Monday, November 30, 2009

The Chronicles of Narnia or Are You My Mother

The Chronicles of Narnia (Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classics)

Author: C S Lewis

The Chronicles of Narnia have enchanted millions of readers over the last fifty years, and the magical events described in C. S. Lewis's immortal prose have left many a lasting memory. For here is a world where a witch decrees eternal winter, where there are more talking animals than people, and where children can become royalty. All of the magic and wonder of The Chronicles of Narnia is brought to you in this elegant leatherbound edition. Featuring beautiful full-color illustrations and eye-catching end papers, you'll want to keep this book where everyone can see it.

The Chronicles of Narnia is part of Barnes & Noble's series of quality leatherbound volumes. Each title in the series presents a classic work in an attractively designed edition bound in genuine bonded leather.



Are You My Mother?

Author: P D Eastman

Back in 1957, Theodor Geisel responded to an article in Life magazine that lamented the use of boring reading primers in schools. Using the pseudonym of "Dr. Seuss" (Seuss was Geisel's middle name) and only two hundred twenty-three words, Geisel created a replacement for those dull primers: "The Cat in the Hat." The instant success of the book prompted Geisel and his wife to found Beginner Books, and Geisel wrote many popular books in this series, including "Hop on Pop," "Fox in Socks," and "Green Eggs and Ham." Other favorite titles in this series are "Go, Dog, Go!" and "Are You My Mother?" by P. D. Eastman, "A Fly Went By," by Mike McClintock, and "Put Me in the Zoo," by Robert Lopshire. These affordable hardcover books combine large print, easy vocabulary, and large, bright illustrations in stories kids will want to read again and again. Grades 1 - Grades 2.

Marilyn Courtot - Children's Literature

This story has been around for forty-five years and has not lost its appeal. A little baby bird falls out of its nest and asks a number of the animals that it meets if they are its mother. Each in turns replies that he or she is not and that they are a kitten, dog, hen or cow. Baby bird is attached to a ribbon and can be removed from the nest. When he reaches the steam shovel which he calls Snort, baby bird can be inserted into the shovel as it lifts the bird up, up, up and back into its nest. There is a slot under mama bird's wing to slide the little baby bird. This cloth book will be perfect for little ones new to the story and will also engage motor skills as they try to put baby bird in all of the right places. 2005 (orig. 1960), Random House, Ages 1 to 3.

Children's Literature

In P.D. Eastman's classic Are You My Mother?, a baby bird sets out to find his unknown mom, asking the title's question of all he meets--kitten, dog, boat, even a bulldozer. The illustrations capture both the humor and poignancy of the quest, which speaks reassuringly to many children's worries about parental loss. As kids, my siblings and I wanted to hear this story again and again. 1998 (orig.



Sunday, November 29, 2009

Harry Potter Paperback Boxed Set or Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Harry Potter Paperback Boxed Set (Books 1-7)

Author: J K Rowling

All seven phenomenal Harry Potter paperback books by best selling author J.K. Rowling are available together for the first time in an elegant paperback boxed set!

Set Includes:

  • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
  • Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
  • Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows



    Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series #1)

    Author: Jeff Kinney

    Boys don't keep diaries-or do they?

    The launch of an exciting and innovatively illustrated new series narrated by an unforgettable kid every family can relate to

    It's a new school year, and Greg Heffley finds himself thrust into middle school, where undersized weaklings share the hallways with kids who are taller, meaner, and already shaving. The hazards of growing up before you're ready are uniquely revealed through words and drawings as Greg records them in his diary.

    In book one of this debut series, Greg is happy to have Rowley, his sidekick, along for the ride. But when Rowley's star starts to rise, Greg tries to use his best friend's newfound popularity to his own advantage, kicking off a chain of events that will test their friendship in hilarious fashion.

    Author/illustrator Jeff Kinney recalls the growing pains of school life and introduces a new kind of hero who epitomizes the challenges of being a kid. As Greg says in his diary, "Just don't expect me to be all 'Dear Diary' this and 'Dear Diary' that." Luckily for us, what Greg Heffley says he won't do and what he actually does are two very different things.

    Since its launch in May 2004 on Funbrain.com, the Web version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid has been viewed by 20 million unique online readers. This year, it is averaging 70,000 readers a day.

    Publishers Weekly

    Kinney's popular Web comic, which began in 2004, makes its way to print as a laugh-out-loud "novel in cartoons," adapted from the series. Middle school student Greg Heffley takes readers through an academic year's worth of drama. Greg's mother forces him to keep a diary ("I know what it says on the cover, but when Mom went out to buy this thing I specifically told her to get one that didn't say 'diary' on it"), and in it he loosely recounts each day's events, interspersed with his comic illustrations. Kinney has a gift for believable preteen dialogue and narration (e.g., "Don't expect me to be all 'Dear Diary' this and 'Dear Diary' that"), and the illustrations serve as a hilarious counterpoint to Greg's often deadpan voice. The hero's utter obliviousness to his friends and family becomes a running joke. For instance, on Halloween, Greg and his best friend, Rowley, take refuge from some high school boys at Greg's grandmother's house; they taunt the bullies, who then T.P. her house. Greg's journal entry reads, "I do feel a little bad, because it looked like it was gonna take a long time to clean up. But on the bright side, Gramma is retired, so she probably didn't have anything planned for today anyway." Kinney ably skewers familiar aspects of junior high life, from dealing with the mysteries of what makes someone popular to the trauma of a "wrestling unit" in gym class. His print debut should keep readers in stitches, eagerly anticipating Greg's further adventures. Ages 8-13. (Apr.)

    Undersized and skinny, Greg has adventures that center on how he manages to separate himself from the geeks and how he evades bigger bullies by employing quick wit and harebrained ideas. Unfortunately Greg's schemes usually backfire, providing readers with the opportunity to delight in his distress. Picked on by an older brother, embarrassed by his baby brother, and closely monitored by his clever parents, Greg reacts in typical middle school fashion, making him a character with which many readers will be able to identify. Kinney provides readers with a realistic view of middle school life as seen through the eyes of the entertaining but not very bright class clown. Readers can expect lots of middle school humor and exaggeration. Kinney manages to inject enough humor in the simple drawings to make them an integral element in the book. Because Kinney began his Wimpy Kid adventures on a Web site, many middle schoolers already familiar with the character will ensure a ready audience for this print version.



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