(3) K-3 Illustrated by John O'Brien. This advanced alphabet book identifies and describes people, buildings, sites, and activities associated with the nation's capital. Several examples are given for each letter: L is for Library of Congress, L'Enfant, Lobby, and Lincoln Memorial. Zany, stylized ink and watercolor drawings add interest and humor to the cleverly written narrative full of intriguing facts. Endpapers feature a map of the city's main sites for reference.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(3) K-3 Illustrated by John O'Brien. O'Brien's whimsical ink and watercolor illustrations set the tone for this collection of facts about our sixteenth president. Presented in alphabetical order, with minimal internal connection, facts range from the significant to the quirky: A is for amendment (the thirteenth); autobiography (Lincoln penned a short one); ax (he began clearing land at age seven); and aloud (Lincoln habitually read aloud to better remember ideas).

Reviewer: Betty Carter

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright & Ying-Hwa Hu. Florence Mills was born an entertainer. This brightly illustrated, inspiring story follows "Baby Flo" from her days of singing in the streets of Washington, DC, to her on-stage debut at age seven. An author's note includes a brief biography of her years as an entertainer during the Harlem Renaissance and her early death from tuberculosis at age thirty-one.

Reviewer: Juliet S. King

(2) K-3 Illustrated by John O'Brien. In this alphabetical compendium of Franklin highlights, each spread features a letter or two initializing significant places, inventions, people, and more. Details are dramatized in deftly ordered boxes, banners, and balloons; all are rendered in O'Brien's old-timey pen and ink and brightened with watercolor. The bits of narrative text are usefully straightforward, and aphorisms recognizable as Poor Richard's are sprinkled throughout.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2011

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by JaeMe Bereal. This picture book biography provides an introduction to the life of twentieth-century African American sculptor and teacher Savage. Leaving her Southern home (and disapproving father), Savage earned recognition in New York. Though the text is wordy and suffers from awkward invented dialogue, readers will glean the importance of Savage's work. The accompanying paintings are well shaded but stiffly composed. Bib.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(3) YA Black Americans of Achievement, Legacy Edition series. Each of these biographies details a well-known figure's rise from adversity to national and/or international recognition. The books go beyond the typical personal information to provide some social history relevant to the subject's time. Captioned photographs and boxed inserts enhance the conversational texts, most of which have been completely revised. Reading list, timeline, websites. Ind. Review covers these Black Americans of Achievement, Legacy Edition, titles: Maya Angelou, Jimi Hendrix, Scott Joplin, Bob Marley, Oprah Winfrey, Josephine Baker, and Chris Rock.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Andrew Glass. In this Appalachian recasting of a Japanese folktale, Willie sets off to participate in a contest of feats of strength. On the way he meets a girl and her granny who are both stronger than he is, but the gals take a liking to the big brute and decide to strengthen him up. The outrageousness of the situations and the corn-pone dialect are reflected in Glass's robust illustrations.

Reviewer: Nancy Vasilakis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 1999