(3) K-3 Illustrated by Gennady Spirin. Fourteen diverse animal species claim to be the world's deadliest creature. Each animal declares its name in capital letters, and then briefly provides clear, descriptive, and compelling evidence as to why it deserves the title. Close-up spreads done in tempera, watercolor, and pencil heighten the fearsomeness of each creature. Readers are invited to debate which animal is most deserving.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Gennady Spirin. Thirteen sea creatures describe their unique looks and habits, and ask readers to decide which is most amazing: e.g., the box jellyfish with twenty-four eyes and no brain or the leatherback sea turtle that can hold its breath for eighty-five minutes? Paintings in yellow-greenish tones evoke the denizens' mysterious underwater habitat. An author's note with a conservationist slant is appended. Websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Gennady Spirin. Here a dozen dinosaurs compete for the title of "greatest dinosaur that ever lived" by giving their credentials, from the Sauroposeidon as the tallest and biggest herbivore to the Microraptor as the smallest of all. The compact, information-light text is dwarfed by Spirin's lavish, detailed paintings--a double-spread for each candidate. The package includes pronunciation keys and concludes with a fact page. Bib.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Gennady Spirin. Profiles of eleven frogs and toads from worldwide locales touch on microhabitat, physical features, and nurturing behavior, while onomatopoeic text describes their songs. What could have been a sterile catalog is instead a graceful, accurate ode, matched and extended by Spirin's painstakingly detailed illustrations of amphibians in lush settings. Additional facts and a plea for clean frog environments conclude the volume. Websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Gennady Spirin. Williams's classic tale is newly illustrated with Spirin's lush paintings. Spirin grounds the story firmly in the Edwardian era; the child sports a sailor suit and buckled shoes and his mother wears a shirtwaist and has a Gibson Girl hairstyle. The volume is pretty, but it's more likely to appeal to sentimental adults than to children.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) 4-6 Spirin chooses classical Renaissance style to depict thirteen scenes from Jesus' life. Each elegant illustration, originally part of a larger painting, is accompanied by verse from one of the four Gospels. The fine detail of the tempera painting appears blurry in these digitally reproduced fragments.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 In his trademark lavish style, Spirin elegantly illustrates the classic Christmas carol. He uses white space invitingly, with text on one side of each spread and an oval-framed illustration on the facing page. Music and a note about the song's origin are included.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Gennady Spirin. Presenting a year's cycle of life in a boreal forest, this book features Spirin's remarkably detailed paintings of plants and animals, from winter's hibernating bears to spring's pitcher plants. Guiberson uses onomatopoeia on almost every page, and the sounds (Scritch, scritch!) help bring the taiga to life. She also emphasizes the integrated ecology of the forest and the threats to it. Websites.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) K-3 Master Illustrator series. Spirin illustrates the creation story using text from the New International Version of the Bible. Detailed paintings show realistic figures and animals set within varied compositional configurations, including circles, half circles, and elongated archway shapes. The culminating page (also the book's jacket) shows five concentric circles with the early days of creation on the outside and Adam and Eve in the center.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(4) K-3 Spirin's story of the birth of Christ reflects the majesty of the event. The text is taken from the King James Bible and has a formal quality that's echoed in the gold borders and elaborate decorations on each page. The book was first published in a much larger format, and the illustrations are less effective in this smaller size.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Spirin's illustrations bring to life the psalm in which God is compared to a shepherd caring for His flock. Lush oil paintings recall classical religious artworks with their formal compositions and white-robed angels; gold endpapers add elegance. Readers get a strong sense of reverence and solemnity. A removable foldout poster showing the book's entire pastoral display is attached.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 The classic carol is lavishly illustrated in Spirin's opulent style. The three kings' journey takes place across several days, with the passage of time indicated by alternating spreads of daylight (one for each verse) and night sky (paired with the refrain). All the nighttime spreads feature the same illustration, which detracts from the journey's forward motion. Musical notation is appended.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Gennady Spirin. In this medieval legend retold from Chrétien de Troyes's twelfth-century text, Perceval progresses from fool to wise man through a complex education in knighthood. The elaborate illustrations are digitally excerpted from a single gesso-on-wood painting done in the style of Russian icons. Perkins's lengthy retelling is unwieldy but moves at a good clip.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Gennady Spirin. Clement Moore's classic Christmas poem is illustrated with Spirin's formal, elegant paintings. The art is small, detailed, and heavy (e.g., the reindeer are ornately adorned). Children may not warm up to this Saint Nicholas; the book is more likely to appeal to nostalgic adults or Spirin's fans.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Gennady Spirin. Beneduce's retelling of the story of Moses from the Hebrew Bible is clear, readable, and respectful of the original biblical material. Spirin's large, detailed paintings add a formal feel to the book and convey, with their elegance, Moses' importance to Hebrews.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(2) 4-6 Spirin sets each section of the King James version of the story on a double-page spread and follows it with wordless spreads illustrated with sophisticated, thoughtful, and detailed paintings. The focus here is not on the animals but on God's interaction with humanity, making it a thought- and discussion-provoking choice for older children.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2004

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Gennady Spirin. In addition to the title stories, this volume includes "Thumbelina," "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Nightingale," and "The Princess and the Pea"--all well known and loved. Spirin's delicate artwork, rendered in colored pencil and watercolor, is fanciful and moody, complementing Andersen's provocative tales.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Gennady Spirin. This elegant volume brings together mostly traditional and familiar stories, poems, plays, carols, and Bible passages. Selections include O. Henry's story "The Gift of the Magi" and a play based on Beatrix Potter's "The Tailor of Gloucester." The sumptuous, detailed watercolors call to mind religious iconography and lavish Victorian times; full-page paintings alternate with smaller vignettes on every page. Ind.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) 4-6 Using passages from the Bible, this Spanish edition of Spirin's The Christmas Story tells of the birth of Christ from the angel Gabriel's announcement to Mary to the three Wise Men's visit. Masterfully composed, lavish paintings, with ethereal figures and golden and ochre hues, are a good match for the archaic language of the text. This offering will probably appeal more to older readers and adults.

Reviewer: Elena Abos Alvarez-Buiza

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Gennady Spirin. Told he's too young to attend school, little Philipok secretly dons his father's fur hat, defiantly slips out the door, and heads for the schoolhouse. Once Philipok proves his eagerness to learn, the gruff schoolmaster softens and allows him to stay. Detailed, warm, and sumptuous, Spirin's illustrations create a romantic mood that brings richness to Beneduce's unadorned text.

Reviewer: Mary R. Holt