Lake Wobegon USA (Lake Wobegon)

Book Description

Lake Wobegon U.S.A. is the eagerly anticipated successor to News From Lake Wobegon (one of the bestselling spoken-word audio ever) and More News From Lake Wobegon. This collection contains 17 touching, exquisitely funny monologues from Garrison Keillor recorded during American Radio Company broadcasts from tour stops all over the country. The tales, says Keillor, are about "the luxury of rhubarb pie, the perils of prophecy, Florian and Myrtle's thrifty vacation, the vapor lights of Our Lady of Perpetual Responsibility. . . ." They are also about joy, grief, dreams, luck, and mysteries—about the extraordinary moments of wonder that illuminate our ordinary lives.

Customer Reviews:

lake wobegon .......2007-06-12

Entertaining, lets the listener get out of town for a while.

Do not drive and listen. . ........2005-02-14

Made the mistake of listening to this on a drive to New Orleans. Usually takes two hours. However, when you have to pull the car over and laugh, it can take about three or four hours. Taking out the CD and arriving quicker was not an option - as long as there is a drive-through fast food joint close to the highway. The news from Lake Wobegon has become a letter from home over the past years, and, it will erase any damage you have had from your own family!!

I cannot imagine NOT having this in your collection. It is wonderful.

Full of Hearty Laughs and Poignant Moments.......2004-07-25

If you're not familliar with Garrison Keillor's stories of small-town, Midwestern life, check to see when his program is aired on your local NPR station. His radio program (called A Prarie Home Companion) is full of esoteric music, old fashioned comic sketches, and amusing interviews, but the real treats are his delightfull and insightfull Lake Wobegon yarns, which is what these tapes are full of. If I could give this 4 tape set 6 stars I would, but 5 will have to do. Included is a story about a Sunday school teacher's husband, who gets roped into managing the Christmas pagent at the last minute and must deal with debates over allowing live animals into the church, children with stage fright, and conspiracies to keep local Lutherans from getting into the Catholic church to watch the spectacle. Another favorite is The Six Labors of Father Wilmer, in which a battle between a priest and a parishoner leads to a cleric, in his pajamas, on a 20 foot ladder, at 3 am, trying to rid the church of the evil" of mecury lighting. Of course there's Sweet Corn, in which we learn about the secret aphrodisiac of the Midwest. Another good story is Blue Devils, in which we witness the progress of an overly competitive, all-girl's basketball team through the eyes of anxious parents, who try to make sense of sweet, blonde, little girls--who kiss mothers before joining the game, but are soon seen elbowing enemies to the floor and uttering words that have never been allowed in the house. All in all, there are 17 monologues and some music between stories...making about 5 hours of good, old-fashioned-but-liberal-minded entertainment. If you're looking for another good (probably better!) Keillor set, go for Life These Days. I guarentee you'll crack up.

Woe is Right.......2003-02-06

An old, tired theme. That is what this compilation delivers, and delivers and delivers.

While Mr. Keillor's show was moderately entertaining 15 years ago, it has not kept pace with time. Thus, the stories seem to be replayed on an old, stuck phonographic record, replayed over and over.

If you are a big time Keillor fan, you will probably find this work to be an enjoyable distraction while mixing your Metamucal. However, for anyone who can still think clearly, all these staid stories will just make you run for the can.

Great, just great........2002-08-30

This is one of the best works of Mr. Keillor and I read them all. Please keep writing it.

Garrison Keillor (Twayne's United States Authors Series)

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Garrison Keillor (Twayne's United States Authors Series)
Peter A. Scholl
Manufacturer: Twayne Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Garrison Keillor: A Critical Companion (Critical Companions to Popular Contemporary Writers)

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Garrison Keillor: A Critical Companion (Critical Companions to Popular Contemporary Writers)
Marcia Songer
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0313302308

Book Description

Combining a career in live radio performances and equally lively short story writing for the New Yorker, Garrison Keillor has continually charmed fans and readers with his homespun wit and warmth. While acknowledging his career highlights, this full-length critical study supports Keillor's own view of himself as writer rather than performer, by examining his literary accomplishments and giving serious analysis of his fictional works. In order to understand his tremendous popular appeal, Songer situates Keillor within the rich literary heritage associated with American humorists such as Mark Twain, James Thurber, and Will Rogers. This volume treats each collection of stories as a cohesive literary entity, from the early works Happy to be Here and Lake Wobegon Days, whose familiar characters concerned themselves with social pressures and teenage angst, to The Book of Guys, which wryly examines the pitfalls of the modern male experience. In analyzing Keillor's most recent work, the novel Wobegon Boy, Songer expertly explores Keillor's humorous handling of real life lessons to be learned from the small town legacy. This full-length critical study gives readers a close-up view of Garrison Keillor as he reinvents himself from a shy, small town Minnesota native son, to a successful New York writer who is internationally recognized as the voice of everyman. The well documented biographical and literary heritage chapters familiarize readers with the myriad of literary, social, religious and moral influences that would become thematic materials for Keillor's fiction writing. Each chapter in this Critical Companion examines closely the character development, plot structure, and thematic concerns that tie together each of Keillor's major works and short story collections. Literature students and teachers alike will also find very useful the extensive bibliography with a complete list of all of Keillor's writings as well as reviews, criticism, and further biographical information about this delightful writer.

Garrison Keillor: A Voice of America (Studies in Popular Culture (Jackson, Miss.).)

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Such a Complex Fella

Garrison Keillor: A Voice of America (Studies in Popular Culture (Jackson, Miss.).)
Judith, Yaross Lee
Manufacturer: University Press of Mississippi
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0878054731

Book Description

When Garrison Keillor spun his dreams each week on A Prairie Home Companion, even sushi addicts drew comfort from the smell of tuna hot-dish, the soul food of the `50s, emanating from the Chatterbox Cafe. In Lake Wobegon, the living was so easy that the elm trees still flourished, impervious to the Dutch Elm fungus that had denuded the rest of the Midwest, and Main Street had just one traffic light--usually green, at that. After all, as Keillor reminded the nation each week in closing his monologue in the climax of the two-hour variety show, in Lake Wobegon, "All the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average."

Garrison Keillor: A Voice of America explores the comic imagination that put Lake Wobegon, Minnesota, on the map along with Hannibal, Missouri, and Yoknapatawpha County. This first full-length analysis of Keillor's humor draws on manuscripts and audiotapes in the archives at Minnesota Public Radio as well as upon the wealth of poetry and prose published by Keillor since his student days at the University of Minnesota. Two chapters detail the historical development of A Prairie Home Companion from its origins in 1971, when Keillor was the host of KSJN's morning show and began reading commercials for Jacks' Service Station and Real Estate near the shores of a shallow lake. In addition to tracing the evolution of the Lake Wobegon monologue, these chapters examine the themes and comic techniques of the songs, poems, dramas, commercials, and audience-participation events that also constitute the Matter of Minnesota. Separate chapters on Keillor's short fiction, Lake Wobegon Days and Leaving Home, establish the continuum between his work in radio and print, a pattern already set in his student years, while locating Keillor's place in the vernacular, local color, and New Yorker traditions of American literary humor. Lake Wobegon Days and Leaving Home both demonstrate particularly well Keillor's own contribution to American humor: efforts to blend mock-oral memories with postmodernist literary structures and to convert the personal narrative form from folklore to art.

Customer Reviews:

Such a Complex Fella.......2005-08-21

Here's a short quote from this book:

"The ... narrative overflows with familiar icons of childhood and small-town American life - daydreams and disappointments, abseball and Boy Scouts, lawn ornaments and storm windows, Main Street and Founder's Square. But Keillor works his local-color material so that it debunks the same sentimentality and nostalgia that it evokes. ... in the final analysis the narrator's praise for small-town America is about as trustworthy as the boy's booming baritone."

Such a complex fella. Keillor left Lake Wobegone for a clear and understandable reason: he was stultified by the environment and the atmosphere where "artsy" types were viewed with deep suspicion and contempt.

However, this was the ground he stood on, unlike so many others, and it became his lifelong meal ticket...

Lake Wobegon USA Fertility (Lake Wobegon)

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Keillor's uniqe ability comes through once more

Lake Wobegon USA Fertility (Lake Wobegon)
Garrison Keillor
Manufacturer: Highbridge Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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Book Description

Includes: "The Krebsbach's Vacation," "Prophet," "The Six Labors of Father Wilmer," and "Fertility." 80 minutes on 1 audiocassette

Customer Reviews:

Keillor's uniqe ability comes through once more.......2001-01-22

This cassette features four more stories that only Garrison Keillor could conjure up. It starts with "The Krebsbach's vacation", which portrays two old-timers in the agony of taking a vacation that neiter one wanted to go on. Then comes "Prophet", Keillor's special take on the responsibility of knowing "the truth". "The six labors of Father Wilmer" is a terrific story of a priest who has had it with certain church members. "Fertility" isn't what the title would suggest it is, but it serves to show again that Garrison Keillor brings to the table both in style, and ability, what no one else can. This is another great cassette.

Lake Wobegon USA Patience (Lake Wobegon)

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Four stories that are excellent teachers of patience

Lake Wobegon USA Patience (Lake Wobegon)
Garrison Keillor
Manufacturer: Highbridge Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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Book Description

Includes: "Aunt Ellie," "Duke's 25th," "Jobhunting," and "You're Not the Only One." 88 minutes on 1 cassette

Customer Reviews:

Four stories that are excellent teachers of patience.......2001-01-27

The four stories in "Patience" tells us that those we love deserve to be tolerated. "Aunt Ellie" tells the story of a borderline insane woman who does what she wants when she wants in the way that she wants, but still manages to show kindness. "Duke's 25th" is about a painfully funny memory of a dreadful Thanksgiving holiday. Jobhunting is a hilarious take on Keillor's search for his first writing job, and "You're not the Only One" shows that we all go through annoying moments in life and we should be grateful that it is not worse and that we are not alone in our struggles in this world. Four of Keillor's stories with good music in between; an excellent combination.

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Rhubarb comes alive under Keillor's direction

Lake Wobegon USA Rhubarb (Lake Wobegon)
Garrison Keillor
Manufacturer: Highbridge Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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Book Description

Includes: "Rhubarb," "Sweet Corn," "The Sun's Gonna Shine Someday," and "Yellow Ribbon." 78 minutes on 1 audiocassette

Customer Reviews:

Rhubarb comes alive under Keillor's direction.......2001-02-03

"Rhubarb" is a collection of four stories from Garrison Keillor which take simple things in life and make them profound, in an absurd sort of way. Appropriately, the first story is called "Rhubarb". In it, Keillor basically gives his take on the history of rhubarb and tells how the plant affected its discoverers. Next, Keillor ventures into the "Sweet Corn" market by explaining how the vegetable saved, and ruined at the same time, the relationship between a mother and her son. Next comes "The Sun's Gonna Shine Someday", a story in which Clarence Bunsen rises above a miserable week. And finally, "Yellow Ribbon" explains how a teenager uses the opportunity to get away from Lake Wobegon to understand "his people", as well as himself, better. Overall, four very good, well told stories.

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Keillor's average is America's excellence

Lake Wobegon USA Youth (Lake Wobegon)
Garrison Keillor
Manufacturer: Highbridge Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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Book Description

Includes: "Blue Devils," "Nostalgia," "O Christmas Tree," "Pageant," and "Messy Shoes." 77 minutes on 1 audiocassette

Customer Reviews:

Keillor's average is America's excellence.......2001-02-03

While "Youth" represents work not quite up to the typical magnificence of Garrison Keillor, it does represent quality storytelling that is presently unmatched in this country. The first of five stories in this series is "Blue Devils", chronicling the experiences of the Lake Wobegon High School Women's Basketball team. The second story is "Nostalgia", a somewhat forgettable but pleasant story about the pleasures and heartaches of nostalgia as they relate to one specific family. "O Christmas Tree" is Keillor's take as to the significance of the famed tree all over the world during December. "Pageant" is the story of how Karl Krebsbach was forced into taking over Lake Wobegon Lutheran's annual Christmas Pageant. Finally, "Messy Shoes" is Keillor's personal description of his love for the city of Seattle. While not even close to Keillor's best work, "Youth" still makes it easy to see Keillor's brilliance.

Book Description

From Lynda La Plante, one of the world’s greatest crime writers, Royal Heist is a big, dashing novel of deception, passion, and international suspense, in which a man with a dangerous double life masterminds the greatest robbery of all time.

With a beautiful family and a magnificent fortune, Edward de Jersey is making news with his prized racehorse Royal Flush. But while de Jersey socializes with the cream of English society, he keeps to himself the details of his background and how he acquired his wealth. The son of an East End bookie, de Jersey reinvented himself as an aristocrat after pulling off some of England’s most notorious heists. He has no intention of ever going back to crime . . . until his financial adviser loses his entire fortune in a disastrous investment and de Jersey decides to retrieve it the old-fashioned way: by stealing it.

From Monaco to the Hamptons, from London to the shadowy back alleys of cyberspace, de Jersey goes into action, using guile, force, and the latest technology to put together the perfect plan. Drawing on the expertise of a computer hacker with a passion for Elvis, the inside knowledge of a dying aristocrat, and the skill of a professional impersonator, de Jersey is ready to commit his greatest and final crime. He’s going to steal the crown jewels from under the nose of the royals themselves.

Now, as Royal Flush prepares for a spectacular run at the Derby, de Jersey faces his moment of truth: How much is he willing to risk to win the sport’s most coveted prize? And just how far will he go to get away with the perfect crime?

A novel that builds to an amazing crescendo of suspense, Royal Heist is a glamorous and gritty tale of men and women bound together by love, greed, trust, and mistrust. With all the pounding excitement of a high-stakes horse race, this is fiction that takes hold, doesn’t let go, and dares us to keep guessing until the very end.

From the Hardcover edition.

Download Description

Chapter 1

June 2001: Royal Ascot was into its third day, with crowds enjoying the unusually warm, sunny weather. There was a circus atmosphere at times, with clowns on stilts and booths selling racing memorabilia. A brass band was warming up, and the aroma of fish and chips still hung in the air. Ladies in extravagant hats were escorted by men in morning suits, and everywhere they walked, the champagne flowed. Affluent visitors headed toward private boxes or to the Royal Enclosure. Today, it was murmured, Her Majesty the Queen was present, for one of her own horses was running.

Outside the official car park, Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, and Mercedeses queued with buses, coaches, and station wagons. The car park closest to the main gates was only for owners and trainers, and rows of attendants checked the passes displayed on windscreens. Police and racecourse stewards directed pedestrians over a crossing that led to the gates and turnstiles. The stewards wore old-fashioned bowler hats, smart black suits, white shirts, and as requested by the track officials, sober ties.

Christina de Jersey pulled her navy Corniche, packed with two teenage daughters and their friends, into the closest car park. The girls all wore their large hats bedecked with flowers, while Christina's was stowed safely in the trunk.

She had invited several guests to lunch in the de Jersey box and overseen the menu with her usual meticulousness. Though it was not twelve o'clock yet, she had wanted to avoid the even greater crush that would ensue nearer to the start of the first race, to give herself time to check the table and greet her guests.

A couple of hours earlier, in his helicopter, her husband had piloted his jockey, Mickey Rowland, and trainer, Donald Fleming, to the track. Now, from the busy helicopter pad, he made his way toward the racing stables on the far side of the track. Though fifty-seven, Edward de Jersey was still athletic and exceptionally fit from d

Customer Reviews:

royal heist.......2007-08-17

The book was received on time and was in very good condition. I was well satisfied with the purchase.

Glossy, Complex Caper.......2007-01-07

Lynda La Plante, author of "Royal Heist," previously wrote the substantial police procedural "Prime Suspect." As a former actress, she then produced that book for television, under the same title. It thereupon became the influential, prestigious Edgar award-winning, British Broadcasting Company, and, later, Public Broadcasting System television series "Prime Suspect," starring Helen Mirren. That book, and tv show, were infused with the gritty realism of the English cop shop as it then was: La Plante researched it by interviewing the highest-ranking English police woman of the time. Book and tv series were also infused with the gritty realism of some of the meanest streets to be found in England at the time. In fact, in a recent interview, Mirren claimed that "Prime Suspect" was the first tv crime drama to accurately portray the workings of English police stations: all previous programs, she stated, even, for example, "Inspector Morse," were not. However, La Plante's "Royal Heist" turns its back on realistic grit: it's a crime caper set in the rarified world of horse racing, sport of kings, among some impossibly beautiful glamorous people.

Immensely rich Edward de Jersey, owner of prize horses, beautiful wife and daughters, meets the Queen of England at Ascot racetrack, and then is ruined by a [...] collapse. Therefore, de Jersey, a self-made man, born plain old Eddy Jersey, son to a bookie in London's East End, decides his only option is to steal the Queen's jewels, including the gigantic, invaluable Koh-I-Noor diamond. (He had, you see, originally made his fortune by a series of daring, big bucks, famous robberies, gold bullion, that sort of thing.) The author has here produced a reasonably complex caper, though, in the manner of this particular genre, she never actually tells you how this crime might be done; that probably just isn't the done thing.

Royal personages, world-famous authors, athletes, billionaires, performers, television personalities, and impossibly beautiful glamorous people tend to upend the delicate balance a good mystery needs, if you ask me. But somebody must like them: they do sell. Your cup of tea?

If it was this easy to pull off scams we would all be rich........2006-02-01

It got to the point where I didn't care how this book ended. It seemed like it just kept getting more and more preposterous. If it was this easy to pull off scams we would all be rich.

Couldn't put it down!.......2005-04-21

This was a fun book! The idea of stealing the crown jewels seemed a little unbelievable, but as things unfolded, I was completely drawn in. I even found myself reading too fast sometimes, wondering what would happen next.

The thing that surprised me most was that even though I knew what the characters were doing was wrong, I still was rooting for them! Overall, an entertaining book.

A crown jewel heist.......2004-08-17

I generally like my caper novels with laughs and switchbacks. Instead, LaPlante, creator of TV's "Prime Suspect," delivers ruthlessness and daring. And a seemingly endless supply of obstacles. All of which Edward de Jersey is single-mindedly determined to overcome in his do-or-die quest to keep his life in the style to which he has become accustomed.

De Jersey, son of a bookie, has risen to the top of British society on the proceeds of previous criminal success. Now he breeds racehorses, looking for his crowning jewel, a derby winner. With Royal Flush that glory is almost within grasp when it all comes tumbling down. Suddenly, in a dot.com tumble, he's bankrupt. His trusted accountant has lost it all and killed himself.

Having previously carried out Britain's most daring robberies (a fact unknown to all but his accomplices), de Jersey dreams up a scheme to gather his old gang together and recoup his losses. By stealing the Crown Jewels. There are lots of problems with this plan, of course. Security seems impregnable. The old gang isn't getting any younger and none of them have stolen so much as a stick of gum in years. De Jersey's wife is angry and suspicious about his secrecy. His accountant's sister-in-law has gotten curious. And the team of robbers keeps getting bigger.

To pull this one off de Jersey needs a lot of accomplices, including a computer hacker, a queen, a lady-in-waiting, and a footman. De Jersey himself becomes a less sympathetic character as the plans grow more complicated, but the secondary characters are appealing. There's an odd distance to this novel, which is a mite off-putting, but the daring plot keeps the pages turning.

Book Description

When Mallecyne St. Merline was told she had been assigned a new partner for an ongoing investigation, she wasn't pleased. When she discovered her partner was a 'null', while Mallecyne herself was a fifth-level sorcerer, she wondered what her boss was thinking. Isis City was in the midst of a crisis amongst high school students -- their most promising young wizards and sorceresses were being abducted into another dimension. Hero Wizardsbane wasn't just a 'null' -- he was one of the famed Wizardsbane clan; impervious to magic. As a team they are the only ones who can defeat the evil wizard Tynedale -- Mallecyne's former mentor and lover -- and end his scheme to take over their world. In the rescuing of the stranded magick students Mallecyne and Hero get glimpses of our world that make them glad to live in theirs; while working together the two police officers fall in love and pledge their troth.

Customer Reviews:

A Wizard by Any Other Name.......2005-03-19

A Good Read
>
> "A Wizard by Any other Name"
> by Pamela Ryan
>
> Have you ever wondered what the world will be like
> in
> our future? Have you ever wished you could blink
> like
> Jeannie in, "I Dream of Jeannie," or wiggle your
> nose
> like Samantha in, "Bewitched?" Could magic and
> wizardry live in commonality in our big wide diverse
> world? What if you threw in portals that that took
> you
> back to times in our past that deplored any type of
> odd, unacceptable behavior, sort of like places in
> our
> world today? Well Debora ElizaBeth Hill, brings all
> these elements together in her new book, A Wizard by
> Any Other Name.
>
> Throw in very attractive and powerful police
> personnel, anti weight gaining spells, some romance,
> acts of daring do, and you have a fanciful
> adventure.
> Ms. Hill doesn't stop there though, she blends time
> periods that creates interesting and eye opening
> looks
> at how different culture such as pilgrims and
> futuristic new-agers react to each other.
> Unfortunately we find that prejudice was/is alive
> and
> well in all periods and places. Fortunately the
> characters of Nate, Chastity, and Doc give us hope
> that there are those in each society that are far
> sighted and open to new ideas.
>
> So I you want to enjoy a bit of fantasy join
> Mallecyne
> St, Merline, and Hero Wizardbane, (Love the
> character
> names), and their friends as they try to make the
> world safe from the evil wizard, Tynedale. It is an
> exciting, thought provoking, and colorful journey
> that
> you will have a hard time putting down.
>
>
> You can find out more about Debora ElizaBeth Hill
> and
> her book's Jerome's Quest and A Ghost Among Us on
> line.

I adored this book.......2005-02-27

Direct descendant to Merlin himself, Mallecyne St. Merline, a ninth level sorceress, is partnered with a "null" on an investigation. The most promising high school student sorcerers are being abducted into another dimension, their power usurped by Tynedale, Mallecyne's former teacher and lover. Mallecyne's partner isn't just a null though; he has the rare ability of being impervious to magic. This makes him the perfect partner for her as they battle to save the world from Tynedale's plans.

Through the portals that Tynedale had created Mallecyne and her partners explore our own world, full of its prejudices and religious idiosyncrasies. They attempt to rescue those who have been captured but inadvertently bring a number of "other worlders" over as well. This allows for an examination and comparison of the two dimensionsàone, which embraces magic, and one that cowers to its religious beliefs. Looking at the world this way is an interesting study of society. This deep difference in cultures adds so very much to the story that one will be caught up in the discussion and intrigued by the plot.

Will the students be able to return to the world they know? Will Tynedale find a way to take over the world, in both dimensions? Will Mallecyne and her partner discover how well they work together in other ways? What will happen to the beautiful girl from the Dark Ages? Get caught up in the magical tale of "A Wizard by Any Other Name" and you will discover the answers while enjoying a time tripping adventure full of thoughtful insight, lust, and life lessons.

I adored this book and highly recommend it. Readers will find that they will be swept up in the spell of a talented author. What better result from a read can you get?

Average customer rating:

A Wizard By Any Other Name
Debora Elizabeth Hill
Manufacturer: Jaqkar, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N63JX6

Average customer rating:

Good resource, but I wish...

Helped this new father...

Wow, what a resource!

Great Books for Babies and Toddlers: More Than 500 Recommended Books for Your Child's First Three Years
Kathleen Odean
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0345452542
Release Date: 2003-04-01

Amazon.com

Chances are, your baby shower showered you with copies of Goodnight Moon, and you, if not your little one, are ready to move on. Kathleen Odean--former children's librarian, chair of the 2002 Newbery Award committee, and author of Great Books for Girls and other excellent children's literature guides--has compiled 500 book recommendations for babies and toddlers. The time to begin sharing books with children is during babyhood. As the introduction states, "Reading to young children sets them on the path of emergent literacy, a term that sums up all the ways children become at home with language, reading, and writing well before they can decipher or print a recognizable word." In addition to book recommendations, Odean offers plenty of insight into early child development, tips on reading aloud, and careful listings of additional print and online resources for information about children's literature.

Odean's friendly, accessible guide recommends books in two primary categories: "Nursery Rhymes, Fingerplays, and Songs" and "Picture-Story Books for the Very Young." Each thoughtful, decidedly "un-canned" review demonstrates how a book can be used with a child and describes its distinctive characteristics--the basic content, the look and feel of the illustrations, and the sound of the language. Information such as author, illustrator, publisher, age range, and which editions are currently in print is also provided. You'll find wonderful new castings of tried-and-true Mother Goose rhymes and favorite classics along with picture-book discoveries from Jules Feiffer's Bark, George to Peggy Rathmann's board-book edition of 10 Minutes Till Bedtime . Odean is not only knowledgeable, she has great taste, to boot. This could be the most valuable baby-shower gift you ever give, but if you have any interest in children's literature at all you'll want to keep a copy for yourself.--Karin Snelson

Book Description

“The ideal time to begin sharing books with children is during babyhood, even with children as young as six weeks.”
—Starting Out Right
National Research Council

All parents hope to give their children the best possible start in life. Many of them know it’s a good idea to read to their children at a very young age, not with the goal of teaching their kids to read, but with the joy of having special time together looking at pictures and playing with words. Carefully chosen books that introduce children to the pleasures of language, simple story structure, and wonderful artwork are the foundation for a future love of books.

Great Books for Babies and Toddlers is the first book of its kind—a guide to the best age appropriate children’s books available. Compiled by Kathleen Odean, former Chair of the Newbery Award Committee, Great Books for Babies and Toddlers provides lively annotations for more than five hundred books, divided into two helpful categories: Nursery Rhymes, Fingerplays, and Songs; and Picture-Story Books for the Very Young.

With story selections ranging from such classics of children’s literature as Goodnight Moon and Where’s Spot? to excellent new books like How Does a Dinosaur Say Good Night? and Buzz!, Great Books for Babies and Toddlers will be more than a cherished guide for parents—it will also be a child’s first step in the lifelong adventure of reading.

Customer Reviews:

Good resource, but I wish..........2006-01-28

In looking for things to read to our daughter once she was born, my husband and I searched our memories for childhood favorites, talked to friends and librarians and poked through Jim Trelease's Read Aloud Handbook but found it to be a little light on suggestions appropriate for an infant. Kathleen Odean has done a wonderful job of describing several hundred books appropriate to read to 0-3 year olds and suggesting age ranges for each book.

I do wish that in addition to her "Favorite Picks" which give quick lists such as "Favorite Bedtime Books" that she had also included a list of books that rhyme and an index of titles by age since paging through to find things for a particular age is time consuming. All in all we are very pleased with this book and look forward to being introduced to many new books and authors as our child grows older.

Helped this new father..........2004-06-18

I used this book to build a 100+ library of books for my 17-month old daughter. There are so many children's books available that a guide like this is indispensible for distinguishing between them. This guide pointed me towards some fantastic books and authors that I would not have encountered by simply browsing my local library or bookstore. Some examples of fantastic authors that my daughter and I love whose books were recommended by this guide include Frank Asch, Pat Hutchins, Eve Rice, and Patricia Hubbell.

Wow, what a resource!.......2003-09-25

If you have ever wondered whether all books for babies and toddlers are created equal, then wonder no more. Kathleen Odean has done all of the footwork for parents of young children and for youth services librarians responsible for collection development in this area, with this well-researched and annotated guide to the best of the best. Also included are tips on reading aloud, activities with books, books in Spanish and so much more, all to ensure that the maximum benefits are derived from the recommended literature. This is certainly an acquisition that leaves no room for regret.

Great Books for Babies and Toddlers: More Than 500 Recommended Books for Your Child's First Three Years

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Great Books for Babies and Toddlers: More Than 500 Recommended Books for Your Child's First Three Years
Kathleen Odean
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OVDOVW

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