Alyssa Satin Capucilli

The story is another forgettable iteration of the Biscuit formula. The cute little puppy gets up to some mild mischief while the little girl does something special for him; this time it's a birthday party.

But the fact that Biscuit is having a birthday does bring up some questions I have had about this series. I always assumed Biscuit was a Golden Retriever puppy, but if he is a now year old as the single candle on his "cake" suggests, then he would be significantly larger if he were a show more Golden. So is he some sort of mixed breed? Of course the little girl could just be playing birthday on a random day or celebrating his "one-month" or "first-quarter" birthday, I suppose. Or the author may have the same frozen-in-time literary conceit in mind that has kept Maggie Simpson in diapers for more than three decades. Is Biscuit a perpetual puppy? That seems most likely.

Also, as a cataloguing aside, my 2005 version of this book is entitled, Biscuit's Birthday, but it contains the exact same pictures and stories as the 1999 Happy Birthday, Biscuit! with the addition in the back of the book of six pages of activities (word search, maze, connect-the-dots, color by numbers, word jumble, circle the right objects) and an answer page. So it's a deluxe edition of sorts. show less

A little bear is reluctant to part with his mother on his first day at Bear School, indifferent to her claim that he will (like all little bears) enjoy it. "Not this bear," he insists. When his teacher, Mr. Bear, invites him to participate in various activities, assuring him that all the little bears like them, our ursine hero repeats his mantra, "Not this bear." But after an enjoyable day of story-time, snacks and play, when he is asked if he wants to leave, it turns out that once again the show more answer is "Not this bear."

Although it doesn't really cover any new ground, Not This Bear is a sweet little exploration of first-day-of-school jitters, offering plenty of reassurance to young children approaching this milestone in their lives. I appreciated the ending, in which our ursine hero stays in character ("Not this bear!") but also indicates his changed opinion of school. The artwork by Lorna Hussey, done in watercolor and graphite, is colorful and expressive. The little bear's expressions, from anxiety and sadness to gleeful enjoyment, are all deftly captured. Recommended to anyone looking for engaging new picture-books about going off to school for the first time. show less

There's a newborn infant in Biscuit's house. The little girl of the series is run ragged keeping the mischievous puppy away from all the new baby toys and trying to prevent his barking from rousing baby from its nap.

Still cute, but the vagueness of the humans with their lack of names and even gender for the baby feels increasingly weird. Is there some book or even author's interview where the little girl's name is revealed?

Waking up one Halloween morning quite hungry, Naggy, Craggy and Scraggy Witch decide to make bone soup in this deliciously spooky picture-book. Soon off to their monstrous neighbor's house, they request some water to boil their bone. What follows is an unusual trick-or-treating experience, as the three witches, as well as a growing assortment of creepy companions, slowly add ingredient after ingredient to their tasty brew. Finishing off with a little magic, their bone soup is ready to feed show more everyone...

Offering an entertaining Halloween take on the classic folktale of Stone Soup, Bone Soup: A Spooky, Tasty Tale pairs an engagingly eery tale from American author Alyssa Satin Capucilli with creepy but cute artwork from British illustrator Tom Knight. An amazing array of creature - monsters, ghosts, ghouls, bats, skeletons, mummies, werewolves, vampires - contribute to the witches' soup, and each one is depicted in a charming way. I really enjoyed the visuals here, which bumped this one up from a three to a four-star book in my estimation. The inclusion of a recipe for bone soup at the rear was also a nice touch. Recommended to anyone seeking Halloween picture-books. show less