(4) K-3 Illustrated by Joe Mathieu. In rhyming couplets, this horse-celebrating volume touches on care, horse behavior, and jobs horses do, though the random arrangement is awkward ("Horses buck and roll and snooze. Some of them wear iron shoes"). Gentle watercolor and pencil illustrations show chunky, oddly-proportioned horses, but the soft colors and textures and the subjects' good humor will appeal to a child's eye.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) PS Illustrated by Donald Wu. In bouncy rhymes, Hubbell describes how dogs come in all shapes and sizes and have different personalities: "Shaggy dogs, waggy dogs. / Pencil-thin and saggy dogs... / Itty-bitty pretty dogs. / Shy dogs. Bold dogs..." Cheerful colored-pencil over acrylic drawings showcase the canines' expressions as they eat, sleep, play, and offer companionship and love to their owners.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(3) PS Illustrated by Nancy Speir. Oh, the many things librarians do for their patrons, as readers of this celebration will learn. From helping with schoolwork to dressing up for a book parade, this librarian does it all with a smile--and then goes home to read some more. Sprightly rhymes and approachable acrylic illustrations combine to pay warm tribute to librarians.

Reviewer: Betsy Murray

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Hiroe Nakata. "We're packing snow and smacking, / we're dodging and we're whacking. / Snowballs fly and we're-- / Snow Happy!" An active day playing in the snow ends with hot chocolate and a warm fire. This rhythmic paean to winter is told in lilting rhymes. Childlike ink, watercolor, and gouache illustrations feature lots of smiling kids and plenty of snowy white space.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(3) PS Illustrated by Megan Halsey & Sean Addy. In straightforward rhyming text ("Icebreakers smash an icy floe; / penguins dive down deep below"), this book presents a variety of watercraft: tugboats, yachts, trawlers, ferries, aircraft carriers, etc. There's lots to see in the humorous vintage-looking mixed-media illustrations featuring clip art, old papers, and original drawings. Two double-page-spread layouts are vertical.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Nancy Speir. This lucky teacher only has four students, so making every day a "learn-and-fun day" is a snap. The text describes a week of school in rhymes that are occasionally a stretch ("At music time, she sings a song. / Helps us share, tells right from wrong"). Lively acrylic illustrations gratifyingly culminate in a visit from a surprise end-of-week guest.

Reviewer: Sarah Novogrodsky

(3) PS Illustrated by Megan Halsey & Sean Addy. This spirited text describes different kinds of airplanes, from jets and cargo planes to: "Mail planes. / Weather planes. / Bringing-us-together planes." The mixed-media illustrations featuring clip art, etchings, and original drawings have a vintage look and incorporate many humorous details. Two double-page-spread layouts are vertical, adding to the story's sense of motion.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) PS Illustrated by Viviana Garofoli. "Police have dogs that / search and find. / German shepherds. / Steady. Kind." Hubbell's occasionally stumbling but generally satisfying rhymes take readers through a day in the life of several police officers. Garofoli, illustrator of Firefighters: Speeding! Spraying! Saving!, returns with her digital art resembling cut paper--a soothing counterpoint to the serious subject matter.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Nancy Speir. "Grandma says, 'Come visit me!' / Time to go! Lots to see!" A boy narrates his first airplane trip with his parents: waiting at the gate, boarding the plane, looking out the window, etc. Reassuring text provides an account of what young travelers can expect. Cleanly composed acrylic illustrations include kid-pleasing details (e.g., the boy's unmatched socks revealed at security).

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) PS Illustrated by Viviana Garofoli. "Swing aboard! Hit the gas. / Ladder truck roars, heads out fast." Young readers witness four firefighters (three men, one woman) doing their thing, from suiting up to extinguishing a blaze to chilling out afterward. Some of the rhymes stumble, but most are as zippy and fleet as the book's heroes. The digitally rendered art has an eye-pleasing cut-paper look.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Illustrated by Susan Eaddy. "Little fish, brave in the sea, / swish your tail, swim home to me." In this fanciful flight of sensory overload, fish, anemones, and various sea creatures cavort across the pages. The simple rhyming text seems beside the point: the words are hardly noticeable, as they're surrounded by meticulously crafted (if jarringly bright) sculpted-clay illustrations.

Reviewer: Elizabeth Shaver

(3) PS Illustrated by Megan Halsey & Sean Addy. Appealingly retro collage illustrations highlight this simple rhyming exploration of different types of cars and what they do. The opening line--"Start the motor! Turn the key! Compact car or SUV"-- suggests the modern, while many of the images have a vintage look. The simple rhyme zips readers along, much like its subject matter.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) PS Illustrated by Taia Morley. The skipping rhythm of this lighthearted rhyme reflects the narrator's enthusiasm for a variety of springtime activities, from planting seeds to watching wildlife to going swimming. "I sing a cloud song. / I dance a leaf dance. / I lie on my tummy. / I talk to the ants." Large close-up watercolor and pencil illustrations invite readers to share the speaker's enjoyment.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) PS Illustrated by Pamela Paparone & Pamela Paparone. A romping text, accompanied by equally exuberant art, celebrates all things feline: "I like cats. / Thin cats, fat cats, / curl-up-in-my-hat cats. / White cats, black cats, / sneak-a-little-snack cats." The book can be enjoyed as a rollicking read-aloud, or readers can pause on each page to more closely examine the amusing details in the pictures.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Megan Halsey. The delightful, jaunty text about every truck imaginable ("Dump trucks. Tank trucks. Going-to-the-bank trucks. / Trucks with horses. Trucks with hens. Trucks with big pink pigs in pens") is complemented by collage illustrations that are filled with visual puns. This book is a great read-aloud for truck enthusiasts.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) PS Illustrated by Wendy Watson. "A brand-new year has just begun-- / Twelve big months of Rabbit fun...." With a poem for every month, Hubbell chronicles a year of Rabbit celebrations--the same ones that humans have, although the holidays aren't always named. The titular moon is featured in each lyrical poem. Watson's appealingly textured paintings feature black-outlined rabbits set against luminous, layered-color backdrops.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) PS Illustrated by Lisa Campbell Ernst. A mother and her daughter enjoy a cheerful day at the beach. The young girl meets a new friend, and together they build sandcastles, decorate themselves with shells and seaweed, and jump in the waves. The rhyming text and simple illustrations rendered in warm colors combine to convey a relaxed, lighthearted day at the seashore.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mary Newell DePalma. A collection of more than twenty-five poems tills the garden for much of its vivid imagery. In free verse as well as rhyming poems, the earth is as delicious as flourless brownie cake, a boy imagines dandelions as pirate's doubloons, hollyhocks sway like leggy ballerinas, and summer curls away like an apple peel. Attractive watercolors decorate every page.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jean Cassels. This collection of poems presents the reader with fresh observations of wildlife, from an appreciation of the rat in spite of its repugnant nature, to a recognition of the oneness of a starfish and human, to a haiku-like musing on day-old chicks. The poems, both free verse and rhyming, are accompanied by realistic watercolors in soft, muted earth tones.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) PS Illustrated by Melissa Sweet. "Hippo will bounce. / Elephant, too. / Oh, the whole zoo will bounce / when they see bouncing you!" A toddler joyfully romps through a visit to the zoo. Animated animals--a rotund hippo, frisky giraffes, a springy elephant--bounce around as energetically as the young girl. The lively illustrations in a warm, sunny palette are stronger than the amusing, if unexceptional, rhyming text.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty