Synopses & Reviews
Hang on to your hats! George gets spooked when he spends his first Halloween in the country and hears the legend of No Nogginand#8212;aand#160;headless scarecrow that kicks peopleand#8217;s hats offand#160;on Halloween! The man with the yellow hat tells George itand#8217;s just a legend, but with the help of his friends Allie and Bill, George is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery and find out once and for all if No Noggin really exists. This early reader features a festive bonus activity for even more Halloween fun with George!and#160;For more monkey fun, check out www.curiousgeorge.com and discover all the latest books, promotions, games, activities, and more!
Review
"The great thing about the show . . . is how seamlessly it weaves word usage into the story lines of each episode. . .and#160;. The words are defined, used in sentences and repeated, yet at no time does any of this feel like - ugh! - school." --
San Francisco Chronicle "The showand#160;. . . incorporates vocabulary lessons into the antics of Martha and her two-legged pals." --The Washington Post
"Martha's animation is colorful and perky, just like Martha and the family home she inhabits." --The Hollywood Reporter
"Martha's a pretty savvy girl with some pretty good lessons. . . . [she] is a smart, confident, happy dog whose home life illustrates how people should care for animals - another plus for the series." --The Orange County Register
"[T]he real draw is how the series boosts vocabularies, exploring words that require more than a pictogram to explain." --Time Out Kids
"Kids will quickly fall in love with the charming yellow canine at the heart of this series because she's fun-loving and excited to learn new things. . . . Martha Speaks does a good job of exposing kids to new vocabulary. . . . The show also makes an effort to weave in positive messages about qualities like self-confidence, friendship, and civic responsibility - all great lessons for young kids." --Common Sense Media
"There's plenty of good humor from the newly loquacious pooch . . . but the program is, at heart, a stealth vocabulary lesson." --Cookiemag.com
Plenty of parenting blog coverage:
"It is a cartoon about a dog that ate some alphabet soup and it went to her brain instead of her stomach and now she can talk. We even made a trip to the library last week and checked out Martha Speaks books. She will not be happy when I have to return those books.and#160;We have to read them to her about four times a day!"
"It is a new, sweet animated series on PBS . . . My little girls love it - and they can be a tough crowd to impress."
"[D]efinitely keeping this cool dog on our watch list." and#8212;mommafindings.com
"I love this show." and#8212;lovethydog.com
Review
Praise for GossieandFriends books:
Ollie's Halloween and#160; "This low-key story is a great addition to the Gossie and friends books and will work well in storytime."and#8212;School Library Journal, starred review
Gossie and GossieandGertie and#160; "Gossie and Gertie's boots are made for walking; the books they so delightfully traverse are made for treasuring." and#8212;The Horn Book, starred review and#160; "Two books that are sure to become favorites because they tap into quintessential preschool experience....Young children will ask for these stories again and again." and#8212;School Library Journal, starred review and#160; "Adding ample wry humor to both his spare ink-and-watercolor pictures and minimalist text, Dunrea imbues both goslings with distinctive, endearing personalities and chronicles experiences every preschooler can recognize." and#8212;Publishers Weekly, starred review and#160; "The potent combination of toddler-appealing story lines and the charismatic charm of the illustrations assure that these smartly clad geese will be marching straight into the hearts of readers." and#8212;Kirkus Reviews and#160; Ollie and#160; "With their simple watercolors and narrative, along with diminutive heroes who assert a budding independence, these tales demonstrate once again how well their creator knows his audience." and#8212;Publishers Weekly, starred review and#160; "Preschoolers will relate to Ollie's point of view and delight in his humorous reactions to the new world he's discovering." and#8212;Booklist and#160; "Art and text are spare but expressive, and Dunrea's understanding of toddler life...is remarkably keen." and#8212;The Horn Book and#160; Peedie and#160; "Dunrea's feathered characters have the look and feel of preschoolers rapt in their own discovery of the world." and#8212;School Library Journal and#160; "Peedie is a very appealing little gosling and the story and repetitive text will delight young listeners." and#8212;Children's Literature and#160; Merry Christmas, Ollie!
"...the focus on Ollie's childlike anticipation is right on target. Dunrea's graceful ink drawings and beautiful washes offer an appealing alternative to more complex, but less satisfying Christmas picture books" and#8212;Booklist
"Remaining true to his uncomplicated watercolor style, Dunrea maintains an element of charm to Ollie's waiting, depicting his impatience as sweet and subdued, rather than manic and obsessed. Parents and children will immediately relate to this youngster's excitement." and#8212;School Library Journal
Gossie and Friends: A First Flap Book
"A wonderful addition to Gossie collections." and#8212;Kirkus Reviews
2006 Nick Jr. Family Magazine Best Books of the Year
Synopsis
In this new early reader based PBS's Curious Georgeand#160;Halloween TV special, George gets spookedand#160;by theand#160;legend ofand#160;No Noggin--a headlessand#160;scarecrow that kicks hats off on Halloween! Could it be true?
Synopsis
Hang on to your hats George gets spooked when he spends his first Halloween in the country and hears the legend of No Noggin--a headless scarecrow that kicks people's hats off on Halloween The man with the yellow hat tells George it's just a legend, but with the help of his friends Allie and Bill, George is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery and find out once and for all if No Noggin really exists. This early reader features a festive bonus activity for even more Halloween fun with George For more monkey fun, check out www.curiousgeorge.com and discover all the latest books, promotions, games, activities, and more
Synopsis
George explores the wonderful world of color, but can he do it without getting messy? While dyeing eggs with Steve and Betsy, George accidentally falls into a pot of food coloring and turns yellow! Remembering his promise to the man with the yellow hat to stay clean, George experiments with the different dye colors to see which ones he can mix to turn him brown again. But can George right things before his friend returns to find a multicolored monkey? Includes activities that explore primary and secondary colors.
Synopsis
Martha has to make a flower delivery to a supposedly haunted house. But who ordered the flowers? Is someone fixing up the house? Or was it truly a ghost Martha saw in the spooky darkness? Whoever or whatever it was, Martha knows she has to follow and protect Helen who has gone to investigate. The question is: who will protect Martha?and#160;Fun word activities in the paperback include a word scramble and ghostly riddle. Also includesand#160;spooky stickers!
Synopsis
Thereand#39;s a bit of scaring and a lot of sharing in this Halloween story of GossieandFriends, now a Level 1 Green Light Reader. Those just learning to read independently will love prowling the barnyard, tricking and treating with Ollie. This edition features a free read-along audio download.
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About the Author
The Reys were born in Hamburg, Germany. Hans Augusto Rey (1898-1977) met his wife-to-be, Margret (1906-1996), at a party in her fatherand#8217;s home in Germany; when he first caught a glimpse of her, she was sliding down the banister. In their twenties and thirties they lived in Paris and in Rio de Janeiro, where Hans sold bathtubs in villages along the Amazon River. Eventually Cambridge, Massachusetts, became the Reysand#8217; home and community. Throughout their lives the Reys created many lively books together, including SPOTTY, PRETZEL, and lift-the-flap books such as HOW DO YOU GET THERE? The manuscript of the first Curious George books was one of the few items the Reys carried with them on their bicycles when they escaped from Paris in 1940. Eventually, they made their way to the United States, and CURIOUS GEORGE was published in 1941. Their incorrigible little monkey has become an American icon, selling millions of books and capturing the hearts of readers everywhere. CURIOUS GEORGE has been published in many languages, including French, German, Japanese, Afrikaans, and Norwegian. Additional Curious George books followed, as well as such other favorites as CECILY G. AND THE NINE MONKEYS and FIND THE CONSTELLATIONS.