(4) K-3 Cat in the Hat's Learning Library series. Illustrated by Aristides Ruiz & Joe Mathieu. Content-wise, this is a reasonable summary of what it means to vote in our democracy, focusing especially on political offices and supporting the idea that every vote counts. Narrated by the Cat in the Hat, the book is hampered by its awkward rhymes, which creak to fit information, and its cluttered layouts featuring decent Seuss knockoffs. Reading list. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) K-3 I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Joe Mathieu. Max the duck has a case of spring fever. When owner Irene leaves him with a list of chores, Max dizzily mixes them up, like sweeping the grass and watering the floor. Luckily, Coco the cat and Bebe the parrot are there to undo Max's upside-down chores. The kooky illustrations of the cross-eyed spring-fever sufferers complement the giggle-inducing text.

Reviewer: Julie Bartynski

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Joe Mathieu. In rhyming couplets, this horse-celebrating volume touches on care, horse behavior, and jobs horses do, though the random arrangement is awkward ("Horses buck and roll and snooze. Some of them wear iron shoes"). Gentle watercolor and pencil illustrations show chunky, oddly-proportioned horses, but the soft colors and textures and the subjects' good humor will appeal to a child's eye.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) K-3 I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Joe Mathieu. Story by Lori Haskins Houran. Just as duck Max is feeling useless, demanding aunts Pat, Dot, and Flo arrive. Max is eager to help, but he quickly finds himself exhausted. After the visit he's grateful for some rest--and for Irene's anticipation of his needs. The story, with its familiar cartoon illustrations, isn't as gleefully zany as Urbanovic's picture books, but it will still make new readers giggle.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Joe Mathieu. In this third title featuring the teacher's silly wordplay, Mrs. Millie takes her eager class on a field trip to Farmer Don's pumpkin patch. The students reliably correct her terminology when she misstates wagon as dragon, scarecrow as harecrow, etc. The story, coupled with cheery but bland illustrations, is humorous but grows a bit tiresome.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) K-3 Step into Reading series. Illustrated by Joe Mathieu. A cellist's playing draws cats from around the city ("Black cat. / Gray cat. / Rich cat. / Stray cat"). The catchy rhymes and rhythmic pacing are effective in teaching simple (and some challenging--slinky, purry) vocabulary. Lively, colorful illustrations show the many different types of cats briefly described in the book.

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang

(4) PS Illustrated by Joe Mathieu. The familiar nursery game "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" is adapted here, as a teacher invites her young charges on an imaginary safari riddled with such obstacles as mud, sticks, and trees. Cartoon-style pencil and watercolor illustrations enliven the somewhat tedious text.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Joe Mathieu. Mrs. Millie's class corrects her silly language mix-ups during their field trip to Philadelphia. Mrs. Millie shows the children the "Liberty Bull" and points out "starfish" on the American flag; vivid-hued pencil, dye, and pen-and-ink illustrations depict what she says. Though the story lacks an arc, as the same gimmick is repeated on every page, some of the wordplay is amusing.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(3) 1-3 Moose and Hildy series. Illustrated by Joe Mathieu. In this fourth book about Moose and Hildy the pig, Hildy's cousin Winston, a self-declared "expert on almost everything," puts everyone off with his nonstop lectures. Moose's sarcastic remarks about this behavior spice up the story, but eventually he gives Winston useful advice on how friends treat each other. Numerous lively black-and-white illustrations help make this chapter book inviting.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) 1-3 Moose and Hildy series. Illustrated by Joe Mathieu. When Moose's pig friend, Hildy, is invited to a southern "pig pickin'," she doesn't realize she's about to be barbecued. Luckily Moose discovers the danger and tricks Hildy into leaving. Barbecuing such an anthropomorphic pig seems odd, and Moose could simply tell Hildy the truth, but readers of this amusing book, with its lively illustrations, may well just go along for the ride.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) 1-3 Moose and Hildy series. Illustrated by Joe Mathieu. After shedding his antlers for the first time, Moose worries that he's no longer special despite reassurance from his friend Hildy. Then he meets up with a clueless hunter who, in his own dim-witted way, admires Moose's drawings, his sense of humor, and his dancing. Both Moose and hunter look appropriately goofy in the black-and-white illustrations for this funny book.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Step into Reading series. Illustrated by Joe Mathieu. A trail of mud leads six kids from the front door to the upstairs bathtub, where they find the messy culprit--their father. In the sly cartoon illustrations, each child proudly denies tracking in the mud but is in the midst of making some other mess. The simple, cadenced text offers helpful repetition, and the humor and the satisfying twist will appeal to beginning readers.

Reviewer: Erica L. Stahler