(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Niki Daly. A young toad named Tad embarks on a quest to find a princess whose kiss will save his Toadville-by-Tumbletown home. Meanwhile, a girl named Taylor is bummed that wicked developers are planning to tear up the land abutting her grandmother's property. There's some seriousness along the way, but the story's good-time rock-and-roll vibe lightens things up.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Niki Daly. On alternating double-page spreads, a raccoon realtor encourages animal families to move into Old Mill Farm while a human family rejects numerous potential new homes. Finally the people see Old Mill Farm and, like the animals, find it "perfect." The watercolor illustrations are appropriately varied. The rhyming text is cumbersome, though the home-sweet-home message is comforting.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Niki Daly. It's summertime and the hardest thing for Sallie Gal is the fancy ribbons her cousin always wears. There's no money for luxuries, with Sallie Gal's father serving in Vietnam. When kind Mr. Wallace gives Sallie Gal ribbons, she struggles with the values her proud mother has instilled. Daly's energetic black-and-white drawings help make the story accessible to new readers.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2007

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Niki Daly. After a neighbor is arrested for radioing messages in early 1942 Holland, Piet, only ten but "a strong skater" with "a quick mind," guides the man's two children to safety on skates. The verse-style narrative is set on broad, snowy pages. Daly's colored-pencil and watercolor illustrations evoke the story's drama and its seriousness. This carefully researched book makes a fine introduction to the period.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2004

(3) PS Illustrated by Niki Daly. In these satisfyingly sentimental rhymes, a young boy describes the different ways he feels when he's with his father, from like a rock (staying still when Daddy reads to him) to like a bear (when they're hugging). The surreal ink and watercolors, as of the winged boy soaring while his father watches, demonstrate how the boy's imagination is unleashed when he feels safe in Daddy's presence.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Niki Daly. An eagle raised among chickens in an African village believes it's a chicken, until a villager takes it to the mountains to watch the sun rise. While underwhelming as a story, the obvious analogy to black Africans under apartheid is spelled out in Archbishop Tutu's foreword, and the earth-toned watercolors of freely limned village scenes and distinctive African faces offer their own affirmation.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam