(3) K-3 Illustrated by Joe Berger. As best friends Girl and Gorilla head to the park, excitable Gorilla is bursting with impossible schemes for getting there quickly--by wishing, for example, or by elephant. Girl is much more down-to-earth, as their amusing conversation reveals. Like the text, the illustrations play up the contrast between the friends, showing small, slender Girl next to big, broad Gorilla.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Nathan Hale. Frankenstein: A Monstrous Parody spoofed Madeline; here the same team adds Clement Moore's classic into the mix. Eleven of the first book's twelve little monsters are "out of control"...and headless. But Frankenstein has an in with Santa's Head Elf (get it? Head Elf?), and Santa delivers just what everyone needs. Hale's green-tinted illustrations with red accents gleefully extend the irreverent rhyming text.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2014

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Nathan Hale. "In a creepy old castle / all covered with spines, / lived twelve ugly monsters in two crooked lines." Not only are the rhymes in this higher-order spoof a delightful homage to Bemelmans's Madeline, but the story (in which Madeline-surrogate Frankenstein awakes one morning with no noggin) could stand on its own. The Halloween-hued illustrations aren't for the faint-hearted.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Wes Hargis. "There comes a time in all kids' lives when they need to create their own country." So begins this clever mock how-to, in which an independence-seeking girl suffers "invasions" (little brother), deals with "foreign leaders" (Mom), and finally achieves peace (she makes her brother a "citizen"). Details in Hargis's droll art do the explaining of the girl's creative leadership qualities.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church. All of Baby's "firsts"--tooth, word, step, etc.--are chronicled here in lively verse. Though some of the rhymes are a stretch ("...a little grin... / It opens up a Baby mile. / See happy Baby's / very first... / ...SMILE!"), the story sweetly honors Baby's first-year achievements. Collage and ink illustrations, full of warmth and affection, feature simple patterns and thickly outlined characters.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Brad Sneed. Desperate to escape the pressures of his job, the president dons a disguise and returns to his old elementary school for one carefree day in kindergarten. Back at the White House he applies what he learned by helping two squabbling prime ministers make peace via the hokey pokey. This is all-ages-welcome social commentary facilitated by witty writing and just-right caricaturish art.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Illustrated by Paige Miglio. The text describes what parent bunnies do with new baby and big sibling: squeezing and kissing, jumping and dancing. Though it makes a nice rhythm, the text's switch between activities done "with the baby" and "with the bunny" doesn't make much sense. Cleanly composed illustrations incorporate many different patterns (plaids, florals) in scenes featuring a pointy-eared rabbit family.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Mike Gordon & Carl Gordon. A boy and his six thousand rats tour a big city, causing chaos wherever they go. The thin story is an excuse for teaching conjunctions; every page turn completes the previous page's sentence, with each until, but, and since printed in bold type. Readers will giggle at the exaggerated cartoon-style illustrations--especially the looks on peoples' faces as the rats come marching.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jim Bradshaw. Despite the subtitle, the grammar lesson here is so subtle that it doesn't intrude on the fun. Hunter and hunted streak past alarmed sheep and goggle-eyed horses, disturb bees and fish, and root birds from their tree, until this chase ends and another begins. Brightly colored double-page spreads humorously capture the dual perspectives of the panicked mouse and the sharp-toothed fox.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lisa McCue. Humorous watercolors illustrate the story of a cat and a rat who enjoy playing ill-natured tricks on each other (à la Tom and Jerry). When each mistakenly thinks the other has sent him a gift, their acrimonious relationship changes to one of lifelong friendship. Readers will delight in knowing the truth behind the mix-up while the two main characters remain clueless.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(4) K-3 Illustrated by David Clark. Sarah fears she'll get in trouble for coming home after her seven o'clock curfew, so she decides to sneak home through her neighborhood. Awkward rhymes describe Sarah's nighttime journey as she confronts (or imagines) some very hairy scary oversize creatures, including a spider and a lion. The atmospheric images of the creatures and Sarah's fearful reactions to them are more comical than scary.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Delana Bettoli. In this original tale, Mrs. McMurphy repeatedly and unsuccessfully tries to dispatch a grinning pumpkin that threatens to eat her once his teeth grow in. Over several days the pumpkin grows a nose, ears, and eyes. When he finally shows up with teeth, Mrs. McMurphy turns the tables on him. The illustrations effectively combine Halloween thrills with homey scenes of farm life.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) PS Illustrated by Paige Miglio. In the days leading up to Christmas, a bunny family decorates the house, visits Santa Claus, and makes presents, cards, and cookies. When the big day arrives, the bunnies open their gifts and welcome relatives for a festive Christmas dinner. Although the book lacks energy and excitement, the rhymed text and detailed illustrations depict a pleasant holiday season.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) PS Illustrated by Paige Miglio. A bunny family starts their trip in a car, then gets on a train, a wagon, a tractor, and so on until they reach home again. Each time, the rhyming text and lively illustrations provide clues to the next mode of transportation. The text is occasionally awkward, but vehicle buffs will still enjoy the trek. Adults may wonder why the bunnies are "safely belted" in the car but enjoy a "dangerous" ride in the bed of a pickup truck.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Arthur Robins. Bertie, a very small dog, outwits a burglar by challenging him to a series of bets, the last of which ("I bet I can bark louder than you") brings round the police, who arrest the burglar and give Bertie a medal. With its energetic illustrations, spot-on humor, engaging sound effects, and entirely satisfying outcome, this book wins all bets.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(4) PS Illustrated by Paige Miglio. "Faces washed until they shine, / Bunnies dress themselves at nine." In their second book, this energetic family of bunnies go through the day from waking up until bedtime. The subtitle is a bit misleading: although each hour features a rhymed activity and a visible timepiece, there are no instructions on telling time or reading the clock. The softly colored illustrations show the bunnies going about their day.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) PS Illustrated by James Lee Croft. "Cars play piggy back, / Cars play jacks, / Cars play dodgeball, / Then eat snacks." The simple rhyming text describes the activities of playful cars, while the illustrations show the cars being jacked up to have their tires changed, avoiding a ball in the street, or being filled up at the gas station. Croft's bright acrylics depict the cheerfully personified cars on wide swaths of color.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) K-3 Illustrated by James Warhola. "The bear came over to my house / To eat what he could eat. / And what do you think the bear ate? / A treat." In this playful take-off on the folksong, a bear comes over to a young girl's house and brings a swing, wakes a snake, and so on. The rhyming text makes good use of page turns, and the humorous illustrations show a rotund and accident-prone, but good-natured, bear.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Julia Gorton. A high-spirited boy describes his dog, and it's clear he loves his pet. With every illustrative word he adds to the cumulative portrayal, the boy includes superlatives for emphasis: "He's the most slobbery dog I've ever met!" Though the text doesn't amount to much more than a list, the tone of the book is upbeat and endearing, and the airbrushed acrylic artwork exudes retro charm.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Ana Lopez-Escriva. "How can you dance when / Spring is in your shoes? / Dance like the king / of the kangaroos." Despite the fairly pedestrian and uneven text, readers may be entertained as they act out the solutions to random predicaments, including, "How can you dance when / you're full of fear?" or "lying on the floor?" The richly colored acrylic paintings lend the text movement and spirit.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn