<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Not sturdy enough for toddlers
Review: The idea is a good one, but the very first thing my toddler did was rip the frog off the page. Also, it's not board book, and it doesn't have regular paper pages, it's something in between. More like oak tag folded over to create stiff pages. Pat the Bunny is the only one of this series that I would recommend.
Rating:
Summary: Not sturdy enough for toddlers
Review: The idea is a good one, but the very first thing my toddler did was rip the frog off the page. Also, it's not board book, and it doesn't have regular paper pages, it's something in between. More like oak tag folded over to create stiff pages. Pat the Bunny is the only one of this series that I would recommend.
Rating: 
Summary: Pat the Puppy
Review: This is a wonderful book and a wonderful way to learn more about your child! My daughter (age 3) loves this book, because it allows her to interact as we read along. Another thing that is great about it, is that it describes the children leaving home to visit their grandparents. Then it leads you to daily activities at their grandparent's house. Lastly, the children return home to their pet wagging it's tail happy to see them! It's a wonderful way to teach a child that visiting their grandparents can be a lot of fun! My daughter also loves, Pat the Bunny, Pat the Cat, and Pat the pony!
Rating:
Summary: Why mess with the original?
Review: Unfortunately, this is one of my 19-month old's favorite books, so I am subjected to it at least 8 times a day. The original, Pat the Bunny, is a sweet book that has an inherant, simple appeal for toddlers. Dated though it may be, it still retains a freshness that my whole family enjoys. I thought I was getting more of the same when I purchased Pat the Puppy and Pat the Pony, but this was not to be. These two books are fraught with political-correctness of a most annoying nature -- why does Granny have to go jogging, and Grandpa bake the brownies? Aren't small children comfortable with seeing stereotypical behavior in books? Give children more credit, and trust them to know that not all families are alike. They don't have to see it in a book to know that people have differences and these differences are to be celebrated. Another annoyance is that the book has too many words. Part of Pat the Bunny's appeal was its simplicity. I don't need to know that the puppy's name is Bailey, and now that I've patted him, do I need to tickle his tummy as well? By the time I read all those words, my daughter is expecting me to turn the page to get on to the next scenario.
Oh, and there's one small grammatical mistake -- we are asked whether Granny's sunglasses feel shiny. Is "shiny" something touchable?
I would not have purchased this book had I known there would be such a feeble attempt at copying the original. In fact, I would rate this book with zero stars if it weren;t for the fact that my daughter likes it. Ugh. Save your money.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the best of the series
Review: We have "Pat the Bunny", "Pat the Cat", "Pat the Pony" and this book, "Pat the Puppy". I would say that this is not as interesting to our child as "Pat the Bunny" and "Pat the Cat", but it is better than "Pat the Pony".Tom and Sarah visit their grandparents. First they pat the puppy. The tabs are sturdy, and allow a child to make a frog leap, help the kids rock in a chair, and wag a dog's tail. Mild criticisms: the scratch 'n' sniff brownie doesn't really smell like a brownie; it doesn't really smell like anything on the planet, though it is not an evil smell. Using smooth sunglasses as an interactive experience is pretty [bad]. And twice there are two-page scenarios (grandpa putting pictures (?) on the VCR and grandma taking off her jogging (!) shoes) where the child is introduced to the activity and then turns the page to experience an interactive aspect to it (turning a wheel to change the pictures -- you know, just like a real VCR! -- and unstrapping the velco on grandma's running shoes, respectively). For continuity's sake and to facilitate the limited attention span of young children, it would be better if the two pages faced each other. It's nice that the kids visit their grandparents, and that grandma and grandpa are not stereotypes (grandpa bakes, grandma runs!), but if you don't have "Pat the Bunny" and "Pat the Cat", the best of the series, I would get those first.
Rating:
Summary: Not the best of the series
Review: We have "Pat the Bunny", "Pat the Cat", "Pat the Pony" and this book, "Pat the Puppy". I would say that this is not as interesting to our child as "Pat the Bunny" and "Pat the Cat", but it is better than "Pat the Pony". Tom and Sarah visit their grandparents. First they pat the puppy. The tabs are sturdy, and allow a child to make a frog leap, help the kids rock in a chair, and wag a dog's tail. Mild criticisms: the scratch 'n' sniff brownie doesn't really smell like a brownie; it doesn't really smell like anything on the planet, though it is not an evil smell. Using smooth sunglasses as an interactive experience is pretty [bad]. And twice there are two-page scenarios (grandpa putting pictures (?) on the VCR and grandma taking off her jogging (!) shoes) where the child is introduced to the activity and then turns the page to experience an interactive aspect to it (turning a wheel to change the pictures -- you know, just like a real VCR! -- and unstrapping the velco on grandma's running shoes, respectively). For continuity's sake and to facilitate the limited attention span of young children, it would be better if the two pages faced each other. It's nice that the kids visit their grandparents, and that grandma and grandpa are not stereotypes (grandpa bakes, grandma runs!), but if you don't have "Pat the Bunny" and "Pat the Cat", the best of the series, I would get those first.
<< 1 >>
|
