(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mark Alan Stamaty. This story's narrator lives in a crowded, colorless urban world. When the boy finds a yellow construction hat, the useful item proves to be just what he needs. This reissue is a satisfying celebration of the power of imagination. Stamaty's busy, detailed (very seventies) cartoon line drawings are full of quirky, sometimes unexpected, often hilarious nonsense.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) 1-3 Translated by Tiina Nunnally. Illustrated by Ingrid Vang Nyman. Like Pippi Moves In, this second collection of comics (originally published in a Swedish children's magazine in the 1950s) is translated and available in the U.S. for the first time. The simple four-page stories are told via word balloons and bold, cheerful illustrations. The slight tales may serve as introductions to the longer novels or appeal to readers already familiar with Pippi's exploits.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) 1-3 Translated by Tiina Nunnally. Illustrated by Ingrid Vang Nyman. A collection of comics originally published in a children's magazine in Sweden in the 1950s are here translated and published in book form in the United States for the first time. Children familiar with the novels will recognize the genesis of stories they know well. The plots are slight, but the humor and art are strong and childlike.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Translated by Sophie Hannah. In this Finnish import (first published in 1960), misanthropic Toffle lives alone amongst the Groke, Hemulen, Snufkin, etc. He ventures forth only to be stymied by bashfulness. When he intercepts a message in a bottle, Toffle finds a purpose. The text's flawless rhymes (all the more impressive because the lines are really long) and geometric illustrations contribute to the Moomin Valley mystique.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz