(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lori Joy Smith. Multilingual best friends Annie, Lillemor, and Lilianne decide to enter the school talent show as a singing group. But Annie tests their friendship when she insists on making all the decisions ("because this whole thing was my idea"). Dunklee's realistic story about bossiness, compromise, and teamwork features a mix of simple narration and speech bubbles set against Smith's expressive, brightly colored digital art.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lori Joy Smith. Annie and Lillemor, who's from Sweden, are best friends who have a lot in common. But when new girl Lilianne, who seems to have even more in common with Lillemor, arrives from France, Annie feels left out. Text and speech bubbles tell this relatable story about normal friendship woes. The playful and friendly digitally colorized pencil illustrations bring the girls' activities to life.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Sarah McMenemy. Swedish immigrant Tillie Anderson fell in love with cycling, seeing the bicycle as a means of mobility and freedom. Placing her accomplishments within historical context, this breezy picture book biography follows Tillie's journey as she starts a physical regime and fashions an outfit of (gasp!) pants. Constant curves in McMenemy's cheery gouache, ink, and paper collage art convey a sense of motion.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2011

(2) K-3 I Can Read Book series. The journey begun in The Long Way to a New Land and continued in The Long Way Westward culminates in Minnesota for Swedish immigrant Carl Erik and his parents. Hard work and the presence of close-knit family, rendered affectionately in Sandin's ink and watercolor illustrations, help Carl Erik adjust. Sandin gives a gentle but balanced view of nineteenth-century homesteading life.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2007

(3) 1-3 Stepping Stone series. Illustrated by Richard Waldrep. Klondy (named for the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897) and her mother move from South Dakota to Alaska, where Klondy's miner father works at a gold mining camp. While Klondy is modeled on a real girl, the character's loneliness--for playmates, for her workaholic father's attention--feels universal. The book is illustrated with emotion-infused art with a regrettably airbrushed look.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 We Are America series. Each book in this series begins with a look at one immigrant then goes into a general discussion of his or her country of origin and its customs and culture. Illustrated with black-and-white and color photos, the text contains solid information, though pronunciations of non-English words would have been helpful. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these We Are America titles: Dominican Americans, Pakistani Americans, Thai Americans, Greek Americans, Japanese Americans, and Swedish Americans.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) YA Immigrants in America series. Covering stereotypes, challenges, and prejudices, each of these comprehensive but dryly written books discusses the history and contributions of a specific immigrant group. Archival photos and text boxes break up the presentation and extend the information. Profiles of notable immigrants are interspersed. Addresses, reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. [Review covers these Immigrants in America titles: Italian Americans, Irish Americans, Swedish Americans, Chinese Americans, Japanese Americans, and German Americans.]

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(4) 4-6 Ellis Island series. Dreams tells of Kristin Swensen from Sweden, Hope features Rebekah Levinsky from Russia, and Promise focuses on Irish Rose Carney's immigration story. Although formulaic, these books present three strong female characters whose attempts to reconcile their heritage with their new lives offer an interesting look at important eras in American history.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(4) 4-6 Coming to America series. The accessible books in this series focus on reasons for immigration, traditional life in the "old country," conditions on the voyages, hardships faced in the United States, and the economic, political, and social advances made. Soft edges around the photos give the archival pictures a sentimental feeling while the contemporary color photos just look odd. Included are a recipe (no warnings about adult help), a time line, and places to write and visit. Bib., glos., ind. [Review covers these Coming to America titles: German Immigrants, 1820-1920; Irish Immigrants, 1840-1920; Chinese Immigrants, 1850-1900; Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish Immigrants, 1820-192; Italian Immigrants, 1880-1920; Japanese Immigrants, 1850-1950.]

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Melissa Iwai. Hanna is homesick for Sweden as her family prepares for their first Christmas in America. With the help of a tomten, she celebrates Santa Lucia Day and settles into her new home. The art and story are both pleasant, but the package, designed in conjunction with the Hanna Andersson clothing company, suffers from an abundance of sweetness.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) 4-6 American Girls Collection series. The popular dolls' fictional stories introduce each time period, but these large-size books are in fact lavishly illustrated accounts of life in the past. Most of the history is told through captioned photos of historical objects (toys, tools, clothing) and illustrations, though the lines between fact and the fictional characters are sometimes confusingly blurred. The topics will be of particular interest to the series' fans, but all ages will enjoy browsing.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee