(4) 4-6 Mexican American fourth grader Mateo's former friend is bullying him and new friend Ashwin; Mateo's assertive little sister annoys him; and he's just witnessed skunks stealing his old tricycle. Mateo launches a fight for the trike and discovers the talking skunks have bullies of their own. This slightly-too-weird mash-up of animal fantasy and contemporary realism limns worthy topics, including racial identity and sibling dynamics.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Laurie Allen Klein. This introduction to unlearned animal behaviors explains (somewhat simplistically) that baby animals "just know" how to find food, fly, and swim on their own. Tongue-in-cheek illustrations dramatize the textual comparisons between animal babies and their needier human counterparts ("No one reminds a caterpillar to eat her leaves"). End pages expand on the story with additional information and activities for concept reinforcement.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo