(2) K-3 Illustrated by Alexander Vidal. Approximately one hundred fifty years ago, and sixty-five million years after the dinosaurs' extinction, scientists discovered fossil treasure troves of bone beds in the western United States. Rather than combine their knowledge and discoveries, two well-known paleontologists, O. C. Marsh and Edward Cope, once friendly colleagues, vied for top billing in the scientific community. They infiltrated, sabotaged, and even destroyed one another's dig sites. They furiously collected bones, identified new species, and published papers. And they both died lonely old men. Vidal's earth-tone palette visually sets the scene for the numerous digs, while a gloomy gray dominates his compositions of the scientists away from these sites, where their distaste for each other plays out in public. He renders his digital dinosaurs and other creatures to reflect what nineteenth-century scientists knew about them, underscoring details from the text. Kurtz effectively creates the escalating tension between Marsh and Cope as she alternates each scientist's action with the other's reaction. In conclusion, she points out that the public was the true winner of this "war," which produced new discoveries and museum exhibits of the hundred and thirty species the two collectively identified. Rounding out this clear and intriguing account are author and illustrator notes, a bibliography, and suggestions for further reading.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Allison Black. Kurtz describes the feces of zoo animals, emphasizing the wide variety of textures, shapes, and smells in a lighthearted yet information-oriented manner. Key features are highlighted in the main rhyming text at the top of each page, while additional information can be found in secondary prose on the bottom. The friendly, smiling zoo creatures and their dung are displayed in colorful cartoonlike images.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2018

(3) 4-6 Eleven-year-old Jupiter's aunt adopted a child from Ethiopia, but when Aunt Amy receives a cancer diagnosis, Edom, seven, is sent to live with Jupiter's family of wandering folk-music buskers. The family--with Edom and sans Jupiter's absentee dad--finally settles down in Portland, Oregon, where they garden and forage. Themes of familial bonds and belonging pervade this bighearted story about a unique family.

Reviewer: Lauren Causey

(4) K-3 Green Light Readers: 50 States to Celebrate series. Illustrated by C. B. Canga. The enthusiastic Mr. Geo continues to provide newly independent readers with broad, superficial introductions to states. He highlights items of interest to children as he touches on history, geographical features, major cities, products, wildlife, natural resources, recreation, and cultural attractions. Serviceable illustrations show Mr. Geo cheerfully participating in local activities. Fast facts and activities are appended. Timeline. Glos. Review covers these Green Light Readers: 50 States to Celebrate titles: Celebrating Georgia, Celebrating New Jersey, Celebrating Ohio, and Celebrating Pennsylvania.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 Green Light Readers: 50 States to Celebrate series. Illustrated by C. B. Canga. The enthusiastic Mr. Geo continues to provide newly independent readers with broad, superficial introductions to states. He highlights items of interest to children as he touches on history, geographical features, major cities, products, wildlife, natural resources, recreation, and cultural attractions. Serviceable illustrations show Mr. Geo cheerfully participating in local activities. Fast facts and activities are appended. Timeline. Glos. Review covers these Green Light Readers: 50 States to Celebrate titles: Celebrating Georgia, Celebrating New Jersey, Celebrating Ohio, and Celebrating Pennsylvania.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 Green Light Readers: 50 States to Celebrate series. Illustrated by C. B. Canga. The enthusiastic Mr. Geo continues to provide newly independent readers with broad, superficial introductions to states. He highlights items of interest to children as he touches on history, geographical features, major cities, products, wildlife, natural resources, recreation, and cultural attractions. Serviceable illustrations show Mr. Geo cheerfully participating in local activities. Fast facts and activities are appended. Timeline. Glos. Review covers these Green Light Readers: 50 States to Celebrate titles: Celebrating Georgia, Celebrating New Jersey, Celebrating Ohio, and Celebrating Pennsylvania.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 Green Light Readers: 50 States to Celebrate series. Illustrated by C. B. Canga. The enthusiastic Mr. Geo continues to provide newly independent readers with broad, superficial introductions to states. He highlights items of interest to children as he touches on history, geographical features, major cities, products, wildlife, natural resources, recreation, and cultural attractions. Serviceable illustrations show Mr. Geo cheerfully participating in local activities. Fast facts and activities are appended. Timeline. Glos. Review covers these Green Light Readers: 50 States to Celebrate titles: Celebrating Georgia, Celebrating New Jersey, Celebrating Ohio, and Celebrating Pennsylvania.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) 4-6 Preacher's kid Anna doesn't want to move (even temporarily) from Colorado to Kansas, where her father grew up. A safety nut, Anna is worried about tornadoes and other things she can't control. Helping on a farm teaches her to have some faith in other people and in herself. Kurtz's small-town setting, populated by Anna's extended family, is finely wrought.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Rachel Isadora. Abena and her little brother, Kofi, take comfort in two folktales from their Ghanaian homeland as they face, with trepidation, their new life in America. Abena tells Kofi one tale involving Anansi and another about a turtle's perseverance. Vibrant illustrations shuttle between present reality and traditional scenes of Ghana and reinforce the siblings' closeness.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(4) PS Illustrated by Jane Manning. At the zoo, a boy asks whether animals must wear seatbelts, use helmets, or hold their mothers' hands. No, mom replies, animals protect their children in other ways, but as for her, she'll always be there to keep him warm and safe. Kurtz uses vivid language, but the rhymes are often awkward. Cheery illustrations show a variety of smiling animal families.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 Ready-to-Read series. Illustrated by Mary Haverfield. This easy reader features a rough biographical sketch of John Chapman, a historical American figure commonly known as Johnny Appleseed. The poorly rhymed text conveys Appleseed's passion for planting, growing, and giving away apple products while hinting at his nomadic and eccentric character. Sentimental watercolor illustrations idealistically picture Appleseed's westward travels along the Ohio River.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) 4-6 Surreptitiously trained as a warrior in a society that has little value for girls, wealthy Moralin is kidnapped by a rival, much more primitive tribe. Though crucial for understanding her trials and eventual escape, details of the different societies and landscapes are difficult to follow. Nevertheless, Moralin is a strong character and her adventures are exciting.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(2) YA The first section of this anthology contains stories about growing up in Africa; the second focuses on young Americans living on that continent; the third concerns African immigrants in the United States. Most pieces explore moments of conflict and connection between diverse cultures. This thought-provoking collection of short fiction and three poems provides an illuminating look at contemporary Africa and its young people.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2004

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Beth Peck. It's 1893, and Lillie is intrigued with her new neighbor, fifty-year-old Frances Willard--the real-life educator, women's suffragist, labor-rights advocate, and would-be bicyclist. Kurtz packs a surprising amount of history and drama into this agreeable, easily read story. Author's notes explain that "nearly every word Frances Willard speaks in this book is based on something she really did say or write."

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2003

(4) 4-6 Girls of Many Lands series. Twelve-year-old Saba and her older brother, who have been raised by their grandparents in remote, rural Ethiopia, are kidnapped and thrown into the chaos of nineteenth-century court life. Though events sometimes seem a bit contrived, Saba is a compelling character, and the historical details are interesting. A note about Ethiopia, "then and now," is appended. Glos.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Dyanna Wolcott. A little girl feels every bit as gray as the sky outside, despite her parents' cheering efforts. But rushing outside to stomp in the rain helps turn this "howling, prowling, scowling" grouch calm, as the whole family joins in an exuberant rainy romp. Soft, melting watercolors echo her feelings and the weather, which grows warmer and brighter along with the protagonist.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Dakar has begun to settle uneasily into her North Dakota home despite her longing for her older sister Jakarta, who has remained in Africa, where the family had lived. Having long relied on her sister's strength, Dakar feels unable to be "the hero of [her] own life." This tightly controlled, intense interior novel ends with Dakar really beginning to understand the enormous truth that life is terrifying--and wonderful.

Reviewer: Susan P. Bloom | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2001

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Neil Brennan. In eighteen free-verse poems, Kurtz tells the story of the flood of 1997 that devastated Grand Forks, North Dakota. Written from a young girl's point of view, the poems recount one family's experiences. The child's voice is consistent throughout, and her concerns are credible. Oil paintings with a slightly fuzzy focus soften the experience a bit without lessening the emotional power of the poems.

Reviewer: Kathleen T. Horning | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2000

(3) K-3 Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. As he prepares to visit his homeland, a father gently comforts his daughter with his memories of life in Ethiopia. Desta has trouble picturing her father's childhood--thousands of flamingos, a house with no electricity, walking barefoot to school--but eventually understands that he misses his old home and that he will come back. Details in the watercolor illustrations extend the text's poetic prose.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Susan Havice. Fortunately for eight-year-old Sarah and her best friend Almira Ann, both their families decide to leave Missouri at the same time and join a wagon train headed for Oregon. This eloquent short novel conveys both the hardships and pleasant surprises--prized belongings jettisoned by other travelers--the pioneers found, while also telling the story of a girl in danger of losing something dearer to her than material goods could ever be.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2000