(2) PS Three, a small three-legged dog, sees the world through a unique lens. Three roams the city, identifying its ­inhabitants in terms of the number of legs each possesses. There are the six legs (ants) and the eight legs (spiders); and those with too many legs to count (centipedes). But Three wants none of those multiples, nor does he wish for four legs, for in his experience these are often chairs that the two legs (guess who?) sit on all day long. Although content with his physical self, Three would like a loving home, perhaps with his new friend Fern, who talks with him and plays with him. She introduces Three to all sorts of creatures, including a one leg (Mom in yoga pose) and a twelve leg (the pretend throne Fern's brother creates by pushing three chairs together); best of all, together the three humans and Three make "a perfect four." The book's perspective calls for readers to use their inference skills (what is a "winged two leg that lays eggs"?) while following Three's thought processes. King's uncluttered and cheerful pencil and watercolor illustrations allow readers to confirm the identities of the animals under discussion. Expect lots of interaction--­counting, adding, and even tracing Three's routes on two map-like spreads--when reading this aloud. One engaging story + three legs + six legs = a perfect 10.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2021

(3) PS "The world is colored with big things, / small things, / and all sorts of things. / But the most colorful part of my world is... / YOU." In lyrical, well-paced text, a dog pays tribute to her friend, a bird. Spare, unfussy watercolor and ink illustrations with plenty of white space show the friends enjoying life in their "colorful," "musical" world.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 After a sneak-attack haircut snips away a cherished seedling sprouting from a boy's head, he plants it outdoors and, in a sentimental sequence recalling The Giving Tree, visits it until they are both grown. This odd story of communion with nature is told not with words (except the occasional "Snip snap" or other sound effect) but with decorously colored sketchlike vignettes.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Milli is secretly a found-object artist but lacks the confidence to do anything but make boring shoes for the villagers--until wandering minstrels Jack and the Dancing Cat blow into town and teach her to dance and, by extension, be "brave and free." The message is well played and captured by King's loose, zesty ink and watercolor illustrations.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS A partially rhyming text describes Emily's favorite activity: "High bounces, low bounces, springing bounces, boinging bounces. / Twisting, toppling, singing, skipping, flipping bounces." Since bouncing is all that happens, the text is slight, and some of it is contrived. Created with shadows that make them look three-dimensional, the lively illustrations show many different views of the exuberant girl.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) PS Two children with opposite personality traits--Henry never seems to do anything the expected way while Amy does everything the conventional way--meet and, with their different strengths and weaknesses, become the perfect complement to each another. Cheery ink and watercolor artwork fleshes out the text's simple point that friends have something to teach as well as something to learn from one another.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann