(2) PS Illustrated by Freya Blackwood. This Australian import begins by setting the scene: "There's going to be a party" for a baby's first birthday. A spare, lilting text introduces the guests with humor and warmth. As the party progresses, cheerful (and realistic) baby-sized mayhem ensues. The day ends with a bath, bedtime, and "sweet dreams" for the birthday baby. Inviting, scribbly pencil and watercolor-wash illustrations on generous white space allow for lots of audience engagement.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Freya Blackwood. Two little girls meet on a train-station platform and begin both a friendship and a journey; each one has its highs and lows. Sketched-in pencil lines give the pastel art a sense of movement and immediacy; the signs on many of the double-page spreads ("timetable"; "signal failure"; "destination") help keep readers connected to the two themes.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Freya Blackwood. "When the enemy bombed the library, everything burned," begins this shattering but ultimately affirming story. Fleeing, Peter and his father take the only library book that wasn't incinerated. After his father dies, Peter buries the book under a tree; as a grown man, Peter returns to dig it up. The collage art features torn book pages in various languages, suggesting the common humanity of victims of wartime displacement.

Reviewer: Nell Beram | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2017

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Freya Blackwood. In this Australian import, Cartwheel and her auntie leave their war-torn home and immigrate to the safety of a new country. Evocative, motif- and metaphor-filled watercolor and oil illustrations visualize Cartwheel's difficult adjustment to a new language and landscape ("Even the wind felt strange"). An emerging (though oddly one-sided) friendship, which is compared to a comforting blanket, eases her transition.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Freya Blackwood. In five short stories about Maudie, a precocious young girl, and her friend Bear (a grownup stand-in), Maudie is dramatic and often selfish; Bear's affection for her, however, is steady and patient. Blackwood's delicately detailed illustrations reinforce the loving relationship between these two characters and imbue the tales with an inviting sense of warmth.

Reviewer: Meredith M. Sittman

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Freya Blackwood. When his dog Hopper dies, young Harry shuts down. After a series of ghostly middle-of-the-night visits from the dog, Harry is finally able, lovingly, to let Hopper go. The author both evokes unflinchingly and treats respectfully the emotions of a grieving child. Scrawly mixed-media illustrations capture the strength of the bond between dog and boy as well as Harry's isolation and disorientation.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2011

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Freya Blackwood. Siobhán can't remember her dead mother's face. With her father frozen inside his own unhappiness, there's no one to help her grieve. After a comforting visit from "a beautiful woman" (who she later concludes was her mother), Siobhán finally begins to heal. Poignant watercolor and charcoal illustrations show how a mother's quirky spirit lives on through her sensitive daughter.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Freya Blackwood. When Amy wants to play with her best friend, Louie, she calls out their special word--"Coo-ee"--and Louie calls Amy the same way. When Amy's family moves, the two are miserable until they figure out how to communicate "half a world away." Blackwood's atmospheric illustrations are a good match for the mood of the story.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo