(4) K-3 Illustrated by Kenny Scharf. "Drill three holes in head. / Remove head from your body. / It's time to go bowl!" Using the haiku form (lines of five, seven, and five syllables) these purposefully goofy poems concern topics such as nose-picking, man-eating doughnuts, and dressing as a tuba for Halloween. A few are incisive or amusing, but many strain at the limitations of the format. Scharf's highly stylized color illustrations are in keeping with the book's humor.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) 4-6 If you're fat and a vegetarian, and your name is Meatball, you get a lot of teasing. Luckily, once Meatball eats his namesake, he gains the magical power to turn into anything, and hence discovers and disarms a plot by school principals to rid the world of fun. Everything is over-the-top, so sit back and enjoy this outrageous, taut farce.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam