(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Gavin Bishop. The beguiling pair introduced in Snake and Lizard now share a burrow and are business partners, too. They bicker constantly; still, the outcomes are fair, reasonable, and often capped with a delightfully ironic twist. Their unobtrusively philosophical debates are nifty blends of fact, hearsay, and comic misconstruction. Bishop’s colorful spot art nicely reinforces the affectionate characterizations and the humor.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2012

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jamison Odone. A boy goes for a strange, exciting ride on the bedtime train, driven by an engineer resembling his dad. Accompanied by penguins in striped scarves, they travel to the land of penguins and back. The illustrations, showing a dream landscape with fanciful animals and monumental statuary, owe more than a small debt of gratitude to Sendak.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Gavin Bishop. From their first encounter, Snake and Lizard bicker. Yet, they soon find enough common ground that they move in together. In the book's fifteen episodes, the friends' repartee is so comical that readers will happily absorb the message about unlikely friendships. Bishop's art enlivens almost every spread of this attractive small volume, capturing each interaction with wit and affection.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2008

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by David Elliot. Ten-year-old Josh's pregnant mother is in the hospital. At the same time, there's a fox threatening their farm's chickens--specifically stubborn, demanding Semolina, who talks only to Josh. The plot strands of baby-to-be and fox drama weave together naturally; a scene in which hundreds of chickens announce the birth of Josh's sister with a cacophonous chorus is a delicious moment of magic realism.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2008

(2) K-3 Photographs by Nic Bishop. The team that produced Red-Eyed Tree Frog returns with an equally engaging tale of a chameleon on the move. Cowley's text is witty, energetic, and perfect for reading aloud. Bishop's exceptional photographs combine close-ups with a high-speed sequence that shows the chameleon lassoing a caterpillar with its tongue. Included is an explanation that the animals were photographed in captivity.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2005

(3) YA In 1805, an enslaved Maori boy escapes his captors. In 2005, a plane carrying Jordan and her two younger brothers crashes in the New Zealand wilds. The two seemingly unrelated narratives merge as Hunter begins having visions of the marooned youngsters and, through telepathy and sensory memories, helps Jordan find shelter, food, and healing plants. This element of mysticism adds intrigue to a quietly effective survival story.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Christopher Denise. Clumsy, ill-tempered Biddy Malone stumbles upon a faerie village, where a beautiful boy asks what her wishes are. She asks for the ability to sing and dance and to have a loving heart. Biddy returns to her Irish village and through hard work achieves her wishes. Dreamy acrylic and charcoal illustrations in a muted palette suit this original twist on a three-wishes tale.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(4) PS Illustrated by Elizabeth Fuller. After an exhausting and dirty trip to the city where the cow, duck, and pig go to escape the soapy washings of Mrs. Wishy-Washy, the animals all realize that home on the farm is best. Though the rhyming text is a bit uneven, those who loved the first Mrs. Wishy-Washy will enjoy the new adventures of these animals, accompanied by expressive watercolor and ink illustrations.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Jennifer Plecas. In Agapanthus's third adventure, she loses a tooth and makes a whistling sound that her father calls an "angel hoot." When her dog sings along, Agapanthus takes him to school for a show-and-tell duet. Agapanthus is more engaging than she was in her first book, but the author's note and the text's references to "good little Daddy" and "good little Mommy" are cutesy and condescending.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jennifer Plecas. Hyperkinetic Agapanthus returns in this early reader, confidently entering her exuberant new pound puppy, Major Bark, in a dog show despite his "whizzy" nature and mixed pedigree. Major Bark wins a prize for the dog with the smallest eyes, sending his owner into twirls of happiness. Wobbly lined pictures add a humorous note to a winsome if predictable pet story.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) 4-6 Starbright Connor, the spunky heroine of this sci-fi fantasy, lives in a world plagued by spindle sickness, where people fall asleep and die. Starbright reads a diary revealing that her birth was prophesied in a message from another galaxy, and her dreams become the battleground of the fight against what's causing spindle sickness: the energy predations of an undetectable alien life form. The intriguing situations build to a suspenseful conclusion.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Olivier Dunrea. A salesman tries to talk Micah's grandfather into buying a new tractor, but Granpappy refuses. Later, when his car is stuck in the mud, the salesman is rescued by the very tractor he ridiculed. Micah learns the value of old things in a story as comfortable as Granpappy's broken-in overalls. Using a clean, simple style, Dunrea gives the most detail to the farm implements and develops character with line and posture.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Gavin Bishop. On New Year's, two brothers see a sparrow trapped inside a store and a sign on the door: "WILL REOPEN JANUARY 13." Neighbors, parents, and police all tell them the sparrow's plight is no big deal, but the two persist and finally get help from the publicity-hungry mayor. Cowley's text realistically captures the kids' alarm and the adults' nonchalance; Bishop's illustrations reflect the story's tension and lack of sentimentality.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(1) PS Photographs by Nic Bishop. Startlingly close-up photographs of rainforest fauna depict the nocturnal adventures of a red-eyed tree frog. The simple, aptly paced text relates the hungry frog's search for a meal and his close encounters with dangerous predators, and an accessible afterword provides a good overview of facts on the subject. The engaging narrative and captivating pictures are perfectly attuned to the preschool audience--a rare and noteworthy find in nonfiction.

Reviewer: Lauren Adams | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 1999

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Dyanne Strongbow. First Marta's homework blows out the window and gets chewed up by dogs, then she drops and breaks her glasses. Her grandmother sings her an old healing song/story that helps her see her problems in a new light. The artwork's palette reflects southern Arizona tones, and, although stiffly told, the story provides a rare look at the Tohono O'odham people in a modern setting.

Reviewer: Debbie Reese