(4) K-3 Illustrated by Macky Pamintuan. The young owner of Dino Wash Deluxe knows "you gotta know the customers!" Every dinosaur is different, every cleaning job unique. With this in mind, the boy uses goggles to put mean T. rex, worried about getting soap in his eyes, at ease. Though generic, illustrations of unthreatening dinosaurs and the accompanying requisite dinosaur facts will appeal to reluctant bathers and dinosaur fans alike.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mike Reed. With its cheerful, rhythmic cadence, Myers's rhyming text begs to be read aloud: "We're after a cat, / a soft-stepping cat, / I'm walking with Dad and we're after a cat." Reed's gentle illustrations reveal a young girl who relishes the hunt--and her run-ins with other felines--as much as her reunion with the ever-wayward Luna.

Reviewer: Bethany Templeton Klem

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Ariel Ya-Wen Pang. A young fox uses his wits to stop both a hunter and the fox clan leader using his venerable age to demand obedience to his--questionable--wisdom. The story is an adaptation of a kyogen (traditional Japanese humorous play), and the telling is stilted. Amusing mixed-media paintings show a round, not-very-threatening-looking hunter and humorously expressive fox faces. An author's note is included.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Oki S. Han. This companion to Basho and the Fox is another clever tale about the famous Japanese poet and a fox. Ashamed after tricking the penniless but generous poet, a fox redeems himself with another trick, this time an honorable one. Han's watercolors elegantly convey both the action and the seventeenth-century Japanese setting. An author's note provides background on Basho.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Oki S. Han. In this fictional tale about the seventeenth-century Japanese poet, Basho naively believes a fox who informs him that foxes are better poets than humans. Myers's gently humorous story uses familiar folktale and fable elements to good effect, while Han's watercolor paintings contain scenes reminiscent of the simple, spare appearance of haiku.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2000