Customer Reviews

Welcome to the Bed and Biscuit

5 star:		(6)
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I believe the truest test of a good children's book is when the adult enjoys it as much as the children. I truly enjoyed reading "Welcome To The Bed and Biscuit". As with "Charlotte's Web", I found myself identifying with the animals, cheering them on, and laughing out loud as I read this wonderful story. Truly a "must read" not only for your children, but for you as well.

i am a children's librarian and am always looking
for FANTASTIC fiction for the "early readers"....
if you can give them a FANTASTIC book, they
MIGHT want to read again!!!
this one goes to the top of my list!!!
(animal lovers unite!!)
universal appeal!

I wrote this book hoping that my readers would find at least one laugh on every page--and enjoy the mysteries, too. They'll recognize Ernest, Gabby, and Milly as kids like themselves, despite their animal "disguises." Being part of a blended family isn't easy at first, but it can be awfully funny, as it is here. If I'm not laughing as I write the book, something is wrong, and with this manuscript I had many happy days. I hope my readers will, too.
---Joan Carris, 2006

The Bed & Biscuit is run by Grampa Bender, with the help of a small pig named Earnest, Gabby the mynah, and Milly the cat. As a family, they see to the comfort and care of other furry and feathered guests.

When Grampa goes to help neighbors through a devastating fire, he returns with a mysterious bundle in a basket. Ernest gets worried when Grampa's devotion to the bundle causes young Milly to withdraw out of jealousy. Still, he makes sure Grampa's Bed & Biscuit continues to operate smooth as can be, even when Grampa is very tired from staying up all night with the bundle.

Will the animals ever find out what's wrapped in the bundle, and will Milly see that Grampa's love is bigger than she imagines? It's a stressful time, but if the family at the Bed & Biscuit works together, they'll learn that love can cure just about anything.

This is a gentle story that addresses very real concerns children experience when faced with big changes. There is enough humor to offset the sadness felt by the animals when they become worried about their places in Grampa's life. WELCOME TO THE BED & BISCUIT is a wonderful story to introduce to children when real-life changes occur, especially in cases of new babies and adoptions. Kids will learn that it's okay to be worried or even a little jealous, because those feelings are natural, and their families' love will see them through.

Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer
11/20/2006

Grampa Bender can't run the Bed and Biscuit animal boardinghouse without the help of his three wise animals, who have always thought of themselves as his 'family'. But when he stops paying attention to his old friends in favor of something new, they begin to wonder about his loyalties. Black and white drawings by Noah Z. Jones brings a winning, engaging tale to life.

Welcome to a delightful new world! Joan Carris has created an animal shelter filled with funny, original, and well-defined characters who captured my attention and my heart from the very first page and never let go. This is a fantasy world with rules that surprise at every turn and yet make perfect sense throughout, and a theme well-rooted in the realities of childhood concern about "the new baby." Ernest is a bright new addition to the gallery of great fictional pigs, right alongside Wilbur and Freddy.