(4) K-3 Illustrated by Gina Capaldi. Recently arrived Russian immigrant Jacob invites his new friend Benito to his family's first Passover Seder in Argentina, a meal that must overcome a few mishaps. The plot is thin, but both the text and realistic full-page gouache paintings convey the warmth of the ceremonial spring meal, and of the new friendship. An author's note discusses nineteenth-century Russian Jewish immigration to Argentina.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Gina Capaldi. Six-year-old Claudia wants to join "the big kids" in the yearly ritual of stomping the grapes, but she's afraid of heights. With wise and sympathetic advice from her grandmother, aunt, and mother, Claudia overcomes her fears and climbs the ladder to the roof of the cantina. Lush, occasionally awkward, illustrations help establish the Italian vineyard setting of this warm family story. Glos.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Gina Capaldi. This picture book adaptation of three of Zitkala-Ša's semiautobiographical stories (published in the early 1900s) begins with the Native American girl's 1884 enrollment in a Quaker-run boarding school. Music, along with oratory skills, rekindled her ancestral spirit and prompted a life devoted to Native American rights. Sheet music, maps, and photographs are thoughtfully incorporated into the acrylic illustrations in this emotion-stirring biography. Reading list, websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale