(4) K-3 Illustrated by Henry Cole. This version of the familiar fairy tale features a plethora of words beginning with the letter P. The princess here is a poor pig who, after a sleepless night in Prince Proudfoot's guest room, decides to marry Percy-the-Pizza-Pig instead. The alliteration gets annoying, but the watercolor illustrations of the peach-toned pigs are consistently playful.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(3) PS Illustrated by Daniel Kirk. One night an owl flies a "sleepyhead" child through the sky and reveals how various animals spend their time after sundown. The graceful rhymes ("A sleek raccoon with bandit eyes, / Takes his nightly exercise") and calm, moonlit illustrations (some featuring animals in close-up) create a soothing lullaby.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Deborah Allwright. An affable boy offers the right amount of comfort and encouragement to a dinosaur who's concerned about starting school. The boy logically explains, "Otherwise, how would dinosaurs grow up to be so smart?" Winsome illustrations capture the dinosaur's apprehension and his friend's thoughtfulness.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(4) PS Illustrated by Henry Cole. Jack and Jill build a tree house of the quilt-slung-over-a-rope-variety. The building process is described in a cumulative rhyming text and portrayed in cheerful colored-pencil illustrations. Construction goes smoothly, and the two entertain friends, share treats, and camp out for the night. A pleasant vision of an idyllic childhood experience but not much more.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Henry Cole. A dilapidated old house feels sorry for itself. The house's squirrel, bird, and oak tree friends try to cheer it up to no avail. A family becomes interested in buying it but isn't sure about all the work needed to fix it up. House-hunting parents (maybe more so than kids) will enjoy the plot. Friendly anthropomorphic illustrations add atmosphere.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Megan Lloyd. Ned the rooster is too much of a night bird to get the hens up in the morning, so hen supervisor Daisy Mae fires him. That night, while cavorting with nocturnal animals, Ned averts a crisis at the hen house--and Daisy Mae realizes there's a place for him after all. The it's-okay-to-be-different message is delivered fairly gracefully, and vivid illustrations add humor to the tale.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Bridget Starr Taylor. In this playful interpretation of a West African creation myth, children (mostly white) put on what appears to be a school play about how people came to be. Cheery illustrations show the children performing as separate parts of the body (ears, mouth, legs, etc.), and the text seems similarly fragmented in places. An author's note is included.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Diana Cain Bluthenthal. After a young scribble learns to be a Neat Line, it travels through a Mother Goose book helping the characters in the rhymes. It draws, for example, a large bird to protect Miss Muffet and makes a non-slippery path for Jack and Jill. The Line is a refreshingly different character, and the illustrations create an enjoyable book within a book.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(2) PS Illustrated by Sue Porter. "What do McGillycuddys do?" Well, McGillycuddy the kangaroo tells the farm animals, they can hop and jump and bounce and kick. What about making milk, growing wool, and laying eggs? "McGillycuddy couldn't!" But McGillycuddy can save her friend the duck from a hungry predator. The rhythmic text invites participation, and Porter's energetic illustrations can kick the stuffing out of story hour.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2005

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Henry Cole. Gigi (a pig) and Lulu (a mouse) are best friends who do everything the same--until they have a disagreement and won't speak to each other. Fortunately, Twin Day at school helps them see and appreciate their differences. With its visually appealing animal characters and recognizable school situation, the book is reminiscent of Rosemary Wells's Timothy Goes to School, although Edwards's narrative is overlong.

Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Henry Cole. Humble Old Pat and boastful Young Tom travel to compete for the title of "Finest Harpist in Ireland." Along the way, Young Tom tries to sabotage Old Pat's chances to win, but Old Pat's kindness toward a leprechaun is rewarded and Young Tom gets what he deserves. The just ending is never in doubt in this story of kindness rewarded. The lively illustrations aptly convey the Irish setting.

Reviewer: Charlotte S. Huck

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Henry Cole. Events leading up to the Wright brothers' first flight are described in a text that uses a "House That Jack Built" cumulative prose style. The color art is adequately rendered but hampered by the inclusion of a group of tiny cartoon mice who pop up here and there and make unnecessary remarks ("I can't believe how big Orville and Wilbur's glider is"). Timeline.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick. These epistles reveal Claire's pleas to the Tooth Fairy for a wobbly tooth and the Tooth Fairy's (or could it be Grandma's?) comforting replies. At last Claire loses a tooth and collects the promised reward. Claire's voice is sweet and perfectly pitched for a six-year-old, while the fairy-spangled, autumn-colored art is both visually appealing and tonally appropriate.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Henry Cole. An alliterative text tells of Rosie Raccoon's trip to deliver four roses for her aunt's birthday. Along the way, Rosie loses one rose after another, but each time, she discovers the creature who found it needs the rose more than she does. Finally, all she has to offer is a rainbow-colored ribbon, but the syrupy ending reveals her aunt already has her "prize rose." The friendly illustrations include hidden Rs.

Reviewer: Charlotte S. Huck

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Barbara Nascimbeni. What if a rude mule came to your house for lunch? Why, you'd invite him in and teach him to behave politely, of course. This manners primer told in the second person puts a young boy in the role of etiquette expert ("What if he brayed a rude mule hee-haw? You'd ignore him until he stopped, wouldn't you?"). With its bold, whimsical illustrations and its prim tone offset by the silly scenario, this book will amuse young readers.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Henry Cole. Muldoon the dog has important work to do: he must wake his family, walk the children, do the gardening, etc. While the text describes Muldoon's jobs from his point of view (e.g., "He makes sure the cat stays on its diet"), the cartoony illustrations show what's happening from the family's perspective (Muldoon eats the cat's food). This juxtaposition, while not totally original, proves amusing throughout.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) PS Illustrated by Henry Cole. When night falls, nocturnal animals such as owls, field mice, and flying squirrels urge their children into action. "'Lazyheads!' Opossum hisses. / 'I'm waiting to get my wake-up kisses.' / Cries Mother Bat, 'It's time to fly, / Gliding-flapping through the sky.'" In the illustrations for this agreeable poem, dark pages with white highlights provide an attention-getting vehicle for close-ups of the animals.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) PS Illustrated by Henry Cole. One rainy day, six warthogs decide to paint. Starting with the primary colors, they splash arcs of color on their kitchen wall. They don't watch what they're doing, and soon the paints spill and blend together. This boisterous introduction to mixing colors is told in unremarkable rhyme and accompanied by amusing illustrations in ink, colored pencil, and watercolor.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Henry Cole. Clara is a plain cabbage caterpillar who will become a cream-colored butterfly, and the flashily hued Catisha mocks her for it, until Clara rescues Catisha from the beak of a hungry crow by using her plainness as camouflage. The slight tale--sometimes overwhelmed by conspicuous alliteration--is enlivened by Cole's accomplished blend of realism and cartoon charm.

Reviewer: Erica L. Stahler

(4) PS Illustrated by Henry Cole. "'A-a-a-a-choo!' goes the warthog. Slop goes the soup....Wobble goes the birdcage. Crash goes Uncle Fred." Two warthogs preparing for a dinner party have a few onomatopoetic mishaps but keep in good spirits ("Giggle! Giggle!"). Some of the pattern doesn't work or isn't onomatopoeia, but the high-energy pen, colored pencil, and watercolor art against a white background is effective.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam