(4) K-3 Illustrated by Wes Hargis. Amusing cartoons illustrate the story of the first transcontinental car trip: a 1903 adventure completed by Dr. Horatio Jackson, mechanic Sewall J. Crocker, and a bulldog named Bud. Upbeat but choppy present-tense text outlines the journey's pitfalls including mud-soaked roads and flying grasshoppers. An afterword, including archival photographs, provides historical context and information about the three characters' later lives. Reading list, websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Karl Swanson & Karl Swanson. When naturalist John Muir and Stickeen, his friend's dog, explore an Alaskan glacier, they come to a massive crevasse. The only way across is down one side and up the other. Muir cuts steps into the ice wall, but will the dog follow? The account is well told, and the acrylic and colored-pencil illustrations in icy browns, pinks, and blues may very well give the reader a chill.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley