(4) K-3 Illustrated by Pau Estrada. When eccentric Florentine goldsmith Filippo "Pippo" Brunelleschi wins a contest to design a dome for the city's cathedral, he gets stuck working with the self-important sculptor Lorenzo. Based on a real fifteenth-century event, the story, played here as gentle farce, doesn't justify the lengthy text. The handsome art, like the writing, is unstinting with architectural details. Bib.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Pau Estrada. Intended for the earliest readers, this simple tale finds Pedro and Papa searching for just the right burro. "We need a burro to help us pull and carry things...We must find a burro that is just right." The book features repetition of key story words (pull, carry, burro) and bright illustrations detailing both the action and the pastoral setting.

Reviewer: Betty Carter

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Pau Estrada. This story stars Minou the cat, who brought home sausages to feed the starving artist (true, according to the author's note) and introduced him (the writer's creation) to the circus performers who peopled the paintings of Picasso's successful Rose Period. Incorporating Picasso's own paintings, Estrada's pencil, watercolor, and gouache illustrations are filled with lively details. No sources are provided.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Pau Estrada. In these bilingual tales, the short texts are smoothly translated from the original Catalan. In Duckling, especially, the text flows lyrically in both English and Spanish; the bold, almost cartoonish illustrations are effective. The illustrations in the nicely told Princess place the story in an Indian setting. Review covers these titles: The Princess and the Pea / La princesa y el guisante and The Ugly Duckling / El patito feo.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(4) K-3 Bank Street Ready-to-Read series. In Orgel's modern take-off on the "Stone Soup" folktale, a little girl helps a homeless woman cook up a pot of soup in the park for the neighborhood. The modern setting makes some of the story elements seem far-fetched--would kids and adults in the park really start running home to bring out ingredients for the soup?--but the story and illustrations are cheerful.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.