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Rating: 
Summary: Cosby's Little Bill learns about how to solve problems
Review: "The Day I Saw My Father Cry" tells of the very sad day when Little Bill and his father lost a special friend but that is not really what this book for beginning readers is about. The important lesson here is what that special friend, Alan Mills, always did to stop people from having an argument (telling you would take away the fun of finding out for yourself, because it is so simple that you stop and think, well, yes, that would work). But while the death of Alan Mills makes a nice point about the difference between a "heart" and a "Heart," it does not make his lesson any more valid. In fact, after Little Bill learns the lesson in the first chapter and sees Alan Mills do it in the second, I think he would have used it in the final chapter even if he did not see his father cry in the third chapter. Alvin F. Poussaint, M.D., the Harvard Medical School Clinical Professor of Psychiatry who was an advisor on "The Cosby Show" addresses parents at the front of the book, says outright that this book is about dealing with the sudden death of a family friend, but it really is about much more than that.It is not just that Bill Cosby's "Little Bill Books for Beginning Readers" teach lessons, but that they teach them so well. It is not Alan's death but rather his wisdom that young readers are going to get out of this book. I was well aware that Cosby earned a doctorate in education from the University of Massachusetts but it is also clear that his skills as a standup comedian, especially in terms of telling stories, serves him well in these endeavors as well. "The Day I Saw My Father Cry" provides a nice lesson in solving problems fairly and creatively that young children will easily understand. More importantly, they will recognize that Alan Mill's idea will work and that life will be a lot nicer when it does. The book is illustrated by Varnette P. Honeywood, who provides a distinctive style that young readers will come to identify with this series as much as Cosby's gentle humor and wisdom.
Rating:
Summary: Cosby's Little Bill learns about how to solve problems
Review: "The Day I Saw My Father Cry" tells of the very sad day when Little Bill and his father lost a special friend but that is not really what this book for beginning readers is about. The important lesson here is what that special friend, Alan Mills, always did to stop people from having an argument (telling you would take away the fun of finding out for yourself, because it is so simple that you stop and think, well, yes, that would work). But while the death of Alan Mills makes a nice point about the difference between a "heart" and a "Heart," it does not make his lesson any more valid. In fact, after Little Bill learns the lesson in the first chapter and sees Alan Mills do it in the second, I think he would have used it in the final chapter even if he did not see his father cry in the third chapter. Alvin F. Poussaint, M.D., the Harvard Medical School Clinical Professor of Psychiatry who was an advisor on "The Cosby Show" addresses parents at the front of the book, says outright that this book is about dealing with the sudden death of a family friend, but it really is about much more than that. It is not just that Bill Cosby's "Little Bill Books for Beginning Readers" teach lessons, but that they teach them so well. It is not Alan's death but rather his wisdom that young readers are going to get out of this book. I was well aware that Cosby earned a doctorate in education from the University of Massachusetts but it is also clear that his skills as a standup comedian, especially in terms of telling stories, serves him well in these endeavors as well. "The Day I Saw My Father Cry" provides a nice lesson in solving problems fairly and creatively that young children will easily understand. More importantly, they will recognize that Alan Mill's idea will work and that life will be a lot nicer when it does. The book is illustrated by Varnette P. Honeywood, who provides a distinctive style that young readers will come to identify with this series as much as Cosby's gentle humor and wisdom.
Rating: 
Summary: Positive role model for boys (and girls) experiencing grief
Review: A very touching story about how parents and children experience grief. Young boys especially do not often see the pain of grief in adult men. I'm always glad of a positive role model that shows that grown up men feel sad and miss the people they lose. This book does a nice job of demonstrating that experience.
Rating:
Summary: Positive role model for boys (and girls) experiencing grief
Review: A very touching story about how parents and children experience grief. Young boys especially do not often see the pain of grief in adult men. I'm always glad of a positive role model that shows that grown up men feel sad and miss the people they lose. This book does a nice job of demonstrating that experience.
Rating:
Summary: Ease into the topic of death with the young reader ...
Review: As a fellow author of a child's book on death, "ANGELSTACEY/DADDY in HEAVEN", our family just recently became aware of this title. Our 8 year old twins love the Little Bill books. They are also children who lost their mother in childbirth. At this age they have a better understanding of loss/death. We as their parents encourage any questions about their natural mother. Typically it is our twin daughter who has been the most vocal about death and her natural mother. Having stumbled upon this title with my son, he showed interest in the book. It was a good read for him at a time when he is beginning to question and seek out more answers about death. Little Bill books are so colorful, full of heart and always a life lesson. They are easy to read and geared to the 4 to 8 aged reader. This is a topic close to my heart and our family and this title addresses it well. Take it from someone who knows first hand how difficult it is to address this topic with a young child, this is a solid, healthy approach to a subject that needs to be better addressed and this is yet another excellent way to address it.
Rating:
Summary: Real life and morals
Review: This book contains 4 short chapters. In the first chapter, the narrator meets a new neighbor, Alan Mills. Alan Mills always seems to turn up at times of conflict to remind people about the magic of Christmas, even if it's not Christmas time. In doing this, he gets people to focus back on the positive sides of the friends and family. In chapter 3, Alan Mills passes away (and the narrator's father cries about this). But in chapter 4, we find that his spirit is still alive, when the narrator and his brother remember Mills' message and stop their bickering over prime seats in front of the TV. Altogether, the book contains about 1500 words and is suitable for beginning readers.
Rating:
Summary: Real life and morals
Review: This book contains 4 short chapters. In the first chapter, the narrator meets a new neighbor, Alan Mills. Alan Mills always seems to turn up at times of conflict to remind people about the magic of Christmas, even if it's not Christmas time. In doing this, he gets people to focus back on the positive sides of the friends and family. In chapter 3, Alan Mills passes away (and the narrator's father cries about this). But in chapter 4, we find that his spirit is still alive, when the narrator and his brother remember Mills' message and stop their bickering over prime seats in front of the TV. Altogether, the book contains about 1500 words and is suitable for beginning readers.
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