Customer Reviews (25)

Great CD!!!!
Bill Cosby here is very funny and clean. This is one of the best CD that I like. Great Funny CD for the whole family.

Audio companion to VHS/DVD release
OK, a few things to remember regarding this release;

1- Bill Cosby is hilarious.

2- This album is not the complete show. Some sketches have been edited down and being audio only your not getting the mans famous facial expressions and physical quirks that are such a part of so many comics arsenal.

3- Bill Cosby is hilarious. Oh, I already said that didn't I? Well it's worth repeating...

4- The material here is a continuation of the mans well worn gambit of taking his audience down semi familiar routes but throwing in outrageous twists and anecdotes. Cosby is a master of exploring the inherently bizarre thought patterns of we mortals, and pointing out the hilarity of our foibles. All within a positively cherubic energy and infused with the joy of living.

5- Bill Cosby is hilarious. Oh, and a stack of his material is now out on CD and so there is no excuse for not updating your collection or being able to get together quite a complete back catalogue of the guy especially given the very reasonable prices many of his releases are available for.

But of all his albums this one perhaps is the one I've come closest to only giving three stars due to it's inherent disadvantage compared to getting the full DVD version.

Zoff-woof-wife-woof-poo-wish-poo-wish!
BILL COSBY: HIMSELF is easily one of the funniest things I've ever heard.Even after having heard it (and seen it) so many times as to have various excerpts memorized, it's still hilarious!As far as Bill Cosby comedy is concerned, the only thing funnier than this CD is watching the DVD.

Unfortunately, this CD has been heavily edited.Less than half of the performance is here.Missing on the CD are the monologues about getting drunk, the bratty four-year-old Jeffrey on the airplane (one of my personal favorites), and passing the newborn's poopy diaper around (before "God put odor in the poo-poo").

I understand this performance was transferred to CD at a time when CDs were a relatively new technology and you just couldn't fit an exorbitant amount of time on one disc and still expect decent sound quality.But today, you can.So, I wish they (whoever the "they" happens to be) would take advantage of the new digital technology available and put the whole performance on CD (or on two CDs).

But even with all the edits, and without the complete performance, this edition is still worth the money, as your fits of laughter will often remind you.

Classic Cosby
Bill Cosby at his best.What more can you say.Bill is an expert at taking every day life and making it funny.Whether or not you are a Cosby fan or not, most people will enjoy this.

Bill Cosby Himself
There is a picture of the "Bill Cosby:Himself" on the cover of the DVD but the DVD is audio only....just sound, no images! Very dissapointing. Suggest the title be renamed to Bill Cosby: an Audio version only of "Himself". However, I was and remain very appreciative of the Amazon service level in my efforts to re-order a Visual and Audio version of the DVD.Thanks, Bern
... Read more

Product Description
The perennial #1 nationwide bestseller-and now, a hit animated series on Nick at Nite.

From Bill Cosby, America's favorite TV dad, comes the ideal gift for Father's Day...

Fatherhood is...

- Pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope
- Helping your children learn English as a foreign language
- Knowing that "Everything's okay, Dad" means "I haven't killed anyone"
- ...and more priceless advice and hilarious wisdom. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (33)

Easy Read - Humorous
This book is pretty much what I expected it would be.Actually pretty insightful about Cosby himself.The humor is a little edgier than what you'd see on his sitcom, but the themes are the same.Could be a good book for anxious expecting dads, as it was good for me.Favorite quote (paraphrased): "The reason my wife and I had five kids is because we didn't want six."

Great read...
I read this book to my wife a chapter at a time before our first child was born. It was one of the funniest books I've ever read. I purchased it as a gift for two couples expecting their first child. A good recommendation for those ending the BC "before children" era of their lives.

Cosby Showesque
This is a pretty good book.The foreword and afterword are both pretty dull, but Bill still has some funny moments.More than anything else, this is a collection of funny bits about being a parent that you have probably heard before.While reading it, I couldn't help but think of The Cosby Show.It has that feel.

A Humorous Look Into the New Dads
This is an older book by Bill Cosby.The book takes a humorous look at the nature of fatherhood in this world.A lot has changed for dads over the last few decades.At one time, a father had little interactions with his kids, but today a father is expected to be a "good dad."Cosby highlights this difficult journey.The sections in this book are wonderful.They are funny and true to life.One of the best aspects of this work are the illustrations that you will gain.You will have a ton of material for some sermons on parenting and fatherhood.He throws in a lot of Biblical references which makes the material even better.For a light read, and for some inspiration, and maybe a little understanding, this is a great book.Cosby is a genius, and his mark is throughout these pages.

not properly marked
this book had a big mark right down the center of the cover of the book in permanent marker. ... Read more

Product Description
Bill Cosby and Alvin F. Poussaint have a powerful message for families and communities as they lay out their visions for strengthening America, or for that matter the world. They address the crises of people who are stuck because of feelings of low self-esteem, abandonment, anger, fearfulness, sadness, and feelings of being used, undefended and unprotected. These feelings often impede their ability to move forward. The authors aim to help empower people make the daunting transition from victims to victors. Come On, People! is always engaging, and loaded with heart-piercing stories of the problems facing many communities. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (94)

Not just for black people
When I bought this book, I didn't realize the target audience is black.But, I read it just the same.Honestly, I believe every black person should read this book.The authors succinctly outline the problems facing black Americans, and then provide alternatives and solutions to many of the problems.Additionally, I find that many of the problems in the book -- such as using TV and video games as a babysitter, the disregard for education, violence among teenagers -- are epidemic across the United States in all populations, regardless of race.Much of this book -- I'd say at least 75% of it -- is helpful information for anyone.I also think it's an important read for teachers, social workers, and anyone else who works with troubled children on a regular basis; I definitely gained some insight about black children that I hope will help me reach more of them in my classroom.My only complaint about this book is that there is very much of a "take care of your own" kind of mentality.I'm all for that, within reason... but I truly believe that it is time to move past race and start to live together as people, not blacks or whites or Asians or whatever.We all bleed the same color.I wish that the authors would have the same mentality when advising people of how to improve their lives.

Old, but still good news
For peope who are up on their African-American history and who are already involved in the struggle to make changes in our community, this book is a let-down because it's nothing we haven't heard before. I think it's time we find current African-Americans (like Bill Cosby) and others in the 21st century to give credence to when stating a point-- unless there are so few we can't name them or their accomplishments. Not that Martin L. King and Rosa Parks and the other great African-Americans and their accomplishments during the civil rights era aren't worthy of mention but, did our successes as a people stop there? The battle is not over and was not won with those past victories. Yet, many have cooled their heels on those successes and and act as if we, as a people, can'tdo more. All-in-all, it's a good start for those just starting their inquiry into life in the African-American community.

Come on People
The book arrived in a timely fashion and in excellent condition. I'm enjoying reading the book.

A book that could change lives
I appreciate the wisdom Dr. Bill Cosby and Dr. Alvin Poussaint show in Come On People.The part I found surprising is that Cosby uses the word "Blacks" instead of "African American."

Cosby compares the experiences of different racial groups, and he says that blacks are in more need of help because everyday problems are destroying black families.He claims that sometimes individuals feel that they have to enact racial stereotypes and continue doing wrong and making bad choices.

Cosby also speaks about how important a male model is to black families especially during the upbringing of children.Cosby gives a lot of advice on how to raise children to be well-respected adults.

Cosby discusses the discrimination blacks are still facing.There is so much discrimination in today's world that the targets can't deal with it anyone and break; the outcome of this is never good.

The excellent advice Cosby gives to black families can also help many other families.The part that I found most helpful was "Role Models, Please Apply."Parents are role model for their children so it is important what a parent does in everyday life. For example, if you stay home and don't work,how will your children learn working skills? How can a woman choose a good man if she never had a father who could demonstrate what is good?

I really like this book.Cosby always seems to amaze me.

--reviewed byAmy DeHerrera

"I must read by all men!"
Excellent, relevant, a must read! Stop making excuses! Don't complain, just work harder! Losing a battle is a test for you to know how bad you want It! ... Read more

Product Description
Longing for the new Space Explorers video game, Little Bill and his friends are disappointed when their parents refuse to buy the game and wonder how they can still have fun without it. Original."Amazon.com Review
Oprah Book Club® Selection, December 1997:Well-loved comedian Bill Cosby encourages kids to get creative in thissimple story of how your own imagination can take you farther intoouter space--and help you chase more aliens--than any TV show or videogame ever could. In The Best Way to Play--one of Cosby's threeLittle Bill books for emerging readers--Little Bill tells his storyfrom a friendly, first-person point of view, starting Saturdaymorning, when "All of the grown-ups were busy doing grown-upthings."

He and theneighborhood kids are watching TV when they see an ad for a SpaceExplorers video game that instantly infuses desperate longing intotheir alien-catching little hearts. When Little Bill's friend Andrewgets a copy, everyone is thrilled. However, after quickly catching 100aliens and getting perfect scores, the kids are bored with thegame. They head for their trusty vacant lot where they chase an alienthat looks like a cat and proceed to fly all the way to the moon! (Orat least they pretend to.) When Little Bill confesses to his mom thatit was more fun to play outside than with the game, she says,"I'm glad. Now go to sleep. Space Explorers need theirrest." While the engaging, upbeat story itself escapesheavy-handedness, the message is clear, clear, clear. VarnetteP. Honeywood's flat, boldly colorful illustrations are full of lifeand expression, and early readers will welcome the spacious format,with large type and only a few short sentences on every page. (Ages5 to 8) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

My Kid Loves Little Bill
I've looked for the Bill Cosby "Little Bill" series in every bookstore, but could find them only online (Amazon.com). The books do not give you the same "Little Bill" experience as the program on Noggin, but the stories are good, and the artwork is excellent. Now if we only the books could show you Bill Cosby smiling and goofing around with Little Bill, and hear the wonderful music from the TV series, *THAT* would be the BEST way to play!

Excellent message for youngsters
These level 3 chapter books are great confidence builders for those readers just getting comfortable with reading.The story is engaging and the chapters give a sense of accomplishment along with suspense (whats going to happen next).Funny with a good message also.

Pleased with product
I was very pleased on the speed of the delivery of the product. It was in excellent condition to be a used book. Thank you for your wonderful service!

A good imagination beats a video game (almost) any day
In "The Best Way to Play" Little Bill and his friends find out that their favorite television "Space Explorers" has a new video game, so they all go home and start hounding their parents to spend fifty bucks to buy it for them.However, Big Bill says for Little Bill to ask his mother, his mother thinks $50 is too much to spend on a toy, and Alice the Great thinks he should be asking his parents for a book.The situation is that Little Bill and his friends do not think that they can have any fun less they have the new game.But, as Little Bill's mother correctly points out, asking and getting are two different things.

The point of this Little Bill Book for Beginning Readers, which is illustrated by Varnette P. Honeywood, is that Little Bill and his friends already had a great way of having fun without the new video game when they were waiting for "Space Explorers" to start and were imagining that they had their own space ship sailing through the galaxy.In his introductory letter to parents child psychiatry specialist Dr. Alvin Pouissant points out that using "television as a springboard for creative play" is a great way for children to develop their imaginations and to benefit from physical activity.

Bill Cosby's story also has a message about advertising hype that notes how the actual product is often disappointing.However, this particular point may well be the weak point in Cosby's argument.The "Space Explorers" video game is apparently easy enough that Little Bill and his friends can all get perfect scores.I am sure there are video games out there combine the twin sins of being expensive and not challenging, but my experience with such games has been that they can be the latter without being the former.It seems to me that many of the most popular video games are so challenging that you have to spend additional money to pick up a guidebook that teaches you how to get to the next level.Consequently, the potency of Cosby's argument in "The Best Way to Play" might hinge on the actual experience of beginning readers with video games in the real world.

The Best Way to Play is the best!
Little Bill & his friends want the new Space Explorersvideo game! Their parents won't buy it so how can Little Bill &his friends have fun without it? Written by America's most beloved comedian & storyteller, Little Bill Books value of friendships & family. They encourage children to solve problems fairly & creatively... ... Read more

Product Description
The reigning King of Comedy demonstrates warmth, wit, and wisdom as he takes on two subjects close to us all. Cosby shares his thoughts on everything from childhood romances and adolescent crushes to first lovers, dating, and the rewards of marriage. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Fun and Entertaining
Love and Marriage is a fun and entertaining book. As a lifelong Cosby fan, I could hear his voice inside my head as I read it. I finished it the same day I got it, it's an easy fun read. A good escape for a few hours.

LOVE AND LAUGHTER
Bill Cosby
Love and Marriage

(New York: Doubleday, 1989)188 pages

An autobiographical account of early love experiments
and 25 years of marriage with the same woman.
Funny on every page.
Deals with a lot of problems everyone faces in relationships.
Not intended to be profound, but this comic has a serious side.
And laughing at our problems is sometimes the best cure.

No advice, but lots of laughs!
A lot of people were disappointed in Love and Marriage because, unlike his book Fatherhood there was humor but no wit, no advice on what to do to survive the uncertain waters of love or marriage. Because Bill Cosby, like the rest of us, is just as clueless about what makes love and marriage work. He has a general idea, as do we all, but a lot of it remains a mystery as he himself admits. I didn't read Fatherhood but I also didn't feel like I could hold him not being in a position to dole out advice against him.

On the one hand it was comforting, here is a guy married for several decades with five kids and he doesn't have any advice to offer save to laugh about it and remember the good times when you can. On the other hand, here is a guy that was married for several decades with five kids and he doesn't have any advice to offer. A pretty discouraging thought for the rest of us!

As a woman the beginning of the book was a little uncomfortable as it was borderline misogynistic and very base. But, what are you to expect out of a young teenage boy? Ultimately I was able to work past it and saw at least some of the humor in the situations that arose.

All in all, this book was laugh out loud funny (especially if you mentally read it in the cadence and style of Cosby) and was a very enjoyable read. There were a lot of parts that I wanted to share with my husband, but unfortunately he had already read the book so it wasn't new for him. Definitely a strong recommendation for a couple to read, even more so then reading it by one's self, though it's still good!

Subtle and Insightful jokes. Not as funny and interesting as Time Flies.
This book has 2 parts. Part 1 is titled Love, part 2 is called Marriage. I find part 2 is more humorous than part 1. For example in part 2, page 108, he wrote "A husband should go with the flow of his marriage, even when that flow leads over a cliff".

As usual his jokes are subtle and insightful.
Overall, Time Flies is funnier and more interesting than this book.

Love and Marriage go together like and horse and carriage
The late Frank Sinatra sang in his 1955 hit song of the same title,"LOVE AND MARRIAGE go together like a horse and carriage." In this book the Doctor Of Comedy tells about romance and his personal romantic non-sexual experiences. One of them is his 1964 wedding to Camille Olivia Hanks in Olney,Maryland. Bill and Camille Cosby are still husband and wife today. Sorry,there is no mention of the marriage of Dr. Heathcliff and Clair Hanks Huxtable(Cosby and Phylicia Rashad on NBC's The Cosby Show). The Cosbys have adult children who have married themselves(not all of them). Take note of Cosby surrounded by dozens of beautiful red roses on the cover. Hey,who knows more about LOVE AND MARRIAGE than the college-educated Cosby? Many people who read this book also read TIME FLIES and FATHERHOOD. ... Read more

Product Description
Now in paperback, the national bestseller from the funniest man in America, who looks back at his life . . . bit by bit.

With more than 200,000 hardcover copies in print, Bill Cosby's Cosbyology has landed on bestseller lists nationwide, including the New York Times and USA Today.

In this wonderfully funny collection of stand-up material that touches on everything from childhood and marriage to school, sports, and work, Bill Cosby returns to his early days of comedy to give us a look at the funny side of life. Fusing his classic jazzy timing and edgy humor with the intelligence and perception that have made him a huge star, Cosby writes about his first experiences skiing, lying to his mother as a child, and fretting about ingrown hairs in midlife. Fans young and old will be eager to add this paperback edition to their collection, while new fans everywhere will delight in this sampling of great comic genius.

Bill Cosby is one of America's most beloved and well-known performers. He entered show business as a stand-up comedian in 1962 and has appeared in such television hits as I Spy, the animated Fat Albert, The Cosby Show, and Cosby. He has also starred in several movies and has written the bestselling books Childhood, Fatherhood, and Congratulations! Now What?, as well as the Little Bill children's series. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

book review
Fernando M.
9/29/05
5*
Book Review Memoir/Autobiography
Cosbyology Essays and Observations from the doctor of comedy
By: Bill Cosby
The book talk about thing that were a good experience to him and of course when good thing happen to youthen there will be bad thing that happen to bill in his life.. Bill was not my fist choice I wanted some one that was really famous I didn't find any thing. Till I went to my grammas house and I went to the library and found bill I think that he is one of the greatest comedy that still lives. Mr. Cosby is man that tries to look the other way when he has a bad day but when he need to he will go back and face the problem.

Bill like many people didn't like school and so he didn't like homework but there was a math teacher that loved to teach geometry. His name was Mr. Sapolsky he gave home work but bill didn't take a text book eventually he got really bad grade and one day he took a test in geometry class. He used twelve pages and got the answer right he still failed because of those to many pages. He went to another high school but there they taught trigonometry but a different teacher and one day that teacher was absentand Mr. Sapolsky. Bill realized that the teacher was not mean he just wanted to help him and bill was sorry that he thought of him bad.

Mr. Cosby liked to play football and he was good at it he played when he was in high school for his school. His granddad found out and told him that he shouldn't play football because his bone were bitter and he should what till he is 20 or some close to that. Bill didn't listen to him and he play a game in that game he crashed in to a person and fell at fist he was going to fall on his face but landed on his hand "The doctor said that I had a bruised muscle (pg.128)."Then I went home I couldn't move my right hand my granddad found out. He helped me heal it my parents didn't know I told my granddad I should of listen to him.

Can you believe that the doc of comedy almost quit show business and all because to one mistake. Well he started at this place called gas light which was across from Mr. Kelly's a really big time club. One day bill got a try there because his agent saw that they wanted bill to play there so when he went and people clapped when he was said to the crowed but not when he left. Bill was not funny he went to his room and then he said he didn't want to do the second act and he left. But the manger that got bill there said you better get bill to do the second act or I will sue him he said to the manger. Bill did it and then this time he got the crowed to chuckle he knows to never give up.

Bill probably learned that life is hard put if you make it hard on yourself it is a lot worse .He knows that he is funny and he shows it proud of it to he is smart to. He knows that not all people try to put to out make you feel bad some try to help you but there are not many. If you don't take a change that you will never get any where. If you don't try how would you know how that is and if it is hard or easy?

The title says it all!
Dr. William Henry Cosby,Jr.,the Doctor of Comedy,tells many great stories that he could tell them live on stage also. Of course,there are some of his childhood memories,his Navy days and his days at Philadelphia's Temple University. This book is so small,and yet so big. Many of Cosby's fans who read COSBYOLOGY also read LOVE & MARRIAGE,TIME FLIES and FATHERHOOD.

A Charming Collection
The true measure of a talented comdian is often said to be the ability to be funny without foul language.Cosbyology is a series of short essays about observations of life and recollections of the past.While not necessarily as funny as some of his other work, it is a charming collection.

As usual Cosby has found stories the masses can identify with.As a failed skier, I enjoyed the chapter, "Why I Don't Like Melting Snow Going Down the Crack of My Back".As an educator, "To Mr. Sapolsky with Love" was a treat.Although this story reminded me of the television show where the teacher seems to follow the kid from 1st grade through college.My personal favorite chapters were the descriptions of going to the bathroom at night in "Oh, Baby' and "Ingrown Hair".In "Ingrown Hair", Cosby gives meaning to the guilty pleasue of popping the strange growth on you find on your body which bugs the heck out of you.

Cosby's works continue to be observant and witty. I still have a few more of his books to read and I genuinely hope he continues to write more of his edgy and intelligent humor.

Amusing and thoughtful, but not first-rate Cosby
I have to agree with the reviewer who said that Cosby's material just doesn't translate well to the printed page. Most of this book is composed of anecdotes, commentary, and a little bit of biography that's mildly amusing.

If you're a Cosby fan, however, you should buy this book for the bit about the bug in the first chapter ("Oh, Baby!"), which is laugh-out-loud, roll-on-the-floor funny. Though I've never heard Cosby do this routine in his stand-up, I can see him incorporating it.

I couldn't stop laughing!
Bill Cosby is such a classic icon in America, you can guarantee anything that he writes will be hilarious! This is no exception. I must say this was my first book by Cosby given to me at Christmas time. I was dying of laughter, the way he puts things so frankly, is hilarious. A definite must have for any Cosby fan! ... Read more

Product Description
Bill Cosby is classically funny. Now, as the star of CBS-TV's "Bill Cosby's Kids Say the Darndest Things" he again has the perfect platform to bring out the best in all people through the hilariously honest, witty and touching statements of all kinds of children. Now, this sure-fire combination will take to the printed page in the must-have book of the season.Amazon.com Review
Few comics can match the cross-generational appeal of BillCosby--and even fewer can top the Jell-O man when it comes to hiseffortless rapport with the wee ones. First with Fat Albert and JuniorBarnes, and later with the little Huxtables, "Cos" has always had aknack for getting kids to say...well, the darndest things. Perhapshe puts it best: "When talking to kids, you've got to pretend that youdon't know much--and a few seconds later, you realize you're notpretending."

Who better than Bill Cosby, then, to host Kids Say the DarndestThings, a cute-kid TV show in the spirit of Art Linkletter's HouseParty. This slim book collects Cosby's (and Linkletter's) mostbrilliant, wonderful conversations on the program, interspersed withtrademark Cosby comic patter. Sections include religion ("Do you know whathappened to Adam and Eve?" "They ate the apple and went to hell and theirparents went to Los Angeles."); family life ("I want my lunch." "Well, howdo you ask for it?" "Like this: I want my lunch."); sex ("As forbirth control, I'm against it for humans but for it against insects."); andhistory ("Who was Paul Revere?" "False."). --Paul Hughes ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Funny
I laughed out aloud while riding on a tram and reading this book. Hilarious. My favourite story is about a girl who wants to become a nun.

Kids Say the Darndest Things
Not as good as I expected, but I also have the one by Art Linkletter and I do look forward to reading that one.

Hilarious!
This is a great look at some of the kids that Bill Cosby has come incontact with on his tv show. It is an excellent way to while away a fewhours! ... Read more

Product Description
Michael Reilly has introduced a new game to Little Bill and his friends. You get twelve chances to say something mean to another kid--and whoever comes up with the biggest insult is the winner.

Insults start flying: "Jose hops with the frogs in science lab!" "Andrew eats frogs for dinner!" "Little Bill shoots baskets like a girl!"

Little Bill tries to think of really mean things to say in retaliation. But Dad teaches him a strategy that enables Little Bill to save face while remaining the nice kid that he really is!Amazon.com Review
Oprah Book Club® Selection, December 1997: Thefirst three books in Bill Cosby's Little Bill series, which fallsomewhere between Fat Albert and Fatherhood insensibility, are designed to help kids cope with tough socialsituations. In The Meanest Thing to Say Little Bill must figureout how to avoid the challenge offered by the new kid in his class,"The Dozens," a duel of insults Bill doesn't want tojoin. With his family's help (which is free of preaching), Bill findsa solution.

Dr. Alvin F. Poussant, a frequent Cosby collaborator and advisor,adds a useful introduction to explain why Little Bill not only beatsthe game, but also goes on to befriend its instigator. (The publisherrecommends the book for ages 4-8, but because the author is BillCosby, kids up to age 10 would probably accept the counsel offered bythis volume and others in the series.) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Cosby tells "stories about situations children often face."
The Meanest Thing To Say is not about saying mean things back to mean people.And it isn't even about mean people.What it IS about is children learning self-control, level-headedness and heart.When the new kid, Michael, calls Little Bill names, and says he has to think of the meanest things to say back the next day, Bill is frustrated and anxious.This comes up at home and his dad tells him to just say, "So?" to everything. Little Bill does this and it halts Michael.It takes two people to fight. But the moral of the story doesn't stop here.Bill observes Michael is a new student and maybe just needs a friend.So he invites him to play basketball with him and they become friends.

Unfortunately it is reality that children can be very mean and hurtful. As parents, we need to teach our children how to handle bullies and it's equally as important to teach them not to BE a bully. Also, just ignoring mean actions and words doesn't always work.Everyone has good in them and we all, ages 2-102 need to offer kindness instead of anger. Great job, Cosby! Thank you and please keep writing. Peace & Soar!o8E

LEARN HOW TO TALK TO PEOPLE
THIS BOOK IS AN EXCELLENT LEARNING TOOL. IT IS A CHRISTMAS PRESENT AND I AM SURE IT WILL BE READ AND EACH CHILD WILL LEARN FROM IT!

Great lesson
I just got this book yesterday for my son who just turned 3 years old. He really enjoyed it and after reading it, he kept asking me to read it over. He was very interested because he started asking questions at the end. He just started preschool and I wanted to introduce him to possible situations he might go through while in school. This story gives a great lesson on how to handle a situation when someone says something mean to you. My son also enjoyed it because the situation takes place in school and at a basketball court, which he can relate to because he started school and he loves to play basketball.

Secret Weapon Against Bullies
I was looking for a book to help my 9 year-old deal with other kids who say cruel and demeaning things.My son and I sat down and read the book together and then discussed how saying "so" when mean things are said takes away the bullies power. We decided that "so" was his new secret weapon.

My son was so excited when the very next day at school he used his secret weapon and it worked.He has also shared the book with a few of his classmates and it has helped them too.

GREAT BOOK!

Excellent Message -
An excellent message and a good chapter book for those readers who are starting to gain confidence. ... Read more

Product Description
Little Bill confronts two powerful emotions - anger and grief - in this important story in which Little Bill loses a special friend. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great Book, Good Read!!!
My 4 year old son loves watching Little Bill, so when I got these books he now wants to read them everyday.We have read this story so much he has memorized the entire book and now reads it back to me.Little Bill always has a good story for kids to understand and grasp with a moral in which anyone can relate to.I definitely recommend any of the Little Bill books.

Real life and morals
This book contains 4 short chapters.In the first chapter, the narrator meets a new neighbor, Alan Mills.Alan Mills always seems to turn up at times of conflict to remind people about the magic of Christmas, even if it's not Christmas time.In doing this, he gets people to focus back on the positive sides of the friends and family.In chapter 3, Alan Mills passes away (and the narrator's father cries about this).But in chapter 4, we find that his spirit is still alive, when the narrator and his brother remember Mills' message and stop their bickering over prime seats in front of the TV.Altogether, the book contains about 1500 words and is suitable for beginning readers.

Positive role model for boys (and girls) experiencing grief
A very touching story about how parents and children experience grief.Young boys especially do not often see the pain of grief in adult men.I'm always glad of a positive role model that shows that grown up men feel sad and miss the people they lose.This book does a nice job of demonstrating that experience.

Ease into the topic of death with the young reader ...
As a fellow author of a child's book on death, "ANGELSTACEY/DADDY in HEAVEN", our family just recently became aware of this title. Our 8 year old twins love the Little Bill books. They are also children who lost their mother in childbirth. At this age they have a better understanding of loss/death. We as their parents encourage any questions about their natural mother.

Typically it is our twin daughter who has been the most vocal about death and her natural mother. Having stumbled upon this title with my son, he showed interest in the book. It was a good read for him at a time when he is beginning to question and seek out more answers about death.

Little Bill books are so colorful, full of heart and always a life lesson. They are easy to read and geared to the 4 to 8 aged reader. This is a topic close to my heart and our family and this title addresses it well.

Take it from someone who knows first hand how difficult it is to address this topic with a young child, this is a solid, healthy approach to a subject that needs to be better addressed and this is yet another excellent way to address it. ... Read more

Product Description
America's #1 media personality and bestselling author delivers a light-hearted, highly personal yet universally appealing look at the different ages and stages through which we live and learn. A book for every age. HC: Doubleday. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Cosby Flies
Bill Cosby is the best at looking at life's little unpleasant situations from a humorous perspective. Always lifts your spirits when your down.

Better Than Expected
I've been a fan of his for many years, and if you've somehow managed to live in a cave so long that you don't know why, you could easily find out by reading this book.I've also read one of his later books, which I also enjoyed, but this is somehow much better.Not a whole lot in it that's new -- observations about getting older -- but the style is Cosby at his best.Skip the introduction by Alvin Poussaint, however.If any writing is more painful to read, I haven't had the misfortune to find it.

Excellent Book on Passing Middle Age!!!
This is an excellent book for men and women to read who are really concerned about getting past middle age. It presents a humorous approach to accepting the reality of each birthday.I am still laughing from reading this novel.It's classic humor!I like the use of figurative language including the way the metaphors and similes come across in a comparative way.Cosby presented truth and facts about life in an acceptable manner with humor.This book tears down the closet walls and exposes the truth as a process of life.This is a great book to read!!!

I was kicked out of the library...
This book is so funny, i could not contain myself, i started laughing in the library, i was eventually kicked out!! i have never looked more silly in my life but i walked out giggling and laughing. my roommate says he heard me laughing in my sleep. A graceful book, full of truths handed out as comic situations and dialogue, a must if you need to laugh. and who doesn't these days?

Time Flies- AReview
Book Review

TIME FLIES

It was out of curiosity that I picked up Bill Cosby's "Time Flies" from a second hand bookstore in downtown San Francisco.I knew him earlier as an actor in the series "I Spy".He starred opposite Robert Culp.I tried not to miss the show.Later in life I followed avidly his hit comedy series, "Cosby Show".Knowing him, I thought it must be a book of humour reminiscent of the old P G Woodhouse.But behind all the zaniness and hilarity, there is a sombre message: that growing old is a serious business and should not be taken too lightly.Cosby deals with a topical subject on reaching 50 and growing old gracefully.It is also a subject close to our nation.

Dr Alvin Poussaint, who wrote the introduction to Cosby's "Time Flies", rightfully observes that, "Growing old begins to concern most of us to some extent when we are in our fifties.But growing old gracefully, in good mental and physical health, is unnecessarily impeded by attitudes in our culture that devalue old age." The aged people need to adopt a positive approach to ageing and accept ageing as not only a physical process but also a state of mind.After all a person is as old as he feels rather than how old his actual age is. It is Mark Twain who said: "Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."

Cosby does not look at ageing from the viewpoint of social demographics or the socio-economic cost to a nation.He does not suggest policies and programmes that need to be designed or implemented to cope with a "greying" population.His is an anecdotal account of coping with growing age.Activities of living that seemed so obvious and effortless become pronounced and visible at age 50. One suddenly realises that the human machine is slowing down.As Cosby laments, "It seems that only yesterday I was fifteen and old people were people of forty, who were always going some place to sit down.And now I am doing the sitting....".How often old people have difficulty in remembering.Cosby recalls how with growing despair he began to hunt for the can of insect spray.He tells himself, "There is no point, of course, in also hunting for your mind: it is permanently lost".He later finds it on his desk only after drifting back upstairs.

Cosby deals with the many day-to-day predictable encounters faced by him with sensitivity, purpose and self-deprecating wit and humour.The events seem so real and their familiarity are quite comforting as if some of them had just happened to you a week before. Any person in his fifties can identify the situations.Cosby faces failing eye- sight and quips on his need for trifocals. He becomes conscious of his weight and the battle he has to keep away from fried egg-sandwiches and buttermilk pancakes.I could not help laughing under my breath when he describes his battle with his belt and growing mid- riff."No matter what size belt is strangling you, there are times when it will disappear under a roll of dough", he observes.How true it is with some of us.

Maybe the climax of all his ins and outs of coping with growing old is his anxiety on going to bed. He says:

"A man of my age comes home late from the office, has dinner, takes a shower, ignores a few bills, and finally makes it into bed.Discovering another person in that bed, and dimly aware that this person is a different sex, he starts to make his move.
`Not tonight', says his wife.
And the man rolls over with a smile.
Thank you very much, he silently says.
His heart had not been in the mood, or any other part. All he wanted really to do was to go on record."

Cosby's treatment of his experiences is personalized to the extent that one feels that he is talking about them to a convivial group of friends in a neighbourhood coffee house. The language is simple, lucid and chatty. It makes for easy reading and one can probably finish the book at one sitting.

I would recommend the book to any causal reader who is probably seeking a quick anecdote for his transient depression.

K.V.Veloo
... Read more

Product Description
As Little Bill lies in bed, he hears thumps in the dark. With a magic tucking-into-bed trick, Little Bill's great grandmother, Alice the Great, makes sure the scary things are gone for good. Full color. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

One Dark and Scary Night
ISBN 0590514768 - It never occurred to me to think that the magic in this book could possibly be construed as bad until a review mentioned it.If you're one of THOSE parents, skip this book.If you're normal, however, I'm sure you'll find it at least as fun and funny as your child does.

Little Bill's afraid.He's not actually afraid of the dark - he's afraid of what's IN the dark.Specifically, in his closet.His mother packs him right back into bed when he takes cover in his parents' room, so the next time he runs, he runs to Alice the Great, his great-grandmother.She tries a few different approaches, including offering to switch rooms with Little Bill, before finally introducing him to the magic way his quilt can protect him from the things with things in his closet.

The first thing to catch my attention was the dedication to Cosby's son, Ennis, who was dyslexic, which says "Hello, friend" - these are also the first words of the book AND the name of the foundation created in his name by his parents after his death.Just a nice touch, I thought.The style is absolutely perfect - you can almost hear the words coming out of the mouth of a kid, even while you can hear Bill Cosby saying them.Cosby has never lost the ability to speak in that voice, which makes him very good at telling a story to, and about, them.Lines like "I had to talk fast because if you talk slowly, they send you back to bed." couldn't come from anyone else.Great easy reader, a tale they can relate to and illustrations by Honeywood that suit the book perfectly.(Back cover says RL 2.0, ages 6 - 10)

Helped My Son's Night Terrors
My son loves this book! My 3 and a half year old was suffering from night terrors. His uncle purchased this book for him for Christmas and we've read it so much that he has memorized the words and can read most of the book to me! When he got it, he wanted to read it every night, sometimes twice - I think it allowed him to laugh at Little Bill and helped him feel better about the noises that a little one hears at night. It also helped me understand how he feels and what to do to make him feel safe. Now, I tuck him into bed the same way Little Bill's grandmother does, and he sleeps so much better. I recommend this book highly!

Ultimately supports belief in magic and monsters
I LOVED this book....right up until the end, when the grandmother has to resort to "magic" to get rid of the "monsters"---thereby supporting a child's belief in both.

This is an excellent book
This book was real good. I like the quilt part. I also like the part where he was running down the hall to his Grandma's room. I am not scared of the dark anymore.

W.

A Classroom Favorite
In our resource room we have several Little Bill books available for the students.One Dark and Scary Night has to be the favorite of my students with learning disabilities.The illustrations and text quickly develop thepersonality of the characters to hold the student's attention.Frequently,students want to reread this book which is a great sign of student successand enjoyment of reading.I also appreciate how the author presents theelderly grandma character in the story. ... Read more

Product Description
The fourth book in Bill Cosby's easy-to-read series. Little Bill thinks that his classmate Mia is terrific, and he wants to give her a Valentine. In spite of teasing from the other boys, Little Bill learns that showing his real feelings is great. Full color National publicity. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Bill Cosby tells a great story about surviving a crush
I remember Bill Cosby, before the hit television sitcom and even before Fat Albert was a Saturday morning staple.I remember the comedy albums and the stories about being a kid.Even though he was funny, very funny, there was such a sense of pathos when he talked about having his tonsils out, or having to share a bed with his brother.When you look at everything Bill Cosby has done, from getting his doctorate in Education to his television shows, he has never ever forgotten what it was like to be a kid.The truth of that statement is very much in evidence in "Super-Fine Valentine," one of Cosby's "Little Bill Books for Beginning Readers."

In "Super-Fine Valentine," Little Bill has developed a crush on Mia, a girl in his class.If that was not bad enough, his friends have noticed, his brother has found out, and even Mia appears to know what is going on.What will Little Bill do now that he is in love?Well, if you ever had the misfortune of being a young boy with a crush on a young girl (third grade, her name was Julia Garrow and she was the smartest girl in class), then you will recognize how much everything Little Bill goes through rings true.The going out of your way to walk by her house, trying to write the perfect card for Valentine's Day, and all the exquisite pain of being in love at an early age, are all here.In case Bill Cosby's story, which is illustrated by Varnete P. Honeywood, does not make it perfectly clear that a crush is something to be respected rather than a topic for teasing someone, there is a letter to parents by child psychiatry specialist Dr. Alvin Poussaint at the front of the book.What I liked best is that "Super-Fine Valentine" focuses on what Little Bill does and how he learns "it's good to tell people you like them."How does Mia feel about Little Bill?Well, we might have our suspicions, but that is not really important to the point of this book, which is another reason that I could not possible recommend it enough.What a wonderful book.

Wonderful! True to life.
I've read all the Little Bill books to my four year old.He likes The Best Way To Play, but this one is my favorite.It really reminds me of my own young feelings. ... Read more

Product Description
The acclaimed "hip-hop intellectual" exposes the raw nerve of class and generational warfare in black America with this provocative defense of impoverished African Americans

Nothing exposed the class and generational divide in black America more starkly than Bill Cosby's now-infamous assault on the black poor when he received an NAACP award in the spring of 2004. The comedian-cum-social critic lamented the lack of parenting, poor academic performance, sexual promiscuity, and criminal behavior among what he called the "knuckleheads" of the African-American community. Even more surprising than his comments, however, was the fact that his audience laughed and applauded.

Best-selling writer, preacher, and scholar Michael Eric Dyson uses the Cosby brouhaha as a window on a growing cultural divide within the African-American community. According to Dyson, the "Afristocracy" -lawyers, physicians, intellectuals, bankers, civil rights leaders, entertainers, and other professionals-looks with disdain upon the black poor who make up the "Ghettocracy" -single mothers on welfare, the married, single, and working poor, the incarcerated, and a battalion of impoverished children. Dyson explains why the black middle class has joined mainstream America to blame the poor for their troubles, rather than tackling the systemic injustices that shape their lives. He exposes the flawed logic of Cosby's diatribe and offers a principled defense of the wrongly maligned black citizens at the bottom of the social totem pole. Displaying the critical prowess that has made him the nation's preeminent spokesman for the hip-hop generation, Dyson challenges us all-black and white-to confront the social problems that the civil rights movement failed to solve. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (94)

More of a rant than a cogent argument...
While I do not believe that Bill Cosby's "pound cake" speech was productive, Michael Eric Dyson's rebuttal of Cosby is just as ineffectual. Rather than actually engage Cosby in a scholarly manner by outlining Cosby's arguments then refuting them, Dyson seems to be more concerned with attacking "the messenger". He creates this arbitrary "Negrotacracy" vs. "ghettocracy" classes and puts Cosby in the former- as if being in this class makes you "out of touch" with the latter. This is classic example of the who is the "authentic" in the black community, and I think we has black people need to stray away from that. The truth is that leaders and speakers of the community come from ALL walks of life and ALL political opinions.

I do not like howDyson points out Cosby's troubled and "less perferct" family history. That has nothing to do with the points that Cosby is making. There is no need for personal attacks, as it is more of a distraction than an acutal engagement of the topic at hand.

I do like some of Dyson's points though, especially his refutation of Cosby's absurd suggestion that Black men generally do not take care of their kid. This myth is largely promulgated by white conservatives who would rather blame the black family for all Black people's social ills rather than addressing poverty, unemployment, and inferior schools as social ills created by bad policy and historic and contemporary processes. Hence the "dysfunctional black family" becomes the focal point for conservatives, who never show proof that white families are less or more "functional"- they simply ASSUME they are because they are more likely to have "two parents" in the home.

Dyson cites a study conducted by Professor's Roberta Coles and Sean Green ( the study was called "Myth of the Missing Black Father". You can look at it on amazon.com or [...]) that discredits the "black deadbeat dad" myth and also enlightens us to the fact that it is actually non-residential black men who are MORE likely to sustain regular contact with their children than any other race/ethnic group of men. This part of the book was a totally rejection of Cosby's rant that black men do not take care of their children. And more importantly, it destroys the dysfunctional black family myth as well. It would have been nice if Dyson could have used this style of argumentation to refute Cosby's points.

Dyson also discusses the criminal justice system. He rightly points out that the growth of the prison system is largely due to the foolish "war on drugs" that has been ineffectual. However Dyson does not address the fact that violent crime among Black men is astromonical compared to other groups, as does not provide solutions as to how we can address this as a community independent of the government. I would have like to seen more SOLUTIONS to this problem.

Is everyone being too hard on old cos?????
As soon as I saw the title, I knew that this was a book that I wanted to read.It did not disappoint!MED puts forth his points in an itelligent sympathetic way to disable those who would charge him of being a hater.I especially enjoyed the point about the images of the Fat Albert gang and how it relates to the images of those who Cosby now condemns.I just heard Mr. Cosboy give an interview on Sirius Sat. radio where he explains that he just got tired of saying the same thing over again.He wanted to put a little fire behind his message.Looks like Mr. Cosby was very effective in doing so....he got MED to write a whole book about his tirade.I see both sides of the argument.To Mr. Cosby's credit he has devoted a great deal of time to opening dialouge amongst young and old and everyone in between.Thanks Cos and MED.Plain Talk - Volume 1

Don't like Cos or Dyson.....some good points here but Dyson is no better than Cos....
Dyson should put his personal life up for inspection so that we can see all of his indiscretions. Dyson straddles the fence on too many important issues and has many contradictory stances. I won't go into it all, but both Cosby and Dyson could use a reality check since both have become systematized "good" negroes in different ways. We don't need more "good" negroes; the black community needs some real revolutionary leaders and thinkers who think in real revolutionary ways and not the same old rehash.

Keep your eyes closed...
Bill Cosby is trying to get people to open their eyes and see what is right in front of them. All this clown is trying to do is to get people to close their eyes again and ignore Cosby's common sense facts. Ironically, the very idea of him writing this book proves what Bill has been saying. We all messed up in this country. But it isn't anyones responsibility to fix our problems but ourselves. The only reason doors have opened up for black people in this country is because other black people (in history) stood up for what was right and what they believed in. How do we remember Rosa? As some crazy gramamma cursing at the bus driver and shouting the N word? No, she is remembered as a docile woman of integrity who stood firm in the face of injustice. You don't need to spit in injustice's face to make your point, just stand up to it. Cosby's whole point is that it doesn't make any sense to lite yourself on fire and then blame the white man because you don't have a fire extinguisher. Yes, the white man started all this mess, but who keeps it going. Face it, the "Man" ain't thrown no wood on that fire in a long time, but it keeps burning. No single category of human is superior. The rainbow would look pretty tired with only one color in it. It is up to each of us to be the best whatever-we-are that we can be, and not blame someone else because we aren't any better. And the first step, the very first step, is to respect the guy standing next to us. Yes, consult your Bibles my brothers. Nowhere in the Bible does it say to love thyself, or honor thyself. Rather it says to lower oneself, to be meek (not week!) Think about it, if everyone of us only worried about the well-being of others rather than ourselves, then everyone would have thousands of people watching out for them instead of just one person (me) watching out for us. That is alot better use of our resources, if you ask me. It is high time to stop saying ME-ME-ME, and start sayin I-I-I, as in what can I do to make this better.

Cosby book review
My book was in good condition.The content was decent.Dyson could simplify his writing some.He is extremely "wordy" at times. ... Read more

Product Description
Searching his house for his best treasure, Little Bill is surprised when he learns the value of his own talents and the people whom he loves. Original."Amazon.com Review
Oprah Book Club® Selection, December 1997: Little Bill discovers that some of the best treasure cannot bebought or collected. At home on a windy and rainy day, Little Bill isbored. His father has jazz records to listen to, and his brother has agreat baseball card collection. Bill wants something special,too--something that he can call his own. But what does he have? Hisgreat-grandmother comes to his rescue. She gets Bill to tell her astory, and she laughs and laughs at the tale he tells. Little Billrealizes that he has something special after all: the ability to tella good story and make people laugh.

Bill Cosby's Little Bill booksare engaging and uplifting, entertaining and, at the same time,educational. Each story highlights a certain problem and encouragesthe use of imagination and creativity to find solutions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The Little Bill Series
The Treasure Hunt is a book that every child should own.It's from the Little Bill Series by Bill Cosby. It's creative and funny and it teaches children about family and tradition.
It's raining outside and Little Bill can't find anything to amuse himself with. He's bored with the hobbies that the rest of his family are interested in.His great grandma,in her wisdom,lets him find out what he is capable of.
Mr.Cosby shows us that we all have something creative in us.He demonstrates how children often learn about themselves through interactions with others. I like the idea that the book features a letter to parents by a child psychiatry specialist.

Jennifer Dunagan,author of
Auntie Jennie's Puppy:The
Adventures of Santana and
Santana's Harrowing Halloween

I love Little Bill
My son is 5 and he relates to Little Bill very well..All of the stories are easy to read and understand for him.I would recommend this book and all other Little Bill books to parents who read with their children on aregular basis.The language and concepts are simple yet interesting withvery open ended solutions that can be applied anywhere and my son graspsthe concepts quite well.We also watch the t.v show which is a bitdifferent from the book, but like them both the same.

The best of Bill's books
Well this is the best of Bill Cosby's books.It still falls way shortthough.Children learning to read need better than this.It stops andstarts.The pictures are great - I can't praise Miss Honeywood enough -yet the story disappoints.Best of Bill but my oh my this is pushing itOprah!

ACTIONLESS
AS A PARENT, THE REFERENCES MADE BY EACH CHARACTER'S HOBBIES LACKEDTODAY'S RELEVANCE/COULD NOT KEEP MY CHILD'S INTEREST.ALTHOUGH BILL COSBY OFTEN TRIES TO ENLIGHTEN TODAY'S YOUTH WITH HIS PERSONAL CRUSADE WITH BLACKARTIST'S AND ATHELETE'S, HE NEEDS TO REMEMBER HIS AGE GROUP ANDDECADES INWHICH HE IS WRITING.

Pretty good
The Little Bill series is great.This one was a bit abstract for my 4 year old, I don't think he understood the concept of Little Bill making up his own story and being proud of it. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
Just as a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, so a spoonful of humor helps the wisdom go down. In Congratulations! Now What? America's funnyman Bill Cosby gently ribs college graduates about their time spent--or lost--in the hallowed halls of the university and postulates what four years of higher education have suited them for: "[If no job offer] ever turns up with a four-day week, a three-hour lunch, and a holiday for Count Basie's birthday, you still might be able to make a few dollars on Jeopardy." But he also assures graduates that their studies were not in vain and bestows advice to job seekers. Those who acquired several piercings while in school are cautioned to make sure the studs and hoops are shined before going to an interview. Those who are buffing their first professional r+¬sum+¬ are advised to strike a tone somewhere between "lyrical lying and fanciful fraud." Cosby, whose successful career as a humorist has always turned on his affection for kids, is a regular speaker at college commencements--in the chapter "As I Look Out at Your Foggy Faces," he says it's a hobby of his--and this 130-page book collects bons mots and sage advice from speeches given because he has "a feeling for anesthesiology."Graduates--and their now-broke parents--will find a reason to smile on every page. --Brenda PittsleyAmazon.com Review
Just as a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, so aspoonful of humor helps the wisdom go down. In Congratulations! NowWhat? America's funnyman Bill Cosby gently ribs college graduatesabout their time spent--or lost--in the hallowed halls of theuniversity and postulates what four years of higher education havesuited them for: "[If no job offer] ever turns up with a four-dayweek, a three-hour lunch, and a holiday for Count Basie's birthday,you still might be able to make a few dollars on Jeopardy." Buthe also assures graduates that their studies were not in vain andbestows advice to job seekers. Those who acquired several piercingswhile in school are cautioned to make sure the studs and hoops areshined before going to an interview. Those who are buffing their firstprofessional résumé are advised to strike a tonesomewhere between "lyrical lying and fanciful fraud."

Cosby, whose successful career as a humorist has always turned on hisaffection for kids, is a regular speaker at college commencements--inthe chapter "As I Look Out at Your Foggy Faces," he says it's a hobbyof his--and this 130-page book collects bons mots and sage advice fromspeeches given because he has "a feeling for anesthesiology." Graduates--and their now-broke parents--will find a reason to smile onevery page. --Brenda Pittsley ... Read more

Customer Reviews (26)

How about the kids?
This book seems to take the parents' perspective, not the student who is getting ready to be out on his own.It's not overly helpful but a book that would be great for college grads serious about starting out right is Welcome to the Real World: You Got an Education, Now Get a Life!, Revised and Updated Edition.If the seriousness of Welcome to the Real World is too much for you and you'd like to start out with something helpful but light hearted, then you should check out 50 Ways to Leave Your Mother, a funny, easy to read guide to living on your own, whether you are a college student or just a kid who's ready to leave home but not quite into studying up on how to do it.Both of these books though, take the kids' point a view, while the Cosby book sounds more like it's parent-directed.Mr. Cosby is a very funny man, but this is not one of his best efforts.

Wrong Audience, Wrong Tone
The most booked commencement speaker seems to be out of place in this book for college graduates.Rather than giving humorous advice to graduates, he takes the role of a disgruntled parent.While I will not argue with his assessment that the college curriculum has been "dumbed down", Cosby seems to be suggesting that college lacks any purpose.As a consequence of this, graduates are not prepared for anything in the real world.This problem does not even address the greatest contradiction of this book.If this is a book for graduates, why is Cosby's voice that of an angry parent telling his children to get out of the house.

There are many better books in this mold.I have liked Cosby's other books and I am in disbelief that he wrote this book.The book is neither humorous, not does the book speak to its intended audience.In reality, the book is just as misguided as the college students that the book allegedly targets.

An angry book from cosby?
As Bill Cosby is one of my favorite authors and storytellers I was quite excited to read this book.Having completed this read I must admit to a real sense of disappointment; while the book tries to come across as tongue in cheek it reads more as a rant against higher education.

In fact, it is a clean alternative to George Carlin's rantings which seem also to have gone from biting and funny to just biting.

The entire book basically rants that your diploma is worthless and a slings out a "might as well give up now" attitude.The more I read, the more I kept waiting for Cosby to yell "Just Kidding!" but it never happened.No, it seems that we are getting a glimpse of the anger building up in him back in 1999 which has been driving his lectures of late.

While the book is funny in a dark sort of way I cannot recommend it as a gift for any new graduate as it would probably not deliver on your expectations.

Classic, Absolutely Classic
I've had a cloud over my head for quite some time about having a Bachelor of Arts and dealing with the problems of having a full-time job and going to grad school. On page 100, when Cosby talks about "Master of Nothing in Particular" I fell out laughing. There were many times that I laughed out loud at this book.Anybody who has graduated from college (or is in college) who has a sense of humor can see the irony in many of his jokes, from "private"-blocking college security guards, piercings, tattoos, sagging pants ("proudly walking around like you haven't finished undressing"), dorms, roommates, parents, etc.I really love the man's sense of humor because he tells cynical jokes but it's so DOGGONE true that you can't help but to laugh.There are not many folks that impress me, but I love Cosby!

Funny Enigma -- A Book For... Whom?
A quick perusal of the widely varied reviews on Amazon.com shows this book has polarized those who read it into two groups:those who laughed and those who didn't.Both points of view are, in this case, quite valid.

One of the major "problems" with this book might be the title.This is, in fact, NOT a book FOR graduates.It IS a book ABOUT graduates from a parent's point of view.The point of view is very important, because it has everything to do with the prism through which the humor is presented.A been-there-done-that parent sees the world very differently from their green-as-grass new grads.A new grad who has yet to pay a rent check to Attilla The Hun can't possibly know what that's like, therefore the reference will be unfunny, maybe even a little scary.Therefore, I wonder if the title choice wasn't made by a publisher marketing suit who hadn't read the book...

Nonetheless, the book still isn't one of Mr. Cosby's strongest efforts.Doubtless, this book would be far funnier in audio format with Mr. Cosby as the reader, as his vocal inflections can paint word pictures worth 1,000 additional words.Unfortuneately, I was left with my own, quite unfunny internal voice that had me smiling alot but never laughing aloud.

I would not recommend giving this as a graduation present to your 22-year-old grad fresh out of the dorms, but their parents might enjoy it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

All Little Bill Books are great!
My school was cosponsoring a bookdrive for underserved children in the community.I knew that this book, along with all of the other Little Bill Books, would be a great addition to any home.This book is valuable for the young and old.

Only $52.13 and Little Bill will be famous forever
Little Bill has an interesting plan in "Money Troubles," another Little Bill Book for Beginning Readers by Bill Cosby.His teacher has explained about the Oort Cloud that exists beyond the orbit of Pluto and how one day a comet will emerge from the cloud and travel through space toward the sun.Little Bill has decided that he is going to discover that comet and have it named Comet Little Bill after himself so he can become famous.The only problem is that Little Bill needs a telescope to be able to discover a new comet and it costs $100.Knowing his parents will never give him that much money, Little Bill is coming to have to get the money himself.When he checks his football bank, he discovers he is only $52.13 away from becoming famous.

Little Bill does a pretty good job of finding jobs that someone his age can do, although along the way he learns that some people have even better reasons for wanting to make money than being famous.Of course, there is a point where Little Bill gets ahead of himself and tries to take advantage of a situation, which explains why he looks so different at the end of the book from how he starts out.Ironically, "Money Troubles" does end up with Little Bill becoming famous.As Dr.Alvin F. Poussaint points out in his introductory letter to parents, one of the main lessons of this book for beginning readers is that working brings money.Little Bill shows some of the things the children can do to earn money through jobs outside the family.However, the other lesson is that other people may need money more than we do.

The idea of Cosby's Little Bill books is to affirm the value of friendships and family relationships while encouraging children to solve problems fairly and creatively.But as this particular story shows, the famous comedian is also interested in modeling positive behavior for young children as well.I know how everybody used to applaud Cosby's "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids" for its educational value, but I really think these Little Bill books are much more impressive.As always, the story is illustrated by Varnette P. Honeywood.

Realistic, honest, humane-- Excellent !
My kids (girls, 7 & 8) have recently fallen in love with the LittleBill books.But this one is a special discovery.The realistic approachto the subjects of money, want, need, being poor, to give or not to give,are dealt with so succinctly in this little book.All three of us weremoved by the events as they unfolded. Thought-provoking and challenging forkids AND their parents! ... Read more

Product Description
Little Bill gets in big trouble when he tells a fib to explain why he has come home late for dinner. Full color. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

My Big Lie
My Big Lie is a great book for character development. I chose this book when I taught the rules to my 2nd graders. They liked to read it by themselves too.

Just what I was looking for
I was searching for a way to explain to my child why lying was "a big no-no."I hoped that a Little Bill book would be sure to hold my child's interest.This book was able to do both quite well.The story is interesting without being overly complicated.Both my children enjoyed it and the elder did seem to finally grasp what I'd been unsuccessful in explaining before.

My only complaint would be that I wished Cosby had had Little Bill's parents explain the danger in what he had supposedly been doing that caused him to be late for dinner (his lie), before having Bill come clean.But, it did allow for another important safety topic to be discussed.

Altogether, I'd give the book 4.5 stars.

My students love this book
I teach first grade. My students love this book because the children in this book are just like them! I like the book because it is easy for them to read, has great pictures, and is in the form of a short chapter book so they feel they are smart readers. I also like the morals and lessons in the book. This book and other Little Bill books are great!

Lessons on Trust
Every year my students have a choice of choosing a book from the stack of 'Little Bill' books, and this one is always the first one they pick.The moral of this story is one that not only teachers wish to inflict, but parents, as well.It has a great way of introducing THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLF story into the classroom.I also enjoyed how it introduced a way to discuss the definition of a "fib".This book was great for my students because we were able to explore in more detail the meaning of true "trust".I recommend this book to every teacher and every parent of elementary aged children. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

boo
I thought I was ordering the full size hard back book, I recieved a mini hard back that was justthe good quotes out of the real book, I WAS VERY DISAPOINTED!!! This was a gift to my son-inlaw, when my daughter was expecting.

Cosby's "Charming Petites" is FUNNY (read: Hysterical)
I read Bill Cosby's "Fatherhood" during year 2 of my son's life and pulled a muscle from laughing. So, I bought this little book for my son-in-law when his son was born. He hasn't pulled any muscles yet, but it's not from lack of trying. This is a great gift for any new (or experienced) parent.

Not what I expected
I was looking for the full size book, but this is a small, hence petite size book of humorous quotes taken from the full book.
I maybe should have realized this, but an explicit note on this would help.

funney fatherhood
A rally great book of laughs for the new father and older fathers needing a laugh at self.

Mini Guide to Fatherhood
I wanted to get my husband a copy of the full version of Fatherhood for Father's Day.
I ended up getting the mini for his birthday as well.
He loves it! ... Read more