(3) PS Illustrated by Ann James. Using exuberant rhymes and punchy action verbs, a smiling, confident dinosaur describes the steps necessary to bake a cake, after which it's time to "mix, mix, / beat, beat, / make another cake!" If the art looks delicious, that's because chocolate icing, flour, and cocoa are among the media used to enhance the dynamic rainbow-colored sketches set on plain white backdrops.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Ann James. "I'm a dirty dinosaur / with a dirty snout, / I never wipe it clean / I just sniff and snuff about." In rhyming couplets alternating with repetitive refrains, a cheeky little dino plays in the dirt, becoming grubby from snout to tail before cleaning up at last. It's easy to imagine preschoolers chanting along and enjoying James's art, which combines mud with jaunty line drawings.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) PS Illustrated by Stephen Michael King. Bear Bruno's birthday party is on Thursday. That night, he and his bird friend Bert wonder where this special day goes when Friday dawns. Charming ink and watercolor illustrations depict the duo on their nighttime quest for the answer ("Is that you, Thursday?" Bruno asks a gurgling river). Some listeners may find the story too abstract, but Bruno and Bert's musing will resonate with others.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty