(4) PS Illustrated by Christopher Denise. As daylight fades and the moon rises, animals settle in for the evening, streetlights come on, cars head home, and nighttime rituals are set into motion. Cozy, muted digitally rendered illustrations in rich purples and blues but for the glow of fireflies, lanterns, and night-lights are visually lulling; the spare rhyming text, occasionally faltering in meter, is soothing but secondary.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Colleen Madden. Miss Marigold--a.k.a. the garden lady--leads the kids of Pepper Lane Elementary School in converting an unused patch of playground into a community garden. The authors know their gardening stuff, but what there is in terms of plotting is overly familiar (the kids get the neighborhood grouch to help them out). The exuberant mixed-media art is fresher than the story line.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Hernán Sosa. This book describes Armando's childhood in a poor Mexican colonia and the man who brings education and art to the community. Based on a true story, the text sprinkled with Spanish vocabulary is instructive but wordy. Distinctive illustrations outlined in white give the pictures dimension. Photographs of the children in a colonia are appended. Glos.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(3) YA People to Know series. The clearly written biography captures the drama of Paulsen's life as he competes in the Iditarod, sails the ocean, and tracks the wilderness while producing his amazing literary output. Much of the text repeats Paulsen's autobiographical writings, but this book also contains information from articles and speeches and serves as a solid secondary source for report writers. A time line is included. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Rene King Moreno. A Mexican girl awakens at night to find a man stealing the lemons from her lemon tree. In trying to discover how to help her tree, which falls ill after the episode, the girl connects with a mythical wise woman, who teaches her a lesson in compassion. While the story is somewhat meandering, it contains some lyrical imagery, and the watercolor illustrations warmly depict the girl's home and village.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(4) 4-6 People to Know series. With the exception of Hemingway, the subjects of these books have rarely been showcased in juvenile biographies, despite being individuals young people may know and find interesting. Although sometimes superficial, the adequately written volumes emphasize the talent, ambition, and work ethic that made the subjects win laurels and legions of fans. Illustrated with adequate black-and-white photographs, each book includes a chronology. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta