(2) K-3 Illustrated by David Catrow. This is a playful, simple look at our bodies' inner workings for young children. A blue-haired, brown-skinned child sits atop a pillow on the book's cover, gazing longingly at a large apple. "I want an apple," the text declares on the first page as the narrator lies with their feet up on an oversized chair. "Smart brain, help me find one." Searching for the desired fruit all around the house--including inside the depths of a worn-out boot and under the dog's floppy ear--the child instructs different body parts to do what they do best. "Sturdy feet, help me stand. Long legs, help me walk." Eventually, an apple is found and feasted upon--with each of the five senses experiencing delight. Catrow's (the Silly Dilly Songs books; Fun in the Sun, rev. 5/15) colored-pencil and watercolor illustrations, all full-bleed double-page spreads, are immediately recognizable with their eccentric details and exaggerated scale (the apple often appears the size of the child's head, for example). The spare text is just enough to introduce concepts of human anatomy to a preschool and early primary audience. The book's final page is an informational drawing of the child pointing out some of the organs used in the apple's journey through the body.

Reviewer: Hill Saxton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(4) K-3 Illustrated by David Catrow. In this exuberant companion to When God Made You, two sisters engaged in imaginative play are drawn outdoors by the inviting sunshine. Rhyming text, with occasionally stumbling meter, celebrates various sources of light--from moonlight to fireflies--and suggests that God's light resides in each person. Light and shadow play in Catrow's energetic illustrations, which celebrate the joy of creation and the love of family.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) K-3 Illustrated by David Catrow. A lively and caring little girl helps others and brings beauty to her world. Rhyming text that can be a mouthful ("'Cause God loves you creating, your true self displaying / when light on the inside through art is portraying") celebrates the wonder of being a unique, dreaming child of God. Catrow's quirky and vibrant illustrations fill the pages with contagious energy.

Reviewer: Alia Jones

(3) PS Illustrated by David Catrow. The question posed by the title is answered in rhyming stanzas: "Pirates plunder lots of ships but don't forget their duty. / They always call out 'thank you' for all their stolen booty." Energetic, appropriately grotesque mixed-media illustrations depict the pirates remembering their manners in various situations despite their rough-and-tumble lifestyle. A humorous and engaging twist on the familiar lesson.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David Catrow. The third epistolary I Wanna book takes as its subject Alex's week at his grandparents' retirement community. To Alex's surprise, his apprehension turns into appreciation. Orloff shoots for easy old-people targets (dentures, unhipness) but is overall gentle, and if Catrow depicts the grandparents as semigrotesque, he extends the same courtesy to the remaining cast.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David Catrow. A young boy with a vivid imagination (and a sneezy dad) yearns for a dog. Harry dons his "X-35 Infra-Rocket Imagination Helmet" and creates an imaginary canine companion, Waffle. When Harry's father loses his pepper-factory job, clearing up his sinuses, he gives Harry a real dog, and Waffle finds a satisfying new home. Catrow's flamboyantly colored caricatures detail the offbeat story's slapstick action.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David Catrow. A large, boisterous family gathers for a reunion. This lyrical, spirited ode, rich with summertime imagery, celebrates the joys of adventures shared by far-flung cousins running in barefoot packs. Catrow's quirky illustrations capture appropriately wild and grungy kids playing in creek waters, feasting on watermelon, and catching fireflies, among other moments that are at once universal and particular.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(2) K-3 Illustrated by David Catrow. "Tommy's not himself today. / He's lost his T-R-U-C-K!" When a boy's favorite truck goes missing, the whole household gets dragged into the drama. With their wild proportions and perspectives, Catrow's illustrations kick Beaumont's bouncy, rhyming text up a notch. Sharp-eyed viewers might guess who's responsible for the truck's disappearance before the mystery's solved, but knowing whodunit doesn't detract from the fun.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2011

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David Catrow. The reliable team presents song parody treats about the usual summer camp travails, including messy cabins, smelly bunkmates, and, of course, the food ("For dessert: devil's food shoe"). Katz's new lyrics fit singably into the familiar tunes, making for an enjoyable ready-made campfire sing-along. Catrow's amorphous illustrations are far from realistic, but why shouldn't they be silly dilly?

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) PS Illustrated by David Catrow. Sam describes his work in bursts of rhymed couplets: "ATTA-RATTA-BATTA-BLAM, I'm the sidewalk blasting man!" As his tall tale grows, Sam's jackhammering goes from stopping traffic to drilling a giant's tooth and draining the Milky Way. Mandel's text, punctuated by onomatopoeia and nonsense words, is as loud and brash as Catrow's cartoon-style illustrations or, for that matter, a jackhammer.

Reviewer: Kathleen T. Horning | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2011

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David Catrow. This sixth title in Katz and Catrow's song parodies series includes traditional child-to-parent gripes about dressing up, as well as modern twists such as "They're Always on the Cell" sung to the tune of "Farmer in the Dell": "My mommy's on her cell. / My daddy's on his cell. / They don't talk to each other, but / they're always on the cell." Exaggerated cartoons match the slapstick humor.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David Catrow. Alex, forced to share a room with his younger brother ever since his sister was born, engages in a letter-writing volley with his father, with whom he pleads for his own space. The trademark grotesquerie of Catrow's illustrations (the kids look like sunburned old men) is offset by the book's humor and the affection undergirding even the most histrionic of the father-son exchanges.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) K-3 Illustrated by David Catrow. "I've got the middle-child blues. / I feel forgotten and confused... / And I am REALLY not amused." Things improve after pompadoured "Mid-Kid" Lee picks up his guitar and attracts a crowd of, among others, fellow middle children; no one can ignore a rock star, even one wearing "middle-sized shoes." Catrow's irreverent day-glo caricatures are in tune with Crow's catchy song of woe.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2009

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David Catrow. These sports-themed songs bounce along to familiar tunes such as "Ring Around the Rosie"--"Neither team is scoring. / For the fans, it's boring. / Gnashes! Mashes! / All fall down!"--though some of the songs' rhythms can be tricky. Silly Dilly fans will enjoy giggling at the comical illustrations, then belting out the tunes at their favorite sporting events.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David Catrow. Ten dogs create a lively, harum-scarum morning for their pajama-clad owner when they escape to the park. Clever verse uses the dogs' names effectively ("Queenie! Wienie! Meanie! Moe!"), and "Doggone dogs" serves as both an epithet and a chorus. Exaggerated illustrations suit the mood, and with a reverse countdown the dogs are back at home.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David Catrow. "My friend Mike / Just went poop / On his next-door-neighbor's stoop." Readers will never hear "This Old Man," among other classics, the same way again, thanks to this collection of bathroom-humor songs. The art features Catrow's perversely proportioned (sometimes partially dressed) humans confronting nature's call. Early elementary-age post-potty-trained readers will be this book's best audience.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) K-3 Illustrated by David Catrow. This fourth collection of song parodies rhapsodizes on smelly lockers, tests, and math to the tunes of well-known songs (e.g., "Frère Jacques," "Miss Mary Mack," "Itsy-Bitsy Spider"). The fourteen selections, each gleefully illustrated with bulbous caricatures in lurid springtime shades, are on the tamer side of subversive, just naughty enough for third graders without being alarming to their teachers.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2008

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David Catrow. Edward, buried beneath a heap of toys, acknowledges his selfishness after "Edward's mom came in with fudge, / Edward found he couldn't budge. / His mother didn't see him there, / and so she gave it all to Claire." Reiss's rhymes are crisp, and Catrow's humorously busy, angular illustrations help realize that most common of childhood cries: "It's MINE!"

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) K-3 Illustrated by David Catrow. Michael tells his mom everything that happened at school (one classmate vomited, another sat in gum, etc.). Every time he gets to a good part ("she stepped in a pile of dog..."), he's censored ("Don't say that word!"). The rhyming verse helps kids fill in the parent-prohibited blank. Zany, grotesque illustrations add another layer of revulsion.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(4) K-3 Illustrated by David Catrow. This latest collection of "silly dilly" songs is about manners, from "Don't Chew Gum in the Classroom" (to the tune of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game") to "Writing Thank-Yous" (to the tune of "Alouette"). Though some of the lyrics scan awkwardly against the original versions, the songs and the zany caricatured illustrations have the same energy and charm as the previous books.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith