(2) PS Illustrated by Bruce Whatley. Sedentary Wombat embarks on an eventful Christmas Eve journey, transforming from homebody to world traveler. Wombat repeatedly stumbles across its favorite snack (carrots), stares down some reindeer, and curls up for naps on the back of Santa's sleigh. Succinct sentences and episodic pacing allow the adventures to speak for themselves. With their spare backgrounds, the illustrations play up Wombat's personality.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2012

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Bruce Whatley. In this Diary of a Wombat sequel, the baby wombat meets an equally adorable human baby, and an interspecies friendship blossoms. Economy of voice ("Monday. Early morning: Slept") is reflected in the understated illustrations. Set against expansive white backdrops, spreads invite readers to slow down and examine the characters; readers will howl, for example, when the baby wombat scratches his backside on a tree.

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

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Bruce Whatley. With humor and the voice of a naturalist, French shares her knowledge of and first-hand experiences with wombats. A nonfiction companion to her successful picture book, Diary of a Wombat, this title introduces the life cycle, behavior, habitat, and anatomy of Australia's lesser-known marsupial; black-and-white drawings complement the journal-like text. An index and reading list would have enhanced the presentation.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(3) K-3 Illustrated by John Manders. One summer day, four bored kids start a watermelon-seed-spitting free-for-all. The fun begins at home but eventually leads them to the village square, where even the mayor gets in on the action. The rhymes are airtight, and the watermelon pink–tinged cartoony illustrations do their job by capturing all the mischief-making.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Bruce Whatley. "Kangaroos don't dance," protests Josephine's little brother, but that doesn't stop our heroine. When the ballet comes to town and the lead ballerinas are injured, Josephine comes to the rescue, realizing her dream of dancing in a tutu and pointe shoes. Set on pink backgrounds, the lively illustrations convey movement and reflect the humorous Australian-flavored text.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(4) 4-6 The history of Vikings reaching North America comes to life in this well-researched tale. Young Hekja rescues the eponymous dog. Rover and Hekja are then enslaved by Vikings and end up on a ship with Freydis Eriksdöttir--sister of Leif Eriksson. This is really Freydis's story, so the pup--and Hekja--seem almost incidental at times. Occasional footnotes are informative but distracting.

Reviewer: Karen Watts

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Bruce Whatley. A cow named Pamela loves pears and will go to any length to get them. A girl named Amy loves pears, too, and outfoxes her ravenous cow by preparing a banquet of the fruit, saturating even the bovine's voracious appetite. The good-natured, briskly told story is matched by expressive, humorous paintings that effectively employ ample white space.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Bruce Whatley. "Morning: slept. Afternoon: slept. Evening: Ate grass." A wombat's diary gets more interesting after she acquires human neighbors, who "provide" her with treats (carrots plundered from their garden), a worthy enemy (their welcome mat), and the perfect scratching post (their patio furniture). The play between the dry text and droll illustrations is effective, and it's further enhanced by the clean page design.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) 4-6 An involving novel posits the question: What if Hitler had a daughter?--a disfigured one, not exemplifying the Aryan ideal. The chapters in which Anna, a contemporary Australian girl, tells of "Heidi's" lonely, confusing life have immediacy and an air of mystery. The chapters in which Mark, absorbed with Anna's story, grapples with the implications of Heidi's existence are pitched perfectly for classroom discussion.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jackie Urbanovic. Peace-loving Minuette is sent to her uncle Sir Horace the Horrible while her daddy recovers from the flu. Trying to convince her uncle that she'd rather have a hug than witness his heroics, such as slaying a dragon and vanquishing an army, she eventually persuades her fierce but clueless uncle that arms are for hugging. The story may be treacly, but the animated watercolors show a plucky, diminutive Minuette.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) 4-6 For fourteen-year-old Celie, "someday" always meant that faraway time when her home in the Swift River Valley in Massachusetts would be flooded to create a reservoir. That day arrives in 1938, forcing Celie, her mother, and grandmother to face the inevitable. The juxtaposition of society's advances with Celie's own march toward adulthood create a coming-of-age story rich in historical detail. Bib.

Reviewer: Betty Carter

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Janet Pedersen. When rabbit Peter becomes annoyed with his baby sister's antics, he takes her around the neighborhood looking for someone who wants to buy her. The amusing text and the sunny watercolor illustrations show the beguiling toddler charming her big brother, if not the neighbors. Peter finally returns home, happily convinced that while "nobody needs a baby," little Emily needs him.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) 1-3 Stepping Stone series. Illustrated by Anne Reas. When Mole overhears that Buzzard is "having Rabbit and his family for dinner," he fears Rabbit will be Buzzard's main course. Shrew has doubts but agrees to help her friend investigate. Mole's frequent verbal mix-ups are mildly amusing, although young readers will likely find sayings such as "you're all wet" just as perplexing as Mole does. Textured black-and-white illustrations accompany each chapter.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Martha Newbigging. French's question-and-answer format takes on philosophy ("Why do bad things happen to us?"), religion ("Is there any evidence of life after death?"), science ("Can you clone dinosaurs?"), and ethics ("Should we ever hurt animals?"). Her responses often acknowledge that there may be multiple answers or no clear answers at all. Intriguing but overlong, the book is illustrated with cartoonlike art. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) 1-3 Stepping Stone series. Illustrated by Anne Reas. In this genteel comedy about new friends, Mole moves into Shrew's neighborhood when relatives invade his old home. Shrew eventually welcomes him when she finds out that he is a good neighbor, despite his habit of misunderstanding some common sayings. This first chapter book will inspire quiet chuckles, and the detailed pencil drawings evoke tradition and good feelings.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Marcia Sewall. This book honors the Narragansett Indians' ancient harvest celebration, Nickommoh. Each double-page spread depicts the celebrants in action, preparing sweat lodges, painting their skin, and ends with the cry "Nickommoh!" The sprawling earth-toned illustrations capture the festive atmosphere, and the text is lyrical if occasionally awkward: fragments and sentences such as "Venison and turkey the People will eat" abound.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Illustrated by Anna Grossnickle Hines. Bouncing on the bed, sliding down the stairs, and wriggling in his seat are just a few of the activities an energetic toddler engages in throughout the course of his day. The rhythmic, repetitive text bounds along with him, but the muted watercolor illustrations are unfortunately not quite as lively, and they verge on being overly precious.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(2) PS Illustrated by Lynn Munsinger. Seven mischievous monkeys wreak havoc as "one monkey too many" climbs first onto a bike made for one, then into a golf cart for two, then into a canoe for three, and so on. Pastel watercolors paint the monkeys in casual toddler clothes with innocent, nothing's-going-on-here facial expressions as they hoodwink the larger animals (adultlike lions and pigs) who dictate how many monkeys each scene can contain.

Reviewer: Mary Burkey | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 1999

(3) YA An English class journal assignment causes Luke to document the risk-taking behavior and bad choices that have made him withdraw from his family, girlfriend, and wrestling team. The project also dredges up painful memories of the incident that left Luke blind in one eye. The novel presents a strong portrait of a teenager careening out of control, and the efforts he must make to put his life back together.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.