(2) PS Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. Rosen and Oxenbury, of We're Going on a Bear Hunt (rev. 11/89) fame, bring us a new cumulative tale of miscommunication and unintended animal high jinks. It's market day, so our child protagonist sets out to the shop to buy a carrot. The grocer packages up a parrot instead. Unwrapping the parcel at home, our confused shopper asks, "Oh dear, look what I got! Do I want that? No, I do not!" The child sets out again, this time in search of a new hat. The milliner presents...a cat. With the rhyme scheme in place, the predictions get easier and sillier as the child purchases more and more items, and readers will enjoy watching the growing collection of animals warily eyeing their new housemate (and vice versa). Finally, the potter delivers a wriggly pup (instead of a cup), which sets off a chain reaction of creature chaos in the living room. The doorbell rings, all the shopkeepers line up to present the originally requested items, and a multigenerational, interspecies dance party breaks out. Do we want that? Yes, we do! Oxenbury's trademark expressive pencil and watercolor illustrations expertly accompany Rosen's rhymes, conveying characters' reactions to the silly situations they find themselves in and adding much detail and humor. A shoo-in for storytime fun.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2025

(2) PS Illustrated by Robert Starling. Some stories encourage quiet listening, but books can also call for moving around and being silly. This latest I Am installment (I Am Happy; I Am Hungry) centers on a wide-eyed pink bunny with a lot of pent-up energy to release. "I am wriggly. REALLY wriggly. Wriggly, wriggly, wriggly." Spot art shows this energy building as the narrator begins to shimmy, tap its feet, and then start hopping. The activity ramps up from there. The creature wriggles its body and then starts adding toys, utensils, and furniture into the game. By the end, the combination of narrative action and increasingly colorful and lively mixed-media illustrations shows this bunny working itself into a frenzy of wriggles: "I can't stop wriggling, I can't stop giggling." The situation finally peaks, and the rabbit suddenly recognizes that it can stop when it wants and take a little rest. An opening "Note to Grown-Ups" encourages using this story to initiate play and explore language with children as a means for self-expression. From start to finish, the snappy text and large, bold art effortlessly facilitate audience participation through prompts for physical activity and verbal engagement. A smart choice for a wriggly toddler storytime or for anytime when releasing some extra wriggles might lead to better self-awareness and an expanded way to appreciate books.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Michael J. Rosen. Sullivan, the first American woman to complete a spacewalk, and Rosen immerse readers in the experience of being a space shuttle astronaut, with particular focus on the intense preparation for those who exit the shuttle for an Extravehicular Activity (EVA). In an upbeat tone, Sullivan accompanies "you" through an entire multi-day shuttle flight, from liftoff through daily activities, including the EVA, and then the return to Earth. Sullivan relates her emotions as well as her training, sharing her excitement and awe at being in space while simultaneously capably executing her tasks. "Nothing could prepare you for that thrill of weightlessness--AM I RIGHT? It has to be the most GIDDY, UNBELIEVABLE EXPERIENCE EVER." Helpful diagrams and asides throughout detail equipment, including the complex spacesuits, used on shuttle flights, and the numerous photographs of NASA ground crew and astronauts, including Sullivan, show the people and technology that make EVA possible.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2023

(2) PS Illustrated by Polly Dunbar. This collection of poetry for the very young opens with a note to adults: children need to explore the sounds of language, and readers-aloud of these poems should feel free to "repeat things, or change things...or anything else." The playful poems that follow lend themselves to experimentation. Arranged in order of a child's day, Rosen's poems are full of sound effects and not-quite-nonsense words ("Here come my floppy shoes / flip flap flappety flap / Here come my clippy shoes / trip trap trappety trap"). In Dunbar's digitally finished ink and watercolor illustrations, assorted members of a preschool-aged friend-group march, dance, and spaghetti-slurp their way across the pages--often in vignettes, but even the full-bleed double-page spreads keep backgrounds spare enough to highlight the kids. Don't be surprised if these poems' easily memorized and malleable short lines ("Bibble, bobble, bubble / dibble dobble double... / You can't catch the bubble, / The bubble can't catch me") become household refrains.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Matt Tavares. Before the bifocals, the lighting rod, the ambassadorship, and all the rest of his many accomplishments, Ben Franklin knew precisely what he wanted to be when he grew up: a sailor. As a child, he spends his time reading and improving his swimming skills in the nearby Mill Pond and Charles River; Tavares's expansive illustrations show him testing his handmade paddles and even being pulled through the water by a wind-filled kite, like a human sailboat. Having lost one son to the sea, Ben's father emphatically refuses to entertain such a course for him and introduces him to a number of different trades. But each is too repetitive, and none appeals to Ben. Ben's face shines with joy when he is in the water but turns solemn while he's at work he considers boring. Finally having run out of his father's options, Ben signs on as a journeyman in his brother's print shop, where the work suits him because of its variety and allows him to blossom into his later roles. "Not one job was exactly like the one before, but he excelled at each career by applying the diverse knowledge he'd gained and the insightful curiosity that seemed insatiable." This historical-fiction picture book (Rosen was "inspired by Franklin's Memoirs" and "worked to open out Franklin's brief recollections in order to compose a realistic story you would enjoy") is appended with a historical note, author's and illustrator's notes concerning their processes, and a brief bibliography.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Jill Calder. This informative volume achieves exactly what its title purports to do and any library would do well to add it to their collection. Those teaching or studying poetry should also find it valuable, both for its insights regarding interpretation and creation and for its range of poetic examples by classic British and American poets. Loose black-and-white spot illustrations add kid-friendliness. Websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(3) K-3 A Dog's Life series. Each book in this series for dog owners focuses on a different aspect of dog/human interactions, training beginning readers in proper, humane pet ownership. Expressive canine portraits and simple, bright graphics complement the clear, direct instructions, and the straightforward texts provide meaningful, interesting content. Each volume concludes with a hands-on activity. Websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these A Dog's Life titles: Bonding with Your Dog, Handling Your Dog, Listening to Your Dog, Sensing Like Your Dog, Speaking to Your Dog, and Treating Your Dog

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(3) K-3 A Dog's Life series. Each book in this series for dog owners focuses on a different aspect of dog/human interactions, training beginning readers in proper, humane pet ownership. Expressive canine portraits and simple, bright graphics complement the clear, direct instructions, and the straightforward texts provide meaningful, interesting content. Each volume concludes with a hands-on activity. Websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these A Dog's Life titles: Bonding with Your Dog, Handling Your Dog, Listening to Your Dog, Sensing Like Your Dog, Speaking to Your Dog, and Treating Your Dog

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(3) K-3 A Dog's Life series. Each book in this series for dog owners focuses on a different aspect of dog/human interactions, training beginning readers in proper, humane pet ownership. Expressive canine portraits and simple, bright graphics complement the clear, direct instructions, and the straightforward texts provide meaningful, interesting content. Each volume concludes with a hands-on activity. Websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these A Dog's Life titles: Bonding with Your Dog, Handling Your Dog, Listening to Your Dog, Sensing Like Your Dog, Speaking to Your Dog, and Treating Your Dog

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(3) K-3 A Dog's Life series. Each book in this series for dog owners focuses on a different aspect of dog/human interactions, training beginning readers in proper, humane pet ownership. Expressive canine portraits and simple, bright graphics complement the clear, direct instructions, and the straightforward texts provide meaningful, interesting content. Each volume concludes with a hands-on activity. Websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these A Dog's Life titles: Bonding with Your Dog, Handling Your Dog, Listening to Your Dog, Sensing Like Your Dog, Speaking to Your Dog, and Treating Your Dog

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(3) K-3 A Dog's Life series. Each book in this series for dog owners focuses on a different aspect of dog/human interactions, training beginning readers in proper, humane pet ownership. Expressive canine portraits and simple, bright graphics complement the clear, direct instructions, and the straightforward texts provide meaningful, interesting content. Each volume concludes with a hands-on activity. Websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these A Dog's Life titles: Bonding with Your Dog, Handling Your Dog, Listening to Your Dog, Sensing Like Your Dog, Speaking to Your Dog, and Treating Your Dog

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(3) K-3 A Dog's Life series. Each book in this series for dog owners focuses on a different aspect of dog/human interactions, training beginning readers in proper, humane pet ownership. Expressive canine portraits and simple, bright graphics complement the clear, direct instructions, and the straightforward texts provide meaningful, interesting content. Each volume concludes with a hands-on activity. Websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these A Dog's Life titles: Bonding with Your Dog, Handling Your Dog, Listening to Your Dog, Sensing Like Your Dog, Speaking to Your Dog, and Treating Your Dog

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Tony Ross. Rosen employs a school production of A Christmas Carol as a device to suggest how a workaholic father withdrawn from his family may end up as lonely as Scrooge. The novel alternates young Harry's onstage experiences with scenes about his father's distance. The bad-dad story line seems aimed mostly at parents; however, Harry's sister Eva, who parallels Tiny Tim, is a gem. Christmas activities and songs are appended.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Stan Fellows. Spare and contemplative horse haiku are arranged into three sections: "In the Field," "At the Barn," and "Under Saddle." Each evocative poem captures a particular moment or impression: horses huddled against the snow, a tail twitching away a fly, a horse cantering prettily around a ring. Fellows's watercolor and pencil illustrations in earthy colors perfectly sketch the allure of horses. "A note on the haiku" is appended.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) 4-6 In profiles of two dozen species, Rosen emphasizes the importance of adaptation in terms of evolution and species survival. Clear prose explains the behaviors of each animal and the functions of its more unusual characteristics, including elaborate ears, noses, and jaws; sidebars provide additional facts and explanations. Multiple photographs of each species emphasize their features. Reading list, websites. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) 4-6 Reel Time series. While part of a series on fishing, this title concentrates on fish as an animal group. The volume discusses anatomical features and senses that help fish survive; food sources; and the types of freshwater fish most in demand by fishermen, including perch, trout, carp, and bass. Large color photos complement an informative, easy-to-read text. An activity explains how to clean caught fish. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(3) 4-6 Reel Time series. These books about fishing will guide readers on selecting the best equipment and bait, choosing the "perfect spot" and best time to fish, strategizing and reading signs (such as water flow and fish behavior), and what to do when catching a fish. Large color photos complement the informative, easy-to-read texts. An activity related to each title's topic is appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Reel Time titles: Fishing Gear, Gone Fishing, The Perfect Spot, Tackling the Box, and Take the Bait.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(3) 4-6 Reel Time series. These books about fishing will guide readers on selecting the best equipment and bait, choosing the "perfect spot" and best time to fish, strategizing and reading signs (such as water flow and fish behavior), and what to do when catching a fish. Large color photos complement the informative, easy-to-read texts. An activity related to each title's topic is appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Reel Time titles: Fishing Gear, Gone Fishing, The Perfect Spot, Tackling the Box, and Take the Bait.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(3) 4-6 Reel Time series. These books about fishing will guide readers on selecting the best equipment and bait, choosing the "perfect spot" and best time to fish, strategizing and reading signs (such as water flow and fish behavior), and what to do when catching a fish. Large color photos complement the informative, easy-to-read texts. An activity related to each title's topic is appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Reel Time titles: Fishing Gear, Gone Fishing, The Perfect Spot, Tackling the Box, and Take the Bait.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(3) 4-6 Reel Time series. These books about fishing will guide readers on selecting the best equipment and bait, choosing the "perfect spot" and best time to fish, strategizing and reading signs (such as water flow and fish behavior), and what to do when catching a fish. Large color photos complement the informative, easy-to-read texts. An activity related to each title's topic is appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Reel Time titles: Fishing Gear, Gone Fishing, The Perfect Spot, Tackling the Box, and Take the Bait.

Reviewer: Jack Forman