(3) PS Illustrated by Kristyna Litten. Winsome mixed-media illustrations and rhythmic rhyming text assure readers of the narrator's love, not just "till the cows come home" but also until "the yaks come back" and "the deer dance by." The gentle silliness builds as animals travel in rockets, firetrucks, ships, etc. But by book's end--when everyone settles down to the music of the frogs' violins--peace and contentment abound.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(4) K-3 Step into Reading series. Illustrated by Abby Carter. A school-aged girl, both a ballerina and a star baseball player, goes into a batting slump after feeling intimidated by two bullies. With the championship game in sight, the Baseball Ballerina outwits the boys and clinches the win. Although the plot is predictable and the ballet aspect seems superfluous, this early reader, illustrated in soft watercolors, depicts a talented female heroine.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty