(4) K-3 Illustrated by Steven Kellogg. Clorinda the cow dreams of playing baseball for the Bosstown Red Hats, but a Bosstown scout taps Clorinda's protégé, Deke, instead. Thanks to a dust-stirring windstorm, Clorinda gets a chance to shine in the World Series. The story line is a bit convoluted, but once the rhyming text hits its stride readers will be swept up in the excitement. Kellogg's distinctive illustrations bat one thousand.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Drazen Kozjan. Kinerk covers all sorts of etiquette-related behavior (including adults forgetting to use the manners they demand of children) in poems that are varied and funny; along the way readers should also find themselves picking up a tip or two. Kozjan's digital illustrations look slightly retro and feature a multicultural cast of characters, each with spindly limbs and a highly expressive face.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2011

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jim LaMarche. A noise wakes Bear from hibernation. His investigative journey through the forest introduces the cub to new animal friends--and to the spirit of giving. Some subtle folktale elements add dimension to the plot, but the moralizing is distracting and the singsong rhyming couplets grow tiresome. Colored-pencil and acrylic wash paintings of the snowy woods depict a cozy wintry setting.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Steven Kellogg. Clorinda the Cow has the lofty, uncow-like ambition to fly. With the help of her friends Hop the Pig and Farmer Len, Clorinda constructs a flying machine that takes her on a rambling adventure. The text's message of perseverance is delivered in sprightly rhyme. Kellogg's down-homey mixed-media illustrations will delight his many fans.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Stephen Gammell. Timothy decides not to change his socks for a month. He sticks with his decision even though the stench attracts the attention of the police and his parents make him sleep outside. The subject has kid appeal, but the story is told in clunky rhyme. The illustrations are the high point, with splashes of bright green to show how the smell travels.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Steven Kellogg. A too-oft-repeated moral mars an otherwise amusing tale of Clorinda the cow, who leaves the farm for the big city to seek her fortune in the ballet. The story of her big break is told in sometimes singsong rhyme. Kellogg's characteristically humorous illustrations, particularly of the bovine ballerina's attempts to fit into the corps de ballet, are sure to please.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl