(3) PS Illustrated by Daniel Kirk. "Over by the dirt pile in the sizzling summer sun / works a mama bulldozer with her little dozer ONE." Each of ten taut rhymes (which follow the scheme of "Over in the Meadow") spotlights a parent-truck-and-offspring collaboration. Catchy rhymes, cheerful-looking trucks with individualizing features, onomatopoeia ("moosh moosh"), and words that stutter ("s-s-swoop s-s-swup")--what preschooler would turn away?

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Daniel Kirk. One night an owl flies a "sleepyhead" child through the sky and reveals how various animals spend their time after sundown. The graceful rhymes ("A sleek raccoon with bandit eyes, / Takes his nightly exercise") and calm, moonlit illustrations (some featuring animals in close-up) create a soothing lullaby.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Daniel Kirk. A hardworking "tugga-tugga tugboat" guides tanker ships and puts out fires in a harbor. Gradually the bright, clear illustrations start to show bar soap and rubber ducky cargo; bubbles appear in the ocean, and the perspective pulls back to reveal a boy in his bathtub playing with a toy boat. The text's jaunty rhythm and imaginative presentation will delight young listeners.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) PS Illustrated by Daniel Kirk. When their truck full of bones gets stuck in a huge pothole, two dogs seek help from a variety of passing vehicles, but nothing works until a tow truck arrives to pull them out. Though the jaunty rhyming text never mentions it, the sleek, colorful illustrations reveal that a band of prairie dogs has engineered the whole incident and is making off with all the bones.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(2) PS Illustrated by Daniel Kirk. This introduction to animal communication radiates warmth and affection. The questions and answers about each animal have the right tone and timing--"Do zebras who meet on the plain say hello? Oh, yes"--inviting participation. The wild animals in the oil portraits are slightly more rounded and human in expression than in real life, making the final picture of a boy and mom among the animal pairs seem perfectly natural.

Reviewer: Lauren Adams | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2002