(3) K-3 Ruby's soldier father returns home to war-ravaged London at the end of World War II. But Ruby hardly knows him and finds refuge playing with friends among the piles of rubble in her neighborhood. An injury brings Ruby and her father together, helping her realize he's still a part of her family. Large colorful pictures illustrate this family-bonding story and incorporate historical details into the visual narrative.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) 4-6 1940 Liverpool is handily evoked in this wartime story of thirteen-year-old Joan and her sisters, brother, and widowed mother enduring air-raids, blackouts, and rationing. The story itself is generic and predictable, but it has enough gentle, old-fashioned appeal to speak to American Girls fans ready for something a bit more sophisticated.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Clara Vulliamy. In this third adventure, dogs Digby and Percy, along with their new friend, parrot Ariel, visit an air show and accidentally take off in a hot-air balloon. As ever, neighbor Lou Ella (who likes "getting her own way") makes an excellent villain. The drama is both exciting and appropriate for new readers. A jaunty page layout and profuse illustrations move the story along briskly.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) K-3 To support her "hard-up" family, Daisy Dobbs must leave school to work as a scullery maid. Homesick and ill-suited to domestic work, young Daisy struggles in her new life. When a fire breaks out and Daisy's quick thinking saves her employers' home, she's rewarded with a new opportunity. Hughes's evocative ink, gouache, and watercolor art enriches the simple story set in early-twentieth-century England.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) PS This seasonal poetry collection follows a young girl as she enjoys the outdoors: splashing through puddles in spring, making sandcastles in summer, running through fallen leaves in autumn, sledding in winter. Throughout, the voice is authentically childlike; cheerful illustrations featuring lots of activity and points of interest (and a matter-of-factly multiethnic cast) provide a friendly, homey setting.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Clara Vulliamy. Dogs Digby and Percy return for another early chapter book (Digby O'Day in the Fast Lane), here tootling off in Digby's convertible to a seaside vacation at the Hotel Splendide, where they become embroiled in a diamond heist. The combination of cozy setting and dangerous adventure, all brought to life in a profusion of pencil, ink, and digital-collage illustrations, should keep readers engaged.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Clara Vulliamy. Digby the dog and his friend (and co-driver) Percy enter the All-Day Race from Didsworth to Dodsworth. Can they defeat nasty neighbor Lou Ella and cross the finish line first? This very early chapter book is illustrated profusely with line art washed with pinks and reds; the story is warm and nicely predictable, with just enough adventure for the intended audience.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(2) 4-6 In her first novel, picture-book veteran Hughes tells a story of 1940s wartime. While thirteen-year-old Paolo finds respite in his bicycle rides through German-occupied Florence, he hopes that they might also be his ticket of admission to the resistance activities of the partisans--including his father--hidden around the city. The sense of danger is everywhere, allying us with the characters' efforts to survive and subvert their conquerors.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2013

(3) PS Lily (Don't Want to Go!) is having one of her "bad days." When she impulsively throws her precious stuffed dog Bobbo on top of a passing school bus, she panics--but all ends well as Bobbo has an interesting day in an elementary-school class before being reunited with Lily. Expressive gouache illustrations capture both Lily's shifting emotions and the bustle of a school day.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(2) K-3 In 1930s Liverpool, Bronwen, her brother, and their washerwoman mother keep "ourselves to ourselves," especially when it comes to the Catholic family next door. The titular "ghost" brings the family closer to their community. Like Dylan Thomas's A Child's Christmas in Wales, the story's strength comes as much from the specificity of Hughes's childhood memories as from the Christmastime setting.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2010

(2) PS When Mom wakes up with flu, Lily's dad takes the decidedly unenthusiastic ("Don't want to go!") preschooler to neighbor Melanie's house. There, Lily initially resists the woman's overtures but gradually warms up through the ordinary events of a preschooler's happy day. Homey, cheerful gouache illustrations set amidst plentiful white space allow children to focus on Lily's expressions and the interactions between characters.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2010

(3) PS "One is me, Katie. Here I am, all by myself." Chatting amiably about everyday topics such as family, friends, and pets, a young girl counts from one to ten and then mentions some items that "are too many to count" (e.g., raindrops). Hughes fills the pages with a variety of realistic-looking people, taking care to make the figures distinctive in physical appearance and clothing, right down to the baggy tights.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(2) PS In lilting verses and joyous illustrations we meet Annie Rose, who introduces her toys, splashes in puddles on rainy days, and gets all sticky at teatime. She spends time with her mother, father, and grandma, but most often plays with her big brother, Alfie. Hughes's familiar illustrations of rough-and-tumble, apple-cheeked children fill every page, bringing life to the collection of verses.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc. | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 1996

(4) K-3 Hughes's trademark paintings of the joyous but often messy and disorganized world of families with young children accompany a hodgepodge of poems about preschooler Katie and her baby brother, Olly. Narrated by Katie, the poetry, centered around everyday subjects like ballet class and visits to the park, isn't spectacular literature, but it is warm-hearted and true to a child's perspective.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(3) K-3 This 1920s version of the fairy tale features exquisitely drawn flapper fashions and a down-to-earth heroine, Ella Cinders, who declines the duke's proposal for a less ritzy but more fulfilling future with her delivery-boy sweetheart, Buttons. As usual, the attention to detail in Hughes's ink and gouache art lends an appealing concreteness to her fully imagined settings.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(3) PS Alfie has starred in several books, but here he narrates a description of the world of his little sister, Annie Rose. The story celebrates the joys and trials of everyday life for a young child, and the pictures are filled with tiny treasures and happy clutter. The large pastel and gouache illustrations are expansive, offering a richly immediate sense that the viewer is on hand to witness Alfie and Annie Rose's activities.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke

(4) PS Alfie's back (along with little sister, Annie Rose, and other old friends) as the star of this counting romp. The paintings are cozy and capture a child's wonder at the variety of his world, but preschoolers may be frustrated by a thin story line and the random repetition of some numbers. Though this is not the most effective counting book, Alfie fans will welcome him back.

Reviewer: Amanda Sullivan

(4) K-3 In a meandering story, Abel's sons miss him greatly when he is away "working here and there." He writes down stories of his adventures, which his sons read and reread during one of his trips. The boys then have imaginary adventures of their own and tell Abel about their adventures when he returns. Hughes's watercolor paintings are dark and brooding when Abel is away but warm up when he comes home.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) PS Four wonderful picture books, Bouncing, Giving (both 1993), Chatting, and Hiding (both 1994) are now in a single collection. The trim size is the same, but some illustrations have been deleted while others have been shrunk down to fit two or more on a page. The stories still retain their original exuberance, but libraries with the original editions won't need to purchase them in this form. Review 9/94.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 1993

(3) 1-3 During World War II, Lenny, a young Jewish boy, is evacuated from London to the country, where he must cope by himself with strange surroundings and unfriendly children. Inspired by the unicorn on the medal his father gave him, Lenny discovers his own brand of courage. Hughes enhances Lenny's story with large, dramatic watercolors and small, sensitive black-and-white vignettes.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert