(3) K-3 Translated by Henry David Wilson. In this lengthy picture book (translated from the German), two adventurous mice build a miniature submarine to find a sunken treasure referenced in an ancestor's letter. They discover a sealed book of inventions in the shipwreck and realize their ancestor helped create the light bulb. Immersive illustrations with occasional wordless spreads highlight the scale of the tiny undersea explorers. More about "The Invention of the Electric Light" and Thomas Edison is appended.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(3) K-3 Translated by David Henry Wilson. In this hefty picture book, a determined mouse proves to his brethren that the moon is not made of cheese. He perfects a rocket for a lunar expedition while working under the noses of humans tackling space travel. Sepia-tinted paintings and wordless spreads evoke a sense of wonder and scale for the little astronaut's historic journey. "A Short History of Space Travel" is appended.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(4) K-3 This is an unsubtle but nevertheless compelling parable of environmental destruction. The almost-wordless book traces--in shadowy shades of brown, gray, and sepia--the double-edged progress of a mole community. Roots give way to wires, burrows turn to mines, moles languish before glowing screens, and the meadow above becomes an industrial wasteland. Slight touches of humor and lingering traces of green offer hope.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(3) K-3 Translated by Suzanne Levesque. When the invention of the mousetrap makes life too dangerous in Germany, one mouse decides to follow his brethren to America. With cats and owls guarding the ports and alleyways, our hero works to build a flying machine to escape. The long story is elevated by extensive, often wordless spreads of atmospheric sepia-hued illustrations that beautifully realize the small aviator's failures and triumphs.

Reviewer: Russell Perry