(2) PS "While other trees / grew poised and tall, / I lagged behind. / Looking different. / Feeling small." A crooked little pine tree watches as its peers are brought home for Christmas. "'I-I-I-is anyone there?' / I stuttered into the night." Forest animals are and dress the tree with berries, feathers, and more until the "clearing rang with Christmas cheer." The narrator's eventual self-acceptance underscores the Christmas message about companionship. Zommer's illustrations imbue the scraggly arboreal underdog with heart and personality.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(3) K-3 Sausage gourmand Scruff (One Hundred Bones) stops by the butcher shop only to learn that--"SHOCK! HORROR!"--all the sausages have been stolen, and he is the prime suspect. Scruff recruits his fellow dogs to help catch the real thief and clear his name. Collage-style digital illustrations accompany the exuberant text, imbuing Scruff and friends with abundant personality (and the pages with abundant sausages).

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(3) K-3 Assorted wild mammals (some more "beastly" than others) shuffle, sneak, and strut across the pages of this attractive oversize book. Spreads on topics such as "Claws and Jaws" and nineteen individual animals contain a Q and A (e.g., "Why is a tiger stripey?") and a handful of interesting facts, leaving plenty of room for the energetic art. Includes "mystery paw prints" to find throughout. Ind.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(2) K-3 All the other dogs look down on Scruff and his rampant digging habit. When Scruff's nose leads him to a giant pile of bones of all shapes and sizes, he enlists the help of the (reluctant) purebreds and the Natural History Museum to solve the mystery. Zommer's text captures Scruff's open-hearted enthusiasm. Entertaining soft-hued illustrations keep the action at dog's-eye level.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2016

(4) K-3 When a "terrifying" blue creature (a van) appears one night, the large forest animals can't chase it away with howling, growling, or pushing. Instead, it's the stinging insects "and a snake or two" that finally succeed. The story logic falters somewhat (wouldn't the racket have awakened the humans?), but it's amusing to consider campers (visible only as shadows) from the animals' perspective.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert