(4) K-3 Illustrated by Rob Ryan. A young girl has an epiphany in the woods: "she wanted to be buried in this plot of land when she died." She lives her life and achieves her goal. This contemplative story, with its quiet, cryptic narration, will speak more to adults than to children. The accompanying cut-paper silhouette illustrations are intricate and lovely.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Catherine Hyde. A king offers a reward to whoever can warm his daughter, who's always cold. A stranger with dubious motives brings her blankets culled from nature, but it's the love of a musician that finally saves the day. Poetic but turgid, this original fairy tale holds little appeal for younger readers. In the striking illustrations, dark acrylics, flecked with metal, reveal the princess's pale face.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli. This poetic tale postulates that moonlight is composed of tears collected by a wraith-like creature called the Tear Thief. The book is as airy as its premise, the storytelling meandering and precious ("'How old are you?' 'As old as joy and sorrow.' 'Where do you live?' 'In every place where children cry'"). Ceccoli's dreamlike acrylic illustrations add an attractive luminescent veneer.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin