Download Eddie: Harold's Little Brother eBook

Very very good condition, hard cover with plastic jacket, with no rips, tears, nor scribbles--considering that it was a library book--that's the only thing--that it has the library label embedded-- a little awkward if giving as gift. The story and pictures are really well done -- and that it's true and about a famous person is great.

Teachers, parents and grandparents will be delighted to discover this new children's book.Beautifully written and illustrated, this is a story which sends a positive and uplifting message. It will keep kids smiling and thinking at the same time- and there are no bad guys!

Eddie wants to be a great athlete like his big brother Harold, but although he tries and tries he just isn't very good at sports. Harold encourages Eddie to find something else to be good at and Eddie decides that he is really very good at talking, about the baseball games ( the other kids love to listen) and sometimes about other things like cloud formations and mustaches ( not so interesting to the kids ). He soon learns to tell the difference! Written with humor and love, the story is about encouraging and appreciating the skills of others, about cheering for the team, while also learning what your own unique talents are.

Ed Koch and Pat Koch Thaler have written a five star winner which kids of all ages will love.

I bought this book because James Warhola illustrated it. When I realized that this was written by Ed Koch and was his story, I was charmed. And the little boy I gave it too was too. It is a winner!

As a former exec at the company that produces the wonderful "Reading Rainbow" series,I certainly have read my share of children's books.After finding myself reading "Eddie:Harold's Little Brother" while browsing for a nephew's gift at a local bookstore,I must say this is truly a special book.Adults will love reading about the exploits and relationship of Little Eddie Koch(a smart,enthusiastic but,dare I say,"nerdy" kid)and his popular jock older brother.Co-author Pat Thaler,their little sister,brings her unique perspective here and delivers it in a charming and lively writing style.But I especially recommend this book as a gift for younger children to read---children who may be feeling insecure or a bit jealous of another sibling or friend.This book,better than any I've read,delivers an important message to kids--that we ALL have things that we're just not very good at.We may wish we were the best athlete or the best looking or the most popular.Most of us are not, but the good news is that it's just a matter of figuring out what that special talent is that WE possess--that makes US unique.The illustrations are terrific too,timeless and classic.I may not agree with a lot of co-author Ed Koch's politics at the moment,but,nevertheless,I must give this book 5 stars.It is delightful and heartfelt and I have a feeling it might even change a few young lives.Buy it for a child you love!

The authors are my grandma and great uncle. They are great authors! I love it and so does my brother and sister. Yeah books!

This is a wonderful book to read to boys or girls or, even better, for them to read it themselves. It has a terrific message. That each child has something special, an interest or a talent, and needs to follow his or her own dream. And what great illustrations They capture the era when Mayor Koch was a child. I really enjoyed the relationship between Ed and his brother Harold .

Celebrity picture books. The secret shame and private pleasure of every major publishing house. It's gotten to the point where even Barnes and Noble has set aside a separate section of its bookstore just for the newest crop of poorly written, beautifully illustrated celebrity picture books. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry thinks he or she can just jot down some random thoughts, put them to paper, and watch the money roll on in. Credit Ed Koch then to actually writing a book or two before coming out with "Eddie, Harold's Little Brother". Granted his previous books tend to be noir paperback thrillers ("Murder On Broadway", "The Senator Must Die", etc.). Still, at least he hasn't produced a picture book apropos of nothing. The fact that it is not a particularly good picture book is another matter altogether. When it comes right down to it, if this book were not about Ed Koch it would simply be a forgettable story we've all heard before but has for some reason been illustrated by the multi-talented James Warhola. It's a perfectly nice book and all, but ultimately one that will not stick with you for much longer than the time it takes to read it through. An exercise in bland self-congratulation.

Back in the day there was Harold and there was Eddie. Harold is the older brother and he excels in every single sport. Whether it's basketball, baseball, or football, Harold's a pro. Eddie, on the other hand, doesn't seem to be endowed with the athletic gene. Though his older brother coaches him constantly, when push comes to shove Eddie's a poor pick in a baseball game. One day, Harold even goes so far as to conveniently "forget" Eddie at home when there's a big neighborhood baseball game. Undaunted, Eddie keeps showing up. The kids tolerate his presence when he retells the game's highlights in his particularly engaging style. When Harold asks Eddie why he keeps trying to join in on the game when he knows he's no good, his little brother confesses that he yearns for the kind of respect and adulation that Harold comes by naturally. Together, they figure out what Eddie's real strength is (public speaking) and little Mr. Koch goes on to win a public speaking contest. The rest is history.

Allow me to point out that the book is not poorly written. It suffers from overly simplistic statements like, "Eddie was sad thinking that Harold was ashamed of him, but it didn't keep him from being proud of his big brother", but these are few and far between. The writing is fine. It's just not terribly engaging. Some picture books are snatched up by children and must be read over and over again. Not so much, "Eddie". The story was intended, I am sure, to be a tale in the vein of everybody-has-different-strengths, or something along those lines. Instead, it's more of a how-Ed-Koch-became-mayor-of-New-York kinda tale. That's fine if you're a schoolchild living in Manhattan and find young politico tales of former mayors your cup of tea. Otherwise, you won't be much taken with it.

Celebrity picture books all have one thing in common. They are usually paired with especially talented but occasionally little known children's book illustrators. Think of Madonna's pairing with Gennadii Spirin, for example. Prior to reading this book the only other James Warhola creation I'd had the pleasure of reading was his magnificent author/illustrator tale, "Uncle Andy's". The book retells Mr. Warhola's childhood visits to his eccentric uncle... Andy Warhol. That particular creation was amazing. This one? Well, it's clear that Warhola is trying to invoke a sense of the past. There are knickerbockers and jalopies and suspenders galore. Warhola draws all his characters with tiny black circles for eyes, occasionally giving them whites if they are in a situation of stress or pleasure (as with the cover). The effect is faintly unnerving but never directly unpleasant. There's plenty of action here and more than a little visual humor. It cannot, however, counteract an otherwise plodding narrative.

All politics aside, I suspect that a picture book taken from the childhood of fellow New York mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia would prove far more fascinating (not to say insightful) than the well-meaning but ultimately bland "Eddie". It's a perfectly fine book, of course. Some people will coo and grin over it for long periods of time. Just the same, it's not much to look at and not much to read. A dandy tale that will be forgotten within ten years by libraries and bookstores alike.