(3) PS Illustrated by Chris Chatterton. A dog who happens upon some wooden blocks in various geometric shapes sets out to use them to create a bed; the dog's narration, addressed to its stuffed bear, offers a blow-by-blow of the task's progress and setbacks ("Oh no. There is only 1 rectangle block. Yikes!"). The spick-and-span art keeps the reader's focus on the clearly articulated math concept.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Chris Chatterton. A blue elephant child determines how many square blocks she needs to stack vertically to create a tower "as tall as ME!" When the blocks topple, she also crumbles ("OH NO-OOO...") before realizing that blocks stack sturdier horizontally. Harris successfully pairs basic math and building concepts with a toddler's realistic emotional crisis; both components are enhanced by Chatterton's cleanly rendered art.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Chris Chatterton. A group of animal friends jumps too hard on a bed, causing it to break. After initially blaming one another, the friends cooperate to fix the bed so their fun can continue. The story has some unexpected twists (a sleeping bear under the covers) and a mostly successful rhyme scheme. The jovial illustrations are big and bright, with thick, black text emphasizing the action.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(4) PS Illustrated by Chris Chatterton. A second-person narrative convinces "you" ("a BIG kid. It's true!") that kindergarten "really is cool!" Rhymes and near-rhymes--many of which stumble when read aloud--predictably follow children through their day in this generic back-to-school book. Observant viewers can notice recurring details in the cheery, brightly colored illustrations (hint: look for the playful class hamster on each spread).

Reviewer: Kari Allen