(3) K-3 Illustrated by Maja Kastelic. "Lots of children have a parent behind bars." Birtha introduces a multicultural cast of children, each with at least one incarcerated parent (the crimes aren't specified) and a unique challenge (e.g., social ostracism, foster care); the book also addresses their coping strategies. Kastelic complements the text's gentle frankness with subdued but emotion-filled art. Adult-directed supplemental information concludes the book. Reading list.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Nicole Tadgell. Passing by a furniture store window, Marshall sees a large jar filled with beans. The person who guesses the number of beans gets a sewing machine, and Marshall is determined to win it. He applies the estimating skills he has learned at school with happy results. Soft watercolor paintings show a working-class African American family in a 1930s small-town setting.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2010