(3) PS Illustrated by Allison Black. Jack the pirate gets dressed in this rhyming tale featuring colorful Photoshop illustrations. On each spread Jack dons another item of clothing ("What else? Egads, me toes be cold! / Thick socks o' pink are warm, I'm told") until he's fully dressed and ready to "join me motley crew!" It's a clever twist on two tried-and-true topics, making it a must-have for preschool collections.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) PS Illustrated by Michael Emberley. From first cry to first birthday, this picture book follows three families navigating their babies' first years. Simple rhyming declarations--"First roll, then creep. / First crawl, then sleep"--list milestones large and small; Emberley's digitally-colored pencil illustrations depict the three ethnically diverse families in affectionate vignettes. Straightforward and readable, this celebration of babyhood will appeal to fans of Susan Meyers and Marla Frazee's Everywhere Babies.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Kurt Cyrus. This rhymed counting book explores numbers found in nature, from one (a mouth, nose, moon) to ten (toes and fingers), ending with a set too big to count (stars). Examples range from the familiar (birds, octopuses) to the hard to count (colors in a rainbow) to the less well known (stickleback fish). The digitally created illustrations evoke beauty and peace.

Reviewer: Grace Worcester Greene

(3) K-3 Illustrated by George Bates. After trick-or-treating, a wide-eyed boy walks home through the spooky woods. The clouds, leaves, and tree branches form menacing shapes, shown in Bates's increasingly creepy digitally colored pen-and-ink illustrations. Then "a whisper rustles in his ear... / Cracklety-clack, bones in a sack. / They could be yours--if you look back." It's a refrain that might well scare some kids at storytime.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Steve Haskamp & Steve Haskamp. Monkey sets out to deliver pizza to a party. Doubling the number of wheels each time, he upgrades his vehicles from a unicycle to a bicycle to a car, ending up with a sixty-four wheel train. Though it occasionally falters, the simple rhyming text is enhanced by the lively illustrations, which extend the story with humorous details. Even the pre-math set will cheer the arrival of the still-hot pizza at the party.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) 4-6 Passport to History series. Day explores American culture in these guides to the past. The chatty texts, which are written as if for time-traveling visitors, provide facts about daily life, famous figures, customs, government, currency, fashion, local manners, health, and food. Maps, archival artwork and photographs, and witty captions extend the texts. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Mary R. Holt

(3) 4-6 Passport to History series. Day explores American culture in these guides to the past. The chatty texts, which are written as if for time-traveling visitors, provide facts about daily life, famous figures, customs, government, currency, fashion, local manners, health, and food. Maps, archival artwork and photographs, and witty captions extend the texts. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Mary R. Holt

(3) 4-6 Passport to History series. Day explores ancient Mayan culture and the Renaissance in these guides to the past. The chatty texts, which are written as if for time-traveling visitors, provide facts about daily life, famous figures, customs, government, currency, fashion, local manners, health, and food. Maps, archival reproductions and photographs, and witty captions extend the texts. A time line is included. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Mary R. Holt

(3) 4-6 Passport to History series. Day explores ancient Mayan culture and the Renaissance in these guides to the past. The chatty texts, which are written as if for time-traveling visitors, provide facts about daily life, famous figures, customs, government, currency, fashion, local manners, health, and food. Maps, archival reproductions and photographs, and witty captions extend the texts. A time line is included. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Mary R. Holt

(4) YA Diseases and People series. Using numerous stories of affected people, the books in this series explore the history, symptoms, treatments, consequences, and public health aspects of the diseases discussed. The organization is haphazard and sometimes repeats information, but the coverage is thorough and readable. Charts, questions and answers, time lines, and black-and-white photos and diagrams round out the presentation. Bib., glos., ind. [Review covers these Diseases and People titles: Malaria, West Nile, and Other Mosquito-Borne Diseases; Polio; Hemophilia.]

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) YA Issues in Focus series. Day describes how bacteria have grown increasingly resistant to antibiotic drugs, resulting in the frightening possibility of "superbugs." Judson discusses how the genetic advancements that improve agriculture and treat medical conditions can provoke ethical questions. Although each title in this series contains dry scientific prose and dull black-and-white photos, both books offer solid introductions to their subject matter. Bib., glos., ind. [Review covers these Issues in Focus titles: Killer Superbugs and Genetic Engineering.]

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Genna Panzarella. In this creation myth, a brother and sister from heaven compete to make the sky and the earth. Faam Koh's sky is too small to cover the earthly tapestry his sister has made. With her embroidery skills (for which the Mien are known), the sister gathers and pleats the earth, creating mountains and valleys, and making her tapestry fit the sky. The hard-to-read typeface is unfortunate. The illustrations become repetitive but are striking overall.

Reviewer:

(4) 4-6 Passport to History series. Despite their unoriginal premise, these tour books for time-traveling visitors aim to convey information about two ancient cultures. Facts about daily life, art, customs, government, and economics are relayed in chatty chapters, with such titles as "Where to Stay" and "Where to Find Souvenirs." Reproductions of artifacts, photos of ruins, and text boxes with travel tips accompany the texts. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Kristen Oravec

(3) YA Issues in Focus series. This book straightforwardly describes animal experimentation--its history, current practices, cases for and against it, and alternative measures, including experimentation on humans. Ethical issues on both sides of the debate unfold in a balanced presentation supported by up-to-date, authoritative sources. Black-and-white photographs accompany the thoughtful text. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) 4-6 Passport to History series. Despite their unoriginal premise, these tour books for time-traveling visitors aim to convey information about two ancient cultures. Facts about daily life, art, customs, government, and economics are relayed in chatty chapters, with such titles as "Where to Stay" and "Where to Find Souvenirs." Reproductions of artifacts, photos of ruins, and text boxes with travel tips accompany the texts. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Kristen Oravec

(4) YA Pro/Con series. A cogent, objective, and thorough--though at times exhausting--look at censorship, from ancient Greece through the present. Day focuses on censorship in the publishing, art, entertainment, and online worlds, and she's generous with anecdotes about people, frequently teens, involved in both sides of the fight. Well-reproduced black-and-white and color photographs of activists and the objects of censorship are featured. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) YA Hot Pro/Con Issues series. These books cover the two main sides of each issue, while a final brief chapter summarizes the points on each side or discusses finding common ground. The authors use quotes, statistics, and examples that will help students prepare for their own debates, but the examinations of the issues are still fairly superficial. Drug Testing has a glossary. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) PS Illustrated by Anne Mortimer. A striped gray kitten "peeks at January, / toys with February, / stalks March" and continues to pursue feline activities through the rest of the year. On each double-page spread, the white letters of the text, set against a brightly colored background, face a picture of the tabby exploring its natural and domestic surroundings. Seasonal flowers are prominent in most of the illustrations.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) YA Issues in Focus series. Historical background, legal issues, and differing points of view about the merits of advertising and drug testing are presented in able, and often engaging, prose. The tone of each book is evenhanded, but their authors are clearly in favor of one side (that advertising is problematic, and that current drug testing is not effective). Black-and-white photographs are included. Advertising has a glossary. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Jackie C. Horne