(4) K-3 Illustrated by Brendan Kearney. Goggle-eyed planets, asteroids, galaxies, and spacecraft (plus a few aliens traveling among them) on recto pages face paragraph-length (sometimes silly) presentations of interesting information about each featured item. The "Solar System" section focuses on figures (e.g., a planet's diameter, distance from the sun, length of orbit); "Galaxies" covers types and origins of galaxies and nebulae; and “Exploring Space” introduces satellites, robot rovers, and the ISS. Back matter with more straightforward information would have been useful.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) K-3 Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast series. Illustrated by Brendan Kearney. In Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast's third outing, they and their fellow fridge denizens--a cartoony collection of refrigerator mainstays--find their home unusually frosty. With the help of Baron von Waffle, the brunch-basics duo foils Empress Asparagus. The story is driven by humorous, detailed illustrations and rhymes and punning wordplay ("We've caught you bread-handed") that couldn't be--wait for it--crisper.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Brendan Kearney. This attractive oversize book is all about Earth: "how it was formed, what shaped it, and how it came to be full of living things." Organized into sections of earth, air, fire, and water, each topic gets one jam-packed spread with cartoony illustrations (and occasionally photos). Although inevitably rather scattershot, the volume's accessible text and interesting content should please browsers. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Brendan Kearney. Following their eponymous literary debut Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast, the two refrigerator dwellers investigate the source of a terrible odor. There seems to be no end to Funk's knack for clever food-related rhymes ("Peppers lay slumping and apples were dented. / Plums shrank to prunes and the beans had fermented"). Kearney's droll illustrations conjure a produce-infiltrated Candy Land game board.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Brendan Kearney. Bertie the bird, tired of his cramped quarters, wants to fly. However, he is continually blocked from achieving his goal by a number of rule-mongering busybodies. Eventually he takes to the skies, realizing that he knew how all along. Alongside vibrant, bird-filled pencil and digital illustrations, Gorin's discerning story about self-confidence also contains a healthy dose of humor.

Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Brendan Kearney. There's little syrup left, so refrigerator leftovers Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast race "through Broccoli Forest, past Orange Juice Fountain," and on to get the last drop, only to be bested by Baron von Waffle. This silly offering is deceptively clever, from its near-faultless rhymes to its resourceful illustrations (who knew a lettuce leaf can double as a mini parachute?).

Reviewer: Nell Beram