(4) K-3 Illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello. Little Puppy and bigger Bear become friends and spend the rest of the summer playing together...until Bear doesn't show up one day. But it's just because school has started, and Bear reassures Puppy that they can still play after school. Inconsistent anthropomorphism in the watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations muddies the plot in this tame story of different-age friendship.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello. Leisurely rhymes ask what would happen if an otter followed some children home ("If that otter gets thirsty / will you get him / some punch? / What if that otter / wants popcorn / for lunch?"). The frivolity is tastefully illustrated and tinged with a serious but not-hectoring message about letting wild animals live in their natural habitats.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello. Ten wood ducklings hatch high up in a tree and must make their first big leap to the ground below. The tenth duckling is last to hatch and, after lots of familial encouragement, the last to leap and join the others in the pond. Soft watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations pair with a pleasantly rhyming text in this gentle tale.

Reviewer: Sophie Williamson

(4) K-3 Understanding Emotions series. Illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello. Four young animals deal with emotions and how the feelings affect those around them as well as themselves in these picture books. The stories, illustrated with appropriately emotive pictures, are fairly cheesy but surprisingly light on moralizing given the series' preachy-sounding premise. Each book contains ideas for adults to use when sharing it with children as well as helpful coping tips. Review covers these Understanding Emotions titles: The Elephant Who Was Scared, The Hippo Who Was Happy, The Tiger Who Was Angry, and The Zebra Who Was Sad.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) K-3 Understanding Emotions series. Illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello. Four young animals deal with emotions and how the feelings affect those around them as well as themselves in these picture books. The stories, illustrated with appropriately emotive pictures, are fairly cheesy but surprisingly light on moralizing given the series' preachy-sounding premise. Each book contains ideas for adults to use when sharing it with children as well as helpful coping tips. Review covers these Understanding Emotions titles: The Elephant Who Was Scared, The Hippo Who Was Happy, The Tiger Who Was Angry, and The Zebra Who Was Sad.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) K-3 Understanding Emotions series. Illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello. Four young animals deal with emotions and how the feelings affect those around them as well as themselves in these picture books. The stories, illustrated with appropriately emotive pictures, are fairly cheesy but surprisingly light on moralizing given the series' preachy-sounding premise. Each book contains ideas for adults to use when sharing it with children as well as helpful coping tips. Review covers these Understanding Emotions titles: The Elephant Who Was Scared, The Hippo Who Was Happy, The Tiger Who Was Angry, and The Zebra Who Was Sad.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) K-3 Understanding Emotions series. Illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello. Four young animals deal with emotions and how the feelings affect those around them as well as themselves in these picture books. The stories, illustrated with appropriately emotive pictures, are fairly cheesy but surprisingly light on moralizing given the series' preachy-sounding premise. Each book contains ideas for adults to use when sharing it with children as well as helpful coping tips. Review covers these Understanding Emotions titles: The Elephant Who Was Scared, The Hippo Who Was Happy, The Tiger Who Was Angry, and The Zebra Who Was Sad.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) K-3 Illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello. The team behind Moose on the Loose is back. This time around, Wargin's bouncy rhymes and Bendall-Brunello's humor-filled illustrations star a big brown bear who wreaks havoc at a campsite: "If he climbed in your bunk, / would the bed go kerplunk?" As in Moose, it's an adult-provided solution that saves the day--to scare a bear, "Just say... Boo!"

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(4) K-3 Illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello. "What would you do / with a moose on the loose?" Outlandish scenarios are bolstered by humorous illustrations depicting a boy and his pajama-clad, pie-devouring house guest. The tale's parent-centered agenda is apparent on the final pages: "And what if that moose / says...'I think I will stay,'" a query that can only be answered by "mother...who has the last say."

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello. Despite her name, Henry is a typical but lonely girl. When her farmer father rescues a duckling, Henry names her Rosalie, her "piece of luck." As the duck grows, Henry's family realizes they must do what's best for Rosalie and find her a new home. This loving tribute to a special pet and the joy it brings is warmly illustrated with black-and-white drawings.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(4) PS Illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello. In this rhymed paean to fathers featuring an all-animal cast, the dads do everything from fixing things to capably multitasking in the kitchen. Neither the rhymes nor the droll watercolor images are original, but it's refreshing to find the father-child relationship given the sort of attention traditionally reserved for mothers.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 MathStart series. Illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello. These books cover elementary math concepts: place value, capacity (or volume), and numbers one through one hundred on a number line. The stories--about a club that recycles cans, birds searching for the right-size home, students doing "cool" things for the first hundred days of school--make the concepts palatable, while the cartoony color art adds energy. Suggested activities conclude each book. Review covers these MathStart titles: Earth Day--Hooray!, A House for Birdie, and 100 Days of Cool.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) PS Illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello & John Bendall-Brunello. Lily the rabbit is trying to sleep, but the barnyard is noisy, what with ducks singing duck lullabies, cows telling bedtime stories, and hens pecking in the straw. Each animal, however, does his or her best to help settle the little rabbit. Soothing "shhh"s help Lily finally fall asleep. Soft, appealing illustrations make this a comforting bedtime story.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 Illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello. When Wagmore the dog destroys one thing too many with his enthusiastic tail wagging, he is told to keep his tail still. He tries hard, but after he and his boy get lost on a hiking trip, it is Wagmore's tail and its gigantic wag that alerts rescuers to their whereabouts. Although the story's ending is predictable, humorous illustrations and dialogue bubbles show Wagmore's valiant efforts to curb his enthusiasm.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) PS Illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello. Mouse and Mole are best friends until they quarrel over a falling star: each wants to wish on it. After a long separation, they realize that, in Mouse's words, "We don't need a star. We have each other." Benjamin's lesson about friendship is worthy, though not very subtle. The pleasant illustrations focus on the two animals and their feelings.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(2) K-3 Illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello. A young chick hatches and spots a fox who, true to his nature, is looking for a quick snack. The chick imprints on the fox, making it impossible for him to eat this creature calling him Papa. Bendall-Brunello depicts this soft-hearted fox with attitude, strutting in his muscle shirt. The uncluttered text reads aloud well, while the straightforward telling, bolstered by the art, creates a picture book beginning readers can handle on their own.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2003

(3) K-3 Illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello. Granny Lally tends to prevaricate, such as when the grandkids have to watch her program on TV, claiming "Celebrity Knitting" is per doctor's orders. But when she loses Sally and Jim's pet hamster, Murphy, her far-fetched explanations don't fly. The playful images are inspired (when Granny Lally is in the bathtub, we see her face reflected in the faucets), and there's no sermonizing about honesty: the guilty look on Granny Lally's face says plenty.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello. In this soothing bedtime rhyme, a boy and girl offer a prayer to God for the creatures of the world, their loved ones, and people of all nations. The pastel colors of the illustrations contribute to the gentle tone of the book, and very young readers will enjoy pointing out all the animals scampering across the pages.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(2) PS Illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello. In a charming informational story, Braun introduces Betsy the goose with admirable conciseness, describing what she looks like and why. The subsequent discussion of nest-building through gosling-hatching is simply stated and yet full of action. Down-to-earth language, a minimum of detail, and an abundance of large yet cozy illustrations make this just right for the intended audience. Ind.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 1999

(3) PS Three bears fetch some honey, then lose it to a bully. They try again, and this time Mummy scares away the bully, and the honey goes into their tummies. Children will be satisfied with the rhythmic text and will appreciate the mother bear's solution to the bully problem. Expressive pencil and watercolor illustrations add zip to the simple story.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.