(3) K-3 Illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant. In an unspecified city, impoverished siblings Pablo and Sofia are pepenadores (scavengers) who look through garbage to find recyclables and items of value. When Pablo finds a real "treasure," a gold chain, he cleverly hides it from predatory "Filthy-Face." Inherently grim but eye-opening and moving, this story about third-world poverty is complemented by its smudgy, sketchlike drawings, illuminated by a few rays of color.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant. Pinny is having a perfect summer day: she finds a striped wishing stone, watches clouds, picks blueberries with two friends, and bakes a cake; her serenity is never upended, despite a brief rainstorm and a cake-snatching seagull. Though the four chapters are brief, they're not readily decodable for newly independent readers. Lavender-hued pastel and pencil illustrations mirror the text's sweet tone.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant. In this satisfying story, Jamie loves building settings for his exciting imaginative play, but his mother thinks he's only creating a mess. After Jamie realizes his creations do look chaotic from her elevated vantage point, he invites her down to experience them on the floor--and she finally understands. The illustrations cleverly show how Jamie's imagination transforms ordinary household objects.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant. Morris loves to wear a tangerine dress from his classroom's dress-up closet--and suffers his classmates' taunts for it. He wins some classmates over by applying a fantastical dream to creative play. Malenfant's illustrations clearly broadcast Morris's anxiety and hurt, as well as the rich colors of his imagination.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant. When Theo's balloon flies away, his older brother tells him that "all lost balloons end up in Chicago" (i.e., the Windy City) where balloon "custodian" Frank gathers them up. The mythology around Frank, who longs to retire but can't find someone to take over, is interesting but somewhat overelaborate (readers may want to get back to Theo); the multimedia art is imaginative.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Isabelle Malenfant. As Maggie grapples awkwardly with her chopsticks, her family members urge her to copy their techniques. Sister, for example, holds hers gracefully: "Crossing her chopsticks back and forth, / Back and forth, / Like legs, / Dancing." Woo's lyrical writing celebrates both tradition and individuality, and Malenfant's illustrations, in deep red and gold hues, make good use of perspective.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger