(3) K-3 Illustrated by Brendan Wenzel. A reverie on life--its mutability, joys, and challenges--leads to a conclusion of hope: "There is always a new road to take." The poetic (if slightly bromidic) text is given rigor and specificity by a series of gorgeous, richly colored, dramatically lit landscapes and animal portraits. With its inspirational life lessons, this is sure to find its way to new graduates.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Brendan Wenzel. In a folkloric-feeling cumulative tale, a brown-skinned boy skipping through a eucalyptus grove is eaten by a snake. The boy coaxes the snake to eat other creatures one by one until the group is released in an age-old device: a belch ("Gurgle-gurgle came a blurble / from that belly deep and full..."). Bernstrom's infectious, chantable rhymes combine with Wenzel's well-composed, more-goofy-than-grisly art for a top-notch read-aloud.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Brendan Wenzel. Simple, terse rhyming text lists pets' myriad activities, while Wenzel's distinctive mixed-media illustrations show animals of all stripes competing in a "Pet Show." This colorful picture book--even the text is multicolored--is both a celebration of and a primer on the domestic-animal kingdom, with plenty of emphasis on pets' affection. A final spread identifies the pets (and non-pets) from the earlier pages.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Brendan Wenzel. This anthropomorphic animal book introduces readers to a variety of patient moms and their "beastly," mischievous children. The babies' playfulness is reflected in the rollicking rhyming text and mixed-media illustrations, both of which have plenty of funny details (e.g., as the little elephants butt into Mom's back: "there goes Mama's noontime nap!"). An ideal read-aloud for similarly active little ones.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Brendan Wenzel. "Stinging, biting, stinking, fighting, hopping, gliding, swimming, hiding...." Jaunty rhymes describe the many activities of a variety of bugs. The scansion is unstrained, begging to be chanted aloud, and Wenzel's spirited mixed-media illustrations match the text's tone, clarify its meaning, and imbue the bugs with personality. Readers won't hesitate to follow the ending injunction to "find some bugs in your backyard!"

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin