(2) PS Freedman's ethereal picture book tackles the slippery nature of impermanence through simple observations of the natural world. A small yellow bird flits across a pale blue sky and into a sudden rain. Soon, though: "The same rain that was drips / is now for sips / and song." The bird drinks from a small puddle as a chipmunk scurries by and a fox wanders in, while nearly translucent type appears to show what "is! is!" The spare, poetic text is expertly paced across the pages. With each page-turn, small creatures weave through subtly shifting terrain. A bird's song ­disappears to make way for a bee's buzzing, and the once-blue, once-rainy sky shifts again as the sun sets. Dappled watercolor illustrations deftly convey the blurred ­barriers between what is and what was, while the penciled details--a delicate spiderweb, a raptor's talons--sharpen focus on the wonders of the natural world. At last, a family watches the day fade into an indigo night as the text reassures: "Still, this sky is / the same sky / that was." A muted, meditative, transcendent picture book that invites readers to marvel at both the ephemeral and the enduring.

Reviewer: Grace McKinney | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(2) K-3 Earthworm Carl is always moving underground, digesting leaves and "turning hard dirt into fluffy soil." When a field mouse asks him why he does that, Carl suffers an immediate identity crisis and asks other animals if they know his purpose. Freedman's light ending allows readers to deduce an earthworm's role in maintaining ecological balance. Carl's existential woes are illustrated via delicate earth-toned watercolors on expansive, full-bleed double-page spreads.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(3) K-3 A door on a white page faces text beginning, "This door was once a colossal oak tree"; a spread showing the door within the oak follows. Freedman supplies histories for other components of a house, each followed by a delicately dazzling spread portraying them in nature. The notion that "this house remembers," and the mixed-media illustrations, may leave young readers in open-eyed wonder.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) K-3 The initially unseen Shy loves all books, especially books about birds. When a real bird flies by, introverted Shy follows. Finally, he makes contact with Florence, the bird, and the two friends bond over the words of a beloved story. Muted browns and yellows foreshadow the reveal of Shy's species, while translucent blues and whites let us know when Florence is near.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2016

(4) K-3 Mouse and Frog have very different ideas about how to collaborate on a story. Though they bicker throughout, they find ways to compromise and come up with ideas that appeal to both of them. The playful meta illustrations show Mouse and Frog illustrating their story. Changes in font are used to indicate storytelling versus reality, but the narrative is still occasionally confusing.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(3) K-3 With some of the metafictive elements Freedman used in Blue Chicken, this is the simple story of an adventurous goldfish and a sedate snail who live in a book. After a petty disagreement over their play activity, the two friends separate--Fish swims to a new book and Snail, bereft, is left behind. Playful, clever perspective changes reveal the evolving setting.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith

(2) K-3 An almost-finished watercolor picture of a farm is the setting for some fowl high jinks when one of the chickens pops out of the picture and upends the paint, covering herself and the picture in blue. The apologetic chicken then attempts to set things right. Metafiction fans will appreciate the sheer joy of this book that celebrates color and innocent mischief.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2012

(4) K-3 After big sister Emma knocks Lucie's kitty picture, Lucie scribbles on Emma's drawing of Princess Aurora. The cat in Lucie's drawing then springs to life to pursue the princess. This story is as confusing as it is inventive. The sisters' interaction is shown in comic-book panels; the rest of the illustrations--bright pink and yellow scribble art--are convincingly childlike.

Reviewer: Nell Beram