(4) K-3 Illustrated by Megan Halsey & Sean Addy. Sources or footnotes would have helped this somewhat disorganized account of the history of Valentine's Day and the ways it's celebrated worldwide. Ideas considered to be legend are stated as facts, though the tidbit-style information is engaging. The attractive design, romantic mixed-media illustrations, famous quotes on love, and craft ideas enhance the presentation.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Megan Halsey & Sean Addy. Sophisticated poems celebrate elephants, from their behavior to their various roles in human imagination and commerce. Mixed-media collage illustrations combine with the writing--particularly the concrete poems--to create a sense of the complexity of elephants' lives and their relationships with people. Unobtrusive text boxes provide factual information about the creatures. Reading list.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) PS Illustrated by Megan Halsey & Sean Addy. In straightforward rhyming text ("Icebreakers smash an icy floe; / penguins dive down deep below"), this book presents a variety of watercraft: tugboats, yachts, trawlers, ferries, aircraft carriers, etc. There's lots to see in the humorous vintage-looking mixed-media illustrations featuring clip art, old papers, and original drawings. Two double-page-spread layouts are vertical.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Megan Halsey & Sean Addy. This collection of free-verse poems explores the myriad careers readers can ponder pursuing. Whether describing the wisdom of a janitor ("He senses / all the secret wishes / a building whispers / in the night") or the anxieties of an author, Zimmer's writing is insightful and original. The accompanying mixed-media collages, sophisticated and whimsical, are themselves inspiration for aspiring artists.

Reviewer: Chelsey Philpot

(3) PS Illustrated by Megan Halsey & Sean Addy. This spirited text describes different kinds of airplanes, from jets and cargo planes to: "Mail planes. / Weather planes. / Bringing-us-together planes." The mixed-media illustrations featuring clip art, etchings, and original drawings have a vintage look and incorporate many humorous details. Two double-page-spread layouts are vertical, adding to the story's sense of motion.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Megan Halsey & Sean Addy. Chin-Lee presents a male version of her Amelia to Zora, exploring an alphabet of influential men by first name. Inspired mixed-media illustrations upstage the dry yet informative text. The men range from contemporary celebrities (T is for Tiger Woods) to some whose names are lesser known (E is for Japanese American astronaut Ellison Shoji Onizuka, who perished in the Challenger disaster). Quotes accompany the entries. Bib.

Reviewer: Elizabeth Shaver

(3) PS Illustrated by Megan Halsey & Sean Addy. Appealingly retro collage illustrations highlight this simple rhyming exploration of different types of cars and what they do. The opening line--"Start the motor! Turn the key! Compact car or SUV"-- suggests the modern, while many of the images have a vintage look. The simple rhyme zips readers along, much like its subject matter.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Megan Halsey. A black bear born and raised in the woods must contend with encroaching housing developments. When he dines on treats from a garbage can, he gets a visit from animal control, and a new home in a less developed area. The soft illustrations and gentle text reassure young suburbanites with a happy ending for the bear, but they sidestep controversial environmental issues.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Megan Halsey & Sean Addy. From Amelia Earhart to Zora Neal Hurston, each letter of the alphabet represents a twentieth-century woman of achievement. Short biographies spotlight the subjects' girlhoods; playful mixed-media collages further humanize these impressive women. Each entry concludes with a quote by the subject. Bib.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Megan Halsey. Rockwell traces the life of a shark through a single character who is born, searches for food, keeps swimming, and grows into a great big shark. The confusing narrative switches from the scientific order of sharks to this specific one. One page offers problem-solving opportunities by asking youngsters to identify Little Shark from a number of other sharks in the mixed-media illustrations.

Reviewer: Betty Carter

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Megan Halsey. In this informative picture book, a girl explains the changes on her farm throughout the year. A sunflower's evolution from seed to bloom to seed again neatly captures the cycle of all living things. The text, printed over collaged pages from The Old Farmer's Almanac, is occasionally hard to read, but the colorful mixed-media art captures life on the farm.

Reviewer: Amanda Sullivan

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Megan Halsey. The delightful, jaunty text about every truck imaginable ("Dump trucks. Tank trucks. Going-to-the-bank trucks. / Trucks with horses. Trucks with hens. Trucks with big pink pigs in pens") is complemented by collage illustrations that are filled with visual puns. This book is a great read-aloud for truck enthusiasts.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Megan Halsey. When two blue jays build a nest in a tree outside their classroom window, the students in Miss Dana's class watch as the birds raise their young. Although the students only document a few observations (e.g., they make a list of foods that the male brings the nesting female), the vivid acrylic and cut-paper illustrations show the progression from egg to fledgling and may very well inspire bird watching.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(4) PS Illustrated by Megan Halsey. Pierre and Granpere spend a day exploring the swamp, in search of the endangered Louisiana black bear. Told in loosely rhymed dialogue, the tale uses sophisticated language that is lyrical but sometimes awkward. The illustrations feature a camouflaged bear, as well as swampland flora and fauna, all identified on the endpapers. An endnote provides more information.

Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Megan Halsey. Monarch butterfly development is explored by an elementary school class. The direct text explains metamorphosis as the students make observations and drawings, ask questions, and learn from one another. An appended author's note explains the process more fully. The pale watercolors are engaging but don't provide much detail.

Reviewer: Erin Dionne

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Megan Halsey. Moon Rooster crows all night trying to call up the moon. His efforts finally produce results, but when he hears that chicken soup may soon be on the menu, he has second thoughts. The story line is clever; however, the ending is simplistic and abrupt. Halsey's dramatic collage illustrations add interest and humor. Lyrics with musical score are included.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Megan Halsey. Enticing, child-centered reasons for learning to tell time ("to know when our friends are coming over" or "so we won't miss our favorite TV show") lure readers into a lengthy description of time units and a series of exercises in reading digital and analog clocks. Cartoon illustrations in gouache and pen and ink are colorful and an integral part of the overly perky, lesson-like text.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) K-3 Nature Projects for Every Season series. Illustrated by Megan Halsey. Meant to be used collectively, these four books present both indoor and outdoor activities that will attune young naturalists to the sights, sounds, and changes of each season. Outdoor projects mainly entail observation (looking for robins, noticing textures), but indoor projects are more substantial (making leaf prints, testing the cleanness of snow). Bright illustrations decorate and delineate the projects. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(3) K-3 Nature Projects for Every Season series. Illustrated by Megan Halsey. Meant to be used collectively, these four books present both indoor and outdoor activities that will attune young naturalists to the sights, sounds, and changes of each season. Outdoor projects mainly entail observation (looking for robins, noticing textures), but indoor projects are more substantial (making leaf prints, testing the cleanness of snow). Bright illustrations decorate and delineate the projects. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(3) K-3 Nature Projects for Every Season series. Illustrated by Megan Halsey. Meant to be used collectively, these four books present both indoor and outdoor activities that will attune young naturalists to the sights, sounds, and changes of each season. Outdoor projects mainly entail observation (looking for robins, noticing textures), but indoor projects are more substantial (making leaf prints, testing the cleanness of snow). Bright illustrations decorate and delineate the projects. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli