Putting forth your best effort is the theme of this intermediate easy reader set during an elementary-school sports day. The African-American PE teacher, Mr. York, encourages a little girl named Ann, who thinks she isn't good at sports. He urges her to try each activity with the repeated refrain of "just try your best," which she reciprocates when Mr. York joins a relay race. The simple story has a cheerful, positive tone complemented by Cepeda's paintings in bright primary colors. The Green Light Readers format also includes discussion questions, a simple activity suggestion, author and illustrator bios, and two additional pages of information on the series. (Easy reader. 5-7)

K-Gr 2-Two easy-to-read stories with bright, engaging illustrations. In the first title, Ann doesn't think she is very good at athletics. During Sports Day, she is encouraged to try her best and ends up having a great time. In the second book, Kim has just moved to the big city and doesn't know anyone. When her dog runs away, she looks for him in her neighborhood and makes some new friends. Both offerings include repetitive phrases as well as short sentences so that even nonreaders can catch on quickly and recite some of the lines. Each title ends with plot-related questions, information about the author and illustrator, and a simple craft.-Kristina Aaronson, Henniker Community School, NH Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Grouchy Old Man Fookwire, who dislikes everything but birds, wages a battle of wits with the crafty squirrels that raid his birdfeeders. After the birds fly south, the squirrels attempt to make amends. The angular illustrations, showing contraptions created by Fookwire and the squirrels, are a good match for the tongue-in-cheek narrative.