(4) K-3 Step into Reading series. Illustrated by Sylvie Wickstrom. When planning a surprise picnic at a secret garden, Sara uses her trusty notebook to make a list, write a note, and draw a map. Afterward she writes about the picnic. Controlled, repetitive vocabulary will give young readers confidence, but inconsistent meter and rhyme patterns make for a clunky read. Child-friendly illustrations include handwritten pages from Sara's notebook.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(3) K-3 My First I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Sylvie Wickstrom. "It's loose. / It's loose.... / I can pull it. / I can push it. / But it won't come out!" The simultaneous excitement of having a loose tooth and frustration that it won't come right out are celebrated in this beginning reader. Sprightly art highlights each moment from first wiggle to the eagerly anticipated loss, featuring a topic with sure-fire appeal for the new-to-reading crowd.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) 1-3 Ready-to-Read series. Illustrated by Sylvie Wickstrom. Sadie and Samuel are a well-matched country couple: each approves of the other's wacky ideas. Sadie washes Samuel's overalls with him still inside, Samuel paints the fence all different colors, and Sadie cuts up Samuel's Sunday clothes for a quilt he can use not just on Sunday but every day. The cartoonish figures and broadly textured brush strokes of the illustrations match the amiable tone of these six brief chapters.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 MathStart series. Illustrated by Sylvie Wickstrom. Preparing a fishbowl for a new occupant is the context for this adequate introduction to volume and units of capacity. As Carlos fills the fishbowl with enough water for a pet guppy, simple diagrams show the amount of water added and the relationships among cups, pints, quarts, half-gallons, and gallons. Clear, humorous illustrations accompany the story, and related activities and books are suggested at the back.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(2) PS This adaptation of Raffi's rendition of the popular folksong translates well from picture book to board book. Babies will enjoy hearing the song while perhaps gumming the pages, but those at the older end of the preschool audience will be able to appreciate Wickstrom's jovial illustrations. Music included.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.