(3) K-3 Step into Reading series. Illustrated by Jon Goodell. Follow the life cycle of chickens as a suburban family gets baby chicks from a farm, watches them grow to chickens, and witnesses their eggs hatching. In simple sentences, readers are introduced to chicken-rearing vocabulary ("We put the chicks in a brooder"). New readers can clearly observe the chicks gradually growing in the friendly illustrations.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Jon Goodell. In this trilogy ender, the frost-loving Harsh are drowning the world in snow and ice. This prompts Owen the Navigator to quest through the choppy "seas of time" to defeat the Harsh. Enemies also threaten from within, but with the help of good friends, Owen prevails. The weather magic and steampunk-flavored setting make for entertaining set dressing.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(4) PS Illustrated by Jon Goodell. After kissing her baby mouse goodnight, Mrs. Mouse panics when her baby says, "I want another, Mother." A misunderstanding turns baby mouse's bedtime into a farmyard circus as Mrs. Mouse scours the ponds and pastures for "another mother" for her child. The story is contrived, but Goodell's accomplished art captures the emotions of a stressful but ultimately happy bedtime.

Reviewer: Hilary Breed Van Dusen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jon Goodell. A rhyming text describes the romantic meeting of an oh-so-cool cat and a pretty kitty, cleverly named Red and Ginger. After tearing up the dance floor at the Alley Cat's Meow, the lovers launch a show-biz career. Goodell's painterly oil and acrylic art captures the jazz-age setting and mood.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jon Goodell. A "weaselly weasel" steals the harvest that he's supposed to share with a small crow. To frighten the weasel, the crow enlists a wolf's help but ultimately doesn't need it. Set in Tuscany, peppered with Italian words (glossary provided), and illustrated with a notably sure hand, this trickster story features clever twists and turns as the crow schemes to get some of her own back.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jon Goodell. When two devils try to magically disrupt Hanukkah, the rabbi of the town outwits the tricksters and proves that there is good in all creatures, even devils. Scenes of antic chaos in the lively illustrations light up the pages of a sly, expertly paced holiday adventure.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(4) K-3 Step into Reading series. Illustrated by Jon Goodell. A mouse tries to convince a pet store customer that mice make the best pets: "Boas squeeze. / Lizards shed. / Rabbits hide / beneath the bed." The illustrations are greeting-card sweet but contain humorous details--the jaunty narrator plugs his nose near a litter box--and the large typeface and short, rhyming sentences make the light story appropriate for beginning readers.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger