(3) K-3 Illustrated by Amanda Haley. Maia and her monster best friend are both becoming big sisters, but they want things to stay "just the way they are." Even though, as expected, their new little sisters are disruptive, the friends find joy in caring for each other's baby sis. Complemented by playful acrylic and colored-pencil scenes, this story tenderly addresses the mixed emotions brought on by family change.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Tomie dePaola. Maggie doesn't know what to do about the monster that comes into her room every night. With her mom's help, Maggie reunites the monster with its own monster mother and solves all of their troubles. There's nothing scary about these gentle monsters who sport hair ribbons and patterned dresses--but a lot that's funny and empowering about their story.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mark Ulriksen. In their second book together, energetic Harvey is thrilled to be planning the Bonesport parade, while his slightly morose dog Fred wants no part of it. Since the whole town is in the parade, Fred ends up playing a most important role: enthusiastic audience. New Yorker illustrator Ulricksen's bold acrylics add just the right feel to this quirky tale.

Reviewer: Amanda Sullivan

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. Claire knits stockings for the wealthy residents of her town. Just before Christmas, she gives a poor boy five of the six socks she had knit for a rich woman. Claire hangs up the sixth stocking, and on Christmas morning she finds that it is bulging with gifts. This wordy story is illustrated with softly luminous, atmospheric paintings.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Pat Cummings. Middle-child Daisy's big, noisy family has lots to say about her. But whenever Daisy tries to speak for herself, no one listens. Despite what her older sister says, Daisy knows she's ready for a sleepover, so Daisy and her friend make plans that finally get everyone's attention. The bold illustrations of the bustling African-American family match the text's warm, breezy tone.

Reviewer: Lauren Adams | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2005

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Mark Ulriksen. Harvey really wants to win a blue ribbon and enters his dog Fred in every class at the dog show. Discouraged when they don't win, Harvey starts to head home. Fred, however, drags him back to the "Dogs Who Look like Their Owners" competition where they win first prize. Although Fred and Harvey don't really look alike in the drawings, the acrylic illustrations are humorous.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Salvatore Murdocca. At the young narrator's urging, her grandmother joins her at an after-hours zoo party and has a blast. Readers who surrender to this fantasy--no wondering why the girl and granny are the only humans at the party, or how the girl learned of it--will find much to enjoy in the snappy rhymes and images of the ample-figured yet sprightly granny cutting a rug.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Betsy Lewin. A family of rat children follow in their late parents' musical footsteps, forming a tap-dancing act and going above ground to the glamorous but dangerous world of the humans. Winthrop stays true to the rat perspective, offering commentary on human smells and behavior, but some of the jokes will be lost on a child audience unfamiliar with the jazz culture of the 1930s.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sue Truesdell. Rhyming text describes an array of hats one might see on Halloween night, worn by children on their way to a party: "Floppy hats and sloppy hats, / silly hats and frilly hats. / Flowered hats for bees to buzz in, / fussy hats from someone's cousin." This simple story is fast paced, and the cartoon watercolor illustrations are cheerful and bustling with energy.

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(4) 4-6 Dear Mr. President series. Twelve-year-old William Pratt writes to President Adams about, among other issues, the plight of the Creek Indians; Emma Bartoletti corresponds with President Roosevelt about her family's Depression-era experiences. Despite their unlikely scenarios, the books in this series present intriguing historical portraits. The busy design includes photographs, reproductions, and editorial cartoons. Ind. [Review covers these Dear Mr. President titles: John Quincy Adams and Franklin D. Roosevelt.]

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Betsy Lewin. When Dumpy the pig decides that he wants to dance, his family and the other barnyard animals try to discourage him. His enthusiasm wins them over, however, and soon the whole group boogies around the farm. The uneven text, which sometimes rhymes and sometimes doesn't, fails to live up to the promise of Lewin's humorous illustrations, done in black brush line and fluid watercolors.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Betsy Lewin. Sarah's mother is very sick, presumably with cancer, and has lost all her energy and her hair. Sarah is alternately scared, angry, and sad until her mother begins her gradual recovery. The characters are well developed, and the sensitive, calm story offers realistic reassurances and hope for children with a sick parent. Lewin's cartoon-style pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations help lighten an otherwise serious book.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Second-grader Michael tells of the week when his divorced dad, who lives seven states away as the crow flies, comes to visit. Expressive, realistic watercolors, combined with Michael's description of daily events--living together in a motel, going on hikes, shopping, and learning new things about each other--present a reassuring message about distance and love.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.