Good read-aloud story
589373
Wonderful true story of sacrifice and hardship of a Christian missionary and her Chinese converts around the time of the Japanese invasion and then the ruthless takeover by the communists.
4642209
We loved the illustrations and sweet story. Great read aloud book!
28790
This story of a runaway monster is based on one the author told her own children. It's fun and whimsical for a younger child, and the illustrations are well done.
3749148
We've really been enjoying reading this story aloud to our children in the evenings.  Vivid characters and their adventures as well as the beautifully-drawn illustrations hold their interest.  As a parent, it is refreshing to read a book with the clear moral themes of classic fairytales without the predictable plot lines.
4744229
The story was simple and a fantastic read-aloud. It's not very long and doing a chapter a day almost seemed like too little, so sometimes we did too. A great adventure, knights and brave and cunning children build a book that is great for those taking steps into reading chapter books on their own or for parents to read aloud to younger children.
1381868
This is a great read aloud book.  My 10-year-old son and I just finished reading it together and we both loved it.
2463310
I really enjoyed this well written children's story. The book is a great read aloud bedtime story for children. The photos are beautiful. I especially loved the setting, a quaint old book shop (one of my favorite places, as an avid reader). The author knows how to paint a picture with his use of descriptive words. I could close my eyes and imagine each scene as the story unfolded. Being an animal lover, I enjoyed reading about a rat, a pig, and the birds that were a part of this pirate adventure. The book has the right mix of adventure and drama to hold the reader's interest, yet not frighten younger children. I would highly recommend this book to parents who are looking for a great bedtime short story.
2128582
This is a fairly quick read (great for bed time) and it is a fun story. Our little guy enjoys me reading it to him. The book itself is good quality with bright colors and clear text.
2453858
We've read the other books in this series and were eager to check out the third installment. The animal characters we've known from the other stories have a new mystery to solve in this one, as their friends in the forest start falling ill.

My kids have now enjoyed all three adventures in the series. They said this wasn't quite as good as the first two books, but still liked it very much. The chapters are fairly short and the book is quick to read. The characters are likeable and the plot interesting. It says this book is recommended for ages 7 to 12 and I think that's a great target. It's perfect for readers into chapter books, but could also make a good read aloud for younger readers not comfortable tackling it on their own.
496254
This is a terrific read-aloud book with fun rhymes and a cute storyline.  I read it to my twin girls all the time!
3777674
I liked this book, but more importantly, my 4 year old son liked it enough to hear it again and again.  It has a simple story, with pictures that coincide: Vera first looses her tricycle in the park, then receives a bicycle that she learns to ride.  One night everyone is busy and she goes off by herself to ride.  With the help of a boy she knows, she gets on and rides around the school.  When she is ready to get off, she looks for help from the same boy but he has gone home.  She continues to ride around and around until she finds the resolve to try stopping.  It sounds dry, but it is captivating to the preschool set.  It's also a great story to use for discussion:  safety issues, courage, emotions at loosing her tricycle, having to ride alone, etc. And the final great thing about it: she ends up in bed asleep on the last page- the perfect betime story ending!
110405
I remember this story fondly as a child and so purchased one for our own children. They story is similar to the ginger bread man with the journey cake taunting everyone as he goes by but with a very country/rural feel to it. The older language is delightful, example: "Hollered we're all a tucker!" It is one of my favorite stories to read out loud because of it.
Our oldest is three at the moment and frequently request this story (and Miss Suzy). It might be too boisterous for a bedtime read for some children.
As one of the previous reviewers pointed out as a bound-out boy Johnny is apprenticed to not the son of the old man and woman.
I noticed someone else pointed out that some of the animals Johnny returns might not have been wild (as one was in a pasture). I don't know that this would be obvious to a young child, even one raised in the country, so I don't think it detracts from the tale.  As the animals follow the journey cake I'm not sure it could be called theft but it is something to think about/be aware of.
308416
Pirates of Rocky Crag Bay is filled with wholesome adventure stories for youngsters that would be good for read alouds.  They are short enough to keep a child's attention and long enough to enjoy a good cuddle.  I think that these tales would be nice to read at bedtime.  I found the stories to be interesting, and many of the stories have a good moral.  My youngest is twelve years old.  She read a few stories and thought they were a bit young for her.  We think that it would be good for children from about four to ten years old.  Older children may enjoy reading them alone.  I know it's not always easy to find books for young boys.  Rebekah Morris is a writer to watch.
Thank you Miss Morris for giving me this free copy for review.
3198016
This is a great read aloud book for young children who are or about to experience using the library or who are ready to write their own stories.  Teachers who are beginning to teach writing in the primary grades could use this book for their students as an incentive to write stories.
3295959
My daughter really liked the story.
It is just the right level for a reader that is still learning to pronounce multi-syllable words and struggles with a lot of exceptions.
4869437
I listened to the Audible version of this book.

Conjure Woman's Cat was a cute story told (I think) from Lena the cat's POV. I liked the character CW (Eulalie) and the other characters were fun also. She does root work or folk magic and I thought that was pretty neat. I thought there were many fun parts to this story, especially when she says how mad she gets when a disrespectful person makes her spit.

Wanda J. Dixon did a good job narrating this story. I liked her bubbly voice and she made this story fun. She had good voice inflections which added to it as well.

"I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast dot com."
1552109
Kids loved it and found it funny. Good to read aloud. Good for 1st-5th grades. Fun family book and can be read in small parts