(3) PS Illustrated by Melanie Watt. Effectively formatted with a foldout right page that conceals the rhyming answer to the question posed on the left, this book offers selected bird lore from habitat to diet to anatomy. "Why does a hummingbird hover midair? / To sip from the trumpetvine dangling there." Bright acrylic illustrations enliven the presentation, while an afterword supplies further information.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Janet Wilson. The young narrator's grandfather, with whom she shares a love of fishing, gives her a spinning rod and takes her on a trip to try it out. She catches a large muskie but ends up releasing the beautiful creature; her grandfather's reaction reveals the warm relationship between the two fishing buddies. Despite a few awkward places and inconsistencies, Wilson's watercolors offer sensitive portraits of both setting and characters.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 A young boy helps his grandfather harvest maple syrup from the maple grove that's been in their family for generations. The simple story, which takes readers through the process--from drilling holes in the trees to collecting the sap to sampling the finished product on pancakes--is filled with plenty of sensory details. Quiet oil paintings depict the first signs of spring in the woods.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.