Goes

The Baby Goes Beep is one of my son's favorites. He's 16 months old and loves the bouncy, rhyming text and sunshine-bright illustrations. Best of all, he loves to give the book a kiss when we get to the "baby goes smooch" page spread. This book is an excellent choice for babies and toddlers.

As a side note, this book was a Charlotte Zolotow honor book for 2004 -- the award given for the best picture book writing of the year (the Caldecott is for illustration). Kudos to O'Connell!

Bright and lively, bold and colorful, this book immediately caught my eye. Its lovely rhythm and simple, warm sense of humor were delightful to nuzzle in. Both as a parent and as a psychologist who works with young children, I found the book right on in its use of repetition and bright colors, inclusion of a loving family (including the cat!), and the joy the baby takes in sounds and other senses in exploring the world. "Beep" if you love this book! And the baby goes flip, flip, flip, flip through its pages again and again!

If you are looking for a fun, easy to read book that takes you through the typical day of a toddler, The Baby Goes Beep is it!

We purchased this book to read to our 18-month old. It did not take long for my 4-year old to pick it up and start reading it to his sister. The text has an easy to follow rhythm making it the perfect read-aloud book! The coloful illustrations are captivating and fun.

The Baby Goes Beep has become a family favorite and will quickly become the new Classic in Baby Books! This should be "required" reading for every parent and child!

Ms O'Connell has a unique talent for capturing the fun-loving spirit of a child!

The story was mainly told in the forest. The main characters in the story was Franklin. The minor characters were bear, rabbit,fox beaver skunk. The theme was that this book would be that school is alot of fun and don't be afraid to go there. School is a good learning experience. The style would be that the author has a picture on every page and it has friends playing and having fun on every page.

FRANKLIN IS A CHARACTER THAT ANYONE REGARDLESS OF AGE CAN LOVE. IN FRANKLIN GOES TO SCHOOL HE HAS GREAT RESERVATIONS ABOUT THIS NEW EXPERIENCE AS DID WE ALL AND OVERCOMES THEM WITH THE HELP OF HIS FRIENDS. I WOULD RECOMEND ANY FRANKLIN BOOK.

All of the Franklin books deal with something a child might face.They are written so it is easy for children to conect with their new found friend, and thats just what Franklin will become. I teach children and Franklin is the most asked for of all the books we have. His stories are great and children learn from his experiences.

This book was great for preparing my daughter for an upcoming surgery. It went through the basics of what she would experience, even if the reason for the surgery was different, and it was done with a character she was already familiar with. The day of her surgery she was telling me what would happen next.

This shows that it's ok to be scared at the hospital. Franklin got hit in the chest at a soccer game. He ends up having to go to the hospital. He thinks that when you take a x-ray. Everyone will see how scare you are inside. Franklin didn't want everyone to know how scared he was. This a good book for any child that has to go to the hospital. I t shows you don't have to be scared. The doctors and nurses are there to help you.

I purchased Franklin Goes to The Hospital for my 5 year old son, who was having abdominal surgery last week. He loved the book so much, that he read it every night until the surgery. It really explained all of the different procedures involved in going to the hospital - on a level that he could understand! I strongly recommend this book to any parent who is faced with having to explain surgery to a small child!

This is an absolute must buy. The story is totally delightful -- cat lovers, take notice! Lucy the cat migrates from the City to the country every week with her two big guys, and this story is about her (mis)adventures at their weekend party.

The fact that her big people are two men obviously in love and partnered is incidental to the story, which makes it almost unique (Anna O'Day and the O Ring is the only other one I can think of, and that story is pretty blah). The gay subtext is most amusing when one of the men is enamored of the adorable fireman who comes to rescue Lucy from one of her misadventures (while the other glares).

The illustratations are terrific! This book is on my holiday list to give to all kids in this age range.

Susan in Ann Arbor

Reviewed by Harriet L. Schwartz Recent news has confirmed that the battle over gay-related children's books in public libraries continues. Most recently, a Baptist minister in Texas attempted to keep "Heather Has Two Mommies" and "Daddy's Roommate" out of circulation by checking out and then buying the books, according to the Associated Press. However, publicity in the town's newspapers magnified local interest in the books, forcing the libraries to obtain extra copies. Soon, anti-gay advocate will have another book to battle when Alyson Wonderland releases "Lucy Goes to the Country"...a vividly illustrated book that follows the story of Lucy as she travels to the country with her "two Big Guys." Children will follow Lucy's funny encounters with birds, guests, and a dog, while adults will catch a second level of humor.

I thought no book about cats could equal May Sarton's marvelous "The Fur Person"...but I was wrong! Lucy is a rambunctious amber and white cat who lives in a New York apartment, which she shares with her two "Big Guys". The authors, the two "Big Guys" who are Lucy's family, paint a loving portrait of their favorite feline's adventures as she, in her dreaded red bag, goes to the Guys' country house for the weekend. Hilarious, charming, and beautifully illustrated, this book is a childrens' book but it'll appeal to anyone who loves cats, and appreciates loving families of all kinds. My partner and I just lost our 20 year old calico, Calliope, so this book was especially meaningful and touching for us! More of Lucy's adventures, please, Guys!

I have all the previous books in this series and would recommend them to everyone. I also have both scotties and westies, and Wells and Jeffers capture the spirit, expressions and body language of these dogs perfectly. The stories are very cute and have been very popular with the children I have tested them on. McDuff is an adorable character and I hope to have new volumes soon!

Each time a McDuff book comes out, I worry that it's the last of the series as I wonder where the story could possibly go next. I was therefore so thrilled and amazed to find McDuff Goes to School last week. What a brilliant twist that he learns French! I am not a parent or teacher -- I just appreciate the beauty of children's books. This is a great way to introduce a foreign language to very young kids by using a character and context that's engaging. It also sends a message that just because someone doesn't understand your language, doesn't mean they are stupid. Okay, I confess I am also a Westie mum so I find the McDuff books so damn cute I want to cry.

Being the owner of a Scottie, a Westie and a Cairn as well as an avid art collector of breed-related items, I am so impressed with the capturing of the expressions of the Scottie (Marie) and the Westie (McDuff) in this book. The artist really knows the breeds and the author as well. They both capture the wonderful spirit and essence of the beloved dogs. A great story that children of all ages will love - even this 39 year old kid. Bravo!

As a music teacher I was really excited to find this book. It combinds two seperate worlds into one. Sometimes deaf or hard-of-hearing students never get to experience the world of music, but this book is GREAT at introducing them to music and a famous, deaf, musician. I really like this book and would recomended it to any teacher to help implement music in their deaf ed. class.

My children loved this book. They have just started to read independently, and I enjoy watching them read and watching their hands move as they easily follow the drawings for signed words. They are fascinated with it, and I think the motion as well as reading makes it even more enjoyable. The story is entertaining, and the use of a balloon or stocking feet to feel sound vibrations is very clever.

We are not part of the deaf community, but books like this one will help to build a positive attitude in my children toward the deaf community.

Moses' deafness does not prevent him from enjoying a concert nor impede his communication with his classmates; they are deaf too. Their ideas flow freely among each other in American Sign Language. Afterwards, they interact spiritedly with the deaf percussionist who bears more than a passing ressemblance to Evelyn Glennie, the true-life celebrity deaf musician. While the kids have a stimulating field trip, we see that where there is language (no matter the form) and understanding, deafness is no disability. In fact, they go confidently into a domain one would think a bastion of hearing people -- the concert hall -- both as patron and star performer. Could the lone deaf child struggling in an all-hearing school have it this good? With light-hearted watercolor illustrations, this book is a uniquely positive portrayal of deaf children, at home in the "hearing" world and with themselves. Destined to be a watershed work, it may very well be the only juvenile trade book currently on the market addressing deafness without obliging the protagonist (of any age) to be an isolated individual in a social sea of moving lips, bereft of the playful and loving relationships many deaf children enjoy in a portable environment where signing is the preferred means of communication.

The late writer-director Edward Bernds has become a familiar name to movie comedy fans, through his association with The Three Stooges, The Bowery Boys, the Blondie series, and a host of other comedy stars. But Mr. Bernds made his reputation as a recording engineer during the early-talkie years, and was the number-one sound man at Columbia Pictures until he took on more creative duties.

This book chronicles Bernds's early years, from his first radio jobs through his successful association with director Frank Capra. Bernds was a stickler for accuracy, and drew upon his old diaries to confirm his excellent memory for facts and faces. He was just as careful to spell things out for the reader, explaining a technical process or a business practice to amplify the point he was making. Bernds's attention to detail makes for good, solid reading.

This writer was disappointed that the book stops when the author stopped working as a soundman. But it's understandable because Bernds, in his thoroughness, would have written a mammoth volume if his entire career were to be discussed. Joseph McBride recognizes the "missing" material by appending a more general interview with Bernds, conducted by McBride and Leonard Maltin.

Film buffs and historians will enjoy "Mr. Bernds." For those who want Bernds's observations and recollections of his Three Stooges years, read "The Columbia Comedy Shorts" by Ted Okuda and Edward Watz.

When Hollywood first started to shine golden, Ed Bernds was there. He knew and worked with the stars, the directors and the writers, and contributed no little himself to Hollywood's Golden Age. In "Mr. Bernds Goes To Hollywood," Ed tells -- with near total recall -- of his journey to the movie capital in the earliest days of sound (which was his speciality) and of his career at Columbia Studios, the King of "Poverty Row," with the likes of Frank Capra, Clark Gable and the feared studio head Harry Cohn. In telling his story, Bernds invokes a bygone era of Hollywood glamor with an inside knowledge that few today possess. Necessary books on Hollywood are few and far between, but "Mr. Bernds Goes To Hollywood" fills the bill.

Edward Bernd's autobiography is a wonderful insight into the life and career of a Hollywood talent whose career lay behind the camera.

The book only covers the first half of his life, from his childhood in Chicago to his career as a top sound engineer at Columbia Studios. Bernds' engineering career encompassed the films of Frank Capra (Capra always requested Ed for his team), the many classics of Moe, Larry and Curly, and many major Columbia feature productions through 1945.

The reader is left wanting more, particularly the details of Bernds' new post-1945 career of writer and director for the Three Stooges, the Blondie series, the Bowery Boys and Elvis Presley. But, that's another book. Right, Ed?

This amazing dramatization of the Pooh books is performed by a marvelously talented group of British entertainers who truly bring the Pooh characters gently and lovingly to life. As for this tape, I finally got this figured out. This is part of a four-tape program that represents the complete two-book Winnie-the-Pooh story collection, except the stories are out of order (probably so that they would fit equally on the tapes). Book 1, "Winnie-the-Pooh," is represented by "Pooh Goes Visiting" (stories in order: 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10) and "Piglet Meets a Heffalump" (stories: 5, 6, 7, 8). Book 2, "The House at Pooh Corner," is dramatized by "Tigger Comes to the Forest" (stories in order: 1 2, 4, 3, 9, 10) and "Pooh Invents a New Game" (stories 5, 6, 7, 8). When stories that depend on previous information are out of order, it gets confusing. My suggestion: Get the "Winnnie-the-Pooh" / "The House at Pooh Corner" gift pack, which is also four tapes (the same recordings), but in the proper order.

If you have a small child, there simply isn't a better way for them to enjoy the magic of these stories as they were meant to be heard. The truncated, illustration-heavy Disney books, which seem to be everywhere, simply don't tell the stories.

Other notable versions, such as Lionel Jeffries's excellent reading, are no longer available, and Charles Kuralt's, while clearly in the right spirit, can be a little dull for smaller kids.

Sephen Fry is wonderful, and Jane Horrocks's piglet is a delight. Judy Dench and Geoffrey Palmer also bring excellent characterizations to the stories. My 2 year old and I love this version, and it makes her want me to read the book to her. There is no higher recommendation than that from a child!

This tape represents a whole new Pooh. The readers create an elegant experience that is gentle and at the same time fun and adventurous. My favorite Pooh reader was always Lionel Jeffries, but as those tapes seem to have disappeared from the face of the earth, the Stephen Fry series may become my new favorite. The talented people involved in this production make it a true classic. I have listened to this over and over, and it doesn't lose its freshness. Take it along on your next car trip with the kids! (or without them!)

I loved this childrens book. Since I am a cat lover I know of the many things these fiesty cats can get themselve's into. This book was very interesting and has many colorful pictues to keep any child watching and listening while you read to them or if they are reading themselves. The authors did fine work and I have this on my must list for my grandchildren.

I FOUND THIS STORY REAL CUTE AND AM LOOKING FORWARD TO HEAR MORE ABOUT FIESTY IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

As the Grandmother of a 2 1/2 year old I am always looking at new children's books. I found this to be very entertaining, and of course my Grandson loved Fiesty. I look forward to more books on this delightful cat.

Documentarian Nathan Kaufman spent the 1991 season with the Visalia Oaks, the Cal League farm team of the Minnesota Twins to produce "Minor Leagues; Major Dreams." This is where professional baseball means dreary bus rides, locker room pranks, living on junk food, pep talks, crucial moments on the field, private doubts and trying to find out whether you have what it takes to move up to the next level and have any shot of all at making the bigs. Originally aired as a PrimeSportsChannel Special. "In the Cal: Pastime Goes Primetime In California's Minor League" covers the 1994 season, when the Major Leagues were on strike. Covers similar ground, but not nearly as well. Obviously, this tape would make a nice double feature with "Bull Durham."

Beyond the outstanding and absolutely timeless photography in this book, IN THE CAL offers unique and thoughtful information on the transformation of minor league baseball during the 1990s from a casual existence to a big-business adjunct of major league baseball. A must for any historical research on the minors...

Simply the finest photodocumentary on minor league baseball available... conveying a sense of both small-town America and the game it embraces... from the fans, to the players... outstanding photography and enlightening text... a fun, unique and poignant work. Not only takes you out to the old ballgame, but makes you fall in love with it all over again... bravo!