REVIEWS Kids will find visual delight and lyric magic in these 20 plus riddle poems. Elem. grades.

K-Gr. 3. Produced in picture-book format, this collection of 23 original "riddle poems" is well designed for reading aloud. A short rhyme, usually four lines long, appears on the right-hand side of each double-page spread, accompanied by an illustration that contains at least one clue. A turn of the page reveals the answer in one or two words and a picture... The colorful illustrations... ... supply both subtle and overt clues while creating an appealing setting for the verse. ...an enjoyable book for children who are up to the challenge.

K-Gr 3-Each of the 23 original poems in this collection is accompanied by an illustration that gives a clue to the answer. Solutions are found on the following pages. The riddles range from the simple ("I chewed and I blew./It was the thing to do./Now I can't get it off my nose/and I can't get it off my shoe./Bubblegum") to the more challenging ("It's in the river/but not in the lake./It's in the raindrop/but not the snowflake./The letter R"). The double-page paintings, featuring two golden-haired children interacting and exploring the world around them, are bright, playful, and full of action. A good choice for riddle fans.

Riddles are the oldest guessing game in the world. They have been used as entertainment and as tests. In this book, the witty riddles are both. The author includes a note to the readers at the beginning, explaining that it is up to them to solve the riddles before turning the page to discover the answer. She writes, "If you listen carefully to the words and pay close attention to the pictures, this should not be too hard." Now retired and living in New York City, Morrison first published some collections of folk rhymes. She worked as a young people's librarian in The New York Public Library and served as Coordinator of Young Adult Services there. In this book, she stimulates minds with challenging riddles. One of the more difficult puzzles reads, "Shaped like a walnut, doesn't weigh much, yet gives birth to worlds. Can you imagine such? Dreams ride there. Poems hide there." The next page offers the answer: "the brain." Some riddles are somewhat easier; for instance: "I chewed and I blew. It was the thing to do. Now I can't get it off my nose and I can't get it off my shoe." No need to turn the page to discover the answer to this riddle; it is, of course, "bubble gum." The frolicsome, bright illustrations invite the reader to explore for the answers. The illustrator used vivid blues, yellows, purples, and reds to take the same little girl and boy through the pages of riddles. She illustrates the bubble gum riddle with the boy on a city street wearing bright red high-top sneakers, one of which is stuck inexplicably to the ground. The answer page shows the blonde, blue-eyed little girl blowing a huge pink bubble. Hale worked many years as a designer and art director in children's book publishing. She now works as a freelancer to pursue illustration and writing. A few of the riddles are a bit ambiguous for the age of the reader this book aims to reach. However, the majority are amusing and appropriately difficult, and flow with a fun rhythm. Hale's illustrations give life to these brain teasers. Morrison gives the oldest guessing game in the world a playful modern twist. Children will embrace the challenge and be rewarded with a bonus of humor.