(4) K-3 Illustrated by Paul Mombourquette. Narrator Cricket tells how a visit by a man from "the moving pictures" sends the folks in her Pennsylvania town into a tizzy. On the big day, all the townspeople parade in their (sometimes ridiculous) finery, but the most unlikely among them is chosen. The overlong story has an appealing homespun quality, and there's plenty of amusing detail in the busy paintings.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Paul Mombourquette. Noah hides his cat, Shadow, in his bag when he and his father set out on the long and difficult journey to Alaska in pursuit of gold-rush riches. In the end, the feline stowaway proves her worth. Although Noah's success at hiding first Shadow and then her five kittens is hardly credible, it makes for a good (if lengthy) story, and the skillful oil paintings, which flesh out the details about the trip, bring a slice of history to life.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Paul Mombourquette. Soon after she comes to live with her grandfather, Hannah sees a stray cat on the beach and decides to tame it. With patience and the right bait, she finally coaxes Fog Cat into the family, but not for long. The text subtly contemplates the nature of relationships, while the textured watercolors adroitly capture the nuances of the connections among the characters.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Paul Mombourquette. Emma loves the "silkers," fast-moving trains that race the clock with their valuable cargoes of silk. When one of the silkers derails, Emma hopes to find a missing bolt of the precious fabric for a silk garment of her own. Securing the silk from the fast-moving river almost costs her life--then saves it. The text and the richly colored oil paintings provide a fine portrayal of another place and time.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn