(3) PS Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand. "Snow! Snow!" When little corgi Oscar decides to take himself for a walk (his boy didn't feel like going outside), he meets dog Daisy out with her girl. The two new furry friends bound off into the woods, but at home they're asking, "'Where's Oscar?' 'He's run away!'" Parallel story lines add some tension while assuring listeners that, "back in the woods," Oscar and Daisy are having a grand time making a snow dog, ice-skating, and building an igloo. Hillenbrand effectively uses panel illustrations to advance the story and add variety to the snow-covered scenes.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) PS Illustrated by Bob Kolar. "I'm a little ice cream truck, / my driver's name is Lou. / Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling, / we're headed to the zoo." Cuyler's fourth rhyming ode to a little truck (following The Little Fire Truck) has its predecessors' same snap and vim, plus a sweet treat at its center. A zoo, park, and neighborhood party--Kolar's super-chunky, eye-popping art turns them all into visual candy.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Puy Pinillos. The barnyard animals are preparing their annual Purim play. Cluck wants to be Queen Esther, but that's Quack's role. When Quack disappears, Cluck saves her from Fox and displays enough courage to play Esther. Intricately patterned, humorous illustrations complement the many animal puns throughout the story. The characters reference Purim traditions, though the Purim story itself is retold only briefly.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(3) PS Illustrated by Bob Kolar. "I'm a little fire truck, / my driver's name is Jill. / We zip all over town, / my siren's loud and shrill." A fire truck delivers toddler-grade excitement with catchy rhyming descriptions of its firefighting gang in action. As in The Little School Bus and The Little Dump Truck, Kolar's geometric digital art is on sturdy card-stock for recent board-book graduates.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Will Terry. Skeleton Bonaparte, who's constantly losing his bony limbs, worries he'll be teased when school starts. His monster friends try keeping him together with spiderwebs and mummy wrappings but finally solve the problem more creatively--by teaching a dog to fetch his bones. Child versions of classic monsters (e.g., Franky Stein) combine with the mildly spooky atmosphere to make this school-jitters story a Halloween treat.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(3) PS Illustrated by Bob Kolar. "I'm a little school bus, / my driver's name is Bob. / Rumbling, shifting, clunking, / we like to do our job." In The Little Dump Truck's follow-up, a school bus describes its job, including lowering a platform for a wheelchair and enjoying a snow day. The rhymes offer a steady ride, and the digital art features attractively boxy images.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Will Terry. Big Witch and Little Witch "brew a stew." As it simmers, Big Witch--impressed by their tasty concoction--states that they "must have Skeleton for dinner." Skeleton, passing by, misinterprets her statement and fears the worst, leading to a comedy of errors. The occasionally rhyming verse, along with some changes in text size and font, create a natural rhythm for Halloween-themed read-alouds.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2013

(3) K-3 I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Robert Neubecker. "Tick tock. Ten o'clock. / Tick tock. Messy smocks." This simple patterned text takes readers through each hour of the day as an older woman (Grandma, probably, but the text doesn’t specify) cares for very active twin girls while their mom is at work. Humorous cartoon illustrations depict the nonstop action, their caregiver's gradually dwindling patience, and her well-deserved, end-of-day armchair snooze.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Tracey Campbell Pearson. After Mr. Gilbert's students get a class guinea pig, they request a companion for him; sure enough, the animals multiply--and then some. The wind-scattered look of the illustrations is just right in this spirited, big-hearted frolic. A couple of page-top number lines unobtrusively invite reflection on the story's counting concepts.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Arthur Howard. Jessica's best friend Lizzie begins copying Jessica's spelling tests. Lizzie also takes credit for a poem that was really written by Jessica. Cartoonlike pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations effectively show Jessica's growing anxiety over how to address her pal's behavior without being labeled a tattletale or endangering their friendship. This conflict-resolution book manages to not be too message-y.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Michael Garland. As Santa embarks on his Christmas Eve journey, a string of mishaps await. Luckily, each problem ("Oh, that's bad") easily resolves itself ("No, that's good!"). Cuyler's slapstick humor and Garland's trademark garish digital illustrations paint Santa as a sort of bumbling buffoon: stumbling, splitting his pants, and being stranded by his reindeer. A slew of sound effects--"WHOOSH!," "BRRRR," "WHEEEE!"--will energize storytime.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Heather Maione. Toe-tapping rhymes chart a day in the life of a princess. Though she has many costume changes, none of the outfits, rendered with a suitably frilly, cotton-candy-like frothiness, can compete with her "favorite clothes": her underwear, in which she romps (in private) at day's end. Beneath its focus on girly garments, the book has a feminist slant; this is no (stereo)typical princess.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Bob Kolar. "I'm a little dump truck / driving down Route Ten, / heading for the landfill / to unload again." Percussive, pitch-perfect rhymes describe a busy and productive day in the life of a dump truck driven by Hard Hat Pete. The chunky, geometric illustrations sit on thick, easily manipulated pages ideally suited for those transitioning from board- to picture books.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Arthur Howard. Jessica the worrier, star of three previous books, is back. This time she's fretting about Brenda, a bully who teases her and calls her "Toothpick." She's intimidated for a while, but one day she answers back--"Toothpicks may be thin, but bullies never win!"--and Brenda is rendered speechless. The expressive illustrations underscore Jessica's transformation from slumped and discouraged to jaunty and confident.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Illustrated by S. D. Schindler. At night, a many-legged, multicolored monster makes its way to a sleeping child's messy room and begins to clean up, describing its efforts in amusing couplets: "Ouch, / ouch, / I step on blocks and screws. / Piu, / piu, / what smelly socks and shoes!" Schindler portrays the large, friendly creature in admirable detail, from its flower-like nostrils to its long tail tipped with a useful hand.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Arthur Howard. First grader Jessica has trouble reading aloud. She dreads Reading Theater Day, when everyone performs for parents and classmates. Practicing with her dog at home gives Jessica confidence, and she gets through her part with no problem. This third book about Jessica's worries is funny and reassuring. Watercolor caricatures featuring big-eyed children play up Jessica's worrywart tendencies.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Michael Garland. This third That's Good! That's Bad! book (the first not illustrated by David Catrow) follows a boy on an adventure-filled trip to D.C. The titular refrain propels the narrative forward, as the boy visits familiar monuments, the White House, and the National Zoo in this entertaining introduction to the nation's capital. Garland's synthetic-looking illustrations lack warmth.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(2) PS Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand. In this companion to Please Say Please!, Penguin, whistle in beak, referees the playground shenanigans and gently corrects each animal's rule infraction. The illustrations feature clean lines against white space, using bright colors not only for the playground equipment but also for some of the animals. Young listeners will be entertained by the "accidents."

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2006

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ezra Tucker. Big Hasuni, who lives atop a mountain, sees smoke coming from a nearly island; he investigates and discovers a campsite. Meanwhile, island-dweller Big Hanna investigates the smoke coming from the mountain. This tale of two lonely giants who find happiness with each other is efficiently told, spiked with funny expressions ("Sour lemongrass!"), and accompanied by appropriately exaggerated illustrations.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) PS Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand. A lively group of animals--large, friendly looking figures colored with ink and crayon--arrives at Penguin's house for dinner, and the text solicits opinions on how they should behave. A natural read-aloud, with a generous helping of onomatopoeia, this is one dinner party that will leave participants begging for more--using polite, inside voices, of course.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2004