(2) PS Illustrated by Jack E. Davis. At bedtime, Sam and his toy monkeys are wide awake. Busy cartoon art full of overstimulating detail vibrates with energy, capturing what it might feel like to be Sam, whose "brain is buzzing." Eventually, Sam handles the situation himself, leading the rowdy monkeys in deep-breathing exercises, a story, counting, and cuddling. A comical yet realistic look at bedtime for those who struggle with it.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2015

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jack E. Davis. All week long, Martin MacGregor disappoints the substitute teacher with his far-fetched homework excuses--which just happen to be true. Cartoon-style illustrations play up the exaggerated humor of the drawn-out story. When Martin's regular teacher returns, along with his pet tarantula, so does Martin's enthusiasm for school and homework.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jack E. Davis. The story begins with Goldilocks, after being chased by three bears, falling down a rabbit hole. A hare family takes the golden-tressed diva into their home. Her not "too hard" nor "too soft" demands quickly escalate to cashmere blankets and arugula. Humorously exaggerated illustrations capture the lengths the kind bunnies go to first satisfy--then rid themselves of--the spoiled guest.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jack E. Davis. After switching identities with his dog, Max, Jacob runs around the yard, plays fetch at the park, and eats kibble while Max goes to school, plays video games, and dines on spaghetti and meatballs. At the end of the day they switch back, but Jacob concludes that being a dog is better. Comical caricature illustrations heighten the humor in this silly story.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jack E. Davis. "Stanza prowled through the streets / with his two rotten brothers, / annoying and chasing and bullying others." Deep down, though, dog Stanza is a poet, and he secretly enters a contest for rhymes advertising dog food. Esbaum's text is funny, its meter and rhythm skillful. Davis's watercolor, acrylic, and ink caricatures humorously show dogs harassing a city of people.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jack E. Davis. Hayles's jaunty rhyming text tells of Bunion Burt, aptly named for his "ailing tootsies." Each spread describes Burt's different cure-alls to soothe his feet--pig mud, sunburn, freezer chill, even a pedicure by his sister--until Pappy Spurt explains that Burt's big feet just need new shoes. Davis's watercolor and acrylic caricatures play up the story's gross factor; foot-squeamish readers beware.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jack E. Davis. With alphabetic aplomb, Shapiro's text describes the animals' restlessness on Noah's ark ("the giraffes were grumpy," "the llamas were livid"). When Noah, out of patience, shouts "We're all in the same boat!" the mood turns around, and the ark sails on "with a promise of peace." Davis's exaggerated cartoon illustrations suit the offbeat style of this creative takeoff on the Bible story.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jack E. Davis. In lieu of candy or flowers, T. Rex wants to do something special for his mom on Mother’s Day. Remembering past Mother's Day messes, she insists that a great big hug is all she really wants. Readers will appreciate the generous spirit behind each of T. Rex's less-than-useful gifts. Goofy cartoon illustrations add the extra humor that T. Rex's fans love.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jack E. Davis. Dirty Joe and his ragged band sail the seven seas in search of dirty socks, proudly flying their foul booty from the rigging and sending searing smells soaring skyward. But Joe meets his match when he encounters Stinky Annie, the undergarment varmint and his long-lost sibling. Funny caricature illustrations enhance the text's rollicking rhymes in this big sister/little brother battle of wits.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jack E. Davis. Cousin Ed alternately feeds the narrator lies ("your head is shrinking") and bizarre truths ("Aunt Mary has no teeth!"), so he doesn't know whether to believe Ed's declaration about "poisonous pie." Though the rhymed text's meter isn't exact, the winning premise is well paired with Davis's semi-grotesque illustrations. Readers will cheer when the narrator gets the better of his cousin.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jack E. Davis. Peter Cottontail is sick, so T. Rex volunteers to deliver his eggs. But costume ears, bunny slippers, and a fake cottontail may not be enough to complete his transformation, especially when he smashes all the eggs. T. Rex and his friends find a solution just in time. Lively cartoon drawings illustrate this energetic tale about creative persistence.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jack E. Davis. For Pinkwater's nebbishy narrator, the first day of third grade means suffering at the hands of a bully--until the school gets wrapped up in a yo-yo tournament. The caricaturish art is funny and there are some inspired lines ("The playground is a world of yo-yos...spinning and bobbing, whizzing and bouncing, sailing through the air"), but the story's ending is predictable.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jack E. Davis. Whatever he does, Hank does it halfway. In a spoon-and-egg race, he uses half a spoon and drops his egg, and he gets lost in a tracking competition with half a map. Finally, Hank decides to win the hundred-meter race by telling himself it's two hundred meters. The rhyming story and goofy illustrations present a humorous look at overcoming one's limitations.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jack E. Davis. "Who do you love most?" Mama's four little monsters ask at bedtime. Mama Monster answers carefully, praising each of her tiny beast's special skills, such as baking slimy Dragonfly Pie. Later that night, Mama's monsters "tippy claw" about, using their talents to thank her. Davis's big-eyed monsters are endearing, and Downey's use of a slightly skewed monster viewpoint will produce more giggles than shrieks.

Reviewer: Lauren Maggio

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jack E. Davis. "Hey! I'm dying here for a couple of CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CUPS, OKAY?!" A boy's outspoken sweet tooth constantly gets him in trouble until he bravely defies it by cutting out sugar and giving it "the carrot." The tooth's hilarious ranting, illustrated with comically grotesque caricatures, has great read-aloud potential.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jack E. Davis. Based on the classic novelty song, this book's text consists of an unhappy camper's letter home to his parents ("Camp is very entertaining / and they say we'll have some / fun if it stops raining"). The images of the bucktoothed, bespectacled narrator fending off bugs and rainstorms are suitably exaggerated, but the quirky words still work best as song lyrics rather than written text.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jack E. Davis & Jack E. Davis. Despite scoffing from his family and friends, Max insists that a flying saucer will soon arrive and take him away to join an alien family. A common childhood fantasy is played for laughs, especially in the amusing illustrations depicting the snaggletoothed, oddly coifed narrator and his equally eccentric family. The conclusion--in which a spaceship actually arrives and an alien temporarily changes places with Max--is too abrupt.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jack E. Davis. When Johnny MacGuffin's mom leaves him (so she can shop) in the Bindle's Department store basement with Auntie Mabel, the minutes seem to turn into years. While waiting, Johnny imagines seasons changing, growing old, raising a family, and the end of the world. Becker's simple, inconsistently rhyming story is funny but slight, while Davis's mixed-media cartoon illustrations are dynamic and expressive.

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jack E. Davis & Jack E. Davis. Inspired by a late-night movie (itself reminiscent of The Picture of Dorian Gray), best friends Morty and Ray go on a bad behavior binge as they attempt to transform their self-portraits into ugly, ghoulish masterpieces. The ending is a bit of a letdown, but the frenetic, comical illustrations highlight the boys' pranks as they terrorize their classmates and break all the rules.

Reviewer: Marika Hoe

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jack E. Davis. Max's older brother, Gordon, is a pest: he terrorizes Max on his birthday with, among other things, his generally obnoxious self. So Max's birthday wish is that Gordon be turned into a bug--until a close call with a spider makes him reconsider. Axelrod's strong, funny buildup and Davis's cartoon illustrations capture the humor in sibling rivalry.

Reviewer: Mark Adam