K-Gr 2-- The artwork and texts of these books almost guarantee they will melt into the mass of unimaginative beginning readers now available. Written in forced rhyme, they will not captivate any young readers. Lunn pairs objects that go together (Spouts and whales,''dogs and bones,'' etc.) in Spiders and Webs. Unfortunately, the plural nouns are usually illustrated by single object--a spout, a dog, a spider. In Messy Bessey's Closet , a small black girl has too many things in her closet. The didactic message--to clean up and give away her unused objects--comes through especially clear because there is so little else to the story. Sneaky Pete is known for his ability to hide while his family searches for him. This volume is a little more appealing than the others; the characters have some spirit. The strengths in these books are the word lists (which some parents and teachers find helpful) and the fact that the characters are multiethnic. The finished products, though, are ho-hum. Those looking for beginning-to-read series should check out Random's Bank Street Ready-to-Read books and Step into Reading series. --Gale W. Sherman, Pocatello Public Library, ID