(3) K-3 Illustrated by Steven Salerno. Sugar-mad biped poodle Pantaloon is rebuffed by a baker hiring help. After the man injures himself tripping over Pantaloon's bike, the poodle proves his worth. This newly illustrated edition is old-fashioned in the best sense, with the rip-roaring story intently focused on one purpose: to entertain. Linked to no particular era, Salerno's jam-packed illustrations are thoroughly invigorating.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren. This collection of twenty-four stories and poems about pirates, ships, and summers by the ocean is a childlike, old-fashioned one. Children explore caves for pirate gold and help rescue stranded ships, and sailors cry out "avast" and "aye, aye, sir!" Tenggren's illustrations offer enough fearsome pirates and spooky skulls to satisfy pirate fans.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Alice Provensen & Martin Provensen. Mr. Roly-Poly starts his own circus, but after the usual suspects--trained lion, fat lady, thin man, clowns, etc.,--do their thing, something is decidedly lacking. The ending, which reveals the missing element, is anticlimactic, but young readers will enjoy the breathless storytelling and the jubilant art, which is neither demeaned nor enhanced by intermittent flocked panels.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren. A perpetually hungry lion who terrorizes the other animals is finally sated by a family of convivial rabbits who feed him delicious carrot stew. The bold, cheery illustrations, action-filled story (with its lively cadence and nice use of repetition), and large type should make this edition appealing to a new generation of young children.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano