(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Quentin Blake. Monster moves to the city where he finds a house and makes friends. Some of the stories are essentially descriptions of adult activities--house-hunting, wooing a "lady monster"--while others are more kid-aimed. The simple, childlike text sounds like an elementary schooler's writing assignment. Blake's illustrations of a tall, benign purple creature navigating the big city are endearing.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Photographs by Bob Warick. From logging and millwork to carpentry and silviculture, this alphabet book provides an overview of the jobs and issues of modern forestry. There's a lot of solid information, but it can be difficult to navigate; awkward, sometimes forced alliteration introduces each letter ("Bush work bogs down in breakup"). Many eye-catching photographs complement the text. "Fast Forestry Facts" are appended.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale