(3) 4-6 In the Appalachian Mountains in 1908, eight-year-old Minna longs to go to school, but her family can't afford a warm coat for her commute. After Papa dies from black lung, local quilter women offer to put together a patchwork coat for Minna. Accompanied by pencil drawings, the gentle, affecting narrative (an expansion of Mills's picture book The Rag Coat) is enriched with details of Appalachian traditions.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Lauren Mills & Dennis Nolan. In this companion volume to Fairy Wings, the mean-spirited behavior of Fia's high-and-mighty sister, Violet, puts Fia and her friends in jeopardy. The author overuses exclamation points, and Violet's repentance comes too easily, but the story has much suspense, and the watercolor and pencil art effectively brings the diminutive characters and their woodland surroundings to life.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Lauren Mills & Dennis Nolan. In this lengthy literary fairy tale, a bored and insensitive prince learns how to serve and sacrifice for others after he is turned into a dog by a fairy. Lightly colored in pastel and earth tones, the romantic watercolors lend the book a timeless feel. Despite a few awkward sentences and the unclear symbolism of a mysterious chimera, the story presents an interesting adventure.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) K-3 Convinced her new baby brother is a changeling, Amanda enlists the assistance of some garden gnomes in exchanging the goblin baby for her real brother. With help from the Queen of the Earth, both girl and goblins learn that kindness and patience are the keys to their quest. Precisely detailed watercolors aptly capture the diminutive otherworld.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute