(3) PS Illustrated by Lori Joy Smith. Well-rhymed, singsong couplets take us through the day of a chickens' county fair: "Chicken farmer shows his plant. / Chicken racers puff and pant. / Chicken chefs and pastry cooks, / chickens watch with hungry looks." Counting questions about each scene are appended, followed by an answer key. The pencil illustrations, digitally colored in mostly pastel tones, further make for a pleasant package.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lori Joy Smith. Multilingual best friends Annie, Lillemor, and Lilianne decide to enter the school talent show as a singing group. But Annie tests their friendship when she insists on making all the decisions ("because this whole thing was my idea"). Dunklee's realistic story about bossiness, compromise, and teamwork features a mix of simple narration and speech bubbles set against Smith's expressive, brightly colored digital art.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) PS Illustrated by Lori Joy Smith. Simple rhymes celebrate the fun of "first times," from playground skills, such as sliding and swinging, to more sophisticated accomplishments: "The first time I play a game that I choose. / The first time I finally tie my own shoes." Cheery watercolor, gouache, and pencil illustrations of proud toddlers should help little ones look forward to learning as they grow.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lori Joy Smith. Annie and Lillemor, who's from Sweden, are best friends who have a lot in common. But when new girl Lilianne, who seems to have even more in common with Lillemor, arrives from France, Annie feels left out. Text and speech bubbles tell this relatable story about normal friendship woes. The playful and friendly digitally colorized pencil illustrations bring the girls' activities to life.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Lori Joy Smith. "Riffle-rustle, / feet down-pound. / Another day / has rolled around! / Yeah!" Thirty short poems follow kids through a day: from early morning routine to a romp in the "gurpy-slurpy" mud to a squabble at the park to nighttime "dazzle-dreams." Pencil and digitally colored illustrations add clever, delightful details, but the similarly patterned poems' repetitive over-hyphenation grows tedious.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley