(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Tony Ross. Rosen employs a school production of A Christmas Carol as a device to suggest how a workaholic father withdrawn from his family may end up as lonely as Scrooge. The novel alternates young Harry's onstage experiences with scenes about his father's distance. The bad-dad story line seems aimed mostly at parents; however, Harry's sister Eva, who parallels Tiny Tim, is a gem. Christmas activities and songs are appended.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Tony Ross. Walliams channels Roald Dahl's irreverent, authority-bashing humor in this energetic fantasy in which rebellious children escape their London hospital ward to act out their wildest dreams. Ross's line drawings and the use of varied fonts enliven the proceedings. Verisimilitude is hardly the point here, nor is depth of characterization: the silliness is its own raison d'être.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Tony Ross. "This is not just a book. / You can use it as a hat... / ...or a tent for your cat." So begins a rhyming litany of uses for a book, some more intellectual: "Books can make you really clever... / ...and they stay with you forever." A well-executed trifle with Ross's signature breezy art in watercolor and ink.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(1) 4-6 Illustrated by Tony Ross. McKay continues to display her extraordinary gifts (for language, nuance, humor; for capturing human nature and family dynamics) in this third book (Binny for Short; Binny in Secret). Binny finds a stack of twenty-pound notes and impulsively pockets the lot. It seems like an answer to her bankrupt family's prayers, but instead a miserable seven days follow. The whirlwind-paced plot folds in big ideas for readers to think about.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2017

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Tony Ross. Walliams blends a Roald Dahl–ian anti-authoritarian mindset and wild imagination in this zany tale of a boy and his confused grandfather bucking the system. Grandpa, who thinks he's a WWII Wing Commander still living in 1940, enlists Jack's aid in stealing a Spitfire to escape the old-age home. An entertaining romp, with black-and-white illustrations aptly reminiscent of Quentin Blake's. Glos.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Tony Ross. Billy Goat finds the farmer's lost cell phone and--with his best friend, Cyril--takes selfies, makes prank calls, and cyberbullies a troll. The goats only learn half a lesson: they eventually befriend the tiny troll they bullied but suffer no consequence for keeping lost property as their own. Forced rhymes create an unnatural cadence, but Ross's entertaining illustrations are lively and expressive.

Reviewer: Janet Daniels

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Tony Ross. When Jackson gets dirtier than he's ever been but refuses to take a bath, the greedy Bath Monster who lives under his bathroom floor loses patience and abducts him. But don't worry: as it turns out, the monster's favorite food is mud pies, not boys. The story doesn't make much sense, but Ross's vibrant, energetic, and gleefully muddy illustrations may carry readers through.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Tony Ross. "Once upon a time-y, / there was a little slimy, / spotty, shiny, whiny slug." In this humorous rhyming story, Slug wants a hug from his mommy but worries he's too "slithery and sluggable." Taking advice from various creatures, he tries to make himself more "huggable"--in the end realizing he's just fine the way he is. Ross's winsome illustrations enhance the breezy verse's playfulness.

Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Tony Ross. Sincerely given birthday gifts prove disappointing for reasons obvious to Boa. (Mittens: he has no hands! A soccer ball: he has no feet.) But Dung Beetle's gift--a ball of "You Know What" containing a hidden seed--grows into something wonderfully appropriate, reminding Boa that it's the thought that counts. Ross's expressive illustrations add humor to a delicate question of etiquette.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Tony Ross. Coville and Levy, friends of the late Danziger, continue her legacy with this new Amber Brown story. Here the topic is Amber's mom's remarriage--an event fraught with practical and emotional complications. As always, Amber navigates her days with humor. The authors get the tone just right, and Amber is as spunky as ever. Breezy black-and-white line drawings enhance the chapter book's mood.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Tony Ross. "Could you tell me who I am and where I come from?" a newly hatched creature asks of each in a series of unhelpful jungle animals. Readers will enjoy watching the creature change his look to resemble each animal before he's found by his loving mother: a chameleon. This sweet tale of identity-seeking features energetic, roomy illustrations in lollipop colors.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Tony Ross. After a hippo finds a "spotamus . . . / on her bottomus," her animal friends dispense bad advice (e.g., "There’s only one treatment, / Exposing your seatment / To sunshine and heatment"). Willis’s rhymes drolly bounce along, and Ross’s art is cheeky (so to speak) through to the book's clever conclusion: the spot turns out to be a boy's bubble gum.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Tony Ross. A reluctant baby owl watches her siblings fly off but won't try herself, too aware of the dangers that await her. Finally, after much exhortation from her parents ("You belong in the sky!... Fly, little chick, just try!"), she dares to leave the nest. Textured pastel illustrations warmly portray the owlet's world as well as her imagined fears and ultimate joys.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(4) 1-3 Ms. Wiz series. Illustrated by Tony Ross. In Jail, the Mary Poppins–like title character changes a little girl into a cat in an attempt to foil some local catnappers. In Control, she saves a branch library scheduled to be closed through the use of magical "fish powder." Black-and-white illustrations that owe a debt to Quentin Blake match the stories' madcap (verging on forced hilarity) mood. Review covers these Ms. Wiz titles: In Control, Ms. Wiz? and In Jail, Ms. Wiz?

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(4) 1-3 Ms. Wiz series. Illustrated by Tony Ross. In Jail, the Mary Poppins–like title character changes a little girl into a cat in an attempt to foil some local catnappers. In Control, she saves a branch library scheduled to be closed through the use of magical "fish powder." Black-and-white illustrations that owe a debt to Quentin Blake match the stories' madcap (verging on forced hilarity) mood. Review covers these Ms. Wiz titles: In Control, Ms. Wiz? and In Jail, Ms. Wiz?

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(3) 1-3 Ms. Wiz series. Illustrated by Tony Ross. These British chapter books originally published in 1988 feature Paranormal Operative Ms. Wisdom. In Trouble, this Mary Poppins–like creature blows into St. Barnabas's and transforms a miserable class into the best group in school. In Stitches, a student needing an emergency appendectomy finds Ms. Wiz standing by as Dr. Wisdom. Funny and eccentric, these short books are light, quick, and diverting. Review covers these Ms. Wiz titles: In Stitches with Ms. Wiz and Ms. Wiz Spells Trouble.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(3) 1-3 Ms. Wiz series. Illustrated by Tony Ross. These British chapter books originally published in 1988 feature Paranormal Operative Ms. Wisdom. In Trouble, this Mary Poppins–like creature blows into St. Barnabas's and transforms a miserable class into the best group in school. In Stitches, a student needing an emergency appendectomy finds Ms. Wiz standing by as Dr. Wisdom. Funny and eccentric, these short books are light, quick, and diverting. Review covers these Ms. Wiz titles: In Stitches with Ms. Wiz and Ms. Wiz Spells Trouble.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Tony Ross. Colin, the tiniest mouse of the litter, isn't allowed to play outside. His mother finally lets him venture "into the big, wide world," but Grandma suggests wrapping him in cotton--which only slows him down when faced with a boy, a duck, and a fox. Willis's message about overprotecting kids isn't exactly soft-pedaled, but Ross's expressive illustrations provide plenty of comic relief.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Tony Ross. In his second book, Max continues his correspondence with his favorite author. He gets advice from her about how to write a play and discusses his feelings about his crotchety babysitter, his mother's new boyfriend, and how to deal with friends. Although the plot is very low-key, Max's voice is engaging and humorous, and the illustrations add amusing asides.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Tony Ross. When Max begins a correspondence with author D.J. Lucas, he's mourning his father's death, scared of his own unnamed illness, and victimized as the class bully's favorite target. As Max and Lucas open up about the stories they write and live, Max learns to take control over his own situation. Ross's simple but emotive spot art perfectly complements this touching tale.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley