(3) K-3 In this follow-up to Dangerous!, label-loving Mole and his crocodile friend, the Lumpy-Bumpy Thing, discover a magician's hat and wand pre-labeled with the titular warning. The Lumpy-Bumpy Thing wears the magic hat anyway, generating a rabbit surplus the two friends must rectify. Loose, comic illustrations capture the wonderfully expressive characters. The labels, both nouns and adjectives, playfully explore vocabulary and add humor without pigeon-holing.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(3) PS Patrick the elephant fears lots of things; his big, strong dad seems to fear nothing. However, when a mouse from the so-called "Cheese Inspection Council" shows up at their door, Dad cowers behind the couch. Patrick welcomes the black-masked rodent inside, where it proceeds to steal their cheese--and everything in the house. The cartoon illustrations enhance character and humor in the story.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(3) PS Mole labels everything in sight: "mushroom," "pebble," etc. One day he labels what readers will know to be a crocodile with words like "gargantuan," "knobbly," and "mysterious." The two get into a tiff, after which the crocodile labels itself "sorry"; Mole relabels it "friend." It's quite sweet, and the zesty art draws humorous attention to diminutive Mole's unlikely upper hand.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 English country mouse Cheese visits his canine New Yorker friend Chalk. Through watercolor and pencil illustrations in a roomy comic-strip format, readers enjoy the pleasure of witnessing Cheese's persistent mystification (e.g., he expects to see King Kong at the Empire State Building). The story is a portrait of friendship that calls to mind another thick-as-thieves animal odd couple, Snoopy and Woodstock.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Jane Chapman. This companion to Mommy Mine pays similar homage to fathers. This time, animal dads display their variety of attributes: "Daddy spiky / Daddy fluffy / Daddy dirty / Daddy scruffy." The simple rhyming text is just right for preschoolers. On every double-page spread (some are situated vertically), there's enough white space in the backgrounds to make the vibrant animals stand out.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(3) PS Illustrated by Jane Chapman. Brief, well-chosen rhyming phrases describe a wide array of animal mothers in this amusing book with a pleasing design. "Mommy snoozing, Mommy lazy / clumsy Mommy--whoopsy-daisy!" appears on a double-page spread with a painting of a seal dozing and a penguin slipping on the ice. With its variations in size, color, and placement, the typeface complements the spacious illustrations.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert