(4) K-3 An exuberant, mop-haired boy, a "happy dreamer," enumerates the ways his dreams surprise and comfort him, as well as foster his creativity and individuality. Loose-lined illustrations and hand-lettered text capture the boy's energy and verve. A gatefold that asks "What kind of dreamer are you?" reveals vignettes of myriad kinds of dreamers. This inspirational if sentimental book should empower kids to "just be you."

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) K-3 As a young boy, Raj excels at piano but stops playing when, after formal lessons, "even looking at the piano made him exhausted." Years later, the man returns to his old pieces to comfort his dying father. The book is beautifully illustrated in Reynolds's recognizable light, loosely rendered style, although, with its themes of regret and aging, the sentimental story has little child-appeal.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. Each student receives an identical vehicle-building kit for the Going Places contest. Rafael and Maya collaborate ("the instructions never said we couldn't team up") and triumph with their unconventional contraption ("who said it HAD to be a go-cart?"). It's curious how a simple tool kit yields a plane, but the thinking-outside-the-box message is strong and the bright illustrations are full of momentum.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) K-3 Roland is "not impressed" with his tiny wrapped Christmas present. He wishes for bigger and bigger gifts, finally setting off in a rocket ship in search of one large enough. But soon Earth is just a faraway dot, and Roland realizes he misses "that tiny speck--the smallest gift." Nimble digital illustrations propel this tale of appreciating the small things in life.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2013

(3) K-3 Artist Marisol's class sets out to paint a mural for the library, and she excitedly takes on painting the sky. There's no blue paint, but Marisol finds an "all-together new color" for it. In his ode to creativity, Reynolds's delicate small-scale art in pen, ink, watercolor, gouache, and tea is spare and mostly black-and-white, except for bursts of warm "sky color."

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) K-3 A boy feels alone on a crowded playground until he creates a paper airplane "friend" upon which he imagines flying. Satisfyingly, he makes a real friend when a girl returns the plane. Reynolds's lyrical, dreamy text and his simple pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations touchingly portray the boy's painful isolation, then his joyful companionship.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) K-3 Rose, who travels the world in a giant teapot, stops in a city to plant her seed collection. Her faith that the garden will grow attracts children, who bring paper flowers and tell her their stories. Eventually Rose realizes she has made herself a home. In a nice touch, the brownish-gray illustrations become multicolored as the blooms appear.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 A boy on a journey gets lost when he takes a "well-worn path" instead of seeking his own way. After a bird reminds him to "follow the signs you already know," he discovers his guiding star and continues his voyage. While the simple ink and watercolor illustrations have appeal for young children, the didactic (if worthy) allegorical message won't resonate with them.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 In this second book about SugarLoaf (which is more focused than the first), she learns that, before she was born, her parents gave her brother a "Best Kid in the World" award. Jealous of this distinction, she tries to be helpful all day, but her plans go awry. Although she can be bratty, readers will sympathize with the colt-eared-but-otherwise-human star.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 A busy boy named Leo wishes there were more of him to do his work. But when more Leos--eventually ten altogether--show up, the tasks just expand to make them all frantic. This thin premise leads to the inevitable conclusion that a less hectic schedule, leaving time for daydreaming, is best. The amusingly wispy illustrations are rendered in ink, watercolor, and tea.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(4) K-3 Ramon draws constantly--until his older brother's hurtful "WHAT is THAT?" makes him quit. Ramon's sister finally convinces him that a drawing of a vase, e.g., need only look "vase-ISH." The story is too brazenly didactic for the characters to come alive, but the heavy subject matter is lightened by Reynolds's humble prose and art, which consists of small tinted images on stark white pages.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Convinced she's no good at art, a girl named Vashti angrily draws a single black dot, which her teacher frames, goading Vashti to outdo herself by creating a whole series of dot paintings in a myriad of colors and styles. Energetic cartoon illustrations and handwritten text make palatable the book's none-too-subtle message about nurturing creativity.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann