(3) K-3 Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. A lyrical tale of a medieval child's day hunting with her falconer father and their hawk is illuminated by lavishly detailed acrylic-gouache illustrations. The simple text (with a rhyming "This is the..." construction) is supplemented with extensive sidebars explaining the sport of falconry and raptor behavior and an appended historical note. An underrepresented subject executed with skill and care. Reading list, websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Jessica Bushore

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Lee White. In the Arctic winter a girl and her grandfather bemoan the lack of color: everything is a shade of white and the days are as dark as night. But hope returns one night when, from the top of a hill, they view the swirling colors of the aurora borealis. The text is lyrical and evocative, but the book depends on some questionable assumptions about Arctic cultures.

Reviewer: Grace Worcester Greene

(3) PS Illustrated by Kevin Sherry. An underwater exploration with a read-aloud-perfect counting rhyme nearly turns deadly when a school of fish playing follow-the-leader encounters the top of their food chain; one by one the shark eats ten fish until a "BURRRP!" brings them all back. Bright, playful illustrations--created in layers using watercolor backgrounds, paper cutouts, and paint on acetate sheets--match the book's silly tone.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(3) PS Illustrated by Virginia Allyn. "Star light, star bright, / Come to story time tonight." Heeding Mother Goose's message in the sky, her kingdom's characters prepare to join her ("Nimble Jack, so spry and quick, / led them with his candlestick"). Smith's airtight rhymes ingeniously borrow motifs from the nursery verses, and Allyn's art, which features a diverse cast, seems timeless. Eight pages of nursery rhymes are included.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Valeria Petrone. Two young brothers play pirates, cheerfully avoiding naps by looting, fighting a purple monster (a.k.a. baby sister), and seeking treasure. Vibrant digital gouache illustrations and a smooth-sailing rhyming text feature nine basic colors as the boys chase and plunder. As a concept book, colors play a distant second fiddle to imaginative play, but the energetic story has appeal.

Reviewer: Bethany Templeton Klem

(3) PS Illustrated by Valeria Petrone. A boy tells of his trip to the zoo with Grandpa, "my favorite guy." In a chipper rhyming text, grandfather and grandson count the animals they see, from one black bear to five penguins to ten "hairy wart hogs." The richly colored digital gouache illustrations feature smiling animals and the two zoo visitors having a special day together.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn