(3) PS Illustrated by Roberta Angaramo. In this cumulative tale told in reverse, the story's final event--a mail carrier falls into a birdbath--is presented first. As the story unfolds, readers learn step-by-step what led to the mailman's tumble and what started it all: "the girl with the long leaky hose / that squirted the flock full of curious crows." Lively illustrations accompany this jaunty take on the House-That-Jack-Built classic.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alan Snow. A cast of silly villains is introduced in this amusing collection. Children will delight in discovering the true identities of the creatures who ransack lockers (Locker Destroyers), drain pens (Ink Drinkers), and ravage their hair the night before school picture day (the Scary-Hair Fairy). Some poems are stronger than others, but the angular crosshatched illustrations are consistently funny.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alan Snow. A dozen poems told in a nice variety of meters expound on the benefits of inventions such as the "Veggies Be Gone!" spray for shopping carts. There's also the "Stink Stoppers," who clean zoo animals, and "Crumbunny," who devours bed crumbs. Each creative invention is illustrated with pen and colored-ink drawings that feature cheerful-looking people and animals using the inspired machines.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke