(3) K-3 Illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf. Three short tales center on a spunky bunny family: the little bunnies must cope with a spilled berry pie on a trip to Grandma's; they're thrilled when baby bunny takes a first hop; and big sister must settle the younger ones down for their naps. The bouncy, playful language and energetic, humorous watercolor illustrations make these stories delightful read-alouds.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) 4-6 This reissue of the first book about Merciless Marvin the Magnificent, Fats the Fuse, and Raymond the Rat (minus illustrations from the original) follows the rodent gang's attempts to jack a cheese shop. There's loads of humor in the mouse-centric details (e.g., sneaking around under a popcorn bucket) and the would-be hard-boiled dialogue (much talk about "loot" and "casing the joint").

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David Gavril. When Mrs. Farmer gets out the big soup pot, the chickens all hide. Unfortunately for Little Chickie, her sniffling, sneezing cold gives her away. Luckily, when Mr. Farmer finally catches her, it's only to serve her some vegetable soup ("Why, you poor little sick chickie"). The comfortably repetitive text and simply lined watercolors will engage and entertain young readers.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) K-3 Dial Easy-to-Read series. Illustrated by Ann Schweninger. Beginning readers will likely recognize Amanda's experiences with her first loose tooth. She wiggles it nonstop at first, then agonizes over whether to let Father pull it. After losing the tooth (literally), she finds it again, only to lie awake wondering about the Tooth Fairy. The amiable pencil and watercolor illustrations in Easter-egg hues feature nattily dressed piggies.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) K-3 Dial Easy-to-Read series. Illustrated by Ann Schweninger. Amanda's high expectations of first grade are all met--except she still can't read. As the days pass, she has the usual misadventures: getting lost in the big building, confronting a bully. Slowly, she builds her word power and learns to read. Amanda's experience will resonate with first graders everywhere. Reassuring pencil and watercolor illustrations show Amanda's ups and downs.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Rebecca Bond. As her pioneer family journeys from Missouri to Oregon, young Rebecca collects scraps of cloth to keep in her quilt bag. When they finally get to Oregon, she hopes her father's "wandering feet" will stay put. Rebecca's narrative is quietly engaging. The expansive, light-filled acrylic illustrations display images both intimately homey (campfires and sunbonnets) and breathtaking (mountain passes and lush valleys).

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) K-3 Dial Easy-to-Read series. Illustrated by Ann Schweninger. In four short chapters, Amanda Pig gets a cooling "hot-day surprise" in the garden; she and best friend Lollipop trade lemonade for entry into the boys' fort; Amanda and Lollipop open a lemonade stand, then drink the stock; and she waits with her family for a cool evening breeze. The combination of simple text and expressive illustrations will encourage new readers.

Reviewer: Angela Leeper

(3) 4-6 In 1803, young brothers Daniel and Will remain on their newly settled homestead in the Ohio wilderness while Pa returns East for the rest of the family. Left alone for an unexpectedly long ten months, the brothers meet a helpful Lenape Indian, survive a blizzard, and face a bear attack. Based on an actual incident, this is a solid historical novel.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) K-3 Dial Easy-to-Read series. Illustrated by Ann Schweninger. Oliver Pig is back with a Mighty Pig cape, saving the world from fire, bees, and aliens. Oliver's exploits will ring true to children and parents, as will the minor complications that arise when Oliver's imagination bumps into real life. The warmth conveyed in both story and art is as reassuring as ever.

Reviewer: Becky Levine

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Ann Schweninger. Amanda Pig is back, facing a new challenge, this a somewhat darker one than usual: overcoming her nighttime fear of monsters. But, as usual, this author-artist team demonstrates a solid understanding of childhood feelings and family dynamics. Amanda ends up using words to conquer her fears--just right for such an "almost grown up" pig and her newly independent readers.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2003

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Marco Ventura. In 1784, a thirteen-year-old boy named Edward Warren was the first person in the U.S. to go aloft in a hot-air balloon, one constructed by Peter Carnes outside Baltimore. From this single fact, Van Leeuwen has imagined an empowering story of a blacksmith's apprentice whose zeal for the project is rewarded by circumstances. Illustrations in oil are detailed and handsome, if stiff.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by R. W. Alley. Marvin the mouse and his gang, Fats and Raymond, move into the Guggenheim Museum, where Marvin perfects his in-line skating and Fats produces art. The far-fetched fantasy contains humorous details: Marvin wears in-line skates made from Barbie doll shoes and Fats creates his collages with squashed jelly beans, among other items. The lively story is accompanied by line drawings, which show the long curved ramps of the famous museum.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Brad Sneed. Brothers Ebenezer and Obadiah live happily together on their farm until one day when Obadiah complains of lumps in the oatmeal and Ebenezer dumps the bowl on his head. A generations-long feud ensues, ended only when one of their great-grandsons utters the word that might have averted the whole familial catastrophe: "Sorry." The gangly expressiveness of Sneed's watercolors fits this outsized story to a T.

Reviewer: Erica L. Stahler

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers. This appealingly illustrated tale follows the youngest of the eight McGee children as she waits to be big enough to go to school with her siblings. Once there, she realizes some things are still off-limits to the little kids--until she saves the school play. The well-told story will satisfy youngest siblings anxious to be bigger.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(2) K-3 Dial Easy-to-Read series. Illustrated by Ann Schweninger. Albert, the new boy in Oliver's class, is as tall as a third grader and knows all the answers to the teacher's questions but is terrible at kickball. Oliver coaches him in sports, Albert introduces Oliver to the fascinating world of bugs, and before long (four chapters, in fact), they are fast friends. Exuberant illustrations extend the text in this gentle and enjoyable entry in the Oliver and Amanda Pig series.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2000

(3) 4-6 Pioneer Daughters series. Illustrated by Donna Diamond. After British soldiers burn down their house, eleven-year-old Hannah's lives with her family in their one-room shed throughout the raw Connecticut winter. When her oldest brother, a soldier, is captured by the enemy, Hannah and her siblings come to appreciate and rely on each other during the crisis. Filled with historical detail, this final book in the trilogy is illustrated with black-and-white drawings.

Reviewer: Marlene Gawron

(4) 1-3 Pioneer Daughters series. Illustrated by Donna Diamond. Although her brother is in danger, serving in General Washington's army, Hannah Perley finds security in helping her family on their colonial farm. When British soldiers burn their home, Hannah's family decides to pull together and rebuild. Based on the historical 1779 sacking of Fairfield, Connecticut, the book offers oversimplified dialogue and superficial emotional insights but contains detailed descriptions of eighteenth-century tasks.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Marco Ventura. Compared to his usual quiet life as part of a toy farm set, a small wooden dog finds it thrilling to go on excursions via the pocket of the boy who owns him. Though unsettling and not particularly attractive, the hyper-realistic paintings facilitate the book's blurring of fantasy and reality, which peaks when Blue Dog and a live dog, the boy's new pet, exist contentedly side by side.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Donna Diamond. As eight-year-old Hannah wrestles with the challenging tasks of knitting and spinning, a greater struggle threatens to unravel her family: her teenage brother longs to join the colonial army despite the wishes of their pacifist father. Black-and-white drawings illustrate the chapter book, which offers a believable look at everyday farm life during the Revolutionary War.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Phil Boatwright. An early-nineteenth-century family moves from New York to what is now central Ohio and struggles to make a home in the dense forest. The clear, informative text and evocative illustrations combine to provide lots of opportunities for discussion about life in a long-ago era.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn