(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Kevin Cornell. With a baby on the way, Lulu's parents send her to Camp Sisterhood to be a SIT (sister in training). Lulu is disrespected and outsmarted by her assigned "sibling"; she gets a new assignment, who adores her in spite of her attitude. Humorous situations and exaggerated characterizations, enlivened by expressive spot art, bring Camp Sisterhood to life while a brazenly intrusive narrator keeps everyone in check.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2018

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Lee White. Viorst's collection of over fifty poems expresses wry humor about and sharp observation of the range of feelings children experience in their everyday lives. Subjects include school, friends, and family; the strongest poems go to the heart of feelings (such as the one about breaking up with a best friend). White's illustrations bring zany humor, and even sometimes add their own little twist.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2016

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Ray Cruz. This is an oversize board book edition of the classic story about a boy encountering injustice and just plain rotten luck all day long. As in a 2010 edition of the book, the pictures have been selectively colorized: on every page, reddish-haired Alexander is brightly clad while everything around him remains in original black and white. It doesn't ruin the story, nor does it add much.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Kevin Cornell. When her parents go on vacation without her, Lulu's efforts to oust her babysitter are vigorous. But she meets her match in Sonia Sofia Solinsky, who reveals she's a spy and spy trainer. Farce, slapstick, tall tale; punctuated with authorial asides and leavened with scads of white space and the many energetic sweeps of Cornell's comic illustrations--this book will tickle emerging readers.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2014

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Isidre Monés. After Alexander gets sick from too many doughnuts, he vows to become an exemplary child. His attempts produce unbeknownst-to-him humor ("I use my napkin to wipe my mouth, not blow my nose"), but even fans of Alexander (of terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-day fame) will find this story somewhat draggy. With his mostly black-and-white illustrations "in the style of Ray Cruz," Monés makes Alexander look like a believably imperfect kid.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Sophie Blackall. It's the day of the class talent show, and our little-boy protagonist is ready. He's last to go, though, and the nerves sneak up. He freezes, "...and two boys booed." Viorst uses repetition to create a cumulative pattern that she then breaks as the protagonist's confidence falters. Blackall's art masterfully captures the boy's ambivalence. Occasional lift-the-flaps pace the story and offer unexpected visual treats.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2014

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Lane Smith. Self-absorbed Lulu's (Lulu and the Brontosaurus) arguing skills have matured to wheedling. Still, Mom and Dad won't pay for something (that's not divulged until book's end), so Lulu earns money by dog-walking. This extended comic fable is rife with authorial intrusion and funny asides. Smith's pencil illustrations are in fine form, especially the caricatures of canines and their resembling owners.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2012

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Nola Langner Malone. Viorst is only too aware of the objections parents will raise to a young girl's request for earrings: "beautiful, glorious earrings for pierced ears." The redheaded protagonist stomps resolutely with her own arguments through the pages of this debate-disguised-as-picture-book. Viorst homes in on the issue with humor and insight, and Malone's comic figures are miniature character studies in themselves.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc. | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1990

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Lane Smith. Spoiled Lulu seeks a pet brontosaurus; she finds one who, to her shock, wants to make Lulu his pet. Fleeing the dinosaur, Lulu learns compassion and manners. The third-person narrator's voice is sassy, and multiple endings add goofiness to the already entertaining story. Smith's almost-pointillist black-and-white illustrations are vivacious and expressive, depicting as clearly as the text does Lulu's bratty-turned-polite personality.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2010

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Ray Cruz. This new edition of the classic story about a boy encountering injustice and just plain rotten luck all day long includes a preface by the author and the illustrator. In addition, the pictures have been selectively colorized: on every page, reddish-haired Alexander is brightly clad while everything around him remains in original black-and-white. It doesn't ruin the story, nor does it add much.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Ray Cruz. Unlike his brothers, Alexander never has any money in his pocket--only bus tokens. Yet he "used to be rich. Last Sunday"; that was when visiting grandparents brought a dollar for each of the boys. Viorst's tongue-in-cheek introduction to money and finance is illustrated with Cruz's black-and-white crosshatched drawings, which make the most of the humor. This paper-over-board edition is notable for its bargain price.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc. | Horn Book Magazine Issue: June, 1978

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Christine Davenier. While Mom is on the phone, Dad is e-mailing, and big sister's playing with her friend, a boy feels abandoned. No one seems to cares when he hides, makes a mess, and cuts a hole in his jeans. The liveliness of the text and playfulness of the illustrations bring the boy's feelings to the surface without being too much of a bummer.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser. Olivia, a tidy and precise girl, is saddled with the messiest sister imaginable and gives plenty of colorful examples. Glasser uses a combination of black and white and color to guide the reader's eye through the chaos to the focus of each scene. Olivia and her sister Sophie are endearing characters, but the list of messy tendencies never becomes a story.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth