(3) K-3 Illustrated by Laura J. Bryant. Little Fox, tired of playing close to home, tells her mother that some day she will "travel to the end of the world." As she describes her imagined voyages, including encounters with bears, tigers, and crocodiles, Mother Fox supports her with the promise of her favorite dinner when she returns. Bryant's new dynamic watercolors ably illustrate Tompert's tale.

Reviewer: Pearl Higgins | Horn Book Magazine Issue: December, 1976

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Kestutis Kasparavicius. Tompert skillfully weaves together the many legends about Saint Valentine into a story about his life as a devout Christian who performed caring and, at times, miraculous deeds. She admits that scholars know few facts about the man and provides a note explaining what sources are available. The stiff, stylized illustrations work well to set the serious tone and historical setting.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Kestutis Kasparavicius. Tompert retells a legend about St. Martin de Porres, a Dominican brother in Lima, Peru. Martin, ordered to rid the monastery of mice, leads the animals to the safety of the barn where he feeds them daily. Told from the point of view of one mouse, the story is engaging, but the cute, clothed mice in the illustrations seem at odds with the otherwise realistic, detailed paintings depicting seventeenth-century monastic life.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Michael Garland. In her introduction, Tompert admits that while much of the material surrounding the life of Saint Nicholas is legend, aspects of his life can be considered fact. The strong text is readable but complex--and children who do not know some church history will be left with many questions. Garland's illustrations appropriately recall both mosaics and the formal composition of traditional stained glass windows.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jacqueline Chwast. On market day, a greedy goat bullies his neighbors into giving him their belongings. He stuffs everything into his ever-expanding black bag and goes to look for more--until he meets Bear, who teaches him that he already has more than enough. The facial expressions of the animals add humor to the somewhat awkward watercolor illustrations in this cautionary tale.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 Based on a letter that Saint Patrick wrote late in life, this picture book biography makes the saint's life intelligible to children, though quotes from Patrick are somewhat stiffly interjected into the narrative. Mixed-media illustrations use computer-generated patterns and hyper-saturated color, sometimes producing an oddly contemporary look. Gilded Celtic knots frame the text.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.