(3) K-3 Illustrated by Victoria Chess. Cat Fletcher and doll Zenobia, stuck in a tree, become friends. When they throw a party (complete, somehow, with cakes, homemade ice cream, and balloons), a moth joins them. The moth grows until by morning it's big enough to fly Fletcher and Zenobia away to new adventures. The events are surreal, almost hallucinatory, but Gorey and Chess, masters of same, pull it off.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Victoria Chess. This short chapter book depicts the trials, tribulations, and eventual triumphs of a girl slated to be a flower girl at her beloved Uncle Harry's wedding--until Harry and his fiancée elope. The humorous text is supported by plenty of droll and appealing illustrations of the tight-knit Jewish family. Tempting recipes for Mama's Famous Wedding Cake and Coconut-Vanilla-Raisin Frosting are appended.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Victoria Chess. Beryl and her little brother Sam are disappointed when their new baby brother isn't nearly as exciting as they expected. Feelings of jealousy and resentment commonly experienced by older siblings are addressed with a humorous but realistic touch as a large family of loving grownups helps the children gain acceptance. The small but detailed watercolors show a cozy family in this picture-book-like chapter book.

Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Victoria Chess. The Scaredy Cat family can't function for fear of the what ifs. They go through a day of paralyzed inertia, until at bedtime Baby Scaredy Cat reminds her parents that if all kinds of bad things can happen, so can all kinds of good things. The cumulative structure works nicely within the diurnal time frame and gives the text an easy rhythm. Chess's edge-of-loony illustrations add hugely to the humor.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2003

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Victoria Chess. This trio of tales is attuned to the silly sense of humor that allows kids to delight in the "something's gonna get you" sequence that begins with an approaching imaginary monster and ends with a tickle or a great big "boo!" Victoria Chess's squat figures, all teeth and beady eyes and unkempt hair, complement the zany, but a teeny-tiny bit scary, nature of these tales.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2001

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Victoria Chess. In this retelling, a butterfly chooses to marry a mouse because of his sweet voice, but her unfortunate bridegroom is swallowed by a fish. The king dances in his underwear to express his grief, making the fish laugh--and cough up the mouse. Humorous, detailed illustrations in gouache and sepia pen and ink show a plump, well-dressed Spanish butterfly and her enchanting little house in a willow. Includes source notes.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(3) K-3 Doodlebugs, black widow spiders, ladybugs, cockroaches, crickets, stink bugs, and fleas are some of the creepy-crawly stars of twenty-four mostly rhyming poems. Full of clever wordplay and sly humor, the verses will equally amuse both children and adults. Comical and campy, the watercolors capture the poems' buggy subjects with droll perfection.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(3) K-3 In this version of Andersen's "The Emperor's New Clothes," the new suit still leaves nothing to the imagination, but the vain emperor, the crafty tailors, and the loyal subjects are all frogs. Lots of amphibian details ("Eat your flies") and humorous pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations (dominated by shades of green) make this a lighthearted, satisfying retelling.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.