(4) PS Illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees. Mucky Ducky loves mud; his mother is a neat freak. One day, just as she is about to stop Ducky from wallowing in the muddy millpond, she falls in--and has a blast. The writing is generically giddy, and the cartoony art is hectic, but kids will respond well to the notion of a longtime killjoy parent finally seeing the light.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church. A "very hungry little hen" eats and eats and grows and grows. A fox who has his eye on her convinces himself to be patient, because every day that he waits, the hen gets bigger and bigger. Large, bold illustrations outlined in black suit the simple tale; the artwork clearly shows the hen growing and the fox shrinking until both are about the same size, foreshadowing the comical surprise ending.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Holly Swain. While Tina and her pet alligator Alberto are dancing in the bathroom, Alberto slips on a bar of soap, falls in the toilet, and accidentally gets flushed into the sewer. He tries to return home, only to surface in a multitude of wrong toilets-causing a city-wide panic. Swain's visually chaotic, watercolor cartoon illustrations add humor to the somewhat unfocused text.

Reviewer: Mark Adam