Some nice ideas, but ...
Easy: good. Simple: good. So far, so good. But Eaton dispenses with too many really basic techniques -- for simplicity, I suppose -- for reliably good results. For example: you simply MUST use a smaller needle for a rib edging; otherwise it flares. And although three-needle bindoffs are neat and stylish, most adult sizes need a little shoulder shaping to look anything but terribly bulky and boxy. Finally, IMO no design calling for 60% seed stitch quit qualifies as a "quick knit," even in a largish gauge.
The photographs don't really display the designs well; the garments of the grownups squatting behind children are really hard to evaluate. Intentionally obscured? Maybe because the patterns are really too squared-off to look good on anyone over age six...?
I got partway through one little sweater and stopped to regroup with a different pattern from another source.
I wanted to like this book, but won't trust my investments of time and yarn to such oversimplified directions.
not MinnowKnits
I love the patterns in the MinnowKnits series and have made several of them but was disappointed with this book.
A Nice Knitting Book
Big Fish, Little Fish starts with basic How-to-Knit instructions, moves on to some well-designed basic sweaters, adds some specialty designs with things like peplums and assymetrical necklines, and finishes up with hats, socks, and mittens. The yarns suggested are specialty yarns, but the gauges are fairly standard so you can easily substitute (assuming you understand how to use gauge information). All the patterns are designed with simple basic shapes, so there is limited shaping, but there are clever little details that make the designs a little more stylish.
There are good patterns for men, women, and children. I have made several without any difficulties, and been pleased by the fit and the ease of working. Since they are simple, changing a cable or adding a pattern stitch is easy. While I have a number of knitting pattern books, I didn't find that there was too much overlap. For example, the sock pattern is done with bulky yarn, while most of the sock patterns you already have are probably made with fine yarns. Mittens with a cable, a fleecy zippered vest, and a hat with an unusual crown design are more examples of traditional patterns with a twist.
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