(3) K-3 Illustrated by London Ladd. In each free-verse poem, a child narrator recalls acting generously (sharing a sandwich, spending time with a lonely neighbor, etc.). Coupled with expansive, freeze-the-moment acrylic, colored-pencil, and pastel illustrations, frequent line breaks invite readers to move slowly through each poem and linger in the moments of kindness. Ladd's art particularizes the diverse array of narrators, themes, and settings.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(4) 4-6 Photographs by Ken Robbins. Beach glass, baseball cards, coins, comic books, medals, model trains: thirty brief rhyming poems describe collectible objects. Artistically composed photographs capture the lure of many of the poems' treasures. Not all of the works are illustrated, unfortunately, and the absence is noticeable when those words are floating in the middle of white space on the page.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Peter Sylvada. This book describes in lyrical rhyming verse how people around the world might catch fish. Each double-page spread features a different culture and way of fishing (e.g., seine fishing in Tobago, cormorant fishing in Japan, fly-fishing in Ireland). With dramatic oil paintings often featuring young people, this evocative volume will be of interest to fishers and non-fishers alike.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Zachary Pullen. A tough cowboy named Grizz thinks a dog is just what he and his cattle-herding buddies need to help them on the range and refine their rough edges. His friends, however, disagree, and can't contain their amusement when Grizz comes back from town with a miniature poodle named Foofy. Though awkward, the illustrations and the wordy text are both richly textured.

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mike Reed. Twenty-one brief poems usher readers through fall and winter. From the first signs--"Fall sets fire / To the tips of trees"--to "Winter's End" when the "days are longer / the sun feels stronger," these poems shimmer like fresh snow with their evocative imagery. Acrylic illustrations nicely capture both the vivid colors of fall and the cool whites of winter. This seasonal collection is just right for primary classrooms.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(1) 4-6 Illustrated by Tom Pohrt. Frank's re-envisioning of Howard Carter's quest for King Tut's tomb is intriguing as much by the clever way the poet fits so much relevant information into his precisely scanned quatrains as by his judicious selection of facts to set the drama of the discovery in its historical and human contexts. The illustrations evoke desert light and underground gloom with equal skill. This book's fine qualities recommend it for a multitude of uses.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2001