In this tale from the team behind Farm Friends Clean Up, five forest inhabitants gather around the campfire and take turns responding to Boar's prompt, "Who has a story about one of the five senses?" Hawk tells of the time that his impaired vision caused him to crash into a mountain; Bear was once stung by a bee (on the tongue) while foraging and couldn't taste honey. Fortunately, in each case, Dr. Owl was around to dispense the appropriate medical care—whether it meant plucking splinters from Squirrel's paws or cleaning excess wax from Rabbit's ears so he could hear again. Though the premise is forced, the text may inspire some cause-and-effect discussions about the five senses from young readers, and may even placate those who are doctor's office–phobic. But it's Chessa's earth-toned, dense brushwork that supplies the book's real pleasure. Making the most of the book's oblong format, she stretches many of her full-bleed scenes across an entire spread for maximum visual impact. In one humorous vignette, a bewildered-looking Skunk—who has been sprayed accidentally by a friend but is so congested that he can't smell the results—occupies one end of a seesaw, while all his animal friends huddle together at the other end, holding their own or each other's noses. Ages 3-6. (Nov.)
