Water in the Park by Emily Jenkins, and: Boris Gets a Lizard by Andrew Joyner, and: Boris on the Move by Andrew Joyner (review)

In Boris on the Move, young warthog Boris dreams of adventure, and thus is thrilled when his family uproots their previously stationary RV-like bus from boring Hogg Bay and head to parts unknown. He's sadly disappointed, however, when the bus only goes as far as Greater Hogg Bay Conservation Park and a grumpy Boris has to partake in a family hike. While he doesn't encounter the lion he'd feared, he does meet a nice stray cat, who is quickly adopted and dubbed "Lion." In Boris Gets a Lizard, Boris invites the local zoo to send their Komodo dragon on vacation to Boris' home and excitedly tells all his friends about his impending visitor. When it turns out the Komodo dragon doesn't make home visits, he quickly substitutes a skink for his classmates' viewing, claiming it's a baby Komodo dragon, but it escapes, sending everyone into a panic. The plot in on the Move is lackluster and rambling, but Boris is a likable guy, and the development of Gets a Lizard is much stronger and more satisfying. While the page count is longer than that of many easy readers, the numerous full-color illustrations fill much of that space; the brief text will be decodable to many primary-graders despite some challenging vocabulary. Joyner's illustrations are crisply and tidily composed, and the gray shaggy-haired but anthropomorphized warthogs have a springy energy. Boris' desires for adventure and for exotic pets will resonate with most kids; readers who want a "thicker" book but who aren't yet quite up to the challenge of a lengthier chapter book will find these Australian imports fill the bill nicely.