(3) PS Illustrated by Annie Wilkinson. Visited by a mysterious, swirling wind that disperses seeds, a barren town is transformed overnight into a lush ecosystem with growing plants and busy woodland creatures. Ghigna's smooth, rhyming verse is effectively complemented by Wilkinson's illustrations, which show the town first gray, then deep purple in the night, and finally in glorious, multicolored bloom come morning.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) PS Illustrated by Lori Joy Smith. Simple rhymes celebrate the fun of "first times," from playground skills, such as sliding and swinging, to more sophisticated accomplishments: "The first time I play a game that I choose. / The first time I finally tie my own shoes." Cheery watercolor, gouache, and pencil illustrations of proud toddlers should help little ones look forward to learning as they grow.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) 1-3 Tiny Tales series. Illustrated by Jacqueline East. The books in this facile transitional-reader series focus on young animals delivering feel-good concepts: Cuddle Bunny's family muses "how boring would it be if we all looked alike?" And so on. Simple, repetitive language and candy-colored illustrations of adorable critters make the series effective for early readers who have a high tolerance for the saccharine. Discussion questions and writing prompts are appended. Glos. Review covers these Tiny Tales titles: Adeline Porcupine, Bobby Bear, Cuddle Bunny, and Lucy Goose.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 1-3 Tiny Tales series. Illustrated by Jacqueline East. The books in this facile transitional-reader series focus on young animals delivering feel-good concepts: Cuddle Bunny's family muses "how boring would it be if we all looked alike?" And so on. Simple, repetitive language and candy-colored illustrations of adorable critters make the series effective for early readers who have a high tolerance for the saccharine. Discussion questions and writing prompts are appended. Glos. Review covers these Tiny Tales titles: Adeline Porcupine, Bobby Bear, Cuddle Bunny, and Lucy Goose.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 1-3 Tiny Tales series. Illustrated by Jacqueline East. The books in this facile transitional-reader series focus on young animals delivering feel-good concepts: Cuddle Bunny's family muses "how boring would it be if we all looked alike?" And so on. Simple, repetitive language and candy-colored illustrations of adorable critters make the series effective for early readers who have a high tolerance for the saccharine. Discussion questions and writing prompts are appended. Glos. Review covers these Tiny Tales titles: Adeline Porcupine, Bobby Bear, Cuddle Bunny, and Lucy Goose.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 1-3 Tiny Tales series. Illustrated by Jacqueline East. The books in this facile transitional-reader series focus on young animals delivering feel-good concepts: Cuddle Bunny's family muses "how boring would it be if we all looked alike?" And so on. Simple, repetitive language and candy-colored illustrations of adorable critters make the series effective for early readers who have a high tolerance for the saccharine. Discussion questions and writing prompts are appended. Glos. Review covers these Tiny Tales titles: Adeline Porcupine, Bobby Bear, Cuddle Bunny, and Lucy Goose.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(3) K-3 Springtime Weather Wonders series. Illustrated by Laura Watson. Two books reflect on the ways that the rain and sun, respectively, are present in our daily (and nightly) lives. Agreeable rhymes introduce elementary science info ("Sunshine warms each afternoon. / Sunshine glows upon the moon"), and frolicsome animals help illustrate most statements. For those seeking less squishy science, each book concludes with an "All About" section with bulletpointed facts. Review covers the following titles: Raindrops Fall All Around and Sunshine Brightens Springtime.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Springtime Weather Wonders series. Illustrated by Laura Watson. Two books reflect on the ways that the rain and sun, respectively, are present in our daily (and nightly) lives. Agreeable rhymes introduce elementary science info ("Sunshine warms each afternoon. / Sunshine glows upon the moon"), and frolicsome animals help illustrate most statements. For those seeking less squishy science, each book concludes with an "All About" section with bulletpointed facts. Review covers the following titles: Raindrops Fall All Around and Sunshine Brightens Springtime.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS My Little School House series. Illustrated by Ag Jatkowska. In Alphabet, an assortment of animals and people, each representing a letter in the alphabet, marches through the pages, displaying a variety of peculiar talents. In Numbers, a group of children are counted from one to ten as they explore different activities at the park. The rich, bold illustrations in these concept books complement the energy of the bouncy rhyming texts. Additional concept books are recommended. Review covers these My Little School House titles: The Alphabet Parade and Numbers at the Park.

Reviewer: Julie Bartynski-Fenner

(3) PS My Little School House series. Illustrated by Ag Jatkowska. In Alphabet, an assortment of animals and people, each representing a letter in the alphabet, marches through the pages, displaying a variety of peculiar talents. In Numbers, a group of children are counted from one to ten as they explore different activities at the park. The rich, bold illustrations in these concept books complement the energy of the bouncy rhyming texts. Additional concept books are recommended. Review covers these My Little School House titles: The Alphabet Parade and Numbers at the Park.

Reviewer: Julie Bartynski-Fenner

(4) PS My Little Planet series. Illustrated by Ag Jatkowska. With bouncy rhymes and cheerful art, these stories feature peppy kids joyfully planting seeds and recycling. The short texts mostly serve as an introduction to the "Creative Tot Time" preschool-appropriate projects at book's end (planting grass seeds in a cup and making a snake out of old tights), which may make the series appealing to craft-happy caregivers. Review covers these My Little Planet titles: Little Seeds and Recycling is Fun.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(4) PS My Little Planet series. Illustrated by Ag Jatkowska. REVIEW MISSING

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(4) PS I See series. Illustrated by Ag Jatkowska. Delivered in a repeating "I see" pattern, this simple rhyming text touches on typical fall sights and events such as foliage, apples, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. Although the text is lively, it doesn't always flow, and some word choices don't work well. Friendly illustrations embrace the brilliant oranges, reds, and yellows of the season.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(3) K-3 Step into Reading series. Illustrated by Diane Greenseid. When a tornado hits a farm on Saturday night, a chaotic string of events mixes things up: chickens are in the corn, mule in the coop, etc. By Sunday morning, no animal is where it should be, but Farmer Brown's family grows "mighty fond" of the peculiar new arrangement. The Ghignas' silly rhymes bounce along; Greenseid's textured illustrations will elicit giggles.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) K-3 Step into Reading series. Illustrated by Julia Woolf. Easy-to-read rhyming verse celebrates the attributes of snow as two children frolic and revel in associated winter activities like baking cookies with Grandma. The cleanly composed illustrations add a lively complement to this story that's well worth returning to while snuggling up after a day of winter play. Two removable sticker sheets are included.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(4) PS Illustrated by John Speirs. An anthology of silly short poems about wild and domestic animals, this collection will no doubt amuse young readers but is very similar to many other books of verse. Borrowing their forms from nursery rhymes and riddles, many of the poems have a jaunty, catchy tone. The illustrations feature happy children and dapper, anthropomorphized animals. Ind.

Reviewer: Jim St. Claire

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Adam McCauley & Adam McCauley. This collection of seasonal poems concerns witches, werewolves, picking the right pumpkin, deciding what costume to wear on the big night, and having mom and dad sneak candy out of your goody bag. Illustrated with art that appropriately emphasizes the colors black and orange, the poems contain a few clunky lines but strike a good balance between Halloween humor and horror.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) YA Although this book's initial focus on sports (e.g., baseball, football, boxing) may appeal primarily to boys, many of the later poems concern topics that will speak to both sexes (e.g., families, nature, personal identity). Mostly written in free verse, the poems occasionally offer memorable lines and images, but too many rely on mundane puns or clichés ("One teacher says that pie is round, / The other--pie are square!").

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) K-3 Step into Reading series. Illustrated by Jon Goodell. A mouse tries to convince a pet store customer that mice make the best pets: "Boas squeeze. / Lizards shed. / Rabbits hide / beneath the bed." The illustrations are greeting-card sweet but contain humorous details--the jaunty narrator plugs his nose near a litter box--and the large typeface and short, rhyming sentences make the light story appropriate for beginning readers.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Gabriel. This collection of fifteen simple poems is enhanced by its bold illustrations set against brightly colored backgrounds. Each spread is devoted to one kind of animal (chickens, giraffes, monkeys, lambs), with a bouncy, playful poem well suited to reading aloud. The pictures will draw readers in, although most of the poems sound alike--more variety in their structure would have been welcomed.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin