(4) PS Illustrated by Cathy Morrison. This book encourages thinking about the ways birds, mammals, and reptiles care for their young. Each spread explains a different parenting practice with a trite rhymed couplet and a descriptive fact; both birds included show a mother and father actively participating. The detailed art features gentle, smiling faces that enhance the calm tone. A matching game and teaching guide are appended. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jill Dubin. In an "Over in the Meadow" pattern, rhymed stanzas introduce African savanna animals, from one zebra to ten jackals. Enhanced by cut-paper-collage illustrations, the text features less-familiar vocabulary (graze, shrill, cunning); endnotes add to and clarify some misleading information (e.g., elephants don't have triplets). Tips for teachers, art correlations, and musical score appended. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jill Dubin. This twist on "Over in the Meadow" depicts far-flung animals in their mountain habitats with their offspring. Berkes's rhyme scheme struggles at times, but she packs a lot of information into her verses and the ensuing back matter. Dubin's richly layered cut-paper illustrations add texture and include a hidden animal in each spread. Suggested activities and a musical score are appended. Map, reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Cathy Morrison. Daisylocks the daisy seed desires a better place to grow, so the wind whisks her around the world. However, each new habitat provides challenges: the polar habitat is too cold, the tropical rainforest too crowded. It's no surprise that her original home is "just right!" Although stiff and garishly colored, the illustrations are richly representative of the habitats, and the back matter is informative.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Roberta Baird. "This is the algae / that carpets the swamp / where Gator hides." In this cumulative tale, which features swamp mainstays including a duck and a sunfish, Gator is hiding from the reader as well; kids (they needn't be sharp-eyed) can spot him in every glossy, slickly illustrated spread. The book's back matter provides further information on swamp life. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Cris Arbo. Careful, realistic illustrations in this guessing book show a fruit or vegetable growing in a garden; a page turn shows each being harvested, prepared, or eaten by a child. The uninspired but adequate rhyming text hints at each plant's identity, and the reveal includes a related recipe. Additional information on produce, plant parts, and cooking terms are appended. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jill Dubin. Based on the song "Over in the Meadow," a sometimes-strained rhyming text introduces ten animals and their babies in different river environments. Large, beautiful cut-paper collages encourage counting to ten and contain hidden creatures. Each spread includes a map showing the river location and the numeral. Facts about rivers and the featured animals, author and illustrator's notes, and musical notation are appended.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jill Dubin. Textured paper collage illustrates this version of the familiar counting song "Over in the Meadow." With a different woodland creature and a set of its tracks on each page, children learn names for animal babies, such as turkey poults and raccoon kits. Back matter fills out information about the animals, while tips from the author and illustrator and hidden pictures throughout add interest. Music is appended.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(3) PS Illustrated by Kathleen Rietz. This cumulative poem in the style of "The House That Jack Built" explains--step by step--how a hive full of honey came to be hanging in "the tree that bear climbed." Handsome realistic artwork shows a close-up of each detail, from roots to honey, then depicts the whole tree with a touch of humor, as bear flees the angry bees. Includes activities and plant facts.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) PS Illustrated by Jill Dubin. "Over in Australia / Looking like a kangaroo / Lived a smaller wallaby / And her little joeys two." In this not-very-well-rhymed counting book, various Australian animal babies "snap," "munch," or "splash" with their parents. Double-page cut-paper collages suit the natural settings. Back matter includes a map and additional information about each animal's physical characteristics, diet, and habitat. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Cathy Morrison. This animal-themed book introduces analogies: "Amphibian is to frog / as mammal is to moose." Whether illustrating verbs or nouns, the crisp language features accurate syntax, and rhymes on the alternate pages work well. Vivid illustrations of animals in natural settings are eye-catching. Six pages of learning activities based on information in the book are appended.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jennifer DiRubbio. Two stanzas of awkwardly rhymed verse and a paragraph of facts describe the migrating habits of ten animals including caribou, Arctic terns, and loggerhead turtles. The book, with realistic-looking animals rendered in an earthy palette, makes a useful, if very limited, introduction to the topic. Additional information about the animals and a map showing approximate migration routes are appended. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jill Dubin. Following the pattern of the traditional "Over in the Meadow," this version takes the tune to the Arctic, with pleasing cut-paper art showing animals such as the hare, polar bear, snowy owl, beluga, and wolverine. Despite an occasional falter in beat, the book has child appeal. Facts, activities, and music are appended. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Janeen Mason. Borrowing its rhyme scheme from "Over in the Meadow," this book provides a forgettable two-stanza poem and one prose fact about each planet (and a disclaimer about Pluto). Melted-crayon illustrations offer a swirly background; finer lines reveal each planet's special characteristics. More detailed and useful information follows. Activities conclude the volume. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jeanette Canyon. Modeled on the song "Over in the Meadow," this companion to Over in the Ocean: In a Coral Reef introduces children to rainforests' environment and their animal life. Some of the rhymes are decidedly forced, but the illustrations, created from a variety of colors, textures, and shapes of polymer clay, are eye-catchingly unique. Musical arrangement and information about rainforests are included.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jeanette Canyon. Fresh lyrics using sea life are applied to the children's tune "Over in the Meadow" on these stunningly illustrated pages. From one octopus to ten seahorses the creatures "squirt," "dart," and "flutter" around their parents. The art in the book is made with polymer clay. Tips for using the book with children, information about the marine animals, and music are included.

Reviewer: Hilary Breed Van Dusen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Robert Noreika. "More cranes fly in to join the flock; / The rhythm really starts to rock. / Woodpecker's drumming out a beat / As cranes keep moving with their feet." A day in the marsh is presented through a singsong text that focuses on the music and sounds produced by various species of birds. The realistic watercolors are informative but seem oddly matched with the text's fanciful tone. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister