(2) 1-3 In nine brief day-in-the-life chapters, heavily illustrated and complete with time-stamps, Weinberg (himself a middle child) relates the challenges and rewards of the titular birth order position. From being unceremoniously woken up (big brother snores, little sister wails), to having a drawing ruined by spilled orange juice (general breakfast chaos), to being locked in ­Grandma's trunk (by big brother), to getting a time-out (for upsetting little sister), the morning is rough. Luckily, a library visit with Mom provides a reset for our protagonist, who takes control in the afternoon with imaginary play, Popsicles, and a solo art project. Weinberg's illustrations--"watercolor, pencil, art from a few centuries ago, digital media, and a whole lot more"--feature a happy, if harried, middle sib whose own exuberance and artistry come through in the present-tense, direct-address main text and on busy spreads with lots of kid-friendly details and easy-to-read speech bubbles. Although being "right in the middle" isn't always a walk in the park, "sometimes [it] is the best place to be," concludes our narrator, whose place in this boisterous, mischief-prone, and tight-knit family is comfortably assured.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(3) K-3 After beaver Fred builds his dream den, he thinks, "It's missing something." When a lumberjack girl with a power saw makes a den nearby, Fred realizes, "It's missing someone!" Unfortunately, his plan to secure the girl's friendship backfires extravagantly (he drops a tree on her den). This goofy tale's cartoon illustrations help make the point that brokering a friendship can be hard work.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Two snakes want to ride a roller coaster, but one isn't tall enough. The friends invent plans to outsmart the pig in charge of measuring the would-be riders. The combination of choppy text and frenetic illustrations can create confusion about what is actually happening, and the shifts in page orientation are jarring rather than dramatic. Still, the friends' ploys are appealingly goofy.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(4) PS When he finds an egg, young dinosaur Rex is exhilarated. His celebratory mood is threatened, however, by a volcano, an earthquake, and some predatory creatures. In a humorous twist, he's mistaken about the egg but is rewarded with a friend (or is it lunch?). The simple text is filled with onomatopoeia and action verbs. The energetic illustrations are sometimes difficult to read.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez