DUNK SKUNK

Rex follows up Truck Duck (2004) with another set of exuberant-looking animals, set against plain backgrounds of bright primary hues and matched to two-word rhymes on stiff card stock. This time around, he celebrates athletics and adds a bit of plot: “Kick Chick” whomps a soccer ball that “Goal Mole” deftly deflects, for instance; “Bat Cat” clobbers a baseball over the head of “Glove Dove”; “Freestyle Crocodile” zooms through on a skateboard; and “Quarterback Yak” passes to “Receiver Beaver” past a line of pompom-waving “Cheer Deer.” The action, the bright colors and the rhyming sounds add up to a winner well worth sharing with pre-emergent readers. (Picture book. 2-4)