(3) K-3 Illustrated by Anna Vojtech. Vojtech's lovely art, which illustrates Alexander's classic hymn honoring God's work in creating the world, features a girl and boy exploring an idyllic countryside setting, but the flora and fauna take center stage. The wide borders that surround each double-page spread teem with plants and animals and command as much attention as the images they frame.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) PS Illustrated by Greg Couch & Greg Couch. Behn's ode to the holiday ("Tonight is the night / when dead leaves fly / like witches on switches / across the sky") is accompanied by illustrations depicting three trick-or-treaters trekking through a nighttime landscape complete with glowing jack-o'-lanterns, ghosts, and skeletons. Couch's atmospheric art adroitly conjures up the sometimes spooky, sometimes giddy spirit of Halloween.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) K-3 In their second book, the two chicks have trepidations about their first day at school. At first, everyone seems too busy to talk to them, but after the other animal children help them across a stream during outside time, the chicks feel braver and begin to make friends. The perky animals in the illustrations are just right for this amiable take on a familiar situation.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) PS Illustrated by Pamela Paparone & Pamela Paparone. A romping text, accompanied by equally exuberant art, celebrates all things feline: "I like cats. / Thin cats, fat cats, / curl-up-in-my-hat cats. / White cats, black cats, / sneak-a-little-snack cats." The book can be enjoyed as a rollicking read-aloud, or readers can pause on each page to more closely examine the amusing details in the pictures.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) PS Illustrated by Shari Halpern. The forced rhyme of this slight story reveals that a puffin, living alone on an island and eating only fish, is lonely until he agrees to make friends with the fish and change his diet to pancakes. Bold and colorful art is suitable for toddlers and preschoolers.

Reviewer: Hilary Breed Van Dusen

(4) K-3 One rainy day, Nicky the rabbit suggests that his family go someplace more beautiful, such as the mountains or the South Pole. For each idea, Mother says, "That's impossible!" and Nicky's siblings fret about potential dangers. When the rain stops, they notice a rainbow and discover that home is beautiful, too. Ultimately the premise falls flat, but the lively illustrations are cheerful and imaginative.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) PS In this rendition of the well-loved rhyme, the bland watercolors of three identical (except for color) kittens playing outside in a garden add little excitement to the verse, although they do create a cozy mood. A serviceable, if dull, choice.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) PS Illustrated by Pamela Paparone. Brightly colored paintings illustrate this rhyming text about a school bus and its animal passengers. Preschoolers will find lots of amusing details in the art: such as the "sly, sly fox" stealing the bright pink wig off of the "pretty pig." The refrain, "riding the bus to school, to school, / riding the bus to school," keeps the cumulative tale moving along.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(4) PS Illustrated by Anna Vojtech. Full-page color illustrations of cheery meadow animals accompany the text of this nineteenth-century rhyme. For readers familiar with other versions, some of the language may seem odd: e.g., mother beaver says, "Beave. / We beave said the ten." John Langstaff's adaptation of this rhyme, which includes music, remains a far superior selection.

Reviewer: Mary Burkey

(3) PS When two young chickens go to the playground for the first time, they're afraid to try the equipment though the other animals invite them to play. But after Beaver gives them a ride down the slide on his tail, they're ready to go sliding on their own. For this reassuring story about a common preschool milestone, the cheerful illustrations show a playground full of busy animal children.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) PS Little Fox and his father think they won't like Mother's breakfast porridge. But doing Saturday chores gives them an appetite, and since there's nothing else to eat, Little Fox suggests they try the porridge. To their surprise, it's tasty after all. The artwork effectively captures the foxes' gestures and expressions; like the humorous text, it highlights the companionable relationship between father and son.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ted Rand. In this story based on the experiences of the nineteenth-century Madsen family, a young girl named Matilda narrates how she and her three siblings grew up aboard the John Ena, a four-masted cargo ship captained by their father. Lively illustrations nicely capture the seafaring family as well as the breezy tone of the text. Historical photos of the Madsens and an afterword provide additional information.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute