(3) K-3 Illustrated by Paul Meisel. Dogs certainly do love cars. And they love walks and other dogs and napping and toys and so many things. Schubert expands on each thing that dogs love in her rhythmic free-verse text: "Dogs love school. // Sitting, staying, / lying down. / Coming when called. / Lots of 'good dog' treats. / Learning-- / and forgetting!" Enhancing the affectionate text's humor, Meisel's sprightly pen-and-ink, watercolor, and acrylic illustrations put those good boys and girls front and center.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) 1-3 Read & Bloom series. Illustrated by Paul Meisel. Stink-loving pup Spike (Stinky Spike the Pirate Dog) is back for another nautical adventure. After an accident at sea, Spike's super sniffer locates a princess's missing dog and scores treasure from rival pirates. This early chapter book is full of adventure, odoriferous humor, pirate antics, talking animals, and heroic escapes. Colorful illustrations follow the story closely (and cleverly depict the many stinky smells therein).

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(3) 1-3 Read & Bloom series. Illustrated by Paul Meisel. Spike, a shipyard dog who loves stinky smells, falls off the dock and gets pulled out to sea, where he meets sharks and a whale and then helps some pirates find treasure using his "super sniffer." The early chapter book, full of silliness and pirate-speak, has a nicely coherent story line. Charming full-color illustrations complement the large-font text on every page.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Paul Meisel. Richie tries to act welcoming to French classmate Sophie during Mind Your Manners Week, but minor misunderstandings become more and more confusing due to English and French idioms. The silly, small-stakes story, illustrated with Meisel's light pencil sketches, should be manageable for independent chapter-book readers, who may learn a few new expressions along the way.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Paul Meisel. "I'd rather take the garbage out, / Eat a soggy Brussels sprout, / Clean the litter box of poo, / Than do the homework I must do." In addition to homework, Shields's poems explore extracurricular activities, sleepovers, pets, musical instrument practice, and more after-school happenings. Different rhyme schemes for the poems add variety, and Meisel's comical illustrations match the poems' tone and bring them to life.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(2) K-3 Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series. Illustrated by Paul Meisel. This strong series entry introduces youngsters to light: where it comes from, how fast it travels, and how it enables us to see. The prose is generally lively, but Pfeffer is all business when it comes to scientific explanations. Lighthearted paintings, outlined in pen and ink, add humor but never distract from the text. Three simple experiments are appended.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2014

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Paul Meisel. By brief, pointed text ("Dragonflies swoop. Dip") and colorful multimedia illustrations, the book first introduces seven swamp creatures. Its second half shows them sequentially feeding on each other, from mosquito to alligator, thus illustrating a food chain. Though arguably appropriate for the wetland setting, it isn't always visually clear what's underwater and what's above. An endnote on swamp ecology bolsters the information-skimpy narrative.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Paul Meisel. A boy describes his baby sister's transformation from cute-and-cuddly tot to "Vampire Baby." He tries to give her away to a nice vampire family, but, satisfyingly, he ends up baring his own teeth to defend his little sis. Bennett's humorous conversational text plays to realism (i.e., Tootie is a normal teething baby) while Meisel's clean-lined mixed-media illustrations agreeably maintain the baby-as-vampire conceit.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2013

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Paul Meisel. Sean McDonald inadvertently builds his house over leprechaun Brian O'Shea's home. Though Brian tries to scare Sean away at first, the two eventually reach an unspoken agreement. When hard times hit, Brian shares his gold with Sean, and the two work together to thwart a robbery. Meisel's whimsical acrylic and watercolor illustrations add an additional layer of lightheartedness to the well-paced story.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Paul Meisel. A family happily wallows in swamps, paints the walls, and brings frogs into the house. Mama Schmutzy encourages it all but then asks everyone to prepare for an equally joyous--and clean--Shabbos. Differences between the Jewish Sabbath and the weekdays are humorously made clear. The madcap adventures are fully detailed in pencil, ink, watercolor, acrylic, and pastel full-bleed illustrations.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) K-3 Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series. Illustrated by Paul Meisel. A strong conservation message permeates this examination of garbage and the ways in which we get rid of it, from landfills and incinerators to recycling plants and composting. Ward includes practical steps young readers can take to reduce trash production. The cartoonlike illustrations portray friendly adults and children happily taking care of their waste.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Paul Meisel. Ghost siblings Franny and Frankie demand a story--a scary story--from Father Ghost before they'll go to sleep. Of course, one bedtime story is never enough, and Father Ghost is persuaded to tell three. The book's humor is freewheeling and perfectly calibrated for its audience; it should evoke both sniggers and belly laughs. Meisel's illustrations have an exaggerated tongue-in-cheek goofiness.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2011

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Paul Meisel. A girl lists the differences between her father and stepfather ("Pop takes pictures. Dad takes naps") but concludes by noting their common ground: "They both love me!" This reassuring book will appeal to a wide audience beyond those readers who share the narrator's domestic situation. Meisel's illustrations portray the two dads' divergent looks and sensibilities.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Paul Meisel. The protagonist is told: "Scat, cat!" by all the other animals he encounters; he walks and walks until he comes to a house, where he curls up on the porch and goes to sleep. In a satisfying twist, it turns out that he has returned home. Simple vocabulary and lots of repetition combine with warm, expressive illustrations to tell an engaging story.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Paul Meisel. Who will help make the Passover matzah? When Sheep, Horse, and Dog prove unreliable, stereotypical Jewish mother Little Red Hen (somewhat grudgingly) takes up the reins. The good-natured text's cadence extends the mother-hen comparison, while affectionate ink, watercolor, and pastel illustrations keep things from going too far over the top. An author's note about Passover and a matzah recipe are appended. Glos.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2010

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Paul Meisel. This collection of humorous poems all have some link to the bathroom, whether it's a toothbrush, a dripping sink, or an overflowing bowl. The book has its moments, but the rhyme and meter stumble ("Build some bubble snowmen, / Right on top of your abdomen"). Obvious illustrations and detailed text leave little to the imagination.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Paul Meisel. Raccoon Harriet decides to run away after she's punished for not cleaning her room. Her family members allow her space to be upset while gently helping Harriet see herself as part of a group in which each does her part. Meisel's lively watercolor paintings are a good match for Guest's story about a childhood frustration.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Paul Meisel. Goose organizes a barn-wide poetry slam. Each animal brings a unique poetry style--and a personal complaint--to the "stage." The poems are funny but overstuffed with puns, and some of the humor may be lost on younger listeners. The variety of silly soliloquies would shine in a read-aloud or reader's-theater activity. Cartoony watercolor and pencil barn scenes match the story's light tone.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) K-3 Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series. Illustrated by Paul Meisel. Situating her discussion in the context of global warming, Rockwell explains where we get the oil that makes gasoline, how it was formed and refined, and its modern and historical uses. She ends with an emphasis on conservation and alternative energy sources. Meisel's friendly illustrations of people contentedly using up fossil fuels make the situation seem less dire than it really is.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Paul Meisel. A series of poems tells the story of Stella, a newly adopted dog. Each poem reports from the pooch's point of view, and Stella has quite a sassy sense of humor: "But, really, friend, / do you intend / to feed me only kibble?" Acrylic, gouache, and pencil illustrations add another waggish layer to the dog's tale, showcasing the lively, loving mutt.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan