How Porcupines Make Love III: Readers, Texts, Cultures in the Response-Based Literature Classroom (2nd Edition)

Book Description

A porcupine named Fluffy is happier with his name after he meets a similarly misnamed rhinoceros.

Customer Reviews:

At 25 I still love this book.......2007-09-15

I don't have any kids, but this book has actually been around for a long time. I was born in 82, and this book was by far my favorite. The illustrations are great and the message is even better. It's a really witty way to tell children that labels don't matter. The illustrations also make the book even better, my personal favorite as a child being when Fluffy sticks marshmallows all over his quills to make himself more fluffy.

Great Book.......2007-05-10

I bought this book because I'm going to school to become a teacher. It teaches kids that it is ok to be your self. Kids will laugh and so will parents.

Very fun to read.......2007-01-05

I bought this for my three year old daughter...again based on reviews on amazon. Other reviewers were right: this book is a hoot. Everytime we get to: "H...H...H...H...H...Hippo" my daughter bursts out laughing. Highly recommended. Great illustrations set off the writing.

Loved it!.......2005-04-05

This book is very appealing to me and my two kids (ages 2 and 5). The illustrations are wonderful, and it is very well written. The kids laugh as we turn the pages, and it is a book that reads well over and over.

Hilarious.......2005-03-20

This is a GREAT book. Well written and illustrated. This is one of the most hilarious children's books I've read to my child. We were laughing throughout the whole thing.

I highly recommend this book to both children and adults.

The Delicate Art of Dancing With Porcupines: Learning to Appreciate the Finer Points of Others

Average customer rating:

A Must Read
a book worth re-reading over and over

The Delicate Art of Dancing With Porcupines: Learning to Appreciate the Finer Points of Others
Bob Phillips
Manufacturer: Regal Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Interpersonal Relations | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Personality | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

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The Social Styles Handbook: Find Your Comfort Zone and Make People Feel Comfortable with You
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Personal Styles & Effective Performance
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Spiritual Leadership (Commitment To Spiritual Growth)

ASIN: 0830713336

Customer Reviews:

A Must Read.......2003-04-26

I read this book in college for a psychology class and I have since given my book away several times. It is a must read, as it provides insight to one's self and others; yet is not inclusive to anyone person. For myself personally, I learnt a great deal about my personality that I knew but never had brought to my attention. Also that kind of person that I am attracted too, how my personality directs my work habits and my fun moments. A great book for couples to read through together...I'm going to send a copy to my boyfriend. :)

a book worth re-reading over and over.......1998-10-17

dancing.... is more than an entertaining book. It's scope and insight that your behavior style +behavior orientaton and how they reveal your personal social style is very insightful. One of the few books that I would not only recommend to my friends but one of the few I find worth buying and giving as a help.

Schopenhauer's Porcupines: Intimacy and Its Dilemmas

Average customer rating:

A great value for a psychotherapist
A playful and moving book
Beautifully written and sensitive
Insightful, compassionate and accessible
Human stories and fascinating theory

Schopenhauer's Porcupines: Intimacy and Its Dilemmas
Deborah Anna Luepnitz
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Psychotherapy, TA & NLP | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Mental Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy: A Practitioner's Guide
Doing Psychotherapy
Case Studies in Abnormal Behavior (7th Edition)
Addressing Cultural Complexities in Practice: A Framework for Clinicians and Counselors
Clinical Personality Assessment: Practical Approaches (Oxford Textbooks in Clinical Psychology, V. 2)

ASIN: 0465042872
Release Date: 2003-03-04

Book Description

Each generation of therapists can boast of only a few writers like Deborah Luepnitz, whose sympathy and wit shine through a fine, luminous prose. In Schopenhauer's Porcupines she recounts five true stories from her practice, stories of patients who range from the super-rich to the homeless and who grapple with panic attacks, psychosomatic illness, marital despair, and sexual recklessness. Intimate, original, and triumphantly funny, Schopenhauer's Porcupines goes further than any other book in unveiling the secrets of "how talking helps."

Customer Reviews:

A great value for a psychotherapist.......2005-10-28

Not only this book has great examples of today's psychotherapy practice and dilemma's, it has a high literary value. It offers an easy and exciting read. The author seems to be passionate about her profession and has a lot to offer colleagues and students without the famous "psychoanalytic snobism." It also offers an insightful view of how intimacy problems look today and how to deal with them in our narcissistic society. The book is beneficial for both students and professionals.

A playful and moving book.......2003-07-22

In this book, the author moves deftly between playfulness and seriousness, commentary and case content, case theory and compassion. For a psychodynamic therapist, Luepnitz is unusually self-revealing, without in any way allowing her own presence to preempt the central role of her patients in their own dramas.

The book made me think about Lacan some more, which was something of a surprise as he is a thinker whose work I tend to dismiss out of hand. It also helped me think about the practice of psychotherapy and the ways in which sticking to received wisdom -- as patient or therapist -- can lead to a central deadness in the work. No such danger appears to attend Luepnitz' work as presented here, and it strikes me that she must be a damn good therapist.

Beautifully written and sensitive.......2002-08-01

A beautifully written book - Luepnitz comes across as intelligent and educated, and genuinely sensitive and caring. Not at all preachy. An unusually delightful read.

Insightful, compassionate and accessible.......2002-05-27

With great grace and empathy, Luepnitz traces five divergent routes through the sometimes difficult process of analysis. Luepnitz' considerable training and erudition illuminate not just psychoanalytic history and theory, but the relationships of patients and their families as they evolve through analysis. The stories of her patients' progress are as richly rewarding in analytic terms as any found in Freud or Lacan, but told with more humor and consideration for the reader. (In that respect, I suspect Luepnitz has implictly situated the reader as a necessary and welcome participant in the book and the analytic process she describes--as being in another kind of relationship with the analyst/writer and patient/subject). Perhaps most impressive is Luepnitz' ability to challenge and engage those familiar with psychotherapy, while remaining accessible and rewarding to newcomers. As her wonderful chapter titles suggest ("A Darwinian Finch," "Don Juan in Trenton") Luepnitz is especially adept, aesthetically and analytically, at translating the paradoxes of the unconscious, and showing how analysis can help us understand our possibilities as well as our limitations. Her reflections on the analyst's political and social role in contemporary society are also compelling and refreshing.

Human stories and fascinating theory.......2002-05-01

Deborah Luepnitz has crafted not only an engrossing telling of five very different and revealing stories but, between the lines and around the edges, a revelation of the power of the "talking cure" of psychoanalysis in contemporary society. She helped me understand the applicability of the often obtuse Jacques Lacan and creates the wonderful image of the analyst working in a space between the teachings of Lacan and the more optimistic (I would once have thought incompatible) Donald Winnicott. An intellectual, spiritual, sweet, and often funny work.

Whack Your Porcupine, and Other Drawings

Average customer rating:

The Archaelogy of American Wit
I opened it and laughed out loud
Lifechanging
How Can It Be Out of Print?
...DEADLY HUMOR...

Whack Your Porcupine, and Other Drawings
B. Kliban
Manufacturer: Workman Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Drawing | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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Two Guys Fooling Around with the Moon
Cat: Seventeenth Anniversary Edition
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CatChristmas

ASIN: 0911104925

Customer Reviews:

The Archaelogy of American Wit.......2007-07-30

There was a Golden Era of cartooning in America and it began in the
early '70's with Kliban. Whack Your Porcupine is one of the ends of the
beginning. _Some of the gags are obvious and even a bit silly. The
Intellectual with his head connected to his butt by an electric cord is a
bit pathetic. But No Loitering is the only possible modern take on the
seven ages of man and woman.

But best of all is the title drawing. Whack your Porcupine? how preposterous,
how pefect. We're sure that no porcupines were hurt in making this
cartoon, but we suspect that many presuppositions were done to dark death.

--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and
the novel bang BANG. ISBN 9781601640005

I opened it and laughed out loud.......2006-07-09

This collection of cartoons is hilarious. I picked this book up from the table at a garage sale and randomly turned to a page where the caption is "Intellectual." It shows a naked man on his hands and knees with a pipe running directly from his backside to a helmet on his head. He has a goatee and is smoking a pipe. There is a bookshelf containing books with titles like, "The Intellect", "Das Intellect" and "Intellect." I laughed so hard the woman running the sale asked me what I found so funny. Needless to say, I had to buy the book. While the other cartoons didn't quite generate that extreme reaction, I laughed my way through the book. If you are looking for more yuks in your life, then this book will satisfy that craving.

Lifechanging.......2006-06-01

The drawings in this book are lifechanging. I have lived my life based on the lessons I learned from the drawing "Wasted lives and Useful lives", I never have, and never will give a gun to ducks. But most memorable of all is the fact that Angels appear when no one is looking. And why did it appear to a continental car? Why not an American car? How often do angels and saints appear when humans are not around to see them?

Hmmmmmmm. Much to consider. Now, where's that porcupine?

How Can It Be Out of Print?.......2000-12-04

This book is hilarious, and I love to give it as a gift. Why is it out of print? Is the publisher crazy?

...DEADLY HUMOR..........1999-09-05

If you've ever enjoyed cartoon books, a whacked sense of humor, or have a lateral thinking skullcap, you'd better find this outrageous book, one of several I've collected over the years. Unfortunately, ol' Hap is no longer with us, but fortunately, he left a legacy of with that will not soon be seen by our generation.

Average customer rating:

Sober Story.
Ereth's Birthday
Porcupine
"Oh my gosh, Ereth's Biryhday is worth a Birthday Present!"
A Great Book To Read

Ereth's Birthday (The Poppy Stories)
Avi
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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Poppy and Rye (The Poppy Stories)
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ASIN: 0380804905
Release Date: 2001-09-04

Amazon.com

"Helping others!" Ereth the porcupine snarls viciously. "Being good! It's all broccoli bunk and tick toffee."

On a birthday that he suspects everyone has forgotten, the last thing this grumpy old porcupine wants is to get involved in a sticky fox family predicament. But just as he's about to take a mouthful of his favorite treat, salt, he hears a weak voice calling for help, and his conscience trumps his desire. Soon he's embroiled in his worst nightmare: leaving his comfortable home to act as caretaker of three energetic, chatty, newly motherless fox kits. His longing for his stinky log home next door to his best friend, Poppy the mouse, lessens somewhat as he gets down to the business of keeping the young foxes fed and safe. Meanwhile, another four-legged hunter has his eye on Ereth, and the fox kits' father is nowhere to be found.

Avi has struck gold again with the latest addition the Dimwood Forest series. Hard life lessons and hilarious gems from Ereth's prickly lips ("fish feather fruitcakes!" "puckered peacocks!") mesh to create an entirely engaging story. Fans of Poppy, Poppy and Rye, and Avi's other highly entertaining titles will welcome the chance to meet up with their old furry and spiky friends again. (Ages 8 to 12) --Emilie Coulter

Book Description

Erethizon Dorsatum—better known as Ereth, the self-centered, foul-tempered old porcupine—is having a birthday. And he fully expects his best friend Poppy, a deer mouse, to help him celebrate in a grand manner. But Poppy has gone off somewhere with her husband, Rye, and it appears she has forgotten all about it. "Belching Beavers," says Ereth, "I am not angry!" (Though, perhaps he is—and more than just a little.)

Ereth knows his special occasion deserves a special treat—even if he has to get it for himself. And what treat could be more special than tasty salt? But the nearest salt is located deep in the forest, in a cabin occupied by fur hunters, who have set out traps to capture the Dimwood Forest animals. In one of the traps, Ereth finds Leaper the Fox—who, with her dying breath, begs the prickly porcupine to take care of her three boisterous young kits, Tumble, Nimble, and Flip. "Jellied walrus warts!" Ereth exclaims, but reluctantly agrees.

Certainly this day is not going as he planned—and it's only just the beginning! Not only does Ereth suddenly have a rambunctious new family to take care of, but he's being stalked by Marty the Fisher, the one creature in Dimwood Forest who can do him harm. And Bounder, the father of the three little foxes, remembers all too well the nose full of quills he got a while back from the grumpy old animal who now fancies himself the leader of the den. He too sets out to show Ereth who's boss. Throw in an unexpected snowstorm, and all in all, it adds up to one brithday Ereth the porcupine is never going to forget, not even if he lives to be a hundred and twenty-two!

Customer Reviews:

Sober Story........2007-01-07

Not the best for very young children, because a fox dies, this book is a meloncholy story in the beginning. It makes you see what Ereth thought like. Good book to read eventuallly, but for readers who can take it. a good story about a good deed.

Ereth's Birthday.......2004-12-07

By Jamie Age 9

You know the old, grouchy, self-centered Ereth, Right? Well, in this book Ereth's Birthday, Avi explains Ereth's true feelings, fear, empathy and all. When Ereth runs away because he thinks that Poppy forgot him, a fisher goes after him. Not long after, Ereth meets an almost dead Fox and her last request is for him to take care of her kits. Will Ereth do this good deed? If so will he make a good foster parent/guardian. If the real dad comes home will he be angry?

Ereth was an old grouchy, self-centered porcupine. He was old because he was born many years ago. He was grouchy because he was always cursing and swearing saying things like "salamander-sap salad" and "Monkey marbols." He was self-centered because on his birthday she ran away not caring what his best friend next door neighbor thought.

By the end of the book, Ereth was still old and grouchy in a good way. He tried to change and from what I know he was succeeding. He was caring because he accepted the mother Fox's pleading and tried to be nice.

I recommend this book to absolutely everyone. If you want to read this book, I recommend you read Poppy, the first book in the series, first. Avi is a great writer. If you don't believe me, then read it for yourself!

Porcupine.......2004-10-31

Erethizon Dorsatum - better known as Ereth, the self-centered, foul-tempered old porcupine - is having a birthday. And he fully expects his best friend Poppy, a deer mouse, to help him celebrate in a grand manner. But Poppy has gone off somewhere with her husband, Rye, and it appears she has forgotten all about it. "Belching Beavers," says Ereth, "I am not angry!" (Though, perhaps he is - and more than just a little.)

Ereth knows his special occasion deserves a special treat - even if he has to get it for himself. And what treat could be more special than tasty salt? But the nearest salt is located deep in the forest, in a cabin occupied by fur hunters, who have set out traps to capture the Dimwood Forest animals. In one of the traps, Ereth finds Leaper the Fox - who, with her dying breath, begs the prickly porcupine to take care of her three boisterous young kits, Tumble, Nimble, and Flip. "Jellied walrus warts!" Ereth exclaims, but reluctantly agrees.

Certainly this day is not going as he planned - and it's only just the beginning! Not only does Ereth suddenly have a rambunctious new family to take care of, but he's being stalked by Marty the Fisher, the one creature in Dimwood Forest who can do him harm. And Bounder, the father of the three little foxes, remembers all too well the nose full of quills he got a while back from the grumpy old animal who now fancies himself the leader of the den. He too sets out to show Ereth who's boss. Throw in an unexpected snowstorm, and all in all, it adds up to one brithday Ereth the porcupine is never going to forget.

"Oh my gosh, Ereth's Biryhday is worth a Birthday Present!".......2004-09-17

I am the reviwer of Chicago and Alice and Wonderalnd. Ereth's Birthday shocked my life! It's comedy, song, action, drama, and sandness! I loved this book and you will to! There is only one bad scary part for some children, a mother wolf dies in a claw trap, and there is a picture with blood. But, other than that, the book is fine!

A Great Book To Read.......2004-05-29

Ereth's Birthday is a book that is exiting, full of adventure, and hilrious. It was Ereth the porcupine birthday so some mice and Ereth's best frind Poppy, a mouse came. Ereth gotgrumpy and dicided he did not want them right then, so he left. Ereth went by a house and heard people talking then, the people left. Ereth saw that there was salt and he loved salt but he heard creing so he went there. I am not going to spoil it for you but, some how he got stuck with 3 little foxes. When he got there he did not know how to do it.
The book was hilarious because Ereth would talk to the foxes in this really weird way. He'd make them do chores yelling at the top ofhis lungs. Ereth made them hunt for there food, and they did not know a thing abote hunting. They finally got their ways though. Read Ereths Birthday because it is a great book and you will not want to go some other plase you will not want to go some other plese you want to ceep reading.

Average customer rating:

Roamance , Adventure, and a few new twist
Blake says - How one mouse saves another mouse
Poppy and Rye
Poppy and Rye
Great!

Poppy and Rye (The Poppy Stories)
Avi
Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0380797178

Book Description

Heartbroken over the death of her fiance, Ragweed, Poppy, a deer mouse, journeys west through the vast Dimwood Forest to bring the sad news to Ragweed's family. But Poppy and her prickly porcupine pal, Ereth, arrive only to discover that beavers have flooded the serene valley where Ragweed lived. Together Poppy and Ragweed's brother Rye brave kidnapping, imprisonment, and a daring rescue to fight the beavers. At the same time, Rye -- who has lived in Ragweed's shadow -- fights to prove himself worthy of Poppy's love.

Customer Reviews:

Roamance , Adventure, and a few new twist.......2007-03-27

Poppy has done it again ! Not onley does she save Ragweed's brother ,Rye , from a nasty batch of beavers ,
but she also saves Ragweed's family as well. I'd say this book is for someone who likes animals that's
proabaly why I like it so much.

Blake says - How one mouse saves another mouse.......2007-03-13

Wow, What an Amazing Book
Hi, the book I'm reviewing is Poppy and Rye. The authors name is Avi. The location were the book mostly takes place is the brook. Another location is the beaver's lodges which you will find out were that is later in the book.

Things from the story
One of the very important things is when Poppy the mouse was about to make a trip to Ragweed's old house so she could tell Ragweed's parents why Ragweed would never return. Poppy called her best friend Ereth the porcupine old because she was apologizing because Poppy had been begging Ereth to come with her. Then Poppy said she was sorry for not respecting the elderly. Then Ereth got the impression that Poppy was calling him old. Another thing was when Poppy and Rye met. They met when Ereth was sleeping and Poppy was supposed to be sleeping. Poppy was dancing with a daisy and Rye asked if he could join. There's a beaver who's named Cas and he's got plans to make the brook into a lake. They have also captured Rye! What will happen to him????

Things I Liked
Some of the things I liked about this book are that the author gave so many details for example: the author described the grass in Dimwood as moist, the trees leaves delicious and the stars dancing in beauty and grace. When I read this book I couldn't stop reading until I figured out what happened to the character that was in distress. The book is a very good book. I also liked how the mice were braver than humans at times
For example: a 3 inch tall mouse has the courage to go in a beaver lodge when the beaver's are 2ft. and have giant tails. I thought it was pretty much fiction but, it was still fun to read.

My Ratings
I give this book, without a doubt, a 5 star rating because it's just a great book. I think this book is meant for kid's ages 9-13 years old.

Poppy and Rye.......2007-01-12

The book was a gift and it came in time for Christmas.

Poppy and Rye.......2007-01-10

Struggling to find her love Rye, Poppy (a mouse) has to stop the beavers from making dams. She also has to stop them from turning the beautiful little pond to a big and dirty lake. Rye (a mouse) is trapped inside a dam and cannot get free. So Poppy is not only trying to stop the beavers and set free Rye, Poppy has a wild adventurer with her friend the porcupine, Ereth to tell Ragweed's parents (Rye's brother) is dead. Can Poppy stop the beavers as well as set free Rye and deliver the news? To find out, the call number is AVI and the author and illustrator is Avi and Brian Floca. You need to read this book along with the other great adventures with its series. "Ragweed," "Poppy,' "Poppy and Rye," Ereth's Birthday" and "Poppy's Return." This author has written many great books especially this one. So please, read this book. "Poppy and Rye" is a book for anyone. It has adventure, describing and wow words and many more! Here are some describing and colorful weird words said by Ereth. "Oh, fox flip," the porcupine growled. "Sticky roach toes," Ereth muttered. "Crabgrass up their snoots," Ereth snapped. Avi has a great word choice that makes you picture everything but with words. He really uses his imagination when it comes to writing words. This book I think everyone should read. So please try it!

Great!.......2007-01-07

An absolutly stunning childrens book, Avi makes it an exciting and addicting read. Very powerful read aloud to young children. It is the best book in the series, in my opinion. I highly recomend it.

Average customer rating:

Never sing love songs to a pig!
A Sweet Read
fun for singing families
The story is delightful and the concept sharp
Porcupine Love.....

Porcupining: A Prickly Love Story
Lisa Wheeler
Manufacturer: Little, Brown Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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Sailor Moo: Cow at Sea (Golden Kite Honors (Awards))

ASIN: 0316989126

Book Description

What could be more poignant than a porcupine pining for a companion?With pun-filled prose and pleasing pictures, this passionate tale of love and friendship between two prickly creatures in a petting zoo makes a perfect read aloud (and a sublime Valentine).

Customer Reviews:

Never sing love songs to a pig!.......2007-02-20

Way cute story. Great for reading to children or to your pricky husband!

A Sweet Read.......2005-09-28

What a wonderful picture book! This book will continue to delight children and the lucky adults who get to read along. The art is wonderful too. Lucky for us there's a sequel to this book.

fun for singing families.......2004-08-16

We had fun with this one. Our six-year-old became a downright diva with the porcupine's songs, and the four-year-old kept her eyes open for the little grasshopper buddy. My husband and I liked the puns. I think we'll look for more by this author.

The story is delightful and the concept sharp.......2003-04-07

Funny, punny author Lisa Wheeler is at it again in this follow up to her pun-filled "Sailor Moo" and " Wool Gathering" picture books. This time, a love-struck porcupine is (porcu)pining for a wife in this comic recasting of the "Froggy Went A'Courting" folk song. First Cushion (yes, as in pin cushion) has to suffer the indignity of being the least popular resident of a petting zoo, for obviously ouchy reasons. Then his lonesomeness is compounded each time he serenades a potential bride. The rabbits get hopping mad, the pigs grunt their disapproval, and the buck-toothed beaver gives him the brush off. But when a mysterious creature compliments Cushion 's beautiful singing and, though "DO NOT TOUCH" signs warn him to stay away, he is intrigued, particularly when she says her name is Barb, and she's got quills too. "You don't look like a pork or a pine!" says Barb. "You don't look like a hedge or a hog!" says Cushion. Of course the mismatched loners fall in love, otherwise -- as Wheeler writes, unable to resist one last pun -- "what would be the point of this whole story?" Although "Porcupining"'s simple prose text isn't as snappy or rich as the perfectly perfect satirical rhymes of "Sailor Moo," the story is delightful and the concept sharp, exhibiting plenty of prickly wit.

Porcupine Love............2003-03-01

Poor Cushion. Who ever thought of putting a little porcupine in a petting zoo? All day long he sits alone surrounded by DO NOT TOUCH, KEEP OUT, and NO PETTING signs, watching all the other animals get pats and pets and hugs. "All the other animals had someone to love. Poor Cushion had no one." So on one especially lonely night Cushion writes a sad little ditty, takes his banjo, and goes out looking for a wife. "I've been so lonesome all my life./No one will get near./I'm porcupining for a wife,/Someone to hold me dear." He looks all over the petting zoo, the rabbit hutch, pigsty, even the beavers' lodge, but none of the animals are the least bit interested in making a little prickly friend. But Cushion is not discouraged. "I know I'll find the perfect wife if I just stick with it." And that's when he hears a sweet voice whisper to him in the dark. He couldn't see who was speaking, but he could see the signs...DO NOT TOUCH, KEEP OUT, and NO PETTING. "He felt a prickle run down his spine." Had he finally found the love of his life..... Lisa Wheeler, author of Sailor Moo: Cow At Sea, Wool Gathering: A Sheep Family Reunion, and Sixteen Cows, is back with another marvelous preschool crowd pleaser. Her clever and captivating story, starring an endearing quilled hero, just begs to be read aloud and shared and is filled with humor, wordplay, and silly puns that will delight both children and adults alike. Janie Bynum's bold, bright, and expressive illustrations complement this sweet tale beautfully, and are rich is vibrant color and playful, eye-catching details. With its happily-ever-after ending, Porcupining is a heartwarming, fun-filled read that's perfect for story time, and is sure to be a often asked for favorite at your house.

Average customer rating:

That's what it's all about
A Delightful Dance of Words and Sentiment
Children and adults will enjoy!

Hokey Pokey: Another Prickly Love Story
Lisa Wheeler
Manufacturer: Little, Brown Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Humorous | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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Picture Books | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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Porcupining: A Prickly Love Story
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ASIN: 0316000906

Book Description

Cushion the porcupine loves Barb the hedgehog. Barb loves to dance, but Cushion has two left feet. Even when he tries his best, he always ends up stepping on someones foot or pricking someone with his quills. How will he ever learn to dance with Barb? The hilarious text (complete with silly songs composed by Cushion himself) is paired with equally lively and adorable illustrations. This is the perfect se-quill to Porcupining: A Prickly Love Story.

Customer Reviews:

That's what it's all about.......2006-06-20

This one's a lighthearted twirl around the dance floor with a love-struck porcupine, and we like it just fine around here.

Cushion loves Barb, a hedgehog (Barb, get it?), and Barb loves to dance. Cushion isn't exactly light on his feet. He takes lessons from various animals and fails at the foxtrot, funky chicken and bunny hop, but not before impaling his friends or leaving behind a few prickly souvenirs.

He despairs he'll ever impress Barb, until she sweeps him off his feet with a few heartfelt lessons on dancing and love. Gotta love those plucky types. Oh, the puns! Stop me, please.

The pastel art's about what you'd expect -- sunlit and sweet, with Cushion's quills expanding like a lion's mane as he trips over his two left paws.

What's best, I think, is how it appeals to a clumsy little kid. They're not too agile at this age -- remember that jumping, climbing and running are all recent accomplishments. Dancing, with its more precise movements, even when you're just rocking to a beat, must seem an Olympian feat.

So Cushion's an easy one for empathy as he bumbles his way about, makes a fool of himself and somehow still triumphs. We're not aiming for Fred Astaire here, just to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Most days, that's pretty cool by itself.

A Delightful Dance of Words and Sentiment.......2006-02-14

Lisa Wheeler offers young readers a sweet story about a hedgehog named Cushion and his desire to learn how to dance to impress his girlfriend, Barb. After seeking assistance from various neighboring animals, he fails to learn how to do the steps without stepping on their toes. Discouraged, Cushion almost gives up until he learns the biggest lesson of all: real friends help us even when we're not perfect.

The colorful illustrations by Janie Bynum add to the linguistic humor. This book is great not only for young readers, but also for English language students who wish to learn American idioms. It would be a great textbook for English language schools for its bright storyline and brilliant word plays. I highly recommend it!

Christine Louise Hohlbaum, author of Diary of a Mother and SAHM I Am: Tales of a Stay-at-Home Mom in Europe, lives near Munich, Germany, with her husband and two children. http://www.diaryofamother.com

Children and adults will enjoy!.......2006-01-15

Cushion is a porcupine--and he is in love with Barb, who happens to be a hedgehog. But Barb is not just any hedgehog. She is a hedgehog who loves to dance. But Cushion has no talent in the dancing department. It doesn't matter how hard Cushion tries; he just can't get it right.

Tally-ho is a fox who attempts to teach Cushion to dance the fox trot, but Cushion steps on Tally-ho's tail. Then Clover the bunny tries to teach Cushion the bunny hop but he hops on Clover's foot. Biddy Hen tries to teach Cushion the funky chicken but his quills hit an unintended mark.

Will Cushion ever learn to dance? Maybe he hasn't the right teacher. Could Barb herself teach him to dance?

Armchair Interviews says: We love this silly and lively story about friendship. And the illustrations are colorful and oh so delightful. Children and adults alike will enjoy this story again and again.

NA PORCUPINE (Smithsonian Nature Books Series, No 8)

Average customer rating:

Covers More Than Quills
Outstanding.

NA PORCUPINE (Smithsonian Nature Books Series, No 8)
Uldis Roze
Manufacturer: Smithsonian
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0874747864

Customer Reviews:

Covers More Than Quills.......2000-04-26

This is a naturalist writing at his best. Uldis Roze does a magnificent job of introducing readers to the porcupine, its habitat, biology, interaction with other animals, folklore, sociology, and much, much more. And he manages to do it all in a style that makes for great reading whether you are a naturalist or just a fan of nature. I laughed out loud several times during the book.

Outstanding........1998-10-23

The definitive work on the North American Porcupine. Detailed enough for wildlife professionals, yet simple enough for the layman to understand. Excellent observations.Engrossing text.

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