(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Tom Pohrt. Abandoned feline Rachet adapts to the feral cats of Roxville Station--and cautiously bonds with Mike, an orphan boy. After clawing her way to top-cat rank at the station, Rachet becomes Mike's "outside pet." Meanwhile, in George's practiced manner, the other cats go their various ways, all easily followed in Pohrt's bird's-eye view of the town and seen close-up in his drawings.

Reviewer: Barbara Bader | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2009

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Tom Pohrt. Young slave Calepino has lived a privileged life, taught to read and write at a wealthy noblewoman's estate in seventeenth-century Colombia. He leaves his sanctuary to assist a doctor at a leprosy colony, but puts the doctor, a Jewish refugee of the Inquisition, at risk trying to help another slave boy. The story's characters are well defined, and the setting is vividly described.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Tom Pohrt. In addition to "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" and "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp," Mitchell includes the lesser-known "Abu Keer and Abu Seer." Mitchell delights in exaggeration and embroiders these already outrageous tales with extended descriptions of jewels and riches, clothing and food, sneaking in references to chocolate chip cookies to entice modern readers. Black-and-white line illustrations round out these retellings.

Reviewer: Susan P. Bloom | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2007

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Tom Pohrt. A mole, who has magically gained immortality and the capacity for human speech, encounters two humans: Mr. Franklin, a scientist, wants to study the mole; Bet, a lonely, thoughtful child, wants to make a friend. The mole simply wants to lose the burden of immortality. Lyrical, bittersweet, and bracingly unsentimental, the story contains a complicated, satisfying plot.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2004

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Tom Pohrt. This inventive collection of nine poems is a visual and verbal tour de force, with the ridiculous no less impressive than the poignant and meaningful. This collection does not permit boredom either in the asking of "Questions" ("How many inches in a year? / What makes a zero disappear?") or in "The Answer." Engaged readers will find themselves "released, rejoisterous...and [feeling] rounder than a pea."

Reviewer: Susan P. Bloom | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2003

(1) 4-6 Illustrated by Tom Pohrt. Frank's re-envisioning of Howard Carter's quest for King Tut's tomb is intriguing as much by the clever way the poet fits so much relevant information into his precisely scanned quatrains as by his judicious selection of facts to set the drama of the discovery in its historical and human contexts. The illustrations evoke desert light and underground gloom with equal skill. This book's fine qualities recommend it for a multitude of uses.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2001

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Tom Pohrt. Inspired by a visit to the Galápagos Islands, the author penned thirty-four poems paying tribute to its flora and fauna. The poems are full of keen observations, rich images, and an underlying environmentalist concern for habitat preservation. Undistinguished black-and-white drawings illustrate the slim volume, which contains a map and an author's note.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Tom Pohrt. The seven Algonquian trickster stories in this collection, printed in large type with generous leading, are funny and are related in a lively, understated manner, perfect for storytelling. The illustrations accurately capture the northern pine forest setting from which the stories spring. Along with the introduction, "story notes" at the end of the book offer detailed documentation.

Reviewer: Nancy Vasilakis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1999