(4) K-3 Illustrated by Laura Rader. One spring Sunday while Doctor Duck is busy planting his garden, the other animals on the farm call for his help. A goat, a cow, and a pig are giving birth and want him to assist. Although the illustrations are playful, the slight story, told in plodding rhyme, has little sense of drama.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) PS Illustrated by Emily Bolam. Louie's favorite game is playing chase, where he runs away and his mother catches him with a "Gotcha!" Armed with his toy goose, Louie initiates the game without the adults noticing right away. This time it's Louie who shouts "Gotcha!" when his family comes to look for him. Textured paintings express the subtle tension between dependence and independence in the story.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) PS Illustrated by Laura Rader. In this simplistic rhyming text ("On go tutus-- / slippers, too. / Tights are itchy / when they're new"), young Piggy and her friends attend their ballet class full of tutus, twirls, and a fall or two. Young dance enthusiasts will enjoy Rader's cheerful, energetic animal dancers and a place where trying is what counts.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(4) PS Illustrated by Laura Rader. Dr. Duck drives around "in a big, red van," treating all sorts of animal patients, including "weasels with sneezles" and "a crow with a broken toe." When the doctor himself gets sick, the animals do their part to help him feel better. The story is slight and the meter of the rhyming text is uneven, but the watercolor illustrations, featuring stout animals in human clothing, are amusing.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Emily Bolam. Rosie the goose is Louie's favorite stuffed animal, and whenever she wears out, Mom or Dad always fixes her. But when she gets soaked at the beach, it's up to Louie to figure out what to do. The story of a favorite toy being mended isn't very original and neither is Louie's solution (the sun dries Rosie out), but this undistinguished telling is brightened by the characterizations in Bolam's vibrant, childlike paintings.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli