Customer Reviews

From Head to Toe

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a fantastic book! The large, colorful pictures and the simple, clear text keep children bending and stretching right along with the animals! Still, unlike many of the reviewers who loved this for their one-year-olds, we found that this book didn't work for my active, not very verbal daughter when she was one (even though she sat for other books). We pulled it out again around the time she turned 2 and she LOVED IT. This book was a huge hit. Now at almost 4 it is still one of her favorites. Even if she's tired at bedtime she gets on the floor to do her donkey kicks along with the donkey! My older daughter also reported that this was one of her preschool teacher's favorite storytime books. I would say that for many children this book, despite it's deceptively simple pictures and text, is more appropriate for older children (age 2-4). This is a book I buy all the time for 2nd birthdays - It's always a hit! (especially good for active kids who prefer being "active" listeners!) This is an excellent choice for a book that will last kids for years!

I read FROM HEAD TO TOE to my baby, who is now 10 months old, and to a good friend's child, who is about 22 months old. Both enjoy it!

FROM HEAD TO TOE, like all of Eric Carle's books, offers multiple kinds of learning in one book. The first page shows a penguin saying "I am a penguin and I turn my head. Can you do it?" On the facing page, a girl has turned her heaed and answers, "I can do it!" We proceed through the book, going all the way down the body: head, neck, shoulders, arms, hands, chest, back, hips, knees, legs, foot, toes. At the same time, we meet an assortment of very appealing pictures of animals and learn their names: penguin, giraffe, buffalo, monkey, seal, gorilla, cat, crocodile, camel, donkey, elephant, and parrot.

I love that in the last pairing, the child takes action first: "I am I and I wiggle my toe. Can you do it?" This is followed by a parrot who copies the child wiggling his toe and says, "I can do it! I can do it!"

At our house, the 10-month-old is currently more inclined to enjoy the pictures, and is just starting to join in with the motions occasionally. The 22-month-old friend now joins in with many of the motions.

This is another great Eric Carle book, and will be a great addition to any child's early book collection.

My 16-month old daughter loves to turn her head, wave her arms, raise her shoulders, with the colorful animals in this book. Excellent book to teach children body parts, movements and animals. (She surprised us one day by thumping her chest when she saw a gorilla picuture somewhere else.) I also read this book to her classmates in a play group and they all loved it, too. Have fun "bending your knees" with your kids!

My 4 year old grandson and I watched Eric Carle on a Mister Rogers episode where Eric Carle read this book aloud and he and Mister Rogers acted out each movement. Each page has an animal talking about moving a part of the body, for example turning their head, shrugging their shoulders, waving their arms etc and saying "I can do it, can you do it?" and the child responds, "I can do it!" My grandson memorized this book in a few readings and proudly reads it to everyone he meets, demonstrating, "I can do it, can you to it?!!" A couple of the movements my grandson found difficult to imitate, but that didn't slow him down, he merely substituted, "Can you do it??? I can't do it!" Loads of fun for the young child who loves to demonstrate how he can memorize & read a book and for the child who loves to add motions/movement to songs or stories.

OK, I admit it. This book was a gift, and not one I would have bought for my son. I completely failed to see its charm.

That is, until I read it with my one-year-old son!

"From Head to Toe" was an instant hit and the first book that made Jack laugh out loud! He asks for it over and over again, and before too long, he was making the signs along with me as we read. And shortly after that I had to laugh out loud when I saw him "reading" the book to himself, making the signs and saying "I Can Do It!" on each page!

I highly recommend this book for older babies and toddlers. Mamma may not be enchanted at first -- but I'll bet your little one will shwo you just how much fun this book really is!

We have enjoyed another of Eric Carle's books--Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See--since my son was a few weeks old. So, when my son was about 7 months old, I bought From Head to Toe. It was a wonderful purchase! After a few reads, my son was imitating the animals just like his mama--waving his arms like a monkey and on his hands and knees like the cat. It was so wonderful for me to see that my son was understanding and processing the books I read to him.

Our 20 month old and 3 year old boys love this Eric Carle gem. It combines beautiful pictures of animals with simple rhythmic text showing body parts and actions -- turning heads, bending necks, raising shoulders, arching backs and others. Best of all, it allows active participation by imitating what is on the page. We have purchased quite a few books but this one is magic.

My 18 month old son loves this book! He watched me do the movements as I read it and now he does them on his own when I read the book! Very cute and interactive.

This was a great incorporation of words and movement, I read it to my 3.5 year old and he loves it, but I also think older children will have fun acting like each animal.

Of all the books I read to the great-nephews this past summer,
"From Head to Toe" was the biggest hit.

It not only has neat drawings of animals and people, it has people and animals modeling exercises that the children can do and enjoy doing.