(4) K-3 Illustrated by Richard Jones. "There's no escaping growing up; it's something we all do. / Each stage of life is different--exciting, fresh, and new..." The subsequent rhyming couplets describe these stages, from newborn to childhood to adulthood to old age. The reflective, metaphor-laden text is unlikely to appeal to children, but the sweeping naturescapes and diverse cast of people in the watercolor-like illustrations beautifully depict each phase.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(3) PS Illustrated by Jacqui Lee. "Welcome to the woods... / Try tickling Owl's tummy to wake Owl up." This book is essentially Press Here with owls and die-cut pages, but it's special nevertheless: Walden has transplanted Hervé Tullet's revolutionary premise to a cut-paper-like forest where readers meet a welcoming, expanding owl family ("It's a little egg! Gently tap the shell to see what's hidden inside...").

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Illustrated by Richard Jones. Walden's rhyming couplets introduce ten emotions, sometimes more successfully than others (jealous, described as "an emerald mist": "Your vision blurs--your mind is fixed on things you do not own, / and as green steam begins to rise, you give an envious moan"). Die-cuts place a hat-and-parka-clad boy in a different scene for each spread, a clever-ish way to illustrate how a feeling can change one's internal landscape.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) 4-6 This appealing oversize collection features ten well-known world cities in two-page spreads with heavy-stock double foldouts, each of which is colorfully illustrated by a different artist. More successful than the overly broad first In Focus book, the text consists of short captions for each graphic that describe the city's special features: tall buildings, noteworthy geographic points, historical landmarks, sports teams, culinary characteristics, etc.

Reviewer: Jack Forman