(3) PS Illustrated by Sam Usher. Chock-full of details and events on each spread, this winning book follows little Danny though his day. The text encourages readers to observe the pictures and help choose Danny's breakfast, decide how he'll travel to school, even what bedtime story he'll read. Featuring thick card-stock pages and a diverse cast in the appealing sketch and watercolor illustrations, this is a pleasing first picture puzzle.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Sam Usher. In this adventure tale based on the true story of the concept of the French Citroën Deux Chevaux in the late 1930s, a boy, his father, and their village manage to keep the car's design secret from the Nazis. The story conveys the satisfactions of auto engineering and construction but suffers from repetition and clumsy characterization. Energetic black-and-white illustrations accompany the text.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Sam Usher. Anna's twelve male cousins single her out for pranks, but the playful ink and watercolor illustrations make it clear that the tricks are as much fun for her as for them, long before the smooth rhyming text reveals that she "wouldn't trade them for the world." Though the boy-girl distinctions may seem old-fashioned, the unremarked-upon racial diversity among the cousins is welcome.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax