(4) K-3 Illustrated by Ryan O'Rourke. Mouseling grows up in a nest full of written words. When he must find a job, Mouseling becomes a "swashbuckler of words," collecting paper words to build his own nest. Warm digital illustrations and a love of words augment a story that otherwise too rapidly shifts from a tale of overcoming fear and leaving home to one of bravery and unexpected friendship...with a cat.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(3) PS Illustrated by Patrice Barton. The toddlers from Mine!, Crum and Barton's previous collaboration, spend a day at the beach. They use their extremely limited vocabularies--or sometimes just facial expressions and body language--to respond to the unpredictable nature of seagulls, water, and...each other. The collaborators must have a direct line to preschoolers' sensibilities. Barton is especially good at depicting summer breezes.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David Catrow. A large, boisterous family gathers for a reunion. This lyrical, spirited ode, rich with summertime imagery, celebrates the joys of adventures shared by far-flung cousins running in barefoot packs. Catrow's quirky illustrations capture appropriately wild and grungy kids playing in creek waters, feasting on watermelon, and catching fireflies, among other moments that are at once universal and particular.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) PS Illustrated by Patrice Barton. When a baby and a toddler confront a pile of toys, the elder says "Mine," grabbing every plaything in sight. By the end of this giggle-inducing book--all the more so because of a feisty dog and its water bowl--the baby has the final word. Barton hits the bull's-eye with her illustrations of round-bellied, plump-tushied tots.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Lee Wildish. Despite his scrawny frame and low birth, Thomas dreams of knighthood. When a visiting knight sees promise in him, Thomas grabs onto each challenge--from taking care of his donkey to rescuing missing Princess Eleanor--with gusto. Wildish's amusing black-and-white drawings jibe well with the rollicking tone of Crum's tale featuring a hero filled with bravery, quick wits, and heart.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2010

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Carol Thompson. A girl lies underneath a tree as her brother dabbles his feet in the pond and Mom fans herself with her hat--but soon the atmosphere changes. This satisfying book captures all the drama of a summer storm even as it rewards readers with a small-scale, homey story. The mixed-media illustrations feature luscious color and details brought out in scratchy black ink.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2009

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Niki Daly. On alternating double-page spreads, a raccoon realtor encourages animal families to move into Old Mill Farm while a human family rejects numerous potential new homes. Finally the people see Old Mill Farm and, like the animals, find it "perfect." The watercolor illustrations are appropriately varied. The rhyming text is cumbersome, though the home-sweet-home message is comforting.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Tim Bowers. When a little skunk hurries home through the dark forest, a robber, two ghosts, three trappers (or so the skunk thinks), and so on frighten him. The engaging illustrations in dark greens and browns reveal the menaces to be one raccoon, two owls, three spiders, etc. The rhymes are bouncy and the tale reassuring, but the occasional outsize words scattered throughout the text are disruptive.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ted Rand. After asking her great-grandfather about the song he's singing, Brenda Gail learns that his "mountain song" is made up of bits of his memories of life. Brenda Gail realizes that she can think of memories for her own song. An old-fashioned and more rural Kentucky is seen, heard, and tasted in the illustrations--dusty dog, creaky porch, homemade strawberry jam, and all.

Reviewer: Neill Sharp Myers

(4) PS Illustrated by Paige Billin-Frye. From diggers with backhoes to carpenters, plumbers, and painters, this poem describes the building of a house for a couple and their new baby. Although at times the rhyme seems forced, the idea of updating the poem "Over in the Meadow" with a construction theme is original, and the cut-paper and fabric collage illustrations are cheerful and effective.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) 4-6 In the summer of 1967, Jessie, a fatherless twelve-year-old growing up in an impoverished Kentucky town, finally learns the secret her single mother has been keeping for years. The plot has many strands--which include her closest friend's family troubles and the town's rocky racial history--and many characters, yet Jessie's abiding decency and wit are consistently at the heart of this affecting first novel.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(4) PS Illustrated by Sylvie Daigneault. All kinds of night noises, from a bird's twittering and a pipe's gurgling to a refrigerator's humming and a fox's yipping, keep a small boy awake in his grandparents' bed. The story is told in singsongy rhyming verse, and kids will probably enjoy joining in on the noisy refrains. Illustrations tinged with the blues, greens, and purples of night are just shy of being too sentimental.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(2) K-3 Illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello. A young chick hatches and spots a fox who, true to his nature, is looking for a quick snack. The chick imprints on the fox, making it impossible for him to eat this creature calling him Papa. Bendall-Brunello depicts this soft-hearted fox with attitude, strutting in his muscle shirt. The uncluttered text reads aloud well, while the straightforward telling, bolstered by the art, creates a picture book beginning readers can handle on their own.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2003