(4) K-3 Illustrated by Caroline Pedler. Badger, Hedgehog, Rabbit, and friends return (When You Need a Friend; Friends to the Rescue), this time working together to solve a mysterious water shortage. Though the situation seems dire at the start, sunny illustrations foreshadow a happy ending. Information about watersheds feels forced and the teamwork message is rather preachy, but accomplished book design and art increase the book's appeal.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Caroline Pedler. Badger and his friends Mouse, Hedgehog, and Rabbit discover rope, a basket, and some cloth in the forest. It turns out they found the parts of Mole's crashed hot air balloon. Relying on teamwork, the animals rebuild the balloon and rescue their new friend from a tree. The message-heavy text of this UK import is buoyed by colorful, textured illustrations.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Caroline Pedler. Badger steadies his friends' homes before a storm, but his own "mighty oak" dwelling topples. The trauma of losing a home is downplayed: Pedler's illustrations emphasize sunny pre- and post-storm weather, and Badger frowns at his loss then grins ("Every problem has a solution!") on the same spread. A feel-good but superficial tale of friends coming together to rebuild.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox