(4) K-3 Step into Reading series. Illustrated by Alessia Girasole. To get rid of the smelly giant who lives on the hill and floods their valley each week with dirty wash water, siblings Pepper and Jake must solve a riddle: what's "one thing and also three things?" (The answer? Water.) Girasole's cartoons modernize the story's classic fairy tale structure. It's a predictable but decent addition to a new reader's collection.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jerry Smath. Grandma Lola, a shrew, recounts a childhood story of when cousin Lester came to visit--and when Lola's terrible temper met her match. Lola and Lester duel it out in the tantrum department, which leaves them hungry and exhausted; their incessant sparring may wear out readers, too. Watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations effectively reflect the volume of the cousins' verbal brawls.

Reviewer: Sophie Williamson

(3) K-3 Step into Reading series. Illustrated by Marsha Winborn. In between outings with his best friend Bess (a meticulous cat, mother of three kittens), Porky (a messy, disorganized, bachelor pig) is trying to write a special poem for Poem-Reading Day. By book’s end, Porky has found the perfect words to celebrate their friendship. Gently humorous and expressive pictures illustrate this odd-couple pair.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read series. Illustrated by Brian Lies. Lucky Duck narrowly escapes falling down a manhole, being hit by a pie, eating a fly, and other assorted catastrophes. Slapstick humor and Duck's sheer dumb luck in averting disaster will delight new readers, who can turn to the action-packed illustrations for assistance decoding appropriately repetitive words and phrases in the rhyming text.

Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin

(4) K-3 Ready-to-Read series. Illustrated by Sam Williams. In Bed, the twins describe their nighttime wind-down; Fight finds the preschoolers squabbling about a blue balloon. The books' rhymes couldn't be simpler ("Mine is blue. / The green is for you. / The blue one is mine! / Do not whine"); they also tend to be stale. Appealing loose illustrations set the twins against stark white backdrops. Review covers these Ready-to-Read titles: Twins Go to Bed and Twins Have a Fight.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Ready-to-Read series. Illustrated by Sam Williams. In Bed, the twins describe their nighttime wind-down; Fight finds the preschoolers squabbling about a blue balloon. The books' rhymes couldn't be simpler ("Mine is blue. / The green is for you. / The blue one is mine! / Do not whine"); they also tend to be stale. Appealing loose illustrations set the twins against stark white backdrops. Review covers these Ready-to-Read titles: Twins Go to Bed and Twins Have a Fight.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read series. Illustrated by Sam Williams & Sam Williams. Rhyming text in these very basic easy readers (for those just learning to recognize words) presents toddler twins as they take a bath and visit a park. The clear illustrations of the appealing twins and the simple text ("Yellow boat. / Watch it float") will attract young beginning readers, whose efforts will be aided by the large typeface and clean design. [Review covers these Ready-to-Read titles: Twins in the Park and Twins Take a Bath.]

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read series. Illustrated by Sam Williams & Sam Williams. Rhyming text in these very basic easy readers (for those just learning to recognize words) presents toddler twins as they take a bath and visit a park. The clear illustrations of the appealing twins and the simple text ("Yellow boat. / Watch it float") will attract young beginning readers, whose efforts will be aided by the large typeface and clean design. [Review covers these Ready-to-Read titles: Twins in the Park and Twins Take a Bath.]

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(4) 1-3 Hitty's Travels series. Illustrated by Betina Ogden. Based on the doll character from the 1930 Newbery Award-winning novel by Rachel Field, this chapter book, in which Hitty visits Italy with her spoiled young owner before returning to America with an immigrating Italian girl, retains the original's tone. Although the language may challenge less sophisticated younger readers, many will find this book an interesting, informative look at American immigration in 1908.

Reviewer: Juliet S. King

(4) 1-3 Hitty's Travels series. Illustrated by Betina Ogden. Based on the doll character from the 1930 Newbery Award-winning novel by Rachel Field, this chapter book, in which Hitty finds herself in the midst of the suffragist movement, retains the tone of the original. Though the premise is a bit too purposeful and the language may prove challenging to less sophisticated younger readers, many will find the book an interesting and informative look at historical events. 

Reviewer: Juliet S. King

(4) K-3 Bank Street Ready-to-Read series. Illustrated by Rebecca McKillip Thornburgh. Anna's first day of camp goes better than she anticipates, thanks, she thinks, to her lucky penny. She makes a new friend, enjoys camp activities, and looks forward to the next day. When she finds her penny at home, she realizes she "had lots of good luck without it." Large print and cartoony illustrations make this appealing to beginning readers, despite the institutional-looking cover.

Reviewer: Amanda Sullivan