(3) K-3 Illustrated by Steven Henry. When Elliot wakes to a terrible smell, he searches everywhere for its source. Readers should discern the culprit long before Elliot does: the skeleton costume Elliot's wearing. One bath and a load of laundry later, all is well...until Elliot dons his monster pajamas ("he was never ever going to take them off"). Lively mixed-media illustrations provide visual gags that just might entice reluctant bathers into action.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(3) PS Illustrated by Steven Henry. In this low-key father-son story, pig youngster Herbert is "not sure about Halloween," but his father loves it. Dad's excitement quickly spreads to son as together they decide on and make Herbert's costume (tiger), carve a pumpkin ("They named it Jack"), and go trick-or-treating. Henry's digital illustrations capture sweet moments of this bonding experience and play up the un-spooky aspects of Halloween.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) PS Illustrated by Steven Henry. "Humpback whales have gigantic mouths to gobble up great gulps of shrimp. / And through all the bubbles, mamas give cuddles and big, wet canoodles to calves." Twelve poetic descriptions, illustrated with tender but sturdy pencil and digitally painted art, each conclude with a question: how would the profiled animal kiss? Both rhyme scheme and rhythm are erratic, marring the elucidating text. Animal facts appended.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Steven Henry. It's raining on the day of the annual Witch Parade. Dismayed, young witch Delia chants a spell to change the rainwater to cats and dogs, then hats and clogs, then bats and frogs, but nothing quite works. Eventually, the coven just deals with the rain. Henry's cartoonish style and speech bubbles successfully match the text's humor and liveliness.

Reviewer: Lauren Rizzuto

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Steven Henry. Told mostly from the dog's point of view, this story shows the daily life of an author in the city. Activities include writing and visiting a school, all shown in clear, appealing illustrations. The text's occasional attempts to describe creativity and inspiration fall curiously flat, with more of an adult sensibility, but young readers will get a sense of the process.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee