(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Christian Birmingham. This pleasant if undistinguished collection contains eight of Andersen's best-known fairy tales, including "The Little Mermaid" and "The Steadfast Tin Soldier." Black-and-white illustrations are scattered throughout the text-dense pages, although only the handful of full-page plates, with luminous colors, are likely to captivate read-aloud audiences.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) 4-6 Each single-page introduction to one of the fifty states begins with six facts (state nickname, etc.), features a summary of important historical information, small photos, and a topographical map, and concludes with two sidebars that discuss related topics (e.g., New York's Harlem Renaissance). The book is limited by its superficiality, but the summaries are intelligent and the details well chosen.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) PS In this concept book, readers are first introduced to "silly" animals and then invited to find and count them and various objects on the following double-page spreads. It's unclear why the text vacillates between present tense ("Four hippos play at the beach") and fragments ("Nine pigs baking bread"). While the paintings are brimming with details, the objects are large and bold enough for a young child to identify.

Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by N. C. Wyeth. Stevenson's prose, stripped of much of its descriptive power but honed down to a readable, fast-moving action story, is illustrated in this oversize volume with reproductions of N. C. Wyeth's 1911-edition oil paintings. The reproductions are often blurry or hazy and tend to monochrome umber, but Wyeth's pirates are old-school villainous, and the atmospheric paintings have an almost unmatched dynamism.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) 4-6 Each spread features a large physical map of a region or country with the major cities noted. Surrounding the map are captioned color photos highlighting an area's culture, wildlife, or architecture, boxed "fact files," and occasional smaller maps indicating population, climate, and vegetation. Though the maps and clear photographs are good browsing, the additional information is random and superficial. Ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) K-3 In this version of the traditional song, "my true love" is a cat lover and only gives cats as presents: "a kitten in a fir tree," "two tawny tabbies," "seven Siamese singing," "ten leopards lounging." The verse is strained at times, but the large watercolors are filled with entertaining details of the various cats and their Christmas activities.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Peter Bull & Sallie Reason. Forty-seven notable Americans are highlighted in these sketches, which are heavy on explorers and frontiersmen. The choices include the obvious (Martin Luther King, Jr.) alongside unexpected (Joe Montana and John Wayne), and the lesser known. Brief biographical information covers the main points; somewhat crude illustrations are accompanied by lengthy captions. More useful to whet appetites than as a reference tool. A time line is included. Ind.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin