(4) K-3 Illustrated by Martine Gourbault. This approachable book uses a light touch to teach water safety. When a girl and her dragon friend play and swim at the beach, the dragon breaks a few rules but is steered gently in the right direction. While the pencil-crayon art is engaging, the text tries too hard to rhyme. A helpful checklist for parents is appended.

Reviewer: Hilary Breed Van Dusen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Martine Gourbault. A succession of neighbors offers to take the stray cat that's been hanging around Mr. McGratt's yard, but each person brings him back eventually, because the cat is just too disagreeable. Finally, Mr. McGratt realizes that an ornery cat is exactly what he needs. Executed with colored pencil on a textured surface, the cartoonlike artwork emphasizes the expressions on both the human and animal faces.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) PS Illustrated by Martine Gourbault. When a boy goes to the bay to look for frogs, he sees a blue heron, a hummingbird, a turtle, and many other animals. Although somehow he misses the grinning frogs that follow him all around (young listeners will have fun spotting them), he still recognizes he is having a lucky wildlife-spotting day. The gentle rhyming text is accompanied by soft, occasionally silly, pencil crayon illustrations.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley