(4) K-3 Illustrated by Scott Menchin. Narrator Ruthie uses Yiddish phrases in context (e.g., "we go home for a shluf") while visiting her grandparents in Florida; cartoon illustrations reinforce each word's meaning. Based on the author's childhood, the story is slight and serves only to introduce the vocabulary, though the examples support Ruthie's claim that Yiddish words are "fun to say." Glos.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Scott Menchin. Paper engineering by Gene Vosough. The lyrics to Guthrie's classic children's song propel a road trip across the United States undertaken by a dog family. Sights include the White House, a farm, and Mount Rushmore; flaps reveal relevant informational tidbits. Although the book's movable parts are inventive and there's nothing not to love about Guthrie's onomatopoeia-filled song, the book's focus seems fractured.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Scott Menchin. Newbie is a Rescue Bunny trainee with a heart of gold. When a distress signal comes through--a giraffe is stuck in mud in hyena country--Newbie is ready to prove her mettle. Cronin and Menchin bring slapstick humor and impeccable timing to this rousing tale of bravery and determination. The text's one-liners are matched by cartoon illustrations with clean lines and spare backgrounds.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2010

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Scott Menchin. The chickens in these poems lay cantaloupes, sing (badly), and explain their role in evolution. Comedy wins out over reality in the well-rhymed verses, which use chickens' potential for humor to its full advantage. Drawings of the birds interact with the printed words, which often border on concrete poetry, if concrete poetry can have feathers.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) PS Illustrated by Scott Menchin. Accompanied by animal friends and props, a dog demonstrates different ways to stretch, from yoga poses to yawns. The text's bouncy rhythm will rouse preschoolers to get up and try each pose, with the bright colors and playful design of the digitally colored pen-and-ink illustrations energizing listeners anew after each page turn.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Scott Menchin. A self-confident mini-maestro is more than ready for her first piano recital; she's wearing her lucky underwear and is "as cool as a cucumber." McGhee's narrator is likable, with humor-laced bravado that makes her all the more sympathetic when stage fright strikes. Menchin's unpretentious cartoon illustrations temper the girl's super-sized narration with their muted colors and strong black lines.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2009

(3) PS Illustrated by Scott Menchin. Fans of Wiggle can hop, skip, and jump their way through this companion book. The rhyming text is narrated by an expressive dog who bounces everywhere ("I'll bounce to the left...if you'll bounce to the right"). The digitally colored pen-and-ink pictures are bold and exuberant. With such clear illustrations and short, interactive text, the book invites sharing with a group.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(2) PS Illustrated by Scott Menchin. A floppy-eared dog begins his day with a wiggle ("Do you wake up with a wiggle?") and, like many toddlers, wiggles all the way till bedtime. Children listening to Cronin's ebullient questions will find wiggling along irresistible. Black outlined objects stand out against the clean backgrounds; the digitally rendered illustrations often incorporate a photographed element along with the amusing cartoon dog.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2005

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Scott Menchin. When the Bunches can't find anything (including their son Junior) in their messy home, Mr. Bunch gets an idea. He sews pockets onto his overalls and his wife's favorite dress and starts filling them up, but the solution doesn't last for long. Braybrook's story, though creative, lacks tension. The text sometimes feels cramped among Menchin's flat, collage illustrations, which aptly capture the chaos of clutter.

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Scott Menchin. A dead humpback whale brought through town by train as a traveling educational exhibit saddens and angers Ben, who thinks it should have been left buried at sea. Set early in the century and depicted in bold ink and collage illustrations, this novel scenario starts out intriguingly enough, but then becomes heavy-handed as it drives home its message about standing up for one's beliefs.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.