(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lee Wildish. This author-illustrator team has provided advice on myriad topics, from How to Babysit a Grandpa to How to Catch Santa. This how-to gives kids all the tongue-in-cheek pointers they need for scaring--and befriending--a ghost this Halloween. "GHOSTS CAN'T RESIST: Bobbing for apples. Cupcakes. Games. Glitter." Lighthearted illustrations show round-faced kids and their amiable ghost pal enjoying various Halloween thrills.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lee Wildish. A sibling duo gives familiar-sounding instructions on how to raise a "happy, healthy mom." If she gets cranky in the grocery store line, for example, "surprise her with a snack and a toy." The cartoony digital art shows that Mom's in on the joke. This inevitable follow-up to How to Surprise a Dad comically recognizes a tough and rewarding job.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lee Wildish. The student becomes the teacher in Reagan and Wildish's most recent tongue-in-cheek how-to guide (How to Babysit a Grandpa etc.). A class explains what a teacher (and a student) needs to know about school, even what to do if plans go awry ("hand her a favorite book!"). Kid-friendly illustrations feature round-faced children and their teacher tackling everything a school year has to offer.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Lee Wildish. A witch arrives at twelve-year-old William's cottage and then threatens his little brother, leading William to complete his late father's quest and solve the witch's riddles to rescue his mother from an enchanted sleep. William's ally, humorously eccentric dwarf Tuli, is an effective counterpoint to the witch's eerie menace, while echoes of "Sleeping Beauty" enliven this highly inventive tale pitched toward middle-grade readers.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lee Wildish. Two siblings school readers on the art of being a "super dad surpriser"--both the "any day" and "Special Day" kind. Reagan's know-it-all-child narration never breaks character, while Wildish's winking art depicts the actual dynamic of the well-meaning kids and their anything-but-clueless, good-sport dad. The How to Babysit a Grandpa creators' third how-to has Father's Day read-aloud written all over it.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Lee Wildish. Reagan and Wildish's (How to Babysit a Grandpa) latest how-to warns would-be Santa-snatchers not to get crazy: no lassoing, for instance. Instead, listen for sleigh bells, lure him with cookies, etc. Letters to Santa on the endpapers fit with digital illustrations that look almost hand-drawn, creating a sense that it's all up to the kids--even if alert readers notice the winking parents.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2015

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lee Wildish. In a follow-up to How to Babysit a Grandpa, a girl imagines how she'll be a good grandma babysitter at their sleepover: they'll go to the park, sing songs, and tell stories; if Grandma misses Mom and Dad, the girl will remind her, "They'll be here tomorrow..." Bright digital illustrations add lots of amusing details and showcase the warm, caring intergenerational relationship.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Lee Wildish. After the KnitWit family moves into a new home, they throw a housewarming party, which they believe requires sweaters; a few more amiable play-on-words misunderstandings follow. It's Amelia Bedelia meets Harry Allard's Stupids, without the latter's riotous relentlessness. In an interesting juxtaposition, the KnitWits, pictured as stuffed animals in color photos, cavort against cartoony backdrops.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Illustrated by Lee Wildish. Steggy Stegosaurus and Tracey Triceratops are among the dinos competing à la TV's Dancing with the Stars (here it's "dancing with the 'saurs"). Clarke goes for easy, obvious rhymes ("Tango with our T. Rex, / do the Steggy twist and shout! / Disco with the Duckbills / and shake it all about") that Wildish almost rescues via his eye-snaring illustrations.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lee Wildish. A boy instructs the reader in the care of a grandfather (e.g., "When it's sunny, sunscreen up--especially the top of his head"); the unspoken joke, on which the mirthful digital art capitalizes, is that Grandpa is indulging the boy's fantasy. This is a welcome celebration of an intergenerational relationship that will feel cozy and familiar to most young readers.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lee Wildish. "Horses: Nose to nose, hip to hip, / ours is a stable relationship." In this petite gift book, couplets describing various animals in love use corny (but funny) puns as unabashedly as the critters declare their devotion; bats hang around together, earthworms dig each other, etc. Clear, cartoony illustrations have an appropriately Valentine card–esque appearance.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Lee Wildish. Despite his scrawny frame and low birth, Thomas dreams of knighthood. When a visiting knight sees promise in him, Thomas grabs onto each challenge--from taking care of his donkey to rescuing missing Princess Eleanor--with gusto. Wildish's amusing black-and-white drawings jibe well with the rollicking tone of Crum's tale featuring a hero filled with bravery, quick wits, and heart.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2010

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Lee Wildish. Jacob O'Reilly's parents veto all his pet suggestions and instead recommend pet sitting. For two weeks he cares for a slew of animals: dogs, hamsters, a zebra, and more. All tuckered out, Jacob eventually discovers the perfect pet: a snail. The rhyming tale isn't particularly logical (the parents object to pets but allow Jacob to pet-sit at home), but the illustrations have texture and humor.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Lee Wildish. Five bored Vikings, seeking a bold new adventure, hunt for a dragon to turn into stew. They encounter an enormous--and enormously polite--creature whose patience is tested after being repeatedly poked. A little flame to the Vikings' backsides brings the hunt to a close. Wildish's silly illustrations include such details as burning bums and odoriferous socks. Smallman's text, though humorous, lacks fluidity.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Lee Wildish. A boy's rhymes describe the stages (shock, denial, self-blame, acceptance) of dealing with divorcing parents. The concept is solid, but the glue metaphor ("My mom and dad have come undone, / I need to find some glue") is overused, and his "there-is-no-glue-for-hearts" epiphany comes too easily. The illustrations feature a sympathetic child who sees his world being literally split in two.

Reviewer: Nell Beram