(3) K-3 Illustrated by Deborah Hocking. Max (Max Explains Everything: Grocery Store Expert) is back, with the accessible comic-book conventions and gouache and colored-pencil illustrations characteristic of his previous supermarket shenanigans. This time, the humor stems from Max explaining soccer while remaining largely oblivious to the game--he picks dandelions, watches clouds, and enjoys a snack, but never remembers to kick the ball.

Reviewer: Rachel Marsh

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Deborah Hocking. Curly-haired Max eventually comes around to accept his conscription as Mom's errand-companion and shares his expertise in a how-to guide for potential supermarket-draftees. Digitally manipulated gouache and colored-pencil illustrations show stylized (and stylish) characters amid the store's abundance. Comic-book elements create gentle dramatic irony, but Max navigates the tedium in earnest, making realistically childlike attempts to manipulate a loving but savvy mother.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Deborah Hocking. Magician-to-be Henry awakes one morning determined to conjure the magic Grandpa always said "is everywhere." Before his loyal audience (toys, pet cat, backyard critters), Henry recites Grandpa's incantation and finds his own kind of magic with his mom. Throughout the nostalgic story, as Henry reminisces (perhaps too subtly and un-kidlike) about his loving grandfather, Hocking's mixed-media art shifts from colorful to sepia-toned.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Deborah Hocking. The nighttime activities of a male beaver kit and his family are portrayed in rich, jewel-toned artwork and clear, informative text, both of which convey the poetry of the natural world. Through the seasons, life at the lodge and dam--created, tended, and expanded by generations of beaver families--is filled with dangers, sibling play, dam repair, and plenty of food. Additional facts and an author's note are appended. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan