Sometimes you are just the odd frog out, as is the case with Joe (in an encore performance) in Anderson's tumbling tumbleweed of a tale. Young Joe goes begging for action at the extended-family picnic. "Let's go!" he urges kith and kin, each and every one of whom has some reason to decline his invitation: too busy cooking or eating or talking. Even the frog cousins close to his own age give him the bum's rush. It takes Grandma to appreciate the rolling joy of wheels going round, and Joe happily clambers aboard her wheelchair. "Grandma said, To the ice cream store!' / And they went until they could go no more." Anderson's art, with its expressive lines full of brightly colored action, are clean visual narratives depicting Joe in red overalls while trying everything with wheels, from skateboard to toy train and toy airplane to baby buggy. The simple rhymed text has the kind of legs that Joe would admire: tireless, and shot through with the music of motion. (Easy reader. 4-8)

PreS-Gr 1-Joe the frog is back for another outing-this time at a family reunion. When all of his relatives gather for a cookout, he has trouble finding someone to play with as all of the other guests are either too busy or don't want to "go" with little Joe. Finally, he connects with Grandma, who is more than willing to spend some time with her grandson. Beginning readers will enjoy the rollicking rhyme and equally active art. They will also identify with Joe's need for attention and the endless refusals he receives. The book's design gives new readers a nice crisp background for the short and repetitive text. The pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations of the busy frog family pop against the white backgrounds. Anderson has compiled a variety of forms of rolling transportation that children will recognize-roller skates, scooters, baby strollers, skateboards, and, finally, Grandma's wheelchair, which affords Joe a chance to go. A book with a lot of child appeal.-Maura Bresnahan, High Plain Elementary School, Andover, MA Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

True to the small child's viewpoint of a world full of powerful grown-ups, the latest uproarious picture book about Joe the frog perfectly captures Joe's frustration as he tries to get attention and join the adults' activities at a family reunion. One at a time, Joe tries to pull away Mom, Dad, uncles, aunts, and cousins, but everyone is too busy cooking, eating, gossiping, and cycling. Finally, one beloved relative responds, "Let's go!" Illustrated with bright, boisterous line-and-watercolor pictures, the simple rhyming text ("Then he sat down and began to bawl. / Too fast, too slow, too big, too small") will draw story hour listeners as well as beginning readers to a scenario they may recognize.

Little Joe the frog wants to be on the go, whether with a scooter, wagon, or tricycle. But the other frogs are too busy with their family reunion to play with him. Young-at-heart Grandma, who has her own set of wheels, may be Joe's salvation. The rhymes are uninspired, but the bright illustrations add to the playful atmosphere.