Joanna Cole (1944–2020)

Dispatched by her mother to fetch a needle and thread, Sasha finds her way to the home of Bony-Legs, a terrible child-eating witch whose house in the forest rests on chicken feet. Here her actions in oiling the gate and feeding the dog and cat are repaid, as each aid her when she must escape the witch, intent on cooking her. Fleeing through the now silent gate, Sasha uses the mirror and comb given to her by the cat and dog to create obstacles for the witch - the mirror is transformed into a show more lake, the comb into a massive barrier - and thereby making it safely home...

Although author Joanna Cole does not include any author's note to that effect, Bony-Legs is a retelling of the classic Russian folktale of Baba Yaga and the Little Girl, which has many variants. The language is simple - this is as much an early reader as a picture-book - but nevertheless expressive, and Cole manages to spin an engrossing story, despite the limited lexicon necessitated by the early reader format. The artwork by Dirk Zimmer, who also illustrated Alvin Schwartz's In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories, is deliciously creepy, and captures the suspense of the story. I was torn in rating this, as I found it quite engaging, but was also genuinely irritated by the fact that Cole didn't include any mention of source material. This robs the child of the knowledge that he or she is reading a story from another culture, and prevents them from seeking other stories about the eponymous figure - the terrifying Baba Yaga. Hopefully adult caregivers will be more knowledgable, and fill in that information. show less

The first of Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen's wildly popular Magic School Bus series, which follows Miss Frizzle's class as they take fantastic field trips in the course of investigating various scientific topics, The Magic School Bus At the Waterworks sees teacher and students ascending into the clouds, shrinking down to the size of rain-drops, and experiencing the water-cycle up close and personal. From falling as rain and racing along in a stream, to traveling through a water treatments show more plant and then into their city's water supply, Miss Frizzle's students learn first hand how water moves through various stages and cycles.

Although I have long been familiar with this picture-book series, which launched in 1985, I had never actually picked one of them up. I'm glad that I finally have, as I now understand what all the fuss is about! Informative and educational, while also entertaining and imaginative, the narrative here combines scientific fact with fantastic adventure, while the cartoon-like illustrations add to the fun. The children's dubious initial response to their teacher, and their various conversational asides, are quite amusing, while the topic at hand - how cities and towns get their water - is one that younger readers may not have considered. Highly recommended to all young scientists, as well as to those who think that science is dull - this book might change their minds! show less

I read this book to my two and a half year old grandson because he has a favorite great white shark shirt (which I bought him!). In addition, he said he's no longer afraid of the two sharks (stuffed animals) that I have in my house. He was very eager to learn about the different kinds of sharks and what distinguishes each species (e.g. the whale shark is gentle, the great white shark is the most dangerous). I did feel I had to tone down the danger element a bit because of my grandson's age, show more but I do know that this book was intended for older children (i.e. beginning readers). Nevertheless, I found this book fun to read and very informational. I very much liked this book's colorful and detailed illustrations (although it seemed other readers wanted photographs instead). show less

A nice little tool for walking an anxious child through what happens during medical examinations. It has attractive art and an upbeat script.

My five-year-old liked this book a lot when we first got it, though she did prefer Pooh Plays Doctor (a/k/a Pooh Visits the Doctor) and The Berenstain Bears Go to the Doctor.

I was a little thrown though by this contradictory advice in the "Note to Parents" in the end: "Let your child be in control: Encourage your child to help the nurse and doctor by show more staying still." Is the child in control, or is the child submitting? Given the recent scandal with the gymnastics doctor, maybe teaching our daughters to stay still for doctors is not the best option. show less