(3) YA Illustrated by James Spanfeller. This groundbreaking novel tells the spare, haunting story of orphaned Gilly Ground and his apprenticeship to the sinister ladder-maker Kobalt. Betsy Hearne's insightful afterword provides an appreciation for Cunningham's achievement in blending elements of fantasy, allegory, and realism into a compelling story of a boy who saves himself from a caged life by opening himself up to love another creature.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Anita Lobel. These nine ruminations concerning the Nativity offer a pleasing variety. Most of the harmoniously composed art features appealing versions of the story's usual familiar creatures in Lobel's signature style. This beautifully presented collection is child friendly and wonderfully concrete, lyrical and allusive, both devout and nonsectarian--worthy of joining such favorites as Carmen Bernos de Gasztold's Prayers from the Ark.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2001