(4) PS Illustrated by Tad Carpenter. In this second Bitty Bot outing, a bored, uncomfortable Bitty Bot finds fun at the beach, creating and testing a submarine with new friends. The rhyme's succinctness evokes Anna Dewdney's Llama Llama books, and the robots similarly represent children, though their vessel failing seems at odds with the book's cheerful vibe. Blocky digital illustrations shift from warm sands to cool undersea tones, heightening the adventure.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(3) PS Illustrated by Tad Carpenter. A picky little green monster reluctantly replaces worn out underpants in this giggle-worthy picture book. The monster first tries going au naturel, then heads with Mom to Undie World; there, piles of undies get rejected before a replica of the original beloved pair is found. This light and silly story is well told in occasionally absurd rhymes accompanied by boldly colored, textured illustrations.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(3) PS Illustrated by Tad Carpenter. Tugboat Bill and barge Mabel are smaller and less impressive than other boats on the Hudson River--and they are teased mercilessly. When the two boat friends rescue a drowning kitten (that the big boats ignore), they are hailed as heroes. The boats are depicted with faces and personalities; the New York City landmarks add a landscape to the primary-color-dominated illustrations.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(4) PS Illustrated by Tad Carpenter. In this rhyming jaunt, robot Bitty Bot defies Botsburg's bedtime rules, forgoing sleep to build a rocket and travel to the moon to party with aliens. Alternating between a cool nighttime palette and brighter shades at the party, digitally rendered illustrations depict friendly-looking robots and aliens. Both text and art imagine a cute if conventional Jetsons-like future world.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(3) PS Illustrated by Tad Carpenter. In an ode to urban vehicles featuring smiling trucks, cars, and trains, peppy rhyming text highlights the types of transportation that allow the city to function from sunrise to sundown. Kids will enjoy tracking the storefronts and inhabitants of this bustling metropolis in Carpenter's attractively retro digital illustrations in a pleasing primary-color palette. Share this with the vehicle-loving storytime crowd.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca

(3) PS Illustrated by Tad Carpenter. Little Ninja kicks, chops, jumps, and dodges obstacles ("Ninja tiptoe, / Ninja stalk. / Granny kisses / Ninja block") around the house. He uses his special sneak-attack skills to take his brother's balloon and cookie, and knocks down his block castle. When little bro pulls his own move, a ninja duo is born. Eye-catching graphic illustrations pair well with the energetic rhymes.

Reviewer: Julie Bartynski-Fenner

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Tad Carpenter. These Halloween-y poems told from shifting perspectives--the scared trick-or-treating youngsters' and the creepy monsters'--are great for both their expert cadence and the balance of tone. Some are mildly chilling, others are humorous. The digital illustrations embody this mix, too: children wide-eyed with fear are greeted by benign-looking creatures just having a good time.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2013