This old favorite gets a sprightly new workout in Cabrera's adorable offering. The duo going around the mulberry bush "on a cold and frosty morning" is a small spotted puppy and an even younger sibling. Lots of verses are added to the familiar refrain as the puppies brush their teeth, put on cold-weather gear, and march to school, where they show readers, "This is the way we read and write, / On a cold and frosty afternoon." (A bit of a scanning problem there.) The day continues through the chilly evening until it's time for bed. The text does go on a little, but the puppies and their friends, drawn in the style of very talented primary-age artists, are so cute and the scenarios so appealing, it's not likely little ones will mind. A fun read-aloud, or more aptly put, read-along, because children will want to pick up on the chant.

This expanded version of the classic children's song follows two Dalmatian pups as they prepare for school, brave the cold (and walk past that titular bush), learn and play, return home, and get ready for bed. The winter chill is no match for the warmth radiating from Cabrera's illustrations, in which the pups' mom is a reassuringly steady (if blessedly on-the-sidelines) presence.

Cabrera adapts another nursery rhyme and singing game into sprightly picture-book format for the toddler and preschool set ( One, Two, Buckle My Shoe , 2009, etc.). The well-known rhyme is expanded to follow two Dalmatian pups and their mother as they get up, get ready for school, play, learn, play some more and prepare for bed. Each dog has a simple identifying feature: Mom has eyelashes, older pup has a black circle around his eye and young pup is small. Young readers will enjoy the vibrant hues, outlined in black, used to paint the familiar everyday activities described in the text: "This is the way we brush our teeth... This is the way we march to school... This is the way we read and write... This is the way we splash around... This is the way we settle down." For those tempted to sing along, the added syllable in the verses that end, "On a cold and frosty afternoon," is a bit clunky, but this is a slight issue in an otherwise smooth title. Sure to be equally successful for one-on-one sharing and storytime groups. (Picture book. 2-5)

PreS-Gr 1 Cabrera has rewritten the classic children's song to describe the antics of two black-and-white spotted puppies as they wake up on a cold and frosty late-autumn morning, go to school, and play at home before settling down to bed in the evening. Each verse is pictured in a full-bleed spread in the artist's trademark palette of bright, swirly colors and thick-lined stuffed-animal-looking characters. The bright endpapers cheerfully depict the puppies' toys. Other versions of this song include Iza Trapani's tale about animals raiding food from a garden and a multicultural sing-along story by Sophie Fatus and Fred Penner. An additional choice for libraries needing another "How we go to school" song for preschool storytimes. Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT