(4) K-3 Illustrated by David Wojtowycz. Insects and other creepy outdoor creatures introduce themselves with only the simplest facts. Though jovial and lighthearted, the poems may come off as patronizing in their eagerness to show that bugs are worth befriending. The rhyme and meter are mostly effective, but not-quite-rhyming pairs (e.g., rotten/bottom) do occur. Invitingly bright illustrations are this collection's winning feature.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) PS Illustrated by David Wojtowycz. Each letter is matched with an animal who offers an autobiographical profile ("Hello, I'm a big happy hippo") in verse. There are a few clever descriptions, but many rhymes in this familiar-seeming book are predictable (paws and jaws, whale and tail), and some rhyme anchors are used more than once (sea, sky). The illustrations are pleasingly color saturated.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by David Wojtowycz. Andreae devotes one bouncy verse to each of fifteen barnyard animals, including the fox and the owl who hunt there. Many are amusing, such as Turkey's contribution: "I've got these funny, floppy things / That hang down from my neck, / They dangle when I gobble / And they wobble when I peck." The sprightly illustrations use large shapes and bright colors to depict widely smiling cartoon farm animals.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert