Reviews (50)

A great read for HP fans or skeptics
Granger indepthly explores the themes of the first 6 books and gives a great explanation of the alchemy and symbols found inside.He is truly a fan, so he speaks with enthusiasm and passion.I disagreed with minor points he made, mainly about some of his predictions for the final book and a few conclusions he drew from the first 6 books. But all Harry Potter fans know that this is inevitable and rather minor.For example, I do not believe that Dumbledore agreed to watch over Harry because he and Harry's father, James, were especially close.But, as any reader knows, this is a very minor difference in terms of the amazing story of Harry Potter.Overall, Granger's book was well worth buying and reading.It is packed full of intelligent information that will cause readers to appreciate the depth inside Harry Potter.Any parent concerned over whether or not their child should read Harry Potter need to get this book, though it's not solely for the unsure.It's also for fans who want to dig deeper and for those who want to reconcile their faith with their love for Harry Potter.

One of my favorite critical works, ever.
Mr. Granger does a good job of several things:
Looking for God in Harry Potter
The book makes some good allusions to the Holy Bible, but some of the points are a bit stretched.If you are looking for good things in the Harry Potter series to tell people, then you will find many of them.For the rest of us looking for a good work relating God and Harry Potter, it will not be found here.The book is poorly written, and the way the ideas are covered reminds me of a friends lecture notes, (you get the idea, but nothing flows and it is quite boring at times).The book does have some good references in it, but it is more informative than entertaining. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Books & Reading    3. Characters    4. Children's Literature - General    5. Children's stories, English    6. Christianity - Christian Life - Pop Culture Issues    7. England    8. English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh    9. Harry Potter    10. History    11. History and criticism    12. Juvenile Literature    13. Literary Criticism    14. Religion    15. Religion - Christian Life    16. Religion and literature    17. Religious fiction, English    18. Rowling, J. K   

Subjects:  1. Books and reading    2. Children    3. Children's Literature    4. History and criticism    5. Juvenile Literature    6. Literature - Classics / Criticism    7. Literature: Classics   

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Children's Literature - General    4. Commercial - Illustration    5. Design - Book    6. Great Britain    7. History    8. Illustrated children's books    9. Illustration of books    10. Art / Design / Book    11. Illustration    12. United Kingdom, Great Britain   

Reviews (5)

Might be good
I have found this book very hard to use. My local library system, which is fairly large, has very few of these books. The ages have been a bit off too, many of the Kindergarten age books I have found to be better for Preschool. It does list both fiction and non-fiction, unlike *many* books about books out there. I am hard-pressed to suggest a book in place of "Books Children Love".
Book list and summaries of many book topics
This book was written as a listing of books for children, of many topics. I want to make it clear that this is not just a book list of children's fiction. There are different books on the market that list only works of fiction. This book includes lists of books for these subjects: animals, art and architecture, bible/spiritual teaching, biography, crafts, hobbies, domestic arts, dance, drama, geography, history, horticulture, humor, language, literature (in several reading levels), poetry, rhymes, math, misc. music, outdoor activities other than group games, physical education, reference, science, technology, and special days and seasons. out of date
Yes, I often see homeschoolers and private schoolers come to my library with lists of "wholesome books" that are also "out of print books". I don't mean any offense to those who home school nor to those who go to private schools. I appaud them for trying to give their children wholesome literature. The problem is that often people equate "old" with "wholesome". True, a book published 40 to 50 years ago (and older) will not have the language and situations that you find in newer titles. But "old" does not always mean "good". ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Best books    2. Bibliographies & Indexes    3. Bibliography    4. Books and reading    5. Children    6. Children's Literature - General    7. Children's literature    8. Education    9. Family & Relationships    10. Literature - Classics / Criticism   

Reviews (11)

Awful
A silly, shallow and uniformed bio that falls far short of lending any insight nor new information on this brilliant author/illustrator. Written by a local reporter for the San Diego Union, this is one of those "gee, and I knew him!" efforts that does not deserve to be seriously considered.
The man behind the cat
Dr. Seuss has become such a fixture in our world that its hard to fully appreciate the impact he had on children's literature and our culture.This book explores both the origins of his whimsical books and the impact he had on the publishing industry.As portrayed here, Dr. Seuss is possessed of a slightly skewed view of life, but is devoted to promoting the causes he believed in, including children's literacy.As a man who truly believed that reading should be fun, he wrote books that he felt were fun to read, and knew that others would enjoy them too.Its a shame that his fear of public speaking kept the world from knowing him better during his lifetime, but he lives on in his impressive body of wacky and delightful books and art.I would highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to get a glimpse of the man behind the cat.

Dr. Seuss & Mr. Geisel: A Biography
I found this book to be helpful in learning about Dr. Seuss's life.I order this book for our school library during the week of Dr. Seuss' 100th birthday celebration.I found it to be an excellent way to let the teachers and students know about Dr. Seuss's life. Thanks for offering this book on Amazon.com. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Authors, American    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Children's Literature - General    8. Illustration of books    9. Illustrators    10. Literary    11. Seuss,    12. United States    13. Biography: general    14. English    15. Novels, other prose & writers: from c 1900 -    16. Seuss    17. USA   

Reviews (7)

Great Book!
This is a very interesting book, I have recommended it to all of my friends...all of which are excited about borrowing my copy!It's very fun to read and hard to put down once you get started!

Fascinating, but Somewhat Limited
The style was enjoyable and the author's points made sense to me.However, even though he admits fairy tales were not originally intended as stories for children, that is the main approach of the book and there's not much discussion about how these individual tales morphed.I liked how the chapters were themed, including chapters allocated to the seven deadly sins with one tale corollating with each sin.Even though fairy tales don't have to be interpreted as moral lessons, he also pinpoints some of the pscyhological/subconscious undertones (such as the witch being essentially of the same essence/psyche/tendencies as the protagonist).

Interesting
I read the book because of the interesting title and found it an excellent choice.It seems that it has been emphasized for it educational purpose, but I took it more entertaining and interesting.Something that just makes one think, sheds a new light on tales that are so familiar to so many of us.Whether or not the author is correct in all his theories (no one really ever is) I thoroughly enjoyed hearing them.I've read several other books on similar topics but none have held my interest like this one.Very well written in my opinion.Regardless of what the reviews say, pop into a bookstore to give it a peek for yourself.It's not necessarily what people are making it seem like. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Literature    2. Fairy Tales    3. Folklore & Mythology    4. General    5. History and criticism    6. Literature: Folklore/Mythology    7. Psychology    8. Psychotherapy - Child & Adolescent    9. Social Science    10. Social aspects    11. Child & developmental psychology    12. Folklore    13. Literature   

Subjects:  1. Books and reading    2. Children    3. Children's Literature - General    4. Education / Teaching    5. Elementary    6. Language arts (Elementary)    7. Literary Criticism    8. Literature    9. Study and teaching (Elementary)    10. Teaching Methods & Materials - General   

Editorial Review

An updated version of the definitive guide, Read more

Reviews (23)

there's no book like this one
Fantastic source of background material, biography, illustrations.Everything you will ever want or need to know in one BIG volume.Beautiful gift.

With are off to see the Wizard in a Wonderful Volume !
The first word in the Wonderful Wizard of Oz is "Dorothy"; the
A labor of love
Although I had seen "The Wizard of Oz" 1939 classic movie more than a dozen times, I had somehow managed to make it through 41 years on this fine planet without reading the original L. Frank Baum "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" book.However, after reading "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire, which completely re-imagines Baum's creation, I became very curious to go back to the original and actually read it.The library had a number of choices available, but when I saw the gorgeous Centennial Edition "Annotated Wizard of Oz," I knew this was the one for me.And I was not disappointed!
Read more

Subjects:  1. 19th Century American Novel And Short Story    2. American - General    3. Classics    4. Fantasy - General    5. Fantasy fiction    6. Fiction    7. Juvenile Literature    8. Literature - Classics / Criticism    9. Literature: Classics    10. Oz (Imaginary place)    11. Wizards    12. Children's literature studies: general    13. Classic fiction    14. English    15. Fiction / Classics    16. USA   

Subjects:  1. Adaptations    2. Arthurian romances    3. Children's Literature - General    4. Children's literature, America    5. Children's literature, American    6. Children's literature, English    7. History and criticism    8. Literary Criticism    9. Literature - Classics / Criticism    10. Medieval    11. Children's literature studies: general    12. Literary Criticism & Collections / Medieval    13. Literary studies: general    14. Myths & mythology   

Reviews (1)

I Don't Hate to Read, But this Book Rocks!!
When I first saw this book, I just knew I would love it. I am a HUGE reader, and there's no way I hate to read. But I liked this book anyway. You will find 125 books in here, which will appeal to reluctant readers. I've read several of the books featured in this book, and I've thoroughly enjoyed every single one of them. There are several parts to the book: books for 5-8 years old, books for 7-10 years old, books for 8-12 years old, and books for ages 10 and up. Each book featured has a picture, an exerpt from the book, a summery of the book, reasons why the book would appeal to reluctant readers, who might like it, types of illustrations, and so much more. There are even more reccomended books in the back. This is truly a fantastic resource, whethere you hate to read or not. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bibliography    2. Books and reading    3. Children    4. Children's Literature - General    5. Education    6. Family & Relationships    7. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    8. Literary Criticism    9. Parent participation    10. Parenting - General    11. Reading    12. Teaching Methods & Materials - Reading    13. United States    14. Advice on parenting    15. Children's literature studies: general    16. Family & Relationships / Education   

Reviews (7)

A Guide to Fairy Tales
A collection of fairy tales that have lasted throughout the years, "The Classic Fairy Tales" also offers many essays by the experts in fairy tale. The very best critics including Jack Zipes and Maria Tater, have written well-thought out essays varying from Disney's involvement in fairy tales to the sexuality of these tales. These essays along with the eight stories (Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, Cinderella, Bluebeard, Hansel and Gretel, four short tales by Hans Christian Anderson, and three by Oscar Wilde) and you get a book which will help you understand not only the tales themselves, but the ideologies, social connections, and cultural importance. This book is definitely a good read.

The Basis For Many Fairytales
An excellent book if you are struggling with the aquisition of variant sources for a particular fairy tale. A compendium of the well known, and the not so well know fairt tales, this book offers various incantations of 8 fary tales in their entirity. Following this, of particular interest to myself, are written criticisms and analysis of such tales by some of the most recognised names in fairy tale writing including Jack Zipes. Regardless of whether this book contains the tale you are looking for, the broader text that the book offers is certainly worth a look. A much more generalised idea is portrayed with regard to such topics as social origins, cultural resilience and the cultural implications and history of fairy tales as an independent genre. This book serves to bridge the gap between fairy tales that seem to bear no relationship to each other by looking at how these tales have come to be what they are.

excellent introduction to folklore
I was glad to find this volume, which offers different versions of popular fairy tales and shows their cultural variation. Commentary is helpful and to the point, with good bibliographical resources.I needed to find a guide to Cinderella stories and this gave me just what I needed and more. A good antidote to Bettelheim's overly Freudian interpretations of fairy tales. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fairy Tales    2. Folklore & Mythology    3. Folklore & Mythology - Folklore    4. General    5. History and criticism    6. Literary Criticism    7. Railroads - General    8. Sociology    9. Children's literature studies: general    10. Fiction anthologies & collections    11. Folklore   

Subjects:  1. Books and reading    2. Children    3. Children's Literature - General    4. Children's literature    5. Education / Teaching    6. Elementary School Language Arts    7. Juvenile Literature    8. Literary Criticism    9. Study and teaching (Early chil    10. Study and teaching (Early childhood)    11. Teaching Methods & Materials - Language Arts    12. Teaching Methods & Materials - Reading    13. United States    14. Children's literature studies: general    15. Education / Teaching Methods & Materials / Reading   

Subjects:  1. Books & Reading    2. Books and reading    3. Children's Literature - General    4. Literary Criticism    5. Literature    6. Literature - Classics / Criticism    7. Secondary    8. Study and teaching (Secondary)    9. Young adult literature    10. Youth    11. English    12. Literary Criticism & Collections / Children's Literature    13. Literary studies: general   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Books and reading    3. Children    4. Children's Literature - General    5. Children's literature    6. History    7. History and criticism    8. Juvenile Literature    9. Literary Criticism    10. Literature - Classics / Criticism    11. Reference    12. Children's literature studies: general    13. Literary Criticism & Collections / Children's Literature    14. Literary studies: general    15. Postwar period, 1945 to c 2000   

Reviews (1)

An engaging, informative collection on writers and writing.
Transcending Boundaries: Writing For A Dual Audience Of Children And Adults is an engaging and informative collection of essays on writers and writing for both juvenile and adult readers around the world. Thecontributors include Helma van Lierop-Debrauwer (Crossing the Border:Authors Do It, but Do Critics? The Reception of Dual-Readership Authors inthe Netherlands); Bettina Kummerling-Meibauer (Crosswriting as a Criterionfor Canonicity: The Case of Erich Kastner); Sandra L. Beckett (CrosswritingChild and Adult in France: Children's Fiction for Adults? Adult Fiction forChildren? Fiction for All Ages?); Maria Nikolajeva (Children's Adult,Human...?); Zohar Shavit (The Double Attribution of Texts for Children andHow It Affects Writing for Children); Carole Scott (Dual Audience inPicturebooks); Roderick McGillis (Ages: All - Readers, Texts, andIntertexts in "The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly StupidTales"); Larissa Klein Tumanov (Writing for a Dual Audience in theFormer Soviet Union); Paula T. Connolly (Crossing Borders from Africa toAmerica); Adrienne Kertzer ("What happened?": The HolocaustMemoirs of Isabella Leitner); John Stephens (Maintaining Distinctions:Realism, Voice, and Subject Position in Australian Young Adult Fiction);Alida Poett (Crossing Borders: Calvino in the Footprints of Collodi); LenaKareland (Two Crosswriting Authors: Carl Sandburg and Lennart Hell-sing);Lissa Paul (Postmodernism Is Over. Something Else Is here. What?). Highlyrecommended for personal and academic studies in children's literature,history and criticism, Transcending Boundaries is enhanced for the readerwith a selected bibliography, index, and a section of biographicalinformation about the editor and the contributors. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Books and reading    3. Children    4. Children's Literature - General    5. Children's literature    6. History and criticism    7. Juvenile Literature    8. Literary Criticism    9. Literature - Classics / Criticism    10. Literary Criticism & Collections / General    11. Literary studies: from c 1900 -   

Reviews (15)

fairytaleaficcionado
interesting, well documented, with marvelous illustrations.Definitely a good buy for adults who still dreamof fairy tales characters. It is a pity that the collection does not include stories from "One thousand and one nights". Otherwise it will be perfect and complete.

Another outstanding book in the Annotated Classics Series!
This is a beautiful book on the magical, scary, enchanting and
Wonderfully Beautiful & Insightful!
This wonderfully illustrated book has 26 classic fairy tales in it to keep both children and adults captivated from the beginning to the end, although it’s geared more towards adults readers due to the somewhat scholarly tone of the book. There’re well-known stories like “Little Red Riding Hood” and “The Little Match Girl”, as well as lesser-known ones such as “Vasilisa the Fair” and “The Juniper Tree”. The format of the book and contents are in such a way that reading is made easy, plus the beautiful illustrations, more often than not, liven up the stories in the book.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthologies (multiple authors)    2. Fairy Tales    3. Folklore & Mythology    4. General    5. Literature - Classics / Criticism    6. Literature: Classics    7. Children's literature studies: general    8. Collections & anthologies of various literary forms    9. Fairy tales, folk tales, fables, magical tales & traditional stories    10. Folklore   

Reviews (12)

Interesting background on your favorite children's books
This book makes a fun gift for new parents, who sometimes need to be reminded about the classics from their childhood, as well to learn about the books published since they were kids. Like anyone who is passionate about children's literature, I have my own opinions about the books that should be listed in the top 100 and I disagree with some of the author's selections. But, I think the real value of this book is the short essays about the background behind the classic children's books we know and love. I didn't know, for example, that Ezra Jack Keats's "The Snowy Day" was controversial when it was published for his use of an African-American protagonist. So, my recommendation of this book is based less on its function as a list and more as interesting background for people interested in children's lit.

Not a Bad Resource If You Know About Children's Books
Silvey's book gives lots of wonderful books, lots and lots of books, but little concept of why (on an objective standard) she chose these books.For example why choose Roald Dahl's BFG rather than his more renowned CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY? Why did she exclude WHOSE MOUSE AM I, the MISS PICKERELL books, ENCYCLOPEDIA BROWN?Where are the Scott Corbett, Bruce Coville, and Jay Williams classics? How can one compile a "Best" list of children's books without HOW TO EAT FRIED WORMS or any Judy Blume book?Very few books on her list come from African-American (bell hooks, Irene Smalls), Asian American (Taro Yashima), or Latino American (Harriet Rohmer) authors.
pretty good, I'd say
Yes, the list of books may seem unimaginative, and yes, she may not have your favorite book on the list (FYI, The Big Orange Splot is the best picture book ever written, and it is not in there) BUT it is still a useful book. I shared it with a young kindergarten teacher I know; she had never heard of Ferdinand or some of the other older books.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Best books    2. Bibliography    3. Books & Reading    4. Books and reading    5. Children    6. Children's Literature - General    7. Children's literature    8. Literary Criticism    9. Literature - Classics / Criticism    10. United States    11. Bibliographies, catalogues, discographies    12. Children's literature studies: general    13. Literary Criticism & Collections / Children's Literature   

Subjects:  1. Books & Reading    2. Child Care/Parenting    3. Child Development And Rearing    4. Children's Literature - General    5. Family & Relationships    6. Juvenile Literature    7. Literature - Classics / Criticism    8. Parenting - General    9. Family & Relationships / General    10. Family & Relationships / Motherhood   

Subjects:  1. American - General    2. Children's Literature - General    3. Literary Criticism    4. Literature - Classics / Criticism    5. Minority Studies - Race Relations    6. Children's literature studies: general    7. Literary Criticism & Collections / Children's Literature    8. Racism & racial discrimination    9. USA   

Reviews (12)

Heart to soul...good snippets of thoughts.
Yes, you can go back home.Most of these quotes come from books that either I remember reading as a young girl or that I read to my sons when they were growing up.As an adult/grown-up they have an entirely new meaning and perception that is heartrendering at times and at others very up lifting.I liked it and have purchased another to pass along.

treasure this
this is a book to treasure.Ms. Gash has done a remarkable job compiling it.I've purchased this book for at least a dozen of my male friends, and they're not even gay.Don't let this one fall between the cracks.The lessons are inspirational on many levels; Gash's selections, geared to adults, from the greatest children's books are consistently entertaining and thought-provoking, no small feat in these crazy, meaning-challenged times.I can't say enough about this unique, compelling book, unless I already have.

Excellent!
This is a really awesome idea.There are truly so many gems out there.Most of them you will remember reading too.I would like to see an even more indepth version with more children's books.But, what an awesome start.This could start the next great "Chicken Soup..." or "...for Dummies" movement in books. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Literature - General    2. General    3. Motivational & Inspirational    4. Quotations    5. Reference    6. Dictionaries of quotations    7. Fiction anthologies & collections    8. Reference / General