Awesome Boy and great story
599616
We love you Tripp and have followed your story from the beginning. You are a great inspiration and you have an amazing supportive family. God Bless all of you.
3708573
I really enjoyed this story, as did my 3.5 year old son.  We had a lot of fun narrating the story, and talking about all of the things that Rex was doing and interacting with.  Very creative, I can't wait for the film adaptation.  The art style is wonderful and otherworldly.
1330817
My 2.5 year old son loves to be read to and many of the kids books nowadays are wonderful even for adults.  Up and Down does a great job involving the parent and child with great visuals.  It's about a boy and a penguin who are great friends and the penguin wants to fly because he has wings.  In an effort to do so, he has the boy try to help him with various endeavors but none work.  He then heads off to become a "Human" Cannonball but gets separated from his friend.  The problem with being a cannonball is that he wasn't sure how he was going to land or where?  The boy frantically searches for the penguin and sees a poster of him performing that night and runs to catch him-which he does (SPOILER ALERT!).  They are happily reunited again.

I HIGHLY recommend you also purchase LOST AND FOUND which is the Prequel to this book about the same boy and penguin.  They are sort of companion stories and brings much more depth when read together with Up and Down.  Their human/penguin friendships is heart-warming and the type of friendship I would hope for with my children and others.
644501
Before I go into this book I want to share a story that will make this book more relevant. Rowan is an every sweet, caring kid. He love to stop and say hi to any kids at the story and asks about other people.

As we food shopped we head to the meat and cheese. A young mother had a little boy, maybe one in the cart. Rowan looks at mom! I said what? Its an elf on the shelf! Then I realized why he was saying that. The cute baby had ears shaped just like an elf.

I pulled Rowan to the side and asked him not to yell it or run over. I explained to him that his ear is just not like everyone else. He looks at but mom, he is so cute. I grinned from ear to ear. I told him he can say hi, but not say anything about his ears.

After he said hi and we walked away, I could hear him under his breathe that was so an elf lol.

What Makes me Shine is a sweet book that touches those issues like I had to talk to Rowan about. The authors have done a great job of putting it in easy to understand words and interactions that any young child can understand.

Martha and Grant Griffin put together a story from the birth of Sam till school age Sam meets new kids that point out his birthmark. It talks about how everyone has something different and it's what makes us us.

Rowan and Oak both loved it. It brought up great questions that Rowan asked and I was able to talk to him about. With Rowan just turning five and school age this was a great book for him. I wish there were more books like this out.

Even if you homeschool like I do, this is still a book all kids should read.
[...]
4416019
I met Mike at one of my stores and bought this online after hearing about his story.  I don't read a lot of books but rather read online.  I couldn't put this book down.  This book is a MUST READ!  What an incredible story of his life as a boy.  This just made me want to hold my kids close and appreciate them more.
2712454
There is nothing that I can say to add to this awesome piece of storytelling. This is one of the best stories that I read as a kid, and that I have been able to recommend to my son. It is perfect for the summer days, filling in the need for adventure, boyish fun, and all the great time being a kid and growing up.
3348028
A great story that my son loves. Sometimes we read through it twice in 1 night. We always compare his adventures with the girls in the story and how his days at school are just as fun and exciting. You can tell the illustrations were drawn by hand which is a nice change with all the computer generated books these days. And it is nice to have a book highlighting how fun school can be with a little imagination. A must read for all children! I enjoy the story as well!
4020129
My boys LOVE this story and have not stopped listening to these stories since the CD arrived. One of our favorites for sure.
4694643
I love when the story begins with Cody as a young boy. It really provides an insight to his soul which really helps connect you with his character as he develops. Cassie's father took Cody under his wing because he recognized the boy lived in a somewhat dysfunctional environment. Cody became part of the family and basically grew up with Cassie until he had to move away with his mother. The scene at the campsite when the kids were 11 years old was so touching and very well written I couldn't help but relate to that little boy. This is a great story and I have finished part II and can hardly wait for part III because the cliff hanger was pretty intense.
3400898
I loved this book. The flow of the story was quit catching. My son loved it and wants it read to him all the time.
3330980
Great story with a great message.  My 5-year old loves and is very curious to know what happened to Oscar's dolphin friend....Can't wait for next chapter!
2306513
With some trepidation, I downloaded the kindle version of this for my seven year old son who is, like most seven year old boys, impatient with any book that does not grab him immediately. He wants lots of action, excitement and believable characters. I want that too, but also something that will stretch him emotionally and academically and won't send me to sleep when we're reading together!

I needn't have worried. Yes, as reviewers have already said, the book is very well written: there are some beautiful passages of description. Yes, it is also educational on a variety of levels: there are moral dilemmas to discuss and issues of friendship, bullying, courage and acceptance. More important than all of this, though, is the fact that ANTICS is a really great story.

My son loved Zube, Brill and, particularly, little HesitANT and gripped my arm as we read of their dangerous journey and narrow escapes. RepugnANT, the spider, is suitably evil and scheming. Douglas manages to make the villain's threats menacing without making the spider too horrific and the heroes are brave and funny without being too cavalier.

I'd recommend this to any parent of 6 to 8 year olds - just so long as you haven't got plans in the evening because once you start this story with your kids you'll be reading every night, for a LONG time, until you finish.
2128058
My 4 year old boy cannot get enough of this book.  He loves the characters, the rhymes, and the colors.  I love that he is learning his letters and important life values while having fun.  I highly recommend this book.
1591833
Very engaging story. I read it to my younger kids and the older ones read it for themselves. This is our second copy for our family of 6. (The first is now a well-worn paperback.) Our son's name is Gareth (very unusual in the US) and he especially enjoyed hearing/seeing his name. ;)
2815623
My  son love this story and couldn't get enough. I love how Jim wises tell the story you begin to be involved in story not just a listener. It a great audio book but would only recommend it for tween boys and up
744174
This is the book that will get young boys reading!  The story is cleverly written with an appealing, albeit scruffy looking main character that imaginative young boys can readily relate to.  Tom is likely oblivious to the fact that he's a good kid with good values  as well as being really funny.  Motivated by one of my favorite foods, Max is an odd looking little dog with a weird and wonderful tail and is totally captivating.  The English/American dictionary was so interesting and a really nice intro into a fun and adventurous story that I read happily to my nephew and will do so again and again. The satisfying end suggests a sequel - I would love to read more of Max The Flying Sausage Dog and his cute little owner...
664612
I bought this book for my nephew, but wanted to read it first to make sure it was appropriate.  He is a 12 year old boy and he is going to love it.  More importantly I loved it too!  The characters were well developed and the story kept you wanting to get to the next chapter.

I whole heartedly recommend this and I am looking forward to the next one too!