(3) 4-6 Rachel (Prairie Summer, Lessons) and her family experience the challenges of a snowy, stormy winter. After their school bus is stranded in a snowdrift, the sisters are taken in by kindly neighbors. The girls have fun, but worry about their parents (their stubborn dad still refuses to get a telephone). Geisert vividly depicts the harsh weather conditions and the warmth of a 1950s family.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(2) 4-6 Though immersed in the pleasures and responsibilites of starting fifth grade, doing chores on her family's South Dakota farm, and caring for her new baby brother, Rachel can't help noticing that her father seems under a dark cloud. This sequel to Prairie Summer is set in the mid-1950s. Geisert's quiet, simple style gives the novel's quotidian details immediacy and interest.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2005

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Arthur Geisert. It's summer in Cresbard, South Dakota, and though she dislikes it, ten-year-old Rachel must work with her sisters on the family farm. The author uses the rigor of farm life as a backdrop for Rachel's struggle--making her father proud despite her dislike of hard, physical labor. The occasional, detailed black-and-white drawings complement the simple, honest story set in 1954.

Reviewer: Mary R. Holt

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Arthur Geisert. In the manner of their earlier pictorial presentations of regional America, the Geiserts explore a roadside village in the desert. The spacious, subtly tinted spreads evoke the broad sky and arid landscape, and vignettes of human activity give the flavor of life in this isolated, hardscrabble, but well-functioning community.

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

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Arthur Geisert. Once again, the Geiserts introduce readers to a typical American town. A quick overview of a mountain town's history, as well as details of seasonal changes and the daily life of the townspeople create a full and accurate picture of a year's cycle. For readers observant enough to follow the townsfolk doings, half the story is told in the carefully etched color illustrations.

Reviewer: Liza Woodruff

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Arthur Geisert. The Geiserts celebrate life in a midwestern river town over the course of one year. As in Prairie Town, the text enumerates the changes brought by the passing seasons while the detailed etchings give the reader a visual feast. The book conveys information in an attractive package.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(2) K-3 Panoramic spreads featuring typical events of perhaps a generation ago evoke small-town life on the prairie. Depicting an entire town from different vantage points, Arthur Geisert summarizes activities of a single year. The text is clear and uncondescending, making the book suitable for use with older children. A pleasure as social history, as Americana, and as an unusually creative use of fine illustration to convey information.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.