(4) 4-6 After his widowed father takes the head gardener job at Minerva Hall, Jim discovers the mansion is haunted by the ghosts of six children doomed by a family curse. Can Jim and his autistic friend Einstein prevent the next disaster? Jim's narrative voice is alternately too young and too old. Though some revelations feel forced, the plot is nevertheless chilling.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(3) PS Illustrated by John Butler. After waking from a peaceful rest, a fluffy little bear (still sleepy) and his animal friends creep though the forest in search of the snug den where they will celebrate the birth of a newborn fawn. Soft-hued, textured illustrations convey a cozy early morning feeling, while the lively rhythmic text gives a joyful sense of new life.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Arthur Robins. "By an itzy bitzy house, / Down a twisty turny lane, / A twitchy witchy mouse / Is sitting in the rain." He and a similarly wet and homeless cat, puppy, and goat are all ultimately welcomed inside the titular house by a kind old man. The kinetic, cartoony drawings, mainly in secondary hues, ensure that the taut, unfailingly snappy rhymes never seem cutesy.

Reviewer: Nell Beram