(2) PS Illustrated by Jill Barton. Monkeys Cheeky and Chee are happily playing, but "something's prowling-- / what could it be?" The leopard below looks "Ooooooh....Scary!" to Cheeky and Chee, but the ground-level illustration of the big cat isn't very threatening. Fox's peppy rhyming text propels the story forward; similarly, Barton's art draws the eye across spreads, keeping pace with the narrative's infectious energy.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2012

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jill Barton. A frog presents his beloved chicken with a ring. Unfortunately, it drops and rolls away. A string of butterfingered animal friends on assorted vehicles help them catch it. The accompanying rhymes ("Diving catches were the rabbit's style. / But his diving catch missed by a mile") are the percussive soundtrack in this cockeyed love song illustrated with muted flamboyance.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Jill Barton. In a warm tale, Duckling, his parents, and his loving extended family all await the day "their" pale blue egg reveals a new baby duck. Jealousy plays no role here; rather, inquisitive Duckling learns about his own birth and truly feels responsibility for and pride over his egg sibling. Barton's expressive watercolor and pencil illustrations are appropriately full of life.

Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin

(3) PS Illustrated by Jill Barton. In this sixth Baby Duck title, Baby has the sniffles, and Grampa--as usual--knows how to cheer her up: they cuddle up together with a photograph album filled with old pictures of Baby. The text taps into kids' universal pleasure in seeing themselves in their younger incarnations; the illustrations capture the coziness of the situation and the warmth of Baby and Grampa's relationship.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Jill Barton. Princess Penelope and her pig Lollipop learn all kinds of unusual things from her new tutor, the magician Collie Cob. By the end of this sweet if rather unfocused story, Lollipop has delivered a litter of piglets. Barton's charming line drawings are the strength of this sequel to King-Smith's Lady Lollipop.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) PS Illustrated by Jill Barton. Baby Duck wants to join the swim team, but her lack of confidence keeps her poolside. As the team practices and her family twirls and dives in the water, Baby sits and watches. As always, Grampa gently nudges her toward success. While the story itself is rather shallow, the watercolors capture the tender feeling between Baby and Grampa as they "sit awhile" until Baby is ready to jump in webbed-feet first.

Reviewer:

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Jill Barton. Lollipop, the "scruffiest, ugliest pig of the lot," hardly seems the right pet for pampered Princess Penelope. As it turns out, Lollipop can learn to do just about anything her young trainer, Johnny, wants her to do. Johnny's ability to understand Penelope and her hapless parents is at the heart of this satisfying tale. The short chapters and the book's open, lively design and engaging pencil illustrations add to this amusing book's appeal.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2001

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jill Barton. A family wants to go to the lake on a hot day, but their old car keeps breaking down. They repair the car with a variety of beach items--a ball, a surfboard, and a three-speed paddleboat. Rhyming text conveys the boisterous, bouncy movements of the rattletrap car. The warm, lively illustrations set the story in a timeless, rural past.

Reviewer: Jim St. Claire

(3) PS Illustrated by Jill Barton. Baby Duck, who doesn't care a whit that she is involved in a universal rite of passage, resists leaving the known (home) for the unknown (school). But Grampa, as always, knows just the right thing to say, and soon Baby Duck is happily heading off to school. As in the previous books, both Hest's text and Barton's illustrations contain details that accurately capture a preschooler's many moods.

Reviewer: Joan Scanlon McMath

(3) PS Illustrated by Jill Barton. After Mom goes to bed, Grandma, Grandpa, and other family members come up with a series of increasingly outrageous, and unsuccessful, ways to calm the crying baby, until his smart brother realizes that a simple cuddle is all that's in order. Warm and softly humorous, the watercolor illustrations provide just the right touch for this gentle tall tale.

Reviewer: Jackie C. Horne