Three read-alongs from Live Oak's extensive line introduce a newer book and two classic titles with clearly read word-for-word narration, both with and without page-turn signals. Joan Lexau's Don't Be My Valentine (Harper, 1952) is a humorous entry in the holiday book category. Hi, Cat! (Macmillian, 1970), by Ezra Jack Keats, tells of a cat's ruinous interference with an improvised neighborhood street show. Ruth Krauss' A Hole Is to Dig (Harper, 1952) is an amusing "dictionary of first definitions." The narrator of this last title has the clearest and most effective voice of all three selections. For all the books, sound effects are kept to a minimum but are just right. The guide for each is well done. These versatile library resources can be used individually or with groups. Ages 4-8. --Jean Silady

This reissue tells the story of Peter's friend Archie and the inquisitive, nondescript, half-grown alley cat that tags after him and manages to make a shambles out of the boys' street carnival. The text provides an adequate framework for Keats's bold bright paintings of a lively city neighborhood. From HORN BOOK Fall 1999, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.