(3) K-3 Gretchen, Clark, Annabelle, and Mitchell, four siblings with wild imaginations, turn a rainy day into a deep-sea snorkeling adventure and an afternoon at the beach into a flight on a seagull's wings. Wispy illustrations--evocative of springtime rainstorm lulls and lazy summer beach days--and the rambling, fantasy story lines allow the reader's imagination to align with the characters'. Review covers the following titles: Clark in the Deep Sea and Gretchen Over the Beach.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) K-3 Gretchen, Clark, Annabelle, and Mitchell, four siblings with wild imaginations, turn a rainy day into a deep-sea snorkeling adventure and an afternoon at the beach into a flight on a seagull's wings. Wispy illustrations--evocative of springtime rainstorm lulls and lazy summer beach days--and the rambling, fantasy story lines allow the reader's imagination to align with the characters'. Review covers the following titles: Clark in the Deep Sea and Gretchen Over the Beach.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) PS Playing outside in a rainstorm, monster Declan and his bunny friends are chased into a cave by thunder and lightning. When the clouds part, they're greeted by a rainbow. Like its predecessor (Bunnies!!!), this slight story is full of relatable emotions. A text limited to about a dozen onomatopoetic or weather-relevant words ("PUDDLES!!! / Splash! Splash! Splash!") is paired with dramatic, stormy digital illustrations.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Anna Raff. Lucy's bad day begins when she can only find one bunny slipper, and worsens as an assortment of unhelpful animals (a cuddly porcupine, flatulent penguins, etc.) parade through her day, making every task more difficult (and absurd). The cumulative text and ink-wash illustrations humorously escalate a relatable experience and offer a positive message about how to turn gray skies blue.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) K-3 A young boy advises the reader on the drawbacks and merits of a playdate with an elephant: big messes but great hugs. Bold black brush strokes and roughly hewn acrylics, in a palette of muted primary colors, support the humor and whimsy of the concept, but the minimal plot and one-off finale joke won't hold up to multiple reads.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) K-3 Bountiful multicolored flora provide beautiful cover for an elephant, a parrot, and a snake in Barroux's eye-catching collage, acrylic, and pencil illustrations. Successive spreads show their habitat yielding to deforestation and man-made buildings until at last the animals are confined to the zoo. While there's sadness in the narrative arc, this simple environmental lesson couched in seek-and-find puzzles ends on a hopeful note.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) PS Jumping out from behind rocks and trees to scare other forest creatures is Bear's idea of fun. Unfazed, brave Rabbit gives him a hug and a lecture to teach him that kindness--not intimidation--is the way to go. The singsongy text falters, and Bear's immediate transformation from bully to friend is too easy, but mixed-media illustrations of anthropomorphized animals clearly convey their emotions.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) K-3 It's only the first day of school, and already Milk's been labeled "spoiled" by her classmates. After she trips and spills herself, everyone--including Milk--has time to consider how they've judged the others before getting to know one another. The text is pretty much an excuse for predictable food puns; the large photographs of everyday food items with wire limbs are clever.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell. After flopping and flapping, a young dragon finally achieves his first flight. But he breaks Mama's rules (don't fly too high, too far, or without Mama), which results in his crash-landing in unfamiliar territory. After a nervous-making moment, ever-watchful Mama rescues him. Digitally manipulated pencil and watercolor illustrations feature round-headed, friendly-faced dragons with ample child appeal. Little Wing's pride in his accomplishment, followed by anxiety, followed by reassurance from Mama rings true.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Nick Wroblewski. "Pearls of dew / on strings of silver... / Spider's work on fine display." Pine trees, a moose and calf, a swooping heron, and more greet a sleepy child (who looks much younger than the audience the text will appeal to) in the early morning sun. Woodcut blockprints in muted natural tones and spare, poetic text evocatively chronicle early morning on a northern woodland island.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Bob Shea. "New day on the farm / muffled mooing announces / a fresh pail of milk" is the first in a series of haiku that offer clues to a familiar animal's identity; the answer is revealed with a page turn. Bright, simple, well-designed illustrations and a repetitive format make this introduction to the five-seven-five form easy to grasp. An appended note offers additional information about haiku and syllables.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) PS Hearing scary monster sounds before bedtime, young Richard flees and finds himself in a "magical jungle," surrounded by benign wild creatures. When the monster approaches, Richard's stuffed toy lion comes to life and guides him through wondrous adventures that ultimately help Richard muster the courage to confront his fears--with a cathartic, kid-pleasing roar. Dramatic, luminous, fanciful illustrations elevate a clumsily constructed story.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) K-3 Tired of numeral life, Three searches for another job, trying out ear bud, hair band, ship's anchor, sculpture, and more. When he discovers that the fair is closed because there are no three-tries-for-a-dollar games, three-legged races, triple-scoop ice cream cones, etc., he realizes his value and rejoins the other numbers. The story lacks energy, but graphically sophisticated scratchboard art encourages shape and number recognition.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Justin Lowe. Additional illustrations by Binny Talib. Half octopus, half unicorn, Octicorn offers up a list of all his great traits, likes, and dislikes that qualify him--though he looks a bit different than everyone else--to be a great friend. Situational humor and minimalist line drawings of an octopus with a horn are just peculiar enough to sustain this didactic non-story about accepting others, differences notwithstanding.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) K-3 Translated by Sarah Klinger. A crocodile cares for what he thinks is an abandoned baby croc. When he realizes the baby is actually a young child in armor, fear takes hold and the two part ways, despite their fondness for each other. This quirky book is not without charm, but the bittersweet message may not resonate with a picture-book audience. The detailed crosshatch illustrations, however, will.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) PS Tasked with going to the shops, Vincent loses his mom's grocery list in his haste to get there and back quickly. In an effort to recall the items, he distractedly repeats them until carrots, rice, tea, pear, and peas become parrots, mice, chimpanzees, bear, and trapeze. Energetic watercolors and a dynamic text deliver this silly nonsense read-aloud.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) PS Illustrated by Joyce Wan. Eager for an egg to hatch, chick Peep tells Egg about the things they'll do together after it hatches. Egg refuses: everything is too scary, too high, etc. When Peep gives up trying to convince Egg, Egg is finally compelled to break out of its shell. The predictable story about overcoming fears is enhanced by graphically pleasing cartoon illustrations.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) PS Illustrated by Matthew Cordell. "Who are you young amphibians / delighting in shenanigans?" Energetic cartoonlike illustrations follow a lively group of just-hatched tadpoles as they stir up good-natured trouble in their pond home. They develop legs, lose their tails, and finally become frogs. The text's repeated message--"few of us grow up unchanged"--is hard to miss; an uneven rhyme detracts from this otherwise pleasant romp.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Ken Min. From Antelope to Zebra, a boy tests an alphabet of animals to find a pet that won't trigger his sister's allergies. A featherless, furless, hairless lizard fits the bill. Expressive animals and explosive sneezes of escalating intensity entertain but also distract readers from the book's alphabet concept, making this best suited for slightly older audiences. The singsongy text and dynamic illustrations deliver a diverse menagerie.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Barry Root. During two lonely weeks on his grandparents' farm, Charlie discovers the satisfying sound a rock makes when it strikes a bridge's metal railing. He's convinced an answering "BONG" is more than "just an echo," especially when it happens day after day. This quiet story captures the pace and possibility of unstructured and unsupervised time. The warm illustrations seem infused with summer light.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden