(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: Annie and Snowball series. Illustrated by Suçie Stevenson. Annie and cousin Henry join a book club and learn that reading can be "an outside thing" (Book Bugs Club); Annie lets her bunny Snowball sniff a map to choose a destination for an impromptu day trip with Dad (Surprise Day). Both the stories and the breezy pen-and-ink with watercolor illustrations celebrate spontaneity in a way that will please the new-reader audience. Review covers these Ready-to-Read: Annie and Snowball titles: Annie and Snowball and the Book Bugs Club and Annie and Snowball and the Surprise Day.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: Annie and Snowball series. Illustrated by Suçie Stevenson. Annie and cousin Henry join a book club and learn that reading can be "an outside thing" (Book Bugs Club); Annie lets her bunny Snowball sniff a map to choose a destination for an impromptu day trip with Dad (Surprise Day). Both the stories and the breezy pen-and-ink with watercolor illustrations celebrate spontaneity in a way that will please the new-reader audience. Review covers these Ready-to-Read: Annie and Snowball titles: Annie and Snowball and the Book Bugs Club and Annie and Snowball and the Surprise Day.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) K-3 Ready-to-Read: Annie and Snowball series. Illustrated by Suçie Stevenson. Annie and her bunny Snowball stay overnight with Annie's grandmother, who lives by the sea. The "girls" enjoy their routine: baking cookies, playing tic-tac-toe, watching their favorite sad movie, settling Grandmother's budgie for the night, etc. Morning comes, and they can't wait for the next visit. There's no tension, but the sunny pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations reflect the joy and warmth between generations.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: Annie and Snowball series. Illustrated by Suçie Stevenson. Cousin Henry kindly joins the summer "Book Bugs" reading club with Annie, figuring she does lots of things he likes. They enjoy reading their books together both indoors and outdoors. They also find friends with mutual reading interests at the library picnic. Rylant's celebration of the versatility and diversity of reading selections and experiences is nondidactic and gently amusing.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: Annie and Snowball series. Illustrated by Suçie Stevenson. Annie loves Thanksgiving and wants to fill her house to celebrate, but with such a small family, she and cousin Henry have to brainstorm about whom to invite. She makes beautiful sparkly invitations for friends and neighbors who are alone on the holiday. This warm episode in the popular series is a satisfying story for new readers.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: Annie and Snowball series. Illustrated by Suçie Stevenson. Annie, her cousin Henry, and his dog Mudge all love winter for slightly different reasons--pink muffs, snow forts, and flakes to catch on the tongue, respectively. Annie's pet rabbit Snowball loves winter, too, all cozy by the fire. A snow day gives everyone an opportunity to enjoy the season's pleasures. Accompanying pen-and-ink and watercolors add even more warmth to the scenes.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: Annie and Snowball series. Illustrated by Suçie Stevenson. Annie's new friend, Sarah, lives in the dainty, frilly house of Annie's dreams. When she and Snowball go over for a play date, they enjoy sparkle cookies and help build a fairy house out of walnut shells and rose petals under a hosta plant in the garden. It's another perfect, magical day conjured up by Rylant and Stevenson.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: Annie and Snowball series. Illustrated by Suçie Stevenson. From Annie's porch swing, she has the perfect view of a new nest as it's being built. Annie and Henry spot a robin, then wait expectantly for her lovely blue eggs to hatch. Four brief chapters, illustrated with Stevenson's reliably warm pen-and-ink and watercolor paintings, detail the anticipation of witnessing one of the great events of springtime.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: Annie and Snowball series. Illustrated by Suçie Stevenson. Henry and Mudge help Annie prepare for her starring role in the school play. Nevertheless, she begins to get a little stage fright as the day approaches. As usual, Rylant comes up with a comforting way to see Annie through, shown in Stevenson's warm and humorous pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: Annie and Snowball series. Illustrated by Suçie Stevenson. Annie loves to play with Henry and Mudge. But she also adores pretty things, like her teacup collection, and longs for some dainty girls to spend time with. Henry helps her start a club, and seven girls "looking like angels" come over for tea and cookies, a happy success. As usual, Stevenson's warm, friendly pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations complement Rylant's loving tale.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: Annie and Snowball series. Illustrated by Suçie Stevenson. Annie loves pretty, frilly things. Her dad's not big on decorating, but he's receptive to the idea of Annie and cousin Henry--with the help of his lovable dog Mudge and Annie's pet rabbit Snowball--prettying up the place with family stuff from Henry's attic. This story, with its warm illustrations, is a homey addition to the series.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: Annie and Snowball series. Illustrated by Suçie Stevenson. Annie's excited to celebrate her birthday with a fancy dress-up party for her family. Even her pet rabbit is dolled-up for the day. But her cousin Henry misunderstands just what kind of dressing-up Annie means, and his family and Mudge mistakenly come in costume. Stevenson's warm, friendly illustrations complement Rylant's loving celebration of family, pets, and parties.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(4) K-3 Ready-to-Read series. Illustrated by Sucie Stevenson. Meeting the textual needs of new readers, Henry and his big dog Mudge visit Great-grandpa in a retirement home. The progressive plot (they take a group of great-grandpas on an unapproved outing) is both sentimental and unrealistic. Still, the action unfolds quickly and illustrations that mirror the story give numerous clues concerning the events and unfamiliar vocabulary.

Reviewer: Betty Carter

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read: Henry and Mudge Books series. Illustrated by Sucie Stevenson. In three episodic vignettes, Henry and Mudge help make cookies (Henry makes a mess while Mudge licks it up), go caroling, and celebrate Christmas morning with a big family pancake breakfast, a walk in the snow, and opening presents. The warm text and the bustling illustrations capture the spirit and excitement of the holiday.

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(3) K-3 Henry and Mudge Books series. Illustrated by Sucie Stevenson. Annie loves Henry's dog, Mudge, and wishes she could have a pet, too. So Henry and his parents help her find the perfect pet, one that isn't scary (like a mouse), wet (like a turtle), or hard (like a crab), and doesn't fly (like a bird). Cheerily illustrated, this familiar tale holds no surprises, but fans of the series will appreciate how big, slobbery Mudge and small, fluffy Snowball the rabbit suit their owners' personalities.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(3) K-3 Henry and Mudge Books series. Illustrated by Sucie Stevenson. When Henry and his dog Mudge see a poster for a snowman-building contest, they race home to tell Henry's dad. They find him in the basement, painting a chair. For the contest, father and son construct a likeness of Henry's pop when he paints (including splotches of green paint everywhere) and win third place: "Most Original Snowman." Stevenson's upbeat illustrations add to Rylant's warm story about these familiar characters.

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read series. Illustrated by Sucie Stevenson. Henry and his big dog Mudge help Cousin Annie and Uncle Ed move into their new house--next door to Henry! Annie, however, is covered in blotches because she's so nervous about the changes. When Henry's nervous, he "crawl[s] under the covers with Mudge"--which is just what Annie does until the move is over. Lighthearted pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations accompany this satisfying story.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) K-3 Henry and Mudge Books series. Although nervous about meeting a bear on the annual family camping trip, Henry enjoys a safe outing that includes hiking, "sappy love songs" sung around the campfire, star gazing, and snuggling with his dog Mudge. The quiet story successfully captures the camping experience, and the illustrations feature attractive compositions, particularly the landscapes and night scenes.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(3) K-3 Henry and Mudge Books series. Spy fans Henry and his dog Mudge buy a sleuthing kit, then snoop around town in search of adventure. What they find is a coded message that leads them to another spy enthusiast and his mutt. The appealing subject matter and familiar characters are enlivened, as always, by Stevenson's cheery illustrations.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.