(3) PS Illustrated by Sam Williams. Pretty Princess Pig's house turns into a wreck during preparation for "her big tea party." When her polite friends arrive, though, "no one comments on the mess." Lilting rhymes and lively pink-heavy pictures will make readers giggle at Pretty Princess Pig's efforts to entertain. A sparkly cover on soft boards makes the book easy to hold in little hands.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(3) PS Illustrated by Sam Williams. "Drip-drop rainy day. / Bunny can't go out to play. / Waiting for the sunny sun, / time to have some... / Bunny fun!" Bunny and his mouse friend find several playful--albeit messy--ways to entertain themselves indoors. The pleasing text bounces alongside jovial illustrations showing the carefree friends cavorting "in Mama's shoes" and making paper dolls from "Papa's news."

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(3) PS Illustrated by Sam Williams. A parent describes the growth of her baby, concluding that no matter how big the little one gets, she'll always be her parent's "tummy girl." Toddlers will enjoy the text's tongue-twisting rhythm, even if they don't understand every word ("A wrapped-in-cotton-swaddling girl, / Whose diapers started to unfurl"). Williams's digitally colored charcoal and pastel illustrations show cheerfully cherubic toddlers.

Reviewer:

(4) K-3 Ready-to-Read series. Illustrated by Sam Williams. In Bed, the twins describe their nighttime wind-down; Fight finds the preschoolers squabbling about a blue balloon. The books' rhymes couldn't be simpler ("Mine is blue. / The green is for you. / The blue one is mine! / Do not whine"); they also tend to be stale. Appealing loose illustrations set the twins against stark white backdrops. Review covers these Ready-to-Read titles: Twins Go to Bed and Twins Have a Fight.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Ready-to-Read series. Illustrated by Sam Williams. In Bed, the twins describe their nighttime wind-down; Fight finds the preschoolers squabbling about a blue balloon. The books' rhymes couldn't be simpler ("Mine is blue. / The green is for you. / The blue one is mine! / Do not whine"); they also tend to be stale. Appealing loose illustrations set the twins against stark white backdrops. Review covers these Ready-to-Read titles: Twins Go to Bed and Twins Have a Fight.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Illustrated by Sam Williams. Little Brownmouse delights in playing peek-a-boo games, and her patient, gentle mouse mother plays along while lovingly proceeding through the daily routines of dinner, bath, and bedtime. Soft pencil illustrations of a Borrowers-like world lend extra charm to an already delightful tale, only slightly marred by breathless sentences beginning too often with "So..." and "And...."

Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read series. Illustrated by Sam Williams & Sam Williams. Rhyming text in these very basic easy readers (for those just learning to recognize words) presents toddler twins as they take a bath and visit a park. The clear illustrations of the appealing twins and the simple text ("Yellow boat. / Watch it float") will attract young beginning readers, whose efforts will be aided by the large typeface and clean design. [Review covers these Ready-to-Read titles: Twins in the Park and Twins Take a Bath.]

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read series. Illustrated by Sam Williams & Sam Williams. Rhyming text in these very basic easy readers (for those just learning to recognize words) presents toddler twins as they take a bath and visit a park. The clear illustrations of the appealing twins and the simple text ("Yellow boat. / Watch it float") will attract young beginning readers, whose efforts will be aided by the large typeface and clean design. [Review covers these Ready-to-Read titles: Twins in the Park and Twins Take a Bath.]

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(4) PS Illustrated by Sam Williams. This romping verse bounces through a toddler's day, from early in the morning--"I am awake! / I'm awake all the way, / Waked up to stay up / and wake up the day!"--to cuddling with Mommy at night: "Snug as a bug I'll be / with you so close to me." Filled with soft, fantastical images of babies cavorting with animals, the book features inventive if occasionally cumbersome rhymes.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) PS Illustrated by Sam Williams. As morning dawns, a young toddler wakes up and acknowledges the world around him. Simple rhyming text describes the child's daily routine, which he shares with his parents: eating breakfast ("Wake up, legs. / Wake up, feet. / Tummy says it's time to eat"), getting dressed, playing outside, and more. The soft watercolor images work well with the repetitive, chantlike text.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) PS Illustrated by Sam Williams. In this prayer, readers bless things in their world, including the stars, a night-light, toy cars, and "children everwhere." Williams's paintings have soft outlines and pastel tones that match the gentle rhyme. The setting is vague: children appear in their homes, outside, then in bed, and, in the final spread, playing outside again. This conflicts with the cozy, winding-down-before-bed feel of the poem.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) PS Illustrated by Sam Williams. As the sun sets, a sleepy child is carried up to bed and drifts off to sleep. The drowsy rhyming verse begins with the end of the day ("Sleepy cat. / Sleepy mouse. / Sleepy sounds inside the house"), then moves on through the nighttime routine ("Sleepy story. / Sleepy sighs. / Sleepy Mom will kiss my eyes"). The large, soft watercolors and rhythmic text make this a lulling bedtime choice.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) PS Illustrated by Sam Williams. In a delightful, energetic fantasy, a baby joins some stuffed animals for a ride on a toy locomotive. The train is referred to as a locomo, a word perhaps more familiar to children a hundred years ago when the poem was written, but it fits in nicely with the catchy nonsense-syllable refrain. The simple, sketchy pencil and watercolor illustrations in primary colors give the poem a dreamlike quality.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) PS Illustrated by Sam Williams. "Tired and worn, / they went to the inn-- / no room for her, / no room for him." Although the simple rhyming text falters, the appealing illustrations will hold preschoolers' interest. Outlined in soft charcoal pencil and washed in muted colors, the expressive artwork contributes to the book's gentle and happy tone.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(1) PS Illustrated by Sam Williams. Returning to her frozen pond early in the season, a little duck thinks, thinks, thinks of spring. Before she knows it, her warm thoughts spread spring all over. The poetic text, well served by expressive watercolors, is set in a large black typeface (inviting letter and word recognition); colorful and playful typefaces are used for the rhythmic three-word refrains.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2000

(2) PS Illustrated by Sam Williams. This collection of thirty-five rhyme games offers caregivers lots of variations on their standard repertoire of baby play. Hand-patting, foot-tapping, games for fingers and toes, and seven different knee rides include some familiar verses, but many others are likely to be new to readers. Simple instructions for movements are included; gentle watercolors depict adult and child at play as well as more whimsical scenes. Ind.

Reviewer: Lauren Adams | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2000