(4) K-3 Illustrated by Adrian Tans. Hiding out during a purge of academics and artists in ancient China, a scholar's young son uses volume and estimation to determine the number of terracotta warriors being built in a nearby prison camp. Pilegard's details about the clay soldiers created to defend China's first emperor in the afterlife are more engaging than the ancillary math content. Tans's illustrations aptly convey the time period.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Adrian Tans. Kick is the "greatest cowboy ever"; unfortunately he's also the grumpiest and meanest. His exploits (e.g., staring down rattlesnakes, intimidating scorpions) make him legendary, but his nastiness costs him friendships. A little girl named Belle, looking for her lost puppy, helps Kick abandon his antisocial behavior. Bold caricature illustrations add humor to the wordy story.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Adrian Tans. Captain Dare invites landlubbers to join his pirate crew. The text, modeled on the interactive "Going on a Bear Hunt" chant, includes bold-type lines for readers to repeat ("If ye wanna go, say 'Aye, aye, Captain'"). The pirates' discovery--a "treasure load of books"--will blindside readers with its reading-is-fun message, but the bouncy rhythm and humorous illustrations maintain a lively mood.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Adrian Tans. Borrowing from Clement C. Moore's classic poem, Bannatyne offers readers a glimpse of the work witches put into preparing for Halloween. A coven of witches calls up skeletons, carves pumpkins, and drapes spiderwebs. The text features some clever turns-of-phrase and some tired clichés. The illustrations are similarly mixed in visual interest: some are appropriately spooky while others are too tentative.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth