(2) PS Illustrated by Anna Doherty. Hare and Bear are both tempted by a tree bursting with pears, but neither of them can reach the red, green, and yellow fruits hanging overhead. Hare has a bright idea, though, to use a set of three chairs to help them pick the pears: one for Bear, two for the shorter Hare. But is it fair? Not according to Bear. "You've got twice as many chairs as I have!" So the two animals each climb up just one chair--but Hare still can't reach the pears. Hare stands disgruntled beside the now-munching Bear until a helpful Beetle chimes in with a bit of wisdom: "I just thought you should know that giving everybody the same thing isn't always fair." After Beetle's explanation of what exactly makes something fair, the three creatures have one last thing to consider: what Beetle might like to snack on. The text brims with words that rhyme with pear, and endearing Briticisms ("Bother!") are sprinkled throughout. Vivid, stylized, digitally rendered illustrations mirror the whimsy and lightness of touch in this lesson in fairness and equity for the very young.

Reviewer: Grace McKinney | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2020

(3) PS Illustrated by Sam Usher. Chock-full of details and events on each spread, this winning book follows little Danny though his day. The text encourages readers to observe the pictures and help choose Danny's breakfast, decide how he'll travel to school, even what bedtime story he'll read. Featuring thick card-stock pages and a diverse cast in the appealing sketch and watercolor illustrations, this is a pleasing first picture puzzle.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Nick Sharratt. "Would you like to travel through time?...Would you like to live underground?" This companion to You Choose has the same winning premise: readers take cues from open-ended questions and cheery cartoon illustrations to tell their own stories. The busy but orderly spreads are filled with story-element ideas, offering either concrete choices or detailed scenes as inspiration. This is refreshingly low-tech entertainment.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Andy Rowland. Elephant Little Nelly reads a description of a mouse in a book--gray, big ears, skinny tail--and concludes that she is one. She finds and makes friends with a family of mice, one of which comes to a conclusion of her own from the same book. The humor is maintained visually, but the punch line ("books should always have pictures") veers off course.

Reviewer: Ariel Baker-Gibbs

(2) PS Illustrated by AnnaLaura Cantone. "Three little ghosties sat on their posties, eating burnt toasties, telling big boasties." Naughty ghosts gleefully recount their stories. They get their own fright, though, while attempting to scare a little boy. Goodhart's engagingly silly rhymes are paired with mixed-media illustrations using dark and spooky colors but featuring goofy-looking ghosts. A Halloween natural that kids will enjoy year-round.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2008

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Colin Paine. Out plowing on his tractor, Arthur keeps stopping to fix troubling sounds in the engine, never noticing that the sounds are really from a princess, a dragon, and a knight playing out their usual drama behind him. His mechanical-mindedness wins him the princess in the end. The conceit is too thin to sustain the book, but the cheerful art, filled with humorous visuals and a light touch, helps it along.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam