(2) PS This playful wordless picture book invites children to deduce from the shape and placement of footprints what is happening. The title page gives just a glimpse of a dark-haired child in bed, but from that point on we see only where the child has gone, following their small footprints getting out of bed, switching to slippers, heading to the bathroom, and so on. Muller's gouache, colored-pencil, and graphite pictures show a ­European-style house, blending clean, organized surroundings with pops of color and pattern but leaving room for a small child's little messes as they move around. The child is joined by something with paw prints, whose identity is hinted at by a leash hanging near the door as the pair heads outside into the snow. There's something to enjoy or wonder about on each double-page spread, such as the paw prints going around in circles, or the addition of a puddle of yellow in the snow after they have stopped by a tree; we also see others--birds, a horse, a duck, etc.--each with their own distinctive prints. Humor and imagination have free rein in this cozy and engrossing book.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(2) K-3 This book for emerging readers offers a subversive lesson in manners and a silly but perilous adventure. Panels and word bubbles provide comedic timing while parsing the text into digestible parts, which thoughtfully assists children new to both independent reading and the comics form. Bold outlines and exaggerated features in the illustrations accentuate the playful absurdity of the narrative in this four-chapter comedy of errors.

Reviewer: Grace McKinney | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(4) 4-6 Savvy: Beauty Hacks series. Lipstick stains on your clothes? Always getting nail polish on your fingers? Fashion and Nail, respectively, offer "hacks" to these problems and others; chapters cover such topics as repairing damaged clothes and healing dry hands and feet. Though the design--full of flashy graphics, doodles, and varying fonts--is cluttered, the text does contain clever tips and useful advice. Reading list. Review covers these Savvy: Beauty Hacks titles: Nail, Hand, and Feet Hacks and Fashion Hacks.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(3) K-3 Two human feet are total opposites: Les is organized and strait-laced; Ronnie is laid-back and adventurous. When Ronnie is injured in a skateboarding accident, Les breaks out of his comfort zone to cheer him up. The personified appendages have lots of personality, and the message is presented with a not-too-heavy foot (er...) hand. Kolb's blocky digital art is expressive and appealing.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Hannah Tolson. The assorted functions of a random variety of animal feet are highlighted in the simple text of this book about animal adaptations. Each spread features a different type of animal feet--e.g., webbed, hoofed, sticky, padded--and explains their usefulness when running, kicking, clinging, climbing, digging, or swimming. The large-print font and winsome illustrations make this well suited for read-alouds.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(3) PS Illustrated by Jane Massey. Fingers features several toddlers playing and eating cake, exploring--and counting--what they can achieve with their hands. Toes follows more tykes, this time highlighting what little feet do during the day. The consonant-laden, rhythmic texts ("Ten toes curl, ten toes tap. / Ten toes peek out from a nap") make for good read-alouds; the warm illustrations feature diverse groups of tots.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(3) PS A young panda's feet lead it through the day, with each backyard activity interpreted as exciting, far-flung adventures. For example, "my feet go splashing in the ocean" when Panda comes upon a puddle. Digitally colored in soft hues, Sif's pencil drawings depict the quotidian events, while the text follows Panda's imagination in a quiet meditation on the possibilities opened up through make-believe.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Howard McWilliam. This clever book uses brief informative paragraphs, fact sidebars, and a combination of animal photographs and spirited caricature illustrations to demonstrate what humans would look like, be capable of, etc., if they sported a wide variety of animals' feet: with millipede feet, for example, you'd be a "marching band of one!" Information on human feet concludes the book.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) PS A sweet-looking little girl delights in the many socks in her life: some spark her imagination ("Puppet socks!"), some serve an alternate purpose ("Christmas socks!"), others are important to her family ("Beoseon! Traditional Korean socks, from Grandma"). Although the color- and pattern-rich illustrations are charming, the text is more a list of sock varieties than a story.

Reviewer: Julie Bartynski-Fenner

(3) K-3 Excellent photos illustrate this successful guessing-game book that features spreads with clear, up-close images of animal feet paired with the written prompt, "Whose foot is this?" The next page reveals the entire animal and details about how the design of its foot helps it survive and get around, along with photos and informative text about other animals whose feet function similarly. Ind.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) PS Everyone knows the traditional nursery rhyme of piggies going to market, staying home, etc., but what about the other foot? Well, that first "little piggy dug dancing" and the fifth "built a spaceship and..." In this zany version, lively digital illustrations on multicolored pages show the toes on both feet going wild until they're tuckered out and ready for bed.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) PS Illustrated by Masamitsu Saito. Here's something original: a book-length meditation on how a preschooler experiences sand ("Ow, ow, ow!"), a wave, and other aspects of the beach. The voice doesn't always sound childlike, but the kid's wonder seems completely authentic. The art is as unconventional as the book's concept--the child's face isn't shown until the end, presumably because his toes are much more expressive.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Tracy Dockray. This sweet rhyming story spotlights baby feet: "Morning time! / Feet are bare. / Stretch them, wave them / Through the air." As Mama and Baby go about their daily routine, Baby's tootsies stomp during breakfast, tap to a favorite song, splash in the bathtub, and so on. Dockray's warm, animated illustrations show "Chubby, cuddly / Baby feet" in action.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) K-3 Animal Bodies Up Close series. These books look at the ways animals use parts of their bodies, concluding with how humans use the same body part. Each of eight double-page spreads includes a photograph of the animal, a close-up of the featured part, and a few easy-to-read sentences about how the animal uses said body part. An appended guessing game introduces new information. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Animal Bodies Up Close titles: Amazing Eyes Up Close, Fantastic Feet Up Close, Incredible Ears Up Close, Nifty Noses Up Close, Talented Tails Up Close, and Terrific Tongues Up Close.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(3) PS Illustrated by Erik Brooks. This engaging question-and-answer volume explains how the feet of nine animals have adapted to suit their environments. For each creature, a double-page spread shows an impressively detailed close-up of the mystery feet; the next spread reveals the animal in its habitat, succinctly describing the purpose of its unique feet features (sticky pads, claws, toes, scales, etc.). An appended gatefold shows all the animals.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(3) PS Illustrated by Marc Brown. "Tippity! Tippity! / Little black feet! / Who is dancing / that tippity beat?" An energetic collage illustration gives kiddos a big hint: teeny-tiny footprints trail behind a red backside, speckled with black polka dots. With a page turn, readers learn the answer: ladybugs. The pattern then repeats, with lively introductions to other animals' "stompity," "slappity," or "creepity" feet. A perfect book to get toddlers up and dancing.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jack E. Davis. Hayles's jaunty rhyming text tells of Bunion Burt, aptly named for his "ailing tootsies." Each spread describes Burt's different cure-alls to soothe his feet--pig mud, sunburn, freezer chill, even a pedicure by his sister--until Pappy Spurt explains that Burt's big feet just need new shoes. Davis's watercolor and acrylic caricatures play up the story's gross factor; foot-squeamish readers beware.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Lori McElrath-Eslick. Weisburd presents twenty-seven poems celebrating the freedom and utility of bare feet. Standouts include "Superfeet," "Trampoline," and "Feet of Engineering," all of which also play with form. Some of the poems (e.g., "That Picture") resort to nostalgia and have an old-fashioned sensibility that might not appeal to modern-day readers. Warm, flowing watercolors illuminate the pieces.

Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer

(4) K-3 Because of Belinda's extra-long feet, her drama teacher, Mrs. Rhino (who really shouldn't cast stones), insists Belinda be a clumsy clown in the talent show. She is humiliated but soldiers on. Watching a ballet dancer rehearse inspires her to make the clown-act her own. Mrs. Rhino's insensitivity is over the top, but graceful Belinda's poise shines through in Young's cartoonlike illustrations.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(4) PS Spot the Difference series. Simple, repetitive text in large font describes the colors, sizes, shapes, and uses of the same body part on different animals. The writing can be choppy, but the layout is clean and appealing with some fascinating photographs (such as a close-up of a ladybug with open wings) that show how different the parts can look. Glos., ind. Review covers these Spot the Difference titles: Feet, Legs, Tails, and Wings.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo