(4) K-3 Holiday House Readers series. Illustrated by John Wallner. In brief chapters of simple, clear prose, Adler tells anecdotes about Abraham Lincoln's life, beginning with his childhood. In addition to historical facts, some entertaining stories about Lincoln's fabled honesty and kindness (e.g., rescuing a pig from the mud, going out of his way to deliver the mail) are included. Some of the illustrations are awkwardly proportioned. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) K-3 Holiday House Readers series. Illustrated by Steve Björkman. Two dogs work quickly to make a plan when the Easter Bunny comes down with the flu a week before the holiday. Thanks to the chickens' eggs, the birds' gathered berries, the squirrels' tails (as paint brushes)--and a last-minute rally from the bunny himself--they manage to save Easter. This lively story about cooperation features spirited illustrations of helpful animals.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) K-3 Holiday House Readers: Nonfiction series. Illustrated by Diane Dawson Hearn. This book explores the plant and animal life in the world's rainforests, breaking them down into specific forest layers. The easy-reader text uses vocabulary that is basic enough for beginning readers while also incorporating content-area words (understory, epiphytes). Acrylics-painted illustrations show dozens of plants and animals. Two pages comparing and contrasting tropic and temperate rainforests are appended.

Reviewer: Becky Levine

(3) K-3 Holiday House Readers series. Illustrated by Steve Bjorkman. When Poky the dog and his humans move into a new house, Poky befriends a hamster left behind by the previous family. The humans, thinking it's a mouse, set traps, but Poky trips them. To find out what's going on, the humans set up a spycam, then offer the hamster a home. Lively illustrations energize the pleasant but quiet story.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) K-3 Holiday House Readers series. Illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers. Lighthearted, realistic illustrations enliven this easy-to-read history of automobiles, from horseless carriages to gas-powered motorcars to today's fuel efficient hybrid cars. Levinson includes discussion of famous inventors, such as Gottlieb Daimler and Henry Ford, as well as how cars have changed and improved daily life. Timeline. Glos.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(3) K-3 Holiday House Readers series. A few days before December thirty-first, cat siblings Harry and Emily begin to practice staying up late--without much success. Nevertheless, midnight on New Year's Eve finds them wide awake, though it happens in a way neither one expects. The expressive illustrations, with their sturdy, childlike cat figures, will continue to provide chuckles for readers of this enjoyable series of holiday books.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Holiday House Readers series. Cats Harry and his little sister Emily try to prepare for Easter by decorating and hiding eggs, but most of their attempts turn into failures. The cats clean up their mess and apologize to their parents, and in spite of their worries, the Easter Bunny brings them treats. Accompanied by childlike drawings, this is a predictable but cheerful easy reader.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Holiday House Readers series. Dr. Clock uses his time machine to go to the Ice Age so he can investigate saber-toothed cats. Though he doesn't realize it until he returns home, his baby accompanies him, returning with a hat full of specimens. The illustrations help extend the funny story and provide visual cues to the words.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke

(4) K-3 Holiday House Readers series. Illustrated by John Wallner. This brief biography of Helen Keller, which includes quotations from her writing, covers the highlights of her life from her childhood illness and Anne Sullivan's arrival to important events during her adulthood. Although her life makes interesting reading even in a beginning reader format, the short sentences are often flat. Detailed watercolor illustrations add additional information. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) K-3 Holiday House Readers series. Because a snowstorm delays their trip to their grandparents' house, Harry the cat and his sister Emily have no tree on Christmas day, until they decide to decorate an outdoor tree with strings of popcorn and cranberries. The simple drawings of the chunky cat children are just right for this easy chapter book, and Emily's perfectionist tendencies add pizzazz.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Holiday House Readers series. This four-chapter book tells the story of how kittens Harry and Emily prepare for Mother's Day: growing flowers, cooking creative peanut butter pancakes, and serving their mother breakfast in bed. But despite all of their efforts--and the messy outcome--nothing can top the children as Mother's favorite present of all. Sketchy, childlike illustrations help make this an accessible story for beginning readers.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(2) K-3 Holiday House Readers series. Illustrated by Diane Dawson Hearn. Climates, inhabitants, and weather at the Poles are ably conveyed through straightforward text and pleasantly cool-toned illustrations. Levinson uses the beginning reader format to great advantage with simple sentence structures that nevertheless convey solid information. Labels set within the illustrations identify cold weather animals and add even more reason to scrutinize the pictures. A list of facts is appended.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2003

(4) K-3 Holiday House Readers series. Illustrated by Steve Bjorkman. This book about Fats the pig and Skinny the rabbit attempts to replicate Frog and Toad's friendship but doesn't quite make it. Still, their small adventures and breezy illustrations will keep kids reading, especially the last chapter, in which Skinny insists on making marshmallow pie with carrots rather than the chocolate that Fats specifies. A recipe for this concoction (the chocolate version) is provided.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) K-3 Holiday House Readers series. Harry the cat looks forward to visiting his grandparents and making apple pie, but his little sister Emily doesn't want to go, not without her parents. Besides, she knows she won't like apple pie. Ruelle understands her young characters very well; she tells the sixth Harry and Emily story with a gentle humor that's echoed in the childlike illustrations.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert