(3) PS Illustrated by Michael Slack. This goofy rhyming book relates the adventures of a little dinosaur trying to make his mark among the big, fierce dino crew aboard a pirate ship. He winds up a hero, discovering buried treasure. The story embraces swords, fights, and gross-out humor, and it references both pirates and dinosaurs freely. The sprawling, angular illustrations contain lots of pirate-related visual gags.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(3) PS Illustrated by Michael Slack. "Race car 1 honks, Look at me! / He zooms in front with the turn of a key." A zippy rhyming text counts off cars from one to ten; each car has its own personality and style. The bright digitally painted illustrations add drama and action to the race. After "Race car 10" finishes, all the speedsters line up, raring to "GO!" again.

Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Michael Slack. Goodman offers solid information about spacecraft, flight, and the effects of space on the human body in this "travel guide." Readers are encouraged to imagine packing for a space trip, training for the effects of weightlessness, eating and drinking on a space station, and the views from above earth. Cartoon illustrations, photographs, quotes, and asides crowd the pages. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Michael Slack. Besties Nugget (minnow) and Fang (shark) get along swimmingly, until Nugget's school lessons reveal that big, bad sharks eat minnows. Aquatic-hued digital illustrations depict Fang's touching, hilarious attempts (disguising himself as a mermaid, tattooing Nugget's name, serenading him, etc.) to get his pal back. When his toothy mouth saves the day, Fang gains the minnows' trust--and ten more best friends.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Michael Slack. Inspired by the works of different poets, from Poe to Silverstein, each of fourteen poems suggests a brain-teasing math question with the answer (and the arithmetic required to solve it) provided, upside down on the right-hand page. The level of difficulty fluctuates wildly. Biographical information about the poets is appended. Slack's over-the-top digitally created cartoon art adds an air of outright hilarity.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Michael Slack. Cow is in trouble, and it's up to Bee to get the message to the other animals, but chain-reaction misunderstandings recalling the children's game telephone interfere ("Cow is stuck in the fence" becomes "Cow put a duck in the tent," etc.). The hoped-for twist never materializes, but the humor and up-tempo illustrations carry the story to its pleasant-enough conclusion.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Michael Slack. "Where is your coat, Jimmy Choat?" Throughout the week, Jimmy blames his pet goat, Patsy Petunia Oat, whenever his parents find something amiss. More than an exercise in resourceful rhyming, this book offers humorous Photoshop art (as of Mama's nose-mucus-crudded tote), gags for grownups (Papa Choat watches The Love Boat), and an ending with a twist.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) 4-6 Gross Body Science series. Illustrated by Michael Slack. These over-the-top volumes include a decent amount of information about the human body, hidden among the gags and groaners (including a string of synonyms for flatulence). The recipe for fake snot included in Crust and other research suggestions invite reader participation. Photographs, graphics, and microscope-enhanced images on brightly colored pages compete with the texts. "Gross Facts" and other sidebars appear throughout. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Gross Body Science titles: Hawk & Drool, Rumble & Spew, and Crust & Spray.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(4) 4-6 Gross Body Science series. Illustrated by Michael Slack. These over-the-top volumes include a decent amount of information about the human body, hidden among the gags and groaners (including a string of synonyms for flatulence). The recipe for fake snot included in Crust and other research suggestions invite reader participation. Photographs, graphics, and microscope-enhanced images on brightly colored pages compete with the texts. "Gross Facts" and other sidebars appear throughout. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Gross Body Science titles: Hawk & Drool, Rumble & Spew, and Crust & Spray.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(4) 4-6 Gross Body Science series. Illustrated by Michael Slack. These over-the-top volumes include a decent amount of information about the human body, hidden among the gags and groaners (including a string of synonyms for flatulence). The recipe for fake snot included in Crust and other research suggestions invite reader participation. Photographs, graphics, and microscope-enhanced images on brightly colored pages compete with the texts. "Gross Facts" and other sidebars appear throughout. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Gross Body Science titles: Hawk & Drool, Rumble & Spew, and Crust & Spray.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Michael Slack. The protagonists of this book's four fairy tales, "Handsel and Gretel," "Handerella," "Thumbelina," and "Nose White," are all shaped like body parts--fingers, hands, and noses. The text features funny asides ("Say, Buddy, can I thumb a ride?") and self-referential jokes, including mock book reviews ("Handtastic!" "Touching," "A Toe-prah Book Club Selection"), and the satisfyingly grotesque digital illustrations include lots of visual humor.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Michael Slack. Offering alternatives to the too-sweet Tooth Fairy, a series of impostors (the Earwax Fairy and the Clipped Toenail Fairy are the mildest examples) take turns telling readers which bodily refuse to put under their pillows. Katz has great stamina with what should be a tiresome running joke. The bodily function–themed illustrations are improbably fastidious.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Michael Slack. Chicken Pauline Poulet, hip to Farmer's plan to turn her into dinner, describes her dramatic escape and adventures aboard a pirate ship, a hot-air balloon, etc. The faultless rhymes ("I ride the kite, / cling and swing, / wilted, wounded, / weak of wing") have great read-aloud potential, but the mixed-media illustrations and epic nature of Pauline's telling are too winkingly self-aware.

Reviewer: Nell Beram