(4) K-3 Illustrated by Anna Chernyshova. Anna, nursing a loose tooth, becomes convinced that her baby sister is training to be a tooth fairy: her (tired) mom says that Sophie was "up all night"; her father asks Sophie, "Did you get any teeth yet?"; etc. The misunderstanding plays like the adult contrivance it is, but there's enough visual pizzazz in the digital illustrations to hook the Fancy Nancy crowd.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand. Clueless Bear (from Sleep, Big Bear, Sleep! and Sneeze, Big Bear, Sneeze!) returns for another rhyming story, this one about sharing. Big Bear misunderstands an old oak tree's admonitions to share and thus keeps his berries to himself until he (rather abruptly) gets the memo: "Well...you could have told me before!" Hillenbrand's expressive and appealing illustrations give the book its charm.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) PS Illustrated by Elisabeth Schlossberg. After trying several stalling tactics (which young readers will no doubt recognize) to avoid going to bed, Maddie finds her stuffed animals repeating her behaviors and addresses them in turn until all are finally ready to sleep. Wright's simple text does little more than catalog Maddie's actions, but the symmetry is effective, and Schlossberg's soft pastel illustrations add humor and comfort.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Paul Rátz de Tagyos. Mischievous Sheep can't resist a good prank on April Fool's Day, and the farmyard is in chaos--he sets Rooster's clock for the wrong time and frosts an empty box so Pig will think it's a cake. But he gets his comeuppance when Horse shears him to look like a poodle. Jolly illustrations aptly reflect the bouncy rhyming text's simple humor.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(3) PS Illustrated by Violet Kim. A little monkey repeatedly affirms that today--April 22--is his birthday. The other jungle animals, knowing it to be Earth Day, don't believe him, instead relating, in jaunty rhyme, the special things to do for the planet. The misunderstanding is almost beside the point in this entertaining tale with lively mixed-media art, useful for Earth Day celebrations.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) PS Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand. One blustery fall day, Big Bear (Sleep, Big Bear, Sleep!) thinks his sneezes are causing seasonal changes (e.g., leaves falling from the trees, geese flying away). It's really the wind, who doesn't hesitate to set Big Bear straight: "I DO IT ALL--I'M THE AUTUMN BREEZE!" The clueless bear's misunderstandings are endearing, and Hillenbrand's autumnal mixed-media illustrations are reliably eye-pleasing.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Stephen Gilpin. Sneezy the Snowman is always cold. Each attempt to warm himself--with cocoa, a hot tub, a campfire--brings the expected result, leading three helpful children to re-form their friend. Wright's repetitive rhyme features a somewhat irritating refrain ("Make me brand new!"). Gilpin's crisp, digitally colored cartoon illustrations reveal the friends' inventive solution for the perfect temperature balance.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(2) PS Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand. Big Bear is ready to call it a summer, but he's a bit hard of hearing. Each time Old Man Winter reiterates his titular command, the sleepy creature mishears. Wright's verse has a chuckle-worthy lilt. Hillenbrand picks up on the tall-tale humor in ample double-page spreads; he also makes the expansive wilderness, with its deepening winter tones, quite lovely.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2010