(3) PS Illustrated by Alex Ayliffe. Things-that-go fans will be thrilled with this vividly illustrated ABC book that describes the various functions of each machine. From an ambulance and bulldozer to a yacht and "zooming rocket," each vehicle gets an energetic, sometimes-rhyming quatrain with read-aloud-ready sound effects: "Shiny red fire engine / dash, dash, dashing. / Nee-nar! Nee-nar! / Bright lights flashing."

Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear

(3) PS Illustrated by Alex Ayliffe. Preschoolers will be attracted to Ayliffe’s brightly colored collage illustrations, which combine a friendly cartoon style with recognizable details. Mayo's descriptions of space exploration technologies from lunar rovers to the space shuttle, as well as the astronauts who work them, emphasize repetitive action verbs ("robot spacecraft are good at speed, speed, speeding").

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alex Ayliffe. Mayo highlights different dinosaurs through rhythmic descriptions including repeated verb patterns that emphasize the species’ behavioral characteristics: "Tough Ankylosaurus loved whack whack whacking, / tail-club swinging, battles winning..." The cut-paper collage illustrations favor bright, eye-catching colors and patterns over more realistic ones (the creatures' basic anatomies are accurate).

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) PS Illustrated by Alex Ayliffe. Each double-page spread focuses on a wild animal (e.g., lion, elephant, zebra). Four lines of rhythmic text describe the animal's characteristic behavior: "Stripey zebras love fast galloping, / dumm-dd-dum! Hooves drumming..."). Youngsters will enjoy listening, looking, and repeating each animal's action in this solid read-aloud choice for preschoolers. Playful blocky illustrations add to the book's appeal.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(4) PS Illustrated by Alex Ayliffe. Ayliffe's cut-paper art in primary colors sets the scene for this cheery story in which rhyming text tells readers to find items on the farm ("Show me the house and the barn and the mill"). The meter is not always consistent, which may result in an awkward initial read-aloud. However, children will delight in discovering all the details in the pictures.

Reviewer: Amanda Sullivan

(4) PS Illustrated by Alex Ayliffe. This large-format picture book introduces a variety of common modes of transportation, from trains to race cars to hot-air balloons. While the text is uninspired ("Buses are great at go, go, going..."), it includes a lot of sound words ("Vroom, vroom!") and the child-friendly, collage-like illustrations convey energy and motion.

Reviewer: Amanda Sullivan

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Alex Ayliffe. Each of the ten stories in this collection is followed by a prayer highlighting its moral. The stories themselves are fairly long, but the bright illustrations should help hold listeners' interest. Many of the stories tie into New Testament parables; parents may welcome the chance to make a connection between Jesus' parable of the Prodigal Son and a tale of a lost teddy bear.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) PS Illustrated by Alex Ayliffe. "Tractors are good at pull, pull, pulling, / plowing up the field with a squelch, squelch, squelching. / Round go the wheels. See the dirt flying! / They can work all day." Colorful cut-paper artwork shows various vehicles involved in the specific activities mentioned in the bouncy rhyming text. A final spread in which all the vehicles "rest all night" after a busy day makes the book good bedtime reading.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(3) PS Illustrated by Alex Ayliffe. Children who enjoy vehicles will appreciate this book, in which every spread features a different emergency (traffic accident, forest fire, etc.) and the vehicle and crew that will deal with it. "Help is coming. It's on the way!" is the reassuring refrain. The simple rhyming text explains each problem, and brightly colored cut-paper collage clearly shows the action.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) PS Illustrated by Alex Ayliffe. Peter tells his younger cousin Simon that he doesn't play with baby things anymore. When they spend the night at their grandmother's house, Peter's beloved stuffed rabbit remains a secret until he's tucked snugly into bed--and his secret's safe with Simon, whose "most favorite thing" is a stuffed bear. Exuberant, colorful illustrations add action and energy to the pleasant story.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) PS Illustrated by Alex Ayliffe. Harry Belafonte's calypso song of the late fifties has been illustrated with bright Caribbean-colored collages. The text praises Jamaica as a place with warm sun, sand, abundance of food, and freedom. The collages are full of vibrant color choices (palm tree trunks are deep red, and shadows may be bright blue or purple) and the rhythm of repeated shapes: pastel houses, brown skin, round and oval fruits. Music and guitar chords appear on the endpapers.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson

(4) PS Illustrated by Alex Ayliffe. Mom and Grandma have a problem with Simon's beloved bear, Snowtop: he's filthy. But Simon loves Snowtop's sticky, smelly sweetness. One day, the two women conspire to keep Simon out of the house while Snowtop visits the washing machine. McKay's smooth story may have more appeal to adults than to children, who will resent even gentle fun being poked at their passionate attachments. The illustrations are jaunty and fresh with lots of rich color.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(3) PS The step-by-step construction of a high-rise office building is described with a brief text and colorful cut-paper illustrations. The machines and building materials are labeled (from dump truck to site agent to concrete slabs), and the pithy text describes each stage of construction. This straightforward approach will satisfy future builders while it provokes curiosity about building.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.