(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ekaterina Trukhan. An omniscient narrator begins by singing the praises of penguins and their faultless manners. Cut-paper-like art shows each declaration ("Penguins always wait their turn") being contradicted by penguin Polly ("I LOVE BUSES! ME FIRST!"). When her mischief inspires copycats, Polly finally reconsiders her behavior ("We've upset baby Peter!"). As far as plugs for politeness go, this one is pleasantly painless.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) PS Tortoise Shelly and Rabbit are skeptical of Mouse's shortcut through the "creepy, crooked creek": "Isn't that where the crocodiles live?" Self-assured Mouse states, "I've NEVER seen a crocodile in the creepy, crooked creek." Easy-to-parse double-page spreads humorously reveal what the text initially doesn't: the critters have been surrounded by "sneaky, snappy crocodiles" the whole time (even temporarily inside one's mouth). Lambert uses alliteration, rhyme, and repetition to great read-aloud effect.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Richard Jones. "There's no escaping growing up; it's something we all do. / Each stage of life is different--exciting, fresh, and new..." The subsequent rhyming couplets describe these stages, from newborn to childhood to adulthood to old age. The reflective, metaphor-laden text is unlikely to appeal to children, but the sweeping naturescapes and diverse cast of people in the watercolor-like illustrations beautifully depict each phase.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(4) 1-3 Pony Camp Diaries series. Illustrated by Mandy Stanley. In these diary-style chapter books set at Sunnyside Stables, experienced rider Penny regains her confidence after an injury and Megan deals with a disobedient horse. The girls also learn to get along with fellow riders, know-it-all Jennifer and moody Jade. With straightforward illustrated plots, this series is slight yet satisfying, especially for horse lovers. Both books include horse facts and a quiz. Glos. Review covers these Pony Camp Diaries titles: Megan and Mischief and Penny and Prince.

Reviewer: Mariko Turk

(4) 1-3 Pony Camp Diaries series. Illustrated by Mandy Stanley. In these diary-style chapter books set at Sunnyside Stables, experienced rider Penny regains her confidence after an injury and Megan deals with a disobedient horse. The girls also learn to get along with fellow riders, know-it-all Jennifer and moody Jade. With straightforward illustrated plots, this series is slight yet satisfying, especially for horse lovers. Both books include horse facts and a quiz. Glos. Review covers these Pony Camp Diaries titles: Megan and Mischief and Penny and Prince.

Reviewer: Mariko Turk

(3) K-3 Teckentrup's signature die-cut engineering within her textured illustrations is used here in service to simple rhymes observing the similarities among animals. For instance, thanks to a cleverly placed cutout, the rhymed line "We play the same games..." appears on a spread featuring gamboling deer and on the next page featuring woodland rabbits. Even young readers will comprehend the human application of the book's unifying message.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Illustrated by Richard Jones. Walden's rhyming couplets introduce ten emotions, sometimes more successfully than others (jealous, described as "an emerald mist": "Your vision blurs--your mind is fixed on things you do not own, / and as green steam begins to rise, you give an envious moan"). Die-cuts place a hat-and-parka-clad boy in a different scene for each spread, a clever-ish way to illustrate how a feeling can change one's internal landscape.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alison Edgson. Four little forest creatures have a favorite storybook--it's the only one they own. When they find a new book dropped in the woods, they return it to its owner, Bear, resulting in a happy ending for all five bibliophiles. The well-paced text is full of gentle humor (including a "Goldilocks" riff). Softly textured, earth-toned illustrations emphasize the animals' highly expressive faces and body language.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Tina Macnaughton. Who is disrupting Little Hedgehog's Christmas get-together with his animal friends? The cookie ornaments keep disappearing, someone is snoring loudly, and Little Hedgehog's hat vanishes. Finally the group discovers they brought a squirrel in with the Christmas tree. The novelty of Little Hedgehog's "touch-and-feel" fuzzy hat will wear off, but bright illustrations add a convivial atmosphere to the otherwise pedestrian tale.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 Ollie the owl is jealous of his grandmother's treatment of baby cousin Lily. The initial scenes of jealousy ring true, but later the text tells rather than shows the problem at hand, and the resolution is too sudden and too happy. The illustrations contain appealingly fluffy brown owls, but the bright teal grass is at odds with the purple sky and nighttime setting.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Caroline Pedler. Badger, Hedgehog, Rabbit, and friends return (When You Need a Friend; Friends to the Rescue), this time working together to solve a mysterious water shortage. Though the situation seems dire at the start, sunny illustrations foreshadow a happy ending. Information about watersheds feels forced and the teamwork message is rather preachy, but accomplished book design and art increase the book's appeal.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jorge Martín. Bob's life with his dog Rex "was perfectly neat and fine, except...they were very, very poor." They start a pet-sitting business, but when fairy-tale characters begin dropping off their animals, trouble ensues. The house gets wrecked, culminating with a "puppy" (a.k.a. the Big Bad Wolf) blowing it down. Clever nods to the familiar stories, loads of sound words, varied typography, and childlike art capture the book's playful spirit.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(4) PS Illustrated by Tim Warnes. Otto wants to ramp up the Christmas traditions in his household, but he makes several messes and mixes up the gifts. His somewhat implausibly patient family laughs along, and Mom fixes everything to make it "the most Christmassy Christmas EVER!" The illustrations of the rhinoceros family are filled with cheerful Christmas imagery and depictions of Otto's eagerness.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(4) PS Illustrated by Ella Okstad. Toddler "Tiny Tantrum" throws fits whenever she doesn't get her way. One day, however, some friendly monsters explain why she should put on her coat, eat her broccoli, etc. Tiny listens to their practical advice, also learning a healthier alternative to tantrum-throwing. The rhymed text's obvious message isn't likely to fool kids; the pastel-toned illustrations, especially of Tiny's enthusiastic monster helpers, are more engaging.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Caroline Attia. Substitute pug for pig and cat for wolf, and you have this "Three Little Pigs" update, although the story has been tweaked to reflect the pampered cast: e.g., the big, bad cat uses a hair dryer to wreck the first little pug's house. The book is entertaining, but its art, peppered with color photos of the featured diva pugs, is overstuffed.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Ben Whitehouse. Brightly colored dinosaurs raise a ruckus on Old MacDino's farm. Just when it looks like things have settled down--dinos commingling peacefully with contemporary farm animals--Tyrannosaurus rex arrives ("With a Roar! Roar! here, and a Roar! Roar! there... / E-I-E-I-RUN!"). The varied typefaces, slanting lines of text, and boisterous illustrations lend energy to this lively variation of "Old MacDonald."

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) PS Illustrated by Sean Julian. A paean to parent-child love through the eyes of a (not gendered) adult polar bear and cub. In calming rhymed text, the parent takes the child through the year, explaining what will change with each season as well as what will not change: the parent's love. Gentle illustrations in a soft, snowy palette reinforce the sweetness and togetherness. Nice treatment of an overdone premise.

Reviewer: Grace Worcester Greene

(4) PS Illustrated by Caroline Pedler. Friends Mouse and Mole go to bed on board their boat, but Mole can't sleep, even though resourceful, ever-patient Mouse keeps trying to help him. Young readers may well enjoy predicting the familiar outcome: when Mole finally falls asleep, it's Mouse who remains wakeful...because Mole is snoring. Soft illustrations depict the amiable friends in a cozy, moonlit cabin.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Ryan Wheatcroft. Follow ten very different families as each one's members perform everyday activities (leaving for work and school, playing, facing troubles) in their own unique ways--yet "in each and every family, the love is all the same." The rhyming couplets are sometimes unevenly paced but successfully illuminate the emotions behind each activity. Small, colorful vignettes--ten to each double-page spread--help tell each family's story.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) PS Illustrated by Carmen Saldaña. When a friendly red bug chooses to settle in Bear's fur, the uncomfortable host desperately tries to dislodge the guest. In the end, a wise owl recommends new lodgings: a sloth who's looking for a friend. This British import's rhyming text doesn't always scan, but the appealing paintings successfully reduce both animals and setting down to more simplified shapes, à la Jon Klassen.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson