(4) K-3 Green Light Readers series. Illustrated by Doug Cushman. While his brothers vie to see who can find the most Easter eggs, a young mouse joyfully explores the spring day. His enthusiasm is dampened when he discovers he is the only one without an Easter egg. Discouraged, he tries again and finds a hatching turtle egg. Originally published as a picture book, the text and illustrations work in this format. Though the choppy rhyming text isn't inspiring, the energetic watercolor illustrations are inviting.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(4) K-3 Green Light Readers series. Illustrated by Doug Cushman. Originally published as a picture book, this edition is reformatted for beginning readers. Elaborate preparations set the stage for a young mouse's cowboy-themed birthday celebration. The frivolity gets out of hand, but the revelers re-group and clean up, and the party goes on. Though the rhyming text is uneven, the festive watercolors provide context clues to help with decoding.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Doug Cushman. From planting to harvest, young horticulturist Evy works single-mindedly in the garden, unaware of the farm animals' outlandish escapades: donkeys, pigs, sheep, and other animals sail, dance, and picnic while the one-note story's slapstick illustrations picture Evy, amid the chaos, reading about pumpkins, planting seedlings, and baking a humongous pumpkin pie. Back matter includes pumpkin recipes, facts, and trivia.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) K-3 Green Light Readers series. Illustrated by Doug Cushman. Previously published as a picture book, this beginning reader tells of a mouse family's Christmas preparations (tree trimming, baking, caroling). The rhyming text is suited to this format and is supported by lively illustrations of mice full of holiday cheer. A prowling cat adds a bit of tension; the unexpected ending offers a friendly twist on the usual cat-and-mouse dynamic.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Doug Cushman. During recess, monkey schoolkids Jack and Jill model the mathematical concept of doubling in various ways: with parts of their bodies ("2 knees + 2 knees = 4 knees"), with their friends ("3 kids + 3 kids = 6 kids"), etc. Franco's rhyming text presents the concept cleanly and engagingly. Cushman's assorted animals are child stand-ins, wearing human clothes and solving human arithmetic.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Doug Cushman. Anxiously awaiting her cousin's visit, little cat Emma and her mother welcome a stream of guests to their inn as the snow relentlessly falls. After every nook and cranny--including Emma's own room--is filled by weary travelers, cousin Abby finally arrives for the sleepover. Cozy watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations reflect the text's message of hospitality and community that a storm can elicit.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Doug Cushman. When fruit seller Sy fades away to invisibility one morning, it's an inexplicable inconvenience: though doctors are unfazed, Sy's customers are put off by his swathed, subsequently mummy-like, head. The appealing premise, fey logic, and offbeat hero are much abetted by Cushman's deftly drafted illustrations with a bright palette keyed to Sy's beloved fruit.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2011

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Doug Cushman. Seymour Snail hopes to become a great artist. Though he's shy about his aspiration, his friends' encouragement gives Seymour the confidence to pursue his art. He takes an entry-level job at a fancy gallery, and soon the artist in him begins to bloom. This upbeat story, illustrated with attentive black-and-white drawings, encourages young readers to follow their dreams.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Doug Cushman. Tyrannosaurus Mom is proud of her number-crunching son; the rest of the family is less enthusiastic. But when the young dino uses his know-how to rescue his sister, the whole clan embraces the power of math. Markel's engaging story has just the right blend of math concepts, dinosaur info, and silly humor. Cushman's textured acrylics reinforce the content and add to the amusement factor.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2009

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Doug Cushman. When the Olivers find a newborn on their doorstep, they're delighted. He's like all other babies--"Except for the fur. The tail. The pointy teeth. And the purple horns." Monster Olly is very smart and grows quickly, but he must learn how to interact with his much smaller friends. Playful watercolor illustrations add zest to this story about self-acceptance.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Doug Cushman. Each animal brings Mouse a surprise birthday gift. The text is in rhyme, with the gift revealed after a page turn ("Go on, take a look. / There are pages and pages / Of jokes in this... / 'Book!'"). Readers will enjoy figuring out the rhymes and guessing the gifts. Vibrant illustrations give the animals, especially Mouse, individual personalities.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Doug Cushman. Four-year-old Ella is a pig with a knack for solving problems, but she finds herself causing them after receiving a pretty umbrella decorated with clouds as a birthday gift. Brokenhearted that she can't bring the umbrella to her dance recital, Ella uses her inventiveness to solve the dilemma. Cushman's large, bold acrylics deftly express Ella's energetic and clever personality.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(4) PS Illustrated by Doug Cushman. After lulling the zookeepers to sleep, a marimba-playing monkey and the other animales party at the zoo. Most of the text in this lively alphabet book is in English, but each page includes a Spanish word (usually the name of an animal) that is a cognate. At times the generally rhythmic text is jarringly offbeat. A translation and pronunciation guide is included.

Reviewer: Amanda Sullivan

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Doug Cushman. In Prelutsky's usual light, breezy style, he declaims the woes of the overloaded backpack and of doing fractions, and the enjoyable parts of school (author visits, field trips). Cushman's paintings show a multi-species cast of animals; their faces convey and amplify the emotions in the seventeen poems. The book looks like it's for preschoolers--which may turn-off the heavy-backpack-toting crowd that struggles with fractions.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2006

(4) PS Illustrated by Doug Cushman. It's Grandmother Turtle's birthday, and everyone except Albert has a great present for her. Ultimately he decides to give up his blankie. The plot suffers from a lack of foreshadowing, as the blankie does not appear until the end, and its importance to Albert is told, not shown. The watercolor, ink, and colored-pencil illustrations are childlike without being too cartoonish.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Doug Cushman. A small lizard loses his tail when a bobcat pounces on it. In searching for it, the lizard approaches several woodland creatures to ask for help. While the story includes facts about animal tails and their functions, it misleadingly suggests the lizard grows his tail back in less than a day. Cartoonlike art shows the tail getting longer on each spread.

Reviewer: Hilary Breed Van Dusen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Doug Cushman. These new editions are smaller in size (both in trim and number of pages) than the originals, but their humorous take on parenthood remains intact. The text tells all the things parents are incapable of--sleeping late, limiting kisses to one--but the pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations tell a different story. Review covers these titles: What Dads Can't Do and What Mom's Can't Do.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Doug Cushman. These new editions are smaller in size (both in trim and number of pages) than the originals, but their humorous take on parenthood remains intact. The text tells all the things parents are incapable of--sleeping late, limiting kisses to one--but the pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations tell a different story. Review covers these titles: What Dads Can't Do and What Mom's Can't Do.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Doug Cushman. In the style of What Dads Can't Do, this book's young, green reptilian narrator lists all the things his grandmother can't do, such as baking cookies alone, playing Chinese checkers without laughing, and going to sleep before reading "a story--or six." The breezy watercolor and pen illustrations show grandmother and child enjoying each other's company.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) PS Illustrated by Doug Cushman. A group of mice celebrate Independence Day with a parade, a picnic, a ball game, sack races, a dip in a pond, and, of course, sparklers and fireworks. The energetic watercolors capture the holiday spirit better than the lackluster rhyming text, which--with lines like "Munch, munch, / crunch, crunch, crunch"--relies too heavily on repeated words and onomatopoeia.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta