(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jenn Harney. With only one week before the king names a new knight, Sir Simpleton graciously agrees to teach young hopeful Sam everything he knows. But his words don't always match his actions--when Sir Simpleton advises Sam to defeat a dragon to prove his bravery, for example, Sir Simpleton's shown fighting a cow. This comedic interplay between the digital pictures and text bolsters an otherwise uneventful plot.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(2) PS Illustrated by John Rocco. A boy guides three robots through nighttime rituals, tucking everyone in. Then..."BEEP! BEEP!" The tired boy remedies the bots' woes ("I want more oil!"), then finally reaches his limit. The robots rouse the boy again to ask for a bedtime story, which puts "their boy to sleep" and allows them to race gleefully throughout the house. Mixed-media illustrations embellish the playful rhyming text.

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2015

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Danny Chatzikonstantinou. The narrator finds that the pros of having a ninja for a grandmother (she teaches his friends karate) are offset by the embarrassing cons (her flip deflates a soccer ball, which irks his teammates). Don't be fooled by this story's wit and terrific sight gags--there's also a tender message about accepting differences: "She can't help being a ninja, you know."

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Marc Brown. "Into the world / came ten tiny toes, / a hundred times sweeter / than one could suppose." A simple rhymed story celebrates the irresistibility of infants' toes. Patterned cut-paper, gouache, and colored-pencil illustrations warmly convey babies' development from infancy to first steps and beyond; the round faces of the babies reflect diverse families.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) PS Illustrated by Liza Woodruff. A father wonders, in rhyme, what his young son would like to kiss--a dog? pig? skunk? mop? This playful story offers many silly suggestions before the dad asks for a kiss himself as he tucks his son into bed. The cheery illustrations of a towheaded, overalls-clad tot show amusing surroundings for the various "kissable" objects.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley