(3) K-3 Illustrated by Maggie Kneen. "In the rain / Others hide, / But I'm / Quite pleased / To sit outside..." Twenty-six lighthearted poems chronicle a year in the life of a toad. The muted, naturalistic illustrations and, on most pages, informative footnotes ground the verses in fact. The open page design is inviting.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Maggie Kneen. This twentieth-anniversary deluxe edition features new pencil illustrations. While many will remain partial to Mary Rayner's pen-and-ink drawings from the original edition, this hardcover is a fine alternative and should serve to introduce a new group of readers to the adventures of the intrepid Babe.

Reviewer: Terri Schmitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 1985

(3) PS Illustrated by Maggie Kneen. Duffy the rabbit is restless at bedtime: "It's so quiet, and nothing happens in the dark." He can't sleep at all, until Mommy describes the nocturnal activities of other animals, especially badgers. Herbert Badger eats breakfast at night, and his mother--amusingly--says "Day-day, little one," when he goes to bed in the morning. Detailed illustrations enhance the story's cozy atmosphere.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) PS Illustrated by Maggie Kneen. Three young mice hear the story of the Hanukkah lights and decide to search for them beyond their mouse-sized home. After seven nights of trying, during which their finds include latkes and a dreidel, their mother shows them the dazzling menorah. The rhyming text is unremarkable, but young readers will be attracted to the foldout pages with sparkly foil and delicate images of the mice navigating the outsize human world.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Maggie Kneen. The short poems in this cycle set between sunset and dawn, written in the first-person voice of a field mouse, convey the mouse's thoughts on such relevant subjects as nighttime, food, and other animals. Repetition, rhyme, and descriptive language make these observations a good choice for reading aloud, yet they're accessible to independent readers as well. The watercolor illustrations provide atmosphere.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(4) PS Illustrated by Maggie Kneen. A polar bear cub can't find his mother, so his forest friends help him make a snow bear to keep him company. When night falls, they leave and he's alone again--until his mother finds him the next morning. The gracefully embossed illustrations have more depth than the lackluster story, which is weighed down by uninspired repetition.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Maggie Kneen. "Nigel Chipmunk lived in a cozy little cottage on Thimbleberry Lane. . . ." Readers attracted to the cute and precious will delight in these four sentimental vignettes about Nigel and his animal friends, where the emphasis is on good manners and good food. Stippled pastel watercolors in both spot and full-spread illustrations are perfectly in keeping with the lightweight nature of the story.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Maggie Kneen. Milly Town Mouse and Tom Brown Mouse meet, court, and get engaged. Minutiae of the wedding plans include sending out invitations, designing a wedding gown, choosing a maid of honor and best mouse, and events of the actual wedding day. Delicate illustrations and small scenes match the detailed text.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey