Rating: 
Summary: Hip, striking illustrations and a good story!
Review: If you hate Madonna and anything having to do with her you probably shouldn't bother because you will probably be unable to look at "The English Roses" without the baggage of Madonna's 20 year career and controversy. However, Madonna fans--or those who are Madonna-neutral--will probably agree with me that the story is cute, the narration a bit sassy, and the illustration wonderful. Most adults will enjoy "The English Roses" visually. The look reminded me of the 60s-era funky line drawings overlaid with watercolors I remember from advertisements and pop art. The story has a good moral without being overly preachy or saccarine.If "The English Roses" has a fault I think it would be that it is a tad too text-heavy to be the sort of book one reads TO a child, unless the child is a little bit older and has a longer attention span. Madonna's daughter is seven, and even though it claims to be "for children of all ages", I suspect a child younger than seven might not stay as interested.
Rating: 
Summary: Forget Madonna Wrote It - It's a GREAT book!
Review: Madonna is certainly a multitalented person. And I'll admit I originally ordered this book mainly out of curiosity. I was not disappointed though. It arrived today and the illustrations are gorgeous (though the book doesn't seem to give any credit to the illustrator - which I thought was odd - leading most to assume that Madonnna illustrated it, which she did not apparently). They story has a very nice moral of overcoming jealousy. It teaches not to judge others before knowing them - or walking a mile in their shoes. And it also celebrates the value of female friendship. It know when I was a little girl, my friends were everything - and many of them still are, nearly 30 years later! I'm sure that when she is old enough, my daughter will enjoy this book too - and my six year old niece is now going to get it for Christmas! The writing style is very personable and engaging. I'm not sure why but it reminded me a little of Eloise. If you're considering this book for the curiosity factor, don't hesitate to buy it any longer - it is worth it.
Rating: 
Summary: The illustrations carry this book
Review: One can't help but wonder how well this children's book would be received if not for its famous author. Its biggest pitfalls are twofold. (1) it lacks a clear audience; it proves to be cumbersome and tripping as a "read aloud" book for the pre-reader, but is not engaging for a self-reader. (2) the dialogue, in particular, is poor; its overdone attempts at feeling familial and directly addressing the reader are stiff and out-of-place.
The redeeming value of this book is the lovely illustrations. The English Roses are unique and beautifully created. The illustrations fully deserve the extra packaging as a way to market the visual appeal.
Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking
Review: Some of the reviews you will read below are negative and that surprises me.
These are childrens books, written for children, by a mother who was getting despondant that she couldn't find any books that taught her children morals.
I think its important to forget that this book was written Madonna the superstar, and concentrate on the content. (Though, lets be honest, is there anyone more qualified to combat the books subject matter?) This particular book deals with JEALOUSY, and is perhaps aimed more at the girls (simply because of the characters and illustrations), though all kids should be taught the aim of the book. The story has been inspired by some of the teachings of the Jewish spiritual faith 'Kabbalah'. The reality is, the message forms the basics of any sprituality.
Yes, its simply written, but the story is well told, and its beautifully illustrated.
I would expect this to be a welcome and worthy addition to any childs book collection.
Rating:
Summary: A great book for children!
Review: This book is a great addition to any child's catalogue. It is simplistic enough for children to grasp and yet touches on a familiar subject that both children and adults (both male and female) could learn something from. It's straightforward, to the point and yet provokes thoughts in a gentle way, opening the door for family bonding with further discussion of the topic after the book has been read. It is cleverly told with a bit of humor thrown in which is a nice surprise in my opinion. The illustrations are vibrant and keep your eyes wandering from page to page. And just a side note to the critical eye out there who may assume that this is just another way for Madonna to make a little money off of the little tikes... all the proceeds of the book are being donated to children's charities. A gem of a purchase that I'd recommend to anyone possibly interested!!
Rating:
Summary: Somewhat misleading title for an already well-known author
Review: Unfortunately, I was quite disappointed in this book because it was not what I was expecting. I decided to purchase Madonna's latest efforts after quite enjoying her previous publications, especially her most notorious book whose name probably does not belong in the review of a children's story. In any case, her previous book is among my favorite, especially for bedtime reading. When I saw Madonna was coming out with a new book, I ordered it immediately. I had especially high hopes when I saw the title was "The English Roses." After all, Madonna had recently moved to England with her husband, and I could think of several delightful things to which the term "roses" might be referring.
To my shock and horror, "The English Roses" was not about any of the many wonderful things I thought it might have referenced. Rather, it was about some little girls. Since I am not a man who, shall I say, shares hobbies with Michael Jackson, I found this book completely inappropriate for the purpose for which I bought it.
Rating:
Summary: Why do all of you people hate Madonna?
Review: Why is it that when ever Madonna does anything, even when it is good, people always seem to bring up the past and throw it in the poor woman's face? Why is it that everything Madonna does must fall to the unfriendly criticism of the media, conservative America, and devout religious authorities? Do you enjoy bringing Madonna down? Do you enjoy trying to brand everything that this great woman has ever done as "unwholesome" and "less than acceptable" and "digusting" and "slutty"?
You must, because it never stops.
First of all, do you think that MADONNA, a proud, wise, beautiful and incredibly talented ICON as well as a MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR industry really CARES what you think? Madonna is a real person, as much as her opponents might not like to think so. A real person who cries, laughs, eats, and raises kids just like the rest of you. But all that aside, Madonna is GREATER than any critic or critique. She goes on with her life and lives it to the best of her ability and does what she wants to despite the remarks made by jealous common people or lesser celebrities. She doesn't care what a magazine says about her, or what the new ET episode has to say about her, or some radio DJ. She doesn't waste her time with your horse manure, as much as you might want her to. She lives, and goes on, without any regret. So leave her alone.
Also, SO WHAT if she published a book on sex with pictures of her having lesbian contact with Naomi Campbell and Isabella Rosseslini? SO WHAT if she danced in a red slip dress in front of burning crosses? SO WHAT if she said "F---" on Letterman? SO WHAT if she had a simulated orgasm on the stage of Radio City Music Hall in wedding dress? SO WHAT if she recorded "Justify My Love"? SO WHAT if she tongued Britney and Christina on that same stage? It only made her all the more famous. Those were her choices, her display of artistic integrity. Perhaps some of it she could have done without, but couldn't you have done without some of the mistakes you made when you were younger? All people grow and mature, and Madonna IS a person. And besides, you are the people doing all the critical bashing, and do you not think that that is the very thing that makes Madonna more popular. Thusly she has "ABSOLUTELY NO REGRETS. /And I'm not sorry/it's human nature"
Madonna will do whatever she wants, with or without the acclaim or disgust of the media. She has done it for the past twenty-two years, in every other genre, so why not Children's books?
Are YOU going to stop her?
"No one's telling me how to live my life/
but it's a set up/and I'm just fed up/It's
no good when you're misunderstood/why should
I care what the world thinks of me/won't let
a stranger give me a social disease/"
...
"I don't waste my time/I don't watch TV/
or read a magazine/NOBODY KNOWS ME/"
~Nobody Knows Me
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