Customer Reviews

James Herriot's Treasury for Children: Warm and Joyful Tales by the Author of All Creatures Great and Small

5 star:		(63)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Over the years, I have thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Herriot's wonderful stories. When I found this book for my 7 year old daughter, I wasn't sure if she'd be able to follow along. What makes this book stand out is the fabulous drawings--they are full paged drawings, with not too much writing on each page. Each drawing is very detailed, perfectly matched to the accompanying text. I can't get over the talented illustrators (this book has two different ones, although the drawings are similar in appearance). I've loved re-reading these familiar stories and sharing them. This is one of the best books we've read this year, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it for a permanent library collection.

My children have loved this book for years (they are now five and seven). Because the stories use words from far-away places, and an earlier time, reading them together has been a painless way to introduce many new and wonderful words into their vocabularies. If you are a parent who likes to read to your children, buy this book! The beautiful illustrations and language will keep you interested as well as the kids.

Born an animal lover, I read James Herriot's first four books in the 70's from middle through high school in Taiwan. Yes, Those books were translated into Chinese and James Herriot was quite popular among book lovers there. I came to the United States in 1987 and since then, I bought and re-read all his books in English. I discovered so many aspects of his writing could not be precisely translated into another language, nevertheless his love and affection for all living thing are universal. Later, I watched and collected some of the BBC adaptation and had to admit that even though they were fine production, they left you with little imagination. I still prefer the books and the audio CD's narrated by Christopher Timothy. Christopher Timothy's interpretation was very good on film, but even better on CD's.
When the book "James Herriot's Treasury for children" came out, I could not think of a better way to introduce my nieces and my daughter to James Herriot's writing and the animals around him. The children love the stories and illustrations. But no matter how hard I tried, I could never be good at imitating the Yorkshire farmer's accent.
When I found that an audio version of this book was available through Amazon, I was very excited the thought this would complete my James Herriot collection. However, I was puzzled that Christopher Timothy did not narrate this book. Not knowing Jim Dale's previous work, I was skeptical about the quality of his narration. Now I am glad that I was wrong.
Christopher Timothy has been wonderful with all his work, but I think Jim Dale is more suitable for this book whose target audience are mostly children. There is so much feeling and emotion in his voice that makes the stories even more captivating than they already were. While listening to "The Christmas Day Kitten", I found myself sobbing at the end of story as if I had lost my own pet.
James Herriot's books combine good story-telling, passion and kindness to every living thing. This book will do just that for your children. The audio CD will simply add more magic to his stories.

James Harriot's story telling style conveys the life of an English country vet in vivid language at a pace that makes you and your little ones settle in for sheer enjoyment. His word choices connect with the reader on multiple levels engaging the mind and emotions. The illustrations are both beautifully realistic and immaginative. My children love the stories and frequently ask to hear them again. As a read aloud, it is appropriate from 3 years-old and up. Neither you nor they will ever tire of reading these stories.

I am a huge fan of any of James Herriott's writing. I love to read. My daughter, however, has a reading disability and the whole reading process is tedious and frustrating for her. We usually read together. This was one book that she requested to read again and again and again. James Herriott's heartwarming stories translate well into the youthful reader's world. Even if you are not an animal lover, you will find yourself falling in love with the lovable creatures and their eclectic owners!

I constantly search for beautiful books to develop my children's minds, souls, and taste for literature and thinking. There is a struggle for every parent to find books during the period occurring AFTER the child has learned the mechanics of reading and BEFORE the child can read more than the chapter book pablum churned out by most educational houses and curriculum providers. It seems now the "hook" given to young children is magic and witchcraft lore spawned by the Harry Potter books - but that is another topic entirely.

I have a deep appreciation for beautiful, well-chosen words. Very few books are rightly called "literature," but this book is one of them. Each story is written beautifully and powerfully, obviously from the pen of a great master. The author brings out the details of appearance, background and psyche and the stories resonate with beauty and truth.

I like best that the power of the story comes from the beauty and wonder of the simple and ordinary. So much of our modern literature relies upon shock and caters to the overstimulated, easily-bored personality which needs ever-increasing levels of shock and stimulation to be amused. This book nourishes reflection and the meditation upon the things which are true, honest, just, pure and lovely,

Another delightful thing about this book is the rendering of the artwork. The book is heavily illustrated on each page, and the words are IN the paintings. The visual and verbal components are wedded together in a way that the words are friendly and integral to the story - an absolute necessity for the child to cross the bridge from mechanical reading to reading adventures. The illustrations are masterfully done and very much in keeping with the beauty and power of the language.

The book has sophisticated vocabulary presented in an unobtrusive way. The child learns these words without knowing he has done so.

My seven-year-old son has just finished reading this book, and the joy we both have in listening to him read and explain to me his thoughts and feelings about the stories is priceless (as is his pronunciation of some of the larger words).

I bought this book for my daughter several years ago and she still treasures it. She loves the animals. Last year we took a holiday to England and stayed on a Dales farm in Herriot country. We helped with lambing and milking the cows, "By heck lad, it be a wonderful place". Highly recommended for both children and adults.

This book is perfect for curling up with your children to read. One of the stories is Christmas-related and makes a lovely story to read the night before Christmas. The illustrations are beautiful and James Herriot is a master story-teller. You do not have to grow up in England or on a farm to appreciate his stories. If you love animals, you will love this book. My children look forward to cuddling up and reading another story with me and they are 8 and 11 year old boys! (But they love animal stories.)

A terrific book for any child who loves animals. The stories are great, and the illustrations are a pleasure to look at.

This is our family's all time favorite book. James Herrriot's true stories paired with magnificent illustations make this a wonderful book to read to a variety of ages of children; adults find the stories equally enjoyable. We have frequently given this book as a "family gift"(a spread of ages and boys and girls), gift to siblings of a new baby and even to babies who have everything, but will later appreciate this lovely book.