(2) K-3 Illustrated by Lillian Hoban. In this creative, unsentimental "Gift of the Magi" tale, Mrs. Otter and her son, Emmet, hope to surprise each other with a store-bought Christmas present. Emmet puts a hole in Ma's washtub to join a jug band, and Ma hocks Emmet's tool chest for dress material, each hoping to win the talent show. Colorful illustrations of the close-knit animal community contain plenty of warmth.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2017

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Quentin Blake. After eating a candy pig with a philosophical nature, a mouse suddenly falls in love with a grandfather clock. When an owl eats the mouse, the lovesickness is transferred, and so on. Each sufferer's personality helps ground this existential love story so that what might have been bizarre is matter-of-fact and affecting. Blake's watercolors are understated yet highly expressive.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2016

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Quentin Blake. In a book first published in the UK in 1980, a boy and his new dragon friend, Ace Dragon Ltd., have an adventure that proves the dragon is not limited at all. This quirky story reflects the way a child might hope to play should he be lucky enough to meet a dragon. Blake's cartoons contribute much to the whimsical tone of the fantasy.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Alexis Deacon. Young Jim faces surgery and the possibility that he won't recover from an unnamed illness. His nurse suggests that his animal "finder," a lion, will help him return from this terrifying experience. Deacon's graphic-novel sequences successfully convey the strong emotions of Jim's inner life, and Hoban's allegory will resonate with the right reader. Others will struggle to make sense of the obscure, dreamlike story.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Quentin Blake. Rosie collects ice-pop sticks, and her newest is a dreamer: "I could be something." And it can, transforming into horse Stickerino who transports the girl to magical lands where she finds pirate treasure to pay her impoverished family's bills. Master storyteller Hoban's latest is a strange--charmingly so--fantasy, and Blake's reliably note-perfect pen-and-watercolor art is just as whimsical.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) K-3 I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Lillian Hoban. In this abridged and colorized easy-reader edition, Frances comes to terms with the fact that it's her little sister Gloria's birthday--and not hers. The abridged text and modified design don't stand up to the original picture book version, but Frances's moral dilemma--should she or shouldn't she eat the Chompo Bar she buys for Gloria?--will resonate with beginning readers.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: October, 1968

(3) K-3 My Readers series. Illustrated by Lillian Hoban. The Hobans' classic story concerns the grumpy family whose mood is turned around by "a little wandering lost good feeling" unearthed from a field of flowers by Baby Brute. This edition is "formatted especially for beginning readers," with new line breaks and reading levels assigned to it (Level 2, AR: 4.4).

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) K-3 I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Lillian Hoban. Frances the badger feels unloved and neglected when she gains a new baby sister. She runs away--under the dining-room table. The gentle and quietly humorous story, with its realistic treatment of a familiar family situation, is here disappointingly abridged to fit the series format.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Lillian Hoban. The book's cover--a sedate family portrait--sets the tone of this nostalgic joke, written and illustrated with sober, nineteenth-century formality. Poor, weary father, after "a sorely trying day," comes home to a commotion of brawling children, misbehaving pets, and a distraught mother. One by one the guilty characters repent, and peace and contentment are restored. A deliciously funny book.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc. | Horn Book Magazine Issue: June, 1964

(4) K-3 I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Lillian Hoban. The classic story about Frances and her tagalong little sister Gloria is here presented in easy reader format. The abridged text and modified design don't stand up to the original picture book version, but developing readers will have a sense of pride in being able to get through such an engaging story.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: October, 1969

(4) K-3 I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Lillian Hoban. The classic story about fussy eater Frances is here presented in easy reader format. The abridged text and modified design, including "recolored" illustrations, don't stand up to the original picture book version, but developing readers will have a sense of pride in being able to get through such an engaging story that's so clearly meant for them.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: December, 1964

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by David Small. A wind-up toy mouse and his child undertake a dangerous quest in order to become self-winding. Although this cult classic has been packaged to appeal to middle-grade readers, the content isn't really appropriate for that age group. With its parable-like flavor and sly commentary on the human condition, it will likely once again find its place as a cult classic among high school and college students.

Reviewer: Terri Schmitz

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Quentin Blake. Blake's familiar illustrations add humor to this improbable tale of a dinosaur family that foils an evil theme park developer's plans to destroy their mountain home and build a hi-tech plastic mountain. The inventive O'Sauruses and their friends use teamwork and a fair amount of Monsta-Gloo in their battle against Mr. Flatbrain and his robot crew. This is a suitable, if thin, story for the ecologically minded.

Reviewer: Amanda Sullivan

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Patrick Benson. Too little to swim well and not yet able to fly, the sea-thing child finds itself alone, frightened, and storm-stranded on a beach. Eventually the little birdlike creature finds the courage and confidence to take flight over the ocean. Spare, cross-hatched pen-and-ink pictures are washed with the limpid blues and greens of the sea. This story of self-discovery will be most resonant with an adult audience.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute