(2) PS It's Halloween, and the Very Busy Spider is looking for her friends, and, one by one, from beneath flaps, they each appear. The sky changes from blue to purple to a warm black as the friends are located, and the only actual holiday motif to be found is a carved pumpkin being nibbled upon by, natch, the Very Hungry Caterpillar. Reviewing a foldout board book from a PDF requires a leap of faith, but this one looks like simple, un-scary fun for the youngest Halloweeners.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2020

(2) PS This board book has a spread for each night of the holiday, with a lit menorah keeping count while the Very Hungry Caterpillar and friends engage in various holiday activities: "We eat!...We play with dreidels!...We eat again!" The book is informative with a fair amount of detail--there's even some Hebrew and Yiddish vocabulary--though the background provided is understandably brief (and miracle-focused). Each spread, illustrated with Carle's signature cheery collage with plenty of white space, shows the Caterpillar exploring the holiday landscape (don't try shinnying up a lit shamash at home!). A friendly, helpful introduction.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(2) PS The durable little grouch gets a new catchphrase for the season: "Bah, humbug!" Undistracted by the (determinedly secular) motifs of the season--bells, snowmen, candles--the bug flies blithely, bitterly onward until the last page turns that frown upside-down. Why? Friends. Carle fans will enjoy this Christmas souvenir in bold, clean collage.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read series. "What can a cat do?" This broad question sets the foundation for an easy reader exploring the abilities (running, drinking, climbing) and limitations (crowing, flying, reading) of felines. As the text focuses on simple word families, sight words, and animals that beginning readers will recognize, Carle's classic, uncluttered cut-paper illustration style also aids their understanding. Reading comprehension questions are appended.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(3) PS After The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Carle wrote four more Very books, compiled in this valuable collection (minus their nonessential multimedia features): The Very Busy Spider, The Very Quiet Cricket, The Very Clumsy Click Beetle, and The Very Lonely Firefly. After each visually stunning story, an activity, recipe, and project (the latter two require adult supervision) are included to further a child's enjoyment.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(1) PS "Welcome, friends! / Don't be slow. / Step right up to / The Nonsense Show!" The accompanying illustration, in Carle's trademark style, shows a large rabbit pulling a small child out of a hat. Like the art, the rhyming text eschews logic and reason, adding another layer of unabashed nonsense to the offbeat tone. The book, with its cleanly designed white pages, prompts wonder.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2015

(4) K-3 Ready-to-Read series. Hermit Crab outgrows his shell and must leave friends behind. Given a task by the Duke and Duchess, a baker invents the pretzel. Two classic picture books are here repackaged as early readers. The page layout is appropriate for new readers, and Carle's familiar art is resized to accommodate the larger font. These editions are less handsome than the originals but may prove useful. Review covers these Ready-to-Read titles: A House for Hermit Crab and Walter the Baker.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Ready-to-Read series. Hermit Crab outgrows his shell and must leave friends behind. Given a task by the Duke and Duchess, a baker invents the pretzel. Two classic picture books are here repackaged as early readers. The page layout is appropriate for new readers, and Carle's familiar art is resized to accommodate the larger font. These editions are less handsome than the originals but may prove useful. Review covers these Ready-to-Read titles: A House for Hermit Crab and Walter the Baker.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 1988

(4) K-3 When friends are separated because one moves away, the boy travels through fields, clouds, forest, and flowers to find the girl and marry her. The ending may not resonate with children, but the journey is beautifully conveyed through Carle's text and art. The author's note makes this less a children's book than an adult's wish fulfillment.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Ready-to-Read series. Previously published as picture books, these beginning readers contain "slightly different text[s]." To make a pancake, Jack must cut wheat, grind grain, gather an egg, and so on. Rooster's journey to see the world is cut short when his traveling companions bail on him. Carle's striking illustrations and the approachable (though dull) texts will encourage new readers. Review covers these Ready-to-Read titles: Pancakes, Pancakes! and Rooster Is Off to See the World.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: February, 1973

(4) K-3 Ready-to-Read series. Previously published as picture books, these beginning readers contain "slightly different text[s]." To make a pancake, Jack must cut wheat, grind grain, gather an egg, and so on. Rooster's journey to see the world is cut short when his traveling companions bail on him. Carle's striking illustrations and the approachable (though dull) texts will encourage new readers. Review covers these Ready-to-Read titles: Pancakes, Pancakes! and Rooster Is Off to See the World.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(4) K-3 Ready-to-Read series. Two picture books are repackaged for beginning readers. My Cat has new layout and page turns, but the text is intact. Python's singsongy rhyming text has been simplified: e.g., "scampered" becomes "hurried" and "whatever creature" becomes "all animals." Carle's art is still vibrant in both books, but neither is significantly improved with the changes. Review covers these Ready-to-Read titles: The Greedy Python and Have You Seen My Cat?.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(2) PS An artist paints animals the “wrong” color: a blue horse, red alligator, green lion, etc. When Carle, as we learn in an afterword, was growing up in Nazi Germany, this mixing up of natural coloration was seen as degenerate. While the book’s simple, direct text and large type indicates a young audience, Carle is also making a larger, more autobiographical statement.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2012

(3) K-3 This compendium includes three Carle picture books: The Tiny Seed (1970), a melancholy plant life cycle story; Pancakes, Pancakes! (1970), a cheerful breakfast tale of hard work rewarded; and Walter the Baker (1972), a folklore-style story about the invention of a fortuitous snack.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) PS Paper engineering by Keith Finch. Although the concept is more inspired than the execution, there are moments of brilliance in this pop-up version of Carle's classic, particularly when a fabulous, foil-enhanced butterfly gloriously pops up from its cocoon on the final spread. As a coffee-table book, this edition has much to offer; for a beloved title for children, go back to the original.

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

(2) K-3 A hermit crab finds his new shell to be a little plain. He asks a beautiful sea anemone, a handsome starfish, and other marine animals to decorate--then eventually realizes he's outgrown the shell. Simple, easily understood information about sea creatures is provided. Brilliant, vigorous, color-splashed illustrations are the story's backbone. This paper-over-board edition is notable for its bargain price.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc. | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 1988

(4) PS Translated by Miguel Ángel Mendo. This edition of 10 Little Rubber Ducks--inspired by an actual incident involving plastic ducks lost at sea--translates smoothly into Spanish, and the text scans well for reading aloud. The haphazard story doesn't make much sense, but Carle's collage paintings are striking. Preschoolers will get a kick out of the push-button "squeak" on the final spread.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(3) K-3 While carrying Mrs. Seahorse's eggs in his pouch, Mr. Seahorse encounters other male fishes doing their part in caring for their young. Alternating spreads contain watercolor painted overlays that provide camouflage for various fish. Carle's collages attractively illustrate the ocean environment and the life that inhabits it.

Reviewer: Lauren Rizzuto

(3) K-3 It's hard to go wrong translating Carle into any language: the rhythm and repetition of his texts easily cross linguistic boundaries. This Spanish edition of From Head to Toe retains the same sense of fun as the English original. Carle's signature art, in which a succession of children imitate the actions of animals, is also especially lively.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(2) PS An English text illustrated by Carle runs to the midpoint of the book; a Japanese text illustrated by Iwamura runs the opposite direction. Both texts tell the same simple story--a dog on its way to visit a child is joined by various animals. Bilingual kids are the best audience, but all readers can appreciate both sets of attractive illustrations in this innovative book.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2003