(3) PS Illustrated by Bridget Strevens-Marzo. A dozen types of animals at the helms of exotic or improbable vehicles (e.g., two rabbits drive a carrot-shaped car; a snail rides a skateboard) compete in a road race. Dempsey's rhymes bounce right along down the track. Though it's not clear why these are "mini" racers, they are awfully cute, and Strevens-Marzo gives them lots to do.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Illustrated by Bridget Strevens-Marzo. Sturges asks, "How do you make a baby smile...laugh...coo...grin?" The answers are delivered in pleasant-enough rhymes that introduce animal babies and their parents into the proceedings ("Grin like Papa Crocodile," "Twist your neck like Papa Giraffe," etc.). The illustrations, featuring black-outlined drawings on bold monochromatic backgrounds, are appropriately playful, but the text doesn't stand above other human-babies-juxtaposed-with-baby-animals books.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) PS Illustrated by Bridget Strevens-Marzo. After Baby Hippo forgets to kiss his mother one morning, he notices animal children kissing their parents everywhere he goes--"through the squelchy, squelchy mud," "around the bumpy, bumpy rocks," and so on. At last, Hippo remembers and hurriedly retraces his steps. The genial illustrations for this appealing repetitive tale show a rotund Hippo making his way past a variety of African animals.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert