(4) K-3 Illustrated by Seng Soun Ratanavanh. A young girl invites readers to join her in imaginative play and enumerates the ways she enjoys her (pretend) "island": she tames a snail, hosts luncheons for her animal friends, arranges flowers, and sings. The spare text (translated from the French) adds little to what is essentially a decorative paean to imagination; the attractive art cleverly incorporates stitched red thread outlines.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Seng Soun Ratanavanh. It's time to sleep, but Miyuki tells Grandfather that she must first make a canopy for the Dragonfly Queen's visit, gather together the snail family members, and so on. The selflessness of Miyuki's tasks make them more interesting than the typical bedtime book's stalling tactics. The watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations present a magical-realism-kissed natural world also featuring Japanese cultural symbols.

Reviewer: Nell Beram