Product Description
The Pied Piper pipes the vilage free of rats, and when the villagers refuse to pay him for the service he exacts a terrible revenge. ... Read more

Product Description
As a storm rages outside the window, a young girl lies awake at night, her head buzzing with questions: Who am I? Where did we come from? What happens when you die? No answers are provided in Stormy Night. Rather, the questions prompt readers to explore their own place in the world. Winner of the prestigious Bologna Ragazzi Award, this intriguing book provides parents and educators with a springboard for discussions on life's questions. With imaginative drawings and simple but thought-provoking text, Stormy Night is the perfect place for children, regardless of age, cultural background or religion, to start looking for their own answers to all the really important questions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Perfect.Absolutely perfect.
I found this book on the sale shelf at the local library yesterday afternoon.I was drawn to it by its unusual appearance--a black cover and very thick pages with simple drawings.As I began reading it, I was laughing and exclaiming aloud, as the book sounded like the verbatim inquiry that my seven year old son seems to engage in every night or so just before bed.I bought the book for fifty cents and brought it home to my son, who is more of an avid thinker than an avid reader.He has never taken so readily to any book before.He brought it to bed with him (of course!), was still holding onto it in the morning and even brought it to school with him today.The presentation of all of the questions in the book is at once humorous, deep, real and universal.The illustrations themselves tell a cute story of a child's restless nighttime wanderings. This book is an absolute treasure--truly unique.

STORY NIGHT will light up your day.
STORMY NIGHT by Michele Lemieux is a totally engaging, brilliant combination of lightness and profundity in both its drawings and story. It's an imaginative peek into a little girl's nightime fancies drawn and written with sensitivity and flair. This is a rare book that should be shared.It was given to me by a woman who loves me, and I bought a copy for each of my four daughters afterreading it.

Cool book to read to slightly older kids.
The amount of text in this book makes it look like an early reader, but the basic questions it poses can make an adult stop and think. It covers the essential questions that plague humans since we became aware of our own existence within the world. Why are we here? It does not really answer that question, but it poses it in such a way that you just feel good.

Philosophy at its Best
It is hard to believe that one simple book could hold more philosophy than John Locke, Plato, or Einstein, but it is true.If you allow yourself to go where Stormy Night wanders, your mind and heart will be opened up to the world.This book explores life, the universe, and everything, and asks those questions that kids wonder, and adults conveniently forget about.This book doesn't discriminate, it doesn't label, it doesn't seek to teach.It simply seeks for equinamity and understanding.It is ironically fitting that the author uses a storm metaphor to show the true thinking power behind open-mindedness.For many people it takes nothing less than an unsettling(storm) to allow them to reach the greatest expanses of their understanding.By using simple phrases and complicated pictures, Stormy night transcends the universe, allowing any person to explore their true inquisitive nature.Read this book to your kids when they are old enough, and allow them to explore new ideas, never stifle their imagination.Buy this book, and let yourself go to that place that frightens some, and envigorates others.Let this book show you to never discount any idea.Let this book give you a tear in the eye, a smile in the mouth, a twinkle of the eye, a beat of the heart, and an expansion of the mind.

sweet illustrations, deep thoughts :-)
I simply adore this book.The economy-of-line drawings are sweet and simply precious. The hardbound book is a classy-presented volume suitable for a coffeetable or as the "feature" on your bookshelf. The backspine is black cloth and the front and back covers are smooth clay paper.The pages are thick, sturdy cotton and just shy of being considered cardstock... very nice.

During a stormy night, a young girl, probably 9-12years old, has trouble sleeping and her dog keeps her company as sheponders life's deepest questions.Her dog attentively follows her as sheraids the refrigerator, brushes her teeth and sits on her bed. As she eats,you see many little bone-shaped dog treats on the floor... it is just toocute!

During the night, her parents are obviously asleep and her dog isthe only bounding board she has for questions such as, "Will I knowwhen it's my time to die?" and "Will it hurt?" and makessuppositions about her future and station in life.

The book wandersclosely into the realm of new age, but it doesn't really teach any"new" concepts... the thoughts the little girl is pondering arethoughts all kids have, but rarely share with anyone... thoughts and fearsthat stay with us if a belief system is not introduced in the home.Thisis a great book to read with your children... it opens up topics ofdiscussion in a very non-threatening environment and opens the stage forteaching children your beliefs concerning what happens when we die,etc.

The book might be a little to intimidating to very young readers toabsorb by themselves, but as a night-time read with a parent, even a fiveyear old can participate in conversation about such topics... but reallyyoung readers may have trouble with the detailed drawings. Visually, thedrawings are for more sophisticated eyes. As an adult, I just love thislittle book. ... Read more

Product Description
Traces the life of the Italian who turned his back on his family's wealth to help the poor and teach about God. Discusses Francis' role in the making of the first cráeche. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Saint Francis and His Gift ofthe Creche
This story is half about the life of Saint Francis and half about how the first creche came to be.
The first part of the book covers Francis' love for the poor, separation from his father, preaching to the birds, and his love of Christmas, which leads into the second half about his creating the first Creche.
The pictures are beautiful and simple earth tone paintings that seem to capture what things really looked like at the time when Sr. Francis was walking the streets of Assisi. There are three pictures fully covering their facing pages. On the remaining 2 facing pages of the book there is one page which is fully a picture (except for one place) and the other, on the average has 12 lines of typing taking 1/3-1/2 of the page (sideways). The reading is on a third grade level. I think that it would be enjoyed by young children (3-4 years old) to third grade. ... Read more

Product Description
When Brown Bear wakes from his long winter sleep, he hears a mysterious sound. Unable to identify it, he sets out to discover where the strange noise is coming from. Through field and forest, he spends all spring, summer and fall searching for the source of the "thump-bump" sound that follows him wherever he goes. Finally, Brown Bear returns to his cave, where he prepares to settle in for his winter nap. Only then does he discover that the noise is the beating of his own heart. ... Read more

Product Description
An anthology of poems celebrating the sights and sounds of the four seasons. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A great poetry anthology for children
This is surely one of the very few, if not the only, books for which the illustrations existed before the text. David Booth selected the poems to "illustrate" the many beautiful original paintings by MicheleLemieux, an award-winning Canadian artist who is well known in Canada, theU.S., Europe, and Japan. David Booth is a famous educator in Canada and awidely sought speaker on preschool learning. The book is an excellentpoetry anthology for the young and middle-aged child, as well as a goodintroudction to poetry for the older child who is unfamiliar or intimatedby that literary form. Highly recommended. This book won the IODE TorontoChapter Award. Frieda Ling ... Read more

Product Description
An illustrated collection of limericks by the well-known nineteenth-century English writer. ... Read more

Product Description
A picture book for children ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Oh, Fair
This story is just O.K., starts out well, but then loses intensit ... Read more

Product Description
A children's adaptation of classic opera featuring the colorful illustrations of Roger Duvoisin, winner of the Caldecott Award. Bears ISBN 07-041484-XL, which Amazon rejected. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

¿Quién es más filosófico que un niño antes de dormir?
Cuando nos vamos a dormir nos quitamos lentamente la ropa, los zapatos, a veces las hebillas, los aretes o las gafas, y nos despojamos también de las ocupaciones que han llenado nuestro tiempo diurno, los asuntos que resolver, las cosas por hacer, todas las obligaciones y dedicaciones que hiladas forman el tejido de los días. Y cuando por fin estamos en la cama, podemos cerrar los ojos, apartarnos de todo y sumergirnos muy adentro de nosotros mismos. Este es, pues, el momento propicio para quedarnos en silencio y observar atentamente la nuez pelada de nuestra propia vida, como si entonces pudiéramos contemplarla desde la distancia, sobre un acantilado, percibiendo en el paso del tiempo cotidiano la forma definitiva de nuestro tiempo vital.
Este es precisamente el ritmo del libro Noche de tormenta. Al abrir la primera página el lector inicia un viaje de signo interno: recorriendo las imágenes atraviesa el campo, se aproxima a la casa -tal vez buscando cobijo pues el viento fuerte y el cielo aciago anuncian la noche y la lluvia-, de un salto se introduce por una ventana y allí está, lavándose los dientes, dando un beso de buenas noches a la familia, abriendo la cama para disponerse a dormir. Justo en ese momento el viaje nocturno empieza. "¿Dónde está el infinito? ¿De dónde venimos? ¿Quién soy yo? ¿No hay más copias de mí en el mundo?..."
Rodeados de silencio las preguntas fundamentales pueden al fin abrirse camino a través del ruido de nuestras ocupaciones cotidianas y salir a la superficie bajo los párpados cerrados. "¡No puedo dormir! Miles de preguntas se agolpan en mi cabeza."
De la mano del personaje, nosotros lectores vivimos la experiencia del insomnio, permitimos apenas que el silencio de la noche (y el silencio de la página) sean perturbados por un movimiento, un ruido, una pregunta que pone en marcha, a partir de sí misma, la apertura del tiempo y el espacio que parecen infinitos. En el libro no hay respuestas, sólo nuevas preguntas que apuntan a la búsqueda de la identidad, la aceptación de uno mismo y de los demás, el temor hacia el futuro (que siempre es incierto), el desamor, el mal, la soledad y el desamparo, la posibilidad del abandono, los límites de la realidad, el sufrimiento, la guerra, la vulnerabilidad, la incertidumbre y la muerte. En fin, todas las preguntas fundamentales que rodean la existencia de una persona y a las que escasamente se puede dar respuesta en el tiempo que tarda una única vida en pasar.
En este libro, Michèle Lemieux se sirve de una bella estrategia narrativa que combina el silencio con lo apenas susurrado, lo ligeramente audible. Esta estrategia abarca imágenes y textos por igual. Páginas en blanco donde la palabra se aguarda aunque no se vea, donde las cosas no dichas deben ser intuidas, completadas por nosotros mismos y por nuestras respuestas dadas a preguntas hechas en noches o días de tormenta similares. Por su parte, las imágenes están también a un paso del susurro, el dibujo perturba apenas el silencio de la página y está hecho de líneas definidas que arrancan al blanco los secretos más precisos. Como una suerte de pescador, Lemieux deposita en la página la línea fina de su caña de pescar y, gracias al certero anzuelo que anuda a su extremo, logra sacar a la superficie lo que siempre parece estar oculto justo apenas detrás del silencio.
El dibujo depurado, el gesto exacto se insinúan apenas en el espacio y aún así lo habitan. Las imágenes están cuidadosamente trabajadas: a pesar de que la ejecución aluda a un trazo rápido, en cada una de ellas se percibe el tiempo necesario durante el que fueron gestadas, mentalmente construidas. Cada una por su cuenta explora posibles maneras de representar el movimiento interior de alguien que se pregunta cosas sobre su vida, cada una es un texto que necesita ser leído y reflexionado, cada una pide un minuto de silencio para meditar desde ella, y hacia nosotros mismos, la dimensión que en cada uno abarca la pregunta.
Una obra maestra, sin duda, que se comporta de manera similar a como lo haría una pieza de música: al leerla el lector se acerca con sigilo y escucha, escucha las palabras y las escenas que se suceden unas a otras y que atraviesan la noche hasta la orilla de un amanecer que comienza. Un libro que es adecuado -y necesario- para todos los lectores, en todos los momentos de una vida.

¿Quién es más filosófico que un niño antes de dormir?
Cuando nos vamos a dormir nos quitamos lentamente la ropa, los zapatos, a veces las hebillas, los aretes o las gafas, y nos despojamos también de las ocupaciones que han llenado nuestro tiempo diurno, los asuntos que resolver, las cosas por hacer, todas las obligaciones y dedicaciones que hiladas forman el tejido de los días. Y cuando por fin estamos en la cama, podemos cerrar los ojos, apartarnos de todo y sumergirnos muy adentro de nosotros mismos. Este es, pues, el momento propicio para quedarnos en silencio y observar atentamente la nuez pelada de nuestra propia vida, como si entonces pudiéramos contemplarla desde la distancia, sobre un acantilado, percibiendo en el paso del tiempo cotidiano la forma definitiva de nuestro tiempo vital.
Este es precisamente el ritmo del libro Noche de tormenta. Al abrir la primera página el lector inicia un viaje de signo interno: recorriendo las imágenes atraviesa el campo, se aproxima a la casa -tal vez buscando cobijo pues el viento fuerte y el cielo aciago anuncian la noche y la lluvia-, de un salto se introduce por una ventana y allí está, lavándose los dientes, dando un beso de buenas noches a la familia, abriendo la cama para disponerse a dormir. Justo en ese momento el viaje nocturno empieza. "¿Dónde está el infinito? ¿De dónde venimos? ¿Quién soy yo? ¿No hay más copias de mí en el mundo?..."
Rodeados de silencio las preguntas fundamentales pueden al fin abrirse camino a través del ruido de nuestras ocupaciones cotidianas y salir a la superficie bajo los párpados cerrados. "¡No puedo dormir! Miles de preguntas se agolpan en mi cabeza."
De la mano del personaje, nosotros lectores vivimos la experiencia del insomnio, permitimos apenas que el silencio de la noche (y el silencio de la página) sean perturbados por un movimiento, un ruido, una pregunta que pone en marcha, a partir de sí misma, la apertura del tiempo y el espacio que parecen infinitos. En el libro no hay respuestas, sólo nuevas preguntas que apuntan a la búsqueda de la identidad, la aceptación de uno mismo y de los demás, el temor hacia el futuro (que siempre es incierto), el desamor, el mal, la soledad y el desamparo, la posibilidad del abandono, los límites de la realidad, el sufrimiento, la guerra, la vulnerabilidad, la incertidumbre y la muerte. En fin, todas las preguntas fundamentales que rodean la existencia de una persona y a las que escasamente se puede dar respuesta en el tiempo que tarda una única vida en pasar.
En este libro, Michèle Lemieux se sirve de una bella estrategia narrativa que combina el silencio con lo apenas susurrado, lo ligeramente audible. Esta estrategia abarca imágenes y textos por igual. Páginas en blanco donde la palabra se aguarda aunque no se vea, donde las cosas no dichas deben ser intuidas, completadas por nosotros mismos y por nuestras respuestas dadas a preguntas hechas en noches o días de tormenta similares. Por su parte, las imágenes están también a un paso del susurro, el dibujo perturba apenas el silencio de la página y está hecho de líneas definidas que arrancan al blanco los secretos más precisos. Como una suerte de pescador, Lemieux deposita en la página la línea fina de su caña de pescar y, gracias al certero anzuelo que anuda a su extremo, logra sacar a la superficie lo que siempre parece estar oculto justo apenas detrás del silencio.
El dibujo depurado, el gesto exacto se insinúan apenas en el espacio y aún así lo habitan. Las imágenes están cuidadosamente trabajadas: a pesar de que la ejecución aluda a un trazo rápido, en cada una de ellas se percibe el tiempo necesario durante el que fueron gestadas, mentalmente construidas. Cada una por su cuenta explora posibles maneras de representar el movimiento interior de alguien que se pregunta cosas sobre su vida, cada una es un texto que necesita ser leído y reflexionado, cada una pide un minuto de silencio para meditar desde ella, y hacia nosotros mismos, la dimensión que en cada uno abarca la pregunta.
Una obra maestra, sin duda, que se comporta de manera similar a como lo haría una pieza de música: al leerla el lector se acerca con sigilo y escucha, escucha las palabras y las escenas que se suceden unas a otras y que atraviesan la noche hasta la orilla de un amanecer que comienza. Un libro que es adecuado -y necesario- para todos los lectores, en todos los momentos de una vida. ... Read more

Product Description
A picture book for children ... Read more

Product Description
Edward Lear, by profession a landscape painter and by choice an entertainer of children, ushered in the great age of nonsense with his Book of Nonsense (1846). A master of his craft, Lear wrote hundreds of limericks that tickled everyone's funnybone. Quebec artist Michele Lemieux brings Lear's imaginary countries and absurd people to life in this collection of 51 of his most outrageous and playful nonsense poems. Lemieux passes on Lear's voice to a new generation of children. ... Read more

Product Description

Since its first performance on Christmas Eve, 1951, Amahl and the Night Visitors has taken its place with A Christmas Carol as a holiday classic. Peformed on every continent and in many languages, it has been seen by more people than any other opera in history.

The story tells of the night the Three Kings, following the star to Bethlehem, stop for shelter at the home of Amahl, a poor, crippled shepard boy who lives with his widowed mother. Inspired by the Wise Men's tale of a kingdom "built on love alone," Amahl offers his own simple gift to the Christ Child. And then a miracle happens. . .

In this warm and compassionate story, Gian Carlo Menotti has captured the essential spirit of Christmas. At its premiere, The New York Times called Amahl "rare art. . . tender and exquisite." Now brought to life in glowing watercolors, Amahl and the Night Visitors is a feast for the eyes and heart, one readers of all ages will want to return to again and again.

Customer Reviews (8)

A Storybook Version of the Opera
This is a storybook version of the popular Christmas opera by the same author.Amahl, a crippled shepherd boy, and his mother are visited by the three wise men on their way to visit the Christ child.That night Amahl's mother is caught trying to steal the gold intended for Christ.The king forgives her, explaining that Christ has come to establish a kingdom "built on love alone."Amahl's mother, ashamed, returns the gold and wishes that she could send a gift of her own, and Amahl offers his handmade crutch.Immediately he is healed of his limp, and the Kings invite him to meet the child.He bids his mother farewell and rides away with them.

The story touchingly evokes the longing endured by our world until the advent of Christ. The illustrations are very nice, but the writing reads more like a screenplay than a book.Those who have enjoyed the opera will be able to relive it through the book, but the book alone may not bring the same pleasure.

In our family we prefer to keep our Christmas stories very close to the biblical account until children are able to distinguish between fact and fiction.For parents who share this priority, it may be better to defer this story until children are old enough to appreciate the opera version, and use this book as a supplement.

This is a wonderful Christmas Story put to beautiful music.
Amahl and the Night Visitors by Gian Carlo Menotti is a beautifully written opera. It portrays a wonderful Christmas story of a poor widow and her crippled son who have three kings visit their home on their journey to find the Christ Child.In the end the boy is healed and goes with them on their journey. This is just 45 minutes long and is a great show for the whole family.Anyone in a position to direct and produce this opera should do it.It's wonderful.We just love it and we're considering doing it every year.The world needs its message of love and peace.

Excellent practice score
This score is excellent for practicing the music and the printing resolution is very good. I'm performing it this fall 08, and is very helpful whether is for the vocal line or for piano (if you can play it because it's complex). There is only one mistake at measure 764 in the vocal line, nothing to worry about. The paper is normal, so there is no need to worry for highlighter or simple marking.

lost in trans
after purchasing this product, i was never contacted about when or if it was shipped. i was sending it to a relative as a surprise so i couldn't ask if they had received it. i still have no idea what happened to it. i can only assume since i was asked to rate it that it did finally arrive. but, who knows!? needless to say, i will not order from this seller again.

Amahl and the Night Visitors Vocal Score
The score was complete and arrived within a few days of ordering. It was written clearly and I was able to accomplish the task I wanted without any trouble. It included both vocal soloists and choral parts so that the choir would be able to manage it easily. I was very pleased with my purchase. ... Read more

Product Description
Retells the orchestral fairy tale of the boy who, ignoring his grandfather's warnings, proceeds to capture a wolf.Amazon.com Review
European comics artist Miguelanxo Prado describes his two life passions as "listening to and inventing stores, as wellas painting." In this adaptation of the classic folk tale by Sergei Prokofiev, Prado combines these passions into a gloriouswork of art. The soft, shadowy colors give this redition of Peter and the Wolf the look of something from another time and place.The book begins with two full-page paintings. The first is Peter, the duck, the cat, and the bird staring into the dark woods; thepoint of view is from behind them, with the reader staring into the woods with them. Turn the page and you'll see the same scenefrom the opposite point of view, from within the woods, looking out at them. The depiction is powerfully stirring, and as Prado himself says in hisintroduction: "While folk tales are usually meant for children, they nonetheless possess a fascinating, evocative power for adults."Whether Peter and the Wolf is for you or your child, Prado's version is a great addition to your bookshelf. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Just Love
I loved this as a child and my children love it too.Got the book and CD combo

A Well-Illustrated Visual Focal Point for the Orchestral Classic
Here is another illustrated version of Peter and the Wolf.Mikolaycak's paintings are more realistic than Beck's Peter & the Wolf, and they express a brave and dramatic mood very fitting for Prokofiev's wonderful musical creation.They are just a little more frightening than Beck's, but still aren't very scary.Carlson's translation of the piece is quite smooth, but it will fall to an adult to explain which musical instruments are represented by each character.It is, however, more widely available than Beck's version.

Disappointed
I ordered what I thought was a nicely illustrated book to accompany the CD of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf I had ordered for my grandson.What I received was a teacher's guide with several very small paperback books in a plastic container.There was no mention in the listing that this was a teacher's guide.For the price I assumed it was a very nice book.Needless to say I returned it, ordered another but that was on back order.Grammy

My grandchildren loved this
As a child, Peter and the Wolf was one of my favorite classical pieces ever.This is a beautiful book!I bought it for 2 of my grandchildren (8y & 2y) to go with a CD.It fits with the music very well, and my grandchildren loved it as much as I did.The cost was also very reasonable.Thanks for making this available.

Peter and the Wolf
Have not as yet received Peter and the Wolf Pop-up Book ... Read more