(4) 1-3 Calico Kid: Farmyard Friends series. Illustrated by Paula Franco. New readers can enjoy Storm Cliff Stables (from Mullarkey's Pony Girls and Storm Cliff Stables series)--this time, from the barn animals' perspectives. The facile transitional-reader stories include tame conflict (e.g., Gaston the goat battles his fear of thunderstorms) and silly wordplay (pig Freckles channels artist "Pablo Pigasso" to spiff up the dark barn). The characters are energetically rendered in the slick color illustrations. Review covers these Calico Kid: Farmyard Friends titles: Daisy the Cow, Freckles the Pig, Gaston the Goat, and Golden Girl the Chicken.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 1-3 Calico Kid: Farmyard Friends series. Illustrated by Paula Franco. New readers can enjoy Storm Cliff Stables (from Mullarkey's Pony Girls and Storm Cliff Stables series)--this time, from the barn animals' perspectives. The facile transitional-reader stories include tame conflict (e.g., Gaston the goat battles his fear of thunderstorms) and silly wordplay (pig Freckles channels artist "Pablo Pigasso" to spiff up the dark barn). The characters are energetically rendered in the slick color illustrations. Review covers these Calico Kid: Farmyard Friends titles: Daisy the Cow, Freckles the Pig, Gaston the Goat, and Golden Girl the Chicken.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 1-3 Calico Kid: Farmyard Friends series. Illustrated by Paula Franco. New readers can enjoy Storm Cliff Stables (from Mullarkey's Pony Girls and Storm Cliff Stables series)--this time, from the barn animals' perspectives. The facile transitional-reader stories include tame conflict (e.g., Gaston the goat battles his fear of thunderstorms) and silly wordplay (pig Freckles channels artist "Pablo Pigasso" to spiff up the dark barn). The characters are energetically rendered in the slick color illustrations. Review covers these Calico Kid: Farmyard Friends titles: Daisy the Cow, Freckles the Pig, Gaston the Goat, and Golden Girl the Chicken.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 1-3 Calico Kid: Farmyard Friends series. Illustrated by Paula Franco. New readers can enjoy Storm Cliff Stables (from Mullarkey's Pony Girls and Storm Cliff Stables series)--this time, from the barn animals' perspectives. The facile transitional-reader stories include tame conflict (e.g., Gaston the goat battles his fear of thunderstorms) and silly wordplay (pig Freckles channels artist "Pablo Pigasso" to spiff up the dark barn). The characters are energetically rendered in the slick color illustrations. Review covers these Calico Kid: Farmyard Friends titles: Daisy the Cow, Freckles the Pig, Gaston the Goat, and Golden Girl the Chicken.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 1-3 Calico: Pony Girls series. Illustrated by Paula Franco. Four girls experience growing pains of friendship at Storm Cliff Stables camp. Dani, who's from Costa Rica, constantly feels one-upped by her overachiever cousin, Gabriela; Carly hates following rules; Kianna, still seven, faces challenges as the youngest. New readers will have fun horsing around with the girls in these high-interest if facile stories. Average-quality illustrations emphasize the cast's racial diversity. Review covers the following Calico: Pony Girls titles: Carly, Daniela, Gabriela, and Kianna.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 1-3 Calico: Pony Girls series. Illustrated by Paula Franco. Four girls experience growing pains of friendship at Storm Cliff Stables camp. Dani, who's from Costa Rica, constantly feels one-upped by her overachiever cousin, Gabriela; Carly hates following rules; Kianna, still seven, faces challenges as the youngest. New readers will have fun horsing around with the girls in these high-interest if facile stories. Average-quality illustrations emphasize the cast's racial diversity. Review covers the following Calico: Pony Girls titles: Carly, Daniela, Gabriela, and Kianna.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 1-3 Calico: Pony Girls series. Illustrated by Paula Franco. Four girls experience growing pains of friendship at Storm Cliff Stables camp. Dani, who's from Costa Rica, constantly feels one-upped by her overachiever cousin, Gabriela; Carly hates following rules; Kianna, still seven, faces challenges as the youngest. New readers will have fun horsing around with the girls in these high-interest if facile stories. Average-quality illustrations emphasize the cast's racial diversity. Review covers the following Calico: Pony Girls titles: Carly, Daniela, Gabriela, and Kianna.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 1-3 Calico: Pony Girls series. Illustrated by Paula Franco. Four girls experience growing pains of friendship at Storm Cliff Stables camp. Dani, who's from Costa Rica, constantly feels one-upped by her overachiever cousin, Gabriela; Carly hates following rules; Kianna, still seven, faces challenges as the youngest. New readers will have fun horsing around with the girls in these high-interest if facile stories. Average-quality illustrations emphasize the cast's racial diversity. Review covers the following Calico: Pony Girls titles: Carly, Daniela, Gabriela, and Kianna.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 4-6 Calico: Storm Cliff Stables series. Illustrated by Paula Franco. Storm Cliff Stables' "Four Horseketeers" Ainsley, Cassidy, Khadija, and Ryleigh partake in camp pranks and tantalizing secrets. Horsing around aside, the slight series tackles preteen friendship quandaries and the occasional timely topic. While the girls' angst can feel overly fraught, camp owner/mentor Aunt Jane's reliable guidance grounds them. Bland illustrations emphasize the cast's racial and ethnic diversity. Review covers the following Calico: Storm Cliff Stables titles: Battle of the Bunks, A Feast of Fun, A Filming Fiasco, and Hopes in Hiding.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 4-6 Calico: Storm Cliff Stables series. Illustrated by Paula Franco. Storm Cliff Stables' "Four Horseketeers" Ainsley, Cassidy, Khadija, and Ryleigh partake in camp pranks and tantalizing secrets. Horsing around aside, the slight series tackles preteen friendship quandaries and the occasional timely topic. While the girls' angst can feel overly fraught, camp owner/mentor Aunt Jane's reliable guidance grounds them. Bland illustrations emphasize the cast's racial and ethnic diversity. Review covers the following Calico: Storm Cliff Stables titles: Battle of the Bunks, A Feast of Fun, A Filming Fiasco, and Hopes in Hiding.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 4-6 Calico: Storm Cliff Stables series. Illustrated by Paula Franco. Storm Cliff Stables' "Four Horseketeers" Ainsley, Cassidy, Khadija, and Ryleigh partake in camp pranks and tantalizing secrets. Horsing around aside, the slight series tackles preteen friendship quandaries and the occasional timely topic. While the girls' angst can feel overly fraught, camp owner/mentor Aunt Jane's reliable guidance grounds them. Bland illustrations emphasize the cast's racial and ethnic diversity. Review covers the following Calico: Storm Cliff Stables titles: Battle of the Bunks, A Feast of Fun, A Filming Fiasco, and Hopes in Hiding.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 4-6 Calico: Storm Cliff Stables series. Illustrated by Paula Franco. Storm Cliff Stables' "Four Horseketeers" Ainsley, Cassidy, Khadija, and Ryleigh partake in camp pranks and tantalizing secrets. Horsing around aside, the slight series tackles preteen friendship quandaries and the occasional timely topic. While the girls' angst can feel overly fraught, camp owner/mentor Aunt Jane's reliable guidance grounds them. Bland illustrations emphasize the cast's racial and ethnic diversity. Review covers the following Calico: Storm Cliff Stables titles: Battle of the Bunks, A Feast of Fun, A Filming Fiasco, and Hopes in Hiding.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 4-6 Calico: The Art of Time Travel series. Illustrated by Courtney Bernard. In each book, two kids flash back in time to meet famous artists of different disciplines: Ella Fitzgerald, Mary Shelley, Monet, and Shakespeare. The structure is formulaic--an unimpressed character gains appreciation while having an impact on a pivotal moment in history--but gentle unpacking of biographical information may spark history young buffs' interest. Each volume is illustrated in a different monochromatic color scheme. Review covers the following Art of Time Travel titles: Get Ella to the Apollo, Mary Molds a Monster, Monet Changes Mediums, and Shakespeare Saves the Globe.

Reviewer: Andrea Curtis

(4) 4-6 Calico: The Art of Time Travel series. Illustrated by Courtney Bernard. In each book, two kids flash back in time to meet famous artists of different disciplines: Ella Fitzgerald, Mary Shelley, Monet, and Shakespeare. The structure is formulaic--an unimpressed character gains appreciation while having an impact on a pivotal moment in history--but gentle unpacking of biographical information may spark history young buffs' interest. Each volume is illustrated in a different monochromatic color scheme. Review covers the following Art of Time Travel titles: Get Ella to the Apollo, Mary Molds a Monster, Monet Changes Mediums, and Shakespeare Saves the Globe.

Reviewer: Andrea Curtis

(4) 4-6 Calico: The Art of Time Travel series. Illustrated by Courtney Bernard. In each book, two kids flash back in time to meet famous artists of different disciplines: Ella Fitzgerald, Mary Shelley, Monet, and Shakespeare. The structure is formulaic--an unimpressed character gains appreciation while having an impact on a pivotal moment in history--but gentle unpacking of biographical information may spark history young buffs' interest. Each volume is illustrated in a different monochromatic color scheme. Review covers the following Art of Time Travel titles: Get Ella to the Apollo, Mary Molds a Monster, Monet Changes Mediums, and Shakespeare Saves the Globe.

Reviewer: Andrea Curtis

(4) 4-6 Calico: The Art of Time Travel series. Illustrated by Courtney Bernard. In each book, two kids flash back in time to meet famous artists of different disciplines: Ella Fitzgerald, Mary Shelley, Monet, and Shakespeare. The structure is formulaic--an unimpressed character gains appreciation while having an impact on a pivotal moment in history--but gentle unpacking of biographical information may spark history young buffs' interest. Each volume is illustrated in a different monochromatic color scheme. Review covers the following Art of Time Travel titles: Get Ella to the Apollo, Mary Molds a Monster, Monet Changes Mediums, and Shakespeare Saves the Globe.

Reviewer: Andrea Curtis

(4) 1-3 Katharine the Almost Great series. Illustrated by Phyllis Harris. Third-grader Katharine always tries to do her best but isn’t entirely successful at following the rules. However, she is kind and loving to live-in cousin Crockett, even if she's not so tolerant of classmate "Miss Priss-A-Poo" Vanessa. Although her adventures are bland, the illustrated stories are easy to read and the situations are relatable. Review covers these Katharine the Almost Great titles: The Artsy-Fartsy Auction, The Ding Dong Ditch-a-Roo, The Purr-fect-o Present, and The Write Stuff.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(4) 1-3 Katharine the Almost Great series. Illustrated by Phyllis Harris. Third-grader Katharine always tries to do her best but isn’t entirely successful at following the rules. However, she is kind and loving to live-in cousin Crockett, even if she's not so tolerant of classmate "Miss Priss-A-Poo" Vanessa. Although her adventures are bland, the illustrated stories are easy to read and the situations are relatable. Review covers these Katharine the Almost Great titles: The Artsy-Fartsy Auction, The Ding Dong Ditch-a-Roo, The Purr-fect-o Present, and The Write Stuff.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(4) 1-3 Katharine the Almost Great series. Illustrated by Phyllis Harris. Third-grader Katharine always tries to do her best but isn’t entirely successful at following the rules. However, she is kind and loving to live-in cousin Crockett, even if she's not so tolerant of classmate "Miss Priss-A-Poo" Vanessa. Although her adventures are bland, the illustrated stories are easy to read and the situations are relatable. Review covers these Katharine the Almost Great titles: The Artsy-Fartsy Auction, The Ding Dong Ditch-a-Roo, The Purr-fect-o Present, and The Write Stuff.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(4) 1-3 Katharine the Almost Great series. Illustrated by Phyllis Harris. Third-grader Katharine always tries to do her best but isn’t entirely successful at following the rules. However, she is kind and loving to live-in cousin Crockett, even if she's not so tolerant of classmate "Miss Priss-A-Poo" Vanessa. Although her adventures are bland, the illustrated stories are easy to read and the situations are relatable. Review covers these Katharine the Almost Great titles: The Artsy-Fartsy Auction, The Ding Dong Ditch-a-Roo, The Purr-fect-o Present, and The Write Stuff.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin