(2) K-3 Ready-to-Read series. A rhythmic, repetitive text and cartoon illustrations anchor this jovial outing for kids beginning to dig into reading. "The tunneler tunnels in the tunnel." In a spread that shows what's happening both above and below the ground, a penguin laboriously digs its way up into a garden where "the gardener gardens in the garden." Then Penguin pops up on a farm where "the farmer farms on the farm." Pattern established, Rex builds anticipation and offers less-confident readers practice with similar letter combinations and sounds. Spreads are packed with detail (the myriad objects Penguin encounters may bring to mind Barnett and Klassen's Sam & Dave Dig a Hole, rev. 11/14), and readers will notice Penguin delivering sheets of orange paper adorned with yellow stars. What are those about? Gentle humor gives children more to appreciate, particularly when Penguin surfaces in inopportune spots, such as a bank vault. Each page-turn deepens the sense of community as readers see characters sharing hot dogs at a barbecue, cheering at a baseball game, and shopping for groceries. It's no surprise when at book's end everyone who's been invited by the orange papers gathers while the "rocker rocks on the rock" and the "dancers dance at the dance." Clever, entertaining fun.

Reviewer: Adrienne L. Pettinelli | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2025

(2) K-3 "We're going on a goon hunt. / We're gonna catch a green one. / What a spooky night! / We're not scared." You know the going-on-a-bear-hunt structure (and if you don't, see also We're Going on a Pumpkin Hunt, reviewed at right). Here, the target is a grinning green monster, and the mixed-media illustrations show the costumed speakers traversing a cemetery and a haunted house and meeting other Halloween-appropriate creatures, as they grow "just a little scared," then more scared, and ultimately race back home. Well-suited for storytimes, this companion to Goodnight Goon and The Runaway Mummy lets readers look the season in its green or translucent face and laugh.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2020

(3) PS A friendly-looking monster appears at Pete's window, and together they have a terrific time playing cars and pirates. All along, however, the monster really wants to "Eat Pete!" And so he does. But now the monster has no one to play with and spits out a saliva-covered Pete: "That was not very nice!" Digitally colored pencil illustrations enhance the silly story's humor.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) 1-3 Icky Ricky series. Icky Ricky stars in more outrageous adventures with pals Gus and Stew. From adorning a massive backyard hole with an old toilet and discarded mattress to mucking about in an actual pigsty, messy and elaborate escapades feature zombie babies, ghosts, sausages, and more. Black-and-white cartoons add to the chaos of this formulaic but amusing addition to the series.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) 1-3 Icky Ricky series. From writing his homework upon slices of cheese to searching in a mucky trash-filled pond for a lost remote-controlled car, Ricky has elaborate and gross excuses for every crazy predicament he falls into. Each chapter is its own absurdist story, featuring egg-filled piñatas, watermelon helmets, and hairy hot dogs. Rex's black-and-white cartoons add to the book's (mildly amusing) messiness.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) K-3 A mummy lists the ways he will escape from his Mother Mummy in this send-up of Margaret Wise Brown's The Runaway Bunny. Digitally colored serpents, dragons, and other monstrous beasts figure in Rex's adaptation. Though it's unlikely to elicit the requests for repeated readings that Brown's original does, the story will get a giggle or two from children in the know.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 "In the cold gray tomb / There was a gravestone / And a black lagoon" begins Rex's parody of Margaret Wise Brown's classic bedtime tale. This version features monsters under beds and headless skeletons in appropriately ghoulish digitally-colored pencil drawings. Adults who have read the original hundreds of times may enjoy this take-off, and kids will giggle at its (one-note) humor.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 "Daddy, if I got taken by pirates, would you save me?" So begins this father-son fantasy, in which a little boy keeps raising the stakes (what about "robot gorilla pirates from Mars?") and Daddy rises to every imagined challenge. The cartoony art plays the fantasy to the hilt, but Rex keeps this dad, with his tie and bald pate, real.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Pairs of rhyming words (e.g., "Kick Chick / Goal Mole / Bat Cat") reveal the athletic prowess of various animals in various sports, including golf, football, and skateboarding. In the amusing illustrations, animals display their skills against brightly colored backgrounds with a minimum of detail; readers must turn the book for an appropriately vertical view of the basketball-playing skunk.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) PS In this appealingly simple book, each double-page spread shows a different animal in command of a different vehicle, with a two-word explanation: e.g., "Blimp Chimp," "Boat Goat." Although young listeners may need an explanation for some slang ("Rig Pig," "Hog Frog"), they will delight in the absurdity of the clean, colorful illustrations and in repeating the rhyming words.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) PS As he did in My Fire Engine and My Race Car, Rex tells the story of a child whose fantasy play transforms him into a freight train engineer. The train carries supplies to the correct stops: livestock to a farm and new cars to a dealership. The diagrammatic illustrations are clear with their heavy outlines and strong primary colors. The story and art are well suited to a preschool, transportation-loving audience.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) PS "The sun is up. The window is open. The dog is awake." Three children embark on a day spent cooking and eating. The mostly random sentences using the verb is generally lack flow or narrative. Still, the abundant food temptingly portrayed in the digitally colorized pencil-drawn illustrations has enough inherent interest to carry the book.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) K-3 As in My Fire Engine, Rex combines a child's fantasy with real facts in this satisfying and informative picture book. The child narrator, a race car driver, gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at an auto race and includes such details as the length of a pit stop and the number of times the racers circle the track. Illustrations and text are clear and will engage the intended audience.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(2) PS A little witch leads her costumed friends in a Halloween celebration. Each simple spread illustrates one action related to the featured creature ("bones are for shaking"; "capes are for sneaking"). In the end, a little-girl mask comes off to reveal a real little witch underneath, who flies off to re-join her witch mommy. The energetic movements are preschooler-perfect, and the final twist is the right trick for this age group--shivery fun without the fright.

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

(3) PS A boy's convincingly realistic first-person firefighting narrative is later revealed as his pretend play. Throughout the story, facts are geared to the young audience: "The ladder can be raised to 100 feet. That's about three houses high." The rescue of a pet in the burning building is appropriately kept light--no helpless kittens, just a giant, smiling snake. The bright, bold artwork is eye-catching and effective. Safety tips are included.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin