(2) PS Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. In short, punchy sentences, many of them one or two words long, Ferry introduces readers to a persistent rainstorm: "Dreary. Weary. Dim. Grim. Drip. Drop. Nonstop." Lichtenheld, alternating between full-bleed spreads and energetic vignettes that hasten the pace, depicts a town utterly tired of all the rain. Children look out windows in despair, wanting to run and play outdoors, but the rain, falling in driving lines, will not relent. The monochromatic purplish-gray palette captures the pervading sense of gloom: "Nights and days. Always grays." A girl heads outdoors with her pup ("Gotta go--rain or snow") and stops into a curio shop. She finds a battered yellow umbrella, the book's one pop of color. The umbrella disintegrates in the rain as she runs home, but she later discovers that the pieces have bloomed, creating a field of dazzling yellow umbrellas. She and her pup dig them up and distribute them throughout town, the pages now emanating a sunny-bright glow: "Goodbye, dreary. Goodbye, gray." Color and joy return, chasing the clouds away. A pleasing pick-me-up story, rain or shine.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. There's no shortage of picture books about birthdays, but Ferry's ten "rules" for making the all-important birthday wish include silly loopholes, caveats, and digressions that should tickle both rule-followers and authority-questioners. It's a buoyantly told tale, and Lichtenheld's digitally enhanced pencil, watercolor, colored-pencil, and pastel illustrations featuring an all-animal cast capture the festive mood of a party where friends are in abundance and wishes always come true.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(4) PS Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. Two bears "who hate to share" fight over a pair of undies (leaving one bare). A pattern is established in the rhyming text: items are presented to animals, but there are always more animals than items, leaving one animal upset. The goofy situations are made even goofier through Lichtenheld's digitally colored illustrations, which are crowded on the smaller pages of this board book edition.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2014

(3) PS Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. The one-dog band returns (Groovy Joe: Ice Cream & Dinosaurs). Here, the instrument-wielding dogs who keep knocking on Groovy Joe's door prompt addition lessons: "One more dog is going to disco with you! / How many dogs are there now? 2." Illustrator Lichtenheld's nonstop-party atmosphere reinforces the book's more-the-merrier message. Happily, the text's flow doesn't hinge on knowing the downloadable song. Also available in Spanish.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. This time, the Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site vehicles had better stay awake: they must build a complicated structure--STAT. Fortunately, their call for reinforcements results in a galvanized (in both senses) team. Buoyant rhymes are propped up by illustrations that imbue the trucks with human facial features without reducing them to cartoony caricatures. Rinker and Lichtenheld maintain their skyscraper-high batting average.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. Guitar-strumming and singing dog Groovy Joe is about to tuck into his ice cream when a dinosaur barges into his home with a spoon. Fortunately, Joe thinks "it's awesome to share!" The scene repeats with each of the next two uninvited dino guests. But when Joe runs out of ice cream... It's a good yarn, with catchy rhymes and bold, rough art that suits the unrefined cast.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) PS Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. Stick and Stone meet at the playground--Stone is teased by Pinecone, and Stick, well, sticks up for its new friend. A leisurely paced friendship unfolds until a hurricane blows Stick away, and it's Stone's turn to save the day. Humor, rather than obvious lesson-teaching, moves the story along. Warm pastel illustrations extend the uncomplicated rhyming text; facial expressions are cartoony but effective.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2015

(3) PS Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. Four shapes--a blue circle, a yellow square, a red rectangle, and a green triangle--star in this sweet and silly celebration of friendship. Spare text describes a trait ("Friends make you feel happy"), which the thick-outlined foursome then brings to life in eye-catching, clutter-free spreads (the shapes are arranged as a smiling face). Amusing, well executed, and engaging.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. "I wish you more hugs than ughs." "I wish you more bubbles than bath." Fourteen wishes, each illustrated with a gently funny-cute scene featuring one or more children, conclude with "I wish all of this for you, / because you are everything I could wish for... / and more." Rosenthal's originality manages to keep the heart-tugging out of greeting-card territory.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) PS Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. Two bears "who hate to share" fight over a pair of tighty whities (leaving one bear bare). A pattern is established: desirable items are presented to animals, but there are always more animals than there are items, leaving one animal upset. The rhymes follow familiar spelling patterns (e.g., -ack, -eal, -uck) and the goofy situations are made even goofier through Lichtenheld's digitally colored pencil illustrations.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2014

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. This romp chronicles the making of a documentary about a moose. The hapless (and visually absent until book's end) director grows increasingly frustrated as silly situations ("would someone kindly get the moose out of the space suit?") and interjections from offstage interrupt filming. Energy and over-the-top hilarity abound, but there are some befuddling plot details. Ever-changing fonts and text formats hamper readability.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. Here's the rare song-lyrics-as-picture-book-text endeavor that actually works without music (although the book includes a CD featuring the Sesame Street classic). This is due to the story element introduced wordlessly by Lichtenheld: a bird can't emanate a note until it hears a boy with a guitar singing the titular song. The lyrics and modest illustrations are uplifting--for the bird, literally.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. This bedtime story from the Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site creators is another gem powered by well-crafted rhymes. This time it's a train yard that needs to be packed up for the night, and animals are the crew: a polar bear fills the reefer with ice cream, a monkey juggles toys into the boxcar, etc. The calming midnight-blue-bathed illustrations glow as if by starlight.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. An exclamation mark tries to fit in with a group of quiet periods, but he doesn't really understand his purpose in life until he meets a nosy question mark. She simply won't stop asking questions until he commands her to "STOP!" The latest offering from this author-illustrator duo works best when it relies more on visual humor than on wordplay.

Reviewer: Kathleen T. Horning | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2013

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. Poor Zero is having a hard time proving himself as a superhero. Folks mistake him for a doughnut, and the rules of addition and subtraction render him useless. But when our hero disappears, things get rough in the number world. Tiny visual jokes and graphic elements keep this mathematically accurate book humming with humor for the confident and mathphobic alike.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2012

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. Double-page spreads feature random characters speaking in "wumbers" ("Would you like some honey 2 swee10 your tea?" "Yes, that would be 1derful"). This might strike readers as more innovative if they weren’t already replacing syllables with numbers in their text messages, but the humor of Lichtenheld's cartoon illustrations is likely to grab their attention. Exaggerated facial expressions offer picture clues that are even more fun to decode.

Reviewer: Kathleen T. Horning | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2012

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. When E tumbles down the stairs, O is elected to fill in while his fellow vowel recuperates. What follows is mass confusion ("That's it, PORIOD"; "I'm OXCITOD!!") The joke is one note, but plenty of visual humor in the lively cartoon illustrations carry the story along until E goes home at "thE End."

Reviewer: Bethany Templeton Klem

(3) PS Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. It's getting late at the construction site. One by one, the big trucks are preparing for bed. Soothing verse describes each vehicle's last task and special wind-down routine, ending with a personal message: "Shh...goodnight, Cement Mixer, goodnight." Bright-in-the-night yellows, blues, and reds dominate the thoughtfully crafted illustrations. Truck-loving kids will respond to this take on settling down to sleep.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. If a shark is pitted against a train, which would win? The answer depends on the contest: the train's belch is louder, but he's no match for the shark when jumping off the high dive. Barton's deadpan text--sparked with dialogue balloons that give the characters both personality and one-liners--is matched by Lichtenheld's spot-on visual humor.

Reviewer: Chelsey Philpot | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2010

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. It's a duck. No, it's a rabbit. While two offstage narrators argue, readers can decide what the central figure in each double-page spread actually is. Rosenthal's skillfully written banter is heightened by Lichtenheld's simple ink, watercolor, and colored-pencil illustrations of the white duck-rabbit figure outlined in thick black line and silhouetted against a bright blue sky. A great brainteaser and great fun.

Reviewer: Chelsey Philpot | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2009