a Hit but also a Miss
588767
Generally, I really like the stand but it's a tiny bit unstable at times and it works better (for me) when I use is backwards... but you have to stare at the USB cord that way.  I use a 12" MacBook so my problems might just be because my laptop is on the smaller size.  Functionally, it fixed the problem of my computer overheating so i'm really happy about that.  I did a decent about of research on these types of products and this sounds like the best one... I'd buy it again.
1862905
Little bear is a handsome, charming and photogenic Pomeranian. The story is simple but fun to read for very young children. However, I was disappointed in the quality of some of the pictures. They were blurry or with washed-out colors. It seems like it should have been easy to retake photos that weren't of the same outstanding quality as the cover photo. The book is pricey for having so few pages but I wouldn't have minded the price if the quality was better. I would only give it a "3" but the front and back cover pictures alone earn it a "4"!
2369056
There is an obvious need for good multicultural books. This book while it has a couple of flaws is filled with delightful gouache pictures. Presented as an alphabet book, the reader is introduced to the pleasures of living in an ethnically rich urban neighborhood. Two children hug their grandmother, "A is for abuela", move onto a local grocery store, "C is for the Chino-Latino corner store we call Ortega's", and experience the fun of being sprinkled with water on a hot day, "F is for the fire hydrant spraying summer rain". There is unfortunately not a glossary for the Spanish words that are introduced in the text. There is a Spanish version of this same book. Ideally, the book could have been bilingual. Also, "I is for the ice cream truck in infinite flavors so sweet". The ice cream definitely comes in flavors but not the truck. Nevertheless, the joy of living in the neighborhood comes through clearly in the lively colorful artwork.
2327504
Ms. Diana should have overseen the assembly of this compilation; there is not a hit that I really want here. "Pieces of Ice", her sorely underrated #30 or so pop hit is conspicuously absent. Diana has admitted  not being able to remember the hits of some of her Supremes days, so maybe  its omission is all for the best, as she would be forced to own up to it in  concert and probably does not have the recall at her age to do so.  Some of her fans who bought such a 'Greatest Hits' compilation may expect  it-even if, arugably, it was not one of her classics. Its mere appearance  on a Greatest Hits set does make it somewhat mandatory for concerts,  though, and my intuition tells me that "Pieces of Ice" is  something she would rather forget-even if it was progressive '80s music. On  the brigher side, classics "Muscles" and Daryl Hall's "Swept  Away" are here though.
634767
I am a speech-language pathologist and I like to use wordless (or almost wordless) books with my preschoolers sometimes to practice their speech sounds in a conversational context, as well as informally assess their sentence structure and story telling skills.

This book is fun. The pictures are as wonderful and detailed as David Wiesner is known for. The clock on the cover is misleading as to the overall story. I usually ask my kids what they see on the cover and what we might think it's about, but this one does not help. Some kids notice the "monster" hand, some do not.

The story is a little hard to follow at times, at least for my 3-5 year olds. They understood, with help, what was going on on each page, but I don't think the overall story flowed well for them. At the end with the lily pads on the ground, they didn't really grasp why or even why the detective/police were concerned with them.

They enjoyed seeing the frogs flying around, chasing the dog, in the old woman's house, and scaring the man eating his midnight snack.

Overall, I think this is a great wordless picture book for children between the ages of probably 4-8. This is one that needs adults' guidance to grasp the story, but the pictures are beautifully done and have just enough detail.
1791894
My children loved the panda and that when you placed him on different features that he would say/sing different things.  The 3 blocks going into different shaped holes was also a hit.  We didn't use the track much because it constantly fell apart and was flimsy.
2093819
Pinkalicious is funny, original, and very entertaining, even for adults. (It's one I don't mind reading over and over)

Not your usual kid fare and likely to become a classic.

Unfortunately, like most sequels, Purplicious and Goldilicious are not nearly as good as the original

Pinkalicious: 5 stars.

Purplicious: 3 stars,  Still interesting and worthy of 4 stars except that the negativity, cliquishness, teasing is better suited for older kids.  Maybe.

Goldilicious: 3 stars - An imaginary unicorn called Goldalicious makes for a very promising start, but then the story bogs down in repetition with not a lot of sophistication.  More suited to younger kids as Pinkalicious but not as interesting.

Other children's books I rate five stars are "Dexter Beasley and the Big Blue Beastie," "Click, Clack, Moo" and "Princess and the Pizza"

If you've found this review to be helpful, please let me know!
4972536
Don't get me wrong-I LOVE THIS TOY!!! (and so does my 18M old daughter) but I did notice that a few of the fruit pieces were less durable than others.  Specifically, the pear arrived to me already crushed (made from very thin plastic) and the banana seems like the next one to "deflate".  But most of the fruits are made from much thicker, stronger plastic.  The basket is adorable and the fruit and vegetables are very realistic looking. Even without the pear, it provides my daughter hours of fun!
2979735
My daughter (12 months) LOVED the "My First Halloween" book by this author so much that I had to order "My First Thanksgiving" AND "My First Christmas" right away.  The Halloween and Christmas books are much more colorful and festive for little children.  The Thanksgiving book was a nice quality with beautiful pictures... but I do feel that it was lacking in the attention grabbing quality that the other two possess.  I am glad to have it in my collection, but unless you were interested in this series I would choose another book just for Thanksgiving.
2179532
Got this for my grandson to use when he was in his high chair. He LOVED it!  It was so cute and so much fun, but it didn't take long before the music stopped playing. I'd guess the battery died, and there is no way to get into it to replace the battery. That was most disappointing because he didn't want to spin it when there was no music. Also found that it would stick much better if you got the suction cup a little wet before sticking it on the tray or table.
3715696
This is a beloved classic Christmas poem, and I will agree that this version has been illustrated beautifully - the illustrations are interesting and old-looking and lovely. However, I don't think it is deserving of such high ratings. Here are a few reasons why:

The FIRST thing I noticed and was disappointed about was that there is a LOT of text on each page. I think this makes it hard for little ones (or for older ones) to pay attention. I think it would have been a lot nicer to have a little less text per illustration.

The font is hard to read.

There is a little sidebar picture on each page with a little clock and a vintage-looking outdoor Christmas scene. I think this is cool; however, it would have been a LOT neater to have something in the picture change from page to page. It has the exact same picture on every. single. page. I think the illustrator missed out on the potential of this book in this way.

For the detail of the pictures, I would have liked the book to be a bit larger, or to have less white on the pages (larger pictures).
4288307
I purchased these books for my 6 month old son due to the positive reviews and found them disappointing overall.  Only two were good enough to keep (A-Z and Moo, Baa, La La La) and Moo, Baa, La La La - just barely.  Besides the A-Z book, the others do not keep his interest.  He really likes when we read books that have more than just one or two words on a page, along with some rhyming in them.  Books like Eric Clark's "Foolish Tortoise" and "Greedy Python" are favoirtes.  Baby laughs at the melodic stories & they are entertaining for mom and dad to read too.
1221813
This is a great story and whimsical world idea. Fun to watch, and the choices in voices adds some uniqueness to the characters. The primary issue is the strange contrast in levels between music and the voices. I could barely hear the voices. Or perhaps it was just a poor job done with the audio levels. It detracted a lot from the experience, anyway.
4233084
This was a fun and simple story to read, but apart from the wonderful illustrations, in the way of a story, there wasn't much to take away from it. I would imagine kids below the age of 7 would enjoy this for all its colourful illustrations, but if we're talking about story, I don't think it has enough substance to maintain an older child's attention. It's a shame the story wasn't as demonstrative as the vocabulary. All the same, it was still an enjoyable read.
1250283
I'm a huge Michael Feinstein fan, with a sizeable collection of his albums, including The Sinatra Project Vol. I, which I thought was awesome.

As expected, I had high expectations for Vol. II, but sadly, it doesn't quite match, never mind outdo, its predecessor.

Might be a combination of factors, including song choices and vocal delivery. While this CD features many more pieces I'm familiar with compared to the Vol. I list, I just felt that something was lacking. And a few of the slower songs suffered from forced huskiness in Michael's tone. Could be the wrong register for him, or he may be developing a new performance habit. Either way, please stop!

That said, I give this 3.5 stars, and really enjoy the big band tracks which are beautifully arranged ( and on which Michael sings normally ). The ballads, however, don't appeal to me as much - definitely prefer his earlier work from Isn't It Romantic and The MGM Album.
1584102
Bought this toy for my 2 year old for his birthday. It was really popular with my 5, 3 and now 2 year old!!! The we're laughing and having a great time. But now one of the water shooters has lost the tip that loads it into the pup pack and it no longer fires. Also, the pup pack does not go up and down easily. It takes some serious pressure.  It was a big hit, but not sturdy enough to last an hour into playtime. We will see if they stay interested with only one water piece still functioning.
48590
My daughter and my 2 boys have been loving this thing for the last few hours since we got it.  It is well made, rugged, nice colors and has some stuff which a mall contains.

It is a nice toy to play with - but would have been even better with some lights & music

Few things which I did not like:
  * The pieces do not fit in tight and snug : means they fall apart easily even with a slight movement
  * The elevator fits in pretty loose and by the time you lift the elevator by hand, it falls apart.
  * The merry go around is too small for any of the Minnie to fit in
  * The slide on the side is flimsy

Overall - not a well designed stuff, not what we expect from Fisher Price.