(3) PS Illustrated by John Nez. Catching Mouse taking a cookie from Santa's plate, Cat calls out, "Stop, Mouse!" With Cat in pursuit, Mouse scampers off, not realizing that the kitty just wants to give him a little Christmas gift. Appealing illustrations with festive details and varying perspectives and a text composed of repetition and onomatopoeia ("scitter, scitter, scittter") make this a solid holiday storytime choice.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(2) PS Illustrated by Chris L. Demarest. "Sad lad" and "sad dad" head into the night for some joyous sledding down a steep, snow-covered hill. The ride ends with a "flip-flop stop" and a return home. Watercolors fill each page with straightforward images, reinforcing the few words. With its evocative mood and tender simplicity, this is a good choice for storytimes and new readers.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2008

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Craig Orback. Thomas's verses about the four seasons are both spare and lyrical, avoiding the trap of sing-song while still featuring rhythm and some rhyme. They cue the artist ("Nature sketches WINTER...in pen and ink"), who responds in a different medium for each season: spring pastels, summer watercolors, and fall oils. Keen observation and uncondescending wordplay ("indigogoldgreen") evoke strong sensory images.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Peter Sylvada. A girl waits with her family to see a "firefly mountain." The lyrical oil paintings in bold browns and golds with visible brush strokes convey her range of emotions, from anticipation to fulfillment when "a jillion hundred" fireflies appear on the mountain. Though the prose poetry and dark palette occasionally obscure the story, nature-loving readers will relate to the girl's experience.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo