(4) K-3 Illustrated by Nick Wroblewski. As a father reads bedtime stories, the animals outside are preparing for winter. Alongside poetic rhyming text, beautiful woodcuts show foxes, loons, beavers, and other animals getting ready for cold weather. Winter arrives on the last page as the child and father sleep. Back matter with additional information about the animals would have been a useful supplement.

Reviewer: Janet Dawson

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Nick Wroblewski. "Pearls of dew / on strings of silver... / Spider's work on fine display." Pine trees, a moose and calf, a swooping heron, and more greet a sleepy child (who looks much younger than the audience the text will appeal to) in the early morning sun. Woodcut blockprints in muted natural tones and spare, poetic text evocatively chronicle early morning on a northern woodland island.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) YA To support his family after his father's death, nineteen-year-old Owen (Frozen) seeks help from a local businessman and bootlegger in their Prohibition-era Minnesota town. But Owen finds himself vastly unprepared for the perils of organized crime. Inspired by true events (per the author's note), this is a nuanced look at a tumultuous era through the eyes of an earnest and innocent protagonist. Reading list.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(3) PS Illustrated by Ard Hoyt. In this companion to One-Dog Canoe, a girl and her dog embark on a winter sleigh ride, adding animal passengers as they go until the sleigh gets stuck, unstuck, crashes, and returns safely home. The energetic text's rhythm, occasional rhyme, and onomatopoeia are made for reading aloud; Hoyt's soft colors, delicate lines, and snowy landscape help carry the festive cumulative story.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(4) YA Sixteen-year-old Sadie Rose, sheltered within the home of the prominent Worthingtons, is determined to uncover the truth behind her mother's mysterious death. Vivid descriptions of a rural Prohibition-era Minnesota town round out a suspenseful page-turner containing flashbacks of an early childhood spent in a brothel under the care of a mother forced into prostitution. Realistic portrayals are wrapped up in a conveniently contrived conclusion.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Ard Hoyt. After cat Violet is adopted, she is less than friendly toward her owners' two yippy dogs (known to readers of this book's predecessor, Some Dog!). The story line is predictable (guess who rescues Violet when some mean dogs threaten her?), but the book is pleasantly old-fashioned with its sketch-like art in muted colors and its refusal to cute-ify the scowly Violet.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ard Hoyt. While frolicking in the snow one winter night, Little Otter spots a host of animals--including a pack of wolves--just in time to warn his family. Casanova spices up her text by playing with rhyme and invented words: "Moose towers. Little Otter cowers. Then--chompity, whompity, STOMP--off Moose clomps." Hoyt's pen-and-ink illustrations reflect the energy of the lively otters.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ard Hoyt. Notorious outlaw Dirk Yeller strikes fear in the hearts of the townsfolk when he arrives demanding something to "'take away my cat scratch fever!' His fingers were a-itchin' and a-twitchin'." No one can help, until young Sam, who gets fidgety too, steps up and leads him to the library. Spirited illustrations extend this rollicking Old-West-with-a-twist story.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) PS Illustrated by Ard Hoyt. Little Otter, asserting independence, spends the day away from his family; after all, "he's a big otter now." But when they help him escape from a hungry cougar, he realizes he still needs them, "no matter how big he grows." Casanova plays with language in her enjoyable rhythmic tale. The action-filled pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations suit Little Otter's boisterous behavior.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) 4-6 When the Germans invade Norway in 1940, Marit and her younger brother Lars are sent to live with their aunt and grandfather on a (relatively) safe island. But after the Nazis come there, too, Marit decides to help the secret Resistance. Although the integration of Norwegian history and customs is effortful, the book is easy to read and intermittently exciting.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Ard Hoyt. George, an old bloodhound, is one satisfied dog. When a yappy stray joins the family, though, George's place is unsure. But when Zippity's skittish side gets stirred up during a thunderstorm, George comes to the rescue. Hoyt's watercolor-and-pencil illustrations detail every canine emotion, and each spread brims with energy. Satisfying sound play will make this tale a hit as a read-aloud.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2007

(3) PS Illustrated by Ard Hoyt. A girl and her dog don life jackets and set out in a canoe. The wildlife takes an interest in this "one-dog canoe," each animal after the next asking, "Can I come, too?" One beaver, loon, wolf, bear, and moose later, the canoe is still afloat--until a frog hops aboard. Casanova's spunky narrator and rhythmic rhyming text and Hoyt's personality-rich characterizations create what's sure to be a read-aloud favorite.

Reviewer: Hilary Breed Van Dusen

(4) YA Banished to her father's eagle research project for a drinking incident, Alex inadvertently injures an eagle chick and then strands herself and the chick on a remote Minnesota lake island. Her efforts to survive and to keep the chick alive reveal her inner strength and give her perspective on her family. Occasional preachy moments only slightly mar this gripping survival story.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) 4-6 Girls of Many Lands series. Coincidence enables twelve-year-old Cecile Revel to become caregiver to the dogs of King Louis XIV's sister-in-law. At the Sun King's court in Versailles, Cecile becomes a favorite of the young royals, unravels the secret of her own past, and initiates a stand against blood-letting that saves the life of the heir-apparent. Historical details are accurate, but the sensibility of Cecile's first-person narrative exudes twenty-first-century awareness.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) 4-6 Libby forms a special bond with Thunder, a prize horse belonging to her neighbors the Porters. When Mrs. Porter leaves and Libby sees Mr. Porter abuse the horse, Libby and her new friend Griff devise a plan to steal Thunder. In a fast-paced story sure to be popular with lovers of the equine, Libby is an appealingly determined main character.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute