(4) K-3 Illustrated by Ed Vere. Fed up with his big, noisy family, Sam escapes to the woods. With solitude comes bliss, but with night comes fear, and suddenly Sam is the noisy one. This vigorously illustrated book is a pleasure despite some conspicuous attempts at cuteness (we're told that Sam, who says things like "Eeeky-beek!," is a "Bungle," although he looks like a raccoon).

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Caroline Uff. "Squabble less. / Share more! / Sniffle less. / Snuggle more!" The "less" pages face the "more" ones, creating side-by-side contrasts that reflect a little girl's daily experiences. The text's alliteration, optimism, and brevity make this turn-a-frown-upside-down pitch a pleasure. Uff supports the spare writing by communicating volumes through the cast's facial expressions.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Angelo Rinaldi. This ode to horses begins with a pregnant mare's foaling, then focuses on her colt's first year. The text is spare (sometimes to the point of confusion). Lush, full-bleed, textured oil paintings with realistic-looking details, both expansive and small, evoke the bond between a new horse and the girl who loves him.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher. In this rhyming tale a tiger appears outside a girl's house to dance beneath the moonlight. The tiger invites the girl to dance, and they do so through various seasons until the now elderly girl brings her great-granddaughter to take her place. Though there's not much of a story here, the accomplished oil paintings give the moonlit night a magical quality.

Reviewer: Alison Amato

(2) PS Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand. Seventeen Irish playground rhymes for calling someone out are gathered here in a tale about the O'Learys and their ten children. Hillenbrand depicts the family as bouncy and jolly, with bright colors against white backgrounds. The premise of the book is quite ambitious (a story told completely in nonsense rhymes), but the pictures tie the disconnected rhymes together, telling a lively bedtime story.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2005

(3) PS Illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max. Joshua loves water. "Splash!" is the word chanted by him as he jumps in a puddle, feeds the ducks on the river, and glides with Granny down a big slide into a pool. Creative text placement and vibrant color paintings with bold black outlines add energy to the lively excursion enjoyed by a young boy and his grandmother.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Carll Cneut. Antonio is having a wonderful time visiting his grandmother "on the other side of the world." But after a week of missing his mother, he begins to shrink and continues to do so during his adventurous return journey. When he arrives home, his mother promptly puts a stop to his shrinking. The William Joyce-like illustrations done in acrylics are a good match for this charming if odd tale.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) PS Illustrated by Julie Vivas. A girl worries when an abandoned newborn pup she's been feeding won't open his eyes. Her uncle gives her silly instructions, but she can't remember them. After many tries, she finds the right combination, and the puppy opens his eyes. The unrealistic premise leaves the whole book feeling drawn out and pointless, but the rhythmic text and Vivas's distinctive, highly physical illustrations are humorous and appealing.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Angelo Rinaldi. In this second-person account of a day in the life of a cow, a dairy cow comes in from the fields for milking, grazes, wanders down to the river for a drink, and passes the hours until it's time for the evening milking. The spare text is poetic but refreshingly frank ("Gently the farmer cleans your udders / and puts tubes on your teats"), and the artist expertly captures texture, light, and shadow in the oversize paintings.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) PS Illustrated by Stuart Trotter. Two cats caught in a storm drain inadvertently bring about the initial meeting of their worried owners: two kids who live across the street from each other but keep to themselves. The rhymed text is occasionally awkward, but the book's conclusion, which further bonds the neighbors, is affecting. The careful pencil and watercolor illustrations render the storm and sweet domestic scenes with equal precision.

Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Paul Hess. When a "grisly, ghastly goblin" comes to call, his boy host asks questions such as "Why have you got such knobbly knees?" The highly stylized illustrations make effective use of dramatic and varied perspectives. Children will respond to the rhythmic call-and-response text, the repetitions of "Hungry! Hungry! Hungry!" and the delightfully gruesome guest looking for supper.

Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin

(2) PS Illustrated by Jane Ray. The verbal repetition in this original folktale underscores its silliness and its wisdom both. A boy cons an old woman, then an old man, and last a young girl into watching his pea (which he has just found), then his hen (which ate his pea), then his pig (which frightened his hen away) as he upgrades his possessions after each loss. He gets his comeuppance, but only briefly, in this tale whose buoyant optimism is reflected in the sunny artwork.

Reviewer: Susan P. Bloom | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2001

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Judith Allibone. Jody's grandfather helps her plant a dozen beans in a circular patch and tells her how to care for the growing plants in a simple, appropriately circular story that depicts a special relationship while providing basic information for young gardeners. This cozy tale of everyday events, illustrated with just the right amount of small details to engage young viewers, is very satisfying. Ind.

Reviewer: Margaret A. Bush | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 1999