(4) PS Illustrated by Loretta Krupinski. A young rabbit asks, "Mama, what is snow?" Mother's response is a series of lyrical names for snow, including "wings of white butterflies" and "lace when it lines the limbs of the lilacs." The softly colored illustrations evoking winter landscapes, as well as the text-page border images of bunnies at play, have more appeal than the self-conscious, if gentle, text.

Reviewer: Karyn Ginsburg

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Loretta Krupinski. Grouped by topic, these poems and stories mainly feature the natural world. Although the quality of the pieces is uneven, Brown's ability to see small things through the curious eyes of a child will delight readers. The well-designed volume, which features a glowing introduction to Brown's work by Leonard Marcus, is attractively illustrated.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Loretta Krupinski. Tiny Bun wants to plant a garden and asks his bunny grandmother how. Although sometimes unclear (measuring out the garden with "13 hops"), directions to the reader for preparing the bed, planting seeds, watering, and weeding parallel the activity in Tiny Bun's garden. Gentle gouache and colored pencil artwork shows the animals and an opportunistic woodchuck enjoying their vegetable harvest.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(4) PS Illustrated by Loretta Krupinski. A simple text presents the life cycle, habits, and characteristics of frogs for young listeners. The often-static green-brown illustrations give close-up perspectives of frogs jumping, swimming, croaking, catching bugs, and avoiding predators. A question-and-answer section at the back of the book provides more information about where frogs live, different types of frogs, conservation efforts, and more.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Loretta Krupinski. Miss Perkins puts an ad in the paper in order to find a good home for Fitz, the stray cat she has taken in. But whenever someone comes for him, Fitz cannot be found--except by careful readers, who will spy him hiding among the furniture in Miss Perkins's cheery home. The following page offers a hint, just in case. Illustrations filled with cozy details accompany this warm-hearted story.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Loretta Krupinski. With a few small changes Clement C. Moore's Christmas classic becomes a rodent's-eye view of St. Nick's immortal visit. A sleepless mouse witnesses St. Nick's arrival and his dispersal of gifts; nestled in the jolly man's cap is his tiny counterpart, a mouse Santa who busily distributes his own bag of gifts. Many of the precisely rendered and vividly hued illustrations appear stiff, but they depict an appealingly cozy and diminutive Borrower-esque world behind the baseboards.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute