(3) K-3 Illustrated by Pierr Morgan. Based on an actual garden started by Tilth Alliance in Seattle (per the author's note), this fictional story follows a neighborhood garden tended by children, from tilling to harvesting. Best are the children's comments about the experience: "Look at the shape of this funny tomato"; "Smell the peppermint I grew. Rub it between your fingers." Pleasant, sunny illustrations of the garden's development add interest.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) PS Illustrated by Pierr Morgan. Five city-dwelling kids of varying ages and ethnicities enjoy one another's company while taking advantage of what their neighborhood has to offer in summer, one letter at a time: "A is for Arm linkers," "B is for Book readers," etc. These homespun descriptors are an inspired way to introduce the alphabet, and the loose, happy illustrations couldn't be more inviting.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) PS Illustrated by Pierr Morgan. A series of strange and scary noises at bedtime sets rabbit BunBun wondering who could be making them: "Crusty Dumply Ogre?...Grimy Gooey Ghoulie?" (It's little brother FonFon pulling a toy duck down the hall.) Onomatopoeic language and playful ink and gouache illustrations will draw children in while the story's comforting ending might help them dismiss some bump-in-the-night fears.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(3) PS Illustrated by Pierr Morgan. In a lively text complete with sound effects, a diverse group of youngsters pretends to be clowns, dinosaurs, and more, with the help of the classroom dress-up box. Morgan's clever illustrations reflect the spirit and spontaneity of imaginative play; she superimposes the outlines of the make-believe world over the figures of the children as they caper across the pages.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Pierr Morgan. On Mei Lin's birthday, she and her classmates transform their art project into a faraway dragon-dance adventure. The rhythmic text's "whish-whoosh" sounds and "swirl-whirling" motion of the journey will captivate young listeners. The lively mixed-media illustrations cleverly merge fantasy and reality, invoking a jubilant celebration of art, imagination, and culture.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(4) PS Illustrated by Pierr Morgan. In the cool evening after the heat of Africa's day, animals create a song--zebras stamp their feet, giraffes rattle leaves, and hyenas howl. Translated into words, their song urges people to care for the earth. The illustrations, which begin fairly realistically and become more fanciful as the animals' song spreads, are stunning, but the environmental plea is somewhat simplistic.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) PS Illustrated by Pierr Morgan. This cheerful, rhythmic account of preschoolers using their imaginations throughout the school day--e.g., at lunchtime, they become tigers who "slip, sloop, slurp" their noodles--is illustrated with images inspired by Chinese ink-brush paintings. Throughout are fanciful illustrations that feature thick outlines and colorful patterns, and at one point birds are superimposed onto the kids as they play at recess.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Pierr Morgan. One oppressively hot summer day nobody wants to do chores, so the entire "sun-dazzled" family ends up hanging out in the cool green cornfield. The story romps along with dialogue in a down-home dialect ("My oh me. The sun's a-blazin', the chickens are flappin', the cow's a-lollin', my butter beans need eatin', and the kidlins are in the cornfield") and colorful, homespun-looking illustrations.

Reviewer: Amanda Sullivan

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Pierr Morgan. Snow in October produces both challenges and opportunities for creating a snowman--there isn't enough snow, but for Lily and Jesse, a pumpkin makes an excellent head. The children's glee at the unexpected gift of an early snow is lovingly depicted through both text and illustrations. The use of fibrous beige paper as a backdrop for the full-color images adds warmth and richness.

Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Pierr Morgan. A young girl imagines the phases of the moon as familiar objects--a boat, a basket, and a baby's cheeks represent the waxing phases. Scientific facts are relegated to the final pages and do not include proper terminology, but the book encourages imaginative observation of the moon. Though somewhat awkward, the illustrations ably convey the girl's fascination with the moon.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford