(3) K-3 When the baby cries, the wizard's wife says it's his turn to change the baby. So change the baby he does: he waves his wand, and "POOF!"--the baby becomes a cat. It's his wife's turn to feed the cat, but "POOF!"--she changes the cat into a dog. Sketchy drawings complement and extend the silly text, while the surprise ending is satisfying and perfect for this tale of changes.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 Tired of being treated like vermin at the toy factory where he secretly tests toys at night, a cockroach temporarily goes to work for the company's less reputable competitor. Although the story becomes tedious, the goofy and rather menacing illustrations are laden with Mad Magazine-style details (e.g., the competitor makes a toy called "Chok Full of Chokeables"), which may appeal to children old enough to get the jokes.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Susan Varley. Princess Chamomile, a mouse, rebels against her royal restrictions and sets off on a jaunt beyond the castle walls. Kidnapped by the candy store proprietor (a cat), Chamomile outsmarts her captor and garners increased freedom from her regal parents. Detailed pastel watercolors picture the feisty princess's humorous escapades in the entertaining story.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Megan Lloyd. Based on the construction of a church in Pennsylvania and its development through time, this story reflects the history of the community, as well as changes that affected the entire nation. Illustrations in a folk-art style depict the various ways the church building was used by the public, the erection of a second building after a fire, and the church's designation as a historical landmark.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Susan Kathleen Hartung. When Juno receives a letter in Korean from his grandmother, he knows from the enclosed photograph and dried flower that she has a new cat and a bright garden. The two communicate easily without a common language through pictures and enclosed items in their letters. The muted colors of Hartung's illustrations create a cozy atmosphere for Pak's affecting story.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Howard Fine. Before making it on the silver screen, mild-mannered King Kong peddled Ape-On cosmetics--according to this offbeat tale. Crisp narration and goofy puns help make the premise work. Fine's skillful use of perspective and rich pastels intensifies the future star's mammoth, yet amusingly dapper appearance. Readers will chuckle at the bespectacled, bow-tied behemoth hawking his Gorilla Mist perfume.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Ruth Wright Paulsen. This poetic text is as quiet as the "perfect day" chronicled here. The narrator paddles his canoe on a lake and observes the wildlife around him. There is more description than a real story, but like the lake, the text reflects the natural surroundings. The paintings, though occasionally muddy, echo the text's soft touch, evoking the simple beauty of nature.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Karen Lee Schmidt. The hippos challenge the monkeys to a baseball game, and to everyone's surprise, the hippos win. Paxton's children's song is successfully translated into a lively picture book complete with musical arrangement on the endpapers. The humor in Schmidt's bright illustrations--monkeys and hippos cavort across the pages waving their arms and tripping over their feet--perfectly suits the song.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Big-bellied and white-bearded Joe runs "Joe's Snack Bar," doling out treats all summer long, but where does he go in winter? Humorous watercolor illustrations show patrons imagining Joe, among other things, on a cruise and on a safari with elephants carrying ice cream cones in their trunks. Even though Joe "won't tell a soul," the final picture, showing Joe in a red suit with reindeer sampling his cones, suggests he winters at the North Pole....

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jill Pinkwater. Mr. and Mrs. Submarine are eating breakfast one rainy morning when they invite first a cat, then a dog, and a horse in from the rain. Along with a few more rain-soaked animals, the Submarines bring in their car, a Marine marching band, a circus troupe, and none other than Ludwig van Beethoven himself. The escalating nonsense of the droll story is well captured in the bold and cheerful illustrations.

Reviewer: Jennifer Polshek

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Greg Couch. Mother Earth's wild child is prolonging her bedtime. Finally, we learn that the child is Autumn, and that her slumber means the awakening of another wild child: Winter. The swirling text, which uses rhyme, alliteration, repetition, and made-up words ("Puckery, smuckery, crimsony cranberries"), rarely hits a false note. The lush, gauzy illustrations capture both autumn's colors and the haziness that precedes sleep.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Mary Beth Owens. Rosebud, a nightgown, considers Red Flannel, a pair of long johns who adores her, a "coarse fellow." After they get stranded on a clothesline together in a snowstorm, Red Flannel demonstrates chivalry, and Rosebud learns to treat him "as if he were her equal." The watercolor illustrations are careful and detailed, but the tale has little, if any, child appeal.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Taunted in school and bounced around foster homes, overweight Welcome Comfort finds his only friend in big-bellied Mr. Hamp, the school custodian. Welcome remains close to Hamp through the years; one Christmas he learns that he's been chosen to replace Hamp as the next Santa Claus. Sentimental but appealing, the story of a special inheritance is illustrated with lively pictures wrapped up in cheerful Christmas colors.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Michael G. Montgomery. On hot nights when she can't sleep, Elizabeth watches the rabbits play on the grass outside her family's summer cabin. When the rabbits start eating the well-tended lawn, upsetting her father, she helps with the yard work so that they can stay. Though the conflict's resolution is somewhat vague, the lyrically told story is a good match for Montgomery's rich paintings of a pine tree bordered lawn.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(2) K-3 In a rambunctious parody, Ms. Splinter takes her class to the circus and devotes the entire performance to expounding on the "great learning experience" they're having--completely unaware that one of her students has been lifted into the ring by an elephant and is being tossed from one act to another. Priceman captures the show's frenzied grace in freely painted forms that dance and swirl in a richly saturated palette.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 1999

(3) K-3 A retired pirate sails a model ship in Central Park, only to be bombarded by a retired queen's reckless ship, complete with mini cannonballs. Eventually, the two call a truce and realize they have much in common. Young readers will be intrigued by the miniature battle on the pond. Priest's striking artwork aptly emphasizes the action within each spread.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Betsy Lewin. Minnie McGranahan is neat and tidy and has a precise system for everything. When her brother's nine children are orphaned in 1920, no one thinks she'll be able to handle them. It's Minnie's system, full of laughter and hugs, however, that allows them all to thrive. The joyful, lively line in the watercolor illustrations reflects the organized confusion of the McGranahan household.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 Since babyhood, young Sam has always expressed his emotions, both happy and sad, with a lot of volume. His parents nurture his uninhibitedness, but when he visits his aunt in the city he finds that not everyone is so open about their feelings. The book's exaggerated Simpsons-style cartoon illustrations are certainly lively, but often seem too edgy for the text's heartfelt tone.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(3) K-3 Translated by Anthea Bell. Illustrated by Julia Gukova. This picture book version successfully captures both the playfulness and the suspense of the famous musical tale, and the brief story, though carefully fleshed out, still retains its folktale-like spareness. Layers of paint give the illustrations an intriguing three-dimensional appearance. Young readers familiar with the music will happily hum along as the various characters appear or, as in the case of the poor duck, disappear.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Tedd Arnold. The indomitable Axle Annie is the best bus driver in Burskyville, tough enough to take on dreaded Tiger Hill in the deepest snow. But bus driver Shifty Rhodes, angry that they never get a snow day, plots against Annie by using a snowmaking machine. Vivid characters, rollicking language, and humorous illustrations make this story perfect for reading aloud on a wintry day.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin