(2) K-3 Christmas Eve is no night for slackers, and who's the laziest do-nothing in the workshop? Santa, here a callow youth. It's up to his dogged assistant Rodney to motivate young Santa to become the industrious legend he is today. Sitcom-savvy kids will enjoy Kelley's cheeky send-up of holiday sloth, expertly helped along by illustrations of Christmas in chaos.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2008

(4) K-3 Blabber Mouse returns, this time to put his blabbermouth to good use: he must give an oral book report. Funny thing is, he's petrified. There's too much text here for a story so familiar and predictable, but the book is redeemed by the way Blabber's friends save the day and by the droll art, which captures Blabber Mouse's incapacitating fear.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Smart about Art series. Presented as a fictional student report on an artist's life and work, each of these brief studies includes selected reproductions as well as "student"-drawn cartoons, family photos, and hand-written annotations. Although the goal here isn't research, these easy-to-read, lighthearted introductions may spark further study or serve as the blueprint for actual school projects. [Review covers these Smart about Art titles: Pablo Picasso and Mary Cassatt.]

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) K-3 Smart about Art series. Beginning and ending with notes from a fictional teacher, the artist studies in this series are presented as school reports written by "students." Each report incorporates biographical information, descriptions of favorite subjects, and artistic techniques with well-chosen art reproductions, cartoons, and comments from the student researcher. The tone is lively and informal; the format works well as a model for class projects. [Review covers these Smart about Art titles: Edgar Degas, Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet.]

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) K-3 Blabber Mouse is a gossip and a secret-teller, but luckily he has a teacher and a class full of student mice that are willing to go the extra mile to help him solve his problem. With its vibrant watercolors detailing all the doings of the class and lots of little jokes embedded in the illustrations and the text, this book will have kids chuckling in recognition.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt