(4) K-3 Illustrated by Teresa Flavin. This book, illustrated with bright, cheerful watercolors, highlights the diversity of the modern American family. The kids in an elementary school classroom describe their family situations--single parent, nuclear, extended family, gay parents, adoptive families, and more. Although the book is didactic, teachers and parents will find it useful as a discussion-starter.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Teresa Flavin. This free-verse pep talk for reluctant writers encourages students who have trouble coming up with topics for creative-writing assignments to use what they know ("Write about the fights. / Write about the holes in your socks") and not worry if their first drafts aren't great. Gouache illustrations of frustrated, then inspired, kids examining their surroundings and memories for material give the text specificity.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Teresa Flavin. The story of Bessie Coleman, the first African-American woman pilot, is told in sometimes stilted free verse, with brightly colored, simple gouache illustrations that depict scenes from her life. Bessie's commitment to her goal and willingness to work hard to achieve it are highlighted in the lengthy yet fast-moving narrative, which concludes with her tragic death in 1926 at the age of thirty-four.

Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Teresa Flavin. Bruchac has rewritten seven Native American folktales as easily performed plays for classroom production, complete with stage directions and suggestions for making props and costumes. The simplified stories lack much of the flavor of the originals but are suited to elementary theatricals. Ink line drawings help set the scene and give a bit more context for the plays.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Teresa Flavin. An African-American boy and his pregnant momma who's "grown round as the August moon" try to keep cool in the middle of an impossibly hot, drought-stricken summer. The heat continues to rise, but rain finally falls the evening the baby's born. Mother and son decide to call the baby Silver Rain. Pictures rendered in gouache nicely capture the enervating heat as well as the cooling rain in this warm-hearted family story.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Teresa Flavin. Though tall, eleven-year-old Alexander Bingham doesn't like basketball; he likes to draw. He feels awkward, inept, and lonely--feelings not often expressed by a black boy in a children's book. He's helped by a caring adult, and while his transformation during the course of this short novel is too swift, the book is reassuring in its honest portrayal of his insecurities and his willingness to persevere.

Reviewer: Candelaria Silva | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1999

(4) K-3 Dexter loves listening to old Johnny Cotton's bluesy clarinet playing and longs for an instrument of his own, but his mom says they can't afford one. Sympathetic Johnny helps Dexter realize his dream with a gift of Johnny's father's harmonica. Gently stylized gouache illustrations showcasing an African-American neighborhood and a liltingly poetic text add life to this rather tired plot line.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.