(4) K-3 Illustrated by Susan Kathleen Hartung. Umande is a baby gorilla born at a Colorado zoo whose mother can't care for him. Human caregivers take over, mimicking gorilla parenting skills. Umande is eventually matched with a mother-figure gorilla with whom he bonds and thrives. Somewhat anthropomorphic illustrations showing adorable smiling gorillas make the story seem fictional, but it recounts actual--and heart-tugging--events. An author's note is appended.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(3) K-3 My First I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Susan Kathleen Hartung. Left alone in the classroom, Mittens the cat gets into mischief while waiting to be his owner's show-and-tell. Accessible vocabulary and pleasant illustrations make this latest entry in the series attractive to beginning readers. They will likely understand Mittens's need for "something to do" and enjoy his antics--not to mention the noises that accompany each mishap: "CRASH!" "SLAM!" "BAM!"

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 My First I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Susan Kathleen Hartung. Mittens the cat wants to play with his friend Max the dog, but Mittens can't find him anywhere. He checks the doghouse and the back steps, then discovers that while he's been looking for Max, Max has been looking for him. New readers will appreciate the simple and repetitive text alongside the warm and friendly illustrations.

Reviewer: Julie Bartynski-Fenner

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Susan Kathleen Hartung. Sofia wants to help with the cooking at her family's Italian restaurant. However, she's repeatedly reminded that she's too little: "Sei troppo piccola!" Disheartened, Sofia finds inspiration for a dessert from her favorite fig tree. The text is choppy, but soft watercolor depictions of ripe figs will whet readers' appetite for the appended sundae recipe. Glos.

Reviewer: Sophie Williamson

(3) K-3 I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Susan Kathleen Hartung. Impish kitten Mittens wants to help prepare for Halloween. Instead, he steps in the fingerpaint, gets tangled in the decorative cobwebs, and messes up the jack-o'-lantern cookies. When it comes to ratcheting up the scariness of the front-porch ghost, though, he's the right cat for the job. Mittens's exploits continue to be entertaining and satisfying for the very youngest readers.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) PS Illustrated by Susan Kathleen Hartung. Just as flamingos, alligators, and other animals hatch and are cared for before they get "bigger and bigger" and thus require their own beds, a human child makes similar progress. The illustrations in soft colors, somewhat static but nevertheless cozy, use a suitable teal background for the nighttime pictures. Though the message is obvious, the tone is comforting.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) K-3 I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Susan Kathleen Hartung. Mittens the kitten hears something digging behind the backyard fence. He digs, too, until he encounters a friendly dog. The large print, repetition, and limited vocabulary are geared to the youngest readers, who'll likely keep going to see who's waiting beyond the fence. The uncluttered illustrations avoid monotony by showing Mittens from a variety of angles.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Susan Kathleen Hartung. In his second book, Mittens the kitten goes for a walk outside with his boy, Nick. After being distracted by a butterfly, Mittens gets lost; he's scared until he hears Nick calling. The appealing Mittens is pictured in cozy, uncluttered illustrations. The large-print text is easy to read, making the simple adventure accessible to beginning readers.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) PS Illustrated by Susan Kathleen Hartung. On each double-page spread, an animal asks its offspring if he or she needs to poop; the young animal responds that he or she already has. The reader's task is to locate the poop by lifting the three flaps found in the cartoony art. Some parents will regard the notion of hunting for poop indecorous at best, but potty trainees will love it.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Susan Kathleen Hartung. A crisply designed, elegantly illustrated counting book introduces elements in a formal Japanese garden. Each straightforward haiku, one per double-page spread, is accompanied by a brief note that elaborates on such topics as bonsai, pagodas, and the tea ceremony. A final spread shows the entire garden, with each of the objects easy to find and count.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(2) PS Illustrated by Susan Kathleen Hartung. This book is full of elemental power and high drama--unusual in a book for quite young children. It succeeds because both power (an approaching thunderstorm) and drama (the rescue of newborn kittens) are child-sized, pitched perfectly to a child's experience. The art, though generic, and the direct, immediate text ably capture the atmosphere of a summer storm and the intensity of a child's involvement in--for him--a momentous event.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2001

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Susan Kathleen Hartung. When Juno receives a letter in Korean from his grandmother, he knows from the enclosed photograph and dried flower that she has a new cat and a bright garden. The two communicate easily without a common language through pictures and enclosed items in their letters. The muted colors of Hartung's illustrations create a cozy atmosphere for Pak's affecting story.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley