(4) PS Illustrated by Shelley Ann Jackson & Jeff Crosby. Count down from ten babies and back up again as the little cowpokes experience all things Texan: pecans, horned frogs, a longhorn bull, the Alamo, and on. The regional humor and vernacular make it no surprise Davis is a fifth-generation Texan. While the rhymes' cadence falters sometimes, they're generally upbeat and pleasing, and the chubby-cheeked tykes in the humorous, sandy-hued illustrations are irresistible.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Jeff Crosby & Shelley Ann Jackson. Basing his text on historical accounts, Castrovilla weaves a daring tale of espionage during the Revolutionary War. Relying on the Culper Spy Ring's information, General Washington outsmarts the British, thwarting their plan to attack the French who are secretly gathering at Newport to assist the Americans. Muted acrylic illustrations, some stiffly composed, add authenticity to the well-researched, though wordy, text. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jeff Crosby. This story, based on an ancient account by Livy, tells of a young Roman girl who, held captive by the Etruscans, leads forty girls to escape and later devises a plan to free an equal number of boys. Though courageous and quick-thinking, Cloelia remains a rather remote figure in a concisely written text that's accompanied by somewhat static illustrations.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta