(3) K-3 Illustrated by Scot Ritchie. From the moment Oma arrives for Jake's birthday to her airport departure, there are many activities planned and unplanned that arouse curiosity. Visits to the library, pet expos, road trips to the beach, and even an unwelcome sick day provide the structure for this well-organized, informative question-and-answer book. Double-page spreads with colorful illustrations complement the childlike narrative. Ind.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Scot Ritchie. Fiona is a slowpoke. She habitually misses the bus because she eats her cereal bits one by one and brushes each tooth thirty-two times. Her family, fed up, sends her to "Speed School." Readers may get a kick out of Fiona's newly acquired multitasking skills, shown in Ritchie's humorous black-and-white cartoon illustrations, but the story's stop-and-smell-the-roses message is aimed squarely at helicopter parents.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Scot Ritchie. Each double-page spread contains a cheery color illustration, a question in large print ("Why is soap so slippery?" "Why is the sky blue?"), and a paragraph or so of text providing the answer. Some of the questions are mundane or a little too specific (in a grocery setting: "Why do some people bring their own bags?"), but the accessible volume makes for diverting browsing. Ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta