(2) K-3 Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. When Samuel's mother expresses an ardent wish for "a brown-eyed cow to give us milk for the baby," Samuel and his father pack a couple of apples and their best Barlow knife to trade and set out down the road as the cold January clouds gather. At each stop, the boy, who loves animals and longs for a pet, wishes, "just a little bit, it wasn't a brown-eyed cow his mother was wanting." As they swap the Barlow knife first for two tin lanterns and then, successively, briefly come into the possession of a book of poetry, a blue-and-white pitcher, a lamb, and a pony and cart, the daylight begins to wane and the snow begins to fall in earnest. Along the way, readers are privy to the warm interactions between father and son as well as their easy rapport with their neighbors. The narrative is spare and engaging with a folktale-like tone and storyteller's flair for repeated phrasing. Yelchin's lively full-color paintings are full of motion and realistic natural detail. The period and the setting are not specified; rather, this is a bit of timeless rural Americana. The circular journey is a successful one, and Samuel proves his mettle as a companion and helper--and has earned his heart's desire.

Reviewer: Luann Toth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(1) YA Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. Historian and diplomat (and spy) Brangwain Spurge has been sent from Elfland to the neighboring goblin kingdom. He befriends his host, goblin archivist Werfel. Unbeknownst to them both, however, their nations are preparing for war. Pen-and-ink illustrations resembling medieval lithographs represent Spurge's not-always-reliable spy reports; with touches of humor, whimsy, irony, and menace, they're well suited to both the acerbic wit and the affecting tenderness of Anderson's prose.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2018

(1) K-3 Translated by Madelca Domínguez. Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. Deedy's original story has the feel and cadence of a well-told folktale. A repressive new mayor of a noisy village outlaws public singing, then imposes ever-stricter laws. Seven silent years pass before change struts into La Paz in the form of a loud, fearless little rooster. Lively art captures both the story's humor and its more sobering points. Also available in a bilingual edition, with Spanish translation. Review covers these titles: ¡El gallo que no se callaba! / The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet! and The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet!.

Reviewer: Julie Roach

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. Deedy's original story has the feel and cadence of a well-told folktale. A repressive new mayor of a noisy village outlaws public singing, then imposes ever-stricter laws. Seven silent years pass before change struts into La Paz in the form of a loud, fearless little rooster. Lively art captures both the story's humor and its more sobering points. Also available in a bilingual edition, with Spanish translation. Review covers these titles: ¡El gallo que no se callaba! / The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet! and The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet!.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2017

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. When merchant Ahmad brings a mysterious creature to his village, curious villagers climb through a window in his barn, each touching just a part of the creature and leaping to conclusions about what it might be. Yelchin's paintings balance the characteristic Persian style of repetitive patterns with lots of open space. The book should provide opportunities for discussions about perception.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2015

(2) PS Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. Baby's crying wakes family dog Roy, then Mother and Father, the rest of the family, and the neighbors. The sound effects–heavy text describes each person's efforts to soothe the child. Roy's actions are first rebuffed, but he had the answer all along. Baby, reunited with her stuffed-animal sheep, drifts off to sleep--at six a.m. Collage illustrations against rich-hued backdrops have energy.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2015

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. Kitty Won Ton (Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku) is not happy about the new puppy. Yelchin's graphite and gouache illustrations depict with sensitivity and humor the sleek gray cat's initial fear and horror alongside the roly-poly brown puppy. Each haiku is complete in itself; together the poems create a whole tale of displacement and eventual mutual understanding.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2015

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. With each poem featuring two distinct voices, Gerber subtly creates informative conversations between flowers, seeds, roots, bees, and other living things in this playful poetry book. Yelchin's graphite and gouache art, full of cool greens and electric yellows that pulsate off the pages, effectively captures the movement of the subject matter. A final page sums up the science behind the chatter.

Reviewer: Shara Hardeson

(3) PS Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. Eight dogs humor their owners by allowing themselves to be dressed up for a neighborhood pet parade. Joosse's lighthearted text and Yelchin's humorous gouache illustrations on colored pages allow the different breeds--with wildly varying personalities--to shine in their costumes, from ghost to superhero to hot dog complete with bun.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. In a series of haiku (technically "senryu"), a cat narrates the story of his adoption from a shelter and his new life. The animal's fear, pride, and gradual trust come across clearly in Wardlaw's poems. Yelchin's graphite and gouache pictures match the poems' sensitivity and humor, with the cat's wariness giving way over time to an enjoyment of his new environment.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2011

(3) PS Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. One spring day, Mama Bird must find food for each of her seven nest-bound babies. She feeds them one at a time, energetically at first ("Mama zips back...") and later exhaustedly ("Mama staggers back..."). Fleming's rhymes are inventive, and the gouache art keeps pace with Mama's increasingly bedraggled state. Yelchin honors the book's surprise ending with due humor.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. In this venerable Yiddish tale, a prince throws off his clothes and acts like a rooster. Cures fail, but an old man has a plan: by imitating the boy, he lures him into conversation. Stampler's witty storytelling nicely dramatizes such concepts as excess and compassion. Yelchin underlines the tale's subtlety and humor with apt caricatures rendered in minimal line and vivid gouache.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2010

(3) PS Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. "Eeny, meeny, miney, moe! / Who ate all the cookie dough?" A kangaroo mom is flummoxed: Who ate the bowlful of cookie dough she had prepared for baking? Infectious repetitive rhyming verse, eye-catching gouache illustrations with ample white space, and a lift-the-flap surprise combine to create a joyful tale sure to please the toddler read-aloud crowd.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. In this fresh modern-day fable, Farooqi explains, with wonderful tongue-in-cheek authority, how ants, once shoe-proud, came to be unshod. (It's all because the sole cobbler ant went on permanent vacation.) The art--meticulous vignettes set against lots of white space--is stylish and witty.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. Hodgman's home is a veritable ark, and that's the way she likes it. In this chatty pet-care guide meets tell-all, Hodgman dishes oodles of details about the different animals she's cared for--from guinea pigs and finches to pygmy mice and sugar gliders. Yelchin's black-and-white illustrations capture Hodgman's deep affection for her brood. Animal lovers will lap it all up.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2008