Books published by publisher Scholastic Book Clubs Softcover Book and Audiocassette Tape

The shark that starred in Don't Eat the Teacher! is back. Here, an enthusiastic Sammy accidentally bites everything in his house. Anna, a prim and proper little fish, patiently guides and protects him and his little sister, Sophie, as he chomps down on a deck of cards, the television, and the bathtub. Luckily, the amiable babysitter is able to escape his open maw. Visual gags abound with a bust of Neptune, a WWF (Whale Wrestling Federation) bedspread, and Jaws toothpaste. A giggle-filled storytime treat!

The same four little mice featured in other holiday books by this team are back to celebrate America's independence. The day is filled with traditional activities such as a parade, a picnic, baseball, swimming, waving sparklers, and watching fireworks. The rodents' enthusiasm and camaraderie are entertaining to follow and the rhyming text works well in the simple slice-of-life story. Clear, bright watercolors of the charming creatures fill the spreads and offer amusing details. A slight but pleasant tale about the rituals customarily observed in honoring an important day.

A wonderful blending of elements into a cohesive, thoroughly entertaining work that subtly introduces young readers to the world of music. While practicing, Berlioz the Bear detects a strange buzzing noise coming from his double bass. On the way to the concert with the rest of the bear band, he is so preoccupied with the sound that he accidently runs the wagon into a hole. The lead animal, a mule, refuses to budge, despite a series of animals who unsuccessfully try to pull the wagon out. At that moment, what should fly out of Berlioz's bass but a very angry bee that takes out its frustration on the mule's hindquarters. The sting does what the other animals failed to do; the wagonload of musicians goes careening into the village at full speed and arrives just in the nick of time. In tone, Brett's cumulative story has elements of traditional folklore, and her spare text begs to be read aloud. Her pen-and-ink, watercolor, and colored-pencil illustrations are richly, often humorously, detailed, and they sweep over each double-page spread. The brushwork is distinct, and the palette is a well-organized blend of earth tones with touches of red and blue. The artist's penchant for borders is evident, here taking the shape of a proscenium arch. The top portion of each arch shows the villagers' preparations for the performance while the side panels depict various animals enroute to the concert. The borders, manner of dress for the animals, and scenery all have a distinct flavor of traditional Austrian and Swiss culture.

This eye-catching picture book transports readers to a tropical rain forest. Smoothly incorporating a great deal of information, the text follows creatures such as a sloth, capuchin monkeys, and a poison-dart frog as they move through their habitat. Guiberson conveys the relationships among different animals by describing their activities at various times of day. Small dramas such as a squabble over nest space reveal the continual change and movement in this environment. Effective use of onomatopoeia further enhances the narrative with forest sounds. Jenkins uses his signature collage style to bring this realm alive for viewers. Although his humans seem a bit stiff, they are minor figures in the overall portrayal of the lush, green world. Even collections with several volumes about rain forests will want this introduction.

Here is another entry in deGroat's amiable series of school stories featuring a little opossum and his animal pals. This time Gilbert and his classmates are off on a field trip to Pilgrim Town to learn about the daily life of early settlers. Late to school, he gets stuck with Philip as his partner for the day. He's missed breakfast, can't play checkers on the bus with his friend Frank, and dreads spending the day with "tattle-tale" Philip. At the park, a series of minor misadventures winds up with Gilbert locked in a rest room. Luckily, Philip tracks him down and then finds someone to unlock the door. Once reunited with their class, Gilbert gives Philip the credit and takes responsibility for his foolish behavior. Their teacher displays remarkable forbearance. She reassures them that no harm has been done and celebrates their return with pumpkin pies and pilgrim hats. While the action isn't terribly exciting, this low-key story captures the emotions and behavior of early elementary students. DeGroat's watercolor illustrations add charm and humor to the straightforward text. The home and school environments are cozy and familiar, while details of the park scenes offer potential topics for further discussion. Parents, teachers, and librarians in search of a fun read-aloud for Thanksgiving will welcome this title.

In a story just right for young learners, Lewison adds bounce and freshness to a review of numbers. A little girl in a shiny red raincoat and green boots searches for the silver lining and catalogs the many things she encounters along the way. As she travels across the pages, the text counts up to 10 ("One little raindrop, / dark, dark sky. / Two little raindrops, / clouds go by") and back down again after she arrives home ("Ten little toes / in a nice warm tub. / Nine soapy bubbles, / scrub-a-dub-dub!"). The narrative is spare, simple, and rhythmic--easy for young listeners to commit to memory and "read" aloud--and Paparone's cheerful, boldly colored artwork will keep the rainy-day doldrums at bay. A bright pick-me-up for a soggy afternoon.

Whose tiny faces are peeking out from Santa's golden sleigh? Yikes! It's two of Santa's elves who are Christmas Eve stowaways. Beloved illustrator Jan Brett's version of The Night Before Christmas lets these two mischievous elves add their rambunctious spirit to this familiar 1823 rhyming story. Here, Santa and his reindeer land on the snowy roof of a Victorian mansion in New England. While Santa delivers the toys inside, the elves and the reindeer frolic around the lawn, as a pig (earmarked for a girl named Jan) and a few alphabet blocks spill out of sacks into the snow. Santa swiftly reins in the mischief-makers and "away they all flew like the down on a thistle." Brett's richly illustrated borders are lavishly decorated with antique toys, ornaments, and sweet treats, all surrounded with twisting golden ribbons. They also give us a window on the mansion's inhabitants, including the children watching Santa's departure in awe. A sugarplum of a Christmas story, just right for a reading before "a long winter's nap."

Henny Penny's sky-is-falling tale has been retold often enough that few probably even remember its source material--but that doesn't stop another retread, this one surprisingly conservative in its story-telling liberties, by Margie Palatini and dignified illustrator Barry Moser. Little Chucky Ducky was just drying off from a swim when he "heard the ground grumble. He felt the ground rumble. And then, with a stumble, Chucky Ducky went down in a tumble!" With that, Chucky Ducky takes off: "'Why, it's a quake!' he quacked. 'I have to warn my friends!'" So then Lucy Goosey, Brewster Rooster, Vickie, Nickie, and Rickie Chickie, et al., receive frantic and noisy warning. Eventually, a "wormy weasel"--a "sneaky," "very hungry," and "lying, conniving, wily" weasel--steps in to take advantage, cleverly disguised as Herman Ermine. Will the fowl and their farmyard friends find the true source of the seismic surprise before they end up as "one big banquet buffet"? For sure, the wacky Palatini does better with less restraint, and when she's teamed with an illustrator less precise than Moser (of the Pennyroyal Caxton Press edition of The Holy Bible). But surely Earthquack! is what it is, and accomplishes its goals with sufficient poise and skill.