(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jim Harris. The classic folktale receives a regional treatment in this lively, rhythmic retelling. The main character makes a seemingly foolish choice to trade the family cow for a handful of supposedly magic beans. Humorous watercolor and pencil drawings capture the true personalities of Jacques, "MaMA," "dat man," "de lady," and the hungry and greedy giant. The Cajun-inflected verses make for an entertaining read-aloud. Glos.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jim Harris. In this familiar story set in the "south Loo-siana" bayou, the pigs confront an alligator instead of a wolf. Harris's cartoonish watercolor illustrations deftly capture the story's motion (one well-chosen double-page spread is set vertically, humorously forcing readers to turn the book). But the wordy rhyming text in Cajun dialect gets bogged down. Glos.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Giggle Fit series. Illustrated by Steve Harpster & Steve Harpster. Kids drawn to these books by their humorous content and color cartoon art will chuckle over the punny riddles ("Why was the broom late for school?" "It overswept"), stumble at repeating "bad black bran bread," and knock themselves out with knock-knocks. Though the quality of the humor is uneven, the presentation is kid-friendly. Each volume contains an index that will be helpful for those seeking riddles about specific topics. [Review covers these Giggle Fit titles: Funny Riddles, Super Knock-Knocks, Wacky Jokes, and Zany Tongue-Twisters.]

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jim Harris. Carrying goodies like shrimp etouffeé and gumbo to Grand-mère, Petite Rouge Riding Hood, a duck, meets a hungry alligator, who says, "I'll get me dat food / an' dat li'l girl too!" Luckily, she outwits him, thanks to her cat and some hot sauce. Accompanied by action-packed, comical illustrations in watercolor and pencil, the dialect-laden verses make for good reading aloud.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert