(3) PS Illustrated by David Wojtowycz. Andreae devotes one bouncy verse to each of fifteen barnyard animals, including the fox and the owl who hunt there. Many are amusing, such as Turkey's contribution: "I've got these funny, floppy things / That hang down from my neck, / They dangle when I gobble / And they wobble when I peck." The sprightly illustrations use large shapes and bright colors to depict widely smiling cartoon farm animals.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(2) K-3 In his foray into pancake making, Mr. Wolf asks so politely for help that you forget his bad reputation and wonder how his neighbors can be such meanies. The pancakes' aroma wafts through the fairy-tale neighborhood, causing the greedy residents to come calling. How does Mr. Wolf handle the situation? Let's just say he didn't acquire his portly figure from a diet of nothing but pancakes. Congenial illustrations accompany this snappy tale.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2000

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Nick Sharratt. When mischievous Tom finds a can of red paint, he decides to coat the entire living room and all its contents. After Mom calms down, the cleanup and redecorating ensues. This well-paced tale, working in conjunction with the cheery, vibrant illustrations, demonstrates the relative difference between seconds, minutes, hours, and to a lesser degree, a day, weeks, months, and years.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(4) PS Illustrated by Gwyneth Williamson. A rabbit dad decides to count his children, but they won't keep still, and despite his many attempts he always gets confused. Adults will quickly tire of the father's cumulative string of nonsense-word exclamations, but children in a silly mood will laugh. With the many active bunnies and distraught father, the watercolor illustrations are busy and fun to peruse.

Reviewer: Suzy Schmidt

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Marlis Scharff-Kniemeyer. In this German import, Bertie Bear wants to wake up in the middle of winter so that he can meet Santa. Large illustrations show the bear's adventures, as he gets lost in the snow and is rescued by Father Christmas himself. Although the text is rather long for a picture book, Bertie, Mrs. Bear, and their wolf friends will appeal to young children.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Sally Percy. Horace has everything a hippo could want, but he's unhappy because his dad is always busy. Resorting to drastic measures, he sets a hippo trap. Luckily, the two then have a wonderful day playing together, and Horace is a happy hippo once more. Amiable illustrations warm the less-than-subtle tale, although the resolution isn't particularly practical for similarly unhappy humans.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Elisabeth Holstien. Published spring 1998. Appealing vignettes rendered in soft colored pencil and watercolors in delicate hues depict Duffle, a tiny duck whom other ducks tease because of his size. When Duffle rescues a duckling trapped in a small riverbank hole, however, his peers laud him for his uniqueness. This gentle tale emphasizes the importance of individuality and acceptance.

Reviewer: Sheryl Lee Saunders

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Sally Hobson. Fox gets rid of his trash by sweeping it down a hole--right into Badger's house. Badger sweeps it into Rabbit's house, Rabbit into Partridge's, and then the trash makes its way through the neighborhood until it ends up back on Fox's doorstep. Brightly colored gouache illustrations accompany the gentle, if predictable, environmental message.

Reviewer: Jackie C. Horne

(4) K-3 When Tadpole sees his mother and various animals jumping, he wishes he, too, could jump. They all assure him that someday he will, but that's not good enough for the impatient tadpole. Finally, he meets the Big Bad Fish and quickly leaps out of harm's way. The brightly colored torn-paper collages, which show him changing gradually into a frog, are more engaging than the repetitive text.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(4) K-3 On the frigid days leading up to Christmas, Robin gives away every one of his cozy vests. Santa rewards this self-sacrificing behavior with a special red vest that will keep Robin forever warm. Rosy-cheeked watercolors uphold the shirt-off-your-back morality of the tale, which overwhelms the underplayed yet more enticing explanation of "how Robin got his red breast."

Reviewer: Mary Burkey

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jan Barger. Child-pleasing, cartoonlike artwork in bright colors accompanies twenty stories that have been faithfully adapted from the Old and New Testaments. A unique index at the back of the book groups events from the stories by theme--bravery, forgiveness, hope, and miracles, to name a few. This inviting collection of Bible stories will appeal to children and adults alike.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) K-3 When his mother sends her offspring out to hunt by themselves, Freddy the fox laughs at his siblings for working for their dinners instead of relying on humans as he does. But Freddy's way, predictably, soon gets him into trouble. The accomplished watercolors, featuring wide-eyed and often smiling fox cubs, teeter toward the overly cute.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(3) K-3 In this spoof of 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears', the bears seek retribution for the damage done to their house by making a mess in what they think is Goldilocks's cottage. After a food fight in the kitchen, dancing on the sofa, a bath, and a pillow fight, the bears discover who the house really belongs to. Humorous, lighthearted illustrations capture the bears' escapades.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Tim Warnes. The ten stories in this humorous collection all have titles such as "Not-So-Smart Bears," "Not-So-Hungry Bear," or "Not-So-Greedy Bears." Oram mentions where the tales originated--Russia, China, Japan, North America, and various European countries--but she gives no sources. The cheerful, expressive illustrations complement the text, which is a good choice for reading aloud.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Fourteen tales from around the world, including "The Snow Child" from Russia, "Raven Boy" from Canada, and "A Song for Hinemoa" from New Zealand, are retold here with lively, engaging language. A few are familiar ("The Pied Piper" and "Stone Soup"), but all are intriguing, whether they are humorous, rowdy, threatening, or sly. Like the text, the borders and paintings are vibrant, and their style changes to reflect the different cultures.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jane Chapman. Published spring 1998. In a familiar story line, a mare reassures her curious foal that he will not miss her when he grows up. With his mother's guidance, the foal learns about wind, darkness, and the world outside his snug stable. Although the text conveys an anthropomorphic mother and child relationship, the textured illustrations portray a fairly realistic mare and foal.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jane Chapman. While Smudge the dog is playing with Bounce the rabbit and Nibble the mouse in the yard, it begins to rain. Smudge runs to the house, but finds the door is shut. With the helping "paws" of his friends he finally gets inside where it is dry, only to find the sun has come out again. Though the text is not particularly riveting, the expressive gouache illustrations have appeal.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Tim Warnes. Wakened abruptly by his animal friends, Santa finds he has overslept on Christmas Eve. A comedy of errors ensues--reindeer are lost, and the sleigh gets stuck in a huge snowdrift. Cheerful paintings in the humorous tale depict a contingent of animal helpers that assist Santa through the night. At dawn, they give the jolly fellow his own Christmas gift--an alarm clock.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty