(4) K-3 Illustrated by Debrah Santini. A woman named Abby moves to a new house in a new town and can't figure out why her beloved chairs suddenly look so odd. It's only when she fills them with new friends that she realizes what was amiss. Warm, expressive watercolor illustrations lend some appeal to a sweet moral tale, but the all-adult cast and nature of the metaphor will limit child appeal.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(4) K-3 Accompanied by her cats, Melissa whirls and twirls and pirouettes and prances with a broom as she sweeps, making "every crack and corner clean / Enough to suit a dainty queen." First published in a collection of verse in 1927, this brief poem about a mundane household task has old-fashioned charm but limited appeal for today's young audience. Delicate watercolors show Melissa exuberantly attacking her chores.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.