(3) K-3 Illustrated by Julian Hector. C.R. Mudgeon is a hedgehog of habit: everyday it's "celery root soup--no salt," "a cup of dandelion tea--no lemon," and "one small fig for dessert--but only on Tuesdays." New neighbor Miss Paprika teaches him how to shake things up, but in an interesting twist, C.R.'s old habits come in handy. Charcoal and watercolor illustrations depict the creature's curmudgeonly-turned-peppy personality.

Reviewer: Andrea Curtis

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Betsy Lewin. An elephant pastry chef bakes her birthday away. She wakes in the night to a smell as "sweet as crème brûlée" only to find that her mice friends have baked her a "jumbled-up surprise!" (recipe included). Pastel-hued daytime illustrations along with the blue-purple nighttime scenes complement the thoughtful story's smooth rhymes. Sprinklings of French words are unobtrusively defined on the pages.

Reviewer: Sophie Williamson

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jen Corace. Now that he has "grown-up fangs," vampire boy Gibbus is seeking "the perfect bite." He gets diverted by a neighborhood kid who holds the promise of something tastier than blood: friendship. The text strains for its puns; the nectarine/nectarian/necktarian distinction--vital to the story's premise--may be lost on readers. There are some droll moments, and the illustrations seem pointedly fright-free.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Carrie Gifford. Spider Barry B. Wary loves to eat bugs--"Crispy click beetles! Mayflies in June! / A firefly soufflé by the light of the moon!" When he falls for a butterfly, he reconsiders his eating habits--for a while, at least. This funny, morbid tale features tastefully tinted black-outlined illustrations recalling the somberly fastidious work of Edward Gorey.

Reviewer: Nell Beram