Jane Cabrera

Child-friendly illustrations bring the additional verses to the familiar rhyme to life in this lively recasting.

The familiar rhyme continues all the way to 20 as a rabbit helps the farm animals get ready for a party. A small chick on each page encourages young readers to look closely as chicks are hidden on each spread. Bright, boldly lined illustrations are appealing and child-like.

After a wonderful party, birthday girl Grace sits down to thank her friends and family for all their kind gifts. But she doesn’t stop there — as she writes, Grace realizes there are so many things to be grateful for! So she thanks her teacher for helping her learn to write. She thanks her dog for his cheerful wagging tail. She even thanks the sky for being perfectly, beautifully blue.

Can a giraffe actually drive a bus? It’s possible in a book in which a group of noisy animals are on their way to go swimming. This colorful, lively spin on a familiar song is sure to delight the youngest — and perhaps start a conversation about who really drives a bus.

Meet a grand old woman who lives in a shoe with lots and lots of children. She also makes stew for the diverse cast of kids (and animals), mends their clothes, and fixes broken furniture! A well-known rhyme becomes new again in bright illustration and fresh verse.

Additional verses are added to the familiar ditty and illustrated in the artist’s signature naïve style. The little star sparkles, flickers, shimmers, and glistens around the whole world watched by animal parents and their young in different settings ending with a human baby and mother.