According to the giant wristwatch on Pete the cat's skinny arm, it's 12 o'clock, which means it's lunchtime. Pete decides on a sandwich and starts with a loaf of bread, "a yummy fish," tomato, and mayo. But the sandwich is "too small," so "Pete adds a pickle. / Pete adds cheese. / Pete adds an egg, / two hot dogs, / a banana, / and a can of beans." But when his enormous eyes are bigger than his belly, Pete whips out his cell and invites friends to share. As in the previous Pete the Cat books, Dean's naïf blue feline is a real charmer and the simple sentences are spot-on for emergent readers.

DEAN, James . Pete the Cat: Play Ball! ISBN 978-0-06-211067-1 ; ISBN 978-0-06-211066-4 . ea vol: illus. by author. 32p. (I Can Read! Series). HarperCollins / Harper . 2013. Tr $16.99; pap. $3.99. PreS-Gr 2- In Big Lunch , Pete decides to make a sandwich. Of course, the more he adds, the bigger it becomes. This is a good thing because he is really, really hungry. He forgets to remove the wrappers and adds cans, jars, and boxes to the ever-teetering tower of items. As he piles on the food, children's giggles will grow right along with the expanding "sandwich." Once it becomes too big for the small cat to consume, he must think of a clever solution to his dilemma, which he does with a little help from his friends. In Play Ball !, Pete is baseball ready and his team, the Rocks, are facing the Rolls in a big game. The players warm up and, when the game is over, both sides greet one another with high fives. Even though Pete does not play his best game, he has a good attitude about making mistakes and not being sad about errors he made. This is a great title to spark a discussion about sportsmanship. In both books, simple cartoon art in bold colors and large text make the books a treat for beginning readers. Janene Corbin, Rosebank Elementary School, Nashville, TN

Pete the Cat makes a towering sandwich, which he shares with friends; he plays baseball and strikes out, but has fun regardless ("He is not sad. He did his best"). Neither easy-to-read story is all that compelling, but Lunch is more entertaining than Ball, which reads like instructions for good sportsmanship. The colorful, stylized illustrations lend both books a lighthearted tone.