Emily Perl Kingsley

Found this book for 10 cents at a thrift shop and it's one of the best purchases I've ever made! My 4-year old stepdaughter likes reading this out loud by herself, with only a little coaching from me. Simple, repetitive sentences around the theme of "I can do it myself, ending with "I can look at this book!" Great for a child who's just starting to learn to read.

ISBN 0307120228 - Sesame Street and Golden Books is a pairing that can hardly go wrong and the Growing-Up Books are proving to be equal to that reputation. The alphabet, counting and colors are important but they've been done to death and if your child is ready for new things, these books might fill the need.

Flossie's Mommy wakes her up with some news – today she's starting her new job as a teacher and Flossie will be staying home with Dolores, her new monster-sitter. Flossie's very sad to show more see her mother go but Dolores shows her pictures of her cat, plays with her and tries to learn the way Mommy does things for Flossie while showing her new ways. When Henry comes home from school, they go out to the park, stop at the store and come home to get ready for their parents to arrive after work.

While I was reading, one thought kept running through my mind - either Dolores and Mommy are way better with children than humans are or monsters just are better children than human ones. These kids are nearly perfect, the adults are endlessly patient... it's almost enough to give a mom a complex. Still, the book isn't really for us, it's for kids - especially the kids who are about to face "losing" Mommy to the workplace. This book touches on the concerns that little children have when they're first separated from their parents and even indirectly offers parents some input on how to handle the situation. The illustrations are nice, but seem heavy on the pastel shades, maybe intentionally, to be soothing? I don't know, but I wasn't particularly enthralled by them. Pick this one up if you're getting ready to leave your child with a sitter for the first time; maybe a preview will help!

- AnnaLovesBooks show less

I had a certain nostalgia for this movie. When I found the book at a $1-per-bag book sale, I added it to my pile. The book was a faithful adaption of the movie, although the format meant the songs and voices and hilarious quips and nonsense were missing. Because the story was first told in movie format, it doesn't translate well into book. However, for my childhood's sake, I will keep this book with a certain fondness.

Big Bird and Little Bird explain their preferences for all things big and little. For example, Big Bird likes mountains, while Little Bird likes molehills. My daughter loves reading this book. Partly because my husband has a really funny squeaky voice for Little Bird, but mostly because it's just a fun book. I think this book is good for teaching young children about opposites and I like how it ends with the two birds admitting that there is one big/little thing that they both love....each show more other. show less