(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Mary Jane Gerber. Using a fictional story illustrated with stiff artwork, Manson describes the work of real-life physician John Hutchinson, who tended to patients in an early-1800s frontier town. Informational sidebars describing the tools and medicines used at that time are interesting and well written; in contrast, the fictional story seems artificial--a straight nonfiction approach would have been more effective. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Dean Griffiths. In an overly long text, Ben resents having to look after Allison after school, but when he helps her solve some of her problems, he discovers that having a little sister may not be so bad after all. Ally's difficulties in the midst of a snowball fight and her ballet-costume dilemma ring true. However, the illustrations of the characters are inconsistent in quality.

Reviewer: Anne St. John