(2) K-3 Illustrated by Elbrite Brown. In this fifteenth-anniversary edition of the 2004 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe illustration winner, an African American girl's family members all perform in groups that play different types of music. Each spread sets a different musical scene, with the girl always participating. Readers come away with the impression of a close-knit and loving--and musically diverse--extended family. Cut-paper-collage illustrations exude warmth and vibrancy. Glos.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Nina Cuneo. Clarissa can't sleep so she begins counting sheep...then alpacas (by twos), llamas (by fives), and yaks (by tens). Soon Clarissa's bedroom overflows with woolly animals; she unwinds their wool, subtracting them as she goes and ending up with a huge ball of yarn--perfect for knitting a cozy afghan. Although the cheerful, pattern-filled illustrations have appeal, the text introduces an ambitious number of concepts.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Amanda Haley. This cheerful story about a third grader who finds her talent, and then uses it to organize a band (and save the school's music program), will appeal to independent readers who like everyday, undemanding school stories with a peppy heroine. The happy ending ties everything up in a neat bow. Black-and-white wash illustrations break up the chapters. Ukelele-playing tips are appended.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Amanda Haley. Daniel's third-grade class is hatching chicks for a science project, and in a twist of luck, he brings home all five. When Daniel and his siblings discover one chicken, Peepers, is really a rooster (which are illegal to keep), they create the Secret Chicken Society and devise various solutions to save him. Sporadic playful illustrations add to this enjoyable chapter book. Glos.

Reviewer: Julie Bartynski

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler. Mouse's latest outing finds him enjoying a snow day along with the human family with whom he shares a house (unbeknownst to them). When he's inadvertently swept outdoors, Mouse ends up having a swell time (but watch out for Cat). The text seems preoccupied with being breezy; the price is solid plotting with little suspense or emotional pull. The mouse's-eye-view acrylics are dynamic.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler. In the third book featuring Mouse in a holiday-themed story, the adventurous rodent finds himself in a jostling sack of Halloween candy carried by a "little bitty ghost." Large-scale illustrations picture the chaotic journey through rain and thunder and a spooky house until he returns home. The cluttered, dark-hued illustrations, while creatively composed, can be difficult to discern.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Angela Dominguez. Mexican American Carmen reminisces about struggling to learn English at school. Her teacher speaks terrible Spanish, but she's sensitive enough to suggest that if the class can help Carmen learn English, she can help them learn Spanish. Carmen's earnest first-person narration can sound stilted ("But school was not all the time good"). Dominguez's ink, watercolor, and acrylic illustrations are warm-hearted. Glos.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Amanda Haley. Nora isn't happy to be sharing her bedroom with boisterous cousin Ellie after Ellie's father loses his job and the family moves in with Nora's. Ellie misses her home and dogs but hides it with flashy bravado. A school genealogy project and a crisis in a storm lead the girls to appreciate one another in this satisfying family story.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler. In his second outing, Mouse follows his nose to a Cinco de Mayo celebration, which offers opportunities for scavenging and adventure. Lively acrylic paintings from a variety of perspectives show Mouse taking in the sights, trying to elude Cat, and getting a wild ride on a piñata. The resolution is weak, but readers will take away some information about the holiday.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Joe Mathieu. In this third title featuring the teacher's silly wordplay, Mrs. Millie takes her eager class on a field trip to Farmer Don's pumpkin patch. The students reliably correct her terminology when she misstates wagon as dragon, scarecrow as harecrow, etc. The story, coupled with cheery but bland illustrations, is humorous but grows a bit tiresome.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) 4-6 Tails of Frederick and Ishbu series. Illustrated by Omar Rayyan. Rat brothers Frederick and Ishbu, who spend most of their time as classroom pets, are off on another adventure, this time in search of their friend Natasha's missing father. Frederick's store of useful facts comes in handy for solving the mystery. Though the story is again all over the place, the animal adventure aspect will satisfy the rats' fans.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Joe Mathieu. Mrs. Millie's class corrects her silly language mix-ups during their field trip to Philadelphia. Mrs. Millie shows the children the "Liberty Bull" and points out "starfish" on the American flag; vivid-hued pencil, dye, and pen-and-ink illustrations depict what she says. Though the story lacks an arc, as the same gimmick is repeated on every page, some of the wordplay is amusing.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler. Mouse spies the remnants of a Thanksgiving feast. He starts by picking up one "teensy-tiny, toothsome, green pea," but soon his pile grows. Bright acrylic paintings from multiple perspectives show Mouse juggling an increasingly unwieldy mountain of food. Mouse drops most of his feast when Cat wakes up, but nonetheless remembers to "give thanks" for what he manages to salvage.

Reviewer: Chelsey Philpot | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2008

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Steve Björkman. Fran gets her way by using her loud voice. After upsetting a kindergartner, she realizes she's a bully. The lure of playing the princess in the school play plus watching her dog in puppy kindergarten give her the keys to better behavior. Fran, whose outsize personality comes through in the black-and-white line art, learns her lesson in a believable way.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Blanche Sims. Third-grader Matt has high hopes that he and his best friend Eddie will win the science fair and a fifty-dollar gift certificate. But when Eddie humilates him and doesn't apologize, Matt jeopardizes their chances. The familiar situation is well worn, but the breezy text and drawings will draw readers into this chapter book.

Reviewer: Amanda Sullivan

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Paul Meisel. Although he's set his alarm clock for February 2, Groundhog is restless and keeps getting up for a wander--meeting a Halloween witch, a turkey, and Santa Claus, each of whom tucks him back into bed with a seasonally appropriate story. It's a cute idea, and the story's structure is nicely rhythmic. Painterly paneled- and full-page illustrations are both festive and cozy.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Elbrite Brown & Elbrite Brown. In this celebration of music's communal aspect, an African-American girl introduces her relatives one by one and describes their different musical passions--e.g., her mom plays fiddle in a country band; her dad plays cello in a string quartet--plus her own musical role in their respective groups. The inviting tableaux are created with cut-paper collage in flat slabs of both bright color and earth tones.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Blanche Sims. When eight-year-old Robin gets a new teacher and a new classmate in the middle of the year, she works hard--sometimes too hard--to make them like her. As her class observes caterpillars turning into butterflies, Robin discovers what it means to be friends. The story is told with humor and sympathy and includes black-and-white line drawings and an endnote about how to raise butterflies.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Diane Kidd. Sam's uncle buys a cafe in rural Nevada, hoping for some peace and quiet. Instead, the cafe is visited by a series of unusual customers, including Santa Claus, Elvis, and Bigfoot, with a frustrated news crew pursuing each guest into the restaurant. Sam's deadpan narration and the comic illustrations are amusing, but with every chapter following the same format, the one-joke premise wears a little thin.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully. They may have been pirates before, but the two owners of the café called the Spinach Main are peace-loving rabbits now. When a hungry fox threatens their lives, they cook up a clever way to send him packing--without fighting. In her watercolor illustrations, McCully is equally adept at showing the fox's nighttime skullduggery and the sun-splashed scenery of southern France.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert