Book "series" for young readers -- 3

If You Give..., by Laura Joffe Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond.  (Toddler/Preschool)

I just read the review I wrote over two years about "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie".  I still agree with it, so I will repeat part of it here.

You cannot go wrong with any "If You Give..." book. Numeroff's stories are sweet and silly, funny and charming, but what really make these books so well-loved by so many children and adults is the magic that is Felicia Bond's illustration.  Even when Numeroff's writing becomes perhaps a little stilted or overly-silly after having written so many "If You Give..." books, Bond's illustrations swoop in and save the day.  The whole becomes greater than the parts when an excellent storyteller is teamed with an excellent illustrator.

Interestingly, I've read a few books that Felicia Bond has written.  Her writing is fine, and, of course her illustrations are wonderful, but I find the books lack the spark that makes the "If You Give..." series so endearing and enduring.