(3) PS Illustrated by Claudio Munoz. Unable to sleep, Pig Figwort goes looking for fun, but everyone under the sea and at the North Pole wants to sleep, not play. Then Pig Figwort flies to the moon, where he frolics with wakeful moon pigs until he's ready for bed. Rich language makes this a good read-aloud, and the spirited illustrations, a combination of imaginative spreads and Olivia-style vignettes, bring Pig Figwort and his adventures to life.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(2) YA Ran's story centers on a brief idyllic period framed by two incidents of violence extraordinary even for those rough times--it's the Viking era in the last generation before the advent of Christianity. Branford's deftly drawn characters and authentic details of daily survival leave an indelible impression, while the pervasive violence forms a stark setting that renders Ran's fleeting time for love especially sweet.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1999

(4) 4-6 In this first-person narrative, a white wolf describes his captivity by a settler family, his pursuit by Native Americans, and his eventual acceptance into a wolf pack. The historical setting is vaguely defined, which suits the wolf's limited perspective but somewhat weakens the reader's interest in a story fraught with coincidences and prosaic details of animal life.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) 4-6 An unnamed hunting dog narrates her experiences living with a peasant couple who participate in a fourteenth-century English political rebellion and suffer its devastating consequences. The historical episode is so obliquely described that most young American readers will probably not understand its significance. However, the dog's detailed observations of nature and animal life are highly readable and moving.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.