(3) K-3 Meet the Wild Things series. Illustrated by John Rocco. A breezy introduction to the species narrated by a pangolin. Information covered includes diet, behaviors, threats, and habitat. Realistic illustrations and engaging questions will draw readers into the book. Detailed back matter provides more information and discusses why the species is endangered.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) K-3 Meet the Wild Things series. Illustrated by John Rocco. A breezy introduction to the species narrated by a sloth. Information covered includes diet, behaviors, threats, and habitat. Realistic illustrations and engaging questions will draw readers into the book. Detailed back matter provides more information and discusses why the species is endangered.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) K-3 Illustrated by John Rocco. Noah's parents prepare for a four-day storm by filling water jugs and boarding up their city home's windows. Meanwhile, Noah turns his red wagon into an ark for the creatures living in the yard, including salamanders, toads, mice, and hummingbirds. The magical realism in Rocco's illustrations offers readers a satisfying fantasy as Banks presents a new way to think about an old biblical story.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(2) K-3 Illustrated by John Rocco. A picture book biography of author-illustrator Burton focuses on her adult life as mother to two boys who love trains and trucks. The text and art are at their best when "Jinnee" is illustrating, creating lifelike scenes out of blank paper and charcoal. Rocco's paintings of the artist at work and his replicas of her illustrations are masterful. An intriguing, loving introduction to a picture book icon.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2017

(3) K-3 Illustrated by John Rocco. In the duo's second vehicle-as-pet book (How to Train a Train), a boy narrator helps readers find a pet truck. The droll how-to narrative offers advice on selecting the type of truck wanted--moving, garbage, or monster truck, for example--and then on tracking, catching, and taming it. Bold, digitally colored graphite illustrations featuring active, personified trucks add energy to the tale.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by John Rocco. Ostensibly coerced by his publisher (with "a year's supply of free pepperoni pizza, plus all the blue jelly beans I could eat") to write another volume (Percy Jackson's Greek Gods), Percy Jackson narrates this compilation of Greek hero myths. While not for scholarly readers, his jokey and colloquial voice keeps the immense, hefty, and lavishly illustrated tome from being overly grand. Reading list, websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(2) PS Illustrated by John Rocco. A boy guides three robots through nighttime rituals, tucking everyone in. Then..."BEEP! BEEP!" The tired boy remedies the bots' woes ("I want more oil!"), then finally reaches his limit. The robots rouse the boy again to ask for a bedtime story, which puts "their boy to sleep" and allows them to race gleefully throughout the house. Mixed-media illustrations embellish the playful rhyming text.

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2015

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by John Rocco. Narrated by Percy Jackson himself, this collection includes both well-known Greek myths as well as more obscure stories. The depth of coverage of the gods and goddesses is impressive, but Percy's jokey tone and general snarkiness may put off more serious readers. Dramatic full-page and spot illustrations help break up this hefty volume. Reading list, websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(3) K-3 Illustrated by John Rocco. The ultimate dream for railroad fanatics: pet trains! Eaton offers humorously detailed instructions on how to locate and catch a wild train, with tips on naming and helping your locomotive adjust to life among humans. Digitally colored graphite illustrations have energy and excitement in this fantastical picture book that's sure to be on heavy rotation in train-loving households.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by John Rocco. At the core of Eden Phillpotts's 1910 original fairy tale The Flint Heart lies a marvelous modern fantasy; the Patersons' abridgment allows that tale to emerge. They've eliminated much unnecessary detail and playfully incorporated direct address and lighthearted asides. The book is illustrated with full-color pictures and silhouette spot art, and the page design is generous; best of all, the story delivers.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2011

(4) 4-6 Hunter Chronicles series. Illustrated by John Rocco. Sky Weathers's disappointing twelfth birthday--marked with a move and a missing uncle--turns eerie when monsters and a doppelgänger enter the scene. Sky must rescue his uncle and untangle his own identity to save everyone. There's ample humor, action, and world building in this series opener, but a serious overuse of similes drags the story down.

Reviewer: Bethany Templeton Klem

(3) K-3 Illustrated by John Rocco. This equally cheerful companion to Boy, Were We Wrong About Dinosaurs! describes the history of theories about the solar system. The text shows how discrepant evidence and better tools can be the impetus for shifts in scientific thinking--and that it's perfectly fine to change ideas if the evidence supports it. Humorous caricature illustrations show scientists and explorers hard at work. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford