(3) K-3 Illustrated by Paul Meisel. "I'd rather take the garbage out, / Eat a soggy Brussels sprout, / Clean the litter box of poo, / Than do the homework I must do." In addition to homework, Shields's poems explore extracurricular activities, sleepovers, pets, musical instrument practice, and more after-school happenings. Different rhyme schemes for the poems add variety, and Meisel's comical illustrations match the poems' tone and bring them to life.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Lauren Tobia. Who can blame a baby for singing the blues? Representative lyrics from this soulfully silly book (with more parent- than kid appeal): "I'd like to eat some pizza, / Macaroni, or beef stew, / But I haven't got a single tooth, / So I can't even chew." Happily, the conclusion is pop-song upbeat. Tobia uses spare lines to capture the baby's emotions.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Paul Meisel. This collection of humorous poems all have some link to the bathroom, whether it's a toothbrush, a dripping sink, or an overflowing bowl. The book has its moments, but the rhyme and meter stumble ("Build some bubble snowmen, / Right on top of your abdomen"). Obvious illustrations and detailed text leave little to the imagination.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) PS Illustrated by Sophie Blackall. The five-little-monkeys rhyme finds new life in this Down Under offering. A hungry dingo eyes six woolly wombats. They disappear, one by one, until only two are left. Pairing their wombat wiles with innate digging abilities, the two hatch a rescue plan. Repeated refrains, amusing rhymes, and predictable plot are appealing. Jaunty watercolors, often including a partially hidden dingo, match the light tone. Glos.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2009

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Tony Ross. Shields's clever verse elaborates on the English language: "The Rules," "The Tools," and "School (and Beyond)," with poems ranging from "Verbless" to "Poetry Assignment #5: The Epic." Though the content is accurate, it amuses the initiated more than instructs the novice ("Adjectives can be short and fat"). Slapdash cartoons appropriately illustrate the poems, and related quotations top each page.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Paul Meisel & Paul Meisel. From the mores of the playground to the daily routine of the classroom, these funny, rhyming poems distill the essence of school life into comic verse. Science fair projects, detentions, giggle fits--all the ups and downs entailed in elementary education are here. Humorous illustrations underscore the poems' good-natured irreverence.

Reviewer: Jim St. Claire

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Richard Thompson. Clever and informative, this book's forty-one poems meet two demanding criteria: good science and good verse. Subjects--including earth and space sciences, life sciences, and chemistry--are treated accurately but lightheartedly ("Some genes are shy, they're called recessive, / While dominant genes are more aggressive"). Cartoon-style illustrations add humor, and mnemonic tips to the related science subject are atop most pages. Ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Scott Nash. The insects are abuzz over the Bugliest Bug Contest, and Damselfly Dilly is no exception. But she becomes suspicious of the judges--spiders, disguised as insects, who plan to eat the contestants and spectators. Though the resolution of this rhyming story is too fast and easy, the premise is fun. Nash's gouache and pencil cartoon illustrations are full of movement and add to the drama. A tear-out page of "collectible bug cards" is attached.

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Doreen Gay-Kassel. A raucous night ensues when all the food in the kitchen decides to bust out of the refrigerator, freezer, and cupboards and have a wild party. Apparently shaped from clay, the animate edibles cut loose amidst a swirl of mayhem-inducing bright colors and obvious but kid-pleasing wordplay, á la "The chowder clammed up, the bananas peeled out, the Hamburger Helper scurried about."

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(4) K-3 Illustrated by K. Dyble Thompson. Simple poems describe historical events from prehistory through the terrorist attacks of September 11. Some rhymed, some in free verse, the poems range from thoughtful to clever in tone. Some may not be understandable without previous knowledge of the events. Illustrated with editorial-style cartoons, the volume features a timeline that runs across the top of the pages. Ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) PS Animagicals series. Illustrated by Svjetlan Junakovic. Look at the rough-textured paintings and read the rhyming riddles to try to guess what's behind the flap--when the flap is opened, part of the painting will turn out to be an animal. Sports stretches the concept to have an elephant play hockey, etc.; Homes loosely equates homes and habitats. The riddles often read awkwardly and are hard to guess, but the books in this series are still entertaining. [Review covers these Animagicals titles: Homes, and Sports.]

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) PS Animagicals series. Illustrated by Svjetlan Junakovic. Look at the rough-textured paintings and read the rhyming riddles to try to guess what's behind the flap--when the flap is opened, part of the painting will turn out to be an animal. Sports stretches the concept to have an elephant play hockey, etc.; Homes loosely equates homes and habitats. The riddles often read awkwardly and are hard to guess, but the books in this series are still entertaining. [Review covers these Animagicals titles: Homes, and Sports.]

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) PS Animagicals series. Illustrated by Svjetlan Junakovic. In these guessing games, each double-page spread features a riddle and an image of either a musical instrument, fur or plumage patterns, or a vehicle. Lift the full-page flap, and an animal is incorporated into the picture. Vague hints in the rhyming verse challenge the reader to guess which animal hides under the flap. While the execution is uneven, the illustrations are lively and the verse tightly constructed.

Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin

(4) PS Animagicals series. Illustrated by Svjetlan Junakovic. In these guessing games, each double-page spread features a riddle and an image of either a musical instrument, fur or plumage patterns, or a vehicle. Lift the full-page flap, and an animal is incorporated into the picture. Vague hints in the rhyming verse challenge the reader to guess which animal hides under the flap. While the execution is uneven, the illustrations are lively and the verse tightly constructed.

Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin

(4) PS Animagicals series. Illustrated by Svjetlan Junakovic. In these guessing games, each double-page spread features a riddle and an image of either a musical instrument, fur or plumage patterns, or a vehicle. Lift the full-page flap, and an animal is incorporated into the picture. Vague hints in the rhyming verse challenge the reader to guess which animal hides under the flap. While the execution is uneven, the illustrations are lively and the verse tightly constructed.

Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin

(3) PS Illustrated by Svjetlan Junakovic. Each spread of this elongated color concept book features two appealing rough-textured oil illustrations: the first is of a colored object (pink bow; red mushroom); the second is the first illustration transformed by a foldout flap into an animal of that color (pink flamingo; red crab). The rhyming riddles give color clues and invite readers to guess the animal hidden behind the flap.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) PS Illustrated by Hiroe Nakata. "My favorite person in the world is coming for a visit. . . . We love hot chocolate, with as many marshmallows as we want!" Grandfather and grandson share the same likes (peanut butter) and dislikes (dress-up clothes). A pleasant surprise on the final page reveals that it's the grandfather who has been the book's enthusiastic narrator. The lighthearted artwork has a contemporary flair.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Scott Nash. A whimsical science-fiction story describes a Martian crew's search for alien life. After fruitless visits to seven planets, the Martians land on Orb Three and befriend the waddling, tuxedoed natives--known as penguins to us earthlings. Watercolor and pencil illustrations featuring friendly-looking Martians accompany the rhyming tale. Factual notes about each planet and the asteroid belt are included.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(4) PS Illustrated by True Kelley. These companion books convey the cycles of weeks and years by detailing daily and seasonal activities. While the rolling text and fluid watercolors attempt to evoke the cyclical nature of time, their cadence is often interrupted by forced, arbitrary rhymes.

Reviewer: Mary Burkey

(4) PS Illustrated by True Kelley. These companion books convey the cycles of weeks and years by detailing daily and seasonal activities. While the rolling text and fluid watercolors attempt to evoke the cyclical nature of time, their cadence is often interrupted by forced, arbitrary rhymes.

Reviewer: Mary Burkey