(3) PS These further adventures of Christelow's five little monkeys find them cleaning up and selling Mom's broken-down, smelly car. The bouncy, tongue-twisting rhymes occasionally falter, but the resolution--in which the monkeys avert trouble by convincing a bunch of crocodiles to buy the car--will amuse. Colorful, exuberant illustrations depict appealingly independent and resourceful monkeys.

Reviewer: Jackie E. Stallcup

(4) 4-6 Young Dreamers series. Eve and her horse Lightning compete in shows, ride on the trail, and help teach riding lessons. Spontaneous black-and-white and color photos capture the bond between horse and girl and reveal more about Eve than the undistinguished text does. The information offered is generally accurate, though safety practices are neglected in some photographs.

Reviewer: Jackie E. Stallcup

(3) PS Illustrated by Christine Davenier. Unable to sleep as the music from her parents' dance party floats up the stairs to her bedroom, Mabel comes down to join the dancing. After the guests applaud, her parents dance her back to bed in a satisfying, sleepy conclusion. Calm, rhythmic prose combined with swirly, muted watercolor and ink illustrations establish the story's mood and capture Mabel's lively spirit.

Reviewer: Jackie E. Stallcup

(4) 4-6 Jamie Cooper, reluctantly spending the summer on her grandfather's Texas ranch, saves an unbroken filly at an auction and grows closer to her grandfather as they train the horse together. A stampeding, somewhat contrived plot and unrealistically compressed training schedule make it difficult to connect emotionally with the characters, but the novel is engaging when focused on working with the filly and should appeal to horse lovers.

Reviewer: Jackie E. Stallcup

(4) 4-6 Complete Guides to Horses and Ponies series. This book explains the fundamentals of jumping with a sensible emphasis on solid preparation to develop cooperation between horse and rider. Topics covered include ground exercises for the rider, equitation, practicing with poles and grids, and jumping single fences, combinations, and courses. Though the cramped design is busy, the sharp photographs generally illustrate and clarify the concepts under discussion. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Jackie E. Stallcup

(4) 4-6 Complete Guides to Horses and Ponies series. Focusing on properly selecting and fitting equipment, this book offers detailed, accurate information on safe and sensitive horse handling for both basic and advanced levels of skill. The cramped design, which includes "tack tips" and "tack facts" and boxed sidebars about grooming and care, is overly busy, but the captioned photos are generally well chosen and engaging. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Jackie E. Stallcup

(4) 4-6 Complete Guides to Horses and Ponies series. This book offers detailed, accurate information on safe and sensitive horse handling for both basic and advanced skill levels. Budd explores equine psychology and behavior and encourages readers to be respectful of horse needs and motivations. The cramped book design is overly busy, but the captioned photographs are generally well chosen and engaging. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Jackie E. Stallcup

(3) YA Burroughs's dense, interconnected essays explain the complex interactions that create Earth's climate and show why scientists' ability to predict large-scale changes remains tentative, while emphasizing the importance of such predictions. Despite the tiny type, the book's organization, myriad details, and logical cross-referencing system make it a valuable resource. Photos and diagrams provide dramatic support for the text. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Jackie E. Stallcup