Epinions Recent Reviews for gliondar

A Savvy Coming of Age Story

Wed, 27 May 2009 19:40:51 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author gliondar - Turning thirteen can be awkward for anyone, but for members of the Beaumont family, it can be downright dangerous. As her own thirteenth birthday approaches, Mississippi Beaumont (called "Mibs" by family and friends) anticipates a most peculiar rite of...

Planting the Seed of Wonder in the Garden of Abdul Gasazi

Fri, 3 Apr 2009 02:15:31 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author gliondar - Any book by Chris Van Allsburg is sure to be full of mystery, wonder and dreamlike illustrations. The Garden of Abdul Gasazi is certainly no exception. This simple tale of a boy and a mischievous dog invites children to consider the...

Classic Dress-Up Fun with Magnetic Joey

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 21:56:26 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author gliondar - I love Melissa & Doug toys, so when my two-year-old son received their Magnetic Joey play set as a gift, I was pleased. As I suspected from previous experience with Melissa & Doug, this toy has proven to be a durable delight to both my son and...

There's Beauty in These Beastly Rhymes

Mon, 8 Dec 2008 05:28:41 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author gliondar - I love sharing books of poetry with my kids, and Judy Sierra has always been one of my favorite writers of poetry for children. This may have something to do with the fact that I love Halloween, monsters and ghouls, and Ms. Sierra has a tendency...

Give a Hoot, Give a Goat! (And Don't Pollute Either!)

Fri, 5 Dec 2008 06:55:03 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author gliondar - Sorry for the Woodsy Owl reference in the title, but I can't help but think of that dear defender of the Earth from my childhood when I say the title of Jan West Schrock's Give a Goat out loud. Actually this book has nothing to do with...

Toddler + Water Gun = Mess Free. Have You Met Many Toddlers?

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 03:17:39 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author gliondar - Honestly, there really is no such thing as a completely mess free activity when toddlers are involved. No matter how carefully you plan and how innocuous the materials provided are, if a toddler really wants to make a mess, he or she will. There...

Bye Mommy, I Gotta Go to Work!

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 03:46:18 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author gliondar - I'm sure that I'm not the only parent who has experienced having well-meaning family members purchase loud and obnoxious toys for a child, never thinking of what it might be like to have to live with the sound of such things on a constant basis (although...

Let Me Hear "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star!"

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 02:51:31 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author gliondar - For several years, starting when I was about three, my mother and I spent nearly every weekday afternoon at my maternal grandmother's house, waiting to pick my father up from work at the end of the day (he worked at a factory nearby). I have fond...

Messy to the Max

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:57:22 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author gliondar - On a recent trip to the library, my little girl picked up Rosemary Wells's Max Cleans Up and asked to bring it home. She and her brother have occasionally watched the televised cartoon of Max and Ruby based on Wells's stories of these cute rabbit...

How Do I Love Alison Jay? Let Me Count the Ways.

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 03:25:08 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author gliondar - Over the past few years I've become a tremendous fan of Alison Jay's work. Not only is she a gifted artist whose illustrations for children are whimsical, colorful, and somehow nostalgic on the surface, but she is also a clever teacher who finds ways to...

Excuse Me...I Have to Go Hug My Dog

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 02:46:42 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author gliondar - On a recent trip to the library, I picked up Maribeth Boelts's book, Before You Were Mine after having seen it in a display and discovered it was about a dog that had been adopted from a shelter. Our dog and both of our cats come from the local...

Little Artists Unleashed

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 03:42:02 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author gliondar - I'm a big fan of Melissa and Doug products. My husband and I favor simple, back-to-basics toys that inspire the imagination and will continue to appeal to our kids for years and not be outgrown too soon. I was thrilled when my daughter received a Melissa...

Not Scary at All, Though Ghost Gets the "All" Scared Out of Him

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 05:20:55 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author gliondar - Halloween is a big deal at my house. It always has been, even before there were kids involved, but now that we have two little ones, the entire month of October becomes a Halloween extravaganza. I read a lot of Halloween picture books last month. Many...

Lovable Lavender Lab

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:04:37 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author gliondar - My daughter received a Lavender Lab stuffed animal as a gift when she was just a baby (she's nearly four now). She loved snuggling with it at the time, and for quite a while she carried it everywhere with her. She still loves to play with even though she...

There's Definitely Magic with Mouse and Mole

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 12:28:10 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author gliondar - My little ones love magic, so when I found Abracadabra! Magic with Mouse and Mole at the local library, I thought it might be a great choice for story time. Both of my toddlers loved it, and we've read it often enough that my three-year-old can be...

Ruth Sawyer - The Remarkable Christmas of the Cobbler's Sons: David Bowie? No, Not THAT Goblin King!

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 02:37:54 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author gliondar - I never pass up the chance to share folklore from another culture with my children. For one thing, it broadens their horizons, and for another I love folklore. If I'm going to read a book over and over again to insistent toddlers, I'd better be sure...

Joanne Oppenheim - The Christmas Witch: We Witch You a Merry Christmas

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 03:39:04 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author gliondar - I know, I know--Christmas is over. But December was a busy month and I didn't get a chance to review all of the holiday related picture books I shared with my kids. Plus, as long as my neighbors still have their Christmas lights up, I feel justified...

Marc McCutcheon - Grandfather's Christmas Camp: Christmas Remembrance

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 12:18:01 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author gliondar - On a recent trip to the library, I picked up Marc McCutcheon's Grandfather's Christmas Camp to share with my daughter. Kate Kiesler's cover illustration shows an old man and a little girl sharing cocoa by a camp fire on a snowy winter night...

ABCs Aweigh

Thu, 6 Dec 2007 13:50:02 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author gliondar - My toddler daughter entertains delusions of pirate grandeur, frequently pretending that she is the captain of her own ship and that her little brother is her faithful first mate. She delights in all things related to pirates and enjoys her reading...

I've Fractured My Fairy Tale. Is There a Doctor in the House?

Tue, 4 Dec 2007 18:51:28 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author gliondar - I've really enjoyed Vivian Vande Velde's work in the past, including her cute kid's book, <
i>Witch's
Wishes and her collection of short stories, <
i>Curses,
Inc.. I...

The ABCs of Halloween: Attics, Bats and Cauldrons

Sun, 2 Dec 2007 04:15:28 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author gliondar - On a recent trip to the bookstore, I picked up a copy of ABCs of Halloween, written and illustrated by Patricia Reeder Eubank, as a treat for my daughter. She is just learning to read and was excited by the Halloween season full of witches, cats,...

Christmas Through a Cat's Eyes

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 12:57:36 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author gliondar - Going to the library with a two-year-old can be an adventure. My daughter is constantly oohing and ahhing over books she sees on the shelves, pulling things off the shelves before I can see where they came from, and nagging to go over to the play area...

It's Eleven O'clock. Do You Know What Your Unique Talent Is?

Sat, 24 Nov 2007 21:22:10 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author gliondar - I love it when an author takes a classic tale and puts a bizarre twist on things by telling the story from another character's point of view, modernizing the story, or using the elements of the classic to create the backdrop for a totally new story. I...

This Scarecrow Has Brains by the Suitcase

Fri, 23 Nov 2007 16:23:18 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author gliondar - I recently read Mark Kimball Moulton's <
i>Miss
Fiona's Stupendous Pumpkin Pies. My two-year-old daughter and I really enjoyed his poetry and Karen Hillard Good's charming illustrations (she was credited as Karen...

Toad a la Mode

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 11:55:12 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author gliondar - Halloween is a big holiday at my house, and my toddlers are gearing up for trick-or-treating by watching not-so-scary movies, picking out pumpkins and sharing lots of Halloween-themed picture books with Mommy and Daddy. I saw Mark Kimball Moulton's...