(4) K-3 Words Are Categorical series. Illustrated by Martin Goneau. Cleary's colorful cats coach the concept (see what we did there?) of alliteration for elementary-age readers. This is Cleary's usual schtick: forced rhymes introduce a term and provide examples, ad infinitum, while the cartoon cats provide exaggerated comic relief in the garishly hued illustrations. Alliterative words are highlighted in the text to aid comprehension. A final chart with examples reinforces lessons learned.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(4) K-3 Words Are Categorical series. Illustrated by Martin Goneau. Cleary's hyperactive rhymes introduce the language concept. While the definition of suffix provided isn't satisfying, the many examples will help kids begin to understand the term's various meanings and functions in words. The illustrations of zany cats are humorous but distracting; the spreads with embedded charts are most helpful in supporting the text. A final chart with suffixes, meanings, and examples is appended.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) K-3 Words Are Categorical series. Illustrated by Martin Goneau. Colorful cats grin in silly scenes to illustrate homonyms and homophones. Jaunty verse demonstrates how the same word can have different meanings in different contexts (homonyms) and how words sounding the same can have different spellings and meanings (homophones). Word pairs are highlighted in color for clarity. The cartooned antics have a hyperactive quality, but the rhyming storybook form makes the language lesson enjoyable.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) K-3 Words Are Categorical series. Illustrated by Martin Goneau. "Prefixes are word parts / that we add onto a word. / They're right at the beginning, / just like pregame or unheard." Cleary's rhyming text is annoyingly distracting, but his introduction to these "word parts" is sound. Examples of the different ways prefixes affect their root words are helpful, and Goneau's hyperactive cartoony cats add (possibly too much) pizazz to the pages.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(4) K-3 Animal Groups Are Categorical series. Illustrated by Martin Goneau. This book gives a light, rhyming overview of the defining features of fish and examples of different species. Packing scientific facts into frantic verse results in some awkward lines; fortunately, the last spread's bulleted summary provides a short, clear recap. Colorful cartoon illustrations of goofy-looking fish are busy and contain plenty of gags but no helpful diagrams or labels.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) K-3 Animal Groups Are Categorical series. Illustrated by Martin Goneau. These books give light, rhyming overviews of the defining features of reptiles and amphibians and examples of different species. Packing scientific facts into frantic verse results in some awkward lines; fortunately, the last spread's bulleted summary provides a short, clear recap. Colorful cartoon illustrations of goofy-looking creatures are busy, but they occasionally sneak in very basic diagrams or labels to aid comprehension. Review covers these Animal Groups are Categorical titles: Salamander, Frog, and Polliwog and Tortoise, Tree Snake, Gator, and Sea Snake.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) K-3 Animal Groups Are Categorical series. Illustrated by Martin Goneau. This book gives a light, rhyming overview of the defining features of birds and examples of different species. Packing scientific facts into frantic verse results in some awkward lines; fortunately, the last spread's bulleted summary provides a short, clear recap. Colorful cartoon illustrations of goofy-looking birds are busy, but they occasionally sneak in very basic diagrams or labels to aid comprehension.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) K-3 Animal Groups Are Categorical series. Illustrated by Martin Goneau. This book gives a light, rhyming overview of the defining features of insects and examples of different species. Packing scientific facts into frantic verse results in some awkward lines; fortunately, the last spread's bulleted summary provides a short, clear recap. Colorful cartoon illustrations of goofy-looking bugs are busy, but they occasionally sneak in very basic diagrams or labels to aid comprehension.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) K-3 Animal Groups Are Categorical series. Illustrated by Martin Goneau. These books give light, rhyming overviews of the defining features of reptiles and amphibians and examples of different species. Packing scientific facts into frantic verse results in some awkward lines; fortunately, the last spread's bulleted summary provides a short, clear recap. Colorful cartoon illustrations of goofy-looking creatures are busy, but they occasionally sneak in very basic diagrams or labels to aid comprehension. Review covers these Animal Groups are Categorical titles: Salamander, Frog, and Polliwog and Tortoise, Tree Snake, Gator, and Sea Snake.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) K-3 Animal Groups Are Categorical series. Illustrated by Martin Goneau. This book gives a light, rhyming overview of the defining features of mammals and examples of different species. Packing scientific facts into frantic verse results in some awkward lines; fortunately, the last spread's bulleted summary provides a short, clear recap. Colorful cartoon illustrations of goofy-looking mammals are busy, but they occasionally sneak in very basic diagrams or labels to aid comprehension.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi