(2) PS Tortoise Shelly and Rabbit are skeptical of Mouse's shortcut through the "creepy, crooked creek": "Isn't that where the crocodiles live?" Self-assured Mouse states, "I've NEVER seen a crocodile in the creepy, crooked creek." Easy-to-parse double-page spreads humorously reveal what the text initially doesn't: the critters have been surrounded by "sneaky, snappy crocodiles" the whole time (even temporarily inside one's mouth). Lambert uses alliteration, rhyme, and repetition to great read-aloud effect.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(4) PS Grumpy old Tiger is annoyed at having to watch rambunctious Cub. But Cub's contagious enthusiasm helps Tiger rediscover the wonders around him, and he comes to appreciate his little charge. While the mostly rhyming text awkwardly slips in and out of poetic meter, the simple story, with its catchy jungle sounds ("Chitter-chatter! Screech!"), is enhanced by vibrant stylized illustrations of jungle flora and fauna.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(4) K-3 When lonely Panda spies another panda, he tries to make friends the way he sees other animals doing so (dancing like flamingoes, bouncing like lemurs, etc.). Each attempt fails until he offers to share food. An unoriginal story is bolstered by the book's spare art and elegant design: silver and white pages are offset by the bright colors of other animals and leafy-green bamboo.

Reviewer: Grace Worcester Greene

(4) PS Beautifully textured, stylized illustrations against a white background offer a baby elephant's perspective during a herd's walk to a watering hole. Against adult advice, Little Why frequently wanders from line, meeting exciting new creatures (e.g., wildebeests, crocodiles) with body features Little Why covets. Although the minimal text has appealing repetition, the narration tends toward baby-talk and resolves in a bland message about specialness.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(3) K-3 Terrible howls echo through the nighttime forest; one by one, nervous woodland creatures climb a tree, thinking a monster is nearby. When the tree's branches break, they tumble down and discover the real (non-monster) culprit. Lambert sets the textured animals against a black background on double-page spreads, and the text is chock-full of rhyme and onomatopoeia, resulting in a jolly, storytime-perfect romp.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan