(3) PS Concrete poetry meets onomatopoeia. Words for common animal sounds (squeak, moo, meow) are cleverly incorporated into the design of their respective animals; the simple and sleek monochromatic animal forms help the letters in each word stand out. Kids will enjoy identifying each animal and its sound, and then recognizing how the letters represent different body parts or features.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) K-3 Words Are Categorical series. Illustrated by Martin Goneau. Cleary's hyperactive rhymes introduce the language concept. While the definition of suffix provided isn't satisfying, the many examples will help kids begin to understand the term's various meanings and functions in words. The illustrations of zany cats are humorous but distracting; the spreads with embedded charts are most helpful in supporting the text. A final chart with suffixes, meanings, and examples is appended.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mark Cleary. When giraffes gather to pose for a photo, they can't figure out a way to get Geri, "the shortest giraffe who ever lived," into the shot. Eventually a clever and observant caterpillar speaks up with a simple solution. The digital illustrations of goofy-looking, multicolored giraffes in silly situations (e.g., Geri tries stilts) and the heartwarming final photo will keep kids smiling.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) K-3 When his baby brother is born very prematurely, a young boy goes through a range of emotions. The narrator's statements can be uncomfortable to read ("I wish the baby would die") but attempt to be true to a child-centric interpretation of the stress. Childlike drawings, presented in scrapbook format, chronicle the family's journey, from fearful early days through the happy homecoming.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(3) PS Illustrated by Jamie Littler. A playful puppy racks his brain for a word that can sum up his intense feelings of comfort, delight, excitement, love, etc. If you didn't already guess from the title, it's mom. Colorful, energetic vignettes of the lovable, tail-wagging pup hold the rhyming think-aloud together. (Note: the punny title and happy resolution both lose their punch if you don't pronounce "mom" like a Brit.)

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) K-3 Laugh-Along Lessons series. Illustrated by Lynn Munsinger. "Ewetopia was not comfortable in her own wool." In a complicated story (involving a costume party, mistaken identity, and a tantrum-prone wolf), she learns to love who she is. Munsinger's playful illustrations depict each character's wide range of emotions. Some of the many sheep puns--"she knitted her eyebrows (a sheep thing)"--may confuse the intended audience. A free audio version is available on the publisher's website.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(3) PS Illustrated by Ruth Hearson. Leo loves Wednesdays, when he goes to Baby Time at the local library. There, he and his young peers participate in all kinds of baby-friendly activities with their caregivers and with each other. Playful, happy, and bright acrylic paintings accompany the simple text about the joys of a babyhood routine and of early social interactions.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) K-3 Bright and Early Book series. Illustrated by Michael Fleming. Because Gwen the hen reminds him that "it's bad luck to count your eggs before they hatch," Red Rooster makes several back-to-back trips to the worm store to buy one for each of ten new baby chicks as they hatch. The easy-to-read, repetitive text in this slight tale about an excited new father provides counting practice and is supported by large, clear illustrations.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Judith Rossell. "9 mice tidy. / 1 mouse somersaults. 9 + 1 = 10." As ten mice prepare for their circus, the breakdown of activity shifts from chores to play, cleverly reinforcing how different combinations of numbers all add up to ten. Mixed-media illustrations of cute-as-can-be acrobatic mice are supported by spare text and a simple equation on each spread, providing an inviting way to introduce basic addition.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) K-3 Ready-to-Read series. Each spread identifies and introduces a baby animal species and offers a simple fact or an observation about the accompanying super-cute photo. The photos (previously published in other ZooBorns books) will be appreciated by young children, though some challenging species and animal names (Hamadryas baboon, Eurasian lynx) will likely frustrate new readers.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) K-3 Ready-to-Read series. Each spread identifies and introduces a baby animal species and offers a simple fact or an observation about the accompanying super-cute photo. The photos (previously published in ZooBorns: The Newest, Cutest Animals from the World's Zoos and Aquariums) will be appreciated by young children, though the challenging species and animal names will likely frustrate new readers. Review covers these Ready-to-Read titles: Hello, Mommy ZooBorns! and I Love You, ZooBorns!.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) K-3 Language on the Loose series. Illustrated by Russ Cox. In Frog, each cleverly named member of a family communicates exclusively through one kind of sentence (e.g., son Exclamuel uses only exclamatory). In Whatever, a boy overcomes a chronic case of monotone expression ("ouch thatll leave a mark") thanks to punctuation. The purposeful stories are silly but memorable vehicles to reinforce sentence types and the purpose for punctuation. Reading list. Review covers these Language on the Loose titles: Whatever Says Mark and Frog. Frog? Frog!.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(3) PS Illustrated by Tim Warnes. Once Otto learns the word "no," he constantly uses it in little power struggles with his parents. When this approach backfires at school, Otto learns that a little "yes" can make everything better. The simple story about this inevitable phase of toddlerhood will resonate with parents and little naysayers alike. Sweet illustrations peppered with Otto's one-word exclamations capture his emotional highs and lows.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) K-3 Language on the Loose series. Illustrated by Merrill Rainey. In Frog, each cleverly named member of a family communicates exclusively through one kind of sentence (e.g., son Exclamuel uses only exclamatory). In Whatever, a boy overcomes a chronic case of monotone expression ("ouch thatll leave a mark") thanks to punctuation. The purposeful stories are silly but memorable vehicles to reinforce sentence types and the purpose for punctuation. Reading list. Review covers these Language on the Loose titles: Whatever Says Mark and Frog. Frog? Frog!.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(3) PS Illustrated by Deborah Melmon. It's nonstop action as a busy--and hungry!--family gets ready for suppertime. The scattered activity finally comes to a halt when the family sits down to enjoy their meal. The jaunty and super-simple patterned text is brought to life by friendly, expressive illustrations of the family and their pets. A pleasing read-aloud that many families will identify with.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Adam McCauley. Granny sends Robert off on a wacky, anagram-packed quest to find his aunt. (He ends up retrieving a tuna.) The colorful, bold design of the retro-style cartoons intensifies the story's weird-dream vibe; various typefaces and clever scenery signage keep the wordplay front and center. Kids will love finding and authenticating the numerous anagrams on each page.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) K-3 Animal Math series. These animal-themed volumes introduce early math concepts. Colorful spreads with numerous photos will capture children's interest, though some visuals could be clearer. Questions, examples, and graphic tools (number lines, simple graphs) will get kids thinking and engaged. Monkeys and Cats provide more animal information and photo variety than Ants. Animal facts and Common Core teaching notes are appended. Glos. Review covers these Animal Math titles: Adding with Ants, Comparing with Cats, and Measuring with Monkeys.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) K-3 Animal Math series. These animal-themed volumes introduce early math concepts. Colorful spreads with numerous photos will capture children's interest, though some visuals could be clearer. Questions, examples, and graphic tools (number lines, simple graphs) will get kids thinking and engaged. Monkeys and Cats provide more animal information and photo variety than Ants. Animal facts and Common Core teaching notes are appended. Glos. Review covers these Animal Math titles: Adding with Ants, Comparing with Cats, and Measuring with Monkeys.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) K-3 Animal Math series. These animal-themed volumes introduce early math concepts. Colorful spreads with numerous photos will capture children's interest, though some visuals could be clearer. Questions, examples, and graphic tools (number lines, simple graphs) will get kids thinking and engaged. Monkeys and Cats provide more animal information and photo variety than Ants. Animal facts and Common Core teaching notes are appended. Glos. Review covers these Animal Math titles: Adding with Ants, Comparing with Cats, and Measuring with Monkeys.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(3) K-3 Ready-to-Read series. Each spread identifies and introduces a baby animal species and offers a simple fact or an observation about the accompanying super-cute photo. The photos (previously published in ZooBorns: The Newest, Cutest Animals from the World's Zoos and Aquariums) will be appreciated by young readers, though species names and animal names will require some support.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi