(3) K-3 Illustrated by Maria Dek. Mouse asks Blackbird for an egg to make an omelet. Blackbird doesn't have one but offers flour for a cake and suggests asking Dormouse for the egg. After five more encounters yield five more ingredients, the neighbors all bake a cake in Owl's oven. Does Mouse get a slice if he didn't contribute anything? This tale about sharing and fairness is accompanied by playful illustrations.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) 1-3 Makers Make It Work series. Illustrated by Tammie Lyon. In each of these early-reader stories, the main character learns a makerspace skill--woodworking, robotics, 3D printing, and baking--to solve a problem. If the child's first effort fails, he or she persists to achieve success. The various illustrations (by different artists) are serviceable and the stories are fairly engaging, but kids will likely be more interested in the included hands-on activities. Useful for early-elementary classrooms and makerspaces. Review covers these Makers Make It Work titles: Double or Nothing, The Color Day Coach, Robot to the Rescue, and The Runaway Chicken.

Reviewer: Janet Dawson

(4) K-3 "The Smon Smon live on the planet Gon Gon." The ensuing story, about sharing resources, teems with double "-on" words ("The Smon Smon hangs its last ron ron next to its won won on a lon lon and floats away in a ton ton"). Readers patient with the gimmick will see that the fabulous, Bosch-evoking illustrations illuminate the nonsense words' meanings.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Illustrated by James Dean. Pete the Kitty--a younger iteration of Pete the Cat introduced in this book--has high hopes for his playdate at Grumpy Toad's house, but his host is having trouble sharing ("That truck is MINE! MINE! MINE!"). In typical Pete-book fashion, the Deans often ignore rhythm to complete a rhyme, but James Dean's art in tie-dye colors gives off a welcoming hippie vibe.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) 1-3 Ginger Green, Playdate Queen series. Illustrated by Jon Davis. In these early chapter books, fox Ginger handles playdate obstacles, including friends who don't play nice. Ginger navigates sticky social situations with grace by providing examples of fair play. One of Ginger's friends is described as "crazy," when rowdy or rule-breaking would have been a more apt description. Davis's monochromatic purple illustrations capture the energy and conflict of each playdate. Glos. Review covers these Ginger Green, Playdate Queen titles: The Clever Friend, The Crazy Friend, The Fancy Friend, and The Only Friend.

Reviewer: Mariko Turk

(1) PS Illustrated by Jason Chin. In this idyllic picture book, a boy and his family bike to a community picnic, bearing several pies. As Ledyard's text muses on the nature of sharing, Chin's detailed watercolor and gouache pictures take us through the Fourth of July celebration. The book ends poignantly, with Chin zeroing in on faces--a true diversity of races, genders, and ages--all sharing the same rapt expression watching fireworks.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2018

(2) 1-3 Barkus series. Illustrated by Marc Boutavant. In this sophisticated early-reader series' second installment, smart and friendly canine Barkus and his family (including the little-girl narrator) engage in everyday adventures in their rural community: Barkus recovers from illness, saves a floating balloon, helps a farmer, trades toys with a neighbor dog, and dreams during a thunderstorm. Lush-hued illustrations support beginning readers; short sentences using substantial dialogue and repetition set a comfortable pace in each of five chapters.

Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(2) K-3 The "scrumptious scent" of grandmotherly Omu's thick red stew wafts out her apartment window; a little boy inquires after the delicious smell, followed by a peckish police officer and more until Omu's generosity means that she has no stew left for dinner. But everyone returns, this time to share with Omu. Mixed-media layers give the collage illustrations depth. Mora times her story perfectly, and repetition will encourage group participation.

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

(4) K-3 A spaceship with unknown motives approaches Earth and lands in a neighborhood. Busy, colorful comics-style illustrations depict hysterical adults expecting the worst ("SECURE THE PERIMETER!"; "THE END HAS COME!"), while the voice of reason, ironically, comes from a small boy. The sweet, lighthearted ending teaches a rather heavy-handed (but important) message about not rushing to judgment.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(3) PS A hungry giraffe is repeatedly interrupted in her apple-eating by smaller, also-hungry animals. When she gives away her last apple, a didactic message seems certain. Luckily, the final spread reveals a long row of fruit-filled trees and a humorous twist: "She walked to the next tree and ate twenty-seven apples." Digital illustrations resembling collage use simple shapes and bold colors against plentiful white space.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson

(3) PS Illustrated by Scott Magoon. Monkey wants Owl's big, shiny red balloon: it's "the only thing I've ever wanted, since right now." Owl refuses each of Monkey's suggested trades (teddy bear, sunflower, ball, etc.) until Monkey offers a sock. When the tables are turned, however, Monkey decides the sock might be more fun. Magoon's expressive illustrations share storytelling duties with Bernstein's spare, well-paced text.

Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear

(4) PS The titular pug returns (Pig the Pug), still greedy and boorish as ever, accompanied by the perfect foil, dachshund Trevor. In Winner, Pig is a sore loser who constantly cheats at games; in Elf, he stalks Santa to get more presents. The tongue-in-cheek rhymes use mildly dark humor to elevate the absurd, lesson-forward stories. The illustrations show cartoonishly bug-eyed Pig in near-constant hysterics. Review covers these titles: Pig the Elf and Pig the Winner.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(2) PS Redd (a furry, bespectacled monster) and Bloo (a buck-toothed, egg-shaped bunny) learn a lesson about sharing and teamwork the hard way; they squabble over the ownership of a book but then must work together to get it back from Bookworm. Redd and Bloo are distinctly illustrated, and each receives a unique (handwritten) font; photographed real-world items (markers, scissors, etc.) provide refreshing visual pop on nearly all-white backdrops.

Reviewer: Patrick Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2017

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Kathryn Durst. The Christmas family loves Christmas: their bright lights short out the neighborhood's electricity, their tree dwarfs all others, and they buy tons of gifts. The excess doesn't jibe with daughter Mary; after a heart-to-heart with a mall Santa, she convinces her family to share their abundant holiday trappings with the town. Bright mixed-media illustrations add festive warmth and humor, and they reinforce the message about true Christmas spirit.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) K-3 Otter Keeper, an adult, asks his charge, Otter, to share her Easter loot with her stuffed-animal friends. As with the other Otter books, what works--vibrant art and, here, Garton's attentiveness to children's difficulty sharing (Otter takes back her candy because "it was mine")--is undermined by bland, sometimes cheesy writing.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS The Duck family (Room for Bear) weans Bear off his growing dependency on jam by making vegetable-eating fun. And now he's allowed the occasional jar of jam, too--as long as he shares. The book gets its healthy message across with a very light touch; the unassuming pencil and watercolor illustrations are a perfect match, exuding humor, emotion, and personality.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Benjamin Schipper. Each time Cap'n Rex's dinosaur-pirate crew faces a supposedly insurmountable challenge, he asks, "Can't ye?" His question always works, as different crew members devise an inventive solution to each problem. Rex gets his comeuppance when it's time to share the booty. Static illustrations nevertheless add humor, and there's read-aloud appeal in the abundant pirate terms included throughout (and in an appended glossary).

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) PS A young reader is on the hunt for the perfect spot to read. Eventually, he realizes that you can read anywhere, and that reading is better with friends. Cartoony multi-media illustrations with collage elements elevate uneven rhymes listing the boy's increasingly outlandish requirements ("It's got to be NOT hot... / Not too cold... / ...or up a tree")--which cumulatively become tiresome by book's end.

Reviewer: Katie Sutton

(3) 1-3 Ginger Green, Playdate Queen series. Illustrated by Jon Davis. In these early chapter books, fox Ginger handles playdate obstacles, including friends who don't play nice. Ginger navigates sticky social situations with grace by providing examples of fair play. One of Ginger's friends is described as "crazy," when rowdy or rule-breaking would have been a more apt description. Davis's monochromatic purple illustrations capture the energy and conflict of each playdate. Glos. Review covers these Ginger Green, Playdate Queen titles: The Clever Friend, The Crazy Friend, The Fancy Friend, and The Only Friend.

Reviewer: Mariko Turk

(4) PS Whenever dino-siblings Brooks and Mikey fight over toys, Mama intervenes: "Confiscated!" Once all their toys have disappeared, they look to each other for entertainment. While hatching a plan to retrieve the toys, they find out that sharing is a lot more fun than fighting. Colorful, cartoonish mixed-media illustrations with varying perspectives and ample white space emphasize the sibs' collaboration and underscore the (slightly preachy) message.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum