a lot going on so there is great opportunity for pointing out hens, trees, the teddy bear looking out the window, etc. The story is simply told yet imaginative.

A wonderful story for children of all ages, it encourages the imagination, while displaying wonderful pictures, supported by clear text. As an adult reading it to their child, it brings out the child in you and in doing so brings you closer to your child. My son and I found it very interactive, we added much of our own storylines and enjoyed reading it ever night.

I sat down with The Jenny Muck and (...) was able to put it down. Flowery language. Boring self-indulgent text. Gloating syntax. Dribble drabble.

I clearly identified with the main character Mary, however I also found that I was completely captivated by the Hutterite girl and her relationship with Mary. The story took me back in years to a time when travelling along the Trans Canada highway heading home was a very real situation in the late sixties early seventies, as so many of us have living here in Canada.
It was wonderful to read about a woman searching for herself, and who managed to find a way to be real. The author showed such clarity and soundness in his writing from a woman's perspective,with candor and wonder all rolled together. Thoroughly an enjoyable read!... highly recommended to my
friends and colleagues.
Thank you Wm. Anthony Connolly.

Thank you Anthony Connolly.

Wm Anthony Connolly's "The Jenny Muck" is a thoughtful, adept journey of a woman in mid-life coming to terms with her history. The main character, Mary, takes the reader through all her trials and adventures with warmth and wonder. The book deals with situations everyone can relate to in some way, and the writer accomplishes much in giving the reader little reminders of how precious and pertinent all life experiences are, even the bad ones.

We don't need to see the Little Mermaid's nipples.
(I can never understand why the people who cry out that the nudity is "JUST art!" don't notice that it is never underdressed males, but little girls that we have to look at.)

Amazon.com rates this book for ages 4 - 8, but the text is difficult and violent, and the admittedly lovely art is appropriate for graphic novels in the _Sandman_ vein, not for kids.

Yes, it is a lovely story, yes, it was dark to begin with, and no it is not a children's book.

Good translation, pretty (aside from the gratuitousness) illustrations earn 2 stars.

Sulamith Wulfing's art is gorgeous! Unfortunately, most of the reviews I see here are NOT for her book! They are reviews of the version Rachel Isadora illustrated (see the "nipples" and violence comments); or even for Disney's Little Golden Book adapted from the cartoon. I don't understand why reviews for other versions are displayed here; it's very misleading! If you like Sulamith Wulfing's art, you'll probably like this book.

The Little Mermaid. Illustrated by Sulamith Wulfing; text by Hans Christian Andersen. Translated from the German by Petra Michel.

Sulamith Wulfing is a fantastic artist whose work has been sold as books of plates, calendars, and even decks of cards. This book is special because it is one of the few times that her works illustrate a story. Each page has black and white line drawings and there are ten full page color plates. The color plates are the type of work for which the artist is most known and the ten in this book have been reprinted in her calendars and other collected works. The color is vibrant and the themes of each are sublime. The cover illustration is also the last illustration in the text and shows the mermaid transformed into The Immortal Soul.

An epilog called "The Sacrifice" written by the artist's son, Otto Schulze, states that a new translation of Andersen's story was used and that "parts of the story have been summarized." While staying true to Andersen's original plot, incidents and characters have been left out and parts of the story have been changed. These changes raise the story above being a children's fairy tale and highlight its allegorical theme about the role of love in the quest for immortality. The modified text and the mystical art go together excellently to make this the best rendering of this story I have ever seen. Originally published in German in 1953, this work is as vibrant today as when it was first conceived 50 years ago.

At the end of the book is a brief one page biography of the author with an early photograph of her and a self portrait painted in 1953.

This book is good for people just starting out on studying mythology. It was a little simplistic but easy to follow, some books on mythology can getting confusing if you aren't good at remembering who is who but this one was easy to keep track with.

My young daughter has gotten into mythology and ancient religion and this is one of the few books I've found geared towards the young reader. It contains a lot of good beginner information about the Gods/Goddesses of Egypt. I highly recommend this book for the Level 2 reader.

This is a good book for a starter. If you are just getting into liking ancient Egypt this is a book for you.It tells of the gods and what they did and other cool things about them. Hey, I don't wanna tell ya the whole shebang about 'cause I think you should read it for yourself. I f you are just entering the knowledge of the Ancient Egyptians you should learn of their religion and of their gods and way of life. I'm tellin ya this is a good book and it is just the thing you need to start to learn about Ancient Egypt. Sincerely Mike Gratto.

In many Native American groups, animals are personified in traditional tales, often playing consistant roles which reflect that animal's characteristics. Coyote is most often seen as a trickster who makes a fool of himself so that child listeners may learn the lesson. This book contains an introduction and six coyote tales. The illustrations are black pen and the stories retain an authentic tone. The text is perfect for second graders and would be a great series of school skits, with dialog and narration already in the text. Although this simple book does not use colored illustrations or a rewritten literary text, it does a great job of focusing on the cultural integrity of the stories and delivering them to an audience of 4-8 year olds.