(3) PS Illustrated by Charles Fuge. A baby gorilla is awakened--"smelly and yelly / and all forlorn"--by a hippo's yawn. In this cumulative rhyme, each jungle animal is awakened by another; what starts as a grumpy day becomes a happy day for all. Effective use of white space and creative placement of the large watercolor and ink illustrations of the animals add to the appeal.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(4) PS Illustrated by Charles Fuge. Big Daddy Rabbit gets Little One all riled up before bedtime by playing and shouting with all the other animals in the woods. Little One recognizes when it's time to settle down, though, and they snuggle and go to sleep. Energetic rhymes pair with lush, emotive illustrations of bears and rabbits and owls saccharinely dancing together.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Charles Fuge. When Roo the kangaroo wakes up in a bad mood, his mother tries all sorts of tricks to make him smile. Nothing works, until she tumbles by mistake into a mud hole, leaving them both covered with muck. At last, Roo can't help but smile. Expressive illustrations and lively typeface amplify the story's slapstick humor.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Charles Fuge. Shark Gilbert (Gilbert in Deep) returns for another unsurprising undersea outing. Little brother Finn isn't much fun at the park. When Gilbert leaves Finn unattended, a killer whale nearly devours him, but Gilbert manages a last-minute rescue. In the end, the terrifying attack is laughed off as a game. Serene, sea-green illustrations and ocean puns downplay the danger of the situation.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) PS Illustrated by Charles Fuge. Savannah-dwelling animals are prevented from sleeping because of a strange sound. Their investigation turns up a snoring, tutu-wearing shrew who loses the round but (hilariously) wins the fight. It's the rare preschooler who won't be caught up in the delirious drama. Parents, too, will appreciate the zesty illustrations in which the leopard sleeps on leopard-print sheets and the baboon reads Goodnight Moon.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Charles Fuge. Against his mother's orders, great white shark Gilbert (Gilbert the Great) ventures off with his remora-fish friend to play hide-and-seek beyond the edge of their reef. Gilbert soon finds, however, that he's out of his depth. Playful blue-green illustrations provide readers with an imaginative view of the deep sea, but the story itself is didactic.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Charles Fuge. Three friends challenge one another to physical feats unsuited to their skills: Duck to jumping, Roo to tail-chasing, and Mouse to floating. After feelings get hurt, Roo's mama suggests they focus instead on their unique abilities, in a perfectly sound but bland resolution ("'Can we all be friends again?' 'Yes we can!'") Fuge's expressively drawn animal pals help lighten the mood.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Charles Fuge. Gilbert the shark and Raymond the remora are inseparable. From finball to tide and seek, they do everything together. A bereft Gilbert is inconsolable when Raymond's family moves across the sea--until he meets Rita, a remora who's new to the area. Appealing underwater scenes liven up this predictable tale about moving from the point of view of the one left behind.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(4) PS Illustrated by Charles Fuge. It's Little Wombat's turn to be the seeker in a game of hide-and-seek with Rabbit and Koala, but since he's easily distracted, he wanders off and gets lost during a cloudburst. While it's entertaining to watch Little Wombat's toddlerlike behavior, a very speedy rescue by Mom lessens the story's impact. The cutesy illustrations offer close-ups of Little Wombat and friends.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) PS Illustrated by Charles Fuge. A young wombat plays with his friends in the woods, on a beach, and in the desert. But as night falls, he goes home and sleeps curled up with his parent. Written in a simple rhyming style and illustrated with action-filled watercolors, the text is a bit precious, but this is a diverting look at an independent child who still loves the security of home.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt