Germs
by Ross Collins
Published 2004 by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 1582349266

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Jacket Notes:

Told from a germ's point of view, this delightfully silly and educational story offers a hilarious and unique look at how kids get sick. A Junior Library Guild Selection. Full color.

REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 12/13/2004

"A pox on thee," goes the old saying. But what if the pox won't cooperate? Collins (What If?) pursues this ingenious conceit with a sly text and mordantly comic watercolors. Pox, the hero, resembles one of Al Capp's Schmoos and is far too nice to fulfill his destiny as an agent of chickenpox (as opposed to the snarling blue Nurse). When his bunkmates at Germ Academy regale him with tales of how their ancestors induced mumps, tonsilitis, measles and the common cold, Pox responds, "But didn't it make the children miserable?" Ordered to infect a girl named Myrtle--"Mission: Spoil Birthday" read his marching orders--Pox decides to go over to the Immune System side, draws up a plan (a switcheroo involving Myrtle's dog) to defeat a second wave of germs and the child becomes "Mighty Myrtle, The Girl Who Is Never Sick." Collins's imaginative portrayal of the microscopic world involves a giggle-inducing mlange of satire and gross-out humor: the germ for the common cold is a pile of unctuous snot; "Flight School" for germs means leaping off a cliff into facial orifices of a child dummy; the immune system translates into a diminutive white army of Myrtle clones dressed like Joan of Arc. Youngsters will likely deem this book a funny, fitting companion to the cold season. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)

02/01/2005 REVIEW: School Library Journal

K-Gr 2 -"Young readers may not even suspect that they are being taught an important scientific principle as they follow the adventures of a nave, good-natured germ. Fresh from the incubator, Chickenpox 12087-2 (known as Pox to his friends) is sent to the academy to learn how to become a "proper germ"-"the kind that makes kids sick. Even though he ends up at the bottom of his class, he is soon assigned a mission: to make little Myrtle get the chicken pox. However, once inside her body, instead of infecting her, he wins her immune system over to his side and comes up with a plan to protect her from the other germs. A lively cast of cartoon characters complements the energetic text. The spreads are colorful and full of eye-catching details, and a useful fact page is included.-"Holly T. Sneeringer, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Click, Clack, Splish, Splash: A Counting Adventure
by Doreen Cronin
Published 2006 by Atheneum Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0689877161

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Jacket Notes:

Duck's already taught thousands of children the ABCs. Now there's an opportunity to outsmart Farmer Brown again as he and his friends teach their very youngest readers how to count. (Baby/Preschool)

REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 11/21/2005

Fast on the webbed feet of Click, Clack, Quackity Quack: An Alphabetical Adventure comes this counting companion, again starring Duck as the instigator of mischievous, though well-intentioned fun. As the farmer naps on the couch near his soothing fish tank ("1 farmer sleeping"), Duck ("2 feet creeping") and the barnyard crew sneak into the house on a hush-hush mission - something that involves "3 buckets piled high" outside the window and "4 chickens standing by." At book's end, readers learn that Duck's master plan was to liberate the farmer's finned friends (a clue is planted on the title page). Though not quite as charming as its abecedarian cousin, this slight volume still offers a comical introduction to numerals one through 10. Lewin's black-outlined menagerie is as breezy as ever, tiptoeing, climbing or splashing through lots of white space to the final destination. Ages 2-5. (Jan.)

01/01/2006 REVIEW: School Library Journal

PreS-K- Some familiar faces from Cronin and Lewin's well-known series that began withClick, Clack, Moo (S & S, 2000) appear in this clever adventure. The farmyard crew is engineering a -fishy- rescue of sorts, releasing 10 fish in 10 buckets while the farmer slumbers. As the animals make their mischief, numbers from 1 to 10 are introduced, beginning with -1 farmer sleeping. 2 feet creeping.- The cartoon illustrations have the same great appeal as the previous books and combine successfully with this very basic introduction to numeric concepts. A great tool for parents and teachers seeking to make learning fun.-Rosalyn Pierini, San Luis Obispo City-County Library, CA

Lilly's Big Day
by Kevin Henkes
Published 2006 by Greenwillow Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0060742364

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Jacket Notes:

The Caldecott Medal-winning author/illustrator of "Kitten's First Full Moon" brings back his beloved character from "Lilly's Chocolate Heart" to star in a brand-new picture book in which Lilly prepares to be the flower girl at her teacher's wedding. Full color.

REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 02/20/2006

When her teacher, Mr. Slinger, announces he's going to marry the school nurse, Lilly-naturally-assumes she will be the flower girl. Henkes's (Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse ) black pen-and-watercolor illustrations, done in confectionary colors, show the mouse star in all her self-absorbed glory, parading across a spread, rehearsing the majestic way in which she will take the aisle. She dismisses her parents' attempt to let her down gently, and readers, too, will have caught on long before Mr. Slinger sets Lilly straight (he's already asked Ginger, his niece, to do the honors). Nonetheless, Lilly, having hinted around endlessly, is so crestfallen about Ginger's role that Mr. Slinger offers to make her the flower girl's "assistant" ("Oh, all right," Lilly deigns to accept, "if you really need me so much"). Ounce for ounce the equal in chutzpah to Falconer's Olivia, the heroine will draw laughs in nearly every scence (in one hilarious vignette, she offers "Flower Girl Advice-$1" from a makeshift stand; the audience consists of her stuffed animals). Children will identify with Lilly's intense disappointment and appreciate the way she sends a bear dressed as Mr. Slinger (with a tie and fake mustache) to the "Uncooperative Chair." There's a witty detail on every page. When Lilly finally meets the usurper, Ginger turns out to be very much in need of an assistant after all, and Lilly does what Lilly does best: she takes charge. Ages 4-up.(Apr.)

04/01/2006 REVIEW: School Library Journal

K-Gr 2 -When her teacher, Mr. Slinger, announces that he is going to marry Ms. Shotwell, the school nurse, the indomitable Lilly takes her role as flower girl at their wedding for granted. Of course, he hasn't asked her-yet-but the young mouse commences practicing her very slow walk, eyebrows raised, hands in front grasping her imaginary bouquet. Her parents give her reasons why her plan might go awry. -Do you understand--- they ask. -I understand that I'm going to be a flower girl,- she responds. At school, she writes Mr. Slinger a note, declaring herself -The World's Best and Most Famous Flower Girl.- He finally persuades her to be an assistant to his niece, and Lilly rises to the rescue in a surprise twist that satisfies everybody. Henkes's familiar watercolor cartoons elaborate on the witty text. The desperate looks on Lilly's parents' and Mr. Slinger's faces are priceless. Full-page vignettes depict the little protagonist proudly practicing her flower-girl walk, which is eventually taken up by all the wedding guests at the reception. Adults will especially enjoy the shopping scene in which the sales lady pronounces Lilly -adorable- and her Granny silently quips, -in small doses.- But big doses of this feisty rodent will suit her many fans just fine.-Marianne Saccardi, formerly at Norwalk Community College, CT

Winter Lights: A Season in Poems & Quilts
by Anna Grossnickle Hines
Published 2005 by Greenwillow Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0060008172

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Jacket Notes:

Full-color photos of intricate quilts serve as stunning illustrations to 16 poems about the allure of light during dark months. Includes an illustrated note on the making of the quilts. Full color.

REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 09/26/2005

If ever there were a perfect book to curl up with on a cold night, this is it. With both humor and poignancy, Hines (Pieces: A Year in Poems & Quilts ) again puts on display an astounding amount of effort and craftsmanship in a collection of child-friendly poems and custom-made quilts that feature striking images of winter light as it's experienced around the world. From Christmas trees and decorative farolitos to a Hanukkah menorah, from a bold full moon to the aurora borealis, her artistic interpretations of light emerging from winter darkness sparkle, and will likely dazzle readers. An end section about quilt-making (and the lore of light) should also fascinate fans. Ages 5-up. (Oct.)