(4) K-3 StoryPlay Book series. Illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees. Four girls head to the store for the perfect party shoes (Shoe-la-la); amiable dinosaurs dance and stomp in a "dinosaur romp" while two worried-looking rodents watch (Dinosaurumpus!); two pigs squander their money on chips and "sody-pop" instead of solid building materials (Pigs). New to these editions are intrusive discussion prompts and appended "creative activities" to help parents "engage with your little one." Review covers these StoryPlay Book titles: Shoe-la-la!, Dinosaurumpus, and The Three Little Pigs and the Somewhat Bad Wolf.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(4) PS StoryPlay Book series. Illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees. Mother fox loves her cub even when he's angry or wild (Love); cartoon illustrations display a cat's dramatic imaginings when its book goes missing (Bear); a frog invites animals to dance with him in "the cool of the pool" (Down). New to these editions are intrusive discussion prompts and appended "creative activities" to help parents "engage with your little one." Review covers these StoryPlay Book titles: I Love You Because You're You, Maybe a Bear Ate It!, and Down by the Cool of the Pool.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(4) PS Illustrated by Alison Brown. Unable to find refuge in other animals' already-crowded homes, a lone little bear wandering in the cold wintery night finds comfort and companionship inside a cozy farmhouse. In the acrylic and colored-pencil illustrations, windy blues abruptly change to glowing firelight reds as a lonely little girl welcomes the bear into her home, reinforcing the singsongy rhyming text's emphasis on warmth, kindness, and friendship.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) PS Illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees. Told that she is too small to compete in the Jungle Run race, lion Cub proves that her diminutive stature is advantageous when she outmaneuvers the other animals through the course's obstacles. Generic but amiable cartoon illustrations and a sometimes stumbling meter don't add to the story, but the message that size is irrelevant to success will be empowering to preschoolers.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) K-3 Amazing Animals series. Illustrated by Ant Parker. Three animal friends in human garb wander through a forest and explore the undersea world to introduce young readers to various animals in those habitats. The bouncy rhymed texts and colorful cartoonlike illustrations, along with being entertaining, offer some surprisingly substantive facts about the creatures. An appended page in each volume identifies additional animals found in the art. Review covers these Amazing Animals titles: Fantastic Forest and Ocean Odyssey.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(3) K-3 Amazing Animals series. Illustrated by Ant Parker. Three animal friends in human garb wander through a forest and explore the undersea world to introduce young readers to various animals in those habitats. The bouncy rhymed texts and colorful cartoonlike illustrations, along with being entertaining, offer some surprisingly substantive facts about the creatures. An appended page in each volume identifies additional animals found in the art. Review covers these Amazing Animals titles: Fantastic Forest and Ocean Odyssey.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Peter Bailey. Twins Toby and Tess share their lunch with an old man named Teller; in return he spins them a story in rhyme. Over subsequent meetings, the bearded man (eventually revealed as Merlin) tells the children four more tales knit together by prose. Old-fashioned-looking silhouettes and black-and-white line drawings illustrate the well-designed volume.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Lynne Chapman. These eight short poems introduce seven dinosaurs and their similarities and differences. Although the meter and rhyme can be off and some endings don't pack the punch intended, the pieces are accessible and amusing. Bright cartoonlike illustrations make this a friendly, not frightening, world. Lift-the-flaps extend the action as well as the poems.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) PS Illustrated by Paul Howard. A cub asks questions, receiving gentle affirmations in reply: "'Why does the wind rush around in the air?' / 'To fill you with joy and to blow away care,' 'Why does the path make such wriggles and bends?' / 'To take us on journeys and lead us to friends.'" The dialogue, though sentimental, is reassuring, and double-page spreads displaying the day's outing are warm.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees. Farmer Joe--a hound in overalls--decides to lift everyone's spirits by playing a song on the guitar. Fox, Rabbit, and Bear all join in with their instruments, and soon the entire farm is moving to the music. The rhyming (sometimes forced and singsongy) text is well matched by the jolly, brightly colored illustrations.

Reviewer: Marika Jeffrey

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Lynne Chapman. Eight short poems point out the silliest and scariest features of prehistoric creatures. Although the meter and rhyme can be off and some endings don't pack the punch intended, the poems provide an accessible, amusing introduction to dinosaur similarities and differences. Bright illustrations make this a friendly, not frightening, world. Lift-the-flaps show that the pages can't contain the title behemoths.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) K-3 Amazing Animals series. Illustrated by Ant Parker. In bouncy rhymes, Mitton describes animals that live in the rainforest: "The tapir is a mammal. / It's hoofed and rather stout. / It sniffs for tasty plant life / with its clever, stretchy snout." Parker's vibrant cartoon illustrations show three animal friends, dressed in safari gear, exploring in the rainforest, along with the smiling creatures they encounter.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Layn Marlow. A mouse family prepares for Santa's arrival. From decorating the tree and making a snack to the anxious little ones' inability to sleep, the details lack originality. With a nod to Moore's classic Christmas poem, some of Mitton's rhymes are clever, others forced. Marlow's cheerful and varied illustrations play up the mouse-size perspective of events.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) PS Illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees. Singsongy, repetitive rhymed text introduces readers to the exploits of young penguins as they spend the day having fun. Things appear to take a dramatic turn when a lost seal pup appears, but everything turns out okay. Exuberant illustrations capture the penguins' playfulness. Though the penguins themselves are cartoony, background colors highlight the glorious iridescence of winter in the Antarctic.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees. When the animals on Noah's ark get fractious, Noah suggests a talent show. The frogs hop, the toucans peck, the elephants spray, but it's the caterpillars that dazzle the others by turning into butterflies. This very loose interpretation of the Bible story is marred by clunky, forced rhyme. The cartoon art is busy but energetic, featuring brightly colored backgrounds and varied perspectives.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) PS Illustrated by Ant Parker. Rhyming text (some verses a stretch) takes readers on an imaginary ocean dive. The book briefly describes different submarines and their operations and uses. Children will be drawn to the colorful, cartoonish illustrations; however, some of the vocabulary is too complicated for the intended audience and will require adult explanation. A diagram at the end points out and defines submarine parts.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) PS Illustrated by Ant Parker. "To keep it running smoothly, / your car needs time and care. / Check the oil and water. / Pump the tires with air." A pedestrian rhyming text and cartoony illustrations give basic information about driving and car care and then look at a few different kinds of cars that people drive. This is for hard-core preschool car fanatics.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) PS Illustrated by Paddy Mounter. "Three tiny pairs of dark glasses / (dropped). / Three little gray tails / (cropped)." Readers must guess which of twenty classic nursery rhymes (in this case, "Three Blind Mice") are introduced by Mitton's clever original riddles. Unfortunately, preschoolers may not be able to guess correctly, and kids old enough to do so probably no longer give a tuffet about nursery rhymes.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees. As a bell tolls midnight, a dog and a cat observe a procession of supernatural creatures. Couplet verses count backward as eleven witches, ten ghosts, and so on are introduced in busy, amusing illustrations. The ending is predictable (everyone has gathered for a Halloween party) in this not-too-scary book that will appeal to kids who like their wizards friendly and their spiders smiling.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Peter Bailey. As a group of animals journey to hear the greatest story ever told, they tell rhymed stories that include an Anansi tale and a version of Rip Van Winkle. When they reach their destination, the book ends, and we hear only the first line of the Tale of Tales: "Once upon a time...." Illustrations add humor and energy to a book perfect for sharing.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute