(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mary Newell DePalma. "I hate school, and I'm sure not looking forward to the 100th day of it," thinks Graham on the first day of school while his teacher plays up the later-in-the-year celebration. Graham's not a strong reader, yet he must get through one hundred books before the big day--also his birthday. Creatively composed mixed-media illustrations reflect Graham's emotions while demonstrating potential hundredth-day projects.

Reviewer: Sarah Novogrodsky

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mary Newell DePalma. In summertime, a mouse peppers his mother with autumn questions (e.g., "Will I leap laughing into leaves / heaped high in the backyard?"). Patiently, she urges him to savor the now: "You can tippy-toe into the gurgling surf... / There are soap bubbles to blow..." Spinelli's lyrical text evokes both seasons, while DePalma's luminous acrylics show the mice reveling in summer activities.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Mary Newell DePalma. In this slight story, Sal wants a medal like the other dogs at Hilltop Farm. Being part Portuguese water dog, Sal thinks joining the swim team will do the trick. Unfortunately, "No Dogs Allowed"--at least, not until one swimmer is injured. Acrylic paintings in a fitting aqua-blue palette show--predictably--Sal stepping in to win the race.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mary Newell DePalma. Straightforward text describes the various morning routines of kids preparing for school ("Some of the children bound out of bed...one child burrows under the covers, hiding"). All the kids arrive to find a welcoming ceremony intended to assuage their first-day trepidations. The text is reassuring, and the accompanying acrylic illustrations are unfussy and cheerful.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mary Newell DePalma. One snowy night, a mouse sneaks into Estelle's house while she's immersed in the tub. Esbaum's faultless rhymes track Estelle's in-the-buff pursuit of the varmint--until "The mouse choked and spluttered and paddled and coughed, / and Estelle felt her mouse-hating heart going...soft?" DePalma scores points for the cozy atmosphere and the decency-preserving placement of bubbles and other inanimate objects.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Mary Newell DePalma. A little mouse keeps asking his mother if spring will come--"Will I roll down steep grassy hills / giggling towards the bottom? / Ever again?" Her answers--like his questions, they appear in a poemlike column--both reassure him and point out the perks of winter (buttery oatmeal; sledding), as does the acrylic and cut-paper art in an icy palette.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mary Newell DePalma. Lonely little witch Ella is quietly spinning when, first some feet come through her door, then some legs, and so on until a scowling giant stands before her ready to...keep her company. Set in Scotland, this tale of loneliness features wonderfully bizarre mixed-media illustrations, as of the giant's two round, hairy knees perched atop some argyle socks.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Mary Newell DePalma. When Rembrandt the bear loses his lucky hat, a bird offers to take its place on his head. Though the solution is a little awkward, the bird-as-hat works out, until it's scared off by a cat--who feels responsible and takes its place. Eventually Rembrandt finds the right hat--just like his old one--in a somewhat flat conclusion. The ludicrous story and droll illustrations, however, make the dryly humorous book entertaining.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mary Newell DePalma. As a young brother and sister settle in for what will be an all-night drive to their grandparents' house, their father turns the car from familiar streets onto the highway and eventually onto smaller and smaller roads until "no roads now. / Only a gate, a path, / the steps, and we're there!" This prose poem, complete with soft, ruminative acrylic illustrations, artfully evokes the rhythm of a moving car.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mary Newell DePalma. A collection of more than twenty-five poems tills the garden for much of its vivid imagery. In free verse as well as rhyming poems, the earth is as delicious as flourless brownie cake, a boy imagines dandelions as pirate's doubloons, hollyhocks sway like leggy ballerinas, and summer curls away like an apple peel. Attractive watercolors decorate every page.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute