(3) 1-3 Lighthouse Family series. Illustrated by Preston McDaniels. In the seventh installment of a gentle animal-fantasy series, lighthouse caretakers Pandora the cat; Seabold the dog; and mice Whistler, Lila, and Tiny care for a baby sea lion named Topper for a week. The three brief chapters are complemented by soft, expressive graphite illustrations that portray an idyllic seaside locale and a loving blended animal family.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) 1-3 Lighthouse Family series. Illustrated by Preston McDaniels. In this sixth installment, lighthouse residents Pandora the cat, dog Seabold, and three mice siblings come to Dottie the otter's aid when she gets tangled in a sailor's net. Kindness permeates this gentle rescue-at-sea story; it's sweetly appealing and just short of cloying. Softly shaded graphite illustrations imbue the animals with personality and charm.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(2) 1-3 From the Highly Scientific Notebooks of Phineas L. MacGuire series. Illustrated by Preston McDaniels. In his fourth book, fourth-grade scientist Phineas, called Mac, is put in charge of cooking family dinners. It takes a while to figure things out; lively black-and-white illustrations show Mac's attempts (peanut-butter bacon brownies?). Nemesis Aretha "helps" Mac see the connection between cooking and science, also straightening him out about his sexist ideas regarding girls and cooking. The only thing missing is recipes.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2014

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Preston McDaniels. Phineas "Mac" MacGuire needs to make some money in order to go to Space Camp. A routine dog-walking job turns interesting when saliva, Petri dishes, and a documentary intersect. Readers will love the casual but accurate scientific information coupled with Mac's realistic friendships. Age-appropriate humor moves the story along, and amusing black-and-white illustrations add to the fun. Mars-related experiments are appended.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2008

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Preston McDaniels. Fast-talking, quick-thinking fourth-grader Mac (From the Highly Scientific Notebooks of Phineas L. MacGuire) builds a mold museum. As always, best friend Ben is there to provide encouragement. Dowell's narrator stays true to himself, reveling in slime molds and other creeping fungi. Newly independent readers will appreciate the amusing pencil sketches, easy-to-read font, and the familiar and funny situations.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2007

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Preston McDaniels. In this fourth book about the unlikely family of dog, cat, and three mice tending a lighthouse, a sea turtle washes ashore in a thick fog. The animals devise a plan for several pelicans to fly the turtle to more hospitable waters. Illustrated with detailed graphite art, this episode is shorter in page count, details, and plot than the previous stories.

Reviewer: Hilary Breed Van Dusen

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Preston McDaniels. In this third book about the unlikely family of dog, cat, and three mice, two of the mice eagerly explore the forest for the first time. They promptly lose their compass and must rely on the help of an eagle to get them safely back to the lighthouse. Graphite illustrations add charm to this slight animal fantasy.

Reviewer: Hilary Breed Van Dusen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Preston McDaniels. In this retelling, the jealous queen commands her stepson to bring her a giant's three magic stallions or die trying. Dramatic, sometimes humorous watercolor and graphite illustrations with strong lines and a muted palette suit this Irish tale about a resourceful prince. The story is told with wit and a touch of brogue, making it a good read-aloud choice. An author's note discusses sources.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Preston McDaniels. A cobbled together family of dog, cat, and three mice live in and care for a lighthouse. In this second chapter book adventure, they discover a lost baby beluga and enlist the help of an old cormorant to search for his mother. Though sticky-sweet, the story is well told, and the numerous graphite illustrations add to the characterization.

Reviewer: Hilary Breed Van Dusen

(4) PS Illustrated by Preston McDaniels. In this ebullient adaptation of Psalm 104, the natural world created by God is celebrated at a child's level. The author's interpretation of the Psalm captures its joy if not its depths or shadows; the somewhat faded watercolor illustrations aptly depict flora and fauna but are less successful with the dimensions of the human figure.

Reviewer: Hilary Breed Van Dusen

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Preston McDaniels. This "contemporary hymn" lists things that will "sing to the Lord a new song": "Classrooms and labs, loud boiling test tubes...." The Sendak-inspired, crosshatched illustrations show a Mickey-esque boy in top hat and union suit cavorting through humorously drawn settings. Neither text nor art shows narrative progression, but the visual details will attract readers to this pleasantly pious work. A musical score is included.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Preston McDaniels. After lighthouse-keeper Pandora the cat rescues Seabold the dog from a bad storm, their friendship during his months of convalescence changes into a family relationship after he rescues three small mice. Though the story occasionally strays from sweet into saccharine and is somewhat mannered, it's deftly told; graphite illustrations suit the plot and mood well.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Preston McDaniels. Nine-year-old Véro, a French girl of Vietnamese descent, has to deal with a new city, an impatient older brother, and the absence of the family's beloved maid, Francine. The two siblings form a scheme to get Francine back, but in the meantime Véro gets into one scrape after another. The story lacks much emotional depth and is sometimes stiffly written, but Véro's troubles as a little sister ring true.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Preston McDaniels. The familiar hymn that joyfully celebrates details of nature and daily life has been set as a play performed by a child and several animals. The pen drawings with watercolor wash are skillfully rendered and owe a lot to Sendak. But the facial expressions are often grave and a bit world-weary, even when the subject is smiling--an odd treatment for such an innocently uplifting text. The music appears on the last page.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson