(2) PS Illustrated by Chris L. Demarest. "Sad lad" and "sad dad" head into the night for some joyous sledding down a steep, snow-covered hill. The ride ends with a "flip-flop stop" and a return home. Watercolors fill each page with straightforward images, reinforcing the few words. With its evocative mood and tender simplicity, this is a good choice for storytimes and new readers.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2008

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Chris Demarest. Fossilized T. Rex is tired of the museum and longs to frolic as she did millions of years ago. After the dino overhears two museum guests discussing a local production of Swan Lake, she makes her way to the stage but not without causing a few mishaps along the way. The images are lively and amusing, and T. Rex's skeletal face is expressive.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Chris L. Demarest. These breezy parodies of fairy tales cast a bratty chimp called "So What" in the role of Snow White, substitute Hamster and Gerbil for Hansel and Gretel, and turn the three pigs into three penguins. Incorporating contemporary dialogue and pop culture references that sometimes fall flat, the eight sporadically funny stories are illustrated with energetic black-and-white cartoons.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(4) 1-3 All Aboard Math Reader series. Illustrated by Chris Demarest. A soccer team coached by a math teacher calls itself the Fractions and has fractions as jersey numbers. During tryouts, practice, and a game, the players learn about fractions from situations that they encounter: e.g., the sixteen kids must equally divide up eight oranges. The math aspect of the book seems forced, but the pleasant story and loose, bright illustrations will satisfy kids at the target reading level.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) K-3 The twenty-nine humorous poems in this collection, by a variety of poets, cover topics such as horrid vegetables, rumbling sounds in the attic, a man no one can see, and a birthday-party invitation that arrives late. The poems have strong rhythms and engaging rhymes, and Demarest's cartoonlike pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations add to the fun.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Chris Demarest. Lateef sells mushrooms and firewood in the village market, earning money to rent a bike. After he learns to ride, he wrecks the bike in a stunt but agrees to work to pay for the repairs and eventually earns his own bike. Illustrated in Demarest's warm, organic watercolors set in strong black outlines, this gentle, contemporary story shows a Nigerian boy pursuing his dream despite obstacles and poverty.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Chris Demarest. A young boy declares that even though he and his sister know how to behave properly, "for now, we're just kids!" The text enumerates good manners, such as taking turns and using a napkin, while the cartoony pictures show what is really happening--lots of pushing and impatience. The illustrations are a good match for the text's light tone, but the book seems to undercut its own purpose by dismissing manners as something for adults.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) PS MathStart series. Illustrated by Chris Demarest. After arranging his toy cars in a particular order, Kevin warns his younger sister Molly not to touch them. Young readers will enjoy the mild suspense (will Molly rearrange the cars in the correct sequence before Kevin returns?), and just like Molly, they'll be drawn to the boldly outlined cars bright with primary colors. Related pattern activities are included.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(4) K-3 Viking Easy-to-Read series. Illustrated by Chris Demarest. In mediocre rhyming text, Will tells his friends about an elephant who comes to town and plays with children. When his friends accuse him of fibbing, singing out "Liar! Liar! Pants on fire!" he counters with "April Fool!" Although it's intended for the lowest level of beginning readers, the vivid, breezy watercolors, short lines of text, and intermittent dialogue balloons make this book better suited for readers with some experience.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt