(3) K-3 "Monkey said, 'How are you?' when he met the..." With the flip of a flap, the rhyme is completed ("kangaroo"); each of six spreads offers a hint at the answer in its texturally dynamic layout. Brown illustrates her congenial animal-name guessing game with friendly-looking critters.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 A mother cat who lives in a lighthouse saves her kitten from a terrible storm. In the illustrations behind this simple, satisfying story, an even more dramatic one unfolds: the famous 1838 rescue of thirteen shipwrecked passengers by heroic young Grace Darling. Expressive watercolors capture the ferocity of the storm as well as the coziness inside the lighthouse in both rescues' aftermath.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(1) K-3 In the kitchen, mice Billy and Bo find treats--but also a monster ("Just some brooms and mops," assures Bo). Sharp-eyed readers will spot what Billy is actually afraid of: a cat, stalking the mice through each room. Brown's richly detailed acrylic and watercolor illustrations with satisfying lift-the-flaps and one spectacular pop-up are deliciously detailed and creepy.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2009

(4) K-3 An old tree is home to squabbling rabbits, squirrels, birds, and a cranky badger, but a large X painted on the tree signifies its impending demolition. The animals come up with a clever solution just in time to save their home from destruction. The fastidiously old-fashioned nature of Brown's acrylic and watercolor illustrations balances the modern (and overt) environmentalist message.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(2) PS This on-target counting book with a gardening theme takes readers through the life cycle of a sunflower from seed to plant and back to seed. Each coated-stock page brings a new view of the plant's growth. While clues to both the disappearance and growth of the original seeds are provided in the spare text, impeccable details can be found in the gentle illustrations, providing an opportunity to hone scientific observation skills.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2001

(3) PS Slimy Snail travels across a varied landscape--"through a tunnel," "over a bridge," and "down a slope." The brief, repetitive text is accompanied by close-up snail's-eye-view paintings in earthy colors. At the end, an amusing two-page spread reveals Slimy's trail from a human perspective: the tunnel is actually a flower pot; the bridge, a basket handle; and the slope, a gardening trowel.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) PS Brown's paean to her pet will please cat lovers of all ages; others may find the story a bit sentimental. Holly grows from a timid stray kitten into a confident cat with kittens of her own. The adept artwork injects some humor into the true story--when the text states that Holly "settled into her new home," the picture depicts the wiry kitten climbing the draperies, and another scene shows Holly bringing her owner (who is standing on a chair) the gift of a mouse.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) K-3 Romantic illustrations detail a girl's topsy-turvy dream in which she goes down to a castle's "cellar to look from an upstairs room" and witnesses flowers singing, birds blooming, and other absurd occurrences. A nice touch comes at the end when the illustrations reveal that all the elements from the dream can be found in the girl's room or right outside her sunlit window.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(4) K-3 A shy angel refuses to greet the baby Jesus, even though Gabriel has said that all angels must go. She watches from above but is discovered and becomes the center of the action. Though the sentimental story's dramatic irony may be lost on some younger listeners, the earth-toned paintings and the text gradually reveal that the angel is not in heaven but part of a school play directed by the principal, Mr. Gabriel.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth