(4) K-3 Illustrated by David C. Gardner. This wordy story offers an ultimately hopeful picture of immigrant children in WWI-era New York City during the influenza outbreak. With a sick mother, soldier father, housework, and younger siblings to care for, young tenement girl Rettie's only opportunity for extra pennies is at the annual "Ragamuffin Parade" on Thanksgiving. Painterly illustrations offer hazy depictions of place, time, and living situation; an author's note offers historical context.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Kris Aro McLeod. Lizzie, who adores school, is dismayed when summer vacation begins; she mistakenly thought first grade would last for twelve whole months. Luckily her teacher, who also loves school, is teaching summer school in the park, so Lizzie happily joins her there. The resolution is satisfying, though it seems improbable Lizzie doesn't know about summer vacation. Energetic illustrations reflect Lizzie's ups and downs.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Gerald Kelley. Recounting legend, the story begins with the monstrous Jersey Devil's birth on an ominous stormy evening in 1735 in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. After numerous strange occurrences in town, people attempt to capture the fabled creature, but all in vain. The illustrations, heavily shadowed with creepy exaggerations, successfully create an eerie mood, but the storytelling falls flat.

Reviewer: Randy Ribay

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Stephen Costanza. This retelling of a Ukrainian tale pairs two mothers--spider and human--doing the best for their families on a cold Christmas Eve. The story's sentiments are moving, though the self-conscious narrative veers toward saccharine. The folksy illustrations are much more successful: varying perspectives, delicate lines, and frosty scenes imbue the tale with holiday magic.

Reviewer: Brittany Schlorff

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Doris Ettlinger. Delly is happy to go barefoot until her stuck-up classmate teases her about being too poor to own shoes. Delly finds a way to stand out at the Shoebox Social with a little help from her folks and a lot of her own talent: her hand-painted shoes and matching box outshine everyone else's. Realistic illustrations lovingly depict a close-knit rural community.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 Tales of Young Americans series. Illustrated by Robert Papp. Set during the Battle of Gettysburg, this story tells of Gabe, a young bugler for the Union Army. In the heat of the three-day battle, Gabe, having lost two brothers already in the war, is torn between his concerns for his remaining brother's safety and for his new Confederate friend. Papp's paintings add depth and beauty to the sometimes dense text.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Robert Papp. Maddy Rose, a child living in Philadelphia in 1777, spies for the Patriots by hanging her petticoats and stockings on a clothesline to represent the British ships in Philadelphia Harbor. The story is entirely fiction, although the facts about the Revolutionary War and spying are accurate. Papp's pictures create the historical setting for the involving tale about heroism.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Steven Kellogg. Jimmy and his boa are back, as the two get tangled up in Miss Peachtree's dance class. Somehow, through the dizzy excitement in the gymnasium, the snake proves to be a perfect recruit for Jimmy's basketball team. Kellogg's familiar detailed art depicts the busy, friendly chaos of kids, rabbits, and the amiable orange-spotted boa.

Reviewer: Charlotte S. Huck

(3) K-3 Translated by Rita Guibert. When Jimmy brings his boa constrictor on a class field trip to a farm, chaos and comedy result. This Spanish edition of 'The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash' is well translated.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.