Rating: 
Summary: It isn't just for kids...
Review: ...even adults can learn a lesson from this book. We grow tired of the the "old faithful" (aka husband, wife, house, car, etc) and THINK that we REALLY waaaant all this other stuff. We soon find out that what we wanted all along was "old faithful". The grass may be greener on the other side, but probably because it is FAKE. Buy it. Read it. Learn from it.
Rating: 
Summary: a sad offering
Review: Dr. Laura has nothing educational, wise, funny, original or beautiful to say to children. This book, with its tantrum-throwing, greedy child, its preachy, obviously wealthy mom, and its awful artwork is a waste of paper, shelf space and kids' time. It's quite depressing to walk into a bookstore and see "books" such as these crowding out beautiful new or classic picture books. Unfortunately, it's the kids who really suffer when offerings such as this "book" are what's available to them. Isn't Dr. Laura rich enough already, without trying to cash in on the kids' book world?
Rating:
Summary: a sad offering
Review: Dr. Laura has nothing educational, wise, funny, original or beautiful to say to children. This book, with its tantrum-throwing, greedy child, its preachy, obviously wealthy mom, and its awful artwork is a waste of paper, shelf space and kids' time. It's quite depressing to walk into a bookstore and see "books" such as these crowding out beautiful new or classic picture books. Unfortunately, it's the kids who really suffer when offerings such as this "book" are what's available to them. Isn't Dr. Laura rich enough already, without trying to cash in on the kids' book world?
Rating:
Summary: But I Waaant It!
Review: Dr. Laura's hits the nail on the head in one respect in this book but misses the mark in another. Every time I go to a store with my two boys the same refrain comes through. In that sense this book therepy for parents who have gone through the unending chant. As a moral for children it is a good story. My oldest read it to our youngest as we left the bookstore after both of them were using its title as their battle cry. I don't know if the story made the proper impression, My take is although it is a good lesson and well drawn, it will take more than one book to teach this story, (Particulary with toys other than stuffed animals, I can't figure how you would frame it with shall we say star wars toys.) however it is a good effort readable and understandable by kids. But unfortunately to the dismay of parents everywhere understanding doesn't equal emulation, but its worth a shot.
Rating:
Summary: Could this advice be any WORSE?
Review: I bought this book when my children were younger hoping they would learn that having fits do not work. Instead the child in this book has a fit and is rewarded when his mom gives in and buys ALL the stuffed animals he wants. The message about giving to those less fortunate is totally overshadowed by the fact the mom bought hundreds of dollars worth of stuffed animals to begin with! Is this a reality for any of us???
Rating: 
Summary: Teaching Your Children A GOOD Lesson
Review: I think that a lot of people are missing the point of this story. The POINT is that yes he does throw a fit and get all the stuffed animals. HOWEVER he finds that they don't make him as happy as the cat that he has and that MANY THINGS DO NOT BRING HAPPINESS! Sammy (the son) should have listened to mom in the beginning and not thrown a fit. In the end throwing the fit and getting what he wanted (or what he thought he wanted), just made him more miserable.
Rating:
Summary: Teaching Your Children A GOOD Lesson
Review: I think that a lot of people are missing the point of this story. The POINT is that yes he does throw a fit and get all the stuffed animals. HOWEVER he finds that they don't make him as happy as the cat that he has and that MANY THINGS DO NOT BRING HAPPINESS! Sammy (the son) should have listened to mom in the beginning and not thrown a fit. In the end throwing the fit and getting what he wanted (or what he thought he wanted), just made him more miserable.
Rating:
Summary: This was a waste of money....
Review: I was shocked when I actually read the book. In there, the fitful child actually GETS all the toys he fussed about in the store. The ending is idyllic. That a child, who is obviously prone to "I want" fits in a store, would somehow awaken to his own folly. In the middle of the night no less, after several times waking up. It is pure fiction. If you are buying this book to help stop your child of the "I wants", seek an alternate route.
Rating:
Summary: But I Haaaate It!
Review: My children were attracted to the illustration on the cover, where Sammy is throwing a tantrum as his parents stand over him, and asked me to read the book to them. It was a situation they could relate to: Sammy is shopping with his mom at the toy store, because they have to buy a present for his cousin. Sammy wants toys for himself and throws a tantrum. When his mom goes along with his demands and buys him every stuffed toy he pointed to, my kids laughed. They knew I'd never go along with that kind of behavior, so they thought that the book was supposed to be a joke.Later that night, Sammy goes to bed with his new hoarde of plush toys, and awakens because he can barely fit into his bed. Then he's upset because he can't find his old favorite stuffy, Mr. Cat. My son, who was 2 at the time, asked in disgust, "Why doesn't he throw some toys out his bed?" Instead, Sammy agrees to donate all the new toys, the ones he got as a result of his tantrum, to a childrens' shelter. Both my children found this ending unconvincing, each coming up with alternate suggestions for how Sammy should have solved the problem. "He could put some of the toys in his closet." "He could put them on the shelf and sleep with just a few of them." "If he loves the cat best, then he should make sure it's on his pillow." "Why did his mom buy him all the toys when he was yelling in the store?" My kids just love books, and if this one caused them so much annoyance I can safely say you should skip it. While they liked the illustrations, I found them cloying (I guess their opinion is more important than mine, as they were 2 and 4 at the time). And they felt let down at the end because they thought it would be a "silly" book, since the mom sure acted silly in buying him all those toys. Instead they got a heavy-handed lecture about how things don't make you feel good, but people do. (Oh? If that's true, then why did Sammy need his old stuffed toy to feel secure.) My daughter couldn't understand why Sammy got mad at the new toys, because in her experience, new toys in the bed are good. While I'm all in favor of teaching children that materialism and consumerism are not good character traits, this book is not the way to do so. In fact, when this book was originally released, there was a PRODUCT TIE-IN with a toy Mr. Cat stuffy, completely obliterating the point of the story! Parents and grandparents, do not buy this book, do not get it from the library, and do not borrow it from your friend. It's awful, and I wish I could give it no stars instead of one.
Rating:
Summary: The WORST book I ever got for my son
Review: This book is absolutely the worst book I have in my 4 year old son. It gives you the perfect example of what you should NEVER do with your kids! Unless you want them to be like her character Sammy of course, who throws temper tantrums in toystores and wakes his parents up twice in the middle of the night. What on earth was the author thinking. Here is the gist of the book (you'll think its a joke but it's not!): When the little boy Sammy has an ugly temper tantrum in the toy store (familiar, right?) - the mother first reminds him that he is not going to buy a toy today, and THEN after he screams some more she reverts her opinion and BUYS HIM ALL THE TOYS IN THE STORE. Giving inconsistent messages, and giving in to temper tantrums - what could "Dr. Laura" have been thinking? I'd hate to see her in a toy store with her own kids! Miraculously in the middle of the night after waking his parents twice, Sammy realizes that he didn't really need all those toys. He volunteers to give them to the orphans down the street. Give me a break! My son wants to read this story every day, because he thinks it's great that a kid actually can throw a temper tantrum and not only get away with it, but GET REWARDED FOR IT! He even asked to go to the toystore and look at the stuffed animals, so that he could mimic this book (he normally has no interest in stuffed animals). The only way I could recover from it, was to say it's a silly book about a silly Mommy and his Mommy would never let a child get away with that! We make fun of Sammy and talk about what a naughty boy he is. Still, my (well behaved) son is fascinated by the antics in this book. Do NOT buy this stupid and disruptive book!
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