(2) PS Illustrated by Hadley Hooper. A girl named Joy has always wanted a dog. It doesn't matter what kind: "She'd know her dog when she saw him." Jump, a dog, has loved kids for as long as he can remember. Like Joy, "he'd know his kid when he saw her." As each longs for the other, they are shown on opposite sides of the spread, parallel but apart. Throughout the year, they form dogs and kids, respectively, out of each season's offerings -- e.g., in spring, Joy makes a dog from flowers and Jump makes a kid out of ferns, but both eventually wilt and fall to the ground. After a year passes, lush new flowers and ferns grow again. When Joy and Jump greet their flora aloud, they finally see each other. Ruelle's simple story uses repetition and alliteration to good effect. Hooper colors the child and dog in soft, warm beiges using brush and ink. The delicate background collages are primarily black and white until the characters meet, and then everything transforms into color. A sweetly told friendship story set against the changing seasons.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(3) 4-6 Strong, clear writing energizes this account of Paris's Grand Mosque serving as sanctuary for Jews fleeing the Nazis. Exquisite oil-paint illustrations display both the beauty of Paris and the stately elegance of the mosque, in addition to the danger faced by Jews and Muslim resistance fighters alike. An afterword gives more details about the historical events. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(3) PS "Thin dog, grin dog, / gulping, lapping. / Hairless, careless, digging, yapping." A jaunty rhyme describes the activities of numerous dogs as they head to the park, play, then return home. Textured paper hand-painted in watercolor lends a tactile dimension to the cleanly composed collages; readers will enjoy matching the canines in the rhyme with those in the illustrations.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Deborah Durland DeSaix. This New York City retrospective describes the life of an over-two-hundred-fifty-year-old tree in Madison Square Park. Beginning as a seed in the mid-1700s, the elm "witnesses" history, overlooking, as time goes on, a cemetery for yellow fever victims, Civil War military campgrounds, and P.T. Barnum's Hippodrome. Intriguing watercolor and oil art illustrates the different eras. "Historical Notes" are appended. Timeline.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) 4-6 DeSaix and Ruelle share tales of the refugees, resistance fighters, and townspeople of Le Chambon, a town in France that welcomed Jews from internment camps. The authors interviewed survivors and edited their stories into first-person diary-like entries. Though some details are repetitive, the heroism and strength of the people involved are well portrayed. Black-and-white photographs accompany each chapter. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(3) K-3 Holiday House Readers series. A few days before December thirty-first, cat siblings Harry and Emily begin to practice staying up late--without much success. Nevertheless, midnight on New Year's Eve finds them wide awake, though it happens in a way neither one expects. The expressive illustrations, with their sturdy, childlike cat figures, will continue to provide chuckles for readers of this enjoyable series of holiday books.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Holiday House Readers series. Cats Harry and his little sister Emily try to prepare for Easter by decorating and hiding eggs, but most of their attempts turn into failures. The cats clean up their mess and apologize to their parents, and in spite of their worries, the Easter Bunny brings them treats. Accompanied by childlike drawings, this is a predictable but cheerful easy reader.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Holiday House Readers series. Because a snowstorm delays their trip to their grandparents' house, Harry the cat and his sister Emily have no tree on Christmas day, until they decide to decorate an outdoor tree with strings of popcorn and cranberries. The simple drawings of the chunky cat children are just right for this easy chapter book, and Emily's perfectionist tendencies add pizzazz.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Holiday House Readers series. This four-chapter book tells the story of how kittens Harry and Emily prepare for Mother's Day: growing flowers, cooking creative peanut butter pancakes, and serving their mother breakfast in bed. But despite all of their efforts--and the messy outcome--nothing can top the children as Mother's favorite present of all. Sketchy, childlike illustrations help make this an accessible story for beginning readers.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) K-3 In the fifth book about cat siblings Harry and Emily, big brother Harry tries to instruct Emily in the art of playing tricks on April Fools' Day. Emily, however, has her own ideas, and in the end, she succeeds in tricking Harry--more than once. Ruelle's humorous, childlike illustrations are just right for this amiable easy reader.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Holiday House Readers series. Harry the cat looks forward to visiting his grandparents and making apple pie, but his little sister Emily doesn't want to go, not without her parents. Besides, she knows she won't like apple pie. Ruelle understands her young characters very well; she tells the sixth Harry and Emily story with a gentle humor that's echoed in the childlike illustrations.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 As Harry and his little sister Emily prepare for Halloween, Emily ends up in tears over her failure to make the costume she envisioned. Harry comforts her, and when they go trick-or-treating, her costume, together with his explanation of it, garners them extra candy. Simple but effective illustrations accompany this good-natured book.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 In this story told in four short chapters, kittens Harry and Emily worry about making special valentines for their parents. They explore various ideas until they stumble on the perfect answer during a snow day--a beautiful snow valentine. Simple, warm watercolors accompany this sweet look at a family Valentine's Day celebration.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(2) K-3 When Harry and his little sister Emily hear the story of the first Thanksgiving, they decide to share their own food with some hungry squirrel, bird, and chipmunk neighbors. Ruelle's minimalist watercolors give this beginning reader an unusually fresh look, and the combination of the appeal of the helping-animals theme and the humor in Emily's anti-pumpkin-pie campaign is a winning one.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 1999