There is a surprise that is incredibly sad and difficult for the little ones to understand
343947
Not for kids!!  There is a surprise that is incredibly sad and difficult for the little ones to understand.  I watched with my 2 kids, 4 and 5, and was not prepared for what happened.  My sensitive 5 year old cried for an hour and then slept in our bed.  She is not going to get over this for a while.
Suggestions for alternative titles...
Daisy - hen with the short life span
Daisy  the sacrificial hen
Daisy  a lesson in the food chain
Daisy  This b**** dies
3239816
Touching. It broke my heart in several places and I cried for that hurting and confused little boy. The failure of parents to protect and support their children in this religion is huge on so many levels.
2715765
This was one of the saddest stories I have ever read.  The novel depicts the true story of extreme abuse to a beautiful, intelligent, young girl. I would suggest that anybody sensitive to the subject of child abuse might not want to read this book.  It was very well written, but the subject matter was difficult for me to deal with.  The story was heart breaking.
135939
I'm amazed at all the swirling of opinion about this book--It's really not that complicated.  The Smarts went through one of the worst possible things that can happen to a parent but they were miraculously spared the ultimate tragedy.  This is the story of their ordeal.  They come across as very normal, caring parents, and they seem to really have their hearts in the right place when it comes to the well-being of all their children, and for the missing children (and their parents) who have not yet or will never be found.  It's really a tear jerker.  I think they couldn't have put presented their story any more tastefully.
913508
This review is geared towards parents thinking of getting this book for their younger children. I bought it for my 8 year old son and decided to read it before I gave it too him. I will be holding onto it for a few years. First, unlike the commercials for the movie (I grant you I have not seen the movie only the ads), this is not an action/adventure story of travel to a magical land, i.e., Narnia or Secrets of Droon. It is a story of the friendship between two kids who do not quite fit in with the rest of the world. Terabitha is a special place for the 2 friends where they pretend they are rulers. They do not even spend much of the book there, although its an important part of the story. Mostly it is about their life at home and at school.

Second, it is not a book for kids who still believe in Santa Claus, as there are a few passages that may spoil that belief.

Lastly, this is a very sad book. I knew going in (based on other reviews) that this was a sad book about a tragic death, however, I thought it might be somewhat suger-coated since this is a children's book. It was not. Even from an adult perspective, it was one of the saddest books I have ever read.

Overall, I thought the book was a poignant story of friendship, loss and dealing with that loss, which I did think was done well. I recommend waiting until your child is ready for such a tragic lesson.
1607641
This story draws you in, especially when you understand how easily it is to overlook moments in childhood that are seemingly irrelevant. There were a few moments that felt lost, when flashbacks move forward and backward, but when all the pieces fall into place it is both horrifying and heartbreaking.

It leaves you with questions. It leaves you wanting to change the narrative. And even when you know where the story is moving, you have to see it through. It's been awhile since I got into a good book and this one will leave you with a lot of mixed emotions.
2698393
This was a poignant tale. The very first page is heart-wrenching. I don't see how young people being forced to read this book for school could ever appreciate the adult themes presented in this book. This book requires a certain level of maturity to understand the dynamics of a child who is caught between two adults who have so many problems (especially the problem of not knowing how to parent with love). This is a very frustrating book to read; the parental behavior (one might call it abuse) was so difficult to read about. If the ending wasn't totally satisfying to me (I wanted to see Melody truly confess to being an awful mother, or at least rot in hell), I found this to be a very moving, satisfying book to read.
3694563
Sad reality of many children told through the eyes of someone who cares about the suffering and abuse of innocent children.
2961031
It tells of family ties, bad memories across wars, old and new. It an be viewed by children accompanied by parents and not younger than 10 or 11. Entartaining.
319813
I know kids today may think this is a baby show and tht sad it just shows you hows time as changed
this gonna try and share it with who ever remembers or who someone whos never seen
3414049
A short story of every parent to be nightmare. Loss, grief and numbness. Not knowing how to cope and too scared to accept the reality. Relationship breaks down and two people hurting each other not knowing how to fix it. Heartbreaking and sad. However there is light at the end of the tunnel.
2426835
I've always been fascinated by this specific time period and by the mystery of what happened to Louis XVII. This book is extremely well written and well put together. The pacing is good. At times, it can almost feel like fiction. Maybe that's also because it's so awful to think of so much of what is described as being true. I didn't expect to react so emotionally to the content. But the description of what happened to the little (8 year old) boy is so horrifying that I couldn't help crying at the thought. It's very hard to understand how human beings can treat other human beings--especially children--in such horrible ways. But the truth is that it's an important story that needs to be told. Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI are fascinating characters and this story shows how much they loved their children. I recommend it to any history fanatics out there.
2090918
Children of different ages could understand the lessons in Tear Soup at
their level.  Grief takes different forms and lengths of times of each of
us....
4191046
I have found most books in this series to be very appealing to little children, and gentle and humorous into the bargain. However, this one could be all too easily misinterpreted! The story is based on the assumption that a child who cannot sleep is deliberately inventing excuses not to do so, and that genuine terror (which is a fact of life for many) that might cause such sleeplessness is imaginary and manipulative on the child's part, and can be dispelled by a fear of punishment.
This would be devastating for a child to believe - but all the more dangerous were such a viewpoint held by a parent who may have a child who has genuine insomnia or night terrors. The rest of the Frances series is worthwhile, but this one is a nightmare.
2787951
This story broke my heart.  I cannot imagine having parents like that and that there would be a place that treated people that way.
2848311
Actually amazes me how many people don't understand the picture and the words on the shirt! I guess it's just a sad Testament to the American educational system!!?!!
2467028
Heard about the book online and bought it immediately to share Ella's inspiring story with my 6 year old.  My bad: this is not a book for small children.  Although illustrated beautifully,  it's written in a very awkward style that doesn't lend itself well to "storytime".  It also pulls no punches:  all the poverty,  abuse, body image,  and racism are right there on the surface, making it a major bummer despite the uplifting finale.