(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Scott Nash. Bunny and her chipmunk accomplice Clyde (the pair who failed at criminal behavior in Bunny and Clyde, rev. 5/24) find themselves falsely accused of a crime in this just-as-funny sequel. Told in ten quick chapters, the story begins with the pair advising their opossum pal Thornton to place a tooth under a pillow for the Tooth Fairy. Sure enough, a gold coin appears in its place. However, the entire neighborhood blames the duo when the coin goes missing. Bunny and Clyde find themselves trying to outrun an angry “opossum posse,” hiding first in a cozy hayloft and then in an abandoned amusement park. Nash’s humorous digital black-and-white illustrations deftly chronicle their narrow escapes, especially in a sequence with our heroes comically terrorizing their pursuers in a carnival hall of mirrors. McDonald effectively builds suspense throughout and fills her lively text with clever puns and wordplay. Those readers transitioning to longer chapter books will appreciate the easy-to-read sentences, large font, and welcoming amount of white space. After Bunny and Clyde help solve the mystery (and clear their names), all ends well with plenty of apologies exchanged and, of course, a visit to the penny candy store. Young readers will wish for another installment, “honest to Peter Rabbit!”

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2026

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Scott Nash. Best friends Bunny and Clyde learn that it can be hard to be bad in this early chapter book. The rabbit and chipmunk duo are tired of being good and decide to put their energy into being bad, but each of their misdeeds ends up aiding the intended victim in comically unintentional ways. In one instance, Bunny and Clyde toilet paper a neighbor's rose bushes, which, it turns out, protects the flowers from an unexpected frost. Never ones to give up, the two move on to more and more daring attempts at villainy, all of which lead to disappointment. McDonald's short chapters, simple sentences, and snappy dialogue are perfect for newly emerging readers looking to take their first steps beyond early readers. Nash's frequent full- and partial-page black-and-white illustrations (final art not seen) provide lots of breaks in the text and ably capture the hijinks of these two fundamentally goodhearted critters. Bunny and Clyde can't help but fail to live up to their infamous namesakes.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Scott Nash. Two police officers outside a house break some bad news to "you": "I'm afraid your teddy got in a little trouble today." The next double-page spreads of the gleeful digital illustrations show the resulting unsupervised chaos. The text's deadpan tone makes the pictures all the funnier, and kids will love imagining what their stuffed animals might do if they decided to have a party.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2018

(4) PS Illustrated by Scott Nash. In this lesser companion to Catch That Baby, toddler Rudy wants to give his mother a special birthday present, but the ladybug he found in the garden flies away, his block tower tumbles down, and the dog messes up his painting for her. Told with minimal, repetitive text ("Uh-oh, Rudy!"; "WOW!"), the point of the story is lost in the action-filled illustrations.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Scott Nash. While walking in the desert, the Cat and his animal friends land in trouble; among the passersby, only the Cat's mortal enemy, snake Del Moore, offers help. It's no surprise that the unequivocal message (of forgiveness) and the easygoing but right-on-the-beat rhymes, illustrated with dignified humor, call to mind a country song: the author is the Man in Black's son.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Scott Nash. After his bath Rudy declares, "No dressed!" and scampers away from Mom. Soon the whole family--even Grandma and Grandpa--are in hot pursuit of the energetic toddler. Lively panel illustrations (the baby swings from a vine à la Tarzan) and the repetition of the rhyme "Nudie Rudy!" will have youngsters giggling as they follow the naked tot from room to room.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Scott Nash. Shepherd Betsy (Betsy Who Cried Wolf), her wolf partner Zimmo, and their increasingly rowdy herd take cupcakes to Grandma. Presently Zimmo scoots ahead, leaving Betsy to wonder about his intentions. Nash stages the shenanigans in an attractive country landscape, supporting Levine's light tone with comical pen drawings of the round-faced, energetic Betsy, benevolent Zimmo, and wayward sheep. Good read-aloud fun.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2010

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Scott Nash. Four energetic crocodile friends go camping, armed with plenty of supplies and enthusiasm. Once night falls, though, the intrepid adventurers scare themselves, and they return home to camp in the backyard. Supported by bright, colorful illustrations, the text's simple vocabulary, word repetition, rhyme, and large font make the silly story accessible.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) PS Illustrated by Scott Nash. Despite the rain, crocodiles Sam, Pam, Will, and Jill go outside to play. But when mini-golf and baseball prove challenging, a friendly dog takes them to the perfect place for a rainy day: the library. The bright, bold illustrations and black type combine for a clean design. The text, with its fractured rhythm, is as much a celebration of words as it is a cohesive story.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Scott Nash. A toy tractor and its driver turn Jed's bedroom rug into dirt. The toy farmer tills the field until, to Jed's bewilderment, sprouts begin to grow. Nash's art neatly corroborates the magical story; the "real" part of Jed's world is shaded and nuanced, while the fantastical part is cartoony.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Bright and Early Book series. Illustrated by Scott Nash. The narrator goes through the alphabet, inviting everyone from Alice to Zipper--but not Hooper Humperdink--to his birthday party. As the party balloons in the narrator's imagination, he has a change of heart and invites Hooper after all. Nash's drawings present Hooper's loneliness without losing the story's lightheartedness.

Reviewer: Amy Lee Bennett

(3) PS Illustrated by Scott Nash. A boy riding in a car describes the cows that he sees out the window. The simple repetitive text ("A black cow / in a green field. / A white cow in a / brown field") will call to mind P. D. Eastman's Go, Dog, Go!, but the crisp digitally rendered illustrations in inspired color combinations are all Nash's own.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Scott Nash. Talk show host Pickle, "the only talking pickle in the world," is lonesome until he befriends an Antarctic penguin who longs for a change of scenery. Pickle takes Penguin back to his home in New York City, but the two get separated. While Penguin wanders lost, Pickle does his briny best to find him. The dynamic illustrations add charm to the reassuring text.

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(3) PS Illustrated by Scott Nash. On a hot, sunny day, four crocodiles decide to cool down at the beach. But they get sidetracked when they discover a park playground, get lost, stop for a picnic lunch, then take naps. They finally reach the beach at nighttime for a moonlight swim. Lakin's fast-paced and spare text is enlivened by Nash's gleefully expressive illustrations.

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Scott Nash. "She takes us out for recess time / to jump and play in piles of slime." With snappy rhymes, our fur-faced narrator matter-of-factly describes his green reptilian teacher. My Beastly Brother's creators get it right again: Leuck limits the fear factor to a "blood-filled pen," and Nash's characters (one has a giant-eyeball head with ponytails) are as funny as they are creepy.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Scott Nash. When Stanley gets hit on the back and on his shoulder simultaneously, he becomes flat again in this latest book about his adventures. This time Stanley stands in for a spinnaker in a sailboat race and squeezes through the tight spaces of a collapsed building to rescue a classmate. The understated humor of the preposterous situations and Nash's black-and-white art will amuse Stanley fans.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Scott Nash. Formerly flat Stanley Lambchop and family visit "Snow City" to persuade a jaded Santa to deliver presents on Christmas Eve despite the greedy letters he receives and the violence and inhumanity he sees on television. Peppy writing, humorous characterizations, and a modernized North Pole setting--all reinforced in the cartoony new illustrations--lighten the serious subtext.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Scott Nash. A young monster tells the down side of having an older brother, such as being forced to wrestle in poison ivy or having insects dumped down his underpants. But there's a positive side, too, as when the older monster comforts the younger one when he has a nightmare. The dynamic cartoon illustrations complement the simple rhyming text with much humor.

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(3) PS Illustrated by Scott Nash. Upon awakening to snowfall, four crocodiles prepare to spend the day sledding--until one remarks that they've all forgotten the matter of school. All four return to their homes, phone the "CROC-O NEWS," and--in an exquisite twist that truly surprises--identify themselves as "Principal Sam," "Principal Pam," etc., and declare a snow day. Nash's candy-colored illustrations perfectly capture the giddy mood.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Scott Nash. Spunky Betsy, the shepherdess in this tongue-in-cheek inversion, sticks to her guns when the townsfolk believe she's only crying wolf about a threat to the flock. Sly, cartoony, pastoral illustrations with amusing speech-bubble asides show Betsy riding herd on some rambunctious sheep (the text says they're "too close to the cliff"; the art shows them rappelling) and taming the wolf by sharing her lunch.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam