(3) PS Double-page spreads feature illustrations of a boy mimicking the behaviors and characteristics of a variety of dinosaur species. To find out which is highlighted, readers turn the page to see the name and a picture. Participation in the boy's story-acting will be practically irresistible; listeners will quickly be roaring and stomping along as their own imaginary dinosaurs.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) K-3 In twenty-eight poems of various formats, Hines looks at peace from many angles. Her imagery is inventive--"Season with forgiveness. / Simmer in a sauce of respect"--and she uses words sparingly: the poem "Peace Is" simply states, "when all / of them / are us." Intricate quilts illustrating the verses are, in equal measure, soothing and elegant. Brief bios of famous "peacemakers" are appended.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) PS A young boy engages in imaginative play in this simple, satisfying truck book: "Down on my knees, / I make my hands / into a blade. / Scrape. Push. Plow./ I make a pile. / I am a...bulldozer." The smallish format, crayon-bright colors, and action words that invigorate the spare text provide a preschooler-perfect reading experience.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) PS Hines illustrates the familiar rhyme with beautiful quilt squares featuring a spirited little girl picking up sticks and dancing with her hen. As with Winter Lights: A Season in Poems and Quilts, Hines uses appliqué (here, fabric, thread, and buttons) to create each illustration. The eye-catching art is easy for a toddler to interpret, making this counting book attractive and accessible.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) PS Illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Albert and his grandma have a long-distance relationship made special by phone calls, letters, photographs, and presents. He is very excited when he learns she is coming to visit, but when the moment arrives, he is suddenly shy. With understanding and patience Grandma cleverly helps him overcome his shyness. Gentle illustrations complement a story that should strike a chord with many children.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) PS Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. In the second book about this mouse family, the narrator tries on hats, while her relatives stand by to help (or play). "When I wear a flippy-floppy hat, I dig, plant a seed, and weed, weed, weed. Which hat is that?" A foldout page reveals the activity connected with each hat, such as gardening or cooking. Jovial illustrations complement the bouncy, occasionally rhyming text.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) PS Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. A mouse child tries on Daddy's loafers, Mommy's high heels, Brother's sneakers, Baby's booties, and finally, her own "just-right" Mary Janes. Using lively language, she describes each pair: "When I wear these squeaky sneaker shoes, I go creep, sneak, squeak!" A folding page conceals the answer to the repeated question, "Whose shoes?" Exuberant illustrations on sturdy paper match the playful text.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 From the arrival of green, "tickling the tips / of twiggy tree fingers" in spring, through the "rousing raucous celebration" of summer, to the "crisscross shadows / little twiggy spriggy shadows" of winter trees, these poems capture the seasons with wonderful rhythms, metaphors, and alliterations. The colorful quilt illustrations complement the poems and delight the eye with the details stitched into them. Hines includes an endnote about making the quilts.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) PS Illustrated by Thea Kliros. Delicate portraits of children demonstrate activities to do in different types of weather, from "feel the glow" and "make a shadow" in the sun, to "taste a raindrop" and "jump in a river" in the rain. While children depicted seem engaged in what they are doing, the pale and rather washed-out tones of the illustrations don't particularly capture the eye.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(4) PS Illustrated by Thea Kliros. Delicate portraits of children demonstrate activities to do in different types of weather, from "feel the glow" and "make a shadow" in the sun, to "taste a raindrop" and "jump in a river" in the rain. While children depicted seem engaged in what they are doing, the pale and rather washed-out tones of the illustrations don't particularly capture the eye.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(4) PS Illustrated by Thea Kliros. Delicate portraits of children demonstrate activities to do in different types of weather, from "feel the glow" and "make a shadow" in the sun, to "taste a raindrop" and "jump in a river" in the rain. While children depicted seem engaged in what they are doing, the pale and rather washed-out tones of the illustrations don't particularly capture the eye.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(4) PS Illustrated by Thea Kliros. Delicate portraits of children demonstrate activities to do in different types of weather, from "feel the glow" and "make a shadow" in the sun, to "taste a raindrop" and "jump in a river" in the rain. While children depicted seem engaged in what they are doing, the pale and rather washed-out tones of the illustrations don't particularly capture the eye.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mary Watson. After graduating from a crib to a big bed, the narrator worries about falling out or being scared. Once she realizes she can fix these problems, she looks forward to sleeping in her new bed. The story tenderly addresses this childhood transition, while the soft, realistic illustrations show how she is able to take care of her fears.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley