(3) K-3 Caveman Dave thinks his rock is better than caveman Jon's: "Dave's rock bigger"; one throw later, he realizes that "Jon's rock faster." Their rivalry builds until they find a creative way to defuse it. The blunt art serves the prehistoric milieu, and the book's humor--the protagonists' immaturity, their caveman-speak--illuminates the stupidity of fighting over small (albeit heavy) things.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Briony May Smith. In this warmhearted story, a girl feels she'll never shine like her older sister until her grandfather briefly (and simply, for preschoolers) describes the birth of the universe and the stars: "Everything and everyone is made of stardust." Appealing, detailed illustrations encourage repeated perusals, with the final pages hinting that the little sister indeed finds her way to shine (as an astronaut in adulthood).

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon. This hefty, vividly illustrated anthology includes a seasonal poem from a variety of poets, one for each day of the year. The selections range from humorous to poignant, some rhyming and some in free verse, often several to a spread. The mixed-media art depicts brilliant flowers, expansive skies, and leafy meadows by turn. A keepsake volume, ideal for one-on-one daily sharing. Several helpful indices are included.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Britta Teckentrup. Unlike the other chameleons, Leon can't seem to change color to match his surroundings. Readers are interactively encouraged to count, whisper, smile, and more as neon-orange Leon searches for an environment (green jungle? yellow desert?) in which his brilliant glow will fit. Teckentrup's bold digital illustrations play with variations in shade and texture, demonstrating the many ways an animal can blend in--or not, in Leon's case.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(4) PS Engaging full-bleed illustrations shore up a spare, low-tension text to show what a boy and his dog do with a stick: "throw it," "balance with it," "swish it," "stir with it," and so on. The boy drops the stick from a bridge, and it floats downstream to a little girl. She uses the "very useful stick" in a tent she's building, and the two (plus pup) play together.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) PS Illustrated by Chris Mould. When Prince Freddie learns about a dragon attack, he rushes to save the day...until he realizes he needs to pee. Each time he stops to relieve himself, he's interrupted by ogres, a princess in need, and other princely conundrums. The ridiculous plot, bathroom humor, and slapstick acrylic illustrations will have children in stitches, and repetition in the text works well for storytime.

Reviewer: Jessica Costello

(2) PS Illustrated by Helen Stephens. While out Christmas shopping with Mommy, Noah plays with his stuffed elephant, Oliver. Careful viewers may notice when Oliver slips off a coffee-shop table, but the stuffed elephant's whereabouts are a mystery to Noah for several suspenseful spreads in this rhyming tale with a just-right ending. Loose-lined pen-and-ink and watercolor-wash illustrations with copious white space and frequent warm, bright touches of yellow add to the appeal.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(3) K-3 While raiding a house for breakfast, a little mouse gathers a teetering stack of snacks--a bright blueberry, crunchy cookies, etc.--only to drop them when reaching for "his favorite." As it happens, the sunflower seed is all he can carry as he makes a quick escape from the resident cat. The alliterative, read-aloud-ready story is well served by visual humor in the watercolor, gouache, and pencil-crayon illustrations, including an amusing last-page joke.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(2) PS Pip and Posy bring home a Christmas tree and decorate it with sweets. When the decorations begin to disappear (from the humorous and brightly colored gouache illustrations, it's clear Pip has eaten them all), the friends replace them with paper decorations. Pip's inability to resist temptation is relatable, and Posy is an admirably nonjudgmental friend. A sweet and funny addition to Scheffler's winning preschool series.

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

(3) PS Preschool dinosaur enthusiasts will enjoy this simple, unscientific rhyming ode to dinos of all kinds. The descriptive rhymes compare and contrast various dinosaurs ("We love ones that can gallop past... / and plodding ones that don't go fast"), and the endpapers contain the scientific names of the dinosaurs featured throughout. Volpin's soft watercolor and pencil illustrations depict even a roaring T. rex as benign and cute.

Reviewer: Katie Darrin

(4) PS Illustrated by Jarvis. Insisting "I'm in charge!", a defiant, naughty rhino learns about the importance of kindness in this rhyming Aesop-like parable. When a herd of wildebeests teach Rhino what it's like to be on the receiving end of someone else's thoughtlessness, the message to be considerate toward others is hammered home. Jarvis's candy-colored digital illustrations have an energy equal to Rhino's mischief.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(3) PS Illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw. Young Clara wants to be a proper Christmas tree fairy, but every time she tries to hold still at school she sings, dances, or laughs instead. Just as Clara's given up hope, Santa solicits her help for the Christmas show, which needs a special fairy just like her. The rhyming text's lilting quality keeps the story light and jovial alongside jewel-toned mixed-media illustrations.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) K-3 In these sprightly retellings (including some of the old-fashioned phrasings), bright digital illustrations contain humorous modern-day touches (such as Little Red's hoodie and rain boots and Jack's mother's fancy boots at book's end). Little Red resourcefully bests the wolf with weapons gathered in the forest (daisies make him sneeze, etc.); Jack's story is more traditional, but a dragon and a frog prince make appearances. Review covers these titles: Jack and the Beanstalk and Little Red Riding Hood.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) K-3 In these sprightly retellings (including some of the old-fashioned phrasings), bright digital illustrations contain humorous modern-day touches (such as Little Red's hoodie and rain boots and Jack's mother's fancy boots at book's end). Little Red resourcefully bests the wolf with weapons gathered in the forest (daisies make him sneeze, etc.); Jack's story is more traditional, but a dragon and a frog prince make appearances. Review covers these titles: Jack and the Beanstalk and Little Red Riding Hood.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) PS Illustrated by Migy Blanco. Sure, it's fun to make animal noises, but in this rendition of the classic children's song, Clarke swaps animals for vehicles, which create their own ear-pleasing din ("With a vroom-vroom here / and a vroom-vroom there," etc.). Loyalists to the animal-centric version won't feel slighted: the expansive, Golden Books–reminiscent illustrations show MacDonald's critters behind--and on, and around--the wheel.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) 1-3 Hubble Bubble series. Illustrated by Joe Berger. Each title contains three stories about witch-in-training Pandora and her magically mischievous granny, who transforms ordinary goings-on (such as baking, gardening, and entering cat Cobweb in a pet show) into extraordinary adventures. While the books may try too hard for whimsy, the pink-accented illustrations adorning every page; small, easily digestible blocks of text; and brief, magic-packed vignettes should attract newly independent readers. Review covers these Hubble Bubble titles: The Great Granny Cake Contest! and The Wacky Winter Wonderland!

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(4) 1-3 Hubble Bubble series. Illustrated by Joe Berger. Each title contains three stories about witch-in-training Pandora and her magically mischievous granny, who transforms ordinary goings-on (such as baking, gardening, and entering cat Cobweb in a pet show) into extraordinary adventures. While the books may try too hard for whimsy, the pink-accented illustrations adorning every page; small, easily digestible blocks of text; and brief, magic-packed vignettes should attract newly independent readers. Review covers these Hubble Bubble titles: The Great Granny Cake Contest! and The Wacky Winter Wonderland!

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(3) PS In Dale's fifth Dinosaur romp, every spread shows a stage of the dinosaur pirates' journey, with each sentence building on the last: "Pirate dinosaurs sailing. / Sailing across the sea. / Across the sea in their pirate ship." The prehistoric swashbucklers find buried treasure and fight off a band of robber raptors. The patterned text and bold, high-energy illustrations will help preschoolers follow the read-aloud adventure.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sarah Warburton. Looking to make a friend, "brainy and bright" Princess Eliza leaves her snowy northern palace and stumbles upon Santa's distressed elves at his workshop. Eliza secretly builds contraptions to help her new friends save Christmas while Santa recovers from the flu. Channeling Andrea Beaty's Rosie Revere, Engineer, this read-aloud-ready holiday story, with lilting rhymes and whimsical mixed-media illustrations, celebrates helping others and girls in STEAM.

Reviewer: Janet Daniels

(2) PS Cheery, textured mixed-media illustrations show round-eyed, towheaded tot Goldilocks, who decides she's too old for diapers. Potty-training Goldilocks knows what she does and does not like; underwear and potty must be "just right!" Alongside the celebratory stars and rainbows in the neatly patterned pictures, there are some cute visual nods to the classic Goldilocks tale, and the three bears make a spirited cameo on the back endpapers.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2018