Books published by publisher Scholastic Book Club Softcover Book and Audio CD

A humorous tale about a little girl who rides her elephant to school, thus creating a series of amusing mishaps. When the animal becomes lost and trumpets loudly, for example, the noise scares the students and causes the teacher to faint. And if the teacher faints, what else is there to do but revive her? And what better way to do so than to have the elephant squirt her with water. The ink-and-watercolor illustrations are both comical and colorful, complementing the text well. Carter follows Johnson's humorous cues, creating pictures that are hilariously eye-catching. Done in the same light, cautionary vein as Laura Numeroff's If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and If You Give a Moose a Muffin, Johnson and Carter's advice is sure to prompt smiles in story hours.

Peppe, a young immigrant, lives in a tenement in Little Italy in the early 1900s. His mother is dead, his father is ill, and the boy must help support his eight sisters. The street lamplighter offers him a temporary job, and Peppe accepts with pride and excitement. His father disapproves, but the girls encourage him. Peppe imagines each light to be "a small flame of promise for the future" and makes a wish for those he loves at each lamp. His father's continued disapproval discourages him and makes him so ashamed that one night he gives up. This night, his youngest sister does not come home because she is afraid of the dark. Peppe's father then pleads with him to light the lamps, admitting it is an important job. This is a pleasant story about a boy's aspirations and the values that shape character. The brilliant color illustrations are perfect in capturing the flavor of the neighborhood. They give a strong sense of time and place. The play of light from the streetlamps and kerosene lamps is especially striking, and the composition of each page is so embracing that readers will feel taken in, whether it is an interior scene or a sweeping streetscape. A solid, refreshing selection that can stand on its own, but would be great to use with immigrant studies.

An engaging rhyming story. The colorful double-page spreads show a cheerful preschool environment full of energetic animal youngsters. While many of the illustrations showcase opportunities for creative play and one highlights the joy of sharing books, the focus of this story comes at day's end. It opens, "Our busy day is almost through. Somebody special is coming for you." As children are picked up one by one (by a parent of the same species), they are identified by a physical trait (a cute nose, soft hair, a soft pink tummy). For example, a fox parent says, "Whose hair is as soft as the morning mist?" and the little one responds, "Mine is. Mine is. Mine!" Human kids will definitely chime in as the animals respond to their parents' calls. They'll also relate to the apprehensive little dog that is left till last. Discouraged and worried, he's especially pleased to be picked up and reassured by his tardy but loving mom. Wolff's engaging illustrations, done in bright colors and plenty of patterns, add punch to the simple but appealing text. They effectively convey the personalities and interests of their unnamed characters while giving young listeners lots to look at as the story unfolds. This pleasant tale with its reassuring message and attractive art will be just right for young children who aren't quite ready for Joseph Slate's "Miss Bindergarten" stories.

Phyllis, a brightly clad groundhog, loves to be outdoors in all types of weather. Her uncle is Punxsutawney Phil, and she dreams of one day taking over his job, even though everyone tells her that she can't because she is a girl. One February morning, she wakes up and sees that the snow is melting, the brook is running, and the air smells sharp. These are all indicators of an early spring. When her sleepy uncle is reluctant to get out of bed, she volunteers to make his prediction for him. Uncle Phil objects, thinking that one of his sons will take his place when the time comes. Still, he invites her to accompany him outside, where he sniffs the air and forecasts six more weeks of winter. However, Phyllis insists there will be an early spring, pointing out all of the signs. Uncle Phil admits that he is wrong, decides to retire, and turns his job over to his niece, even though she's a girl, because rules can be bent once in a while. Details about the origins of Groundhog Day and Punxsutawney Phil are appended. Ebbeler's full-bleed acrylic illustrations show an exuberant Phyllis skipping through a brook, sunbathing, and munching on berries. The woodland landscapes are bright and lush. The burrow scenes are rustic, cozy, and filled with patchwork quilts and comfy furniture. A welcome addition, especially when Groundhog Day is close at hand.

Best-selling author and illustrator Robert Munsch and Michael Martchenko create another madcap adventure about a little girl named Julie, her love of makeup, and how she learns that "less is more." Julie has saved up lots of money--$100! Depsite her mother's concerns, Julie spends it all on cosmetics, including plenty of lipstick, eyeshadow, and perfume. Once it's on her face, she fancies herself as pretty as a movie star, but her parents' reactions are less than complimentary. The same goes for the mailman, who falls right over! After she washes it all off, her mother and father think she's merely using less of it, and praise her looks--and Julie slyly ends up selling all of the products to the neighborhood kids for her new hobby--dress up!

In the spirit of Margot Apple's Sheep in a Shop, this humorous litany of what might happen if one takes exotic pets out for a stroll, shopping, to the beach, or on any number of outings makes for a comic cautionary tale. Brief rhymes, one for each situation, describe the action, which is perfectly complemented by the wacky artwork. Illustrations in bright colors and outlined in thin, scratchy lines depict exaggerated people and beasts in all sorts of silly situations: An outsize pig wallows in a planter outside a mall that boasts stores such as House of Socks and Pencil Mart; rotund passengers bail out of an airplane after the skunk sets up a stink; an outrageously plump bride with a beehive hairdo looks astonished to find a duckling in her punch; and so on. Kids will like the outlandish pictures and giggle at the goofy advice.

Three generations of the Hog family set out to attend an operatic performance of Pigoletto. They emerge from a pale-yellow house and stroll down the lawn to their sedan. "The car sputtered. The car snorted. The car would not start." They seek other unsuccessful modes of transportation, starting with young Horace Hog's two-wheeled scooter. "Six Hogs on a scooter makes an interesting sight." However, by the time the group finally decides to catch a bus, the opera has ended, and they must reverse their journey. "Six Hogs sleeping at a bus stop makes a very interesting sight." Nash wryly pictures the hog sextet in their Sunday best, grinning despite the setbacks; a picture of Grandma Hog spinning on roller skates is especially entertaining.

The activities of a homebody and an enthusiastic world traveler are contrasted in illustrations brimming with humor. Two anthropomorphic pigs live in the country setting of Woodcock Pocket. There, Puddle turns his head to the sun streaming in his kitchen window as he makes popcorn on the stove. Meanwhile, Toot peers at the globe with a magnifying glass, planning an ambitious trip. He asks Puddle along, but goes forth alone, and from then on, the experiences of the two are laid side by side on the double-page spreads. A monthly postcard from Toot is reproduced over an illustration from his year-long adventure: scaling cliffs in the Alps, visiting an Italian pastry shop, and taking a camel ride through Egypt. A sort of reply comes from a scene of Puddle savoring events on the home front: gathering maple sap for syrup, playing in spring mud, painting a self-portrait, and trying out a Halloween mask. In Hobbie's expert watercolors are dozens of inventive touches -- Puddle wearing a shower cap in the bath, Toot floating among hippos, some of his limbs breaking the surface in a subtle mimicry of their stances, funny allusions to famous art or locales. The book and its heroes are endearing, and readers will want to see more of Woodcock Pocket soon.

Get ready for a return trip to that "nice icy land." Typically overenthusiastic and clueless, Tacky the penguin draws the lead part in a performance of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," even though he doesn't quite understand what a "play" is. The big day arrives, and so does the audience, a raucous, ill-behaved bunch of penguin chicks from Mrs. Beakly's School. They pay no attention until Goldilocks appears, or rather "Tackylocks," as they call her. With a huge, blond wig and full costume, Tacky stumbles on stage, knocking over props; eats all of the porridge; and stacks the three chairs one atop the other to search for dessert. The audience cheers with delight when the chairs and Tacky crash to the floor. Worn out by now, he takes all the bedding and sinks into slumber in Baby Bear's cozy bed. The other players do their best to carry on, but when they pull and toss the many covers and pillows, Tacky shouts "PILLOW FIGHT!" and the chicks join the players in the melee. Munsinger's watercolor illustrations perfectly capture the hilarity with body postures and facial expressions. Each picture is a story in itself, especially the arrival of the misbehaving audience. This silliness will delight Tacky's loyal fans and win a lot of new devotees, and they'll all be watching eagerly for the next adventure.

The jungle is usually a peaceful place but not when Clovis, a small tiger, is around. He loves to sneak up on the animals and startle them with the "roaringest" roar in the world. One day, while he is sipping at a stream, the animals turn the tables and join in a cacophonous clamor that jolts him right up a tree. A truce is declared and the jungle settles down in peace again-well, "most of the time." The lively rhythmic text, which takes full advantage of alliteration and repetition, makes this book a storyteller's delight. Children will relish joining in with the tiger's roar and the refrain, "Suddenly-there was Clovis!" as the page is turned from a scene of peaceful somnolence to one of chaos. Taylor's full-color, cartoon illustrations can be overly busy-they are most successful when the artist uses double-page spreads and particularly excellent in capturing the moment of flurried surprise that results from the roar. This title is appropriate both for group sharing and one-on-one reading. Clovis's enthusiasm for the surprise will strike a chord with youngsters, and the lesson about "doing unto others-" will resonate with both adults and children who share this tale.

The author and the illustrator of Bugs! and Skunks! present another hilarious book with a slapstick rhyme, this one about snakes taking over a small boy's world. The creepy creatures start off as a heap under his bed; then they slink down the stairs, shimmy up the walls, hide, and jump out of books and cabinets. Words and pictures wallow in the shudders. Maybe snakes do have some uses: as garden hoses, for cleaning ears, as nifty stethoscopes. But just as the boy is getting used to the invaders, he opens up the shutter to find a huge glaring eye, and then a great, terrifying boa squishes him in its coils. Is that final close-up a capture or an embrace? Munsinger's ink-and-watercolor images extend the silliness. They are packed with nonsense detail and yet clear and accessible for preschoolers, who will recognize the creepy delight of slimy monsters hissing in their ears.