(4) K-3 Illustrated by Lee Gatlin. Humorous poems--some free verse but mostly rhymed (with meter not entirely well executed)--put spooky twists on typical school-poetry topics (the cafeteria food includes "french-fried brain"; homework involves writing an epitaph). The spreads leading up to the title page, which welcome readers to Monster School, are a highlight. Color-saturated mixed-media illustrations reward careful viewers with amusing details.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jake Parker. Unwilling to part with his baby teeth, Nathan tucks them away in some tricky hiding spots. A by-the-book (and increasingly exasperated) tooth fairy finds them all, but the last tooth's concealment (among the rocks in the tarantula's tank) has her packing for vacation. Comical illustrations in muted nighttime hues depict the clever inventiveness of each side in this contest of wills.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Meilo So. The creatures and allure of the sea are captured in twenty-three poems with as many moods as the sea itself. Shark, sea turtle, coral, or whale, So's sea creatures are all engaging, but it's the ocean itself that stars in her beautiful art, whether in translucent underwater greens, intense blue against a dazzling white horizon, or simply as splashes of color and light.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2012

(2) 4-6 When her dragon runs away, Princess Meg (The Runaway Princess), along with her loyal, mismatched compatriots, embarks on a quest to find him. She outwits a giant, saves a princess named Spinach, and challenges a petulant sorceress. Coombs's warm, witty story features droll humor, brisk plotting, and multidimensional characters. The tale works both as ironic send-up and earnest hero adventure.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2009

(2) 4-6 A young princess conspires to nullify a contest for her hand in marriage by rescuing the dragon, witch, and bandits named in the challenge--despite the horde of determined princes that stand in her way. With a wry humor that embraces modern sensibilities but sidesteps anachronisms, this delightfully devious girl-power fantasy cheerfully undercuts every fairy-tale convention it encounters.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2006