(3) K-3 Based on the New York City Ballet production choreographed by Peter Martins, after Marius Petipa and George Balanchine. This picture book of the familiar "Sleeping Beauty" fairy tale adds a few details unique to the ballet, such as the famous fairy-tale characters that attend Aurora's wedding. Docampo's illustrations take center stage as her whimsically elongated figures capture the unearthly grace of ballet dancers.

Reviewer: Mariko Turk

(3) K-3 Based on the New York City Ballet production of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker®. This picture book places ballet front and center. Dancers portraying ethereal snowflakes and delicious treats from other lands, along with the Sugarplum Fairy, welcome Marie and her Nutcracker Prince for a night of celebration in the Land of Sweets. Dramatic illustrations in a sugary palette underscore the story's magic and the beauty of the ballet.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2016

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Valeria Docampo. Fourth grader Penelope Crumb juggles the complexities of co-ed gym-class square dancing and cruel social dynamics in this book. Partnered with sweaty Hugo Gordon (a fifth grader!) and dubbed "Wartgirl" after a failed attempt to get out of gym, Penelope's take on her troubles makes enjoyable reading. Though a number of side plots are left dangling, this is a satisfying fourth installment.

Reviewer: Julie Roach

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Valeria Docampo. Never without her deceased father's old toolbox, Penelope knows all about trying to hold on to those you've lost, but when her best friend buys a "friends forever" necklace with another girl, she discovers that even living people are hard to hold on to. Penelope comes more into her own in this breezy chapter book sequel to Penelope Crumb.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2013

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Valeria Docampo. In this third installment, fourth grader Penelope Crumb worries about "the Bad Luck." Desperately wanting to drive the Bad Luck away, she gets into trouble assisting a retired Coney Island fortuneteller. The first-person narrative magnifies the wacky humor of Penelope's unique observations and phrasings, and readers can compare her (not-always-reliable) perspective with that shown in the occasional spot art.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2013

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Valeria Docampo. Angelina Neatolini's proclivity for playing in the dirt conflicts with the ideals of her neat-freak family. When a hard-of-hearing ladybug fairy godmother mistakes the word pet for pest, Angelina finds her house full of carpenter bees, pink widow spiders, and a pastry baking bug. The plot is familiar, but Docampo's vibrant, energetic gouache illustrations will charm young readers.

Reviewer: Sophie Williamson

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Valeria Docampo. Princess Amanita delights in dangerous things, so the thorny stems of Prince Florian's roses win her over. She requests rose seeds from his gardener, but noses grow instead. On her perilous journey to return the noses, Amanita realizes that friendship might be as desirable as danger. The story is overly strange, but Docampo's art, with its razor-sharp lines and vivid colors, is eye-catching.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Valeria Docampo. Fourth-grader Penelope Crumb joins the growing party of precocious, idiosyncratic girls starring in early chapter books. Penelope wants to be an artist, believes aliens abducted her older brother, struggles to fit into the classroom environment, and has just embraced the reality of her very large nose. Occasional spot art offers visual perspective as first-person narrator Penelope seems prone to exaggeration.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2012

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Valeria Docampo. Medio Pollito is a chicken with one leg, one eye, etc. In this adaptation of a well-known Spanish folktale, the chick sets out to see the king, helping the stream, fire, and wind along the way. They, in turn, save him from becoming chicken soup. As usual, Kimmel's retelling, accompanied by Docampo's spirited acrylic and pencil illustrations, is perfect for reading aloud.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Valeria Docampo. Emma's grandfather taught her how to tap dance before she knew how to talk. Through the years tapping was a way they could communicate. When Pop begins to lose his memory, Emma tries to find a way to remind him of their bond. Exaggerated gouache and pencil illustrations downplay the sentimentality of this story about family, love, and dance.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Valeria Docampo. Three little anthropomorphized tamales are terrorized by Señor Lobo in this Latino takeoff on "The Three Little Pigs." The tamales have got character, as shown in Docampo's motion-filled oil illustrations, and the wolf is hilarious, especially as he tries to penetrate the third little tamale's secure cactus fortress. Kimmel's text is eminently readable, as usual. Glos.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham