(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi. Willems's amiable chapter book introduces us to the sweet friendship between Diva, a tiny "guard" dog in a Paris apartment building, and Flea, a wandering city cat, or flâneur. DiTerlizzi's bright, expressive animal faces and elegant rendering of Paris, combined with an attractive, refined book design, elevate this simple but appealing story of bravery and trust. Author and illustrator notes are appended.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi. Inspired by Gorey, Addams, and film noir, DiTerlizzi spins his own stylish version of Howitt's cautionary 1829 poem. As a debonair spider lures a doe-eyed fly to his lair, ghosts of the spider's prey flit about. Black-and-white illustrations with a silvery sheen capture the dance with cinematic flair. This edition of the Caldecott Honor book includes a poster on the flip side of the dust jacket.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi. Inspired by Gorey, Addams, and film noir, DiTerlizzi spins his own stylish version of Howitt's cautionary 1829 poem. As a debonair spider lures a doe-eyed fly to his lair, ghosts of the spider's prey flit about. Black-and-white illustrations with a silvery sheen capture the dance with cinematic flair. This paper-over-board edition of the Caldecott Honor Book is notable for its bargain price.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) 4-6 Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles series. Illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi. Disagreeable Nicholas and his head-in-the-clouds stepsister Laurie set out to find some faeries and end up rescuing a nixie and battling a giant. Joined by Jared from the Spiderwick books, Nicholas and Laurie face a new era of magical danger. The story moves quickly and introduces new creatures, which will be welcomed by Spiderwick fans.

Reviewer: Becky Levine

(3) 4-6 Spiderwick Chronicles series. Illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi. This companion to the Spiderwick series instructs would-be sprite owners about how to take on one of these demanding yet rewarding pets. With clever prose and lovely faux-technical illustrations, the authors provide a wealth of detail about sprites. Fans of the series will fall in love with this addition. A full-size glow-in-the-dark poster is included.

Reviewer: Becky Levine

(4) 4-6 Spiderwick Chronicles series. Illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi. In the fifth, and allegedly final, volume about the Grace children, Jared, Mallory, and Simon search for their abducted mother, battle dragons, and meet great-great-uncle Arthur, who disappeared from the mortal world decades ago. A little more grotesque than previous volumes in the series, the busy, occasionally murky plot is heavily illustrated.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) 4-6 Spiderwick Chronicles series. Illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi. In Guide, siblings Jared, Simon, and Mallory discover a mysterious book about magical creatures and an enigmatic brownie. In Stone, Jared and Mallory rescue Simon from a band of goblins, meeting a dangerous troll, a hobgoblin, and an injured griffin along the way. The individual books don't stand alone and the first mostly sets the stage, but the writing is fast paced and action-packed. Retro black-and-white spot art adds atmosphere. [Review covers these Spiderwick Chronicles titles: The Field Guide and The Seeing Stone.]

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(3) 4-6 Spiderwick Chronicles series. Illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi. In Guide, siblings Jared, Simon, and Mallory discover a mysterious book about magical creatures and an enigmatic brownie. In Stone, Jared and Mallory rescue Simon from a band of goblins, meeting a dangerous troll, a hobgoblin, and an injured griffin along the way. The individual books don't stand alone and the first mostly sets the stage, but the writing is fast paced and action-packed. Retro black-and-white spot art adds atmosphere. [Review covers these Spiderwick Chronicles titles: The Field Guide and The Seeing Stone.]

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi. Inspired by film noir and the illustrations of Edward Gorey and Charles Addams, DiTerlizzi spins his own stylish version of Mary Howitt's cautionary 1829 poem. As a debonair spider (vaguely resembling Clark Gable) lures a doe-eyed fly in a cloche and flapper dress into his lair, ghosts of the spider's past prey flit about. Black-and-white illustrations with a silvery sheen capture the dance with cinematic flair.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi. In the second book chronicling their friendship, Alien and Possum cheer each other up, celebrate their birthdays together, and spend time hanging from tree limbs. The language has a rhythm and texture that is quietly appealing. The illustrations show the reds and yellows of Alien's metallic robot body contrasting with the soft natural world that Possum inhabits.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi. Trying very hard to create another Frog and Toad friendship, Johnston has invented Alien and Possum, two characters who are learning to be friends. The three stories in this easy reader fall a little short of the mark, but the quiet, homely texture of the words and pictures is comforting. In "The Bedtime Story," the best of the three, Alien tries hard to follow Possum's instructions to keep him awake, but nothing works.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi. This uneven collection includes a tall tale about a frog who jumps over the moon and a retread of the Pied Piper legend featuring amphibians rather than rats. The best of the entries, by Janet Taylor Lisle and David Lubar, have a tongue-in-cheek quality, but a dark, first-person Bible retelling by Stephen Menik seems inconsistent with the volume's light tone and comedic black-and-white illustrations.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta