(2) K-3 Illustrated by David McPhail. Joe loves fishing, but it bores his father. However, Joe's father reluctantly agrees to chaperone Joe's fishing club on an ice-fishing trip, and in the abundant downtime the two bond. In simple, straightforward prose, Greenwald tells the sweet but never cloying story. McPhail's illustrations, rendered in warm pastel hues, depict the boy's emotional vulnerability and, later, the joy he feels at having his father's time and attention.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2018

(4) PS StoryPlay Book series. Illustrated by David McPhail. Mother fox loves her cub even when he's angry or wild (Love); cartoon illustrations display a cat's dramatic imaginings when its book goes missing (Bear); a frog invites animals to dance with him in "the cool of the pool" (Down). New to these editions are intrusive discussion prompts and appended "creative activities" to help parents "engage with your little one." Review covers these StoryPlay Book titles: I Love You Because You're You, Maybe a Bear Ate It!, and Down by the Cool of the Pool.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by David McPhail. Caro resides in an orphanage under the command of manipulative Mrs. George. Mouse Mary lives in a mouse community led by corrupt Director Randolph. Their stories merge in a crime narrative involving the exposure of Mrs. George's baby-napping ring. Nods to Stuart Little, The Wind in the Willows, and The Borrowers; well-drawn secondary characters; and expressive black-and-white illustrations round out this satisfying package.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2014

(2) PS Illustrated by David McPhail. From antelope to zebra, animals prepare for the night and gently succumb to slumber in alliterative prose ("Rabbit relaxes into restful repose, dreaming of ripe red radishes"). It's all depicted in twilight and moonlit tones in McPhail's signature style, as cuddly animals with amiable expressions drift off to dreamland, and a sleepy human child is tucked in.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2013

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David McPhail. "The bear often came down to the beach to stand...under the waterfall and wait for the fish to come tumbling down." Lamb launches right into this story about a bear, a boy, a rowboat, and a lighthouse. Lyrical text describes, without sentimentality, how the characters come together, then go their separate ways. McPhail's textured illustrations are as nuanced as the satisfying story.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) PS Illustrated by David McPhail. At bedtime, a mother bear and her cub recollect for each other the events of the day, working backward from evening toward morning. There are enough details--including a hibernation twist--to keep readers interested; Lamb succeeds in making the ordinary elements of a young child's day seem special. McPhail's soft, dreamy watercolor and sepia ink illustrations suit the text's loving warmth.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) PS Illustrated by David McPhail. "Who loves the messy pup? / 'Come on, dear, I'll help clean up.' Mama loves her little pup." This question-and-answer rhyming text reassures young ones that even though they can be messy, grumpy, loud, or naughty, they will always be loved and cared for. The tone of the soothing text and warm mama-and-child illustrations is just right for bedtime.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David McPhail. Rockwell presents twenty-four one- or two-page poems, each about an Emily. The tone overall is of the poet gently teasing each protagonist by envisioning her as Emily Raven, or Emily Radish, or even Emily Grief in rhymes filled with paradox and whimsy. McPhail's moody line drawings depict a variety of little girls and animals, catching the poetry's range of emotions.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke

(4) PS Illustrated by David McPhail. "When Papa comes home tonight, dear child, / (I promise--not too late) / you'll hear me whistling up the road. / You'll meet me at the gate." Simple, repetitive rhyming text provides a soothing accompaniment to the watercolor, pencil, and pen-and-ink illustrations. The whole is unmistakably nostalgic and idealized but soothing and heartfelt nonetheless.

Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo

(3) PS Illustrated by David McPhail. "You burp, they giggle with delight... / But if I do, it's not polite." A boy is fed up with being a big brother until his mother shows him the light. As common as sibling rivalry books are, this one's noteworthy: Ashman's rhymes are impeccable, and McPhail has a gift for portraying the intimacy of domestic situations.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David McPhail. This biography of the first woman to be elected to both houses of Congress, not to mention the first woman to run on a major-party presidential ticket, is unusually attentive. Included are idiosyncratic details (e.g., Margaret’s nickname for her grandfather), thematic bottom-of-the-page timelines ("The right to vote," "US Women in Congress"), and quiet, humanizing illustrations in pastel hues. Websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David McPhail. Absent-minded Sam Bear loses track of his coat and mittens with little concern. But when his new hat from Grandma goes missing, he's determined to find it. This sweet, sprightly tale's humor is so subtle that it's easy to miss; happily, author Lamb isn't interested in turning the book into a take-care-of-your-things harangue. McPhail's warm, old-fashioned art is as understated as the story.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by David McPhail. A little girl tries to count sheep, but they're asleep and so are all the other animals. In the end she's tuckered out by her attempts at counting, and she's off to dreamland, too. McPhail's warm pen and watercolor illustrations enhance the silly, repetitive rhyming text.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David McPhail. In these twenty-six fresh, original acrostic poems about animals, one for each letter of the alphabet, a real voice is achieved, despite the enforced brevity of the poems ("Can't wait to be / Alone in the house. / The sofa looks comfortable" [Cat]). McPhail's illustrations--which almost always include children as well as the featured animal--have equal verve and individuality.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(4) K-3 Illustrated by David McPhail. Nicholas wants his "own place": he feels cramped in his house, his yard, and his room, which he shares with his younger brother, who valiantly creates a space that Nicholas can call his own. Newly emergent readers will be seduced by McPhail's unmistakable sketchy-line-filled art recalling Sendak at his cheeriest. Two rather tired activities are appended.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David McPhail. Krull's broad selection, from ancient myth to classic poem to silly limerick, pays tribute to Ireland's rich literary history, while McPhail's lovely, jewel-toned watercolors of both landscape and hearthside evoke the beauty of the Emerald Isle. Brief informative notes give historical perspective to many of the entries. The handsome compilation lends itself best to browsing, dipping in here and there for a bit of Irish gold.

Reviewer: Lauren Adams

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by David McPhail. When young readers left Little Horse (Little Horse), he was safe with a farm family but separated from his mother and the familiar surroundings of the Valley of Little Horses. This plot-driven sequel takes him on a treacherous journey and eventually to his mother. Spot art previews each chapter, while larger illustrations re-create important moments in the text.

Reviewer: Betty Carter

(3) PS Illustrated by David McPhail. In this well-known poem, Wynken, Blynken, and Nod, depicted here as rabbits, go fishing for stars in the night sky. Large illustrations provide a pleasing visual link between the star-fishing imagery and a sleepy child: the rabbits are her stuffed animals and the stars they gather become stars on her blanket. A historical note about the poem is included.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) PS Illustrated by David McPhail. A baby's nigh-unquenchable thirst leads him to drain a bottle, a bathtub, a pond, a river, and finally the sea before he's replete--at least until bedtime. The tight rhymes are full of snappy repetitive elements ("He started with a sip, and he finished with a sup"), and the watercolor and ink illustrations reinforce the humor by contrasting the plot's absurdities with naturalistic details.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by David McPhail & John O'Connor. Henry Bear hopes to win a beautiful Christmas tree at a church raffle but finds he can be satisfied with a misshapen, scraggly tree when he has his friend with him to celebrate the holiday. McPhail's scratchy pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations with their old-fashioned feel match the sentimental holiday story.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth