Rating: 
Summary: Makes Learning English a Game!
Review: I used this book when teaching a high-school level English class in France. I wrote the "sentences" on the board and had the first person from each team run to the board to write out the sentence completely. It was fantastique! They loved it. I'm sure it could be put to good use in an American classroom too. Great fun!
Rating:
Summary: Funny and fun, even for adults
Review: I was introduced to this book while babysitting some children about 10 years ago. It was the favorite book of the children, and I fell in love with it. My favorite CDB is: O, U B-U-T, U-R A Q-T! I now read this book to my children and they love it too.
Rating:
Summary: B N D G - R - A - V !
Review: Learning to read is a process of decoding abstract symbols (letters) to form meaningful patterns. In the process, we learn the name for these letters. Having gone that far, we quickly suppress that knowledge from our reading -- except when we solve rebuses. In this humorous children's book, William Stein takes those names of letters and numbers and shows us another way to decode the symbols to form meaning. For those who are just past the beginning reader stage, this provides an opportunity to play with words and take new enjoyment from their flexible forms. The title of the book is an example. You simply say the letters and think of a word that sound represents: C -- See; D -- Dee (the, with a little imagination); B -- Bee . . . or See the bee! The back of the book's jacket has some examples to help you get the technique. When letters and numbers are connected by hyphens, that means that they combine into one word: B - 4 is "before." Each sentence or brief paragraph also comes with a wonderful cartoon, drawn in Mr. Steig's familiar style from his work for The New Yorker. These images gives clues as to what the sentences say. In this edition of the book, water colors have been added to make the images more appealing. This also relieves the abstractness of the "sentences" (or S-N-T-N-C-S). B-4 U P-N-K, R-M-M-B-R D K N D N-D. So you can get everyone right, even if you cannot decipher them without help! Children find this book fascinating and fun. It also encourages them to use their natural tendency to be creative with spelling. A good follow-on exercise is to rewrite the sentences in the book using other combinations of letters. After this book pales, you can go on to rebuses or Pig Latin, or any other form of communication that is fun for both your child and you. F U R L-K M-E U'L A-V A B-U-T-F-L T-M! N-J!
Rating:
Summary: B N D G - R - A - V !
Review: Learning to read is a process of decoding abstract symbols (letters) to form meaningful patterns. In the process, we learn the name for these letters. Having gone that far, we quickly suppress that knowledge from our reading -- except when we solve rebuses. In this humorous children's book, William Stein takes those names of letters and numbers and shows us another way to decode the symbols to form meaning. For those who are just past the beginning reader stage, this provides an opportunity to play with words and take new enjoyment from their flexible forms. The title of the book is an example. You simply say the letters and think of a word that sound represents: C -- See; D -- Dee (the, with a little imagination); B -- Bee . . . or See the bee! The back of the book's jacket has some examples to help you get the technique. When letters and numbers are connected by hyphens, that means that they combine into one word: B - 4 is "before." Each sentence or brief paragraph also comes with a wonderful cartoon, drawn in Mr. Steig's familiar style from his work for The New Yorker. These images gives clues as to what the sentences say. In this edition of the book, water colors have been added to make the images more appealing. This also relieves the abstractness of the "sentences" (or S-N-T-N-C-S). B-4 U P-N-K, R-M-M-B-R D K N D N-D. So you can get everyone right, even if you cannot decipher them without help! Children find this book fascinating and fun. It also encourages them to use their natural tendency to be creative with spelling. A good follow-on exercise is to rewrite the sentences in the book using other combinations of letters. After this book pales, you can go on to rebuses or Pig Latin, or any other form of communication that is fun for both your child and you. F U R L-K M-E U'L A-V A B-U-T-F-L T-M! N-J!
Rating:
Summary: I M N X-T-C!
Review: smart! adorable! unexpected! (the book, not my kids...)
This book really has us rolling in laughter. My sons (ages 4 and 6) and I have been playing with an electronic toy: push a letter and the thing says the letter's name. We had been using it to make word sounds -- pressing U R A Q T for "you are a cutie" and so forth. When I saw this book I just had to get it. It is amazingly clever -- and to think it was written in 1968. It's fresh, not at all dated. My sons are very good readers for their respective ages, but it is definitely appropriate for them. I had to explain a phrase or two (they didn't know the word "ecstacy" when they saw X-T-C) but otherwise it was totally on their level. I still crack up reading it, and I've read it at least ten times. The watercolor illustrations are perfect. Stieg conveys a lot of emotion and expression with just a few brush strokes. When a boy sees someone with a lollipop and tells him "I N-V U," you can see the envy.
I won't mind if my kids want to read this one again and again. I M N X-T-C 2!
Rating:
Summary: taught me how to read
Review: This book helped me learn to read when i was 3 years old. As long as you know the alphabet you can read this book, which makes it perfect for children who are learning to read.
Rating:
Summary: cute!
Review: this book is just adorable...C D B? D B S A B-Z B. (see the bee? the bee is a busy bee.) and so forth and so on...just great!
Rating:
Summary: A book for all ages
Review: This book is just wonderful. Even though it's from ages 5-9, myfriends and I got stumped on a couple. When I went to a party, Ibrought it with me and everyone was all over it.
Rating:
Summary: A book that evokes childlike wonder
Review: This book tickled me when I discovered it in college. It tickles me as I share it with my children. A book for my heart for all time. If out of print, try CDC, the sequel.
Rating:
Summary: Makes Learning English a Game!
Review: This little gem hardly belongs in the E section of the library. I have used it with gifted fifth graders for many years as an "interactive readaloud," and they absolutely love it. Few 4- to 8-year-olds could be expected to read C d b!independently. This extremely creative book will delight any adult who chooses to share it with a child, and it could lead to an interest in automobile vanity plates with a message. Highly recommended. (Steig's follow-up, C d c! is far more challenging than C d b!)
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