(3) PS "Max has a dog. Bob has a rock. 'Dog will do tricks,' said Max. 'Rock will do tricks,' said Bob." So begins this simple, humorous story in which, to Max's chagrin, Dog is distracted by leaves, bees, and zzzs while Rock sits, stays, and even fetches. The text's easy-to-predict repetition pairs well with vibrant, childlike illustrations that extend the narrative beyond a literal comparison.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) PS Illustrated by John Hassett. After the lights are off at bedtime, little boy Bob sees different pairs of glowing eyes around his bedroom. His trusty flashlight reveals friendly faces wishing him goodnight, including a big guy who'll elicit chuckles from readers. Cartoonish illustrations saturated in dark blues, reds, and greens emphasize the simple, repetitive text, which is surprisingly suspenseful yet also reassuring to soothe bedtime anxieties.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(2) K-3 I Like to Read series. These books give emergent readers fresh takes on familiar words and subjects. In Ben, plenty of repetition and fanciful cut-paper and ink illustrations take a boy and a red balloon to new heights. In Pete, readers witness picky eating, piggy-style, with pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations. Both books have a picture-book trim size with large font, few words per page, and plenty of white space. Review covers these two I Like to Read titles: Come Back, Ben and Pete Won't Eat.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2014

(2) K-3 Illustrated by John Hassett. No sooner has the plumber de-flooded Nana Quimby's cellar than frogs emerge...first ten, then twenty, thirty (count 'em), and more. For each escalation, children playing outside have a solution (e.g., put them in a goldfish bowl). The ultimate answer? Re-flood the cellar. Delicious to look at--with its explosion of acrobatic frogs, primitivist-detail décor, and confectionery colors--and a treat to listen to.

Reviewer: Barbara Bader | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2011

(3) K-3 Sister wants a cat for her birthday, but the pet store mistakenly sends a dog. Dudley runs away to chase cats and has nine harrowing adventures--running through traffic, falling into a ditch, getting sprayed by skunks, etc.--before returning home in a new feline form. Busy, playful exaggerated illustrations, with hidden numbers labeling each of Dudley's "lives," record his antics.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(2) PS A runaway ice cube with dreams of becoming an iceberg and bumping into ships is pursued by a boy (who, disobeying his mother, opens the freezer)--and by various others with reasons of their own. But a whale is waiting, and "he knew a frosty snack when he saw one." This imaginative, silly, heart-stirring romp is buoyed by its detailed illustrations.

Reviewer: Barbara Bader | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2006

(2) K-3 Nana Quimby and her kooky family move into an old house, and everyone is happy...at first. Then Nana Quimby sees a mouse in the kitchen, and the domestic tranquility is shattered. The Hassetts put their own delightfully offbeat spin on the escalating cause-and-effect story. Easter egg-toned illustrations feature roly-poly figures and whorls of line and color, appropriate for a circular tale.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2004

(2) K-3 Schoolyard dynamics set the course for this freewheeling variant, with three human kids skipping across the bridge and truant-playing Ugly-Boy Bobby in place of a troll. Ugly-Boy Bobby is vanquished by the threat feared by bullies everywhere: "mushy kisses." The Hassetts' playful bandying about of stereotypes gives the story its charm. The olive-and-rust toned art is never drab due to the quirky details scattered about the pictures.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2002

(4) K-3 A mysterious stranger, dressed in multicolored clothing, visits a village where everything is painted white. With the help of the sun and moon, she teaches the townspeople to enjoy a rainbow of colors. Panoramic yet childlike, the illustrations lend a timeless quality to this quirky but abstruse tale about the merits of tolerance and the beauty of variety.

Reviewer: Jim St. Claire

(3) K-3 In this humorous counting book, five, then ten, then fifteen, and up to forty cats are stuck in the tree outside of Nana Quimby's house. Her pleas for help to the firehouse, the library, the zoo, the pet shop, and city hall are ignored. "'Sorry,' said the police station, 'we do not catch cats up a tree. Call back if the cats rob a bank.'" Colored with a rich pastel palette, the illustrations are especially lively.

Reviewer: Jennifer Polshek