(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli. Hadley wants her life back--before her mom married Ed, Hadley gained a stepbrother, and they moved into a decrepit old house. After Hadley finds a dollhouse replica of the house in the attic, she discovers her wishes change reality. Switching between present and past, the story's darkness slowly unfolds as Hadley learns that wishes can be dangerous and not all endings are happy.

Reviewer: Lauren Chambers

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli. Ten-year-old Violet--imprisoned from infancy in a tower with her mother--and an elusive hummingbird feather are the keys to a magic spell spun by an evil, beauty-obsessed witch-turned-queen. A good amount of rising tension and soft black-and-white drawings that add to the story's quaint feel help to make up for flat characters and a cliché-filled text.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli. Based on the story by Charles Perrault. This is a visually luminous but not very warm retelling of the French fairy tale. Rendered with acrylics and digital techniques, Ceccoli's illustrations present a Cinderella who resembles a solemn china doll while evoking the grandeur of the reign of King Louis XIV, from which Perrault's original is inspired. An author's note provides background on both Perrault's and the Brothers Grimm versions.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli. Like houses, books can be haunted. A round-headed boy, shadowed by a nonthreatening wispy ghost, offers advice on handling book ghosts who meddle with stories, scramble the words, and suck readers into the pages if precautions aren't followed. Digitally manipulated Plasticine models in atmospheric acrylics and a pop-up surprise at the end are the highlights of this plot-thin book.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli. Ogburn's text consists of author-invented descriptive phrases to collectively describe magical creatures: "A thundering of rocs," "A dazzlement of Quetzalcoatls," "A pandemonium of fauns," etc. Ceccoli's imaginative mixed-media illustrations use plasticine, acrylics, collage, and computer graphics to give a three-dimensional look to the folkloric and mythical creatures. Further information about the imaginary beings is appended.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli. Lady Winter and Sister Spring rule harmoniously over their respective seasons--until the icy sibling decides she wants to delay the warm months. Bear, Ladybug, Skunk, Caterpillar, and Maple Tree try unsuccessfully to foil her plans, but Robin, risking injury, brings the morning light from Mother Sun to accomplish their goal. Softly textured, luminous acrylic paintings make even cruel winter look enchanting.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli. A girl lives in a small castle exhibit in a museum, and children peer into the windows trying to catch sight of her. She dreams of friends, and at the end readers are invited to "leave a picture of yourself here for me." The self-consciously ethereal tone and misty mixed-media illustrations won't appeal to everyone, but dreamers will enjoy the fantasy.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli. This poetic tale postulates that moonlight is composed of tears collected by a wraith-like creature called the Tear Thief. The book is as airy as its premise, the storytelling meandering and precious ("'How old are you?' 'As old as joy and sorrow.' 'Where do you live?' 'In every place where children cry'"). Ceccoli's dreamlike acrylic illustrations add an attractive luminescent veneer.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli. One night pet cat Oscar jumps from a garage roof to the moon. There he befriends some "mooncats" and has a blast--until he hears his boy sadly calling to him from Earth. The plot and wordy text serve as vehicles for the author's larger point about loyalty. More interesting are the mixed-media illustrations, which have a 3-D look.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli. A little girl drifting off to sleep conjures up a company of firefighters (King, Penelope, Almondine, and Bruce) that rescues a royal family after a fire-breathing dragon unintentionally sets a blaze; a woman who ate a too-hot pepper; and a boy floating in the sky. Unusual visual angles highlight the surrealistic art in bold colors, adding to the book's dreamlike feel.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli. When a wild wind wreaks havoc in a village of basket weavers, they try unsuccessfully to capture it with their biggest and strongest baskets. Then two children make a basket small and soft enough to lure the wind to sleep inside, and all is well. The ending is a bit long, but the vibrant illustrations create an eye-catching, quirky world.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli. In a story combining themes from three northern European folktales, a princess accomplishes nearly insurmountable feats in order to rescue her beloved prince. The long but compelling narrative features an imperfect but spirited heroine, a bevy of well-chosen magical elements, and well-crafted prose. Romantic illustrations in hues of pink and blue capture the enchanted northern landscape.

Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli. In this version, the wolf eats both the child and grandmother, the two are rescued by a woodcutter, they sew stones in the wolf's belly (the girl's idea), and the wolf dies. The somewhat lengthy retelling is illustrated with handsome stylized paintings that convey the tale's disquiet but not the degree of violence described in the text.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli. Granted one wish after saving a faerie's life, a poor woodcutter can't decide whether to request the baby he and his wife have longed for, the restoration of his aged mother's eyesight, or wealth that would lift his family from poverty. The luminescent art is marked by unusual perspectives. The text is long for a picture book, but the woodcutter's story "found in many forms across many cultures," will hold readers' interest.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) PS Illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli. "I spy with my little eye a bird flying by." In this mild cumulative rhyme, a boy sails the ocean, telescope in hand, spotting item after item, until he arrives on an island where a friendly dog is waiting to play. The rhyme slips into singsong, especially toward the end, but Ceccoli makes good use of rounded shapes and vibrant sea colors. The lines of text undulate across the pages like ocean waves.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert