(2) PS Illustrated by Julie Rowan-Zoch. Louis, a gruff-and-grouchy stuffed bear, recounts the indignities he suffers as the beloved toy of a little-kid owner: "I've been a pillow, a hankie..." Sometimes the behaviors are imaginary-play-related (being fed to a dinosaur, forced tea-party attendance), sometimes they correlate to the real world ("I've been x-rayed [at the airport]...milk-sprayed [at the breakfast table]"). When he's "mislaid" on the school bus, it's the last straw. "I can bear it no longer. The next time this kid squeezes me, I'm outta here." Rowan-Zoch's warmhearted, kid-centric digital illustrations do much to convey the story's mood, including Louis's bad one. Through body language and facial expression, along with curved lines and gentle hues, it's clear that the child owner is acting out of pure, unadulterated love for a favorite stuffie; but then we're not the ones being manhandled (bear-handled?) by an overeager tot. Nevertheless, Louis's resolve softens the more he contemplates striking out alone and as he realizes how good he's got it. "A bear could do worse," he concludes, while on the last page being snuggled up in bed. Cupcakes, compliments, and cuddles are the way to a grumpy bear's heart.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(3) K-3 While Cloudette doesn't mind being small, she aspires to do something big-cloud important, like make a garden grow or a waterfall flow. When she comes across a desperate frog in a dried-out pond, she finally finds her inspiration--and lets loose. Invitingly unfussy mixed-media illustrations, heavy on the sky-blue, and thoughtful book design, including entertaining cloud-peanut-gallery comments, give flavor to Cloudette's journey.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. When E tumbles down the stairs, O is elected to fill in while his fellow vowel recuperates. What follows is mass confusion ("That's it, PORIOD"; "I'm OXCITOD!!") The joke is one note, but plenty of visual humor in the lively cartoon illustrations carry the story along until E goes home at "thE End."

Reviewer: Bethany Templeton Klem

(3) K-3 After her beret blows away, Bridget develops "artist's block." It's alleviated when her sister convinces her to paint some lemonade-stand signs, which cumulatively become an outdoor art show. This absorbing story features lots of texture, including dialogue bubbles, tips for artists, and, within the cartoony illustrations, parodies: Bridget's sign for "Swirly Lemonade" is a riff on van Gogh's Starry Night.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 This humorous look at cars covers the imagined invention and history of the motor vehicle, as well as different models, such as a mini-van with "room for 37 kids." The rest of the book offers advice, including surviving family road trips and instructions on how to draw your own goofy car. The cartoony art matches the droll tone of the text.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(3) K-3 A series of questions presents a number of reasons why a child might be grumpy: "Did somebody leave the toilet seat up and you didn't notice?... Did your gravy touch your peas?" The real humor in this simple concept book can be found in Lichtenheld's bold, busy cartoon illustrations, which include appealing cures for grumpiness on the end pages.

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(3) 1-3 This freewheeling guide describes monsters of every ilk--some well-known (Bigfoot, space aliens) but most (including the "Big Butted Bug Eyed Terrible Tongue Twister") created by the author. The humorous text matter-of-factly describes where these creatures live, what they eat, and how they think. The busy, borderline-gross, shiver-and-laugh-eliciting color images add to the book's irreverent spirit.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) K-3 Readers will enjoy learning about these pirate "facts"--such wisecracking nonsense as "the Pirate Sneer," the true origin of the Jolly Roger, and how to walk the walk and talk the talk of a genuine buccaneer. This fresh, funny, and irreverent book, along with its bold, colorful illustrations, is sure to please pirate fans young and old.

Reviewer: Mark Adam