(4) 4-6 Dear Mr. President series. This series features an intriguing concept--a fictional correspondence between a president and a young citizen, thus providing social and political history. Readers who can suspend their disbelief (especially regarding the uneducated coal miner, who seems an unlikely letter writer) will enjoy the books. Photos and reproductions are included. Roosevelt contains a glossary. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) 4-6 Dear Mr. President series. This series features an intriguing concept--a fictional correspondence between a president and a young citizen, thus providing social and political history. Readers who can suspend their disbelief (especially regarding the uneducated coal miner, who seems an unlikely letter writer) will enjoy the books. Photos and reproductions are included. Roosevelt contains a glossary. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jeff Shelly. Hoping to catch a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner, the sneaky residents of Squawk Valley plan an arts-and-crafts fair with a turkey theme. They recruit Pete the turkey to pose for sculptures, intending to eat him later. But Pete outwits them and uses the many turkey sculptures to screen his escape. The bouncy rhyming story is fun to read aloud, and the watercolor and gouache illustrations heighten the comedy.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Steven Salerno. A new generation will enjoy this gentle, humorous tale of a small boy's failed attempts at bathing himself by copying farmyard animals. Originally published in 1939 in Jack and Jill magazine, then later in an anthology as How the Animals Took a Bath, the new version features breezy illustrations with bold, black outlines and vibrant colors rendered in a variety of media--a surprisingly good match for Brown's lilting, insightful prose.

Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Steve Haskamp. In a light and silly tale, Pumpkinhead sets off on a journey to determine whether everyone in the world has a pumpkin head. Children will enjoy being in on a joke played on Pumpkinhead and the gullible residents of Pumpkintown, who are depicted in the acrylic illustrations wearing a variety of googly eyed pumpkins atop their human bodies.

Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin

(4) 4-6 Dear Mr. President series. Twelve-year-old William Pratt writes to President Adams about, among other issues, the plight of the Creek Indians; Emma Bartoletti corresponds with President Roosevelt about her family's Depression-era experiences. Despite their unlikely scenarios, the books in this series present intriguing historical portraits. The busy design includes photographs, reproductions, and editorial cartoons. Ind. [Review covers these Dear Mr. President titles: John Quincy Adams and Franklin D. Roosevelt.]

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Barry Gott. When her guinea pig goes missing, Jenny draws imaginative pictures about what might have happened to him. Meanwhile, she is supposed to write a story for school but doesn't know where to start, until her drawings serve as inspiration. Jenny's genuine feelings of anxiety about her lost pet and a difficult assignment ring true, and the digitally created cartoon illustrations are full of amusing details.

Reviewer: Erica L. Stahler

(4) YA In 1966 Alabama, many do not approve of Francie's new friendship with Ruthie, who is black. Ruthie helps fourteen-year-old Francie cope with her mother's recent death; then Francie learns she was murdered while saving Ruthie from a rapist. Though the writing is somewhat trite and long-winded, readers will likely push forward to discover whether the girls' friendship will survive.

Reviewer: Mary R. Holt

(4) K-3 A bear asks her father where honey comes from, insisting at each response, "Before that?" until he's traced it back to the bees that produced it. Though the inquisitive bear's questions echo those of young children, the device confusingly presents the process in reverse order. Wallace's uncluttered cut-paper collages of bee-keeping bears illustrate this story, while concise sidebars add further information. A game and "honey facts" are appended.

Reviewer: Erica L. Stahler

(2) YA Fifteen-year-old Kady, who first earned the trust of her mentally disabled neighbor by gently drawing him out, now feels as trapped by young Rooster's worship as she does by her hardworking parents and their orange grove. A wealthy boy with marijuana offers escape--until an accident wakes her up. Each of the characters' distinct personalities and relationships are delineated by their actions in this well-crafted novel.

Reviewer: Lauren Adams | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2001

(4) 4-6 Dear Mr. President series. Twelve-year-old William Pratt writes to President Adams about, among other issues, the plight of the Creek Indians; Emma Bartoletti corresponds with President Roosevelt about her family's Depression-era experiences. Despite their unlikely scenarios, the books in this series present intriguing historical portraits. The busy design includes photographs, reproductions, and editorial cartoons. Ind. [Review covers these Dear Mr. President titles: John Quincy Adams and Franklin D. Roosevelt.]

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Stefan Czernecki. When a young girl in Baghdad stops smiling, the sun stops shining, so her father, the townspeople, and a hoopoe bird try their best to find something that will amuse her, to no avail. Inspired by an Islamic story, the tale has an unsatisfying ending, but the simple illustrations, which use flat color and a bold, clean line, are lively and interesting.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(2) YA In a frank, first-person narrative, Harley tells the story of her fifteenth year, a year in which she uncovers the truth about her parentage, loses her best friend, experiences her first love, and begins to define herself. The teenager-ish writing convincingly evokes Harley's honest voice. The novel would have benefited from a bit more focus; still, the substance of Harley's experiences and her solid characterization are maintained throughout.

Reviewer: Lauren Adams | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2000

(3) K-3 Tired of being teased by other polar bears because he always wears his favorite pajamas, Percy puts them away for good. Much to his dismay, however, the others continue their teasing--until finally Percy convinces them to try pajamas, too. Aggrieved bears with humorously human expressions and Day-Glo jammies star in the vibrant watercolor and colored pencil illustrations.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) YA When commoner Cerinthe gains admittance to the School of the Royal Dancers, she thinks that her dream has come true. But a rivalry with another dancer causes tension, which is amplified by Cerinthe's deep-rooted fear of using her gift for healing. Cerinthe is a likable character, and the setting is well defined in this fantasy novel about making choices and seeking one's destiny.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Steve Haskamp. This adaptation of Aesop's familiar fable has very little conventional text; instead, readers peruse dozens of signs along the route of Tortoise's race with Hare. Some, with distinctive shiny surfaces, depict actual roadsigns. Others, held by the spectators, display such messages as "Bad Hare Day" or "Tortoises Are Slowpokes." Readers will enjoy tracing the competitors' progress across the colorful pages.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 Miss Bun, a rabbit, is cooking veggie soup, but her friends Crow, Cat, Frog, and Cow bring over such additions as worms, tuna, bugs, and hay, which ruin the soup. The friends make a new batch according to Great Nana's recipe, and they even have leftovers for a soup kitchen. The thin story is rather conventional, but the cut-paper collage illustrations are eye-catching. A recipe is included.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Randy Cecil. "Run as fast as fast can be. You won't get a bite of me." In this southwestern version of the Gingerbread Man, a tortilla escapes the griddle and runs away, chased by an old couple, horned toads, donkeys, rattlesnakes, and buckaroos. A cagey coyote finally tricks the tortilla into being eaten. Playful illustrations in a brown-gold palette set this one in the Texas desert.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Steven Salerno. After ingesting an odd blue seed, a rooster sprouts a blue feather in the middle of his forehead, causing him to feel special enough to proclaim himself "boss of the barnyard." Retro-style illustrations contain bold lines and striking colors, with some decorative silver foil tossed in, in this animated tale, which moves from farm to circus as the animals seek a horse reputed to sport not one, but two blue feathers.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(4) K-3 Tobias, the gardener's son, devises a plan to free a caged quig, an exotic bird that longs to live in the nearby rumplenut tree, which depends on the bird to spread its nuts. The text and illustration styles owe a large debt to Dr. Seuss--the jaunty but overlong verse employs inventive rhymes and a swift rhythm, and the watercolors bustle with color and movement.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli