(2) 4-6 In Spinelli's novel in verse, twelve-year-old Birdie's summer is disrupted by love. Her live-in grandmother tumbles for the new-senior-in-town; Birdie is on the verge of liking Scrabble pal Martin; and Birdie's widowed mother starts dating. The sorrows here are convincing but non-angsty, the families troubled but functional, the narrative voice charming but not too clever. This is classic middle grade, all the better for its old-fashioned flavor.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff. In Spinelli's latest verse novel--light, engaging, and easy to read--Suzy, twelve, is having a summer full of challenges; when her birthday trip to see a Phillies game falls through, it's all too much for her, and she decides to emulate recluse Emily Dickinson. The ending is pat, but gentle rather than simplistic, and the resilience of the characters is nicely understated.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2014

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David A. Johnson. The narrator alternately describes her public shyness ("I don't catch the Frisbee. / I just let it fall") and her private fearlessness ("I dance. / I leap and I spin and I prance"). The patterns of her rhymes harmonize with the dynamically illustrated spreads, in which the girl sometimes appears multiple times--a fitting comment on the many aspects of oneself.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) PS Illustrated by Giuliano Ferri. In retelling a story common to the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths, Spinelli cleverly takes a limited--and nonsectarian--perspective: the whale's. The whale's point of view is developed with simplicity and touches of humor ("Whale was troubled. Where was God?. . . 'It will not be my fault if I throw up!'"). Fluid watercolor and colored-pencil illustrate this entertaining version.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2012

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Anne Kennedy. After a visit from Officer Blue Fox, Miss Fox's students are on the lookout for law-breaking citizens. So when Miss Fox acts suspiciously, they assume she's bound for jail. The misunderstanding clears up with a neat twist. The story is mostly a vehicle for a message about gossiping, but Kennedy's peppy illustrations perfectly capture the expressions of the animal characters.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) PS Illustrated by Megan Lloyd. A young bunny recognizes that he is a "big boy now"--he can dress himself, make his bed, swing high after one push, share his scooter, and print his name. After removing the training wheels, a spill on his bicycle causes a setback, but with parental support the bunny's confidence returns. Expressive watercolor vignettes picture Bunny engaged in his myriad accomplishments.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) PS Illustrated by Bin Lee. "Ten little mice / huddle in the snow / on Christmas Eve." One by one, each mouse finds individual shelter from the winter storm, but they aren't happy until they find a place--a berry-filled hollow log--where "there's room for everyone." Engaging double-page spreads depict a snowy nocturnal landscape, while the rhymed text gently moves the quiet narrative forward.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Marjorie Priceman. The residents of Toby Mills experience bitterly cold temperatures while enjoying sledding, cooking, and other pursuits, including hunkering down to stay warm. Lively narrative pacing paired with Priceman's cheerful illustrations offer plenty of action while grounding the time frame with the lengthening icicle that forms on the town's General Toby statue from the tip of his prominent nose to the ground.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(2) K-3 Illustrated by JoAnn Adinolfi. Abigail Archer (The Perfect Thanksgiving) and her family do Christmas Martha Stewart–style. Taking a less-manicured approach, the narrator's family pulls out the old fake tree and the bargain bin decorations. A Christmas snowfall brings both families outside "together / laughing and dancing / through the snow." Jolly collage art ties it all together, depicting each family's traditions with finesse.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2011

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Anne Kennedy. In her fourth book, Miss Fox observes her students aren't in good physical shape. She launches an exercise and healthy eating initiative, and with their families' help the animals change their bad habits. The cartoon-style illustrations bring the lively (if slight) story to life. Health and fitness tips are featured on the endpapers.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Geraldo Valério. Rhyming text presents dogs that played important roles in the lives of historical figures (e.g., Meriwether Lewis, Annie Oakley, Billie Holiday). Each canine is described in a few pithy sentences; endpapers give slightly more information. Young readers may be inspired to create similar odes to their own four-legged friends. Acrylic illustrations with broad-textured brush strokes add life to the slight premise.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mary Newell DePalma. In summertime, a mouse peppers his mother with autumn questions (e.g., "Will I leap laughing into leaves / heaped high in the backyard?"). Patiently, she urges him to savor the now: "You can tippy-toe into the gurgling surf... / There are soap bubbles to blow..." Spinelli's lyrical text evokes both seasons, while DePalma's luminous acrylics show the mice reveling in summer activities.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Vincent Nguyen. Buzz the bee loves to fly...until she finds a newspaper article claiming that bees can't fly. Convinced, she falls from the sky with a "PLIP." It's not until she's called upon to fly again--and save the day--that she gains her confidence. The text will ring true with the young worrying set; Nguyen's oil and Photoshop illustrations are vibrantly detailed.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Geraldo Valério. A series of rhymes, seemingly in no particular order, pay homage to cat lovers throughout history, from Cleopatra and Florence Nightingale to Calvin Coolidge and Henri Matisse, among others; each short sketch ends with the query, "Do YOU have a cat?" Acrylic illustrations with broad-textured brushstrokes add life to the slight premise. Very brief biographical information appears on the endpapers.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Anne Kennedy. In their third outing, Miss Fox and her animal students enthusiastically undertake a series of moneymaking projects to earn $135 for a field trip to Roller Coaster Planet. Despite some setbacks, which are comically portrayed in the lively illustrations, they reach their goal. Readers can practice adding and subtracting as they follow the fluctuations in the class's fortune.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff. After Bindi's dad moves out, she and her mom move on as well--into an apartment and a new business venture: The Dancing Pancake. In clear, honest free-verse poems, Bindi narrates her adjustment to living above a diner that has its batches of bad batter along with its sunny-sides-up. Thin line drawings reflect the in-progress feel of the family's life.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Anne Kennedy. To quash her class's constant quarreling, Miss Fox declares Peace Week. The students quickly figure out ways to be peaceable, kind, and helpful to one another. While the text's happy outcome is a little too quick and easy, readers will find handy suggestions for conflict resolution. The entertaining watercolor, ink, and dye illustrations feature lively animal characters in a style similar to Lynn Munsinger's.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David Slonim. Tilly the goose never takes things seriously; she wears a pancake hat, tickles frogs, and uses a rake for a comb. Tiring of her silly ways, her friends demand she stop. Tilly complies, and the animals quickly realize it was her outrageous antics that enlivened the barnyard. Energetic acrylic, pencil, and ballpoint pen illustrations match the rollicking nature of the rhyming text.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) PS Illustrated by David McPhail. "When Papa comes home tonight, dear child, / (I promise--not too late) / you'll hear me whistling up the road. / You'll meet me at the gate." Simple, repetitive rhyming text provides a soothing accompaniment to the watercolor, pencil, and pen-and-ink illustrations. The whole is unmistakably nostalgic and idealized but soothing and heartfelt nonetheless.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Anne Kennedy. Miss Fox rides her bike to school in an effort to go green. She encourages her students to follow her example, which in turn inspires the whole school. Peppy illustrations of the all-animal cast make recycling, reusing, etc., look like a party, but the book amounts to no more than an accretion of environmentally friendly vignettes.

Reviewer: Nell Beram