(3) K-3 Illustrated by Michael Robertson. Edgar attempts increasingly absurd tactics (popping balloons, a marching band) to wake his heavy-sleeper elephant friend. What finally does the trick? Whispering "Happy birth..." makes Elephant leap out of bed, and they celebrate together with balloons, a marching band, etc. The richly colored illustrations provide a child's birthday fantasy, and the text's onomatopoeia is playfully integrated into the design.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Cale Atkinson. A narrator begins the traditional story of a young girl in a red-hooded cape--but a sheep named Arnold interrupts, begging to be in the story. Wise-cracking Arnold co-opts the story, changing the setting, pulling friends in, and totally taking over. In a funny book's-end twist, the narrator begs to be in Arnold's story. Digital illustrations in hot colors emphasize the madcap meta goings-on.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Claire Fletcher. Josette Bobette realizes that her great room, filled with family portraits, is missing a portrait of Pepette, her rabbit. Josette and Pepette go to Montmartre, where familiar-looking artists (Picasso, Chagall, Dalí, and Matisse per the author's note) try their hand at painting Pepette. The charming story slyly incorporates information about the modern-art scene of 1920s Paris; watercolor illustrations depict a vibrant, bustling city.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alison Jay. It's morning in Vienna when Oskar begins seeking the perfect birthday gift for Mama. And there it is: a yellow rose. But Oskar trades the gift for another, then another, and on. Eventually, through an act of kindness, he's empty-handed...until the act is repaid. Lodding's full-circle story is as charming as the quaint, cobblestone-street setting, pictured brilliantly in Jay's glowing crackle-varnish paintings.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Suzanne Beaky. One day overscheduled Ernestine bails on her lessons to do something outrageous: play. The book has a capital M message but also lots of heart. Plus, there's amusement in Lodding's text (e.g., a yodeling teacher named "Little Old Lady Hoo") and in Beaky's acrylics (e.g., Ernestine's fully clothed mother holds up a sign underwater asking Ernestine's swimming instructor where her daughter is).

Reviewer: Nell Beram