(2) K-3 "Drawing always came naturally to me," says the protagonist of this autobiographical picture book based on Talbott's early life. Words are another story. Though he loves words "one at a time," long sentences make him feel lost in the woods--a theme picked up by the book's title and by the illustrations' imagery. In the watercolor, colored-pencil, and ink pictures, books fly at him like so many bats or birds of prey; trees are menacingly twisted into and around words; and an entire spread of newsprint becomes a gray, densely packed "Wall of Shame." He feels "alone and lost in a world of words" and worries: what if his classmates find out he can't keep up with them? As he comes up with strategies to forge his own path--reading at his own pace, looking for words he knows and letting them lead him into a story--the illustrations' palette slowly lightens. Then he begins to experiment with how to write stories. He tears down his Wall of Shame and creates a Hall of Fame of slow readers--Einstein and Shakespeare among them. And now the wall carries a new sign: "Slow readers savor the story!" In an appended note, Talbott relates his childhood struggle with dyslexia and how he wrote this story to help others.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(3) K-3 Talbott limns the life and legacy of Thomas Cole, the nineteenth-century American painter best known for his landscapes and as the originator of the Hudson River school of art. The text is straightforward yet consistently infused with the sense of curiosity that drove Cole to explore and make art. In his own illustrations, Talbott alternately uses narrative-furthering vignettes and sweeping nature scenes. An appended note works in Cole reproductions.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) K-3 Talbott's fanciful origin story imagines how the relationship between humans and wolves developed. A wolf pup and a child, both orphaned, team up for mutual aid. Other outcasts see the advantages of teamwork and follow; over thousands of years, nomadic tribes become villagers, and wolves become dogs, adapting to humans' needs. Talbott's mixed-media art includes some sweet moments. An author's note about mythology is included. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Grace Worcester Greene

(3) K-3 In this how-to guide for cats, Buddy, an older and wiser tabby, shares his knowledge of cat history, owner manipulation, and cat dos and don’ts with a new generation of kittens. Though the narrative isn't plot driven, it's humorous and will appeal to young cat owners. Talbott's watercolors embody silly cat antics, filling the pages with the elder cat's tips and tricks, lively diagrams, and the wonders of being a cat.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(2) 4-6 Starting with the Hudson River's Ice Age birth, moving through its significance in American history and art, and ending with its recent comeback from pollution, Talbott takes readers on an engrossing journey. Large, lush paintings fill some spreads; others feature smaller portraits, landscapes, and maps. After reading straight through, children will want to reexamine pages of particular interest. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Monica Edinger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2009

(3) K-3 This book is structured around a beauty pageant featuring state birds. Each one struts its stuff on a page that also includes the state's capital and nickname, along with various other facts such as state flower, insect, mammal, and song. Though the competition's fierce, the pageant ends in unity. The book features lighthearted visual humor as well as wordplay throughout.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) 4-6 A twelve-year-old kid stuck on safari with his "wacky" aunt quickly figures out that it's cool to be in Kenya. Detailed observations of African animals precede richly described adventures with the Masai and a dramatic nighttime capture of poachers. To make the journal seem authentic, Talbott uses slightly irritating kidspeak and scratchy handwriting interspersed with color photos and illustrations.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(2) 4-6 Growing up in 1930s Amsterdam, Jaap Penraat sees the steady curtailment of the Jews' rights; after the 1940 Blitzkrieg, Jaap, now twenty, turns his architectural drafting skills to perfecting false identity and travel papers for his Jewish friends. The illustrations are as action-packed as the text. Text and pictures both have a boyish enthusiasm that nevertheless acknowledges the real human cost of the war.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2001

(3) 1-3 Caught retrieving the red stallion the king unfairly took from the town witch, young red-haired Kate O'Sullivan tells stories, each one more outlandish than the last, to save herself and her family from hanging. Not only does quick-witted Kate win her freedom, she captures the king's heart. Energetic humorous illustrations, rich in kelly green, are a perfect match for this tale's Irish blarney.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(3) K-3 Books of Wonder series. Large, dramatic illustrations set the stage for this tale about King Arthur's most notorious knight. Beginning with the battle that left the infant Lancelot orphaned, the story describes the adventures of the knight's early life and ends soon after his marriage to Lady Elaine and the birth of Galahad. His future betrayal of the king is only foreshadowed, but readers will find plenty of drama in the events that are presented.

Reviewer: Anne St. John