(4) PS Illustrated by Jane Dyer. A newcomer galvanizes a gang of bored babies in a gentle wish-fulfillment tale for the toddler set. Grabbing instruments, plump babies parade down the street to ransack a market for snacks before naptime. Their adventures are told in metered rhyme and depicted in soft, textured colored pencil against white backgrounds. Less musical than title and cover art promise, but suitable for reading aloud.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jane Dyer. Divided into "Homey Tales," "Beastly Tales," and "Tales of Magic Makers," the thirty-two stories are mostly European, with a few from America, Africa, and Asia; the Old Testament "Noah's Ark" is here, along with two folkloric Yolen originals. These lovely retellings are highly appropriate for bedtime and group read-alouds, though Dyer's delicate gouache paintings and black-and-white spot art are best enjoyed one-on-one. Reading list.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) PS Illustrated by Jane Dyer. "A pup knows how to wag. A kitten, how to play. / Swallows fly to winter homes and never lose their way." Tight rhymes offering examples of nature's omniscience conclude with: "I know how to love you. No one taught me... / I just knew." The proficient, greeting card–saccharine art features a towheaded toddler at play.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) PS Illustrated by Jane Dyer. A home-away-home structure follows a little girl from the "house that's [her] home" to school and back, as she engages with her family, pets, and the world around her. Rhythmic text embraces childlike phrasing and captures the happiest parts of childhood's emotional landscape: "A friend is Your Friend / Who stays by your side." Soft gouache and pencil illustrations match the text's depiction of childhood idyll.

Reviewer: Megan Dowd Lambert | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2015

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jane Dyer & Brooke Dyer. In this "Goldilocks" variation, Santa arrives on Christmas Eve at the cottage of three polar bears out taking a walk. Here, when Santa is finally discovered (after eating Baby Bear's Christmas pudding, etc.), he is a welcome visitor. The art is appealing in the extreme, the Scandinavian setting evoked in warm watercolor and gouache paintings that are both cozy and filled with motion.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2013

(4) PS Illustrated by Jane Dyer. A celebration of babies written for very young children, this volume has seventy-five short nursery-rhyme poems, mostly Yolen's originals with a few from Mother Goose. Many of the original rhymes are bouncy and silly, but too many lack the energy and "singsong, sing-along rhythm" described in the introduction. Pencil-and-watercolor illustrations of a multiethnic cast of joyful-looking babies and toddlers will hold tots' attention. Ind.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jane Dyer. Lucky and Squash are neighbor dogs whose friendship remains thwarted by a gate. Determined to unite their shy owners so that they can be brothers, the dogs hatch madcap plans, thrice running away to encourage their owners to team up to find them. Dyer's realistically rendered watercolor illustrations lend heart to an abruptly silly--and yet satisfying--ending.

Reviewer: Allison Cole

(4) PS Illustrated by Jane Dyer & Brooke Dyer. Lyrics from the title song, appearing on a 1947 Nat King Cole album, are accompanied by appropriately sweet and dreamy pastel-hued illustrations. The train to Dreamland passes licorice houses and ice-cream stations, then travels around a candy mountain into the air. This sentimental voyage will best be appreciated by reminiscing grownups. Music is appended.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jane Dyer. Each page features a vocabulary word that is defined in terms of how it relates to cookies ("PROMPT means, When it's time to make cookies, we are here and ready on the dot!"). Like others in this series, the sweet-treat hook makes for a kid-friendly vocabulary lesson. The eye-pleasing scenes show rosy-cheeked tots interacting with animals dressed like children.

Reviewer: Sophie Williamson

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jane Dyer & Brooke Dyer. "PROTECT means, I will always be here to keep your cookies safe." As she did in Cookies and Christmas Cookies, Rosenthal defines challenging vocabulary words (e.g., endearment, unrequited) metaphorically via baked-goods-centric analogies. Like the text, the illustrations (which feature clothed animals and humans interacting on equal footing) occasionally cross the line between tenderness and sentimentality.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Jane Dyer. A little bird greets a special baby born in a stable set in a snowy wood. The bird flies to gather the other animals ("Hurry, Bunny! Hurry, Fox!...Scurry, furry little mouse!"), who form a joyous parade to welcome the boy. This contemporary-set Nativity story, featuring seasonally clad but otherwise realistic-looking animals, has energy and movement.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jane Dyer. This holiday picture book delivers a sweet message, both literally and figuratively. On each page or spread, a vocabulary word is defined using examples related to Christmas cookies: "APPRECIATIVE means, Thank you so much for taking the time to bake with me." Gentle, old-fashioned-looking illustrations show children and well-dressed animals baking together. A recipe for Christmas cookies appears at the end.

Reviewer: Marika Jeffrey

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jane Dyer. "I still wonder what miracle brought us together." A mother reflects on the milestones of her adopted Chinese daughter's young life. This joyful pondering of heritage and the parent-child relationship will resonate more with adults than kids, but the book will find an appreciative audience with adoptive families. Tender watercolors show birthday celebrations and day-to-day activities.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(3) PS Illustrated by Jane Dyer. When a rainstorm hits, a cat, a raccoon, and various other animals squeeze into Rover's doghouse. Just as everyone gets settled, they catch a whiff of something smelly. Careful study of the rainy watercolor illustrations reveals that a skunk has slipped into the doghouse. The playful rhythm and rhyme make this cumulative tale a satisfying read-aloud.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) PS Illustrated by Jane Dyer. Dyer's sweet art is a fine match for Krauss's bedtime rhyme in this re-illustrated and re-titled edition of Eyes Nose Fingers Toes. Young listeners will enjoy the large, gently humorous illustrations of a cherubic-looking toddler tucking her doll and stuffed animals into bed for the night.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Jane Dyer. A picture book biography traces Woodhull's many careers (child preacher, stockbroker, newspaper owner) and accomplishments (which include being the first woman to ever address Congress). The emphasis is on her 1872 run for the presidency as a candidate of the Equal Rights Party. The economical prose and dignified watercolors do a good job capturing the spirit of this pioneering feminist. Bib.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) PS Illustrated by Jane Dyer. All children seem to find both babies and animals endlessly interesting, so this rhyming exploration of how human and various animal babies are transported by their parents is a perfect concept. Dyer's large, realistically detailed close-up watercolors invite the reader to see firsthand how "babies always ride with love." All twenty animals are portrayed in "Meet the Babies" at book's end.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jane Dyer. A pair of magpies are concerned observers of the goings-on in a house near their nest. When Cinderella needs a dress for the ball, the mamma magpie realizes that a stolen ring she has been hoarding has the power to call up Cinderella's fairy godmother. No need to take the story past that point, and Willard doesn't. This appealing bit of fluff is well served by Dyer's romantic watercolor illustrations, glowing with becoming colors.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2004

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jane Dyer. When she's sick, Emily's writer-father cares for her lovingly and humors her whims patiently, though he's unable to locate her favorite stuffed moose or the thermometer. In a turnaround ending, the father contracts Emily's bug and she finds the missing items. New watercolors enliven and extend this affectionate narrative.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) PS Illustrated by Jane Dyer. In a salute to toddler-hood, these eight lyrical poems record the activities of young children throughout the day. They show both mothers and fathers as caretakers but are often overly sweet and geared perhaps more to a nostalgic adult than a small child. The realistic watercolors depict a variety of children, and color photos of the models are included at the end.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley