Okay - I just came online to see if Miriam Moss had written anymore of these jigsaw books because my seven year old son LOVES this book ("Best book ever, Mom")! I read the reviews above and I can honestly saw that these "professional" reviewers NEVER sat down with a child to read this book. If they had, they would have given it the glowing review it deserves.

Following are just a few of the great things about this book: it is very well made - the pictures are bright and clear, the text is large, and the puzzle pieces are sturdily constructed; my son loved searching for and finding the image on the puzzle piece in each of the paintings; the puzzle itself fits into the back of the book - there are outlines of each piece, so for a younger child, this makes finding the right spot for each piece much easier; and storing the book is easy, as the puzzle fits snugly into an inset in the back of the book and has a clear plastic cover that my son can easily take on and off himself.

I'd like to respond to some of the negative critiques above. First, "hyper realistic?" I don't think so. The pictures were lovely, with a fairy tale quality about them. They were realistic so that a child could find the image on the puzzle piece on the page. This was great because it added another layer to the book - not only can a child read each page, but s/he can search the page for the image on the piece, and then find the right spot for the piece at the end of the book.

Second, "gaudy typefaces and a jarring page design?" Not at all. My son likes to read this book and put together the puzzle several times in one night. The print is large and easy to read and the page design works.

Finally, the ending is not a disappointment - it is just a cute twist on the original fairy tale. In this version, instead of the wolf eating the grandmother - the wolf and the girl work on a puzzle together. Trust me - kids are not deconstructing this. They get it, even if the reviewers didn't.

This book allowed my son to gain a sense of mastery. It took time, but eventually, he was able to read the book aloud to himself, find each puzzle piece in the individual paintings, and successfully put together the puzzle at the end of the book.

Honestly, if I hadn't sat down and actually read the book with my son, I might have felt like the reviewers above. At first glance, you really can't see how the book is going to work and the format seems strange. I'm so glad that I took the time to read the book with my son. There's a method in Ms. Moss' madness!

(Originally posted on amazon.com) ( )