(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jim LaMarche. As fall becomes winter, a young girl sets out to observe the changing of the seasons from the vantage point of her treehouse platform--armed with binoculars, sketchbook, and notebook. Deer, skunks, fox, bears, lynx, geese, and wild turkeys populate the pages in LaMarche's lovely double-page-spread paintings. Johnston's text, a series of musings on seasonal transformations, is thoughtful and engaging.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jim LaMarche. A grain of sand in the vast ocean feels worthless. But when it becomes the center of a pearl, later presented to a Persian princess, it knows it's important. While the acrylic paintings create a radiant setting for this softly told story about feeling special (and how pearls are made), the emotions of a grain of sand may not resonate with children.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Jim LaMarche. In the summer of 1949 in western Nevada, thoughtful fifth grader Ivy starts a pet care business. Ivy's three clients and their animals broaden her world and her relationship with others in remarkable ways. The vividly evoked rural setting tends to overshadow the book's historical period, but the moving story, told from a third-person limited perspective, brings the characters to life.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2013

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jim LaMarche. During the Depression, kindly construction workers build Henry's impoverished family a new home. Later, an enormous tree Henry planted becomes the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center, and its lumber is used to build a house for a similarly needy family. Rubel's story of compassion hits all the right holiday notes while LaMarche's lush, warm illustrations drive home the central message of charity.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2011

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jim LaMarche. With her "kitten days" far behind her, Tiger Rose knows "It is time" and silently bids her human family goodbye. Alone, but content, she curls up under a rosebush, "and then she was gone, / now a part of the earth, the air, the sky, the sun-- / and all." Soft, dreamlike illustrations help create the peaceful mood in this poignant story.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) PS Illustrated by Jim LaMarche. A mother sea otter cradles her pup against her chest as they fall sleep atop the calm ocean waters. The quiet refrain: "Drifting. Floating. Lightly gliding / On the Sea of Sleep tonight. / Rocking. Swaying. Slowly sailing / On toward morning light." The lyrical bedtime story, suitably illustrated with soft purples and blues, is a little ethereal for the audience.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jim LaMarche. A noise wakes Bear from hibernation. His investigative journey through the forest introduces the cub to new animal friends--and to the spirit of giving. Some subtle folktale elements add dimension to the plot, but the moralizing is distracting and the singsong rhyming couplets grow tiresome. Colored-pencil and acrylic wash paintings of the snowy woods depict a cozy wintry setting.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jim LaMarche. In this cozy fantasy about the pleasures of reading aloud, a woman reads stories to a bear who lives in the woods by her cabin. When the woman leaves the cabin at the end of the summer, she gives the books to the bear, who brings them back to his cave. Soft, muted illustrations complement the tranquil text.

Reviewer: Jim St. Claire

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Jim LaMarche. Rylant draws on Wilder's scant notes about events between On the Banks of Plum Creek and By the Shores of Silver Lake. During Laura's ninth year, the family lives in six different houses, Freddie is born and dies, and baby Grace arrives. Despite the fact that Wilder herself chose to overlook this period, Rylant captures the essence of Laura's personality, and the episodic chapters reflect the structure and style of the original works.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jim LaMarche. Albert avoids the unpleasant things in life by staying indoors, until one day at the window, two cardinals build a nest in his outstretched hand. Unwilling to destroy their work, Albert stands holding the nest while the birds lay eggs and the eggs hatch. When the fledglings leave the nest, so does Albert. Light-suffused colored pencil art of the perky cardinals and Albert, a lanky red-haired dreamer, give this parable lots of personality.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam