(3) K-3 Illustrated by Marc Brown. Brown compiles capital-L Life Lessons from everyone's favorite aardvark. On double-page spreads, Brown's words pair with a picture-book page or TV still (original sources labeled) meant to exemplify the lesson. Loosely organized into thematic sections, the book's coverage is broad and ranges in depth. Many of the pairings offer genuine wisdom or insight on topics from racism to disinformation to appreciating childhood; other spreads feel didactic; some are theme synopses. The volume should be useful as bibliotherapy and also as an annotated visit with the beloved characters. Back matter includes biographical notes, including "How Arthur Came to Be."

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) PS Monkey (Monkey: Not Ready for the Baby) can't make himself sleepy at night until his older brother offers advice: "Some people count things to fall asleep. Find something you really like and count it slowly." After several failed attempts, Monkey successfully counts dinosaurs: "One Allosaurus. Two Iguanodons." Hand-lettered text paired with subdued colored-pencil and gouache illustrations effectively convey a child's experience learning sleep strategies.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) PS Monkey is going to be a big brother, and, again, he's not ready (Monkey: Not Ready for Kindergarten). Eventually, his older brother and parents encourage him to help the family prepare by sorting clothes, building furniture, and going to doctor's visits. A hand-written font and childlike art combine with authentic emotions and dialogue for a satisfyingly kid-centric exploration of a family's growth.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) PS With a long list of "What ifs?" concerning everything from making friends to learning the alphabet to finding the bathroom, Monkey feels uneasy about starting kindergarten. His family, however, rallies to soothe his worries and prepare him for the big day. Handwritten text and colorful illustrations emphasize the child-centered psyche at work, while the content offers a calming model for addressing children's anxieties.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(2) K-3 Just about all of Manhattan's child-pleasing sites get a place in Brown's stupendously detailed gouache and watercolor pictures showing a little boy and his father touring NYC. The text is minimal but inviting ("wherever you walk in New York, you'll see a great parade of people passing by"); endpapers offer additional vignettes and facts. Appended information includes phone numbers and websites for the highlights.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2014

(2) PS Brown has taken some of the rhymes from Finger Rhymes (1980) and subsequent books and re-illustrated them to create one appealing collection. Most of the rhymes and songs will be familiar; others will bring new pleasures. Brown's gouache and colored-pencil illustrations jump with joyful energy, with lots of jokes for children to spot amongst the many kids, dogs, and other animals that appear.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2013

(4) K-3 D.W., misunderstanding Arthur's involvement with his class's conservation project, thinks a "Big Green Machine" is turning her brother the color green. She's nervous about school family night, but when all is revealed, D.W. gets the environmentalist bug. A few oft-suggested conservation tips are peppered throughout the bland story.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) PS D.W. (Arthur's sister) walks readers through a typical preschool day, from playtime to potty breaks to clean-up time. Seeing Brown's familiar characters in a classroom setting may help prepare little ones for preschool, but much of the humor is pitched at an older crowd (e.g., the kids make presents for their parents because "Preschoolers don't have a lot of money, you know").

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 In this cheerful collection, Arthur proves he's responsible enough to own a dog (Arthur's Pet Business, 1990); he trains his mischievous new pet (Arthur's New Puppy, 1993); and, finally, Arthur and friends, on their first backyard sleepover, get even with practical joker D.W. (Arthur's First Sleepover, 1994). Reviews 9/90, 1/94, 1/95.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) K-3 This twenty-fifth anniversary edition includes childhood photos of Marc Brown with the family members who inspired his characters, an illustration time line showing changes to Arthur's nose, and some sample pages from the original manuscript. Arthur fans will be interested in the background material; teachers will find the information about the writing process useful in the classroom.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 When D.W. learns to write her own name and checks out a library book of her own, she worries what will happen to her if the book gets damaged. Though the library policies seem a bit out of date, this pleasant addition to the familiar series is a solid book about accomplishments and new responsibility.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 In a book written to tie in with a Christmas television special, Arthur hopes for the perfect Christmas, but family, gift, and friend complications threaten his plans. The story and characters all behave in predictable fashion, and the book suffers for the lack of imagination. Still, there are funny details of family life and cheerful illustrations to satisfy readers.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Arthur's Baby (1987), Arthur's Birthday (1989), and Arthur's Family Vacation (1993) are published here in one volume. Each story provides a cheery view of family life and situations common to young children. The format, illustrations, and texts of all three books are the same as the original editions. Review 5/93.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1987

(4) K-3 Arthur Adventure series. While his roof is being repaired, Mr. Ratburn stays at Arthur's house. Based on a teleplay for the popular series, this is a slightly humorous, if far-fetched episode in Arthur's life. Early books about Arthur were popular because the emotions and incidents were universal; this book will be popular simply because Arthur is a familiar character.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Arthur Adventure series. In this story adapted from a teleplay, Brown continues to address the concerns of young school-age children. After Binky rips his pants at school, Arthur is haunted by dreams of going to school in his underpants. He stops worrying after his pants do rip, and he survives the embarrassment. Although the story is somewhat slight, both art and text are cheery.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) PS Arthur tells his sister D.W. all about babies when baby Kate comes home from the hospital. The big pages of this board book include a plethora of flaps to open and some games and nursery rhymes to share with a baby. The book is gimmicky but will appeal to toddlers who are welcoming a new baby home.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 In this story adapted from a teleplay for the TV series, D.W. is sent to her room for being mean to baby Kate. After fantasizing about revenge and the hardships she's endured, D.W. comes around when she is forced to "baby-sit the enemy" and ends up seeing how much fun Kate can be. Illustrated in Brown's familiar style, this is sure to appeal to D.W.'s fans, in spite of the simplistic conclusion.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(2) K-3 This helpful guide identifies what makes someone your friend, ways to be a friend, and, importantly, ways not to be a friend. As always, dialogue balloons personalize, enrich, and add humor to the main text. The book will be useful to parents, teachers, and other caregivers of young children--on a daily, if not hourly, basis.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1998

(3) K-3 When Arthur and Buster fall asleep on their first bus trip alone, they wake to find themselves at the end of the line with no return fare. They make it back thanks to a little bit of courage and a benevolent bus driver. Brown tells about Arthur's gentle adventure in a text composed almost entirely of dialogue and cartoon-style illustrations that are characteristically homey.

Reviewer: Suzy Schmidt

(3) K-3 D.W. is lost without Blankie, so she and Arthur scour the neighborhood for it. Later that night D.W. learns her mother has taken the blanket to wash it. As readers have come to expect from Brown's Arthur books, the situation is a realistic one, and the humor and cheerful artwork balance the gentle didacticism.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.