A fox sees a snowflake floating through the air and wonders what he should do because winter is coming. Each animal that the fox meets gives suggestions based on what they do to get ready for winter. The squirrel gathers, the bat hangs by its toes and goes to sleep, and the snowshoe hare turns white to match the snow. Each time the fox says, “That won’t do for me.” At the end, the fox meets another fox and they dance in the snow. The text is engaging as well as informative about animal behavior. The illustrations are beautiful and work with the text to create a soft tone reminiscent of winter snowfall.

A Nosy Fox opens a box to find robot parts inside. Different characters come along to try to make to robot work, but are not successful. “the Eager Beaver pulled the lever, the Wicked Witch flicked the switch…” After each character does something to the robot, the robot makes a noise. Finally a child comes along and takes charge, directing the animals what to do to create the robot.

The text is cumulative and rhyming. The onomatopoeia and illustrations contribute to the chaos that is going on. The confusion and chaos continues, as the last line states “and the robot went.” and he walks off into the sunset.

This text gives an overview of how chocolate is made. Two to three sentences are on a page and each two page spread includes a photograph related to the text on the page. The text includes many informational text features including words in color, a map, glossary, and an index. There is also a code for abdokids.com which has a video, activities and links to other information about how chocolate is made.

As a young girl goes over the rules and manners for attending a tea, she is continuously interrupted by a toot. They go through the suspects and the reasons why they could not of tooted. “Owls don’t toot, they hoot.” She decides to cancel her tea party since no one will tell her who keeps tooting and as she walks back to the house, she discovers that it is the teakettle. They decide to have the tea and then the young girl toots. There is an afterword about how to make tea and what to include at a tea party.

Plankton happens upon Mussel and says hello. Mussel does not reply and Plankton feels that Mussel is being rude. Plankton goes on to explain that Mussel should reply, yet Mussel remains silent further frustrating Plankton. When Mussel finally opens, Plankton can’t hear him, so he gets closer and closer until… SNAP! Mussel closes over Plankton. The entire story is told as a one sided conversation and from the point of view of Plankton. The illustrations give us clues to how Plankton is feeling.

A picture book biography about the man responsible for developing the scientific classification and naming system used throughout the scientific community today.  The water color illustrations do a good job of evoking the time period (1700s) in which Karl Linne, aka Carolus Linnaeus, lived and worked.  The book shares his early love of plants and insects, his confusion as he began his medical studies and found so many different names used for the same plants, the wrath he faced from other scientists who found him presumptuous in declaring his own name for things, and the eventual fame and fortune he received (even being knighted) when his ideas caught on.  Final information pages in the back share how his system has needed to grow and adapt as new scientific knowledge grows.

It’s okay, but I thought a bit flat.  It’s basically a story about a girl who feels like she can’t always summon a smile when she wants, and she’s worried as picture day approaches.  When she’s assigned to be the photographer’s assistant, she gets the job of bringing out everyone else’s smiles.  When it’s her turn, they all join forces to return the favor. Smiles all around.

It’s cute. It’s kitschy. It’s got vintage, graphic illustrations that are reminiscent of picture books of the past.  On the way to school, Matthew’s father’s car has trouble starting.  As dad drops him off at Kindergarten, the what-ifs begin.  Matthew begins by asking what if the car doesn’t start when it’s time for dad to come get him, and then for every answer dad has to offer, Matthew has a new what-if question, exposing his fear that dad might not make it back.  But in the end, dad assures him that if all else fails, he will run on his own two legs back to Matthew’s side.

It reads like a poetic love letter.  It feels like it has romantic overtones, but could also be read aloud as a parent reading to a child.  It’s a series of, “I was a flower with no pot. I was a polka with no dot….” etc. etc. etc. And then a series of all the things the listener brought to the reader’s life. It ends by asking, “What took you so long?”

It’s a book that would be a great tool for interactive story-telling, or as a writing prompt.  In a lot of ways, it’s a story that never really comes out and tells a story.  An adult and a child mouse travel through a series of illustrations with a lot of rhyming and repeating text saying, “I’ll tell you a story of this, and I’ll tell you a story of that. I’ll tell you a story of…” but those stories are never so much told as suggested.  The illustrations definitely add to the meaning of the text.  Careful observation reveals clues in each illustration leading into the next.