Flip (Paperback)
by Wesley Dennis
ISBN:

Price: $3.72
10 used & new available from USD 3.72

Flip is a happy little colt who enjoys life on a Kentucky farm. He can run, buck, and play, but he can never manage to jump the brook in the pasture. One day, Flip falls asleep and dreams he has wings. Jumping the brook should be easy now!

A very short, easy read with a humorous story and wonderful illustrations. It is simple enough for children just beginning to read and is enjoyable for more advanced readers as well. Since the early 1940′s, Flip has pleased many horse-loving youngsters and it is sure to gather even more fans.

No Jumping on the Bed! (Mass Market Paperback)
by Tedd Arnold
ISBN: 014055839X

Price: USD 6.99
90 used & new available from USD 0.10

Walter has been warned about jumping on his bed, but he chooses to disobey. An extra hard bounce sends his bed crashing through the floor and into the room below where Miss Hattie is enjoying dinner. Though Walter would love to stay, he continues the descent through every floor of the apartment, taking the occupants and their possessions with him.

Quite the funny story. The list of people and objects gets longer with each page. The rhyming names of the occupants makes the list even more humorous. Make sure that you pay close attention to the illustrations, especially the dinosaur on the television. All in all, this book is much more fun to read out loud than for one person to read it by himself.

Chester Cricket’s New Home (Paperback)
by George Selden
ISBN: 0440412463

Price: $0.01
86 used & new available from USD 0.10

Chester Cricket’s beautiful stump by the brook has been squashed, and he is forced to move down the brook to a pond with Simon the old turtle, and Walter, a rather eccentric water snake, while he looks for a new home. Animals all over the Old Meadow volunteer to let the cricket stay with them, but he despairs of ever finding a real home again—not knowing that some of his friends have a trick up their sleeves.

A fun, light-hearted story, good for the whole family to enjoy. Though Harry and Tucker from A Cricket In Times Square don’t make an appearance, many other unique characters in Chester’s neighborhood do. Good for a short read.

Warton and the Traders (Paperback)
by Russell E. Erickson
ISBN: 0440494109

Price: $0.54
11 used & new available from USD 0.54

Warton sets off once again to visit his Aunt Toolia, this time to deliver some canned goods. On the way, he meets two woodrats and helps them escape from a wildcat. The woodrats tell Warton that they live in The Bogs and that the wildcat had been plaguing their colony for several days. When he arrives at his aunt’s house, Warton finds that Aunt Toolia has been missing for some time and, with the help of a whippoorwill, finds her in the the dangerous Bogs caring for an injured fawn. Knowing that two small toads cannot possibly cart enough food for such a large animal, Warton leaves to locate the colony of woodrats and enlist their help. But the woodrats insist that everything be a trade, and Warton has nothing to offer in return for their help in feeding the fawn—unless he can find some way to get rid of the wildcat.

Warton and the Traders is perfect for younger readers who want more than a short picture book, but it is written in a way that appeals to the older crowd as well. The story is well-told, amusing and has no objectionable material. Warton and the Traders is part of a series about Warton and Morton, the first being A Toad for Tuesday, with the others following in no particular order.

Petunia (Hardcover)
by Roger Duvoisin
ISBN: 0394808657

Price: USD 11.55
115 used & new available from USD 0.10

One day, Petunia, the silly goose, finds a book lying on the ground. Petunia has heard the farmer say that those who own books and love them will be wise, so she keeps the book, believing that she will no longer be a silly goose. With her new-found wisdom, Petunia feels that she is qualified to give advice to the rest of the farm animals but, since she has never read the book, her advice has disastrous (and explosive) results.

Petunia is a silly story with a moral. Although the moral is a little too obvious, the rest of the book comes across well, is very enjoyable, and makes a good start to a small series featuring the silly goose.

The Saturdays (Melendy Quartet) (Paperback)
by Elizabeth Enright
ISBN: 0312375980

Price: USD 7.99
57 used & new available from USD 4.11

Every Saturday, the four Melendy children receive their allowance, but each child never has enough to do what he or she really wants to do. Mona, Rush, Randy (short for Miranda), and Oliver decide one rainy day to pool their resources, and the Independent Saturday Afternoon Adventure Club is formed. Each child gets a turn to use all the allowance money for whatever he or she wants. This arrangement is satisfying to everybody and the Melendys plan what exciting things they will do on their Saturdays.

The first of four books about the Melendys, The Saturdays is similar in style to The Moffats. I found The Saturdays to be not quite as good as the Moffat books, but still enjoyable to read. Later events in The Saturdays shift a little towards the unbelievable, almost as if the author wanted to put in some adventure and it didn’t quite fit. Nothing weird happens; the events just seem to get a little too coincidental. Overall, a good, simple story of four children growing up during the early 1940s.

Rasmus and the Vagabond (Paperback)
by Astrid Lindgren
ISBN: 014032304X

Price: $1.80
13 used & new available from USD 1.80

Rasmus is tired of living at the orphanage. Everybody who comes to adopt an orphan always picks a girl with curly hair. Nobody wants a boy with straight hair. One day, Rasmus decides to take matters into his own hands and sets out to find a family who wants him. The very next morning, Rasmus meets up with a tramp named Oscar who seems very friendly. Oscar says that he will help Rasmus find a home, but the two new friends run into trouble when Oscar is suspected for a crime he did not commit.

Probably the biggest thing I didn’t like about this book was Oscar’s disrespect for policemen because he is tired of them assuming that “tramp” equals “badguy.” That’s all well and good, but Oscar doesn’t even try to be nice to the policemen, which would help to clear the “tramps are bad” mindset. Another interesting item to note is that, unlike other books by Lindgren, Rasmus and the Vagabond is not a humorous story. The ending is somewhat predictable, but this is still a good quick read for days when you don’t have time for a long story.

Flap Your Wings (Beginner Books(R)) (Hardcover)
by P.D. Eastman
ISBN: 0375802436

Price: USD 8.99
83 used & new available from USD 0.20

One day, a boy finds an egg lying in the path. He sees a nest nearby and decides to put the egg into it. Later, Mr. and Mrs. Bird are quite surprised when they come back to find a very large egg in their nest. Nevertheless, they take care of the egg until it hatches into… Well, you’ll find out.

A humorous tale, accompanied by P. D. Eastman’s excellent illustrations. I found it rather difficult to read aloud, as the sentences tend to be very short, but it would probably be enjoyable for a beginning reader. Overall, a fun book, but I think I like The Best Nest better.

Frog and Toad Are Friends (I Can Read Book 2) (Paperback)
by Arnold Lobel
ISBN: 0064440206

Price: USD 3.99
627 used & new available from USD 0.10

This book contains five stories about Frog and Toad, in which spring comes and Frog tries to wake Toad up, Toad tries to think of a story to tell Frog, Toad loses a button, Frog and Toad go swimming, and Toad is unhappy because he never gets any mail.

Light-hearted tales that are fun to read aloud. My favorite is the one where Toad tries to think up a story, perhaps because I myself am a writer. If you enjoy this book, you may want to also read Frog and Toad Together.

Champion Dog (Paperback)
by Jean Fritz & Tom Clute
ISBN: 0590020846

Price: $3.00
10 used & new available from USD 3.00

From the beginning, Prince Tom stood out from other dogs. He was a runt and the only blond puppy in a litter of black cocker spaniels. Thanks to his happy-go-lucky personality, Prince Tom was picked out as the perfect birthday gift for Tom Clute. From then on, Prince showed what he could do in the manner of tricks, obedience trials, and field trials.

Champion Dog Prince Tom is a must-read for dog lovers. It is the true story of a small cocker spaniel that set record after record, including the honor of being the first American cocker to win the national field trials and the only one to do so while holding obedience titles. The simple style of the book is perfect for younger readers, though older readers may still enjoy the story.