(4) 1-3 Capital Mysteries series. Illustrated by Timothy Bush. KC, the U.S. president's stepdaughter, finds Thomas Jefferson's long-lost horse miniatures. She, her mother, and friend Marshall take the collectibles to Monticello. No sooner are the knickknacks locked up safely when someone steals them; KC and Marshall start sleuthing, determined to find the thief. The mystery suffers from a serious oversimplification of history but does provide basic information about Jefferson's historic home.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) 1-3 Capital Mysteries series. Illustrated by Timothy Bush. To raise money for endangered tigers, the Chinese government lends the National Zoo a valuable jewel. At the presentation ceremony, the lights go out and the jewel disappears. It's up to K.C. (stepdaughter of the president) and her friend to find the thief. Though the characters remain two-dimensional, the plot is slightly more engaging and less far-fetched than others in this series.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Timothy Bush. Each of about a dozen neighborhood kids pitches in--one provides a plan, another a wrench, etc.--to build a clubhouse. The layouts are a jumble, featuring "Who's got the saw [or level, etc.]?" refrains, kid-friendly rhymes, instructive how-to texts, plus illustrations of children at work, tools (with labels), and outsize carpentry motifs, but the book's enthusiasm will be contagious.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Timothy Bush. After listening to his father talk about his day at work, a boy interprets more literally what Dad means (e.g, stock market "bears" and "bulls" are real animals his dad rides bronco-style). Watercolor illustrations aptly display the boy's imaginings, and a double-gatefold shows what really happens at dad's office. Although a glossary at the end explains phrases such as "hostile takeover," the book's joke will amuse adults more than the intended audience.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(4) 1-3 Capital Mysteries series. Illustrated by Timothy Bush. KC and her friend Marshall investigate a man who claims that he's the rightful heir to the fortune that endowed the Smithsonian Institution. The premise is silly, but early readers will have a good time piecing together the clues in this fast-paced story. Serviceable black-and-white images appear throughout.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Timothy Bush. One night, a cricket, feeling insignificant and alone, enters a house and hides in the family's Christmas tree, where his song gives voice to the Christmas angel. The small-is-beautiful message may elude young children, but the gentle tone and almost cartoonlike cricket will capture their attention, as will the enormous glowing lights and bristly tree branches encircling the soft, poetic text.

Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Timothy Bush. When Ben's friend Jason answers a newspaper ad for a gag gift, extraterrestrials land a spaceship in the neighborhood. Ben, Jason, and their friend Paloma plan to visit Iku's home planet until Ben realizes the alien's intentions are not friendly. Illustrated with overly dark artwork, the story line isn't fully developed and the pacing occasionally lags.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Timothy Bush. Young Johann Sebastian Bach believes he is the best organist in the world, but he's not. So he walks thirty miles to hear the greatest organist. Based on a story that may be true, the text is playful, presenting Bach as a talented youth who is also entirely self-centered. The accomplished watercolors show people who are slightly caricatured and settings that conscientiously depict seventeenth-century Germany.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson