(4) K-3 Illustrated by Caroline Pedler. Badger, Hedgehog, Rabbit, and friends return (When You Need a Friend; Friends to the Rescue), this time working together to solve a mysterious water shortage. Though the situation seems dire at the start, sunny illustrations foreshadow a happy ending. Information about watersheds feels forced and the teamwork message is rather preachy, but accomplished book design and art increase the book's appeal.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson

(4) PS Illustrated by Caroline Pedler. Friends Mouse and Mole go to bed on board their boat, but Mole can't sleep, even though resourceful, ever-patient Mouse keeps trying to help him. Young readers may well enjoy predicting the familiar outcome: when Mole finally falls asleep, it's Mouse who remains wakeful...because Mole is snoring. Soft illustrations depict the amiable friends in a cozy, moonlit cabin.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Caroline Pedler. Badger and his friends Mouse, Hedgehog, and Rabbit discover rope, a basket, and some cloth in the forest. It turns out they found the parts of Mole's crashed hot air balloon. Relying on teamwork, the animals rebuild the balloon and rescue their new friend from a tree. The message-heavy text of this UK import is buoyed by colorful, textured illustrations.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Caroline Pedler. Badger steadies his friends' homes before a storm, but his own "mighty oak" dwelling topples. The trauma of losing a home is downplayed: Pedler's illustrations emphasize sunny pre- and post-storm weather, and Badger frowns at his loss then grins ("Every problem has a solution!") on the same spread. A feel-good but superficial tale of friends coming together to rebuild.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(3) PS Illustrated by Caroline Pedler. In this pleasant story, Baby Bear wants to do everything by himself--"I can do it!" Backpack fasteners and coat buttons prove challenging but doable. Candy-colored illustrations show a young cub asserting his independence and expressing his capabilities, though needing assistance from Mommy when reaching a book at the library.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) PS Illustrated by Caroline Pedler. Little mouse Squeak worries that Santa won't find him and his sibling, Bubbles, when the family goes to Grandma's for Christmas. The sweet story's warm, cozy illustrations picture the critters diligently writing a letter and drawing a map for Santa; Grandma's impressive "Super-Swishy-Santa-Slide" serves as a solution when the mice realize her house doesn't have a chimney.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) PS Illustrated by Caroline Pedler. Dog Dudley has many talents, and his daredevil antics are cheered on by his best dog friend, Bonzo. When Bonzo's musical ability attracts attention, Dudley plans a spectacular one-dog show--with disastrous results. Luckily, Bonzo saves the day and finds a way for them to share the spotlight. Brightly colored illustrations lend a festive air to this predictable tale.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Caroline Pedler. Four hungry little bunnies take turns searching for carrots, but each returns empty-handed. The last--and littlest--bunny won't be deterred by the "Big Bad Bully Bunny." Soft pastel-hued illustrations portraying a peaceful garden where the little bunnies gather carrots (and teach the bullying bunny a lesson) soften the blow of the BBBB's nasty words ("You're really, really ugly!").

Reviewer: Sophie Williamson

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Caroline Pedler. Noodle the mouse claims a castoff ball of purple yarn and fulfills her dream of learning to knit. She skips through a series of bland adventures, knitting a very long scarf that is used as a nest shared with three friends. Raised flocking on the pages allows readers to feel the fruits of Noodle's labor.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo