(4) K-3 Illustrated by Bert Dodson. Loose, sometimes sloppy watercolors illustrate this text-heavy picture book describing Lincoln's reliance on and love for his horse, Old Bob. The long-winded but informative narrative emphasizes Old Abe's affection for animals, summarizes the important events of the Civil War, and ends with the assassinated president's funeral procession--a rider-less Old Bob "escorting his master on the final ride home."

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) 1-3 New Peach Street Mudders Library series. Illustrated by Bert Dodson. Christopher's popular sports-themed Peach Street Mudders series books are sturdily bound for library use. Though most of the stories are formulaic, with the conflicts too easily resolved, they offer enough action to satisfy younger baseball fans. Black-and-white drawings by various artists illustrate the stories. Review covers these New Peach Street Mudders Library titles: All-Star Fever, The Catcher's Mask, Centerfield Ballhawk, The Hit-Away Kid, Man Out at First, Shadow over Second, The Spy on Third Base, Stranger in Right Field, and Zero's Slider.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) 1-3 New Peach Street Mudders Library series. Illustrated by Bert Dodson. Christopher's popular sports-themed Peach Street Mudders series books are sturdily bound for library use. Though most of the stories are formulaic, with the conflicts too easily resolved, they offer enough action to satisfy younger baseball fans. Black-and-white drawings by various artists illustrate the stories. Review covers these New Peach Street Mudders Library titles: All-Star Fever, The Catcher's Mask, Centerfield Ballhawk, The Hit-Away Kid, Man Out at First, Shadow over Second, The Spy on Third Base, Stranger in Right Field, and Zero's Slider.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Bert Dodson. In this gentle memoir, journalist Paine describes his exploits as a nine-year-old boy taking care of his pet pig in 1932 then-rural Brookline, Massachusetts (now a Boston suburb). While the tone tends toward instruction rather than entertainment, the slow, episodic pacing and pastoral viewpoint may, in the right hands, find an appreciative audience.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) K-3 Ready-to-Read: Childhood of Famous Americans series. Illustrated by Bert Dodson & Bert Dodson. In this entry in a series that fictionalizes a childhood incident that affects the subject's future life, young Paul Revere forms a bell-ringing club that teaches him about rules and responsibility. The fictionalized dialogue is irritating ("Why should our parents have all the fun?"), but the topic of club-forming has perennial appeal and both text and art are simple and clear.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(4) K-3 Ready-to-Read series. Illustrated by Bert Dodson. This fictionalized account tells of the day ten-year-old Benjamin Franklin used the wind and a kite to pull himself across a lake without swimming a stroke. Although it is unclear what Franklin's "experiment" proves, the engaging text and watercolor illustrations accurately depict the eighteenth-century Boston setting. A timeline of important events in Franklin's life is appended.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(4) 4-6 American Adventures series. Illustrated by Bert Dodson. This sequel to Luke: 1849--On the Golden Trail finds the young Iowan aboard a clipper ship bound for California's gold fields. Predictable adventures (shark attacks, pirate chases) and an engaging, albeit formulaic, mystery (a cabin boy turns out to be a runaway girl) make for navigable historical fiction. An author's note describes clipper ship travel in the 1850s.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(4) 4-6 American Adventures series. Illustrated by Bert Dodson. In this second story about Joseph, the Civil War is rapidly encroaching on Brandon Mills, Kentucky. The divided loyalties of the town's citizens are demonstrated when Joseph's stepfather takes an anti-slavery stand, loses his business, and is abducted by the local "Vengeance Committee." The fast-paced but familiar story is illustrated with scratchy line drawings. An author's note provides some historical background.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) 4-6 American Adventures series. Illustrated by Bert Dodson. In this sequel to Thomas, the Bowden family moves to Pennsylvania and begins running an inn while Mr. Bowden fights in the Revolutionary War. A chance encounter at the inn causes Thomas to be kidnapped by Tory gunrunners, who eventually hand him over to Iroquois Indians. Despite a predictable story line, the plot moves quickly and many characters have a surprising measure of complexity.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) K-3 Peach Street Mudders series. Rudy lacks confidence in his baseball skills until he acquires a catcher's mask marked "Y. B." Rudy's belief that the mask once belonged to Yogi Berra improves his playing. The extremely thin plot is heavily padded with baseball scenes, but fans of the series will no doubt be glad to spend another inning with these familiar characters.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.