Pigeon Has Feelings, Too!, The

Book Description

A Smidgeon of Pigeon by Mo Willems How does it feel to be a Pigeon? Well, the bus driver is trying to get him to act happy, but as we all know, this is one bird that is not going to be told what to do! Throughout this hilarious board book, Pigeon runs through his signature gamut of emotions while attempting to thwart his old nemesis.

Customer Reviews:

Great book!.......2007-05-15

I'm a teacher and I read the book "Don't let the pigeon ride the bus" and I Loved it. This one is not as good as that one but it is rather cute.

goofy book with rudimentary pictures.......2007-04-11

Not good for babies...this book has bland colors, boring background and the sarcasm doesn't really fit in a kid's book.

pigeon is at it again..........2007-01-10

my students didn't enjoy this story as much as the others that we've read but it is definately on their top 10 list of books to have me read to them. the simple fact that we have just about all of the pigeon books speaks volumes for mo willems ability to capture a first graders attention!

Great books for children of all ages and grown men who love sarcasm.......2007-01-10

My children love this book and all the books by Mo Willems. Buy it and you will not be sorry. My four year old knows all of Willems books by heart now and he received them for Christmas.

Humorous/Instructional story for social/emotional development.......2006-11-10

Children remember humorous stories best. The pigeon books I have purchased and read are great stories for reading aloud and for beginning readers. Humorous stories foster a love of reading, the most important tool for learning success.

Average customer rating:

Don't let thePigeon Stay Up Late
I love these books!
Cute idea but kids aren't interested.
as good as the others
another pigeon hit

Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!

Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0786837462
Release Date: 2006-02-28

Book Description

It's getting dark out, but one stubborn Pigeon is NOT going to bed! Toddlers and parents will love this interactive bedtime romp which puts readers back in the driver's seat, deflecting Pigeon's sly trickery as he tries to escape his inevitable bedtime. Will you let him stay up late?

Customer Reviews:

Don't let thePigeon Stay Up Late.......2007-10-17

My kids love this series of books and the newest edition did not disappoint them.

I love these books!.......2007-10-01

Mo Willems' Pigeon books are a great collection of books. The text is succinct; great for the younger crowd. The illustrations are simple. And the pigeon character will charm you. Love it!

Cute idea but kids aren't interested........2007-09-29

I think the humor is above the level that the book targets. It ready funny for an adult but my daughters don't like it much.

as good as the others.......2007-09-27

One of my children's favorite books is "Don't let the pigeon drive the bus" so I was hoping that this would stand up to the same humor, and we were not disappointed. My kids (6&3) laughed at all his excuses. And now some nights when they keep thinking of things they need to keep them from going to bed...I can just say "goodnight Pigeon" and they laugh and head to bed.

A great book for anyone with children who think up 999 ways to stay up late!

another pigeon hit.......2007-09-21

My son loves the pigeon books. I don't know why, but he is under 2 and quickly memorizes them. Having loved Bus and Hot Dog, Don't let the pigeon stay up late follows as another success. Every parent of kids two and under should purchase these pigeon books.

Average customer rating:

Great book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A lovely book!
YIKES! SCARRY!
a childhood favorite passed down
Still has the same magic

Are You My Mother?
P.D. Eastman
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0394800184
Release Date: 1960-06-12

Amazon.com

This is the classic from which many of our staff first learned to read, starting us on a path of unremitting bibliophilia. Are You My Mother? follows a confused baby bird who's been denied the experience of imprinting as he asks cows, planes, and steam shovels the Big Question. In the end he is happily reunited with his maternal parent in a glorious moment of recognition.

Book Description

Illus. in color. A baby bird is hatched while his mother is away. Fallen from his nest, he sets out to look for her and asks everyone he meets -- including a dog, a cow, and a plane -- "Are you my mother?"

Customer Reviews:

Great book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2007-08-11

My mom got me this book when i was only a few months old. It is a great book. Since i am older i don't read it as much but i didn't forget about it yet! It has a baby bird who falls out of its nest and goes out looking for its mother and it asks so many animals and it finally finds her.The illustrations are great. I would recommend it to any beginner.

A lovely book!.......2007-07-18

This book could not be sweeter! My 5 yo adores this book. It shows the bond and love a Mother and child have from day one.

YIKES! SCARRY!.......2007-07-17

Not a good book for kids. Being lost and alone, searching for your mother or anyone that looks like you will not only frighten your child but also teach them that they must find someone that looks like them to feel safe and accepted. This book is dated and not child appropriate. :-(

a childhood favorite passed down.......2007-05-15

I am just thrilled to see that this classic is still going strong. I remember this from the early 70s as I was a young girl and my father read this to me daily. And now, I had the priviledge of introducing the book to my daughter about a year ago. It became an instant favorite since it involves all the favorite characters of a toddler's life: conversations with a dog, cow, chicken, cat etc. Parents that enjoy getting creative when reading to their children will love this book!

Still has the same magic.......2007-05-08

I just finished reading "Are you my Mother?" with my daughter, having not heard it since I was a child. This book still posesses the same magic it did for me all those years ago.
Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

happy birthday to you!
SEPT.6TH ! The best day FOR IN LIFE...OUR FIX.
A year-round favorite
Perfect gift for my twin grandsons' birthday
Happy Birthday to You

Happy Birthday to You! (Classic Seuss)
Dr. Seuss
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0394800761
Release Date: 1959-08-12

Book Description

Illus. in color. "The Great Birthday Bird guides us on a birthday trip. The multicolored excursion is a festive one."--School Library Journal.

Customer Reviews:

happy birthday to you!.......2007-09-24

My students loved this story. I keep it is a basket on the floor and the are constantly picking it up. Would recommend it to anyone.

SEPT.6TH ! The best day FOR IN LIFE...OUR FIX........2007-09-10

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU~~~~~~~~~HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
HAPPY BIIIIIIIIRTTTH DAY AHAYAA MISTOUR BLACKSHEREEEEEEEEEEEE
HAP-HAP-HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!

Happy Birthday Chris,from(and I think I'm not alone) everyone!!!
your a great person and friend!
OH! this book is great also!

A year-round favorite.......2007-07-30

We read this on birthdays and plenty of other times too! Sweet but not too much so, and funny turns of phrase.

Perfect gift for my twin grandsons' birthday.......2007-06-12

Every child should have this book....my daughter uses books for decorating and these are sure to be read and visible every year.

Cha-Cha from North Branford, CT

Happy Birthday to You.......2007-05-30

This is a delightful book for those having a birthday regardless of the age.

Average customer rating:

This was a very funny book!
Hot Diggety Dog - your kids will love this!
Not as good as the "Bus" or "Stay up Late" books
love it love it love it
A Morsel of Gem

Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!, The

Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0786818697
Release Date: 2004-04-19

Amazon.com

Sesame Street veteran and Emmy Award-winner Mo Willems returns with a fast, funny follow-up to Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!--only this time, the short-tempered pigeon faces his perfect foil in a "special guest star" duckling. In the previous Pigeon book, author and illustrator Willems expertly distilled the escalating emotions of preschoolers all too anxious to get their way. The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog--also a simple and sparsely illustrated story--explores the flip side of that coin, exposing the poker-face persuasive powers of young negotiators. The pigeon just wants to greedily eat the hot dog that he's found: "Oooooh! A hot dog! Yummy! Yummy! Yummy!" Then along comes the duckling, "scooty scoot scoot!" with his insistent questions about hot dogs: "What do they taste like?...Would you say that it tastes like chicken?...Hey, I'm a curious bird." At first, the pigeon entertains the duckling, "Each morsel is a joy! A celebration in a bun!", but then he soon suspects the little bird might have designs on his delicious dog. In the end, of course, the clever duckling gets his way--and half of the hot dog: "You know, you're pretty smart for a duckling." (Ages Baby to Preschool) --Paul Hughes

Book Description

Sesame Street veteran and Emmy Award-winner Mo Willems returns with a fast, funny follow-up to Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!--only this time, the short-tempered pigeon faces his perfect foil in a "special guest star" duckling.In the previous Pigeon book, author and illustrator Willems expertly distilled the escalating emotions of preschoolers all too anxious to get their way. The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog--also a simple and sparsely illustrated story--explores the flip side of that coin, exposing the poker-face persuasive powers of young negotiators. The pigeon just wants to greedily eat the hot dog that he's found: "Oooooh! A hot dog! Yummy! Yummy! Yummy!" Then along comes the duckling, "scooty scoot scoot!" with his insistent questions about hot dogs: "What do they taste like?...Would you say that it tastes like chicken?...Hey, I'm a curious bird." At first, the pigeon entertains the duckling, "Each morsel is a joy! A celebration in a bun!", but then he soon suspects the little bird might have designs on his delicious dog. In the end, of course, the clever duckling gets his way--and half of the hot dog: "You know, you're pretty smart for a duckling." (Ages Baby to Preschool) --Paul Hughes

Customer Reviews:

This was a very funny book!.......2007-08-31

This book is very funny, and young kids as well as old will enjoy it very much.

Hot Diggety Dog - your kids will love this!.......2007-08-22

Kids love finding books about familiar characters and Mo Willems has created a new one with his comical pigeon. Instead of playing along with the reader, this time he answers to a little duckling who just wants a bite of his hot dog. The duckling is pretty sneaky and asks all kinds of questions (which drives the pigeon CRAZY) until finally the pigeon gives in and shares his hot dog with him. More great facial expressions and a simple story everyone will enjoy!

Not as good as the "Bus" or "Stay up Late" books.......2007-07-03

My daughter prefers this one to the others, probably because hot dogs are her favorite food. It's not interactive like the others, but it teaches sharing and has a cute, curious bird to make it fun.

love it love it love it.......2007-06-21

my daughters absolutely ADORE this book. it even inspried my daughter to start reading. it's just a clever and fun book that my daughters have reciting ever since the first time we read it.

A Morsel of Gem.......2007-04-15

It is amazing how in so few words and lines one of the most dreaded human behaviors can be exhibited as in this book: Conscience in the form of the Duckling wondering why the Pigeon doesn't do the right thing. And what a happy relief it is to do the right thing.

Average customer rating:

Got to love the Pigeon!
My second time buying this book
Great book
Board books are supposed to be for babies
Great books for children of all ages and grown men who love sarcasm

Pigeon Loves Things That Go!, The

Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book

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ASIN: 0786836512
Release Date: 2005-05-16

Book Description

A Smidgeon of Pigeon by Mo Willems In Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, the pigeon dreamed of driving the bus. In this board book, readers will see him emoting at the thought of driving a plane, a train, a car, and more, all in his deliriously over-the-top style.

Customer Reviews:

Got to love the Pigeon!.......2007-07-03

Totally love this book. My son gets such a kick out of the Pigeon. Great story to share with younger children!

My second time buying this book.......2007-06-27

My daughter and I love the pigeon book collection. This one is just as entertaining as the others, but also, for younger kids, educational on "things that go". We had owned this book, but bought it again for a friend. Gotta love that pigeon!!

Great book.......2007-02-15

My son really enjoys this book. He is a bit young to "get it" but he smiles when I read it to him.

Board books are supposed to be for babies.......2007-01-12

I am a fan of the larger Pigeon books, so I bought this one for my 18 month old who loves books. This was a disappointment as the play on words at the end makes little sense to a baby. This is a waste of money. The longer books are much more enjoyable.

Great books for children of all ages and grown men who love sarcasm.......2007-01-10

My children love this book. Mo Willems is a great writer of Children's books. "What?" has become my four year olds favorite word, and my husband enjoys reading "Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late" every night at bedtime. We as a family have enjoyed all of Willems children's books based on Pigeon. My two year old loves "The Pigeon Loves Things That Go" He makes the noises while I read.

Average customer rating:

Owls Rock!
so far
An Inspiring Book
A great book but I liked the Tommytown series better
give a Hoot about this book:0

Hoot
Carl Hiaasen
Manufacturer: Knopf Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375829164
Release Date: 2004-05-11

Amazon.com

Roy Eberhardt is the new kid--again. This time around it's Trace Middle School in humid Coconut Grove, Florida. But it's still the same old routine: table by himself at lunch, no real friends, and thick-headed bullies like Dana Matherson pushing him around. But if it wasn't for Dana Matherson mashing his face against the school bus window that one day, he might never have seen the tow-headed running boy. And if he had never seen the running boy, he might never have met tall, tough, bully-beating Beatrice. And if he had never met Beatrice, he might never have discovered the burrowing owls living in the lot on the corner of East Oriole Avenue. And if he had never discovered the owls, he probably would have missed out on the adventure of a lifetime. Apparently, bullies do serve a greater purpose in the scope of the universe. Because if it wasn't for Dana Matherson...

In his first novel for a younger audience, Carl Hiaasen (Basket Case, etc.) plunges readers right into the middle of an ecological mystery, made up of endangered miniature owls, the Mother Paula's All-American Pancake House scheduled to be built over their burrows, and the owls' unlikely allies--three middle school kids determined to beat the screwed-up adult system. Hiaasen's tongue is firmly in cheek as he successfully cuts his slapstick sense of humor down to kid-size. Sure to be a hoot, er, hit with middle school mystery fans. (Ages 10 to 15) --Jennifer Hubert

Book Description

Unfortunately, Roy’s first acquaintance in Florida is Dana Matherson, a well-known bully. Then again, if Dana hadn’t been sinking his thumbs into Roy’s temples and mashing his face against the school-bus window, Roy might never have spotted the running boy. And the running boy is intriguing: he was running away from the school bus, carried no books, and–here’s the odd part–wore no shoes. Sensing a mystery, Roy sets himself on the boy’s trail. The chase introduces him to potty-trained alligators, a fake-fart champion, some burrowing owls, a renegade eco-avenger, and several extremely poisonous snakes with unnaturally sparkling tails.
Roy has most definitely arrived in Carl Hiaasen’s Florida.

From the Hardcover edition.

Download Description

2003 Newbery Honor Winner!

Unfortunately, Roy's first acquaintance in Florida is Dana Matherson, a well-known bully. Then again, if Dana hadn't been sinking his thumbs into Roy's temples and mashing his face against the school-bus window, Roy might never have spotted the running boy. And the running boy is intriguing: he was running away from the school bus, carried no books, and -- here's the odd part -- wore no shoes.

Sensing a mystery, Roy sets himself on the boy's trail. The chase introduces him to potty-trained alligators, a fake-fart champion, some burrowing owls, a renegade eco-avenger, and several extremely poisonous snakes with unnaturally sparkling tails.

Roy has most definitely arrived in Carl Hiaasen's Florida.

WINNER OF THE 2002 Association of Booksellers for Children (ABC) CHOICES AWARD!

Customer Reviews:

Owls Rock!.......2007-07-23

I loved this book! It was about kids saving endangered owls and I love wildlife and nature. The characters were interesting and funny; sometimes sarcastic, except for Roy. The plot was interesting and well-developed. I learned a little bit about Florida which I did not know before. This book made me want to visit Florida and it made me want to save endangered animals. It made me realize that kids can save endangered animals and make a difference in the world. I highly recommend this book; I think most kids would love this book.

so far.......2007-07-14

I've read three books this summer. My grandmother is paying me a dollar for every book I read so I'm not bragging. The first two weren't like work at all, but this one almost is. I thought it would be more adventerous. That's the kind of book I really like. For everybody who likes more adventer, adventuer / \ excitment, I think they should read The Misadventures of Maude March, and if they are a boy, they will like The Voyage of the Frog.

An Inspiring Book.......2007-06-04

I have recently read the book Hoot by Carl Hiaasen. Have you ever felt left out, or have you felt like your not where you're supposed to be? This is how Roy Eberhardt, a teenage boy from Montana, feels after moving to Florida. Roy investigates a mystery of the boy running with no shoes on, while he tries to save an owl species. Will life in Florida be looking up for Roy?
The theme or lesson of this book I think was to not let things get in your way. Hoot was very inspiring and it makes you want to help animals in your community. Also, you can literally feel yourself as if you were a character in the setting. I'd advise you to read Hoot because I know you'll love it.

A great book but I liked the Tommytown series better.......2007-06-01

I thought this was a great book, but not as good as the Tommytown series. In Tommytown the boys 11 -14 and the girl, Karen 14 years old acted more like their age and the scenes where funny and exciting. But both writers are super! Take a look at Tommytown and The Boys From Tommytown , (I actually did it. I inserted the titles) Anyway you won't be sorry.

give a Hoot about this book:0.......2007-05-22

I thought that this book by Carl Hiaasen was great! This was a very inspirational book about a boy named Roy who moves to Coconut Cove, Florida. He faces many problems like a bully named Dana Matherson, and he meets a girl Beatrice, and her mal treated step- brother. Together the kids try to save mini owls who were going to get hurt, or killed by a building company that was building a new Mother Paula's Pancake House. I would reccomend this book to any one, but especially animal lovers. It is a great novel just like Carl Hiaasens other novels.

Average customer rating:

Grumptastic. Grumptacular. Grumpapalooza!
Leaving the Nest . . .
Grumpy Bird
An Instant Favorite
"Grumpy Bird" makes people happy!

Grumpy Bird
Jeremy Tankard
Manufacturer: Scholastic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0439851475

Book Description

Bird wakes up feeling grumpy. Too grumpy to eat or play -- too grumpy even to fly. "Looks like I'm walking today," says Bird. He walks past Sheep, who offers to keep him company. He walks past Rabbit, who also could use a walk. Raccoon, Beaver, and Fox join in, too.

Before he knows it, a little exercise and companionship help Bird shake his bad mood. This winsome, refreshingly original picture book is sure to help kids (and grown-ups) giggle away theirs, too!

Customer Reviews:

Grumptastic. Grumptacular. Grumpapalooza!.......2007-10-15

Grumpy Bird and me, we got off to a rough start. I first laid eye on the impossibly irritable fowl one day while traipsing about a local bookstore. There on an upper shelf sat, "Grumpy Bird". He was grumpy. He was a bird. With so many other books vying for my attention I slipped the book from the shelf and gave it a quick once over. Flip flip flip, back on the shelf it went, and I didn't think of it again for many months. Really, not until a colleague essentially grabbed me by the lapels and said to me, "You MUST love this book!!!", and proceeded to demonstrate the readability of the title did I have to concede that I had misjudged "Grumpy". Worse still, what I had in my hands was an exceedingly rare addition to my collection of must-have readalouds. What on earth was I thinking when I didn't pay Tankard's book the proper amount of respect? So now I am here to right a great wrong. If you, like myself, have merely glimpsed at a copy of this book and then continued on with your sweet little lives, stop whatever it is that you are doing and give "Grumpy Bird" the attention he so desperately deserves. You'll never look at an avian grumpfest the same way again.

It happens. One day you wake up on the wrong side of the bed or, in this particular case, nest. When Bird woke up one day he was, not to put too fine a point on it, grumpy. With grumpiness comes a kind of ennui so, without eating, playing, or flying, Bird goes for a walk. If he was hoping for solitude, though, this probably wasn't the best plan. As Bird meets up with various friends they all join him for his stroll. First Sheep. Then Rabbit. Then Raccoon. By the time Beaver and Fox join the fun the whole group has taken on the appearance of a rather low-key parade. Slowly Bird realizes that what he does (like lifting a leg or jumping) the others do too. Cheered by this and no longer grumpy, Bird encourages everyone to join him at his home for a snack. The final shot in the book is of a remarkably peppy Bird offering an enormous worm to his somewhat dumbstruck following.

This book is a two-parter charmer. Part one is the choice of wording and part two the illustrations. In terms of readaloud possibilities, Tankard knows how to use the rule of basic repetition and make it familiar but increasingly funny as the story continues. When Bird does his walking he is asked over and over what he's up to by the other animals. The first time is a terse, "Walking". The second is a pointed, "I'm walking . . . It's no fun." With each additional animal Bird gets more and more frustrated until he's finally saying, "WHY DOES EVERYONE WANT TO KNOW WHAT I'M DOING?! . . . I'm just walking, okay?" As any person who has ever read to a large group of kids knows, many books work well one-on-one, but only a few books work with large groups. Because Tankard's book sets up all kinds of possibilities in terms of voice and increasing volume, I can't wait until I get another group of kids in my library so that I can break out Bird's snarky bon mot, "Let me give you a hint . . . You do it by placing one foot in front of the other."

And of course there's the art. If Jeremy Tankard has taught us anything today it's that bags under eyes are comedic gold. There's not a man, woman, or child alive today that can't relate to the glower firmly affixed to Bird's face as he grumbles through his day. His white tennis shoes with the red sides are just the frosting on the cake in terms of personal appearance. Consider the finer details of Tankard's art too, while you're at it. The mix of computer graphics and good old-fashioned pen and inks is heady. The very first spread after the title page shows full stars of a variety of shapes and sizes hanging in a sky where an orange sun has recently popped up in the lower right-hand corner. Bird has a single eye open and there's a lovely play of soft dewy dawn light flickering across his sorely aggrieved mug. As the book continues, clearly cartoonish elements mix with smudges, photographs, and eye-popping primary colors. Characters come onto the scene in both the foreground and background, and the result is that even as the story continues at a smart consistent pace, the eye gets to hop to and fro, back and forth, around a landscape of new animals and images. And though every animal in this book is "cute" in a basic sense, it wouldn't surprise me one jot if I learned that Mr. Tankard was a whiz on the alternative comics scene. His bunny is adorable but tweak it a little and consider how terrifying it could be with a twist of the pen here and there.

As any librarian or bookseller will tell you, grumpiness sells. Funny grumpiness, anyway. "Grumpy Bird" has the potential to be a great companion to Mrs. Biddlebox by Linda Smith or even Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. It's a standout title that I'm hoping has a slow burn. A low-key buzz is already surrounding it. As more and more children are introduced to its charm, I hope we begin to see a real grassroots effort to place "Grumpy Bird" in the picture book canon where it so clearly deserves to rest. A do-not-miss title.

Leaving the Nest . . . .......2007-07-16

God, this book is funny. Just. so. funny. And, apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks so; it garnered quite a bit of advanced praise and then managed to get some good reviews (from The Horn Book and School Library Journal to name just a couple). I have David Elzey's review at The Excelsior File to thank for first making me want to go out and find a copy. Here's what so funny: Grumpy Bird just wakes up pissed off. I love it. There are some of us for whom the phrase "woke up on the wrong side of the bed" simply has no meaning. There can be "a" wrong side? Both sides are always glaringly wrong and we wake up feeling as if the center of gravity were directly under our bed and need about, oh, at least one hour and several cups of coffee to facilitate actually speaking to anyone without grumbling and cursing and swearing. So, yup, Grumpy Bird wakes up grumpy. He is hysterically surly in the morning. He wakes up too grumpy to eat, play, or even fly. "Looks like I'm walking today," he says. Grumpy Bird, my new favorite matutinal misanthrope, passes Sheep, Rabbit, Raccoon, Beaver, and Fox, and they all ask him what he's doing. Not surprisingly, he snaps back comments like, "'Let me give you a hint . . . You do it by placing one foot in front of the other.'" The animals all manage to be fairly chipper in the mornings (an emotional state I cannot fathom for having just woken) and happily join him on his walk. When bird suddenly stops, so do all the animals. When he stands on one leg, so do they. When he jumps, so do they. "'Hey, this is fun! . . . Let's fly back to my nest for a snack,'" Grumpy Bird says, managing to be lifted from his Fog of Irritability by the mere presence of his friends and a bit of cheery camraderie. If the story itself sounds appealing to you, let me tell you: It. gets. even. better. Tankard's mixed-media artwork is top-notch. Tankard uses real photographs in the backdrops of each spread (real trees, real houses, real clouds) and then superimposes upon those images his multi- and brightly-colored, kaleidoscopic designs. It's absolutely beautiful. The animals themselves are composed of simple shapes with a heavy, black brushstroke outlining them. But I could pore over his trippy background designs forever. That cover doesn't do justice to what you'll see inside. Go read it. My favorite picture book thus far this year.

Grumpy Bird.......2007-05-30

I enjoy reading this book to my son who is 15 months old. He enjoys is when my husband and I add inflection to the grumpy bird's words. Wish it came in a board book though.

An Instant Favorite.......2007-05-02

I purchased this book on a whim after my toddler had a particularly bad run of the grumpies. Upon the first reading, Grumpy Bird became a family favorite. In the story, a little bird wakes up in a grumpy mood and tries to maintain his grumpy disposition as he walks (he's too grumpy to fly) around his neighborhood. His pals are oblivious to his grumpy outlook, and think a walk with their bird-friend is a great idea. Their companionship has the ultimate effect of making the bird forget he was supposed to be grumpy. My child and I not only enjoy the story, but the illustrations are unique, fun, and endearing. Grumpy Bird never sits on the bookshelf very long.

"Grumpy Bird" makes people happy!.......2007-04-06

This book is sure to make almost any grumpy bird happy after reading it. The unique illustrations compliment the sarcastic bird's mood. As you read, it's easy to imagine Bird must have a change of heart, but the ending is still a fun surprise. This book is perfect for the (sometimes) little grumpy birds in my nest!

Average customer rating:

Amusing book, but wouldn't buy again.
Three Silly Chicks Review
A zany counting story of too many penguins evolves.
Great fun for young kids.
Fun for All

365 Penguins
Jean-Luc Fromental
Manufacturer: Abrams Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 081094460X

Book Description

On the first day of the new year, the mailman brings a surprise—a penguin! One by one, day by day, penguins fill the house. At first they are cute, but with every passing day, the penguins pile up—along with the family's problems. Feeding, cleaning, and housing the penguins becomes a monumental task! But who is sending these penguins, and why?

In a large format, and with lots of opportunity for counting, 365 Penguins is sure to become a wintertime staple.

Customer Reviews:

Amusing book, but wouldn't buy again........2007-10-14

I love children's books, and this one is amusing, with eye-catching illustrations. However, I didn't expect the lecture on global warming at the end. The way it was written was abrupt and out of sync with the flow of the story. The way the math concepts are integrated is somewhat clunky, as well. It is not a book I would tend to recommend.

Three Silly Chicks Review.......2007-10-02

Reviewed by Three Silly Chicks - Readers, Writers, and Reviewers of funny books for kids.

It's hard not to love penguins. They are such spiffy dressers and great tap dancers. (This was actually documented in a recent motion picture!) Imagine how exciting it would be to receive a penguin in a box on New Year's Day with only a simple note to explain, "I'm number 1. Feed me when I'm hungry." Now imagine the surprise and joy of receiving another penguin the next morning. And the next and the next and the next . . .

For a full year, the family in this funny picture book receives a penguin a day and problems multiply as their flock grows. Dad becomes obsessed with organizing the penguins. Mom gets more than a little crazed and the kids just go with the flow. Or is that floe?

Simple graphic-arts style illustrations in a limited palette and a large trim size for this book make it great for young kids who will get a kick out of counting the very silly penguins and finding the one with blue feet who shows up on day 144. (Visualize a penguin-Waldo who eats fish.) Older kids and parents will enjoy the family's reaction to the penguins as the year progresses and they are so horribly outnumbered. A bit of math and ecology play into the tale, but never overload the story in this delightful book. Makes you want to put on a tux and dance like a penguin!

A zany counting story of too many penguins evolves........2007-09-07

Jean-Luc Fromenthal and Joelle Jolivet's 365 PENGUINS is an oversized presentation which could make for a shelving challenge for some holdings, but which provides a fun account of a mailman's surprise delivery of a penguin a day. Who is sending all these penguins - and why? A zany counting story of too many penguins evolves.

Great fun for young kids........2007-09-03

My boys ages 6 and 7 love this book. The illustrations are wonderful, and the story is fun! I like that it covers math concepts of addition, multiplication, etc. For example, 100 penguins plus one more makes 101. Stacking penguins 6 by 6 by 6 in a cube makes ... filing them in 12 boxes of 12 makes ... Some if the math is way too advanced for my children, but I doubt kids much older would be terribly interested in the writing or illustrations. Although some of the math is advanced, my children nevertheless enjoy the book, and I think that exposing them to these math concepts is great!!! We also love looking for the penguin named Chilly in each scene. There is a global warning lecture on one of the last pages, which sounds very preachy and doesn't fit into the rhythm or tone of the story, but I don't mind the message, so it doesn't bother me. This is a good book for kids ages 5 - 9.

Fun for All.......2007-08-28

This book is entertaining for penguin lovers of all ages. The penguins' eyes are a "hoot".

The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time

Average customer rating:

Repetitive, Incorrect, and Trying too Hard
The Beak of the Finch
Wonderful science and a great narrative
One of the Best Books on Nature
Excellent quality -- arrived in good time

The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time
Jonathan Weiner
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 067973337X
Release Date: 1995-05-30

Amazon.com

Rosemary and Peter Grant and those assisting them have spend twenty years on Daphne Major, an island in the Galapagos studying natural selection. They recognize each individual bird on the island, when there are four hundred at the time of the author's visit, or when there are over a thousand. They have observed about twenty generations of finches -- continuously.
Jonathan Weiner follows these scientists as they watch Darwin's finches and come up with a new understanding of life itself.

Book Description

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize

On a desert island in the heart of the Galapagos archipelago, where Darwin received his first inklings of the theory of evolution, two scientists, Peter and Rosemary Grant, have spent twenty years proving that Darwin did not know the strength of his own theory. For among the finches of Daphne Major, natural selection is neither rare nor slow: it is taking place by the hour, and we can watch.

In this dramatic story of groundbreaking scientific research, Jonathan Weiner follows these scientists as they watch Darwin's finches and come up with a new understanding of life itself. The Beak of the Finch is an elegantly written and compelling masterpiece of theory and explication in the tradition of Stephen Jay Gould.

Customer Reviews:

Repetitive, Incorrect, and Trying too Hard.......2007-10-18

This is one of the worst books I've ever read. I strongly recommend against reading it, especially for the science folks or lay people who are not stupid. That was a joke; in my opinion, no one on Earth who is actually interested enough to read a book on this topic will be such a poor thinker that a book in this style is appropriate for them.

Specifically, this book is:

* Repetitive -- on the same page, the author will often have multiple paragraphs saying exactly the same thing; within these paragraphs, sentences repeat each other as well. If this sounds outlandish, it is. The author was either talking down to the audience, trying to fill space, trying to explain the content to his own dense self, or some combination.

* Incorrect -- in the world of science writing for lay people, some simplification of the material is necessary and of course good (so lay people can access the material!). But this book presents material in such a warped, compressed manner as to be simply WRONG. For example, the author explains that researchers created and validated a predictive computer model using the same set of field data. That would be like a person who had seen one screw that tightened when turned clockwise, developing a prediction that all screws tighten by clockwise motion, and then testing the prediction by trying it out on the same screw. Clearly that is not something Harvard researchers were doing.

* Trying to hard -- it does not let the awesomeness of evolutionary study stand for itself. It has to develop drama by telling stories only in little broken bits, it constantly restates things (in what I took to be an attempt to find a particular phrasing that struck a given reader as poignant), etc.

In summary, it was an awful read. It was too bad that it did indeed explore some of the coolest evolutionary biology around, but in such a terrible fashion.

The Beak of the Finch.......2007-07-16

Brilliant writing and organization shows that evolution can occur in as short a time frame as two years. Never boring. The non-scientist will find this book of our changing world a good read.

Wonderful science and a great narrative.......2007-04-14

"Beak" is perhaps the best popular book on evolution between Darwin and Dawkins.

Thoughtful, educated persons must know certain facts about the physical world. One of those facts is evolution. Evolution happens, it is not "just a theory."

As the author explains through the story of the work of Peter and Rosemary Grant, we can see natural selection operate in real time, season by season, in fish, birds, bacteria, and throughout the natural world. The explanation of evolution may be somewhat more open to debate but you can't participate meaningfully in the debate without being armed with some facts.

Don't bring a knife to an intellectual gunfight. Arm yourselves.

One of the Best Books on Nature.......2007-02-22

I have read much on evolution, and the evolution controversy in (primarily) the United States. This book does a wonderful job of demonstrating how scientists, right now, are recording and observing natural selection in action. Before I read this book I was not aware of how much information we really have about evolution and natural selection occurring in "the wild" on an everday basis. This book provides thorough mathematical evidence and predictive models of how natural selection changes the morphology of Darwin's Finches on the Galapogos Islands. It interleaves that story with a decent primer on evolution and snippets of other, similar research, going on right now too.

For example, it describes some fasicinating experiments conducted showing how quickly natural selection will change the color of Amazonian guppies based solely on the color of the rocks in the pools in which the guppies live, and the frequency of predation. It is amazing. As I read more about evolution, I see that rates of evolution vary widely. Evolution operating slowly (over 1000's or millions of years) is pretty obvious. This book provides a window into the amazing world of "rapid" evolution.

The best part about it is that it is as much a journalistic endeavor as a well-written book. This is NOT a polemic about why evolution is better than other ideas. This book simply reports the facts. If you don't understand evolution or believe it can be true after reading this book, then you aren't really trying to understand.

Finally, this book deserves the awards and accolades. It is well-written, well-researched, and well-organized. I don't give many books five stars, but this one is worth it. I would recommend it for anyone: scientists, kids, and just people interested in learning and fascinated by the world around us.

Excellent quality -- arrived in good time.......2007-02-10

The book is in excellent shape, and it arrived in a timely fashion.

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