(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Debbie Tilley. The Zoo School's principal, Ms. Font, believes in the motto "Let the animals be your textbook"--and so the school's students share a classroom with animals: squids one day, bats another. The appealing premise is carried out in a light, genuinely funny narrative that includes excerpts from newspapers and letters and, at the end, a surprise twist. Illustrations not seen.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Debbie Tilley. Ms. Snickle has just one classroom rule: no telling secrets. But Lacey breaks it--blabbing that Dennis's mother is the tooth fairy, Eva used to be a swan, and Hayley is allergic to secrets. After a slow start, the whimsical story picks up speed (a comical who-has-the-grossest-sibling contest helps) and concludes with the unexpected and rather simplistic message that secrets are best forgotten. Gouache and pen-and-ink illustrations mirror key scenes from the story.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger