(4) K-3 Illustrated by Zachary Pullen. Tommy comes from a hockey family, but he's too shy to play on a team. Tommy's hockey-legend grandfather works with him on the frozen ponds, and when his brother's team needs help, it's (a reluctant) Tommy's turn for glory. His miracle-on-ice turnaround seems a stretch, but character-driven oil paintings present a humorous juxtaposition of a nervous freckled boy and a face-painted, referee-taunting grandfather.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Zachary Pullen. A romp through history using famous animals as the linchpin, this compendium delivers stories historically significant (Alexander the Great and horse Bucephalus) and culturally cherished (Punxsutawney Phil). Some chapters in the entertaining but text-heavy book, such as one relating the origin of teddy bears to a Theodore Roosevelt anecdote, strain for topical relevance. Photographs and cartoony oil-on-linen paintings illustrate the accounts. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Lela Nargi

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Zachary Pullen. In the mid-1800s, baseball in America was in its infancy when Lipman Pike, a Jewish boy from Brooklyn, began to play. Soon the boy's batting power and speed helped "Lip" become a sought-after homerun leader. The biographical story line is choppy at times; an appended author's note fills in some gaps. Caricaturish illustrations on sepia-colored pages capture the setting.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Zachary Pullen. Although giant Finn is brave and good-hearted, he's also "a bit of a turnip head." Longing to be wise, he attempts to eat the source of all knowledge, a red salmon. Finn can't do it, though, and the fish rewards him with wisdom. Told in a lilting voice, the wordy story is accompanied by bold illustrations of the larger-than-life Finn.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Zachary Pullen. Wargin focuses on Nobel's adult life, from his invention of dynamite to his horror at its use ("...people began to use dynamite to solve problems by hurting others. This made Alfred very sad") to the creation of the Nobel Prize. Though the text is superficial, it gives a sense of the man. Pullen's accompanying oil paintings are nicely shaded but distractingly caricaturish.

Reviewer: Chelsey Philpot

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Zachary Pullen. This bland rhyming text tells of a young hockey player who takes a penalty shot to tie the game. The meter mimics Thayer's classic "Casey at the Bat." The determined faces in the close-up oil illustrations work well to pull readers onto the ice and into the action. Hockey fans will enjoy the drama of the game.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Zachary Pullen. A young football fan and his father watch the exciting 1958 NFL championship game between the New York Giants and the Baltimore Colts. Their team--the Giants--loses, but the pair, mildly caricatured in the art, marvel over the talents of rival quarterback Johnny Unitas. Football fans will be drawn in by the fast pace of the game's narration.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Zachary Pullen. A tough cowboy named Grizz thinks a dog is just what he and his cattle-herding buddies need to help them on the range and refine their rough edges. His friends, however, disagree, and can't contain their amusement when Grizz comes back from town with a miniature poodle named Foofy. Though awkward, the illustrations and the wordy text are both richly textured.

Reviewer: Mark Adam