(4) K-3 Illustrated by Sue Cornelison. Best friends Penelope (an extroverted hippo) and Tiny (a shy mouse) try to prepare a "best-friend act" for the school talent show but run into a dilemma: Tiny doesn't want to be in the spotlight, while Penelope wants nothing else. Despite some didacticism, the story's repetitive structure, clearly defined personalities, and over-the-top thought bubbles will engage readers learning how to compromise with and support friends.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Susan Gal. Bella resists replacing her favorite coat, but crafty DIY-er Grams helps the growing girl enjoy the season and accept changes, both in nature and her body. Gal's illustrations--full-spread autumn scenes with saturated golden colors--depict Bella's giddy outdoor play in her outgrown coat. Together with lively descriptions of Bella's activities, they create an appealing, if nostalgic, view of childhood.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Sue Cornelison. Despite mouse Tiny's advice about navigating the first day of school, hippo Penelope begins the day wearing her "sparkle rainbow outfit" rather than the plain attire that will help her "fit right in." The didactic narrative touches on first-day-of-school clothing, lunches, and show-and-tell while stressing the importance of being yourself. Digital illustrations humorously pit the theatrical hippo against her quiet-minded mouse friend.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Gideon Kendall. The kid from Dino Pets parades his various dinosaurs into school for pet day. The creatures--tallest, spikiest, widest--wreak havoc; only "the youngest dino" (i.e., an egg) is acceptable. The text's choppy meter may trip up readers, but the cheerful tone and riotous illustrations will entertain dinosaur fans.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Rebecca Harrison Reed. The cows set up shop in the barn and won't let the other animals in. They go over the cows' heads to the clueless farmer; eventually, the cows retreat to the house. Illustrations chronicle the antics with playfulness and humor. However, the text, with its hit-or-miss puns, is frustratingly hard to follow.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) K-3 Illustrated by John Aardema. The Blizzard Wizard has lost his snow spell. As winter progresses he tries other spells, with results that are just a little off. When the spell finally turns up, winter is long over, but a sunny day at the beach won't stop him from using it. Cartoon illustrations help fill in the blanks of the formulaic text. Blizzard facts are appended.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Thor Wickstrom. In this sixth story about Mrs. Shepherd's class, Juan Dore-Nomad, true to his goofy name, wanders off at every turn during a field trip to an organic farm. But his disappearances demonstrate how curiosity can aid learning, and they also provide opportunities for his classmates to solve math word problems. Plourde's humorous but dizzying dialogue is well matched by Wickstrom's energetic, amusing illustrations.

Reviewer: Sarah Novogrodsky

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Christopher Santoro. By snapping his suspenders, Grandpappy frees cows from mud, moves a sheriff's car from atop bales of hay, and rights a derailed train. When the suspenders lose their snap, Grandpappy saves Grandmammy from marauding crows with his supercharged underwear. The rhyming, alliterative text and retro mixed-media illustrations are lively, but both verge on overwhelming the simple nonsense tale.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Thor Wickstrom. In this fifth story about Mrs. Shepherd's class, Ima Kindanozee's incessant questions and klutzy accidents almost ruin the science fair. Mrs. Shepherd's patience with Ima's mishaps strains credibility, but the message that well-directed curiosity aids learning is a good one. Lively cartoon illustrations show wayward rockets, collapsing dinosaurs, and attentive students and teacher.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Mary Beth Owens. The "dump man" of Shiretown, Maine, creates a library and repairs and delivers books to the disenfranchised. When he doesn't show up for work, it's kids to the rescue. The local-flavor writing is forced, but the dump man's enthusiasm for books is infectious. Readers will get a kick out of recognizing the covers of classic kids' titles in the book-strewn panoramas.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David McPhail. This biography of the first woman to be elected to both houses of Congress, not to mention the first woman to run on a major-party presidential ticket, is unusually attentive. Included are idiosyncratic details (e.g., Margaret’s nickname for her grandfather), thematic bottom-of-the-page timelines ("The right to vote," "US Women in Congress"), and quiet, humanizing illustrations in pastel hues. Websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mitch Vane. Despite Velcro, yarn, and duct tape, Molly always loses her mittens. Soon the school's lost-and-found box becomes a threatening heap. Anyone familiar with the frustrations of lost mittens will appreciate the text's humorous refrain ("Mittens, mittens. My, oh, my! / A mountain of mittens, piled up high") and the watercolor and ink illustrations showing a classroom's chaotic mess of winter apparel.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Gideon Kendall. A child choosing a pet dinosaur finds that the largest, fastest, and scariest dinosaurs all prove unsuitable in one way or another. However, by the end, the dino pets have all come home to roost. Though the rhythm falters, the rhyming text is cheery. Kendall's illustrations of cuddly dinosaurs also keep things light. Facts about real dinosaurs are appended.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Thor Wickstrom. Dewey Booker is the biggest bookworm in school. Having saved all of his money for the book fair, he's devastated to find out that his class is going last. What if nothing is left? All day long, Dewey tries to make his way into the fair early--with no success. Humorous illustrations add to the energetic tone.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) K-3 Illustrated by John Schoenherr. Brother, then Sister, Mama, and Papa climb out of their Model T to clear the "rud," as they say in rural Maine, first of pigs, then of hens, sheep, and bulls. Finally, Grandma shoos them all with just the right phrase. The rollicking rhyming text and bustling watercolors make for an uproarious reading experience.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Thor Wickstrom. On Pajama Day everyone arrives in PJs--everyone except Drew A. Blank, who always forgets things. Not wanting to be "the odd man out," he rummages and stirs and clips until he ingeniously improvises all the things he has forgotten, including his snack and pillow. Once again Mrs. Shepherd's class provides a welcome comical look (assisted by Wickstrom's cartoony illustrations) at our foibles.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) PS Illustrated by Amy Wummer. A little boy helps his father with a day's chores that include taking out the garbage, putting together a tricycle, and pushing the shopping cart, but the boy doesn't seem to notice that even his best efforts lead to small disasters. The predictable, gently humorous story is illustrated with lighthearted exaggerated paintings, but both art and story lack originality.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) PS Illustrated by Greg Couch. Summer, pictured in the illustrations as a little girl, is so happy that her time has come that she plays instead of monitoring the change of seasons. Mother Earth and Father Time chide her, but she is having too much fun to be responsible. The earth suffers from her neglect until a remorseful Summer returns to her work. The rhyme of the text is forced, but the imaginative acrylic and colored-pencil illustrations are worthy of notice.

Reviewer: Kayla Cottingham

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Thor Wickstrom. Everyone brings apples to show their appreciation for their teacher, but Maybella Jean Wishywashy comes to class with a cart full of different foods because she can't decide among them. The wishy-washiness continues until a TV crew asks what the kids appreciate about their teacher; only Maybella has an answer: "everything!" The cartoony yet personality-infused images are a good fit with the lively, big-hearted tale.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jim Sollers. In this original fable, the mountains and the sea of Maine engage in a geographic beauty contest when an eagle tells each of the other's boasts. Predictably, it is not until the wrath of the mountains and the fury of the sea are unleashed that a peaceful landscape can exist. Sollers's paintings make the geographic features believable characters.

Reviewer: Hilary Breed Van Dusen