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32 pp.
| Candlewick/Templar
| August, 2015
|
TradeISBN 978-0-7636-7956-9$16.99
(3)
K-3
"Every day around lunchtime... / Troll tries to eat the Oliver." This giddy-making, tables-turning story goads the reader to root for Troll, not for the human, a gloating child ("My name's Oliver / and I tricked you / I'm too clever to be / Troll's stew!"). The artfully ramshackle scenes show the adversaries ultimately making peace over cake (recipe included).
32 pp.
| Scholastic/Orchard
| May, 2014
|
TradeISBN 978-0-545-57604-8$16.99
(3)
K-3
In this keenly plotted follow-up to Silly Doggy!, Lily blames her new kitten for domestic misdeeds done by a tiger that has escaped from the zoo. Only when Lily (mistakenly) believes that Kitty has scared off a yapping dog is the kitten back in her good graces. Dignified cartoonish illustrations show a clueless, exasperated Lily and one majorly oppressed kitten.
32 pp.
| Owlkids
| March, 2014
|
TradeISBN 978-1-77147-007-0$17.95
(4)
K-3
A boy slams his front door, which dislodges a ball stuck on the roof, which bounces on a cat, and so on until the town is in chaos. Plot-wise, this isn't new, but the illustrations, punctuated only by onomatopoeia ("SCREEECH") and pedestrian outbursts ("yaaaargh!"), are absorbing. The best part: the headphone-wearing boy doesn't notice a thing.
32 pp.
| Scholastic/Orchard
| April, 2012
|
TradeISBN 978-0-545-37323-4$16.99
(3)
K-3
"One morning, Lily saw something wonderful in her garden." She calls it "Doggy," but the lively illustrations reveal a bear. Her mother won't let her keep him, so Lily creates a poster (describing his un-doglike behavior), drawing the attention of the rightful owner (the zoo). Kids will love being in on the joke and will roar when Lily finds her next unusual pet: "Kitty!"
32 pp.
| Bloomsbury
| August, 2004
|
TradeISBN 1-58234-884-7$$16.95
(4)
K-3
Rufus, a blue eight-fingered monster, loves to dance but is afraid to enter a monster ballroom dancing competition because he has two left feet. Predictably, he wins the contest--dancing with a partner who sports two right feet. The smiling monsters in this garish picture book lack subtlety of expression and posture.