(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jen Corace. A mother lulls her child to sleep with vignettes about creatures in nighttime versus daytime: "The butterflies have gone to sleep, / Their wings no longer flapping. / Making room for the nighttime moths, / Their soft gray wings now tapping." The cadence sometimes falters, but its tone soothes. Rich watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations capture the advent of both night and morning.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Grace Zong. Classmates ask Orange Peel (a nickname) questions about her birth country, China. To find the answers, she consults Chinese American adults (e.g., the neighborhood tailor, flower-shop woman, and ice-cream parlor owner). With their help--including objects they secretly slip into her pocket--Orange Peel speaks confidently about China during show-and-tell. The bubbly acrylic paintings juxtapose Orange Peel's neighborhood with a rural Chinese landscape.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jane Dyer. "I still wonder what miracle brought us together." A mother reflects on the milestones of her adopted Chinese daughter's young life. This joyful pondering of heritage and the parent-child relationship will resonate more with adults than kids, but the book will find an appreciative audience with adoptive families. Tender watercolors show birthday celebrations and day-to-day activities.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(3) PS Illustrated by Jane Dyer. A single woman travels to China to adopt a little girl. Throughout, the text addresses the child ("I brought you back to the hotel and sat you down on the bed") in a sort of love letter. Dyer's clean, realistic watercolors successfully convey the poignancy of the text.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson