(4) PS Harper Growing Tree series. Illustrated by Thierry Courtin. Guided by two toddlers, this is an entertaining tour of the seasons. Unpredictable rhymes in tight, stumble-free meter ("Steer a sailboat, touch the sea, / Listen to a bumblebee") do, as the title suggests, give the narrative a songlike quality. The bold-colored cartoons featuring two doughy kids making the most of the seasons are mundane but serve the text.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Harper Growing Tree series. Illustrated by Elivia Savadier. One at a time, three children fall and get boo-boos while playing. At the end, all three are bandaged and kissed--"And in just a day or two, / Take a look-- / They're good as new!" Toddlers may not like waiting through all three incidents before the boo-boos are patched up, but the simple rhyming text, the playful illustrations, and the subject are all well geared to the eighteen-month-and-up crowd the book is aimed at.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(4) PS Harper Growing Tree series. Illustrated by Lisa Jahn-Clough. With a squirt of paint, some swirling strokes, and a few basic shapes, a girl and boy paint a picture. The first-person narrative describes the painting process in simple terms, but the inconsistent rhyme makes for a somewhat bumpy read. The bright, childlike illustrations, however, filled with dabs and swirls of paint, do a fine job of conveying the experience of painting.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) PS Harper Growing Tree series. A mother's feeding session with her baby ("One little spoonful for your toes. One little spoonful for your nose") devolves into a battle of wills until the sated baby emits a gratifying belch. Young readers will enjoy noticing that the expressive illustrations show the mother's hair getting messier and the baby's highchair tray becoming more toy-laden, but the story's tension never derails its loving mood.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Harper Growing Tree series. Illustrated by Ellen Mueller. This energetic, rhythmic text names movements in different parts of the body: "I've got tapping in my feet, in my feet.... I've got bouncing in my knees, in my knees." Illustrated with bright and childlike, though repetitive, artwork, this book will have kids itching to dance along.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(3) PS Harper Growing Tree series. Illustrated by Emilie Chollat. "Water drops / 1 Froggie hops / 2 Spiders skitter / 3 Chickies flitter." Appelt's sparse rhyming text effectively combines with Chollat's bold acrylic illustrations to capture the energy and excitement of a rainy day. Preschoolers may not be familiar with all the verbs, but this won't inhibit the overall success of this simple counting book.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) PS Harper Growing Tree series. Illustrated by Fumi Kosaka. A dirty toddler hops into a bubble bath and emerges clean in this playful rhyming text. Although some rhymes are self-conscious ("Bubbles, bubbles, in the tubbles") and some oblique ("Dry the tootsies, dry the mop. / Squeaky clean from tush to top"), the thickly textured pastel-style illustrations fill the page with strong organic forms, and the familiar routine will resonate.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) PS Harper Growing Tree series. A rollicking rhyme and jazzy pictures make this board book ideal for reading aloud. A troop of pajama-clad kitties dance through several nighttime scenes, pausing to play musical instruments and munch a fishy feast. At the book's end, the colorful cats snuggle together in one big bed. Eye-catching illustrations feature bright figures against a dark cityscape background.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) PS Harper Growing Tree series. Illustrated by Linda Bronson. Each of a mother's three separate admonitions--to speed up, to slow down, to be quiet--inspires a private, poetic rumination from her young daughter. The final admonition sparks thoughts of "empty swings / snow drifting high / first star in the sky," which lull the girl to sleep. The curving, tilting images complement the imaginary element of this simple bedtime book.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Harper Growing Tree series. Illustrated by Rosanne Litzinger. A brief, evocative poem describes the wind one blustery day: "The wind that whirled your hat away / furled a flag / filled a sail / raced a boat / tugged a kite / tweaked its tail...." Like the text, the artwork encourages page-turning; after pursuing her hat across the carefree, summery illustrations, a smiling girl holds the hat on her head on the last page.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) PS Harper Growing Tree series. Sturdy pages contain a collection of ten action rhymes and songs, including "I'm a Little Teapot" and "If You're Happy and You Know It." Toddlers will enjoy the lively illustrations of kids and animals busily clapping and hammering and jumping around. Adults who can never remember all the words to a rhyme or song will appreciate the memory jog.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(3) PS Harper Growing Tree series. Illustrated by Ward Schumaker. Toddlers "clippity-clop" and "hippity-hop" across the pages, and arrows serve as both part of the movement of the illustration and as instructions to carry out different dance steps. The illustrations of round toddlers with big heads and rather stylized chubby little bodies will encourage young children to move right along with the sprightly rhyming text.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) PS Harper Growing Tree series. Illustrated by Erik Blegvad. The young narrator invites readers to come inside a classroom. Detailed pen-and-ink illustrations, set against a white background, picture young children comfortably engaged in preschool activities. Simple word repetition in the rhymed text provides a quiet introduction to the notion of school and its attendant possibilities.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) PS Harper Growing Tree series. Illustrated by Maria Ferrari. "A candy corn, a chocolate kiss, / a sandwich cut in shapes like this." In this concept book, triangles of all sizes are introduced in a simple, vibrant format. A rhyming text presents kid-friendly objects (ice cream cone, a birthday hat, a slice of pizza), with some examples more successful than others. The bright, colorful design adds to the book's appeal.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) PS Harper Growing Tree series. Illustrated by Dan Yaccarino. Dan Yaccarino's trademark retro-looking people are shown using various modes of transportation--a sled, horse, bicycle, wheelchair, cable car, and more. The flat, brightly colored illustrations include just the right amount of detail for a young audience, and the rhyming text is simple and fluid.

Reviewer: Amanda Sullivan

(3) PS Harper Growing Tree series. Illustrated by Melanie Hope Greenberg. A young child observes familiar people at work and play as he and his mother stroll through their urban neighborhood. The rhymed text moves briskly and contains events of interest to the preschool audience. Active and engaged neighbors, such as "Hope with a jump rope" or "Mr. Sklar washing his car," are portrayed in the childlike pastel-toned illustrations.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) PS Harper Growing Tree series. Illustrated by Nicole Rubel. In this rhyming verse, a little girl recounts how her various features are like those of members of her family--she's got Dad's feet, Mom's hair, and Gramps's eyes--but they all add up to one unique person. "Completely, uniquely, definitely, specially, the one and only ME!" The message is one youngsters will identify with, but the unrelenting rhythm of the text and stiff cartoon illustrations make this a less than stellar effort.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(3) PS Harper Growing Tree series. Illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott. Slapstick humor and springtime colors enhance a rhyming tale about a squash that grows completely out of control. After the squash "crashed through the clothesline/ and smashed through the fence, / scaring the pants off two elderly gents," Mrs. McNosh gets the bright idea to pick the squash, scoop it clean, and turn it into a house. Good story-hour and bedtime fare.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(3) PS Harper Growing Tree series. Ten well-known nursery rhymes, including "Hey Diddle Diddle," "Humpty Dumpty," and "Wee Willy Winkie," make up this Mother Goose collection. Each rhyme is accompanied by simple, uncluttered illustrations, making it a cheerful choice for young listeners.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) PS Harper Growing Tree series. Illustrated by John Sandford. A simple, first-person verse catalogs familiar animals and their favorite snacks: the cow says "I like a mouthful of clover," and the undiscriminating goat exclaims "I'll eat whatever's around!" The soft watercolor and pencil illustrations combine realism and charm but suffer from what appears to be poor reproduction. Nonetheless, this is an appealing and age-appropriate choice for young snackers.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli