Sensational giflt for any 'horse-crazy' child!
929750
My 6-year-old daughter was blown away by this gift at Christmas.  It is a third of the size of her, sturdy and great quality.  She hasn't stopped playing with it!  It can also be packed away in the corner of her bedroom when not in use (which hasn't happened yet because she loves it so much!)

Highly recommended for anyone with a child who loves horses.
36087
Very much enjoyed the first book and sequel is even better!  Ideal for young girls that are horse crazy!  Not only does the story capture the horsey environment, it teaches riding and equipment terminolgy and practical care of horses.  I know as a girl I loved horses until I found out all the work involved...this is a great mixture of both.  Read another reviewer who dissed the cover and illustrations without reading the book -- it's pretty important to read it.  If you do, you'll learn the illustrations were done by a young girl about the age of the average reader.  Great gift for girls in riding lessons or just very interested in horses!
1191280
I bought this on a whim for my VERY MOUTHY 2 year old gelding. It's super simple to mount. A second pair of hands would be helpful, but I had no problems mounting it by myself. My horse took to it INSTANTLY and absolutely loves it.

I don't think this is a general toy for all horses like jolly balls are. If you have a horse that loves to explore with his mouth, &/or is a stall chewer they'll love this addition. As a treat try pouring molasses or wheat germ/corn/any omega fatty acid oil over the rubber wheels to get them started if they don't "get it".

My boy loves it and that's good enough for me!
3560658
This highly addictive game is super fun!  My horse crazy daughter loves taking care of her own (virtual) horses - and hey, I'm off the hot seat because it sure beats having a real horse in our yard!  This game is outstanding because it promotes friendship between the player and the virtual horses.  The game installs easily and runs perfectly on our xp pc.  The interface is easy-EASY, I haven't had to come to the rescue at all!
2856015
This book was an absolute joy from start to finish. I myself have not been riding as long as most people my age, so I could really relate to Hilary and her instant love with horses and competing. Her story is every girl's dream experience with a horse. While some people are saying that the actual equestrian aspects of the story are unrealistic (this may be true in certain cases), that DOESN'T MATTER! IT'S STILL GREAT!! Anyone reading this book who knows about horses will know that Hilary's progression in riding is a little unrealistic, but it's fun to imagine someone being able to do that. A fiction novel is meant to allow you think about impossible things and imagine them actually happening. And even though some of the things Hilary does wouldn't actually happen at a real barn, the writing still draws you in to a world where these things can happen! I loved reading the story and imaging that I was doing what Hilary was doing. It made me feel like it is possible for me to get there someday. That was the point of the story, for girls to read it and want to experience the same things Hilary did. It doesn't matter if she cantered and jumped earlier than riders normally would in real life. This book was an amazing read and lets you think outside the normal ways of life. For the author being so young when she wrote this, and for a story meant for young readers, I say a huge WELL DONE!!!!
1865517
I write reviews on novels great and small every day.  I write them on books by great authors and on tomes thick in pages that are filled with literary journeyes that astound the mind.  But when it comes to reviewing and finding young children's literature that makes the mark and scores high at our house, it has to pass the panel of young judges that sit enthralled on either side as we check out the new wonder that has arrived in the mail.
Giraffes Can't Dance is a book that I have been reading about and wanted to try out on my grandsons.  I finally took the plunge and bought a copy.  When it arrived, eager young hands helped to tear the envelope open to reveal the surprise inside, then pushed me to the nearest chair where they could climb up to hear the new story.
Both the five and two year old were enthralled with the story of the young giraffe who could not dance.  They giggled and laughed at the antics of the animals as they danced around in rythmn and rhyme.  The two year old was captivated with the bright colorful illustrations of each page, locating and talking about all the animals present at the party.  He happily enlarged on the story with what each animal was saying and describing everything he saw.
After we finished, he hopped down, with book in hand, and ran over to read the story to his Pop.  It was even more endearing and fun to listen to his take on the story and listen to him tell a tale...all based on his visual cues.  The five year old's  love for the story was a little more straight forward and was ready for a 2nd read.
I highly recommend this delightful book (cardboard for little hands) for children and toddlers.  Even these "old" kids giggled and laughed at the well written verse and antics of the animal kingdom.  It  is a great stimulus for the imagination.
4327124
We got this book for our 7 year old daughter for Christmas.  She's a good reader and loves horses.  She read this book to herself in three days and loved it!  She told us she now knew how to "talk like a horseman!"  We can always tell when she loves a book because she gets emotionally wrapped up in the story and tells us all of the drama.  This book seemed to make quite an impression on her.  I haven't read it myself, but can say that my daughter fell in love with it.
2078322
Great fun for grown up children! You'll want to re-read a few times, and then read it to all of your friends!
4719155
Dumpy La Rue knew what he wanted to do.  Though his family tried to discourage him...pigs grunt and grovel, they bellow and wallow and snuffle truffles, Dumpy knew his own mind and wouldn't be swayed.  What he wanted to do was dance.  And so while the rest of the barnyard watched, "He twirled in the sty,/ raised his snout to the sky,/ spread his hooves far and wide/ and pretended to fly."  And pretty soon interest among the farm animals was brimming.  They all wanted to dance too.  But how to get started?  So Dumpy offered a bit of advice.  "If you want to dance,/if you want to glide,/just close your eyes/and listen inside."..... Elizabeth Winthrop and Betsy Lewin have authored a marvelously expressive story full of rhythm, motion, imagery and magic that will charm and delight both children and adults alike.  The easy to read, rhyming text is complemented by their joyous, imaginative and detailed illustrations that will have everyone up and dancing with Dumpy in no time.  Perfect for youngsters 3-8, Dumpy La Rue is a winner and a "must have" for all home libraries.
4522208
Oh how I love this book! Open it up and right away the illustrations capture your curiousity, they make this book what it is...........fun! Children will laugh, hisssss and growl right along with the story as the little boy lifts off high in the air dangling from a big red balloon. His adventures with the zoo animals are exciting and somewhat suspenseful as he meets face to face with a long, slithering snake (with fangs..oh my!). This is great storytelling for groups of children who will eventually recite the main dialogue "that's good. No, that's bad" before you can even get the words out. After reading it add some dramatic play by acting out the zoo animals and then get to the art supplies and draw your own adventure! Have fun!
4122695
Tia Perkin is a three time Emmy Nominated Graphic Artist. This is her first book and the inspiration for it came from her very curious and energetic two year old twin boys - Two boys/two years old/TWO!  Tia has created a book for children that is very durable (read indestructible!) in its board book format, full of fun thoughts and antics, and very cleverly rhymed. The illustrations, needless to say, are top notch!

Tia takes us through a day of the antics of a two year old and every strange situation she draws and discusses is based on Two words (usually one word repeated twice) - OH NO, CRUNCH CRUNCH, VROOM VROOM, DOWN DOWN, JUMP JUMP, OWIE OWIE - you get the picture.

The situations she writes about are very real in the world of a two year old and whoever came up with the phrase `the terrible twos' is reflected here. It is all fun and ends up with a forgiving Momma (read 'survivor') and is a pleasure to read out loud to children  - and once they are asleep it provides plenty of chuckles for parents.

Nice work on every level. Let's hope Tia creates more books of this nature! Grady Harp, May 15
3190532
This story is great for those horse loving, girl readers out there. The main character loves horses, and when her parents finally give in and let her have one of her own, her world seems complete. But her new horse and her just aren't getting along. This is where a wonderful, fun twist comes in. Nadia does a 'soul' switch with the horse Winny. And Winny does have ideas of her own, now that she's human. It was fun to dive into the head of a horse gone human - not exactly what one would expect.

The characters are easy to feel for. . .even Winny. The author did a great job putting the reader inside a horse's head and giving a new aspect on what these animals might really think. The main character Nadia is sympathetic and one can't help but hope she comes to terms with this strange situation.

I personally would recommend this for the tweeny age group (girls ages 10 -14) and believe that a horse lover will enjoy delving into this exciting adventure.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
1836063
Huge horse lover loves the pictures in this book! Fun realistic and whimsical alike ... the realism is great for majority of the pages  - not cartoon at all... some details are better than others but I share with my kiddo so works out to have 1/2 without as much detail
1188430
What can I say?  My seven-year old loves this!  And the silliness is so off-the-wall as to be surreal -- appealing to sharp-minded adults, too, if you stay alert.
3285766
My kids have had a fabulous time with Jungle Jack Hanna's The Wackiest, Wildest, Weirdest Animals in the World!

First off, Jack Hanna writing a Christian book? Who knew? Now, I will say that this Thomas Nelson book doesn't scream "Christian book," but there are a few mentions here and there about God's creation, and finding a book about animals that isn't evolutionary is pretty amazing.

This book is a large, colorful, hardcover book featuring 30 different bizarre animals! Each page has fabulous, big photographs with sidebars of information about what makes that particular animal "Wacky," "wild," or "weird." Each animal also has an information box containing what the animal eats, where they live, and how big they get. Every few pages Jack Hanna also includes anecdotes about his adventures.

This book also comes with a dvd with bloopers from Jack Hanna's show - I really enjoyed watching it, even though AG was a little confused why certain things were funny! :)

My kids have loved sitting and looking at these pictures! The text is still mostly above 3 year old AG, but I summarize it for her... and even 1 year old LB has sat for long periods of time just looking at the amazing pictures with us! We've been introduced to a blue-footed booby (my personal favorite), platypus (did you know they lay EGGS?), Tasmanian devil, naked mole rats, and tons of other interesting creatures!

I would have loved this book as a kid, being the aspiring vet/zoo keeper that I was. I gave up those dreams when I learned that animals, too, have blood. Yuck. :)
3514638
Get ready for a wild ride among the most colourful, eclectic, and entertaining group of animals you'll have ever come across! The mixture of poetic styles combines with gorgeous illustrations, delightful humour, and genuinely warm and appealing animal personalities to make this a children's book like no other I have come across. These are poems your children will want to hear again and again, and I guarantee they won't be the only ones chuckling.
4324916
I bought this last week for my almost-2-year old granddaughter and she is thrilled with it!  She loves carousel horses now and I couldn't resist this adorable plush horse in it's own purse!  She's been carrying it around everywhere and cuddles it constantly!