(3) K-3 When Mom declares it's time to clean up her extremely cluttered bedroom, pack rat Bobbie decides she needs to create a "big-kid room." With Mom's help, she reduces, reuses, and repurposes her accumulated stuff, and decorates her room in a style all her own. Captured in detailed mixed-media illustrations, young collectors and DIYers will appreciate how Bobbie creatively transforms her "garbage."

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Cousin Joanie isn't thrilled about wearing eyeglasses, but Bobbie thinks they're glamorous with a capital G. Eager for her own pair, Bobbie pretends not to see well at school, but an optometrist confirms she has perfect vision. Bobbie's next plan involves a trade: her purse for Joanie's glasses. Mixed-media illustrations full of snazzy eyewear and fabulous fashion capture the girls' antics.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) K-3 Cowhand kitties Tex Mex Rex and Sugar Lee Snughead leave their respective ranches for the big city. Their efforts at stardom fail until the pair teams up. The rhymed text has flashes of excellence ("She packed up her suitcase and hung up her lasso / 'Here I come, Broadway! Farewell, El Paso'"), and the caricature art is full of humorous details.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) 1-3 Translated by John Barrett. Illustrated by Kathi Bhend. Henrietta, one of 3,333 chickens in a dirty chicken house, persists in the pursuit of her dreams (to sing, to swim, to fly) despite the discouragement of her peers, and in so doing leads them all to a more humane existence. Exquisite black-and-white illustrations with a contrasting gold border capture Henrietta's exuberant personality. This original parable will appeal to older children and adults.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(4) K-3 Pippin and Mabel series. Illustrated by Bernice Lum. After Pippin the dog befriends a lost kitten, she's dismayed when the kitten's owner comes to pick him up. For a week, Pippin remains so downhearted that her owner, Mabel, finally decides to adopt the kitten. The ending for this third book about Pippin and Mabel is a bit long, but the expressive cartoon-style art makes it easy to root for Pippin and her new friend.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Bernice Lum. While trying to bury her bone, Pippin the dog uncovers an entire mastodon skeleton, which the museum people are happy to acquire--but they take Pippin's bone too, by mistake. Though she's acclaimed for her find, Pippin is dejected until the museum finally returns her bone. Lum's simple cartoon-style drawings give Pippin an amusing personality, and the story's exaggerations will provide some smiles as well.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 Pippin and Mabel series. Illustrated by Bernice Lum. When Mabel sees her dog Pippin covered with mud, she wants to give her a bath, but Pippin loves mud and hates baths. It isn't until Pippin meets a skunk that she's willing to be bathed. The conflict between these two determined personalities will amuse readers, but the cheerful line drawings with flat colors sometimes seem crowded by the long text set in a simulated handwritten font.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley