(2) K-3 Viking Easy-to-Read series. Illustrated by Lisa McCue. Cork (muskrat) realizes Fuzz (possum) has never been to his house. "'I cannot go to your house,' [Fuzz] said. 'I do not know how to swim.'" After some on-the-ground lessons, Fuzz falls into the water and, following a moment of panic, swims. McCue's happy-go-lucky characters receive a lot of face time. Sight words ease the task for beginning readers.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2011

(2) K-3 Dial Easy-to-Read series. Illustrated by R. W. Alley. An eye test proves that Wagner needs glasses. Although Pearl tells her newly bespectacled friend he looks cool, two older boys make fun of him. Perfectly capturing those fragile feelings of childhood, McMullan's accessible text and Alley's soft watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations show Wagner's hesitation to stand out, his pride in being praised, and delight when his friends defend him.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2010

(3) K-3 Viking Easy-to-Read series. Illustrated by Barbara Johansen Newman. At FunLand, Grandpa wins a teddy bear at the Basketball Shoot but loses the roller coaster tickets. It's up to boy detective Jeffrey Bones to track them down. Divided into five chapters, Adler's easy reader mystery has just the right dose of humor (Jeffrey decides not to ride the big roller coaster because it's "too scary for Teddy"), and Newman's illustrations reinforce the text nicely.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) K-3 Viking Easy-to-Read series. Illustrated by Susanna Natti. Cam's class celebrates the hundredth day of school with a "Letter P Party." All their snacks fit the theme: popcorn, pretzels, pineapple juice. When the pièce de résistance--pizza!--goes missing, Cam puts her detective skills to good use. Plenty of humor and lots of cheerful spot- and half-page illustrations round out the easy-to-read (and not too difficult to solve) mystery.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) K-3 Viking Easy-to-Read series. Illustrated by Lisa McCue. Muskrat Cork, who loves finding things, is especially excited by a shiny green stone he discovers. However, best friend Fuzz, an opossum, likes keeping things, and when Cork mislays his green stone, Fuzz tells him, "finders keepers." An encounter with a chipmunk helps Fuzz see Cork's point of view. This frustrating but familiar aspect of friendship is effectively explored and winningly illustrated.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(2) K-3 Dial Easy-to-Read series. Illustrated by R. W. Alley. Everybody seems clued in that it's April Fools' Day except mouse Wagner. The challenges that result are presented in three satisfying chapters. Though he's a little slow on the uptake, Wagner manages to get the last laugh. McMullan's easy-reader text has a reliable partner in Alley's pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations that add a gentle pastel wash to the sometimes-painful schoolyard jockeying.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2009

(3) K-3 Viking Easy-to-Read series. Illustrated by Barbara Johansen Newman. Solving mysteries--not addition problems--is Jeffrey Bones's forte. When the young detective's math test goes missing, he starts searching for clues right away to avoid taking the test all over again. Adler's easy-to-read story has plenty of humor (beginning readers will giggle over Not-Me Amy, a classmate who always says, "Not me"). Newman's cheerful half-page illustrations nicely reinforce the text.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(4) K-3 Viking Easy-to-Read series. Illustrated by Susanna Natti. When Cam, best pal Eric, and Cam's father arrive at the airport to greet Aunt Molly, they discover that the sleepy traveler has misplaced her shoes. Cam, as always, uses her photographic memory to solve the puzzle; her fans won't be far behind, thanks to Adler's not-too-difficult clues. Short sentences, gentle humor, and bright illustrations make for an accessible (albeit boilerplate) mystery.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) K-3 Viking Easy-to-Read series. Illustrated by Lisa McCue. While looking for rocks and feathers for their collections, muskrat Cork and opossum Fuzz stumble upon a nest of ducklings. The babies follow Fuzz until Mama Duck returns and herds him into her nest along with the ducklings. Cork comes to the rescue and gains a feather for his collection. Textured illustrations reaffirm the warmth of this unlikely friendship.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) K-3 Dial Easy-to-Read series. Illustrated by Ann Schweninger. Beginning readers will likely recognize Amanda's experiences with her first loose tooth. She wiggles it nonstop at first, then agonizes over whether to let Father pull it. After losing the tooth (literally), she finds it again, only to lie awake wondering about the Tooth Fairy. The amiable pencil and watercolor illustrations in Easter-egg hues feature nattily dressed piggies.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Viking Easy-to-Read series. Illustrated by Barbara Johansen Newman. "Bones, Detective Jeffrey Bones" discovers he's the chief suspect in the disappearance of his grandfather's birthday card--a card that includes a present for Grandpa and for the young sleuth himself. Jeffrey cracks the case before the cake is cut. Adler's cleverly terse text (picture hard-boiled-mystery/easy-reader offspring) is smoothly reinforced by Newman's brightly patterned illustrations.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) K-3 Viking Easy-to-Read series. Illustrated by Susanna Natti. On a trip to the zoo, Danny's lunch goes missing, so Cam uses her photographic memory to find it. A red herring involving two boxes--one for lunches and the other for lost-and-found items--will keep beginning readers on their toes. Adler serves up another simple yet satisfying easy-reader mystery, reliably accompanied by Natti's friendly half-page and spot illustrations.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) K-3 Viking Easy-to-Read series. Illustrated by Lisa McCue. Cork the muskrat and Fuzz the possum play many games, but Cork gets frustrated when Fuzz keeps winning. He suggests a swim race without realizing Fuzz can't swim. When Fuzz momentarily disappears, Cork fears the worst, and soon realizes that winning isn't so important as long as he has his buddy. Sharp, playful illustrations display the friends' emotions.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) K-3 Dial Easy-to-Read series. Illustrated by Ann Schweninger. Amanda's high expectations of first grade are all met--except she still can't read. As the days pass, she has the usual misadventures: getting lost in the big building, confronting a bully. Slowly, she builds her word power and learns to read. Amanda's experience will resonate with first graders everywhere. Reassuring pencil and watercolor illustrations show Amanda's ups and downs.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) K-3 Viking Easy-to-Read series. Illustrated by Barbara Johansen Newman. When Not-Me Amy opens her lunch at school, her spinach noodle cupcake has disappeared, and it's up to Jeffrey Bones, detective, to solve the mystery. Using "detective powder" and logic, Jeffrey examines the clues and, after a wrong turn, comes up with the answer. Jeffrey's sense of humor, the simple text, and colorful illustrations make this an enjoyable read.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) K-3 Viking Easy-to-Read series. Illustrated by Lisa McCue. When Cork the muskrat runs into Fuzz the opossum in the woods, they begin to learn about their differences and similarities. Cork likes to eat "veggie stuff" rather than Fuzz's beetles, and Fuzz is afraid of the water Cork lives in. But they both love rocks, and a new friendship is begun throughout four simple, appealingly illustrated chapters.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(2) K-3 Dial Easy-to-Read series. Illustrated by Joan Holub. Seldom has the plea "Can I keep it?" been made for keeping cockroaches, as junior entomologists Leo and Sam (Breakout at the Bug Lab) discover when they try to peddle the offspring of their pair of the giant hissing variety. The energetic narrative incorporates spot-on wordplay for the beginning reader audience; insect references; and a few creepy-crawly similes to add flavor.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2005

(3) K-3 Viking Easy-to-Read series. Illustrated by Amy Young. "This is my pony. / His name is Jack. / He is brown and white. / His nose is black." A girl tells (and shows) beginning readers how she cares for her pony. The simple rhyming text and uncluttered art explains currying, cleaning hooves, and feeding the pony. A glossary of pony care terms is included.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) K-3 Dial Easy-to-Read series. Illustrated by Hideko Takahashi. After Mr. and Mrs. Beans adopt a dachshund from an animal shelter, they find that a dog food commercial is being cast and think that little Hotdog would be just right for it. Hotdog worms his way into the casting director's heart, and despite the thin story, he'll charm readers, too. The acrylic art gives all the auditioning dogs plenty of personality.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) K-3 Dial Easy-to-Read series. Illustrated by Ann Schweninger. In four short chapters, Amanda Pig gets a cooling "hot-day surprise" in the garden; she and best friend Lollipop trade lemonade for entry into the boys' fort; Amanda and Lollipop open a lemonade stand, then drink the stock; and she waits with her family for a cool evening breeze. The combination of simple text and expressive illustrations will encourage new readers.

Reviewer: Angela Leeper