(2) K-3 Cat finds an empty cookie jar smashed on the floor and demands an explanation from Mouse, who just happens to be reading a book next to a plate with a sprinkling of suspicious crumbs. "The cookies were tired of being closed inside," Mouse explains, so the cookies broke the jar and ran away. "Finally free, they are now running around the countryside having a good time." When Cat insists on the real story, Mouse blames a slimy monster. Then an alien who needed cookies for her cookie-fueled spaceship. Then dozens of hungry bugs. The illustrations move between the grim reality of the cookie-less present and Mouse's inventions. The loose lines and fluid pastel watercolors feel lived in, but they also have a dreamy quality that suits Mouse's storytelling. Cat's expressions are hilarious throughout an emotional journey from agitation to exasperation, and one can't help thinking that Cat and Mouse have had many conversations like this over the years. When Cat finally gets the real story, it's a letdown, so: "Can you tell me another cookie story?" This will be an enjoyable read-aloud for lap-sits and storytimes, and it would be an ideal springboard to encourage children to write and illustrate their own tall tales.

Reviewer: Adrienne L. Pettinelli | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(2) K-3 I Can Read!: Comics series. Fish (Fish and Sun, rev. 9/21) wakes up early to search for a new friend, and the first potential pal he finds is a wave. Wave starts as a nonthreatening little bump on the water, with a button nose and two dots for eyes. But then, as waves do, she swells, rising to several times her original size and crashing down on Fish, frightening him. ­Ruzzier's illustrations feature minimal ink lines and watercolor washes in groovy pastels that bleed into each other and let the texture of the paper show through, adding warmth and visual interest to this comic for the newest readers. Each spread features one panel; the illustrations do most of the work, and the rest of the story comes in speech bubbles (one or two per panel) that lean heavily on sight words and repetition. When Wave rises again, she and Fish talk about their ­feelings and find a way to allow friendship to blossom and flourish through the cycle of a wave's inevitable fluctuations. Unlikely duos sorting out how to have fun together are a staple of the beginning reader genre, and this story has added depth in its assertion that ­sometimes the best way to play is to go with the flow.

Reviewer: Adrienne L. Pettinelli | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(2) PS Opening endpapers populated with buck-toothed squirrels feature one yellow creature with an orange beak dressed in a jaunty green cap and vest. The muddle begins there, and the story opens with a suspicious rodent attempting to question this yellow creature called "Custard the Squirrel" into submission with the diligence of a criminal attorney. "Custard the Squirrel, aren't you a duck?" it asks, while showing a picture of a duck from a book to support this leading question. Custard faces further pointed inquiry about swimming, quacking, eating weeds, and laying eggs. Custard is a "no" for all of it while carrying on with its day--going for a sail, playing the organ, eating a gourmet feast, and reading a book about eggs--while the exasperated pursuer trails behind. Ultimately, Custard pauses to entertain one final question: "Custard the Squirrel, do you only answer 'No'?" Custard, contrary and independent to the end, affirms, "Yes!" Delight ensues. The characteristically unexpected details and color choices featured in Ruzzier's watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations pair perfectly with this story of individualism. The antagonistic question-and-answer format full of repetition and supportive visuals will provide reinforcement for beginning readers along with comedy, satisfaction, and even some opportunity for personal empowerment.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(1) K-3 I Can Read!: Comics series. These two entries in the new I Can Read!: ­Comics series show its audience range. Fish, for younger, ­almost-independent readers, features an aquatic protagonist with an all-too-familiar problem: "Mom, I'm bored." Fish leaves the dark, cold depths of the sea and encounters Sun. The two play all day until the sun sets; Fish is disconsolate until discovering that Sun returns the next day--and every day. Uncluttered watercolor illustrations, in Ruzzier's (Good Boy, rev. 1/19; the Fox + Chick books, rev. 7/18, 7/19, and 5/21) always imaginative, slightly off-kilter style, reinforce the playful action; the natural language and phonetic patterns will serve readers well; and the emotional drama is pitch perfect. Shell, aimed at more experienced readers, features two entertainingly cartoony plump and similar-looking creatures; but while one has a snail's shell, the protagonist doesn't. Neither an acorn nor a thimble creates a satisfactory covering, but our hero--eventually realizing it's a slug--fits in elsewhere, and just by being itself (although still friendly with snails). The story is told in simple sequential panels, and a smart, manageable "slug v. snail" chart is appended. Both books contain useful, identical front matter with examples of differently shaped conversation balloons and a "Quick how-to-read comics guide." (Fish employs a single large panel per page that contains only simple dialogue balloons and narrative boxes, rendering the explanations somewhat extraneous.) The back covers offer sample panels that preview each book's content, allowing readers to decide for themselves if they are ready for that format. Two great concepts: I can read and I can choose. Review covers these I Can Read!: Comics titles: Fish and Sun and Tiny Tales: Shell Quest.

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

(2) PS Fox + Chick series. Following their wacky antics in the previous two volumes (The Party and Other Stories, rev. 7/18; The Quiet Boat Ride and Other Stories, rev. 7/19), this charmingly mismatched pair returns for three more stories. The first begins after bedtime. Chick shows up uninvited for a sleepover, waking Fox and eventually taking over the entire bed, leaving Fox tired and awake on the floor. Next, Chick finds a lost hammer and decides to put a nail in a brick wall, but the hammer goes missing again before the deed is done. Fox suggests an alternative that gets the nail in the wall--a perfect place to hang a newly painted picture of a missing hammer. (Observant readers will know where to find the hammer, but Chick settles for admiring the painting of it.) The final story involves a surprise party for Chick's birthday, one that Chick demands Fox throw. Clever Fox manages to make it a surprise in spite of interfering Chick, but in the end the real surprise is for Fox. (It is not Chick's birthday at all.) The offbeat tales told through comic-panel art and colorful settings, combined with the excitable, bossy Chick and the easygoing, sensible Fox, create another installment in this comics-style picture-book series that works for readers and listeners alike. That brick wall from the second story can be found on the endpapers--bare at the front but covered with pictures of presumably missing objects at the back--tying together the latest exploits of these two friends beautifully.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2021

(1) PS The relationship between this book's ginger-haired boy and lop-eared, ginger-furred dog evolves as the dog morphs from pet to pal to parent figure. The text begins with familiar commands: "Sit"; "Stay." Gradually, they become more elaborate and unlikely--"Cook"; "Serve"--until the dog accompanies the boy on a trip to the moon ("Go"). An original premise, bare-bones text, perfect picture-book pacing, and deliciously transparent watercolors combine for an emotional punch.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(1) K-3 Fox + Chick series. Ruzzier presents three more brief comics-format adventures about odd-couple friends Fox and Chick (from The Party and Other Stories). Pastel-hued pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations are easy to follow from panel to panel and spread to spread, with tantalizingly off-kilter details and fanciful supporting characters. The protagonists seem to have mellowed somewhat from the previous book, with fewer examples of sniping and more of sharing.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2019

(1) K-3 Fox + Chick series. Ruzzier delivers three stories about Fox and Chick in a volume with a picture book's trim size but plenty of graphic-novel elements (simply structured panels, dialogue balloons, sound effects) that are well suited to reading newcomers. Finely etched and textured pen, ink, and watercolor vignettes employ a subdued palette. This new entertaining odd-couple friendship could make a Frog and Toad–like impression on the picture-book and easy-reader worlds.

Reviewer: Nell Beram | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2018

(2) K-3 A duckling happens upon a book: "Where are the pictures?!" A bug asks: "Can you read it?" As it happens, the book is so engrossing that the duck can't take its eyes off the page; only the bug (and readers) notice Ruzzier's pen, ink, and watercolor landscapes reflecting the duck's book-sparked revelations. A beguiling pitch for reading--magic that turns words into pictures.

Reviewer: Nell Beram | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2016

(1) K-3 Using two-word phrases ("One house / Two mice / Three cookies") and a simple repeating number pattern (one, two, three; three, two, one; one, two, three), this clever book (with an extra-small trim size) creates a fast-paced adventure for listeners and new readers. Expressive pen-and-ink illustrations develop details and drama. The focus on pattern in plot leaves room for readers' imaginations to play a strong role.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2015

(2) PS Affable weasel Leo delivers the mail, but he's never received a letter himself. One day he finds a lost baby bird and takes Cheep home with him. After spending a winter with Leo, Cheep reunites with his flock. Leo has lost a friend, but he's found a pen pal. The quiet watercolor and ink illustrations match the tone perfectly and add small moments of drama.

Reviewer: Kathleen T. Horning | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2014

(3) PS In their second offering, while Bee completes his chores, Bear frolics about, eagerly and enthusiastically calling for his friend to join him. At day's end, Bee is ready to enjoy the moonlight with Bear, but Bear's cozy cave calls; the friends concoct a simple, happy solution. Ruzzier's digitally colored pen-and-ink illustrations infuse Bee and Bear's conundrum with warmth and affection.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca

(2) PS Bear wants some honey, but he is afraid of bees. He shares his fears with a stranger, who asks him if he's ever seen a bee. Even the youngest audience will know from the comical illustrations that the sympathetic stranger Bear is talking to is, in fact, a bee, and that there is nothing to fear in either one of them.

Reviewer: Kathleen T. Horning | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2013

(3) PS "Hey, Rabbit! Is there anything for me in your suitcase?" asks each in a series of animal friends, and Rabbit's suitcase always delivers (e.g., a cake made of bones for Dog). Finally Rabbit wonders if there's anything for him. A beautifully composed, wordless spread provides the answer, tying together all that precedes it in this satisfyingly playful plea for reciprocity.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Determined to conquer her shyness, dog Amandina decides to put on a free show. Ruzzier's meticulous illustrations in modest colors depict the heart-tuggingly wee Amandina fixing up a theater, making costumes, building a set, mailing invitations, hanging posters--only to have the curtain rise to an empty house. Fortunately for readers, who will undoubtedly be rooting for her, Amandina ultimately triumphs.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Angelino, a small giant, is the same size as Osvaldo, a big dwarf. They become friends after leaving their respective villages, where they were ostracized for looking different. When a war breaks out between the giants and the dwarfs, the friends find a surprisingly simple way to bring about peace. The gentle illustrations full of muted secondary hues take the edge off the too-allegorical plot.

Reviewer: Nell Beram