(4) K-3 Illustrated by Laura Francesca Filippucci. This traditional portrayal of the Brothers Grimm version of the tale has dense, small-print text that tends to crowd the page. Italian illustrator Filippucci's delicate ink lines and watercolors are precise but airy and rich in color. A balance of detailed full spreads and spot images makes the book enjoyable to explore; better for quiet at-home reading than group sharing.

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Laura Francesca Filippucci. Join explorer Basil Bernard Barnswhitten as he travels the globe in search of creatures rare and unusual. Which will he find? Which are extinct? Which were only ever legend? Clues in the pictures and the clunky rhymed text help readers decide. Double-page spread illustrations evoke the inexplicable thrill of musty museums and forgotten spaces. Brief information about the creatures is appended.

Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Laura Francesca Filippucci. High relates, in free verse, the story of the Thorn family as they witness the battle of Gettysburg and care for the fallen Union and Confederate soldiers during the aftermath. Detailed watercolor and ink illustrations enhance this tenderly crafted narrative. An author's note about the real Thorns and the text of the Gettysburg Address are appended.

Reviewer: Juliet S. King

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Laura Francesca Filippucci. Starting in Pensacola then venturing down the Gulf Coast and back up the Atlantic Coast, this book offers caption-length information about places along the way. Each page gives snippets of history, local attractions, and flora and fauna for the featured area. The flat, accurate illustrations and miniscule type size may turn off some readers. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Hilary Breed Van Dusen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Laura Francesca Filippucci. In a fictional story told in sometimes rhyming free verse, a young girl relates her family's experience in New York City during and immediately after this famous snowstorm. Events seem to belie the severity of the storm--in the middle of it, the family goes to the circus--but muted watercolors convey a nice sense of a city hushed by snow.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute