John O'Brien (5) (1953–)

A man is reduced to desperation in this hilarious send-up of that classic carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas, as he finds his true love's gifts rather inconvenient, and completely disruptive to his holiday peace. From the partridge in the pear tree, which he must attempt to plant in the snowy ground, to the seven swans a-sailing, one of whom assaults him in the bathtub, he grows ever more alarmed as each day passes. By the time the twelve drummers drumming wake him from sleep, he's decided show more the best option is to hide, putting up a "Not at Home" sign...

For anyone who has ever found the verses of this carol somewhat bizarre, or seen the absurdity of the gifts mentioned, John O'Brien's The Twelve Days of Christmas will be a hoot! I do love this carol, and have read and appreciated many beautiful picture-book presentations of it - favorites being those done by Laurel Long and Jane Ray - but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the humor of this edition! The poor man, who only wants a little winter peace, is instead tormented by his lunatic love! It definitely made me chuckle. The artwork here is done in pen, ink and watercolor, and has a zany sense of humor that ably captures it's subject's growing desperation. Recommended to anyone who has scratched their head at this carol, and to those looking for more humorous picture-book presentations of it. show less

Who Was Marco Polo? by Joan Holub is a book I wish I had when I was growing up. They didn't have cool history books like this when I was a kid. Now I get to enjoy them as an adult! I do too. These books are awesome even for adults, don't let the kids tell you they are only for kids, lol. I love this one for the great personal tidbits that were certainly left out of the history books. The book makes the reader feel like you know what Marco went through in his travels and we get a feel for show more what it was like being on his trips. Fun, exciting, and scary all at the same time. A great way to make this man come alive again in our minds. Great job. show less

A well done juvenile biography of Marco Polo that is able to effectively establish context for and raise questions about his accomplishments in a very short number of pages.

I learned something, and I was never bored.

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: Who Was Marco Polo? -- Chapter 1. A Family of Merchants -- Chapter 2. Marco Leaves Home -- Chapter 3. The Long Trip to China -- Chapter 4. The Great Kublai Khan -- Chapter 5. Marco Works for the Khan -- Chapter 6. Fierce Mongol Warrios -- Chapter 7. show more Trapped -- Chapter 8. Delivering the Princess Bride -- Chapter 9. Home Again -- Chapter 10. The Famous Book -- Chapter 11. Were Marco's Stories True? -- Timeline of Marco Polo's Life -- Timeline of the World -- Bibliography show less

Two married wizards have a one-up contest to avoid taking care of their baby. I kinda wish the premise was something other than that - I feel like the author could easily have started with another "chore." It also bothered me that while both of them could clearly do magic, they're referred to as "the wizard" and "the wizard's wife." Ugh. If you can ignore these, the story is silly and has a good twist ending.