(4) PS Illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw. Wishing to feel like a prince on his birthday, Snog the Frog sets out in search of a kiss. But no one wants to humor him--until he meets a princess. Though her pucker fails to turn Snog into a prince, he does feel like one. The painterly illustrations add some charm to this anticlimatic story.

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Sally Hobson. This retelling of "Stone Soup" is fairly traditional, save for the farm setting and animal characters. In this version, a crafty fox tricks some farm animals into helping him make a tasty soup, "And all from a stone!" No surprises here--Fox doesn't try to add the animals to the pot, nor do the animals seem afraid of him. As a result, the story is somewhat flat, but the illustrations, featuring rich colors and simple figures, are eye-catching.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Sally Hobson. Fox gets rid of his trash by sweeping it down a hole--right into Badger's house. Badger sweeps it into Rabbit's house, Rabbit into Partridge's, and then the trash makes its way through the neighborhood until it ends up back on Fox's doorstep. Brightly colored gouache illustrations accompany the gentle, if predictable, environmental message.

Reviewer: Jackie C. Horne