(3) K-3 Great Idea series. Illustrated by David Parkins. Kulling's picture book–biography series on historical inventors continues. Zamboni's name is synonymous with his ice-resurfacing machine; the interesting story behind it is engagingly told and nicely illustrated in watercolor and colored pencil. The son of freed slaves, lesser-known Morgan's inventions include what became gas masks and traffic lights; his compelling biography, with finely detailed pen-and-ink and watercolor art, includes attention to prejudices he faced. Review covers the following titles: Clean Sweep! and To the Rescue!.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) K-3 Great Idea series. Illustrated by David Parkins. Lillian Gilbreth's background as a psychologist, efficiency expert, industrial engineer, and widowed mother of eleven enabled her to--among many other accomplishments--design improvements for kitchens in the early twentieth century. The straightforward narrative and droll pen-and-ink with watercolor illustrations pay tribute to the spirit of a remarkable modern inventor, the first woman elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(3) K-3 Great Idea series. Illustrated by David Parkins. In the mid-nineteenth-century, Margaret "Mattie" Knight broke ground for women by putting her natural curiosity and mechanical inclination to good use as an inventor. Her inventions weren't the sexiest--this book focuses mainly on her machine that formed a flat-bottom paper bag--but her know-how and spirit, reflected in invented dialogue and snappy pen-and-ink with watercolor illustrations, were indomitable.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David Parkins. Though Dad complains vehemently every time Mom brings home a stray cat, she convinces him to keep each homeless feline: "His leg is broken. He can't walk. He's easy pickings for a hawk." Five cats later, Dad puts his foot down--and adopts a dog. The rollicking rhyming tale with its comical pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations is an enjoyable read-aloud for pet lovers.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) PS Illustrated by David Parkins. "I'm a combine operator. / I harvest the grain. / I go row upon row / in sunshine or rain." On twelve double-page spreads, a four-line rhyme accompanies a vivid acrylic painting of a friendly-looking truck (with a kid behind the wheel). The text features lots of sounds and action words (e.g., "scoop," "crash," "smash"), infusing more energy into the pictures.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(2) K-3 Illustrated by David Parkins. With a storyteller's voice, Smith introduces Mr. Potter, who lives alone. One night he invites his dog inside--and then his tree. He transplants it, eventually cutting a hole in the roof, which leads to other unforeseen consequences. The sumptuously colored pictures balance realistic touches with the outlandish comical events, grounding the preposterous story in the real world.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2010

(4) K-3 Illustrated by David Parkins. Bouncy rhymed text and humorous pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations follow little Emmy's path of destruction. Mom, a first-class dupe, always comes to her rescue ("She told him to be nice to me. / After all...I'm only three"), but the mishaps pile up. Though the story's hilarity can be forced, older siblings will be satisfied by the tale's ending.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by David Parkins. This oversize, heavily illustrated volume is presented as the diary of Iliona, a young Greek girl captured and sold as a house slave in ancient Rome. Though the cartoony illustrations are sometimes jarring, readers will find themselves learning about such topics as Roman government, dress, and sanitation, while engaged in Iliona's adventures. Timeline. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: T. Borregaard

(1) 1-3 Illustrated by David Parkins. This beguiling collection features two previously published (as picture books) Aunt Nancy tales and two new trickster stories, in a smaller trim size illustrated mainly with silhouettes. Root's folksy style shines in every sentence, her storyteller's voice carrying the reader through each account with ease. Parkins's wit shows itself in the droll silhouettes that milk body language for all it's worth.

Reviewer: Vicky Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2007

(3) PS Illustrated by David Parkins. To lull a child to sleep, this enjoyable rhyme lists all the people--librarian, postman, fireman--who are already in their beds. "The doctor is sleeping. Everyone feels well. / The grocer is sleeping. / Food's ready to sell." In the cleverly conceived illustrations, each of the community figures rests cozily in a job-related bed, with an appropriate stuffed animal.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) PS Illustrated by David Parkins & David Parkins. Enter the monster preschool, and you'll find monsters of twenty-six varieties, every one with a peculiar trait: "Ann has alligator skin. / Bud grows toadstools on his chin" and so on through the alphabet. The bright illustrations aptly capture the energy level of active preschoolers. A silly ending will make readers giggle.

Reviewer: Hilary Breed Van Dusen

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by David Parkins & David Parkins. In this version of the epic, the mythic strongman, whose unrestrained vigor in building his city makes him more tyrant than hero, battles with Enkidu, a "wild man" who signifies the natural, uncivilized world. The two become friends and join in heroic adventures. There are fascinating echoes of stories from many traditions in this venerable root story. Parkins's illustrations capture the epic's primitive power and universal emotions.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2003

(4) PS Illustrated by David Parkins. After hatching, Webster J. Duck searches in vain for his mother. While he meets several animals he thinks might be his mother, not one answers him with a "quack-quack," and he's in tears by the time Mother Duck arrives. While Webster's pitiful solo state and the joyous reunion are sentimental, the book features expressive illustrations with spring colors and appealing close-ups of the animals.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by David Parkins. Set in the thirties, the book recounts the story of a type of sea monster called a kelpie, or Water Horse, from the moment it is discovered by eight-year-old Kirstie as a giant mermaid's purse, through its hatching in a bathtub, to its final disposition, three years later, when the "amiable beastie" is full-grown. Suspense is laced with humor in this fantasy with a compelling pace and appealing premise.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1998

(1) 4-6 Informed by the Midrash Rabbah, ancient commentaries by Jewish scholars, these retellings of familiar Old Testament stories provide uniquely satisfying answers to many of the questions that often mystify readers. Handsomely designed, the book contains simple, bold illustrations on almost every spread. With contents that are not strictly Jewish, Christian, or Muslim, the book will provide much room for discussion. Sources are listed.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(2) K-3 Illustrated by David Parkins. Trickster Aunt Nancy manages to beat the visiting Cousin Lazybones at his own game without breaking the rules of etiquette. Peppered with homespun Midwestern colloquialisms and rhythmic repetitions, Root's text begs to be read aloud. Parkins's paintings show small, wiry Aunt Nancy and big, bleary Cousin Lazybones with humorously exaggerated but realistically recognizable facial expressions.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 1999