Piggie Pie (by Margie Palatini)

The illustrations are suffused with colors with soft edges that make a potentially scary witch more little-kid-friendly. Still, sensitive kids may be spooked. The final picture, where the Big Bad Wolf daydreams about the witch's head in a hamburger bun, sounds scarier than it looks, but may be a bit much for some kids. The pigs, in their clever farmyard disguises, will delight kids whose eyes are certainly sharper than old Gritch the Witch's.

Written for read-alouds, this book begs for an animated storyteller. Frustrated actors reading to their preschoolers will delight in Gritch's over-the-top dialogue. With sly tributes to at least three popular kids' stories (Wizard of Oz, Old MacDonald, and The Three Little Pigs), this is sure to be a popular read-aloud -- and with adult help, kids can get in on the jokes, too.