(4) K-3 Tales of Young Americans series. Illustrated by Robert Papp. St. Michaels, Maryland, a shipbuilding community on the Chesapeake Bay, is targeted by the British Navy during the War of 1812. While bringing a message to his soldier father, young Henry Middle makes a tactical suggestion that saves the town. Though the text is overwrought and the illustrations are uneven, the book effectively highlights how one child's act can make a difference.

Reviewer: Juliet S. King

(4) 1-3 Stepping Stone series. Illustrated by Robert Papp. In eighteenth-century Italy, Anna Maria's dying father makes her a violin to remember him by. When Anna Maria goes to live with the nuns and the composer Vivaldi in a Venice orphanage, a jealous girl throws the precious violin into a canal. Shefelman's character and plot development are a touch simplistic but make the book more appropriate for the age group. Text includes a historical note. Glos.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Robert Papp. Beth, delighted with her new kitten, murmurs over and over: "Oh, I love, love, LOVE you!" Later, as a thunderstorm is brewing, Rumble Tum zips past Beth's feet and into the yard. The story resolves without building much tension: after the storm abates, Beth searches for and quickly finds her kitten. Soft, realistic illustrations display Beth's affection for her pet.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Robert Papp. Facts from various Titanic memoirs are woven into this story of young Jim from Belfast. As cabin boy, he is responsible for the ship's cat and her kittens, whose defection from the Titanic leads to his own--and thus saves his life. Detailed soft-edged paintings of Jim, the ship, and the felines are beguiling (though a few pictures are stiff).

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Tales of Young Americans series. Illustrated by Robert Papp. Set during the Battle of Gettysburg, this story tells of Gabe, a young bugler for the Union Army. In the heat of the three-day battle, Gabe, having lost two brothers already in the war, is torn between his concerns for his remaining brother's safety and for his new Confederate friend. Papp's paintings add depth and beauty to the sometimes dense text.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Robert Papp. Separated from his family in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Jacob Kaufman befriends a Chinese boy, San. As the two search for Jacob's family, they encounter both prejudice and generosity. Historical details give a strong sense of time and place. The story is readable but overburdened by multiple plot elements, many of which are only superficially explored.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Robert Papp. Maddy Rose, a child living in Philadelphia in 1777, spies for the Patriots by hanging her petticoats and stockings on a clothesline to represent the British ships in Philadelphia Harbor. The story is entirely fiction, although the facts about the Revolutionary War and spying are accurate. Papp's pictures create the historical setting for the involving tale about heroism.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Robert Papp & Robert Papp. The preteen detective solves ten new cases, including mysteries involving a stolen contest entry and a missing diamond ring. Readers trying to match wits with Encyclopedia Brown will find the answers at the back of the volume, though some may cry "unfair!" at the arcane knowledge necessary to solve some of these mysteries. The accompanying soft-focus illustrations lack vitality.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta