(4) PS Illustrated by Hiroe Nakata. One little girl spices up her "summertime blues" by dancing with Grandpa through breakfast, down hot streets, at the zoo--all through their day together. The bright, jovial illustrations are full of movement and do more to convey the sense of dance than the occasionally awkward text.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Paul Hess. When Phoebe, keeper of the royal birds, is sent to capture the rare River Flute, she catches the bird but then releases it so it's free to return. Likewise, when she returns empty-handed, the kind prince, though he loves Phoebe, gives her the same choice. The modern-minded fairy tale operates on obvious themes of captivity and freedom but enchants nonetheless, as do the supple lines of the delicate watercolors.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(3) K-3 Illustrated by S. D. Schindler. A plain straw hat is a much improved gift when it finally reaches its destination in Illinois with the help of some travelers heading west circa 1840. The period story gives a sense of nineteenth-century life--from its curious conveyances to the sense of adventure. While simplistic at times, the folk-art-like illustrations provide a homey, comfortable atmosphere.

Reviewer: Amanda Sullivan

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Yvonne Gilbert. In this wintry literary fairy tale, a boy out hunting rabbits in the king's woods meets up with a mysterious old blind man, heartsick over his son's death in the same war that took the boy's father. Romantic artwork in soft hues uses decorative folk-art borders to divide the action, displaying past battle scenes alongside the duo's solace-giving search for the legendary white stag.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Teresa Flavin. An African-American boy and his pregnant momma who's "grown round as the August moon" try to keep cool in the middle of an impossibly hot, drought-stricken summer. The heat continues to rise, but rain finally falls the evening the baby's born. Mother and son decide to call the baby Silver Rain. Pictures rendered in gouache nicely capture the enervating heat as well as the cooling rain in this warm-hearted family story.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute