Alexander the Great

I have adored the "Max" series by Rosemary Wells for quite sometime, as my three children absolutely loved all the Max books when they were younger. Ms. Wells manages to capture really great nuances on the faces of both Max and his sister Ruby, as well as presenting the most humorous situations for Max and Ruby.Max wants nothing but a dragon shirt and Ruby is insisting on buying him a much-needed pair of pants, per the instructions of their mother. Max does not give up on his beloved dragon shirt and reminds Ruby every chance he gets. Ruby gets sidetracked in the store trying on dresses and Max manages to wander in the store after dozing off and not finding Ruby in the dressing room. Max finds his coveted dragon shirt, puts it on and is "found" by two policemen in the store. Well, now the dragon shirt is covered with yummy ice cream and Ruby has no choice but to purchase the shirt for Max!The illustrations and use of color will delight any youngster, as will the antics of Ruby and Max! I love their facial expressions and even after all of these years, I still love reading these books! This was one series of book that neither I, nor my children, ever tired of reading. I find the Max and Ruby books just really classic books! My children would read them over and over again and would find them first with every library visit!Absolutely pure delight!!!

Another winner in Rosemary Wells' slyly hilarious "Max" series, this time Max and his older sister Ruby have just $5 to replace his "disgusting" pants. Max has his eyes set on a "dragon shirt," but Ruby has to get those pants. Their ensuing misadventures in a department store take the bunny pair from "Large Appliances" to "Boy's Sportswear" (a caution: Max is momentarily lost in the store, this may or may not be frightening to your little one). With big colorful illustrations by Wells and a happy ending (well, for Max!), this is a fun story of siblings on the loose. 22 pages, with watercolor/pen and ink pictures on each page.

I am a huge Rosemary Wells fan, and this book is delightful as are all her books. Every child can relate to wanting a particular item as much as Max wants his dragon shirt! The pictures in this book are quite complex---full of the hustle and bustle of a busy department store, with all kinds of different folks with different expressions--my boys really enjoy trying to figure out what everyone is thinking! I like seeing Ruby try on all the dresses---some too tight, some too big and some just plain too ugly! As usual, Max in his own way beats Ruby at her own game!

Max finally gets the best of Ruby. Our 2 yr. old reads "Max's Dragon Shirt" every single night. It is such a delight to see his face light-up each time that Max gets the shirt he wants even after an entire day of being drug around by his sister in the store. It is a true victory for all toddlers who are always under the direction of an older, sometimes bossy sibling! Hurray for Max!

A must-read for a child with personality. Max echoes your daily experience. Rosemary Wells' text is precise and funny, her drawings are a delight as always. If you cannot buy, check it out at your library. Just writing this review makes me smile - parents like this book too!