(3) K-3 Illustrated by Yasmeen Ismail. Because of giraffe Noodle's loud snoring, Sophia's new pet (her birthday gift in One Word from Sophia) may be exiled from her quirky family. Approaching the problem scientifically, inquisitive Sophia consults an acoustical engineer, then experiments, fails, and finally builds a wacky "snore transformer" that turns Noodles's snoring into "a sweet giraffian lullaby." Loose, Raschka-esque watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations complement the story's playful language. Glos.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Yasmeen Ismail. Sophie's "One True Desire" for her birthday is a giraffe. She tries different approaches with her adult family members, tailoring her arguments to each person's profession or personality. After being told she's too "verbose," "effusive," and "loquacious," she follows Grand-mamá's advice and gets to the point: "Please." The Raschka-esque watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations are more compelling than the unnecessarily wordy text. Glos.

Reviewer: Lauren Causey