"My Buddy Knows" knows how to hold kids' attention
595995
As a parent to 6 year-old twins, I recommend this adorable book!  It's simple, educational and brightly colored.  Kids love to read it over and over again, counting out the numbers on each page.  Illustrations are large and attention-getting.  Great book for young readers.  Also a great book for parents to read to even younger children.
813256
Got for kids (pre teens/teens) and they love it.  Concepts for memorizing and increasing speed are similar to bop it! game so if you liked that, this is a neat twist.  You can't turn sound down or off - a little annoying if you are in same room not playing.  Rubber band good for single play.  Need smooth surface to play on.
1662786
This story is great! Parents and kids alike will be able to relate to Bird's dilemma. He's hiking with his friends: raccoon, beaver, rabbit, sheep, and fox, when he gets hungry. He asks fox if he's brought any snacks. Fox brought berries. Bird doesn't like berries, so he passes. But he continues to get hungrier and hungrier, his attitude getting worse and worse as he asks each of his friends what they've brought.

Both humorous and instructive, this book is a great read aloud. It will have kids laughing at Bird's increasing hysterics and overly dramatic responses to his friends. But it's also the perfect opportunity for parents to talk with kids about their own behavior as they get hungry. I'll even use it to talk with my 6 year old about preparing for outing himself as we recently had an episode on a bike ride where he was indignant that I hadn't remembered snacks.

The illustrations in this book are very vibrant. The text uses capitalization to add emphasis and tone. It's a perfect read aloud for ages 3-6 and even a good independent read for ages 6-8. There is a decent amount of text per page, but the print is large and easy to read.

[...]
960556
Good to give kids so that they can understand the future and their role in the present, Gives them focus and purpose.
3756803
An entertaining read, I know my kids will enjoy this book!
4514373
While it's not the likes of Baby Einstein and others, it holds it's own. The music and simplistic pictures captivate my children's attention. This is played at least once a day here.
2671368
My kids love the Buddies. We have all of the movies. We got this one today and the kids loved it. The voices for the Buddies changed along with the kid owners. If your kids can get over that like mine did, then you should be good.
2986690
Last week, as I was strolling with my two little ones around town for our morning promenade, I happened to pass in front of our neighborhood's church. In its front yard there was quite a congregation of young kids, their instruments and a lot of out of tune music, as they were preparing to rehearse for some parochial event. Of course my daughter, who's 4 and knows the whole Aladdin soundtrack by heart, begged me to stop and listen to whatever they were going to play.
When I said "young kids" I forgot to mention these kids where more on the 12 to 14 y.o. range than on the 16 to 18, so imagine my amazement (and my daughter's dismay) when the notes they started to strum on their instruments didn't belong to either Walt Disney, Justin Bieber or Tokio Hotel but to "Smoke on the Water"... these kids were practically born the day before yesterday, they could easily be MY kids and they were playing Deep Purple, for god's sake.
So I got to thinking that I generally tend to underestimate teenagers and think their brains work only on Wii waves, text-messaging and angst. But there are also some very talented and artistic kids out there whose sole interest in life is not limited to a remote control.
The Graffiti Moon crew, despite being a bit older, is composed by such kids. Slightly eccentric, artistic, urban teens whom author Cath Crowley still manages to depict in a very believable way, complete with teen dorkiness and false romantic ideals.

There's Lucy, the glassblower, who when asked by her best friend Jazz to compile a list of guys she would "do it with", writes down only fictional characters. Enamored with a mysterious graffiter's work called Shadow, she is determined to find him, convinced they can't be but twin souls.

Ed. Part Adam Wilde from&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/If-I-Stay/dp/014241543X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">If I Stay</a>, part Tom MacKee from&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Piper-s-Son/dp/0763647586/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Piper's Son</a>, Ed is a high school dropout, a graffiter and thinks he's a total loser. After having lost his job at a paint shop, he embarks in an illicit adventure with his friend Leo which involves a pink getaway van, some bad men and some "travel plans" with Lucy.

Daisy and Dylan, trait d'union between Lucy, Jazz, Ed and Leo, are going through a relationship crisis and are, apparently, the only ones who can lead Lucy and Jazz to Shadow and his friend Poet.

I loved this book. The story, told in alternating POVs by Lucy and Ed with some of Poet's poems thrown in for effect, is brilliant. It recounts the happenings of one night (a bit  la Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist) and it is just great. I loved how the two POVs overlaps so the reader can be inside both heads for the same scene, I loved how, throughout the book, roles get reversed and misunderstood, like in a comedy of errors. I loved the dialogues, the characters' sense of humor, the banter: this book is just downright hilarious.

Dylan's words:

"If my like for you was footy crowd, you'd be deaf cos of the roar. And if my like for you were a boxer, there'd be dead guy lying on the floor. And if my like for you were sugar, you'd lose your teeth before you were twenty. And if my like for you was money, let's just say you'd be spending plenty."

And finally, I loved the author's writing style. Another talented author which manages to give us a realistic, cute, hilarious teenage story, coupled with believable and well developed characters with great personalities, all encased in pretty words, a bit flowery but not too purply.

I'm hacking half a star off just because I thought the ending was a bit too Gone with the Wind style. But this is, definitely, definitely, a book that needs your attention.

Another great Australian author, another great YA story.
2627390
This is a great story because it shows children how to handle overbearing friends who have strong personalities. Gabby, at one point, throws a friend into the river because he disagreed with her. The other Furry Eyefulls handled her mean-spirited behavior by completely separating themselves from her. Furry Eyefuls are neither aggressive nor are they confrontational. They simply like looking at things and letting their minds wander.

Children will relate to this story about a bossy-pants personality. Gabby is a furry Eyeful who needs to control the activities of others - always making up the rules to the games they play and always telling them all what to do next. Besides being bossy, she makes rules that are skewed in her favor. Eventually the other Furry Eyefulls get tired of this and stay away from her. Disappointed, Gabby retreats to the forest and cries. Unbeknownst to her, Kartusch, a blind snake, happens to be in the vicinity and approaches her. He listens to Gabby's dilemma and offers some counsel. Realizing that her behavior was alienating other, she decides to join her friends. When she reaches out to the other Furry Eyefulls she plays more fairly so that everyone has an opportunity to win.
1089281
MY KIDS LOVE IT! They read it on their own , have started to behave better.
4012686
We have all heard that there are strength in numbers. For kids this is sometimes easy to understand. Things are just more fun when they can be done together. You also feel more safe when you are not alone. In Alexander the Salamander by Alex and M. G. Edwards we are able to see what happens when a group of friends are doing a good deed but end of making a bad choice in the process.

Alexander sees a new student in class--- Terry the Tarantula--- and wants to show him around. This sounds great at first, but then Terry's curiosity leads them into a place they have been told to stay away from. At first it seems as though all might be ok: they meet other friendly animals, but they are also warned of danger. When danger does come what happens to the group of curious students? That is what readers will discover.

This book was fun to read and definitely will be entertaining for kids as it deals with animals, the outdoors and friendship. I believe the lesson of listening to warnings you are given is also something they will appreciate.

Just the right size and fun enough for all ages, ALEXANDER THE SALAMANDER is a literary treat for readers.
814347
Getting the attention of kids is relatively simple compared to holding their attention. This record does both with lan Id say; with catchy tunes and simple accompaniment and harmony that makes it all the more pleasing to the ear. THE GREEN GRASS GREW ALL AROUND and OVER IN THE MEADOW fit right in here. Then the all time favourites such as HERE WE GO LOOPTY LOO, THE MORE WE GET TOGETHER and YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE never fail to get folks singing along. Stories like THE THREE LITTLE PIGS and STROLLING IN THE GARDEN are spoken out well and the I SPY game is an ingenious addition!
338166
Loved the story. Children learn that parting with friends does not have to be forever. The story led to an extended conversations with the grandkids about friendships. Rhyming moves it along and makes it fun for early readers. The watercolor illustrations are beautiful. Even the 5 year old wanted to know who drew the pictures.
1686653
Kids love the pictures and the antics of the 'trickster' Anansis and how his friends respond.
3023827
This is a movie about perseverance and friendship, and it's easy to see how this story shows how kids' imaginations are powerful assets for our children.
776675
As a parent, an educator, and a writer myself, I can appreciate a good picture book. A lot of kids don't like to read and most of the time, it's because they and their parents can't find good books that entertain and engage. Too  many books for kids try to teach a lesson too obviously, to preach, to lecture. And who wants that? Definitely not a young kid. Kids learn by playing and imagining, and that's what they will do as they read "I Think It's a Rock" by Peter Collier.

The book starts with a simple, easy-to-relate-to problem: a kid has something that feels like a rock in his shoe. Of course, he asks himself what it could be. At first, the answers are logical. Maybe, gum? Maybe, a bee? The line "That's what he thought, but maybe it's not" at the end of each of these pages will make the kids think about the possibilities. It will also create a desire to turn the page and find out, and that's what will keep them reading.

With each turn of beautifully-illustrated pages, the answers get wilder and funnier until Mom has to interfere and bring a sense of reality to the situation that is quickly descending into an uncontrollable giggle-fest. She thinks it's just a rock. But the author is a kid at heart, so the last page of the book shows a picture of a mischievous little dragon-like creature, with just one line to finish the book, "...but maybe it's not," leaving the kids to ponder all the wild and creative ideas presented in this book. Highly recommended!
4029172
This book teaches his dragon-buddy about the importance of staying clear of strangers.  My girls love that the kid is the hero and saves his friend.