(3) K-3 Illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully. To help his Jewish immigrant family, Ben gets a job delivering hat linings. One day he wrecks his bike and drops hundreds of the silk circles. For Ben, the beautiful sight of the colored linings floating in the wind engenders not despair but a hopeful vision of his future. Detailed watercolors reflect Ben's exhilaration and evoke the early-twentieth-century setting of this unusual story based on real events.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Lynne Barasch. When an elderly, non-English-speaking woman won't stop feeding pigeons in her yard, her neighbors vow to make her move. Rachel (Family Dinner) and her great-uncle step in to find a more humane solution. This satisfying story features a thoughtful, caring character who effects change because of her intelligence and perseverance. Black-and-white illustrations help break up the text.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Thomas F. Yezerski. Three stories chronicle the friendship between the worry-prone Rose (a vole) and the more easygoing Riley (a groundhog). Cutler's quiet text captures the affection between the two, while Yezerski's watercolors emphasize their differing personalities and provide a cozy setting. Frog and Toad they ain't, but though there's not much humor here, there's lots of security and warmth.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Hiroe Nakata. Franny receives two dolls for her birthday: Rose, a fancy, frilly new doll who sings the same song over and over; and Suzie, a well-loved old rag doll. Rose's charms begin to fade when it's time for bed, while Suzie proves soft and cuddly--and a friend. The simple, old-fashioned story is rewarding, and the illustrations, in which pinks predominate, are sure to please certain little girls.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Susannah Ryan. Darcy is very open about disliking her baby brother, and her grandmother agrees. The two of them go to the park, determined to enjoy all the things that babies can't do. By the time they arrive home, they are both ready to allow that, "deep down," they might like the baby after all. Warm and humorous illustrations capture the story in this welcome reissue.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc. | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 1994

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Greg Couch. In an unspecified war-torn city, a girl goes from taunting to admiring her grumpy elderly neighbor when he boldly begins playing his cello everyday in the bombed-out central square. Swirling watercolors, dominated by oranges and yellows, convey the permeating violence and mix of emotion in this bittersweet story about a man who inspires others with his refusal to be vanquished by fear.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Tracey Campbell Pearson. Edward's innocent comments about seeing a baby alligator in the lake at the local park are misconstrued and elaborated upon until the incident becomes a cause célèbre. Not all readers will get the point about the power of the word, but all will rejoice in Edward's vindication when the baby alligator is discovered. The undemanding, light read is a solid choice for second- and third-graders.

Reviewer: Nancy Vasilakis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 1999

(4) 4-6 In an unevenly written novel, twelve-year-old Harry befriends an African Pygmy on exhibition at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. Seeing through the exhibition leader's theory of the superiority of white men, Harry sets out to undermine him. Harry's encounters with secondary characters detract from the main story about the effects of racism.

Reviewer: Deborah L. Thompson