(3) K-3 Illustrated by Nicolas Debon. When young Savino's headlamp fails him on his first day of work in the coal mine, his father's pit pony, Nelson, leads him to safety. Later, Nelson and the other ponies are allowed to leave the mine and enjoy their first taste of freedom. Carter's story, based on an actual incident, earnestly depicts the challenges of being a miner; Debon's paintings effectively illustrate the cold, dark mines and Savino's fears.

Reviewer: Juliet S. King

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Nicolas Debon. Unfortunate stuffed animal Thing-Thing is thrown from a hotel window. As he falls, hotel guests gain perspective on their own situations. We're kept on our toes here with dynamic page design and rapid changes in perspective. With his gift for capturing particular personalities, Debon presents the crowded chaos of a city, a mosaic of moments of comedy, tragedy, and romance.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2008

(4) K-3 On My Own Biography series. Illustrated by Nicolas Debon. Considering vocabulary and sentence limitations, these authors adequately present the lives of their subjects: Banneker pioneered as a black farmer, surveyor, and almanac writer; Coleman as a black woman pilot; and Nightingale as a wealthy Englishwoman who founded a nursing school and corps. The biographies' illustrations are colorful if somewhat static. Afterword, timeline. [Review covers these On My Own Biography titles: Benjamin Banneker, Bessie Coleman, and Florence Nightingale.]

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Nicolas Debon. In ancient China, a band of greedy traders kidnap the warlord's artist and his young apprentice Chuan to make up for their supposed losses. The party gets lost in the desert, and Chuan uses the artist's compass (a carved wooden goldfish) to lead them to safety. Though it is resolved too easily, Pilegard's tale is dramatic, as are Debon's striking, richly colored illustrations.

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Nicolas Debon. While helping his father count treasure belonging to their master, a warlord in ancient China, Chuan invents the abacus. The story will be helpful in classrooms teaching base-ten counting, but the setting isn't well evoked, and this account of the origin of the abacus isn't very inventive. Artwork suggestive of ancient China illustrates the action.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Nicolas Debon. Well suited for a math-through-literature unit, Pilegard's tale describes the origin of the Chinese tangram puzzle. An artist accidentally breaks a ceramic tile--his gift to the warlord--into seven pieces, and, anxious to avoid punishment, suggests a contest to reassemble the tile. Debon's clever artwork sets melodramatic characters against simple, stage-like backgrounds peppered with playful details. A brief source note is provided.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger