(2) 1-3 Barkus series. Illustrated by Marc Boutavant. In this sophisticated early-reader series' second installment, smart and friendly canine Barkus and his family (including the little-girl narrator) engage in everyday adventures in their rural community: Barkus recovers from illness, saves a floating balloon, helps a farmer, trades toys with a neighbor dog, and dreams during a thunderstorm. Lush-hued illustrations support beginning readers; short sentences using substantial dialogue and repetition set a comfortable pace in each of five chapters.

Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Marc Boutavant. Uncle Everton departs on a voyage, leaving "smartest dog in the world" Barkus with Nicky and her family. In five brief chapters, Barkus and Nicky change her classroom dynamics, host a canine birthday party, find a kitten, and camp out in the backyard. The welcoming first-person narrative gives this early reader a homey feel. Bold, vivid hues pop atop solid-colored backgrounds.

Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2017

(3) K-3 Translated by Claudia Zoe Bedrick. Illustrated by Marc Boutavant. When squirrel Edmond and owl George spot the Thing (it resembles a furry red haystack with eyes) across the river, they flee in fear. When George decides to don a disguise and investigate, he ends up frightening his neighbors. A giddy skewering of xenophobia, this story (originally published in French) features homey, vaguely retro art that calls to mind the best of early Little Golden Books.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Translated by Claudia Zoe Bedrick. Illustrated by Marc Boutavant. Shy squirrel Edmond lives in a tree trunk making jam and pompoms. Owl George lives above Edmond; Harry the bear lives below. When Harry throws a party, George encourages Edmond to venture out of his house, and Edmond discovers there's more than just jam and pompoms that suits him. Bright, retro-style illustrations give Edmond an energetic air in this odd French import.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Marc Boutavant. A dozen spreads introduce readers to the library ghost ("If you see the corner of a page turned down, you'll know he's been there!"), the kitchen ghost ("PLOP! A package falls to the floor"), and other disembodied souls. The mood isn't ghoulish but winking, as are the intricate illustrations, which, like the chatty, playfully laid-out text, can be cumulatively wearying.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) 1-3 Translated by Joe Johnson. Illustrated by Marc Boutavant. In this French import, Ariol and his friends are regular school kids who happen to be various animals. The episodic stories in this loosely drawn graphic novel generally depict Ariol in a benignly funny social interaction. Readers used to stories that pack more of a punch may feel let down by these barely rising and falling arcs.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) PS Uncover & Discover series. Illustrated by Marc Boutavant. These appealing books about animal classification and life cycles feature colorful illustrations of smiling creatures. In What Will I Be? pictures show a cocoon, a newborn polar bear, a turtle egg, and so on, with answers to the question appearing beneath flaps. In the second book, a variety of animals ask Who's Like Me?, with four flaps for viewers to choose from. Review covers these Uncover & Discover titles: What Will I Be? and Who's like Me?.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(3) PS Uncover & Discover series. Illustrated by Marc Boutavant. These appealing books about animal classification and life cycles feature colorful illustrations of smiling creatures. In What Will I Be? pictures show a cocoon, a newborn polar bear, a turtle egg, and so on, with answers to the question appearing beneath flaps. In the second book, a variety of animals ask Who's Like Me?, with four flaps for viewers to choose from. Review covers these Uncover & Discover titles: What Will I Be? and Who's like Me?.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(2) PS Flip the Flap & Find Out series. Illustrated by Marc Boutavant. Lives introduces various habitats and asks, for example, "Who lives here? Who lives in this warm, steamy jungle?" On right-hand pages four flaps reveal different animals. A full scene with information about the featured animal follows. Next is a study both of animal behavior and of cause and effect. Boutavant's colorful illustrations depict scientific details (anthropomorphized animals notwithstanding) while enhancing the fun of discovery. Review covers these Flip the Flap & Find Out titles: What Happens Next? and Who Lives Here?.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2012

(2) PS Flip the Flap & Find Out series. Illustrated by Marc Boutavant. Lives introduces various habitats and asks, for example, "Who lives here? Who lives in this warm, steamy jungle?" On right-hand pages four flaps reveal different animals. A full scene with information about the featured animal follows. Next is a study both of animal behavior and of cause and effect. Boutavant's colorful illustrations depict scientific details (anthropomorphized animals notwithstanding) while enhancing the fun of discovery. Review covers these Flip the Flap & Find Out titles: What Happens Next? and Who Lives Here?.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2012

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Marc Boutavant. Hoberman's jaunty, galloping rhyme explains how all kinds of objects--not just people and animals--can be organized into groups, or families: "Bottle caps, gingersnaps, buttons, or rings / You can make families from all sorts of things!" In the inventive illustrations, Boutavant puts amusing faces on inanimate objects; his detailed, digitally created pictures invite readers to spot families not mentioned in the rhyme.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) PS Illustrated by Marc Boutavant. Children imagine themselves "for just one day" as bunnies, bears, and porcupines, among other creatures. The brief rhyming text in this game of let's-pretend is sprightly: "Or maybe I'll just flutter by / and be a monarch... / butterfly!" Whimsical retro pictures show kiddos with clothes or features that mildly resemble the animal they wish to be.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Marc Boutavant. Human Lulu and her best friend Harry, a top hat–wearing spider, experience adventures as Lulu gets used to having a new baby brother. Lulu's situation is one to which many readers can relate. Her emotions run a realistic gamut, from jealousy to sadness to hopefulness, within the context of her quirky imaginary world (though, frustratingly, adults tend to solve her problems).

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth