(4) K-3 Illustrated by Lynne Avril Cravath. Jake (Wisconsin) and Rosalie (Louisiana) send their out-of-state cousins one state-specific gift per day during the twelve days of Christmas. The books' cheerful illustrations get ever more crowded as the presents accumulate. Jake and Rosalie explain their selections in chatty notes that can be overly explanatory. Additional state facts are appended. Review covers these titles: The Twelve Days of Christmas in Louisiana and The Twelve Days of Christmas in Wisconsin.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lynne Avril Cravath. The team behind Amazing You! gives children about to enter puberty a cartoon-illustrated introduction to the bodily changes they will soon encounter. Though not as thorough as Robie Harris and Michael Emberley's sex education guide for this age group (It's So Amazing!), the book has the same welcoming approach. Includes notes to parents about discussing the topic with their kids.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(4) PS Illustrated by Lynne Avril Cravath. Matthew invents a pet lion to liven up his show-and-tell presentation. When his classmates want to see the lion, Matthew finds a creative solution for admitting the truth. Bright, childlike chalk-pastel and acrylic illustrations support the imaginative mood of the text. Although the ending is pat, the non-didactic tone makes this a good choice for lessons on telling the truth.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Lynne Avril Cravath. Ruby spends the five days leading up to Valentine's Day making cards, baking cookies, and filling goody bags for her friends and neighbors. After all that hard work, however, she's exhausted and sleeps through her favorite day. Will everyone be angry if her gifts are a day late? The rhymes are sometimes clunky, but Cravath's illustrations have plenty of pizzazz.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Lynne Cravath. This is a convoluted but amusing story about Big Max--the "world's greatest detective"--flying off to a tropical country named Ah-Ah-Achoo. King Punchapillow's giraffe has escaped, and Max finds him happily playing soccer. The comic sketches are full of entertaining details including Max in a Sherlock Holmes-style hat and coat and the king in bright red robes and headdress.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(2) PS Illustrated by Lynne Cravath. For curious preschoolers, Amazing You! explains and names internal and external sex organs without mentioning sexual relations. Psychiatrist Saltz offers further advice to parents in her (strongly opinionated) author's note. The illustrations and big, bold typeface are friendly and inviting; cartoon-style pictures show relaxed bodies and smiling sperm and egg. The brief text and simple diagrams provide clear, sound information.

Reviewer: Lauren Adams | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2005

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lynne Cravath. Crowboy deals with his first-day-of-school jitters by turning himself into a fearsome rattler. The text, in which Crowboy's family and classmates indicate that they don't see a snake before them, and the chalky illustrations, in which Crowboy looks into a mirror and sees a snake, give readers just enough clues to realize that the transformation is all in the boy's head.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) 1-3 Stepping Stone series. Illustrated by Lynne Cravath. In the latest installment from Starvation Lake, shy fourth-grade newcomer Dawn takes center stage, getting the town's help in fixing up a "haunted house" so that her financially struggling family won't have to move away. Whelan's sympathetic characters have distinct personalities, and Cravath's expressive full-page black-and-white illustrations add an occasional light touch.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Lynne Cravath. When a king notices that his twelve daughters' shoes are in tatters, cobbler Jack discovers that the princesses spend their nights playing basketball. So Jack "design[s] a shoe / with a rubber sole" and encourages the princesses to come clean to their dad. In this inspired and sturdy update, Bateman's bouncing, bounding rhymes are taut and economical, and Cravath's cartoony images contain witty modern details.

Reviewer: Nell Beram | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2003

(3) PS Illustrated by Lynne Cravath. In a simple rhyming text, a young boy's backyard becomes the setting for some imaginative adventures. He saves himself from pirates and wild jungle cats, but when he meets up with a terrible dragon (a.k.a. the lawn chair) he gets a little help from "his lady brave" (a.k.a. his mom). Cartoonlike illustrations neatly transition from one fantasy to the next, with occasional glimpses at the real backyard.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) 1-3 Road to Reading series. Illustrated by Lynne Cravath. The newest fourth-grade adventure from Starvation Lake features Baylor, an overprotected boy who fears animals, hypothermia, and teasing on the class overnight at an ecology center. The other kids include him, however, and the outdoors provides challenges he can meet. With Cravath's black-and-white sketches, Whelan's age-appropriate anecdotes and smooth pacing provide solid entertainment.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lynne Cravath. Feeling outdated, Santa changes everything--his hair, clothes, even his sleigh--but discovers that no one appreciates his improvements. In an amusing conclusion, Mrs. Claus reminds Santa that he has indeed changed: he's smarter now. Cravath makes the most of the tale's humor in her lighthearted illustrations of Santa trying out various fashions and modes of transportation.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) K-3 Viking Easy-to-Read series. Illustrated by Lynne Cravath. In easy rhyming couplets, this beginning reader describes how three children make a pizza: "This is our bowl. / It's just the right size. / In goes the dough. / It's starting to rise!" Cravath's simple, dynamic illustrations focus on the three chefs' faces (and show a grown-up handling the knives and the oven). A pizza recipe finishes this perfect match of pictures and text.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) K-3 MathStart series. Illustrated by Lynne Cravath. The Ocean City swim team--six sharks clad in brightly colored bathing suits--struggle to complete enough laps to earn money for swim camp. The question, "Why do sharks have trouble swimming?" may cross some readers' minds. However, the math story does neatly weave in real-life applications of tallying totals and subtracting two-digit numbers. Related activities and examples of different subtraction strategies are included.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(4) 1-3 Road to Reading series. Illustrated by Lynne Cravath. The fourth-grade class in Starvation Lake has a contest to raise the most money for an overnight trip. The boys charge admission to see a corpse at the funeral home (the "corpse" turns out to be a practical joke), while the girls sell homemade candy with an unusual recipe. Black-and-white cartoon illustrations accompany this fast-paced, chatty and good-humored story, but the abrupt ending is anticlimactic and disappointing.

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(3) PS Harper Growing Tree series. Sturdy pages contain a collection of ten action rhymes and songs, including "I'm a Little Teapot" and "If You're Happy and You Know It." Toddlers will enjoy the lively illustrations of kids and animals busily clapping and hammering and jumping around. Adults who can never remember all the words to a rhyme or song will appreciate the memory jog.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Lynne Cravath. When Silly Lilly admires Sammy's cat and asks how to get one, he gives her step-by-step instructions that seem to make no sense at all: cut down some trees, build a shed, buy a cow, and milk the cow. Voilà! A cat! Sammy's fear of mice is handled by similar instructions from Lilly. Short sentences use monosyllabic words and rhyme to great effect. The brightly colored cartoon-style art adds just the right touch of exaggerated humor.

Reviewer: Kathleen T. Horning | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2000

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Lynne Cravath. In a weekend full of trauma and misunderstanding, Dan meets his new stepfamily when his father gets remarried. Petersen's breezy, exaggerated style brings out the humor and absurdity in even the most difficult moments of blending a family.This is a short, cheery novel for readers just graduating from Suzy Kline's classroom dramas. The first-person narrative is illustrated with black-and-white drawings.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) 1-3 Road to Reading series. Illustrated by Lynne Cravath. When a tire fire in snowbound Starvation Lake obscures the road, stranded travelers are sent to the school to wait until the smoke clears. The fourth grade is planning a talent show to raise money for new library books, and four of the travelers--who turn out to be the Putrid Armpits, a popular band--agree to help. Humorous pencil caricatures illustrate this entertaining chapter book.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lynne Cravath. On a West Indian island, men feel weak around Miss Tiny because of her height, brawn, and booming voice. When short, scrawny, hearing-impaired Mr. Bigman arrives, the townsmen assume he'll run from Tiny, but after she builds him a house, he's smitten. The writing has panache and the illustrations verve, creating a funny feminist tale that may leave one question for some readers: Can only "weak" men love "strong" women?

Reviewer: Nell Beram