(1) PS Illustrated by Diana Sudyka. "There are a lot of ways to find a bird." The two children in this enticing and beautiful picture book demonstrate how. After doing their best to blend in to the landscape, move slowly, and stay quiet, the boy and girl look up into the sky (to spot hawks and starlings and geese), down at the ground (robins and burrowing owls), down at the water (spoonbills and sandpipers), and straight ahead at tree trunks (whippoorwills and brown creepers). Backyard bird feeders mean that birds will come to you, in which case "all you need is a window to find a bird." The book ends with the advice that the best way to find a bird is to close your eyes and listen: and a glorious double-page spread follows showing a riot of color and bird species and birdcalls. The text pulls readers in with its welcoming and encouraging tone--as well as occasional humor. Rendered in watercolor gouache and finished digitally, the art manages to be both informative and gorgeous. There's a lot of variation in the page-turns: a motion-filled spread of birds in flight is followed by a still one showing a host of starlings (and a hawk!) at rest on telephone wires; white space is used effectively as well. The book concludes with a spread of "tools and tips" for becoming a bird watcher and even a citizen scientist.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2020

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Steve Jenkins. Ward primarily focuses on mother animals digging holes to protect young, but she also offers other reasons for digging (e.g., squirrel to bury nuts, frog to hibernate). A purposeful rhyming text indicates why or where an animal digs, while a brief paragraph on each spread goes into more detail about each creature. Jenkins adds appeal with his trademark collage illustrations.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) PS Illustrated by Susie Ghahremani. "Shiny, brown. Bumpy crown. What will grow? / Oak tree." Simple but pleasant rhymes give clues to the identity of seeds shown on the left-hand pages, while the right-hand pages (including four gatefolds) reveal the full-grown plant. Earth-toned gouache illustrations highlight nature's curves and patterns. Back matter on planting the featured seeds rounds out this nature-themed preschool read-aloud.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jing Jing Tsong. Rhyming text describes animals' coverings--rendered in large, bright illustrations--concluding with the only animal that wears clothes: "you!" Suggesting animals "wear" their coverings anthropomorphizes them, and some of the coloring seems confusing. Nevertheless, the catchy rhymes and bold close-ups will appeal to young readers. Includes five pages of additional information about the animals.

Reviewer: Janet Dawson

(2) PS Illustrated by Steve Gray. "There was an old mummy... / who swallowed a spider." Anyone familiar with the original folksong can guess what happens next in this twisted twist: the mummy's belly (or what used to be his belly) is soon full of things that go bump in the night. Glowing with Halloween anticipation, cartoonish digital illustrations use lots of wide, fearful eyes and luminous backgrounds.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2015

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Steve Jenkins. Each spread of this informative book features rhyming verse and precise collage art to highlight differences in the types of nests that birds build, whether by use of varying materials (e.g., spiderwebs or stones) or by choice of location (in a tree hole or on a rocky cliff edge). Additional facts appear in a smaller font on each spread. Websites.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(4) PS Illustrated by Susie Ghahremani. A question/answer format prompts readers to identify seven oviparous animals. Die-cut holes add tactile interest, but the rather vague ponderings ("In a pile. / What will hatch?") don't automatically signal correct answers ("Toothy smile-- / Crocodile"). Back matter provides information about each animal (and the non-included goldfinch from the cover) as well as a diagram of a chicken egg maturing.

Reviewer: Betty Carter

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Steve Gray. This revamped rhyme urges readers to watch a pirate's belly grow as he swallows increasingly outlandish nautical objects, including a sail and a mast; swallowing his ship finally does him in. Opportunities for reader predictions make this a good read-aloud. The slick illustrations lack warmth and the characters are unattractively goggle-eyed, but Gray uses perspective in surprising ways.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) PS Illustrated by Lee Calderon. The titular "odd princess" goes on a royal eating spree, swallowing everything she comes across, from a pea, to a crown, a queen, and an entire castle. Peppy rhyming couplets introduce the princess's newest snack before the cumulative list is rehashed, concluding each time with, "Then burped with glee." Bright cartoonlike digital art tracks the silliness until the fitting happily-ever-after resolution.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Steve Gray. Set in a rainforest, this revision of the familiar folk song features a monkey who swallows a succession of animals with the refrain: "I don't know why he swallowed the frog. What a hog!" The nonsense generally works, despite more than a few compromises. Exaggerated computer-generated cartoons mirror the overblown text.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Lisa Falkenstern. "These are my branches, leafy and high, / a sidewalk for squirrels that soar through the sky." From its roots to its uppermost boughs, an oak tree describes its different parts and tells of the many animals (ants, chipmunks, a woodpecker, children) that benefit from them. Here and there, a couplet's rhythm is bumpy, but the crisp, almost hyper-realistic illustrations are nicely detailed.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(4) PS Illustrated by Sylvia Long. Mama desert animals tell their babies how they'll be taken care of: "I'll trot with care to keep you near, / grunt words of comfort in your ear." At the beginning and the end, a human mother also shares her love. Although the book's theme is overused, realistic renderings of the animals make it a good choice for nature lovers.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Steve Gray. Forget the old lady and the fly: in this Southwestern-flavored retelling, a coyote swallows all the weird stuff, and the book's droll rhymes ("it tasted like steak, that rattling snake"; "it takes lots of practice to swallow a cactus!") end with the regionally resonant "Yippee-o-ki-yee!" Although the art is cartoon slick, that dimwitted coyote somehow engenders sympathy.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Sharing Nature with Children series. Illustrated by Jamichael Henterly. In this flip-over book, animals are shown during day, or--flip the book--nighttime activities. Each page features a number from one to ten, with that many animals on the page (e.g., for daytime number two, two porcupines sleep in a tree that two bear cubs climb). Minimal singsongy rhyming text accompanies the realistically portrayed creatures.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mike K. Rangner. In this entertaining introduction to the flora and fauna of the desert, based on the cumulative structure of "The House That Jack Built," a pack rat accompanied by a host of other desert creatures disperses saguaro cactus seeds. Bright illustrations convey the vibrant heat and striking colors of the desert. A list of facts and an overview of saguaro cactuses accompany the text.

Reviewer: Jim St. Claire

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Kenneth J. Spengler. Based on the song "Over in the Meadow," this takeoff follows the doings of various sea creatures and their offspring, from one manatee to ten octopuses. With one exception, the light verses move buoyantly along; the bold gouache illustrations show smiling marine animals. Musical score and descriptive endnotes about the animals and areas featured are appended.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(3) K-3 In this counting book written to the tune of "Over in the Meadow," mother coyotes, javelinas, and other fauna of the Southwestern desert tell their young to "howl," "snooze," "burrow," and so on. Though their composition is occasionally busy, the color-saturated gouache illustrations manage to make even rattlesnakes and Gila monsters look appealing. Glos.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.