(3) PS Illustrated by Emma Dodd. "I saw Anaconda swallow a tick... / It made her tummy hop and kick! / Will she be sick?" A child observes Anaconda as she gulps one creature after another until she is indeed sick--"ick!" The lift-the-flap format provides an inside view of Anaconda's stomach, and astute viewers will spot the next animal to be swallowed on each friendly, colorful spread. A gleeful--and gross--spin on a classic rhyme.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(4) PS Illustrated by Emma Dodd. A boy and his dad go on a mysterious car ride, gathering relatives and their (unusual) pets along the way; a back-of-book gatefold reveals their destination, where Mommy awaits: "And just why have we come here? / To meet my baby brothers!" Despite the rhymes' disruptive quirks, inviting art with cartoony rounded contours and textured interiors helps make the ride a pleasure.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Illustrated by Emma Dodd. In rhyming text, a child describes everything he loves about his new sibling, starting with "one fat tummy, tight as a drum. / Two little cheeks on one little bum." While pointing out the baby's adorable body parts isn't a new concept, the welcoming illustrations--complete with floating hearts in the backgrounds--warmly convey the family's love for their new addition.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(4) PS Illustrated by Emma Dodd. "I love my daddy, yes I do, / He’s very kind--and funny too," begins a toddler's book-length tribute. The soothing text occasionally contorts conspicuously to make a rhyme work ("He teaches lots of things to me"; "He lifts me on his shoulders high"), but the illustrations--bold, boisterous, mellifluous--never miss a beat.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Illustrated by Emma Dodd. A little protagonist loves Mom and thinks readers should, too. Andreae's rhyming text, highlighting the importance of the mother-child bond, supposedly from a toddler's perspective, is warm and humorous but not always convincing. Dodd's illustrations, big and bold and outlined with thick black lines, fill the pages, making this a cuddly lap-read.

Reviewer: Sophie Williamson

(3) PS Illustrated by Emma Dodd. In an awestruck tone, Nicholas describes all that his older brother does for him. This includes teaching him to count backward and tipping him off that "big brothers don't take naps"--as Nicholas will soon find out firsthand. Rather ingeniously, the book speaks at once to younger and older sibs. With its rushed-looking lines, the digitally rendered art has a childlike appearance.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Illustrated by Emma Dodd. This book offers a running definition of what it means to be a friend but fails to relay what, exactly, elevates a friendship to a "best" friendship. (The qualities described--sharing, playing games together, etc.--seem true of all friendships.) Regardless, the flat, speech bubble-filled images of kids interacting are inviting, and Nilsen doesn't neglect to mention that arguments are part of the friendship package.

Reviewer: Nell Beram