(3) K-3 Illustrated by Kestutis Kasparavicius. No matter how many apples Brother Bartholomew allows the deer to eat, there are always enough for the monks. A young new brother tries to thwart the deer but eventually learns the value of generosity and faith. This original fable is told in appropriately formal language; the illustrations are stiff but suit the thought-provoking story.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Kestutis Kasparavicius. Tompert skillfully weaves together the many legends about Saint Valentine into a story about his life as a devout Christian who performed caring and, at times, miraculous deeds. She admits that scholars know few facts about the man and provides a note explaining what sources are available. The stiff, stylized illustrations work well to set the serious tone and historical setting.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Kestutis Kasparavicius. San José's retelling of Andersen's tale of a girl lighting her unsold matches to stay warm retains the flavor of the original but is greatly condensed. While detailed, Kasparavicius's illustrations are as stiff as the cold little girl huddled between houses.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Kestutis Kasparavicius. Tompert retells a legend about St. Martin de Porres, a Dominican brother in Lima, Peru. Martin, ordered to rid the monastery of mice, leads the animals to the safety of the barn where he feeds them daily. Told from the point of view of one mouse, the story is engaging, but the cute, clothed mice in the illustrations seem at odds with the otherwise realistic, detailed paintings depicting seventeenth-century monastic life.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth