(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Garth Williams. This seventy-fifth-anniversary edition includes colorized versions of Garth Williams's classic understated illustrations (added in 1953). The shades are appropriately frontier-y, all muted browns and sunrise yellows, but the gleaming-white pages are a bit of a distraction. Some diverting ephemera--the book's first jacket, letters between Wilder and her editor, details about 2008's Little House musical--are appended.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Garth Williams. This oversized "special read-aloud edition" contains large, easy-to-read print. Unfortunately, the enlarging of Garth Williams's pencil drawings, with their soft lines and shading, results in some indistinct and hazy illustrations. Grandparents and baby-boomer parents may appreciate the large print, but they won't appreciate the extra heft.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Renee Graef. Word for word, an entire chapter from Little House on the Prairie forms the text for this holiday picture book. When the creek rises, Laura and Mary realize that Santa will not be able to make it to their homestead, but their disappointment turns into joy when Mr. Edwards unexpectedly brings their gifts to them. Graef's attractive artwork complements the touching story, which stands well alone.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Richard Hull. Before creating the Little House books, Wilder wrote a series of sentimental fairy poems for the San Francisco Bulletin in 1915. Fairies nap on clouds, paint flowers, get into mischief, and "gaily go a-dancing / Along the country ways" in this slim, fanciful collection. Finely detailed pictures capture the lush, dreamlike world of the fey.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(2) 4-6 This follow-up to 'The Little House Sampler' contains some of Mary's poems and Grace's diary entries, along with a school composition of Ma's; more of Laura's articles on farm life and two dozen or so of her poems, the majority written in high school and all, in the heyday of parlor poetry, pleasantly free of mush or gush. Photos of the families and farms, and annotations by the compiler will help out young readers.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(4) 4-6 A brief introduction establishes the background and setting of each of these Christmas stories collected from 'Farmer Boy, By the Shores of Silver Lake, The Long Winter', and 'These Happy Golden Years'. Although the concept is appealing, the book contains unattractive colorized versions of Williams's illustrations.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.