(4) K-3 Illustrated by Johanna van der Sterre. When a chores-fatigued boy asks the titular question, his mom describes his grandmother's identical lament. Her mom responded with a similar story, and back through the generations (the boy's distant ancestor complains, "Me already clean cave!...Why me have to make bed?"). This somewhat labored history lesson features art that drolly re-creates the chosen time periods.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) PS Illustrated by John Parra. For Ana, the arrival of a burro-riding librarian in her remote village is a joyful event. Impatiently awaiting the bibliotecario's next visit, Ana reads avidly, writes, and creates her own book. Parra's acrylics portray a sunny village with cheerful children engaged in imaginative play. Spanish words (defined in context and in a glossary) add a useful dimension, as does an author's note.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2011

(4) 4-6 In WWII-era California, Aki and her Japanese family are sent to an internment camp. Sylvia and her Latino family lease Aki's farm, and the third-grader is forced to attend the "Mexican school" rather than the closer white school. While purpose-driven, the story, based on actual events, may encourage young readers to seek out other material on internment camps or segregation. Reading list. Bib.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Doug Cushman. During recess, monkey schoolkids Jack and Jill model the mathematical concept of doubling in various ways: with parts of their bodies ("2 knees + 2 knees = 4 knees"), with their friends ("3 kids + 3 kids = 6 kids"), etc. Franco's rhyming text presents the concept cleanly and engagingly. Cushman's assorted animals are child stand-ins, wearing human clothes and solving human arithmetic.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Michael Wertz. As in A Curious Collection of Cats, Franco's concrete poems celebrate animals complete with lovable quirks and downright silliness. Wertz's stylish digital illustrations pop with color and capture the personality of each dog variety, from pug to maltipoo. The combination of funny poems and goofy dogs makes for a great gift book--and a sneaky way to inject poetry into someone's life.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2011

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Stacey Dressen McQueen. Dalia teaches her little brother, Yossi, about tzedakah, the Jewish custom of collecting money or otherwise supporting those in need. While tagging along on some special errands, Yossi realizes the satisfaction in helping others. Heller's text effectively gets across the idea of tzedakah without spelling things out too much. McQueen's rich-hued acrylic and oil pastel illustrations radiate warmth.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2011

(3) PS Double-page spreads feature illustrations of a boy mimicking the behaviors and characteristics of a variety of dinosaur species. To find out which is highlighted, readers turn the page to see the name and a picture. Participation in the boy's story-acting will be practically irresistible; listeners will quickly be roaring and stomping along as their own imaginary dinosaurs.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) PS With a few "QUACKS!" a bossy duck directs other farm animals in a sort of game; the creatures form a carefully balanced pyramid--duck on top--by story's end. The spare text consists mostly of animal names and sounds. Lively, expressive acrylic illustrations showing just the animals and plenty of white space will hold preschoolers' attention as they moo and cluck right along.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) PS McGuirk uses rocks from her collection to form both the letters and items they stand for in this creative alphabet book. The sea-worn rocks made of fossilized sandstone look uncannily like the real things. The book could be a catalyst for collectors and naturalists; an author's note describes how she waited "for many years...for the letter K to appear."

Reviewer: Sarah Novogrodsky

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Laura J. Bryant. A girl, picking berries for jam, encounters a bee. Meanwhile, the bee, collecting nectar for honey, is frightened by the girl. But the girl knows to stand still and the bee knows to fly high, and both are fine. This gentle rhyming story is divided into two parts, united by the watercolor illustrations that show the same scenes from different points of view.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Andrea U'Ren. After illness disabled her lighthouse keeper father, Ida Lewis took over his duties. In 1858, at age sixteen, she heroically rescued four boys whose boat had capsized--the first of many rescues during a lifelong career. The stirring events are beautifully visualized in painterly watercolor, ink, and acrylic art. An author's note further highlights the significance of Ida's career.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2011

(4) K-3 A neat and tidy bug by day, Buglette has wild dreams that turn her into a messy-sleeping one by night. Concerned she'll wake a snoozing predator, her family tries to contain her nightly commotion. It doesn't work, and a hungry crow descends; but Buglette's nighttime adventures help save the day. Though the story line is a stretch, Murguia's neat-and-tidy watercolors are inviting.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mike Dutton. Donovan has many little jobs to do--wash his face, don a suit--en route to his "BIG job": he's the ring bearer at his moms' wedding. Donovan's excitement is palpable throughout Newman's text. Dutton succeeds at making the main character look like a kid trying to feel like himself in a penguin suit.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher. There was another Mozart prodigy: "At twelve, Maria was considered one of the best pianists in Europe." Not only did she tour with her soon-to-be-renowned little brother, she was his inspiration and playfellow. Rusch's text, echoing sonata form, is appropriately bittersweet. A two-page "encore" adds more about Maria. The illustrators evoke eighteenth-century Salzburg in collages of brocades overlaid with painted detail and musical notation. Bib.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2011

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Michela Sorrentino. Watterson's playful text loosely adheres to agriculture-related topics from crops to manure. Some work well (e.g., the D: "Dig in for Dinner" section is about root vegetables and tubers); others stretch the parameters of farming (woolly bear caterpillars for W?). Spirited collage art with vivid colors illustrates the selections.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Elisa Kleven. Leora takes care of an errant chicken while waiting for its owner to appear. One thing leads to another, and her family ends up with a herd of goats to present to the grateful chicken-misplacer. Weber's text is straightforward and humorous. Kleven's varied mixed-media illustrations, depicting an indeterminate Old Country setting, are full of texture and patterns. An author's note is appended.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2011

(4) K-3 Pioneer girl Abiah Rose tells of how she pursued the life of a painter, despite being discouraged (Papa: "Serious painting is not girl's work"). Because the narrative is so lively and eventful, the story, a veiled history lesson, will engage readers as much as it enlightens them. The acrylic and colored-pencil art compensates for some lack of polish with its marvelous particularity. Reading list. Glos.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Tom Lintern. The Tooth Fairy and her counterpart, mouse El Ratón Pérez, argue over Miguelito's tooth, which sparkles brightly in Lintern's illustrations. Ultimately, the two learn to work together and share the tooth. Colato Laínez's tale is message-y (honor your heritage; cooperate with others) but entertaining. The back matter about the folkloric figures is engaging. Spanish words appear throughout the text. Glos.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Tracy Dockray. A band of babies take to the streets in protest: "We won't get our hair cut. / We won't wear our sun caps. / We won't play with smart toys to skip us a grade." Some of the rhymes lose their way, but the overall concept is clever. Humorous digital illustrations give the wee protesters the hardened look of veteran activists.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Amy Wummer. After kindergartner Samuel announces that he's "having a baby!" his classmates imagine that they, too, are about to become parents (they put stuffed animals under their shirts, etc.). The simple text and soft-hued art rely on a "That's so cute!" reaction from a readership largely too young to supply it, but big-siblings-to-be may relate to Samuel's excitement and trepidation.

Reviewer: Nell Beram